WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 184: Spring Silkworms Spin Silk Until Death (8)
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After Yeon Sowol and Chungdam True Man left, Wudang’s Sect Leader and elders remained before Langmei Shrine for a long while.
Hwamyeongja in particular held his broken shoulder and stared blankly at the ground as though lost in deep thought.
Everyone had plenty to say, yet none knew how to begin. They merely watched one another’s reactions as an awkward silence lingered.
Then the Thirteenth Elder, who had been the youngest until Yeon Sowol arrived, cautiously glanced at Hwamyeongja and asked the Eleventh Elder beside him,
“Senior Brother. What do you think?”
“About what?”
“That thing our youngest junior brother has. Cosmic Qi, or Myriad Things Qi, or whatever it was.”
“The youngest junior brother? Ah, Junior Brother Yeon? Hmm. That...”
The Eleventh Elder pretended not to know, then stole a glance at Hwamyeongja before replying.
“...It was not without weaknesses. Its stage of maturity looked extremely difficult.”
“Right? He exhausted himself far too quickly. A master of his level was panting after merely moving it.”
Hwamyeongja, who had been setting his broken shoulder by himself, suddenly frowned.
“What are you two doing?”
“Pardon? Senior Brother, we were only...”
“Only? What do you mean, only? Are you senior brothers really going to disparage our youngest junior brother’s accomplishment?”
“Senior Brother, that isn’t what we meant.”
“It certainly is!”
Crack!
Hwamyeongja furiously set his broken shoulder. Sweat beaded at his temples from the sharp pain.
Yet he did not let out a single groan as he shouted at them.
“Did you say that because you were worried about me?”
“That’s not it...”
“Isn’t it an insult to me? Can’t you see my shoulder is broken? If that had been a real sword, I would have lost the whole arm. At best, we would have both come away defeated and injured. Yet you’re putting down our youngest junior brother? Then what does that make me, if I can only manage mutual defeat and injury against someone like him? Huh?”
Hwamyeongja circulated his true qi to mend the injury. Heat haze rose from his shoulder.
Even in that state, his angry figure carried the oppressive presence of a guardian deity with glaring eyes.
“Senior Brother, it isn’t that. We merely...”
“Merely what? Choose your words carefully.”
Hwamyeongja growled. The Eleventh and Thirteenth Elders could only watch his mood.
Eventually, Hwagokja stepped in.
“Hwamyeong. That is enough.”
“But, Senior Brother! Those bastards...”
“I said it is enough.”
“Grrr...”
Hwamyeongja closed his mouth with an unhappy expression.
Hwagokja spoke as though soothing him.
“Think of our junior brothers’ position as well. Since you, their senior brother, were even injured, they would feel awkward openly praising Yeon Sowol. Besides, their words are not entirely without reason.”
Hwagokja suddenly looked beyond the wall where Yeon Sowol and Chungdam True Man had disappeared.
“Junior Brother Yeon’s qi is certainly special and powerful, but its weakness was also clear. If its stage of maturity is so difficult and it exhausts him so quickly, he might manage one-on-one, but he will face great trouble in battles against many opponents.”
No matter how powerful a force was, it could not handle many enemies if it depleted itself and exhausted its user too quickly.
If Yeon Sowol were sent to subjugate the water raiders of Dongting Lake again now, he might even fight worse than before.
The potency of his true qi had become incomparably greater, but the effort required to draw it out had grown far greater as well.
“Hmm.”
“That is certainly true.”
The other elders all agreed with Hwagokja. Even Hwamyeongja, who had looked full of dissatisfaction, nodded this time.
Hwagokja looked over his junior brothers and concluded,
“So we may think of it this way. Just as we may seek enlightenment from Junior Brother Yeon’s qi, Wudang’s ultimate arts may lessen Junior Brother Yeon’s difficulties. In that sense, our meeting may truly be called a great bond of fate.”
If Yeon Sowol had much to offer Wudang, then Wudang had even more to offer Yeon Sowol.
“Indeed...”
“That must be right.”
The words strangely reassured Wudang’s elders.
Wudang had always been a sect that gave to others, rarely one that received anything. They dearly wished to study Yeon Sowol’s unique qi, and it comforted them to know they had enough to offer in return without shame.
Then the Thirteenth Elder abruptly asked,
“Then what do you think Martial Uncle will offer him?”
The Eleventh Elder beside him replied,
“He will likely start with an inner cultivation method. From what I saw, Junior Brother Yeon’s inner cultivation method is too simple and lacks subtlety. Naturally, it is difficult to control such terrifying qi with an inner cultivation method like that. If he learns a Wudang inner cultivation method anew, even that complicated and difficult stage of maturity will become much more manageable.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Hmm. Then which inner cultivation method will he impart...? Yin-Yang Divine Art? There is nothing better than Yin-Yang Divine Art for deepening one’s stage of maturity.”
“No! Not that!”
The Eleventh Elder immediately cut him off.
“Is Yin-Yang Divine Art not a Divine Art? Along with the Supreme Ultimate Wisdom Sword, it is Wudang’s deepest root and identity. It is not something to offer a lay disciple, no matter what we receive in return. Martial Uncle will surely think the same.”
“True. Letting that secret tradition leave the sect would be no different from letting all of Wudang leave with it...”
“Exactly. Unless there is a matter that accords with the grand purpose for which the founding patriarch established Wudang, it is an art that must never be taught outside.”
The Eleventh Elder’s words made sense, and even Hwagokja, Wudang’s Sect Leader, nodded in agreement.
Seeing that, the Thirteenth Elder changed the subject.
“Right? I only said it because Yin-Yang Divine Art seemed suited to him at a glance... Then perhaps Martial Uncle will impart the Eight Trigrams Art.”
“I wonder. He may teach even the Supreme Ultimate Heart Formula or the Pure Yang Limitless Art.”
“Good heavens. Those are both among our foremost ultimate arts.”
“Still, they are not Yin-Yang Divine Art. If Junior Brother Yeon’s enlightenment deepens Wudang’s roots, perhaps we would not begrudge even that much.”
“That is true as well.”
It looked as though the Eleventh and Thirteenth Elders were merely speaking to each other, but in truth, they were speaking for everyone to hear.
The two elders, low in seniority and close friends, had indirectly raised the question.
Thanks to that, the other elders each began considering it in their own minds.
‘That is true. Then what will Martial Uncle offer?’
Once the floodgates opened, they began quietly sharing their thoughts.
“Will Martial Uncle not impart the Supreme Ultimate Heart Formula? Nothing is better for handling great qi than the Supreme Ultimate Heart Formula.”
“Would the Pure Yang Limitless Art not be better than the Supreme Ultimate Heart Formula? The Pure Yang Limitless Art is perfect for handling profound and subtle principles.”
“Hey! You fool! Is the Pure Yang Limitless Art not a celibacy art? We are Daoists who live in the mountains, so it is fine if we never use such things for our entire lives and preserve our chastity, but should we teach such an art to a lay disciple?”
“What does it matter if he has to endure it a little? A cultivator’s heart is to say that if one comprehends the Dao in the morning, one may die that evening content. For the sake of the Great Dao, what does one thing between the legs matter?”
“Oh? Uh. Hmm. Is that so?”
“I’m telling you, it is.”
As he listened to the elders bicker over their opinions, Hwagokja sank into deeper thought.
‘To move like Cloud Ladder and endure Cotton Palm with qi alone...’
Had Yeon Sowol called it Cosmic Qi?
It was grandiose, yet fitting.
‘What would happen if Wudang’s martial arts, such as Cloud Ladder and Cotton Palm, were added to such qi?’
His junior brothers spoke only of inner cultivation methods, but Hwagokja was thinking beyond that.
‘If it is Martial Uncle... He may not stop at an inner cultivation method, but impart other martial arts as well.’
What would they be?
Hwagokja quietly considered it.
It would not be the Supreme Ultimate Wisdom Sword.
Together with Yin-Yang Divine Art, it formed the foundation of Wudang.
For similar reasons, it would not be Tenfold Brocade Palm either.
‘Still, he may teach the Supreme Clarity Sword Art, Cotton Palm, and Cloud Ladder.’
Hwagokja slowly nodded.
If that was the extent of it, then in return for the favor of returning the Cotton Palm Art and for sharing the special enlightenment called Cosmic Qi, Wudang would be repaying him more than generously.
‘Still, I am more curious about what comes after.’
After learning all of that, what level would Yeon Sowol’s martial arts reach?
He was already like this with qi alone.
If ultimate arts were added to it...
‘Even then, he could not contend with a transcendent peak-realm master.’
The transcendent peak realm was an entirely different world from the peak realm. It was never right to compare them side by side.
‘Still, among peak-realm masters, he truly will have no equal.’
Hwagokja quietly looked at Hwamyeongja.
If Hwamyeongja fought Yeon Sowol next time, even coming away mutually wounded would likely be difficult.
* * *
Wudang’s Sect Leader and elders racked their brains, trying to guess Chungdam True Man’s intentions, but in truth, Chungdam True Man had not yet made up his own mind.
‘What should I impart to Sowol?’
At first, Yin-Yang Divine Art or the Supreme Ultimate Wisdom Sword had seemed like good choices.
‘But that would trouble Hwagok.’
Who knew what might happen if Wudang’s foundations left the sect?
Chungdam True Man himself thought that such things were natural as well, but it would not be easy for the Sect Leader to simply overlook them.
Though Chungdam True Man lived in pursuit of Nonaction, he could still show that much consideration.
‘Then what should I teach him?’
Chungdam True Man stared at Yeon Sowol.
They were in the thatched cottage where Chungdam True Man resided. Leaving the modest chairs and table aside, the two sat cross-legged facing each other on a wide wooden platform.
“Sowol.”
“Yes, Master.”
Chungdam True Man had called after a long silence, but Yeon Sowol answered calmly without showing any particular reaction.
Pleased by that, Chungdam True Man asked,
“I now roughly understand your current state. But there is still something you have not shown me. I believe I must know that as well before deciding what to teach you.”
“Is there something this disciple has not shown you?”
Despite Yeon Sowol’s puzzled voice, Chungdam True Man nodded firmly.
“There is.”
“I am sorry. This disciple does not understand. If you could at least give me a hint...”
“Your habits during our sparring were unusual.”
Chungdam True Man’s gaze was calm and ordinary.
Yet Yeon Sowol somehow felt as though that gaze were dissecting every part of him.
“You have focused much of your training on footwork, Movement Arts, and lightness skills. Yes, those three are the foundations of martial arts. But even taking that into account, it was clear you had put exceptional effort into those three. Rather than a swordsman, you seemed more like an assassin.”
“Ah.”
“And even while being struck by Cotton Palm, you were remarkably practiced at desperately counterattacking. It looked exactly like...”
Chungdam True Man paused, quietly watching Yeon Sowol before continuing.
“The fight of someone who believes that he can win as long as he lands one hit.”
...!
Yeon Sowol fell silent.
He felt as though his throat were tightening.
Chungdam True Man asked,
“I ask because I believe I can find martial arts suited precisely to you only if I know what that is. Or is it perhaps a secret you must hide even from me?”
Yeon Sowol swallowed dryly.
It was a secret he had kept to himself without telling anyone since the day he fell into this world.
At some point, he had stopped even thinking of it as something he was hiding. He simply did not mention it, did not think about it deeply, and habitually turned his eyes away from it with a token pretense of concealment.
His greatest power.
It had been pointed out directly.
‘I thought a day like this might come.’
But facing it now left him quite flustered.
Yeon Sowol quietly organized his thoughts.
What should he do?
Should he hide it even from Chungdam True Man?
‘No.’
Yeon Sowol took a deep breath.
‘I cannot keep turning away forever.’
The power he gained when he fell into this world.
How much did he know about it?
‘I know nothing.’
It made the world appear flat.
It let him kill through contact.
Ghosts had coveted it.
That was all he knew.
It was his greatest power, yet he had simply used it without even knowing exactly what it was.
Without knowing where its limits lay.
Without knowing what side effects it might have.
So...
‘Perhaps this is my last chance.’
He needed to learn, at least once, what this power was and what he needed to know about it.
Yeon Sowol quietly met his master’s eyes.
Chungdam True Man.
A martial artist close to the strongest under heaven, and the most profound Daoist in the world.
If there was one person in the world who could teach him about the power of the Heaven-Killing Star, it was probably Chungdam True Man.
Having personally experienced the realm of Loss of Self, Yeon Sowol could perhaps trust Chungdam True Man, who was said to have reached an even higher realm.
Yeon Sowol made his decision.
“Master. This disciple will tell you.”
Yeon Sowol straightened his posture and spoke.
“I possess the power of the Heaven-Killing Star.”
Chungdam True Man’s brow furrowed.
“...The Heaven-Killing Star? You?”
“Yes. I will show you.”
“Very well. Let me see it. I know something of the Heaven-Killing Star as well.”
Yeon Sowol looked around, then simply plucked out a hair.
He held the black, glossy strand before Chungdam True Man’s eyes.
Without drawing out any true qi or putting any strength into his muscles, he simply and lightly...
Broke it.
Fsssss.
Yeon Sowol’s hair turned to powder and scattered.
“This is the power of the Heaven-Killing Star. Whether it is a person or an object, I can kill whatever I touch. In several senses of the word.”
If he killed a person, he could end their life without leaving any external wound.
If he killed an object, as he had just done, he could break its essence and reduce it to fragments.
A power that could kill anything, in any way.
A power feared even by ghosts and Ghost Kings.
A power that even the Flood Dragon had guarded against.
His secret.
‘I said it...’
Yeon Sowol looked at Chungdam True Man. He felt relieved, yet strangely worried.
And then...
Chungdam True Man, who had calmly listened to Yeon Sowol’s explanation, said,
“What... was that just now?”
He blankly reached out toward the hair that had crumbled into powder and scattered.
Yeon Sowol had not drawn out even a trace of true qi, yet the hair had dispersed like dust. Not a trace remained.
Chungdam True Man tilted his head.
“What...?”
Even his mind, which had gone beyond Loss of Self and set one foot in Nonaction, could not comprehend what had happened before his eyes.
“You said it was the Heaven-Killing Star...”
Footnotes:
The line about comprehending the Dao in the morning echoes a saying from the Analects: if one hears the Way in the morning, one may die that evening content.
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