Chapter 163

"So that's what happened..."

Cheong-ra sighed after hearing the tragic story. He looked at Won-dang and Won-gak again. Their breathing was very slow and weak, their faces as pale as corpses. Although Yeo-cheon had been caring for them diligently, even feeding them honey water, it was uncertain how much longer they could hold on.

Yeo-cheon wiped his disciples' faces with a soft cloth while listening to Won-jung's detailed explanation. His face brightened upon hearing that they had found a clue to removing the Demon Soul Insects.

"I hope things go well in Suzhou."

Cheong-ra muttered sincerely as he watched. At the same time, he thought of someone else. His mother. Why did he only have the sacrifice mark left on his body, but no Demon Soul Insects? This question grew larger and larger until it became impossible to ignore.

To solve this mystery, he would have to visit the Baek Ri family at least once. Cheong-ra's expression darkened.

"Then let's begin the treatment."

Yeo-cheon, having finished his conversation with Won-jung, approached. The energy emanating from his body was very clear and pure. Buddhist power was a pure energy that accumulated gradually through repeated meditation and practice with a clear mind. Moreover, Cheong-ra's treatment required secrecy. Thus, Yeo-cheon, who was confined in the Hall of Repentance caring for his disciples and undergoing arduous training, was perfect for this task.

"Devotee Baek, please sit here in meditation posture."

"Yes, Monk Yeo-cheon."

Cheong-ra sat cross-legged in place. Yeo-cheon stood behind him and slowly placed his hand on top of his head. Buddhist power flowed slowly from the Baihui acupoint. As he began chanting sutras, Cheong-ra's mind, which had been somewhat hazy ever since hearing the melody that controlled the Demon Soul Insects, began to clear. Cheong-ra emptied his mind as much as possible and breathed slowly.

The complete treatment took a full three days. After washing his entire body with Buddhist power, his mind was now completely clear and lucid, no longer foggy as it had been before meeting Yeon Jeok-san. Yeo-cheon, though tired, patted Cheong-ra's shoulder with a pleased expression.

"I can feel that the evil energy has completely disappeared from you now, devotee."

"Thank you, Monk Yeo-cheon. Thanks to you, I was able to completely escape the influence of that sound technique."

Cheong-ra expressed his gratitude happily. Now that the treatment was over, it was time to leave this place. However, Nam Gang-ryong seemed reluctant to leave, having just reunited with his master and martial brothers after so long. Feeling sorry for him, Cheong-ra was about to suggest staying one more day when Yeo-cheon immediately scolded sternly,

"Tsk, Won-ho! Why aren't you leaving quickly? The way to save Won-dang and Won-gak depends on you! How can you be so lazy!"

Snapping to his senses, Nam Gang-ryong finally turned and bowed deeply to Yeo-cheon.

"Master, please stay well until I return."

"Yes, Won-ho, you too, always take care of yourself..."

Cheong-ra felt moved again and sighed inwardly as he watched. As he was feeling very sorry for the master and disciple who had to part unwillingly, he felt a piercing gaze. Turning his head, he saw Dang Ran-yeong staring at him intently with an amused expression. Cheong-ra stammered slightly in embarrassment,

"...Young Master Dang, why are you looking at me like that?"

"I was just thinking how soft-hearted our Beauty is. How your eyes have been so moist for three days straight."

"What do you mean my eyes are moist? You must be the dry one! Any normal person would react like this in this situation!"

Cheong-ra retorted angrily but quickly touched the corners of his eyes. Fortunately, they weren't wet. As he followed Won-jung's steps, Dang Ran-yeong said meaningfully,

"There's no need to feel sorry. They'll meet again anyway, right?"

"That's... right. Monk Gang-ryong will surely find a way to remove the Demon Soul Insects and meet his master and martial brothers again."

Cheong-ra agreed in bewilderment, wondering why Dang Ran-yeong was suddenly saying such kind words. Since when did he know how to comfort people?

They walked down the long corridor again, relying on Won-jung's night pearl. When they reached the sealed entrance of the Hall of Repentance, Won-jung called out loudly,

"It's Won-jung! Please open the door!"

Originally, on the third day, monks were supposed to be guarding the entrance every two hours and open the door. However, for some reason, even after waiting for two hours and then four hours, there was no response from outside. Won-jung shouted loudly several times until his voice was hoarse, but the door of the Hall of Repentance remained firmly closed.

"Hello! Is there no one outside?!"

The flustered Won-jung called out repeatedly and pounded on the door. Nam Gang-ryong also knocked on the door beside him and shouted loudly, but there was no sign of anyone outside. Dang Ran-yeong, who had been watching with his arms crossed, smirked and muttered,

"I knew this would happen."

***

As Dang Ran-yeong had said, the two who had parted so sadly met again. Cheong-ra had thought it strange that Dang Ran-yeong was unexpectedly kind with his words, but it turned out not to be comfort after all...

Yeo-cheon was also very flustered when he heard that the entrance door to the Hall of Repentance wouldn't open. The three monks who rushed there immediately tried their best at the entrance for a long time but returned completely exhausted. During the heavy silence that followed, Cheong-ra recalled what Dang Ran-yeong had said earlier.

"Young Master Dang, what do you mean you knew this would happen?"

"I knew something would happen to Shaolin. So the monks who were supposed to open the Hall of Repentance door couldn't come."

At Dang Ran-yeong's words, the monks' faces turned pale. They were now trapped in the Hall of Repentance, from which no one had ever escaped. Nam Gang-ryong jumped to his feet and paced restlessly.

"Young Master Dang, do you mean the Blood Cult has done something outside?"

"That's right. They were waiting for the right moment and acted as soon as I entered here. They must have thought it was a great opportunity."

Nam Gang-ryong sighed deeply and muttered, "Amitabha." Cheong-ra, who knew that Dang Ran-yeong was like a natural enemy to the Blood Cult but didn't realize it was to this extent, asked,

"If you expected this, couldn't you have not come in with us? Couldn't I have entered the Hall of Repentance alone?"

"How could I let our Beauty, who's afraid of so many things, enter this place alone?"

Cheong-ra's mouth gaped open in embarrassment at Dang Ran-yeong's words. Whenever the other teased him so intimately, Cheong-ra couldn't get used to it and his heart just pounded. Feeling very conscious of the monks' stares at him and Dang Ran-yeong, Cheong-ra barely managed to reply,

"...Young Master Dang, this is not the time for jokes."

Only then did Dang Ran-yeong stop teasing Cheong-ra. He wiped the smile from his face and explained,

"Contact with Suzhou has been lost. No messenger birds have arrived for four days."

"...You mean there's been no contact from Miss Hwan and Young Master Wi?"

"That's right. We need to go to Suzhou immediately."

Nam Gang-ryong and Cheong-ra's expressions changed. Hwan-hong and Wi Je-ho had gone to capture Mun, who knew how to remove the Demon Soul Insects. Losing contact while on such an important mission meant that the two might be in unavoidable danger.

"We've already spent a week at Shaolin. We can't stay here waiting for the Blood Cult to make their move. This is actually much better."

"Then what should we do! The Blood Cult bastards are probably running wild outside, but we can't get out!"

Yeo-cheon finally couldn't contain his frustration and slammed his fist on the table. The thought that Shaolin monks might be dying right now made him lose his reason. Won-jung felt the same way. He jumped to his feet and clenched his fists.

"This won't do! We must go and break down the entrance or do something!"

"No, wait. We still have some time."

Won-jung, who was about to rush to the entrance, stopped and turned back at Dang Ran-yeong's words.

"Judging by the methods the Blood Cult uses, they would have certainly avoided a direct confrontation. So they probably used something like poison, but they couldn't use a poison that causes instant death. If monks started dying immediately, it would raise suspicion at once, so they must have used a poison that takes effect slowly over several days."

Won-jung stopped in his tracks, seemingly finding Dang Ran-yeong's words reasonable.

"Also, it's best if it looks like an epidemic from the outside. That way, they'll be isolated from the outside world, which fears contagious diseases."

"...So they plan to slowly kill us off since we're trapped in the Hall of Repentance anyway."

Nam Gang-ryong muttered with a sigh, understanding the situation. Indeed, if it was a plan using poison, Dang Ran-yeong, a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, would likely be able to solve it on the spot. So it made sense that the Blood Cult wouldn't easily use it while Dang Ran-yeong was at Shaolin.

"Once they bring down Shaolin like this, it will be a huge blow to the righteous factions. After that, they might try to cause a great war between the righteous and evil factions by sowing discord."

Saying this, Dang Ran-yeong stood up. Nam Gang-ryong asked in surprise as he saw Dang Ran-yeong casually pick up Won-jung's night pearl as if it were his own,

"Young Master Dang, where are you going?"

"You never know. There might be a secret emergency exit somewhere here. Let's go, Beauty."