The Owner Of The Thousand Gold Coins Is A Military Official - Chapter 102
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 102
No matter how potent the poison, making an antidote isn’t difficult if you know what kind of poison it is.
Sanghaeng always kept antidotes for common poisons as well as medicinal herbs in preparation for such situations, so it could be made quickly.
Cheongun gave the antidote to Bugwan first.
Perhaps because he had learned martial arts to some degree, he was enduring quite well, and as soon as the antidote entered his body, he quickly regained consciousness.
“Th-this is…”
He was the only one here who knew Cheongun’s identity, so he was awakened first.
“It’s an antidote. Give it to the others.”
“An-antidote?”
Bugwan, who had briefly furrowed his brow due to his throbbing head, could quickly recall what had happened.
“D-did you handle this, Patriarch?”
“That’s not important. Just distribute the antidote. Tell the people that a passing master helped them.”
“Ah, yes. I understand, Gongja.”
Bugwan, who had regained his senses, returned to his proper form of address, and soon the antidote could be distributed to everyone.
First distributing it to the martial artists, then having them help distribute it as they regained consciousness.
In the meantime, Cheongun returned to the carriage.
“Usually in attacks like this, they use sleeping powder.”
Putting people to sleep before attacking.
It could be considered the most standard method.
However, these people had used deadly poison from the start.
The kind that would inevitably lead to death over time.
“Black Society.”
According to the information he had heard, even the Black Society was merely a pawn.
There was something more behind them, but he couldn’t learn about that.
They hadn’t revealed their identity even to someone with supreme martial prowess.
The man who had been wearing that black robe said he was the vice-leader of the Black Society.
Even he didn’t know the identity.
In the end, only the leader knows everything.
All that talk about great causes and such was merely the ambition that the Black Society harbored separately.
He had also learned the approximate location of their headquarters, so if he ever passed nearby, he should probably kill them all.
“Ugh… my head…”
“Wh-what happened…”
The sounds of people waking up could be heard from outside.
“…sir. Gongja!”
Then an urgent voice was heard.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, I wanted to check if you were alright. It’s fortunate that you seem fine.”
It was the voice of the guard captain.
“Are the others alright?”
“Yes. I’m ashamed. For a guard to fall victim to mere poison…”
“But it was poison, wasn’t it? There are many cases where even masters cannot avoid it.”
“Thank you. I will be more careful from now on.”
Since the poison had been administered from the moment this trade journey was planned, it would have been difficult to avoid.
Regardless of his martial arts level, he had quite a likeable personality.
His potential wasn’t bad either, though he seemed to have hit a wall now.
Before long, the outside became noisy again.
It seemed they planned to finish their remaining meal, move a bit, then rest for the night.
Staying in this place wouldn’t be very good.
Cheongun was organizing the information he had heard from them in the carriage.
The Black Society.
And the unidentified something that had been controlling that Black Society.
The Black Society had been quite famous in his previous life as well.
For committing all sorts of evil deeds.
Well, they were the common sort.
Dirty, vile, and impious people.
“It would be good to uproot them all…”
Kill them all without any worry?
While that was one method, it was obvious that someone else would fill that void anyway.
“It would be best to handle this matter during this journey as well.”
Since they were people who would fester if left alone, shouldn’t he at least prevent them from festering?
After the small incident at the beginning of the trade journey, nothing else happened afterward, as if they had warded off bad luck.
Since Shaolin was the first destination anyway, it was quite surprising that anything had happened along the way.
After what could feel like a somewhat tedious time passed, they finally arrived at the land of Shaolin.
“Gongja. We have arrived.”
At Bugwan’s voice, Cheongun also emerged from the carriage.
It was massive and majestic.
The grandeur of over a thousand years of history seemed to be felt in everything visible.
Should this be called the place Cheongun had visited most frequently?
After experiencing several extremely arduous ordeals, he had sometimes thought about whether he should leave the secular world and become a monk.
Though Cheongun had no particular place to call home, if he were to think of a spiritual home, he considered it to be this Shaolin.
“Gongja. What would you like to do?”
“Everyone rest, and I will go to Shaolin alone.”
“Yes. I understand, Gongja.”
Naturally, Cheongeumjang’s establishments were situated here as well.
However, this time he deliberately sought out a different inn.
It seemed that Cheongeumjang’s inn, which could be seen as a symbol of material desire, couldn’t expand its influence much in this place.
Well, it was a lack of capability.
Taking only those who would move the carriage, Cheongun headed straight for Shaolin.
He could feel people’s attention focusing on the untimely procession of massive carriages.
“…It’s high.”
As long as the history it had built, it might be the highest mountain.
Cheongun’s eyes were sparkling a bit differently than usual.
And more people than expected were watching such a Cheongun.
Starting with the number of carriages drawing attention, the sight of someone who appeared to be from a noble family showing some inexplicable look in his eyes.
It was a sight that somehow made it impossible to look away.
Thus, capturing all the surrounding gazes, Cheongun and his carriages arrived in front of Shaolin.
“…”
The monk receiving offerings showed a very flustered expression.
“Monk. Have you been well?”
Bugwan and the monk were somewhat acquainted.
Trade journeys to Shaolin were frequent, and sometimes Bugwan would accompany them to make offerings directly like this.
“Yes, yes. Have you been well? But what is all this…?”
“Haha. Isn’t it a sincere heart?”
“Th-this time the scale seems extraordinary.”
“That’s right. The person who prepared this is inside, but he seems to dislike showing himself…”
“Then it can’t be helped. Will you come inside?”
“Please, Monk.”
Following the monk’s guidance, the carriage headed toward the center of Shaolin.
Cheongun did not get out of the carriage, nor did he show his face anymore.
He briefly closed his eyes and calmed his mind.
He didn’t know how others might think of Shaolin, but at least for Cheongun, it remained unchanged as his benefactor from his previous life.
Moreover, Shaolin was also where the previous Martial Arts Alliance Leader had been.
The procession of massive carriages climbing the mountain.
Soon the vibration of the carriage stopped, and accordingly Cheongun naturally got off the carriage.
“….”
What a refreshing feeling.
To think he would come back here again after going through one lifetime to the place he had considered the home of his heart.
Cheongun, who had been gazing for a moment, soon let out a light laugh.
‘It seems I’ve achieved rebirth in paradise.’
Wouldn’t this be worthy of being called rebirth in paradise?
Many people including Shaolin’s monks and novice monks were looking this way with eyes full of curiosity.
How could they not be curious?
And there wasn’t much desire in those gazes.
Just wondering what they had brought.
They were just looking with eyes full of curiosity.
Even if they had brought tremendous things, hoping to meet Shaolin’s abbot would be close to shameless.
He knew all too well that meeting patriarchs until now had been purely due to luck following Cheongun, not because Cheongun was remarkable.
Even as the patriarch of Cheongeumjang, patriarchs were people you could only meet after investing long time and effort.
As Cheongun emerged from the carriage, at the same time a monk approached this way.
“Young Master. This is Myeongjin Daesa.”
“…I understand.”
Previous life.
If you were to name those who killed the most people from the Demonic Sect, he would definitely be mentioned.
Despite being aged and frail in his final years, he had slaughtered so many leaders of the Demonic Sect before entering nirvana.
“Amitabha… I am called Myeongjin.”
Dignity emanated from his every movement.
“I am called Cheongun.”
“Cheongun… that’s a good name. Might you be a member of Cheongeumjang?”
“That’s correct. I am Cheongun, the Patriarch of Cheongeumjang.”
“Welcome to Shaolin, benefactor.”
“I’m grateful for your hospitality, Master.”
Myeongjin Daesa’s expression wasn’t entirely pleasant.
Wealth should be moderate to be appropriately overlooked.
Hadn’t this far exceeded that appropriate level?
Because he didn’t immerse himself in the secular world, paradoxically Myeongjin Daesa knew the affairs of the secular world all too well.
There was no place as meticulous and fierce as the secular world viewed from a step back.
For Cheongeumjang, which had grasped the wealth of the world in such a place, to offer such things.
That meant they wanted something in return.
In fact, though it was quite an old story, hadn’t the previous patriarch of Cheongeumjang come directly asking if they could obtain Daehwandan in exchange for massive gold?
He had refused outright, but couldn’t let such wealth slip away.
Myeongjin Daesa knew well that there was nothing as harsh as insisting only on Buddhist compassion to those who were starving and sick.
So Myeongjin Daesa had personally convinced the patriarch and others to accept it and give something else instead of Daehwandan.
Though it wasn’t very welcome from Cheongeumjang’s perspective, in truth, such wealth wouldn’t be particularly concerning even if it disappeared, so they had accepted.
“Please understand that this poor monk cannot welcome you wholeheartedly.”
“I understand. Isn’t this a place at the edge of the secular world?”
He calls himself the edge of the secular world.
Quite an interesting benefactor.
‘Did he say Patriarch?’
Well then.
How will the future of Cheongeumjang turn out?
It would be good to find out once.
What could they want to have brought so much?
He intended to see what would emerge.
But looking at Cheongun’s gaze, it wasn’t the kind of look that contained secular desires.
It was the kind of gaze that seemed to have already achieved that spiritual liberation.
“What do you desire, benefactor?”
Cheongun’s reaction to that question far exceeded Myeongjin Daesa’s expectations.
“….”
Why was that young man.
Why was a young man who didn’t even seem to have reached twenty showing him eyes full of disappointment?
“Is that truly… what you have to say?”
It was a question as if asking him to please say that wasn’t the case.
At this, Myeongjin Daesa was puzzled for a moment, then could soon realize what had gone wrong and where it had become twisted.
‘Have you still not escaped?’
It was something he had heard from the head monk quite long ago.
For a monk who had received offerings.
How could asking what they wanted in return be proper?
Upon realizing this fact, he couldn’t even lift his head from shame.
He wondered if he had ever been this ashamed of himself.
That last secular remark wouldn’t easily leave his mind.
“…Master. Please don’t be disheartened.”
“…No. I showed a shameful side.”
“Since you have no choice but to keep it close, isn’t it natural to be somewhat tainted?”
If he had thought that himself, it would have been rationalization, but when the one most disappointed said it, it was understanding.
Myeongjin Daesa was able to show a much lighter expression.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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