Episode 249. Who Should Become the Greatest Under Heaven?

Not even all of Haomun could fully understand what I was saying. In some parts, the White-Clothed Scholar probably understood me better. Moreover, regarding the heart with which I thought of Haomun, the Beggar Sect leader would have understood me more.

Thus, it was not the case that someone belonging to Haomun understood me well.

In the same sense, I had not been able to properly accept the words of Gwangseung from my previous life at that time. Perhaps Gwangseung had held himself back from beating me to death like some other martial artist approximately ten times a day.

It seemed Gwangseung had also agonized and suffered while dragging me around, wavering between the identity of an ordinary monk and a fallen monk burning with vengeance.

Thus, he had become neither an ordinary monk nor a fallen monk, but Gwangseung.

We watched for a long time the fierce inferno created by the corpses burning themselves. Beside us, Dongsu—Gwangseung's disciple and my Martial Uncle—chanted sutras and prayed for the dead to be reborn in paradise, and since all our ears were perfectly intact, we listened along.

I knew that when people usually chanted sutras, they often mentioned Avalokitesvara or Amitabha Buddha, but Dongsu was muttering a hard-to-hear name in a strange pronunciation.

When Dongsu's sutra chanting ended, I asked him.

“……Who the hell is Ajararangta?”

Martial Uncle Dongsu looked at me.

“He is the Immovable Wisdom King.”

“Ah, really?”

I could not help but think of Gwangseung at the words “Immovable Wisdom King.”

As it happened, those flames engulfing the corpses were also similar to Gwangseung's martial arts.

Gwangseung mainly used a martial art that looked similar to the Flame Realm of the Geumguso Yogong, but he himself called it the Fierce Flame. If one were to see a statue or painting of the Immovable Wisdom King in an old temple, the Immovable Wisdom King was mainly engulfed in flames.

That was probably the Fierce Flame.

Perhaps because of that, whenever I thought of Gwangseung from time to time, the Immovable Wisdom King had come to mind.

Originally, the Immovable Wisdom King was a Wisdom King far removed from compassion.

I did not know in detail what kind of figure the Immovable Wisdom King was in Buddhism, but judging arbitrarily based solely on the depictions, he was the incarnation of wrath. It was because he was portrayed as beating everything to death with a sword and a whip. There was no way to know whether those mentioned in religion were real people or not, but in any case, it was certain that the Immovable Wisdom King was also a master of the martial world afflicted with hwabyeong. Seeing that even a Wisdom King of Buddhism could not avoid hwabyeong, hwabyeong was truly fearsome.

I asked Martial Uncle Dongsu.

“What kind of being is the Immovable Wisdom King? He seems like someone far from the mindset of a monk. I don't know for sure, but isn't he someone who beat all evil spirits to death?”

Martial Uncle Dongsu answered.

“He is the king who protects wayfarers.”

“Ah, the king who protects traveling monks like you?”

“Similar, but the meaning of wayfarers is much broader.”

If that was the case, then after Martial Uncle Dongsu died, Gwangseung had set out as the Immovable Wisdom King. What I had often been curious about was why Gwangseung had suddenly stopped that departure and returned west.

Had he felt it was futile?

Or had Gwangseung met an existence he could not handle?

Or had he thought that he could not become the Immovable Wisdom King himself?

He might have grown weary of the endless slaughter himself. After all, with Gwangseung's skill, he would have finished his revenge early on.

I could not ask about such things.

Because this life was different.

Geomma, who had been quietly listening to the sutra chanting, asked Dongsu.

“Why did you recite the Immovable Wisdom King while praying for the bliss of the dead?”

Dongsu answered in a calm tone.

“In times before records, that is, according to stories passed down only by oral tradition, humans had to frequently contend with fierce beasts to survive. To avoid being devoured, they had to sharpen wood into spears and train their bodies as well. As one trains, one's realm deepens, and to pass that on to the young, one must add words and explain. That is how martial studies were born. But not everyone could devote themselves to martial studies. Someone had to farm, trade goods, and prepare food. Yet those who trained in martial studies had to continue coexisting as well. Whether facing fierce beasts or protecting themselves from invaders of other lands, martial studies were necessary. Because they were needed, they gradually developed. We view these people as the descendants of the Immovable Wisdom King. Those who have mastered martial arts protect wayfarers who have not mastered martial arts…… this is the foundation. However, the martial artists of the Central Plains have continued to develop and engage in power struggles. I have heard that martial studies themselves are deep and diverse. I think they, too, are descendants of the Immovable Wisdom King.”

Dongsu spoke while looking at the burning flames.

“……Of course, it seems there are also many who walk the wrong path.”

Gwima asked Dongsu.

“Did you come all this way to sightsee such a martial world? What do you plan to do if you end up dying while sightseeing? From what I see, you have a personality that goes beyond ordinary meddling; you are exactly the type martial artists hate the most. There are many here who would kill you simply for the reason that you butted in.”

Dongsu answered.

“I have heard that there are also many who are not like that. My Martial Brothers also greatly dissuaded me, saying it was a futile endeavor.”

At the words “Martial Brothers,” my insides stung.

Geomma threw an unexpected question.

“What do you think is the reason tremendous experts occasionally emerge from Buddhism? Because they are descendants of the Immovable Wisdom King, as you said?”

Dongsu shook his head.

“No. As far as I know, it is very simple.”

Sekma butted in.

“What is it?”

“They merely spend their whole lives training and become known either by others' designs or by chance. Those Buddhist experts themselves do not even know well how strong they are compared to the experts of the martial world. Occasionally, those whose desire for victory grew too great would cross over to the Central Plains and compete for supremacy.”

Geomma answered.

“It seems you are not of that sort.”

“I do not have such a desire for victory. I have more curiosity than desire for victory.”

Somehow, it had become a time of questions and answers between Martial Uncle Dongsu and the Four Great Evils. Out of nowhere, I wondered why these evildoers could converse so comfortably with Martial Uncle Dongsu.

When I thought about it, there didn't seem to be any grand reason.

He was simply a man who they could talk to.

I had something I wanted to tell him in my own way, so I spoke to Martial Uncle Dongsu.

“Dongsu.”

“Yes.”

“You have the perfect personality to get killed in the martial world. Your face being fairly handsome for a baldy is also a problem. If you're caught by seriously crazy bastards of the Demonic Path, they'll force you to eat meat, grow your hair out, force women on you, or make you suffer worse things until you die. The reason is simple. Your skill must be excellent enough to win without killing your opponent, but you aren't at that level. Becoming that strong in this martial world is nearly impossible. You'll literally have to become the Immovable Wisdom King. Train more before you meddle in martial world affairs.”

Dongsu answered.

“So you mean that to survive with this meager skill, I must kill my opponent?”

“To sum it up, yes. Especially the ones who died today…….”

I nodded and then took out Mureungja's profile from my breast and tossed it to Dongsu. Dongsu stared blankly at the profile. Below the portrait, Mureungja's various evil deeds were compiled.

Dongsu spoke.

“……So it wasn't a chance meeting at Dead Mountain. You deliberately drew them out.”

“Look at the rest. It's not just one or two.”

While Dongsu turned the profile around and read the back, I spoke.

“Like Mureungja—should I call it a home ground? Heretical fiends and outlaws who appear in fixed places are actually easier to catch. Of course, Dongho’s First Sword is an exception. Dongho is far too vast. If you look there, experts like the Lone Traveler and the Flying Guest don’t appear in any fixed region. They’re hard to catch.”

Dongsu asked.

“Are they the most troublesome people in the gangho?”

“More or less. Especially that Dongho’s First Sword—even the Murim Alliance Leader has a hard time doing anything about him.”

Dongsu asked innocently.

“Ah, is he even stronger than the Alliance Leader?”

I shook my head.

“That’s not what I mean. Dongho is the general name for that whole region, and his power base is large. His other title is the Evil Path’s First Sword. He has many subordinates. He’s a public enemy, yes, but if the Murim Alliance clashes with him, the matter will grow enormous. If the Murim Alliance and Dongho’s Evil Path Alliance go to war just to kill one Dongho’s First Sword, probably over a thousand people will die. And even if the Alliance Leader personally asks to settle it one-on-one, it won’t work. Why? If he simply stays put, he can reign like the king of Dongho, so why would he take that risk? The Alliance Leader is strong too, you see.”

Dongsu nodded.

“I see. Even so, is there a particular reason for making and distributing something like this?”

“Plenty. If outside forces try to collude with Dongho’s First Sword, they can smash that side first. It’s also a kind of ultimatum. A warning that, if he reaches the limit, they’ll accept heavy losses and wage war. There are lots of madmen in the gangho, so there will often be experts trying to assassinate him too. If that happens, they can collect the bounty as well...”

At the word bounty, Dongsu turned the wanted portrait over again and checked the amount.

“It’s a large sum.”

“Why? Do you think we killed Mureungja for money?”

“No.”

“Speak honestly.”

Dongsu looked at me, the Sword Demon, the Lust Demon, and the Ghost Demon, then answered again.

“Even if I speak honestly, I don’t think that’s the case.”

I wore a sneer.

“How strange. I killed him for the money. The four of us are going to split it and drink ourselves senseless.”

Dongsu suddenly burst out laughing, then covered his mouth with his hand.

I stared blankly at Dongsu.

“...This fellow laughs at the strangest things. Don’t laugh carelessly. There are over a thousand men in the gangho who’ll beat you for laughing.”

“Is that so?”

“There are over five hundred who’ll pick a fight because you’re bald.”

“Surely not.”

Seeing that Dongsu did not believe me, I sought agreement from the Sword Demon.

“Eldest Brother, I’m right, aren’t I? There are more than five hundred.”

The Sword Demon replied with a solemn expression.

“There are probably over a thousand who would pick a fight because he’s a monk. Not because he’s bald.”

“That’s what I’m saying. This is what the gangho is like, yet a bald fellow wants to wander the gangho alone and cultivate himself... while not committing any killing, no less. That is only possible if the person himself is close to being number one under heaven.”

While Dongsu sank into thought, the Sword Demon asked me.

“Will you keep traveling west?”

I shook my head.

“West or east, it doesn’t matter. Since we’ve killed Mureungja, let’s stop by my hometown first.”

The Lust Demon asked me.

“Why?”

“There is a secret manual I need to give Eldest Brother.”

At the words secret manual, the Sword Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Lust Demon immediately nodded. In essence, we were people of the gangho. If it was a matter of becoming stronger, there was no reason to care whether we went east, west, south, or north.

Dongsu spoke with a blank expression.

“Sect Leader, what must be done for the world to become even a little better?”

I answered with a chuckle.

“Each person should do what they’re good at. In that sense, the number one under heaven must be someone like me.”

The Lust Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Sword Demon looked at me, and Dongsu also stared in surprise.

“Is there a reason it has to be you, Sect Leader?”

I nodded.

“If you became number one under heaven, a bastard like Mureungja would lie to you, begging forgiveness and claiming he would turn over a new leaf, then go somewhere far away and repeat the exact same things. It would be so frustrating you’d die. If someone like the Demon Cult Leader became number one under heaven, everyone in the world would become a cultist. The Buddhists would be no exception. They’d resist until they were beaten to death.”

Dongsu asked me.

“What if the Alliance Leader became number one under heaven?”

“That wouldn’t be bad. However, the power of the Murim Alliance would grow too strong, and the underlings beneath him would start running wild like foxes. You may not know this, but there is a faction I call those scholar bastards. They must not become number one under heaven either. They would divide people into scholars and non-scholars, and society would become one of classes. Like the shi, nong, gong, and shang of the Warring States period. I’m also against the leader of the Beggars’ Sect becoming number one under heaven. In any case, it’s because he represents beggars. Beggars would like it, but the world is not made up only of beggars. It would also be a problem if the number of beggars increased too forcibly. That is why it must be me.”

Dongsu tilted his head.

“Do you not represent the Hao Gate, Sect Leader?”

“The Hao Gate is the Hao Gate, and I am me. Thinking of all working people as disciples of the Hao Gate means I will also respect those who are not of the Hao Gate. Each person can do what they do well. I’ll respect bald heads too, and I’ll respect the religions in the desolate lands of the Western Regions. I’ll respect scholars who read books, and I have no intention of looking down on farmers or beggars. I’ll help the Alliance Leader with his work, and when I encounter a public enemy of murim, I’ll kill them like today. What I want is the actual martial force of being number one under heaven, not the fame that comes with it. All I need is the ability to beat to death those bastards who occasionally cross the line into madness. I need nothing more and nothing less.”

Dongsu answered with a startled expression.

“That is what you call number one under heaven?”

I said with a smile.

“The bastards in the gangho who are crossing the line far too much are stronger than I am right now. That is why I am currently running east and west every day, diligently chasing after the strong.”

I wiped away my smile and muttered.

“Like a turtle made of steel. Of course, I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this way.”

I pointed with my hand to the Sword Demon, the Ghost Demon, and the Lust Demon.

“These brothers here are the same as I am. They will all be trying to become number one under heaven.”

I conveyed what I wanted to say to my martial uncle.

“So there is no need to wander about laboriously, saying you will study while seeing the gangho. What I just said is the essence of a person of the gangho.”

“......”

“Ajarananta, descendants of the Immovable Wisdom King. That is the four of us. Do not search in distant places.”

As always...

First, I insisted.

Because only by insisting can a dream come true.