Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Kindred Spirit
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Mujin let out a short sigh and looked at Soyeon.
“Do you want to learn a new palm technique?”
“Yeah!”
“But you haven't even mastered the family arts yet.”
“Wouldn't it be better to learn both?”
She wasn't wrong.
Of course, it was foolish to desire new martial arts without having mastered even one.
However, different martial arts suited different people.
High-level martial arts, in particular, each embodied unique principles and philosophies.
For this reason, prestigious sects often decided a child's future martial path based on their disposition.
For instance, an impatient and distractible child might start with gentle arts to build a foundation before moving on to powerful, high-level techniques.
'The arts of the Emei Sect might be a better fit for Soyeon.'
The Flame Emperor's Red Flame Arts and Red Flame Fists were undoubtedly high-level techniques.
But they were also Yang-based arts.
While they were perfect for men, who naturally possessed stronger Yang energy, they were difficult for a young girl to master.
While Mujin was contemplating, Soyeon spoke up.
“And... ever since those nuns came, Jo-mu hasn't been bothering us.”
Soyeon whispered the last part.
The son of the Sangro Martial Hall. Jo-mu.
It was a name he often heard from Soyeon and Dojin.
He had never seen the boy properly, but from what the two children said, he didn't sound very likable.
A brat you disliked for no good reason.
It was satisfying to hear that such a brat couldn't act up anymore.
'Well, the Sangro Martial Hall is a secular branch of the Emei Sect, after all.'
Mujin could picture the scene without even seeing it.
With an elder of the Emei Sect present, how could the Sangro Martial Hall, a secular branch, not be on their best behavior?
They must have been groveling.
According to what he'd heard from the Poison Emperor via telepathy, the nun named Jinhwa, who sat in the pavilion with a gentle smile, had quite a temper.
Abbess Jinhwa, intending to pass on her arts to Soyeon, would not have let the Sangro Martial Hall—which was subtly checking and showing hostility towards the Yeomhwa Family—off the hook.
And the repercussions would have reached the young brat named Jo-mu.
“So. You want to learn martial arts from that Abbess?”
“Yeah. But... if it's a problem for you, brother, it's okay if I don't.”
Soyeon whispered again.
Having grown up in an unstable environment, the child had become incredibly perceptive.
Seeing her quickly change her tune when she noticed his hesitation made Mujin's heart feel heavy.
“This brother of yours is not a man who is easily troubled. There aren't many people in this world who can trouble me.”
It was an arrogant thing to say, but he meant it.
As he was learning that the greatest heartache in raising a child was not being able to give them what they wanted to eat, have, or do, Mujin set Soyeon down, turned around, and looked at Abbess Jinhwa in the pavilion.
Mujin politely clasped his fists and bowed.
“She is a quick-witted child with an exceptional competitive spirit. As she is the only girl in our family, I have no intention of sending her far away, and certainly not to the Buddha.”
“Of course.”
“I leave her in your care.”
At Mujin's words, Abbess Jinhwa's smile deepened.
The Poison Emperor's expression, on the other hand, hardened noticeably.
'I have no choice. The child wants it. Still, it's a relief that it's the Emei Sect.'
Weren't they a prestigious sect located in the same province of Sichuan?
The problem was Great Monk Hyeon-u.
Seeing Mujin, who had been adamantly refusing until the children arrived, he grew anxious.
During his stay at the Yeomhwa Family, he had examined the boy named Hwa Dojin's constitution several times.
At first, he had simply checked his pulse lightly, but afterward, he had re-examined his innate physical structure multiple times under the pretext of playing with him.
'This child is the real deal!'
As the younger brother of Mujin, who was said to possess a Heavenly Martial Body, he had expected him to be exceptional.
But the boy's martial talent, upon actual inspection, surpassed his imagination.
What he particularly liked was not the boy's innate body, but his insight.
He was calm and composed, yet a fiery competitive spirit burned within him.
His words and actions were deliberate, and his heart was passionate—exactly the kind of disciple he had been searching for.
“Amitabha. Congratulations on the bond formed between the Yeomhwa Family and the Emei Sect. This too must be the grace of the Buddha.”
As he rose from his seat in the pavilion and spoke with his palms together, the Poison Emperor quickly sent a telepathic message.
-You can't let this one slide.
Mujin gave a small nod at the Poison Emperor's message.
“For a martial family belonging to the secular world to form even a small bond with those who follow the path of Buddha is quite burdensome.”
Mujin was drawing a line in the sand.
But Great Monk Hyeon-u was not one to give up.
“The mind is not Buddha, and wisdom is not the Path. Does drawing near to Buddhism make one a Buddha? Does gaining its wisdom guarantee enlightenment?”
At Great Monk Hyeon-u's words, the Poison Emperor stared at him with a bewildered expression.
“That's not what that means...”
“Amitabha.”
Great Monk Hyeon-u put his palms together, looking at the Poison Emperor.
'Is he telling me to shut up?'
The Poison Emperor's thought was correct.
Great Monk Hyeon-u continued speaking as he watched Mujin return to the pavilion with his two siblings in tow.
“The Buddha's will embraces the world. Though we ascetics distance ourselves from the secular world, that is our own circumstance. It is not that the secular world distances itself from us. Now that I have met a destined soul who can make my own humble enlightenment blossom, what importance do external trappings hold?”
Mujin sat down and sent a telepathic message to the Poison Emperor.
-What is all that nonsense? I don't understand a word of it.
After a moment of collecting his thoughts, the Poison Emperor replied to Mujin.
-He's telling you to hand over your brother.
“Great Monk. My brother has the important destiny of inheriting our family's secret arts. Our family's circumstances do not permit me to send him as your disciple, so I ask for your understanding.”
Seeing Mujin bow his head in refusal, Great Monk Hyeon-u spoke again.
“How could a follower of the Buddha's teachings not consider another's difficulties? Do not worry. Take the boy to Mount Song? Unthinkable. If you would just lend me a small room, I will teach him slowly by his side.”
“...”
-Is that monk always like this?
The Poison Emperor shook his head slightly at Mujin's dumbfounded question.
-His shamelessness is truly worthy of the great Shaolin Temple. Don't let your guard down.
“Dojin.”
Mujin finally called his brother.
“Yes, brother.”
“That monk wishes to take you as his disciple. However, you have a duty to inherit our grandfather's arts, which I could not. What are your thoughts?”
“...I have no intention of abandoning our grandfather's arts.”
Mujin nodded with a pleased expression.
“However...”
At Dojin's next words, Mujin's face stiffened.
“If possible, I would very much like to learn the technique the Great Monk showed me.”
“...What... did he show you?”
Mujin asked, looking at Great Monk Hyeon-u.
Abbess Jinhwa and Great Monk Hyeon-u had been visiting the Xichang Yeomhwa Family for quite some time.
It was unlikely they had remained idle while being watched by the Poison Emperor.
“Haha. It was nothing grand. I merely showed him a small piece of my humble enlightenment.”
“What did you show him that...”
Mujin swallowed the rest of his question, which was going to be about how he had managed to entice a serious child like Dojin.
“It is nothing remarkable. It's not something to boast about in front of Senior Tang here, but if I were to show you a little...”
From his seated position, Great Monk Hyeon-u lightly struck the air.
He had merely flicked the back of his hand, a light movement of about four inches.
-Bang!
As he finished the light punch and reached for his teacup, a stone haetae statue twenty yards away shook with a loud sound.
“It seemed to be a valuable statue, so I didn't break it.”
At his added remark, the Poison Emperor's mouth fell open.
“Hundred-Pace Divine Fist...”
The secret art of Shaolin, said to have been lost thirty years ago.
Even among the dozens of ultimate techniques of Shaolin, the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist was counted among the very best.
'The Hundred-Pace Divine Fist...'
Having witnessed a Shaolin ultimate technique firsthand, Mujin's gaze grew deep and somber.
In his past life as the Divine Demon, during the final, desperate battle against the Nine Great Sects, he had cut down five warrior monks who had mastered the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist.
Three of them were young warrior monks who had not yet reached mastery, and two were old, accomplished monks.
'Didn't the lineage die out back then?'
Witnessing the return of the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist—one of the few Shaolin ultimate techniques said to be passed down only from person to person—Mujin's thoughts grew complicated.
“Did you restore the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist? You?”
Great Monk Hyeon-u shook his head at the Poison Emperor's surprised question.
“It is not so grand as to be called the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist. I have merely gathered the insights and records of those who faced it in the past and achieved a small success. I have not recovered the forms and stances.”
At the mention that the forms and stances had not been restored, Mujin closed his eyes.
In the darkness behind his eyelids, the attack patterns of the martial artists who had rushed him were vividly replayed.
They were the ultimate moves of the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist.
A moment later, Mujin opened his eyes and spoke.
“That... Do you really want to learn it?”
A divine fist that delivered a blow merely by striking the air, without any emission of internal energy.
Mujin knew what Dojin's answer would be without even hearing it.
“As long as it doesn't cause you trouble, brother, I would like to learn it. I dared to think that it might even deepen our grandfather's arts.”
'Adding the insights of the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist to the tyrannical Yang arts of the Flame Emperor's fist techniques.'
Mujin patted Dojin's head and nodded.
Great Monk Hyeon-u smiled at the Poison Emperor as if the match was already decided, while the Poison Emperor closed his eyes, humbly accepting defeat.
“He cannot be registered as a Buddhist disciple, but from now on, I leave my brother, Hwa Dojin, in your care.”
“Amitabha. I will take special care to ensure you have nothing to worry about.”
In the end, Mujin had allowed his siblings to learn the martial arts of Shaolin and Emei.
After the gathering ended, the Poison Emperor visited Mujin at the family's main building. The two of them sat together, gazing at the brightly risen full moon.
Sitting on the wide wooden veranda and sharing a simple cup of tea, the two men let out heavy sighs.
“So, they've even extended their reach to Shaolin.”
At the Poison Emperor's words, another long sigh escaped Mujin's lips.
“Hah. It seems so.”
“Frankly, I hate to see Sichuan's talent lost to Mount Song, but it's not a huge loss for you, is it?”
When he thought about it, it was true.
While the Yeomhwa Family was a proper martial family, it wasn't as great a house as the Five Great Families of the Central Plains.
It was a small martial family with only three direct descendants.
For the children of such a small family to form a connection with prestigious sects like the Nine Great Sects could be seen as a great fortune.
“Is profit and loss what's important in family matters? If it were you, Elder, would you want to entrust your grandchildren to Shaolin and Emei?”
“Are you mad?!”
The Poison Emperor shouted before finally nodding his head.
“I see.”
They had perfectly good martial arts that were no less than those of the Nine Great Sects, so there was no need to wound their pride by asking for help elsewhere.
Especially not from the Buddhists, who were notoriously stuffy.
“No matter how I think about it, it's a waste. He seemed to have extraordinary martial talent. He could achieve greatness just by mastering the Flame Emperor's arts.”
“What can I do when he wants to learn it?”
“It's my fault. If I hadn't been distracted, I wouldn't have given them an opening to pull their tricks. I was too complacent.”
“Isn't that just fate? Why did the damned heavens have to bless three people in one household with such talent?”
At Mujin's words, the corner of the Poison Emperor's eye twitched.
“Wh-what did you just say? Could it be that your siblings also...”
“That's right, the Heavenly Martial Body or whatever the hell it's called. Their bodies naturally reject demonic energy and show rapid progress in orthodox arts. I don't know why they ended up with such bodies, but they have seizures if they're exposed to evil or demonic energy.”
“A H-Heavenly Martial Body... You mean that constitution actually exists?”
“I've confirmed it myself, so you can believe it.”
“Yourself? How did you...”
As Mujin stared at him with a somber gaze, the Poison Emperor trailed off.
“It's not good to get too involved in another family's private affairs.”
“Ahem! Right. More importantly... how was my Jeong-ah?”
“What about her? Didn't I make myself clear last time?”
“Are you really a man-lover?”
“Didn't I say I'm not that either?”
As Mujin replied dismissively, the Poison Emperor drank the tea in front of him and pulled a bottle of liquor from his wide sleeve.
“I really can't figure out your tastes.”
Watching him pour liquor into his teacup, Mujin emptied his own and held it out.
“You drink?”
“Is there any man who dislikes liquor?”
Since his reincarnation as Hwa Mujin, he hadn't had the leisure to even touch a drop of alcohol.
“Kuh-hah.”
“Keh. Is this bamboo leaf liquor?”
“It is. Are you really not going to tell me why you refuse to marry at such a young age?”
Mujin looked up at the brightly shining full moon and held out his empty cup.
Cheap bamboo leaf liquor filled the cup. Mujin gazed for a moment at the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the drink before downing it.
“Keh... A long time ago, there was a woman I truly loved.”
“...”
As Mujin's story began, the Poison Emperor silently refilled his cup.
“A woman I loved so much I was willing to give up the life of a warrior and break my master's only final wish.”
“Your first love?”
Mujin nodded at the Poison Emperor's question.
After filling his own cup, the Poison Emperor took out a new bottle of liquor from his other sleeve.
“It seems things didn't go well.”
“She died.”
With those words, Mujin threw the bitter liquor into his mouth.
“She was a woman like that moon. She had nothing, no luck with parents, and yet she raised her two younger siblings tenaciously from a young age, always shining brightly.”
Her beautiful face was now clearly visible in Mujin's mind's eye.
“In the winter, she walked the marketplace to sell her labor; during the farming season, she worked the fields with that slender body of hers; and to earn a few meager coins, she would wander the mountains all day, selling goods.”
“A hard life.”
Mujin nodded.
“And yet, she never accepted a single coin from me. Her life was hard, but she was a woman who never lost her spirit.”
“Then why did she die?”
Mujin stared directly at the Poison Emperor for a moment.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“...Elder... No. What do you think of me? A much younger man who speaks to you so disrespectfully.”
The Poison Emperor smiled at Mujin's sudden question.
“So you do know. I thought you were oblivious. What do I think? Well... Strangely, I don't feel the age gap with you. When we talk, I find that we understand each other. Since we are kindred spirits, I consider you a friend.”
At the words “kindred spirits,” Mujin smiled.
In truth, the Poison Emperor wasn't the only one who felt that way.
The Poison Emperor had lived through the same era as him, an era no one else could understand.
“Even with such a large age gap?”
“Your speech is getting more informal. What does age matter? If our hearts connect, aren't we friends?”
“Our hearts connect... In that case, will you hear the rest of my private story?”
“What kind of great love did you have that it became a private story?”
Perhaps it was because he was getting drunk from the first liquor he'd had in Hwa Mujin's body.
Or perhaps it was because memories of her, buried deep in his heart for so long, had resurfaced.
He felt the urge to share the story he had kept inside.
“It was great. Because of her, I tore every last one of those bastards from the Nine Great Sects to shreds and killed them.”
!
In that instant, the Poison Emperor's eyes widened.