SDG 38

Chapter 38

People who think or act differently from others are usually called “eccentrics.”
The reason Monk Beopun saw me that way was simply because I didn’t frown when I saw the scribbles.
But now, he had changed his words—he was calling me a sage.

“Enlightenment is something that even a mere monk might hang his neck for just a glimpse of.
Who in the world could let it go as easily as Confucius did?”

That was Beopun’s explanation for his change of heart.
At his compliment, I could only smile.
To be honest, it hadn’t been an easy decision for me either.
It’s not as if I had no greed for enlightenment, or no regrets about giving it up.

“I just know how to build a tower.”

That was all.
But when I kept quiet, Beopun must have taken my silence as humility.
His gaze toward me grew fonder, and a satisfied smile lingered on his lips.
Maybe that’s why—

“Since I have wronged you by misunderstanding you, I ought to make amends.”

He suddenly offered me a reward.
But that reward was not what I expected.

“Since you have decided to build your tower slowly, if you take your time and look around this place a little longer, perhaps something good will happen to you.”

That was all—words that felt like a hint.
I tried to ask more, suspecting he knew something, but it was useless.

“If fate allows, we shall speak again.”

Leaving those words behind, he vanished as suddenly as he had appeared.
Left alone, I sank into thought.

“If I take my time looking around, something good will happen…?”

What did that mean?
At first, I thought it might be a Zen riddle.
But it was too simple to be one—so simple that it was actually harder to interpret.
So, I decided to approach it simply.

“I’ll find out by doing it.”

Whether his words required deep enlightenment or not—I’d only know by trying.

“Everyone, do as you wish. If I’m late, don’t wait—just return to the Golden Coin Merchant Guild.”

I gave Sahun, Geumdu, and Gillang some free time.
Sahun was still half out of it, while Gillang seemed especially happy.

“At ease, then.”

And so I began wandering around Cheonmun Temple alone.
Literally at ease, without overthinking it.

I started inside the temple itself, where I stood.
Beginning with the mark Jincheon had left, I slowly examined the surroundings.
Sure enough, once I eased my mind, things I hadn’t noticed before began to appear.

“This place is even older than I thought.”

The good upkeep had hidden the building’s true age, but the traces were clear now.
Though I didn’t know the temple’s full history, it had clearly stood for centuries.
I could feel the weight of that accumulated time—the air itself seemed steeped in it.

A sudden thought struck me, and I called out to Sahun, who still hadn’t fully recovered.

“Sahun, was there a particular reason you chose this place within the temple?”

Even through his pain, he nodded and revealed a hidden truth.

“I chose this place because it is one of the few in the world where the strongest anti-demonic energy flows.”

Hangma (anti-demonic)—energy that subdues evil spirits.
It couldn’t be felt by ordinary people; it acted only upon corrupted beings.
Apparently, Sahun had faintly sensed what was usually imperceptible.

That part wasn’t so important.
What truly mattered was that I now understood why Jincheon had come here.

“So even after leaving, you never gave up…”

Jincheon had fought and defeated the Heavenly Demon, but suffered grave injuries in that battle.
Those wounds came from the Heavenly Demon’s supreme technique—Cheonma Jin-gi (Heavenly Demon Essence).
All known methods had failed, and even the most renowned healer of the time had declared the wounds incurable.
Everyone had given up.

I’d thought Jincheon, too, had accepted it when he left Mount Hwasan alone.
But now I realized—that wasn’t the case.

“He came here, hoping to use the anti-demonic energy to push out the Heavenly Demon’s aura…”

It was one of the methods once proposed by a Hwasan elder.
But it was never realized, because the only sect capable of handling anti-demonic energy—Shaolin—had sealed itself off after being devastated by the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Even the Shaolin abbot had been powerless to help; they had no one left who could wield those arts.
Just like Hwasan, they’d been nearly destroyed.
That was why Shaolin had closed its gates.

With Shaolin unreachable, there had been no way forward.
Few could even sense anti-demonic energy, let alone use it to drive out the Heavenly Demon’s aura.
So the method had been abandoned.

But Jincheon—he’d tried it anyway, alone.

“You fool.”

I couldn’t help but curse.
It wasn’t just sorrow—it was frustration.
Because there had been another way back then.

A way even surer than anti-demonic energy.

“You should have used me.”

The Heavenly Demon’s energy? Sure, it was terrifying.
Anti-demonic energy? Powerful, yes.
But me? I wasn’t any less than that.

I had confidence—I could have expelled that vile energy from Jincheon’s body myself.
Though, I’ll admit—my back hadn’t been in great shape after that brutal battle.
Jincheon must have worried about that.
He must have thought that using my power—using Zaha Divine Sword, the sacred treasure of Hwasan—might destroy me in the process.

He wasn’t entirely wrong.
After that fight, I did end up as a half-crippled old hermit, after all.

Still—
To throw away your only chance of survival without even trying it?
That was just foolish.

“Sacred treasure or not, life comes first.”

The sect leader and elders had given their approval.
But Jincheon refused.
He said he couldn’t risk losing me for an uncertain cure.

But it wasn’t uncertain.
We could have healed him.
There was a good chance I’d have survived the process, too.
He should have at least tried.

“Idiot. Fool. Imbecile.”

He truly deserved all of it.
And yet—
There was one thing I couldn’t help but praise him for.

“Thank you… for not giving up.”

It must have been agonizing.
A pain so great that death might have seemed preferable.
I knew, because I had faced that same aura before—Cheonma Jin-gi, the Heavenly Demon Essence.
Even as a divine sword, it had felt like my soul was being eaten alive.
For a human body, it was unimaginable.

No one who had survived the Heavenly Demon’s hand had endured longer than a month.
Most ended their lives before that.
Even among the “Ten Great Masters of the World,” not one had lasted more than a month.

But Jincheon—he endured for three years.
Three years before leaving Hwasan.
And even then, he never gave up.

That’s why I wanted to know.
What kind of life had he lived afterward?
What kind of days had he spent here?

“Should I have pressed the old monk for more answers…”

The only one I could ask about Jincheon now was Beopun.
Regret began to stir—
Then his words echoed in my mind again.

“Take your time.”

Yes, that phrase.
By following it, I had already uncovered one hidden truth.
But I doubted Beopun had intended that result.
After all, ordinary people couldn’t sense anti-demonic energy.
Without Sahun, I would have missed it entirely.

“Then… there must still be another reason that old monk said that.”

Before seeking him again, I decided to find that reason.
If I recalled Beopun’s expression when he left, this might not be a reward—but a test.

“Take your time…”

Repeating his words again and again, I explored every corner.
But nothing new appeared.
So I stepped outside.

“Take your time.”

Outside, a massive tree greeted me.
I’d seen it earlier, but up close it looked even bigger—
So huge, it could be mistaken for a small hill, lush and wild.

Beyond the tree, five paths spread out, each leading to a different building.
I stood there, wondering which to take first, then shook my head.

“Take your time.”

I decided to explore them one by one, from the leftmost path onward.
But after a while, I stopped again.

“This isn’t really taking my time, is it?”

If I were truly at ease, I wouldn’t be planning an order at all.
I wouldn’t even be deciding where to go first.

“I wouldn’t be thinking about it at all.”

Without hesitation, I turned back.
Still early enough to start over.
If it didn’t feel right, I could always begin again.

I didn’t realize then that I’d end up repeating this process several times—
As many times as I had fingers to count.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”

Being “at ease” was simple in words,
even simple to act upon—

“But how do you stay in that state?”

The moment you let your thoughts wander, you fall out of it.
Even a stray distraction broke the calm.
So far, I’d only managed to explore one of the five paths—
and even then, I doubted I was doing it right.