Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Divine Monk
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A gray-robed elderly monk sat in the Buddha hall, turning his prayer beads.
Caw... caw...
At the sound of a magpie crying outside the hall, the old monk drew a gentle smile on his lips.
"It seems a welcome guest is on the way."
The old monk emerged from the hall and sat on the sunlit stone steps, gazing at the verdant pine tree.
"You always keep your green hue. If only people could live as eternally verdant as you..."
As he murmured to himself while staring at the pine, the sound of approaching footsteps made him click his tongue in mild disapproval.
Tsk tsk...
"How could he take on such a frivolous fool as a disciple..."
No sooner had the old monk spoken than Myeong-gak appeared before the hall.
"Master, a guest has arrived. He says you'll know him if I mention we crossed paths ten years ago."
"Bring him here. Prepare some tea."
Myeong-gak bowed deeply and scurried off, soon returning with a diminutive elderly man.
"I pay my respects to the Divine Monk."
Heh heh...
"How have you been all these years?"
"Yes, all thanks to you, Monk."
"Sit."
The old monk gestured to the stone steps, and the elderly man lowered himself to sit there.
"The Divine Monk hasn't changed a bit in ten years."
Heh heh...
"You didn't come just to say flattering words... What brings you here?"
The elderly man gazed steadily at the Divine Monk's profile.
It was exactly the same as ten years ago.
They said those who had attained the pinnacle of martial arts could defy the flow of time, and the Divine Monk seemed to be just such a person.
"I visited a village called Huanin County not long ago."
"Huanin County... A gentleman lives there. Were you perhaps trying to take that gentleman's life?"
"Nothing like that."
Heh heh heh heh...
The Divine Monk slapped his knee and burst into hearty laughter.
"What an amusing thing to say. An assassin moving without purpose. How fared the Seok Family, then?"
"I didn't even meet the family head. But I did encounter some rather unusual figures."
"Unusual figures... If they caught your eye, they must be no ordinary folk. Tell me."
The elderly man hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I met someone who gave off the same impression as what I felt from you ten years ago, Divine Monk."
In that instant, a sharp glint flashed in the Divine Monk's eyes.
"A murim warrior?"
"No. Hunters."
"Hunters...?"
"Yes. Recently, the Henan Jo Clan raided the Seok Family, but not a single one of them made it out of Huanin County."
The Divine Monk closed his eyes halfway and chanted a sutra.
"Amitabha."
Not making it out of Huanin County meant every single raider had perished.
"Ruthless hands they wield."
"Yes. Yet they are also innocently pure beyond measure."
"Amitabha. How virtuous."
After chanting with eyes closed, the Divine Monk looked up at the sky.
"That doesn't seem to be the only reason you sought this old monk... Or am I mistaken?"
"You see rightly. In truth... Strange new faces have begun appearing in the murim world. According to reports from my subordinates, they've shown up in Henan, Hebei, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Shanxi. And wherever they appear, a martial clan or sect nearby is utterly wiped out."
"With the demons reviving, it may be inevitable. A resurrection after a hundred years..."
The Divine Monk already seemed to know about these people.
The elderly man felt a great weight lift from his heart.
If the Divine Monk knew their identity, he must have preparations in place.
Though he was the leader of an assassin sect, he had no desire for chaos in the jianghu.
"Master, I've prepared the tea."
Myeong-gak brought a tray with tea, and the Divine Monk took a cup and offered it to the elderly man.
"Have some."
"Thank you."
After handing tea to the elderly man, the Divine Monk took another cup and set it on the steps.
"What did you see, hear, and meet in Huanin County?"
Myeong-gak hesitated, rolling his eyes to gauge the mood.
"Myeong-gak, you rascal! Out with it! Were you scamming there again?"
As the Divine Monk grew angry, Myeong-gak hurriedly dropped to his knees.
"Master, I have no shame before the Buddha."
"Shameless wretch."
The Divine Monk had a good idea of the mischief his disciple got up to outside.
He'd probably swindled using even Shaolin connections and the Buddha himself.
Though this disciple always provoked his ire, looking at the eccentric fellow strangely filled him with pride.
"Tell me everything you saw, heard, and did in Huanin County."
"Yes, Master."
Myeong-gak spilled all he had seen, heard, and done in Huanin County.
"So... You scammed a naive young hunter? Promised to exorcise ghosts for him, right?"
"Yes, Master. All the silver from the scam went to the common folk."
The Divine Monk stared intently at his beaming, boastful disciple, then picked up the teacup beside him and hurled it.
Crash!
The cup shattered upon hitting Myeong-gak's shiny bald head, scattering shards everywhere.
Myeong-gak scratched his head a few times, then gathered the broken pieces.
"Go back there. If the Seok Family needs help, aid them with all your heart."
"Master, if I go and run into those hunters, they'll beat me to death. Send another Shaolin monk."
"Is the martial arts I've taught you meant for the afterlife?"
Myeong-gak, gathering the shards, startled and looked at the Divine Monk.
It was utterly unlike words from his master.
To use martial arts against commoners?
Perhaps the man before him wasn't his master at all.
"Master... Have you gone mad?"
No disciple in the world would dare call their master mad.
Yet Myeong-gak said it without hesitation.
Hmm...
Whoosh!
As anger clouded the Divine Monk's face, Myeong-gak's form sliced through the air and vanished into the distance.
Puhahaha...
As if the anger had never been, bright laughter flowed from the Divine Monk's mouth.
His son, sent to the Henan Jo Clan, hadn't returned, and rumors swirled that the Jo Clan had raided the Seok Family only to be annihilated.
Dispatching his subordinates to investigate, Si Ju-pyeong confirmed the rumors as truth.
Then what of his son, Si Wang-saeng, who had gone to the Henan Jo Clan?
Had he joined the raid and lost his life to the Seok Family, Zhuge Family, and Namgung Family?
Si Ju-pyeong, spending days in anxiety, decided to visit the riverbank where the great battle between the Jo and Seok Clans had reportedly occurred.
Fortunately, the Seok Family was too busy repairing damage from the raid to notice.
Taking four sharp-eyed, skilled retainers, he left the clan and headed to the riverbank.
Upon arrival, traces of the bloody battle from the day before still scarred the ground vividly.
Bloodstains lingered here and there, unbroken and splintered trees remained untouched.
"Graves... Find the graves!"
Though Si Ju-pyeong's order was frantic, the retainers scattered to search.
"There's a fresh grave here!"
One retainer upstream raised his hand and shouted.
"Dig! Dig up the grave!"
Si Ju-pyeong and the retainers rushed to the spot.
"Dig up the grave, quick!"
He was determined to confirm his son's death, even if it meant excavating the whole area.
The retainers grabbed farming tools instead of weapons and began digging.
"Bro, who are those guys?"
"Judging by their uniforms, Si Family folks."
The men in red uniforms flailed about the riverbank in panic, looking half-mad to my eyes.
They rushed to where the Seok Family retainers had buried the corpses and started excavating.
"What the hell are they doing?"
I'd been uneasy about so many bodies buried near my new home, and now these fools were digging them up.
Taking Gwang-u, I hurried to the site.
"What do you think you're doing?"
The diggers turned, snarling at us.
"Get lost!"
"You people..."
I held back Gwang-u as he bristled.
"Let's go."
The burial site was on my purchased land.
I'd rushed over in anger, but they didn't seem open to talk.
Provoking them further would surely draw swords.
As Gwang-u and I turned and took a few steps, a middle-aged man's voice came from behind.
"Halt."
Turning, I saw a man resembling Si Wang-saeng glaring fiercely at us.
Like Si Wang-saeng's vile face, this man looked like a snake or rat.
'Si Ju-pyeong, was it?'
I'd heard the Si Family head was named Si Ju-pyeong.
"What do you want?"
"Do you live around here?"
"Yes. In the house by the river there."
Killing intent now emanated from the middle-aged man.
"Could you be... those hunters who caught tigers for the Seok Family?"
"That's right."
"I see. So it was you. Let me ask: they say the Seok Family had a big fight here. Did you witness it?"
"From start to finish."
I answered calmly and honestly.
"R-Really? D-Did you happen to see my son? N-No, do you know my son?"
The middle-aged man advanced unsteadily, radiating killing intent.
"I know him. He came to our house before. But he wasn't here during the battle."
Whew...
The man exhaled in relief, then killing intent surged again.
He glanced around.
"I've heard plenty about you. Close with that Seok Yang-ho, aren't you? Rumor has it you sheltered his household during the fight..."
As he spoke, the retainers encircled us to prevent escape.
"Know the saying 'coexistence of good and evil'? If we can't destroy the Seok Family, the Si Family falls. You die for being friends with Seok Yang-ho. What are you waiting for? Kill them."
At Si Ju-pyeong's command, the retainers drew swords.
Shing...
"No need to spare them."
At my words, Gwang-u moved like he'd been waiting.
Thud! Thump!...
Even Jo Clan retainers couldn't withstand Gwang-u's single punch; the Si Family's stood no chance.
In moments, Gwang-u turned the foes into bloody messes and advanced on the middle-aged man.
"Wh-What...?"
Too shocked, the man hadn't even drawn his sword as Gwang-u approached.
"Stop."
I blocked Gwang-u's path and glared at the middle-aged man.
"Si Ju-pyeong, right?"
Clang!
Only then did he draw his sword and retreat.
"Who... who are you? Reveal yourselves."
"Si Ju-pyeong it is. You came here for your son, probably because he went to the Henan Jo Clan. I should've killed him without hesitation when we first met."