The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 58

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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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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 058
A Shaolin Disciple
When I opened my eyes, darkness surrounded me, and a splitting headache pounded through my skull.
I lay upon a soft bed in a small chamber, my limbs devoid of strength, making even the simplest movement an ordeal.
As I groaned and struggled to sit upright, my mind drifted to that distant day when I first opened my eyes in Baek Yeon’s body.
I had thought myself dead, crushed beneath a truck with no escape, yet somehow I had been transported to this alien world.
Reflecting upon it now, the absurdity was beyond measure.
The same could be said of everything that had transpired since then.
Perhaps it was all merely a prolonged dream?
And yet, though I could not be certain, was I not now awakening from that dream, returning to my original world and my original self?
As this thought took hold, an indescribable emotion welled up from the depths of my heart—one I could not name.
I grasped at my clouded consciousness, searching for the name of this feeling.
Then.
“Mm….”
The door opened, and the moment I beheld the face of the one who entered, I awakened once more from my reverie.
This world was no dream—of that I was now certain.
“You’ve regained consciousness?”
Hye Woon, a disciple of Shaolin Temple, gazed down at me with concern etched upon his features.
Only then could I recall the moments before I lost consciousness.
I had barely survived a battle against thirteen assassins sent by the Cheong Yun Merchant Group, only to fall victim to hidden weapon poison, and I had glimpsed his face just before darkness claimed me.
Before I could respond, Hye Woon had already pressed his palms together in reverence and bowed slightly toward me.
“I owe you an apology first and foremost.”
Hye Woon stood before me, his gaze fixed upon mine as he spoke with measured deliberation.
“Upon learning that you were the grandson of the Cheong Yun Merchant Master, I naturally assumed you stood with the Cheong Yun Merchant Group. Yet witnessing the battle that unfolded there revealed this assumption to be entirely mistaken.”
His sympathetic gaze held depths of meaning that words alone could scarcely convey.
And rightfully so.
I had infiltrated my maternal grandfather’s merchant guild to uncover its secrets, while the Cheong Yun Merchant Master himself had hired assassins to end my life.
This tangled web of fate and enmity could not be unraveled with mere words.
Hye Woon did not press me for details.
For a time, neither of us spoke.
Once my thoughts had settled, the first words that escaped my lips were, unsurprisingly, words of gratitude.
“You saved me, Venerable One. I know not how to express my thanks.”
The hidden weapon that had pierced my chest just before I fell….
I had indeed harbored suspicions that it might have been Hye Woon who wielded it, yet no matter how I reasoned, such a thing seemed impossible.
“There is no need for thanks. Rather, I should apologize. When you fought the assassins, I could not aid you because I had detected the presence of the Tang Sect Hidden Weapon Master concealing himself nearby. Only when he unleashed his hidden weapon at you did I finally locate him.”
As I had suspected, Hye Woon’s appearance that day had indeed been to assist me.
Yet not all my questions had been answered.
“I should have been poisoned by the Tang Sect’s toxin. How am I still alive?”
“Shaolin’s Jade Spirit Antidote Elixir possesses remarkable detoxifying properties.”
So Hye Woon had not only defeated the Tang Sect Hidden Weapon Master and extracted my unconscious body from that place, but had also administered this precious antidote—a remedy whose very name spoke of its rarity and value.
It was remarkable that even a Buddhist monk would go to such lengths for someone he’d never met before.
“I will repay this kindness without fail.”
“There’s no need to speak of such things. That medicine isn’t even mine—it belongs to my master. Besides, isn’t it natural for a senior in Kangho to help a lost junior find their way?”
“….”
The way he added that unnecessary remark after things were going smoothly made it clear that resentment from the Tang Sect incident still lingered within him.
So he was petty after all.
His words continued.
“You lost consciousness, so you wouldn’t know, but afterward, the Heavenly Fire Iron stacked in the underground warehouse caused a massive explosion.”
“An explosion?”
“Indeed. We nearly got caught up in it ourselves. To think they deployed thirteen assassins just to eliminate one person, prepared poison techniques, and when that wouldn’t work, they ultimately detonated the entire underground warehouse with Heavenly Fire Iron—who could have anticipated such cunning? Truly befitting a seasoned master of a great merchant guild, their schemes run deep.”
“Is that so? It doesn’t seem particularly difficult to predict, though….”
“What do you mean?”
Hye Woon paused momentarily, his expression puzzled, but I explained in an even tone.
“The boxes in the underground warehouse contained far less than half the Heavenly Fire Iron. Why would that be? Even that amount was sufficient to obliterate the warehouse, and there was no reason to waste precious Heavenly Fire Iron.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“Anyone with sense could figure that out with a moment’s thought.”
“…In any case, it was fortunate we could evacuate in time.”
“We were lucky to survive this time. Both you and I, monk.”
“…Indeed.”
The fact that such words escaped my lips unbidden suggested that I, too, harbored lingering resentment from the Tang Sect incident without realizing it.
Hye Woon, who had been acting so superior, was instantly treated like a fool and wore an displeased expression….
“In any case, let me say one final thing. Thank you, monk. Thanks to you, I’ve kept my life.”
As easy to handle as he was narrow-minded, Hye Woon’s expression softened into benevolence upon receiving my sincere gratitude.
But still.
I had understood that Hye Woon and Shaolin Temple sided with Myeong Shin Merchant Guild, so what did it mean that Hye Woon saved me?
It was too awkward to ask directly, so I posed the question indirectly.
“They said Cheong Yun Merchant Group would attack Myeong Shin Merchant Guild—what became of that?”
“Ah, there’s no need to worry. Didn’t I tell you? Now that Shaolin has stepped in, things won’t go as they wish.”
“…?”
“Rather than standing here confused, it would be better to go pay your respects. Can you stand?”
With Hye Woon’s support, I rose to my feet, bewildered, and followed him out of the narrow, dark bedroom.
Outside appeared to be the back garden of some manor estate, and I could see monks dressed in robes and sashes identical to Hye Woon’s scattered throughout.
Passing them, we arrived at a spacious kitchen where incense smoke drifted, and in the center, upon a meditation cushion, sat a middle-aged monk in lotus position, deep in meditation.
The monk was a High Monk of unparalleled dignity and solemnity, his bearing and the aura naturally emanating from him speaking of profound spiritual cultivation.
From the moment he entered my field of vision, I observed him carefully, yet I could not gauge the depths of his martial prowess.
Though not quite at the Sect Leader’s level, he seemed to match the Kunlun Sect Leader Ha Seung Ji and the Sun and Moon Divine Sect’s Protective Dharma King Yu Gwan Ji without any disadvantage.
Hye Woon led me before the High Monk.
“Master Teacher, this is Baek Yeon, the Minor Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect. Baek Young Master, this is our temple’s Myeong Heon monk.”
Myeong Heon slowly opened his eyes, rose from his seat, pressed his palms together, and gazed upon me.
I pressed my palms together in the Buddhist manner and bowed my head.
“The Minor Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, Baek Yeon, pays respects to High Monk Myeong Heon.”
If this was someone bearing the ‘Myeong’ generational name of Shaolin Temple, he was certainly a disciple of the renowned Shaolin Abbot Myeong Ryul.
That such a figure had traveled all the way to Sichuan Province was remarkable.
It was indeed the kind of development that warranted Hye Woon’s confident declaration that ‘Shaolin has moved.’
If High Monks like Myeong Heon had stepped forward, there was no way the Cheong Yun Merchant Group’s guard unit could have succeeded in attacking the Myeong Shin Trading Company.
As I was processing this, Myeong Heon bowed respectfully to me before speaking once more.
“Protagonist. The immediate danger has passed, but the Tang Sect’s poison is not something easily dispelled. You will need at least a fortnight of recovery.”
“Yes, Venerable One. I am deeply grateful once again for the life-saving grace you have bestowed upon me.”
Rather than respond to my gratitude, Myeong Heon simply offered a subtle smile.
He then regarded me with a penetrating gaze for a long moment before speaking further.
“I heard from Hye Woon that thanks to you, we were able to uncover the Myeong Shin Trading Company’s scheme and locate the Crimson Jade Iron.”
At those words, I glanced back at Hye Woon with genuine gratitude.
In truth, there was nothing particularly worthy of credit in what Hye Woon had accomplished, was there?
Yet his words on my behalf were surely meant to explain to the senior monks why he had administered such a precious antidote to me.
Hye Woon met my gaze without the slightest change in expression.
What truly intrigued me was the matter of the ‘Myeong Shin Trading Company’s scheme’ that Myeong Heon had mentioned.
As if reading my thoughts, Myeong Heon continued.
“This temple was investigating, under the Abbot’s orders, suspicions that the Myeong Shin Trading Company was attempting to distribute Crimson Jade Iron in secret. Sending Hye Woon was meant to approach them under the guise of responding to their request, so we could discover the source and distribution channels of the Crimson Jade Iron. Thanks to your assistance, matters proceeded smoothly, and we were able to recover all of the Myeong Shin Trading Company’s Crimson Jade Iron.”
The explanation was somewhat confusing at first, but upon reflection, it was not particularly complex.
It simply meant that both the Cheong Yun Merchant Group and the Myeong Shin Trading Company had each been scheming to distribute Crimson Jade Iron.
Whether Cheong Yun or Myeong Shin, they were equally culpable—neither deserving of judgment over the other.
“Do you understand why this humble monk speaks of this to you?”
I grasped the meaning of Myeong Heon’s final question immediately and responded.
“Yes, Venerable One. I shall take responsibility on behalf of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect and recover the Cheong Yun Merchant Group’s Crimson Jade Iron.”
Both Cheong Yun and Myeong Shin, the two great merchant powers of Kangho, had been scheming to distribute Crimson Jade Iron and reap illegal profits.
Shaolin had stepped forward to stop the Myeong Shin Trading Company, but the matter was far from resolved.
The Crimson Jade Iron possessed by the Cheong Yun Merchant Group was something the Sun and Moon Divine Sect must address.
Myeong Heon’s words carried an implicit warning: if we failed to act, Shaolin would have no choice but to intervene.
This was clearly something both Shaolin and the Sun and Moon Divine Sect wished to avoid.
“I shall trust in your word.”
Satisfied with my response, Myeong Heon offered a warm smile and continued speaking calmly.
“Now that I have met you, I understand. One must not take the words of Kangho figures at face value.”
“….”
“For three hundred years, the Sun and Moon Divine Sect has been a light unto the common people. Though it has undergone radical changes since the current Sect Leader’s era, at its core, there is no reason for it to stand in opposition to us Buddhist followers.”
“Yes, Venerable One.”
“I look forward to our meeting again in the near future. Hye Woon, see to the Protagonist’s care and escort him out.”
“Yes, Master Teacher.”
With those words, I bowed to Myeong Heon and returned to my chamber.
As I walked, I continued to contemplate what Myeong Heon had said about the Sun and Moon Divine Sect at the end of our conversation.
Considering the current power structure of Kangho Murim, his words were indeed laden with deeper meaning.
‘So in the end, Shaolin Temple could become either an enemy or an ally depending on how the Sun and Moon Divine Sect acts.’
I exhaled slowly.
My mind grew increasingly tangled with complexity.
Though the power struggle with the Martial Alliance wasn’t yet my concern, as someone planning to become Sect Leader someday, it was a problem I couldn’t avoid forever.
‘They say Shaolin Temple has a thousand monks, and yet there are people like Hye Woon and that Myeong Heon among them…’
Having directly experienced Shaolin Temple’s martial prowess, influence, and cunning, I could feel it all the more acutely.
I couldn’t guarantee the Sun and Moon Divine Sect’s victory if I made them enemies.
“Where do you intend to go now?”
“The Merchant Conference will begin soon, so I must head there. My sister and the disciples are surely worried.”
“I see. In any case, your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, so don’t burden yourself with such deep concerns.”
Hye Woon seemed to have noticed my worries as he escorted me back to my chamber.
I quickly shook my head side to side, casting aside those troubled thoughts.
As he said, there was no need to worry about distant futures—I still had the pressing task of properly concluding matters with the Cheong Yun Merchant Group first.
But before that…
“Monk, before you depart, I have one request. Would it be acceptable?”
“What is it?”
I spoke to Hye Woon with a resolute expression.
“Since we’ve met by fate, might you allow this junior to witness the sublime martial arts of Shaolin?”
This politely phrased request was a common indirect expression used in Kangho.
Simply put, it meant, ‘Let’s have a match.’

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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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