WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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Chapter 165: If I Hear the Dao in the Morning, I Can Die by Evening (5)
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The procession of incense pilgrims that had passed through the mountain gate stretched along the broad, straight road that climbed the central hill.
Far above, he caught sight of a large, magnificent roof.
‘Is that where they worship their god...?’
Daoism was a religion, after all.
Naturally, the entire layout drew every eye toward the sacred space at its center.
Yet Wudang’s second-generation disciple led Yeon Sowol down the path to the right.
The buildings there differed from the ones they had passed. Rather than grand, they were tightly packed. Rather than ornate, they were neat and orderly. Daoists hurried back and forth between them, so this seemed to be where Wudang’s day-to-day affairs were handled.
A Daoist suddenly stepped into their path and asked,
“Jangjin. Where are you taking this guest?”
He looked to be in his fifties and wore a tall hat.
The second-generation disciple wore one as well, but this man’s was far more elaborate. It rose high above his head, with brims extending before and behind it like a roof. The upper section was stitched vertically like roof tiles, with an embroidered Supreme Ultimate symbol in the middle.
It was a Pure Yang Cap, clearly more formal than the simple Zhuangzi Cap worn by the second-generation disciple.
Sure enough, Jangjin lowered his head.
“Ah, Martial Uncle.”
If he was Jangjin’s Martial Uncle, then he was a first-generation disciple.
They were the direct disciples of the Sect Leader and elders. Among those actively working in the sect, they were effectively the most senior.
Jangjin’s lips moved.
He was using voice transmission.
“Hmm?”
The first-generation disciple’s eyes soon widened like lanterns. He turned to Yeon Sowol.
“Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy. It is good to meet you, Hero Yeon. I have just heard something quite astonishing. Could you perhaps... show me?”
Yeon Sowol pulled back the silk slightly once more.
<Cotton Palm Art>
“Mm!”
The first-generation disciple stared intently at the cover, then glanced around before lowering the silk to hide the book again.
“Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy. At least from the outside, it appears to be genuine.”
He slowly closed and opened his eyes, clasped his hands, and gave a slight bow.
“Thank you for your efforts, Hero Yeon. I will escort you from here. Jangjin, hurry to the Sect Leader’s Court and deliver the news.”
“Yes!”
Jangjin, a man in his early thirties, immediately used a lightness art and rushed deeper into the sect.
The first-generation disciple, meanwhile, clasped his hands behind his back and walked leisurely beside Yeon Sowol.
“Let us walk slowly. It will take time for the Sect Leader and elders to hear the news and gather.”
“Yes.”
Yeon Sowol walked at an unhurried pace without complaint.
Still, he could not help feeling tense.
‘This is scary...’
This was Wudang.
Along with Shaolin, it stood at the very peak of the martial world, vying for the foremost position among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang.
Was that why? Everywhere he looked, there were masters.
‘Even this man beside me...’
The first-generation disciple walking beside him was a peak-realm master.
What was more, his stage of maturity ran deeper than any Yeon Sowol had ever seen.
Yeon Sowol read the subtle changes occurring around him.
At times, it seemed to flash, then seep away. At times, it seemed to burn, then sink back down. It was strong yet supple, still yet chattering away. He had never seen such secretive, boundless, and varied harmony.
‘It really is Hundred Flowers in Wild Profusion...’
It was a realm where the grandeur of one’s qi rose to its summit, as though a hundred flowers had burst into bloom.
Now he could feel why the peak realm was called that.
‘So True Flame could be controlled to this extent...’
It was a realm one could reach only once the flames flowing through one’s meridians moved freely, alive and breathing.
It felt as though a veil covering his eyes had been lifted.
‘How can someone become like that?’
The moment a person saw beyond the limits they had vaguely imagined, they changed.
‘So this is Wudang...’
Just seeing one first-generation disciple had already brought him enlightenment.
His heart pounded.
He had wondered what there was to learn here, but perhaps that had only come from his ignorance.
The first-generation disciple walking alongside him spoke casually.
“I have yet to introduce myself. I am Hyeonso.”
“You are Daoist temple master Hyeonso. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“I understand this is your first time in Wudang, Hero Yeon.”
“Yes. My experience is limited, so I have only now climbed Wudang.”
“Have you heard anything about Wudang?”
“Only what people commonly say.”
“Would you tell me what you have heard?”
“If it is not True Martial, it cannot bear it.”
“Oh?”
“I heard it means that the mountain’s qi is so lofty that only the True Martial Great Emperor, the god who governs the north, could claim it as his domain. They say that is where the name Wudang Mountain comes from.”
From “True Martial” came Mu, and from “cannot bear it” came Dang.
Together, they formed Wudang.
Hyeonso’s expression softened somewhat.
“That is correct. Wudang resides on this mountain, the domain of the True Martial Great Emperor, and worships him. Do you know what kind of god he is?”
“My learning is too shallow for me to know that much.”
Yeon Sowol bit his lip in frustration.
‘How could I come to an interview without properly researching the place first?!’
He wanted to know too.
What kind of god was the True Martial Great Emperor?
What did it mean for him to govern the north?
Why had that god claimed this mountain as his domain?
He wanted to know every last detail and answer smoothly, to win Wudang’s favor. If he wanted to learn martial arts properly here, he could never have too much goodwill.
Unexpectedly, Hyeonso seemed fairly pleased with Yeon Sowol’s answer.
“It is impressive that you found out even that much. There are so many false rumors in the world. I alone have heard thirty absurd explanations for Wudang Mountain’s name. You did not get swept up in them and came after hearing the proper account. That is commendable.”
Yeon Sowol lowered his head.
Hyeonso understood the difficulty he had faced, and that made him quietly happy.
There was no internet in this world, nor was there public education, so even if someone wanted to learn something, there was no clear way to do so.
Finding the knowledge one wanted was difficult enough. Even when one managed to find it, nine times out of ten, it turned out to be false.
Those born and raised in prestigious families had access to more accurate teachings, but Yeon Sowol, who had come from Guangdong, had no such opportunity. This was all he had managed to learn after asking people who had received good educations in good places, like Won Huiseung and Namgung Ujin.
“The True Martial Great Emperor is the North Star. Because he governs the north, he is also called the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heavens.”
Dark Heavens?
“Then does Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy mean...?”
“Hoho. Correct. They are all Daoist invocations for the True Martial Great Emperor. Hyeoncheon means the dark heavens that govern the northern sky, Josun means aiding the proper order, and Celestial Worthy refers to a heavenly venerable.”
“Then what does Celestial Worthy, Incarnation of the Golden Palace Who Subdues Demons mean...?”
“Incarnation of the Golden Palace means the incarnation of the most sacred heavenly palace, and Who Subdues Demons means sweeping away demons. It is a more formal, proper name.”
“Ah. So that was it...”
Every mystery had been solved!
“So in everyday situations, you say Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy, while when you are truly surprised or showing respect, you say Celestial Worthy, Incarnation of the Golden Palace Who Subdues Demons?”
Because that was the more formal, proper name!
“Hmm? Who told you that? That is not so.”
The answer that came back was a flat denial.
But he definitely had, hadn’t he?
“Hoho. Was it Jangjin who told you?”
“Well...”
When Yeon Sowol could not answer and looked awkward, Hyeonso laughed heartily.
“How could one who cultivates the Dao be so easily shaken and reveal what lies in one’s heart? We are not ordinary people who take off our clothes because it is hot and put them on because it is cold. We do not behave differently depending on the situation. It is only because that fellow Jangjin has yet to attain Clear Heart.”
As they chatted and continued forward, the densely packed halls gradually thinned out, giving way to a broad open space.
A large structure at its center caught Yeon Sowol’s attention.
Chimneys lined the top of a firing kiln, while broken porcelain shards lay piled as high as mountains, gleaming white in the sunlight.
Winter was close enough that a faint puff of breath might appear when one exhaled, yet beads of sweat covered the faces of the people working there.
Then Yeon Sowol’s gaze landed on an enormous jar.
It was drying slowly beneath a roof with no walls.
“Wow...”
A gasp escaped him before he knew it.
‘A jar can get that big?’
It looked four, maybe five meters tall.
Four or five meters sounded simple enough, but even if two grown men stood on each other’s shoulders, they would not reach the top. If someone fell inside it, it seemed impossible that they would ever get out alive.
“Impressive, is it not?”
Hyeonso spoke with a proud expression.
“Those are potters His Majesty sent to make treasures for Wudang.”
“The Emperor did?”
“Correct. He selected the greatest potters in the realm and ordered them to make the largest jars under Heaven. We plan to make ten jars in total and preserve them as Wudang’s treasures for generations to come. We have already made eight, but the last two have been giving us trouble. That is why they are still hard at work even though winter is nearly here, hoping to finish by the deadline.”
Apparently, they were that difficult to make.
They certainly looked imposing, even though they were unfinished pieces that had not yet been fired and were only drying.
“But why jars?”
They looked impressive, sure, but weren’t there other valuable things they could make?
“Hoho. There is meaning in that as well.”
Perhaps he was happy Yeon Sowol had asked. Hyeonso flushed slightly as he explained.
“Firing pottery that large is close to impossible. The larger it gets, the more impossible it becomes.”
Even kneading clay and shaping it into a jar was difficult.
“The weight of the clay makes the shape collapse in real time.”
Keeping the clay from collapsing under its own weight while supporting it with a frame, then shaping it into a massive jar.
That was closer to construction than pottery.
“And shaping it is not enough.”
To make a giant jar, they could not form it all at once. They had to shape separate sections, then join them together.
The joins were the problem.
No matter how well they shaped it, if the clay was not properly bonded, those points would split and burst open when it was fired in the kiln.
“Yet even if you bond it well, there is another problem.”
If the material or moisture differed even slightly between the joined sections, it would burst when fired.
“Even if you handle all of that, drying it is truly hell.”
Hyeonso looked back at the enormous jars drying in the shade.
“Just moving them to the shade without letting their shape collapse is difficult enough. Then, as they dry, the clay often cracks and twists. The larger they are, the more the drying speed differs between parts, so they split open and pieces fall off constantly. You must keep everything even, sometimes changing their position, covering parts that dry too quickly with wet cloth, and caring for them with incredible attention.”
That was not even the end of it.
“For the long time it takes that enormous mass of clay to dry, you can only pray to Heaven that it does not rain or snow. Then, once it is dry, firing it is terrifying too. Imagine it. You have to keep the temperature inside that enormous kiln even from front to back, side to side, top to bottom. If the temperature is even slightly off, the pottery will burst.”
Hyeonso gestured toward the mountain of shards.
Now Yeon Sowol understood how that literal mountain of porcelain fragments had come to be.
Hyeonso spoke proudly.
“It has already taken tremendous effort to get this far. The potters must return before winter begins in earnest, so the jars being fired this time are the last ones. We have prepared plenty, so if even two succeed, the treasures that represent Wudang will be complete.”
...But if they had already made eight, wouldn’t it be fine even without two more?
As Yeon Sowol thought that without meaning to, Hyeonso seemed to guess his thoughts and said,
“Hoho. There must be ten. Ten is a perfect number. It has an entirely different meaning from eight. More importantly, the final two will be pottery representing the Supreme Ultimate of yin and yang.”
Hyeonso’s expression grew distant.
“The Supreme Ultimate! That is the Dao Wudang pursues. What use are the Eight Trigrams if there is no yin and yang Supreme Ultimate? The last two must be completed for all of this to have meaning.”
Yeon Sowol saw something like obsession in his expression.
It seemed that Wudang’s Daoists had something they could not compromise on.
‘Even so, why make them out of pottery? If it is that difficult, they could use something else...’
Yeon Sowol was puzzled.
Just then, Hyeonso began an explanation that seemed to answer his question.
“Those jars themselves also embody the Dao Wudang must follow and the essence of cultivation.”
“The jars do?”
“Only when all the harmonies of the Five Elements come together within a single round form can one transparent, clear jar be created. It can only be called the form of the Supreme Ultimate.”
“Ah.”
“And what is needed to create that round Supreme Ultimate is Clear Heart.”
“Clear Heart...”
“It means a clear mind. A mind that may be clouded when mud is stirred up for a time, but becomes clear again after the mud settles.”
When making pottery, unforeseen variables always arose.
The quality of the clay might differ from before. The clay might not bond well that day. The wind might be dry. It might rain...
Yet one could never accomplish the great undertaking of making giant jars if one was affected by every little thing.
If the clay quality differed, one adjusted it again. If it would not bond well that day, one made it bond. If the wind was dry, one covered it with wet cloth. If it rained, one covered it with straw...
Doing what needed to be done without swinging between joy and despair. Exercising restraint and making adjustments suited to the situation.
That was Clear Heart.
“With Clear Heart, one can cultivate the Supreme Ultimate just as one shapes great pottery. That is why every teaching of Wudang begins with Clear Heart. Many people criticize the tradition of the Sword-Relinquishing Pool, but it has meaning as well.”
“The Sword-Relinquishing Pool is related to Clear Heart?”
“Of course. First, it teaches visitors how to let go. Second, it teaches disciples how to deal with angry people. Clear Heart means not being swept up by circumstances and returning to clarity. What does it matter whether one has a sword or not? What matters is the heart. Keeping it clear and calm, with or without a sword.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, it sounded rather convincing.
“So for Jangjin to reveal the agitation in his heart by switching between Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy and Celestial Worthy, Incarnation of the Golden Palace Who Subdues Demons just because he was a little startled, or to treat you differently, that does not accord with the Dao. Had he attained Clear Heart, he would not have acted that way.”
“I see...”
Clear Heart.
It was still a little difficult, but Yeon Sowol quietly mulled over the concept.
‘Is it about cultivating the heart first? It makes me think of my adoptive father for some reason.’
A most sincere heart.
Clear Heart.
They seemed to have something in common.
He had never imagined the tradition of the Sword-Relinquishing Pool had such meaning behind it.
‘I thought they were just being two-faced...’
As expected, Wudang was Wudang.
‘Keeping the same heart whether one has a sword or not. That is Clear Heart.’
The more he thought about it, the deeper its meaning seemed.
‘Isn’t this a place with so much to learn?’
He felt ashamed for having judged them as two-faced after seeing only one side of things. It had been far too hasty.
Then his gaze suddenly fixed on the jars drying beneath the shade.
Hyeonso had said they were making plenty as backups, but there were as many as five jars drying there.
“Um, Daoist temple master.”
“What is it?”
“Those five jars that are drying over there.”
“Hmm. I see them.”
“Based on what you said earlier... I think all of them may burst.”
“Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy... What do you mean?”
Yeon Sowol sharpened his qi sense and carefully examined the jars.
“The moisture is not drying evenly around the joins. They do not look problematic right now, but they may burst when you fire them.”
“What...?”
Hyeonso’s expression changed dramatically.
He used a lightness art to fly over in a single bound, placed a palm lightly on one of the drying giant jars, and closed his eyes.
Then he flinched, pulled his hand away, and placed it on the jar beside it.
A quarter-hour passed like that.
‘Aren’t the Sect Leader and elders waiting right now...?’
Yeon Sowol shifted his feet, wondering if they should get going soon, when Hyeonso opened his eyes wide.
“It is, it is true! At this rate, they really could all burst!”
He turned to Yeon Sowol with the expression of someone who had seen a ghost.
“Thank you so much! We nearly left the sect’s long-cherished wish burdened by bitter regret... But how did you know? Had I not heard it beforehand, I would never have noticed it. You figured it out just by glancing at them?”
“My qi sense is rather sharp.”
When Yeon Sowol answered carefully,
“Huh... Celestial Worthy, Incarnation of the Golden Palace Who Subdues Demons...”
Hyeonso muttered in amazement, then suddenly flinched and his shoulders shook.
His eyes met Yeon Sowol’s.
“...”
“...”
...Earlier, he had definitely said something about people who cultivated the Dao, agitation in one’s heart, taking clothes off because it was hot...
Several unkind thoughts crossed Yeon Sowol’s mind, but he did not voice them.
Hyeonso remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke as if nothing had happened.
“Clear Heart is naturally like that. Sometimes it becomes clouded. It is fine as long as it becomes clear again. Hyeoncheon Josun Celestial Worthy...”
“Ah. Yes.”
...
...
An awkward silence settled between Hyeonso and Yeon Sowol.
Footnotes:
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