The Eccentric Immortal of Tianzhu Peak
Tianzhu Peak. One of the tallest summits in all of Wudang Mountain. To reach it, one had to traverse treacherous mountain paths and scale sheer cliffs, which was why people rarely approached the place.
“By the way, why do you ask about Tianzhu Peak…?”
“The truth is… a divine immortal appeared in my dream and told me to come to Tianzhu Peak.”
At my words, Scholar Yun the Taoist lowered his head slightly, seeming to ponder deeply. Then his eyes widened in shock as he looked at me.
“You mean you’ve met Taeheo Jinin?!”
“Taeheo Jinin?”
It was hard to keep pretending I didn’t know. When I asked again as naturally as I could, Scholar Yun began speaking with unusual passion.
“He was a supreme expert from two generations ago in the Wudang Sect! Once renowned as the greatest swordsman under heaven! After he washed his hands of the mortal world and vanished, saying he would become an immortal, his whereabouts became a mystery… and yet he still lives!”
“Two generations ago… that’s ancient history.”
He only appeared briefly in the original story, so I didn’t know many details about him. But two generations ago? Just how old would that make him? At the very least, he had to be nearing a hundred years old.
Thinking that way, he really did seem like an immortal. In this era, even for a martial artist, reaching the age of a hundred was no easy feat.
Martial artists, whether they liked it or not, were beings who accumulated both favors and grudges. To retire from that world with your body intact and enjoy a peaceful old age—that was the very definition of a successful life.
“For Taeheo Jinin to appear in the dream of a great hero like you… perhaps he intends to bestow some teaching upon you…”
Scholar Yun looked at me with eyes full of envy. A supreme swordsman from two generations past would have been one of the greatest masters in the entire murim. In the original story, he had reached an unfathomably high realm, so it was only natural for a Wudang Taoist to feel such admiration.
“…My lord. We’re ready.”
“Me too.”
While I had been talking with Scholar Yun, the two who had finished preparing approached me. Both were dressed a little lighter than usual. It made sense, since we were about to climb a mountain.
We stood at the trailhead leading to Tianzhu Peak and gave Scholar Yun a polite fist salute.
“Then we’ll see you later.”
“I hope you gain something worthwhile. If possible, please convey that our sect leader would also like to meet him once.”
“I will pass the message along.”
Tianzhu Peak, huh.
How long would it take?
We set off on our journey to meet the reclusive master.
“…Someone actually lives up here?”
“Because he’s a reclusive master, of course!” Hyeryeong looked up at me with an expression that said, ‘Why are you even asking that?’ Was this common knowledge?
“There is no place more filled with the pure energy of nature than one untouched by human feet. It’s not strange at all. Especially since Taoists tend to favor such environments, don’t they?”
Taoists really did go crazy for places like this.
But did we really have to climb all the way up there right now?
I tilted my head back as far as it would go, trying to see the summit of Tianzhu Peak. The mist made it impossible to see anything. I couldn’t even get a sense of how tall it was. At this rate, we might have to climb all day.
“My lord. There seems to be a path this way.”
“…Looks more like an animal trail.”
“Mister, what’s an animal trail?”
“Exactly what it sounds like—a path made by animals. Which means the chances of running into whatever made that trail go way up.”
Just look at the size of those footprints.
What on earth lived on this mountain to leave prints that huge? Was there a tiger or something?
“Whatever comes out, we’re not the kind of people who’ll be easily taken down. Let’s take the animal trail.”
I took the lead and stepped onto the trail. The path, made only of dirt and rock, was in surprisingly decent condition, so climbing it didn’t seem like it would take too much effort.
We climbed like that for several hours.
I gazed at the sunset peeking through the misty sky and took a deep breath.
“Living in a place like this, you’d definitely enjoy the view of the sky every day.”
“Hehe, looking at the sky from this high up makes me feel like I’ve become an immortal!”
“Seeing scenery like this every day, it’s no wonder one would lose interest in the mundane world.”
Each of us shared our thoughts as we sat on nearby rocks to rest. No matter how skilled a martial artist you were, climbing a steep peak for nearly two hours straight was no easy task.
Still, about a third of the way remained, so this ordeal wouldn’t last much longer.
“Let’s get moving again. An immortal is up there staring daggers at us, wondering why we’re taking so long.”
“…You’re right.”
“What about me?”
“…Well.”
Taeheo Jinin had shown interest in me and Mok-gyeong, so there was nothing I could do about that. Hyeryeong was certainly a talented individual in her own right, but compared to Mok-gyeong, she naturally paled a little.
As for me… well, even if it sounded arrogant coming from my own mouth, reaching the level of direct disciple in just over two years had to qualify as protagonist-level talent.
Of course, I had been forced into an environment where my realm had no choice but to rise for over a year, so my growth speed relative to my experience was bound to be fast. And when I first possessed this body, it wasn’t completely untrained either.
“Now it’s a steep cliff…”
“Mister, what if you fall?”
“I’ll just hope for a fortuitous encounter and look forward to the next life.”
“Falling from a place like this… there wouldn’t even be bones left to collect.”
We chatted as we resumed our ascent. Now it was time for the cliffs.
If I had possessed outstanding light footwork, I could have scaled it quickly. Unfortunately, I had almost no connection to such techniques. Even if I had learned light footwork, ordinary martial arts wouldn’t have allowed me to lightly step up cliffs like these anyway.
“Mok-gyeong. Hyeryeong. You two go up first.”
“No. We should climb together.”
“I’m going with you, mister!”
“…Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
Climbing a cliff with that body didn’t look easy. I tried to dissuade her once more, but Hyeryeong stubbornly insisted on climbing with me.
“…I will climb with you as well. Isn’t this exactly the kind of moment where training with one’s raw human strength becomes meaningful?”
“…Do as you wish.”
I gave up.
Sighing, I reached for a protruding rock.
I had no idea how far the cliff went. Looking up at the summit hidden in the mist, I began my ascent.
“…Hehe. Did you leave your legs behind and climb with only your hands?”
“I’ve never learned any light footwork.”
“You haven’t learned light footwork… Indeed. For a person to live, light footwork isn’t strictly necessary. Living normally—walking and running—isn’t a bad way to exist.”
Saying that to someone who just climbed a cliff feels a bit rich, doesn’t it?
I brushed the dirt off my clothes, which had been scraped against the rock face, and glanced at Hyeryeong, who was sprawled out behind me.
…Then I immediately turned my gaze to Mok-gyeong, who didn’t look tired at all.
Did we really climb the same cliff? Why is he so clean?
Perhaps because I was staring too intently, Mok-gyeong looked embarrassed and averted his eyes.
“…I trained on cliffs like this when I was young.”
…Well, if you say so.
I turned my attention back to Taeheo Jinin. He looked almost exactly as he had in the dream. Stroking his long beard, he extended a hand toward me.
“Did you bring the liquor?”
“…Here it is.”
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a drink.”
“…Someone of your level could just go down the mountain and buy some, couldn’t you?”
“You foolish boy. Would a natural hermit like me have any money?”
“If you just went to the Wudang Sect…”
“If I went down there, there would be no end to the nuisances bothering me.”
That was true. As one of the great elders of Wudang, showing up at the sect would cause an absolute uproar.
“…Someone like Taeheo Jinin would indeed face that, I suppose.”
“Ah, this is what liquor tastes like. Very good. Very good indeed…”
The image of a reclusive master completely shattered as I watched this dignified-looking old man guzzle straight from the bottle.
…Though to be fair, in wuxia stories, it was rare for a reclusive master to not be an eccentric.
Time to get to the main topic.
“Taeheo Jinin. May I ask why you summoned us here?”
“I did not summon you. The heavens called you to this place. I merely appeared in your dream to deliver that message.”
The heavens called us?
At his answer, I looked up at the sky. At some point, the night sky had filled with countless stars.
Heaven, heaven… Was I supposed to take it literally? Or was there some hidden meaning?
“Do not overcomplicate it. This, too, is simply the natural order of things.”
“…I understand that thinking too deeply about it would be meaningless.”
“Indeed. How could mere mortals like us possibly understand the will of heaven?”
“…Then, do you have no business with us?”
“That child will find her own path with just a small push of fortune. But you… hmm.”
He stared intently at my face for a long time.
His expression looked as though he were carefully choosing his words.
I waited silently as his eyes revealed his inner conflict. Finally, he smiled with his eyes and spoke.