Chapter 329
Chapter 329
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 329
Chapter Title: Return to Youth
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Dang Mujin arrived near the village alongside the Flame Lotus Nun.
'...I'm gonna die like this.'
When he had left Samgu Village alone to head to Jungkyung, it had taken him nearly half a month even when he pushed himself relentlessly.
But astonishingly, the return trip from Jungkyung to Samgu Village had only taken ten days. He had shaved off a full five days.
True, he had cut back on sleep to keep moving, but that alone couldn't explain the shortened schedule. After all, he had skimped on sleep during the trip to Jungkyung as well.
The real reason was far simpler. Dang Mujin himself had simply gotten faster.
Traveling alone with someone who could claim the title of best under heaven, receiving constant instruction on lightness skills except during sleep.
Practice had gone nonstop from before dawn until after dusk, so it was only natural that he had made progress in lightness skills.
However, there was a downside. Like the exhaustion that made him think he might actually die.
Dang Mujin was so drained now that he barely knew how he was even moving.
Yet at the same time, a thought crept into a corner of his mind.
'How long would it take to get back to Jungkyung right now?'
If he really hustled, he might make it in seven or even six days. Cutting off another two or three days would feel truly rewarding.
Dang Mujin shook his head with a wry smile.
'I must finally be losing my mind. Thinking about lightness skills even in this state. The moment I get to the village, I need to crash hard.'
Still, he felt a quiet pride. His friends would surely be amazed and stick out their tongues when they saw his progress in lightness skills. The thought of showing off and strutting a bit made his heart race for no reason.
Just then, the Flame Lotus Nun pointed ahead with her finger.
"Samgu Village is the one on top of that hill, right?"
Her finger pointed straight at a hill that jutted up like a thumb from the broad, open plain. Dang Mujin nodded.
"Yes."
"Good. Let's head over."
Despite her words urging haste, the Flame Lotus Nun grew leisurely now that their destination was in sight. She felt a twinge of guilt for prodding Dang Mujin along for the past ten days, all because she wanted to get back to Jungkyung quickly.
Dang Mujin and the Flame Lotus Nun strolled along leisurely. The dried yellow winter grass brushed ticklishly against their ankles.
Just as Dang Mujin and the Flame Lotus Nun had spotted the village atop the hill, the villagers atop the hill had spotted them. Soon, two people emerged from the village and approached: Namgoong Myeong and Hong Geolgae.
Namgoong Myeong and Hong Geolgae offered greetings to the Flame Lotus Nun.
"Elder. We never dreamed you'd come all this way."
"You've put yourself out for our inadequate friend. Please don't forget to give Dang Mujin a good scolding."
The two shared a familiarity with the Flame Lotus Nun, so their words carried a playful undertone. Dang Mujin grumbled inwardly, but the Flame Lotus Nun took it in stride.
"I've met Wi Jinanhyang before, long ago. Given her plight, it's only right to lend this much help."
"As expected of your boundless compassion. That said, Elder, your complexion looks brighter than before. Must've been something enjoyable."
"Does it seem that way?"
"Yes. You even look a bit taller."
"Indeed. I'm gradually returning to my true form. I might grow another four inches or so. Maybe more."
Pleased by the mention of her height, the Flame Lotus Nun smiled contentedly.
In truth, compared to when Dang Mujin and Namgoong Myeong had first met her, the Flame Lotus Nun had grown noticeably taller. She even looked a year or so older in appearance.
However, considering it had been a good six or seven years since that first meeting, her growth rate wasn't particularly fast.
The Flame Lotus Nun continued.
"That aside, you two have made progress as well. It's been about a year since I last saw you."
"Yes. By good fortune, we've stepped into the realm beyond peak."
"No need for modesty. Anyone can see it's impressive."
Listening in, Dang Mujin felt a small shock.
'...It's been a year since we last saw the Flame Lotus Nun?'
The last time Dang Mujin had seen her was around when he left with the Daoists for the north.
In other words, he had abandoned his home and wandered for a full year. It had been a fruitful and splendid year as a martial artist and physician, but as the head of a household, it was a clear failure.
While Dang Mujin reeled in shock, Namgoong Myeong and Hong Geolgae sidled up to him stealthily. The pitiful peak-level warrior Dang Mujin failed to notice the approach of the two transcendent experts.
Like hawks snatching prey, Namgoong Myeong and Hong Geolgae shot out their arms and grabbed each of Dang Mujin's shoulders.
Dang Mujin was startled by the grab, but so was the Flame Lotus Nun.
"What's going on?"
"We have to stop this guy from running away!"
Dang Mujin responded in confusion.
"Running away? Why would I run?"
"We'll see if you're saying that in a bit!"
A subtle unease rose in his chest.
'What the hell?'
Judging by Hong Geolgae and Namgoong Myeong's reactions, it didn't seem like something had happened to Wi Jinanhyang. Nor did it look like any issues with the others.
'...Why are they doing this?'
In the end, Dang Mujin concluded it was just them being happy to see him after so long and messing around. Intending to play along, he trudged forward like a prisoner under escort.
Dang Mujin asked Hong Geolgae and Namgoong Myeong.
"Where's Hyeon-gong?"
"Hyeon-gong? Oh, he's doing fine. No need to worry."
"You'll see him soon. Ah, there he is."
Hong Geolgae pointed ahead. There sat a neatly sawn tree stump, with Hyeon-gong perched on it.
Hyeon-gong rose, gave a light bow to the Flame Lotus Nun, then slowly drew his sword. Naturally, he wasn't aiming to attack her.
Dang Mujin and the Flame Lotus Nun watched Hyeon-gong quietly.
Hyeon-gong assumed a starting stance, then displayed the Taiji Sword. It flowed like water, graceful and soft. The Flame Lotus Nun seemed unperturbed, but Dang Mujin was different. He wanted to flee the scene right then.
But with both shoulders gripped, he twisted desperately yet couldn't escape.
"Let go!"
"Haha, where do you think you're going!"
No matter how Dang Mujin reacted, Hyeon-gong's Taiji Sword continued calmly.
Unable to face the heartbreaking sight, Dang Mujin whipped his head away.
Pleased by the reaction, Hong Geolgae and Namgoong Myeong crowed excitedly.
"Hey, where are you turning your head! Open your eyes and look properly!"
As if rehearsed, Namgoong Myeong and Hong Geolgae unleashed Golden Claw Hands simultaneously, gathering Dang Mujin's hands together. Namgoong Myeong twisted his wrists to prevent resistance.
At the same time, Hong Geolgae tucked Dang Mujin's head under his armpit, forcing him to face forward. Dang Mujin's averted gaze was compelled straight ahead.
"Look! Burn it into your eyes!"
Dang Mujin squeezed his eyes shut.
Then Hong Geolgae pressed fingers to his eyelids, prying them open by force.
Hyeon-gong's Taiji Sword demonstration was already nearing its end. As it completed its sequence, Hyeon-gong steadied his stance and lowered his posture.
Next, his sword sliced fiercely through the air.
The air trembled. A powerful strike beyond what the old Hyeon-gong could have managed.
Hyeon-gong gazed at Dang Mujin with a smug, profound expression.
The Flame Lotus Nun exclaimed in admiration.
"Hyeon-gong. You've made progress too. Impressive."
Hyeon-gong maintained his humble demeanor before her.
"I've merely shown my humble skills."
"You can be prouder. The Eternal Jade Immortal would surely be delighted."
"For someone my age, this level of achievement is expected, so strutting about wouldn't suit me."
So saying, Hyeon-gong turned to Dang Mujin.
Unlike when speaking to the Flame Lotus Nun, his shoulders squared a bit more, chin thrust forward a couple inches. He looked down at Dang Mujin with extreme arrogance.
When Dang Mujin refused to react, Namgoong Myeong mimicked his voice to tease.
"Heavens! Why did you create me, the Flame Lotus Nun, Sword Ghost Namgoong Jincheon, Myriad Force Monk, Great Hero Yu Jingwang, Namgoong Myeong, Hong Geolgae—and even Hyeon-gong!"
Hong Geolgae and Hyeon-gong burst into laughter, of course, and even the Flame Lotus Nun, who grasped the situation, laughed uproariously. But it didn't end there. Now Hong Geolgae launched into a ridiculous skit.
"Long, long ago, in Samgu Village where fewer than a hundred souls lived peacefully, there was a man named Dang Mujin. His dream was to leave the village and become a splendid martial artist."
Hyeon-gong and Namgoong Myeong clapped and cheered him on. Dang Mujin already felt pathetic.
Hong Geolgae continued.
"But that was impossible. To be a martial artist, you need to fight well, and Dang Mujin's skills didn't even rank in the village's top five. He was sixth in Samgu Village! Even old lady Wi from next door was stronger than Dang Mujin!"
"Ooooh—what a tragedy!"
It was absurd, but the skit held a kernel of truth. Samgu Village now hosted five transcendent experts. The Flame Lotus Nun, frenzied Wi Jinanhyang, and the three ragamuffins.
Finally, Hyeon-gong approached Dang Mujin.
"Don't worry, Dang Mujin. Your martial arts may lag, but if you diligently study medicine and focus on being a physician, you can at least put food on the table. You'll manage as one person's worth."
Dang Mujin felt wronged.
But all he could do was hang his head like a criminal being pelted with stones.
Dang Mujin etched this moment's humiliation deep into his heart.
*
His friends escorted Dang Mujin and the Flame Lotus Nun to the cave entrance without letting up their teasing for even a moment.
As Dang Mujin made a sour face and placed a hand on the boulder, Hyeon-gong stopped him.
"Hold on. The feeble one, step back."
"..."
Dang Mujin retreated meekly, and Namgoong Myeong, Hyeon-gong, and Hong Geolgae combined their strength to shove the boulder aside.
With the cave mouth peeking out behind it, the Flame Lotus Nun strode boldly inside.
Hyeon-gong warned.
"Be careful. It's dangerous."
But the Flame Lotus Nun waved it off lightly.
"Because of Wi Jinanhyang's madness?"
"Yes."
"No need to worry about that."
Sure enough, a presence stirred from deeper within. The frenzied one had sensed them and was approaching. The Flame Lotus Nun ignored it and addressed the group.
"Step back."
With those words, frenzied Wi Jinanhyang charged like a wild beast. The Flame Lotus Nun responded simply, kicking up her leg to send the frenzied one flying.
She hadn't seemed to put much force into it, yet Wi Jinanhyang's body lifted slightly into the air. The Flame Lotus Nun followed with another kick to her flank.
Boom—a heavy thud echoed as Wi Jinanhyang slammed into a corner of the cave and slumped limply. She had lost consciousness.
"..."
"She'll be fine."
The Flame Lotus Nun sat cross-legged before the fainted woman and slowly recited the Diamond Sutra.
"World-Honored One, it is not difficult for me to obtain, believe in, understand, and accept this sutra, but if, after two thousand five hundred years from now in the future, some sentient being hears this sutra, believes in it, understands it, and accepts it, that person would truly be rare..."
Sutras are typically imagined in the gravelly voice of an aged monk. Yet the Diamond Sutra verses in the high, slender voice of the Flame Lotus Nun strangely suited it well.
In fact, the dispelling energy in her recitation felt denser than that of ordinary eminent monks. Considering how long she had forsaken Buddhism, it was peculiar.
As the Diamond Sutra neared its end, the fainted frenzied one twitched.
The group tensed, fearing another charge, but her movements weren't savage or violent like a beast's. Clearly, the recitation had temporarily driven out the turbidity, restoring her senses.
However, merely reciting the Diamond Sutra couldn't expel the deeply ingrained turbidity. Wi Jinanhyang's eyes remained hazy, her speech oddly slurred.
Wi Jinanhyang stammered.
"Wh-who... are you?"
To the frenzied one's clumsy question, the Flame Lotus Nun replied with a compassionate voice.
"I am the Flame Lotus Nun. You may call me Haryeong. The name etched in your memory is Flame Lotus Nun."
But no tearful reunion followed. Even in her daze, the frenzied one eyed the Flame Lotus Nun warily.
"Flame Lotus Nun...? No way. When I met you as a child, you were clearly an old man with white hair and a touch of senility..."
"..."
The Flame Lotus Nun's hidden secret was unwittingly exposed.
Her compassionate face twisted like a wrathful deity. She raised her right hand high and clenched it into a fist—all at once.
"Y-you bitch, what did you just say?"
The serene, compassionate voice from the sutra vanished.
Namgoong Myeong and Hong Geolgae were greatly startled, but Dang Mujin wasn't too fazed. He had seen something similar before.
The Buddha's teachings are distant; the fist is near.
Like how drunken stupor vanishes instantly upon encountering a tiger, the frenzied one snapped to full awareness before the threat to her life.
"Ah, aaah, the turbidity in my mind led me to spout nonsense. Forgive me! My senses aren't right; I mistook you for someone else..."
So saying, she rolled her eyes, scrutinizing the Flame Lotus Nun. Clearly gauging if this girl matched the figure in her memory.
The Flame Lotus Nun issued a warning.
"Think before you open your mouth from now on. It's unpleasant getting misunderstood like this. What if others get the wrong idea?"
"Y-yes, sorry..."
Grumbling, the Flame Lotus Nun placed a hand on the frenzied one's head.
She sent a slender stream of energy to gauge the turbidity filling her mind, then nodded.
"This level of turbidity can be resolved through return to youth."
Dang Mujin and his friends felt utter conviction in her words, as if from someone who had been through it.
But a bigger issue remained. Before discussing the effects of return to youth, they first needed to confirm if it was possible.
Hyeon-gong asked.
"Can return to youth be achieved? Does it require advancing to that distant realm beyond transcendent? Even Three-Eyed Buddha Elder couldn't achieve it."
Mentioning Three-Eyed Buddha made the Flame Lotus Nun flinch. But even perceptive Hyeon-gong didn't catch the reason.
"No. Three-Eyed Buddha could have achieved return to youth but chose not to. Once you've entered the transcendent realm, return to youth and complete transformation aren't as distant as you think. Not everyone can do it, but it's too early to give up."
The Flame Lotus Nun continued her explanation.
"Return to youth and complete transformation aren't processes that come to everyone on the path of martial arts. You can choose the path through return to youth or take another route. There isn't just one way to return to youth either. But I know the fastest path through it."
Suspicion about the Flame Lotus Nun's past deepened slightly. Why did she know the quickest path to return to youth?
She had once said she forsook the Emei Sect for endlessly chanting empty sutras while the poor and afflicted suffered.
That was likely part of it, but not the whole reason. Of course, he kept such speculation to himself. His life was precious.
Frenzied Wi Jinanhyang stared at the Flame Lotus Nun with wide eyes, as if unsure what she had just heard.
It was like a dream. A withered body and clouded mind—all resolved in one go.
Wi Jinanhyang sat dazed before bursting into tears.
"Thank you, thank you..."
"Good. Once preparations are done, we'll go to Jungkyung together. With a few years of diligent effort, you can aim for return to youth."
"Even if my mind clouds and I forget decorum, please have mercy on me."
"Of course. How could I not understand your heart?"
Dang Mujin's group nodded at the harmonious scene.
As long as the frenzied one stayed with the Flame Lotus Nun, her outbursts wouldn't cause major issues. In many ways, she had met the perfect connection. This too was a fateful encounter.
A moment later, the frenzied one realized one of her ribs was broken.