Chapter 134
Chapter 134
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: The Letter (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“The day grows dark.”
As the old monk, his chin covered by a thick white beard, muttered in a lamenting tone, the young novice following him spoke cheerfully.
“That’s only natural as time has passed, Great Master.”
“Haha… It is not simply because the sky is darkening.”
The old monk gazed at a star that was revealing its light as dusk settled.
Some stars had grown brighter compared to a few years ago, while the assisting star near the Big Dipper had gradually dimmed.
If even the faint light of that assisting star were to vanish, what would become of the future of the Central Plains?
And how would the young novice beside him live on?
His heart suddenly heavy, the old monk stroked his beard with a large hand.
“The world is about to grow dark.”
“I-I’m not very good with Zen riddles.”
“The demonic forces that have lain dormant are beginning to stir.”
At those words, the young novice gasped and covered his mouth in shock.
Demonic forces? Did he mean the Mara, who had tried to tempt even the Buddha?
The young novice asked in a trembling voice.
“Shouldn’t we tell the Abbot? Shaolin is already in turmoil over so many things.”
“Wen Zheng will handle it well.”
The old monk, Great Master Wu Cheng, had no doubt in Great Master Wen Zheng’s virtue.
Ever since he was young, Wen Zheng had excelled not only in martial arts but also in the art of governance, a martial brother hailed as a rising star by the various scripture masters.
But there was one concern.
“Shaolin is not what it once was. It is fractured by factions, groaning under the weight of battles for honor—things unnecessary for the path of Zen… I fear too great a burden has been placed upon Wen Zheng.”
“Wouldn’t it be solved if you stepped in, Great Master?”
The young novice looked up at Great Master Wu Cheng with great expectation.
Who was Great Master Wu Cheng?
He was of a higher generation than Great Master Wen Zheng, who was over sixty years of age, and a genius ranked among the top five in the history of Shaolin, which had always watched over the world.
The problem was his severe wanderlust, which kept him from returning to Shaolin for any length of time.
If such a master were to return to Shaolin and support Great Master Wen Zheng, the troublesome conflicts would surely vanish.
Gazing into the novice’s eyes, Great Master Wu Cheng slowly shook his head.
“It seems you, too, wish for me to step in and resolve the situation.”
“…Have you perhaps met others besides me?”
To this, Great Master Wu Cheng responded with a smile like a lotus flower upon a pond.
Only then did the young novice realize that Great Master Wu Cheng had truly transcended the secular world.
A life of drifting like a cloud, without a single lingering attachment to worldly affairs.
He inwardly surmised that this was the kind of final years Great Master Wu Cheng pursued and bowed his head.
“My apologies, Great Master.”
“No. Would not anyone strive for the sake of their sect? Have you not seen that even among those who walk the evil path, many do so for their family or friends?”
As he spoke, Great Master Wu Cheng unleashed a palm strike, smiting a nearby rock.
*CRACK—!*
As a cloud of dust billowed up, Great Master Wu Cheng put his palms together and murmured a few words.
The young novice thought he faintly heard the name Amitabha.
When the dust finally settled, the young novice’s jaw dropped.
“Wow…”
With just a simple palm strike, the large boulder had been carved into a shape where two people could sit.
It was a clear display of the martial prowess and internal energy Great Master Wu Cheng possessed.
As the young novice touched the rock with his small hands, Great Master Wu Cheng pulled him over and sat him down in the empty spot.
Then, he removed the boy’s shoes and looked at his horribly chafed soles.
“Amitabha… To think you went to such lengths alone, just to find me.”
“I’m sorry, Great Master.”
“Who would blame you? The fault lies with the wandering souls in Shaolin who have yet to transcend their worldly attachments.”
Great Master Wu Cheng channeled his internal energy, drawing out the cold swelling from the novice’s feet and letting the damp, cold energy flow into the ground.
Finally, he asked the young novice.
“If Wen Zheng is unable to bring order to Shaolin, there must be a reason. Will you not tell me?”
At those words, the young novice forgot his pain and smiled brightly.
“Yes! I will, Great Master!”
A short while later.
A letter, written with Great Master Wu Cheng’s masterful calligraphy, was handed to the young novice.
Forgetting the pain in his feet, the young novice began to run back toward Shaolin Temple in a hurry.
‘If I can just deliver this to the Abbot…!’
The young novice smiled brightly, certain that the factional strife filling Shaolin would be resolved in an instant.
However, a shadow blocked the young novice’s path.
“Where are you off to in such a rush?”
“…Excuse me?”
The novice stopped in his tracks and looked up with a blank expression at the man blocking his way.
A killing intent, intertwined with a cold smile, was tightening its grip around the boy’s entire body.
The young novice’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“W-Who are you to block my path?”
“You don’t need to know my name. But we will be seeing each other often from now on.”
The man, offering a cryptic reply, pulled a long needle from his sleeve.
The tip of the needle glinted in the moonlight that had just appeared.
The young novice tried to shake off his fear and stomped his right foot on the ground.
Though he lacked power, he executed a perfect form of Shaolin’s orthodox fist technique, bringing a look of interest to the man’s face.
“Truly, this is Shaolin. To think a little brat like you understands the fundamentals.”
But as if to say that was all, the man brought the long needle right before the novice’s eyes.
It happened in a flash.
The young novice couldn’t even react. As the tip of the needle seemed about to pierce his eye, he instinctively stumbled backward.
“From now on, I will carve the two words ‘Demonic Doctor’ into your mind.”
“U-Ugh…!”
“Never forget it. For it is the name of the one who will be your master.”
*Stab.*
The Demonic Doctor, having thrust the long needle into the novice’s brow, snatched the letter from his hand.
On it was written a message in a dignified script, urging a return to the teachings of the Buddha. It was surely the handwriting of Great Master Wu Cheng.
A sneer formed on the Demonic Doctor’s face.
“I can’t just let it end like this.”
The Demonic Doctor exquisitely mimicked Great Master Wu Cheng’s handwriting.
Even the master’s characteristic flourish at the end of his strokes was a trivial matter for him.
The newly written message was as follows:
—Summon Liu Zhangming of Mount Hua under the pretense of a friendly duel, and awaken those who disrupt Shaolin with their factionalism to their own inadequacies.
The Liu Zhangming I have seen possesses both the character and skill for such a task.
The Demonic Doctor placed the newly written letter back in the young novice’s hand.
Then he pulled out the long needle and gave the boy a light push on the back.
A dull, vacant light filled the young novice’s eyes.
“…Huh?”
“Return to where you were going.”
“…Yes.”
The young novice, just as before he had met the Demonic Doctor, began to head back to Shaolin as quickly as he could.
***
Having arrived in Chang'an, Ouyang Jue was looking around the marketplace.
“I heard he was around here…”
Even with the senses of a supreme master, finding someone he had only seen a few times was truly difficult.
Especially if that person was an ordinary civilian with no martial arts.
After scanning the marketplace for a long while, Ouyang Jue finally spotted a certain merchant.
“Ma’am!”
“Ah, Great Hero!”
A woman with her hair tied back beamed and waved her hand.
She was the mother of the fool who had lost his life to the Black Dragon Gang.
‘I told Cheol Pung-gae to take care of things, but it still weighed on my mind.’
Seeing her cheerful face seemed to ease much of his worry.
Ouyang Jue brushed off his Daoist robes here and there, concerned that dust might settle on the goods she was selling.
“Is business going well?”
“Of course. Many kind people have helped me.”
As she said this, the woman’s expression momentarily darkened.
It seemed that seeing him reminded her of her deceased son.
Ouyang Jue skillfully picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite.
“How much is this?”
“Ah, that’s…”
Before the woman could say anything, Ouyang Jue took out a silver coin and tossed it to her.
No matter how expensive the fruit was, a single piece could not be worth a silver coin.
As the woman’s face stiffened with unease, Ouyang Jue met her eyes.
“I heard from someone. That you send most of the money you earn here to the clinic.”
“…”
“Ma’am. Our sect and the Zhongnan Sect are already funding the clinic. If you contribute as well, there’s a high chance they will become complacent.”
Moreover, Captain Jang Il-guk of the Seomun Garrison, whom he had met before, was also providing conveniences to the clinic.
Because of this, the clinic in Chang'an had gradually grown in power, becoming a place where influence gathered.
If a heartwarming story like this were added to the mix, there was a strong possibility the clinic would slip from the Mount Hua Sect’s grasp.
And setting all that aside, it bothered him greatly that this woman was neglecting her own life to send money to the clinic.
Ouyang Jue held the woman’s hands tightly.
“This may sound cruel, but the living must go on living. You know, don’t you? He wasn’t the kind of boy who would blame you.”
“…*Sob, sniff*.”
As the woman, unable to control her emotions, began to weep, Ouyang Jue stood quietly, patting her on the shoulder.
A gossipmonger passing by happened to see this and exclaimed in great admiration for Ouyang Jue.
“I thought martial artists were only concerned with their skills, their sect, and the martial world. But the Plum Blossom Sword Hero is a man who also possesses benevolence! Truly, a character befitting a disciple of Mount Hua.”
“All those who said he established the clinic as a mere show of goodwill should kowtow and apologize to the Plum Blossom Sword Hero!”
As this heartwarming tale began to spread, the merchants who had secretly feared Ouyang Jue couldn’t help but feel ashamed.
A Daoist from a great sect, who had every right to be arrogant, a boy of only eighteen, understood benevolence and righteousness, yet why had they turned a blind eye to the fool?
The old man who had looked after the fool until his death was particularly vocal, shouting about it.
“This old man is one thing, but all you merchants with less character than a boy not yet twenty should all reflect on yourselves!”
As this tale, entirely unintended by Ouyang Jue, spread, talk began to circulate that the title of Plum Blossom Sword Hero was no longer sufficient.
Then, a name-maker, reflecting on Ouyang Jue’s deeds of defeating the Black Dragon Gang and his acts of kindness, wrote with a flourish.
“The Plum Blossom Divine Dragon! From now on, what say you we call the great hero Ouyang the Plum Blossom Divine Dragon!”
Although some said that ‘Divine’ or ‘Dragon’ was too excessive, most people nodded in agreement.
The feats Ouyang Jue had accomplished were things that only a high-ranking elder could perform.
Above all, was he not the victor of the Nine Dragons Tournament?
Then he was certainly worthy of being called a Dragon, and since he had overcome impossible odds at a young age, he was worthy of being called Divine.
“When the Plum Blossom Divine Dragon first set foot in the martial world…”
“…Right, at that time!”
The people of Chang'an began to praise the Plum Blossom Divine Dragon, and that title flowed down the river of Shaanxi and into the Central Plains.
Before even coming of age, he had earned the title of Dragon (龍) for being an outstanding member of the new generation, and Divine (神) for being one of the foremost among the supreme masters!
In addition, Liu Zhangming, who had defeated the Black Dragon Gang Leader alongside him, was given the additional title of Plum Blossom Cloud Dragon (梅花雲龍).
This was especially influenced by the rumors that, although he rarely left the Mount Hua Sect, his skills were comparable to Ouyang Jue’s.
However, the subject of these rumors, Ouyang Jue, was not particularly pleased.
‘I haven’t even properly started my journey in the martial world, yet if my fame rises this much, the number of people looking for trouble will surely increase.’
The fact that there were those in the Mount Hua Sect who would welcome this news seemed to weigh down Ouyang Jue’s steps.
And his premonition was not wrong in the slightest.
“Plum Blossom Divine Dragon! You’ve come!”
“…Are you planning to tease me again?”
Gwak Un-pae greeted Ouyang Jue with a grin.
Behind him, Song Muk also wore a cheerful expression.
“Divine Dragon!”
“Even you, Uncle Song…”
Ouyang Jue let out a light sigh. But it wasn’t an entirely bad feeling.
If they were happy, then that was enough.
Ouyang Jue’s gaze turned to the sky.