Chapter 448
The Youngest Son of Eunhaesang Trading Company Chapter 448
Chapter 448. The Holy Body (1)
I was startled and quickly turned around.
"....
Yoo Eung-am was standing in the same position he had been in when he was looking at Master Hyukgon Seung.
Energy was raging from his body.
The moment of enlightenment had come for the warrior Yeo-eung-am as well.
What on earth was so special about the body of the Shaolin Temple monk that not only the monks of Shaolin Temple but even the warrior Yeo-eung-am had fallen into a trance?
At that moment, the Abbot approached me and bowed deeply.
“Amitabha! Thank you very much. Thanks to you, Shaolin Temple has benefited greatly.”
“What did I do?”
“Excessive modesty is not good. I will prepare a room for you to rest. It seems difficult to concentrate on conversation right now.”
Hearing this, I nodded to the warrior and glanced at him.
“I agree.”
Abbot Dao gave instructions to the other monks and then climbed the stairs.
It seemed that Abbot Dao's quarters were located upstairs.
Then a monk approached me.
“I am Jong-o from the guest quarters. I will show you to your room so you can rest.”
“I'm fine. Please show my attendant to his room.”
I shook my head slightly and said to Pal-gap.
“Pal-gap, go find our lodgings and unpack our things.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hearing my words, the monk Jong-o asked,
“Aren't you coming with us?”
“I... think it will take me a while.”
Seeming to understand what I meant, he smiled gently.
“You have a very good liege.”
“Not really... It's nothing special.”
I replied with a wry smile and said to my bodyguards.
“Those who are tired can follow Pal-gap and rest.”
All of my bodyguards shook their heads.
“You need protection, sir.”
“I'm not that tired.”
In fact, the most dangerous time was when I was in a state of no mind. An external shock could cause me to fall into qi deviation.
If that happened, I would die or become a cripple.
“Then why don't you go to your quarters, Liege?”
I stood next to Seo Woo and replied to his question.
“I just like the view from here.”
At my words, the bodyguards looked at each other and smiled.
“Why are you laughing?”
“The weather is nice, so I can't help but smile.”
We all laughed together.
“Since this is the case, let's divide into groups and take turns guarding him. This won't be over in a short time.”
At my words, the bodyguards nodded.
“That sounds like a good idea. I heard that some people were in a trance for seven days and nights.”
“Considering that, we should definitely take turns.”
Of course, since this was happening on the grounds of Shaolin Temple, the monks would gladly help us protect the master.
However, we had enough manpower, so there was no reason to owe them a favor.
We divided ourselves into three groups.
Seo Woo, Lee Pil, Jin Yu, and Myeong Jong. These are the three teams.
Tomorrow, I have to talk to the Abbot, so I decided to be the guard today.
.
.
.
Even the next morning, Yeo Eung-am still hadn't regained consciousness.
After changing shifts with the other bodyguards, I headed to the inn to eat breakfast.
“Are you here?”
“Yes.”
“Is Yeo still awake?”
“Yes, he is.”
“When do you think he will finish and wake up?”
“I don't know. No one knows that. I'm hungry. Give me some food.”
“Yes, sir.”
I received breakfast from Pal-gap, ate it with gusto, drank some tea, and rested.
Huh...
Protecting someone requires constant alertness, so it is quite exhausting and tiring work.
Bodyguards are truly amazing.
“Young master. You must wake up.”
Pal-gap woke me up.
“Huh?”
When did I fall asleep?
“The Abbot is calling for you.”
“The Abbot?”
I quickly got up and asked.
“Now?”
“The novice monk said he would come back in half an hour.”
“Did you tell him I was sleeping?”
“No, the novice monk said that first.”
It seemed that the Abbot knew I had been sleeping for a while and had instructed the young monk accordingly.
“I should tidy myself up and go see him. Prepare some clean clothes and bring me a cup of tea.”
“Yes, sir.”
After drinking the tea that Pal-gap brought me, my head felt a little clearer.
After finishing my tea, I changed my clothes, tidied up my robes, and took the box out of the chest.
In the meantime, half an hour had passed, and the young monk came to get me.
The young monk was quite cute, and if he continued to grow up like this, he would surely become a handsome monk.
Not everyone who enters Shaolin Temple stays here and lives as a monk for the rest of their lives.
Those who can stay here are those who are talented in studying Buddhist scriptures or martial arts.
I heard that less than half of those who enter the temple stay.
Furthermore, not all of those who remain become disciples of the abbot.
Among them, only a select few can become the Eighteen Arhats or the Four Great Heavenly Kings.
By the way, this young monk seems to have some talent.
Is that why he became the attendant monk of the Abbot?
Perhaps it was because I had reached my peak, but recently, I had begun to sense the martial arts talent of others.
Hmm, is this why masters used to wander the martial world and, when they saw a child who showed promise, would ask them, “Will you become my disciple?”
At that moment, the warrior Jin-yu, who was still waiting for his turn, asked,
“I will escort your Liege.”
“This is Shaolin Temple, so I think it's okay for you to go alone.”
“But...”
“Isn't it almost time for your shift? Please protect the female warrior instead of me this time. I will go with Pal-gap.”
I followed the young monk with Pal-gap.
The Abbot's quarters were located quite deep inside the temple.
Had we walked for about a minute?
Then, I sensed the presence of our escorts.
Could this be the place?
“Sir, I have brought Eunseoho Shi-ju.”
“Come in.”
Ah, this is where the Abbot resides.
Compared to the residences of other clan heads and sect leaders, it was a modest building, more like a detached house.
When I opened the door and entered, the Abbot was sitting there looking at me.
I clasped my hands together and bowed in respect.
“I am Eun Seo-ho, Abbot of the Seonjae Temple.”
“Come in. Are you rested?”
“Thanks to your kindness, I was able to rest comfortably.”
The Abbot smiled at my reply.
“First of all, I am grateful for your help in bringing Master Hyejin's body back.”
“It was possible because of our connection.”
This was not modesty. If Hyunro-do had not shown me the way, I would not have met the monks from Jeongcheong.
Then... in this life, the remains of Master Hyegonseong would have suffered again.
When I think about it, shouldn't the late Master Hyegon be very grateful to me?
He smiled at me twice, but surely he wasn't just trying to brush it off with a smile.
The Abbot continued.
“I heard from the monk Jeong-myeong that you helped some people who were in trouble on their way to Gansu.”
“How could I pass by people in distress right before my eyes? And you actually returned the money you donated?”
“Donated?”
“Yes. But I said that because I thought the monks would feel burdened if I said it was a donation.”
I handed him the receipt.
“That's why I brought it back.”
Looking at the receipt, the Abbot looked troubled.
“To refuse this would be to ignore your sincerity, so we have no choice but to accept it. However, we have many other donations, so we have no trouble making a living.”
“Isn't that all thanks to the reputation and benevolence that Shorin has built up over many years?”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
The Abbot thought for a moment and then made an unusual proposal.
“We will gratefully accept your donation. In return, may we ask you for a favor?”
“Please tell me.”
“We would like you to use your donation to help others who are struggling to survive.”
“What?”
“You must see many people like that, more than we do. That is why we are asking you.”
“Ah... Yes.”
I had no choice but to take it back.
It is most difficult to deal with people who are so ungreedy.
Perhaps it is because I am a heavenly merchant and deal mainly with people who have desires for something.
“And I am also grateful for the advice you gave me about the monk Jeong-myeong. I heard the general story from my disciple who is currently stationed at the Martial Alliance. I almost entered without knowing that the sword master had such intentions!”
“In the end, I didn't enter. The sword master collapsed. I think it was Master Hyuk-gon who did that because he didn't want anyone else to get hurt.”
“That may be.”
Abbot continued.
“That is why I invited you here to express my gratitude in person. I wanted to go to Beijing myself, but that would have been too much of a burden on you. Many people are interested in this old monk.”
“I am grateful for your consideration.”
I am truly grateful.
I would prefer to decline the attention of the martial artists.
“I apologize for troubling you during your busy time.”
“Not at all.”
I waved my hand.
“Please do not worry about it. I also had a reason to visit Shaolin Temple and see you.”
The Abbot tilted his head at my words.
“You had business with me?”
“I have something to deliver to Shaolin Temple. By chance, I was asked to do this, and I guess it's fate.”
“Is that the box you brought with you?”
“Yes, it is.”
I picked up the box I had placed beside me and put it in front of him.
“What is this?”
“It is something that Master Xue Gongcheng left behind at Shaolin.”
At my words, the Abbot's eyes widened, and he opened the box with trembling hands.
Inside were a book, a letter, and a gold ingot.
“May I ask where you got this?”
“Yes. I was also at the sword cave in Gansu Province.”
I briefly explained how I ended up there and what happened after that.
“...And then, on my way back after finishing everything, I found the herb. As I was lifting the rock to dig it up, I found this box.”
Of course, it was a lie.
I couldn't say that I went to the sword cave to destroy it and found it there.
Even Buddha would forgive me for this.
“...”
The Abbot looked at me silently for a moment, then nodded.
“It doesn't matter where you found it. I am grateful that you brought it to Shaolin.”
Hmm... Did he catch me lying?
“By the way, does anyone else know about this?”
“No one knows except me and my bodyguard who found it with me. You just found out too.”
I continued.
“And I don't know what this is either, so I read the letter. But I thought it would be better to hand it over as is, so I didn't read the book.”
“I see.”
The Abbot read the letter. Then, after folding it, he stroked the book several times and looked at me.
“It seems you have some kind of connection to Shaolin. Otherwise, how could you...”
I smiled.
I think so too. But I would prefer to avoid any further troublesome connections.
However, if I need Shaolin's help in the future... Should I put up with the trouble?
The Abbot took the gold ingot from the box and handed it to me.
“This is yours. You did as the letter said, so you are entitled to this gold ingot.”
This time, I did not refuse.
I could say with confidence that it was mine.
“Thank you.”
Even as he handed me the gold bars, there was not a trace of greed or regret in the Abbot's eyes.
Is this possible?
“And...”
Do you have anything else to say?
“I heard that it was largely thanks to you that Ambassador Hye-jin was able to return safely. It was because you convinced everyone.”
I scratched my cheek.
“Our Shaolin Temple has truly received many blessings. We will never forget this kindness.”
“What do you mean, kindness? It's nothing.”
“No, it's not nothing. I had prepared a suitable gift, but seeing this, I don't think it will be enough. So please stay a little longer.”
“I understand. Actually, one of my bodyguards is still in a trance, so I was going to ask if we could stay a few more days.”
I left the Abbot's quarters. Then, guided by the young monk, I headed back to my quarters.
When I returned to my quarters, I entered my room and took the golden bell out of my sleeve.
The golden bell, which had been rattling since earlier, was now staring at me with sparkling eyes.
“Kui! Kui!”
Since I was the one who found it, it wanted me to give it a name.
“I think I gave it to you before.”
Gyeong-ryeong shook his head and said he remembered that I hadn't given it to him.
He has a great memory. Damn!
I thought I had a way out of this.
Still, Gyeong-ryeong did something commendable, so I should praise him.
I handed Geum-ryeong a gold coin, and she rolled it around on the table and licked it.
Seeing that, I remembered what the Abbot had said to me telepathically.
“I sense the winter wind coming from you.”
Could he have noticed?