Book 26 Chapter 11

Coin that Buys a Soul

—Hyunwoon vs. King of the Southern Sea

Soul-Buying Coin!

Literally, a coin that buys a soul.

That was the King of the Southern Sea's unique martial art. It was a 'shooting' technique that literally fired coins to take the enemy's life. Some even called it the Soul-Stripping Secret Scripture due to its fearsome power. Coins, as fast as flashes of light, flew relentlessly towards vital points without any time lag. Because it was infused with internal energy, it couldn't simply be deflected.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

'Heavy!'

Hyunwoon was pushed back five steps as he blocked three flying Soul-Buying Coins. He intentionally retreated to disperse the shock. Even so, his grip ached. If he had endured it, his sword might have broken. But there was no time for leisurely thought. Before he could even regain his stance, four more coins flew towards him. His head, heart, dan tian, spleen—all were fatal vital points.

Clang! Clang!

He deflected two and evaded two. Their speed was much faster than before, so he couldn't deflect them all. Hyunwoon retreated three more steps and narrowly dodged two more coins that pierced the air, flying towards him. However, he couldn't evade them completely, and his shoulders and waist were torn. His skin burned.

It was a matter of a hair's breadth. Only then did Jeonhon briefly pause his attack, allowing Hyunwoon to catch his breath.

'It truly lives up to its name, 'Soul-Buying.' If I had let my guard down for a moment, I would have been pierced by those coins!'

To block the shooting, one had to approach within a certain distance, but instead of closing the distance, he was being pushed further away. At this range, his sword couldn't reach. He had completely lost the initiative in terms of spacing.

"Ten nyang already… It's more expensive than I thought."

Even though they were coins, they were still money. Jeonhon seemed very displeased that his own blood-like money was constantly being spent. However, he still had plenty. He still had all three money pouches.

"We're not there yet. You'll soon realize that no matter how much money you pay, you can never buy a human life."

Saying this, he pointed the tip of his sword towards the King of the Southern Sea's brow. It was a threat, indicating he would charge in soon. However, he couldn't easily penetrate his guard. The King of the Southern Sea didn't show any openings readily. Moreover, since he hadn't grasped the exact technique or its power yet, attacking recklessly was dangerous.

"Didn't I tell you earlier? There's nothing in this world that money can't buy. Your price is a bit high compared to recent purchases, but you'll be sold soon. Money is justice, money is everything in this world."

He had no doubt that human lives could be bought with money. This was because he had always done so, and many other people were doing the same. Adding one more to that wouldn't change anything.

"I don't want to dispute your worldview that money is everything. But…"

Interrupting Hyunwoon's words, Jeonhon sneered.

"Hmph, of course. After all, Taoists are inherently extreme individualists, aren't they? What else? They entice people by offering an escape from this world, extorting money. In short, they're swindlers."

"Swindlers! I can't tolerate such an insult! Take it back."

As a disciple of the Wudang Sect, which boasted the title of 'Number One Sword Under Heaven,' Hyunwoon couldn't let the King of the Southern Sea's words, which treated Taoists as swindlers, go unchallenged.

"Well, is that so? They're not just swindlers, they're cowards too."

The expression on the King of the Southern Sea's face was one of clear contempt. He genuinely detested the race of Taoists.

"On what grounds are you calling Taoists cowards again?"

First swindlers, now cowards. Did this man have a grudge against Taoists?

"Hmph, you don't think so? They say Taoists consider ascension to immortality their ultimate goal. In other words, 'sitting in transformation,' isn't it? Hmph, it's ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous? Sitting in transformation is a state of liberation in Buddhism. It's the path to becoming pure by detaching from worldly attachments."

How many people had shed blood and sweat to walk that path? Yet, cruelly, it was a path that couldn't be reached by sheer effort alone. But nevertheless, not giving up was the way of the Taoist.

"Purity? I can't stop laughing. They are humans too, after all. Do you think they can survive in this world without the money from their believers? They just prey on believers with fanciful stories of immortality. Scroungers living off money given by others without earning it themselves! I despise those Taoists the most!"

Until now, his words and actions had a pretense like a merchant dealing with a customer, but now, a thick hatred permeated them.

"Taoists also farm. They cultivate tea and make medicine. It's a mistake to think Taoists just laze around."

He too had done various things since entering the path at a young age. It wasn't as if Taoists just chanted scriptures in front of Yuanshi Tianzun.

"Hahaha, do you know why I hate Taoists?"

"……"

"My parents were wealthy landowners by inheritance, but they were foolish. As they accumulated wealth, they became afraid of death. They must have wanted to enjoy their lives longer. Then one day, a fraudulent Taoist who promised eternal life appeared. My parents, being foolish, were swayed by his words and offered him all their fortune."

"That's…"

Hyunwoon had heard of people posing as Taoists and committing fraud. He also knew of those who sold fake elixirs of immortality.

"At that time, I was only ten years old. But even from my perspective, my parents' actions were foolish. And the Taoists' actions were even more suspicious. I felt like we would be ruined if I let it continue. So I couldn't stand it and shouted at those Taoists, 'Father, Mother, these are swindlers. Don't give them any more of your fortune!' Hahaha. And do you know what they called me, pointing their fingers at me?"

"…I don't know."

Hyunwoon's voice sank as he replied.

"'Heretics like you will fall into hell.' They said only those who believe in the Tao will attain eternal life in heaven. Those Taoists called me the child of the devil."

"Wait, that's strange. There's no such teaching in Taoism. Going to heaven by believing in the Tao? Isn't that no different from the story of becoming an immortal by believing in the Tao? The Tao isn't something to be believed in. The Tao is something to be realized."

Jeonhon paid no attention to Hyunwoon's passionate speech.

"What does that matter? That was their faith. And because of that faith, our family collapsed. All the farmland and wealth vanished. Into the belly of that fake Taoist."

"……"

Hyunwoon was suddenly speechless. Hyunwoon also despised those who sold the 'Tao' without understanding it. Hyunwoon also didn't recognize them as true Taoists. However, it was a clear fact that they were selling 'Tao' and 'eternal life.' That point was agonizing. He felt as if the true 'Tao' he pursued was being defiled, and he couldn't bear it. Moreover, no matter what he said now, his words as a Taoist clearly wouldn't reach the King of the Southern Sea's ears.

"What do you think I did at such a young age?"

Hyunwoon replied that he didn't know. The King of the Southern Sea seemed to relish seeing Hyunwoon's pained expression and became even more animated, as if seeking revenge for that time.

"Before our house was completely ruined, I took a few gold bars hidden deep in the warehouse and fled to a distant relative's house who was a military official. That relative, being a military man, was less concerned with wealth than other relatives. I had the talent to discern who wanted money, who didn't, and how much they wanted it. A discerning eye for human greed, a merchant's eye, so to speak. Anyway, I tearfully explained the situation and gave him a little money, and he let me live there. A while later, I heard that the house was ruined. My parents had hanged themselves."

"Such…"

Hyunwoon felt as if it was difficult to even breathe. A corner of his heart felt incredibly heavy. The sins of those swindlers felt like his own sins.

"After that, I grew up at my distant relative's military household. Of course, I learned martial arts, but I was more interested in making money. I wanted to reclaim what I had lost, what I should have inherited. The gold bars I stole from home helped me start a business. With that as seed money, I earned quite a lot. And ten years later, I found out the whereabouts of those fraudulent Taoists. They were living lavishly in magnificent houses with three wives and four concubines, having swindled money. So, do you know what I did?"

He chuckled as if it was very amusing. Hyunwoon just listened.

"I took money and went straight to 'Yachyeon' (Night Crow)."

"Yachyeon!"

That ominous name, Hyunwoon had heard of it. They were definitely…

"Yes, that's right. 'The Crow That Flies at Night,' Yachyeon, one of the three great assassination organizations in the martial world! I paid money and bought the lives of those Taoists. With the money I earned. Exactly a week later, that Taoist died."

King of the Southern Sea Jeonhon's tone was very calm.

"What, promising eternal life? Ridiculous. I absorbed those stores whose owners had lost their lives and were fragmented. Well, the assassination fee was quite expensive, but considering the subsequent income, it was a profitable business."

Hyunwoon couldn't keep up with his mindset, calculating profit and loss even in such matters.

"Since then, I've become convinced that the only thing to trust in this world is money. In the end, it was money that bought the Taoist's life, and it was money that fulfilled my revenge. Indeed, I realized that you can't live in this world with mere 'Tao' or talk of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. But as my business grew, organizations that exerted power began to interfere from various places. I needed strength to protect my wealth. So, I entered this place, Machaenggak, to cultivate even greater strength. My story ends here. What do you think, should I still not call Taoists swindlers and cowards?"

"…I certainly have no argument against what you've said. And I understand your reasons for hating Taoists. However, I still believe that the teachings of Taoism have merit. It's not the teachings of Taoism that are bad, but the people who distort them for their own selfish desires."

"How can I believe you are not one of those types?"

"I won't ask you to believe me. But it's dangerous to judge the whole by a part."

"Didn't you claim to see the entire universe in a single speck of dust? Then we'd have to add swindlers, cowards, and liars."

"That's Buddhism. And aren't merchants the ones who are more likely to be swindlers? Would you call all merchants swindlers just because you were deceived by some fraudulent ones? If all Taoists are swindlers, then you are also a swindling merchant."

"……!!"

With such logic, Jeonhon also found it difficult to refute. The standard applied to others must also be applied to oneself. Hyunwoon spoke again in a serious tone.

"Frankly, I too once had doubts about the Tao, like you. I wondered if Taoism was the philosophy of cowards."

Those who wanted to escape the world, those who didn't want to interact with this world as immortals. He had indeed doubted whether they were afraid of contact with this world. And even now, there are as many such people as can be counted.

"But the reason we pursue the Tao is not because we are cowards. The principles of this world are human-made. You know well that they are unstable and change constantly. Isn't the 'wealth' you so desperately want to hold onto something that could disappear at any moment? Therefore, we Taoists seek something unchanging, which some call the Tao, and others call the truth. This is my 'path [Tao].' And your belief that everything can be bought with money is wrong."

"According to your logic, couldn't your own belief be wrong?"

"The possibility cannot be ruled out. Humans make mistakes. But I believe it is more wrong to shrink back in fear of those mistakes."

"Hmph, you only think in a way that suits your situation. And is it okay to carelessly say that another's path is wrong?"

"No, I will tell you that the path you are taking is wrong. But ultimately, the choice is yours. And our senior disciple would say this: if you have self-conviction, push forward."

So take responsibility for your current state.

"Wouldn't it be better to say that after you defeat me?"

"Alright. And I have things to do. For that, and to correct your mistaken beliefs, I will defeat you."

"Can you really defeat me?"

"I know you had a bitter experience in the past. But that doesn't mean you can hurt others or the mountains and rivers now. Many people overcome painful experiences and live without becoming twisted. Saying that because the past was bad, I couldn't help but become this way, is 'cowardly.' The true coward is you, the coward."

"I'm a coward! Have you finished speaking?"

"No, I haven't finished yet. And I can say much more. No matter who you are or what you've been through, I will not forgive you for hurting the mountains and rivers. And I will definitely defeat you. I will show you that there are things that cannot be bought even with the money you've accumulated so desperately."

"Fine, that's interesting. That's what I wanted! Wait, I'll set a price on your life soon."

"You probably won't be able to. And you will give up with a tremendous loss."

The dormant soul of Hyunwoon ignited. The dragon, leisurely playing in the pond, was now about to ascend.

"Because your shooting is becoming familiar to me."

"Hoho, that's hard to just overlook. It means you've seen through all my tricks. If my capabilities are all seen through, then I can't do business anymore, can I?"

Once everything is revealed, equal business is impossible.

Whoosh!

Once again, Soul-Buying Coins flew from the King of the Southern Sea Jeonhon's hand.

Thwack!

Hyunwoon swung his sword and deflected it.

Two more Soul-Buying Coins flew.

Thwack! Thwack!

Hyunwoon deflected both of them again.

'Why is this? I feel like I've experienced something similar in the past.'

As he deflected them, Hyunwoon harbored this question. He had clearly had a similar experience. It was just a memory he had buried because it was too horrific. Most of those memories were related to his senior disciple, Bilhyeon.

"Are you perhaps reading my Soul-Buying Coins?"

Seeing Hyunwoon's evasion movements become more relaxed, the King of the Southern Sea exclaimed in surprise.

"Didn't I tell you? They're becoming familiar."

He had never lied. The King of the Southern Sea's brow furrowed visibly. Firing them one or two at a time like this was just throwing money away.

"Fine. Then block this technique. Then I will acknowledge you."

He grabbed a handful of coins and stacked them to create a pillar of coins. Then, he raised his right hand, which had been idle until now, to chest height.

He intended to attack with both hands.

'Here it comes!'

Hyunwoon concentrated his mind.

Life-Stealing Soul-Buying Coin (奪命買魂錢)

Secret Technique (秘技)

Seven Consecutive Flying Star Strikes (七連飛星擊)

Jeonhon's left and right hands moved simultaneously, and seven coins flew in succession.