Tremors (4)
I hope the power I place upon my axe never becomes stained with the blood of the good.
This time, Lee Beon understood Tam-gyeong’s words immediately.
And he wasn’t the only one. Both Yeon Hojeong and Beom-oh instantly grasped the meaning behind Tam-gyeong’s statement.
“Brother.”
Lee Beon looked at Tam-gyeong with trembling eyes.
Yet Tam-gyeong did not turn his gaze toward him. His clear, bright eyes remained fixed solely on Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Hojeong opened his mouth.
“How could an old man’s power possibly reside in my axe?”
“I believe you already understand.”
“I refuse.”
Tam-gyeong did not ask why he refused, nor did he question why he would kick away such good fortune.
“If you must refuse, then simply think of it as the final request of an old man who does not have many days left to live.”
Yeon Hojeong furrowed his brow.
“Just what are you trying to do?”
“I did not ask you for a reason. Nor did I offer you a choice of whether to accept or not.”
“……”
“I am merely making a request.”
A request.
Tam-gyeong’s request carried no hidden meaning. He simply wanted Yeon Hojeong to take his inner energy and his enlightenment.
It was truly astonishing. For a martial artist, inner energy was the foundation of all internal arts and the very source that allowed a frail human body to manifest the abilities of an immortal.
Moreover, the inner energy Tam-gyeong had cultivated and refined was true qi forged through the heart method of Shaolin, the greatest Buddhist sect and the strongest faction in the Central Plains. It was overwhelming inner power of such high purity that it had already broken through the Limitless realm.
Inner energy was not something easily passed on even to disciples of the same school. And yet here Tam-gyeong was, offering that very power to a complete outsider—a young man.
“There is no reason for me to accept your request. Besides, I have no need for your inner energy, old man.”
Yeon Hojeong’s words were correct.
After his battle with Yayul Jeok, he had taken another step forward. The realm of the Martial God—Mugeuk—was now right before his eyes.
To Yeon Hojeong at this stage, more inner energy was unnecessary. To be precise, even if he received it, he would not be able to absorb it efficiently.
Wasn’t that why he had given most of the spiritual medicine he received from Yang Cheon to Kang Liang? Even if he melted it down and converted it into his own power, it would still take time to grow accustomed to the sudden surge and the foreign true qi.
With a major operation looming, such a thing would be poison rather than medicine. If he tried to carefully store away that much energy while looking too far ahead, he might very well end up bleeding for it.
Too much is as bad as too little. Yeon Hojeong understood this principle well. Whether it was another’s inner energy or an elixir, if the benefits outweighed the drawbacks he would have taken it without hesitation. But for his current self, it offered neither clear gain nor clear loss.
If anything, it leaned closer to loss. Accepting the true qi of a retired Shaolin elder would only leave an unnecessary burden on his mind and force him to endure the resentful eyes of Shaolin.
Tam-gyeong shook his head.
“At your level, you would have no need for another’s inner energy or the power of an elixir. Unless, of course, you suffered internal injuries or a temporary loss of inner power. Surely you didn’t think I wouldn’t know that?”
“Then why are you being so stubborn? I dislike anything that leaves a bad aftertaste. If you must give it away, pass it to Monk Beom-oh instead.”
“That won’t do. My inner energy has been thoroughly tempered through pure martial pursuit. Beom-oh has attained the Ban-ya-dae-neung-ryeok through supreme enlightenment. If my energy were to mix with his, it could disturb the harmony of his prajna power.”
It wasn’t an incorrect statement. Even if they were of the same type, the density of Beom-oh’s inner energy could not compare to Tam-gyeong’s. In the worst case, Tam-gyeong’s true qi could shake and destabilize Beom-oh’s Ban-ya-dae-neung-ryeok.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“No matter what you say, I will not accept it. If one can grow stronger by receiving another’s power, then reaching that realm would be possible at any time. The power I build with my own hands is the only true…”
“You already know, don’t you? With your level of enlightenment and insight, you could perfectly assimilate another’s power and make it your own as if you had built it yourself.”
“It would be nothing but pointless hardship.”
“Correct. It would be pointless hardship—if I did not refine my true qi before passing it on.”
“……?!”
Yeon Hojeong’s face hardened.
Tam-gyeong glanced at Lee Beon and continued.
“This brother of mine has not properly trained in any martial arts since arriving at Foshan. He has simply spent his time constantly circulating his energy to refine his internal qi.”
“……”
“As a result, his inner energy has reached an extreme purity with not a single impurity mixed in. In a sense, that purity could even be said to surpass that of a master who has broken through the Limitless realm.”
Lee Beon’s volume of inner energy was greater than Yeon Hojeong’s.
However, his actual skill fell short of even an average peak-level expert. For over thirty years he had only cultivated his inner power. He had never once engaged in real combat, let alone practiced forms or techniques.
Yet precisely because of that, Lee Beon had obtained pure white inner energy without a single blemish. That very power was what allowed him to defy the years despite an age at which he could pass away at any moment.
“I too know the method to transform my inner energy into pure white true qi. Although more than half of it will be lost in the process, the condensed true qi should possess a purity comparable to my brother’s.”
“……”
“At that level of density, it should be easy for you to absorb. It will become a power more valuable than any spiritual medicine.”
“……”
“Just why are you doing this?”
“You really want to know the reason that badly?”
“As I said, I cannot stand anything that leaves a bad aftertaste. Inner energy is as precious as life itself to a martial artist. How could you possibly give something so precious to an outsider like me…”
“Precisely because you are an outsider.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you are an outsider—rough and rude in manner—yet your core is filled with nothing but chivalry and justice.”
Tam-gyeong looked at Beom-oh.
“Beom-oh will continue to grow well even without me burdening him. There is no need for him to inherit my share, and in truth, he has already attained prajna.”
Beom-oh silently lowered his head.
Tam-gyeong smiled and nodded.
“But you are different. You need help.”
“I…”
“Aren’t you the current core of the Orthodox Martial World?”
“……?!”
“What? Are you surprised that an old man who cut ties with the world knows even that much?”
“That’s not it. The core of the Orthodox Martial World… that is far too excessive…”
“Even if that weren’t the case, given your personality, you will undoubtedly face countless battles from now on. And every person eventually tastes the bitterness of defeat. Unfortunately, the moment of defeat often leads directly to death.”
Tam-gyeong burst into hearty laughter.
“I am afraid. Even though I’ve grown this old, I’m still scared of death. That’s why I don’t want to return to the world.”
Lee Beon’s eyes deepened.
He doesn’t want to return to the world? That wasn’t true. Deep in Tam-gyeong’s heart still burned the passion to rush back into the world and trample across the heavens as he pleased.
Yet Tam-gyeong had simply acknowledged it.
That it was nothing more than a dream from the past, a mere memory. That even if he returned to the world, he could no longer burn with the same passion as before.
He knew that raising his fists merely to feel a sense of fulfillment or personal satisfaction would only taint his own heart.
“Even so, this damned power of mine keeps igniting a fire in my chest. I have already chosen my life, yet the name of memory keeps stirring up anguish and forcing sighs out of me.”
“……”
“I dislike that. This inner energy and Shaolin’s martial arts are no longer needed by me. Although I once served as the leader of the Arhat Hall—symbol of Shaolin’s martial might—I am now nothing more than a foolish monk who has devoted the rest of his life to saving sentient beings.”
Tam-gyeong’s eyes were clearer than they had ever been. It was the wisdom eye that only one who had completely understood himself—another enlightened being—could possess.
“I do not know whether this act can truly save sentient beings. It may very well end in the same fate as the countless sages who spent three hundred years trying to unravel the secret of reincarnation only to pass on without success.”
“……”
“Nevertheless, I hold no dissatisfaction toward my choices, my past, or the future that awaits me.”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been staring at Tam-gyeong for a long time, let out a soft sigh.
“If you truly wish to discard that power, give it to someone other than me.”
“I refuse. I want to give it to you.”
“There are far more righteous and chivalrous people in this world than someone like me.”
“Of course. Don’t be arrogant. I am not giving it to you because you are the greatest under heaven.”
“……”
“I simply hope that with this power, you will be able to save even more sentient beings.”
Tam-gyeong shrugged.
“Besides, our Buddhist sect owes a debt to your school. If the Black and White Martial Emperor had not left behind that riddle here, we would never have spent our lives in this place.”
Yeon Hojeong unconsciously let out a small chuckle.
“Isn’t that less of a debt and more of a love-hate relationship?”
“Whatever it is.”
Any further conversation would only repeat the same points.
Someone had to make a decision. And that person could only be Yeon Hojeong.
After silently staring into Tam-gyeong’s eyes for a moment, Yeon Hojeong sighed once more and spoke.
“You are giving this of your own will. I refuse any interference in my life simply because you gave me this power.”
“I am a busy man. I am not the kind of fool who would throw an old blade I no longer need to a promising junior and then treat him as my own.”
“Those words are truly welcome.”
“However, as I said before, when the moment of chaos arrives and you must make a choice, remember only this. Move in a direction where the blood of the good and righteous does not flow. And if the situation is unavoidable, choose the path that spills even a little less innocent blood.”
“I am already constantly contemplating such things even without your request, old man.”
“Hahaha, exactly. That is why I wish to give this power to you. Even if the power has become useless, it is better to give it to someone who can use it well.”
Tam-gyeong sat down on the spot and assumed a lotus position.
“Refining the true qi will take some time. While you wait, regulate your internal condition as well. Even though more than half the power will be lost, its purity is so high that it won’t be easy to accept.”
“Damn it. I’m not even hungry, yet you’re setting out a full feast.”
Yeon Hojeong sat down opposite Tam-gyeong and also assumed a lotus position.
And so, Yeon Hojeong unexpectedly gained a power he had never anticipated.
Of course, that power would not provide any tremendous help to his martial arts. However, at the very least, it would become a clear benefit to his life.
Come to think of it, there were many people who wished to help Yeon Hojeong.
His family went without saying. Gong Gong Dae-sa and Seunghyeon Jinin had also bestowed him with great enlightenment.
And now even Tam-gyeong—former supreme elder of Shaolin and the strongest leader of the Arhat Hall in the sect’s history—was trying to pass his power on to him.
Perhaps this was Yeon Hojeong’s greatest strength. The power to make those who had attained enlightenment unable to simply pass him by. The strange presence that forced even those who discussed the affairs of the world to pay attention.
To the Black Dark Emperor who had once been filled with nothing but darkness, people were now sending invitations from a dazzling white world.
The history of one young man—who walked the line between black and white, between light and darkness, in order to correct the chaos of the world—was about to face a great upheaval.