Chapter 226: Chapter 226
“It tastes even better today.”
Cheon-hwi tilted his liquor cup.
Was it because they were eating in Shaolin, which forbade meat and liquor?
The taste seemed even better than usual.
“But I didn’t expect Junior Martial Sister to come either. Didn’t you dislike doing this?”
Cheon-hwi looked at Danmok Rin as if it was unexpected.
She, who had been eating the five-spice braised meat with chopsticks faster than anyone else, answered with slightly reddened cheeks at Cheon-hwi’s gaze.
“It’s because the evening offering wasn’t enough.”
“Hmm, the portion was indeed small.”
Cheon-hwi nodded his head.
Tasteless grass was still grass, but why was the portion so small?
It didn’t even send a signal to his stomach.
“I heard Shaolin was frugal, but to eat so little. With that, can they even train properly?”
Cheon-hwi spoke as if he couldn’t understand while chewing the meat.
“How is it? Don’t you feel hungry whenever you train?”
Cheon-hwi asked while turning his gaze to the bed, but no answer was heard.
“What in the world have I done…….”
Wonho, who was sitting on the bed, was covering his head with both hands, and it seemed he couldn’t even hear Cheon-hwi’s question.
Was it because he broke the Ten Precepts?
Wonho, who exuded a gloomy aura from his entire body, had been continuously muttering to himself after accidentally eating a piece of the five-spice braised meat.
“Tsk, he’s still lost his mind.”
It wasn’t a good sight to see a robust middle-aged monk acting like that.
Danmok Rin also felt it and opened her mouth.
“Senior Martial Brother. Still, forcing a monk of Shaolin to eat meat is…….”
“Then do we leave him to babble about us eating meat here?”
Danmok Rin immediately closed her mouth.
The act they had committed right now was a great disrespect among disrespects.
Weren’t they eating five-spice braised meat and gulping down fire liquor within the precincts of Shaolin?
“And that is also his own reaping.”
“Yes?”
When Danmok Rin asked back at the incomprehensible words, Cheon-hwi chuckled and said.
“He could have easily spit it out when the meat was shoved into his mouth. But he chewed it thoroughly and swallowed it.”
Wonho flinched his body for a moment.
Those words were right.
He could have just spit it out right away, but at the surprising taste that melted softly in his mouth, he inadvertently…….
‘Ah, I have committed a grave sin.’
When he closed his eyes tightly, Heavenly Ear Beggar, who had been silently pouring drinks for himself, opened his mouth.
“Tsk, even so. Are you making such a dying expression over just that? People can make mistakes while living.”
Heavenly Ear Beggar raised his body with eyes full of pity for Wonho, who had been despairing for a long time.
He, who had already gotten heavily drunk and his nose turned red, picked up a teacup and plopped down next to Wonho.
“Wouldn’t it be fine as long as you take this mistake as a lesson and don’t commit the same mistake next time?”
At Heavenly Ear Beggar’s sincere advice, Wonho slowly raised his head and looked at him.
At that time, Heavenly Ear Beggar handed over the teacup.
“So don’t despair too much, and for now, drink this cup of tea and calm down.”
“……Amitabha. Thank you.”
At the tone and expression filled with worry, Wonho was able to calm his mind a little, just like his words.
However, the moment he drank the teacup, expressing his gratitude for the sincere consolation.
“Pfft!”
Wonho spat out the tea he had put in his mouth.
Having already swallowed half of it, Wonho, startled by the scent of liquor lingering in his mouth, looked at Heavenly Ear Beggar and said.
“I-Isn’t this grain tea?!”
Heavenly Ear Beggar giggled and laughed.
“Keuk-keuk-keuk, isn’t grain tea also tea?”
“No, what kind of…… Huh?”
Wonho, who was about to get furious, suddenly felt his head get dizzy.
His head throbbed.
But for some reason, he felt good.
It was a sensation he felt for the first time in his life.
At the same time, his mood suddenly elevated, and a smile naturally leaked out of his mouth.
“Ha, haha.”
Seeing Wonho smiling foolishly, Heavenly Ear Beggar grabbed his stomach and burst into laughter.
“He’s drunk. He’s drunk.”
“He looks as if he wouldn’t budge even if he drank an entire jar of liquor whole, but why is his tolerance for alcohol so weak?”
Cheon-hwi’s gaze, who had a dumbfounded face looking at Wonho getting drunk right away without even finishing a single cup, naturally shifted to Danmok Rin.
“At that level, he would be similar to you, right?”
Danmok Rin smiled awkwardly.
The moment she recalled that day when she got drunk on a single cup of liquor and her memories flew away.
“What?! It was my fault that the balance of the Eighteen Arhats Formation collapsed?!”
Wonho jumped up and shouted.
“Eeeek! That’s nonsense! I worked so hard to deploy the Eighteen Arhats Formation!”
Along with his words, as if he had drawn up his internal energy, a subtle golden light wrapped his body.
Cheon-hwi looked at him and shook his head.
“Wow, he’s throwing a proper drunken fit. Who would look at that and think he’s a monk of Shaolin?”
It was when he was calmly watching Wonho, who was running amok while drawing up his internal energy with half-glazed eyes.
Wonho burst out a Lion’s Roar.
“If we clash once more, the Eighteen Arhats Formation won’t be broken……!”
Thwack!
At that time, a dull sound erupted.
“Keo-heok!”
Wonho’s upper body bent backwards as he let out a groan, and he stretched out in the shape of a large ‘great’ character on the bed.
Following that, the teacup dropped next to him.
Seeing that, Heavenly Ear Beggar and Danmok Rin’s gazes headed toward Cheon-hwi.
Cheon-hwi, who lightly dusted off his hand that no longer held a liquor cup, smiled brightly and said.
“It’s finally gotten a bit quiet.”
* * *
“U, ugh.”
Wonho struggled to raise his upper body.
“Keuk!”
Then he let out a groan of pain.
For some reason, his head hurt as if it would break.
Especially his forehead.
He raised his hand and touched his forehead.
Then a large lump was felt at his fingertips.
“Why is there a lump……?”
It was when he was expressing his doubt.
“Are you awake?”
“Huh?!”
He was startled to see Cheon-hwi’s face abruptly appearing in front of his eyes.
“W-Why is the Young Taoist in this place…….”
“Why else. It’s the monk’s quarters where I sleep.”
“The monk’s quarters where the Young Taoist sleeps?!”
Regaining his senses, he looked around.
It wasn’t the monk’s quarters of the Arhat Pavilion where he usually stayed.
‘Why am I here?’
He retraced his memories.
‘I visited to apologize, and at that time!’
At that moment, the memories before he collapsed rushed into his head like a tidal wave.
At the same time, his complexion turned pure white.
“What in the world have I done…….”
Recalling that he had consumed meat and alcohol, which were forbidden in Buddhism, he glared at Cheon-hwi with his eyebrows trembling.
At that time, Cheon-hwi’s lips thinned.
“Seeing you, it seems you remember everything. I thought you might forget because you were dead drunk.”
“…….”
“Then, as an accomplice, I leave it in your good hands.”
Just as Wonho froze at the word ‘accomplice’.
Knock, knock…
“Are you inside?”
Along with the sound of knocking on the door, a voice familiar to both of them was heard.
“Please come in.”
As soon as Cheon-hwi’s words finished, the door opened and Woneum came inside.
“The time for the morning offering is…… Hmm? Why is Junior Martial Brother here?”
Woneum spotted Wonho and asked with a puzzled face.
“He came looking for me last night, saying he wanted to express his gratitude. Then our conversation got long, and we stayed like this.”
“Junior Martial Brother did?”
Woneum’s eyes widened.
It was a hard-to-believe matter.
Although his skills were outstanding, perhaps because of that, wasn’t Wonho completely filled with conceit from a certain point?
But to think he visited to directly bow his head and express his gratitude.
‘Indeed, since he conversed with the Abbot for quite a long time. Regardless, if they talked all night, they must have built a great friendship.’
A smile lingered around Woneum’s mouth.
Cheon-hwi was in a supreme realm that his eyes couldn’t possibly fathom.
He was the one who broke the Eighteen Arhats Formation, which he expected would be difficult even for the Eight Martial Gods to endure, and pointed out its vulnerabilities.
‘Perhaps he is close to the Eight Martial Gods…….’
Continuing his thoughts while recalling Cheon-hwi from yesterday, he suddenly shook his head.
That was a difficult matter.
The Eight Martial Gods were peerless experts of Heaven Beyond Heaven.
It was close to impossible for Cheon-hwi at that age to be compared to them.
Still, there was one certain thing.
‘In a few decades, no. In a few years, it will become the era of the Young Taoist.’
Even without seeing it, it was drawn in his head.
He, who was alternating his warm gaze between Cheon-hwi and Wonho, suddenly tilted his head.
“But what’s wrong with your forehead?”
The lump on Wonho’s bluish shaved head couldn’t be hidden.
“That is…….”
When Wonho panicked, Cheon-hwi said.
“I told him to just go sleep, but he held out saying he was fine, dozed off, and slammed into the table.”
“That makes no sen…….”
At the absurd excuse, Wonho was about to refute, but he hurriedly changed his words at Cheon-hwi’s narrow eye smile that seemed to contain, ‘So should I reveal that you consumed meat and alcohol?’.
“……That is correct.”
“Ho-ho. It seems Junior Martial Brother had a lot to say after a long time.”
At Woneum’s words mixed with laughter and a joke, Wonho’s face turned bright red, wondering if he was embarrassed.
“Ah right, let us hurry and go rather than that. The time for the morning offering is approaching.”
When the three of them, who had left Cheon-hwi’s quarters like that, entered the pavilion to have the morning offering, everyone’s gazes focused on them.
At Cheon-hwi’s appearance and Wonho’s accompaniment, everyone’s mouths hitched to speak, but they only exchanged glances and barely held back from opening their mouths.
The morning offering had to be silent.
The three soon sat down, and the meal continued in silence.
Wonho, who started the offering as usual, suddenly frowned.
‘Was it this tasteless?’
It was greens he had eaten with gratitude every day.
But now, he felt that chewing it was a torture.
‘Compared to the five-spice braised meat I ate yesterday, this is…… Gasp!’
Wonho unknowingly heaved his body greatly.
As those around him looked at him in surprise, Wonho hurriedly put his palms together and apologized.
Looking at the monks eating silently again, Wonho closed his eyes tightly.
‘What kind of thought did I just have.’
It was a thought he shouldn’t have.
‘A demon has possessed me, a demon has possessed me.’
Just as he was blaming himself.
Swish…
Cheon-hwi and Woneum stood up.
The two didn’t even pay attention to Wonho, whose condition was somewhat strange, and left the pavilion as it was, heading to the Thirty-Six Chambers of Shaolin.
“Elder?”
“And even the Young Taoist…….”
The martial monks preparing for training swallowed their saliva as they spotted Cheon-hwi and Woneum.
Woneum, who ignored those gazes, stepped onto the training ground at the far east side and then parted his lips.
“Watch closely.”
Along with his words, he clenched his fist.
The fist filled with calluses felt like he hadn’t trained the fist style in vain.
At that moment, internal energy spread.
Swish…
His red kasaya fluttered slightly.
Following that, the moment a pure white aura gathered on the right hand he clenched tightly at his waist.
Pa-a-ang!
A gigantic fist shadow instantly tore through the empty air as it advanced.
‘It’s faster than I thought?’
Cheon-hwi’s pupils moved quickly.
In an instant, the fist shadow that reached the end of the Thirty-Six Chambers of Shaolin struck the bizarrely large rock standing in front of the wall.
Craaack!
A large fist was engraved on the rock.
Very clearly enough to be seen from afar!
“Amitabha.”
The martial monks watching Woneum unknowingly put their palms together and chanted a Buddhist prayer.
“Ah, this is the true Hundred Steps Divine Fist.”
They too were sending gazes of admiration and yearning, as it was a rare event for them to properly see the Hundred Steps Divine Fist deployed by Woneum.
Meanwhile, Cheon-hwi stroked his chin with a serious expression.
‘The martial arts of Shaolin are indeed outstanding. To have this power with that level of internal energy.’
The internal energy Woneum drew up was small.
But to transcend such a long distance and have that kind of destructive power with it.
‘Even in the Divine Cult, there are few fist arts that use internal energy this efficiently.’
It wasn’t just the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It would probably be counted within the top five among the countless fist arts he knew.
At that time, Woneum asked Cheon-hwi.
“How is it?”
“It is not for nothing that Shaolin’s Hundred Steps Divine Fist is called a peerless art in the world.”
“Ho-ho, indeed.”
When Woneum spoke with a proud expression at Cheon-hwi’s praise, Cheon-hwi parted his lips.
“If it is alright, could I experience other martial arts of Shaolin?”
“Other martial arts, you say?”
“I became curious about how amazing the other martial arts of Shaolin, which are compared to the Hundred Steps Divine Fist, would be.”
Cheon-hwi flicked his tongue like a snake.
He came all the way here to see the martial arts of Shaolin. It was too wasteful to just see the Eighteen Arhats Formation and the Hundred Steps Divine Fist and end it.
At that time, Woneum smiled gently.
“I think it would be difficult for me to deploy martial arts. Instead, watching the training of other martial monks here should be fine, so watch to your heart’s content.”
It was close to an indirect refusal.
Because understandably, they wouldn’t train divine arts and peerless techniques like the Hundred Steps Divine Fist in a place like this.
It was a pity, but it couldn’t be helped.
Cheon-hwi understood his refusal.
What sect would open its true peerless techniques to others.
“Tsk, I shall do that.”
Cheon-hwi, who answered while nodding his head, looked around.
‘Still, it’s Shaolin, so it must be different.’
At that gaze, the martial monks who had been secretly eavesdropping on their conversation stayed with stiff faces, then took a big breath and put strength into their movements soon after.
Only for one reason.
To show Cheon-hwi that the martial arts of Shaolin were amazing.
That is the Profound Emptiness Fist, and oh, he even learned the Praying Mantis Claw. Wow, the Iron Shirt Art on top of that?
Unlike his disappointment, Cheon-hwi quickly fell completely into watching the martial arts.
Because understandably, even if they were basic martial arts of Shaolin, their depth was different compared to other sects.
‘Hmm, then I can just watch all of this and leave.’
The time after that flowed quickly, and before he knew it, five days had passed.
Cheon-hwi’s daily routine while staying in Shaolin for five days was regular and simple.
Offering, watching martial arts, and meals with the food Heavenly Ear Beggar brought late at night.
On the seventh day since he came to Shaolin like that, Cheon-hwi spoke toward Heavenly Ear Beggar, who had finished the morning offering the latest as usual.
“Let’s leave now.”
Heavenly Ear Beggar’s expression brightened.
“I’ll quickly get ready and come!”
He, who was bored of being in Shaolin, spoke excitedly and hurriedly ran to his quarters.
When the group, having quickly finished their preparations, headed toward the mountain gate of Shaolin, Woneum, Gong Jin, and Gong Mun were standing in front of it.
Woneum approached Cheon-hwi.
“Are you already going?”
“Because there is no reason to stay any longer.”
“Is that so.”
Woneum spoke as if it was a pity.
“Then let us meet again later.”
“Well, if there is a reason to.”
“Ho-ho, if it is about that, do not worry. Since we are both part of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang belonging to the same Martial Alliance, won’t we meet again someday.”
“That is true.”
A moment later, Cheon-hwi’s group, who also briefly exchanged greetings with Gong Mun and Gong Jin, exited the mountain gate.
Woneum, who was looking at the backs of Cheon-hwi’s group leaving like that, put his palms together.
“Amitabha. Suddenly coming and disappearing, you are truly a person like the wind.”
Along with his words, he turned his head.
“Come out now.”
At those words, the moment Wonho, who was hiding closely attached behind the wall, revealed himself.
“Why are you not greeting them…… what is that appearance?”
Woneum examined him in shock.
Because he had become so haggard that it was clearly comparable to when he saw him five days ago.
It was to the point of being pitiful to look at.
“It is nothing.”
Wonho answered while shaking his head.
There was a matter.
But how could he answer.
He couldn’t say that he lost sleep tossing and turning because he thought of the five-spice braised meat and grain liquor he had eaten five days ago.
‘Haa. It is worldly desires, worldly desires.’
While looking in the direction Cheon-hwi, who had brought him worldly desires, disappeared, he ended up tightly closing his eyes at the smell and illusion of the five-spice braised meat that crept up again.
* * *
“It has been a while.”
Upon descending the mountain gate, Go Sam, who had already prepared the carriage, welcomed them.
“Have you been well all this time?”
“Thanks to you, Young Taoist, I have been well.”
Go Sam, who smiled brightly, parted his lips.
“Then let us go now.”
At those words, the three of them boarded the carriage.
Eventually, the moment the carriage was about to depart.
“Huff, huff! P-Please wait a moment!”
At the familiar voice heard from behind, Cheon-hwi and Heavenly Ear Beggar sharply turned their heads.
“Junior Beggar?”
“Why is that guy here?”
When they were wondering why Junior Beggar, who should originally be at the Plum Blossom Guest House, was here.
“Pant, pant! E-Elder! Young Hero!”
Junior Beggar, who came running breathlessly, forgot to even catch his breath and urgently opened his mouth.
“I-I have been continuously waiting only for you to come out of Shaolin.”
“Why?”
“What are you talking about?”
When Cheon-hwi and Heavenly Ear Beggar asked with expressions wondering what he meant, Junior Beggar gulped his saliva and shouted with wide-open eyes.
“The World Merchant Guild has requested help from you two!”