Chapter – 78
Wrinkled eyes slowly opened.
It was a familiar space.
A timeworn ceiling. Simple furniture.
The faint, pleasant scent of incense lingered in the air.
“……”
Muhak drew in a deep breath.
What had happened?
He had clearly been defeated by Mosan Shinnno and lost himself.
And yet—unlike before—his hands and feet now moved according to his will.
A familiar voice reached his ears.
“Have you awakened?”
It was Museong, his junior brother and the vice-abbot.
“Don’t tell me… you used a Great Restoration Pill?”
Though he had lost control of his body, his awareness had remained intact.
He had felt his inner energy scattering. Unless a supreme elixir like the Great Restoration Pill had been used, death would have been certain.
And yet here he was—perfectly restored.
Museong placed a warm cup of tea beside the bed.
“How did you even kno—”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Muhak exploded.
“You know what the Great Restoration Pill is! And you used it on an old withered stump who’s already lived his life?!”
“……”
Museong silently looked at him, then reached into his robes and brought out a small wooden box.
Meanwhile, Muhak’s fury showed no sign of cooling.
“What sort of brainless fool makes that kind of decision while holding the position of vice-abbot—”
A sweet fragrance brushed his nose.
Inside the opened box lay one, two, three, four…
Muhak’s wrinkled eyes widened fivefold.
“Th-the Great Restoration Pills?!”
He sprang upright as if he had never been bedridden.
“N-no—what in the world is this? How did this happen?!”
Museong closed the box calmly.
“They say if you save a drowning man, he’ll demand the bundle on your back too. Tsk, tsk.”
“……”
After clicking his tongue pointedly, Museong stood.
“If you have the energy to be ungrateful, please come out.”
He paused at the doorway and looked back.
“Someone is waiting for you.”
“Vice-Abbot Museong informed me of your efforts. Your deeds live up to your reputation. I am truly impressed.”
Entering the guest hall, Muhak pressed his palms together toward Kang Yu and Yeon Baekrim.
After offering a few more words of praise, his tone shifted—still gentle, but firm.
“I apologize, but could the two of you step outside for a moment?”
His gaze remained fixed on Kang Yu.
Museong and Yeon Baekrim exchanged looks and left the hall.
Muhak raised his hand, sealing the sound around them. His manner became exceedingly respectful.
“You have come from Jangbaek-dong, have you not?”
Kang Yu blinked.
“Oh. You know our village?”
“You likely do not remember me.”
“Have we met before?”
“It was long ago. When you had just begun to walk.”
Emotion flickered in Muhak’s eyes.
“To see how you have grown—it fills my heart. You have become even more remarkable than I imagined.”
He had already heard countless rumors about Kang Yu.
A rising master who saved the Namgung Clan and the Tang Clan from destruction.
And now, he had even defeated the ghost of the past that Muhak himself could not handle.
Muhak rose and bowed deeply.
“Earlier, I could not properly show my respect due to watching eyes. For everything you have done for Shaolin, this humble monk offers his deepest gratitude.”
Kang Yu awkwardly stood.
“W-why are you doing this? Please raise your head. And you can speak normally—you’re much older than me.”
“No. This is proper.”
Kang Yu was the joint successor to the former greatest martial artists under heaven, including Baek Buseong, the Abbot known as the Giant Spirit Divine Fist, one of Shaolin’s Ten Great Abbots.
In truth, there was no one in the current martial world with higher seniority.
Not to mention, Muhak owed him his life—and had received even more Great Restoration Pills than promised twenty years ago.
By martial hierarchy and by debt alike, such courtesy was only fitting.
“I heard you have come to retrieve the sacred treasure.”
After a long back-and-forth, Muhak asked politely.
Kang Yu nodded.
“Yes. Things are about to get busy.”
For over a decade, many mysteries had remained unsolved. With Kang Yu’s appearance, they were unraveling like threads pulled loose.
Muhak pressed his palms together.
“You will overcome what lies ahead.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
They left the guest hall together.
Surprisingly, the sacred treasure was not kept in some hidden vault—but outside, near where the young novice monks stayed.
As Muhak entered the outer quarters, a group of shaved-headed boys in gray robes rushed out.
He patted each of them on the head, then whispered to one.
“Go bring it now.”
The novice nodded and climbed a small hill behind the quarters.
Beyond a few low mounds stood a tiny hut woven from branches—more like a children’s secret base than an actual shelter.
The novice removed one of the leaves and odds and ends covering it.
Inside was a red robe densely embroidered with Buddhist scriptures.
Muhak handed the boy some candied hawthorn skewers as a snack.
“Waaah!”
Grinning, the novice ran down the hill.
Only then did Muhak present the robe to Kang Yu.
“This is the Maitreya Sacred Treasure. I beg forgiveness for safeguarding it poorly, having fallen victim to illusion.”
“Oh, come on. There’s nothing to forgive.”
After being trapped in the Illusory Formation and burning the Scripture Pavilion, Muhak had briefly regained clarity.
Knowing his consciousness was linked to the enemy, he needed a place to hide the treasure.
So he entrusted it to a novice who didn’t even know what it was—and bound his own hands and feet with eternal cold iron.
“What abilities does this have?” Kang Yu asked.
Muhak bowed slightly.
“It blocks cold and heat, and reduces external impact to some degree. They say if a third-rate martial artist wears it, he becomes first-rate. If a first-rate wears it, he reaches peak level.”
“Wow. It blocks cold and heat?”
“Indeed.”
Kang Yu removed the pack from his back.
The Tang family’s fire beads were carefully wrapped inside the sacred robe.
“Wow. That’ll make things less exhausting.”
“……”
“Where will you go now?”
Muhak and Museong escorted Kang Yu and Yeon Baekrim to the mountain gate.
With others watching, Muhak’s tone returned to normal.
“I’m heading to Poyang Lake.”
“Poyang Lake?”
It lay in Jiangxi Province, connected by waterway from Hubei where Shaolin stood.
Kang Yu nodded.
“I’m meeting Lord Danju there.”
“You mean Vice-Leader Wi?”
“He’s finishing up something with Haesinmun and will meet me there.”
“Precisely halfway between here and Shaolin.”
Museong began to speak, but Muhak stopped him.
He bowed deeply.
“Travel safely. May the Buddha’s compassion fill your path.”
After brief farewells, Kang Yu and Yeon Baekrim left Shaolin behind.
Walking down the mountain path, Yeon Baekrim suddenly stopped.
Finally…
Finally, the moment had come.
The moment to bid eternal farewell to that monstrous nightmare of a companion.
There was no longer any reason to stay bound to him.
As if on cue, the “monster” spoke first.
“Where will you go now, Divine Dragon?”
Where else? Anywhere without you.
But Yeon Baekrim could hardly say that aloud.
“I cannot say exactly. You know—it is due to my duties.”
“Right. You’re a secret agent.”
“Yes. My destination is confidential.”
Kang Yu looked genuinely disappointed.
“Thank you for everything. Without you, I would’ve completely messed this up. Sniff, sniff.”
“……”
The tears nearly softened his resolve—but this was no time for weakness.
He gave a crisp martial salute.
“Where there is meeting, there is parting. It was a valuable experience for me as well. I wish you martial fortune.”
Without lingering, Yeon Baekrim strode down the path.
Just as he reached a bend—
“Hmm?”
Far below, about a hundred paces away, familiar figures were climbing up.
He squinted.
And then—
“Gasp!!!!!”
The Henan Six Freaks.
He dove into the bushes.
Hadn’t Kang Yu said this was the only path to Shaolin?
The Henan Six Freaks were part of the Black Four Alliance of the unorthodox sects.
There was no way they were heading to Shaolin.
“D-don’t tell me…”
A chill ran down his spine.
“Over there—!”
They had spotted him.
They began running.
There was only one solution.
Yeon Baekrim spun around and sprinted back.
“H-hey! Young Hero Kang!”
Kang Yu had just been about to leap forward.
“Y-you said you’re going to Poyang Lake?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what you plan to do, but wouldn’t it be difficult alone?”
“Well…”
Yeon Baekrim glanced back.
The Six Freaks were already at the bend.
“If you wish, I shall assist you just this once.”
“Really?!”
“L-let’s go quickly.”
“Okay!”
They leapt into the air together.
As Yeon Baekrim’s consciousness faded mid-flight, he saw the Six Freaks kicking off the ground below.
Kang Yu glanced back at him.
“Still tired, huh?”
They soared over another mountain.
“I wonder what Master is doing…”
“Whew.”
Bi Gwang straightened from his hoeing and looked at the sky.
The red glow of sunset bathed the land.
He had never felt such peace in his life.
But he could not remain in this paradise forever.
It would be unfair to the people of Jangbaek-dong.
And he had a promise to keep with his only disciple.
Wiping his sweat, Bi Gwang stuck the hoe into the field.
“Perhaps it’s time to prepare to leave….”
