The Apostate Monk (1)

The day after Hyun Kwang nearly attained Nirvana, a savory aroma wafted through the grounds of the Shaolin Temple from Hyun Kwang's quarters.

"Hehehe, who knew there was such great joy in the world," murmured Hyun Kwang, savoring the flavors in his mouth like an immortal.

Boom! At that moment, Hyun Gong burst into the room with hurried steps.

"S-Senior Brother! What are you doing right now!?" Hyun Gong, who had rushed over due to the savory aroma spreading throughout the temple, asked in alarm, but Hyun Kwang simply responded with a laugh.

"Oh, Junior Brother Hyun Gong, you've come. Would you care to join me? This is the famous 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' soup. Hehehe, indeed, with such a taste, it's worth jumping over walls."

"W-What are you talking about!?" shouted Hyun Gong, his face turning beet red. Hyun Kwang responded with a gentle smile.

"Hehehe, my hearing is just fine. No need to shout so loudly."

"...Hoo." Hyun Gong took a few deep breaths to calm himself before asking in a lower voice.

"Why are you eating 'that' food, Senior Brother?"

"I heard it's very good for health, so I decided to try it," Hyun Kwang replied.

"'That' food?" Hyun Gong asked, as if the mere mention of the word 'Buddha Jumps Over the Wall' was shameful. But Hyun Kwang remained unfazed.

"Hehehe, thanks to the abbot, the rules have been relaxed. Isn't it permissible for a monk in poor health like myself?"

"...Does someone who nearly attained Nirvana still need to look after their health?" Hyun Gong asked cautiously.

The fact that Hyun Kwang had almost reached Nirvana was a secret within the temple, known only to those who were present that day and the elder monks. They had kept it quiet at Hyun Kwang's request. 

Hyun Kwang, who had come close to Nirvana, looked at Hyun Gong with a peculiar expression before speaking.

"Hmm? It seems you don't like the idea of me eating a nourishing meal. Hehehe."

"It's not that…"

"Hehehe. Well, it's understandable. That's probably why you locked our Mu-Jin in the cave, isn't it? Because he was trying so hard to save me. Hehehe."

Hyun Kwang's added comment, "The child who used to listen to me so well in his youth, why has he become like this?" made the Disciplinary Head break out in a cold sweat. Hyun Gong was the first to realize that his senior brother, who had almost attained Nirvana, had become somewhat eccentric.

---

A month had passed since Mu-Jin began his wall-gazing training.

"The time has come, Abbot. Mu-Jin's retreat is over," announced a disciple who had come to inform them that the retreat was over. Mu-Jin sighed deeply as he stood up.

'Never again.'

This was different from the week he had endured last time. Hyun Chun had merely chanted prayers without engaging in any conversation with Mu-Jin. 

No matter how much he trained his body, practiced martial arts, or went hunting at night, not speaking for a month was truly dreadful. 

'Wall-gazing shouldn't be underestimated,' thought Mu-Jin, even though he hadn't done it himself.

'Hoo. At least I've made some progress.'

After a month of training, Mu-Jin had become fairly adept at connecting the basic moves smoothly. At that moment, the abbot Hyun Chun, who had also exited the cave, smiled kindly at Mu-Jin and spoke.

"Mu-Jin, it seems you need a bit of a haircut."

Except for a few who had partial baldness, all Shaolin monks regularly shaved their heads. Mu-Jin was no exception, but his hair had grown quite a bit during his month of wall-gazing, so it was time for a trim.

'Damn…' For Mu-Jin, it was a dreadful thought. He had come to this world after reading novels to avoid stress-induced hair loss, but now he had to live with a bald head here as well. He had almost given up on the idea, but seeing his hair grow a bit during the wall-gazing made him reluctant to part with it.

Thus, Mu-Jin asked Hyun Chun something he normally wouldn't have.

"Abbot, why do all monks shave their heads so short?"

Hyun Chun smiled as he answered Mu-Jin's question.

"The reason is simple. Shaving the head symbolizes severing ties with the secular world. Each time we shave our heads as our hair grows, we remind ourselves that we have severed ties with the secular world and committed ourselves to the Buddhist path."

"Is it an act to reaffirm that we have severed our ties with the secular world?"

"Exactly. Our Shaolin founder, Bodhidharma, did the same, as did Shakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, as followers of the Mahayana tradition, we also follow their example," replied Hyun Chun. As he said this, Mu-Jin scratched his chin thoughtfully.

'Then, it doesn't necessarily mean we have to be completely bald, does it?'

While Mu-Jin pondered this conversation with Hyun Chun, they arrived at the Shaolin Temple.

"I have some overdue tasks to attend to, so Mu-Jin, you should head back now. Senior Brother Hyun Kwang is probably waiting for you," said Hyun Chun.

"Understood, Abbot."

After exchanging greetings with Hyun Chun as his superior, Mu-Jin headed towards Hyun Kwang's quarters. As he approached, Mu-Jin asked the attendant, the question he had been most curious about during his time in the cave.

"Grandfather... No, how is Senior Hyun Kwang? How is he?"

For some reason, the attendant responded with an awkward smile.

"He, he's doing well. Hahaha."

"...?"

"You'll see when you get there. You'll see."

Although the attendant said he was doing well, Mu-Jin couldn't shake the feeling that he was avoiding the question.

'I'll see when I get there.'

Setting aside his thoughts for now, Mu-Jin headed towards Hyun Kwang's quarters with the attendant.

"!!!"

What they encountered was an unexpected sight.

Hyun Kwang was sitting in the main hall, indulging in meat and alcohol.

"Amitabha."

As if he hadn't seen anything, the attendant who had brought Mu-Jin along turned away and left, ignoring the scene.

"Hehehe. Come on in, Mu-Jin."

With a chuckle, Hyun Kwang picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and spoke.

"Grandfather!! What in the world is this?"

"This is for nourishment, Mu-Jin."

With his confident reply, Hyun Kwang watched as Mu-Jin rushed to the main hall and snatched the chopsticks and bottle from him.

"The meat I mentioned is simply unseasoned meat! It's not this terrible thing floating in oil!"

As Mu-Jin pointed at the dish, Hyun Kwang laughed and the nearby monk, Beob Gun, awkwardly turned his head aside.

"Master!"

"A-Ahem. I-I didn't touch anything. I-I didn't."

With a flimsy excuse, Mu-Jin asked incredulously.

"Then what about the alcohol? Giving alcohol to a patient!"

"Hehehe. Don't worry about it."

Hyun Kwang smiled kindly at Mu-Jin's nagging.

Suddenly, the energies swirling around the courtyard rushed towards Hyun Kwang.

Whoosh!

With the wind, the aromas of alcohol, meat oil, and spices clinging to Hyun Kwang's body all dissipated into the air.

"Hehehe. I just enjoyed the atmosphere. If you disperse it like this, it's all good."

"..."

As Mu-Jin watched, his mouth agape, Hyun Kwang spoke with an indifferent tone as if nothing had happened.

"W-What just happened?"

As Mu-Jin stuttered in confusion, Beob Gun briefly explained the events that had transpired.

The story of nearly reaching enlightenment and the resulting changes, though his enlightenment remained flawed, he had gained control over natural energies.

"S-So, can you always disperse the effects of alcohol and toxic energies like that? Grandfather."

"Hehehe. That's right."

"How skilled do I have to become to do that? To be able to do such a thing!?"

Mu-Jin asked eagerly, his eyes flashing.

It was a scene often depicted in martial arts novels—dispelling the effects of alcohol with internal energy.

'If I can do that, I can drink alcohol too!'

It wasn't just about alcohol. It was about all the delicious but unhealthy foods full of oil and spices. Living as a fitness enthusiast, he had resigned himself to abstain from those foods, but now he could eat them again!

'Am I finally free from chicken breast shakes and chicken breast salads?'

Living as a fitness enthusiast was almost synonymous with giving up taste, if not agreeing to give up taste. Of course, as a monk, he couldn't eat meat or drink alcohol, but...

'What do I care if I leave Shaolin?'

Mu-Jin was determined to build his skills in order to leave Shaolin and see the ending of this novel.

'At least, after reaching a level where I can disperse alcohol and toxins.'

With a more concrete goal in mind, Mu-Jin looked at Hyun Kwang, who smiled understandingly and replied.

"Hahaha. Once you stimulate all three channels and reach the level where you can attain the Great Enlightenment, that's all you need."

* * *

"That evening.

Mu-Jin was grappling with several books in a corner of the room."

Those were books that had been stored in the Library of Scriptures, but they weren't particularly important, so Mu-Jin, being one of the three-generation disciples, could borrow them if he wanted. They were just books about the history of Shaolin or Buddhism.

"Mmm."

Satisfied with what he had read, Mu-Jin closed the book and picked up a razor and scissors.

* * *

The next morning, at dawn, Beob Gun looked at Mu-Jin with a puzzled expression.

"Yesterday, I clearly gave you a razor and scissors. Why haven't you cut your hair?"

To Beob Gun's question, Mu-Jin replied, "I did cut it, Master."

"Is that what you call cutting?"

Beob Gun asked incredulously.

True, compared to when he returned after finishing the face-off yesterday, his hair was somewhat tidier. It had grown in a somewhat orderly manner.

However, he hadn't shaved it off.

Mu-Jin pointed to his own head with his hand and replied to Beob Gun, "Didn't you say that cutting one's hair means cutting ties with the secular world and devoting oneself to Buddhism? I thought this method would be more effective than simply trimming my hair."

"Is that what you call it?"

"Yes. Will anyone associate such a hairstyle with having ties to the secular world? Moreover, by carving the swastika symbol on the right side of my hair with scissors, I aim to honor the intentions of the Buddha."

Indeed.

To avoid a completely shaven head, Mu-Jin had carved a swastika-shaped scratch into his extremely short mohawk.

"...," Beob Gun was momentarily speechless at Mu-Jin's words.

Even in modern times, sporting such a hairstyle would label one as a troublemaker or subject to suspicion.

Of course, in this world, no one existed with such a hairstyle, and it was rare for anyone to want to get close to someone with such a hairstyle.

It was definitely a hairstyle that had severed ties with the secular world more than the typical tonsured monk's appearance.

"Ha-ha-ha, what an interesting idea."

At that moment, Hyun Kwang, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, burst into laughter.

Understanding that the intention was more important than the law itself, Hyun Kwang, who had reached an elevated level of enlightenment, accepted Mu-Jin's deviation.

In fact, it was amusing for someone who consumed meat and alcohol to fuss over another's hairstyle.

However, even though Hyun Kwang respected Mu-Jin's intentions, not everyone in Shaolin accepted his hairstyle.

In the afternoon, when Hyun Gong, who had come to treat Hyun Kwang's body, saw Mu-Jin's hair, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You! How can a disciple of Shaolin have such a hairstyle!"

Hyun Gong, along with Hyu Dam and Hyun Chun, was equally dumbfounded. Especially from the perspective of Hyun Kwang, who had advised Mu-Jin to cut his hair after finishing the face-off yesterday, it was beyond belief.

But Mu-Jin, undaunted by Hyun Gong's angry voice, repeated what he had told Beob Gun.

He explained his bizarre logic of severing ties with the secular world and honoring the Buddha's intentions by choosing this hairstyle.

"Do you think that makes any sense!"

Of course, Hyun Gong, who was in charge of Shaolin's regulations, couldn't tolerate Mu-Jin's hairstyle.

"Hair is referred to as the grass of ignorance or the grass of affliction, symbolizing worldly desires! Cutting such hair signifies devotion to Buddhism!"

"Yes. So I cut my hair."

"It's the little bit you left that's the problem! It represents your attachment to the secular world!"

Hyun Gong shouted, unable to accept Mu-Jin's hairstyle. But Mu-Jin couldn't back down either.

More than ten years had passed since he was dragged into this world by a novel.

Now Mu-Jin was beginning to realize that it was impossible to return to the original world overnight.

If he thought about the novel's story he knew, he had to spend at least ten years here to see the ending.

Living like a monk in Shaolin for all those years was akin to torture.

"Even though it's the ending, let's enjoy it!"

Mu-Jin had decided to compromise a bit to endure over ten years.

And his hair was a compromise Mu-Jin could never make. Especially from the perspective of someone who had been dragged into this world because of baldness.

That's why Mu-Jin stood firm.

So Mu-Jin prepared himself for the storm.

"Even if it led to enlightenment, I understand that Siddhartha Gautama didn't just cut his hair, but his hair was just one aspect of it, right?"

Mu-Jin's words made Hyun Gong and Hyun Chun flinch.