Baek Yoonjun blinked his eyes, wondering if he had seen wrong.
"Benefactor, your eyes are truly clear."
It seemed he hadn't seen wrong.
The monk, with one hand in a half-salute, approached Baek Yoonjun.
As for what his other hand was doing.
"S-save me."
He was dragging the person he had been beating.
Baek Yoonjun quietly pointed at the person being dragged.
"That person?"
"This too is a trial."
The monk's face was very benevolent.
Baek Yoonjun sweated coldly inwardly.
'What is it? This apostate monk?'
Baek Yoonjun stealthily moved his feet.
Accordingly, the monk followed Baek Yoonjun's gaze without moving his feet.
"Your eyes are clear, so are you perhaps interested in Buddhism?"
At his words, Baek Yoonjun recalled the people he had often seen in front of the station in the past, who were looking for a strangely clear energy.
"I'm not. I'm not buying."
"I'm not selling anything in particular."
If Baek Yoonjun could have performed his lightness skill to its fullest, he would have wanted to run away right away.
But he couldn't.
The footwork of the monk who was stealthily approaching was definitely that of a martial artist who had learned martial arts, and it was quite wondrous.
In the end, Baek Yoonjun gave up on running away and pointed at the person behind him again.
His already shabby appearance had become even more shabby from being dragged along as the monk followed Baek Yoonjun.
"Are you going to keep dragging that person around?"
"He's quite a vicious person, so I'm thinking of dragging him along like this."
At the word 'vicious', Baek Yoonjun's eyes shone.
"If he's definitely a villain, then the situation is understandable."
"Benefactor, you are a wise person."
"But why are you dragging him? Can't you just kill him on the spot?"
At Baek Yoonjun's words, the complexion of the person being dragged, who had been asking him for help, changed.
His gaze turned from Baek Yoonjun to the monk.
"S-save me!!"
He desperately, pitifully cried and clung to the leg of the monk who was dragging him.
Whether that happened or not, Baek Yoonjun looked at the person clinging to the monk's leg and his eyes shone.
'I haven't been able to test if the heart sword cuts villains well.'
At Baek Yoonjun's sharp gaze, as the complexion of the person clinging to the monk's leg was gradually turning blue.
"No matter how much of a villain he is, you can't just take his life."
"Is that so? He seems like a very bad guy. It seems he has killed dozens."
"He is not a villain to that extent. Amitabha."
At the monk's words, Baek Yoonjun just licked his lips.
Since the person who had caught him was saying that, he couldn't just cut him down.
"If you don't cut the bud, it will grow..."
Baek Yoonjun somehow organized his regret and his words trailed off.
At that murmur, the villain's face turned even paler, and he trembled like an aspen tree behind the monk.
"S-s-s-save me!"
Whether that happened or not, Baek Yoonjun and the monk, the two of them, exchanged their names.
"This humble monk is a certain someone from Mount Song, called Shinseung."
"I am a certain someone called Baek Yoonjun."
Since the opponent had said he was a certain someone, Baek Yoonjun also introduced himself as a certain someone.
'Mount Song? I think I've heard of it somewhere.'
Although the word 'Mount Song' was strangely familiar, he couldn't remember it in particular.
"If it's Mount Song..."
"There is Shaolin."
"Ah! Shaolin Temple!"
At the words 'Shaolin Temple', Baek Yoonjun clapped his hands.
Even Baek Yoonjun, who had no interest in martial arts or worldly affairs, had heard of Shaolin.
"Isn't Shaolin Temple a very famous place?"
"It is just a temple where monks who study the common Buddhism gather. It's just that the scale has gotten a little bigger because there are a lot of people."
"Aren't the martial arts also famous?"
"It is just an extension of studying Buddhism."
Unlike before, at the word 'Buddhism', Baek Yoonjun's interest was piqued.
'Martial arts based on Buddhism.'
Of course, he had been to Emei, which was related to Buddhism, but he hadn't even been able to enter the main building, and except for Divine Nun Jihwa, he had only seen children.
He had not seen the martial arts in detail either.
He decided to exclude the secret cave.
'Is it different from ordinary martial arts?'
The monk's footsteps just now, and his touch when he was beating the villain, it seemed there was something.
Recalling the scene just now for a moment, Baek Yoonjun realized what that something was.
"It seems you handle a martial art that is far from killing?"
"Because I am a monk who studies Buddhism. Amitabha."
"Ah."
Only then did Baek Yoonjun realize that he had said something very rude.
A person who was a homebody introvert was originally a person who, if they thought of one thing, did not know another.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I misspoke."
"It's okay. This is also something that will be resolved by studying Buddhism."
As Shinseung once again benevolently smiled and recommended Buddhism, Baek Yoonjun was just burdened.
"Uh... that's... I'm interested in martial arts, but the Buddhist scriptures are a bit..."
"It's always like that at first. Before I became a monk, I was a well-known ruffian in the neighborhood. Amitabha."
"Huh? Really?"
Since the current benevolent impression and a ruffian were not words that went together at all, Baek Yoonjun's face brightened.
"At that time, I harassed and beat up many good people. As a result of that karma, I am now being hit."
"Uh..."
At Shinseung's words, Baek Yoonjun fell silent.
Because the scene of him beating up a villain just now came to mind.
Although it was clearly a scene of hitting, Shinseung had spouted the sophistry that the opponent's body had hit his fist.
Baek Yoonjun was just dumbfounded.
"That... hitting and being hit seem to be the same..."
"They are strictly different. How can hitting and being hit be the same?"
"No matter how I look at it, the difference..."
"This is also something you will come to know by studying Buddhism."
Baek Yoonjun was dumbfounded that the question was being concluded with studying Buddhism.
But as a natural homebody introvert.
Since he had no talent for speaking, Baek Yoonjun could not think of a rebuttal.
Instead, a question arose.
"Why on earth are you recommending that I study Buddhism?"
"That is because of the clear energy felt from Benefactor Baek."
"Energy? I don't have any internal energy."
Of course, he had had it before, but since he didn't have it now, it was a statement he could make.
"Although I don't feel any internal energy, it feels as if you are a wise man who has gone through reincarnation and has realized it."
At those words, Baek Yoonjun fell silent again.
'Is it because I remember my past life? No, before that, how does he know that? Could it be that he knows about the heart sword?'
Apart from being silent, his mind was in a state of utter confusion.
The martial arts level of Shinseung in front of him was third-rate or lower by Baek Yoonjun's standards.
'Similar to that Zhuge Hyun guy, or below him.'
Although it was high for a third-rate or lower, by Baek Yoonjun's standards, it was third-rate or lower.
But the feeling was strange, so it was hard to just ignore it.
'Could this person know about the heart sword?'
Although it was a sorry thing to say to a monk, at the feeling of a reliable wise man, Baek Yoonjun stealthily brought up a question.
"That... do you happen to know about something called a heart sword?"
"A heart of a sword... a difficult word. It seems far from us who do not use blades in our weapons."
"Ah, come to think of it, a heart sword is also a sword..."
"Of course, it's not that we don't use blades just because we study Buddhism, but since we monks have Buddhist scriptures in our hearts, not swords, I think it's probably far from it."
Shinseung answered Baek Yoonjun's words seriously and seemed to be seriously contemplating.
And so, Shinseung, who had been contemplating for a while.
"It seems Benefactor Baek has a sword in his heart."
"That's right."
Since it was not something to hide, Baek Yoonjun obediently affirmed.
"And you haven't properly grasped that sword?"
"Embarrassingly, that's right."
As Baek Yoonjun answered embarrassingly, Shinseung contemplated for a moment.
"I can't give you a definite answer about Benefactor Baek's heart sword."
The conclusion of his contemplation.
"Although I can't solve your question right now, how about visiting Shaolin once?"
"What? Suddenly?"
At the somewhat random conclusion, Baek Yoonjun was flustered.
In front of Baek Yoonjun, Shinseung just smiled benevolently.
"As I said, although we do not have swords in our hearts, we live with the Buddhist scriptures in our hearts.
In a way, they are different things, but since they have the common point of being in the heart, I recommended it, thinking that perhaps Benefactor Baek might be able to find enlightenment. Amitabha."
"Ah, I think I understand a little."
At Shinseung's words, Baek Yoonjun understood to some extent.
'I don't know if having the Buddhist scriptures in one's heart is the same concept as a heart sword... no, no, since they both exist in the heart, in a way, aren't they conceptually the same?'
Although his mind was still complicated, Baek Yoonjun came to a conclusion to some extent.
"That... I think it would be good to do as the monk says."
"That's a good idea. By the way, since I was on my way back to Shaolin, let's go together."
And so, Baek Yoonjun came to accompany Shinseung.
Of course, although there was also a villain in that party, since Baek Yoonjun did not count villains as people, it was a party of only two.
Although Baek Yoonjun was a person who was reluctant to be with people, accompanying Shinseung was somehow not bad.
"That... I'm a bit reluctant to be with people..."
"You must have had a lot of worries. I will help you in the parts I can, so I hope it will be a comfortable journey."
For some reason, Baek Yoonjun was able to bring up the fact that he was reluctant to be with people, and since Shinseung had considered Baek Yoonjun as if it were natural, it became a quite comfortable journey.
Until now, Baek Yoonjun had been the one who had unintentionally protected and helped others.
Due to his disposition as a homebody introvert, he could not easily show his weak parts in front of others.
But now, since he was in a position to be considered, and since there was no falsehood to be seen, even though Baek Yoonjun was accompanying a person, his heart was quite at ease.
Baek Yoonjun came to his own conclusion about the person named Shinseung.
'Although this monk has some strange parts, he is an adult.'
Baek Yoonjun was also an adult.
Since he had been cooped up in the mountains for quite a long time, he was definitely not a child in terms of age.
'But my inside has not grown at all.'
Although he knew the problem, it was not something that could be easily fixed just by knowing.
In the eyes of Baek Yoonjun, Shinseung was seen as a real adult.
'I'm embarrassed.'
Baek Yoonjun felt embarrassed.
"Monk, you are an adult."
"Isn't Benefactor Baek also an adult?"
"No. I..."
Baek Yoonjun recalled the past days.
He had raised disciples, saved people, and cut down villains.
In that process, Baek Yoonjun had tried to look like an adult in his own way.
Although he didn't know how he had looked to others, in Baek Yoonjun's own way, he had tried to the point of being tired.
"I just tried to look like an adult."
"Just as Benefactor Baek did, so did I."
"Huh? It doesn't look like that."
Although Shinseung was still smiling benevolently, for some reason, a slightly bitter look could be seen.
"It seems I haven't changed much from when I was a ruffian in my childhood. I am just trying to become an adult."
Baek Yoonjun was surprised that Shinseung was having a worry that was not much different from his own.
At the same time, he was surprised that he had brought up the effort to become an adult as the answer.
Baek Yoonjun was relieved and moved at the same time.
'I see. I was not wrong.'
Although it was still vague, Baek Yoonjun felt that he would be able to know a little more about the heart sword.
'The reason the heart sword is unstable might be because the process of me trying to become an adult is reflected.'
Although he didn't know how to stabilize it and develop it further, he had a premonition that he would be able to find an answer soon.
And so, in the journey of having a somewhat empty but serious conversation.
"Keuk."
Suddenly, the villain that Shinseung had brought along burst into tears.
"I-I also want to become an adult... I don't want to live like this."
At the very random situation, Baek Yoonjun's gaze was just extremely cold.
'What's with this bastard all of a sudden?'
For Baek Yoonjun, who thought that once a villain, always a villain, it was difficult to accept the concept of repentance.
Therefore, as long as he was thought of as a villain, no matter what he did, he would only be seen as a villain.
On the other hand, Shinseung's reaction was completely different from Baek Yoonjun's.
Just smiling benevolently at the villain.
"An adult... a difficult thing. But since anyone can become one, isn't that why it's used so commonly?"
"Great master... I have lived foolishly until now. For that measly pittance..."
"It is difficult to put a broken bowl back together. But it is not impossible. And if you can't put it back together, there is also the method of making a new one."
"Great master! Ugh."
It was the sight of a person repenting and confessing his past deeds.
To Baek Yoonjun, that sight was just dumbfounding.
After going through such various things, Baek Yoonjun's party arrived at Shaolin on Mount Song.
(End of Chapter)
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