The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Chapter 278: Beop Jae, The Ugly Buddha (1)

There are so many things in this world that cannot be understood through words alone.

The more challenging and significant the matter, the truer this becomes.

Such things cannot be fully comprehended before one begins.

It requires one to practice and realize it directly.

Dealing with the matters of the Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering was like that.

The world as seen by those whose bodies are somehow deficient can only be truly understood through experience.

Yi-gang had his hair tied up.

When he mentioned that his rather long hair was getting bothersome, Jeong Myung tied it up for him.

Yi-gang sat quietly with his eyes closed.

He still couldn’t even dream of reaching Beop Yun’s level of insight.

But, at some point, closing his eyes had become less uncomfortable.

When he remained still, Yi-gang would close his eyes like this.

Aside from feeling sleepy, there was a certain comfort in it.

There wasn’t a single sound. No footsteps could be heard, nor was there any vibration as someone walked on the temple floor.

Yet Yi-gang spoke softly.

“You’ve arrived.”

Perhaps the time spent with his eyes closed had grown longer without him realizing it.

Although he hadn’t seen anyone, Yi-gang sensed someone approaching.

“I was starting to think I should head back since you hadn’t come in a while.”

However, there was no response.

Yi-gang slowly opened his eyes.

“...”

The temple hall was empty.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Yi-gang cleared his throat.

“Ahem. Hem.”

It had been a misunderstanding that someone had entered.

Creak—

Coincidentally, just a moment later, the door to the temple hall opened.

The Divine Monk entered, brushing off his dirt-covered hands.

“What are you staring at?”

“...It’s nothing.”

He could have arrived just a little earlier.

Thinking that, Yi-gang composed his expression.

“Well, it seems you’re managing just fine here.”

“Yes.”

Yi-gang had arranged to meet regularly with the Divine Monk Grand Master Mu Myung.

The purpose was to report on what he had learned from the Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering and to check on his physical condition.

The Divine Monk bragged, asking if Yi-gang knew how busy he was to spare time for him.

Judging by the dirt on his clothes and hands, it seemed he had been tending to the garden, but Yi-gang respectfully expressed his gratitude.

“What are you up to these days?”

“I walk through the valley with my eyes closed.”

“The Clear Water Valley outside the monastery?”

“Yes. The Sitting Buddha guided me there.”

This was what Yi-gang had been practicing lately.

It went beyond merely walking along a path with obstacles while keeping his eyes closed.

Even on summer days, the stream that flowed down the mountain was so cold it chilled him to the bone.

With his eyes shut, he would enter the stream that reached up to his knees.

Then, he would walk upstream against the flow of the water.

“It’s no easy feat, is it?”

“It’s challenging.”

“They say the ancient masters trained their martial arts in such ways. Crude but harmonized with nature, touching on the roots of martial studies, wouldn’t you say?”

If he kept his eyes open, such training wouldn’t be as difficult.

However, climbing upstream in the slippery valley with his eyes closed was extremely difficult.

This was because he couldn’t know what lay beneath his feet.

There could be sharp pieces of wood embedded in the ground, or stones covered in moss, making them slick.

Since he couldn’t use his internal energy, even a skilled martial artist could stumble if they weren’t careful.

In an ordinary situation, it would only result in a shock from the cold water.

“You must have swallowed a lot of water.”

“The taste was surprisingly good.”

However, Yi-gang couldn’t use his arms.

It wasn’t just a matter of difficulty in balancing; once he fell, it was a serious ordeal.

For this, Beop Jin’s teachings had proven helpful.

Using one’s feet tends to be much rougher than using one’s hands.

But Yi-gang had become able to use his legs with the same precision as his arms.

Now, he could walk for a full two hours with only one or two falls.

“But I still wonder if I have abandoned them.”

“...”

“Whether I’ve truly let go of my sight and my arms, or if I’m just replacing them with mere intuition....”

The emotions in Yi-gang’s voice were complex.

The Divine Monk smiled bitterly.

‘This boy, he’s quick to grasp things.’

Yi-gang was progressing faster than he had anticipated.

It was no coincidence that Mu Myung placed Yi-gang by the side of the Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering.

The primary purpose, as explained to Yi-gang, was for him to gain enlightenment in martial arts from the Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering.

In the Divine Monk’s view, Yi-gang possessed far too much. He had mastered countless divine arts and met exceptionally talented teachers.

His own talent was extraordinary, and he had continuously expanded his capacity, which had kept him safe until now.

But that couldn’t last forever.

Yi-gang needed to empty some of the water filling him from within.

Beop Jae had tried practicing speech.

Since he wasn’t born mute, he wondered if he could regain his voice.

He tried to learn by watching Beop Yun and Beop Jin’s lip movements as closely as possible.

After a year of practice, he even received some praise for his efforts.

Then one day, he conversed with some visitors who came to Shaolin.

They appeared to be young successors from a major sect.

When he spoke, what he received in return was loud laughter.

They mocked Beop Jae as if they had seen something ridiculous.

Only then did Beop Jae realize his voice didn’t sound ordinary.

Since that day, he gave up speaking.

He only used sign language, communicating solely with those who could understand it.

‘This isn’t right.’

It was around this time that he met Yi-gang.

The Divine Monk, Grand Master Mu Myung had instructed him to stay with Yi-gang and share his teachings.

Beop Jae had insisted he had nothing to teach.

In response, Mu Myung had said that was fine, but if anything came to mind, he should teach it.

Beop Yun could grant others the Heavenly Eye, and the youngest, Beop Jin, taught how to use one’s limbs with his cheerful personality.

But what could Beop Jae offer?

Should he teach this clever and capable young man how to read lips since he couldn’t hear?

Or perhaps he could teach him how to run quickly even with a hunched back.

Beop Jae wasn’t sure.

‘Looking all polished like that.’

He had disliked good-looking people since he was young.

Perhaps it was because seeing them made him feel even more miserable about his own appearance.

In that case, was it not Yi-gang himself that he disliked, but rather his own self?

He suppressed his increasingly negative feelings.

Still, things weren’t entirely bad.

In just a few days, he would be able to leave the temple and descend the mountain.

Once a month, he had the pretext of running an errand for the head of the Dharma Hall, which allowed him to visit nearby Dengfeng County.

This monthly trip was Beop Jae’s source of hope and vitality.

Tomorrow, he could forget everything and relax for a day.

As he thought of this, Beop Jae was startled.

It was because Yi-gang’s reflection appeared in the water’s surface.

“...!”

Even though he couldn’t hear, it didn’t mean he lacked other senses. Moreover, Beop Jae had exceptionally sharp senses.

He had never once allowed Yi-gang to get this close before.

Instinctively, Beop Jae thrust a fist forward.

Just because his back was bent didn’t mean his arms were short.

A fierce punch aimed at Yi-gang’s side where the liver is located.

Thud!

Though he couldn’t hear, the impact from his punch was transmitted through his hand.

The punch was blocked by Yi-gang’s shoulder.

This wasn’t the first time he had sparred with Yi-gang.

Despite saying he had nothing to teach, Beop Jae had agreed to spar with him a few times.

At first, just like Beop Yun and Beop Jin, he had managed to hold his ground against Yi-gang.

Thud, Crack!

But soon, as with Beop Yun and Beop Jin, he could no longer keep up.

Yi-gang had adapted.

Although the talents of the Three Buddhas of Endless Suffering were impressive, Yi-gang was even more extraordinary.

His hands and feet gradually became disoriented...

Thud!

Beop Jae was pushed back.

Beop Jae was startled when he looked into Yi-gang’s eyes, which were gazing down at him with a cold intensity.

Swish!

He quickly retreated.

He signed, ‘Why did you suddenly come so close and startle me like that!’

It was an instinctive reaction.

Naturally, he assumed Yi-gang wouldn’t understand.

But then, Yi-gang struck a peculiar posture.

He lifted his right foot and made three circles with it.

If he had done that with his right hand, it would have meant an apology.

Watching Yi-gang’s lips, Beop Jae realized he was saying he was sorry.

‘So, he learned sign language.’

Beop Jae understood.

At some point, Yi-gang had learned sign language.

It must have been Beop Jin who taught him.

‘Damn it.’

Feeling an uncomfortable sensation he couldn’t quite place, Beop Jae swiftly turned his body away.

This time, Yi-gang didn’t pursue him.

Instead, he headed toward the spot where Beop Jae had been just moments before.

“This won’t be easy.”

It seemed turning Beop Jae’s heart wouldn’t be simple.

However, it felt as though coming here had yielded some results.

“What’s this?”

Earlier, when his hand collided with Beop Jae’s, something had fallen from Beop Jae’s robe.

Yi-gang nudged it with his foot to examine it.

“Why would he have something like this...?”

The issue was that the item, which had fallen from a monk’s robe, was far from ordinary.