A Monk's Discourse on Fate
Dan Yeop would have suited the role of Earthly Executor better.
“Because Dan Yeop might reject the Thousand Lotuses. In that case, the Blood Maitreya would be preferable to the Pure Earthly Executor.”
“Do so.”
Once the middle-aged man withdrew, the old man turned his gaze back to the chessboard.
A breeze from somewhere swept through the pavilion and passed on.
***
Peace suddenly descended upon Chang’an Castle, which had been rife with unease.
With the murders of high officials halted, the vigilance of the Golden Crow Army and the constabulary returned to normal.
The various inspections at the city gates were also relaxed.
Dan Yeop, too, returned to his original patrol district.
The people forgot the terror of the Thousand Lotuses as if it had never happened.
After all, it was none of their concern.
Only the high officials remained on guard.
They continued to hire wanderers as bodyguards.
Thanks to that, the wanderers alone rejoiced.
Wanderers from within the province flocked to Chang’an Castle in hopes of earning a share.
The rumors of the Chang’an Castle wanderer market spread even to the neighboring provinces of Hadong, Sannam, and Geomnam.
Naturally, a great migration of wanderers from the three provinces began.
The increased number of wanderers made the constabulary at the Jangan County Office busy once more.
Clashes among wanderers in the Eastern and Western Markets had grown frequent.
The once-empty prison cells of the Jangan County Office were now filled with wanderers.
After lunch, Dan Yeop went out on patrol in the Da’an District with the other constables.
Recently, sword fights broke out in the Da’an District almost daily.
It was inevitable, given that the pleasure district there was the finest in Chang’an Castle.
Dan Yeop deliberately avoided Jaun Pavilion and Hwaweol Pavilion. He did not wish to run into Soyo or Okhwan.
As they walked along the main road, one constable spoke to his companion.
“At this rate, won’t all the wanderers of the Ten Provinces gather in Chang’an Castle?”
“Why say something so unlucky? Words have power, you know.”
“I’m only saying it because I see new faces every day. It’s truly ‘renewed day after day.’”
“Haha! You’ll slap any phrase onto anything.”
Dan Yeop nodded along with the constables’ conversation.
It was truly astonishing how new faces kept appearing every single day.
‘Still, wanderers alone won’t be enough to stop the Thousand Lotuses’ experts.’
Yet when he saw high officials hiring them anyway and wanderers rushing in eagerly, he could only feel exasperated.
They seemed to find some comfort in it, but he could not understand why.
To his eyes, it looked no different from saying, “If I must die alone, let us die together.”
Before long, Dan Yeop’s group entered the tavern district.
Even in broad daylight, the taverns were crowded with customers.
Nine out of ten of those customers had horizontal blades, straight swords, or greatswords hanging at their waists—wanderers, every one.
As he sighed inwardly, a monk wearing a bamboo hat approached from the opposite direction.
For a moment, Dan Yeop froze.
The people around him seemed to vanish, leaving only the bamboo-hatted monk in his sight.
It was the first time he had experienced such a thing, and his expression hardened slightly.
The monk stopped a single step away, lifted his chin slightly, and spoke.
“Amitabha. Your senses are sharp. Might I have a word with you?”
“Who are you?”
“My dharma name is Hongjin.”
Dan Yeop regarded the monk with an ambiguous gaze.
He had never heard the name before, but since he was still new to the martial world, he let it pass.
“For what reason do you wish to speak with me? I am currently on duty, so I cannot engage in private conversation.”
“Is a matter concerning Dan Si-ju’s fate public or private business?”
“Where shall we go? An inn, a restaurant, a teahouse, or a tavern?”
“I have yet to eat lunch, so let us go to a restaurant.”
“This way.”
After instructing the other constables to continue the patrol separately, Dan Yeop headed to a nearby restaurant with Hongjin.
***
Mirim Pavilion.
Unlike the taverns, Mirim Pavilion was quiet after the lunch hour.
Thanks to that, Dan Yeop and Hongjin were able to secure a seat by the window.
When the waiter approached, Dan Yeop gestured toward Hongjin.
It meant for the monk to order as he pleased.
“Bring us lamb soup, dumplings, and flatbread.”
“Yes, Venerable One.”
Once the waiter left for the kitchen, Dan Yeop asked,
“Do you eat meat, Venerable One?”
“All things depend on the mind. If one regards meat as grass, then it becomes grass.”
“Ah, so that is the profound meaning…… By the way, why did you wish to see me?”
“That, I shall explain after we finish our meal. It is an important matter, and it consumes much energy.”
“Understood.”
Dan Yeop nodded and gestured to the waiter.
The waiter came running over at once.
“Yes?”
“Bring me flatbread and lamb soup as well.”
“Yes!”
Right after the waiter left, Dan Yeop spoke as if making an excuse.
“I’ve been busy, so my lunch was rather light. I’d like to fill my stomach properly before listening.”
Hongjin smiled faintly as he looked at him.
“Dan Si-ju is an amusing fellow. I rather like such people.”
“I also respect ascetics. If it is not too presumptuous, may I ask which sect you belong to?”
“Even if I told you, you would not know it.”
Hongjin avoided answering, but Dan Yeop did not press further.
After all, the sect was not what mattered.
‘Who is he? Why has he come looking for me?’
Hongjin had clearly said it concerned Dan Yeop’s fate.
If the other party had not been a monk, Dan Yeop would have snorted in disbelief.
Yet when a solemn-looking monk spoke of fate, he felt strangely tense.
It was the kind of feeling that made him think he ought to listen.
‘Could it be that the Shaolin Temple has taken an interest in me?’
The Five Great Sword Sects had long kept Haomun in check; it was entirely possible.
‘What if he wants to discuss managing the martial world? I’m still only a branch leader……’
While Dan Yeop was lost in speculation, the ordered food arrived.
Dan Yeop tore pieces of flatbread, dipped them in the lamb soup, and observed the middle-aged monk.
At first he had thought the man was from Shaolin, but the longer he looked, the less likely it seemed.
Above all, he could not sense the compassion unique to monks.
Hongjin felt like an iron wall.
No matter how one poked, not a single drop of blood would come out.
‘He does not suit the Zen sect that is Shaolin.’
Just then, Hongjin set down his chopsticks and spoke.
“Why do you stare so?”
“Have you finished eating?”
“I have.”
“Then I would like to hear about my fate now.”
“Very well. If you had to choose between good and evil, which would you choose?”
“Good, of course. I am a constable who has received many commendations for doing my job well.”
“A fine choice. Then tell me, what would you do if you encountered evil?”
“I would capture it.”
“But you did not capture it.”
“Me?”
“The constables of the Jangan County Office are protecting the homes of corrupt officials, are they not?”
“That is……”
“Where were you at the time General Choeon was killed?”
“I was on duty.”
“Yes, protecting corrupt officials. Am I wrong?”
“……”
Dan Yeop could not answer.
He had done it to catch the Thousand Lotuses, but the result was the same.
“If you truly intend to capture evil, why have you not captured the corrupt officials? No—far from capturing them, you are protecting them. Can you still claim to have chosen good and to capture evil?”
“I have no excuse for that part. However, I had to prioritize catching murderers……”
“The people of the Thousand Lotuses killed a few evildoers, but corrupt officials have driven hundreds of innocent commoners to their deaths. Your actions toward evil lack consistency. It is a typical case of being harsh toward the weak and lenient toward the strong. Is it right to protect great evil and then declare you will capture those who punish it?”
“It may sound like an excuse, but I cannot apprehend every criminal in the world. Though inadequate, I am doing what I can right now.”
“If that means protecting corrupt officials, then I am disappointed.”
“Even corrupt officials will one day face the judgment of the law.”
“Hahaha! That is the most amusing thing I have heard in recent times. One day? I have never seen a corrupt official who did not die peacefully in old age. If the Thousand Lotuses had not acted, General Choeon would have lived out his life enjoying every luxury. Do not try to deny reality with sweet words.”
“Even so, I pursue good in my own way, and as for evil……”
“Why is following the Heavenly Dao considered evil?”
“Killing people is a crime.”
“Does the state not execute serious criminals as well? Is that also a crime?”
“That is prescribed by law, so it cannot be considered a crime.”
“Is that so? Then which do you believe takes precedence: ‘the law established by a few people’ or ‘following Heaven’s will’?”
Dan Yeop stared at Hongjin for a moment before replying.
“Who can know whether the Thousand Lotuses truly follow Heaven’s will? In the end, that is merely their claim.”
“One can know the tree by its fruit. The law you follow protects evildoers, while the Thousand Lotuses have punished them. Can you still say the Thousand Lotuses do not follow Heaven’s will?”
Dan Yeop realized he could not win with words alone.
It was true that the law did not punish corrupt officials.
Unless power passed to their political rivals, corrupt officials continued to enjoy their luxuries.
That was why the common people supported the Thousand Lotuses.
If Baek Yu-hwa had not been murdered by the Blood Emperor, he might have cheered for them as well.
At the thought of Baek Yu-hwa, his clouded mind gradually calmed.
“Now that I think about it, you have been defending the Thousand Lotuses since earlier. Are you perhaps a follower of theirs?”
“I was merely discussing what is good and what is evil.”
“You have no connection to the Thousand Lotuses?”
“If I did, would you arrest me on the spot?”
“If you are connected to the Thousand Lotuses, there is something I would like to ask.”
“Speak.”
“If the Thousand Lotuses truly follow Heaven’s will, why do they not punish evildoers and instead accept assassination contracts from them? Earlier you criticized me for ‘not capturing corrupt officials and instead protecting them.’ Does the Thousand Lotuses also choose selectively when following Heaven’s will?”
“If you are referring to the Blood Emperor, he is atoning for the sins of his past by killing corrupt officials.”
“The Blood Emperor does not only kill corrupt officials, though.”
“That is a sin he must bear. It has nothing to do with the Thousand Lotuses’ policy.”
“Since he is acting while working for the Thousand Lotuses, the Thousand Lotuses also bears responsibility, does it not?”
“A thousand Buddhas cannot all be of one mind.”
“That sounds like an excuse for ‘entrusting work to someone uncontrollable.’ Am I correct?”
“There is some truth to that as well.”
At that moment, Dan Yeop let out a cold laugh.
“Hah! The Thousand Lotuses is lenient toward itself and strict toward others.”
“What do you mean?”
“How can all the countless officials under Heaven be of one mind? Among them, corrupt officials are bound to appear. Yet using that as an excuse, the Thousand Lotuses denounces the imperial court as the root of evil. Then, since the Thousand Lotuses also has someone like the Blood Emperor, should it not also be denounced as the root of evil?”
“There are not many in the Thousand Lotuses like the Blood Emperor.”
“That is what they call a dung-covered dog scolding a mud-covered dog.”
“……”
After a brief silence, Hongjin suddenly changed the subject.
“Is your opposition to the Thousand Lotuses because of the Blood Emperor?”
“Honestly speaking, yes. The Blood Emperor killed someone precious to me. She was the most powerless and lowly person in the world.”
“Tsk! So that is how it was.”
“Yes.”
“Can you not forgive the Blood Emperor?”
“I will kill him.”
At those words, Hongjin smiled bitterly.
He did not take Dan Yeop’s declaration seriously.
He simply did not believe Dan Yeop could be the Blood Emperor’s match.
Even if Dan Yeop somehow managed to kill the Blood Emperor, the Thousand Lotuses would not care.
The uncontrollable Blood Emperor was a headache even for the Thousand Lotuses.
“Then what about the Thousand Lotuses?”