Chapter 35: Chapter 35
* * *
On Mount Song in Henan Province, there was a temple that was not very large.
Built hundreds of years ago by a monk from Tianzhu, it was initially just a quiet mountain temple for those seeking to leave behind the complex secular world and perform cultivation. Then, with the sudden enlightenment of another Tianzhu monk named Bodhidharma, it began to preach Buddhist teachings more for the public, and in the process, faced direct checks from the Imperial Army, which was wary of uncontrollable civilian forces arising.
Regarding this, Bodhidharma personally went to see the Emperor and expressed that they had no intention other than preaching Buddhist teachings and thereby presenting a direction for people to live slightly better lives.
At that time, the Emperor, finding Bodhidharma’s demeanor fitting to be called a Great Master, wished to test his spiritual power personally and brought him to the Yangtze River. And crossing the Yangtze River in three steps with his own formidable martial arts, he promised to stop the oppression against Shaolin Temple if Bodhidharma could also cross to where he was without a boat.
At this, Bodhidharma plucked a single reed beside him, rode it across the glinting surface of the Yangtze River, and proved his spiritual power.
Afterward, the Emperor laughed heartily with great joy and kept his promise to Bodhidharma, while Bodhidharma answered the Emperor’s goodwill by keeping Shaolin Temple’s scale small as before. In later years, whenever there were inexplicable matters or monsters running wild that could not be solved simply with swords and spears, the Imperial Army sought advice from Shaolin Temple.
In that way, though Shaolin Temple’s scale itself did not grow very large, it became the head temple of Chan Buddhism in the Central Plains and came to receive the respect of many common people and ancient noble clans. And that respect did not change much even now, a hundred years after a new continent was discovered and countless people crossed over.
The Shaolin Temple disciple Jin Gyeon thought of Shaolin as his home and family, and therefore loved it. He also understood the sorrow of his master, Great Master Hye-won, who was sitting in front of him right now with closed eyes, rolling prayer beads.
Hye-won asked in a raspy, sunken voice,
“…Where did that fellow go?”
“He seems to have taken a ship from Hangzhou and gone to the New Continent.”
“Sigh… Merely running away that far does not mean karmic ties are severed…”
Great Master Hye-won lowered his head, defying decades of cultivation, and continued,
“Did that fellow really… steal it?”
Jin Gyeon wished from the bottom of his heart to say no. What kind of item was that for him to just grab and flee with? However, he could not lie to Hye-won. The person whose heart was broken more than anyone else due to the next abbot candidate falling and fleeing was Hye-won, who sat right in front of him.
“Yes. Circumstantially, it is correct that Jin Jo took it. If not, there would be no reason for him to flee even across the sea.”
Hye-won, with his head lowered, spoke nothing for a long time even after hearing the answer. Jin Gyeon also could not bring himself to speak, so a silence, uncertain whether it was the quietness of a mountain temple or the silence of sinners, merely hovered inside the hermitage.
“…Then it cannot be helped. Disciple Jin Gyeon, listen.”
“Yes, Abbot. Disciple Jin Gyeon is listening.”
Hye-won, still with his head lowered, spoke in a powerless voice,
“Disciple Jin Jo is… expelled. You, Jin Gyeon… go to the New Continent, find Jin Jo… and recover everything… that Shaolin gave him… Everything…”
Jin Gyeon, sitting upright, made a half-clasp palm gesture and answered calmly,
“Yes, Abbot. I will find Jin Jo and recover both what Shaolin gave him and what he stole.”
On that day, the Arhat of Shaolin, Jin Gyeon, descended the mountain. His objective was the punishment of the expelled disciple Jin Jo and the recovery of the treasure.
* * *
The Governor of Hawaii, Yeon Ha-sang, reclined comfortably on a cozy chair and looked at the cool breeze blowing beneath the shade, the horizon visible far off, the blue sea, the sailing ships floating on that sea, and the sparkling sandy beach.
Some viewed this position of Governor of Hawaii as practically the end of an official career and tried to avoid it by all means. The reasons were that it was endlessly far from the central court, and troublesome due to conflicts between native islanders and immigrants, as well as clashes among all kinds of human figures crossing from the Central Plains to the New Continent.
“They’re guys who don’t know anything.”
Yeon Ha-sang raised the beverage placed on the side table, took a sip, and smiled subtly. In fact, for someone like him who didn’t dream of higher official posts, these islands were nothing short of paradise.
Being far from the central court meant there was no interference from them, which was equivalent to him being like a king, and the conflicts between natives and immigrants had already been largely healed over a hundred years. Those leaving for the New Continent through this place were also not very difficult to control if one moderately displayed the majesty of the Imperial Army.
If there was a problem, it was that occasionally there were imperial royals who came to rest after seeing the scenery here, but they tended to stay in villas on the northern islands, so except when crossing over, there was hardly any contact. Occasionally providing meals, drinking alcohol, and performing native dances and songs for them was enough to make everyone return to the Central Plains satisfied.
“Ah. This is what living is. What’s the point of striving desperately for a high official post.”
With nothing particularly special, most Governors of Hawaii lived here even after their term as governor ended, intoxicated by the heavenly scenery or the dances of the natives. Some even refused higher official posts and ended their remaining years as governor.
Yeon Ha-sang believed he would become like that too. Escaping his tedious clan and rigid Central Plains life, nothing could be better than this. Looking at the sailing ships moving slowly here and there on the horizon, he took another sip from the cup in his hand, a alcoholic drink disguised as a beverage. He believed that with this shade and a cup of alcohol in his hand, his remaining life would be happy.
Just then, two martial artists dressed in light armor ran breathlessly toward Yeon Ha-sang. They were Commander Woo Sang and Commander Kelani. Among them, Kelani was an Imperial Army officer of native origin, a symbol of exchange between immigrants and Hawaii natives.
“Oh! Welcome, Woo Sang, Kelani! What’s so urgent again? Living busily isn’t any fun.”
At Yeon Ha-sang’s greeting, Woo Sang’s expression distorted, and Kelani merely let out a light sigh. Seeing the expressions of the two, Yeon Ha-sang asked back,
“Hey now, people. I’m still your superior, so what’s with those expressions? Did a real problem happen?”
“…Commander Woo Sang greets the Governor.”
“Commander Kelani greets the Governor.”
The two commanders greeted in a rigid manner, then let out a deep sigh. And Woo Sang pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt and handed it over. At the unusually serious appearance, Yeon Ha-sang received that paper and carefully unfolded it.
‘I’m going to play in the New Continent. Jin-ha is coming along, so there’s nothing to worry about.’
“…What is this?”
At Yeon Ha-sang’s blank question back, Woo Sang answered,
“Do you know where I found that?”
“Well? Haha, did you find it in your daughter’s room? She’s feisty, so she has the physiognomy of someone who will cause trouble one day.”
Speaking with a laugh, Yeon Ha-sang’s expression suddenly froze.
“Wait. Jin-ha? That’s a name I’ve heard somewhere?”
“We saw her at the banquet two days ago.”
At the answer Kelani provided while standing still, Yeon Ha-sang laughed again as if remembering.
“Ah! That female swordsman who danced with a wine cup placed on the tip of her sword? Whew… It seems she trained in martial arts really hard. Remember how she didn’t spill a single drop of wine even after dancing like that?”
“It was a large cup, and there was only a little wine in it to begin with.”
“Still, man. What an achievement. A person shouldn’t be like that. When you see an outstanding person, you should praise them. For a Hawaiian person to be so rigid, ”
“Governor!”
Yeon Ha-sang, who seemed to be straying into useless chatter with Kelani, finally looked at Woo Sang with an ‘uh-uh’. Looking at Yeon Ha-sang as if truly pitying him, Woo Sang said,
“Do you remember whose bodyguard that swordsman was?”
“Huh? Why, she was the bodyguard warrior of the Princess who came to play this time. Of course I wouldn’t forget that…”
Speaking up to that point, Yeon Ha-sang’s face turned blank. Looking at Yeon Ha-sang’s face, Woo Sang slumped down.
“…We’re fucked. Truly.”
The maid cleaning the Governor’s house winced in shock at the sudden screeching scream of ‘Kieeek-‘. It was blood-curdling and chilling, like a death cry uttered by a lunatic in the moment of death, causing goosebumps all over her body. But because that voice also sounded like one she had heard often somewhere, the maid had no choice but to tilt her head in puzzle.
* * *
Jang Geon pulled his collar tight against the chill brushing past his neck. It had been a long time since he had headed straight down toward the southeast with the thought of getting away from Gamsan City after the incident in Cheongsu Village. In the weather that had entered winter before anyone noticed, his thin clothes were drafty everywhere.
It could not be compared to the northern region where snow fell heavily, but cold was cold nonetheless. Biting his half-remaining cigarette stub, Jang Geon muttered bluntly,
“Dammit. Should I have just gone toward New Sichuan instead? Or Heavenly Empress City… If it were Heavenly Empress City, it wouldn’t have been cold…”
Jojo, walking steadily, snorted discontentedly as if asking why he was throwing a fit when he chose the itinerary himself.
“Hey, kid, we’ve been there a few times already. Even if it’s warm, it’s a place with no fun.”
“New Sichuan? Isn’t the Martial Alliance there? It’s not a good place for a wanderer like me to stay.”
Jojo let out a deep sigh once more as if asking why he disliked everything after bringing it up himself. Jang Geon also found it funny and let out a chuckle. They took steps casually while exchanging such trivial conversation. Still, walking was walking, so they gradually came to cross a small hill.
“Oh.”
Standing atop the hill, a small city was visible far off in the distance. A sky so open it felt desolate, the sight of the city below it, and the snow-capped mountain range blocking one side of the view.
Stopping for a moment to look at that scenery, Jang Geon lightly pulled Jojo’s reins.
“Let’s go. We can sleep at an inn today.”
Jojo also began to trot down the hill faster than before, as if anticipating it.
As they got closer to the city, wagons and people that were hard to see before crossing the hill came into view. Seeing quite a few people coming and going, he thought it might be a larger city than it looked from afar.
At any rate, expecting a warm meal and bed tonight, Jang Geon did not pay much attention to the people passing by.
However, upon entering inside the city, he had no choice but to stop Jojo’s steps involuntarily and look at a crowd of people gathered heavily on one side.
There, four people wearing nooses over their necks stood atop a high execution platform. Those four people were weeping softly or staring blankly up at the sky.
And beside them, a middle-aged man dressed in clean clothes pulled out a document and read it in a loud voice.
“…Are sentenced to hanging! Lee Gwang! For the crimes of wagon hijacking, robbery, and murdering three innocent civilians, sentenced to hanging! Yeo Song-yeon! For the crime of poisoning her husband, sentenced to hanging! Gang Yeok-sa! For the crime of raping and murdering a woman, sentenced to hanging! Lee Sang! Sentence will be executed on the 4 convicts!”
When his speech finished, a couple of people went up and placed black cloths over the convicts’ heads. Most of the convicts could not stand properly at around that moment and were merely trembling violently. The weeping woman could not even cry properly and only let out stiffened gasps of ‘hick-hick’.
As far as Jang Geon knew, before placing a cloth over them like that, they used to listen to final words and give the convict reasonable time to calm down. The current sight looked like nothing more than executing the sentence roughly without such consideration.
Just then, someone shouted,
“Those damn bastards! Kill them quickly!”
Whether that voice bursting out from among the gathered people acted as a fuse, loud voices began popping out from among the murmuring people.
“Disgusting to look at! Kill them quickly!”
“Do you know how many days my trade was delayed because of that bastard? Kill him quickly!”
“That rapist bastard! Should have ripped off his lower body first!”
Not everyone was shouting. However, the voices shouting intermittently among the crowd were without exception extremely aggressive.
In the end, unable to stand listening atop the execution platform, the executioner shouted,
“All of you shut up! If you have dissatisfaction with the execution method, inquire directly with our Sword Dragon Sect! Since we execute the law of this city! And now all that’s left is to hang them, so what are you so dissatisfied about!”
Fortunately, at that shout, the murmuring quickly subsided. The man who had shouted furiously cleared his throat, adjusted his collar as the people quieted down, and gestured sharply toward below the execution platform. At that gesture, the person waiting below pulled a lever with a clack.
Simultaneously, the trapdoors of the convicts opened with a bang, and their necks were hung with a thud-thud.
The people who had been shouting to kill the convicts became quiet for a moment once they were actually hung. Three convicts were quiet as if their necks had broken immediately when the trapdoor dropped, but one person had not died and was struggling while making choking noises.
However, that too was only for a moment. Not long after, all four convicts hung limp and did not move except for swaying in the wind. At the same time, light cheers and applause flowed out from the watching crowd.
Jang Geon, who was watching it quietly from the roadside far off, spat out the cigarette stub in his mouth with a spit, then pulled out the last remaining paper and tobacco to roll it. Igniting a fire on that cigarette and inhaling deeply, Jang Geon exhaled smoke with a puff and lightly pulled Jojo’s reins. Jojo stepped toward finding an inn, walking sluggishly without his usual antics.
Even after entering the city filled with buildings, the chill of winter only deepened and showed no sign of easing.