Chapter 928: It is My Role (Part 3)

Beopgye's anger didn't originate solely from emotions or personal matters. He was the guardian of Shaolin's rules and regulations, and this transcended mere personal sentiments.

"Now."

He spoke with an unusually sharp and firm tone, emphasizing the point to Hye-yeon.

"Are you saying that you will defy Master right now?"

Hye Yeon smiled ambiguously.

"I'm not sure how to respond to that statement."

"What did you say?"

"As a Buddhist, I act as my heart guides me. How can you call it defiance?"

Beopgye's face twisted slightly.

"Despite being a Buddhist, you are a part of Shaolin. Do you not understand what it means to defy Master's orders and the consequences of such an act?"

Hye Yeon remained silent this time, refusing to answer. Beopgye continued with a hint of anger in his voice.

"It is insubordination."

"..."

"And unfounded insubordination is subject to punishment. Do you know what Shaolin's punishment entails?"

Hye Yeon nodded.

"Yes."

"Do you know?"

"Yes, I do."

Beopgye's eyes darkened.

"A disciple expelled from Shaolin will undergo the 'Severing Tendons and Cutting Arteries' (斷筋斬脈) punishment."

When the words 'Severing Tendons and Cutting Arteries' were spoken, Hye Yeon's face paled slightly.

"If one's dantian is broken and their muscles are cut off their limbs, he will never be able to use martial arts again. And despite this, you are willing to commit the grave sin of insubordination and accept expulsion?"

His voice held no mercy.

Hye Yeon looked up at the sky for a moment. Beopjeong and Beopgye were like family to him. It was not easy to endure their disappointment and anger. But...

'If it's not right, then it's just an obsession.'

Once again, Hye Yeon lowered his head, showing no further hesitation on his face. His two eyes remained calm and clear.

"That is the law of the Shaolin, and if that is the way to repay the grace I have received from the Shaolin, then I will follow it," Hye Yeon calmly stated.

"You stubborn..."

This time, it was Beopkye's face that paled. He had never imagined that Hye Yeon would respond this way. Severing tendons and arteries, breaking the dantian, and shattering the chi flow was a brutal punishment. Those who received this punishment would never be able to use martial arts again, and they would be reduced to a state where even common villagers could surpass them. Who could endure such a fate?

"Have you lost your mind? What could possibly make you...!"

In the end, Beopkye couldn't contain himself and shouted. However, Beopkye was stopped byBeopjeong, who raised his hand.

"Leader!"

Even though Beopkye's voice was desperate, Law Jeong shook his head, dissenting in silence. He gazed at Hye Yeon with cold eyes. It was clear that the reason Law Jeong intervened was not out of goodwill towards Hye Yeon.

"I have one question, Hye Yeon."

Hye Yeon flinched at Beopjeong's tone but quickly regained his composure and nodded.

"Yes, Leader."

"What is your reason?"

"..."

Beopjeong spoke with a cold tone. "Just follow Shaolin. By doing so, you will be granted many things. The position of the future Shaolin leader, along with unparalleled glory, is already prepared for you."

Hye Yeon remained silent.

"Yet, why do you insist on defying my words and going as far as accepting punishment? Do you have a reason significant enough to abandon all the training and experiences you've had so far?"

Beopjeong's eyes exuded a chilling aura. It was difficult to believe that this was the gaze of a mentor looking at his disciple. Strangely, Hye Yeon's lips curled into a composed smile. As if he were answering a riddle, he asked Beopjeong, "What is the significance of all of that?"

"…What did you say?"

"It's obsession, emptiness."

Beopjeong's face hardened abruptly. It was as if he had never imagined hearing these words from Hye Yeon.

"The position of the leader, the title of the best in the world, and unparalleled glory…" Hye Yeon paused for a moment and then continued, "Did you mention those as reasons?"

And he answered calmly, "Because I am a Buddhist, not a warrior."

Beopjeong appeared speechless.

"Since you've mentioned it, I believe I understand my own heart more clearly when you speak, sir. Why discuss glory, Bangjang? How can there be glory for a practitioner who follows the path of enlightenment, a path meant for the benefit of all beings? Is there room for glory on such a path?"

For a moment, Beopjeong appeared as though he couldn't speak, merely gazing at Hye Yeon.

"What's so remarkable about this accumulated mastery of the martial arts in a single body? Even if one possesses martial arts that touches the heavens, it is merely a skill that falls short of saving a single being."

"You..."

Beopjeong's hand began to tremble.

He could endure everything else, but was there anything more shameful for him than receiving a Buddhist sermon from a Shaolin disciple?

"Before being a mere human, I am a Buddhist. Why do you insist on taking me somewhere where there's no path of Buddhism for me? Even if the body resides in paradise, if the mind dwells in hell, is it any different from hell itself?"

"Hye Yeon."

"If you intend to take it, then take it."

Hye Yeon slowly nodded, his serene face free of any confusion.

"If it must be taken, then please go ahead. Even if I am driven away from Shaolin or lose my mastery of martial arts, the fact remains that a I am a practitioner of Buddhism. Isn't that enough?"

Hye Yeon smiled gently and lowered his hands.

He appeared willing to accept without any resistance.

At this point, it was Beopjeong who was bewildered.

Who was Hye Yeon?

He was the most important figure among the most important figures within a millennium of Shaolin. The expectations that he would elevate Shaolin to a higher level were held by all. He was the future of Shaolin.

Wasn't it solely because they expected Hye Yeon's growth to benefit Shaolin that they allowed him, a disciple of Shaolin, to go abroad?

Yet now, he was saying that he wanted to leave Shaolin of his own accord, even at the cost of discarding the meticulously accumulated mastery of the martial arts in his being.

"Why on earth!"

This was something he couldn't possibly understand according to his logic. Everyone in the world aspired to become a disciple of Shaolin. However, the one who received the envy of all these people was now trying to walk a different path, even abandoning all the mastery of the martial arts he had accumulated.

"This stubborn fool..."

An unusually mournful tone escaped from Beopkye's mouth, which should have been the most severe.

However, unlike Beopkye, Beopjeong's eyes grew colder and colder.

"Is that your will?"

"Yes, Master."

Beopjeong gazed at Hye Yeon in silence.

At another time, he might have easily brushed off Hye Yeon's stubbornness. But now wasn't the right time. From Beopjeong's perspective, it seemed as though the disciple he had raised so carefully had chosen the Mount Hua Sect over him and Shaolin.

"The Mount Hua Sect has blinded your eyes."

"Mount Hua Sect merely showed me my path."

"At that time, I didn't send you to the Mount Hua Sect."

"I am truly grateful for being sent to the Mount Hua Sect at that time."

"Until the end..."

A sharp edge appeared in Beopjeong's expression.

The one who led a sect had to be the gentlest at times and, at other times, the most impartial. If he didn't condemn those who violated the laws of the sect in front of Changmoon, the very system of Shaolin's rules would be shaken.

No, not exactly.

"Am I actually getting angry at that child for violating the rules, or is it because I'm unable to mend the wound to my pride?"

Beopjeong vigorously shook off the temptation that had come over him.

"Beopgye."

"Yes."

"Exile Hye Yeon."

"Wha- Master!"

"Charge disciple Hye Yeon with the crime of breaking the rules and retrieve everything that was given to him by Shaolin. As the head of Shaolin's monastic community, execute the punishment."

"Wait, Master!"

Beopkye, who couldn't bear to abolish Hye Yeon's martial arts, desperately tried to defuse the situation.

"This is not Shaolin; it's Mount Hua! Master! If you wish to punish a sinner, at least transport him to Shaolin first..."

"How can the location make a difference in enforcing discipline?"

"But..."

"Or?"

Beopjeong stared through Beopkye as if piercing him with his eyes.

"Are you suggesting that Shaolin should consider the Mount Hua Sect when enforcing the rules?"

"No, that's not what I meant. How could I ever entertain such a preposterous idea?"

"Then execute it."

"..."

"Hurry!"

Beopkye closed his eyes tightly. If Beopjeong took such a stern stance, there was no way to turn the situation around.

"How did things get so out of hand?"

Everything had gone wrong. The timing couldn't have been worse.

'That idiot... I rather him have run away instead!'

Why did he have to appear before the Master at this moment? If Beopjeong had controlled his anger a little longer, there might have been another solution.

Beopkye opened his tightly closed eyes. He could see the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect gathering, realizing the commotion. Perhaps the Master wanted to display Shaolin's dignity before them. However...

'If the price for this is Hye Yeon, isn't it too great, Bangjang?'

But regardless of the inner thoughts, there was no way to refuse the Master's command. Beopkye reluctantly told Hye Yeon,

"Kneel, sinner."

As soon as those words were uttered, Hye Yeon's knees hit the ground. Beopgyeong reluctantly walked away, forcing himself to take each step.

"What's he doing?"

"Why is Hye Yeon acting like that?"

The disciples of Mount Hwasan looked at this spectacle and began to murmur and frown. However, no matter what they thought, Hye Yeon was a disciple of Shaolin. They couldn't interfere in the affairs of Shaolin.

Amidst this, a few quick-witted disciples who sensed something amiss were quick to react. They made their way towards the residence of the Sect Leader with all their might.

"Execute it."

Beopgyeong raised his hand in a knife-hand strike. The edge of his hand emitted a bluish light, sharper than any blade, poised to sever Hye Yeon's muscle fibers and destroy his Danjeon.

"Hye Yeon."

Beopkye, who couldn't bring himself to reach out, made one last attempt to persuade Hye Yeon.

"If you change your mind now, the Master will surely show you mercy."

But all he could see was Hye Yeon's resolute back, as he merely shook his head.

"Elder, please do not hesitate."

"..."

Beopkye bit his lips hard.

"What on earth did you see at the Mount Hua Sect that makes you beg so foolishly? What can their teachings offer that surpasses Shaolin's teachings? It's nothing but irrational delusion."

To this, Hye Yeon replied calmly.

"I didn't learn anything specific at the Mount Hua Sect. They didn't try to teach me. What can I learn from those who don't seek to teach? Nothing."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"I'm doing it because I've realized."

"You've realized?"

"Yes."

Hye Yeon, who had been quietly listening, smiled faintly.

"It's about what I couldn't find in Shaolin, the concept of 'altruism' (利他)."

"..."

"I found the path I was searching for here. Why should I hesitate? If you truly care about me, please do not hesitate. This is the path that benefits me."

Beopkye closed his eyes.

As an elder of So Rim, he couldn't bear to hear those words. But as someone walking the path of Buddhism, he could understand them.

'I don't know.'

It was sad that Hye Yeon disobeyed his words. But seeing him establish his own path as a Buddhist was a source of great joy. In the midst of these conflicting emotions, Beopgyeong's heart burned black.

But...

"I am an elder of Shaolin."

There should be no hesitation.

"Sinners..."

Hye Yeon's path was set.

Beopkye clenched his lips. When he raised his head briefly and looked at Beopjeong, the latter silently nodded.

"I will take back everything you received from Shaolin in the name of Shaolin."

"Ami...tabul."

As Hye Yeon's words ended, Beopgyeong's knife-hand strike, sharp as a blade, was directed towards Hye Yeon's ankle.

"Aah!"

"Sniim!"

The disciples of Mount Hua screamed in unison. Those who had never imagined such an event would occur desperately rushed forward, but it was already too late.

"No!"

Just as Beopgyeong's knife-hand strike was about to sever Hye Yeon's Achilles tendon...

*Kagaang!*

A loud noise resounded, and Beopkye quickly stepped back a few paces as someone had seized his hand. As his hand reached Hye Yeon's ankle, a flying sword had struck it, causing it to veer away.

"How dare you!"

This was a ritual of Shaolin. Who dared to disrupt it with violence? Beopgyeong, bewildered and furious, turned his head, and he saw someone approaching.

It was Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.

He was coming straight towards them, putting his drawn sword back into its sheath.

"Who."

Chung Myung growled.

"Gave you permission to do such a thing here in Mount Hua?"

"..."

"Answer me. You filthy bastards."

His unleashed anger swept around him.