Light Novel: Volume 11 Episode 19
Manhwa: N/A
Monk Un-hae got up early in the morning.
Even though he was staying in the Jin manor, he made sure not to miss a day of reciting Buddhist scriptures.
So after tidying up his clothes, he sat down in front of a table and opened the Buddhist scriptures. He then soon began to read and chant it while tapping his fingers on the wooden table.
Chanting Buddhist scriptures usually cleared his mind of troublesome thoughts, but for some unknown reason, such thoughts remained in his head, tormenting him.
“Hmm, is something going on?”
In the end, Monk Un-hae closed the Buddhist scriptures and stood up from his seat.
This was the first time in several years since he felt this way.
Monk Un-hae shook his head and walked out.
“This disciple greets Senior Brother.”
“Senior brother is here?”
The second-generation disciples who were waiting outside greeted him enthusiastically.
“Why are you out here so early in the morning?”
“That’s…”
“Tell me.”
“Well, the truth is brother Bo-kyeong has yet to return from last night.”
One of the second-generation disciples carefully answered.
“Bo-kyeong?”
Monk Un-hae’s eyebrows twitched.
“Yes! We waited for him all night, but he never came back.”
“Is it possible that he went out and met with Young Master Namgung?”
“I don’t think so. After Young Master Namgung fought Senior Brother Seongam, Senior Brother Bo-kyeong kept his distance from him.”
“He is also not the kind of person to leave without a reason.”
“That’s why we were getting worried.”
Even though Bo-kyeong seemed to be acting on his own accord, he would never do anything that would go against the rules of Shaolin Temple, so there was no way he would be away all night for no reason.
“I guess I’ll have to find out for myself.”
When Monk Un-hae was about to walk outside,
“Wait, monk, something’s wrong!”
A man from the Jin family suddenly rushed into the Shaolin Temple residence, and shouted,
Upon seeing the expression on his face, Monk Un-hae instinctively felt that something had happened.
“What is it?”
“P, Please follow me.”
Instead of explaining, the Jin family warrior quickly led them outside. Monk Un-hae and the other monks hurriedly followed behind him.
It did not take long for them to arrive in a steep path leading from the Jin manor to Tianzhongshan.
Upon arriving there, Monk Un-hae could not help but squeeze his eyes shut.
“Amitabha Buddha!”
In contrast, the eyes of the other Shaolin monks who followed him widened.
“No way!”
“Senior Brother–!”
Where their gazes were directed, a bloodied corpse hung upside down from a rope.
It was obvious that the body had been hung upside down to humiliate him.
The problem was the identity of the bloodied corpse.
“Bo… kyeong!”
It was Bo-kyeong who had not returned last night.
His body was truly in a miserable state.
There were long gashes on his necks and sides, resembling a fish’s gills.
“How could this be?”
Monk Un-hae’s voice trembled.
To think there would be another death following Seong-un, and it would be Bo-kyeong who was considered to be the one of glorious future of the Shaolin Temple.
A disciple did not just die.
Bo-kyeong’s body was tied to a rope and hung upside down.
His death was like killing a pig and then hanging it upside down to drain it of its blood.
It was an act of insulting both Bo-kyeong and the Shaolin Temple.
“Bo-kyeong!”
Monk Un-hae hurriedly grabbed Bo-kyeong in his arms and pulled him down to the ground.
Bo-kyeong’s body was as cold as ice.
Monk Un-hae sobbed as he held him.
“No, no! This can’t be! What is an old man like me supposed to do if you go first like this? Huh huh!”
“Senior brother! Huhuh–!”
“Huhuh!”
The disciples of the Shaolin Temple cried together.
The area quickly turned into a sea of wailing.
The warriors who rushed to the scene after hearing the news wore pensive and solemn expressions.
Those who managed their emotions better than anyone else were the monks.
However, the monks of Shaolin Temple were wailing loudly like no other. Anyone could tell how serious the situation was.
“Bo-kyeong!”
Just then, a young warrior appeared through the crowd.
He was Namgung Wol.
His gaze swept over to Bo-kyeong’s body, which lay limp in Monk Un-hae’s arms.
His pupils shook uncontrollably.
This was a man whom Namgung thought was untouchable given his position in the sect.
Seong-un was assassinated on the day he had a drink with Bo-kyeong, so he intentionally distanced himself from him and even confronted Seongam. But even then, there was never a single moment when he resented Bo-kyeong.
He just thought that if they had a drink once this situation was over, they would be able to become friends with each other again like before. But now, all of his hopes have turned to ashes.
Namgung Wol vowed to himself that he would avenge Bo-kyeong.
“Amitabha! The greatest and compassionate Buddha! How could you put your disciple through such an ordeal? Is this also your will?”
Monk Un-hae’s bitter monologue echoed in the area.
The people, who sensed the unusual atmosphere, kept their mouths shut.
Monk Un-hae’s monologue continued,
“Buddha inside the temple.1 But Buddha does not only reside in temples. I’ve lived my life without knowing that until now.”
These were the words written in the letter sent by the Venerable Master of Heaven and Earth to him before he died.
It was a message that troubled him, causing him to lose sleep at night.
But now he was starting to understand why the Venerable Master of Heaven and Earth had sent him such a letter.
Monk Un-hae stood up, holding Bo-kyeong’s body, and said to those who were around him,
“The Shaolin Temple will no longer stand by. We will make sure to find the person who has killed one of our monks and make him pay the price he deserves.”
These were the words of a Shaolin Temple elder.
It was an official statement made in front of many people, so there was no mistaking what it meant.
‘The Shaolin Temple is announcing that it will participate in this fight.’
‘Oh my god! The Shaolin Temple is getting involved.’
The people present sensed that the situation was bigger than they thought.
Bo-kyeong’s death had angered the Shaolin, the sleeping giant.
Given Seong-un and Bo-kyeong’s deaths, the Shaolin Temple now had enough justification to intervene.
The problem is, there was no telling how far the situation would go due to the Shaolin’s participation in the war.
The already chaotic situation was about to get even more foggy.
* * *
Hong Ye-seol’s eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened little by little.
At first, her eyes could not return to focus, so everything in the world was a blur. Still, as she persevered and continued to squint, her vision returned to some degree after a while.
Hong Ye-seol breathed a sigh of relief when she could clearly see the ceiling clearly.
‘Ceiling?’
The place where she had fallen was obviously an open field near the forest.
She had fought while being poisoned, and eventually collapsed without being able to overcome the poison. Anything that happened after that, she had no way of telling.
Hong Ye-seol calmly looked around.
She was in a small room. The only furniture around was a shabby table and the bed on which she lay.
She pushed herself up and opened the window, then the surrounding scenery came into sight.
She saw the familiar tiled roofs.
It was the same scene she had been tired of seeing for the past few days.
Only then Hong Ye-seol realized that the room she was lying in was in an inn in Runan.
“Hoo…”
Hong Ye-seol let out a sigh.
There was no way she could have passed out and walked in here on her own. Someone must have carried her in here. And there was only one person who could have done that.
Hong Ye-seol looked at the neatly folded robe on the table.
It was brand new, without a single wrinkle.
Come to think of it, the clothes she was currently wearing were also new.
The clothes she originally wore were torn and stained with blood after the fierce battle with Heo Ranju.
Someone had stripped her of her clothes and changed her into new ones.
She didn’t have to look to know who it was.
Hong Ye-seol put on her robe and left the room.
When she went down the stairs at the end of the hallway, she came to the restaurant on the first floor. Pyo-wol was sitting at one of the tables, eating a meal.
Hong Ye-seol immediately approached the place where Pyo-wol was.
She sat down in front of Pyo-wol and asked,
“How long was I out?”
“One whole night.”
“It hasn’t been as long as I thought.”
“You were lucky. They had an antidote in their arms.”
“Thank god.”
Hong Ye-seol shook her head.
She still probably would not have died even if Pyo-wol had not let her take the antidote. After all, she was a master of poisons.
In the process of touching various poisons over the years, her body had managed to develop a tolerance. It was impossible for her to killed in one fell swoop, unless the poison was extremely lethal.
If left alone, she would have healed naturally. Of course, her recovery would have taken much longer as compared to taking the antidote.
In any case, it was true that she was indebted to Pyo-wol.
“Thank you. I’m alive thanks to you. How can I repay this debt?”
“You don’t need to pay me back. I got help from you, too.”
“Is that so? Well, thank you anyway. By the way, these are some nice clothes. Did you change my clothes yourself? What do you think? Was it worth seeing?”
“The owner of this inn had a hard time getting you changed.”
“Oh my goodness! You did not change my clothes yourself? I don’t care.”
Hong Ye-seol looked at Pyo-wol provocatively.
It was a seductive look that any man could not help but fall for. However, Pyo-wol’s face as he looked at her did not show any wavering. That appearance made Hong Ye-seol annoyed.
There has never been a man who hasn’t been greedy after seeing her. Even a man with an iron heart would be shaken to the core at the sight of her.
Hong Ye-seol knew very well how to seduce a man and how to destroy him.
While some people might disparage seduction techniques, it was an essential skill for an assassin to master.
Hong Ye-seol was trained in the art of seduction from a young age.
She was born with natural beauty, and although she didn’t have a flashy appearance, she still had a certain charm that made people attracted to her.
Her innate beauty and the various skills she learned from a young age enhanced her charm to the highest level. This includes her skill in singing which she showed off on Wudang Mountain.
There was no man who did not fall in love with her, so she looked down on all the men in the world. But her beauty and charm was not enough to enchant Pyo-wol.
He was indifferent to her, as if he was dealing with a rolling stone on the side of the road.
It was not that Pyo-wol was deliberately pretending not to be interested, he really was just not interested in her. This annoyed her, yet at the same time, made her interested in him.
She was supposed to be one who uses her charm to make him fall for her, but she ended up falling for him instead. And it wasn’t as if Pyo-wol was intentionally showing his handsome side to her to make her fall, but in the end, she still could not get away from him.
Hong Ye-seol thought it was unfair.
This was the first time she had ever experienced such a one-sided relationship.
Whether or not Pyo-wol knew what she was thinking, he continued to silently eat. His appearance annoyed her even more.
“Tch!”
She pouted her lips and raised her chopsticks.
Pyo-wol had ordered her share of food so the amount served on the table was plentiful.
Being poisoned had taken a toll on her stamina.
The best way to regain physical strength was to eat a hearty meal.
Hong Ye-seol shoveled the food in her mouth.
In an instant, the food on the table was gone.
“Ah! I think I can live a little bit now.”
Hong Ye-seol put down her chopsticks with a satisfied smile.
She felt more invigorated after eating her fill. Furthermore, her head felt clear.
She was now curious about Pyo-wol’s next move.
“What are you going to do now?”
“……”
“You got yourself entangled with the Black Cloud Corps. This doesn’t look good for you. Do you have any plans in mind?”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve fought with the Black Cloud Corps, so it can’t get any worse.”
“Is that so?”
“Heo Ranju and Daoshi Goh’s death will drive Jang Muryang insane. After all, she held a very important position in the Black Cloud Corps.”
“Hoho! You will have quite a headache from this.”
“Why would I have a headache?”
“You said she held a very important position within the Black Cloud Corps, and since you killed someone like that, they will surely seek revenge.”
“But I’m not the one who killed her.”
“……”
Hong Ye-seol’s forehead crumpled like a piece of paper.
Pyo-wol looked at her and continued,
“The Black Cloud Corps must be looking for you by now.”
“Why would they look for me? Did they know that I was the one who killed her? But how?”
“Because I told them.”
“You crazy bastard!”
A heartfelt curse burst out.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
Hahhahahha. Anyway, thank you for reading!
Buddha inside the temple. Raws: [내사재불(內寺在佛).] 內 nèi, nà – inside, interior; domestic 寺 sì – court, office; temple, monastery 在 zài – be at, in, on; consist in, rest 佛 fó, fú – Buddha; of Buddhism; merciful person; Buddhist image; the dead (Jap.).
