Chapter 416

Chapter 416

Jin Ja-gang conveyed Master Haewol’s words to Tang Gwi-ok.

There was no need for complicated explanations.

He simply said that Master Haewol intended to steal the salt from Dujiangyan together with Demon Cult.

Tang Gwi-ok didn’t know what Master Haewol was trying to do or why he had joined hands with Demon Cult.

Yet as if already guessing something, Tang Gwi-ok’s expression became solemn.

“That person…”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke.

“I met him long ago. He came seeking cooperation, saying he needed our family’s strength to raise righteousness in the martial world. But do you know how older brother treated him?”

It was an event from thirty to forty years ago. To think the two who were considered the best in the martial world at that time had met!

Jin Ja-gang’s heart pounded. Master Haewol was said to have been very stubborn and a typical Taoist in the past. He became curious about what evaluation Tang Qing made of Master Haewol and how he treated him.

“Did he treat him poorly?”

“No. On the contrary, older brother greatly welcomed Master Haewol.”

“What?”

“He called famous chefs from Sichuan’s Chengdu to prepare all kinds of delicacies, called Master Haewol ‘older brother’ and welcomed him like an old friend.”

Jin Ja-gang was bewildered.

That couldn’t be right. Rather, Tang Qing had later joined hands with those Master Haewol sought.

Tang Gwi-ok smiled slightly.

“You don’t understand, do you? Even I, who knew older brother’s nature well, couldn’t understand older brother’s thoughts. But Master Haewol’s actions afterward were even more surprising.”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke as if asking whether Jin Ja-gang could understand the reason.

“Master Haewol suddenly knelt down right there. And he pleaded. Please help me, he said.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang realize.

Master Haewol had seen through it. Tang Qing’s inner thoughts.

“Master Haewol noticed that older brother wasn’t sincerely welcoming him but rather trying to use him.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled bitterly.

“That’s right. That person seems to have a talent for stealing glimpses of others’ hearts.”

“That was probably the first and last time. When older brother showed something called conscience.”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke as if still amazed, recalling that time.

“Older brother spat on Master Haewol, poured dirty water on him, then threw him out of the Tang Family Main House.”

It was surprising. That Tang Qing had revealed his inner thoughts.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t help but be amazed.

Master Haewol, who knelt and appealed sincerely to someone who was welcoming him but had black intentions inside.

Tang Qing, who was shaken by Master Haewol’s sincerity in seeing through his inner thoughts and revealed his true nature.

Was that the first meeting of the two giants?

“Sometimes older brother would recall that time and get very angry. He said it gave him chills. So he drew a line meaning never to come again. He grumbled several times that if it were now, he would rather cut his wrist in front of him to prove his sincerity and use Master Haewol in reverse.”

Jin Ja-gang tried to understand Master Haewol’s heart for a moment.

How desperate and urgent Master Haewol must have been at that time was immeasurable even through imagination.

Tang Gwi-ok waited sufficiently for Jin Ja-gang to think, then said.

“So even if that person does actions that earn curses from everyone in the world, even if he joined hands with Demon Cult, I still believe in him. There must be a reason for the great intention behind his volunteering to play the villain role. If he were truly a villain, he wouldn’t have told you about bringing in Demon Cult.”

Tang Gwi-ok said.

“I’ll lift the blockade of Dujiangyan.”

Tang Gwi-ok, who prioritized the Tang family’s fate above all else!

She made a crucial decision in a situation where the Tang family could suffer great damage if things went wrong!

Trusting only Master Haewol’s message!

Jin Ja-gang quietly bowed his head in greeting and left the room.

Tang Gwi-ok seemed to have complicated feelings as she looked out the window for a long time.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang sighed lightly.

Jin Ja-gang’s heart was as disturbed as Tang Gwi-ok’s.

Before going to Tang Ha-ran, Jin Ja-gang headed to a quiet pavilion in the back garden.

It was to check the booklet Master Haewol had given him.

Yeong-gwi followed quietly behind Jin Ja-gang without asking anything.

Jin Ja-gang sat in the small pavilion and took out the booklet Master Haewol had given him from his bosom.

Officially, it would be difficult to meet Master Haewol again.

In a way, it was the last gift seen with a normal face. Next time, they would meet as enemies with swords drawn to kill.

An extremely old booklet with no title written on the cover. How many times the pages of this thin booklet had been turned was evident from the glossy parts where hands had touched and the worn edges. It had clearly passed through many people’s hands…

The content was neither internal energy cultivation methods, nor boxing techniques, nor weapon arts.

But Jin Ja-gang slowly turned page by page, reading, pondering, and memorizing the text. Master Haewol wouldn’t have given such a book without meaning.

Yeong-gwi brought tea and asked carefully.

“Did that person give it to you?”

“That’s right.”

Yeong-gwi worried.

“Then shouldn’t you read it in a more secret place?”

If Master Haewol had given it, it must be no ordinary secret manual!

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang handed the booklet to Yeong-gwi. Yeong-gwi was flustered.

“No, I…”

“I’ve memorized all the text and understand the content, but I don’t understand his intention. If you think of anything after reading it, please let me know.”

Yeong-gwi was also a martial artist, so she couldn’t help being curious about the booklet Master Haewol had given.

“Then, just a moment…”

Yeong-gwi calmly read the book while turning pages. But as she turned more pages, a puzzled feeling filled Yeong-gwi’s eyes too.

“This… this is… no matter how I look at it.”

Jin Ja-gang asked back with a slight smile.

“You think so too, right?”

Yeong-gwi returned the book to Jin Ja-gang and laughed awkwardly.

Then Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon came to the back garden. No, rather than coming to find them, it was more accurate to say they met while taking a walk. Though the two seemed mismatched at first glance, they got along surprisingly well. They had become quite close during their stay at the Tang Family Main House. Their similar ages was one of the reasons.

Woon-jeong and So-so were following behind them.

Woon-jeong shouted happily.

“Oh? Poison Dragon friend! What are you doing?”

Yeong-gwi stepped aside to make room for the guests to come up to the pavilion.

Bian Bu became interested in the book Jin Ja-gang was holding.

“What’s that? It looks valuable somehow.”

Jin Ja-gang silently handed over the book. Bian Bu deliberately put on airs and turned the pages.

“Ahem… let’s see. Cultivation is fundamentally about polishing delusional thoughts and nurturing true nature, taking tranquility as the foundation. Stability means not coveting wrong principles, and tranquility means remaining consistently in stability so that all gold, silver, and treasures cannot steal one’s will…”

Rustle rustle.

“The Dao is only one, so why seek the gate to enter the Dao in many places? The method the Dao seeks is only one, so why seek methods without going through the Way? The path of the Dao is only one, so why keep doubting and hoping?”

Bian Bu quickly lost interest in the booklet’s content.

“This is… content that only meticulous Taoists would read? In the end, it means to walk the righteous path and guard against heretical ways… obviously that meaning.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said stiffly from behind.

“It’s the Clear Mirror Heart Sutra.”

Bian Bu flinched.

The Clear Mirror Heart Sutra refers to Taoist scriptures that describe methods of cultivating and refining the mind.

Bian Bu returned the book to Jin Ja-gang and suddenly changed his words.

“Yes, that’s right. You see too much blood, so you’re filled with killing intent and look fierce. You should read books like this and cultivate your mind. You thought well.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said.

“Hearing that passage just now, it’s the most famous and well-known content among Taoist scriptures. It’s scripture that disciples who just entered the Taoist sect read and memorize. Though the content is obvious, because not losing one’s original intention is that difficult, they memorize it again and again to cultivate their minds like a straight mirror.”

He seemed to be speaking to Jin Ja-gang but somehow also seemed to be speaking to Bian Bu. Bian Bu pretended not to know and acted playful.

“The Taoist Master’s words are right, right. Even an ignorant person like me greatly agrees.”

“Especially since Taoist studies originally began to suppress lost souls and evil spirits and govern killing energy, they are more destructive and dangerous than ordinary orthodox martial arts. Sometimes they even contain violent and merciless killing moves because their targets are not humans.”

“Right, right.”

Bian Bu kept adding interjections.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon didn’t mind and continued.

“You already know it too. The ghost in your brain.”

Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit. You inevitably encounter it when learning the Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art.

Taoists greatly value thunder created by the combination of yin and yang energies, but when demons enter there, it means entering the demonic way.

“In any martial school, as you enter higher studies, the harmony of mind and body becomes very important, but especially in Taoist studies, cultivation becomes more important because of this. If the body overwhelms the mind, or the mind can’t follow the body, you eventually get devoured by the ghost in your brain.”

Jin Ja-gang thought he had completely overcome the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit, but there had been times recently when he lost reason while caught up in emotions. If not for Yeong-gwi, who knows what might have happened.

If such a thing happened again, the dormant Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit would revive.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said.

“I don’t know who the deceased person was, but if someone recommended this Clear Mirror Heart Sutra to you, there must be a reason, and it must be someone who knows you need it. I strongly recommend reading it twice and thrice.”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang understand with what intention Master Haewol had given him the Taoist scripture.

Perhaps this was the path of the Dao that Master Haewol recommended to Jin Ja-gang as an elder.

Not only for the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit, but also hoping he could continue walking the righteous path throughout his life without being manipulated by someone like Ghost King.

It was Master Haewol’s warm consideration for Jin Ja-gang.

Not an ordinary Taoist scripture, but one filled with sincerity.

While Jin Ja-gang was holding the Taoist scripture and lost in sentiment, Bian Bu added another interjection.

“That’s right! No matter how strong your martial arts become, what’s the use? You must become human. If you rampage just because you have power, you eventually get buried in your own power and forget what you even wanted.”

But Jin Ja-gang could no longer hear those words.

He had already memorized and put all the contents of the Clear Mirror Heart Sutra in his head and naturally fell into meditation while reciting it.

Meanwhile, Woon-jeong and So-so, who had become bored, ran around noisily beside the pavilion, but he seemed completely unaffected.

Bian Bu muttered as if incredulous.

“Well, even if you do something, you should choose the place. Doing it anywhere. That makes us feel awkward.”

Yeong-gwi gave Bian Bu a sharp look and hinted.

“Alright, alright.”

Bian Bu grumbled and left the pavilion. However, perhaps curious about what kind of meditation Jin Ja-gang had entered, he didn’t go far and sat on a nearby rock to quietly watch.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon also sat side by side with Bian Bu with a faint smile on his stern face. It was to protect Jin Ja-gang in case anything happened.

So-so brought tea for Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon.

Yeong-gwi guarded the pavilion steps, and Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon enjoyed a brief leisure time.

Even though the Tang Family Main House was filled with deadly mechanism devices and countless poisonous insects, it couldn’t drive away the summer that had arrived.

Butterflies landed on flowers in the back garden and busy bees went around. Cicadas after the rainy season cried noisily looking for mates, and birds tired from the heat sat by the pond to drink water.

A peaceful and ordinary scene…

Though it could never be called quiet, Jin Ja-gang was able to immerse himself in even deeper meditation thanks to it.

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Jin Ja-gang conveyed Master Haewol’s words to Tang Gwi-ok.

There was no need for complicated explanations.

He simply said that Master Haewol intended to steal the salt from Dujiangyan together with Demon Cult.

Tang Gwi-ok didn’t know what Master Haewol was trying to do or why he had joined hands with Demon Cult.

Yet as if already guessing something, Tang Gwi-ok’s expression became solemn.

“That person…”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke.

“I met him long ago. He came seeking cooperation, saying he needed our family’s strength to raise righteousness in the martial world. But do you know how older brother treated him?”

It was an event from thirty to forty years ago. To think the two who were considered the best in the martial world at that time had met!

Jin Ja-gang’s heart pounded. Master Haewol was said to have been very stubborn and a typical Taoist in the past. He became curious about what evaluation Tang Qing made of Master Haewol and how he treated him.

“Did he treat him poorly?”

“No. On the contrary, older brother greatly welcomed Master Haewol.”

“What?”

“He called famous chefs from Sichuan’s Chengdu to prepare all kinds of delicacies, called Master Haewol ‘older brother’ and welcomed him like an old friend.”

Jin Ja-gang was bewildered.

That couldn’t be right. Rather, Tang Qing had later joined hands with those Master Haewol sought.

Tang Gwi-ok smiled slightly.

“You don’t understand, do you? Even I, who knew older brother’s nature well, couldn’t understand older brother’s thoughts. But Master Haewol’s actions afterward were even more surprising.”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke as if asking whether Jin Ja-gang could understand the reason.

“Master Haewol suddenly knelt down right there. And he pleaded. Please help me, he said.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang realize.

Master Haewol had seen through it. Tang Qing’s inner thoughts.

“Master Haewol noticed that older brother wasn’t sincerely welcoming him but rather trying to use him.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled bitterly.

“That’s right. That person seems to have a talent for stealing glimpses of others’ hearts.”

“That was probably the first and last time. When older brother showed something called conscience.”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke as if still amazed, recalling that time.

“Older brother spat on Master Haewol, poured dirty water on him, then threw him out of the Tang Family Main House.”

It was surprising. That Tang Qing had revealed his inner thoughts.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t help but be amazed.

Master Haewol, who knelt and appealed sincerely to someone who was welcoming him but had black intentions inside.

Tang Qing, who was shaken by Master Haewol’s sincerity in seeing through his inner thoughts and revealed his true nature.

Was that the first meeting of the two giants?

“Sometimes older brother would recall that time and get very angry. He said it gave him chills. So he drew a line meaning never to come again. He grumbled several times that if it were now, he would rather cut his wrist in front of him to prove his sincerity and use Master Haewol in reverse.”

Jin Ja-gang tried to understand Master Haewol’s heart for a moment.

How desperate and urgent Master Haewol must have been at that time was immeasurable even through imagination.

Tang Gwi-ok waited sufficiently for Jin Ja-gang to think, then said.

“So even if that person does actions that earn curses from everyone in the world, even if he joined hands with Demon Cult, I still believe in him. There must be a reason for the great intention behind his volunteering to play the villain role. If he were truly a villain, he wouldn’t have told you about bringing in Demon Cult.”

Tang Gwi-ok said.

“I’ll lift the blockade of Dujiangyan.”

Tang Gwi-ok, who prioritized the Tang family’s fate above all else!

She made a crucial decision in a situation where the Tang family could suffer great damage if things went wrong!

Trusting only Master Haewol’s message!

Jin Ja-gang quietly bowed his head in greeting and left the room.

Tang Gwi-ok seemed to have complicated feelings as she looked out the window for a long time.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang sighed lightly.

Jin Ja-gang’s heart was as disturbed as Tang Gwi-ok’s.

Before going to Tang Ha-ran, Jin Ja-gang headed to a quiet pavilion in the back garden.

It was to check the booklet Master Haewol had given him.

Yeong-gwi followed quietly behind Jin Ja-gang without asking anything.

Jin Ja-gang sat in the small pavilion and took out the booklet Master Haewol had given him from his bosom.

Officially, it would be difficult to meet Master Haewol again.

In a way, it was the last gift seen with a normal face. Next time, they would meet as enemies with swords drawn to kill.

An extremely old booklet with no title written on the cover. How many times the pages of this thin booklet had been turned was evident from the glossy parts where hands had touched and the worn edges. It had clearly passed through many people’s hands…

The content was neither internal energy cultivation methods, nor boxing techniques, nor weapon arts.

But Jin Ja-gang slowly turned page by page, reading, pondering, and memorizing the text. Master Haewol wouldn’t have given such a book without meaning.

Yeong-gwi brought tea and asked carefully.

“Did that person give it to you?”

“That’s right.”

Yeong-gwi worried.

“Then shouldn’t you read it in a more secret place?”

If Master Haewol had given it, it must be no ordinary secret manual!

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang handed the booklet to Yeong-gwi. Yeong-gwi was flustered.

“No, I…”

“I’ve memorized all the text and understand the content, but I don’t understand his intention. If you think of anything after reading it, please let me know.”

Yeong-gwi was also a martial artist, so she couldn’t help being curious about the booklet Master Haewol had given.

“Then, just a moment…”

Yeong-gwi calmly read the book while turning pages. But as she turned more pages, a puzzled feeling filled Yeong-gwi’s eyes too.

“This… this is… no matter how I look at it.”

Jin Ja-gang asked back with a slight smile.

“You think so too, right?”

Yeong-gwi returned the book to Jin Ja-gang and laughed awkwardly.

Then Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon came to the back garden. No, rather than coming to find them, it was more accurate to say they met while taking a walk. Though the two seemed mismatched at first glance, they got along surprisingly well. They had become quite close during their stay at the Tang Family Main House. Their similar ages was one of the reasons.

Woon-jeong and So-so were following behind them.

Woon-jeong shouted happily.

“Oh? Poison Dragon friend! What are you doing?”

Yeong-gwi stepped aside to make room for the guests to come up to the pavilion.

Bian Bu became interested in the book Jin Ja-gang was holding.

“What’s that? It looks valuable somehow.”

Jin Ja-gang silently handed over the book. Bian Bu deliberately put on airs and turned the pages.

“Ahem… let’s see. Cultivation is fundamentally about polishing delusional thoughts and nurturing true nature, taking tranquility as the foundation. Stability means not coveting wrong principles, and tranquility means remaining consistently in stability so that all gold, silver, and treasures cannot steal one’s will…”

Rustle rustle.

“The Dao is only one, so why seek the gate to enter the Dao in many places? The method the Dao seeks is only one, so why seek methods without going through the Way? The path of the Dao is only one, so why keep doubting and hoping?”

Bian Bu quickly lost interest in the booklet’s content.

“This is… content that only meticulous Taoists would read? In the end, it means to walk the righteous path and guard against heretical ways… obviously that meaning.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said stiffly from behind.

“It’s the Clear Mirror Heart Sutra.”

Bian Bu flinched.

The Clear Mirror Heart Sutra refers to Taoist scriptures that describe methods of cultivating and refining the mind.

Bian Bu returned the book to Jin Ja-gang and suddenly changed his words.

“Yes, that’s right. You see too much blood, so you’re filled with killing intent and look fierce. You should read books like this and cultivate your mind. You thought well.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said.

“Hearing that passage just now, it’s the most famous and well-known content among Taoist scriptures. It’s scripture that disciples who just entered the Taoist sect read and memorize. Though the content is obvious, because not losing one’s original intention is that difficult, they memorize it again and again to cultivate their minds like a straight mirror.”

He seemed to be speaking to Jin Ja-gang but somehow also seemed to be speaking to Bian Bu. Bian Bu pretended not to know and acted playful.

“The Taoist Master’s words are right, right. Even an ignorant person like me greatly agrees.”

“Especially since Taoist studies originally began to suppress lost souls and evil spirits and govern killing energy, they are more destructive and dangerous than ordinary orthodox martial arts. Sometimes they even contain violent and merciless killing moves because their targets are not humans.”

“Right, right.”

Bian Bu kept adding interjections.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon didn’t mind and continued.

“You already know it too. The ghost in your brain.”

Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit. You inevitably encounter it when learning the Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art.

Taoists greatly value thunder created by the combination of yin and yang energies, but when demons enter there, it means entering the demonic way.

“In any martial school, as you enter higher studies, the harmony of mind and body becomes very important, but especially in Taoist studies, cultivation becomes more important because of this. If the body overwhelms the mind, or the mind can’t follow the body, you eventually get devoured by the ghost in your brain.”

Jin Ja-gang thought he had completely overcome the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit, but there had been times recently when he lost reason while caught up in emotions. If not for Yeong-gwi, who knows what might have happened.

If such a thing happened again, the dormant Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit would revive.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said.

“I don’t know who the deceased person was, but if someone recommended this Clear Mirror Heart Sutra to you, there must be a reason, and it must be someone who knows you need it. I strongly recommend reading it twice and thrice.”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang understand with what intention Master Haewol had given him the Taoist scripture.

Perhaps this was the path of the Dao that Master Haewol recommended to Jin Ja-gang as an elder.

Not only for the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit, but also hoping he could continue walking the righteous path throughout his life without being manipulated by someone like Ghost King.

It was Master Haewol’s warm consideration for Jin Ja-gang.

Not an ordinary Taoist scripture, but one filled with sincerity.

While Jin Ja-gang was holding the Taoist scripture and lost in sentiment, Bian Bu added another interjection.

“That’s right! No matter how strong your martial arts become, what’s the use? You must become human. If you rampage just because you have power, you eventually get buried in your own power and forget what you even wanted.”

But Jin Ja-gang could no longer hear those words.

He had already memorized and put all the contents of the Clear Mirror Heart Sutra in his head and naturally fell into meditation while reciting it.

Meanwhile, Woon-jeong and So-so, who had become bored, ran around noisily beside the pavilion, but he seemed completely unaffected.

Bian Bu muttered as if incredulous.

“Well, even if you do something, you should choose the place. Doing it anywhere. That makes us feel awkward.”

Yeong-gwi gave Bian Bu a sharp look and hinted.

“Alright, alright.”

Bian Bu grumbled and left the pavilion. However, perhaps curious about what kind of meditation Jin Ja-gang had entered, he didn’t go far and sat on a nearby rock to quietly watch.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon also sat side by side with Bian Bu with a faint smile on his stern face. It was to protect Jin Ja-gang in case anything happened.

So-so brought tea for Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon.

Yeong-gwi guarded the pavilion steps, and Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon enjoyed a brief leisure time.

Even though the Tang Family Main House was filled with deadly mechanism devices and countless poisonous insects, it couldn’t drive away the summer that had arrived.

Butterflies landed on flowers in the back garden and busy bees went around. Cicadas after the rainy season cried noisily looking for mates, and birds tired from the heat sat by the pond to drink water.

A peaceful and ordinary scene…

Though it could never be called quiet, Jin Ja-gang was able to immerse himself in even deeper meditation thanks to it.

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