Chapter 270. Mind the Stones
Dong-su climbed the narrow path and arrived before a small cave just large enough for one person to enter and leave. With a bright expression, he said,
“Eldest Senior Brother, I’ve come. Eldest Senior Brother, are you there?”
A tightly suppressed voice flowed from within the cave.
“It’s you, youngest.”
Dong-su answered with a smile.
“Yes, I’ve returned.”
“I am in the middle of punishment, so I cannot show my face. Have you returned safely and in good health?”
Dong-su plopped down in front of the cave and replied,
“I am unharmed. Eldest Senior Brother, why are you facing the wall in cultivation again?”
“It was the abbot’s order.”
“Why?”
“Not long ago, Old Master Tak’s son was passing through Yeoraesan when all his belongings and trade goods were stolen. He was found stripped naked and pierced through with a spear.”
Dong-su’s expression hardened as he answered.
“……Whose doing was it?”
“They say it was the band of Jinmao Gui, who had settled in Yeoraesan.”
“What…… happened?”
An indifferent voice drifted from inside the cave.
“It so happened that I had business nearby and was passing through Yeoraesan, when those fellows came out in a group and demanded my monk’s staff first.”
“Goodness…….”
“As you know, it is the only one I have, so when I said I would not give it to them, they tried to take my life. How could I carelessly hand over the body of a Buddhist disciple and cause laymen to commit the grave sin of killing?”
“Mm.”
“I swung my staff a few times so that they would not commit killing, and when I came to my senses, the area around me had become a sea of blood. Regrettably, I could no longer determine the whereabouts of the laymen who had been pressing me.”
“Yes.”
“As I looked upon that sea of blood, I thought… when youngest returns, I shall have to listen to another round of scolding.”
At the end of the voice coming from inside the cave, there was a low laugh.
“What did the venerable abbot say?”
“The abbot, too, had a deep connection with Old Man Tak, so he was greatly saddened. He scolded me less than usual. Fortunately, he ordered only a hundred days of facing the wall.”
“Yes.”
“So I spoke to the abbot first. A hundred days seemed a little insufficient even to me, so I told him I would make up for what was lacking by being scolded when you returned.”
Dong-su let out a sigh before answering.
“How could I possibly…… scold you, Eldest Senior Brother?”
“It seems you thought I meant I would be the only one scolded.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, on my return this time, I brought with me a man of the jianghu who will be staying in the guest hall.”
“How many days could an outsider endure such a monotonous life? You must have had a reason for bringing him.”
Dong-su nodded.
“He is a wicked man who served as a guide for public enemies of the murim. Masters of the jianghu with whom I had formed ties fought those public enemies, and only that man barely survived. He had a talent for playing the tungso. In truth, if I had not brought him here, I believe those masters of the jianghu would have killed the tungso man as well.”
Eldest Senior Brother clicked his tongue.
“You interfered needlessly. If he guided public enemies, then it is no different from lighting the way for villains. Once again, you meddled in unnecessary affairs.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, that is why, on the way here, I crippled the tungso man’s dantian. His body has recovered, but it has become impossible for him to recover his martial arts as they were before.”
“…….”
For a moment, there was no answer from within the cave.
Dong-su tilted his head and asked,
“Eldest Senior Brother?”
“You crippled a jianghu man’s dantian? You mean you struck him?”
“Yes.”
“How strange. Why did you set your mind to such a thing?”
Dong-su let out a faint sigh.
“Indeed. I stepped forward because I wished to save the tungso man’s life, but actually bringing him here was no easy matter. He tried to deceive me and tried to run away. At times like this, I wondered what you would have done, Eldest Senior Brother. I wondered what the Haomun Sect Leader, with whom I had formed a tie, would have done. After pondering it, I crippled his dantian.”
“And how was it, after you did it?”
“He followed me very meekly.”
“Even if he followed meekly, his heart must still be in the jianghu.”
“I expect so.”
“What sort of place is the jianghu?”
Dong-su recalled the scene of Zaha Inn and smiled.
“I do not know. Even if I go again, would I not still fail to know?”
“You do not know, but you do wish to go again.”
“Yes.”
Laughter flowed from the cave.
“What an extraordinary place, to make even the heart of the famed stubborn one of the Guma family change. Did your preliminary survey bear fruit?”
“Originally, I intended to establish myself on a mountain near Chang’an, translate the scriptures, and spread them.”
“And?”
“I do not think a simple translation alone can move people’s hearts.”
“So?”
“It seems I must personally experience people’s lives and observe their thoughts as I undertake the work of translation. How persuasive could the words of a monk, detached from reality, be to those who are not Buddhists?”
“Even so, the contents of the scriptures will not change.”
“The scriptures will not change, but I think I will. If I change, then the breath I breathe into the translation will also change. I wish to study the scriptures deeply once more, memorize them without omission, and then go to the jianghu again.”
“It will be difficult.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, it is worth doing.”
“Your thoughts are always humble and overflowing with compassion, so do as you wish. Being with us is merely one part of your study. It is not the whole of it. Once you have finished your preparations, leave whenever you wish.”
“Yes, Eldest Senior Brother.”
“I heard that the Central Plains are full of vicious devils, so my worry over whether you would return safely never faded. This was true not only of me, but also of the abbot, who had promised your mother that he would look after you. We often had similar dreams and prayed that you would return unharmed. I did not expect your clean heart to prevail in a world already overflowing with villains. But prophetic dreams are nothing more than a person’s worries.”
“That is right, Eldest Senior Brother.”
“In any case, was there some other reason you laid hands on a layman when it was not even a martial contest? In the past, it would have been unimaginable.”
“Well…… I was truly far too frustrated.”
Laughter burst out from within the cave, and then Eldest Senior Brother’s words followed.
“I, too, often felt frustrated when I looked at you.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, I formed a connection with the owner of Zaha Inn, where I stayed, who is also the sect leader of an organization called Haomun. Though he was younger than I, it seems he found me that frustrating. He would shout over the slightest things, frown all the time, and if we had become a little closer over a few more days, I think he might have struck me on the head several times.”
“Hahahahahaha…….”
“Eldest Senior Brother, please laugh a little more quietly. It feels as though the cave will collapse. Has there still been no progress in the Prajna Art?”
“I am at peace with it. If no one has achieved greatness, there must be a reason. It is not a realm one can reach through forced obsession.”
Dongsu smiled faintly and spoke.
“A hundred days is short, yet it is also long. It has been a while; shall I go to the village and buy some wine for you?”
“…You have changed suddenly. To think you would offer to do something before being asked. It is fine.”
“Yes.”
A short sigh escaped from within the cave.
“I stare at the wall like this, yet the heart of my youngest martial brother has grown as vast as a vessel into which the waters of a great river have seeped. It is something to be envied, and celebrated. Have you seen the other martial brothers?”
“Yes. As when I saw them just yesterday, they were training without change. I am worried, for day by day the desire to win seems to deepen in the eyes of the Second and Third Senior Brothers. Is the position of leader of the martial monks worth such obsession? A single step outside the temple and it is nothing. Even you, Eldest Martial Brother, have no interest in the seat of leadership or in rivalry, do you not?”
“Leave them be. It is still a time when they must rely on the desire to win to develop. Even if they engage in petty emotional squabbles, when a great matter arises they are men who will unite their will; there is no need to resent them.”
“Yes.”
“Furthermore, even if those two martial brothers think ill of me, in the end they will have to overcome me through skill, so there is no need to worry. Youngest Martial Brother, everyone says you are too rigid, yet in this place you are the only one who understands me. It is because they all think alike, while you are different. I too have often found you frustrating, but I have never thought you were weak-hearted. Even if you are tainted by the martial world, you need not change your mindset any more than this.”
“I will keep it in mind.”
“If the essence of the martial monks is to inherit and develop the martial arts of our ancestors, then I am blameless. The martial brothers’ skills grow stronger by the day, so even if I disappear one day there will be no great problem. My worry lies elsewhere.”
“What is it?”
“We learned that the Banyagong we have mastered is one of the highest truths.”
“Yes.”
“Compared to what is it the highest? I know that Banyagong cannot be the highest truth.”
“Why is that?”
“Because martial arts are inherently dependent on the capability of the one who learns them. I reached the ninth dan not long ago, but even with this skill it would be insufficient to face the supreme masters of the Central Plains.”
“Could that truly be?”
“There is a reason. Banyagong is, ultimately, the martial art of the ancestor who created it, and our capabilities cannot match his. It is time to examine many things and create my own martial art. In the martial world, does there exist a martial artist who is flawless? Have you heard of any?”
“There is. I heard of one from a certain ‘Sword Demon,’ but they say he is difficult to meet.”
“Why?”
“Because if they meet, one side will face death, so one must meet him only after thorough preparation. However, he is a martial artist who already lives with death accepted in his heart.”
“A true swordsman.”
“Yes.”
Dongsu thought for a moment and then spoke.
“Eldest Martial Brother, if you ever intend to tour the martial world, try first seeking out the Jahageukjan in Ilyanghyeon that I speak of. It is where the experts of the martial world I mentioned earlier are.”
“You mean the group that faced those public enemies?”
“Yes.”
“If they cannot endure my temperament even here, how could the martial artists of the mundane world regard me with ease? It would be best if I met no one.”
“Eldest Martial Brother, I speak of the people there.”
“……”
“They were people whom ordinary folk would find difficult to handle. In particular, four of them shamelessly call themselves the Four Great Evils.”
“A bunch of foolish idiots.”
“The first is the Sword Demon, the second is Teacher Yukhap, the third is Haomunju, and the fourth—though it is a crude way to put it—is the Lecher.”
“So all manner of demon mongrels have gathered at that guesthouse.”
“Yes.”
“Every one of them had an illness of the heart. The Sword Demon is mad for the sword; Teacher Yukhap is one who has turned over a new leaf. Haomunju suffers from madness, and the Lecher is a man trapped by lust.”
“And?”
“Also, I grew fond of them.”
“Why were you tainted by such demons?”
“It was because they were people who kept to the righteous path, so one could not help but feel affection for them. If the four were separated and set apart, their fortunes would each run differently, and they were utterly devoid of flexibility—to the point where one could glimpse the karmic causality of a short life or dying away from home. Just like me.”
“Then it seems one of the four called the demons together and bound them at the guesthouse, so that their fates would not flow elsewhere.”
“That is correct, Eldest Martial Brother.”
“And the person you believe responsible is Haomunju?”
“How did you know?”
“Since you mentioned his sobriquet first, he must occupy a large part of your thoughts. It was because of that person that a martial artist’s dantian could have been destroyed. Seeing that you returned safely, it seems you shared a bond from a previous life with Haomunju.”
Dongsu broke into a bright smile.
“That is exactly so.”
“Whenever you see the sect leader, convey my thanks for looking after my youngest martial brother, if only for a short while. That would be the proper courtesy of our bond.”
“As for me, I thought of you often, Eldest Martial Brother, whenever I saw the sect leader.”
“He must be quite the troublemaker.”
“Yes.”
“I merely cause trouble around the temple. The sect leader causes trouble against the entire martial world, so his vessel is greater than mine. I shall remember. Now go down, spend time with the martial brothers, and eat dinner. The sun will soon set.”
Dongsu stood up and placed his palms together toward the cave.
“Eldest Martial Brother, I am sorry that only I get to go down and eat a warm meal. Please spend the rest of your wall-facing in good health. I shall come up often when I can do so without drawing attention.”
“When you go down, let us meet with glad faces.”
“Yes, Eldest Martial Brother. Then, I shall take my leave.”
As Dongsu turned to leave, the Eldest Martial Brother’s voice followed him.
“Martial Brother.”
“Yes.”
“You shall spread the scriptures and change the hearts of the people. I shall transmit martial arts so that Buddhist disciples may protect the people. You need only ensure that this martial art is taught only to those who have deeply studied your scriptures.”
“If you leave, Eldest Martial Brother, the Abbot will be furious.”
“Though our intentions differ now, he will change his mind later. It does not matter. Living off offerings without doing anything is no different from feeding on the misfortune of others. To know of others’ misfortune yet merely tap a wooden clapper in the mountains is the same as turning a blind eye. Such a thing must not become the essence of a garbage religion. I have already broken my vows in my heart long ago. It is growing dark, so mind your step.”
“Yes……”
…Only after Dongsu disappeared did the Eldest Martial Brother reveal himself at the cave entrance. Gazing at the darkening night sky with an indifferent expression, he took a drink from a gourd bottle and smiled.
“……It was a terrible nightmare.”
Since his martial brother had returned safely, he would no longer be tormented by nightmares.