Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Trust in Suryeon
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"W-Wait...!"
Myo Cho-ah clung to me. I pried her off.
The Golden Snake Hand that shot out so suddenly carried internal energy with it.
"Just talk with me for a moment!"
"Haven't we already done that?"
"Come on, don't be like that...!"
She's so overbearing.
I deflected the Golden Snake Hand slithering toward me like a serpent. After dodging every strike from all directions, I broke her stance.
"What?!"
She startled and summoned more qi. She's lost her mind. Does she plan to use killing techniques?
I scanned quickly with my eyes. Feints: three. The real strike is...
One.
Upper right.
-Kaang!
A metallic clang rang out from the mass of flesh. That meant the real attack packed real power.
Myo Cho-ah slid back, trembling as she stared down at her own shaking hand.
"How... how did you block that...?!"
I brushed off the internal energy clinging to my hand. The slightly swollen skin returned to normal right away.
"For a Murim Alliance inspector to try stopping me with force... Is that the will of the elders' council?"
"N-No, that's not...! I just wanted to talk...!"
"I said there's nothing more to discuss."
I don't like it.
Hearing someone who treats others' sacrifices as a given.
"Whatever intentions Lady Myo harbors, they mean nothing to me. But if she tries to force them on me..."
I warned her softly.
"Then I won't stand by idly either."
"...Urgh...!"
Myo Cho-ah ground her teeth.
"Wh-What's so great about you?! Do you think the current crisis can be overturned without any sacrifices? For the greater good, someone has to be sacrificed no matter what! This... this is the fastest way! The only way to correct the Alliance Leader's tyranny...!"
"Your words have a flaw."
I didn't bother looking back anymore.
"If you're going to speak of the greater good, you should have sacrificed yourself first. Isn't that what true justice demands?"
"...You!"
I ignored the rest of her outburst. To think the Murim Alliance's top beauty has such an ugly true face...
Pathetic.
I hate it. People who treat sacrifice as obvious and spout it so casually.
Even if that's justice to her...
Her justice isn't mine.
So where does my justice lie? I like martial arts. My desire to catch up to the Heavenly Demon has always been unwavering.
But I want that path itself to be one I won't be ashamed of when I look back.
Not being ashamed of myself to my own eyes is a pretty vague way to put it.
But I know. I...
Don't want to compromise with reality for the sake of some greater good.
I seek to save them. The wronged. Those who can't fight.
Save them all...
And grasp the two things I desire with my own sword tip.
Fame is good. It'll help with my original mission.
But I won't grind myself away for that fame.
"Red Hero."
Suryeon emerged from the darkness and bowed toward me.
I gazed at her steadily. I recalled the information I'd gathered while stirring up trouble inside Henan Province.
Evidence backing her words. And it all matched perfectly, without a single discrepancy.
The downfall of evil sects near Shaolin.
The sudden destruction of the Sal Gate.
Legends of the mad monk.
Even the perfectly cleaned-up disappearance sites.
"Suryeon."
"Yes, Red Hero."
"Call me by name. I've never done anything worthy of being called a hero."
I looked down at her steadily.
I'd felt it before, but...
She's small.
She carried an adult air, but that youthful face was purely a girl's.
Has her body not grown? Or is she just young to begin with?
I didn't bother asking. It didn't seem worth hearing.
Instead, I bent at the waist. Lowered my stance to meet her eyes.
"To be honest, I still don't know. Where the truth ends and the lies begin."
"Not a single lie was mixed in my words."
"Too much is at stake to trust a simple word."
Great Master Cheonil and her.
Shaolin and me.
I extended my hand.
"So this will be my final question here."
"......."
"Suryeon."
Moonlight shone down on us. I looked at the small, slender hand I'd carefully taken.
"Can I trust you?"
Suryeon hesitated a moment. She fidgeted, moving her hand atop mine.
A small nod. Her polite tone crumbled, replaced by what seemed her real voice.
"...Believe me. Red Cloud."
With those words, I steeled my resolve.
"Then I will. Sincerely."
...
Suryeon.
The last sect leader of the Sal Gate.
She revealed her hand without hesitation, as if revenge was truly her only goal, showing me the last assassins of the Sal Gate she commanded.
"From the left, starting with Number 1 up to Number 10. Sal Gate's elite, the limbs who've been with me since birth."
Each one a powerhouse. Peak-level warriors.
Their short swords and traceless presences were perfectly suited to assassins. Impressively honed.
These are people who make killing their trade.
But why? I don't smell blood on them.
"...Suryeon. I have a question."
"Ask away."
Suryeon's tone had softened a bit.
"Aren't you the last sect leader of the Sal Gate?"
"Yes."
"Yet... there's no blood scent."
"They're my personal guards. Raised from childhood to protect me. They've never killed separately. They just guard me all day."
"Then why do you...?"
"I had something more important than killing. Completing the Sal Gate's secret art that had been broken. We didn't take jobs. I had to focus on 'Suryeon'."
Suryeon as Suryeon.
The last Sal Gate leader glanced at me.
"...I know what you're thinking, so don't say it out loud. I heard it plenty from the previous sect leader. I don't want to hear it."
"Understood. But your age...?"
"I just finished my coming-of-age rite. That's why I came out into the world-preparations were done."
For that, isn't she a bit... small?
Sect Leader Suryeon frowned.
"...I know. My age doesn't match my looks. But it's congenital. This constitution of mine is Fierce Face Heavenly Vein. I won't grow any more. This is it."
"Fierce Face Heavenly Vein is...?"
"A constitution made postnatally, not innate. The entire Sal Gate poured its power into it so my generation could inherit their broken secret art. Do you know of the Fierce Demon Asura?"
"No."
"A legendary assassin called Black Heaven Demon Killer supposedly used it. We chanced on his manual and started relearning it in my generation. So..."
Suryeon turned her head.
"Only me and my guards survived. We'd gone far away to train in it."
"......"
"We've strayed from the point. Red Cloud. If you have another plan, that's fine too... but how about hearing mine?"
"Explain."
Sect Leader Suryeon pointed to several spots in the dark room.
"Even saying Shaolin blankets all of Henan isn't an exaggeration. The key is they're not a single faction."
"...Pardon?"
"One kidnaps, the other chases the traces diligently. So in short..."
"...Shaolin is split into two factions?"
"Exactly."
Suryeon tapped the map.
"Shaolin's current abbot is Heavenly Fragrance Layman Gongbaek. Called the Buddha Lord, top of the four venerables. Under him, the ones with the most power are the Arhat Hall Master and the Sutra Pavilion Master. The important thing is these three are in opposition."
"Why...?"
"Heavenly Fragrance Layman Gongbaek is a rare sort in today's Shaolin. Who knows his true heart, but he insists on abandoning all businesses and returning to the old ways. In contrast, the Arhat Hall Master and Sutra Pavilion Master control the most businesses in Shaolin territory. Thanks to them, a few Shaolin buildings were even made of gold to uphold the temple's prestige."
"...Is that what monks should do?"
"That's modern Shaolin. Gongbaek can't act rashly because... many disciples oppose going back to the past. Public opinion is against it, so no reforms, and if the abbot tries changing everything by force alone, Shaolin's very reason for being is denied. Solving everything by violence instead of Buddha's teachings means no point in cultivating the Way. Above all... Gongbaek himself is weak-willed. Indecisive, lacking resolve. He shirks most abbot duties for a near-secluded life, so he has almost no support base."
Suryeon circled spots on the map.
"The disappearance sites seem unrelated at first, but they're all connected. The pattern: Disappearances happen around businesses tied to the Arhat Hall Master and Sutra Pavilion Master. The scale is so vast most wouldn't notice... but our separate investigation confirms it. Big or small, every incident involves them."
"...I see."
I quietly gazed at the red circles on the map.
"Even so, we can't predict the next site."
"Right. They can kidnap wherever they want, and we can't watch this whole vast area."
"Then there's only one answer."
"What will you do?"
"Heavenly Fragrance Layman Gongbaek. I need to meet Shaolin's current abbot."
"...Gongbaek won't accept without evidence. And contrary to expectations, he might be deeply involved. It's walking into the tiger's den. Shaolin is dangerous. Extremely so."
Suryeon gazed at me intently.
"Red Cloud. Better to move carefully, even if it takes time. Wait for the enemy to slip up. Then you and I can both seize what we want."
"I don't like the blood that would spill in the meantime."
"......"
"Our talk with Gongbaek might reveal needed info. I agree it's a reckless challenge..."
I pushed the map aside.
"But this is my way."
"...A pretty reckless way."
"Regretting our deal?"
"No. No regrets. There were no other chances. Just..."
Suryeon looked up at me.
"I think I know what kind of person you are now."
"What kind?"
"A rare sort."
Praise...? Doesn't feel like it.
"......"
...That's about it?
Before heading to Gongbaek, I stopped by the vagrants who'd lost family again.
They'd only sleep easy once I updated them on progress.
Those with grim faces shot to their feet when I returned.
"Th-There's progress...? Really?"
"I've at least got a lead. Not certain yet, but I thought it right to inform you, so I came."
"Ahh... Thank you... sir... Truly, thank you..."
The vagrants hurriedly reached into their bosoms. They crowded me eagerly.
"H-Here, it's not much, but please... I beg you, sir. Save... save my daughter."
"F-For your journey. It's meager, but..."
"Thank you. Sob... truly, thank you..."
I took each crowding hand one by one. Stroked them, then refused all the gifts.
"I didn't do this to receive anything. Keep it all."
"Ahh..."
Those who'd been helpless to offer anything wept endlessly as they let go. The repeated bows were almost embarrassing.
My sleeve tugged. I turned.
The girl from before looked up at me.
"Can... you find Daddy?"
"......."
Honestly, I couldn't promise. The deeper it went, the more it felt tangled somewhere.
But I didn't want to say that. I knew what this child-sized hand held.
"I'll do my best."
"...Here... this..."
A small hand opened. Something dropped onto my palm.
A shiny bead.
"Take... this... and please... bring Daddy back..."
"......."
I peered into the bead. It gleamed so much, who knows how long she'd clutched it.
It must be precious. A treasure she never wanted to let go. The one thing a poor family could boast of.
...Heavy.
My shoulders feel too heavy.
"...It's okay. I'll hold it. Be good and listen to the adults."
Instead of taking it, I pulled out an item. Gently placed a silver coin atop the bead.
"Wait quietly. Got it?"
The girl's messy face brightened, if only for a moment.
"...Yes, big brother. Thank you."
I left the vagrants. Suryeon watched me quietly.
I asked what she thought in that wordless gaze, but she just shook her head.
"Let's go. To Gongbaek."
Was her tone a bit gentler? Or just my imagination?
I turned my steps. To meet the one I must.
Probably need an appointment first. I tried before but failed...
This time, I'll force it if I have to.