Chapter 91

“Disgusting.”
At first glance, he looked like a hollow figure, but his gait was far too stately for a monk, and his robes fluttered as he walked.
As he walked, his followers bowed their heads in disfavor, and he laughed heartily.
“You are indeed shining, dazzling in the sunlight.”
Mutak, one of the chuckling students, frowned.
“By the author of ……!”
“Arthur.”
Mutak, impatient, took a step forward and was about to say something when someone stepped in front of him. Mutak’s eyes widened at the sight of him, and he bowed his head in disbelief.
It was the youngest of the Eighteen Lords, but he was revered by many monks for his clarity of mind and deep cultivation.
“Namuamita Buddha. Mutak, Mutak.”
“Yes, death penalty.”
“You say you have mastered your raging temper, but you have not yet mastered it.”
“Teach me …….”
“Behold. Do you not see that even the men who are in the line above you, and even the monks and the four hundred, are still.”
At those words, Mutak turned around and understood the situation. No one was restraining him from behaving in such an unruly manner.
It wasn’t just that they had mercy on the unruly, but that they recognized him and set an example.
Mutak swallowed hard.
“Death, death penalty. Who is he?”
“Songshan.
This is the North Mountain of Tai Shan,
the Shaolin Temple, the center of the Fifth Sect and the spiritual headquarters of the Gu Fei Fang.
It is the residence of the divine monk Hui Yan, and the place where he defeated countless darknesses and demons as the Eighteen Nine Hands.
“Recall it. Mutak, you should be able to recall it.”
“If only you could take such a bold step here on Mount Song.”
“Who else can walk here, in this very place, without anyone noticing?
Unless it’s the same Unanashipzon……!
A flash.
Mutak’s eyes widened. No one could act like that except someone of his own kind.
A swaying gait.
An unrelenting momentum that didn’t let the Shaolin background get in the way.
His relaxed expression, as if he’d just had a drink.
I remembered.
The one man among the Wu Nai Sect who had raised the Qing Sheng Sect to the level of the Gu Pailang Sect through his personal prowess alone, and who was known as a man obsessed with martial arts.
“Wow, Venerable Master!”
“…… Namuamitabha.”
The Eighteen Elders shook their heads at Mutak’s reaction.
“I didn’t expect you to come all the way to Mount Song.”
“Mu, I wonder what brings you here.”
“You never know.”
Feeling an unexplainable sensation of nervousness creep up the back of his neck, he opened his mouth cautiously.
“……I don’t think it can be good for us.”
* * *
“It’s the Namu Amitabha Buddha, the Nyorai Buddha. It is the symbol of Buddhism.”
The monk bowed lightly.
His white beard, which fell to his chest, reflected the wisdom and serenity he had gained over the years, as if to express his level of discipline. His eyes, deeply set beneath his white eyebrows, were the eyes of a Buddha, accepting and accepting of all things in the world.
At the same time, he gazed at the Buddha, exuding tranquil peace from his reclining posture.
“Then there are the four great bodhisattvas of the Buddha, one of which is Guan Yin Bodhisattva, who hears the sounds of all beings, hears the pain and suffering of all beings, and responds to their groans of pain, and teaches them how to give relief.”
The sight of him in his robe seemed to radiate compassion. Of the eighteen who had been guiding the tutor, Gakmun, considered the eldest, joined in.
“On the right is the Bodhisattva Jizo, and on the left is the Bodhisattva Bohyeon. In this order, Jizo represents wisdom and knowledge, the essence of wisdom, and teaches us to look at the world with insight. The Bodhisattva will appear in the future to save all beings so that the world will not be shaken.”
“Namuamita Buddha.”
Every moment was a teaching. Even though I am familiar with the bodhisattvas, how can I pass by this teaching? The more I hear it, the more I ponder it.
Each of the monks bowed with great respect and recited the mantras.
“Finally, after him is the Bodhisattva of the Moon. He teaches us to harmoniously overcome all good and bad actions and behaviors. He constantly urges us to benefit the people with the enlightenment we have gained through countless cultivation and practice.”
“Namgyal Amitabha Buddha’s Tao Te Ching…….”
As if he would not miss a single syllable, Gakmun, who had memorized the words one by one in his mind, bowed his head and began to chant.
“Pay attention to the Buddha. You’re talking too much. If you come and pay your respects now, I’ll be stoned by Tae Sang-no, not just stoned, I’ll be screaming at you for trying to climb the mountain.”
Gakmun’s expression turned sour as he watched the monk struggle to his feet. Even for a Buddhist monk, this seemed to be crossing the line, and his mind was shaken.
“That’s the head of the Eighteen Hundred and Ninth. He’s still a long way off.”
“I, Namuamitabha.”
Seeing the new expression on the monk’s face, Gak Mun quickly chanted a mantra. He realized he was the Buddha.
“Gak-mun.”
“Yes, yes. Zhang Wenyin.”
As the monk opened his mouth to speak, Gakwen turned and joined him.
“I wish to share some time with my friend. Please encourage those who are concerned and leave us alone.”
“Namu Amitabha, I will do so.”
Who could argue with that?
Gakmun slowly bowed to Hye-yeon and Kwangseung, and after giving them the utmost respect by putting on his full regalia, slowly turned and left.
Kwangseung smirked as the door slammed shut behind him.
“Thinking back to the good old days, it’s truly disgusting to see you posture so nobly. If it were back then, you’d have already punched me in the face, no doubt.”
“You still have a frivolous tone. Malko. Namu Amitabha Buddha Kuan Yin Bodhisattva.”
Their youth was fierce, as they referred to each other as Dzogchen and Malko.
There was a time in their youth when they competed with each other, competed with each other, competed with each other, and competed with each other from the time they were expected by the two great schools, Shaolin and Chengsheng.
“You must show yourself as you are. That’s the will of the T’ien-t’ai. The Buddha may say to act noble, but don’t try to change your appearance.”
Hye-yeon smiled at that. Seeing the meaning in her smile, Kwangseung smiled back.
Unlike their youth, the two were no longer just curious.
Each had a role,
their place.
And as an elder, he could no longer act as recklessly as he had in the past, as he was responsible for countless people and his every action was the face and expression of the sect.
Even if he was a relatively free spirit compared to Hye-yeon.
“It’s been a dozen years.”
“Namo Amitabha, has it already?”
Even as a free-spirited berserker, he was too busy to see the friend he wanted to see at will.
“Waiting.”
“Speak, Malko.”
“How long are you going to tediously fight?”
“…… Namuamitabull.”
Hye-yeon’s eyes widened at Kwangseung’s words.
“It’s been over a decade already. You and I have pretended with the Sega that we adhere to the traditions of old, but that is the knowledge of the ancestors, not ours.”
“…….”
“I am uneasy.”
Heian’s pupils moved as he met Kwangseung’s gaze.
“The Black Islanders have already banded together.”
“No matter how much they band together, they can’t defeat us, Malko.”
“You’re talking out of your ass. You’re a madman. You know what you’re doing, but you keep thinking about my intentions. The Green Forest, the Yangtze River, the Great Wall, and the Salgai, each in their own place, each bickering amongst themselves, have joined forces.”
“If we join forces, they will move even more closely and quickly, and each one of them will soon become a threat to the people.”
“Do you know what I am truly afraid of?”
Kwangseung was not talking about the present. He was thinking of the next ten, twenty, or even fifty years.
“Surely,” he said, ”the days of the Zheng Clan are numbered. The Black Islanders are growing too strong too fast, especially Baekwang, Gu Man, Gu Chu, Galping, and Haepyo.”
“Are you worried about their youth?”
“If you know, why do you ask?”
Bai Guang of the Green Forest.
The fullness of the Yangtze River.
The great membrane.
The sharpness of the four winds.
The sea mark of the killing machine.
The five forces of the Black Sea.
Even if they were of the same age, they were still young compared to the Shaolin’s Hui Yan and Qing Shui’s Guang Shuang.
They were already old as old men. The only consolation is that Mu Bai of the Southern Palace and Zhu Hu of the Zegal are allied with the leaders of the five powers.
“Soon, the balance will be shattered. They’re getting stronger, and at the same time, they have all the key points of the Great Lake in their hands.”
The Green Forest, holding back the mountain streams of the Great Lake.
The Yangtze River, they control the waters of the Great Lake.
At the same time, Da Meng, Sapphire, and Salgai were supporting Ning Lin and Jiang Kang from their respective positions.
“It’s not like we haven’t tried, is it?”
At those words, Kwang Seung-ja thought back to when he and Hye-yeon had just ascended to their respective positions as Zhang Wen.
The two of them had been busy trying to unify the sect. But.
“The Sixth Patriarch is going to go under the Gu Sect. It can’t happen!”
“That’s crazy! You’re just talking around what’s called the head of the family.”
In the end, the conflict only grew. At the same time, the unity between the two great schools, Gu Pailbang and Yukdae Se, necessarily included political positions.
“It almost shook the Gu family, and now it will be even harder. Moreover, their positions are strong, and their power is never weak, so they will not bend to each other’s will.”
“No.”
Kwangseung shook his head. He looked determined.
“You can trust me on this one. I have seen it.”
“Of what?”
“The future of the Zheng Clan. I’m going to put everything I have into that future.”
A chance encounter.
The connection at the Southern Palace energized Guangxiang.
He had thought he had nothing to lose by placing Qing Shui in the ranks of the Nine Sects.
He prioritized his own freedom before discussing the future of the Faction.
Only when he stepped into a sect did he change his mind.
He realized that there was hope for the future of the Zheng Sect, and he would invest the rest of his life in it.
Perhaps Lord Tai Shang will be angry.
He might scold me for being so worldly-minded, saying that I should accept the teaching that for the sake of Wu Huai’s sake, I must abandon the same mind.
I might be scolded.
But what can I do?
The will has already been made.