Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 114

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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 114. Lately, it’s the small-time operators who are the real problem
Dunhuang lies in a desert expanse along the road to the Western Regions.
The people of Dunhuang feared one thing more than the administrators themselves: the Soreum Sa.
Where administrators merely coveted wealth, the Soreum Sa took lives.
The very officials who governed Dunhuang trembled at the mention of the Soreum Sa.
Some might ask why they didn’t simply suppress such a notorious band, but reality was far more complicated.
The Sazhu Cishi who ruled Dunhuang was a follower of the Soreum Sa.
And he was not alone.
The strange phenomenon occurred wherever high officials met one of the Soreum Sa’s masters—they became devotees themselves.
For this reason, the Soreum Sa was an object of both terror and reverence in Dunhuang.
Hong Jin, the Bophwaja and Maitreya Buddha incarnate, had studied under the Soreum Sa.
The summit of Ami Mountain.
Hong Jin whistled a long, clear note and waited for Dan Yeop to arrive.
Around midnight, a figure ascended the mountain peak bathed in moonlight.
It was Dan Yeop.
Hong Jin, who had suffered a setback at Geomun Mountain, surveyed his surroundings first.
Sensing no unusual presence on Ami Mountain, he finally spoke.
“The troublemakers at Geomun Mountain prevented certain conversations. I’ve brought you here to finish them.”
“I see you brought me all this way, so it must be quite important.”
“I reported what you said to our Sect Leader.”
“The Sect Leader? Does Cheonryeon have a Sect Leader?”
“A profane question, perhaps, but forgiven for lack of knowledge. The Thousand Buddhas have one Father, and we in Cheonryeon call him the Pure Rice King. He is also known as Suddhodana.”
“Ah…”
Dan Yeop stared at Hong Jin with an expression of confusion.
The Pure Rice King was another name for Suddhodana, the biological father of the Buddha.
In other words, Cheonryeon’s followers revered their Sect Leader as the actual father of the Buddha himself.
“Unfortunately, the Sect Leader rejected your proposal. He said you and Hyeol Je were not even comparable.”
“Ah, yes. I suspected as much.”
“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, Pokwae Dan Yeop.”
Hong Jin invoked the Neungam Demon Scripture, a secret art of the Soreum Sa.
Dan Yeop found himself unable to refuse whatever Hong Jin was about to say—he gazed up at him helplessly.
Hong Jin’s deep, penetrating eyes glimmered like stars scattered across the night sky.
Looking at him was like beholding the Buddha himself.
“As the Bophwaja of Cheonryeon, I recognize your talent. As a Pokwae of Jang An County, you have never compromised with injustice. Though our paths may diverge, what we pursue is the same—to break through deception and reveal righteousness. Is it not so?”
Dan Yeop found himself nodding before he could think.
“It is.”
“Cheonryeon does what everyone wishes for but dare not do. Only Cheonryeon can stop corrupt officials. Surely you, as a Pokwae, know this better than anyone?”
Since this was partially true, Dan Yeop nodded slowly.
“I offer you one final chance. From this moment forward, withdraw yourself completely from all matters related to Cheonryeon. If you do, I will forgive all you have done against us.”
A soft, luminous radiance bloomed from Hong Jin’s head like a halo around the moon.
Dan Yeop, entranced by the sight of Hong Jin, spoke again.
“What if I cannot do as you ask?”
“Then I will have no choice but to grant you enlightenment.”
The radiance grew more intense.
As Dan Yeop gazed upon the light in rapture, the Taeul Gi coursed through his Governing Vessel and rose toward the Baihui point at the crown of his head.
Whoosh—
With a cool, refreshing sensation, Dan Yeop suddenly came to himself.
“What were you saying?”
“That you withdraw from all Cheonryeon-related matters.”
“I wish I could, but as a Pokwae, I must follow orders from above.”
“So you are refusing?”
“It is not a decision a mere Pokwae can make.”
Only then did Hong Jin understand that the Neungam Demon Scripture had no power over Dan Yeop.
The radiance vanished in an instant.
Hong Jin muttered something, his expression slightly vexed.
“You choose the hard path when an easy one lies before you.”
“A lowly Pokwae cannot choose which cases to pursue.”
“I see.”
“Nor do I wish to.”
“A pity. I had taken a liking to you.”
“Not particularly.”
Dan Yeop felt nothing for Hong Jin.
Even less so after learning he was Cheonryeon.
Hong Jin’s gaze turned cold and hard.
The Steel Staff he wielded began to glow red-hot.
When the moment came, Hong Jin thrust the incandescent staff through the air like a bolt of lightning.
Gyeokgong Bokma!
From the Steel Staff erupted a crimson aura, serpentine and draconic.
The Yonghyeong Bonggi, as it was called.
A deafening roar tore through the night.
Dan Yeop did not dodge. Instead, he met the dragon head-on with the first form of the Jincheonji Dobeop—the Cheonrae Nakchab.
A brilliant flash.
The draconic aura scattered and vanished.
But Hong Jin pressed forward with even greater ferocity, swinging the Steel Staff again.
Bori Myeoljin!
In Jang An City years ago, Dan Yeop had dodged to spare the inn from destruction. Ami Mountain held no such constraint.
He unleashed the second form of the Jincheonji Dobeop—the Hoeng Sosan Jeol—and cut straight through the staff.
The collision erupted in a violent explosion.
Fragments of the Steel Staff and the Hoengdo collided, sending shattered shards whirling outward.
Boulders cracked and split. Ancient trees at the mountain’s summit snapped and flew through the air.
As the debris whirled around them, Hong Jin launched himself skyward into the night.
His silhouette filled the enormous moon.
For an instant, everything froze in that impossibly surreal moment.
Dan Yeop’s thoughts stuttered to a halt.
In the next breath, Hong Jin split into five phantoms and descended upon him.
Nahan Douma!
The five illusions attacked from all angles—sweeping, thrusting, striking upward, striking down, spinning in rotation.
But to one who never forgot what he had seen once, the Nahan Douma held no terror.
Dan Yeop answered instantly with the first form of the Jinbaekryu Dao Law—the Sucheon Chui.
Dozens of blade currents erupted from the Hoengdo, soaring skyward.
As the blade energy pierced through the five phantoms, they shattered into dust and scattered.
A shower of light fell like snow.
Through that luminous haze, Hong Jin’s true body plummeted down.
In that instant, Dan Yeop drew the Hoengdo across the air in a diagonal arc.
The fifth form of the Seven Wounds Blade Method—the Osang Honri.
The terrible blade current that ‘severs the soul itself’ bore down upon him. Pale with shock, Hong Jin raised the Steel Staff to block.
A sharp metallic ring.
The Steel Staff split cleanly in two.
“Ungh!”
Hong Jin collapsed to the ground with a strangled cry, staring down at the long gash across his chest.
“Where… where is your master?”
He had believed himself a full step, perhaps half a step, above Dan Yeop.
Yet the result was the opposite.
Given Dan Yeop’s master and his age, such a thing should have been impossible.
“Haowen.”
“….”
Hong Jin stared at him with disbelief. “Do you mean to kill me?”
“A Pokwae pursues criminals, not to slay them. I do not know what you have done, so I will not apprehend you today.”
“Hah, I never thought I would hear such words from a Pokwae. Since you grant me reprieve, I shall offer you counsel in return. Above the Bophwaja stands the Jinmyeongja, who truly bears Heaven’s mandate. If you meet them, flee unconditionally.”
“And above the Jinmyeongja?”
“Above them stands Jeongban Wang, the Cheonmyeongja—one who is half human, half divine. With will alone, he may command your life and death. I pray you do not make enemies of Cheonryeon for the sake of your debt to Hyeol Je.”
With that, Hong Jin staggered into the darkness and vanished.
***
As summer drew to a close, Dan Yeop and the Jinbo Trading House expedition at last returned to Jang An City.
Upon arrival, Dan Yeop went directly to the Jinbo Trading House and arrested Yu Manseok, the acting manager.
The hired men received their final payment and dispersed in all directions.

The affair at Jinbo Trading House had set the upper districts of Jang An City ablaze with gossip for some time.
Jang An County.
Pobang.
After wrapping up the Jinbo Trading House matter, Dan Yeop summoned Jang Ho, a Pokwae.
“Master Jang Ho, I hear Cheonryeon has been quiet lately?”
“These days it’s the small-timers who are more of a headache than Cheonryeon.”
“Small-timers?”
At that, Ma Han, another Pokwae, interjected.
“He means Haowen.”
“What? Why Haowen?”
Dan Yeop was taken aback at the sudden mention of Haowen.
“They cause trouble at all hours—it’s become a real headache.”
“Haowen is causing trouble?”
“They’re constantly picking fights with minor sects like the Obangs and Jukbangs and Mukbangs.”
“And then?”
“The minor incidents we handle with warnings, but when people get seriously injured, we have no choice but to make arrests.”
“Ah!”
“Before the jail gets full, the Hyeonwi releases them strategically, but with them being dragged in every day, it’s become a real problem.”
Then Jang Ho, the Pokwae, grumbled.
“Just give those bastards a good beating and send them into exile—seems like we’re being far too lenient. Back in my day, you’d get dragged to the quarries just for starting a fight while drunk. Damn it all.”
Jang Ho, the Pokwae, who had once received three years of forced labor with banishment for a drunken brawl, wore an expression of profound grievance.
Even Jin Seung, the Pokwae listening from a distance, offered his thoughts.
“These Haowen kids seem to have gotten cocky lately. Word is it started after they found some dormant martial techniques and learned them.”
At the mention of dormant martial techniques, Jang Ho’s eyes widened.
“Haowen has dormant martial techniques?”
“They’ve got a long history too—if you search, you’ll probably find something.”
“So after learning these, they’ve become stiff-necked?”
“I can’t say if it’s fact or rumor, but that’s the gossip floating around the alleys.”
As the Pokwaes debated Haowen, Do Gyeom, the Hyeonwi, entered.
“Dan Pokwae, I need to see you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Do Gyeom, the Hyeonwi, led Dan Yeop to the public office.
After confirming no one else was around, he let out a heavy sigh.
“Sigh—Dan Pokwae.”
“Yes?”
“You need to visit Haowen.”
Dan Yeop was flustered. This was the man who had warned him against visiting Haowen.
“Why? Has something happened?”
“Haowen’s been causing so much trouble lately that some restraint is necessary.”
“To that extent?”
“Don’t even ask. I’ve been freeing Haowen disciples from jail and cleaning up their messes—I haven’t had a moment’s rest. With five or six people being arrested daily, the entire operation is grinding to a halt.”
“So many as that?”
“Of course, not all of them are Haowen members. Perhaps only one or two. But Haowen isn’t the only sect causing arrests in Pobang, is it? The Hyeonryeong has been waiting for you to arrive.”
“I will meet with the Sect Leaders of Yukmun.”
“Meet with them as quickly as possible and take measures. If rumors start spreading that Jang An County is showing favoritism to Haowen, it could become difficult for many people.”
“I apologize—it’s because of me.”
“That’s not something you need to apologize for. It’s a problem stemming from Haowen’s negligent management of their disciples. In any case, word is already beginning to circulate, so hasten to have them manage their disciples properly. Once rumors spread, neither I nor the Hyeonryeong will be able to overlook Haowen any longer.”
“I understand.”
After a moment of silence, Do Gyeom, the Hyeonwi, asked almost casually.
“I hear Haowen has been searching for dormant martial techniques and learning them—do you know anything about this?”
“We didn’t find dormant techniques. Rather, Dan Bulwi, our Grand Patriarch, improved upon Haowen’s existing martial arts. The rumor seems to have distorted that.”
“So Dan Bulwi of Amun did such a thing. This is merely gossip, but do you support Haowen’s Ten Provinces United?”
Before answering, Dan Yeop asked in return.
“Does the government oppose it?”
“As a government, we can hardly help but remain vigilant. A major sect with branches spanning the entire empire—like Gaebang—is bound to draw concern.”
“I see. I hope Haowen becomes like Gaebang. Since there’s no central gathering point, the martial world has been keeping its distance.”
“I thought that might be your view. If you hold such beliefs, you’ll need to strengthen your bonds with the imperial court even more. Should the imperial court doubt Haowen’s sincerity, even possible things become impossible.”
“Ah…”
From Do Gyeom’s words, Dan Yeop gained significant insight.
Until now he had worried only about the Five Evil Sword Sect’s interference, but henceforth he would need to keep the imperial court’s reaction in mind as well.

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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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