Chapter 265

“Ah!”

“My god!”

The martial artists who had joined Jin Clan could not hide their surprised expressions.

It was because of the procession of corpses entering the Jin Clan’s entrance one after another.

Once again, there were many casualties. The numerous bodies being brought in on carts weighed heavily on the martial artists’ hearts.

“Keuheuk!”

“Hk!”

Cries erupted from all over.

They were the martial artists of Jin Clan.

Jin Clan was a group of martial artists made up of blood relatives. Sharing the same blood, they prided themselves on their exceptionally strong bonds.

Among the bodies being brought in on the carts were many martial artists of Jin Clan. They were all their older brothers, younger brothers, or cousins.

Losing even a friend was unbearably sorrowful, but their feelings upon seeing the deaths of their own flesh and blood were too devastating to put into words.

“I will never forgive them.”

“I will fight Snow Blade Sword Manor until all my bones are crushed.”

They vowed a bloody revenge.

It was the same for the other martial artists.

At first, they had joined Jin Clan for the purpose of establishing themselves and gaining fame, but as they fought fiercely against Snow Blade Sword Manor, they had emotionally assimilated with Jin Clan.

It had reached a point where they now considered themselves martial artists of Jin Clan.

A comrade they had been drinking and talking with just yesterday had returned as a corpse. Although they had never met before joining Jin Clan, they had become closer than anyone else after sharing life and death, joys and sorrows. With such a friend returning as a corpse, their anger toward Snow Blade Sword Manor pierced the heavens.

The battle in Runan was no longer a simple fight for regional supremacy between Jin Clan and Snow Blade Sword Manor. So many people had become involved that it was dangerous enough to become the starting point of a Great War for All Under Heaven if it worsened.

Because of this, many renowned figures of the Murim began to watch the fight between the two sects with concerned eyes.

They had hoped that the Shaolin Temple would skillfully mediate the fight between the two sects, but unfortunately, the monks who came from the Shaolin Temple failed to play the role the people of Jianghu had expected.

Monk Woon-hae stood among the martial artists, watching the corpses being brought into Jin Clan.

“Amitabha! Amitabha!”

His face was filled with devastation.

He felt powerless, and the only thought that came to mind was that this was not a place for him.

He even felt resentful toward his Senior Martial Brother, the Sect Leader, who had sent him to a place like this.

Suddenly, a corpse came into his view.

The moment he saw the body, Monk Woon-hae squeezed his eyes shut.

“Amitabha! Qiankun Merchant, even you…”

The Qiankun Merchant was an expert of Buddhism.

Although he was not affiliated with the Shaolin Temple, he had treated Monk Woon-hae warmly simply because they were both Buddhist martial artists.

The Qiankun Merchant’s comfort had been a great help to Monk Woon-hae. Thanks to him, he had been able to steady his wavering heart.

The sight of the man who had treated him so kindly returning as a corpse sent great ripples through Monk Woon-hae’s heart.

“Amitabha! Amitabha!”

He tried to calm his mind by continuously rolling his prayer beads, but it was not working as he wished.

He had studied the Buddhist scriptures for so long and cultivated his mind, but it was of no help at times like these.

Monk Woon-hae keenly felt the inadequacy of his training.

Just then, someone quietly approached Monk Woon-hae’s side.

The nameless martial artist held out a sealed letter to Monk Woon-hae and said,

“This is a letter that the Qiankun Merchant asked me to deliver to you, Monk Woon-hae.”

“Amitabha! The Qiankun Merchant left a letter?”

“Yes! I don’t know if he anticipated something like this would happen, but he told me to deliver the letter to you, Monk Woon-hae, if he did not return.”

“Hmm!”

“Well then…”

The martial artist handed the letter to Monk Woon-hae and retreated.

Staring at the letter in his hand for a moment, Monk Woon-hae soon found a quiet place.

After reaching a deserted spot, Monk Woon-hae carefully broke the seal.

Inside the letter, only four characters were written.

[Is Buddha only in the temple?]

In that instant, Monk Woon-hae’s pupils trembled.

The meaning was clear.

Is Buddha only in the temple?

It was an unexpected topic for contemplation.

Someone else might have passed it over without a second thought, but to Monk Woon-hae, a disciple of Buddha, it struck him differently.

It could be a criticism that Shaolin was handling matters without knowing the ways of the world, or it could mean that they were thinking too optimistically, being too bound by Buddha.

Whatever the Qiankun Merchant’s intention was, the words he left behind caused ripples in Monk Woon-hae’s heart and made him ponder deeply.

‘Is Buddha only in the temple, is Buddha only in the temple.’

Agonizing thoughts were branching out in Monk Woon-hae’s mind.

＊＊＊

Pyo Wol checked his physical condition.

Having slept a night at the inn, his condition was quite good.

He didn’t feel much pain from the wounds he had sustained while fighting the Ghost Dance Unit.

It wasn’t the best, but it was at least the next best thing.

Pyo Wol was satisfied with his physical condition.

He would be able to bring the rest up to par on his way to Runan.

When he went down to the first floor, he saw Dokgo Hwang and Eom So-so, who had come out earlier and were eating.

“Oh, you’re up? Let’s eat together.”

Dokgo Hwang waved his hand, calling Pyo Wol over.

Pyo Wol walked to the table where they were sitting.

“Sit here.”

“Where are your companions?”

“Companions? Ah, the Sam-geom of the South Sea? They ate first and went outside. There’s a lot to prepare.”

“Prepare?”

“There’s a lot to get ready when you’re going on a long journey, right? Preparing those things is their job.”

Dokgo Hwang replied with an indifferent expression.

Pyo Wol sat on the opposite side of Dokgo Hwang.

“That’s a lot of food!”

“You have to eat a hearty breakfast to use your strength properly.”

As he had noticed last night, Dokgo Hwang was a huge eater. It was a mystery where all that food went.

In contrast, Pyo Wol still ate sparingly.

He chewed thoroughly, eating only as much as his body needed.

The sight of the two of them was quite a contrast.

Throughout the meal, Dokgo Hwang chattered noisily. Pyo Wol and Eom So-so paid little attention to his stories and focused only on eating.

An ordinary person would have felt quite awkward in such a situation, but Dokgo Hwang chattered on excitedly without any sign of it.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Eom So-so said a word.

“Why don’t you finish your meal before you speak?”

“I’m almost done eating.”

“Still, it is polite to speak after you have completely finished.”

“Politeness, my ass! So, as I was saying…”

Dokgo Hwang’s words continued. Still, Pyo Wol paid him no mind and finished his share of the meal.

For its shabby exterior, the inn’s food was quite delicious. Thanks to that, he was quite satisfied.

Pyo Wol said to Dokgo Hwang.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“Hehe! Don’t mention it for something like this… I’ll invite you later, so come visit my home. I’ll show you what a real proper reception is.”

Dokgo Hwang suddenly threw a square object at Pyo Wol.

It was a small gold plaque.

On its surface, the words ‘Martial Sword’ were embossed.

“What is this?”

“It’s my identification plaque. If you come to the Swordless Union and show this plaque, they will guide you to me.”

“Swordless Union?”

“Hehe! Surprised? I’m actually the Vice Lord of the Swordless Union. I couldn’t reveal my identity yesterday because things were chaotic.”

“Impressive!”

“Well, it’s not that big of a deal. When you go there, all you can see is the sea. I prefer the land where I can step freely like this, rather than the sea. I really like it.”

Dokgo Hwang grinned foolishly. At the sight of him, Eom So-so let out a faint sigh.

“Please maintain some dignity.”

“Alright!”

Dokgo Hwang answered Eom So-so’s nagging perfunctorily.

Pyo Wol stood up from his seat.

“I’ll be leaving first.”

“Oh, you’re leaving already?”

“I have a lot of work left…”

“Just come with us. While enjoying the surrounding scenery. What’s the rush in life?”

“I’m not that leisurely, you see.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I can’t help it. Then go on ahead. I’ll take my time and go after taking care of some business.”

Dokgo Hwang readily let Pyo Wol go.

Pyo Wol looked at Dokgo Hwang’s face for a moment before heading out of the inn.

Once the two were left alone, Eom So-so said to Dokgo Hwang.

“I think it was a mistake to give him the plaque.”

“A mistake?”

“He is a dangerous man.”

“In what way?”

“His inner thoughts cannot be read at all.”

“I thought so. It was the first time I’ve seen you so flustered.”

“Who said I was flustered?”

“You don’t know, do you? That when you get flustered, your expression becomes noticeably rigid. But it’s quite cute, so don’t worry.”

“I’ll do without the unnecessary comments.”

“Why are you sulking again? Anyway, you’re saying you couldn’t grasp his thoughts, right?”

“That is correct.”

Eom So-so nodded obediently.

Admitting one’s own shortcomings was never an easy thing to do. Yet, the reason Eom So-so admitted it so readily was because there was no need to do otherwise with Dokgo Hwang.

Dokgo Hwang was a person before whom she didn’t need to feel ashamed for admitting her shortcomings.

That was how highly Eom So-so regarded Dokgo Hwang.

His becoming the Vice Lord of the Swordless Union was not simply because he had a good master.

The current Swordless Union Lord, Jeon Mu-ok, was the absolute ruler of the South Sea Murim, known by the alias Sea King Sword.

His master and the previous Union Lord, Sa Yeon-hui, may have been outstanding in her own abilities, but she had no talent for teaching others.

Because her own talent was so exceptional, she did not know how to teach someone with less martial talent than herself.

Sa Yeon-hui taught Jeon Mu-ok literally as things came to her mind. Fortunately, Jeon Mu-ok was a man of great patience.

Thanks to that, he made tireless efforts to digest his master’s teachings, and as a result, he was able to master more than eighty percent of Sa Yeon-hui’s martial arts.

Even that much was more than enough to be called the absolute ruler of the South Sea Murim. However, Jeon Mu-ok always found that point regrettable.

He thought that if he had received slightly more proper teaching, he would have achieved a higher level of accomplishment.

One of the regrets Jeon Mu-ok felt at that time was the lack of competition.

Receiving Sa Yeon-hui’s teachings alone, he had naturally become complacent. As he grew older and became the Lord of the Swordless Union, he couldn’t help but regret that time.

The regret of what it would have been like if he had a strong competitor.

He did not want his disciples to feel the same way he did. So, he accepted as many as ten disciples. And he made them compete endlessly.

He declared that whoever became the winner would become the Vice Lord of the Swordless Union.

At that time, Dokgo Hwang was Jeon Mu-ok’s fifth disciple.

Unlike his senior martial brothers who already had their own foundations within the Swordless Union, he had nothing.

All he was given was a single sword.

He had to start from absolute nothingness.

But he neither gave up nor despaired.

The only lesson he learned from his fisherman father was that the moment you give up, you can gain nothing.

His father had gone out to sea to catch fish even on a day when a storm was raging, and he never returned.

He had gone out to sea without giving up in order to feed his family.

The image of his father’s back as he went out to sea at that time was deeply engraved in Dokgo Hwang’s heart.

Even if it was a sea where only death awaited, there was a moment when one had to walk into it.

Just as his father had, Dokgo Hwang threw himself into a competition where only death awaited.

One by one, eliminating his senior and junior martial brothers, Dokgo Hwang moved forward little by little.

Sometimes he was driven to the brink of death, but still, he never gave up.

He was called a cold-blooded man with no blood or tears, and he was said to be a man who brought death with him.

Still, Dokgo Hwang never wavered once. And he finally managed to overcome all his martial brothers and stand at the top.

That was the Dokgo Hwang who had seized his current position with his own strength.

Having watched Dokgo Hwang’s journey right by his side, Eom So-so believed in him more than anyone.

Dokgo Hwang reached out and caressed Eom So-so’s face.

“You’re good at everything, but it’s a shame you have no peace of mind.”

“Young Master!”

“It’s natural that you can’t see through his inner thoughts. Do you know why?”

“I do not know.”

“It’s simple! It’s because he is superior to you. Not being able to read the inner thoughts of such a person is not a shameful thing at all.”

“If so, he is even more dangerous.”

“Hehe! He’s not dangerous. He’s useful.”

“Pardon?”

“If used well, he will be a really good sword. The smell of blood is already so pungent on him.”

Dokgo Hwang grinned.