Chapter 383: Reincarnation (1)
A short while after Gonghwan’s sparring match began.
The expressions of those watching the match were largely divided into two types.
Those wearing startled expressions, and those wearing expressions that said, “As expected.”
Despite being an entrance disciple, Gonghwan was showing a battle evenly matched with the second-generation disciple who was his sparring opponent.
Because of that, surprise was only natural, but there were just as many people showing a reaction of “as expected” as there were people who were surprised.
The reason was simple.
Because Gonghwan had already been a prodigy receiving all of Shaolin’s expectations for several years.
Long before the war against Shincheon had ended. A child they had rescued when they became involved in the Demon Cult’s internal war in the Southern Barbarians.
After that came the righteous faction’s civil war. The war against the Evil Alliance. And finally, Shincheon.
Because the situation had flowed so breathlessly, they had not even been able to select third-generation disciples. During that time, Gonghwan had been training in Shaolin as the only Gong-generation disciple.
In other words, he had already trained several years longer than the other entrance disciples.
With that added to the Solar Body, the special constitution he had been born with, Gonghwan had been able to grow stronger at an absurd speed.
Fwoosh.
Gonghwan drew blazing yang energy up over both arms like fist aura and swung them.
Thud!
On the forehead of the second-generation disciple receiving Gonghwan’s offensive, beads of sweat were forming.
Among those watching that passionate sparring match, only Mugung alone wore a serious expression.
'......Is it because of the Solar Body? Its power is fierce and forceful, but he is having trouble controlling it.'
Perhaps it was because Gonghwan had been half-designated as his disciple since before.
Or perhaps it was because, as someone who had learned a blazing yang art himself, he could grasp Gonghwan’s condition more accurately.
But to Mugung, what mattered right now was not that.
“Please stop the sparring match here!”
At Mugung’s shout, the atmosphere, which had been filled with excitement, cooled.
Naturally, the gazes of those gathered in the training ground poured toward Mugung.
'I’ve grown too.'
Mugung had once tended to get excited whenever the eyes of the elders of his sect focused on him, but now he was in a fairly calm state.
“Ahem.”
Then Mugung cleared his throat once and explained the reason he had forcibly ended the sparring match.
“Gonghwan’s blazing yang energy was gradually losing control. I was concerned that a child who already had a great deal of heat because of the Solar Body might overexert himself and go berserk, so I asked for the sparring match to be stopped.”
At Mugung’s words, the warrior monks’ gazes turned once more toward the center of the training ground.
Indeed, Gonghwan’s condition was not ordinary.
His face was flushed red as though feverish, his breathing was rough, and his sweat was rapidly vaporizing, blooming around him like a haze.
Perhaps because the gazes of the sect elders had focused on him.
Gonghwan, still around the age of puberty, seemed embarrassed and blushed even harder as he said,
“I-I apologize for showing such an unsightly state.”
In the end, it meant he had not fully controlled his blazing yang energy, so Gonghwan felt as though he had only displayed his own insufficiency.
And as though soothing Gonghwan, Mugung stepped forward and said,
“Do not mind it. There is a saying that too much is as bad as too little, but you were born with the Solar Body from birth, were you not? The fact that you have too much is not your fault, so from now on, you need only learn little by little how to control it.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
The warrior monks gathered in the training ground watched with pleased expressions as Mugung and Gonghwan exchanged words.
It seemed that everyone already regarded those two as master and disciple.
***
Around the time a thoroughly warm atmosphere was spreading through the training ground.
On top of a tree growing in a secluded corner of the training ground. In a place no one paid attention to, one warrior monk was hiding himself and sitting there.
Gulp, gulp.
The warrior monk, who had concealed himself among the leaves with a truly astonishing stealth technique, was leisurely drinking straight from a bottle. A liquor bottle with the words [Subduing Demons, Never Retreating] written on it.
Mukyeong, who had come here without even submitting a report that he had returned to Shaolin, was looking down at the training ground with a gaze containing the emotion of longing, unlike his leisurely attitude.
Mukyeong’s feelings were also similar to Mugung’s.
He remembered taking the entrance examination here, and he remembered the times he had spent together with Mugung, Mujin, and Muyul for the entrance examination.
He also remembered realizing from that time that he had been born with a killing heart, and he remembered Mujin helping punish the fellow who had been tormenting him.
And the end of those memories would always conclude with Hyegwan’s appearance.
Immediately after blocking him when his eyes had gone wild with killing intent.
Smack!
His grandmaster, who had struck the back of his neck, knocked him unconscious, and kidnapped him.
The grandmaster who had rolled him around and beaten him so thoroughly that he had made him resolve to take revenge someday.
But also the person he could never resent, because he had left while trying to protect him.
No, as time passed, and as he carried on that man’s karma, he could understand why he had acted that way, so rather than resentment, only longing grew.
In truth, Mukyeong did not expect that he would be able to find a disciple here today.
He did not think there would be a child born with the same talent as him, nor did he think another strange bastard mad with killing intent like himself would pop out.
Even so, the reason he had accepted Mujin’s suggestion was simply that he wanted to soak in memories after a long time.
He intended to face the memories he had been ignoring while chasing only the karma of killing, together with a bottle of liquor.
How long had he been enjoying his tipsiness while recalling his memories with Hyegwan like that?
On Mukyeong’s lips, as he had been watching the entrance examination merely to look back on memories, a subtle smile appeared.
Because something rather interesting was happening in the training ground.
***
The child who had entered Shaolin as an entrance disciple and received the dharma name Gongun was squatting with an indifferent face.
Unlike the other children, who were all waiting for their turns with tense expressions, or the children who had already finished and were either happy or sad.
Gongun was clearly bored, waiting for when this tedious examination would end.
It was only natural.
Gongun had absolutely no intention of passing the entrance examination.
'A monk? Why the hell would I do that?'
He would have to live his whole life shut up in the mountains, unable to meet women or drink alcohol.
Even so, the reason he had deliberately entered Shaolin as an entrance disciple was simple.
Because he wanted to learn martial arts. And because he had some talent when it came to using his body.
In other words, he planned to learn a bit of Shaolin’s basic martial arts, live as a lay disciple, and laze around while eating well.
'Idiots.'
He looked at the children around him as though they were pathetic.
Having grown up in the slums since childhood, and having been quick-witted from a young age, he had realized society far too early.
Because he knew that strength was needed to protect himself, he wanted to learn martial arts.
Because he knew what a pitiful life monks lived, he did not want to become a monk.
That was why he came up with one trick.
“Gongun, come out!”
And the moment his name, which he had been waiting for, was called, Gongun swaggered toward the center of the training ground.
At his attitude, the warm atmosphere in the training ground cooled.
It was an extremely delinquent attitude for a child studying in the Buddhist gate to show.
'Hehehe. Be as disappointed as you want.'
Of course, Gongun had acted with even that in mind.
And the moment the sparring match began according to Beopgang’s instructions.
Pat!
Gongun boldly dug toward the second-generation disciple and swung his fist.
And the moment the second-generation disciple avoided that fist and counterattacked.
Smack!
He was hit by the kick just like that, flew away, and rolled across the floor.
Around the time the even more disappointed warrior monks were sighing at that sight.
Gongun, collapsed on the floor, secretly smiled while his head was buried against the training ground floor.
'Hehehe. With this much, no one will choose me as a disciple, right?'
His perfect plan to avoid becoming an inner disciple had succeeded.
And after quickly erasing his smile, Gongun acted out a pained expression and slightly lifted his head.
“!?”
In front of his eyes stood a person he was seeing for the first time.
It was someone who had clearly not been visible until just a moment ago.
The moment Gongun’s eyes met those of a man dressed in black monastic robes, which did not suit Shaolin.
Grin.
For some reason, a chilling smile appeared on the man’s lips.
And along with that smile, dozens of golden droplets formed in the air.
'Killing intent!?'
The golden droplets flew in, occupying all four sides around Gongun.
“Fuck!!”
Gongun, who dared to spit out a curse within the grounds of Shaolin Temple, sprang up from the floor and began dodging the golden spheres while flailing wildly.
He had no time to recall his plan to hide his skills moderately.
Because every single golden sphere flying toward him as though it would kill him at any moment was aimed at a vital point and was packed full of killing intent.
How long had he been running around according to his primal survival instincts?
“Hahahahaha.”
The man, who had turned Gongun into a spectacle like a wandering troupe in the marketplace, burst into mad laughter.
“As expected, you are an interesting fellow.”
At some point, the golden spheres had vanished without a trace, but Gongun had no strength left to argue about anything.
Because after jumping around here and there in order to survive, he was now in a situation where even catching his breath was difficult.
And very fortunately, someone stepped forward in Gongun’s place and opened his mouth.
“Junior Brother Mukyeong. I think it’s about time you explained a little?”
At Mugung’s question as he stepped forward, Mukyeong gave a light salute with one palm to the sect elders around him and opened his mouth.
“I apologize for suddenly interfering. There was a fellow who looked interesting, so I wanted to conduct one test.”
“A test?”
“As you just saw, that child saw through and dodged even all of my Golden Rain Divine Art.”
Of course, Mukyeong had not unfolded the Golden Rain Divine Art with all his strength. To begin with, for the sake of the test, he had scattered killing intent in abundance, but when it came to actual power, he had loaded only a small amount and manipulated it at a slow speed.
However, even so, it was by no means something young disciples taking the entrance examination could easily dodge.
“And yet, that fellow who dodged even my Golden Rain Divine Art was hit and collapsed so easily a moment ago, to the point that it seemed absurd, was he not?”
At his words, the warrior monks looked at Gongun as though realizing it was indeed so.
The reason Mukyeong had tried such a test was simple.
Having become interested in the attitude of that fellow, who had been swaggering from the moment he appeared, Mukyeong had not missed it.
The fact that, in the process of that child called Gongun getting hit by the second-generation disciple’s fist, his eyes had accurately followed the path of the fist.
He had even minimized the shock by voluntarily throwing his body in time with the moment of impact.
In other words, Mukyeong had immediately grasped that even though he could have dodged it easily, he had deliberately taken the hit and pretended to collapse.
Having become properly interested there, Mukyeong had tested the fellow’s talent with the Golden Rain Divine Art.
“It seems that this fellow does not fit Shaolin. Therefore, I will take him and raise him.”
And the result of that test was a pass.
Though he had slowed it down, Gongun had not missed a single movement while dozens of golden raindrops flew in. His dynamic vision and nimble movements.
On top of that, the sturdy body revealed through the monastic robes torn by grazing golden raindrops. That was proof that he had at least done his utmost in training.
But the reason Mukyeong had been most drawn to him was not talent, but the attitude he had shown a moment ago.
Because that swaggering attitude he displayed before the sect elders somehow reminded him of that person.
And Gongun, who had been selected as Mukyeong’s disciple in an instant, was already trembling.
It was not only because, damn it all, he had been placed in a situation where he would become an inner disciple of Shaolin.
There was a problem even bigger than becoming an inner disciple standing before his eyes.
A moment ago, because it had been a situation where he might die at any second, he had not noticed, but after calming his breathing, Gongun could realize without difficulty.
Who the person who had tested him was.
The Dark Monk Mukyeong.
To the evildoers active in the Central Plains, he was truly no different from a grim reaper.
Some feared him even more than the Leader of the Zhengmu League, and he was also called by the epithet Buddhist Assassin.
It was not the non-killing guest who did not commit killing. It was a strange title meaning an assassin sent by the Buddha.
The person rumored to be the cruelest in Shaolin was coveting him as a disciple.
From Gongun’s position, who had no damn intention of living virtuously, it could be called a great crisis in which he never knew when his head might fly off.