Heavenly Demon Divine Saint - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 87
Cheon So-hyun regarded the Chief Administrator with an expression of utter disbelief.
‘Sorrowful? Him?’
It made no sense whatsoever. The Yuhyeon Merchant Company had always maintained a relationship of profound trust with Shaolin.
Whenever Dan Ju visited the temple, no matter how pressed for time, I would carve out moments for conversation. When passing through Gangseong Province, he would call as a guest, deepening our bonds.
So what in the world was this absurdity?
“The Yuhyeon Merchant Company felt the same way? If they established ties with Shaolin and conducted trade, wouldn’t they have maintained a close relationship with Hye Gwang as well?”
“Indeed. Any merchant worth their salt would have had to.”
“…?”
“How could a mere merchant guild fall out of favor with someone called the greatest martial artist of the age and the pillar of Shaolin?”
The Chief Administrator released a long, weary sigh and continued.
“Whenever heading to Shaolin, we always had to set aside rare goods separately, and when the guild visited without notice, we had to provide lavish hospitality with wine and meat….”
Crunch.
Cheon So-hyun ground his teeth together, muttering softly.
“I should have shown him what real sorrow actually feels like.”
“…Pardon? What did you say?”
“Nothing. Please, continue. Haha, I’m completely ignorant about Jianghu matters, so this is quite enlightening.”
Cheon So-hyun smiled dryly, his gaze fixed upon the Chief Administrator.
His eyes gleamed with an invitation to continue speaking, and detecting this ominous undertone, Yu Yang-deok tapped the Chief Administrator’s knee.
“Chief Administrator. That’s quite enough. We have a distinguished guest, and your tangential remarks are growing tiresome. What is the meaning of this?”
Despite Yu Yang-deok’s restraint, the Chief Administrator did not diminish his momentum.
“Isn’t it precisely because we have a distinguished guest that I must speak at length?”
His eyes flashed with intensity.
“This young master Cheon Gang here possesses not only formidable martial prowess but also a depth of character sufficient to resist the temptations of personal gain. It means his vessel is exceptional enough to become a giant of Jianghu in the future.”
“…And?”
“Consider this: haven’t the promising young talents once praised as future rulers of the realm disappeared without a trace? For your sake, so that you don’t fall prey to calamity, you must understand that one cannot simply accept the common knowledge circulating through Jianghu at face value!”
Yu Yang-deok nodded reluctantly.
‘His words aren’t entirely unreasonable….’
Though he found it distasteful that the Chief Administrator was squandering the guest’s time with idle talk, he could not help but acknowledge the man’s intentions.
Had not young master Cheon himself admitted to being completely ignorant of Jianghu affairs?
“And how much has Dan Ju himself suffered because of Hye Gwang? The losses from having fine silk meant for trade torn away—how many times has that happened? And the sleepless nights spent trying to compensate….”
“I’ve said it before, but that wasn’t torn away. He simply bestowed many kindnesses upon us, so I merely fulfilled my duty as a person.”
Cheon So-hyun nodded imperceptibly, but the Chief Administrator raised his voice.
“That was being torn away!”
“….”
“The Black Path bandits call it tribute! Haha, one can only smile bitterly and accept it so many times. To be honest, why does a Buddhist monk have such a fondness for wine and meat….”
“Haha.”
Cheon So-hyun burst into laughter, cutting off the Chief Administrator’s words. His mouth curved in a long smile, but his eyes were fierce beyond measure.
“Our Chief Administrator truly has a talent for speaking in ways that lead listeners to misunderstand. But entertainers have short lifespans, you know.”
“….”
“Shouldn’t you exercise more caution?”
The Chief Administrator flinched at the sharp edge in my tone and closed his mouth. Yet he soon nodded as if understanding.
‘Of course he’d be flustered.’
He must have been startled. Cheon Gang carried no visible weapons—neither sword nor saber.
His broad shoulders and upright posture, combined with the calluses on his palms, marked him unmistakably as a martial artist. If that were the case, the significance of Divine Fist became all the more profound.
‘Still, I cannot stop.’
A sense of duty crystallized in the Chief Administrator’s eyes.
“It’s only natural you find this distasteful. Speaking ill of Divine Fist, who commands the respect of all people in the Realm, must feel contemptible to you. I too have no disagreement that Hye Gwang is an unparalleled hero who has vanquished countless villains.”
The Chief Administrator continued, trembling slightly.
“However… I am confident that anyone who has had dealings with him would share my reaction.”
“What kind of person was he?”
Cheon So-hyun’s words grew increasingly terse, and the atmosphere became bleaker.
“Past generals who achieved great deeds are dressed up as heroes and paragons, yet the reality differs—much like Hye Gwang, who possessed an excessively, nay, far too unbridled nature!”
The Chief Administrator did not yield.
How much suffering had he endured, unable to call wrong by its true name?
He had long tormented himself for failing to voice proper concerns about the dealings with Gwi Jeong Bang, for being unable to convince others that the medicine produced by the Black Path was abhorrent, for watching the Merchant Guild walk the path toward ruin.
Yet such self-reproach had melted away like snow.
It was all thanks to the assistance this small figure before him had provided.
‘I must never overlook such things again!’
In the Central Plains, where schemes and false information ran rampant, I wished to convey truth so that even one step might be of service.
“While my words may contain excess, I can assert without reservation that they contain no falsehood. Why else would there be talk of elevating the Abbot who took him in as a living Buddha and a sage of the next generation?”
Cheon So-hyun swallowed a hollow laugh.
‘A sage? That man?’
His mind must have been addled. Where else could one find someone so distant from sainthood?
‘Has he been possessed by a demon?’
Though I burned with the desire to uproot and guide the deep affliction plainly visible in his eyes, I maintained composure by silently reciting the Buddha’s name.
‘Amitabha Buddha.’
How could one who follows the Buddha’s teachings be swayed by others’ judgments and act rashly?
In any case, I had always been the harshest judge of myself.
Since I had long accepted myself, there was no reason to be shaken by such trivial noise.
In any case, the conversation was flowing toward the subject I desired, so I continued naturally.
“So… not Divine Fist, but Shaolin’s Abbot is, as known, a Buddhist of great compassion and mercy?”
“Yes, there is no disagreement on that point.”
I turned my gaze toward Yu Yang-deok.
“Then why didn’t you seek his aid? Even if the temple is sealed, he doesn’t seem like the sort to turn away, does he?”
“Eh? Well, to call him a man…”
“My knowledge of Jianghu is limited, and there is much I do not understand. Please forgive my ignorance.”
I narrowed my eyes as I regarded him.
“Is there perhaps another reason you couldn’t seek his help?”
Yu Yang-deok’s chin trembled slightly.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“The Qinghua Sect, which I belong to, takes great interest in Shaolin’s movements as a major faction. When they suddenly closed their gates, it struck me as peculiar in many ways. I wondered if the true reason for the closure might differ from what’s been publicly announced.”
Yu Yang-deok fell silent for a moment before responding.
“I heard the reason for closure was the passing of Hye Gwang. During that period, they honored Divine Fist’s achievements….”
“Is that truly all there is to it?”
“….”
“I’ve heard that thousands of pilgrims visit Songshan daily. To operate a sect of such magnitude, you’d need someone—a bald monk, rather—with eyes wide open, carefully budgeting every coin. Yet they turned away such enormous donations and locked their gates. That seems rather strange to me.”
Yu Yang-deok regarded him intently. For some reason, the young man’s eyes gleamed with profound curiosity.
‘Perhaps it is natural, after all.’
In the Central Plains, there was a saying: “All martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin”—a principle deeply embedded in their culture.
Given Shaolin’s immense influence over Jianghu, it was only natural for a martial artist and sect leader to take interest and harbor doubts about their closure.
‘This works out well.’
He had been troubled about how to repay the debt of gratitude he owed, so he carefully opened his mouth.
“Your words carry some harshness, but truthfully, there is merit to your suspicion, Cheon So-hyun.”
“…Merit, you say?”
“Yes. It is not something revealed publicly, but I understand Shaolin’s closure was not solely due to that person’s passing.”
Cheon So-hyun’s pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
“Truly… You mean there’s another reason besides Divine Fist’s passing? Did you receive some hint about this?!”
Yu Yang-deok shook his head.
“I have not heard it directly. But as a merchant, I would call it a matter of judgment. There are things I discerned from the circumstances of our final transaction.”
“…Circumstances, you say?”
“Yes. Before Shaolin announced their closure and sealed their gates, they sent me a letter requesting that I procure necessary supplies as quickly as possible and send them.”
“Why would they do that? Did they have some special request?”
“Not particularly. What Shaolin requested were spare robes for summer and winter, long-lasting provisions, incense, lamp oil, candles—essentially all the necessities for mountain life.”
“What’s strange about that? All of it seems like ordinary goods.”
“You’re right. These are commonly traded items, so there’s nothing unusual about them individually. The problem lies in the quantity.”
At his next words, Cheon So-hyun’s face drained of all color.
“What Shaolin requested was enough to last a full five years.”
“F-Five years? Damn it, five years?!”
“Indeed. In fact, even that is a conservative estimate. They may request additional supplies during the closure, and there are other merchant companies besides ours that trade with Shaolin.”
Crunch.
Cheon So-hyun clenched his teeth to suppress his shock. His trembling breath revealed the turmoil in his composure.
‘Damn… damn it all…!’
The worries and anxieties he had harbored all along had become reality.
No matter how significant Divine Fist’s meaning was, it was nearly unimaginable that Shaolin would absent itself from the world for five years.
Even the Demonic Sect had not anticipated a closure lasting more than a year or, at most, three years.
‘But… damn it, and even five years is the minimum estimate?’
This meant something catastrophic had befallen Shaolin.
It meant a problem had erupted that even the senior brothers who had spent their entire lives together could not resolve without sealing their gates for such a duration.
‘Amitabha Buddha.’
Cheon So-hyun exhaled deeply and regained his composure. The water had already been spilled. For now, understanding the situation took precedence.
“So you’re saying you don’t know the specific circumstances?”
“That’s correct. Those who harbor compassion and regard the Realm with pity must surely be concerned with matters affecting the world’s welfare—that is merely my conjecture. Because of this, I couldn’t bring myself to break the seal of the temple and ask for help with personal matters.”
Cheon So-hyun nodded slowly.
‘What on earth is happening?’
The urgency to reach Songshan as soon as possible intensified. To do so, he first needed to shake off the zealous followers who had attached themselves as escorts.
After a moment of contemplation, Cheon So-hyun lowered his voice and asked.
“Dan Ju, would it be permissible to ask you for a few favors?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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