Ten Paths of the Master - Chapter 72

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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 72. Do you know what the Thousand Buddhas of the Current Calamity are?
Son Taek, Byeolchae.
After finishing dinner, Dan Yeop returned to Byeolchae and sat before a table.
Since Baek Yuhwa’s death, it felt as though a void had opened in his heart.
All his drive seemed to drain through that emptiness, and nothing he did brought him satisfaction anymore.
Hyeolje and Cheonryeon.
What he had to do for revenge was clear.
He had to awaken the Heart Demon.
Who controlled his body no longer mattered.
Having thought that far, Dan Yeop unfolded the Baekcheo.
And he began to record his meeting with Na Bugang.
[Accepted Na Bugang’s apology.]
He wrote only that much and omitted any reflection.
He felt nothing whatsoever toward Na Bugang.
It was solely a matter between the Heart Demon and Na Bugang.
Then he closed the Baekcheo and retired to bed.
There was no point in waking the Heart Demon in the middle of the night anyway.
The next morning.
The moment Dan Yeop’s eyes opened, he crossed his legs and sat up.
To surrender the entire day to the Heart Demon.
He chanted the formulae of the Heart-Stabilizing Cinnabar Work and focused on the Internal Energy Flow.
As expected!
A thread of light spiraled up from his Dantian and was drawn into his Heavenly Eye.
Flash—!
With the flash came consciousness, and the Genius Dan Yeop opened his half-lidded eyes.
He glanced toward the window and tilted his head.
“What’s this whim? Waking me at dawn?”
For some time now, the Fool Dan Yeop had awakened him in the dead of night.
The Genius Dan Yeop had interpreted it as meaning “stop your social life and just train in martial arts.”
But today, for whatever reason, the Fool had woken him in the morning.
Grumbling, he descended from his bed and instinctively reached for the Baekcheo first.
As he sat in the chair and began to read through his mother’s memories, his face twisted.
He had known for some time that the pale-handed woman was his mother.
But the mother in the Fool Dan Yeop’s memories was far more terrible and cruel than the scene he himself had witnessed.
He began to understand why the Fool Dan Yeop had tried so hard to hide what had happened to their mother.
He seemed to hear the voice of the woman who had strangled his throat in the illusion.
The Genius Dan Yeop’s eyes reddened as he read on.
At the same time, he pitied the Fool Dan Yeop for carrying all those memories.
Had the Fool Dan Yeop recorded only what happened to their mother, the Genius might have burned with rage.
But as he read the Fool’s calm reflections on Baek Yuhwa that followed, the Genius Dan Yeop’s anger melted away like snow.
Dan Yeop touched the stain left on the Baekcheo with his fingertip.
‘So that’s why I woke up at Hwacheong Palace…….’
It was madness enough to see the severed body of a woman he had loved so dearly.
‘I will exact this debt from Hyeolje and Cheonryeon.’
Though Hyeolje had killed Baek Yuhwa, Cheonryeon bore part of the responsibility too.
It was Cheonryeon who had ordered Hyeolje to kill Vice Sect Leader Yi Deokming.
The final thing that caught Dan Yeop’s attention was the record about Na Bugang.
‘Na Bugang came and apologized?’
The Fool Dan Yeop had felt nothing, but the Genius was different.
Na Bugang was the person who had first approached him when he was living at rock bottom.
When he learned through the Baekcheo that Na Geumnyeong had sent him a letter severing ties, he had hidden it well, but his heart had not been easy.
Every time he became entangled with the people of the Sangbang afterward, Na Bugang and his sister came to mind.
He felt no shame or hatred toward them.
Only a bitter taste, as if he were chewing sorrow.
And now Na Bugang—that same indecisive man who had let his sister take the lead even in severing ties—had come to apologize first.
People’s hearts were truly impossible to fathom.
After reading to the end, Dan Yeop placed the Baekcheo back on the shelf.
Just then, a servant’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Master Dan, they’re calling you for breakfast.”
“Yes! I’m coming!”
Dan Yeop answered briskly, changed his clothes, and stepped outside.
***
Inner quarters.
Upon entering the inner quarters, Dan Yeop bowed respectfully to Son Yubaek.
“Did you sleep well last night, sir?”
“Yes, and your face looks even better today than yesterday. Did you have a pleasant dream?”
Keen-eyed as he was, Son Yubaek had discerned the change in Dan Yeop’s demeanor, yet it never occurred to him that the two were entirely different persons.
“More than dreams, sir—I’m grateful for your kindness. My gratitude knows no bounds.”
“Kindness? Nonsense. Any friend of Jiheon’s is as good as a grandson to me. You could call me grandfather and I wouldn’t protest.”
“Even family owes thanks when thanks are due. I hope Aunt slept well too?”
Yu Hwayoung smiled warmly in response to Dan Yeop’s courtesy.
“I receive filial devotion from this young lord that my own son cannot offer. But enough pleasantries—sit and eat.”
“Yes.”
Only then did Dan Yeop take his seat beside Son Jiheon.
At his mother’s words, Son Jiheon pouted and grumbled.
“Not received from me? I offered morning greetings too, didn’t I?”
“Because I don’t feel sincerity in them.”
“But a greeting is a greeting—what sincerity must it contain?”
Then Son Yeonhwa interjected.
“That’s exactly the problem with you, brother. There’s a difference between your greetings and Dan’s greetings.”
“What difference?”
“There is, truly. Your expressions are completely different.”
“Fine, fine—just say my face is different from his. You’re always on Yeop’s side anyway.”
As Son Jiheon’s voice rose, Son Yubaek intervened.
“You need to study proper conduct again. Who raises his voice at the dining table with elders present?”
At his grandfather’s rebuke, Son Jiheon quickly submitted.
“My apologies, grandfather. I didn’t mean to grow excited—Yeonhwa was being so particular about appearances.”
“I have ears to hear. You’re the one who judges appearances, yet you demand of others what you cannot do yourself?”
“I don’t judge by looks.”
“Then who was it that urged his friends to see the spectacle at Jayun Pavilion?”
“Me? That’s slander. I was merely caught up in the moment—I never suggested anything.”
“So you say. If you keep spouting lies, I’ll arrange a three-party confrontation. Now hold your tongue.”
Stung by the accusation, Son Jiheon offered no further denial.
After the meal ended, as Dan Yeop rose to leave, Son Yubaek called to him.
“Wait, Yeop. I have something to discuss with you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once the others had left and only the two remained in the inner quarters, Son Yubaek spoke.
“I’ve been turning something over in my mind these past few days that troubles me.”
“Yes, please speak freely.”
“Long ago, I asked you if there was a woman on your mind, and you said no. Do you remember?”
“I do.”
“But what of this unrequited love? I meant to let it pass, but it’s nagged at me, so I wanted to clarify.”
“She’s a young lady I came to know at my place of work. As you can imagine, since it’s unrequited, I haven’t spoken of it to anyone.”
“Ah! So that’s how it was. Now I understand the situation. You weren’t deceiving me.”
“I would never deceive anyone over matters of the heart.”
“Of course, of course.”
“If there’s nothing more, may I take my leave?”
“That was personal, yes, but the real matter remains.”
“The real matter?”
“I know you are a man of Haowen.”
……
Dan Yeop said nothing.
In that moment, he recalled being disowned by Na Bugang for that very reason—his connection to Haowen.
Son Yubaek’s social standing far surpassed that of Jinbo Sangbang.
He could not only exile Dan Yeop from Son Taek but demand his grandson Son Jiheon sever ties with him as well.
“I don’t know what you think of me, but I do not pursue fame and profit. Even now, my desire to have you as a grandson-in-law remains unchanged.”
“I am deeply grateful for your words.”
Dan Yeop, who had once been cast aside by his sworn brother for his ties to Haowen, found great solace in Son Yubaek’s declaration.
“In any case, that isn’t what I wanted to discuss with you. Do you remember the murder of Gwak Jin in the Byeolchae?”
“Yes, how could I forget such a matter?”
“Cheonryeon, who had been hidden away for so long, has resumed his activities. The death of Yi Deokming, the Vice-Administrator, is merely the beginning. Do you know what the Thousand Buddhas of the Current Calamity are?”
“Yes, sir. You said they are ‘the thousand buddhas who will overcome the crisis of the present age.’ That a thousand Great Calamities must be brought about before the thousand buddhas appear and save all sentient beings…….”
“Hyeolje, who killed Yi Deokming, is merely one of the thousand buddhas. Before long, slaughter will break out across every corner of the empire.”
“Do you truly believe Cheonryeon will go to such lengths?”
“What’s to stop him? Hyeolje killed Yi Deokming and left behind Cheonryeon’s mark. I believe that to be a warning of the Great Calamity.”
“That may well be the case.”
Dan Yeop nodded readily.
Yet Cheonryeon’s targets were corrupt officials, so there was little cause for concern.
“Of course, he’ll prioritize killing corrupt officials like Yi Deokming—that’s how he maintains the people’s support. But Cheonryeon has drawn in Hyeolje, a Heart Demon of the previous generation. He won’t stop at corrupt officials alone; I’m certain he’ll target anyone who could become an obstacle to Cheonryeon. It’s necessary to do so if he’s to bring about the Great Calamity.”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
“Wouldn’t you be willing to use that remarkable mind of yours to help apprehend Cheonryeon?”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I have considerable responsibilities at Haowen. I simply cannot find the time.”
“The Sect Leader of Jeommun, you say?”
“You knew of that?”
Dan Yeop regarded Son Yubaek with a look of mild surprise.
Haowen was not a secret society, so one could learn of such matters through investigation.
Still, this seemed excessive.
“Jo Mujin, the Provincial Commander, has taken a liking to you. He wishes to have you participate in the investigation into Cheonryeon.”
“I cannot spare the time.”
Dan Yeop declined politely.
Of course, Cheonryeon would need to be dealt with eventually, but not yet.
He had to teach Jeommun the Jinsamdae Dohop, and he had to treat his fractured personality.
With a body stretched thin, he could not take on further duties.
Son Yubaek was disappointed but did not press the matter.
In fact, he understood Jo Mujin’s wish, but Dan Yeop’s position was ambiguous.
Conducting an investigation into Cheonryeon without an official appointment was virtually impossible.
“Hmph! Very well. I’ll speak to Commander Jo, so don’t worry yourself.”
“Thank you.”
“Now, off with you.”
Dan Yeop bowed to Son Yubaek and departed the inner hall.
***
Seonpyeong District.
The Sanctuary Hall within the Jeommun headquarters compound.
Having arrived at the Sanctuary Hall at the Hour of the Snake, Dan Yeop taught the Jinbaekryudo Beop to Jeommun’s masters as he usually did.
Then, around the Hour of the Sheep.
When Dan Yeop and the Jeommun masters returned from their midday meal, unexpected visitors had arrived.
Un Junggaek, Han Wolgeom, and Go Geomhaeng—instructors of Gimun.
When Go Geomhaeng said they had come to learn the Jinsamdae Dohop, Baek Chogong, the Sect Leader, opened both hands in welcome.
While Jeommun’s masters trained in the Jinbaekryudo Beop, Dan Yeop taught the instructors the Jincheonji Dohop.
As expected, the instructors mastered the Jincheonji Dohop without difficulty.
Before sunset, having completed the first form of the Jincheonji Dohop, the instructors departed, saying they would return tomorrow.
As the Hour of the Monkey drew to a close, Dan Yeop returned directly to Son Taek.
Having now learned all the secrets that Dull Genius Dan Yeop had been concealing, he was prepared to challenge Internal Power cultivation once more.

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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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