Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 104

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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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Episode 104. A Thousand Buddhas Cannot All Share One Mind
Dan Yeop tore off a piece of flatbread, dipped it in the broth, and studied the middle-aged monk as he ate.
At first he’d assumed the man was from Shaolin Temple, but the longer he looked, the less certain he became.
Above all, he felt none of the compassion that marked a true Buddhist monk.
Hong Jin felt like he was looking at an iron wall.
Even if you drove a blade into it, you’d never draw a single drop of blood.
‘That’s not the nature of a Seon Buddhist from Shaolin. It doesn’t fit at all.’
Then Hong Jin set down his chopsticks and spoke.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Have you finished eating?”
“I have.”
“Then, if you would, I’d like to discuss my fate now.”
“Very well. If you had to choose between good and evil, which would you choose?”
“Good, of course. I’m a Pokwae who’s earned many commendations for my work.”
“A fine choice. But tell me—if you see evil, what will you do?”
“Apprehend it.”
“Yet you haven’t.”
“Haven’t I?”
“The Pokwae of Jang An County have been protecting the mansions of corrupt officials, haven’t they?”
“That’s…”
“Where were you when General Choe Eon was killed?”
“I was on duty.”
“Yes, protecting corrupt officials. Am I wrong?”
“……”
Dan Yeop could not speak.
It was done for the sake of capturing Cheonryeon, but the words were true regardless.
“If you truly meant to catch evil, why don’t you arrest the corrupt officials? Why do you protect them instead? And yet you still claim to choose good and to punish evil?”
“I have no excuse on that point. But I had to apprehend the murderers first, and…”
“Cheonryeon’s people killed a few wicked men, but the corrupt officials have driven hundreds of innocent people to their deaths. Your actions against evil lack consistency. It’s the classic pattern—strong against the weak, weak against the strong. You protect great evil and pursue those who punish it. Is that just?”
“It may sound like an excuse, but I cannot apprehend every criminal in the world. Inadequate as it is, I do what I can in this moment.”
“If what you can do is protect corrupt officials, I’m disappointed.”
“Those officials will face judgment by law eventually.”
“Ha! That’s the most entertaining thing I’ve heard in a while. Eventually? I’ve never seen a corrupt official who didn’t live a long, healthy life. If Cheonryeon hadn’t punished him, General Choe Eon would have enjoyed himself just the same until he died a natural death. Don’t deny reality with pretty words.”
“Still, I pursue good in my own way, and I oppose evil…”
“Following the Will of Heaven—how is that evil?”
“Taking a life is a crime.”
“Doesn’t the state execute capital criminals? Is that also a crime?”
“That’s established by law, so it cannot be a crime.”
“Then which takes precedence—a law made by a few men, or following the Will of Heaven?”
Dan Yeop stared at Hong Jin for a moment, then replied.
“Who can know if Cheonryeon truly follows the Will of Heaven? Isn’t that merely their own claim?”
“You know a tree by its fruit. The law you follow protects the wicked, while Cheonryeon punishes them. Still you say Cheonryeon does not follow the Will of Heaven?”
Dan Yeop realized he could not win this argument with words.
It was a fact that the law could not punish corrupt officials.
Unless power changed hands, they would continue to enjoy their luxuries.
That was why the common people supported Cheonryeon.
Had Baek Yuhwa not been murdered by Hyeol Je, he himself might have cheered for Cheonryeon.
The thought of Baek Yuhwa settled his turbulent heart into stillness.
“Come to think of it, you’ve been defending Cheonryeon all this time, Monk. Are you one of their followers?”
“I merely discussed what is good and what is evil.”
“You have no connection to Cheonryeon?”
“If I did, would you arrest me here and now?”
“If you’re connected to Cheonryeon, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“If Cheonryeon truly follows the Will of Heaven, why do they not punish all the wicked? Why do they instead commission murders from them? You blamed me earlier for not arresting corrupt officials and for protecting them instead. Doesn’t Cheonryeon also pick and choose whom to follow the Will of Heaven against?”
“If you mean Hyeol Je, he kills corrupt officials to atone for his own past sins.”
“But Hyeol Je doesn’t only kill corrupt officials, does he?”
“That is his karmic burden. It’s not Cheonryeon’s policy.”
“Yet he does this work under Cheonryeon’s banner, so doesn’t Cheonryeon bear responsibility?”
“A Thousand Buddhas cannot all share one mind.”
“That sounds like an excuse—’I entrusted the work to someone I couldn’t control.’ Is that fair?”
“There’s some truth to it, I won’t deny.”
In that moment, Dan Yeop let out a cold laugh.
“Interesting. Cheonryeon is generous with herself but strict with others.”
“What do you mean?”
“How can all the officials under heaven share a single mind? Some will inevitably be corrupt. Yet Cheonryeon condemns the imperial court itself as the root of all evil—doesn’t she? Then by that logic, Cheonryeon has men like Hyeol Je in her ranks. Shouldn’t she be condemned as the root of evil as well?”
“There aren’t many like Hyeol Je in Cheonryeon.”
“That’s what we call a dog blaming another dog for the mud on its fur.”
…….
Hong Jin had been silent for a moment, then suddenly shifted the subject.
“Is your opposition to Cheonryeon because of Hyeol Je?”
“To be honest, yes. Hyeol Je murdered someone precious to me. A person who held the lowest and most powerless place in the world.”
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
“Yes.”
“You can’t forgive him?”
“I’ll kill him.”
At those words, Hong Jin smiled bitterly.
He did not take Dan Yeop’s claim seriously—that he would kill Hyeol Je.
He believed Dan Yeop was no match for Hyeol Je.
Even if Dan Yeop somehow managed to kill Hyeol Je, Cheonryeon wouldn’t care.
An uncontrollable man like Hyeol Je was a headache for Cheonryeon herself.
“And what of Cheonryeon?”
Hong Jin fixed Dan Yeop with a penetrating gaze.
This was a question of profound importance to both Cheonryeon and Dan Yeop.
Hong Jin didn’t dislike Dan Yeop personally.
Not even with his shabby work as a pokwae, despite being from Haowen.
So he had hoped Dan Yeop wouldn’t become hostile to Cheonryeon.
But Dan Yeop proved unexpectedly stubborn.
“Before I am a pokwae, I am a Haowen disciple. If I bring Hyeol Je’s head and apologize a hundred times over as a Haowen disciple, then I might consider reconciliation.”
“You’re bold.”
“A man ought to have that much spirit.”
“Your actions may bring hardship to Haowen as well.”
“I have no stake in Haowen yet anyway.”
It was as good as saying he didn’t care.
Then Hong Jin changed his approach.
“I hear Son Yubaek is your patron. He won’t escape unscathed either.”
“If you touch someone of Master Son’s standing, many of Cheonryeon’s people will turn away.”
“Even so, it won’t hinder Cheonryeon’s great cause.”
“Wouldn’t it be more certain to just kill me? Why go around in circles?”
Dan Yeop looked at Hong Jin with cold eyes.
Only then did Hong Jin realize that no threat would work on this man.
“Though you’ve hindered Cheonryeon’s work, she doesn’t regard you as an enemy. How things may change later, I can’t say—but for now, that’s the truth.”
“I want only one thing. Bring Hyeol Je’s head and apologize a hundred times over.”
“You’re quite sentimental. Your value doesn’t compare to Hyeol Je’s. If we had to choose between the two of you, anyone would choose Hyeol Je.”
“Then we will become enemies.”
Hmph!
Hong Jin could contain himself no longer and let out a scornful laugh.
He’d wanted to keep this man around, thinking his way of looking at things had merit, but the boy was too bold for his youth.
How dare he spout such nonsense before Cheonryeon’s dharma master? Hong Jin’s patience had reached its end.
Furious, Hong Jin struck the table and roared.
“A pup doesn’t know to fear the tiger—and now I see you’re the one it speaks of!”
His tone shifted entirely.
Killing intent dripped like poison from Hong Jin’s wide-open eyes.
But Dan Yeop remained unmoved.
“Monk, your blood runs hot. It’s all that meat you eat.”
“You little—!”
Hong Jin shot to his feet and suddenly flipped the table toward Dan Yeop.
Crash!
In the same instant, he seized a steel spear and swung it.
Whoosh!
Dan Yeop hastily retreated, drawing his Hoengdo like lightning to block the Steel Spear.
Clang!
The force behind the Steel Spear was so tremendous that his Hoengdo snapped upward.
As the recoil exposed Dan Yeop’s upper body, Hong Jin drove the Steel Spear toward his exposed chest.
Whoosh!
But Dan Yeop was not one to be easily subdued.
He tilted his torso backward like Jo Mujin the Hyeonryeong, evading the Steel Spear.
From his reclined position, he unleashed the Mountain-Sweeping Slash, the seventh form of the Jincheonji Dobeop.
Shriek!
A crescent blade energy streaked toward Hong Jin’s waist.
“Hmph!”
Hong Jin sneered once more and struck the ground with his Steel Spear.
Geumgang Bokma!
Crack-crack-crack!
The crescent blade shattered, its fragments scattering in all directions.
Chairs and tables inside the room splintered and flew backward.
Having pulverized the blade energy, Hong Jin immediately extended his Steel Spear straight forward.
Bori Myeoljin!
Wrapped in light, the Steel Spear shot toward Dan Yeop’s chest as he had just risen to his feet.
Dan Yeop dared not meet it head-on and hurled himself through the window.
Crash!
Bursting through the shattered window, Dan Yeop waited for his opponent to follow.
Hong Jin emerged after him, glancing at the people in the street, then vanished like a phantom.
As Dan Yeop looked about, Hong Jin’s voice reached his ears through Sound Transmission.
—I’ll take my leave for now. If you side with Cheonryeon, I’ll return and kill you.
Dan Yeop clicked his tongue and returned to Mirim Pavilion to pay for the damages before heading back to Jang An County.
***
Jang An County.
Pobang.
As Dan Yeop pondered Hong Jin’s identity, Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi arrived.
“I heard you encountered a strange Buddhist monk while making rounds in the Eastern Quarter. Were you with him until now?”
“Yes.”
“Was he one of the Five Evil Sword Sect?”
At those words, Dan Yeop laughed bitterly.
It seemed Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi had jumped to the same conclusion—people’s thoughts truly ran in parallel.
“I initially thought he was from Shaolin Temple, but he wasn’t.”
“Then who?”
“He didn’t reveal his sect, but judging from our exchange of hands, his martial arts bore the mark of the Buddhist tradition.”
“Did you fight him?”
“Yes, and from what he said, he seemed to be a master aligned with Cheonryeon.”
“What did he say?”
“He claimed that killing corrupt officials is no crime but the Will of Heaven. He also asked why the constabulary should protect criminals instead of apprehending them.”
“He’s certainly a follower of Cheonryeon. Was he skilled enough that you couldn’t apprehend him?”
“That’s part of it, but he also vanished abruptly before my eyes.”
“Ha! If he could elude your sight, his Spirit Movement Technique is no ordinary skill. What was his name?”
“Hong Jin, he said. Do you happen to know him?”
“It’s the first I’ve heard of the name. I’ll have to inquire at Shaolin Temple. Before you forget, have a painter sketch his portrait.”
“Very well.”
How would you compare Hong Jin’s martial prowess to that of Bul Yeom Seonja?”
“He felt stronger than Bul Yeom Seonja. He seemed to hold a fairly high position within Cheonryeon.”
“This is becoming troublesome.”
“Just before he left, he warned me not to oppose Cheonryeon. He said if I did, he’d return and kill me.”
“So he still intends to reason with you rather than eliminate you outright.”
“He was attempting to sway my allegiance.”
……
Do Gyeom the Hyeonwi fixed Dan Yeop with a startled gaze.
‘How strange… Cheonryeon suffered considerable losses because of Dan Yeop, yet…’

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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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