Chapter 222: Chapter 222
“There are so many.”
Following Won-eum and arriving at the bottom of Mount Song, Cheon-hwi scanned the sight before his eyes.
‘I thought Mount Hua’s visitors had increased quite a bit now, but it’s not even comparable.’
On the mountain path heading to Sosil Peak, many pilgrims were going up and down, and merchants, perhaps thinking this was their chance, had spread out their goods around the area and were diligently doing business.
Didn’t they say that people gather people?
Shaolin, the most famous temple in the world, gathered pilgrims, and the pilgrims gathered all kinds of merchants.
Their numbers were simply uncountable.
‘Shaolin is Shaolin, huh.’
Cheon-hwi stroked his chin.
It was the Shaolin he had always only heard of in words.
Stories that they were the spiritual pillar and the giant tree that had supported the Jianghu of the Central Plains for a very long time.
And seeing it in person, he could feel that those words were not empty talk.
‘At this rate, it might take a bit more time than I thought for the Mount Hua Sect to surpass them.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes deepened.
What Cheon-hwi had set as the goal for the Mount Hua Sect was the number one sect in the world.
Then, naturally, they had to surpass Shaolin. However, as a result of witnessing Shaolin’s appearance right now, he keenly felt that it was absolutely impossible at present.
‘Hmm, but if this many pilgrims visit every day, how much do they earn?’
Cheon-hwi quickly scanned them.
Even if the pilgrims seen here donated just one iron coin each, that money would be quite lucrative.
If that even continued every day…….
‘Perhaps the wealthiest sect in the Central Plains isn’t one of the Eight Great Clans that run merchant guilds, but Shaolin?’
It was a sufficiently plausible thought.
Didn’t the Mount Hua Sect also earn quite a lot of money from the pilgrims who came every day through the recent public martial arts tournament?
‘Moreover, looking at those expressions, it doesn’t seem like they’ll only come once or twice.’
The expressions of the pilgrims were all bright.
The satisfaction seeping from those expressions was transmitted even to those watching, spreading out gently.
Like that, while Cheon-hwi was scanning the faces of the pilgrims.
“This place is Mount Song…….”
An excited voice was heard from the side.
Turning his head, Danmok Rin was busy moving her head and looking around Mount Song.
The veil that fluctuated greatly like waves seemed to show how excited she was right now.
Perhaps behind the veil, her eyes were sparkling.
On the other hand, Heavenly Ear Beggar was trembling in anxiety, moving his eyes quickly.
He looked worried that his current appearance might be discovered by someone.
It was then.
“Tathagata Divine Fist Great Hero?!”
“Master Won-eum!”
The visitors and merchants going up and down the mountain path belatedly discovered Won-eum and flocked over like a swarm of ants.
“Thanks to your help, Master, we passed the previous winter without incident.”
“It seems your Buddhist path has deepened even more than when we saw you before.”
Just as Cheon-hwi’s group was swept up by the massive crowd conveying their gratitude from here and there, about to be separated from Won-eum.
“Amitabha.”
Won-eum chanted a Buddhist chant in a low voice.
Subsequently, a gentle golden light shimmered from his body and slowly enveloped the surroundings.
At that astonishing sight, everyone brought their hands together in prayer and chanted a Buddhist chant in low voices.
“Amitabha.”
“Amitabha.”
Won-eum, who ended the commotion with a single Buddhist chant, held a benevolent smile on his lips.
When everyone quietly looked at him as if bewitched by the Buddha-like smile, his lips parted.
“I am thankful that you welcome this poor monk so much. I would like to greet the benefactors who sought me out one by one, but……. because of unavoidable circumstances, I think I must go up first.”
At the voice containing feelings of apology, those who surrounded Won-eum shook their heads.
“No. We pointlessly held back Master Won-eum’s ankles.”
“If you have business, you should go quickly.”
They immediately distanced themselves from Won-eum.
The mountain path that had formed a sea of people was immediately organized, and a narrow path was newly created.
“Amitabha. Thank you for understanding.”
Won-eum smiled radiantly and walked between them.
And as Cheon-hwi’s group followed behind him, the onlookers whispered.
“Who are those people?”
“Is the circumstance the Master spoke of referring to taking those people with him?”
“But their attire is truly strange. That young man is wearing two swords, and the woman next to him is wearing a veil to completely cover her face. Only that old man who looks like an old scholar seems normal, but looking at his expression, it’s totally…….”
Heavenly Ear Beggar’s impression crumpled.
Although they whispered in very small voices, to him with a high realm, he heard it clearly without missing a single particle.
“Tsk, we’ve become a spectacle.”
At his grumbling, Won-eum, who was walking ahead, showed an apologetic expression and opened his mouth towards the back.
“I am sorry.”
At Won-eum’s apology, Heavenly Ear Beggar could not say anything more and closed his mouth.
Weren’t Cheon-hwi and Danmok Rin, who would have heard their whispers together, also quiet?
“Tsk.”
However, because his dissatisfaction had still not disappeared, he protruded his lips, and just as he was about to part his lips to vent his dissatisfaction to even Cheon-hwi and Danmok Rin.
“Just go quickly. Until when are you going to waste time here?”
Cheon-hwi didn’t even pay attention to such a Heavenly Ear Beggar and spoke indifferently.
Whether the people around them were whispering or not, Cheon-hwi wasn’t paying any attention.
He just wanted to quickly go and see the Shaolin Temple.
Won-eum nodded his head.
“Please follow me.”
Spilling a benevolent voice, he hurried his steps climbing the mountain path even more, and soon the group reached the mountain gate of Shaolin.
‘Oh ho, look at this?’
Cheon-hwi blankly stared at the giant hanging board prominently written as ‘Shaolin Temple’ in gold on the antique mountain gate.
The subtle energy felt from the hanging board.
Just by looking at it, he felt the energy of destroying evil and destroying demons dwelling in it.
If it were an unorthodox or demonic path martial artist who had not reached a high realm, it was an energy sufficient for them to suffer a great ordeal.
‘Who wrote this? If it’s this much, it must be someone who has still reached a high realm.’
Just then, as he was scanning it for a long time due to the unexpected energy.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
“This hanging board.”
At the question heard from the side, Cheon-hwi pointed his index finger at the hanging board.
“How dare you!”
“Where are you pointing your finger…!”
A few pilgrims flared up and shouted at the rude behavior, but Cheon-hwi ignored them and looked at Won-eum.
“Who wrote this?”
Won-eum also flinched at the bold pointing, but soon answered in a calm tone.
“It is Patriarch Bodhidharma.”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes contained interest and curved like crescent moons.
‘Oho, this is a hanging board written by Patriarch Bodhidharma? If so, it’s understandable that it exudes this kind of energy.’
Cheon-hwi immediately accepted it.
When speaking of Patriarch Bodhidharma, he was a master counted among the top five throughout all ages.
‘But it’s fascinating. A thousand years have passed, yet it’s this clear?’
Then Won-eum parted his lips.
“Isn’t it truly fascinating? A thousand years of time have passed, yet the writing and energy remain so clearly.”
Won-eum, who spoke as if reading Cheon-hwi’s thoughts, smiled brightly and continued speaking.
“Then let us go inside.”
Turning his body, Won-eum gestured with his hand.
Seeing Danmok Rin and Heavenly Ear Beggar already standing at the entrance of the mountain gate, Cheon-hwi looked at the hanging board one more time and took a step.
Step… Step…
Was it because they were accompanied by Won-eum?
The group was able to cross the mountain gate without any restraint.
Eventually, after completely passing through the mountain gate, his breath that had been continuously stifled opened up.
“There are no people here.”
“From here on, not just anyone can enter.”
“It seems so.”
Cheon-hwi answered while looking at his surroundings.
The interior of Shaolin, which blocked the entry of the bustling pilgrims, was quiet and pleasant to look at.
“Please follow me.”
Won-eum took the lead and walked.
Unlike the outside which was incredibly crowded, the interior of Shaolin was not complex.
Only monks and child monks wandering around sparsely could be seen.
Those who seemed to have visited from the outside appeared to be only Cheon-hwi’s group.
‘It’s quite different from what I thought.’
Cheon-hwi looked around his surroundings the whole time he walked.
The interior of Shaolin was quiet and plain.
Antique and neat pavilions were lined up everywhere, but that was all.
‘I thought the inside would be splendid since they seemed to have earned a lot of money. Compared to other temples, it’s rather shabby.’
It was to the point where Zhongnan, which he had seen before, felt more splendid.
Heavenly Ear Beggar, who was following behind, also looked at the surroundings and muttered quietly.
“Nothing has changed from the past.”
It was a small voice, but Won-eum immediately reacted to those words.
“Have you, great sir, visited our temple before?”
“Ahem, somehow I was able to enter briefly.”
Heavenly Ear Beggar, who had spoken without thinking, subtly avoided his gaze with an ‘oops’ expression.
Around the time Won-eum was puzzled by that appearance.
“It looks crude, but the detailed parts show it’s a stone Buddha statue that a considerable amount of effort went into.”
Danmok Rin, who happened to be looking at a nearby stone Buddha statue, burst into admiration and carefully approached.
She, who was touring the interior of Shaolin for the first time in her life, still looked excited.
“Just looking at it makes it feel like my anxious mind is being washed away.”
“Hoho, thank you for viewing it like that. This stone Buddha statue was carved and made by a Zen master himself. The mind of Buddha…….”
Whether he was pleased with her appreciation, Won-eum began to lay out an explanation about the stone Buddha statue, and as if that wasn’t enough, he also explained the surrounding pavilions.
“…….And one of the Three Great Buddha Halls is the Mahavira Hall, and that pavilion is a place called the Arhat Pavilion…….”
Danmok Rin’s veil, who was silently listening to Won-eum’s explanation, shook for a moment.
“If it’s the Arhat Pavilion, isn’t it the pavilion where the Eighteen Arhats reside?”
“Hoho, benefactor, you know well.”
Huh? Eighteen Arhats?
Only then did Cheon-hwi perk up his ears.
His interest was piqued.
If it’s the Eighteen Arhats, aren’t they the ones called the elite of the elites in Shaolin?
“Then are the Eighteen Arhats in there?”
As Cheon-hwi, who was touring Shaolin with a bored expression, suddenly showed interest, Won-eum’s eye smile deepened.
“Unfortunately, they are currently training.”
“Tsk, is that so?”
As Cheon-hwi felt regret, Won-eum asked.
“Are you interested in the Eighteen Arhats?”
“Of course I’m interested. If it’s the Eighteen Arhats, they are individuals carefully selected among the one hundred and eight Arhat monks. There’s no way I wouldn’t be curious about what their skills are like.”
“I see.”
A smile hovered around Won-eum’s mouth.
“If so, please follow this poor monk.”
Along with his words, he turned his direction.
‘This turned out well.’
Won-eum’s nasolabial folds deepened.
Gong Mun and Gong Jin, who had received help from Cheon-hwi in the secret cave of the Shadowless Divine Thief, had newly become the Eighteen Arhats this time.
He was planning to call them separately and greet them again anyway, but since Cheon-hwi showed interest, he thought it would be fine to guide him right away.
“The Eighteen Arhats…….”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes shone.
And then, at some point while moving east following Won-eum walking ahead.
Stop.
Won-eum stopped in front of a single door.
“It is the Shaolin Thirty-Six Chambers, a training ground where the martial monks train.”
Won-eum, who introduced it briefly, pushed the firmly closed wooden door between the red pillars with his hand.
Creeaak…
The moment the door opened with a creaky sound.
Haaap!
A thrilling spirit that made one feel deaf just by hearing it fiercely swept over Cheon-hwi’s group.
And not only Danmok Rin but also Heavenly Ear Beggar lost their minds at the unfolded sight and stared blankly inside.
Inside the training ground, countlessly many martial monks were thrusting their straight punches and swinging their long staffs greatly.
Everyone exactly the same at the same time.
Then, when Danmok Rin and Heavenly Ear Beggar lost their words at the astonishing spectacle.
“Hmm.”
Cheon-hwi asked indifferently.
“So where are the Eighteen Arhats?”
Because he was someone who had seen many spectacles even greater than this in his past life, he didn’t have much impression.
Their spirit is loud.
It was exactly at that level.
Won-eum was slightly flustered by Cheon-hwi’s attitude, but rather his eyes shone.
‘Hoho, as expected from what I anticipated before, he is an ordinarily extraordinary benefactor.’
Won-eum took a step and said.
“We just need to go a little to the west.”
Cheon-hwi took his eyes off the training ground and followed behind him.
“Heup!”
“Eek!”
And Danmok Rin and Heavenly Ear Beggar, who belatedly came to their senses, hurriedly followed the two.
The group continuously advanced through the training grounds, but no one gave them a glance.
The martial monks standing on the training grounds devoted themselves solely to the martial arts they were practicing.
And the martial arts they showcased were things very well known in the Jianghu.
Six Harmonies Fist, Tiger Fist, Supreme Kick, Eagle Claw Hand, etc…….
Martial arts originating from Shaolin and widely known in the Jianghu unfolded from their hands.
Although they were things currently dismissed as low-rate martial arts because they could be obtained anytime, when unfolded from their hands, the power and momentum were on a different dimension from those of third-rate martial artists.
“This is Shaolin’s…….”
Danmok Rin gulped.
Shaolin was beyond the rumors.
The martial arts, the prestige, and its power too.
While she, who saw the overwhelming appearance of Shaolin, was surprised, Heavenly Ear Beggar shook his head and muttered.
“Shaolin is Shaolin indeed.”
He also clicked his tongue in amazement.
Although it was said peerless masters did not exist, Shaolin was still the head of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang in name and reality. And that prestige confirmed with his two eyes was astonishing.
How much did they walk like that?
The group could soon arrive at a training ground located at the far west end.
There, martial monks were closing their two eyes while holding their long staffs overlapped with both hands.
“Please wait a moment.”
Won-eum stopped his steps and restrained them.
At that moment, the martial monks who opened their eyes simultaneously moved in perfect order.
Tatadat!
The eighteen martial monks who unfolded the Arhat Step, which was said to be necessarily learned when one became an Arhat monk, entirely occupied the directions of the training ground in a single breath, and then spread their momentum.
A gentle golden light flowed out like a wave and dyed the space in a single breath.
And slowly, very slowly.
When the space began to distort.
Kung!
They struck down their long staffs at the same time.
Hwaaaak!
A massive storm of Qi erupted.
“……!”
Danmok Rin’s eyes opened wide.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Suddenly, the eighteen martial monks disappeared, and in their place, an illusion of a Buddha statue appeared and placed the training ground on its palm.
Just looking at it made her chest tight.
And she wasn’t the only one flustered.
“Eighteen Arhats Formation…!”
Heavenly Ear Beggar also opened his eyes widely and let out an astonished voice.
The Eighteen Arhats Formation was a formation that condensed the One Hundred Eight Arhats Great Formation, and it was Shaolin’s pride and undefeated formation that had not been broken throughout its long history.
‘I had seen it decades ago too, but this momentum is truly suffocating.’
Sweat beaded on his forehead and dropped onto his clothes with a plop.
Overwhelming golden light and momentum.
Even though it was not unfolded targeting him, a chill went down his spine.
‘The Eighteen Arhats Formation was properly done.’
Won-eum, who was looking at the two astonishing figures, revealed a proud expression all over his face. Following those two, he looked at Cheon-hwi and could not help but burst into bewilderment.
“Are you really unfolding that calling it the Eighteen Arhats Formation?”
Cheon-hwi could not hide his disappointment.
“It’s too much of a mess.”
It was then, as he clicked his tongue with a ‘tsk’.
Kung!
A heavy sound was heard from the sparring ground.
One of the martial monks who had withdrawn the Eighteen Arhats Formation was looking down at him with a fierce gaze while striking his long staff on the ground.
He was the Arhat Guild Leader, Won-ho, an individual representing the current Shaolin’s martial power.
“Did you say it’s a mess?”
Won-ho’s eyebrows twitched greatly.
The single deep wrinkle caught on his glabella following that seemed to represent that his mind was very uncomfortable right now.
“Yes.”
“How dare you…!”
A cracked voice flowed out.
If it were others, they would have shrunk their bodies cowering at this voice.
“Do you perhaps not know?”
Smiling faintly and meeting eyes with him for a moment, Cheon-hwi raised his index finger.
“There, there, there.”
Cheon-hwi, who pointed precisely at three of the eighteen martial monks, opened his mouth.
“Because of those three, the flow that should have naturally connected was scattered in the middle, wasn’t it?”
“……!”
Won-ho’s pupils shook.
The three people Cheon-hwi pointed out were individuals who had newly entered the current Eighteen Arhats.
‘Coincidence…?’
However, his words were not finished.
“Those three were inexperienced so the flow was scattered, yet you just commenced the formation without even knowing that. Originally, you should have moved the Life Gate, Rest Gate, and Death Gate to bind and overwhelm the target…….”
Cheon-hwi shook his head back and forth.
Afterwards, he secretly looked at Won-ho and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, looking at it, it seems you don’t even know what’s wrong.”
At the words hitting the mark, the bridge of Won-ho’s nose wrinkled.
“……Your words flow like water.”
“Look at this. You still don’t know.”
Cheon-hwi let out a sigh.
“How can you properly unfold the Eighteen Arhats Formation like that?”
“This bastard…!”
Won-ho spat out a boiling sound.
Then Won-eum urgently stopped him.
“Junior Brother. Calm down. And the benefactor’s excessive words too…….”
“Should I tell you if you still don’t know?”
Cheon-hwi twisted one corner of his mouth.
“Try unfolding it against me once. I’ll let you know just how much of a mess that formation you unfolded calling it the Eighteen Arhats Formation is.”