The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan-Chapter 336: The Village Of The Fire Dragon (1)

Bodhidharma was a Great Ancestor of Zen Buddhism, who had transcended through dharma power.

At the same time, he was an imoogi—a serpent that had failed to become a dragon.

Sensing the energy of a dragon within himself was a story that filled the emptiness in his heart.

‘Though, I’m not even sure if this is truly the energy of a dragon.’

「…No, it surely must be.」

Yi-gang wondered what Bodhidharma meant by those words.

As if reading Yi-gang’s curiosity, Bodhidharma responded, 「Didn’t you say that you consumed the heart of a Great Dragon?」

‘Yes, though technically, it wasn’t me who consumed it—Sage Zhang Sanfeng used it.’

「That energy surely must have imbued your body. And, although incomparable and of inferior grade, you also consumed the heart of a Flood Dragon.」

Bodhidharma had once glimpsed Yi-gang’s memories.

Because of that, he knew everything that had happened until now.

「The Dragon’s Orb actually refers to the internal elixir that a dragon holds. In other words, the heart containing all of its spiritual energy.」

This meant Yi-gang had consumed the internal elixirs of both a Flood Dragon and a Great Dragon.

「Dragons are the most mysterious of spiritual beings, and their internal elixirs cannot be compared to those of other creatures. Since you consumed the heart of such a great dragon, it is only natural that you can sense its energy.」

‘I see.’

「Now, try unfolding the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion.」

Yi-gang began reciting the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion.

……

May I swiftly attain the eyes of wisdom.

At that moment, his spiritual eyes opened.

「The Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion was originally a supreme teaching of Potala Palace. It was created long ago by the first Dalai Lama… It seems fate and destiny have led it to you.」

Recalling this, Yi-gang nodded.

This martial art had been recommended to him by Zhang Sanfeng from the imperial palace’s special-grade bookshelf.

Yi-gang had thought it originated from Potala Palace, a sect in Tibet, because it had been established by them. It was indeed a mysterious connection.

Then Bodhidharma brought up something unexpected, 「However, you haven’t been utilizing the true essence of the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion at all.」

‘What…?’

Zhang Sanfeng had told Yi-gang that the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion was simply a martial scripture meant to be recited.

Indeed, just by focusing his mind and reciting the verses, he had felt its effects.

It helped develop the upper dantian and cultivated the power to repel evil—at least, that’s all he had believed.

「If that’s all, wouldn’t it be insufficient to call it a supreme teaching? You must go to Potala Palace and receive the true essence of the Scripture of Inexhaustible Mind and Emotion.」

If that were true, it would be an unexpected gain.

He didn’t know what this so-called true essence was, but it seemed he would have to visit Potala Palace to find out.

Yi-gang scanned the mountain terrain with his spiritual eyes.

Then, his gaze stopped at a particular spot.

Yi-gang gestured for the soldier who had previously visited the slash-and-burn farmers’ village to come over.

Scratching his head, the soldier climbed up the rock.

“Is that the destination? Beyond that ridge?”

At Yi-gang’s question, the soldier looked flustered.

With a hesitant expression, he stared in the direction Yi-gang’s finger pointed.

Though he had been there once, he only knew the path along the mountain trail.

But then, the doubt in the soldier’s eyes turned into curiosity, and soon after, into amazement.

“It seems to be right. No, I’m certain!

“Amazing. How did you know?”

“Just a hunch.”

Not wanting to explain further, Yi-gang casually brushed off the question and stepped down from the rock.

The soldier tilted his head, muttering how uncanny it was.

Thus, the group continued along the mountain trail.

Traversing the rugged mountains of Sichuan was no easy task, even for martial artists.

Of course, if it were only Yi-gang and the Four Great Vajra, they could have crossed the mountains in half a day. However, the pace naturally adjusted to the slowest members of the group.

At the soldiers’ pace, they headed toward the slash-and-burn farmers’ village, where a dragon was said to reside.

It took them a full two days.

Yi-gang’s group finally arrived right in front of the slash-and-burn farmers’ village.

Yi-gang asked the Divine Monk a question.

The Divine Monk was sitting in front of the campfire.

The capital of Sichuan was located in a basin, and this place was part of the western mountain range surrounding that capital.

The tall mountain range served as a barrier against the cold winds blowing from the northwest.

As a result, the inner slopes facing the capital had a warm and humid climate.

“It’s fine, but it’s a little chilly.”

Despite saying that, the Divine Monk remained wrapped in a blanket.

The cold he felt was probably not due to the weather alone.

“I’ll massage your arms and legs for you.”

Gal Dong-tak began massaging the Divine Monk’s legs.

His actions were quite skilled and natural.

“You seem experienced in taking care of the sick.”

“Yes, my mother was ill.”

“I see. Unlike your father, you don’t seem like a bandit at all.”

“They say this kind of care is also part of the spirit of the Green Forest.”

“Who?”

“My father.”

“Heh heh heh, the spirit of the Green Forest really is unpredictable.”

The Divine Monk burst into hearty laughter.

Seeing this, Yi-gang felt that bringing Gal Dong-tak along had been the right decision.

Just then, Yi-gang suddenly lifted his head.

His eyes met those of the Four Great Vajra.

They, too, seemed to have sensed something.

Among the Four Great Vajra, Hyun Cheok pretended to gather firewood.

Then, he casually picked up a stone.

Hyun Mu suddenly dashed toward the ridge.

Without hesitation, Hyun Cheok hurled the stone.

Swish—!

When thrown by a Supreme Peak master, even a simple stone toss became terrifying.

The stone flew in a straight line and struck a tree.

A thunderous boom, unbelievable for a mere stone throw, echoed through the air, and the struck tree trembled violently.

As the leaves fluttered to the ground, a young scream rang out.

“Waaah!”

A figure that had been hiding in the tree fell straight to the ground.

Hyun Mu, who had rushed over, caught the figure gently.

Although the captured person struggled, Hyun Mu held him firmly, his demeanor as unyielding as a statue.

Dangling from Hyun Mu’s thick hand was a scrawny child.

The Divine Monk chuckled heartily.

“So, you caught a mountain monkey, Hyun Cheok.”

“Waaah! Waaah!”

The child was dressed in dirty clothes, and his face was smudged with grime.

Upon seeing the Divine Monk and the Four Great Vajra, the child went into a panic.

“Baldies! Aah!”

“Is it your first time seeing monks?”

Gal Dong-tak burst out laughing, while Yi-gang lowered his head, struggling to hold back his laughter.

“Let me go! Let go!”

“Oh dear, should we boil him? It’s been a while since we’ve had a taste of meat.”

“Hyaaah!”

The Divine Monk eventually stopped teasing the young slash-and-burn farmer’s child.

At the Divine Monk’s signal, Hyun Mu let go of the child.

The boy was about to run away but hesitated when he realized there was no escape route.

Just then, the soldiers resting nearby gathered around.

“Huh? That kid is…”

“Do you recognize him?”

One of the soldiers recognized the child.

At Yi-gang’s question, the soldier scratched his head before answering, “He was the kid who guided us to the village before. We happened to run into him…”

“Happened to run into him, huh?”

As Yi-gang muttered, the child quickly spoke up, “I was picking mushrooms! Then I saw you all and wanted to help…”

“From up in the tree, watching us?”

The child hesitated for a moment before replying, “Ah, well… I didn’t know who you were, so I wanted to be cautious.”

In other words, he had been hiding and observing them first.

It wasn’t a particularly suspicious excuse.

However, the way the boy’s eyes darted around and his lips twisted made it seem like he was lying.

“Fine, lead the way.”

“Huh?”

“Just guide us the same way you did before.”

When Yi-gang said this, the soldiers nodded in agreement.

The child hesitated but soon realized he had no other choice.

“…Alright.”

The boy began leading Yi-gang’s group toward the slash-and-burn farmers’ village.

“Don’t even think about running away.”

“Why would I run? I wouldn’t dare!”

Not long ago, Hyun Mu and Hyun Cheok had caught him hiding in the tree.

To the boy, the bald Shaolin monks seemed incredibly intimidating.

It was clear he was a villager who had never seen monks before.

Yi-gang turned to a soldier, asking for confirmation, “When you arrived at the village before, the villagers greeted you as if they were expecting you and quickly set out drinks?”

“Yes, that’s right. Normally, folks hiding out in such remote places are quite hostile, but this place was different.”

“Hmm.”

Yi-gang listened carefully to the soldiers’ words.

The slash-and-burn farmers’ village was located around the mid-slope, a little deeper beyond the ridge.

Old buildings made of mud stood close together.

However, unlike the previous time, there was no warm welcome from the villagers.

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When Yi-gang’s group arrived, the villagers were startled and trembled with fear.

Seeing this, Yi-gang immediately sensed the truth.

The boy hadn’t simply been wandering around when they “happened” to meet.

While the soldiers were combing through the mountains, the boy had likely been on lookout duty, alerting the villagers in advance.

This time, he had been caught early and didn’t get the chance to warn them.

Eventually, a man who appeared to be the village chief came out to greet Yi-gang’s group.

“W-what brings you to such a remote village…?”

They were there following rumors of a dragon.

Instead of stating his purpose, Yi-gang first gave a signal to the soldier.

The soldier stepped forward confidently.

“Hey, old man, didn’t you say we could come by anytime?”

“Ah! Isn’t this the General himself!”

At the word “General,” the entire group turned to look at the soldiers’ leader.

The village chief spoke hastily, looking flustered.

“General? Nonsense! Are you trying to make a fool of me in front of these esteemed guests?”

“Ah! M-my deepest apologies.”

The chief hurriedly apologized.

However, the villagers standing behind him continued to cast wary glances.

“Prepare some warm food and a place to rest. These people have had a hard journey to get here.”

“Uh, well… we don’t have much to prepare right now.”

“Then at least catch a chicken or something!”

The Divine Monk spoke softly, “Enough.”

The soldier immediately fell silent.

“What kind of heartless person tries to feed meat to monks? Behave yourself, village chief.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

“We just need a place to shelter from the night dew. Can you lend us that much?”

It quickly became apparent how much the soldiers had oppressed the villagers.

After all, a dozen well-armed soldiers would be more than capable of causing a massacre in a village this small.

The village chief was moved by the Divine Monk’s polite demeanor.

“This way, please…”

He led the group to some vacant houses.

These were the same places where the soldiers had stayed before. However, since there were more people this time, the soldiers had to camp outside.

“I will prepare a proper feast tomorrow.”

Perhaps feeling uneasy, the village chief spoke with determination.

The Divine Monk laughed and told him it wasn’t necessary, but this time, the chief remained firm.

“Our Wangjia Village may be a humble place, but it holds very important and cherished traditions. One of those is ensuring that guests are treated with proper hospitality.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Yes. Without doing so, we would not be worthy of meeting the Dragon God.”

Indigenous faiths like this were not uncommon, but those words made Yi-gang’s eyes sparkle.

Just as the village chief was about to leave after bowing, Yi-gang quietly followed him.

“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Ah, y-yes…”

The chief, who had never before seen such refined clothing or elegant manners, looked at Yi-gang with curiosity.

The village chief lowered his head slightly, showing a hint of fear.

“You mentioned the Dragon God, didn’t you?”

“Y-yes, that’s correct.”

“Is there truly a dragon in this village?”

As Bodhidharma shuddered, Yi-gang subtly clenched his left arm.

The village chief hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yes, there is. Without a doubt. A dragon that protects our Wangjia Village.”

“What kind of dragon is it?”

“Pardon…?”

The question was something the chief had never heard before.

But Yi-gang spoke with utter seriousness, “I’m asking about the type of dragon. Surely you’ve heard of Azure Dragons, White Dragons, or Yellow Dragons. You must have seen it with your own eyes, right?”

“O-of course. It is…”

The chief finally replied.

“It is the Fire Dragon, the dragon that breathes fire.”

「A Fire Dragon! It’s really a Fire Dragon!」

Yi-gang’s left sleeve visibly fluttered with excitement.

Yi-gang briefly considered smacking his left arm.

“Our Wangjia Village cultivates slash-and-burn fields using the flames of the Fire Dragon. Do you see over there?”

Yi-gang looked toward the center of Wangjia Village.

There, a single torch was burning brightly.

“That is the flame breathed out by the Fire Dragon.”

Now that he looked at it after hearing the explanation, the flame did seem to have a uniquely beautiful hue.