Chapter 132. Did the Buddha Teach You That?

“My lord, Great Monk Musang has arrived.”

“As expected.”

Jin Cheon smiled faintly at Danmok Cheong’s report that the Shaolin Abbot had arrived.

“But how did you manage to call for Great Monk Musang?”

“Even I can’t tell you that, Squad Leader Dan, so I hope you’ll just let it be.”

“I understand.”

“Keep a tight watch on the surroundings. It will be tiring if the Shaolin monks come flocking.”

“As you command.”

After giving the order, Jin Cheon waited for the Shaolin Abbot, Great Monk Musang, to come up to the room.

It was late at night, so there weren’t many watching eyes, but they couldn’t have a secret conversation in a public place, could they?

Soon, Great Monk Musang entered the room where Jin Cheon was waiting.

“Amitabha. Are you the one who sent this humble monk a letter?”

“Yes, I sent it.”

“……?”

Great Monk Musang doubted his ears at Jin Cheon’s reply.

How dare this young whelp speak so informally to him, as if he knew him from somewhere?

And to the Shaolin Abbot, no less?

“Who are you, patron, to speak to this humble monk so carelessly.”

“When did I ever speak carelessly?”

“This humble monk is over seventy years old this year, how can you speak down to me?”

“When did I speak down to you? I just spoke comfortably. If you’re really unhappy about it, you can just speak comfortably too, can’t you?”

“Hoho.”

Great Monk Musang just laughed and smiled.

“Hearing you say it, patron, you are right. Yes, please do as you are comfortable.”

Like a high monk who had practiced for many years, Great Monk Musang seemed to have decided to generously overlook Jin Cheon’s arrogant and disrespectful attitude.

That was, until he heard Jin Cheon’s next words.

“Shaolin Abbot Musang. I am Jin Cheon, the Seventh Young Master of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“……?”

Great Monk Musang once again doubted his ears.

“Patron, what did you just say?”

“I said, I am Jin Cheon, the Seventh Young Master of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.”

“Jin Cheon, the Seventh Young Master of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, means… the, the Unrivaled New Demon!”

Great Monk Musang hastily raised his true qi and took a starting stance.

Woowoowoong!

The true qi emanating from Great Monk Musang was so fierce that the furniture inside the room was about to be sent flying.

“It seems you don’t want to know the whereabouts of Great Monk Gongheo.”

Jin Cheon, without batting an eyelid, drank a cup of alcohol placed on the table.

The one at a loss was Great Monk Musang, not Jin Cheon…

“Sit down. You should know that I didn’t come here to fight.”

“How can this humble monk believe that?”

“You secretly grilled meat in the Pagoda Forest when you were a novice monk, didn’t you? With Great Monk Gongheo.”

“H-how did you!”

“Did you only grill meat? You sometimes drank alcohol too.”

“Th-that is.”

“You once harbored feelings for Princess Wonnyeong who came to offer prayers, and then repented, if I remember correctly.”

“……!”

Great Monk Musang could not seem to regain his composure.

The things that had just come out of Jin Cheon’s mouth were intimate secrets that only Great Monk Musang himself and his junior uncle, Great Monk Gongheo, knew, secrets that had to be taken to the day of his cremation ceremony.

“Who do you think I heard this from.”

“Is my junior uncle in the Demonic Cult?”

“No.”

Jin Cheon shook his head.

“Then how does the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult know that fact?”

“If you’re curious, sit down. Don’t tire people out.”

“……”

“The alcohol here is quite good.”

Jin Cheon, regardless of whether Great Monk Musang was confused or not, quietly tilted his cup and waited for him to calm down.

After all, he knew better than anyone that the one in a hurry was Great Monk Musang.

***

The time it took for Great Monk Musang to calm down was not long.

Although he was a martial monk who had honed his martial arts more diligently than the Buddhist path, as a monk who had devoted his entire life to training since his novice days, he was able to easily control his mind.

“Patron, how do you know about this humble monk and my junior uncle. Amitabha.”

Great Monk Musang asked Jin Cheon, chanting a Buddhist prayer as if trying to suppress his hostility.

“Because I obtained the information.”

“Information, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that your esteemed cult is not holding my junior uncle?”

“I told you earlier. It’s not our cult.”

“Then…”

“You must have some idea.”

“Th-that is.”

Great Monk Musang faltered as if he had been hit where it hurt.

‘As expected, he has some idea. He just had to stay quiet because there was no evidence.’

Jin Cheon could clearly read the inner thoughts from Great Monk Musang’s expression.

In fact, a figure like the Shaolin Abbot could hardly be seen as a monk solely dedicated to the Buddhist path.

A thousand-year-old Shaolin.

The sect leader of Shaolin, the Mount Tai and Big Dipper of the Central Plains Murim, was no fool. Wouldn’t it be stranger if he were ignorant of the state of the Jianghu?

“Our cult knows who, where, and how Great Monk Gongheo is being held captive.”

“……”

Great Monk Musang could not say anything in response to Jin Cheon’s words and simply remained silent.

If his judgment was correct, it was as clear as day what would happen to the state of the Jianghu due to the matter of Great Monk Gongheo.

But on the other hand, another thought came to him.

‘This too could be an inner demon.’

Given who the opponent was, the problem was that he could not be easily trusted.

In the first place, the Shaolin Abbot holding such a secret meeting with the Seventh Young Master of the Demonic Cult was in itself a grave sin that would require him to be confined in the Repentance Cave for the rest of his life…

“I will be frank. This humble monk cannot trust your esteemed cult.”

“Then can you trust the Righteous Heavenly Alliance?”

“……”

Great Monk Musang was at a loss for words at Jin Cheon’s question.

And with good reason; the person who knew better than anyone that the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was by no means a trustworthy group was none other than Great Monk Musang.

What was the current state of the Murim right now?

Although it was called the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, it was a group led by Taoist sects.

The Five Great Families had long been reduced to their subordinates, and the Buddhist sects, Shaolin and Emei, were in a situation where they could not assert themselves and were holding their breath.

Hadn’t it been over ten years since Shaolin and Emei were excluded from the Righteous Heavenly Alliance’s decision-making?

“Let me be blunt. I will return Great Monk Gongheo to the embrace of Shaolin soon. But, there is a condition.”

“What is it.”

“Hand over the Heavenly Principle Trigram. That is all I ask.”

“How do you know about the Heavenly Principle Trigram…”

“That is none of your business. If you want to get Great Monk Gongheo back, hand over the Heavenly Principle Trigram. That is all.”

“Amitabha, Amitabha.”

Great Monk Musang repeatedly chanted Buddhist prayers, agonized over and over.

As if suffering from the one hundred and eight worldly desires, Great Monk Musang’s face even looked pained.

‘He must know. What it means to get Great Monk Gongheo back.’

Jin Cheon did not underestimate Great Monk Musang in the least, so he could fully guess his inner thoughts.

If Great Monk Gongheo and the inmates were to be released from the Demonic Prison, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance would be finished.

The Demonic Prison was a place where the Righteous Heavenly Alliance imprisoned their political enemies and also stole their martial arts.

As a result, there were an enormous number of people from sects belonging to the same camp as Shaolin, such as the Emei Sect and the Five Great Families.

So, the moment the existence of the Demonic Prison was revealed, the existing Righteous Heavenly Alliance would surely be dismantled.

Also, it went without saying that countless minor sects would also turn their backs.

The problem was what came next.

Once the Righteous Heavenly Alliance was divided, what would become of the Murim situation then?

The Imperial Family, who eagerly wished to put a leash on the martial artists, Hegemon Fortress crouching in Zhejiang Province, and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

It was obvious that various forces would dig into the vacuum left by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, and the Central Plains would fall into chaos.

Great Monk Musang knew this fact all too well, so he could not easily agree to Jin Cheon’s proposal.

Being in the position of the Shaolin Abbot, he had no choice but to consider the political situation as much as the matter of getting his junior uncle, Great Monk Gongheo, back.

“If you’re going to be like that, you might as well return to secular life.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s about saving your junior uncle. If you’re going to hesitate over that, it seems you’re no longer a monk.”

“……!”

“Did the Buddha teach you that?”

“How dare you insult the Buddha in front of this humble monk?”

“What’s so great about the Buddha.”

Jin Cheon sneered.

“Did the teachings of the Buddha teach you to choose the lesser evil over chivalry? Did it also teach that it’s okay to sacrifice the small for the great cause?”

“Th-that is.”

“Indeed. The chivalry you all talk about until your mouths are dry has always been just a pretense. You always chose the easy path. Why? Because choosing chivalry means walking a path of thorns.”

“……”

“The one who actually walked the path of thorns was my master, but you all ostracized and shunned such a master. Am I wrong?”

At Jin Cheon’s sharp remark, Great Monk Musang became a mute who had eaten honey and could not say a word.

What was right was right; there was not a single flawed point in what Jin Cheon was saying, no matter how hard one looked.

“Decide. Whether to save your junior uncle, Great Monk Gongheo, or to let him slowly wither and die.”

“Amitabha, Amitabha.”

“I’m not a very patient person. I’ve already said more than necessary to you. Strictly speaking, it’s no exaggeration to say that the deal already began the moment you heard my words.”

At Jin Cheon’s ultimatum, Great Monk Musang rolled his prayer beads for a long time, agonizing.

After about a moment.

“Very well. I will hand over the Heavenly Principle Trigram.”

“A wise choice.”

A smile appeared on Jin Cheon’s lips.

“Then, I should offer a little more in return from my side.”

“What kind of reward are you talking about?”

“If a big fight breaks out between our cult and the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, I will make an exception for Shaolin.”

“……!”

“Just quietly close your gates for a few years. Then everything will be over.”

“Can you promise that?”

“Of course.”

Jin Cheon nodded his head.

And those words were sincere.

Considering his connection with Great Monk Gongheo in the Demonic Prison before he regressed, he did not particularly want to attack Shaolin.

***

At dawn that day.

Jin Cheon received the Heavenly Principle Trigram from Great Monk Musang.

“I am giving you this after much deliberation, so please keep your promise.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Jin Cheon said firmly.

“The rescue of Great Monk Gongheo is something I desire as well. I may dislike monks, but I acknowledge that man.”

“Have you met my junior uncle?”

“Perhaps.”

“……?”

“You don’t necessarily have to meet someone to know them.”

Great Monk Musang was so dumbfounded by Jin Cheon’s Zen-like answer that he was at a loss for words.

To be lectured about chivalry by a Demonic Cultist, a disciple of the Cult Leader, the Iron-Blooded Demonic God, no less.

As if that wasn’t enough, now a Zen-like answer?

At this point, it was hard to tell who was the monk and who was the chivalrous warrior.

“Anyway, stay quiet for a while. Don’t feel guilty about the division of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance. This is the karma those bastards deserve. As you’ve heard, I am the disciple of the Azure Heaven Divine Warrior, Jang Guk-pyeong. So you, of all people, should know what I’m talking about. You’re a disciple of Buddha, aren’t you?”

“Amitabha, Amitabha.”

Great Monk Musang was so dumbfounded that he just repeated the Buddhist prayer.

Every word Jin Cheon said was correct, and he didn’t particularly want to refute it with wordplay.

“Then, I’ll send you good news soon.”

With those words, Jin Cheon concluded his meeting with Great Monk Musang.

The next day.

“My lord, will it be alright?”

“What about?”

“What if the Shaolin Abbot changes his mind and sides with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance…”

“No.”

Jin Cheon shook his head.

“Shaolin has no choice. If the Righteous Heavenly Alliance continues to gain power, Shaolin will eventually be destroyed. Joining hands with me is their best option. Besides, the safety of Great Monk Gongheo is also at stake, so they won’t be able to side with the Righteous Heavenly Alliance even if they want to. Why would he have given me the Heavenly Principle Trigram otherwise?”

“That is a relief.”

“Now, let’s go to the Mount Mao Sect.”

Jin Cheon turned his steps.

Now that he had obtained the Heavenly Principle Trigram from Shaolin, it was time to go to the Mount Mao Sect to obtain the Earthly Center Trigram.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep