...The Bandits?

Beop Yun, his entire body wrapped in a golden radiance from the west, thrust out his fist.

The heavy, weighty golden fist qi that burst from his knuckles blasted the bandits straight out of their lair.

"Graaaaagh!"

"Aaaaagh!"

Blood erupted from the mouths of the men soaring high into the air.

And yet, on the face of Beop Yun as he swung his fists, a compassionate smile never left.

"Uh... um..."

"The Buddha showed mercy to all—save for Mara himself. These men had vermin nesting in their skulls, so what choice was there but to beat them to it?"

"..."

"Be gone with you, vermin."

BOOOOOM—!

With a sound like the air itself tearing apart, gold erupted once more.

I watched dumbfounded as he swung his fists around.

Beop Yun was also at the Peak realm. Watching his martial arts in action, the mental image he held began to seep directly into my own heart—the martial art of one who embodied great compassion and mercy, the mind of a Buddha who thought of all living beings.

Recalling the form of the technique I had just copied, it felt as though some deep corner of my chest was being gently filled with that same golden light, warm and soft.

What would happen if I ran this technique alongside the Blood Yin Demon Art at the same time? There was a warmth to it that gave me confidence I would not, at the very least, lose myself.

Just then, one of the bandits who had gone flying came crashing down before me.

Thud—

"..."

There wasn't a single visible wound on the fallen man's body. Shaolin's martial arts carried the principle of internal-strike techniques, striking an enemy from within.

"Hrk... hck..."

Though coughing up blood from his mouth, he didn't exactly look *fine*.

I could only stare at Beop Yun's back with an expression of deep dissatisfaction.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

"By the way, how are you here? Weren't you asleep?"

"I was in the midst of my circulation practice. But you rushed off somewhere in a hurry, so I grew worried and followed."

"You said something about next lives, but you didn't kill any of them."

"You did not take a single life either, benefactor, so I wondered if perhaps you had some purpose in mind."

"I didn't."

"Then..."

Beop Yun's body began to radiate golden light again. I hurriedly blocked his path as he raised his fist, waving my hands frantically.

"No, what kind of monk is this bloodthirsty?"

"I would love to guide them all to enlightenment, but alas, this world is not such a place, benefactor."

"...Just wait a moment."

I glanced ahead, thinking. In my view sat dozens of bandits, faces ground into the dirt, hands clasped behind their backs. A few had taken such heavy injuries that they seemed to have passed out entirely, but not one of them was dead.

"I beat down the master of a place called the Black Tiger Fortress, you see..."

"...Is he the fiend of the Transcendent Peak realm that you defeated, benefactor?"

"Yeah. And there's one thing I ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠regretted after catching him."

"And what would that be?"

"If I'd taken his head and stormed the Black Tiger Fortress's main hall, I might've become its master myself, no?"

At that, Beop Yun let out a deep, deep sigh.

"Truly, you speak wisely. What a shame. It was a chance to lead the misguided folk of the dark path down the proper road..."

"Just to be clear—that proper road isn't the road to the afterlife, is it?"

"Why would it not be, benefactor?"

"..."

If there had been any proof that these men had committed truly heinous crimes, I wouldn't have hesitated to wipe them out myself. But alas, no such proof existed.

So instead, I kicked the head of the man prostrate at the very front.

Thwack—

"Ow...!"

"Back in position."

"F-face in the dirt!"

I walked over to the man who had pressed his head back down, crouched, and whispered into his ear.

"Hey. How much do you charge in tolls?"

"T-tolls?"

"Yeah, tolls. I have ways of finding out everything, so don't bother lying."

If I asked the Open Sect to look into it, digging up the truth would be no trouble at all. And they knew that fact all too well themselves.

"W-well... it depends on who's passing through..."

"Right, then let's ask your conscience. Do you squeeze them hard, or light?"

"We never take too much! We don't rough people up without cause either. If word ever got out that someone died on this road, no one would ever travel it again!"

Strength surged into the man's voice. I stared at him silently for a moment, then tapped the ground lightly with my finger.

"Hmm... sit up."

"Y-yes, sir!"

I used the technique I had extracted from the Master of the Mudang Sect. A gaze that discerned truth from falsehood. I figured I'd just call it the Eye of Truth for convenience's sake.

As the Eye of Truth activated, both of my eyes began to glow blue.

"Is that true?"

"...It is true!"

"Hmm... so it is."

"Of course it is..! What honest man would ever lie—"

"If you'd been lying, I was going to shake you down to your bones."

"..."

"Open the storehouse."

"Excuse... me?"

The bandit chief's eyes went round as saucers. I paid it no mind and spoke again.

"I said, open the storehouse."

"...W-why?"

And I lifted my sword, sheath and all.

"Want a taste of the Taiji Wisdom Sword?"

"...My apologies. I'll open it right away."

And so the storehouse of the Great Tiger Fortress was opened. The gold, silver, and treasures within caught the light of the candle in the fortress master's hand and glittered dazzlingly.

I gazed at it all, then addressed the man.

"...Just a little, you said?"

"W-well, do you know the saying that even dust piled up becomes a mountain..."

"Listen here."

"Y-yes..?"

The Taiji rose at my back. Slowly lifting my clenched fist, I turned my head to look at him.

"I thought you lot were poor souls driven up the mountain with no other way to survive..."

"Ah, th-that's true of our brothers!"

"But not you, is that it?"

"N-no, this is—not that, this is support we received from the Green Forest Seventy-Two Fortresses' main hall..."

Seen through the Eye of Truth, that statement was true. But it was no absolution.

"So in the end, you had money and still robbed innocent people. Am I right?"

"..."

The man could not answer. That settled the verdict.

I raised my sheathed sword high.

"You need a beating."

"W-wait, big brother—no, great hero! Maybe you could put that down for just a moment—"

"Shut it."

And then, the fortress master's harrowing screams rang out across the mountain.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

I patted the two enormous sacks floating beside me with my palm.

"...What kind of 'support' is this much?"

"Benefactor, is it truly all right to descend the mountain like this?"

I looked at the worry written across Beop Yun's face and asked, "I shook them down for everything they had—why are you so bent on a monk keeping his hands clean of blood?"

"Hmmm... still..."

"Hmm."

At his words, I turned my head back toward where the Great Tiger Fortress stood. ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The newly rising sun was poking its head between the ridges, scattering the light of dawn across the land.

Watching the scene, I snorted a laugh.

"Well, if they want to come for revenge, let them come."

After all, I had verified everything with the Eye of Truth at the end. First: don't even dream of revenge. Second: lend me your strength when I need it. And last: collect only one quarter of the tolls from now on.

"I took only half on purpose, so they shouldn't go running wild and preying on people."

"Still, one never knows..."

"Even after I thought this much about their future, if they still betray that trust... well, can't be helped then. In that case—"

every last one of them dies.

The instant that image crossed my mind, my heart let go of its grip on the Blood Yin Demon Art. Unrefined rage and killing intent spread out around me in a form invisible to the eye.

And then the unleashed Blood Yin Demon Art was pressed back down by the unfathomable martial art Beop Yun carried, which blazed with a warm radiance.

It had lasted only the barest instant, so Beop Yun, having no idea what had just happened, could only stare at me and break out in a cold sweat.

"Benefactor, just now, what—"

"Hm? What what?"

"...Nothing. I must have sensed something wrong."

"Don't worry too much. Even if they come charging at us swearing revenge, do you think the Nine Great Sects and the Four Great Clans would just sit still?"

"That is true enough."

Beop Yun nodded reluctantly, wearing the look of a man deeply unsatisfied with something.

We were nearly back at the inn where the party was staying when I spotted her.

"Oh, it's Seolhyeon."

I became a single bolt of lightning and landed right in front of her as she walked toward us from the distance.

"...EEYAAK!"

"What's with that reaction?"

"I almost had a heart attack, you little bastard!"

Genuinely startled, she clutched at her chest with her face contorted. Her clenched fist rapped against my sternum, thump thump.

I rubbed Cheon Seolhyeon's soft cheek with my palm and asked, "Up early, huh?"

"...Where were you off to?"

"Big brother went out and made some money."

"Money? Out of nowhere?"

She looked up at me with questioning eyes, her cheek squished under my hand. And in the very next moment, the money sacks floating behind me came drawing to my side in a flash.

Whuum—

"Whoa, that scared me."

"This Void-Drawn Object technique is seriously convenient."

Cheon Seolhyeon darted her hand out and undid the mouth of the sack. Then, at the resplendent golden glow spilling from within, her legs wobbled and nearly gave out.