Once Sister Seol and Hwa-eun helped calm the previously chaotic atmosphere, I began what had to be done next:

Convincing them.

Convincing them of what?

To clear up a colossal misunderstanding.

Sure, it was a relief that the hostility with Podarlap Palace had subsided, but being mistaken for the Buddha? That had danger written all over it if it wasn’t cleared up soon.

I mean, in my experience—backed by years of live streaming and watching drama series—these kinds of misunderstandings, if left unchecked, always blew up later. Then I’d be blamed: “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

And more pressingly, if I didn’t resolve this soon, I might not even get to marry Hwa-eun. What if they dragged me off to Podarlap Palace, shaved my head, and forced me into a life of celibacy?

If they truly believed I was a manifestation of the Buddha, there’s no way they’d just let me go.

They’d absolutely try to take me back with them.

And I was this close to finishing my bachelor’s journey and becoming a real man... but to be turned into a monk right before the finish line?

Absolutely not.

“My wedding night is right there!”

“There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? In what way?”

“I’m not the Heavenly Master. I’m certainly not the Buddha. I’m just an ordinary boy.”

“That’s right,” Sister Seol added. “He’s my little brother. Just a weird kid who’s into spirit beasts and venomous creatures.”

“Weird, really?”

“So-ryong, just let that one slide.”

“Ah, right...”

So, I insisted I wasn’t the Buddha—but Dorje still replied without the slightest hint of doubt.

“That’s simply not possible. Absolutely not.”

I got the sense I’d have to be more specific about why I wasn’t.

“I mean it. That snake you call Nаgarаja is actually just a special spirit beast known as a Golden-Crowned King Serpent back in the Central Plains. It’s not some divine being like Nаgarаja.”

I tried to break his logic by explaining that Lady Cheong-yu wasn’t the Nаgarаja, just a not-so-ordinary—but still earthly—spirit beast. But the argument didn’t land at all.

Everything fit too well.

“I saw earlier that the Nаgarаja commanded two other large serpents. Doesn’t that mean she can command even more?”

“Well, that’s true, but...”

“And in the Central Plains, she’s called the Golden-Crowned King Serpent, right? That literally means the king of all snakes wearing a golden crown.”

“That’s... also true...”

“So, she bears the name ‘King of Snakes,’ and she commands other snakes. That’s exactly who the Nаgarаja is—Mucalinda. When the Heavenly Master attained enlightenment, it was Mucalinda who protected him. Everything matches.

You call her the Golden-Crowned King Serpent, but that’s just a linguistic difference. The essence is the same.”

According to legend, the Nаgarаja Mucalinda was the king of all serpents and could control them. Cheong-yu was literally that. Her name meant the same thing, she had the same abilities, and even her role matched the myth.

She was Mucalinda. No way around it.

“Ugh, this is so frustrating.”

It felt like I had a sweet potato lodged in my throat. But then, an idea popped into my head.

I quickly smiled and said,

“Oh! You said we appeared here to help you, right, Master Dorje?”

“Yes, O Heavenly Master.”

“That, too, is a misunderstanding. We didn’t come here to help you. We were just passing through.

We’d heard that a swarm of locusts had appeared near Mount Mary and were concerned they might spread into the Central Plains. We’re tracking them to see where they’re headed.”

In other words, we didn’t come here to save Dorje’s party. We just happened to cross paths.

That was my line of reasoning. But Dorje let out a deep sigh and replied,

“Ahh... As expected of the Heavenly Master. My teacher, the Dalai Lama, once said: Even if paradise awaits after death, how can we abandon the living to a hellish life?

To think you would seek out the locusts to save others from suffering... Amitabha.

And indeed, the way of the Heavenly Master is often carried out with divine mystery—appearing unintentional while deeply intentional. That you saved us along the way is just another miracle in your holy path.”

“I... I’m gonna lose my mind.”

Just as I felt like I was being crushed by the weight of his logic, Dorje continued,

“O Heavenly Master. In Podarlap Palace, we believe that enlightened beings choose to reincarnate for the sake of saving all sentient beings. That is what we call a ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Tolku.”

And then came a whispered voice in my ear—through voice transmission.

[You’re aware that you are a reincarnated one, aren’t you?]

Faced with that, I couldn’t come up with any more counter-arguments.

Even if I wasn’t the Buddha, I was a reincarnated soul. And Lady Cheong-yu perfectly matched the Nаgarаja. So saying “no” would do nothing now.

There was no point in denying it anymore. Nothing I said could dismantle his bulletproof reasoning.

“Why is this logic so tight!?”

I remembered an old acquaintance—a journalist who used to investigate cults.

He once mentioned a sect where the founder claimed they couldn’t be killed by snake bites. When I explained it was just a matter of building up antivenom antibodies, he nodded.

But I still remembered what he told me that day:

“I just don’t get it. Why do people fall for cults?”

“You should never say that with certainty. Even elite university students can’t escape after hearing the doctrine three times.”

“Seriously?”

“Dead serious. That’s why I never listen more than twice during an investigation.”

“Then how do you save someone from a cult?”

“You start by breaking their logic—show them the cracks. One at a time. It’s slow. It’s hard. But that’s the only way.”

“So this is that slow, hard process.”

I had tried everything to unravel this “cult” logic, but nothing worked.

I sent another whisper through internal voice transmission.

[So, you're saying Tolku means a reincarnated being who returns to save others. And I'm one of those reincarnated ones, guarded by Mucalinda, so I must be the Buddha reincarnated?]

[Exactly! You're as wise as expected! Your understanding confirms you are the Heavenly Master!]

“...I give up.”

At this point, I figured I might as well stop fighting it.

Buddha, schmudda—whatever. Let the world burn.

“Alright. But whether I’m the Heavenly Master or not... what difference does it make?”

To that, Dorje responded with an expression full of guilt.

“I... I must have upset you. Please forgive me. I wouldn’t dream of asking anything of you. It sounds like you're already working to save others in your own way, even without knowing your past life. How could we, lowly beings, ever dare to interfere or make demands of you?”

“Wait, really? That’s all?”

Ah. I get it now. The reason they weren’t asking me for anything... it was because I was too divine in their eyes.

They didn’t dare.

Like, the Buddha’s busy. His disciples wouldn’t dare tell him to go left or right.

They’d be grateful if I visited—but dragging me there? That would be sacrilege.

Just as I started to relax, thinking maybe I’d overreacted, a voice asked cautiously:

“B-but... if it’s not too much... could you perhaps visit Podarlap Palace just once? It would be a tremendous blessing.”

“You want me to visit? Uh, that’s kind of...”

I immediately tried to refuse. I could already see myself being dragged into a shaved-head monastic life the moment I stepped in.

When I declined, Dorje looked visibly dejected.

Then one of the monks prostrated behind him quietly approached and began whispering into his ear.

“Master Dorje, may I have your ear?”

“Hey now! How dare you in front of the Heavenly Master—”

“It’s important.”

“Something important, you say? Well, let’s hear it... Hm? Huh? Really? Oho! Oh-ho, I see! Yes, of course!”

A few moments later—

Whatever was whispered to him had clearly brightened Master Dorje’s mood. He now looked at me with a glowing face, rubbing his hands eagerly.

“O Heavenly Master, I just heard from your sister in this life that you are fond of spirit beasts and venomous creatures?”

Fond?

That question didn’t even deserve repeating twice—ask it three times and I might snap. It wasn’t mere fondness.

It was love. Yes. Love.

“Well... I suppose you could say that.”

“Excellent. Then we are in luck. In the heart of Podarlap Palace stands a dead tree. Upon it grows a shriveled, withered fruit.”

“And?”

“That tree has stood there since before Podarlap Palace was founded. According to the stories passed down from our ancestors, the fruit used to emit an incredibly toxic aura when it was alive.”

“So?”

“And some say... it isn’t quite dead yet.”

Just another bizarre legend, I thought—until Hwa-eun’s voice echoed through a private transmission.

[So-ryong, it could be the Fruit of the Flora-Toxin branch of the Twenty-Four Venoms!]

Hooooly—!

The Flora-Toxin fruit from the Twenty-Four Venoms.

At her words, a memory jolted into place—an entry I’d read in the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures.

A fruit that looked like a shriveled corpse hanging from a tree, yet was brimming with poisonous energy.

“It really could be that...”

A dried-up fruit... still exuding venom... Just as Hwa-eun said, it might truly be the one.

I stepped forward, laid a hand on Dorje’s shoulder, and declared:

“On second thought, perhaps I should visit Podarlap Palace after all—for the sake of peace between the Central Plains and the Western Regions.”

Totally not because I wanted that venomous fruit. No, of course not. I only wished to spread harmony across martial realms.

Because, after all, isn’t Buddhism about peace?

Yes. That’s why I was doing this. Totally.

And just like that—showers of reverence.

The monks began to bow again in unison.

“Ooooooh! Thank you, Heavenly Master!”

“Thank you!”

“Tolku! Thank you!”

While they were giving thanks for my visit, I was planning something else entirely.

Remembering that journalist hyung from my past life—he said you shouldn’t listen to cult fanatics more than three times.

So I figured I’d stay in Podarlap for just two days, confirm whether the shriveled fruit was truly the Flora-Toxin Fruit—and get the hell out of there.

***

Thanks to how close I’d gotten to Master Dorje, I was finally able to explain why we were traveling through the Western Regions in the first place.

We were pursuing the bastards from the Five Venoms Sect and dealing with the aftermath of their schemes.

Even if I were to visit Podarlap Palace, we needed to take care of those Five Venoms bastards first.

Honestly, I’d prefer to visit Podarlap Palace now, but I’d made a promise to Changcheon—and if we went off to Podarlap first, the Five Venoms might release another locust swarm while we were away.

Now that Changcheon wasn’t standing watch anymore, those bastards could easily break into the Central Plains.

Dorje grew visibly agitated as I explained.

“There are people in this world who need nirvana!?”

“Wait, isn’t nirvana supposed to be a good thing?”

“It usually refers to the total eradication of desire and the attainment of enlightenment, yes. But in the case of evil men, it simply means eradication.”

“Ohh... that works. Nirvana. I like it.”

I decided I’d start using that term too—‘nirvana’ for scum.

Then I added,

“That said, I am a little concerned.”

“Concerned? But... why would the Heavenly Master be concerned?”

Dorje tilted his head, puzzled. Did he think I was too divine to worry?

So I explained.

“Well, since you crossed the border with the scriptures, things might have gotten stirred up near the frontier. We’ll have to pass through that area too, and I’m wondering if we’ll be alright.”

“Ah... I see. Because of those damn Muslims, right?”

“Yes. With them persecuting monks... we’re from Shaolin, so I’m not sure how to handle it. If they see someone with a shaved head, I doubt they’ll just let us walk by.”

Dorje smiled and assigned someone from his group to assist us.

“You needn’t worry, Heavenly Master. Those who were pursuing us have surely fallen back by now. This man here is a formal monk of Podarlap Palace—he’s called Tenzin, a Gelong, as we say. He shall accompany and assist you.”

I figured Tenzin would serve as a sort of guide—but the moment we crossed the border and entered the first village under his lead...

He raised his voice proudly, with Cheong-yu, the Golden-Crowned King Serpent, at the front of our group:

“Nаga has arrived! Come forth and welcome them!” (translated from Hindi)

And suddenly—people poured out of their homes, gasping in shock, bowing in reverence, and showering us with petals like something out of a movie.

All that fear I had about Muslim persecution?

Completely misplaced.

Just like Dorje had said, not a trace of those Islamic pursuers remained.

Turns out, while the ruling elite were Muslim, most of the local villagers were still Hindus, and in these small villages, they treated Lady Cheong-yu like an actual deity.

“Damn... this might just work without lifting a finger.”

If things kept going like this, we’d get treated like royalty and sniff out those Five Venoms bastards in no time.