Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: The Killer Gate's Proposition
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In the chilly air, Suryeon spoke.
"Your eyes are sharp."
"My ears aren't bad either."
"Impressive. You're even better than I heard."
A short whistle sounded, and all presences vanished completely.
Suryeon whispered.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"Take care of the last one too."
"......Don't I need something to rely on as well?"
"......"
Without a word, he flicked his sword.
Suryeon let out a sigh.
"...Hoo."
A brief signal sent.
The final presence disappeared.
"Follow me. I've prepared a place to talk."
"We'll do it here."
"...The night wind is cold, hero."
"You don't look like someone who'll freeze to death."
"You have a stubborn side. But won't you consider my worries too? I'm delicate. A freezing wind sweeping over me would bring illness in no time."
"I said here."
"...There might be ears listening. What I'm worried about are the ears of the two following you in secret."
Gu Yang-do and Purple Sword.
She's talking about Geum Pyeong and Myo Cho-a.
He had noticed the tailing from the start. He left them be only because they weren't interfering.
The one who called herself Suryeon sighed.
"I can't afford to surface. If people like Purple Sword and Gu Yang-do spot me, it'll be trouble."
"......."
"Please consider my situation, hero."
"Can I trust you?"
"If I meant to kill you, I would've ambushed you first, right? Trust me."
Suryeon, who had walked across the rooftop, took his hand and led him.
Suddenly, the roof gave way. She went in first and pulled him along.
"Deeper inside."
A complicated secret passage. After navigating several turns, they reached a sealed room.
He glanced up.
He stopped without entering fully.
Suryeon gestured.
"These are people I prepared in advance... but I'll call them all off."
The presences gathered on the ceiling all vanished.
"Please sit. I don't have many talents to boast of, but they say I'm quite skilled at tea."
She poured tea.
Of course, he didn't drink.
"Let's get to the point."
"You have a precious personality."
What he was wary of was in her grasp.
Hundreds of hidden weapons ready to burst forth at any moment. Covered in black cloth, but he could see them all.
Too many weapons for a mere informant. That meant one thing.
"So..."
Soundless footsteps. But a different number of weapons from Black Wind.
"What business does a killer have with me?"
"...I'm impressed again. You figured out we're from the Killer Gate right away. Your reputation must be understated."
"Tell me what you want."
"If you insist."
Suryeon lifted her fox mask slightly.
An emotionless expression greeted him.
Her voice grew serious too.
"I want one thing. Revenge. The main Killer Gate was used by Shaolin and then discarded."
"Pardon?"
"The Killer Gate I led helped Shaolin from the shadows. We procured all the funds they needed and eliminated competitors without hesitation. Countless sects vanished silently by our hands. But that final blade turned back on us."
Suryeon touched her chest.
"The previous sect leader and the Killer Gate were uprooted like that. Now, only ten killers remain besides me."
"......."
"I want one thing. For Shaolin to pay the price. And since your goal seems to align with mine, I requested this meeting."
"I have no intention of meddling in someone else's revenge. Nor of being used as a tool."
He stood up.
But Suryeon shook her head.
"I don't want Shaolin's complete downfall. I just want to strip away all the flesh the Killer Gate added to them. What we built, we can destroy ourselves, can't we?"
"......?"
"Our interests align. I know the circumstances of the recent disappearances you want. And uncovering that will naturally achieve my goal too."
"What do you...?"
"The disappearances in Shaolin are connected to Shaolin."
Suryeon spoke.
"Do you know about the monster monk?"
...
Monster monk.
Suryeon mulled over the moniker she herself uttered.
The Killer Gate's enemy. A single word piercing through the current situation.
"...Explain."
The man before her asked. Suryeon stole a sidelong glance at him.
His presence was heavy. No detectable internal energy, but he seemed to be hiding much.
What kind of person was he?
The mystery would unravel through conversation. But beyond the scattered information, Suryeon wanted more.
Was he a man who could defeat the monster monk?
She didn't know. Everything was uncertain. But missing this chance meant she could never dream of revenge against Shaolin again.
There are moments when one must gamble.
Like right now.
"...The monster monk is an old rumor. Quite famous in Henan Province. It's a term for monks twisted by their inability to let go of what they should release."
"Twisted by not letting go of what should be released. What does that mean?"
"Simple story. The teachings honed in Shaolin Temple ultimately aim for the salvation of sentient beings through martial arts. To reach that, one must discard possessions one by one. Family. Friends. Friendship. Love. Only by attaining enlightenment from all can one enter nirvana. Only then can they ascend to the realm of saving others."
"......"
"But a monster monk is one consumed by inner demons for failing to discard those. Their initial purpose starts pure, but the end is dark. Ultimately, monsters devoured by greed they couldn't abandon. That's what monster monks are."
"Tell me more details."
"Yes."
Suryeon moistened her lips with tea.
"There was a former head of Shaolin's disciplinary hall, Heavenly Sun Master Gye-yeop."
"......."
"Even to me, he was a noble man. Impressive from our first meeting. Led by the previous sect leader, in that audience, he alone exuded dignity."
To the point where she thought, if Buddha reincarnated, it might be him.
And his intent was noble too.
"Heavenly Sun Master sought the Killer Gate to clean up the unorthodox sects in Shaolin's territory."
"Not words a monk should utter."
"In a way, it was a great resolve. The unorthodox sects around Henan were entangled with officials. They exploited official immunity thoroughly and often created favorable situations. Even the Murim Alliance couldn't interfere easily."
"......"
"To resolve it, violence was needed. But ruthless violence is farthest from Shaolin. That's why Heavenly Sun Master came to us. To bear that weight alone."
But what starts with good intentions doesn't end that way.
Once a monk tastes blood, they can't leave the secular world.
That man did.
"It started smoothly. The Killer Gate was king of the shadows, and cleaning up unorthodox sects was easy. We even beheaded colluding officials based on the commission. We were the blade, and Heavenly Sun Master swung it without hesitation."
"......."
"But to clean them all, Heavenly Sun Master lacked funds. Having spent his life honing Buddhist devotion, having no accumulated wealth is natural, isn't it?"
"...Not wrong."
"Heavenly Sun Master began taking over the dead unorthodox sects' businesses. To finish what he started. But the moment he held those businesses, greed consumed him."
"......."
"Indulgence became basic. He started entrusting us with personal matters. We were blades, so for money, we did as told. But we swore not to touch non-martial artists, so we didn't strike those ignorant of the sword. The moment his commissions targeted civilians, the Killer Gate refused."
"...That was..."
"Yes. The trigger. What made Shaolin clean up the Killer Gate. Heavenly Sun Master raided our headquarters and erased all records of himself. At the same time, he killed everyone who had seen him. To excise the rotten sore-or so he claimed, but in truth, he was close to a monster."
"What happened to him?"
"Officially, he's dead. Witnessed vomiting blood by the current disciplinary head, Abbot Gong-baek. Many witnesses too. He was buried. Deep underground."
"Officially, that is..."
"We later secretly dug up his grave. For postmortem inspection."
She remembers that day.
Leading subordinates, sneaking into Shaolin, losing some, digging that grave.
It was raining. Damp earth scent brushed her nose.
The shovel struck the ground. Finally hit the coffin lid.
But...
"No corpse."
He's alive.
Somewhere, surely.
Suryeon fiddled with her teacup.
"There's a common point among the disappeared. Hero. Most are vagrants. People with nothing, whom no one would seek if gone."
"......."
"I'll tell you more if you promise to work together. Hero."
"Then tell me one thing. From my guess, Shaolin is behind it? And a surviving monster monk is pulling the strings?"
"At least, they're deeply related. Our separate investigations tie closely to them."
Suryeon reached out. Placed her hand on Red Cloud's.
"I'm not asking you to avenge the Killer Gate. Hero. Just do what you heroes do. We'll support from below. In return..."
Suryeon recalled the previous sect leader.
The Killer Gate lord brutally torn and murdered.
He issued his final order in blood. A perfect kill inscription wishing Heavenly Sun Master's death.
"I want the downfall of Shaolin's current businesses and the monster monk's complete death. That's all I ask."
"......."
Red Cloud.
The Murim Alliance inspector paused. His eyes scanning her were full of suspicion.
He can't trust yet.
She didn't expect full understanding in one go. She just needed to prove the rest with actions.
"From now on, I'll share all information we acquire with you. Trust and entrust me. I'll be your solid foundation."
"...If I act entangled with the Killer Gate, won't my position become awkward?"
"I'll stay a shadow fish below the surface. Invisible, so no suspicions, and you won't worry about your back. If you wish, hold my weakness. Since I've devoted my life to revenge, nothing matters more."
"......."
Red Cloud sighed.
"Give me time to think."
Suryeon nodded.
"I'll guide you out."
After several passages, she sent him off. Before leaving, he asked.
"Can I hold your hand once?"
"...My... hand?"
The unexpected words shattered her serious tone. Blinking, Suryeon tentatively extended her hand.
Checking pulses? Fine. If he refuses, her path to revenge vanishes.
The Killer Gate was nearly destroyed, Shaolin still vast.
And she knew one monster monk wiped out the Killer Gate. Thus, she couldn't kill him yet, unfinished as she was.
She needed an ally. A martial artist on her side. Even if dangerous...
To accept him as ally, she must endure.
But it was odd. No pulse grip as expected, just a gentle caress of her hand.
"My master said hands hold many things. Just by holding, you can roughly see the life lived."
"......"
His hand was firm and large. At the same time, an eerie feeling.
Like facing a rocky mountain.
No internal energy felt, yet vast. Absurdly so.
"Can I trust Suryeon?"
"......"
His upward gaze was deep.
Suryeon hesitated. Nodded slightly.
No lies in her words. All sincere.
"Trust me."
"Alright."
Red Cloud released her hand. Suddenly curious, Suryeon asked.
"What did you see in my hand?"
"Traces."
He turned away.
"Suryeon is a diligent person."
".......?"
What did that mean?
He vanished. Suryeon watched the fading shadow.
Strange man. Somehow...
Just like that.
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