The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 46: The Religion of Real Men

It was a lazy afternoon.

Having secretly skipped out on training, Gongye sprawled across the wide boulder he'd scouted out earlier. It was tucked away in a secluded corner, far from anyone’s prying eyes.

"Ahh, this is the life."

The boulder, serving as a makeshift bed, had soaked up the warm sunlight and radiated a comforting heat. As Gongye closed his eyes, sleepiness washed over him. It made sense—he'd woken up far too early that day.

Life in the secular world was great. You could sleep in as much as you wanted. But here, with those cursed dawn prayers...

Not daring to fully doze off, Gongye just stretched out his limbs in a lazy mimicry of a nap. After a long, exaggerated yawn, he sat up and perched on the edge of the boulder. His vacant eyes stared blankly into empty space.

Maybe it was because he'd just been thinking about the outside world. The clouds floating across the blue sky seemed to take on strange, whimsical shapes.

Hwangbo Patron. Yi Patron. Tang Patron.

The memories of everything they'd gone through together felt like a fleeting midday dream. It hadn’t even been that long ago, but it already felt oddly distant.

He was zoning out when a stern voice snapped him back to reality.

"You rascal, slacking off again, are you?"

Gongye had already snapped to attention before the word "rascal" had even finished leaving the speaker's mouth, but his face was still stiff with guilt. He instantly recognized the owner of the voice.

It was the Abbot.

Gongye turned his head, forcing a sheepish smile.

"H-ha, I was just about to head back, Master Abbot."

Fully expecting a scolding, Gongye braced himself. But strangely, Master Damdeok didn’t seem angry at all.

"You haven’t been back that long, and already you're itching to leave again?"

"Huh? Master, how could you say something so heartbreaking? You know how much I love this temple..."

"Heh. You’re lucky you know how to sweet-talk."

Scratching his bald head awkwardly, Gongye peeked at Damdeok, puzzled.

Why is he being so forgiving today? ...He must be planning to make me do something.

But Damdeok simply turned his gaze to the open blue sky—the very one Gongye had been staring at. As if casting a fishing line into a river, he sank his gaze into the heavens, then spoke softly.

"Gongye."

"Yes, Master."

"Your eyes have always been filled ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ with curiosity for the secular world."

"Have they?"

"But today, they seemed... filled with longing."

"...Huh?"

Instead of answering, Damdeok let out a quiet chant and turned away.

"Enough. Go get ready."

"Ready for what?"

Before Gongye could figure out what he meant, Damdeok had already withdrawn his emotionless gaze and was walking off. His voice, growing faint with distance, echoed back:

"You’ll be receiving guests."

****

Yeon arrived in Henan, where Shaolin was located, together with Cheongang and Soso. It had taken some effort to shake off Hwangbo Jeonggun, who had tried to hold them back.

Surprisingly, Hwangbo Gwang had only looked a little sad about it—though he had made a strange comment before they left.

"Ahem, how could I dare stand in the way of a hero’s journey? Fly high, little one. I'll handle the rest on my own."

Despite Hwangbo Gwang’s grand expectations, Yeon arrived at Shaolin on foot and knocked on the temple gates.

The monk who greeted them was a familiar face.

"Oh? Patrons, you've arrived!"

"Monk Gongye?"

"Haha! I didn’t realize the guests Master was expecting would be you. Please, come inside."

Gongye, looking pleasantly surprised, ushered them in warmly. Aside from not wearing the wig he'd used previously, he was just the same as ever.

Are we actually allowed in today?

Remembering the last martial arts gathering, Yeon wondered, but didn’t bother asking out loud.

"Master Abbot has been waiting for you. Yi Patron, have you been well?"

"Yes, Monk," Cheongang replied, nodding with a faint smile.

Then Gongye turned to Soso.

"And our Tang Patron?"

"Ah, yes... I've been well," she said shyly.

"Good, good. Haha!"

Following Gongye's easygoing laughter, Yeon crossed through the temple grounds. Before long, they arrived in front of a familiar room.

"Here we are."

"The Abbot's chamber?"

"Yes. The Master instructed me to lead you here."

Just then, the door to the chamber opened and an elderly monk with a gentle expression appeared. It was Master Damdeok.

"Master!"

"Heh heh. Thank you for answering this old monk's humble invitation. Please, come inside."

The Abbot’s chamber of Shaolin—Yeon couldn't help but feel a little solemn as she slipped off her shoes and stepped inside. The others followed, and Gongye was about to leave when Damdeok called out.

"You too, Gongye."

"Me too?"

"Yes."

The interior of the Abbot’s room was simple and austere. Reflecting Master Damdeok’s distaste for excess, there was only the bare minimum of furniture and a modest kitchen area.

Damdeok brought out a plain rectangular wooden table and arranged seating around it. Yeon and Cheongang sat in the middle, with Soso and Gongye at either end—just enough room for everyone.

Still standing, Damdeok pulled a tea set from a cupboard.

"You honored us by coming. Let me at least offer you a cup of tea."

Neither the table nor the tea set was anything fancy or elaborate. Yet Yeon felt strangely tense, like a student called to the principal’s office, waiting for tea brewed personally by the principal himself.

Sensing the atmosphere, Gongye quietly started to rise.

"Should I help?"

"Sit down. Don't say things you don't mean."

"Yessir."

Without lifting a finger, Damdeok sat Gongye back down and began preparing the tea himself.

He boiled water, then poured it into a simple white bowl to cool. After a moment, he poured the cooled water into the teapot and cups to warm them, carefully going through each step at a slow, unhurried pace.

Finally, Damdeok opened the lid of a jar filled with dried tea leaves—and a familiar scent drifted toward Yeon.

Green tea?

As he began steeping the leaves, Damdeok spoke.

"When Master Bodhidharma meditated facing the wall for nine years, what do you think he struggled with most?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Yeon rolled her eyes up, thinking hard.

"Uh... maybe... boredom?"

It was such a simple answer she almost cringed—but Damdeok nodded solemnly over the wafting scent of tea.

"Correct. It’s said he struggled most with sleepiness."

"R-really? Haha..."

"And so, it’s said, Bodhidharma cut off his own eyelids, to keep himself from falling asleep."

What is it with Buddhism and cutting body parts? First he cut off an arm, now his eyelids? Damn, Buddhism is hardcore. Real men’s religion, huh.

Real men’s solution to sleepiness: cut off your eyelids.

As Yeon internally cracked her ridiculous joke, Damdeok continued.

"Bodhidharma threw his severed eyelids onto the ground below. From that spot, two trees grew. And those trees became... tea plants."

"Ah... I see."

Yeon figured it must be some Buddhist legend. She nodded automatically out of habit.

Meanwhile, Damdeok poured out the first steeped water, discarding it into the empty bowl. Only after re-steeping the leaves did he finally pour the tea into their cups.

A clear, pale green tea filled each warm cup.

Maybe it was the eyelid story, but despite the pleasant aroma, Yeon couldn’t shake a weird queasy feeling as she accepted her cup.

Damdeok poured for everyone, then filled his own cup last. From the teapot, the last drop landed with perfect precision, just enough to fill it.

There was something strangely similar about Gongye serving drinks before, and Damdeok now serving tea.

Sipping the slightly bitter green tea, Yeon mused over the thought.

Damdeok, holding his own cup, finally spoke again.

"Shameful as it is, this old monk too... has kept his eyes closed all this time. My eyelids had grown so heavy that I could no longer see the world in front of me."

Yeon furrowed her brows slightly, doing her best to pretend she understood, even though the old monk's words went right over her head.

"When Patron Baek of the Baekha Escort Agency severed his own arm, it was as if the eyelid covering this old monk’s eyes was cut away as well. But it ended there. Without your presence, those discarded eyelids would never have borne fruit."

She heard a soft murmur of awe from Cheongang beside her. Soso looked just as confused as Yeon, and Gongye, meanwhile, seemed like he was genuinely about to nod off, his heavy eyelids drooping precariously.

"I heard all about the events in Hunan," Damdeok said. "On behalf of Shaolin, I offer my deepest gratitude to you all—for upholding justice when everyone else turned their backs."

He pressed his palms together and bowed deeply toward them.

Yeon quickly bowed her head in return.

When she lifted her gaze again, the Abbot was smiling warmly.

"Let’s set aside the flowery thanks, shall we? That’s not the reason I sent a letter to Hwangbo Patron."

"Yes, Master!"

Yeon answered so promptly that Damdeok’s smile deepened.

"First, I’d like to hear about what happened in Hunan directly from you. I imagine it’ll differ from what Gongye told me."

Yeon began recounting the events. Cheongang helped fill in the gaps whenever she faltered, and when it came to the Escort Agency, which neither of them had much knowledge of, Soso stepped in.

When the story reached the topic of the Flame Cult, Damdeok’s face grew visibly more solemn, deep lines carving into his weathered features.

"There are countless religions in this world, and belief is a personal freedom," he said. "But when faith strays from the righteous path, nothing is more dangerous. Amitabha."

Yeon cautiously brought up the fact that she had spared Jo Gwan’s life. To her relief, the Abbot praised her rather than criticizing. However, when she mentioned the black flames and the cremation of the elder’s body, Damdeok’s expression grew guarded.

"Black flames, you say..."

Yeon caught a subtle tension in his voice—more than just surprise. Could it be... he knew something about them?

If he did, this would make her job so much easier.

"Master, by any chance... do you know anything about it? Have you ever seen it yourself?"

But Damdeok shook his head.

"I have not."

"I see..."

Yeon then briefly outlined their future plans—how she and Cheongang intended to track down traces of the Flame Cult. Though she was also speaking for Soso’s sake, the girl simply listened quietly without comment.

"You’re taking on a task few would dare attempt," said Damdeok. "For that, this old monk is sincerely grateful. If I can offer even the slightest help, do not hesitate to ask."

At his generous offer, Yeon’s mind immediately jumped to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

Now’s the perfect time.

She cleared her throat.

"Master, if it’s alright... could I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Would you happen to know anything about the Northern Sea Ice Palace?"

At her question, the warmth slipped from Damdeok’s face, replaced by a grave stillness. Gongye, who had been bobbing his head like a sleepy cat, froze mid-nod.

"Heh..."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no... It’s just..." Damdeok hesitated, then asked, "Is this question connected to the plan you mentioned earlier?"

Yeon thought about it for a moment.

"To be honest... yes and no. It's something very important to me personally, at least."

Damdeok, rare for him, looked a little troubled. After a moment’s pause, he finally spoke again.

"Shaolin has never given a clear answer regarding the Ice Palace. But after offering to help you, I cannot very well back away now, can I?"

Letting out a soft Buddhist chant, he continued.

"I trust that nothing spoken here will leave this room. In that belief, I will tell you what little I know."

Yeon felt a pang of guilt, but she was too desperate for information to hesitate.

"Then... first, does the Northern Sea Ice Palace actually exist?"

"It does."

"I heard that they nearly entered the martial world officially... and that Shaolin was the first group they contacted."

"That is true."

Yeon bit back the next question on the tip of her tongue—Then why did it all fall apart? It sounded too nosy. Instead, she rephrased carefully:

"Then... would you happen to know where the Ice Palace is now? There’s something I desperately need to find."

But Damdeok shook his head once more.

"I do not. Nor, I believe, does anyone else in Shaolin."

Yeon struggled to hide her disappointment.

"I see..."

"I regret that I cannot be of more help."

"No, Master, not at all. I’m the one who made an unreasonable request. I swear I won't breathe a word of what you’ve told me."

"Thank you for your understanding."

After that, the conversation drifted into lighter topics. Time passed quietly, and by the time the tea had gone cold, Yeon and her companions rose to leave.

As they prepared to exit, Damdeok added one last thing:

"If you have any more questions, feel free to ask Gongye."

Following Gongye, the group headed toward the guest quarters. As they walked, Yeon slipped closer to him.

"Monk Gongye."

"Yes, Patron?"

Yeon had caught it—the slight hesitation Master Damdeok showed earlier. Desperate for any clue, she pressed gently:

"Is it really true? That no one knows anything about the Northern Sea Ice Palace?"

At her question, Gongye fell silent for a moment, a strange look crossing his face. Then he spoke.

"There was... one person who might have known."

"Who?"

"Master Myoeun."

"And where is he now? Can we meet him?"

At Yeon’s eager questioning, Gongye lifted a finger and pointed upward.

Yeon followed his gesture—only to find herself staring at the empty sky.

"...Huh?"

"He’s up there," Gongye said softly.

"Up...?"

"He’s attained enlightenment."