Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: Repentance Cave
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"Got everything?"
"Yeah."
Hong Geolgae slipped out of the Sima family estate for the last time and closed the main gate behind him. There was no one left in the Sima family estate now.
Just a short while ago, it had been bustling with activity, but seeing it now completely empty felt several times more desolate than if it had been vacant from the start.
It was like leaving winter behind inside the Sima family estate.
'...Self-inflicted.'
The Shaolin Temple monks, the Sima family members, and Dang Mujin's group departed Luoyang while still facing the chilly spring breeze.
After walking for quite some time like that, Namgung Myeong spoke up.
"It must be spring after all."
"Isn't it still winter? The snow hasn't fully melted. No new buds sprouting either."
"Spring starts when you see all those novice-looking peddlers out and about."
Just as Namgung Myeong said, there were many merchants around the group.
They circled nearby, curious about why the Sima family people were being led away by Shaolin monks, but none dared approach boldly.
Namgung Myeong gazed at them and fell deep into thought.
Unlike Hong Geolgae or Hyeon-gong, Dang Mujin could roughly guess what Namgung Myeong was thinking.
He was surely reminiscing about the days when he'd been chased out of his family and worked as a lowly tray bearer for a small merchant caravan.
Those tray bearer days might have become beautiful memories for Namgung Myeong.
But Dang Mujin had sensed even back then that something was going wrong with him.
'Nangong Jincheon made the wrong call. If he'd just kept Namgung Myeong locked up at home, he wouldn't have turned into such a wreck.'
Dang Mujin looked at Namgung Myeong with a pitying expression.
When they first met on that Yangtze River boat, Namgung Myeong had been a bit reckless but brimming with the confidence of a prestigious family's eldest son.
Yet in Dang Mujin's judgment, Namgung Myeong had now become some kind of human trash. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't see a way for Namgung Myeong to return to his original life trajectory.
'Still, he'll have to go back to the Nangong family someday. Is there no way to remake him into a person again?'
Dang Mujin pondered for a long while, but no good ideas came to mind.
Even if a brilliant flash of inspiration struck, it probably wouldn't make much difference. Namgung Myeong wasn't the type to obediently listen to others.
Having Hyeon-gong in the group was a serious liability too. In a way, Hyeon-gong was even more problematic than Namgung Myeong.
Dang Mujin imagined the horrific scenario of Namgung Myeong and Hyeon-gong corrupting each other, then shook his head with an inexplicable sense of debt toward Nangong Jincheon and Elder Yeongbo.
*
Luoyang, where the Sima family estate had been, wasn't far from Henan, home of Mount Song. It took only three days to lead the Sima family members to the vicinity of Mount Song.
"The women, this way."
The Shaolin monks left the Sima family's women in the village at the foot of Mount Song. There were still no exceptions to Shaolin's rule against allowing women inside the mountain gates.
Thanks to that, Dang Mujin ended up having to shuttle up and down Mount Song once a day to treat the blocked meridian syndrome patients.
As he silently climbed Mount Song, Dang Mujin stared at the backs of Manryeok and Sinseung, feeling a faint unease. He'd belatedly recalled that Manryeok had shown up on the day of the wedding ceremony.
Dang Mujin clearly remembered the uncomfortable tension flowing between Manryeok and Three-Eyed Buddha.
As Dang Mujin's steps gradually slowed, Manryeok, who had been checking on the group, approached him.
"Benefactor Dang. Is something wrong?"
"Master Manryeok. I have a question."
"Hm?"
"Did you tell Sinseung about meeting Three-Eyed Buddha in Sichuan?"
"Of course."
Manryeok nodded immediately, and Dang Mujin sighed inwardly without a sound.
It would have been better to tactfully gloss over such a story, but Manryeok, a Shaolin monk to his bones, lacked that kind of subtlety.
Three-Eyed Buddha had been a Shaolin temple servant in his youth but had beaten a monk to death and fled.
How would Sinseung view Dang Mujin, who was in cahoots with Three-Eyed Buddha? Dang Mujin's steps slowed even more.
Manryeok asked again.
"Benefactor Dang. Why are you so uneasy?"
"Master Manryeok. Just to be sure, you're not thinking of throwing me into the Repentance Cave too, are you?"
Manryeok's eyes suddenly turned serious.
"You've wandered the Central Plains a long time. You've got sharp instincts."
"No way?"
"I'm kidding. Would I toss my friend's disciple into the Repentance Cave?"
Manryeok chuckled and lightly patted Dang Mujin's shoulder. But Dang Mujin's expression didn't relax.
"...Sinseung would agree, right?"
"Don't worry. Sinseung wasn't pleased about the situation, of course, but he doesn't seem inclined to lock you away in the Repentance Cave."
"Is that so?"
"Sinseung is heading to Chengdu to capture Three-Eyed Buddha, not to blame you. Besides, was the gift you gave Shaolin Temple just any ordinary gift?"
Hyeon-gong, listening nearby, perked up his ears.
"A gift? Did Dang Mujin give Shaolin Temple a gift?"
"Yes. An enormous one. The kind that will go down in Shaolin's history."
"What kind of gift was it?"
"He repaired the Wooden Man Alley, which had been out of commission for ages."
Hyeon-gong looked puzzled, as if he'd never heard of the Wooden Man Alley.
"Wooden Man Alley?"
"It's a mechanism where wooden figures come alive and block challengers. You'll naturally master advanced martial arts after a good romp through it. I'd love to show you too, but outsiders except for Young Hero Dang can't enter, so don't get any ideas."
Namgung Myeong, who had been quietly listening, flashed a dangerously gleaming look in his eyes. He was clearly thinking of something that could land him and the Sima family warriors in the Repentance Cave together.
Hyeon-gong directed a question at Manryeok.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Could you explain?"
"Dozens of wooden figures spring to life and bar the challenger's path. When Young Hero Dang demanded a Great Return Pill as payment for fixing it, no one opposed him. That should give you an idea of its value."
"Not a Small Return Pill, but a Great one?"
"Exactly."
Hyeon-gong thought Manryeok was joking. Among all the spirit medicines in the Central Plains martial world, the Great Return Pill reigned supreme.
But upon reflection, it all fit if Dang Mujin had indeed taken a Great Return Pill.
He'd heard Dang Mujin started learning martial arts at twenty. Less than three years later, he'd broken through to the peak realm. It was impossible without the aid of something massive like the Great Return Pill.
Hyeon-gong glanced enviously at Dang Mujin, unable to hide his feelings.
As the group entered Shaolin Temple's mountain gates, a monk who happened to be wandering nearby spotted Dang Mujin and approached.
"Benefactor Dang!"
It was Cheongbok of the Fierce Dog Division. The monk who had shown the most negative attitude when Dang Mujin was repairing the Wooden Man Alley.
Yet he was also the one who had rejoiced the most upon its completion, even defending Dang Mujin to the Disciplinary Master while pointing fingers.
"Long time no see. Looks like you've had an enlightenment."
Dang Mujin greeted him warmly too. Back then, Cheongbok had been raging in frustration, half-collapsed against the peak realm wall, but now his eyes shone with clarity. He'd clearly broken through.
"Haha. You can tell right away? Night and day in the Wooden Man Alley paid off—I attained enlightenment. The path to the end became crystal clear, and in that moment, I grasped the full meaning of Shadow of the Buddha's Palm and White Lotus Divine Fist."
Dang Mujin wore a proud expression. Hearing that someone had surpassed the peak realm wall thanks to the traces he'd left behind felt especially meaningful.
The accompanying Shaolin monks led the Sima family warriors toward the Repentance Cave, while Dang Mujin's group walked through the temple grounds chatting with Cheongbok.
Along the way, several young monks spotted Dang Mujin and came running over.
"Isn't that Benefactor Dang?"
"Who... Ah!"
They hadn't recognized him at first, but upon thinking, their faces rang faint bells. They were the young novices who used to pester Dang Mujin for outside world stories.
Back then, they had barely reached his chest, but now they'd shot up into adults. Some were even taller than Dang Mujin.
"You've all grown so much."
"It's been five years."
...Five years?
Dang Mujin retraced his memories. His first visit to Shaolin had been late summer, half a year after meeting the Weirdo Physician.
A series of events had followed, each involving long travels that made time fly by.
It wasn't quite five years as the monks said, but it was close.
Dang Mujin, who had been twenty, was now twenty-five. An inexplicably dizzying feeling washed over him.
When Cheongbok tactfully stepped aside to give the young monks some space, they surrounded Dang Mujin's group and bombarded him with stories.
"We heard you married Lady Dan. Is she with you?"
"I'm planning to head out into the martial world soon. Could I get some advice?"
"Take turns, one at a time. We have time this evening..."
Just like before, Dang Mujin moved along surrounded by the young monks.
*
After entering Shaolin Temple, Dang Mujin spent his days in a frenzy of activity with no time to breathe.
He had to go up and down Mount Song daily to treat the blocked meridian syndrome patients, care for Shaolin monks with minor ailments, and on top of that, deal with those subtly requesting sparring matches—not just one or two.
But Hong Geolgae, Namgung Myeong, and Hyeon-gong, who had followed Dang Mujin, were in a completely different situation.
They had nothing to do, and the only visitors were novice monks eager for outside tales.
Unlike Hyeon-gong and Hong Geolgae, who at least got occasional sparring requests, Namgung Myeong didn't even get those.
Even if Shaolin folk walked the path of martial arts, few would challenge a one-armed man to a fight.
When Namgung Myeong seemed about to lose it from boredom and go half-mad, Hong Geolgae got a bad feeling.
'This guy's about to cause trouble.'
Having spent a long time with Namgung Myeong, Hong Geolgae could guess what kind of trouble.
Sneaking into the Sutra Pavilion to steal martial arts manuals, or hiding in the Wooden Man Alley to peek inside.
Either would be a massive incident worthy of tossing him and the Sima warriors into the Repentance Cave.
Still, just in case, Hong Geolgae subtly asked Namgung Myeong.
"Namgung Myeong."
"Yeah?"
"You planning to sneak into the Wooden Man Alley?"
Namgung Myeong's eyes gleamed dangerously as he shot back.
"When do we go?"
Namgung Myeong skipped every step—permission, consequences if caught—and answered as if questioning how one could come this far and not enter the Wooden Man Alley.
Hong Geolgae asked in horror.
"Have you finally lost it?"
"Why?"
"They say you need at least first-rate skill to enter, and there are plenty of peak experts. Their senses are sharp. Plus, Dang Mujin said it himself—no proper hiding spots, so don't even think about it."
"It was meant to stir my challenging spirit."
"What nonsense... You know how loud it gets when the Wooden Man Alley activates? Like a wild beast roaring or thunder crashing. You'd get caught for sure."
He got occasional sparring requests too, but Hong Geolgae was just as bored and wandered the temple grounds.
He'd peeked at the Wooden Man Alley exterior several times, and whenever it ran, deafening noise—like massive beasts howling or thunder—echoed everywhere.
Even from several jang away, the sound carried clearly.
But Namgung Myeong remained confident.
"It's fine. Just quietly slip in behind someone else entering."
"They say even Sinseung Master drops by occasionally. Think you can evade a transcendent expert's senses? You'd be thrown straight into the Repentance Cave the moment you're caught."
"Actually, it's getting me excited..."
Namgung Myeong's eyes grew increasingly dangerous.
Hong Geolgae sensed it. He might pull something tonight.
Wracking his brain to give Namgung Myeong some diversion, Hong Geolgae recalled one piece of info.
"How about... the Repentance Cave. Yeah! Wanna check it out?"
"The Repentance Cave?"
Dang Mujin frequented the Repentance Cave, so if Hong Geolgae and Namgung Myeong went together, no one would suspect. Who'd complain about friends helping out?
The issue was they'd already been to the Repentance Cave once or twice.
Naturally, nothing fun happened. Gloomy Sima family members like lost souls, and Dang Mujin silently focused on treatment. That was it.
Namgung Myeong shook his head.
"Not feeling it. Nothing new there."
As if he'd anticipated the reaction, Hong Geolgae lowered his voice.
"No. I heard from some novices the other day—not the one holding the Sima family, but a small Repentance Cave next to it. Someone's locked inside."
"Really? Who's in there?"
"Didn't hear who. The other novices didn't know either."
Normally, he'd assume some minor demon cultist and move on.
But right now, Namgung Myeong was so bored he'd even gawk at a petty demon.
Namgung Myeong shot to his feet.
"Let's go now. Follow me."