Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Transcending the Senses
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“Pant, pant…”
When Un Hak stopped, countless people lay fallen around him.
The patrol chief of the XianTian Chamber, Jeong Ik-su, and all fifteen members of his patrol team were unconscious.
He had been too heavy-handed. But thanks to his timely intervention, the Demonic Cult had shown no reaction.
Peeking his head over the wall, he saw that the drinking party was in full swing inside.
“Whew…”
Un Hak sighed, wiping his chest in relief.
It was a true relief.
The interference of that terrifyingly skilled maid had made a clash with the Green Forest unavoidable, but he had managed to prevent a conflict with the Orthodox Faction.
With this, the peace of the Central Plains had been preserved.
It was all possible thanks to the sacrifice of the XianTian Chamber.
“Ughhh… that long-nosed bastard… I’ll never forgive… you…”
“…”
One of the fallen martial artists, An Pyeong, twitched and cursed at Un Hak.
It seemed he hadn’t been hit squarely.
To think I couldn’t perfectly execute Falling Blossom Chasing Shadow… I still have a long way to go… No, that’s not it. I was just flustered, and the situation was urgent…
“Are you alright?”
“…!”
As Un Hak crouched in front of him, the twitching An Pyeong’s face contorted in shock.
But lacking the strength to flee, all he could do was twitch a little more vigorously.
“My, I’ll explain my situation later. For now, please come to your senses.”
When the Taoist who had just mercilessly beaten him suddenly grabbed his wrist with a benevolent smile, An Pyeong’s face turned pale.
What kind of crazy Taoist was this?
Beating someone up and then asking if they’re okay?
And what is this…?
*Whoosh!*
As a refreshing energy flowed into him through his wrist, An Pyeong’s eyes widened.
The immortal energy of a Taoist, cultivated in places of pristine mountains and clear waters, possesses the power to quell inner demons and heal wounds.
And it even felt invigorating…
“Feeling a bit better?”
“…?”
“Even if you look at me like that, I have nothing to say for myself.”
“…”
“However, know this: you have all protected the peace of the Central Plains.”
“P-Protected the peace of the Central Plains?”
“That’s right. First, let’s tend to the injured. I will visit the head of the XianTian Chamber and explain this whole misunderstanding.”
“…”
A misunderstanding? That wasn’t something a Taoist who’d just brutally beaten people up should be saying, was it?
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. I have nothing to say even if you glare at me as if you want to eat me alive. But what I can say, again, is that the peace of the Central Plains has been preserved through your sacrifice. Infinite Buddha…”
“…”
He felt like tearing apart the mouth of Un Hak, who was giving him the disease and the cure, but what strength did he have right now?
His clouded mind gradually cleared and he could move his body, but the pain that had seeped into his very bones remained.
While he caught his breath, Un Hak checked on the fallen men and tended to those who seemed close to regaining consciousness.
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Hup!”
“Y-You devil!”
“…”
The words and reactions of those who regained consciousness thanks to his immortal energy were all the same.
The moment they opened their eyes, their faces were filled with shock, and they all spat out curses.
But Un Hak seemed completely unfazed. He examined them one by one, infusing them with energy and checking their wounds.
After some time passed like this, some of the patrol team members had finally regained enough consciousness to move their bodies.
“This man is…”
“He is our chamber’s patrol chief, Lord Jeong Ik-su.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Un Hak finally understood the situation.
He had no way of knowing if they were aware of the identities of Neung Un-bi’s group staying at the Cheong-a Inn, but Jeong Ik-su had simply been faithful to his duty.
That’s how a patrol chief is.
In the Central Plains, you could say their role is similar to that of the Beggars’ Alliance.
They are tasked with identifying and monitoring those passing through their territory, so it was clear he had intended to investigate the group.
The problem was that he did it secretly.
“This humble Taoist is Un Hak of Mount Hua.”
“Un Hak… Un Hak?! The Sword Dragon of Mount Hua?”
As he revealed his identity, An Pyeong, who had been repeating the name, saw his eyes go wide.
“That is correct. This is the jade plaque that proves my identity.”
“…”
When Un Hak took a jade plaque from his robes and held it out, An Pyeong’s pupils trembled.
It was clearly a Mount Hua jade plaque.
Of course, being part of a patrol team didn’t mean he could recognize the identification plaques from all over the Central Plains.
But wasn’t Ganqcheon in Shaanxi?
It was the territory of the Orthodox Faction, dominated by Mount Hua and Zhongnan.
Therefore, he knew the identification plaques of those two places better than anyone.
…But why?
Why would a renowned Mount Hua Taoist beat them up?
And not just any Taoist, but the Sword Dragon of Mount Hua, whose name was known throughout the Central Plains?
He couldn’t be unaware that the XianTian Chamber was under the Zhongnan Sect…
“I know you have many questions. However, I will explain the details once we leave this place. It would not be good for those inside the inn to hear… Infinite Buddha.”
“W-What do you mean by that?”
His eyes were still filled with resentment, but having confirmed Un Hak’s identity, An Pyeong’s tone had softened considerably.
“I will support Chief Jeong… May I ask you to handle the rest?”
“…?”
Although Un Hak hadn’t answered his question, An Pyeong had no choice but to do as he was told for now.
Wasn’t there something to a name’s reputation?
Sometimes, the name alone explained everything.
It was the belief that someone with such a name wouldn’t act without reason.
Surely, the Sword Dragon of Mount Hua wouldn’t have done this with malicious intent?
“Now, let’s go to the XianTian Chamber. I will explain everything on the way. Infinite Buddha, it is certain that you have contributed to the peace of the Central Plains. You will surely receive a great reward.”
“…”
Un Hak, carrying Jeong Ik-su on his back, walked on, repeating those words like a parrot along with his Taoist chant.
However, An Pyeong’s ears perked up at the mention of a great reward.
What had they done to receive a reward?
All they did was follow the patrol chief’s orders, track some traces, and get beaten up?
But since the great Sword Dragon of Mount Hua was so certain, he somehow felt a sense of pride swell in his chest.
However, that was that, and the pain in his body was still pain.
Damn it… to think protecting the peace of the Central Plains was this hard.
Gods, my body aches.
An Pyeong and the patrol team martial artists supported those who hadn’t regained consciousness even with the immortal energy, and limped after Un Hak.
* * *
Neung Un-bi nodded at Wang Cheon's report that Un Hak had left with the people outside the wall.
“Shall I follow them?”
“What for?”
“Just in case…”
“Forget it. Just leave them be. It’ll be a headache if the Demonic Cult gets involved in the Orthodox Faction’s troubles.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wang Cheon nodded at Neung Un-bi’s dismissive wave.
“By the way, that Taoist is quite vicious. It seems there’s a reason his name is so well-known in the Orthodox Faction.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He beat them as if to kill them, and now he’s healing them? Seeing him take them all away, isn’t he surely planning to destroy their base as well?”
Wang Cheon’s words had a certain logic to them.
Indeed, not all Mount Hua Taoists could be like the Cheong Jin he remembered.
There must be some who are tainted by the secular world.
Besides, wasn’t Un Hak a guy who was with him under secret orders from the Orthodox Faction?
Well, it had nothing to do with him anyway. It was a bother to even care.
In any case, since the drinking party had become awkward, Neung Un-bi dismissed the others and called for Hyang-i.
The topic of training had come up anyway…
In truth, who among the members of the Demonic Cult didn’t want to become stronger?
Possessing great power was something all cult members yearned for.
For such people, receiving the teachings of an absolute master like Hyang-i was a stroke of fortune, a blessing.
Though their reasons were slightly different from his own, it was still an opportunity that Wang Cheon and Ju Seung could not afford to miss.
So, he should just let them be.
How could he kick away an opportunity that had presented itself so rarely?
Seeing how their eyes sparkled as they looked at Hyang-i…
Still, I’m first, you disrespectful bastards.
“Hyang-i.”
“Yes, Third Young Master.”
Hyang-i, who had been completely ignoring the commotion outside while stuffing herself with side dishes and marveling at the taste of the alcohol, answered nonchalantly.
Is she a glutton?
Stop stuffing your face and at least turn your head when someone calls you.
But how could he say that?
He was the one in need…
“Could you give me a hint about the method to transcend sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch that you mentioned before?”
“Aish, how annoying. Why are you asking about that while I’m eating?”
“…Huh? Ah, sorry. Then tell me after you finish.”
“Forget it. I’ve lost my appetite.”
“…”
Hyang-i slammed her chopsticks down roughly and hastily wiped the grease from around her mouth.
“…”
She’d eaten it all.
Since she had picked out and eaten only the meat, the plate was filled with nothing but vegetables.
“Damn it, you ruined my appetite. This happened because you asked, Third Young Master, so you have to buy me more later. Got it?”
“…Huh? Y-Yes.”
Neung Un-bi forced a smile and nodded.
He thought to himself that next time, he should buy her a dish with only meat.
“Now, let’s see. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch… Actually, for you, Third Young Master, it’s a simple matter.”
“Simple?”
“Yes. Because you’ve already done it.”
“…?”
“The seeing eye, or the eye of insight. You’ve already mastered that, Third Young Master.”
“Ah!”
He hadn’t known before, but he had come to learn that the technique he’d mastered for his work as an assassin was called the Insightful Gaze or Contemplation.
The eye that sees the essence.
Or the eye that sees through an opponent’s martial arts.
Thinking back, the training process had been far from easy.
The first thing he had to see was the eye of a needle ten feet away.
Sounds absurd, doesn’t it?
One should not underestimate the limits of a martial artist.
If you try to see, you will see.
At one point, the eye of the needle appeared as large as a fist, and the moment it felt like a wide-open window, he could see the world beyond it.
When he reached that stage, he would toss a handful of rice grains into the air and read the characters carved on them.
It might seem impossible, but how could one judge it by the efforts of an ordinary person?
He experienced the pain of his eyeballs feeling like they would fall out numerous times, and only after a period where not just tears but a clear fluid flowed from his eyes did he finally reach it.
When he finished that training, Neung Un-bi had transcended his sense of sight.
But she’s saying the process is the same?
As Neung Un-bi’s face contorted, Hyang-i snickered.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
“Once you’ve mastered one, the method is the same. There’s no need to train from the very beginning.”
“What do you mean?”
“You listen just as you trained to see. Among the countless sounds, you listen only for the one you wish to hear.”
“Countless…?”
“For example, the sound of an insect crawling near a cascading waterfall.”
“…”
Neung Un-bi wore a blank expression at Hyang-i’s calm words.
Hearing the… footsteps of a crawling insect?
Is that even possible?
“You thought it was impossible, didn’t you?”
“…No.”
“Liar. But it’s true. That’s what the realm of mastery is like. It’s a state you reach only after achieving the impossible.”
“…”
He wanted to curse.
Hyang-i spoke so matter-of-factly, how was it any different from her saying, ‘You can’t do it’?
Wang Cheon and Ju Seung, who had been listening in to hear what she was saying, could only tilt their heads in confusion.
How could they know? Even he, who had mastered the Insightful Gaze, didn’t understand.
“It’s not difficult. Try to remember what your mind was like when you mastered sight. Someone like you, Third Young Master, will probably grasp it in no time.”
“…”
“They often call it the state of a clear mirror and still water, right?”
“Still water?”
“Yes.”
“…”
It’s an expression from Taoism.
Some difficult phrase discussing the state of non-action.
For a brat from the Demonic Cult, she knows all sorts of things.
But hadn’t it always been said that the words of the enlightened were like Zen riddles?
Neung Un-bi slowly closed his eyes and opened his ears.
“No mind, no emotion, and no self. Sometimes, when you’re lying near a waterfall, you might have heard the chirping of mountain birds more clearly than the sound of the waterfall itself. Try to apply that.”
“Hmm…”
First, he opened his ears and took in all the sounds.
No mind and no emotion.
Erase all emotion, and think of nothing.
And then, he searches.
For the one sound he wants to hear amidst the countless noises.
“Um, Guard Captain. What do sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch mean?”
“Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling…”
At Wang Cheon’s words, Ju Seung’s eyes narrowed.
Surely a master like the maid wouldn’t be talking about the mere five senses?
“Hmm, then what about transcending them?”
“Seeing more, hearing more?”
“…”
Ju Seung shook his head as if he didn’t want to speak with him anymore and shut his mouth.
Damn them. If they’re going to chat, they should use telepathy.
His concentration was shattered by their useless conversation.
But Neung Un-bi opened his ears once more and focused on the sound.
Excluding the voices of Wang Cheon and Ju Seung.
Like that, he was slowly, little by little, returning to the moment in the past when he had mastered the Insightful Gaze.
No-self.
Forgetting his own existence, he gradually becomes one with the world.
With the sound of the wind brushing his cheek, he became the wind. With the sound of water flowing beneath the garden pavilion, he became the water, playing with the fish.