Chapter 269. It’s My First Time Threatening Someone
The man with the tungso, who had been heading west, spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“Monk, there is something I must tell you.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, but I will not follow you any longer.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, do not misunderstand. I was never one of those martial public enemy scoundrels to begin with. Of course, I had sensed that they were bad men. I suppose that is my sin. They said they would pay me generously just to guide them, so I acted as their guide a few times, that is all. If I return like this, I intend never to associate with men like that again and focus only on music… Monk, are you listening to me?”
Dongsu answered with an incredulous expression.
“All of a sudden, where are you saying you will… go?”
“I will return to where I lived. I have no reason to go all the way to the Western Regions and live as a monk.”
“Then the words you spoke to Benefactor Sword Demon, as well as the Sect Leader, Physician Murong, Teacher Yukhap, Chief Cha, and Young Master Mong, were lies?”
The man with the tungso feigned innocence.
“You people decided among yourselves that you would spare my life, and you said you would take me with you. When did I ever make such a promise? My head was shaved by force because the Haomun Sect Leader told them to shave it clean.”
Dongsu, who had been listening in silence, suddenly smiled brightly as though he had attained enlightenment.
The man with the tungso asked with displeasure.
“Why are you laughing? Are you mocking me?”
Dongsu answered with a smile.
“Is there some law that says a monk must not laugh?”
“There is not, but in any case, let us part ways now. Walking quietly with you, Monk, I too came to realize quite a few things. I am sincerely grateful. Then.”
Dongsu said,
“Benefactor…”
“Do not call me benefactor when I have given no alms.”
“I have not finished speaking yet. Please listen for a moment.”
The man with the tungso nodded.
“Very well.”
Dongsu said,
“In other words, this matter was a meaningful one in which the Sect Leader and the other benefactors… who lacked compassion, did not commit further acts of killing. If you suddenly say you will return like this, then I will have misspoken, and I will have deceived many benefactors. They trusted me and gave you a chance, yet you would betray us like this?”
The man with the tungso glared, his expression turning serious.
“Betray? I have no one here to whom I owe loyalty, so how can you speak of betrayal?”
“Breaking trust is betrayal.”
The man with the tungso sighed and nodded.
“Well then, let us call it betrayal. Very well. Take care on your way.”
Suddenly, Dongsu laughed aloud like a man with air in his lungs.
“Hahahahahahaha… ha.”
The man with the tungso sighed and shook his head.
“Let us meet again.”
The man with the tungso cleared his throat, then turned around and strode away as if fleeing. After running about ten paces, he suddenly felt a chill and looked back, only to see Monk Dongsu standing there, maintaining exactly the same distance.
Dongsu asked in a calm tone.
“I have not finished speaking yet, so where are you hurrying off to, Benefactor?”
“……”
“Good grief.”
This time, the man with the tungso used qinggong and ran swiftly. A short while later, thinking surely not, he looked back, and Dongsu was stopping with a smile.
The man with the tungso said,
“Why on earth are you following me?”
“I ran along with you for a while to organize my thoughts.”
“Have you finished organizing them?”
“Yes.”
“That is fortunate. Then I shall be going.”
The man with the tungso turned and was about to take a step when his shoulder stung as if a needle had been driven into it, and his body would not move.
“…Huh?”
He tried to turn his head, but even his head would not move. Monk Dongsu appeared before his eyes, put his palms together, and said,
“Who said I would let you go?”
“What?”
“A promise is a promise. I am a man with many shortcomings, but I have never broken a promise. Benefactor, you must come with me.”
“No…”
“Go on, speak.”
“What are you telling me to say?”
“Why you regard promises so lightly. People may have differing opinions, so I will listen earnestly.”
Dongsu sat cross-legged on a large rock nearby.
The man with the tungso said,
“Why am I standing while you are sitting, Monk? First, release my acupoints.”
“Would it not be right to ask yourself the reason for that? You know the answer, yet you insist on asking me.”
“Fine, I understand, so release my acupoints first.”
“If I release your acupoints, I will have to chase you again. If, by any chance, I end up using the martial arts I learned to strike you, I would be committing a sin, so I cannot do that.”
“Aha, so now you have even thought of hitting me?”
“Such thoughts have arisen, so I am guarding against them.”
“What an absurd monk you are.”
Dongsu let out a deep sigh.
“When I was with the Sect Leader, I did not know, but only after leaving him do I feel I understand people’s hearts a little.”
“Whether you understand or not, release me quickly. Even though I cannot move an inch because of my acupoints, my legs still seem to hurt.”
Dongsu once again gave a laugh mixed with emptiness and disbelief.
“Benefactor, it seems your skill at acting while hiding your emotions was outstanding. I believed your tears and wailing were sincere. If the others were deceived as well, then you are the most vicious villain among that band of public enemies. This is why one is told to be wary of people of the jianghu, and today I learn yet another thing. The Sect Leader must have found you unsatisfactory because he understood human nature better than I did.”
“Listen here, Monk Dongsu.”
“Yes.”
“Is dragging an unwilling person away by force and making him enter Buddhism the teaching of Buddha? I have never heard that such a thing is a teaching of Buddhism.”
Dongsu answered in a composed tone.
“Going west does not mean you must enter Buddhism. The Sect Leader said he would not take your tungso because it carried the meaning that you should continue making music there as well. How could you live as a monk while merely playing the tungso? If you reside in the guest hall, help with the temple’s work, cook and share meals together, and occasionally listen to the words of the senior monks and my eldest martial brother, you will gain many things. It will also have a good influence on your understanding of music. I never intended to force you to take refuge in Buddhism.”
“Ah.”
“I am glad you understand now.”
“Monk, however, the truth is that I am a man of the jianghu to my very bones.”
“I know.”
The man with the tungso made his decisive move.
“The jianghu has its own laws. Unseal my acupoints. You and I can cross hands, monk, and then we will follow the will of the victor. That would be the proper way of the jianghu.”
Dongsu smiled.
“Benefactor, you were never my match to begin with.”
“What?”
“Eldest Senior Brother once said that no matter how exceptional the martial learning of the Central Plains may be, there would not be more than a hundred experts stronger than me. However I think about it, I do not believe you would be among those hundred.”
The flute man narrowed his brow and replied.
“Did you learn bluster too, monk? Do you know what the Top Hundred Experts means? There are over a hundred sects alone. To be one of the Top Hundred Experts means being the patriarch of a school.”
“There are differences in strength between sects as well, so that is incorrect.”
“Then why did you just stand by and watch when the public enemies were attacked?”
“Benefactor Sword Demon wished to test the sword art he had newly acquired. He did not say so, but that was my understanding. Even if I did not interfere, it would have been difficult for the band of public enemies to withstand Benefactor Sword Demon. Young Master Meng fought from beginning to end while conserving his inner force in preparation for unforeseen variables. Also.”
“Also?”
“Master Liuhe had his sword slightly raised with his thumb and was ready to rush out at any moment. Though he was injured, he was prepared to join in whenever someone fled or a variable appeared. From the start, it was not a fight that required even me to intervene. Shall I say more?”
“……”
“If the Sect Leader returns and joins us.”
“I understand. So that was it. In any case, how can this Eldest Senior Brother of yours, who has never even been to the Central Plains, be so arrogant? The number of remarkable experts I know alone easily exceeds a hundred.”
“Eldest Senior Brother has broad experience and his ability far surpasses mine.”
“I cannot believe that.”
“Must you see it with your own eyes to believe it?”
In that instant, Dongsu swung his hand toward a nearby boulder, and with a thunderous boom, the huge rock shattered into pieces and crumbled.
“……!”
The flute man said with a dumbfounded expression.
“Monk, why did you suddenly smash the boulder?”
“A boulder is, by nature, an inanimate object.”
“Good heavens… Amitabha. There could have been earthworms or snails beneath that rock. Some nameless insect might have been wriggling there, feeding on moss. One of the shattered stones might have flown off and killed a kind frog passing by. Did you check all of that, monk?”
Only then did Dongsu’s expression stiffen as he looked at the flute man.
“……”
The flute man finally smiled faintly, looking as though he had gained the upper hand.
“Am I wrong? If there was any life lost around that boulder, then the root cause would not be me but you, monk. Is that not so?”
“……”
“Monk Dongsu, you should go back and learn more. I, for my part, will turn over a new leaf, play my flute, and try to live well without harming others. Honestly, I am very grateful to you, monk. You are my benefactor. Later, if you come to the Central Plains with the people from your temple, I will receive you grandly. Of course, you cannot eat meat or drink wine, but I can at least prepare wild vegetable bibimbap for you. Why are you silent?”
Dongsu looked at the flute man and replied.
“……You are quite eloquent.”
“I simply never had the chance to speak because I was busy playing the flute.”
“Very well.”
“What is very well?”
“Keep talking. For now, my mind is still turned toward the West.”
This time, even the flute man did not smile.
“You bald bastard……”
Dongsu nodded.
“I am sorry to say this, but you are bald as well, benefactor.”
The flute man sighed.
“I admit defeat. Just unseal my acupoints. I will follow you without another word.”
Dongsu smiled.
“Do all monks look like fools to you, benefactor?”
“What an extraordinary monk. Very well. Rather than follow you to the Western Regions, I shall bite my tongue and kill myself right here.”
The flute man worked his mouth, then grimaced as he bit his tongue.
“Ggh… ugh.”
In that instant, crimson blood spilled in abundance from the flute man’s mouth. Only then did Dongsu look at him in surprise.
“Huh…”
As the flute man continued to spew blood from his mouth, Dongsu clicked his tongue.
“A person will not die from that much. How could anyone die merely from biting the tip of their tongue?”
After chewing on his tongue with his teeth for quite some time, the flute man sighed with an exhausted expression and spat blood onto the ground.
“Ptooey! Fine, I get it, so stop this and let me go. You bald bastard. How are you any different from those devilish bastards in Ilyang County? Benefactor Sword Demon? Is there anyone who does not know that the Sword Demon was the former Left Envoy of Light of the Demon Cult? You listen to the words of an expert from the Demon Cult and threaten me? Kidnap me? By force! Is this what you call compassion? Is it? If I have sinned, I will go to the Martial Alliance myself and receive punishment. That is the way of the jianghu.”
Dongsu replied.
“The Haomun Sect Leader and Master Liuhe may have fierce temperaments, but they are not people incapable of discerning right from wrong. If Benefactor Sword Demon is treating them as sworn brothers, then that means Benefactor Sword Demon is also repenting for the past. If not, he would still be serving as the Left Envoy of Light in the Demon Cult. And from what I have observed over the past few days, he is merely a swordsman who focuses on the sword each day to a frightening degree. Is there anything else you are curious about?”
“Rather take me back to Ilyang County. It would be better for me to become sworn brothers with them there.”
“Do you truly think so? This is only my prediction, but I believe this time you really would be beaten to death by the Sect Leader.”
The flute man shouted furiously.
“This is not allowed. That is not allowed. What damned monk’s teaching says that one must obey by force no matter what?”
“Rather than clinging to what cannot be, how about rejoicing in the chance at a new life you have gained and accepting it positively? You can play the flute to your heart’s content. I will ask the venerable monks to buy you a secondhand pipa as well. If you wish, you may also learn martial arts from Eldest Senior Brother. At that point, many more things of this and that sort will be forbidden. As you learn the body-protection art from Eldest Senior Brother, in vulgar terms, you will be struck a great deal. It is an effective method. For reference, I was also struck many times. Thanks to that, I came to master the body-protection art. I would like you to learn it as well, benefactor.”
“Monk, spare me.”
“I do not take life.”
In that instant, the flute man rolled his eyes upward and fainted with his head drooping low. As bloody foam trickled from his mouth, Dongsu said,
“Close your eyes and organize your thoughts for a moment. When a person truly faints, their breathing changes.”
The flute man opened his eyes and lifted his head.
“……This is too painful.”
“Life is, by nature, a sea of suffering.”
“……”
“I am glad that you have spoken your true feelings honestly, benefactor. Lay everything bare. Strangely, many people cannot properly say what is in their hearts when they meet Eldest Senior Brother. You will likely be the same. Before we arrive, tell me all of what is inside you in advance. That is a far better way to ease your mind.”
“This Eldest Senior Brother of yours seems to be a violent man. And yet you intend to drag me there?”
Dongsu shook his head.
“He is not violent every time. Still, it is true that he is not the sort of person bound by rules. For example……”
“For example, what?”
Dongsu, who had been pondering something, looked at the man with the tungso and said.
“Your temperament is somewhat similar to the Hao Clan Master’s.”
The man with the tungso lowered his head.
“That crazy bastard…….”
“I have only just realized it myself.”
Under the blazing sun, the conversation between the gleaming bald heads continued for another shichen.
“My legs ache terribly.”
“That is only natural, since you are standing.”
Monk Dongsu, who had spoken more than he ever had in his life, smiled at the blowing wind and said this.
“Let us do this. If you express your refusal to go one more time, I will return to Ilyang County.”
“Why there?”
Dongsu replied in an even tone.
“I would have no choice but to tell the Clan Master everything that happened.”
“I would rather you didn’t.”
For the first time, Dongsu tried threatening another person. After rising from the rock, Dongsu pressed his palms together toward the man with the tungso.
“I am sorry, but if we are to go together, it seems I have no choice but to cripple your dantian.”
“What?”
Dongsu let out a sigh.
“All this time, I have been scolded often by my eldest senior brother. Even the Clan Master, who is younger than me, scolded me whenever he saw me. At first, I wondered why they were so angry with me, but strangely, as I watched your actions and listened to your words, I realized the problem lay in my own indecisive thoughts and actions. If one has received instruction, one must change.”
The man with the tungso asked with a slightly dazed expression.
“And what was your problem?”
Dongsu smiled faintly and replied.
“Who knows. I suppose there is no need to be kind every single time while living in this world. That is what I think. Through you, benefactor, I have realized that being kind in all matters is not compassion.”
Having finished speaking, Dongsu moved and drove a palm strike into the man’s dantian.
Thwack!
The man with the tungso rolled across the ground in an unsightly manner and fainted on the spot. Dongsu stared silently at the unconscious man with the tungso, then drew in a deep breath and exhaled.
“Ah, that felt refreshing.”
Dongsu grinned and muttered.
“Namu Amitaryeong…… no, Namu Amitabha.”
Dongsu realized something had stained his heart, but he left it as it was.