Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I sat with Dokgo Seong, sipping tea. Until now, I had only occasionally come to this temple to catch some sleep or to wash myself at the nearby waterfall—I had rarely ever properly rested here. The tea that Dokgo Seong had brewed was of excellent quality, its fragrant aroma clearing my mind.

Dokgo Seong spoke.

“In truth, I had anticipated that you would reach the Sword Thunder Realm. Your martial prowess is by no means low, so I figured you would master it. It simply took a bit longer than expected…”

“Still, I’ve attained it, so I’m satisfied.”

“Hmm. First, savor the tea. This is a renowned tea made from gama grass that only grows in Dragon King Valley.”

The tea was indeed delicious. It had a slight astringency, but tea is meant to be enjoyed for its inherent flavor, so I could drink it quite contentedly. A silent incense stick’s worth of time passed as we savored the tea, and then Dokgo Seong opened his mouth.

“I said I would tell you the story of Ha Taek Shinhoe once you reached the Sword Thunder Realm.”

“Yes, you did.”

I nodded.

“I’d like to hear it.”

“Heh heh. Stuck away in these remote mountains for decades, one starts wanting to boast to anyone about what they’ve learned.”

Dokgo Seong let out a self-deprecating laugh and used his void grasping technique to pull a single book from the bookshelf. It was an ancient tome, its cover extremely worn.

“It says ‘Bodhi’ on the cover.”

“I see.”

“Do you know what Bodhi means?”

I thought for a moment, recalling memories from my days studying letters.

“I know that in Buddhism, Bodhi refers to the enlightenment obtained through cultivation.”

“Correct. Originally, there was a tree called the Bodhi tree, with which Shakyamuni had a great connection, and in later generations, Bodhi itself became a term symbolizing enlightenment.”

“Is that book a Buddhist scripture?”

“I thought it was too.”

Thought it was?

I tilted my head in puzzlement, and Dokgo Seong explained.

“This book can be called the essays of Ha Taek Shinhoe, containing his thoughts during his final years of seclusion here in Dragon King Valley. So, it’s not exactly a scripture.”

“Hmm… Isn’t that still considered a scripture, even if it’s a high monk jotting down his musings…”

“Ha Taek Shinhoe was renowned, but he wasn’t a virtuous high monk. Of course, the reason I call this book essays rather than a scripture is something else entirely.”

Dokgo Seong fell silent for a moment before continuing.

“There’s an old Buddhist tale. When the Fifth Ancestor Hongren, successor to Bodhidharma, was passing on his robe and bowl, Shenxiu and Huineng competed for it. Shenxiu’s teachings later became the lineage of the doctrinal school, and Huineng, as you know, is one of the patriarchs of the Zen school.”

“Yes.”

“At that time, Shenxiu, the eminent monk skilled in scriptural interpretation, offered this exegesis on Bodhi.”

Dokgo Seong infused his inner energy into his finger and slowly wrote characters on the temple’s stone floor.

“The body is the Bodhi tree, the mind is a bright mirror stand. Constantly wipe it diligently, lest dust alight. That was Shenxiu’s interpretation.”

“Bodhi originally has no tree, the bright mirror is not a stand. Originally there is not a single thing—where could dust alight? This was Huineng’s interpretation.”

"......"

I carefully examined the two verses. There was definitely a difference between them. It was a point revealing the divergence in views on ‘enlightenment’ between the doctrinal and Zen schools. I hadn’t studied Buddhist scriptures in great depth, but I could get a general sense of it. Curious, I looked at Dokgo Seong.

"Hmm... But is there some problem with these interpretations?"

"As I mentioned before, Ha Taek Shinhoe was originally Shenxiu’s disciple but later switched to become Huineng’s. People thought he was more drawn to Zen teachings... but that wasn’t the case."

Dokgo Seong gave a wry smile.

"According to the essays, he was a worldly monk cloaked in priestly robes. He threw himself into Zen to cash in on its harmless, ambiguous teachings. Indeed, riding on his fame as a Zen high monk, Ha Taek Shinhoe committed all sorts of corruption and graft, amassing wealth equivalent to five hundred nyang of gold by his later years."

"......"

"It’s from his final essays, a sort of memoir, so we can’t dismiss it as lies."

Muttering that, Dokgo Seong sat back down for a moment. Then he continued.

"Yet after accumulating such wealth and fame, Ha Taek Shinhoe ultimately returned to the countryside and built a small temple in this extremely remote and treacherous Dragon King Valley in Sichuan to live out his days in seclusion."

"...That’s strange."

"Indeed. Originally, he planned to use his fortune to secretly create a dual identity and enjoy luxury near Chang’an."

"So there was a reason he had no choice but to seclude himself in Dragon King Valley?"

Dokgo Seong nodded.

"It was because of his master, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng."

"......?"

I felt puzzled. After pondering his words for a bit, I voiced my guess.

"Was the Sixth Patriarch Huineng actually a legendary martial arts master? Since Bodhidharma was the first patriarch of the White Lotus Sect, his descendant and Sixth Patriarch Huineng must have been equally extraordinary..."

"No way. Huineng wasn’t a martial artist like us."

"Then was he a highly skilled Buddhist sorcerer?"

"That wasn’t it either. Monks cultivate the Dharma, not amassing power through martial arts or sorcery like we martial artists do. Especially not a great monk called the Sixth Patriarch..."

Dokgo Seong dismissed my words and continued in a heavy tone.

"The Sixth Patriarch Huineng spent his final years on Mount Caoxi teaching disciples and expounding enlightenment. His words were even revered as the scripture known as the Platform Sutra. But Ha Taek Shinhoe, who observed this process closest, ended up fleeing in terror."

"......?"

I was dumbfounded and asked back.

"Did I hear that wrong just now? Terror?"

"Yes."

"Why would a worldly man like Ha Taek Shinhoe, ignorant of martial arts or sorcery, flee all the way to Sichuan’s Dragon King Valley in fear of a monk?"

"It seems Ha Taek Shinhoe had doubts about this Bodhi interpretation from the start and grew increasingly convinced over time."

Pointing to the Bodhi interpretations on the floor, Dokgo Seong continued calmly.

"Ha Taek Shinhoe wrote that he personally witnessed Huineng writing his interpretation of Bodhi on the wall—when they were alone together. At that moment, he felt an atmosphere of transcendent darkness descending upon Huineng."

"......"

Darkness!

The word made my hair stand on end. Whether he noticed my reaction or not, Dokgo Seong spoke with enthusiasm.

"Everyone else might have been oblivious, but not Ha Taek Shinhoe, who lived off scraps from the table. He had approached Huineng as a disciple intending to exploit him, but he gradually felt a profound sense of alienation."

"Alienation..."

Feeling like I had a hunch, I listened to listen quietly. Dokgo Seong glanced at the Bodhi interpretation and said.

"In his writings, Ha Taek Shinhoe speculated that the Fifth Ancestor Hongren was of the same ilk as the Sixth Patriarch Huineng. Because Hongren himself—the very one who ignored Shenxiu’s perfect interpretation—understood Huineng’s verses."

"Understood..."

"In any case, he tried to suppress his unease and began his corrupt deeds. Then one day, while observing Huineng’s sermon on Mount Caoxi, he was greatly shocked."

Dokgo Seong paused dramatically before saying,

"With each word of his sermon, chaos swirled in the heavens, and darkness rippled across the entire mountain, as he directly witnessed words dominating humans. There’s a record that thousands of devotees were manipulated by Huineng’s words as if afflicted with sleepwalking disease."

"......!!"

"It’s also written that Huineng’s body would occasionally transform into something evoking darkness or chaos. Overwhelmed by immense unease and terror toward Huineng, Ha Taek Shinhoe ultimately abandoned all his wealth in Chang’an, fled to Sichuan, and hid in the most remote spot, Dragon King Valley."

"......"

Silence descended in the room.

After pondering deeply, I cautiously spoke.

"Are you saying... the Sixth Patriarch Huineng was a being beyond humanity?"

"Most likely."

"Could he have been a great yao?"

"Perhaps a great yao, but that wouldn’t match his stature. It would be strange if no one noticed a yao among a high monk designated as successor at the head temple of Buddhism."

"Hmm."

"Ha Taek Shinhoe surmised it was something that transcended even great yao. An existence so overwhelmingly powerful that humans warp their own perceptions to protect themselves..."

Dokgo Seong crossed his arms.

"You may know this, but in this world, non-human entities occasionally appear... and they can’t even be classified as yao. I’ve seen with my own eyes the demonic beasts that sometimes emerged from the White Lotus Sect, so I believe in the hidden side of the world."

"......"

"I don’t know what those evidences are, but if Huineng came from ‘that side,’ it makes sense."

That side.

Beyond humanity.

In other words—the world of other races, demons, and the [ancient rulers].

I knew that world chillingly well and had encountered it frequently, so I could absorb this information more viscerally than Dokgo Seong.

"Yes, exactly. Perhaps..."

Thinking of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng as Bodhidharma’s successor made it even more plausible. Bodhidharma was originally the first patriarch of the White Lotus Sect, the human who knew this world’s darkness and truth best. He ultimately succumbed to madness, creating the Scripture of No-Life and No-Death before vanishing into chaos. But if someone claimed to be such a Bodhidharma’s successor—

Perhaps the Zen lineage, starting with the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, knew about the Scripture of No-Life and No-Death!

With a hypothesis forming in my mind, I urgently said to Dokgo Seong.

"Elder. Sorry, but may I take that essay collection ‘Bodhi’ with me?"

"Do as you like. I’ve already memorized it all anyway."

Dokgo Seong burst into laughter.

"Hahaha. No matter how monumental the event in ancient times, it’s at least eight or nine hundred years ago. I read it like an entertaining collection of anecdotes, so enjoy it the same way."

"Haha..."

I laughed weakly.

‘Dokgo Seong knows the hidden world exists but doesn’t grasp its terror.’

I tucked Ha Taek Shinhoe’s ‘Bodhi’ into my bosom and took another sip of tea. Then I said to Dokgo Seong.

"Elder. I’ll be heading back now."

"Alright. Serve the patriarch well."

Paat!

I returned to Dragon Spirit Valley and went to find Jegal Sa and Mang Ryang. Mang Ryang wasn’t there, and Jegal Sa was sitting, poring over stacks of documents. Spotting me, he grinned.

"Any progress?"

"I’ve reached the Sword Thunder Realm."

"Oh ho. You’re starting to amount to something now."

"Where’s Mang Ryang?"

Jegal Sa stood up and said.

"He’s gone to the old Bohai territories to investigate the silver phoenix fragment. He sent a letter recently saying the investigation should wrap up soon."

"I see."

"Let’s gather everyone and talk. See what you’ve all been up to."

Soon, all the comrades in Dragon Spirit Valley assembled. Seeing their faces after so long filled me with joy, and I grinned. But I was puzzled that Yi Cheong-un was missing.

"Where’s Yi Cheong-un?"

"He went as Mang Ryang’s guard."

"Ah."

"That area’s currently under the Twelve Riter’ domain, so he might run into peak experts if he’s not careful."

Jegal Sa continued.

"Baek Woong. Nothing much happened here. We all trained our martial arts like hermits in seclusion, heh heh."

Geuk Ho grumbled bluntly.

"What’s this ‘hermit loser’? Say ‘valiantly devoted to training.’"

Seeing Geuk Ho made me glad, and I said.

"Geuk Ho. How have you been?"

"Just waiting for the day I can slice off Yong Bi-cheon’s neck."

Geuk Ho grinned and added.

"And while you were gone, Miho came to Dragon Spirit Valley all hot and bothered—didn’t know that?"

"Huh?"

Was that true?

As I looked surprised, Jin So-cheong beside me gave a wry smile.

"Sabyung. You’re in for it when Miho finds out..."

"Ah, whatever! She teased me too."

While Geuk Ho grumbled, I cautiously asked Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon.

"By any chance... have you both reached the Absolute Realm?"

They both shook their heads.

"Not at all."

"Heh heh."

The Sword Demon let out a hearty laugh.

"Baek Woong. Just because our talents surpass yours doesn’t mean we can soar to the Absolute Realm in a year and a half. That realm is something even insanely gifted beings might barely attain after life-or-death fortuitous encounters—it’s still far off."

"But compared to before, you’ve all grown tremendously stronger."

I voiced my honest impression. Indeed, all my comrades exuded incredibly powerful auras, showing growth incomparable to my attainment of Sword Thunder. The Sword Demon especially...

"If we couldn’t reach even this level, dogs would laugh. Anyway, the Absolute Realm looks like it’ll take at least a decade."

"I see..."

I felt secretly relieved yet daunted by the path ahead. Not seeing my comrades reach the Absolute Realm right away eased my sense of defeat, but it also made me wonder how much effort even these geniuses would need for a realm they couldn’t ascend to quickly.

As we chatted about recent events, Jegal Sa said to me.

"Baek Woong. Go fetch Mang Ryang."

"Fetch him?"

"Mang Ryang seems to have uncovered quite a lot. The reason he’s stuck now appears to be lack of materials, and it’s thousands of li from Bohai lands here, so he can’t come immediately. It’d be good if you could bring him swiftly with your Flying Dragon."

"Got it."

Paat!!

As Jegal Sa instructed, I headed near the North Sea Ice Palace, close to the old Bohai lands. A bit further northwest from the North Sea Ice Palace lay Sanggyeong Yongcheon Castle, the site of Bohai’s ancient ruins. I vaguely remembered passing close to Sanggyeong Yongcheon Castle before, but since my memory wasn’t clear, I paused to check a map and search carefully.

Tadada!

After running several hundred li and matching the map, I reached Bohai lands. Asking locals and rummaging around, I arrived at the ruins of Sanggyeong Yongcheon Castle in about half a day.

‘This is the place.’

The ruins of the fallen capital lay scattered intact. Even after Bohai’s fall, revival movements arose—Later Bohai, Jeongan Kingdom, Yeongbu Kingdom, Heungyo Kingdom, Great Bohai, and others—but they were ultimately destroyed by the Jin Dynasty. Strangely, none of those successor states seemed to think of rebuilding these Sanggyeong Yongcheon Castle ruins into a city fortress.

I leaped inside and searched for Mang Ryang’s location as Jegal Sa had described. Soon, I found where Mang Ryang was staying and waved to him.

"I’m here!"

"Oh, you’ve come."

Seeing Mang Ryang after so long, his beard was thick and unkempt, grimy with dirt. But his eyes were clear and vital, his stamina undiminished. After catching up on events, Mang Ryang said.

"Reached the Sword Thunder Realm—good for you. Then help with this side too."

"What’s going on?"

Kugugung...

At that moment, a heavy destructive sound echoed. Hearing it and the vibration, Mang Ryang sighed.

"It’s that gate keeping me from investigating further."

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