Chapter 313 |
Chapter 313
Connection
Fate
After revealing various information about So-cheon-ju, the Red Flame King soon lost his life to the Celestial Pill.
Mu-jin, having completed the interrogation, hid the Red Flame King’s corpse in a secluded spot before returning to where the group was gathered.
Upon his return, he found Hyun-hyeon still sweating profusely as he treated the child. There was noticeable progress; the child’s expression was significantly more relaxed compared to before Mu-jin had left.
Moments later...
“Phew.”
“It seems we’ve been delayed. Let’s move quickly,” Hyun-hyeon said, rising hurriedly despite the exhaustion from exerting his Qi for nearly half a Sijin.
Mu-jin, ever willing to assist, carried Hyun-hyeon on his back as they started their journey once again.
They moved stealthily, avoiding the demon cultists, and eventually reached the child’s village.
At the village entrance, a woman stood still, watching the horizon like a stone statue.
“Tui-ni!!”
Upon spotting them approaching, a flood of emotions appeared on her face, and she shouted something urgently. She might have been calling out the child's name.
She ran towards them with frantic, flailing limbs, like someone just pulled from the water.
As she reached Mu-jin’s group, she quickly took the child from Mu-jin’s arms, cradling him carefully.
The way she gazed at the child in her arms made it obvious they were mother and son.
“……”
Absorbed in the relief of having her child back, it wasn’t until she was holding him that she noticed the people who had brought him back were martial artists, just like those who had caused havoc in the village and abducted her child.
Fear flickered in her eyes at the thought of what might happen if these warriors got angry at her abruptness.
But that fear soon melted away. They didn’t seem to care about her rudeness. Instead, they looked on with warm smiles, clearly moved by her display of motherly love.
The sight of middle-aged men in monk robes and daoist robes smiling gently was too peaceful for her to feel scared.
Although on closer inspection, their clothes and bodies were stained with dirt and blood.
Breaking the awkward silence, Hyun-hyeon spoke up.
“Hmm. During the journey, I managed to calm the yang energy rampaging in the child’s body. He shouldn’t have any more fits for at least a few days.”
The Red Tiger Leader translated Hyun-hyeon’s words. Hearing this, the woman holding the child bowed repeatedly, expressing her gratitude.
“She’s saying thank you,” the Red Tiger Leader explained briefly.
The monks and daoists smiled warmly again.
But it was only for a moment.
Knowing that lingering longer could attract the demon cultists, Hyun-hyeon spoke up.
“We’ve done all we can here. Let’s head back.”
Though it wouldn’t affect them much, they couldn’t risk innocent villagers getting caught up in the trouble.
Without hesitation, they turned to leave.
“@#$@#”
Suddenly, the woman’s voice called out from behind. They turned back, seeing her with a conflicted expression, looking between them and the child in her arms.
Carefully, she held the child out towards Hyun-hyeon.
“???”
While everyone looked puzzled, she spoke again in the Southern Barbarian language.
“……Tui-ni. She’s saying that due to the child’s innate constitution, this situation might happen often. As an ordinary woman, she feels she can’t protect him,” the Red Tiger Leader translated.
Hyun-hyeon responded seriously, “Are you sure? We are monks who serve Buddha. If we leave now, you might never see this child again.”
The Red Tiger Leader translated his words, scratching his head at her reply.
“……She says that even if she never sees the child again, she wants him to be happy. As a mother who can’t prevent his fits or stop others from abducting him, she thinks it’s better for him to be with good people like us, where he can cultivate his body and mind.”
Feeling awkward expressing such sentimental words, the Red Tiger Leader’s tone was uneasy.
However, Hyun-hyeon, moved by her sincerity, replied earnestly.
“In that case, say your goodbyes to the child. We’ll step back and give you some time. It’s okay if you change your mind during this moment.”
Following Hyun-hyeon’s instructions, the group stepped back.
Though all of them were highly skilled martial artists capable of hearing even whispered conversations from this distance, they respected the privacy of the mother and child’s conversation in the Southern Barbarian language, simply admiring the surrounding rainforest while they waited.
Occasionally, a few, particularly the curious younger members of the Muja Trio, couldn’t help but sneak glances at the mother and child.
The mother, kneeling and looking into the child’s eyes, spoke softly.
The ‘child,’ who seemed to be about ten years old, listened attentively.
Whether he fully understood her words was uncertain.
When the mother finished speaking, the child shook his head and tried to return to her embrace, but she gently held him back by the shoulders, her eyes filling with tears.
After some time of complicated conversation between the child and the mother...
Leaving his tearful mother behind, the child started walking towards Mu-jin's group with a resolute step. His eyes were swollen, and he looked like he might burst into tears at any moment, but his steps were determined.
Hyun-hyeon, holding the child’s hand, spoke with the calm demeanor of a virtuous high monk. “We will ensure that the child no longer suffers or faces dangers like today. Please, do not worry.”
Even before the Red Tiger Leader could translate, the mother, seemingly understanding Hyun-hyeon’s words, nodded her head.
After their final farewells, they left the village and headed into the rainforest, now with an additional young companion they hadn't planned for.
Mu-jin watched the child walking hand in hand with Hyun-hyeon, deep in thought.
‘Fate works in mysterious ways.’
He had been initially refused when he offered to take the child as a disciple. But the kidnapping incident had led to this unexpected turn of events.
However, he wasn’t entirely pleased just because Shaolin had a new disciple.
‘At his age, he will remember everything about his mother.’
Unlike Mu-jin, or rather, unlike Choi Kang-hyuk, who had no memory of his parents and was raised by his grandparents from a very young age.
Without memories, there was no longing, just curiosity.
What about this child? Would the memories of his mother give him strength or make his life harder in her absence?
Mu-jin didn’t know the answer.
But one thing was certain.
‘As I promised his mother, I must ensure he lives happily in Shaolin.’
Just as his grandparents had done for him.
While Mu-jin was lost in these thoughts, Mu-gung, also watching the child, spoke up.
“We will soon become second-class disciples.”
“So, disciples will come under us, right, Mu-gung senior brother?”
“So, will that make him our martial nephew? Wow!”
“Martial nephew, huh. Feels strange. Hahaha.”
Watching them talk excitedly, Hyun-hyeon, who was holding the child’s hand, laughed like a grandfather amused by his grandchildren and said, “Hehehe. He might not be your martial nephew, Mu-gung.”
“Huh?”
Mu-gung looked puzzled, prompting Hyun-hyeon to explain with a laugh.
“This child was born with a Heavenly Martial Constitution and will likely need to learn the Extreme Yang Energy Technique. He’s more likely to become your disciple.”
“!!!!”
Mu-gung’s eyes widened in shock. His normally stern face showed an innocent surprise, but he was too stunned to notice his own expression.
Finding Mu-gung’s reaction amusing, Hyun-hyeon added, “He was the first to join as a disciple and was born with a Heavenly Martial Constitution. He might become the next grand disciple and possibly the future abbot of Shaolin. The responsibility is immense, Mu-gung. Hehehe.”
“Gr-grand disciple... abbot…”
Mu-gung muttered in disbelief.
Seeing his dumbfounded look, Mu-jin had an urge to smack the back of his head but restrained himself, clenching his fist. He couldn’t hit his senior in front of a disciple. It was a matter of pride.
Even in modern times, you wouldn’t hit a married friend in front of their child.
‘I'll hit him later when no one’s around.’
Mu-jin mentally noted to hit Mu-gung’s head later.
Meanwhile, Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul were reacting with awe.
“Congratulations on getting a disciple, Mu-gung senior brother.”
“Hehe. I wonder who will be my disciple?”
“Right, Mu-yul. I’m curious about who will be mine too.”
Lost in his imagination, Mu-jin mumbled, “...It won’t be easy.”
“What won’t be easy?”
“What are you talking about?”
Pointing at Mu-gyeong, Mu-jin explained, “You’ve learned too many martial arts. Finding someone with your talent won’t be easy.”
“...But can’t I teach them well?”
“You?”
Mu-jin’s incredulous response made Mu-gyeong retort angrily, “What’s wrong with me?”
“Do you remember how you always answer when I ask you something?”
“...What do I say?”
“You always say, ‘I just did it, so it worked.’ How does that work, you crazy genius?”
There’s a saying in sports: geniuses can’t be coaches.
This applied to Mu-gyeong too.
Mu-gyeong, rendered speechless by Mu-jin’s point, sulked while Mu-yul asked, “What about me, Mu-jin?”
“You…”
Mu-jin, momentarily lost for words, sighed and turned to Hye-geol, “It seems you’ll have a tough time in the next generation too, Master Uncle Hye-geol.”
“Hahaha...”
Hye-geol laughed like a monk who had reached enlightenment, amused by Mu-jin’s solemn condolences.
Compared to Mu-yul, Mu-gyeong was a breeze.
Mu-jin was sure that even if Mu-yul got a disciple, Hye-geol would end up teaching the Shaolin Five Fists instead.
“Hahaha... but wouldn’t it be easier than Mu-yul?”
Hye-geol seemed aware of his fate, openly joking about his future disciple.
“What’s the conversation about? Hehe?”
“Huh?”
Unconcerned by Hye-geol’s remarks, Mu-yul laughed innocently.
Mu-jin, chuckling at Mu-yul’s reaction, wondered aloud, “So, what kind of disciple would be suitable for me?”
He didn’t plan to spend his life in Shaolin, and given the novel's end, he wasn’t sure of his fate, making his question largely hypothetical.
But his companions responded in unison, as if the answer was obvious.
“Someone obsessed with exercise.”
“A muscle-headed fool.”
“A masochist who loves muscle pain?”
The words were different, but the meaning was the same.
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