Episode 199: The Path of Atonement

“Got everything?”

“Yeah, all set.”

Hong Geolgae closed the gate behind him as he left the Samasega estate for the last time. The once bustling place was now eerily silent, more so than a house that had always been empty.

It felt as if they were leaving winter behind within the walls of Samasega.

’…It’s what we deserve.’

The monks from Shaolin, the people of Samasega, and Tang Mujin’s group departed Luoyang, the cool spring breeze brushing against them.

After walking for a while, Namgung Myung broke the silence.

“So, it really is spring, huh?”

“Feels more like winter to me. The snow hasn’t even melted yet, and there aren’t any new buds.”

“Spring starts when you see a bunch of greenhorn peddlers roaming around.”

Just as Namgung Myung said, there were many merchants around them. They were curious about why the people of Samasega were being taken by the Shaolin monks, but none dared to approach.

Namgung Myung watched them, lost in thought. Unlike Hong Geolgae or Hyun Gong, Tang Mujin could guess what was on Namgung Myung’s mind.

He was likely reminiscing about the days when he was cast out of his family and worked as a lowly trader. Those days might have been fond memories for Namgung Myung, but Tang Mujin had sensed something was off even back then.

‘Namgung Jinchun made a mistake. If only he’d kept Namgung Myung at home, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.’

Tang Mujin looked at Namgung Myung with a mix of pity and concern. When they first met on the boat along the Yangtze, Namgung Myung was a bit reckless but brimming with the confidence of a noble family’s heir.

Now, however, Tang Mujin saw him as something less than human, far from the path he was meant to follow.

‘He’ll return to the Namgung family someday, but how can we restore him to who he once was?’

Tang Mujin pondered this for a long time but couldn’t find a solution. Even a stroke of genius wouldn’t change much, as Namgung Myung wasn’t one to heed others’ advice easily.

Having Hyun Gong in their group was another serious issue. In some ways, Hyun Gong was even more problematic than Namgung Myung.

Tang Mujin shuddered at the thought of Namgung Myung and Hyun Gong influencing each other negatively, feeling an inexplicable sense of debt to Namgung Jinchun and Young Bojin.

The journey from Luoyang, where Samasega was, to Songshan in Henan was not far, taking only three days to reach the vicinity of Songshan with the people of Samasega.

“The women, please come this way.”

The Shaolin monks left the women of Samasega in a village at the foot of Songshan, adhering to the rule that no women were allowed within the monastery.

As a result, Tang Mujin had to travel up and down Songshan daily to treat those with blocked meridians.

Climbing the mountain in silence, Tang Mujin felt a twinge of unease as he recalled that Manryeokseung had been present on his wedding day.

He vividly remembered the tension between Manryeokseung and Sam Anbul.

As Tang Mujin’s pace slowed, Manryeokseung approached him.

“Tang benefactor, is something troubling you?”

“Manryeokseung, I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Did you inform the Abbot about meeting Sam Anbul in Sichuan?”

“Of course.”

Manryeokseung nodded immediately, and Tang Mujin sighed inwardly. He wished Manryeokseung had been discreet enough to keep such matters to himself, but the monk was too devoted to Shaolin to have such tact.

Sam Anbul had once been a monk at Shaolin but had fled after killing a fellow monk. How would the Abbot view Tang Mujin, who was associated with Sam Anbul? Tang Mujin’s steps grew even slower.

Manryeokseung asked again, “Tang benefactor, why are you so uneasy?”

“Manryeokseung, just to be sure, you don’t plan on locking me up in the Hall of Atonement, do you?”

Manryeokseung’s expression turned serious.

“You’ve been wandering the martial world for a while, haven’t you? Your intuition is sharp.”

“Really?”

“Just kidding. I wouldn’t lock up a friend’s disciple.”

Manryeokseung chuckled and patted Tang Mujin’s shoulder, but Tang Mujin’s expression remained tense.

”…The Abbot shares your view, right?”

“Don’t worry. Although the Abbot wasn’t pleased with the situation, he doesn’t intend to confine you to the Hall of Atonement.”

“Is that so?”

“The Abbot might head to Chengdu to capture Sam Anbul, but he won’t blame you. Besides, the gift you gave Shaolin was no ordinary one.”

Hyun Gong, who had been listening, perked up.

“A gift? Did Tang Mujin give Shaolin a gift?”

“Yes, an extraordinary one. A gift that will be remembered in Shaolin’s history.”

“What kind of gift was it?”

“He repaired the Wooden Man Alley.”

Hyun Gong looked puzzled, as if he’d never heard of it.

“Wooden Man Alley?”

“It’s a mechanism where dozens of wooden figures come to life and challenge the practitioner. When Tang benefactor asked for the Great Elixir as compensation for repairing it, no one objected, which speaks to its value.”

“Not just any elixir, but the Great Elixir?”

“Indeed.”

Hyun Gong thought Manryeokseung was joking. The Great Elixir was one of the most coveted medicines in the martial world.

But upon reflection, it made sense that Tang Mujin had obtained the Great Elixir. He had started learning martial arts at twenty and surpassed the pinnacle in less than three years. Such a feat was impossible without the aid of something as potent as the Great Elixir.

Unable to hide his envy, Hyun Gong glanced at Tang Mujin.

As they entered the Shaolin monastery, a monk who had been wandering nearby approached Tang Mujin.

“Isn’t this Tang benefactor!”

It was Cheongbok, the monk who had been most skeptical when Tang Mujin undertook the repair of the Wooden Man Alley.

Yet, he was also the one who had been most delighted when the repairs were completed and had even defended Tang Mujin against the Discipline Hall’s head.

“It’s been a while. It seems you’ve had a breakthrough.”

Tang Mujin greeted him warmly. Back then, Cheongbok had been stuck at the pinnacle, frustrated and half-defeated, but now his eyes were clear, indicating he had surpassed that barrier.

“Haha, you noticed right away? Thanks to spending countless nights at the Wooden Man Alley, I had an epiphany. I could see the path to the end of the Alley clearly and understood the full meaning of the Shadowless Step and the White Lotus Divine Fist.”

Tang Mujin felt a sense of pride. Hearing that someone had surpassed the pinnacle thanks to his efforts was particularly gratifying.

As the Shaolin monks led the martial artists of Samasega to the Hall of Atonement, Tang Mujin and his group walked through the monastery, chatting with Cheongbok.

Along the way, several young monks who recognized Tang Mujin ran over.

“Isn’t this Tang benefactor?”

“Who… Oh!”

At first, he didn’t recognize them, but then he vaguely remembered their faces. They were the young monks who used to hover around him, eager to hear stories from the outside world.

Back then, they barely reached his chest, but now they had grown into adults, some even taller than Tang Mujin.

“You’ve all grown so much.”

“It’s been five years, after all.”

…Five years?

Tang Mujin retraced his memories. He first came to Shaolin in late summer, less than half a year after encountering the strange creature.

Since then, many things had happened, and time had flown by as he traveled far and wide.

Though it hadn’t been exactly five years, nearly that much time had passed.

The twenty-year-old Tang Mujin was now twenty-five. The realization left him feeling slightly dizzy.

As Cheongbok discreetly stepped aside for the young monks, they surrounded Tang Mujin and his group, eager to share stories.

“We heard you married Miss Dan. Is she with you?”

“I’m planning to venture into the martial world soon. Could you offer some advice?”

“One at a time, please. We have the evening to talk…”

Just as before, Tang Mujin found himself surrounded by young monks as they walked.

Once inside Shaolin, Tang Mujin was kept busy without a moment to spare.

He traveled up and down Songshan daily to treat those with blocked meridians and tended to the minor ailments of the Shaolin monks. On top of that, there were quite a few monks subtly challenging him to spar.

However, the situation was quite different for Hong Geolgae, Namgung Myung, and Hyun Gong, who had accompanied him.

With nothing to do and hardly anyone visiting them except for the occasional young monks eager to hear stories from the outside world, Namgung Myung found himself in a rut. Unlike Hyun Gong or Hong Geolgae, who received frequent sparring requests, Namgung Myung was left out. After all, even in a place like Shaolin, where martial arts were a way of life, few were keen to challenge a one-armed man.

As Namgung Myung teetered on the brink of madness from sheer boredom, Hong Geolgae sensed trouble brewing.

“This guy’s about to do something reckless,” he thought.

Having spent considerable time with Namgung Myung, Hong Geolgae had a pretty good idea of the kind of trouble he might get into—like sneaking into the library to steal martial arts manuals or slipping into the Wooden Dummy Hall for a peek inside. Both were the kind of stunts that could land them in serious trouble, possibly even a stint in the Repentance Hall.

Still, just to be sure, Hong Geolgae decided to probe a little.

“Namgung Myung,” he called.

“What?” came the reply.

“Are you thinking of sneaking into the Wooden Dummy Hall?”

Namgung Myung’s eyes gleamed dangerously as he shot back, “When do we go?”

He skipped over all the usual concerns—whether they should even attempt it, what would happen if they got caught—as if it was a foregone conclusion that they had to go.

Hong Geolgae was taken aback. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Why?”

“Only top-tier martial artists go in there, and even they say it’s full of experts with sharp senses. Remember what Tang Mujin said? There’s nowhere to hide, so don’t even think about it.”

“That just makes it more tempting,” Namgung Myung replied, his eyes alight with excitement.

“You know how loud it gets when the Wooden Dummy Hall is in use, right? It’s impossible not to get caught.”

Though Hong Geolgae occasionally received sparring requests, he too was often bored and would wander around the monastery. He’d loitered near the Wooden Dummy Hall enough times to know that when it was in use, the noise was like a thunderstorm or a wild beast roaring, echoing far and wide.

But Namgung Myung remained undeterred. “It’s fine. I’ll just sneak in quietly when someone else goes in.”

“Even the senior monks visit there sometimes. Do you really think you can avoid their senses? The moment you’re caught, it’s straight to the Repentance Hall.”

“That just makes it more thrilling,” Namgung Myung said, his eyes growing more dangerous by the second.

Sensing that Namgung Myung was on the verge of doing something reckless, possibly even that very night, Hong Geolgae racked his brain for a distraction. Then, he remembered something.

“How about this… the Repentance Hall. Why don’t we check that out instead?”

“The Repentance Hall?”

Since Tang Mujin frequently visited the Repentance Hall, Hong Geolgae and Namgung Myung could tag along without raising suspicion. After all, who would question them if they claimed they were just helping a friend?

The problem was, they’d already been there a couple of times, and it was anything but exciting. Just a bunch of dejected people and Tang Mujin quietly tending to their injuries.

Namgung Myung shook his head. “Not interested. There’s nothing new there.”

Anticipating this reaction, Hong Geolgae lowered his voice conspiratorially. “No, listen. I heard from some young monks that there’s a smaller Repentance Hall next to the main one, and someone is locked up inside.”

“Really? Who’s in there?”

“I didn’t catch who it was. The young monks didn’t seem to know either.”

Normally, Namgung Myung would have dismissed it as just another petty criminal. But right now, he was so bored that even a petty criminal sounded intriguing.

He jumped to his feet. “Let’s go right now. Follow me.”