The Remains Of Shaolin (2)

The apostate monk stood before Yu Jinsan.

Determination not to let him go burned in his eyes.

Hae Kwang sighed at the sight, seemingly unable to comprehend.

“Why are you protecting that man?”

“He is my Hyung.”

“Are you saying that your disciple is invisible, and you see a demon as your Hyung?”

Hae Kwang, the greatest Shaolin warrior, finally took a step forward.

Step!

It was just one step, but it felt like a tsunami was approaching.

The immense intimidation was so vast that even Yu Jinsan, who hid behind the apostate monk, could feel it.

And just as Hae Kwang was about to take another step, the apostate monk’s face twisted into a demonic expression.

“I said I would kill you!”

It signified that no further approach would be tolerated.

Was there anyone in the entire world who could yell at Hae Kwang as this man did?

A tsunami seemed to be coming, yet a great mountain stood firmly ahead, blocking its path.

At that moment, a golden light emanated from the entire body of both the apostate monk and Hae Kwang.

Swish!

This was a martial art that only the greatest Shaolin warriors could perform. Two of the greatest warriors who had mastered it were facing each other.

Such a close fight.

Was it because they knew each other’s skills so well? There was breathtaking tension, but neither could attack easily.

Yu Jinsan, watching, took a step back to give them space.

‘It seems like they have fought each other too many times.’

He analyzed the situation in silence. He could infer a few facts from their conversation and the situation.

All the while, it seemed there had been countless attempts by the Shaolin Temple to capture this monk. Surely, Hae Kwang had to be involved.

And it appeared that taking each other down wasn’t easy either.

‘I guess it’s not my time to die yet.’

Just as expected, the golden glow had taken over the body of Hae Kwang, which then vanished as if he had given up the fight.

As he took a step back, the apostate monk raised both hands and giggled.

“Hehehe! I won again!”

But Hae Kwang’s expression didn’t change at all; he just sighed and said,

“Amitabha. I will not sit by and watch the Master be taken over by such madness.”

The apostate monk pulled back his fist over his shoulder, his warnings having fallen on deaf ears.

“Get out of my home quickly now!”

“…”

Hae Kwang slowly moved towards the place where the temple stood. Although the crisis was overcome, Yu Jinsan’s mind didn’t feel much at ease.

This was because he had to spend uncomfortable time with the apostate monk whose actions were unpredictable.

A fragrant and delicious smell wafted through the land.

Yu Jinsan squatted in front of the flame, turning a rabbit on a skewer.

Meat was being grilled at the peak of Mount Song, a place known for its prohibition of killing.

Of course, it wasn’t food he could eat by himself.

“Is it done, Hyung?”

The monk sitting across from Yu Jinsan was drooling.

“It’s almost done now.”

After a while, he carefully handed over a skewer with golden brown meat. The sight of the apostate monk greedily biting into the rabbit meat confused him.

After eating all this, what would they do to pass the time?

“So tasty. Hyung, take a bite.”

He clumsily pulled one leg off.

Yu Jinsan didn’t have an appetite, but he couldn’t refuse; the opponent was too intimidating to ignore.

Before the monk could get angry again, Yu Jinsan quickly took the rabbit leg.

“Thank you. I will have a nice meal.”

When he took a bite of the golden brown meat, it was very flavorful.

It tasted well, but it didn’t go down his throat easily.

This was because he was thinking of his granddaughter, who was unable to eat anything.

‘I need to feed Seol some rabbit meat, too.’

Yu Jinsan hesitated, which prompted the apostate monk to extend his hand.

“If you won’t eat it, then give it back.”

“Yes, yes.”

He handed back the leg and observed the apostate monk consume it indifferently.

Although he resembled an old monk who had lost his sanity, he seemed to have remained true to his instincts.

‘Still, he doesn’t appear to have a bad nature. How did he end up in such a pitiful state?’

Monks deeply versed in Buddhism typically possess strong mental fortitude; thus, it wasn’t common for them to suffer from mental illness.

He was curious about the monk’s past, but it wasn’t appropriate to inquire directly.

‘Pungho would likely know his story.’

He planned to learn more later. Yu Jinsan sat quietly, lost in contemplation.

After some time passed.

The apostate monk, who had been shoveling food into his mouth, suddenly stood up.

“Kuak!”

“…?”

There was only one person they were waiting for.

She was the granddaughter who had departed for the Black Night Clan to retrieve the spear.

But less than two hours had elapsed since her departure. Considering the distance, he had estimated her return to take between three to six hours.

Perhaps the pill had enhanced her speed.

“Grandpa!!”

A pleasant voice echoed from the mountains.

“Oh, you’ve arrived!”

Yu Jinsan sprang up from his seat, looking around.

She was likely approaching from the rear path, not the temple.

Despite his efforts, he couldn’t spot the girl.

Bewildered, he turned to where the monk was looking.

‘It can’t be, can it?’

With a feeling of anticipation, he looked down the cliff the monk was staring at.

Below, an astonishing sight unfolded.

A small shadow was approaching from the sheer cliff as fast as lightning.

Tatatat!

The child running down the cliff was unmistakably Yu Seol.

Just as he was about to speak, his granddaughter appeared from below.

And she hugged him as though she were attacking him.

“Did you wait too long?”

“Right, our Seol did good. Thank you very much!”

“Hehehe.”

Yu Seol, who received the compliment, seemed to be in a good mood, considering the smile didn’t leave her face.

When he looked back at the child, he saw something wrapped in a cloth tied to her.

“Hurry over and give it to me now.”

As he unwrapped the cloth, a red-colored spear blade could be seen there.

Not only that, but there were also several pieces of dried meat.

“Hyun Hee Unnie also packed us beef jerky, and I wanted to eat this with my grandfather.”

“Oh my. Let’s eat together on the way back.”

Yu Jinsan stroked the child’s head and handed the Fire Dragon Divine Spear to the monk.

Even at a glance, it seemed unusual.

The monk looked quite excited and also a bit hesitant.

“Murim treasure! Murim treasure!”

“Right. This is the heirloom spear of the Yu family.”

The monk, who was examining the spear, returned it to Yu Jinsan. He seemed to know that the flame didn’t consider him its master.

Yu Jinsan, holding the spear, slowly infused qi into it, and the tip of the spear began to tremble.

Yu Seol, who was watching the sight in shock, held her hand out.

“I want to try it too.”

Yu Jinsan handed the spear over to the child.

Perhaps because she was of Yu family’s bloodline? The spear reacted favorably, but the reaction was different from his.

Wooong!

Spear Order. It was said to occur only when the weapon and its owner became one.

“I never thought I would hear it cry… I think it would be better for Seol to hold onto it than me.”

The apostate monk also nodded as if he agreed. There was no reason to stay there any longer.

The three of them started walking up the mountain side by side.

It was around an hour later when they looked around. Yu Jinsan, who was leading the way through the thick forest, stopped.

“Hmmm.”

A strange sound followed.

Yu Jinsan glanced towards his granddaughter at the back, signaling that this was not the time for fooling around.

“Shh. Be quiet. We need to find the entrance quickly and go back.”

“I am not doing it.”

There was no time to argue with the child. As time passed, even the monk’s expression hardened.

He needed to achieve something before he went insane.

It was a moment when they couldn’t afford to wander too far.

“Unnnn.”

And then he halted at the strange sound.

“…?”

Yu Seol looked hesitant under her grandfather’s scrutinizing gaze.

“It wasn’t me. It was this.”

The child’s finger pointed to the spear blade.

Could it be that the spear was making sounds on its own? In the past, when he met the Blue Wolf, the spear had only glowed faintly.

But now, it was behaving differently with his granddaughter.

“Turn around, very slowly.”

The monk watched in shock as Yu Seol moved the tip of the spear blade incrementally.

When they reached a certain point, something odd happened.

Unnnn!

Both Yu Jinsan and the apostate monk flinched.

The sound was emanating from the spear, and it seemed to be giving them directions.

The apostate monk noticed it, too.

“Hehehe!! Found it!!”

He led the way, running in the direction indicated by the Fire Dragon Divine Spear.

Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter quietly followed, curious about the outcome.

After a while.

They arrived at a place where a waterfall fell violently, blocked by a cliff.

However, despite looking around, there was nothing to be found.

At that moment, Yu Seol pointed with her index finger.

“Go inside the waterfall.”

How was one supposed to get in there?

Excited, the monk began to emit a powerful force around him.

Bang! Kwakwakwang!!

The area exploded, as if struck by lightning. After a moment of chaos, something odd occurred.

As if a mirage, the entire landscape became distorted, and what had been invisible was now revealed.

“That’s the place. As expected, a concealment spell was covering the entrance.”

A deep cave was visible inside the waterfall.

There seemed to be some unpleasant qi emanating from within, and the apostate monk was beyond excited.

It was good that they had found the entrance to the cave they had been searching for.

The excitement of the apostate monk reached its peak as he ran inside.

“Ehehehe! I found it! The treasure! My treasure!”

Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter just watched him disappear. When they tried to leave, they felt odd.

“What could be the treasure in there? I am curious.”

“A treasure hidden by the high monk of the Tang dynasty.”

“Tripitaka?”

“Yes.”

Yu Seol took out the Night Pearl from her pocket and asked.

“Then what is this? Why did you lie to Seol?”

“Because that is precious too. And it is something that no money can buy.”

“I want the Tripitaka too…”

“The true treasure is only obtainable by those destined for it. It seems we’re not, so let’s go back.”

Yu Jinsan was about to leave, but then he went still.

A loud roar came. A loud explosion began to erupt from within the cave behind the waterfall where the monk had entered.

Kwang!! Kwakwang! Kwang!!

The sound of the waterfall was drowned out by the continuous, tremendous explosions.

What exactly was happening inside?

Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter watched the entrance in silence, their faces tense.

Then, after a moment,

“Kuaak!”

Judging from the voice, it was the scream of the apostate monk.

Soon after, the man burst through the waterfall, appearing before Yu Jinsan, who was utterly shocked at his appearance.

The apostate monk was covered in blood, stumbling as he moved.

Shhh!

As he collapsed, Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter rushed over to check on him.

If not for his profound cultivation, he might not have survived such a dire state.

Who in the world could have inflicted such injuries on him?

“… Hyung, it hurts.”

“Wh-what happened?”

“…The bad scaled dragon hit me.”

He felt utterly lost.

‘What does he mean by ‘scaled dragon’? The records only mention a Snake Dragon.’

There was a legend about a spiritual beast called the Snake Dragon, which could grow into a divine beast known as a Scaled Dragon.

If the Snake Dragon resembled a giant snake, the Scaled Dragon must be a divine beast with eyebrows and limbs.

The priority was to get out of there.

Just as he was about to turn around, a wave of unease passed through his mind.

Seol’s expression was peculiar.

And sure enough, she was gripping her spear so tightly that veins bulged in her hand.

“The Tripitaka treasure is mine!”

Yu Jinsan watched in astonishment as Yu Seol dashed toward the cave.

“NO!!!”

But he was powerless to stop her.

How could Yu Seol even consider facing a beast that the apostate monk had failed to subdue?

But he couldn’t let his granddaughter go into danger alone.

With no other options, Yu Jinsan also charged into the cave, and upon seeing the Scaled Dragon, he felt a surge of relief.

‘No, what is this?’

The monk hadn’t suffered full damage.

The grotesque dragon was pinned against the wall, struggling for breath.

Blood oozed from the flesh that had been gouged out in several places. Clearly, the dragon had sustained severe injuries as well.

The battle between the apostate monk and the Scaled Dragon had injured both parties.

At that moment, his granddaughter, with the spear in hand, stood resolutely before the dying dragon.

‘She knew what she was doing when she came in.’

Yu Seol’s actions were meticulously planned.

Fully aware of the situation through her heightened senses, she had prepared before entering. Yu Seol stretched out her hand and taunted the dragon.

“Hand over the treasure quickly.”