Chapter 318 : Desire (色) (2)
Chapter 318: Desire (色) (2)
The Heavenly Demon smiled faintly at Il-mok's question and answered.
"Hohoho. It seems you haven't heard about the Potala Palace and the doctrines of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism."
He stroked his beard as if considering how to explain, then gave a brief overview.
"Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism is technically Buddhist, but it follows doctrines entirely different from those of the Central Plains. It appears to have been influenced by a religion from the West called Hinduism, which is distinct from the Muslim."
"...I've heard of Hinduism. Isn't that the religion that considers cows sacred?"
The Heavenly Demon chuckled at Il-mok's extremely fragmentary knowledge as if finding it endearing.
"Beyond that, it has a vast array of doctrines and worships countless deities. With as many gods as they have, interpretations of doctrine are equally diverse. Among them, a concept called Shakti fused with Buddhism to give rise to Tantra. As far as I know, Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism follows the doctrines of that Tantra."
"What is Shakti that it leads monks to practice the Art of Yin-Yang Harmony?"
"As far as this old man knows, it is a concept referred to as feminine creative power. In certain ancient texts, it is translated as Sexual Power."
"...They venerate feminine creative power, and therefore affirm sexual acts? Even as Buddhists?"
"Indeed. They regard sexual union as a form of cultivation, which is why the Art of Yin-Yang Harmony and bedchamber arts have developed so extensively among them."
The more they talked, the more Il-mok felt his common sense crumbling.
'...No matter how I look at it, that sounds like a cult.'
It might have been a narrow-minded view, but that was how Il-mok felt.
Especially since the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, where he'd been toiling for years, was itself a cult from his perspective.
Thinking about cults, a sudden sense of injustice welled up in him.
'...They're both cults, but the difference is way too extreme.'
One cult taught you Demonic Arts that gave you mental illness, while the cult right next door was teaching bedchamber arts and the Art of Yin-Yang Harmony?
Worse yet, if they actually learned those arts and treated them as standard training...
'That means they would have done practical training too!?'
His sense of injustice gradually transformed into anger.
'And now, because of these lucky—no, these bastards, I don't even get a break and have to go back to work!!'
* * *
Saddled with the mission of spreading the Maitreya Luminous Cult throughout Tibet, Il-mok left the Heavenly Demon Palace and made his way to the Windrock Pavilion to pack his things.
"We'll rest for two days, then head for Tibet."
Il-mok gave the women waiting at the Windrock Pavilion a brief rundown of their new assignment. He also conveniently omitted any mention of the doctrines associated with the Potala Palace and Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism.
Because frankly, bringing up such scandalous topics in front of women was just asking for trouble.
That evening, a visitor came to the Heavenly Demon Palace.
"Hyeokryeon Family Head Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang pays his respects to the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons."
"Welcome, Family Head Hyeokryeon."
Hyeokryeon Il-hwi greeted Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang, who was roughly a grandnephew to him, with a gentle smile.
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang was not the type to appreciate meaningless small talk, so he cut straight to the purpose of his visit.
"I've heard the news. Are you planning to send the Eighth Young Master to Tibet?"
"That is correct."
"If so, I would also like to accompany him on this journey."
The Heavenly Demon burst into a hearty laugh at Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang's words.
Don't you think your love for your granddaughter is going a bit overboard? It seems you're hardly in a position to scold the Young Lord."
Hearing the comparison to his foolish son, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang cleared his throat lightly and answered.
"Ahem. Everyone in the cult is busy, so there must be a shortage of personnel to assign to the Eighth Young Master. The Baek Family Head and the Ouyang Family Head are running their own institutions, so I thought it was about time I lent a hand as well."
After delivering what sounded very much like an excuse, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang lowered his head slightly under the Heavenly Demon's gaze and added, "Furthermore, wouldn't it be wise for me to get a close look at the measure of the man my granddaughter has sworn to serve as her lord?"
"If you're that adamant about it, then do as you wish."
"Thank you for granting my request."
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang bowed once more, then quietly excused himself from the Heavenly Demon Palace.
Instead of heading straight back to his family estate, he paused and turned to look back at the Heavenly Demon Palace.
'...They always said that nothing can stop the march of time.'
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang had told the Heavenly Demon he merely wanted to test the mettle of the man his granddaughter chose to serve.
But underneath that excuse lay a far heavier agenda.
'It's about time to start preparing for the next era.'
To ensure the future stability of the Divine Cult, he needed to determine who was most fit to be the next Cult Leader.
And if there was no one worthy enough to take the mantle... he was prepared to seize the position himself.
* * *
Two days later, Il-mok departed the main headquarters with his party along with some unexpected companions.
'Why the hell is that geezer here?'
Il-mok hadn't anticipated Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang joining them at all.
Their relationship had been awkward from their very first meeting, and even a brief conversation with the man was uncomfortable.
Now he had to share a journey of unknown duration with this old man.
On top of that, a dozen or so warriors from the Hyeokryeon Family were tagging along.
And the cherry on top was Hyeokryeon Seon-ah, the literal walking cause of all this friction, making things ten times more awkward.
"Brother, aren't you thirsty?"
Il-mok sighed at Seon-ah, who had glued herself to his side and was happily chirping away.
"I'm fine, so why don't you go talk with your grandfather? You haven't seen him for two years because of the Hall of the Demonic Way."
"I paid my morning respects at dawn, so it's fine."
I'm the one who's not fine.
The words nearly shot up his throat.
Just then, Il-mok flinched and whipped his head around as the old man's voice drifted over from behind them.
"Pay no mind to this old man. I am merely following the Supreme One's orders and accompanying you as a precaution. You hold the absolute authority to command this expedition, so feel free to put this old man to use."
"...As you wish."
No matter how he looked at it, this journey was going to suffocate him to death.
* * *
At the end of a hellish journey spanning over twenty days, Il-mok and his entourage finally reached Tibet.
To avoid the Taklamakan Desert and the barren wastelands, they'd had no choice but to take the roundabout route through Gansu and Qinghai.
As Anda County, the first settlement one encountered after crossing from Qinghai into Tibet, came into view in the distance.
(TL Note: There are no Hanja for the county name, but I suspect it’s Arzha County. Still, since there are no Hanja, I’ll stick to Hangul until the author puts one into it.)
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang, who had followed in silence for over twenty days, finally spoke.
"What's your plan? Do you intend to slaughter the Potala Palace's esoteric monks?"
"First, I'd like to get an accurate read on the situation. Specifically, I need to see just how deeply rooted the Tibetans' faith in Esoteric Buddhism really is."
As they had learned in Islamic territories, trying to spread a new religion was going to be a nightmare if the locals were already fanatically devoted to their own.
"I see."
Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang answered Il-mok's response with a curt reply, as if he couldn't care less.
Once they entered Anda County, they moved according to Il-mok's plan.
They wandered the streets of Anda County for a bit, using human skin masks and disguises to pass themselves off as a perfectly normal merchant caravan.
It took a moment, but Il-mok realized one thing.
That something was very wrong with this place.
"I don't want to go! Let me go!"
A child's whimpering voice came from somewhere.
He turned his head in puzzlement and saw a girl who looked barely ten years old. The girl was being held by esoteric monks.
"Mommy!! Daddy!!!"
The child was screaming and crying, but to his sheer disbelief, the people who were clearly her parents were forcefully turning away, refusing to even look at her.
Watching the scene, countless thoughts raced through Il-mok's mind.
Was it really his place to step in?
Saying something like that in his past life back in the modern world would sound incredibly callous, but this wasn't his past life anymore.
In truth, scenes like this were fairly common in this world.
Whenever there were too many mouths to feed and families were starving, people would send their children to temples or even the palaces to reduce the burden.
Hell, if the kid happened to be exceptionally talented, it was totally normal for sects to pay a hefty sum to take the child.
Parents usually gave their kids up in the desperate hope that they'd have a slightly better, happier life there rather than starving to death at home.
So if he'd seen this scene in the Central Plains, Il-mok wouldn't have even considered intervening.
But this was Tibet.
'...They definitely said they consider sexual union a form of cultivation.'
The esoteric monks' cultivation methods that the Heavenly Demon had described were quite bizarre.
'No way. No fucking way. They wouldn’t do that with a child, right?’
The filthy possibility that popped into his head caused alarm bells to absolutely blare in Il-mok's mind.
Il-mok hesitated for a split second, but the moment the esoteric monks dragged off the child, he finally stepped forward.
"Could you wait just a moment?"
Since there was always a chance he was just completely misunderstanding the situation, Il-mok decided to try talking it out first. He really didn't feel like kicking off a bloody massacre over a hunch.
"We're merchants who've come from the Central Plains to trade. If it's not too much trouble, could you explain this situation to me?"
Maybe it was because Il-mok had asked with respect in his tone that one of the esoteric monks stepped forward to explain the situation despite his companions’ displeasure.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand your question.. Isn't this a common enough sight in the Central Plains as well?"
“You are referring to the situation where you took the child and made her a disciple of the Potala Palace, yes? Does the Potala Palace also train nuns?"
"Hahaha. There's no need to take her specifically as a disciple. She's simply a child needed to assist in our esoteric monks' cultivation."
Hearing the monk's answer caused the sickening suspicions in Il-mok's head to solidify even more.
"I've heard somewhere that Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism's cultivation methods include a practice that involves physical union."
The esoteric monk tilted his head briefly at Il-mok's question, then broke into a bright smile.
"Ah! It seems there's been a misunderstanding. Hahaha. Sexual union with a child this young? That's absurd."
Despite the esoteric monk's answer, Il-mok couldn't relax. He couldn't blindly trust the other party's words.
"If so, are you taking that young girl away for menial chores such as doing laundry or cooking?"
The esoteric monk shook his head at Il-mok's question and asked in return.
"By chance, how much do you know about the Potala Palace's doctrines?"
"Only that you place great importance on Shakti."
"That's correct. Feminine creative power is truly boundless. But the human body is a wondrous thing. During childhood, there is absolutely none of that creative power, but from a certain point onward it violently erupts. And then, once a month, every time they bleed, that power gradually trickles away and weakens."
"......"
A crawling sensation spread across Il-mok's skin as if insects were creeping over his entire body.
The esoteric monk continued to run his mouth as if he were preaching a divine gospel.
"That is why we wish to teach this child about pleasure. To properly prepare her for that day, which will arrive in just a few short years."
"...I highly doubt that little girl ever agreed to any of this?"
Even though Il-mok's voice had dropped to a tundra, the Esoteric monk just kept on smiling.
"Benefactor, truth does not reside in suffering. Truth resides in pleasure. Once this child receives her education, she too will come to savor that truth."
Il-mok finally realized it right then and there.
This man sincerely believed every word coming out of his own mouth.
There wasn't a shred of doubt in the esoteric monk's eyes regarding what he'd just said.
That was why he could spout such filth with such brazen confidence.
Realizing that, Il-mok let out a brilliantly radiant smile.
He looked down at the little girl trapped in the monks' grip.
"Sleep well, little one. The nightmare will be over when you wake."
The child somehow felt a trace of warmth in that smile.
Tap.
Il-mok shot out a burst of qi using his Finger Flicking Art to send her into a deep slumber.
By the time the child was safely asleep, the mask of a wrathful guardian deity had already settled into place.