Myst, Might, Mayhem - Chapter 23

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Episode 7: The Principle of Attachment (2)

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“Can you feel it? That is the mystery of the movement of Adhesion. It can draw anything in and make it adhere. Even ki is no exception.”

“Ki?”

Was that the internal energy martial artists spoke of?

Blue Spirit stared at Mok GyeongUn as if he were absurd.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know even that?”

Mok GyeongUn shrugged at her reaction.

Until recently, he had lived without even knowing what Martial Arts were.

‘So this was it.’

He had certainly learned of it for the first time today.

Yet why did it feel as if this was not the first time he had experienced it?

When he had first been poisoned by toxic herbs, his grandfather had once gently rubbed his back and stomach.

‘...It was warm like this then, too.’

It was not merely his grandfather’s palms that had been warm. The inside of his body had grown warm, just as it did now.

Could his grandfather have cultivated internal energy as well?

A small doubt arose within him.

Then, the warm energy entering through his palm, no, the ki, suddenly turned cold.

Unlike before, it felt chilly and alien.

“It suddenly turned cold.”

“Cold?”

Blue Spirit tilted her head.

“Why is that?”

“Cold? Hmm. That should not be possible.”

“It is cold. Like...”

It resembled the distinctive deathly ki or Yin ki emitted by the dead.

Mok GyeongUn had lived close to death while killing countless people in search of his grandfather’s murderer.

That was why the sensation felt familiar.

But it soon stopped.

Bulge!

The veins on the back of Mok GyeongUn’s hand swelled.

Seeing this, Blue Spirit nodded as though she understood.

“Perhaps the energy has been exhausted. Stop breathing and cease the movement of Adhesion.”

“Understood.”

Remembering the sensation from before, Mok GyeongUn stopped breathing and concentrated.

The energy being drawn into his palm ceased, and the swollen veins soon subsided.

“Phew.”

After calming the movement of Adhesion, Mok GyeongUn sensed something else.

The ki that had entered his body was rapidly dispersing.

“The warm energy is scattering.”

“Ki’s basic nature is to disperse. You could compare it to the air that mortals breathe.”

“Oh. Is that so?”

“Why do you think those who study Martial Arts cling to breathing techniques? They gather the scattered ki in the air through their breathing.”

“Ah!”

Mok GyeongUn looked intrigued by this basic knowledge of internal energy, which he had only just learned.

Martial Arts did not seem to be something one could master merely by moving one’s body like ordinary combat techniques.

As if he had realized something, Mok GyeongUn asked Blue Spirit,

“Then can the energy drawn in through the movement of Adhesion be gathered, like with a Breathing Technique?”

“Forget it.”

“Pardon?”

“Even if you draw in another person’s ki with the movement of Adhesion, you cannot make it your own.”

“What do you mean, I cannot make it my own?”

“When ki is dispersed like this, it may not matter. But according to each martial clan’s Breathing Technique, Cultivation technique, and ki-circulation system, it takes on distinct properties.”

“What properties?”

“It gains a distinctive nature. If it has such a nature, the dantian of anyone who has not adapted to or trained with it cannot endure it.”

“So in the end...”

“Yes. No matter how much you absorb another person’s internal energy, it cannot become yours.”

“Ah. That is a shame. I thought there might be a way to increase my ki quickly.”

“Did you think the path to becoming a master would be so easy? Do not be disappointed. The applications of the movement of Adhesion are endless.”

Mok GyeongUn asked in confusion,

“Even if I draw in ki, is it not meaningless if it only disperses?”

“Though the ki you absorb disperses, it can still be used for a time while it is controlled by the movement of Adhesion. For instance, concentrate that dispersing energy in your fist.”

“How do I do that?”

“Through ki circulation... Ah.”

Blue Spirit drew on her pipe with an incredulous look.

Mok GyeongUn truly knew nothing at all about Martial Arts, and it appeared to frustrate her.

She exhaled a cloud of smoke.

“Phew. To think I am sitting here teaching such things.”

“...”

Mok GyeongUn silently scratched his head.

“Tut, tut. Let us set aside difficult matters like essential formulas for ki circulation. What matters is mental visualization.”

“Mental visualization?”

“Yes. When you received energy through the movement of Adhesion earlier, remember how it moved. Focus on transferring that sensation to the part of your body you desire.”

Mental visualization.

Blue Spirit spoke of it casually, but it was a method used by masters of a certain realm when seeking a higher realm.

It was the contemplation of one’s own mind.

Strictly speaking, it was not a concept a beginner who had never learned Martial Arts could use.

But Mok GyeongUn possessed something ordinary people did not.

‘Extreme concentration.’

Blue Spirit believed he had it.

She could not say whether he possessed exceptional martial talent, since he had not even begun studying Martial Arts. But his concentration was absurdly remarkable.

That was why she had suggested he try mental visualization.

‘Will he be able to do it?’

He did not even understand pressure points or the essential formulas for ki circulation.

Yet she had told him to move life energy to a desired location using mental visualization alone.

If he made a mistake, it could cause Ki Rampage. Still, the energy was not fixed in his dantian and was already dispersing, so it was worth attempting.

‘Hmm.’

Mok GyeongUn closed his eyes and concentrated on the dispersing energy.

He recalled how it had flowed into his body when he first used the movement of Adhesion.

Then the blood vessels along his palm and wrist appeared before his eyes.

‘Neiguan... Wenliu... Extreme Gate... Maximum Opening... Shousanli... Shaohai... Xiabai...’

Remarkably, Mok GyeongUn knew his acupoints and blood meridians.

He had learned them from his grandfather alongside medical herb lore, well enough to recall them even with his eyes closed.

Thus, he could remember the route through which the life energy absorbed through the Principle of Attachment had entered and filled his dantian.

‘Then, in reverse...’

The warm energy moved through Qihai, Yinjiao, Huangshu, Juque, Jiuwei, Xuanji, and Lianquan.

The little energy that remained then traveled backward along Qishe and Xiabai toward his wrist.

When it reached Neiguan at his wrist, the energy gathered in his fist.

Clench!

Mok GyeongUn balled his hand into a fist.

It felt as though strength had filled it.

‘With this much power...’

Mok GyeongUn walked to the cave wall.

Then he drove his fist, filled with gathered warmth, into it.

Thud! Crack-crack-crack!

The wall around his fist sank in by roughly two knuckles, cracks spreading out around it.

‘Oh.’

Was this the power of internal energy?

Blue Spirit’s eyes gleamed.

She had not expected him to accomplish it in one attempt.

It was called mental visualization, but without knowing the paths of ki circulation, moving internal energy was nearly impossible.

Yet he had truly done it.

‘...What is this brat?’

Blue Spirit was sincerely puzzled.

Even in life, she had seen countless people with martial talent. But she had never seen anyone with such keen instincts despite reaching sixteen or seventeen without ever encountering Martial Arts.

“Ha...”

What would he have become if he had begun studying Martial Arts as a child?

The thought crossed her mind.

Then Mok GyeongUn turned to Blue Spirit.

“I think I understand why people are so obsessed with Martial Arts. If you learn this, it will be much easier to kill people.”

At his casual remark, Blue Spirit’s lips twitched.

This brat understood the true nature of martial combat perfectly.

All that talk about attaining the Way through martial combat was nothing but bullshit.

The essence of martial combat was how efficiently one could kill an opponent.

Blue Spirit folded her arms, pipe in mouth.

“The first form, the movement of Adhesion, is no more than the foundation of the Eight Forms of Force Breaking. Even if you master one form properly, its mysteries are endless.”

“That is excellent. I would like to learn these endless mysteries properly. Can you teach me as you did just now?”

Blue Spirit’s expression stiffened at Mok GyeongUn’s words.

She had never intended to teach him this in the first place.

But Mok GyeongUn’s absurd concentration and innate talent had excited her, and she had spoken far more than intended.

“Ha. I nearly got taken in by a mere mortal. You dare try to deceive me?”

“Pardon?”

“Did you think I would do you a favor? Forget it.”

“...We will have to remain together, so wouldn’t it be better to cooperate?”

“That will not happen.”

With that, she sharply turned her head away.

Mok GyeongUn shook his head at her sudden change in attitude.

“Blue Spirit?”

“...”

She did not even pretend to hear him.

There was nothing to be done.

Mok GyeongUn was not the sort to coax others, so he did not call out to Blue Spirit again.

Instead, he became more interested in the Eight Forms of Force Breaking.

If Blue Spirit was right, there were seven more forms like the movement of Adhesion. How could such things be contained within a mere thirty characters?

Whoever had created it was undoubtedly extraordinary.

However, no matter how keen Mok GyeongUn’s insight was, he knew too little about Martial Arts to devise other verse formulas from those thirty characters.

‘What a shame.’

For now, he would have to be satisfied with the movement of Adhesion.

He was not yet accustomed to it, but if he studied it well, it seemed it could be useful in many ways.

Having sorted through his thoughts, Mok GyeongUn started to move to deal with Jo Il-sang’s corpse.

Then,

‘!?’

Mok GyeongUn frowned and looked below his navel.

‘What is this?’

He had not noticed while the warm energy, or rather the internal energy absorbed from Jo Il-sang, had been present. Yet that cold energy remained.

‘Why?’

The internal energy had certainly dispersed, leaving not even a trace behind.

Yet the cold energy remained unchanged.

Its amount was markedly smaller than the internal energy he had absorbed, but it was still there beneath his navel.

‘Strange.’

Even Blue Spirit had not understood this cold energy properly.

He considered asking her about it, then stopped.

She did not seem likely to answer even if he asked now.

‘It would not be bad to find out for myself.’

He found such effort interesting.

Mok GyeongUn smiled.

* * *

An empty room lit by a single lamp.

Clink!

A one-eyed female warrior placed a pouch filled with silver coins on the table.

She was Ho Aeng, bodyguard warrior to Lady Seok, the First Madam of Yeonmok Sword Manor.

“This is condolence money sent by the First Madam.”

“...”

“As I said earlier, she will pay four hundred silver coins if you can handle the matter.”

After speaking, Ho Aeng looked at the lamp on the table.

The lamp remained still.

Perhaps it was because their fellow Taoist occultist, Myo Shin, had died.

After waiting, she spoke again.

“If this is not enough...”

Whoosh!

Before she could finish, the lamp suddenly went out.

Ho Aeng swallowed and rose from her seat, then went outside.

The extinguished lamp was a signal that the request had been accepted.

There was no reason for her to remain.

Tap, tap, tap!

After leaving in haste, she looked back at the shabby building, which seemed close to collapse.

This was Ghost Shadow Pavilion in Mengcheng, the base of a group of Taoist occultists.

Every time she came here, the place gave her chills and made her uneasy.

She hurriedly mounted her horse.

Not long after she left, voices sounded within Ghost Shadow Pavilion.

“It is definitely malign force.”

The first voice was that of an elderly person.

Then came the voice of a middle-aged person.

“It is certain, Pavilion Lord.”

“So that is Go’s view. What do you think, Sak?”

At the question, a woman’s voice replied.

“If it is definitely malign force, then junior martial brother Myo Shin was surely consumed by an aberration. But the Third Young Master troubles me.”

“I feel the same. Malign force is originally the act of laying curses or afflicting someone with a vengeful spirit. Yet the maid rose into the air at the Third Young Master’s call. That means...”

“Does it not mean he controls a vengeful spirit?”

“Hmm. This is no ordinary matter.”

There was a reason they were so troubled.

“If he could lift the maid into the air and infuse her with malign force, the vengeful spirit must be at least Yellow Spirit rank. Is it possible to make such a vengeful spirit into a spirit familiar?”

Vengeful spirits could not be made into spirit familiars.

That was the established belief among Taoist occultists.

Spirits and goblins, or the benevolent souls of animals with pure spiritual energy, could be made into spirit familiars. But fallen vengeful spirits were targets to be exorcised or sealed.

“Vengeful spirits are entities that cannot be controlled in the first place. Perhaps the Third Young Master has had his corporeal soul seized by one.”

Bang!

“If that is so, we cannot leave him alone. Pavilion Lord, leave this to me.”

“Will you go, Sak?”

“Yes. I will soothe junior martial brother Myo Shin’s vengeful spirit and deal with the Third Young Master.”

The Pavilion Lord issued an order.

“I permit it. If it is you, who commands Guyeo as a spirit familiar, you will easily perform the exorcism. Go.”

“I accept the Pavilion Lord’s command.”

As she answered, a beautiful woman with one wholly white eye emerged from the darkness.

The woman naturally picked up the pouch of silver coins on the table.

* * *

Thud!

The sleepy-eyed Guard Go Chan brought a small brazier before Mok GyeongUn’s bed.

Having stayed awake nearly the entire night on watch, Go Chan was exhausted.

Go Chan had asked whether they could doze briefly nearby because dawn was about to break, only to be given this task instead, which left the guard somewhat irritated.

Go Chan asked in confusion,

“Why did you ask me to bring this?”

“There is something I need to burn.”

“Burn? If there is something to burn, you could have just told me to do it...”

“I want to make sure it burns completely.”

“What are you trying to burn...!?”

Go Chan’s eyes widened.

What Mok GyeongUn took out was none other than,

[Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula]

‘It was real.’

It was true that, through the aberration, Mok GyeongUn had learned from the Manor Lord where the martial arts books were kept.

The martial arts book of the Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula, the Martial Arts exclusive to the Manor Lord, was in Mok GyeongUn’s hands.

Go Chan swallowed dryly and frowned.

“No, Young Master. You are not planning to burn that, are you?”

At Go Chan’s distressed cry, Mok GyeongUn smiled.

“I am.”

Go Chan jolted and hurriedly tried to stop Mok GyeongUn.

“B-Burn it? Young Master, that is an exclusive martial arts book that only the Manor Lord can learn. How could you...”

“I need to burn it.”

Tear!

With those words, Mok GyeongUn tore away everything but the cover and first two pages of the Yeonmok Sword-Forming Formula, then threw the rest into the brazier.

Fwoosh!

It happened before Go Chan could even stop him.

Go Chan stared at Mok GyeongUn in disbelief.

Did this madman truly not understand the importance of the martial arts book?

Mok GyeongUn spoke casually to the bewildered guard.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I do not like that look in your eyes.”

“Young Master, even if you are at an age when it is difficult to learn Martial Arts, surely you could use that somehow if you kept it.”

“That is exactly why I need to burn it.”

“How could you use it after burning it...”

“It is right here.”

Mok GyeongUn smiled and tapped his head with a finger.

Go Chan’s eyes widened.

Had Mok GyeongUn memorized the entire martial arts book before burning it?

Then why had Mok GyeongUn not said so earlier?

Go Chan had thought that such a precious martial arts book was simply being discarded.

As Go Chan was about to say something, Mok GyeongUn took out the martial arts book of the Yeonmok Heart-Transforming Method. As before, he tore away everything but the cover and first two pages, then put the rest into the brazier.

Fwoosh!

Go Chan asked with a completely baffled expression,

“What on earth are you doing?”

Mok GyeongUn handed Go Chan the two martial arts books, each with only its cover and two pages remaining.

“What am I to do with these?”

“Take one to the First Madam and one to the Second Young Master when dawn comes.”

“What?”

“You only need to deliver them. Do not say a word.”

Go Chan frowned.

What was this brat trying to do?

Go Chan could not understand it at all.

But what could the guard do? With their life already held hostage, they had no choice but to follow orders.