「A Fire Dragon, you say? If there truly is a Fire Dragon here, that would be astonishing.」

Whenever the topic of dragons came up, Bodhidharma would always get this excited.

Yi-gang once questioned him about this, finding it odd for a transcendent being—said to have attained enlightenment and reached the realm of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas—to act so frivolously.

Bodhidharma’s answer was simple.

‘I have neither transcended nor attained complete enlightenment. Even the Great Immortals of the Heavenly Realm are the same, and the World-Honored One himself never gave up on saving all sentient beings. How, then, could I be completely free?’

When Yi-gang asked whether such words did not contradict the teachings of the Dharma and Zen, Bodhidharma answered as well.

‘Ask the World-Honored One yourself when you meet him someday.’

Like all great monks of Buddhism, Bodhidharma was, at his core, far from arrogant.

His profound understanding gave the impression of transcendence to others, but that wasn’t entirely the case.

Bodhidharma, contrary to appearances, was a humble man.

That was likely why, in ancient times, when Emperor Wu of Liang asked him, ‘Then, who are you?’ he answered, ‘I do not know.’

「Do you know why the Fire Dragon is so remarkable…? Do you know what kind of dragon is the dragon among dragons?」

‘…Hmm, could it be Dragon King?’

「No. Although they are dragons chosen by the Jade Emperor, they are essentially just powerful dragons. I may have the body of an Imoogi, but I would rank higher than a newly ascended dragon.」

‘Then what is it?’

「It is Yinglong.」

Yi-gang also knew about Yinglong.

It was the dragon among dragons described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

There was a legend that when a dragon ascended and lived for a thousand years, it became a Yinglong. However, the Yinglong Bodhidharma spoke of referred to only one specific dragon.

It was also mentioned in Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian.

The Yellow Emperor commanded Yinglong to kill Chiyou.

That very Yinglong.

「The ability of dragons to control water and summon rain all originates from the Yinglong.」

Dragons were known for their supernatural power to bring rain.

In that sense, the Fire Dragon held a somewhat unique resonance.

「Long ago, there was a war between Nüwa and Yinglong. At that time, it was the Fire Dragon Clan who ruled the earth as Nüwa’s followers.」

‘That’s an incredible story.’

「If it truly is a Fire Dragon, it is a special dragon born of a unique lineage, different from the Yinglong. How were they born? Were they dragons from the beginning, or did they start as Imoogi? But that seems unlikely—Imoogi originate from water.」

‘Even you do not know, Bodhidharma? You have the Six Divine Powers …’

「I do not know.」

It was a single phrase, firm and resolute.

As Yi-gang remained calm and composed, the village chief seemed slightly nervous.

“Um…”

“Would it be alright if I took a closer look?”

“Well, I suppose there’s no problem with that… Just be careful…”

Following the village chief’s lead, Yi-gang approached the torch said to have been lit by the Fire Dragon.

The torch burned brightly with an orange flame. The scent of burning pine resin was strong.

In the dark night, the light was dazzling and hot.

「This is…」

“It’s just fire.”

It was simply fire.

“An auspicious fire, nonetheless.”

“…I see. There’s something I’m curious about.”

Something suddenly caught Yi-gang’s attention.

“Why do you practice slash-and-burn farming?”

“Our ancestors have done so for generations…”

“What I mean is, why specifically choose slash-and-burn farming?”

Yi-gang’s question made sense.

Slash-and-burn farming referred to a method where fire was used to clear land in environments where proper agriculture was difficult, and crops are grown on that land afterward.

Although many displaced people resorted to such methods to replenish the land’s insufficient fertility, it seemed unsuitable for a place like this.

「Your knowledge is vast.」

That was why Yi-gang felt something was off.

Slash-and-burn farming temporarily boosted the land’s fertility.

In other words, it was an agricultural method that required moving from place to place in search of new land.

Yet, in a hereditary village where families had supposedly stayed for generations, practicing slash-and-burn farming seemed odd.

The village chief looked at Yi-gang differently, realizing he had noticed this inconsistency.

“We have nowhere else to go… The land’s fertility is poor, so we have no choice but to resort to slash-and-burn farming.”

“This place?”

Yi-gang’s question was natural.

The surrounding area had fertile soil, making it an excellent place for farming.

“Well… but when we practice slash-and-burn farming, the crops grow well because we use the sacred fire of the Dragon God.”

The village chief’s words lacked credibility.

‘I’ll need to investigate properly when the sun rises.’

Even after reciting the Scripture of Inexhaustible Body and Mind, Yi-gang couldn’t detect any place where a Fire Dragon might be.

In truth, he was beginning to believe that no Fire Dragon existed here at all.

Yi-gang returned and went to sleep.

The next day arrived.

The Divine Monk remained in the lodging, seemingly exhausted from the journey.

The Four Great Vajra and Gal Dong-tak also chose to stay by his side, leaving only Yi-gang to go outside.

While exploring, Yi-gang realized that locating the Fire Dragon in this Wangjia Village would not be easy.

“Where is the Fire Dragon?”

“The Dragon God resides in the hearts of all of us.”

When a young villager answered this way, Yi-gang narrowed his eyes.

However, the villager only rolled his eyes in panic, not appearing to be lying.

Finding the response suspicious but not deceptive, Yi-gang looked for someone else to question.

“The Dragon God? Well, how would we know where such a being resides… but they say it sometimes visits at night,” an old woman answered with an innocent expression.

“Visits? What do you mean by that?”

“It flies through the sky and comes to us, of course.”

“…I see.”

That wasn’t helpful.

With a sigh, Yi-gang asked another question, “So, what does it look like?”

“Well… its scales are red, its eyes are yellow, and it breathes fire from its mouth.”

“Is that so?”

Suddenly, something in the conversation caught Yi-gang’s attention.

“Well, I haven’t seen it myself…”

“You haven’t seen it yourself?”

The old woman had said so.

Was she implying that the soldiers who first visited had seen the Fire Dragon, but a villager who had lived here all her life had never seen it?

When Yi-gang questioned her about it, the old woman replied as if he were speaking nonsense.

“Oh my, how could someone like me possibly see the Dragon God? Hoho.”

“But the soldiers said they saw it.”

“Well… maybe they had too much to drink?”

“You insolent woman!”

A man, who appeared to be the old woman’s husband, hurried over and covered her mouth.

“You’ll be punished if you speak disrespectfully about the Dragon God.”

“Oh, stop it. I was just saying.”

“My apologies, sir. My wife is ignorant… Please forgive her.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. Honestly.”

When Yi-gang pressed him further, the husband, looking embarrassed, added, “The Dragon God is something that only the elders rarely get to see. Folks like us just farm, you see.”

After asking around a bit more, Yi-gang realized that something was off.

None of the young villagers claimed to have seen the Fire Dragon.

Moreover, as was the case with most indigenous beliefs, it seemed that they themselves did not believe in it deeply.

While there was a certain purity among the villagers that made them believe in the Fire Dragon’s existence, it was no different from how ordinary commoners believed in the Buddha’s existence.

However, the elders were different.

「The elders here are suspicious. My Six Divine Powers are telling me so.」

Even Bodhidharma, who was using all his spiritual power to maintain a reduced form, said this.

Unlike the younger villagers, the elders truly believed in the Fire Dragon’s existence.

As was typical in hereditary villages, these elders held power and possessed relatively more wealth.

But when asked where the Fire Dragon was, their responses were evasive.

“Ahh, I do not know. The wrath of the Fire Dragon…”

They would only groan in pain.

One scruffy, slash-and-burn farmer elder flailed his limbs before prostrating himself flat on the ground.

“If the Fire Dragon becomes enraged, Wangjia Village will be doomed!”

“Please, sir, spare this pitiful old man!”

Had it been a younger person or someone showing hostility toward Yi-gang, it might have been easier to handle.

However, with a dying elder groveling so submissively, there wasn’t much Yi-gang could do.

The other elders behaved the same way.

Still, Yi-gang managed to glean two pieces of valuable information: that the village chief and the elders of Wangjia Village were suspicious, and that there was a forbidden area within the village.

The peak in this area served as the ancestral mountain of Wangjia Village.

It was said that the graves of the ancestors were located there.

However, what was unusual was that no one was allowed to enter the burial site.

No one except for the village chief and a few select elders.

‘That place seems suspicious.’

「If there’s something to be found, it’s likely there.」

After gathering a certain amount of information, Yi-gang returned.

Meanwhile, the village chief and the elders sensed danger.

They gathered around the village chief, conversing nervously, “The young man from the city is poking around the village, chief…”

“I heard about it too. This is serious.”

“What should we do? If we make a mistake, our village will be doomed!”

“I know that too.”

The village chief and the elders wore grave expressions.

They could never give up Wangjia Village.

It had only been a few days since they protected the village from the soldiers with the help of the Fire Dragon… and yet, another crisis had arrived.

“I told you we shouldn’t have done such a thing.”

“What were we supposed to do?!”

“We should’ve just killed the soldiers…”

“Twelve soldiers? Do you think they’re easy prey? If we had done that, we would’ve been slaughtered!”

“Well… you’re right.”

They were villagers without even identity tags.

Losing their home would mean losing everything they had.

Moreover, the village chief and the elders held power in Wangjia Village.

It might seem trivial—power in a mere rural village—but power was always more precious when it was scarce.

Those old elders did not want to abandon the village and become wandering refugees in the capital. Nor did they have the strength to endure such a fate.

“If only that young man would stay quiet… What if we offered him all the silver the village has saved?”

“Or perhaps we could try threatening him with a sword?”

The village chief looked at the ignorant elders with pity.

So foolish… If they lose their home and become refugees, they’ll either be beaten to death or starve.

“You have no idea how terrifying martial artists can be.”

Still, the village chief had more sense than the rest.

The value of Yi-gang’s clothing alone likely exceeded the entire wealth of Wangjia Village.

Moreover, if the soldiers couldn’t handle him, how could they possibly threaten a martial artist who had the soldiers at his mercy?

“Do not act recklessly and end up getting the people of Wangjia Village slaughtered. Show restraint.”

At the village chief’s serious expression, the other elders gulped nervously.

“Let’s settle this tonight,” they spoke with a determined tone, “If we can show him the Fire Dragon he desires, he will leave, just like the soldiers did.”

In the end, that was the only option they had.

They dispersed to prepare for the night’s “feast.”

But a “feast” in a slash-and-burn farming village wasn’t much to boast about.

They slaughtered a few chickens to make soup and roast some meat.

This time, since there were many people, they had no choice but to slaughter one of the cows they had raised.

“We don’t usually eat meat, but since we feel sorry, please accept this.”

The Divine Monk gave a wry smile as he handed over some silver.

The village chief, despite his initial hesitation, did not refuse.

After all, a single cow was an enormous fortune for the villagers.

“Since monks do not drink alcohol, we have prepared tea instead.”

“Oh my, you even thought to accommodate us monks.”

The Divine Monk smiled, expressing his gratitude for the village chief’s hospitality.

The village chief looked around at the others and shouted, “Since we have prepared the liquor, please eat and drink to your heart’s content!”

“Wahaha!”

Gal Dong-tak joyfully grabbed a chicken leg, and the soldiers also drank the liquor in large gulps.

The village chief personally picked up a bottle of liquor and went to find Yi-gang.

He intended to pour a drink for him, but Yi-gang was nowhere to be seen.

“Huh? Huh…?”

No matter how much he looked around, Yi-gang had disappeared at some point.

With a cautious expression, the village chief asked Gal Dong-tak about Yi-gang’s whereabouts.

Gal Dong-tak took a refreshing gulp of liquor and chuckled.

“He said he was heading out to look around somewhere.”

“W-what?”

The village chief’s face contorted in shock.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep