The Sage's Silent Prayer
Namgung Muyoung's face hardened fearfully.
His cheeks trembled as if he was about to draw his sword.
Muyoung did not vent his turbulent emotions like a raging fire.
After taking a deep breath, he looked at Namgung Seowol with calm eyes.
“Why did you kill them on your own?”
“Because they are evil.”
Seowol replied with a sullen face. Since it was a sudden remark, Muyoung's words stuck in his throat.
“Those who have no value in life.”
“But…”
“These evil ones, there are more.”
Muyoung hesitated. It wasn't because he had no words to say.
Although Seowol always dealt with people with an expressionless face, Muyoung knew that there was a faint emotion hidden in her expression.
In Seowol's current emotionless eyes, a faint anger was flowing out.
“If you leave them alive and go around to other places, more victims will appear.”
Muyoung couldn't come up with words to reply. Seowol's words struck the core.
If they couldn't catch the murderers quickly, more victims like the current Soseon Sect might appear.
Taking them to the Wulin Alliance or the Wudang Sect would be a waste of time.
They had to eliminate them all as soon as possible.
After all, they are evil beings who have no value in regeneration, and killing them is the punishment.
This was the attitude of the Namgung Clan towards the Sima foreign devils.
Wukong looked at the scene between the two with a strange gaze.
***
The only survivor of Soseon Sect was the daughter of the sect leader, Seonhyang. Her name was Seonhyang, and her martial arts were at the beginning of the first class, which was rare in such rural areas.
“Really, thank you. Really.”
Seonhyang kept thanking the group led by Sun Wukong.
Although she looked tired, Seonhyang was a woman with a strong backbone.
She personally inspected the half-burned corpses with her own hands. She carefully wiped each thrown corpse.
The corpses of the disciples who lived like father and family. With tightly clenched lips and deathly pale faces, Seonhyang's hands trembled but she didn't stop.
Muyoung who was helping sighed softly.
“Brother-in-law.”
“So, you gave them iron caps?”
To Wukong's question, Muyoung shook his head.
“This is a massacre that happened in Anhui Province. The Namgung Clan should take responsibility.”
“But you strongly urged to go to Wudang or the Wulin Alliance instead of the Namgung Clan.”
Muyoung's face slightly reddened.
“Since it's the Namgung Clan, it wouldn't feel more at ease.”
Wukong chuckled. Muyoung handed Seonhyang a letter written in the name of the Namgung Clan patriarch and the iron cap.
Namgung Clan, Wudang Sect, Wulin Alliance.
No matter where they went, they could rely on them.
This was Muyoung's consideration.
Consideration wasn't shown only by Muyoung.
Wukong said while scanning the corpses.
“Many corpses, shouldn't we hold a simple funeral?”
“We can't make coffins… burying one by one like this.”
It wasn't feasible to bury all the corpses.
Wukong suggested a Buddhist-style cremation. Although Soseon Sect originated from Taoism, Seonhyang didn't care much.
After all, Seonhyang was leaving this place.
Even if we make graves, we can't manage them.
“Is cremation okay?”
“…Yes.”
Wukong stood before the corpses and silently clapped his palms in a prayer gesture.
Clap.
“…!”
In the moment the sound of palms clapping spread quietly.
Seowol's eyes widened with a feeling as if her heart was being squeezed.
The surroundings fell into silence. Not just simple silence. The sound of insects, chirping birds, distant flowing water—all seemed not to reach the ears.
In the middle of the silence, only the sound of Wukong's palms clapping in prayer came calmly.
Wukong, who always had the corners of his mouth upturned and eyes curved like crescent moons.
It seemed like he always had a playful smile, as if he wasn't serious.
There was no serious corner to him.
He laughed even in battles. In martial arts, no serious face was seen.
Seowol remembered it clearly from the first martial arts competition and the wheel battle at Changryong Chulgwan.
She couldn't erase the feeling of an adult playing with young children.
That's why Wukong's expression now was awkward.
His tightly closed straight lips. Calmly settled eyes. Polished momentum.
A solemn atmosphere enveloped the surroundings.
How much time passed? A small murmur broke the silence from Wukong's mouth.
“…”
A low chanting of scriptures.
A verse from the Buddhist sutra containing the meaning to rest peacefully in the Buddha's world flowed from Wukong's mouth.
Seowol stared blankly at the scene.
Muyoung also looked at Wukong with somewhat surprised eyes.
It was a long scripture. Without memorizing it, it couldn't be chanted. Not just memorizing and reciting.
Power was contained. Mysterious magical power was imbued.
Intense power felt between words and sentences, with each breath.
This power immediately wrapped around the surroundings.
The magical power that couldn't be performed without understanding all the strokes and meanings of the characters.
Would the famous Buddhist monk chant like this? Muyoung felt a sense of being overwhelmed by solemnity at some point.
Wukong, who had memorized the scriptures, lit a fire for each corpse with a respectful posture.
Fwoosh.
The flames quickly spread to the hanging corpses and burned them even larger.
It was a very simplified Buddhist-style funeral, but the emotions were purely true.
Seonhyang, who had been firmly holding on until now, burst into tears.
Wukong stopped only when the chanting continued for a long time, when the flames grew as if eating all the corpses.
The sound of crackling burning, Seonhyang's muffled sobs.
In between, Wukong's voice flowed in.
“It might be thought of as an unjust death.”
The qi spread quietly in the flames.
The burning flames calmed down like an animal that heard the words.
“But life is a round circle that rotates endlessly, so please let go of the injustice and make a vow for the next life.”
Wukong extended his hand into the flames.
Seowol and Muyoung who were watching flinched.
Wukong casually stirred his hand in the flames.
Like forming a hand seal.
“I told you to tell the Yama that if there is no big fault, to reincarnate as a human.”
Wukong trailed off for a moment, then plucked one strand of his hair.
Namgung Seowol tilted her head.
“Hair.”
One of Wukong's characteristics was that he cherished his hair unusually.
He constantly stroked his hair and picked out stray hairs.
Thanks to that, it was as silky as silk, more than any ordinary woman. Often envied by painters.
Wukong pulled out his hair and lightly blew it. The hair that was floating in the air like feathers subsided in the flames.
“If it's this, even the Yama won't treat it ungratefully.”
Looking at the flames with red tongues sticking out, Wukong chanted a Buddhist spell.
“Go carefully.”
Namgung Muyoung and Seowol watched the solemn scene with trembling pupils.
A halo seemed to spread behind Wukong.
The brilliant golden light behind the Buddha.
***
After finishing the business at Soseon Sect, Wukong immediately started the pursuit, but it didn't go well.
Perhaps because the Wudang Taoist who was fleeing had recovered his body after treatment at Soseon Sect.
Myodu-eung couldn't chase the Taoist traces anymore.
Unlike before, he was fleeing while carefully erasing his traces.
Indeed, there was a non-trivial corner in his skill, as much as surviving alone in the bloodbath.
Above all, the problem was that Myodu-eung was going outside his own territory.
As he moved away from the Namgung Clan's territory where he had his own domain, Myodu-eung's field of vision narrowed.
“It seems like we're getting farther away gradually.”
Myodu-eung muttered in a dejected voice.
Wukong smiled bitterly and stroked his head.
“It's done. You worked hard.”
Even just coming this far, Myodu-eung played a big role.
At least, there were still survivors, that survivor was important, and the black-clothed people were chasing with full force.
This was enough achievement.
“I guess I have to contact the Myeong-i-dang leader.”
Wukong immediately moved to find Namgung Cheonyeong.
“There are several bases.”
Muyoung took the lead.
To prove the once-glorious prestige, the Namgung Clan had bases scattered throughout Anhui Province.
From an Anhga where no one lived, to small shops.
The bases were spread throughout Anhui in various forms.
Even in the state after the great war, the power of the Namgung Clan to maintain influence in Anhui Province.
Soon, they arrived at a grand city.
Muyoung found a pharmacy without hesitation.
It was a fairly large pharmacy.
“You heroes from the jianghu! Our store is full of golden wound medicine and all kinds of miraculous medicines!”
The pharmacy owner welcomed them happily. Muyoung replied calmly.
“From golden wound medicine to Yaosangdan, and Hwayeoksaseok. All are needed.”
“Oh, you are a rare guest. I'll show you inside.”
Wukong confirmed that the pharmacy owner's eyes changed for a moment and then returned.
Even though wearing Namgung Clan martial clothes, they strictly followed the given rules.
“Quite thorough. I should tell the Hoga Jang guys about this too.”
Following the pharmacy, they went inside.
Passing a display with various medicines, a staircase to the basement appeared.
“I greet the young master of the Namgung Clan.”
Only after arriving at the basement did the pharmacy owner bow and greet.
“Long time no see. Yang Gong.”
“It's been about five years. Your appearance is really like the Heavenly Edge Sword Star has no separate one.”
“You're flattering. Ah, this is Sun Seonsaeng who is staying as a guest in the Namgung Clan.”
“Nice to meet you. Just a plain pharmacist using the Yang surname.”
Wukong nodded.
The pharmacist had no internal energy. A plain yangmin.
“So, no suspicion.”
Muyoung simply introduced the Yang family.
After receiving a favor from the Namgung Clan in the great war, he was providing this Anhga as a place to repay the favor.
He was also faithfully performing the role of delivering regional information from time to time.
“To maintain all these in various places in Anhui, it would cost a lot of money.”
“Many places are already closed. Except for a few important places, almost all have closed the doors. Even the core areas couldn't be managed until recently.”
“Until recently?”
Namgung Muyoung showed an awkward smile.
“Thanks to Sun Seonsaeng, it changed.”
“In that case, feel at ease.”
Wukong lay down casually on the bed placed in one corner of the basement as if collapsing.
Muyoung had a bitter smile.
After Wukong made a great contribution to returning the rights and businesses from the Cheonghyupbang.
The Namgung Clan's finances, which were blocked, began to revive.
The urgent incoming funds were used for restoring such Anhgas.
Not only this place, but countless Anhgas that had started to return thanks to Wukong.
Even if Wukong acted as if he came to his own house, there was nothing to say.
Rather, Muyoung found this attitude more welcome.
“Just before… it was hard to approach.”
The solemn face wrapped in flames and the brilliant light spreading like an illusion.
Even Muyoung who was far from the Buddha, even Seowol, would bow in deep respect and pray.
But seeing it like this again, it was exactly the original appearance.
Honestly, Muyoung found this current appearance more comfortable.
It felt familiar like seeing the elders of the Namgung Clan.
A demeanor without restraint and honest with emotions.
The pharmacist who was quietly watching this demeanor cautiously said.
“I was waiting for you to come.”
“You knew I would come?”
“The atmosphere in the nearby area has been ominous lately. Above all…”
The pharmacist's words didn't finish.
From behind, a sudden presence made Namgung Muyoung raise his hand to his sword and turn his body.
Fortunately, there was no need to draw the sword.
“Myeong-i-dang leader! You are here…?”
Namgung Cheonyeong was already there. Muyoung's words that had been happily shouting faded.
Namgung Cheonyeong smiled bitterly with a tired face and bowed.
“Apologizing for receiving you in such a state. I have heard the news. You successfully completed the Changryong Chulgwan and officially became the young master.”
Muyoung swallowed a sigh. The gaze of Muyoung looking at Namgung Cheonyeong trembled.
Because Namgung Cheonyeong's condition was not good. His upper clothes were thrown away, wrapped in bandages. Every time he moved, a foul medicine smell wafted.
It was clear he had suffered quite a serious injury.
Not just anyone, but the head of the Myeong-i-dang, Namgung Cheonyeong.
Muyoung's eyes sank heavily.
“What happened?”
Namgung Cheonyeong exhaled deeply.
“…I need to bring the patriarch.”
“Your father?”
Muyoung's face hardened.
The words to call the patriarch.
That meant…
“The patriarch is not someone you can deal with.”