Chapter 274: Journey To Shaolin (5)

The self-proclaimed mother’s embrace was incredibly warm nonetheless. To Qing she was a complete stranger, but from the Empress’s perspective she was embracing the body of her daughter returned from death.

Qing wondered where this complicated background was completed.

Of course, it started from following your words, strategy guide writer, trying to have some fun while easily unraveling a hobby without difficulties.

But is that wrong?

What’s so wrong with just appreciating a well-shaped woman’s backside through the screen, cutting down some enemies, making some companions, and following the story to easily see it through to the end?

Whether this body was the only one that could digest those complicated settings from the start, or if it’s some separate world created as is, or if my original body might be clicking away with a tired expression as always beyond that sky, beyond that screen. Shit. Don’t think bad thoughts…

Still, it was fortunate to be in someone’s embrace, fiercely pulled in as if to melt and become one body while being held in their arms.

Even if I had bad thoughts, I didn’t have a seizure.

Just as Qing thought this-

“Yes. I’ve held you too long. Now then-“

This auntie really has bad timing.

She’s in a state where she’ll have a seizure if separated now, so this time Qing lingered in the embrace.

“Just a little longer.”

“What improper behavior for a grown princess. You should know well you’re no longer the former ruler.”

There are two ways to become a princess.

After being born as the Emperor’s daughter, later being appointed princess by the Emperor. (So not all the Emperor’s daughters are princesses.)

Princess doesn’t refer to the Emperor’s daughter, but is closer to a position or title given by the Emperor to his daughter.

And the second way is to be born as the Crown Prince’s daughter, then be appointed as a ruler by the previous Emperor and later naturally be promoted.

Since Sohal had already received the title of Yeon Sul Ruler under the previous Emperor, she naturally was promoted to Princess Yeon Sul in the current Emperor’s reign.

So the Empress’s words meant, you’re not a child anymore but a grown woman, what improper behavior is this?

Though she said that, she was hugging her daughter with a smile splitting her face to her ears.

Qing also enjoyed the warm embrace without resistance this time, and it felt like bad thoughts melted away and her energy was surging.

“Now then-“

“This time I’m reluctant to let go. Let’s stay like this for one more ke.”

Aish. She really has bad timing.

In the end, Qing was only released after a long while, finally being allowed to put on clothes after a very long time.

Even that was because of the loud growling from Qing’s stomach like the world was ending, or like the terrible screams of the dead in hell.

“The Heavenly Flower Sword of the martial arts world earnestly told Her Majesty that Shaolin is the leader of the orthodox martial arts world, so they are righteous heroes of the human world who deserve sufficient respect. At this, Her Majesty granted grace saying she would not trouble you, so be grateful.”

Though not quite at the level of a eunuch’s typical coquettishness, the Capital Supervisory Agency’s womanly high-pitched voice still made listeners doubt their ears.

Separately from that, it was good news for Shaolin.

It was a declaration that she would no longer insist on entering and would obediently return.

Whether it was the mother’s consideration or meddling, she also gave credit to Qing to make her look good.

“Shaolin has received your help again. You spoke well to Her Majesty.”

It was Wuxue Dashi, the world’s greatest expert.

If he wanted to, he could have sharpened his hearing to eavesdrop on what conversation was exchanged in the carriage.

But would a monk eavesdrop on others’ conversations?

Moreover, it would be a shameful thing deserving of people’s pointing fingers if the world’s greatest expert used that weight to secretly eavesdrop on women’s conversations.

At the level of world’s greatest expert, you should just release force compression and proudly threaten with martial arts saying “Tell me what conversation you had”, and obtain it that way.

You shouldn’t eavesdrop pettily like a thief’s child. That’s what the unorthodox faction does. (The future of the Murong clan is dark.)

If caught eavesdropping it could even become treason.

But it would have been good if he had eavesdropped.

There would have been no harm in serving Princess Your Highness in advance.

And he wouldn’t have tried to use her without even feeding her either.

“Well. The sun will set at this rate. Let’s hurry and go see the Absolute Sword Wall.”

“Um, Master? Could we eat dinner first?”

“Hmm. First, there’s no meat in temple food. And I heard from that Yu Ha fellow that after seeing the Absolute Sword Wall he vomited everything inside. If you eat dinner and then see it, won’t you just vomit up everything you ate? Is it respectful to offerings to eat food you’ll vomit up?”

“No, he just vomited some dead blood…”

Or not? Didn’t he just vomit blood?

It was a long time ago so Qing is hazy too.

But Wuxue Dashi’s words aren’t wrong either.

If you’re going to vomit after eating, you shouldn’t eat in the first place. But I don’t like being hungry. I should have just insisted on eating together with Empress Mother at Shaolin.

Somehow it feels like I’ve taken a huge loss…

But the words that there’s no meat in temple food also resonated greatly.

What meaning is there in a meal without meat? Thinking that way, it also seems like consideration to starve more and then eat delicious meat even more deliciously.

“I need to see it quickly and then eat. My stomach and back skin are about to have a dramatic reunion of separated family members.”

“From what I see you wouldn’t budge even if you starved for two months, but well, let’s go.”

As she was about to follow the hurrying Wuxue Dashi, Seol Iri quietly falling back entered Qing’s view.

“Miss Seol? Where are you going? Weren’t you following me?”

“Meal.”

What, when I’m starving!

Qing examined Seol Iri’s expressionless face.

It’s impossible to tell from her face whether she’s teasing or just calmly stating facts.

Still, she poked my side and even taught me the answer, so I thought the distance had decreased a bit.

As she was looking suspiciously to see if there was even a hint of a smile mixed in, Seol Iri added one more thing there.

“Meat.”

“Aish.”

That seems like she’s definitely teasing.

Seol Iri leapt away saying she’d eat meat like that, and only Qing followed behind Wuxue clutching her hungry stomach.

Shaolin Temple is renting out the entire northern foot of Mount Song, and the Absolute Sword Wall was engraved by Senior Celestial Martial Emperor on the southern peak.

Actually, thanks to this the Shaolin monks had to take turns guarding the Absolute Sword Wall all the way on the southern peak, so thinking about it, the reason for engraving it far away from the holy land forbidden to women seems to be consideration to let female martial artists see it too.

So when they arrived at the entrance of the gloomy ravine leading to the Absolute Sword Wall, two Shaolin monks were visible.

One was doing push-ups while standing on his hands, and one was just pounding the innocent cliff with his fists.

“Tsk tsk. I told you to stand guard but you can’t even wait that long before doing other things?”

“Ah, Abbot! I’m just looking upside down but still diligently guarding, ahem ahem.”

“Cultivation and the Buddhist path are one. Ahem ahem.”

The Shaolin monks who were trying to make excuses turned bright red as soon as they saw Qing’s appearance.

And then they acted like they had found something suspicious on the ground.

Hmm. Was that doing other things?

Certainly, when they were sent to guard, one was upside down and one was just punching the wall facing away, so they were doing other things.

“Tsk tsk. How can you be so timid? If you even brush against flesh like this you’ll completely break your precepts.”

“Brushing against flesh…”

“Namu Amitabha! Affliction! Affliction retreat!”

At this, one’s posture became awkward, and one started punching the wall again.

Qing’s graceful beauty is already at the level of discussing world’s greatest. With the divine arts Shaolin monks have, even the world’s greatest is third-rate for men so they absolutely can’t endure.

“Tsk tsk. Let’s go.”

“Um. Keep up the good work.”

Qing greeted them and followed Wuxue into the ravine.

And following left and right along the steep path with crisp clop clop sounds, suddenly a wide basin appeared.

“Well. How is it? Do you see anything?”

“Uh… That part is split?”

On one side of the basin, a tall rock cliff is vertically split for a long distance. The cross-section is smooth and straight, clearly not formed by natural phenomena to anyone who sees it.

No way, did that grandfather just split the cliff with some sword?

Before, for Mount Hua’s Absolute Sword Wall, thousands and tens of thousands of sword energy petals clawed at it, so though it was amazing, it’s natural for sword energy to at least leave marks on rock.

But the setting sun shines brightly through the split cliff, so it’s the amazement of completely splitting a huge rock wall to the other side, and in an east-west direction at that.

“Here. Do you see this footprint?”

Wuxue who was standing in the center of the open space pointed at the ground.

A large footprint was clearly and deeply imprinted in the stone floor, with fine cracks spreading about three chi in a large circle around it.

“He must have held his sword like this here, and stepped forward like this to cut the cliff. Try matching your foot to it too.”

Qing obediently put her foot into the footprint at this.

Then-

[Strange Fate Occurrence – The Legacy of the Celestial Martial Emperor]

[You have witnessed the insight left by the Celestial Martial Emperor.]

Ah. Right. It was like this.

The world loses color and is dyed completely gray.

As Qing tried to find the brilliantly shining figure of an old man among that, huh? What’s this?

Somehow her body won’t move.

To be precise, it’s not that it won’t move but her body was moving on its own.

Her view automatically spun around, and an unfamiliar monk entered her sight.

Since it doesn’t seem to be the Celestial Martial Emperor, it was just a gray bald head without color.

“Hey, you baldy.”

Qing was startled.

No, she just thought it but didn’t mean to say such rude words out loud.

But the voice coming out was that of a hoarse old man.

“Breaking the chains of samsara and entering nirvana. Is what Buddhism pursues following fate, or defying heaven? If you just wait for the time in eternal samsara, doesn’t Maitreya who comes after the eternal future save everyone together?”

Maitreya Buddha refers to the future Buddha who has already been decided to descend in Buddhism.

This future Buddha of great compassion and infinite merit will descend and spread teachings, causing all beings in the world to attain enlightenment and enter nirvana.

For reference, the words muttered like a habit by the one-eyed baldy in the past Korean peninsula saying he was Maitreya came from this.

Anyway, since salvation is already predetermined and decided, isn’t it following fate to wait quietly in samsara?

The Celestial Martial Emperor is asking that.

At this the monk’s mouth moves but no sound is heard.

And then the Celestial Martial Emperor answered.

“You say non-movement, but there is no difference between moving and not moving.”

At the same time his right arm raises.

From the feel of the handle it seems to be held straight up, but for some reason the weight of the sword keeps getting heavier.

And so for a long while.

The endlessly light longsword becomes the weight of a boulder, a stone mountain, and Mount Tai, pressing down on the raised arm, shoulder, waist, foot.

And finally at some point, the world.

Qing could just realize like that that she was supporting the weight of the entire world in this hand.

But non-movement.

The Celestial Martial Emperor does not move.

But the world moved.

The huge cliff approaches on its own and throws itself before the Celestial Martial Emperor’s sword.

It was not the sword that moved, but only the world.

“You pursue non-self but I will shout that I exist in the world. Thus I hope that human will is not controlled by any fate, and that one’s whole life and achievements rise as a brilliant sun. Thus people resist predetermined fate and walk their own path, this is liberation and awakening, the path of defying heaven.”

And so the Celestial Martial Emperor concluded:

“By the same principle of movement and non-movement, if erasing oneself from the world to not exist is non-self, then erasing the world to exist alone is no different from self. That is, non-self and self are one.”

The world that could not bend or press down the Celestial Martial Emperor splits in two, with only the Celestial Martial Emperor standing loftily.

Alone, so independent existence.

Existing as self, so self-existence.

First movement of the Nine Swords of Solitude.

Unique Self-Existence.