Chapter 403. Thousand Hands and Thousand Eyes (3)

"So you don't plan on listening, then!"

Ximen Erjin threw Hong Jin to the ground.

"T-That man dares!"

"Senior Brother Abbot!"

Cries of outrage erupted from the Shaolin Temple monks.

"Listen carefully, Shaolin Temple!"

Ximen Erjin shouted at the crowd of Shaolin Temple monks.

"If you don’t want to die, leave behind these stubborn fools who refuse to see reality and follow me."

"Thunder Inheriting Saber! Watch your mouth!" An old monk, his expression anything but compassionate, raised his voice.

"Head Monk of Religious Precepts, Hui Zheng." Ximen Erjin said, calling his name like it was a welcome interruption.

"Yes, if you’re in charge of Shaolin’s precepts, you should be more clear-headed than the rest. Judge the situation rationally."

The Religious Precepts Office was the only truly emotionless branch of the Shaolin Temple, which typically upheld compassion. As its role was to maintain the temple’s laws, it was known for cold and objective judgment.

"Realistically, do you really think this is right?"

"..."

Hui Zheng couldn't easily answer Ximen Erjin's question.

"I'm fine, Head Monk of Religious Precepts." Hong Jin said, placing his hands over Hui Zheng’s, as if to reassure him.

"An Abbot is simply a guide on the path of Zen Buddhism, he's not someone who can tell the monks of Shaolin what to do. I can't force you into a crisis, Senior Brother, just because of a weak monk's stubbornness."

Hong Jin wasn’t blind to reality. He understood why Ximen Erjin was angry, and he knew full well the consequences of his actions.

"So, Head Monk of Religious Precepts... no, Junior Master Uncle Hui Zheng. I'll leave everything to you from here."

Hong Jin smiled bitterly and apologetically.

Ah...

Hui Zheng looked at Hong Jin and a past memory came to mind.

Senior Brother Abbot...

The Senior Brother Abbot he was referring to wasn't Hong Jin.

He was referring to Hui Mian, the former Abbot who was respected as the Divine Monk.

When Hui Zheng saw Hong Jin, he inadvertently thought of Hui Mian.

To be honest, he and Hui Mian hadn't gotten along very well.

Hui Mian valued mercy and forgiveness. As the Head Monk of Religious Precepts, he was different from Hui Mian as he valued the law more than mercy and forgiveness.

In terms of the leader's disposition, he matched with Hong Gao better than Hui Mian.

The former Abbot, Hong Gao, was very good at recognizing the faults and strengths in people. If there was someone who was a problem in Shaolin, he would sentence them to at least ten years of closed-door cultivation, or if their crime was heinous, he would imprison them in the Shaolin's prison forever. If someone was a problem, he never forgave them, whether they reflected or not.

Hong Gao believed that the Shaolin Temple should be perfect, and he insisted on eliminating anything that would be a problem. However, because his methods were so severe, even the strict keeper of rules, the Head Monk of Religious Precepts, thought they were a bit excessive.

Eventually, Hui Zheng was able to realize it.

The Shaolin had changed.

If we rule with fear instead of mercy and forgiveness, how are we different from the Demonic Path or the Evil Faction? That won't do.

Rén Shàng Fǎ Yǒu Bù.

It wasn't that the law was above the people.

Fǎ Shàng Rén Yǒu.

The people were above the law.

"I'll ask you one thing," Hui Zheng tapped Hong Jin's hand and asked.

"Why are you risking your life to save them, Junior Nephew Abbot?"

"Well, that's because there's no other choice," Hong Jin answered without hesitation.

"They only have us."

His upright eyes shone transparently.

"If we abandon them, who will save them?"

Hui Zheng smiled at Hong Jin's words.

"Yes, that's right."

The surrounding Hui generation elder monks' eyes widened.

Hui Zheng was famous for not smiling or changing his expression. In fact, not even the Hui generation monks, whom he had been with for a long time, had ever seen him smile before.

"Thunder Inheriting Saber, I will answer your question," Hui Zheng said to Ximen Erjin.

"As you said, this is an act of throwing away one's life. However, I cannot turn a blind eye to those in trouble."

"It looks like I was the idiot!"

Ximen Erjin looked back at Hui Zheng and the Shaolin Temple monks.

"Shaolin Temple, it seems that all of your superiors are idiots. There's no point in talking to them any longer, so those who don't want to die, follow me!"

"It's okay with me, too," Hong Jin also looked back and said.

Just in case his fellow monks hesitated, he gave them another push.

"Fear is a natural emotion. Even though I am the Abbot, I cannot ignore your wishes. I do not criticize you, nor am I qualified to criticize you. So please do as you wish."

"..."

The monks of Shaolin Temple looked at each other.

They seemed unsure, as though waiting for someone else to act first. But that, too, was an illusion.

"Don't you need our help, Abbot?"

"Of course I do. The enemy we will face is both a natural disaster and like death itself. To be honest, I wish that I could ask even one more person to join us and help. However, as I said..."

"Then that's fine. I will stay."

"This monk will stay too."

"Then I will too."

"If Senior Brother steps forward..."

And then one by one, they began to raise their hands.

Fear was still visible in their eyes.

"No, why..."

Hong Jin’s eyes widened in confusion.

"If we said we weren't afraid, we'd be lying," someone stepped forward and said.

Just because they were martial artists or monks from the Shaolin Temple didn't mean they were unafraid of death.

"Then why..."

"Didn't the Abbot say so?"

"They only have us."

"What shit!"

Ximen Erjin turned away and strode off.

"Shen Daoyun! Since things have come to this, let's use the Shaolin Temple as bait to retreat!"

"B-but..."

"You're not going to spew bullshit, too, are you?!"

Ximen Erjin glared at Shen Daoyun with cold eyes.

"Considering you're from Guizhou and are flexible in your stance, you know what's going to happen. Or, are you planning on letting us all die here?"

"Ugh!"

Shen Daoyun couldn't refute Ximen Erjin's words. Among the Righteous Faction, he was pragmatic, focusing more on survival than on ideals.

If he was someone who would have stayed here because of his emotions, he would have died long ago.

In the chaos of Guizhou, abandoning allies was a common occurrence. Sacrificing the minority for the survival of the majority.

It was a natural thought for a commander.

"It is as he says."

Hong Jin patted Shen Daoyun on the shoulder.

"Since things have come to this, we'll buy you time. So, I'll leave the rest to you. Someone needs to go and ask for reinforcements and let the others know what happened here."

"Then, I apologize..."

There wasn't enough time left. Too much precious time had already been lost in the argument.

It wasn't a matter of persuasion anymore. It was foolish to even think about persuading them.

"Then, I'll ask you to please take care of the monks who are still too young to die."

"Abbot!"

"If we lose you too, what will become of Shaolin?" Hui Zheng glared and scolded.

"We'll leave these fifty in your care."

The Martial Alliance's five hundred, the Beggar Gang's five hundred.

The Gold Will Sword Sect's one hundred, the Ximen Family's six hundred.

And, the Shaolin Temple's fifty people were reorganized.

It was decided that one thousand seven hundred and fifty people would leave separately. As for those remaining, it was mainly monks of the Hui and Hong generation.

"How long can they even hold out with two hundred and fifty people?" Ximen Erjin muttered before leaving.

"Thank you for your concern. There are many trees, so we'll try to make the most of this terrain," Hong Jin answered with a faint smile.

"Do you think that if you give up your lives here, the Dark Heavens Association won't be able to see the nearby village?"

"Yes. If you leave in such a large number, you'll be visible from afar, so they won't bother searching nearby. And they'll just follow your traces."

"Whatever!"

Ximen Erjin turned his back with a grunt, unwilling to continue. Shen Daoyun stepped forward and bowed to Hong Jin, cupping his fist.

There was a certain respect in his gesture.

"..."

Hong Jin watched the one thousand seven hundred and fifty people leave. Then, he let the smile fade from his lips and turned away.

Senior Brother...

The previous Shaolin Abbot, Hong Gao, came to mind.

If it had been Senior Brother... he would have definitely ignored that village.

Hong Jin knew Hong Gao's character well.

Of course, he hadn’t known about the treason. Zhou Xuchuan had kept that hidden to prevent unnecessary chaos.

He was careful not to allow Hong Gao to be used as a tool for instigation by the Dark Heavens Association, so that not even a little bit of what had happened could be used to spread false rumors.

Still, setting aside the hidden truth, Hong Jin was confident in what he understood about his Senior Brother. Maybe not to the depth Hui Mian had, but enough.

It was partly because Hong Gao was a Senior Brother who had been with him his whole life, but also because he had supported him after becoming the Abbot of Shaolin.

The main force of Shaolin is gathered here. If we're destroyed here, the Shaolin Temple will be set back once again. Senior Brother would never have allowed that to happen.

While he wasn't aware that Hong Gao had been crazy enough to rebel, he knew that Hong Gao's commitment to the Shaolin's strength wasn't to be ignored.

Considering this was Hong Gao, who loved the temple more than any monk to the point of obsession, Hong Jin assumed that the monk would abandon innocent people for the sake of the future.

In fact, if it was his Senior Brother, who always shouted that the Shaolin Temple should be the best, he would have been at odds with how things had been distributed earlier.

But... we can't let that happen. No, we won't let that happen.

At the foot of the mountain, the people surged forward like clouds and waves.

"The deceased Divine Monk, Abbot Hui Mian, has always said that we must save and guide sentient beings."

Hong Jin looked down and continued.

"Thousand-handed and thousand-eyed, with a thousand hands he will help sentient beings and with a thousand eyes he will see those who need to be saved."[1]

"Namu Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva..."

The monk absentmindedly chanted the name of the Bodhisattva.

Tak, tak, tak.

To be holding a wooden fish even in this urgent moment was truly monk-like.[2]

When someone began to strike the wooden fish, the monks of the Shaolin Temple clasped their hands together and chanted sutras while rolling their prayer beads.

There were no birds chirping or insects buzzing on the trees. However, the sound of the wooden fish resonated in the forest.

It was such a pure sound. The distracting thoughts that had been making their heads dizzy disappeared and instead gave them comfort.

And then, halfway through, the sound disappeared for a moment.

It suddenly stopped as if something had swallowed the sound.

"Whew."

Someone muttered, "They're here."

Two hundred and fifty people opened their eyes.

"Huh!"

In an instant, their breathing stopped. Their blood froze.

The living creatures around them also bowed their heads. As soon as the leader of the Dark Heavens appeared, the air changed. The turquoise-colored tree turned dark. The light hid itself and the darkness replaced it. To be exact, it wasn't that it had hidden, but rather it had been completely consumed.

"So after the Beggar Gang is..."

The Dark Heavens Association Lord's eyes lit up.

"The Shaolin Temple and the Ximen Family?"

"What did you just say?"

Hong Jin looked surprised, then hurriedly turned around.

"Ximen Erjin!"

"Thunder Inheriting Saber!"

The monks besides Hong Jin were also surprised.

The man who turned his back before anyone else, Ximen Erjin, was standing behind them, leading the Evil Faction's group.

"Why?"

"Don't be mistaken."

Ximen Erjin glared at Hong Jin.

"How much time could two hundred and fifty people really buy? Even for the Highest Peak Shaolin, you need some self-awareness. Since it's come to this, I thought it would be better to add a bit more strength and hold out a little longer."

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Hong Jin blinked at the words, then bowed slightly, his expression moved.

Ximen Erjin didn’t return the gesture. Instead, he looked over the warriors behind him, then at the Shaolin monks.

"Seven hundred and fifty? It looks like the Thousand-hands and Thousand-eyes are out of our reach."

The Ximen Family had brought five hundred out of their six hundred members. It wasn't a small number.

"Don't worry." Hong Jin said with a soft smile. "The Thousand-hands and Thousand-eyes has one eye for every hand. It’s already enough."

"What a ridiculous monk."

Ximen Erjin clicked his tongue and looked ahead.

Sun Yishan’s sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. They had taken down three hundred of the enemy’s original three thousand.

Considering that the Dark Heavens Association Lord was the vanguard, the damage wasn't bad. It had all been thanks to their determination to die.

"Listen!" Ximen Erjin shouted.

"The enemy before us is strong! Unreasonably strong! They are a living disaster, the embodiment of hopelessness! To be honest, all we can do is block them! We will all die here!"

Die. Their commander had said openly that they would die.

"Neither the Sword God nor the Domination God Monarch will come! There will be no reinforcements! It would be madness, suicide to confront them like this!"

But no one was shaken.

They simply waited calmly for the next words.

"But why? Why are we here?!"

No one answered.

They looked ahead and steeled themselves.

If I have to give an answer...

At least, at least I can die with honor.

They were afraid of dying. But they hated the idea of dying without any meaning even more.

If they were to have shouted right at this moment that their stand was to stop a massacre, to save the people, they might have felt relieved.

If there was a noble purpose, they would fight with all their might.

However... if they said it, their deaths would become meaningless.

Their purpose was to prevent the Dark Heavens Association from harming the village filled with innocent people. That was all.

Everyone knew that fact well, so they kept silent.

"Enough."

Ximen Erjin's voice rang out quietly.

"That's more than enough."

Hong Jin continued.

"Someone will remember us. As is the case with human history, someone will remember!"

"As with history, all we will amount to is one or two lines in the annals! And, in a few years, they will forget!"

The Righteous and Evil Factions had been in conflict for a long time.

Even if a common enemy appeared, they joined hands only because they lacked martial might. They couldn't achieve true harmony.

It was a given.

Their ideologies and ways of thinking were different. Those who have been at odds for countless years could not easily reconcile.

"Person means to lean on each other's backs and help each other!"

The Righteous Faction was idealistic.

"Person means to stand on one's two feet!"[3]

The Evil Faction was pragmatic.

"Give your life for others!"

"Give your life for yourself!"

There were those in this world who sacrificed themselves for people they had no connection to.

There were those who threw themselves in danger to save a child trapped in a fire, and those who died fighting criminals.

There were also those who helped because they simply felt the need to regardless of their own interests.

People called them heroes.

"We are!"

And now, the Righteous and Evil Factions had become one for that purpose.

"The Shaolin Temple of the Righteous Faction!"

"The Ximen Family of the Evil Faction!"

1. Part of the Great Compassion Mantra. ☜

2. A wooden fish, or a

muyu

, is a small, carved block of wood used as a percussive instrument in East Asian Buddhism. ☜

3. The character for person, 人, originally was a side profile of a man, with one's leg and arm. It eventually evolved into two strokes, with a slight separation, and many poets compare it to two people supporting each other to produce humanity, or that a person needs to stand on two feet (metaphorically) to exist. ☜