A Storm Rages (1)
“How does the tea taste?”
“Excellent, sir.”
At Yeon Hojeong’s reply, Seunghyeon Jinin smiled.
“I paid special attention since I heard you were coming. The leaves were grown at the foot of Wudang Mountain.”
“Is that so?”
“The previous head cultivator grew them as a pastime. This is from that very harvest. It calms the mind and eases fatigue. It is, in its own way, a medicinal herb, yet the aroma and flavor are fine enough that we only bring out the well-dried batches for honored guests.”
“I am honored.”
“Honored, nonsense. Dividing guests into ranks is itself absurd. While hierarchy exists among people, there is no distinction of noble or base.”
“……”
“Still, I simply wished for you to taste this tea. That is all.”
His father had once said something similar. Yeon Hojeong found the sentiment very much like Seunghyeon Jinin.
“By the way, you have grown tremendously.”
Seunghyeon Jinin regarded Yeon Hojeong with fresh eyes.
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“As I always say, I still have far to go.”
“Yes, you would feel that way. If you sense any lack in yourself, for whatever reason, all that remains is to keep advancing.”
Seunghyeon Jinin’s reaction was, as expected, different from others.
Most people, upon hearing Yeon Hojeong claim he still had far to go, would click their tongues and insist that even this much was already extraordinary. That response would have been reasonable by the standards of the martial world.
Yet Seunghyeon Jinin said it was acceptable to feel lacking. He said what mattered was one’s own perception.
It was not particularly profound, but listening to him, Yeon Hojeong felt his heart lighten, if only a little.
‘How comfortable.’
He recalled their first meeting.
Back then, Seunghyeon Jinin had come to him in great excitement, without prior notice. The reason had been Ok Cheong’s martial arts.
Seunghyeon Jinin had been agitated, but Yeon Hojeong had remained calm. If anything, he had felt goodwill toward the Daoist’s straightforward acknowledgment and remarkable insight.
Indeed, Seunghyeon Jinin possessed that kind of power.
One might call him a born Daoist. The sight of a moral cultivator who had not yet cast off his humanity was a fresh shock even to Yeon Hojeong.
‘Will Ok Cheong become like Seunghyeon Jinin when he grows older?’
It might happen, or it might not.
Still, the fact that Ok Cheong could wield the Killing Sword yet retain his gentle nature was surely thanks to the teachings and environment of such Daoists.
‘Let things flow as they will…… only guiding them when they stray. So this is the atmosphere of Wudang.’
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
It was a smile tinged with both bitterness and envy.
‘A sect wind without discrimination.’
Since his regression, Yeon Hojeong had always felt an alienation he could never voice to anyone. That feeling extended even to his father, his younger brother, and Muk Bi.
‘I am a stranger here.’
He had family and comrades. Yet there was something those precious bonds alone could not fill.
Now that he had returned to the people he knew, could he simply live his own life again?
No.
For Yeon Hojeong, who had already lived several decades, being told to forget his past life and embrace this world was an unbearably rude command.
Of course, no one would issue such a command, and Yeon Hojeong himself had never done so.
He merely recognized that he was different.
The more he fought, the more enemies marveled at his martial arts, and the more people were shocked by his growth, the further Yeon Hojeong drifted from reality.
Growing accustomed to life after regression and feeling this sense of alienation were entirely different matters.
Yeon Hojeong was clearly a stranger who had come from another world.
“Though it ill suits a Daoist like me to say this……”
Seunghyeon Jinin spoke with a warm smile.
“You seem burdened by many worries.”
“Do I appear so?”
“Haha, I know how busy you have been. People say one must live busily, yet when it is time to rest, one must truly rest.”
“I rest whenever necessary.”
“What use is resting only the body when the mind cannot rest?”
“……”
“Look at the character for rest, 休. It depicts a person leaning against a tree. That is what rest is. Leaning against a tree in a place where no one else is, resting without a single thought. That is true rest.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
“There are so many trees that I cannot decide which one to lean against.”
“It is not because there are many trees, but because there are many people.”
Yeon Hojeong could not continue. He felt as though he had been struck at the core.
Seunghyeon Jinin, who had been watching him quietly, burst into hearty laughter.
“I speak of the upcoming operation to the Black Dragon Department.”
“Yes.”
“I do not yet know the details, but it will surely be difficult.”
“What operation is ever easy? Still, I will have more peace of mind than when I was sent as a spy before. At least I will not be constantly fearing discovery.”
“Instead, you will continue to face checks from the Black Dragon Department’s elites?”
Seunghyeon Jinin was clearly no ordinary Daoist. Wudang Mountain was one of the foremost sacred sites of Daoism, yet to become its head, one had to be well-versed in worldly affairs to some degree.
“That much is not difficult.”
“Haha, just like you.”
Seunghyeon Jinin rose from his seat while smiling at Yeon Hojeong.
“Shall we head to the training ground?”
“Pardon?”
“I would like to see your martial arts.”
Yeon Hojeong gave a wry smile.
“I heard you would be inspecting my ideology and martial arts, but I did not expect you to suggest it first.”
“Surely you do not think I doubt your martial arts and wish to test you?”
Seunghyeon Jinin clasped his hands behind his back and walked ahead.
“Come along.”
A short while later, the two stood at the center of the training ground.
Seunghyeon Jinin spoke calmly.
“I am one who has no complaints about how you handle matters.”
“Hearing you say that makes me feel only ashamed. Besides, I am not the one initiating these actions. I am merely following the military advisor’s orders, am I not?”
“Formally, yes. Yet I know your opinions and thoughts are being actively reflected.”
“The military advisor has a broad mind.”
“He is no fool either. Even if it is the opinion of someone close to him, Jegal Mun-ho is the kind of man who will ignore it if it does not sit well with him. He is truly a military advisor worthy of the title.”
‘As sharp as ever.’
Seunghyeon Jinin took a step back and raised his right hand to chest level.
“I may not know everything you have done so far, but I know some of it. If we were to list the matters you have handled, you would already be worthy of being called a hero.”
“……”
“I have no right to evaluate such a person. However, I can offer help.”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been watching Seunghyeon Jinin quietly, smiled and assumed a ready stance.
It was the Wudang Taiji Fist, a unique boxing form he had transformed into his own after absorbing Seunghyeon Jinin’s insights.
“Come.”
“Here I come.”
Whoosh!
Yeon Hojeong moved with explosive force.
There was none of the soft, flowing movement typical of Taiji Fist. The Taiji Fist he had refined had become something completely different from Seunghyeon Jinin’s, filled entirely with his own color.
Pa-pa-pa-pak!
Yet the hands he swung still traced beautiful curves. Rather than appearing relaxed and gentle, however, they felt chilling and sharp.
Seunghyeon Jinin’s two hands moved in a dizzying pattern.
Pa-ra-ra-ra-rak!
The sleeves of both men clashed repeatedly.
It was not a sparring match where fists struck fists or vital points were targeted.
Yeon Hojeong tried to break Seunghyeon Jinin’s posture and form, while Seunghyeon Jinin deflected Yeon Hojeong’s techniques with soft movements, sending them astray.
It was a clash that revealed both men’s personalities. Yeon Hojeong’s attacks grew faster and sharper, while Seunghyeon Jinin’s defense grew softer and more abundant.
Thud! Thud!
The air resonated heavily.
Their fist exchange was fierce yet beautiful to watch. Yin and yang, emptiness and substance met to form the Taiji. There, instead of a single Taiji completed by one person’s hands, was a combined martial display completed by two people with different temperaments.
How much time had passed?
Whoosh.
Both men retreated as if by prior agreement.
Seunghyeon Jinin smiled and shook his sleeves.
“That was truly a sharp boxing technique.”
“Your own technique was terrifying as well.”
“I never expected the Taiji Fist I taught you to transform in such a way. It is as violent as a whirlpool. If someone ignorant were to be drawn into it, not a single bone in their body would remain intact.”
Yeon Hojeong shook his head.
“It has become much softer compared to before. Previously, it was so ferocious and fast that it was embarrassing to even call it Taiji Fist.”
“It means your mind has become more relaxed and solid than before.”
Seunghyeon Jinin shrugged.
“I thought there might be more I could give you, but there is nothing particularly suitable. It is somewhat precarious, yet…… you should be able to navigate it well enough.”
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, I have gained new insight.”
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
Seunghyeon Jinin’s straightforward and unpretentious character was not something one saw often. It was the reason Yeon Hojeong respected him as a Daoist.
“Then I will take that as permission.”
“Who would oppose your dispatch? I only hope you return safely.”
“Thank you.”
Just then—
“Head of the sect!”
Bang! The door burst open and a Wudang Daoist rushed in.
Seunghyeon Jinin tilted his head.
“What is it?”
“A-a great incident has occurred!”
“A great incident?”
The Daoist tried to continue, then spotted Yeon Hojeong and flinched in surprise.
Yeon Hojeong pretended not to notice the Daoist.
The Daoist turned back to Seunghyeon Jinin and sent a sound transmission.
Shock spread across Seunghyeon Jinin’s face.
“W-what? Deung Cheon-gyo?!”
“……That is correct.”
Seunghyeon Jinin stared blankly at the Daoist before turning to Yeon Hojeong.
Yeon Hojeong was already walking toward the door.
“Wait, Yeon Dae-su.”
“Regarding the head……”
Yeon Hojeong stopped and smiled.
“Please simply pretend you do not know.”
“……!!”
“A great upheaval will occur in the Martial Alliance. I have prepared myself sufficiently. So for now, please just watch.”
Seunghyeon Jinin could not speak. He had not only heard that Deung Cheon-gyo had been dragged to the punishment hall, but had also been told the full circumstances before and after.
Yeon Hojeong turned away again.
“I am sorry to the head.”
After leaving the Wudang Sect’s quarters, Yeon Hojeong turned a corner of a building.
Swish.
Dang Gwan approached his side before he knew it.
“Brat.”
“You have arrived.”
“How was it?”
Yeon Hojeong shrugged.
“As expected, he is formidable. His martial arts are on par with the best among the heads of the Nine Great Sects. Though the nature of his arts differs, he would likely be evenly matched with Abbot Gong Gong Dae-sa as well. Even for me now, it would not be easy.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Dang Gwan spoke seriously.
“Did you sense anything strange from that man?”
“I did not. Not in our conversation, nor in his martial arts. If anything, I believe he has cultivated martial arts more befitting of Wudang than anyone else.”
Dang Gwan watched Yeon Hojeong in silence.
Yeon Hojeong looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, he recalled Seunghyeon Jinin’s face as he had imparted the enlightenment of Wudang’s Wondrous Dance God, warning Yeon Hojeong—who had lived a life steeped in the stench of blood—not to fall into the demonic path.
The face of the Wudang Sect’s head, gentle and wise, yet brimming with resolve.
“……That is precisely why we must pay even greater attention.”
When Yeon Hojeong lowered his head again, his eyes were as cold and sharp as when he entered battle.
“I ask that you keep Seunghyeon Jinin under surveillance.”
Two people had been singled out as suspicious by those who analyzed the information.
One of them was Seunghyeon Jinin.