Chapter 27: Is He From the Demonic Cult?
“Is it the Demonic Cult?”
“It’s a caravan of merchants that travel in formation through regions with poor infrastructure like this desert." Beopjin corrected him.
So that's why he'd brought it up earlier in the day.
[But even so, people still travel through here. Isn't it amazing? The human will, I mean.
Yu Gyeongseong thought to himself, No, YOU'RE the one that’s amazing!
He started to think the monk really did have some divine powers or something.
"If it's all right with you, let's travel together with them," Beopjin suggested.
Now that Gyeongseong thought about it, this must have been why the monk had chosen this particular route.
[I simply followed the thread of our destiny.]
Those were the words the monk had spoken when asked how he had found him.
If so, were these merchants also bound to them by fate?
"Sure, let's do that." Yu Gyeongseong nodded.
There was no real reason to refuse anyway. Meeting more people would make it easier to adapt to the world outside.
And so the two men simply walked, just like they had been doing all this time.
They were moving steadily, but faster than normal people walk.
As they walked, they talked about the group they were about to meet.
Although the caravan was not yet even visible to the naked eye, they spoke of it as a certainty.
"It's quite a large group," Yu Gyeongseong observed.
There were about fifty people, and with them were two hundred camels more or less.
"They're traders who travel between the Great Qin of the Far West and the Tang Dynasty. It promises great wealth, but the dangers are just as great. You have to deal with thirst in this endless desert, disasters, and the fear of monsters or ghosts. But the thing they’re most scared of is none other than humans. That's why they send scouts in all directions, as far out as possible to keep everything under observation, as it's not easy for raiders to hide themselves in this open desert."
(TL Note: The Great Qin here is not a Chinese Dynasty, but the ancient Chinese name for the Roman Empire.)
So he'd known about them all along.
He was aware of the individuals scattered around the main group.
Before long, someone appeared in their line of sight, briefly cresting a sand dune in the distance before disappearing again.
"Looks like they've finally spotted us."
***
Maybe because they saw it was just two people approaching, the scouts didn't seem particularly alarmed.
'They probably felt safer after spotting this monk.'
They followed the two scouts without rest and walked all the way until dawn to meet up with the main entourage. The scouts had been really far out from the main group.
The merchants and warriors were awake and packing up to leave.
At a glance, it was hard to tell who was who as everyone was armed to the teeth. It went without saying that each person carried at least one or two daggers on their person, and most had larger weapons as well. It looked like only the escort had bows, probably because they're harder to use.
'Twenty merchants... and thirty warriors.'
All eyes focused on the two approaching figures.
Beopjin stepped forward first to introduce himself. "This humble monk is called Beopjin."
Even before he spoke, they'd already noticed he was a monk and had visibly relaxed. For people who risked their lives on these journeys, they naturally relied on faith. Many of them were deeply devout Buddhists, so they instinctively showed respect to monks. And the figure before them seemed particularly special.
What did it mean to encounter someone like this in the middle of this desert?
"Ah... Zen Master Beopjin!"
At that moment, someone burst out in admiration and stepped to the front.
"Didn't you practice at the Mogao Caves? Are you returning from Tianzhu?"
Throughout history, there had been monks who sought to illuminate the Buddhist path and save all sentient beings.
West Heaven Scripture Restoration (西天取經).
(TL Note: That name might not resonate with you, but Journey to the West probably does. Actually, the novel Journey to the West is based on the real-life pilgrimage of a monk named Xuanzang to India to restore Buddhist scriptures. Wu Cheng’en, the author of the novel, later twisted that name a bit to become Tang Sanzang and slapped it on Sun Wukong’s teacher.)
It is the act of devoting oneself to travel to the western land of Tianzhu to retrieve Buddhist scriptures.
Tianzhu is the land of Buddha himself. Since Buddhism had been transmitted across this very desert, translating the latest scriptures from the Tianzhu language into Chinese is one of the monumental undertakings of the monastic community. Monks who yearn for enlightenment while studying the sutras occasionally depart for Tianzhu. However, the vast majority of them never return alive.
There are only two paths to Tianzhu.
One is to sail for a long duration, battling high waves from the south of the continent; the other is to cross the endless desert of death and mountains that pierce the sky on one's own two feet.
These merchants knew better than anyone just how treacherous that path was.
The sea route is difficult to navigate without catching the seasonal winds; furthermore, it is plagued by pirates and heavily influenced by weather and typhoons, to the point where returning safely is celebrated as a blessing from the gods.
The desert route is equally arduous.
Not only do many lose their lives to bandits, but the path itself is so long and rugged that countless travelers die from illness or injury along the way.
Calling it a Path of Death isn't an exaggeration.
In truth, it is a journey that should be impossible to undertake alone.
“Yes, that is correct. This journey is now nearly at its end," Beopjin said calmly.
The merchants and warriors couldn't help but look at Zen Master Beopjin with awe.
Completing that journey alone!
It was hard to believe, even as they witnessed it with their own two eyes.
"I am Lee Won-jae (李元財), the Guild Master of the Lee Family Merchant Guild."
Yu Gyeongseong inwardly cocked his head at the name.
‘To be the foremost (元) in wealth 財)... What a fitting name for his job.’
It felt somewhat fake.
Did he get that name because he took over the family business?
"I am called Jwabo. I lead the escort group."
The head of the escort warriors introduced himself.
But this name was also unusual.
He wasn't lying... but again, it felt somehow fake.
While Yu Gyeongseong was thinking about that, the group bowed deeply to Beopjin. This was partly because the Guild Master had called him a Zen Master, a title bestowed by the Emperor for virtuous monks of high standing.
They realized that this shabby-looking old monk before them was actually an extraordinary person.
Beopjin responded in a benevolent voice. “You have endured much hardship on your long journey. I hope you complete this trade route safely."
“Are you heading to Shazhou? If so, please travel with us.”
"Haha, I hope we won't be a burden."
It was his way of saying yes.
"Not at all!"
The Guild Master welcomed Beopjin with a bright face.
Merchants traveling the Western Regions always stopped at Shazhou to prepare for the long journey ahead. They would pray at the Mogao Caves for safe travels and business prosperity. It was common for merchants who'd made fortunes through trade to dig their own grotto and build temples in devotion.
Since the Guild Master's fate and that of his family rested entirely on the success or failure of this trade route, he couldn't help but be more desperate and sincere about it. For a merchant like him, nothing could be better than having a monk with such great spiritual power as Beopjin to travel with them.
Just like the monk, the caravan was almost at the end of its trip. It really felt like the Buddha was blessing their business.
"And this person...?"
Only after everything was settled did everyone turn their attention to Yu Gyeongseong.
"Ah... I'm Yu Gyeongseong. I lived in my hometown my whole life... and just came out to see the world.”
Maybe because they were all travelers too, nobody questioned his story.
"Is that so? Where are you from?"
"Over that way."
Following Yu Gyeongseong’s gesture, the merchants and warriors looked behind him.
And what lay in that direction?
It was the vast mountain range situated at the northern edge of this endless desert.
The merchants and warriors who'd glanced back casually suddenly froze.
"The Tianshan Mountain Range?!"
Yu Gyeongseong was about to say “Yeah,” but he stopped himself due to the murmurs that followed immediately after.
“Is he... from the Demonic Cult?”
Yu Gyeongseong could feel the disgust and fear in their voices.
The name Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had been condensed into a single word for them.
Demon (魔).
He could feel the sharp gazes of everyone present sweeping over him.
He felt like saying yes would just make things complicated. And it wasn't like he had that much attachment to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult anyway. He'd already left that place behind.
“Oh, no. Beyond there.”
He sounded so calm and natural that no one suspected a thing.
The crowd nodded, looking relieved, like, 'Of course.'
“Ah... You must be from the lands of Tajik then?”
"But he looks like one of us?"
“Look here. There are plenty of Han people over there, too. Not to mention many Uyghurs and Tibetans.”
That place is home to all sorts of people. From refugees running from wars, criminals hiding out, merchants who just decided to stay, and many more.
And these days, those countries over there are incredibly wealthy!
Looking at the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, it was as massive as Chang'an during its golden age, maybe even bigger now.
The warriors lowered their guard.
His build was sturdy, but he didn't really give off the impression of having learned martial arts. He carried no weapons and didn't seem like he'd be much of a problem. Besides, if this guy was evil, Zen Master Beopjin wouldn't be traveling with him.
When Yu Gyeongseong didn't elaborate, they understood there must be some story there and let it go. They didn't know what circumstances had led this young man's ancestors to that distant foreign land, but it probably wasn't a pleasant tale to share in public.
***
The Guild Master readily offered camels to the two men.
'Not that I really need it...'
But Yu Gyeongseong was glad that Beopjin wouldn't have to walk anymore.
Shortly after they set out, one of the merchants rode up beside him and asked, "So, did you run into any Demonic Cult bastards on your way here?"
“I only met the Zen Master, and we have been traveling together ever since.”
"That's a stroke of luck."
"Are they bad people?"
"You said you grew up only in your hometown, and you really don't know anything, huh? There’s this evil group living in the Tianshan Mountain Range that worships a person called the Heavenly Demon as their god and rules this entire area. Venerating demons? What sane person would do that? They're extremely vicious and evil!"
He was pretty worked up about it.
But... for all that talk, he didn't give any concrete reasons.
"Why are they bad?"
"Huh?"
He reacted as if he had heard something unheard of.
Yu Gyeongseong added quickly, "Ah... I just don't know much."
The surrounding merchants and warriors looked at him like he was a clueless kid.
"This desert route is right in the middle of East-West Trade, you see. They planted themselves right there and take tolls from every caravan that passes by. If that behavior isn't banditry, then what is it?”
"......"
He didn't sense any lies.
'The Demonic Cult...'
Is the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult really that evil?
In any case, it would have been trouble if he'd said he was from the Tianshan Mountain Range.
Beopjin sat silently beside him.
If he'd revealed to these people that he was from the Demonic Cult, wouldn't that have put Beopjin in an awkward position?
Then, he suddenly remembered something.
He'd told Beopjin exactly where he was from.
[You're right. I was born in the Tianshan Mountain Range and have lived there my whole life.]
But the monk had just accepted it matter-of-factly without much reaction.
Was it because he was a monk that he didn't harbor any particular ill feelings toward the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? Or is it because they’re connected by fate?
With all these thoughts on his mind, the camel just kept walking slowly.
***
The sun rose again over the long column of travelers, and the world quickly grew hot once more.
No matter how far they went, the scenery remained the same. It was bound to be boring. But they found something new to talk about.
The caravan looked heavy and slow. The camels carried everything. The goods were brought from the Great Qin. Tents, food, water, anything.
Compared to them, Yu Gyeongseong's setup is shabby.
"How come you have so little luggage? It's like you ran into bandits and got everything stolen."
He had run into bandits, but that wasn't the point of the question, so Yu Gyeongseong just moved on.
"I didn't know I'd be in the desert this long."
He spoke the truth.
Had he moved alone, he would have already crossed the desert with time to spare. He was still only here because he had met Beopjin and was traveling at his pace.
But the merchants and warriors could only take this to mean that Yu Gyeongseong really had no clue about anything.
'Tsk tsk... it's a wonder he hasn't died yet.'
Their reaction flowed from that very thought.
"Aren't you hungry?"
They asked just to be nice... but it was weird because Yu Gyeongseong looked totally fine.
But the mystery was soon solved.
"The Zen Master has been sharing food with me."
Ah...
The merchants and warriors looked at each other.
Now that made sense.
The Zen Master must have saved this poor kid who almost died the second he left home.
'I knew it...'
Their Buddhist faith naturally welled up.
And that goodness started to spread.
One warrior unconsciously pulled something out before he even realized what he was doing.