Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: The Abbot's Ailment
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Beopyeon chuckled softly and said to Han Seol-hwa.
“Would you please put on your veil?”
When Han Seol-hwa gave him a questioning look, Beopyeon smiled and continued.
“Even this old man’s heart flutters at your beauty, Fairy. Imagine what it does to the young monks.”
Han Seol-hwa, who had removed the stuffy veil for a moment, silently put it back on. Upon arriving at the abbot’s quarters, Beopyeon instructed his disciples to bring tea.
While waiting for the tea, Beopyeon asked.
“May I ask why you wish to see our Great Master Daeju?”
Daeju.
It meant he was the successor who inherited the robe and bowl, the legitimate heir of the previous generation's teachings.
Instead of answering, Han Seol-hwa turned her head toward Dan Ak-seon.
Naturally, Beopyeon’s gaze also shifted to Dan Ak-seon.
“I wish to see him and speak to him directly.”
A look of difficulty briefly flickered across Beopyeon’s face before vanishing.
“I may hold the position of abbot, but if he refuses, I cannot force the matter.”
Dan Ak-seon readily nodded.
“It would be good if we could meet him, but if he refuses, we will simply leave.”
Beopyeon beamed, seemingly satisfied.
Just then, a novice monk opened the door and carefully brought in the tea.
“Huh?”
Dan Ak-seon’s face showed surprise as he recognized the novice.
It was the same novice who had greeted them at the mountain gate.
The novice, who had glanced over without thinking, was also startled to meet Dan Ak-seon’s eyes. He had passed on the message just in case, but he never expected to see them again in the abbot’s quarters.
“Didn’t that boy say the abbot wasn’t receiving guests?”
At Han Seol-hwa’s question, Beopyeon smiled at Dan Ak-seon.
“There are guests, and then there are guests.”
“…?”
“How could I treat the name of the Divine Physician lightly?”
This time, Beopyeon looked at Han Seol-hwa with a meaningful smile.
“If I had said I would not see you, would you have left so meekly?”
Han Seol-hwa scoffed coldly, and Beopyeon nodded as if he had expected as much.
“The reason I do not receive guests is to avoid disturbing his purity.”
“What do you mean?”
“Master Hyegong, who is my martial uncle, is preparing to pass down the robe and bowl.”
The robe and bowl, passed down through generations of the Zen lineage. Passing on the kasaya and alms bowl held a profound religious significance.
It was physical proof of a master acknowledging a disciple’s enlightenment, entrusting them with the role of leading the Buddhist followers.
“For this purpose, he has entered a retreat. He is on the verge of entering Nirvana, casting off all remaining worldly afflictions. That is why we have been refusing outside guests until he designates the disciple to whom he will pass the succession.”
Beopyeon brought out a brush, ink, and paper and wrote a short letter. Then, he beckoned the novice closer and handed him the letter.
“Go, give this to the Hall Master of the Arhats and tell him to take it to the Second Patriarch's Hermitage.”
“You mean Master Ryogong? Understood.”
The novice retreated, glancing back at Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa.
At that moment, Han Seol-hwa posed a question.
“I thought the Hall Master of the Arhats was dead? Was his dharma name Ryobeom?”
“…!”
Han Seol-hwa did not miss the brief, violent tremor in Beopyeon’s eyes.
“He joined a coordinated attack to capture the Blood Hand Honored One, didn’t he? Along with the Tang Family’s Thousand-Hand Master and an elder from the Namgung Family.”
Beopyeon was utterly discomfited. The question dug into his most painful wound. Yet, Han Seol-hwa, who had asked it, wore an unconcerned expression.
Beopyeon lifted his teacup to wet his throat for a moment, then let out a low sigh.
“It is all my fault.”
That was the end of it. He closed his eyes gently and pressed his lips shut, as if to forbid any further mention of the topic.
Just then.
Dan Ak-seon suddenly spoke up.
“Master, would you please stick out your tongue?”
Beopyeon opened his eyes, slightly flustered by the sudden request.
Dan Ak-seon had moved close and was staring intently at his face with a serious expression.
“Something seemed a little off since I first saw you, but I became certain just now.”
“Certain of what?”
“Your illness, Master.”
“…!”
Dan Ak-seon sought permission with his eyes, then reached out and took Beopyeon’s pulse. Closing his eyes, Dan Ak-seon sighed after a long silence.
“The fire qi of your heart has become too strong, severely affecting your heart meridian. This seems to have been going on for at least a year, hasn't it?”
Beopyeon smiled bitterly.
“Pay it no mind. I know the state of my own body better than anyone.”
“Including the fact that you don’t have much time left?”
Beopyeon’s eyebrows twitched.
“How do you know that?”
From the way he spoke, it seemed he already had some inkling of his condition.
“Please, stick out your tongue. I need to see it for a more accurate diagnosis.”
“Do not trouble yourself. This is but the karma I must bear alone.”
Despite Beopyeon’s refusal, Dan Ak-seon was insistent.
“It must have been incredibly painful. How have you endured it until now?”
“If you think of it as a bamboo staff to reflect upon past mistakes…”
Dan Ak-seon cut him off.
“A few strikes from a bamboo staff won’t kill a man. But this illness will. Painfully.”
Dan Ak-seon gazed at Beopyeon with earnest eyes.
“Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva threw himself into hell for the sake of all living beings, didn’t he?”
“…?”
“He must have done so because it was his calling.”
Beopyeon, who had been watching Dan Ak-seon, wondering what he would say next, gave a hollow laugh at his words.
“My calling is to save people. If I turn my back on someone dying before my eyes, I would be tormented by guilt for the rest of my life. And I’ve heard that a disciple of Buddha must practice compassion.”
“So if I refuse treatment, it means I would be committing a great sin as a Buddhist disciple.”
Beopyeon nodded.
Having received permission, Dan Ak-seon checked the color of Beopyeon’s eyes and tongue, then placed his ear against his back and chest and began tapping all over his body.
“Just as I thought…”
Dan Ak-seon’s expression turned grave.
“Any later, and it would have been irreversible.”
“So, what is my ailment?”
“It’s a condition of Heart-Fire Flaming Upwards.”
“You mean it’s an anger-sickness?”
“That is the cause, but it has worsened into a much more serious condition.”
Shaking his head, Dan Ak-seon continued his explanation.
“There is a large, vital blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Being connected to the heart, it endures the highest pressure. That’s why it must be more flexible and durable than any other vessel.”
“And?”
“A part of that vessel has hardened, and unable to withstand the high pressure, it’s developing micro-tears. At some point, it will tear open completely.”
Dan Ak-seon asked.
“You’ve felt extreme pain between your shoulder blades, on your back, correct?”
When Beopyeon nodded, he asked again.
“The pain must have felt like being struck with an axe or a hammer. It was probably the worst pain you’ve ever experienced in your life.”
Beopyeon’s eyes widened.
He was astonished that the young man had grasped his illness in such specific detail.
“If left untreated, the vessel will rupture, and blood will flow where it shouldn’t. The nerves deprived of blood supply will lose function, and you could become paralyzed from the waist down.”
“Is treatment possible?”
“Fortunately, it’s not too late, so treatment is possible. We can lower your blood pressure by placing needles at the Tanzhong, Neiguan, and Shenmen points, and then use medicine to heal the damaged interior of the vessel. However…”
“…?”
“There is a high chance of recurrence. It seems the reason for your high blood pressure is psychosomatic.”
Beopyeon let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
“Heh, I thought the son of the Divine Physician had come, but it seems the Divine Physician himself is here.”
“Then, I will begin the treatment.”
Dan Ak-seon took a wooden case of needles from his robes.
The moment Dan Ak-seon held a blue needle with exquisite ivory carvings, Beopyeon gasped.
“The Immortal Reverence Needles!”
Facing the divine objects that symbolized the Divine Physician, Beopyeon even felt a sense of welcome.
“But this will be very painful.”
As Dan Ak-seon gave him a worried look, Beopyeon closed his eyes, signaling it was fine.
Dan Ak-seon inserted the Immortal Reverence Needles into the acupoints he had identified earlier.
After applying the needles without rest, Dan Ak-seon finally stepped back with a sigh after about thirty minutes.
Opening his eyes, Beopyeon was inwardly amazed.
His symptoms had improved to a degree that was clearly palpable compared to thirty minutes ago.
“Amitabha.”
Dan Ak-seon spoke to Beopyeon, who was quietly chanting the Buddha’s name.
“You will have to wait a little for the medicine. It takes time to procure the ingredients and prepare it.”
“Is the formula for that medicine one of the Divine Physician’s secret recipes?”
Dan Ak-seon shook his head at Beopyeon’s question.
“No, it isn’t. The formula is not complicated, so any ordinary physician’s hall could make it with my prescription.”
“That is a relief. Then, just write me a prescription.”
“Ah! The Hall of the Medicine King!”
Dan Ak-seon exclaimed, having remembered something belatedly.
Shaolin had a separate hall dedicated to treating the sick.
With its facilities, scale, and level of medical skill, it was no exaggeration to call it the greatest medical institution of its time.
Dan Ak-seon borrowed a brush, ink, and paper and wrote out the prescription.
Taking it, Beopyeon let out a sigh.
Seeing this, Dan Ak-seon smiled and said.
“Don’t worry. As long as you take the medicine on time, you will recover quickly.”
“No, that is not what I am worried about…”
Beopyeon gave the puzzled Dan Ak-seon a complicated look.
“How can I possibly repay this debt?”
Just then, a voice from outside the abbot’s quarters called for Beopyeon.
“Abbot, it is I, Ryogong.”
“Enter.”
At his words, the door to the abbot’s quarters opened, and a man stepped inside.
A martial monk with impressively calm eyes.
It was the Arhat they had first encountered at the mountain gate.
It turned out he was the Hall Master of the Arhats, the leader of the current generation of Arhats.
“Well? Did you deliver the letter?”
Ryogong answered Beopyeon’s question with utmost respect.
“I was unable to see him. I left the letter and returned.”
“Was there anything else unusual?”
Ryogong hesitated for a moment before answering.
Noticing his gaze linger for a moment on Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa, Beopyeon smiled faintly.
“It is alright, you may speak.”
Only then did Ryogong begin to speak cautiously.
“It seems he has not eaten for several days. I fear…”
As Ryogong trailed off, Beopyeon’s expression darkened, guessing what would come next. After pondering something for a moment, Beopyeon turned to Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa.
“My martial uncle, Hyegong, will contact you separately. Would you be willing to wait a little longer until then?”
Beopyeon smiled gently at Han Seol-hwa, who was showing her displeasure.
“It will soon be time for the meal offering. Having come all this way, you must at least give us the chance to serve you our temple’s food.”
Beopyeon instructed Ryogong.
“Guide our guests to their quarters, and tell the novices attending them to ensure they want for nothing.”
“Yes, Abbot.”
Ryogong bowed respectfully to Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa.
“I will guide you.”
After the two left the abbot’s quarters with Ryogong, Beopyeon finally let out a long sigh. His eyes filled with complex thoughts, he rose to his feet and headed for the Hall of the Medicine King.
As Beopyeon stood there for a long while without entering, the head monk in charge of the Hall of the Medicine King approached and paid his respects.
“Is there any improvement?”
The same question as yesterday.
The reply was also no different than usual.
“There has been no significant progress.”
At Beopyeon’s involuntary sigh, the head monk bowed his head apologetically.
Beopyeon raised his eyes to the sky.
‘Is there truly no other way?’
In his sorrow, he could only repeat the Buddha’s name.