The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan-Chapter 324: Someone In Serpent Dragon Valley (2)

Among the ancients, there was a man named Shenguang from Luoyang.

Shenguang, who had received the upasampadā from Master Bo Jeong of Hyangsan, renounced the secular world and became a monk. After eight years of seated meditation, he sought even greater enlightenment and chose to travel to Shaolin.

Shenguang sought teachings from Bodhidharma, the First Founder, but Bodhidharma was in the middle of nine years of wall-gazing meditation in a cave and did not respond.

Believing that patience was the proper attitude of one who sought the Dharma, Shenguang stood in front of the cave, waiting for Bodhidharma to acknowledge his pursuit.

Months passed as he stood like an unmoving statue.

Winter arrived, and thick snow began to fall from the sky.

Even as the bitter cold penetrated to his very bones, Shenguang did not retreat.

He simply stood there, allowing the heavy snow to fall upon him.

At last, Bodhidharma emerged from the cave and stood before Shenguang.

Shenguang was immediately overwhelmed by Bodhidharma’s appearance.

He had a towering physique, draped in an enormous kāṣāya, and carried a massive alms bowl as large as a cauldron.

His bare feet were covered in thick, dark hair, and his beard was long and unkempt.

Most overwhelming of all were his eyes.

They were so piercing that they did not seem human.

With his owl-like eyes, Bodhidharma gazed down at Shenguang.

“What is it that you seek?”

With a deep, resonant, and exotic voice, Bodhidharma asked the question.

The answer to seeking the Dharma came instinctively from Shenguang’s lips.

“Save all beings from hell.”

Bodhidharma replied.

“When red snow falls from the sky, I shall grant you the Dharma.”

Shenguang, though now a monk, was once a swordsman.

He hesitated for a brief moment, then, like lightning, unsheathed his sword and severed his left arm.

Blood spurted from his wound, staining the piled snow a deep red.

Now, it could be said that red snow had fallen.

With his piercing gaze, Bodhidharma looked straight through the young, fiery-blooded martial monk.

“Now… will you grant me the Dharma?”

Bodhidharma nodded.

“Take it!”

He then threw his alms bowl toward Shenguang.

An alms bowl was the vessel used by monks to receive offerings.

Since he held a sword in his right hand, Shenguang instinctively raised his left hand to receive it.

Thud.

The alms bowl fell upon the crimson-stained snow, and Shenguang stood in silence, gazing at it.

He could not receive the alms bowl with his severed left arm.

Bodhidharma asked, “Have you received it?”

“…I have received it.”

“Then it is good.”

Shenguang knelt respectfully before Bodhidharma.

At that moment, Bodhidharma accepted Shenguang as his disciple and gave him the name Huìkě.

Huike practiced Zen Buddhism and revitalized Shaolin Temple, becoming known as the Second Founder of the sect.

—『Severing an Arm to Seek the Dharma』

Even Yi-gang knew about Huike.

He was, in every sense, the founding figure of Shaolin martial arts.

A figure from nearly a thousand years ago.

Compared to him, even Zhang Sanfeng and Heavenly Demon could be considered from a more recent era.

He was even older than the Five Elements Supreme.

Only histories as ancient as the Azure Forest or the Evil Cult could reach the era before Huike.

“Could it be… this person?”

After hearing the story of Huike, Yi-gang turned his gaze to the one-armed high monk standing before him.

Naturally, Yi-gang could only come to one conclusion.

“Are you saying that this person is the Second Founder, Huike?”

The wild, primal energy he had felt in Shaolin—

That very same presence was unmistakably emanating from deep within this cavern.

If that were the case, then the source of that yokai Qi was none other than Huike.

Could it be that a man from a thousand years ago was still alive?

The Divine Monk answered, “That person is Huike.”

Yi-gang was about to ask how a person could survive for a thousand years, but he shut his mouth.

He had seen too many mysteries in this world—his sense of judgment had begun to blur.

“…That must be it.”

In truth, Huike was not alive.

His upright meditation posture had momentarily fooled him.

Even without seeing his face, it was obvious—he was long deceased.

His skin was dried and shrunken like lacquered wood, and even that had turned blackened over time.

And yet, the fact that his body had remained preserved in this humid cavern for a thousand years was nothing short of extraordinary.

“The Second Founder has become a Living Buddha,” the Divine Monk spoke solemnly.

A Living Buddha was one of the ways in which high monks, whose Dharma power had reached the heavens, attained Nirvana.

Some would quietly take their final breath while seated in meditation, while others would set their bodies aflame in an act of self-immolation.

Their upright remains would then be revered as a sacred image.

It was said that a true Living Buddha, whose Dharma power was immense, would not decay even without being coated in bronze or gold. And indeed, Huike’s Living Buddha was proof of that legend.

Or rather, if one were to be precise, it was a deceased proof…

“Is the Living Buddha of the Second Founder, Huike, the secret of Shaolin?”

“What nonsense. He is inside,” the Divine Monk briefly rebuked Yi-gang.

He was implying that no human could survive for a thousand years within this cavern.

Feeling embarrassed that he had mistaken Huike for a living being, Yi-gang fell silent again.

And yet, he was sure of it.

Something inside was breathing.

It was not an audible breath—

But rather, a faint trace of life force.

“Then… the one inside is…?”

As they passed by Huike’s Living Buddha, the Divine Monk murmured, “It is the First Founder, Bodhidharma.”

Yi-gang came to an abrupt halt.

The First Founder, Bodhidharma, was the master of the Second Founder, Huike.

And yet, just moments ago, had the Divine Monk not rebuked Yi-gang?

Had he not said that no human could possibly live for a thousand years?

“What…?”

Yi-gang was about to ask the Divine Monk what he meant—

But at that moment, the monk was suddenly pushed back by something soft yet unyielding. Thud!

“…What in the—”

“Ah!”

At the same time, Yi-gang was pulled in the opposite direction.

The soft force coiling around him was all too familiar.

‘Telekinesis…?’

It was not merely Qi.

If it had been, an ordinary martial artist would have been able to resist it with ease.

This was something closer to sorcery or even an extraordinary ability.

And Yi-gang was one of the few who had trained extensively in both psychokinesis and sword telekinesis.

Naturally, he also knew how to resist such techniques.

“Tsk!”

He focused his mind and activated his spiritual eyes.

And if he cut the psychic threads pulling his body toward the darkness…

“What the hell?!”

Yi-gang was stunned.

His entire body was entangled in countless strands of spiritual energy, woven like a spider’s web.

Each individual strand was as tough as steel wire, making it nearly impossible to sever.

Yi-gang had no choice but to be dragged deeper into the cavern.

“Yi-gang! Calm yourself! Do not resist!” the voice of the Divine Monk echoed faintly.

Yi-gang’s body was swallowed into the darkness.

By now, he had long since lost his grip on the torch.

And yet, this unprecedented force seemed to navigate the pitch-black tunnel with ease.

Yi-gang was twisted rightward at one point, then suddenly plunged downward, only to be launched upward the next moment.

And yet, not once did his body brush against the walls.

This psychokinetic power had reached a godlike level, leaving Yi-gang in awe.

‘…It stopped.’

After what felt like an eternity, Yi-gang’s body finally came to a halt.

Whooong—

A gust of wind blew from deep within the cavern.

The air was damp. A strange fishy and acrid odor lingered in the atmosphere.

It was unmistakably the breath of a beast.

Yi-gang looked down at his body and gasped in shock.

There were clearly visible strands of light wrapped around him.

And then— From within the darkness, intricate mandalas of various colors began to emerge.

Complex patterns of pure light flickered into existence.

It was like an ancient Buddhist painting—a breathtaking and surreal sight.

And from within that dark abyss, two glowing eyes surfaced.

「Hmm…」

It was impossible to tell whether they belonged to a human or a beast.

But one thing was certain—whatever it was, its eyes floating independently in the darkness was far from normal.

「Hmmm…」

Its deep, resonant voice carried an unnerving eeriness.

「Interesting.」

Its voice was like the sound of thick ice cracking on a frozen lake.

「A soul reborn from the future into the past? The path of reincarnation does not follow a single road… How intriguing.」

Yi-gang was utterly shocked.

The being presumed to be Bodhidharma continued speaking.

「You lost the will to live and awaited your second death… until the death of the young girl who stayed by your side made you reconsider life.」

There were a few entities that had recognized Yi-gang as a reincarnated soul without the Mark of Oblivion.

But Bodhidharma seemed to surpass them all.

「Because of that, you reignited your will to live. At least, that is what you tell yourself… while swearing vengeance.」

There was no doubt. Bodhidharma was reading Yi-gang’s memories.

「You have made the Evil Cult your enemy. You have taken every spirit you encountered as your teacher. You have become obsessed with restoring your body, which has led you to seek elixirs…」

“What…?”

「You are nothing but an entanglement of obsessions. And yet, what a contradiction you are.」

Yi-gang felt a strange, unsettling sensation.

Was this what Tang Eun-seol had felt when she had fallen into the Poison Heart Cave and lived surrounded by venom?

It was as if billions of insects were crawling across his skin.

「Deep inside, you want to die. You know that life is suffering. It is not that you have grown accustomed to pain—you are simply exhausted by it, and you wish for death to bring you peace.」

“…Stop.”

「Then why do you not die? Is it because of the promise you made to your deceased maid? Because of the family that cherishes you? Because those who worship the Evil God seek to burn the world, and you cannot allow it?」

There had been many who could read minds, but this was different. Bodhidharma was mercilessly and relentlessly laying Yi-gang bare.

「I wondered what was driving you… and it turns out it is not duty, but guilt… tied even to your past life.」

His past life.

He had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in his past life, and even after reincarnation, he was born with the Great Yin Meridian Blockage—a heaven-imposed curse.

Deep down, he had always thought of it as divine punishment.

And punishment was something that befell sinners.

「…So your cause of death in your past life was not illness.」

Yi-gang’s face turned pale.

He had been a terminally ill man, doomed to an inescapable fate.

But in his past life, he had not simply waited in silence for death’s grasp.

「Terrified, unable to endure… you took matters into your own hands… before your mother could visit your sickbed…」

“Stop—!”

He did not know where that voice had come from.

It was an explosion of fury, far greater than when Gal Sa-hyuk had stormed onto the martial stage.

Shame. Regret. The sheer horror of having his deepest, most intimate secrets laid bare.

Yi-gang’s piercing scream shattered the psychokinetic threads that had bound him.

“Do not speak like you know anything—!”

His thunderous voice reverberated through the cavern, causing it to tremble.

The radiant mandalas that had been swirling vanished into the air.

All that remained… were two hollow, unblinking eyes staring at him.

Yi-gang panted heavily.

How long had it been since he had last lost control of his emotions so violently?

A cold silence descended upon the cavern.

After shouting, the storm of emotions within him gradually subsided.

It was likely due to his inherent nature—one of cold, rational intellect.

And with that, a slight sense of regret crept in.

‘…I overreacted.’

The one before him was none other than the legendary Bodhidharma.

There was no one else here to have overheard his shameful past.

And yet, just the fact that his darkest secrets had been spoken aloud had caused him to lash out.

Furthermore, Bodhidharma was undoubtedly a being beyond human comprehension.

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The sheer presence emanating from him surpassed even that of Gumiho.

Perhaps, Bodhidharma was angered by Yi-gang’s outburst.

Yi-gang stood still in silence, unsure of what to do.

It was Bodhidharma who spoke first.

And his response was unexpected.

「I am sorry.」

Yi-gang had never expected an apology.

And just like that, the overwhelming, transcendent unease he had felt toward Bodhidharma vanished in an instant.

Somehow, Bodhidharma even added, as if feeling troubled—

「I got a little too excited…」

Yet, it had been Yi-gang who had lost his temper first.

But with Bodhidharma acting this way, Yi-gang could no longer stay angry.

“No, well… it’s fine.”

Accepting an apology from two floating eyes was an incredibly surreal experience.

「…Could you deliver this to Shaolin?」

Something round floated toward Yi-gang.

When he caught it, he instantly recognized it— It was undoubtedly a Great Recovery Pill.

Yi-gang had no idea why Bodhidharma was giving him a Great Recovery Pill. But for now, he simply nodded and tucked it into his robes.

「Tell them that Mu Gyeon has undoubtedly entered Nirvana.」

“…Yes.”

「I reacted that way because I was glad to see you. Will you accept my apology?」

“…I will. And I also apologize for raising my voice.”

「…」

A terribly awkward silence lingered for a while.

「Will you be leaving now?」

Though Yi-gang was still curious about Bodhidharma’s true nature, he found himself nodding unconsciously.

For some reason, Bodhidharma looked immensely relieved.

「I shall send you off immediately.」

Once again, the psychic threads wrapped around Yi-gang’s body, just as they had earlier.

But this time, they carried a far more careful and respectful touch.

「As an apology, I shall help you dissolve the remainder of that.」

「Now then, farewell!」

Just like when he had first entered, Yi-gang was launched out of the cavern at incredible speed.

And in that instant, he realized what Bodhidharma had done for him.

From the psychokinetic threads binding him, he sensed an exquisite flow of Qi.

The Qi, which he assumed belonged to Bodhidharma, seeped into Yi-gang’s damaged meridians—

It reached his lower dantian, where the energy of the Great Recovery Pill had been stored.

No matter how much he had tried before, the Great Recovery Pill’s power had remained dormant. But now— It was beginning to melt. The vast energy within the pill spread violently throughout Yi-gang’s entire body, surging through every meridian.

‘Unbelievable…!’

He no longer needed to manually circulate his Qi to absorb the pill’s effects.

The Great Recovery Pill’s energy was nearly identical in nature to Bodhidharma’s Qi.

His meridians were now strengthening and reinforcing themselves.

It was undoubtedly a miraculous stroke of fortune.

Yet, the transformation had happened so suddenly that Yi-gang had no time to rejoice.

In the blink of an eye, Yi-gang was flung out of the cavern.

At the entrance, the Divine Monk and Yu Jeong-shin were waiting for him.

As if he had been waiting eagerly, the Divine Monk immediately asked, “Well? Did you meet him?”

“Huh? Ah… yes.”

“What did he say? Did he reveal the secrets of the world? Or perhaps the future of the Central Plains? …Surely you didn’t act rudely toward him?”

Yi-gang hesitated for a moment before muttering.

Something had happened.

“…Uh, well… I kind of got angry.”

“What?! Why in the world would you get angry?”

“It’s just… he brought up my personal matters.”

Both the Divine Monk and Yu Jeong-shin looked completely dumbfounded.

Hurriedly, Yi-gang added, “But he apologized… he actually said sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Yi-gang found himself at a loss for how to explain what had just transpired.