The Return of the Sw Chapter 6 : Different, Different. -02

Chapter 6: Different, Different. -02

A bolt of lightning struck Ban Hojin’s mind.

There was no need for only Beopmu or the Rising Juniors to grow stronger.

If those who were already strong were made even stronger, then when the war against the Four Tyrants of the World came in the distant future, the balance would change.

Perhaps the Four Tyrants of the World would not even dare to recklessly reveal their ambition to conquer the Central Plains.

At the very least, it would surely be possible to significantly reduce the sacrifices caused by war.

When his thoughts reached that point, Ban Hojin reflected on himself.

He reproached himself for trying to take only the difficult path while leaving the easy one untouched.

‘Even in the Art of War, it was said that the best method is to prevent war from happening in the first place.’

If there existed a master in the martial world so powerful that conquering the Central Plains felt unthinkable, then no matter how great one’s greed, one would not readily draw a sword.

It was possible that Neo-Outer Murim had invaded because the martial world of the Central Plains looked easy to them.

However, as long as Ban Hojin existed, as long as he knew the future, things would not flow the same way they had in his previous life.

“If you want to memorize it, I have no intention of stopping you.”

“Even without looking, I hear it every day. I can hear it even now.”

“Still, it’s different from seeing it yourself.”

“I will read it whenever I have time.”

“Hm.”

Damhyeon wore a doubtful expression.

His thinking had matured considerably, but as he had said earlier, people did not change easily.

Still, since he could not expect too much from a Lay Disciple, Damhyeon nodded his head.

“There are Buddhist scriptures in my room. If you wish, I can bring them out right now.”

“You didn’t keep them just as an excuse, did you?”

“That meaning exists a little. But it’s also true that I know them. Master, you know that my memory is exceptional, don’t you?”

“I know it well. I also know how sly you are. That’s exactly why I find it hard to trust you.”

Despite Damhyeon’s stern gaze, Ban Hojin did not tense up.

His body might have been twenty years old, but his mind was well past thirty, so he smiled leisurely and let Damhyeon’s stare slide past him.

“If you wish, I can recite them right now.”

“That’s enough. You’re past the age where things should be forced. Now even your martial arts are seeking their own Martial Path. In a way, this was my greed. I brought in a child who has little to do with the Buddhist sect, so this too must be my karma.”

“As I said earlier, I am also a disciple of Shaolin. I have never forgotten that even once.”

“Yes, that is enough. But when I looked earlier, it seemed like you were training a new footwork?”

Damhyeon changed the subject.

It meant he had no intention of continuing this conversation.

“I had a new idea and was practicing it. I felt that the Arhat Body Technique or Arhat Steps alone were insufficient. Since I cannot learn other martial arts, I am researching in my own way.”

“For something like that, it looked quite complete, didn’t it?”

“I still have a long way to go. Once it’s complete, I will show you.”

“Footwork is important, but wouldn’t it be better to focus on the Three Dharma Swords?”

Damhyeon spoke cautiously.

If he misspoke, it could sound like he was forcing him.

Of course, he knew that compared to the Three Dharma Swords, the Arhat Body Technique and Arhat Steps fell far short.

Moreover, since a Lay Disciple was not taught the entirety of either martial art, they were bound to be even more lacking.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m not neglecting the Three Dharma Swords. I’m dividing my remaining time further to research. I’m even sleeping less.”

“So rumors really aren’t something you can trust.”

“The rumor that I’ve become lazy?”

“You know about it?”

“I have ears too.”

Ban Hojin smiled with ease.

It was an expression that showed he was not shaken at all by what others said, by rumors.

That felt unfamiliar to Damhyeon.

Just because one had come of age did not mean one could brush off such matters so casually.

“You’ve grown much stronger mentally as well.”

“If you’re weak, you get eaten. Even if this is a temple, it’s still a place where people live.”

“Hm.”

Damhyeon made a strange expression.

With a face whose meaning was hard to read, he let out a low hum.

“You don’t need to worry. As always, I will walk my own path.”

“If you ever need my help, come find me anytime. And don’t think you need a reason to come. No matter how busy I am, I’m not so heartless that I can’t spare time to see the face of a disciple who comes looking for me.”

“Understood.”

At the admonition that wasn’t quite an admonition, Ban Hojin replied with a gentle smile.

Considering Damhyeon’s age, he could understand why he acted this way.

And for the sake of the future as well, he planned to visit his Master more often from now on.

The stronger Damhyeon became, the higher the chances that the martial world of the Central Plains would win.

‘Besides that, I also want to spend more time with Master.’

It still remained vivid in Ban Hojin’s memory.

The sight of Damhyeon sacrificing his life as lightly as grass for the sake of the martial world of the Central Plains.

That was why Ban Hojin made a vow once more.

This time, he would never let Damhyeon die.

‘Not just Master, but no one around me.’

In his previous life, Ban Hojin had died as well, but far more people had died before that.

And among them were many who were no different from family to Ban Hojin.

That was why, in this life at least, he intended to make sure such things never happened again.

“Haha, I hope I didn’t surprise you by dropping by so suddenly.”

“It’s fine. I was also taking a short break.”

Not long after Damhyeon left, another guest arrived.

And it was someone completely unexpected.

Even so, Ban Hojin did not show any sign of surprise.

If this person had not come, Ban Hojin would have gone to find him himself in the near future.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“As you know, the main temple only has tea. Even if guests come, there is no grain liquor. We do make it when necessary, but I am not of a status worthy of receiving it.”

“That’s fine. You can get as much as you want once you go outside. And you can’t spread the smell of alcohol in a temple.”

Oh Jung-geon waved his hands.

As a disciple of the Beggars’ Sect, he loved alcohol more than anyone, but even so, he distinguished time and place.

Moreover, this was not just any temple, but Shaolin, revered as the Great North Star of the martial world.

No matter how much he liked alcohol, Shaolin was not the place.

“There are people who do spread it, though.”

“Hahaha. My Master is one of them. But even Master keeps proper bounds in Shaolin. He doesn’t get dead drunk. In fact, there aren’t many days when he isn’t already drunk.”

In a way, it sounded like he was badmouthing his Master, but Oh Jung-geon did not think so.

Everything he said was true, so he felt no hesitation.

And most importantly, the relationship between him and his Master was good.

“Fortunately, I heard that you don’t look for grain liquor in the main temple.”

“He’s someone who keeps what should be kept. Still, your room is extremely frugal.”

Oh Jung-geon carefully looked around the room without breaching etiquette.

No matter that it was Shaolin, it was still excessively frugal.

Seeing that only the truly necessary household items were present, Oh Jung-geon was able to roughly guess Ban Hojin’s personality.

‘He was completely different from his peers yesterday too.’

From what he had found out, Ban Hojin was twenty years old, the same age as Namgung Gwang.

It was an age overflowing with vigor, to the point of boiling over.

Yet, judging by his eyes and the way he spoke, he did not feel like someone who had just come of age at all.

Rather, it felt like talking to someone of the same generation.

‘To think that such a hidden dragon was coiled up in Shaolin.’

More than his personality, what had truly shocked Oh Jung-geon was Ban Hojin’s skill.

There were words saying that he was arrogant, but Namgung Gwang’s ability was real.

And at Namgung Gwang’s age, with that level of skill, it was impossible not to become arrogant.

Rather, Ban Hojin was the strange one.

‘Thankfully, his personality seems mild. And the rumors about him being lazy seem to be false.’

He had seen him yesterday, but the amount of time they had actually spent talking was not much.

That was why Oh Jung-geon had come in person.

To properly grasp what kind of person Ban Hojin was.

Yet again, he felt that other people’s words were not something to be trusted.

“Perhaps because I didn’t live a wealthy life, living in Shaolin suits me well.”

“That’s quite a rare case.”

“For me, it’s a fortunate thing. In a way, that might be why I ended up forming a connection with Shaolin.”

Ban Hojin replied while sipping his tea.

At the same time, inwardly, he let out a small chuckle.

It was because Ban Hojin already knew why Oh Jung-geon had come to see him.

Still, he pretended not to know and played dumb.

“That could be the case. But aren’t there many people who come looking for you?”

Though he was more than ten years younger, Oh Jung-geon maintained proper etiquette.

In terms of status, he was not that far apart from Ban Hojin.

Moreover, since Ban Hojin was a martial artist whose martial realm could not be gauged even by him, Oh Jung-geon treated him with appropriate respect.

On top of that, he liked the fact that Ban Hojin showed him courtesy as well.

“I do receive various messages through my fellow disciples.”

“Among them, aren’t there the Sichuan Tang Family, the Murong Family, and the Mount Hua Sect as well?”

Oh Jung-geon asked, twitching his eyebrows.

It was as if he was saying that he knew everything.

To anyone, it was an expression burdensome beyond measure, but it could not shake Ban Hojin’s composure.

“I received contact. Not just from those three, but from other places as well.”

“Yesterday’s outcome must have been that shocking. Still, personally, I think it was a necessary sparring match. For both sides.”

“For me as well?”

“Yes. Humans are beings who cannot live alone. And there are limits to what one can do by oneself. Pointlessly increasing one’s bulk is foolish, but there is nothing bad about having many friends.”

Oh Jung-geon spoke in a roundabout way while observing Ban Hojin’s expression.

It was to see what kind of reaction he would show.

However, Ban Hojin’s expression was no different from before.

Even at his advice, he calmly continued to sip his tea.

“Certainly, there’s nothing bad about having many friends. However, it’s also true that sudden interest like this becomes a burden.”

“I think that’s more than understandable. In truth, it’s not just a burden, but uncomfortable. That’s why I agonized over it a lot as well. To be honest, I thought it couldn’t be helped even if you refused. Hahaha.”

As the atmosphere seemed to grow slightly heavy, Oh Jung-geon broke into his characteristic banter.

It was to lighten the mood, even if only a little.

And in doing so, he realized something anew.

That Ban Hojin was not someone with an easy personality.

“I had something I wanted to ask as well.”

“You mean me?”

“Yes.”

At Ban Hojin’s blunt question, Oh Jung-geon smiled awkwardly.

He hadn’t expected him to bring it up so suddenly.

“Haha, hearing you put it that way is a bit frightening. Especially since it’s you, Young Master Ban, saying it.”

“It’s nothing special. It’s something that Hu Gae can answer sufficiently. How did you come to know about me?”

“Uh…….”

At the question that seemed to push straight in head-on, Oh Jung-geon found himself at a loss for words.

What he said just now meant that he knew everything about yesterday’s situation.

That was why Oh Jung-geon could not easily open his mouth.

“I’m asking purely out of curiosity.”

“I apologize for what happened yesterday.”

Oh Jung-geon immediately bowed his head.

If he hadn’t known, that would be one thing, but knowing and still not apologizing would have made him shameless, and Oh Jung-geon was not that thick-skinned.

Of course, if it had been someone he didn’t need to bother with, he would not have apologized either.

But Ban Hojin, who stood before him now, was different.

“I wasn’t saying that to receive an apology. Still, since you are apologizing, I’ll accept it for now.”

“Hahahaha.”