The next day.
We finally left the manor.
Minister Jeong said he would hold a grand farewell ceremony, but I didn't want to move so boisterously, so I barely managed to refuse.
Jeong Yi-hak went back to where he originally worked, and Jeong Il-hak also said he would go to the Hanlin Academy, sort out his life there, and then return to the manor to prepare for the provincial examination.
And Ryu Ju-guk told to et him again soday if I ever ca to Luoyang.
He said that if I grabbed any governnt soldier in Luoyang and asked where to go to et him, they would tell .
When I asked how that was possible, he said that the na Ryu Ju-guk itself is like a password among them, and they don't tell outsiders his na.
"What will you monks do? We are planning to go back to Wudang now. To go to Henan, you have to go east from here, and to go to Hubei Province, you have to take the south road."
At a crossroads south of Shaanxi Province, I said to the Shaolin monks.
Monk Ilgak seed to think for a mont and then finally opened his mouth.
"Would it be difficult for you to stop by Shaolin for a while?"
"To Shaolin?"
"Yes. You have been so good to us that we would like to show our sincerity, even if it's small, but as you know, we have nothing with us right now. I think we can do more for you if we go to Shaolin..."
"If that's the reason, I think it's okay not to go. It's not like I'm doing this to get sothing from you, monk."
"Hmm... still..."
"It's okay. It's okay. I'll go to Shaolin again soday, so you can do sothing for then."
"I understand. I will never forget."
I, with a broad smile, said to him.
"Instead of trying to do sothing for , how about training your martial arts more with that spirit? I'd rather have a sparring partner with whom I can do my best."
"Ahem... I understand. It seems it would be easier to give you so kind of reward..."
Monk Ilgak, while making a troubled expression, seed to be inwardly happy.
It seed he thought that if he trained hard, he would be recognized as a sparring partner who could fight on equal terms with .
"Then let's part here. Do you know the way back to Shaolin?"
This ti, Monk Il-won answered instead.
"Yes. I know. The road to Mount Song is well-paved, so it won't be that difficult."
"Good. It's reassuring to have an experienced person with you. If it were just Monk Ilgak, I would never have been able to send him alone."
"Patron Unhwi. I can also find my way well."
"It's not that I think you can't find your way, but it's because the first journey is always more difficult in the Central Plains."
I said, as if to soothe Monk Ilgak.
Monk Ilgak, who was about to answer sothing, smiled as if he realized it was aningless.
"I understand. I will try to make you see in a new light when we et next ti."
"Yes. I'll look forward to it."
And I stared at Monk Il-won.
"Monk Il-won?"
"Yes, Patron Unhwi."
"Can we talk separately for a mont?"
"Separately?"
At my sudden words, everyone looked at with curious eyes, but I, without caring, said to the others, "Senior Brother Un Cheol and Monk Ilgak, you two talk for a while too. I have sothing to say separately."
"Hmm... I understand."
"Yes. Please do so."
The two of them, thinking that I must have so thought to be talking like that, answered that they would, and I took Monk Il-won to a place a little away.
"Patron Unhwi. What are you trying to say, setting the mood like this? I'm a little scared."
"To be honest, I'm the one who's scared."
"Yes?"
"I'm very worried about what would happen if I sent Monk Ilgak and Monk Il-won to Shaolin alone, and sothing happened on the way."
"Don't worry about that. Didn't I tell you earlier that I know the way to Mount Song well? I plan to follow the main road as much as possible, so you don't need to worry."
"No. I'm worried about sending just the two of you."
"What does that..."
I, looking straight into his eyes, said, "If anything happens to Monk Ilgak on the way... I will never forgive you."
“……”
Then Monk Il-won's expression changed slightly.
Until a mont ago, his face had a hint of a smile, but now it was full of a cold aura.
"I have no idea why you are saying such things to ."
"Then that's a relief."
I, shrugging my shoulders and speaking as if it were no big deal, but on the contrary, that gesture seed to have provoked Monk Il-won.
He, looking at with even colder eyes, said, "Since when?"
"What?"
"Since when have you been looking at with those eyes?"
"If I have to be specific... from the beginning?"
A strange light flashed in his eyes.
"From the beginning... hahaha!"
"And I was sure yesterday."
"Yesterday?"
"The person I t last night. He seed to be from the Demonic Cult."
"......!"
"H-How?"
"I was lying down to sleep, but I felt a presence moving, so I followed. I couldn't hear what the two of them were talking about, but I felt a faint demonic energy from him. That's all there is to say."
Now Il-won's pupils are shaking greatly.
He must have been very surprised.
First, that I had noticed him even though he had hidden his presence as much as possible, and that he had not noticed even though I had tailed him, and finally, that I had detected demonic energy from a distance where I couldn't even hear his voice.
To be honest, the first two are true, but the third, that I felt demonic energy, is a lie.
Because no matter how much stronger I have beco now, I still can't feel energy from a distance where I can't even hear a sound.
However, thinking about who would visit the manor at this hour, I thought it might be Myeong Hwa-ryun of the Demonic Cult who had made a deal with Jeong Il-hak, and I had casually tested Monk Il-won.
And from his reaction, it seems my guess was exactly right.
"Why did a martial artist of the Demonic Cult enter Shaolin Temple? It doesn't seem like you cut ties and entered, but you seem to have so other ulterior motive."
"... Did you tell anyone about this?"
"No. I didn't tell anyone."
"If I say sothing, are you going to believe it as it is?"
"Of course. If I didn't have that intention, would I be saying this with words? I would have drawn my sword right away."
As if he thought my words were right, he, taking a deep breath and nodding his head, said, "I can't say for sure about other things, but I can say one thing for sure. I did not enter Shaolin Temple as a spy to do sothing to Shaolin."
"Then what's the reason? What is the Demonic Cult plotting?"
"To be precise, I am not doing this by the will of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult... that is, by the order of the Sect Leader."
"Then?"
"I am a person who follows the orders of the Demonic Flower Hall Master."
"Demonic Flower Hall Master, Yi Gwak-sa?!"
He nodded his head.
"Why on earth the Demonic Flower Hall Master?"
"The missions I received from the Demonic Flower Hall Master are two. The first is to enter Shaolin and grasp the source of their strength, why they are so strong, and the second is to participate in the Buddhist Martial Arts Tournant and confirm the developnt of a certain martial artist."
"Ha!"
A hollow laugh escaped without realizing it.
I knew the Demonic Flower Hall Master was crazy, but I didn't know he was this crazy.
Because the first was related to Shaolin, but the second, the martial artist whose developnt I was to confirm, was clearly referring to .
"Are you trying to steal Shaolin's martial arts?"
"I would if I could, but unfortunately, Shaolin has not yet taught any proper martial arts. They only taught the basic skills and told to train until I reached a certain level by combining them well with the martial arts I originally had."
"Even if you beca a disciple, they wouldn't be able to give everything to soone who ca from the outside."
"That's right. But to be honest, I don't have any particular thoughts about that. It doesn't matter if I don't learn Shaolin's martial arts. And in fact, the second mission was more important than the first."
He, glancing at , continued, "And since I have confird how well the martial artist the Demonic Flower Hall Master is watching is growing, my job is done. In fact, I was planning to return to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult after taking Monk Ilgak to Shaolin Temple."
"If you're going to go, you can just go, why bother...?"
"Monk Ilgak has talent. He has a strong personality and is even a good person. It wouldn't be right if such a martial artist were to get into trouble while wandering the martial world alone, would it?"
I, for a mont, was so dumbfounded that I said to him, "Since the Demonic Cult's purpose is to invade the Central Plains, wouldn't it be better to get rid of at least one talented junior? I think there's a serious contradiction in what you're saying now."
Then Monk Il-won, shaking his head, said, "Invading the Central Plains and achieving a world under the Demonic Cult is the will of the Sect Leader. It is not the will of the Demonic Flower Hall Master. And as I said earlier, I am a person who follows the Demonic Flower Hall Master, not the Sect Leader."
"So you're going to take Monk Ilgak back to Shaolin Temple safely?"
"Yes. And I have also lived in Shaolin Temple for quite a long ti... it seems I have grown attached."
"To hear the word 'attachnt' from the mouth of a Demonic Cult mber. It's a word that doesn't suit you at all."
"Huhu... The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is also a place where people live. Well, there are certainly differences from the Central Plains."
"So in the end, the reason you were doing this was..."
"I had to watch to see if Patron Unhwi was a person who could keep his promise with the Demonic Flower Hall Master. And I also had to check if he had forgotten the promise."
"How could I forget that promise? The person who said he would kidnap ."
"Hut. That's enough."
Monk Il-won, with a grin, continued, "Then if you have nothing more to say, shall we part here? I will take Monk Ilgak to Shaolin Temple safely, so don't worry."
Normally, I would never be able to believe it, but thinking about the Monk Il-won I had experienced so far, I felt that I could trust him.
And most importantly, the fact I learned this ti.
'The goals of the Demonic Flower Hall Master and the Sect Leader are different?'
The Sect Leader has the idea of conquering the Central Plains with force, but it seed that the Demonic Flower Hall Master was not necessarily so.
'This might... I might be able to use this well.'
I still don't know exactly how their thoughts are different.
And I also don't know what they are plotting.
However, one thing is certain: I have to et the Demonic Flower Hall Master again soon.
'I have to find out sohow when I et the Demonic Flower Hall Master again.'
I hated the thought of eting him, but now I felt that I had one more reason to et him again.
"Then I hope to see you again if our paths cross."
"I hope we don't end up fighting with swords when we et next ti."
"That's what I want to say. Right now, Patron Unhwi's martial arts are at a level I can't handle."
Even though he said he was weaker, Monk Il-won's smile was full, as if he was in a good mood.
We, as if nothing had happened, returned to where our senior brother and Monk Ilgak were, and after a casual greeting, we went our separate ways.
And so, we took the first step on the road back to Wudang after a very long ti.
(End of Chapter)
Reviews
All reviews (0)