Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 348

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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 348
“The Buddha once taught that all suffering originates from obsession. Yet Senior, despite dwelling in a realm that shakes the heavens, you remain trapped in the deepest attachment of all.”
“Hmm… Does our Seol not serve Buddhism? How could you possess such Buddhist faith without serving it?”
“I have said this repeatedly—just because I do not believe in Buddhism does not mean I am ignorant of its principles. Rather, precisely because I do not believe, I can observe it more objectively.”
Seol Woon-hwi approached Immortal Maitreya and sat down.
“Senior, if you were a true Buddhist, would you not know what must be done in such circumstances?”
“Mm…”
“Let go. Release your attachment.”
At that moment, Immortal Maitreya’s entire body went rigid.
Let go.
It was one of the most revered teachings in the Seon tradition.
To release all attachments.
“…I confess, I harbored the thought that a martial artist of merely the Four Stages of Heaven and Earth realm could not possibly teach me. Yet now I see you are more than capable. You are truly remarkable, Seol.”
“It is not that I am remarkable. You have simply ascended to such a lofty realm that you have forgotten the essence and clouded your vision, preventing you from seeing clearly.”
Seol Woon-hwi rose and spoke.
“I will treat your wounds. But abandon your thoughts of the Yeok Geun Gyeong.”
“Then…”
“Instead, let me ask you this. At this very moment, what do you truly desire? Desire itself, or peace?”
Immortal Maitreya chuckled softly and replied.
“Peace, of course.”
“Then is the answer not already determined?”
Seol Woon-hwi extended his hand.
“Rise. I will escort you inside.”
Immortal Maitreya grasped his hand and muttered.
“Seol, you are no ordinary person… From this day forward, I must truly let go of my lingering attachment to the Yeok Geun Gyeong.”
Though Immortal Maitreya spoke thus, both he and I knew the truth.
That such a thing would never come to pass, not even in death and rebirth.
This is the nature of Immortal Maitreya.
His current wounds were grave indeed, yet he was perfectly capable of healing himself.
His scheme was transparent to my eyes—to prolong our connection, wait for an opening, and exploit it to seize the Yeok Geun Gyeong.
A tiresome man.
A stubborn monk whose single obsession could shake even the heavens, no matter how one tried to shake it free.
That is Immortal Maitreya.
“Ah, our Seol’s shoulders are truly broad indeed.”
Without so much as wetting his lips, Immortal Maitreya spouted nonsense as I quietly moved him to the residence.
* * *
Having laid Immortal Maitreya down in a quiet annex within the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, I began quietly preparing for treatment.
Candlelight cast a soft glow throughout the room, and various medicinal materials were arranged neatly upon a table.
As I withdrew a needle, Immortal Maitreya’s eyes gleamed.
“Oh, so our Seol practices acupuncture as well. Truly, there is nothing you cannot do—I cannot hide my astonishment.”
“Be silent.”
With those words, I pressed my fingers against Immortal Maitreya’s blood meridians and began inserting needles with precise, practiced efficiency.
“Ah… this stings a bit.”
“Pain is inevitable. These are wounds inflicted by Demonic Energy. No matter how much you employ anti-demonic arts, the residual traces will persist. We must extract them first.”
“But Dou, isn’t this acupuncture technique similar to Shaolin’s methods? Or perhaps even more refined than theirs…”
My hands paused briefly.
“Senior, you certainly are persistent.”
“No, I’m simply curious. Could this be the acupuncture technique recorded in the Yeok Geun Gyeong…?”
“It is not.”
“Then where did you learn it…?”
“Focus on the treatment.”
But Immortal Maitreya showed no signs of relenting.
“You see, from what I observe, your internal energy is quite extraordinary. It’s as though several different martial arts have been fused into one…”
I drove the needle deeper once more.
“Ow!”
Normally, a master who had reached the realm of Primordial Sole Existence would never cry out from such minor pain, but when Yu Cheong’s highly concentrated Demonic Energy clumped together in one spot, even he might feel some discomfort.
“Be silent.”
“Yes, yes. But truly, it’s remarkable. Your treatment method bears a subtle resemblance to how I manipulate my moves in Go.”
Immortal Maitreya’s eyes gleamed as he continued speaking.
“Could this treatment method also come from some ancient text? Perhaps a different acupuncture technique from wherever you obtained it—not the Yeok Geun Gyeong, but something else…”
“Senior.”
My voice turned cold.
“What you’re doing right now is precisely obsession.”
“No, it’s merely scholarly curiosity. How could you call that obsession?”
“Scholarly curiosity makes it worse. That is the most subtle form of obsession there is.”
Immortal Maitreya flinched momentarily, then burst into laughter.
“Truly, you are sharp, Dou. You see right through this humble monk’s innermost thoughts.”
“Your intentions are far too transparent to require any real insight.”
“Transparent? Yet I thought I was concealing myself rather well…”
“You conceal nothing.”
I placed the final needle as I spoke.
“Even now, you’re trying to discern what martial arts I practice and what secret manuals I possess, are you not?”
Immortal Maitreya laughed awkwardly.
“Haha… truly, there’s no deceiving you.”
“Do not attempt deception. Such intentions themselves already contradict the Buddha’s teachings, do they not?”
“Well, that may be true, but…”
“Senior, this is truly my final warning. If you continue this way, I will cease treatment, and you will not see me again in this lifetime.”
Immortal Maitreya hastily waved his hands in protest.
“No, no. I harbor no such intentions. I am simply genuinely curious…”
“Curiosity is ultimately just greed.”
Seol Woon-hwi arranged the needles with a cold voice.
“If you truly seek enlightenment, Senior, I would ask that you first set aside that curiosity.”
Immortal Maitreya fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“Your words seem to carry a different thorn than before. Am I mistaken?”
“You are not mistaken.”
“”
“There are things in this world that must be protected.”
“Things that must be protected, you say…”
“I do not speak of human values or convictions. Through Go, I have observed countless martial artists from the Flame Qi Four Stages to the Heaven Earth Four Realms, even many from the Martial God Five Realms, yet none have given me the impression you do.”
“What impression do I give? I would hear Seol Dou’s assessment.”
“Your obsession, Senior, ultimately rests upon the logic of power.”
“”
“That is merely my observation.”
“Hmm…”
“How many times have you wielded that stone blade you carried on your back until just moments ago?”
“”
“As you wielded it, you surely realized—if you have curiosity and desire something, why circle about tediously? Simply go and kill for it.”
“Mm…”
“If one outwardly follows the Buddhist Sect yet acts in the manner of the Demonic Path, is that not the wandering of a man who has failed to find his own way, or the path of a heretic advancing toward hypocrisy beneath a thick mask?”
“If it is the path of a heretic, what have I betrayed?”
“There is only one thing.”
“Then tell me what that one thing is.”
“The path of being human.”
“”
“As a martial artist, you may live as you wish. Who would condemn you for wearing a mask and practicing hypocrisy? Martial artists ultimately speak through strength. But as a human, Senior, that is not the path.”
“…Speak on.”
“Do you take pride in the path you walk?”
A subtle smile bloomed at the corners of Immortal Maitreya’s mouth.
“I have pride, and no regrets.”
“I see.”
“Is that all?”
“Is more necessary?”
Immortal Maitreya scratched his head.
There existed a simple and undeniable truth.
Immortal Maitreya could kill Seol Woon-hwi at any moment.
Yet he could not bring himself to do so.
It was because of Cheon Do-ja, the Martial World Supreme, who harbored deep affection for Seol Woon-hwi.
Immortal Maitreya was a cunning hypocrite who invoked the Buddhist Sect to justify killing, and had done so countless times, yet he was not foolish.
He had made a calculation.
Just as countless martial artists clung to masters, he would create situations of bestowing favor, and knowing Seol Woon-hwi’s certainty regarding gratitude and grudges, he would repay the debt, all while learning of Yeok Geun Gyeong in the process.
However, things went awry from the very beginning.
I hadn’t realized Yu Cheong had grown so formidable, nor that he had driven Immortal Maitreya to the brink of death.
And it seemed I was reading through all of it.
What had been mere interest had now deepened into profound curiosity.
“Seol Woon-hwi, you truly are a remarkable person.”
“I appreciate the compliment.”
“But Woon-hwi, might you spare a cup of tea? My throat is parched….”
I considered the matter.
What a tiresome human being.
“You asked for treatment, and I provided it. I am not a leisured man, Senior.”
“Heh heh….”
“While it may not be substantial, you have nonetheless incurred a debt of gratitude to me this day. As one who serves Buddhism, you must surely repay such debts—can I trust in that?”
“Surely you don’t mistake this humble monk for some street ruffian ignorant of gratitude and grudges? I, Immortal Maitreya, have lived over a century upholding such principles without fail. Thus, I shall certainly honor the debt between myself and Seol Woon-hwi, and repay it in kind.”
Had one known the truth, Immortal Maitreya’s words would have sounded utterly sincere—but not to me.
As I have said repeatedly, Immortal Maitreya is far more than the benevolent and smooth-tongued figure he appears to be.
Ultimately, gratitude and grudges can only exist between the living.
Should Immortal Maitreya find a debt of gratitude difficult to repay, he will kill his creditor by whatever means necessary, whether his own hands grow soiled or not.
Then the debt ceases to exist, and everything becomes convenient.
One must not be deceived by this man’s appearance.
Immortal Maitreya is absolutely not the sort of human to be trusted.
“I shall now attend to my duties. You should be capable of walking and running by now, so you may rise from your seat.”
“Heh heh… What becomes of me if I remain planted here?”
“I had suspected you of being somewhat shameless, but not shameless enough to trouble your benefactor.”
“….”
“Should fate decree it, we shall surely meet again.”
“As enemies, perhaps? Or as allies?”
“That depends entirely on your choices, Senior.”
“Heh heh… Are you prepared to make me your enemy?”
“Not merely you, Senior—I am prepared to make an enemy of this entire world if necessary.”
“….”
“How could a martial artist break the blade he carries in his heart?”
“Even should the world become your enemy, you would see it through?”
“Had I not possessed such resolve, I would never have drawn my sword.”
“….”
“I shall take my leave.”
I rose from my seat first, and Immortal Maitreya, left alone in that place, smiled with crystalline clarity.

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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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