Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: If There Is Something That Changes, There Is Also Something That Does Not Change (1)
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Damho rose early at dawn, and the first thing he did was prepare breakfast for Master Hyeonso. He washed the rice and gently dressed a few side dishes of vegetables.
It was something he had been doing for quite some time now, so Damho's movements were exceedingly practiced.
Master Hyeonso did not eat much, nor was he picky. He strictly adhered to the duties of a Taoist, avoiding strongly scented foods or anything contrary to the teachings. Thanks to this, there was not much for Damho to prepare.
Damho swiftly set a tray and entered Master Hyeonso's room. The master was already awake, reading the Taoist scriptures.
"Master, please have your meal."
"Has the time come already?"
Master Hyeonso closed the scriptures with a smile.
Damho placed the tray before Master Hyeonso. Steamed rice with a few simple vegetable sides—nothing extravagant.
"It looks delicious. You've worked hard since morning."
"Not at all. Please eat."
"Very well!"
Only after Master Hyeonso picked up his chopsticks did Damho begin his own meal.
The master spoke little, and the disciple remained silent.
The only sounds filling the room were those of the two men eating.
Master Hyeonso opened his mouth only after they had finished. He wiped his lips and spoke.
"Ho-ya."
"Yes!"
"It was a fine meal. Thanks to you, your master lives well."
"Not at all, Master. It's only what a disciple should do. Without you, I wouldn't be here today."
Five years ago, if Master Hyeonso had not saved him, Damho would not exist now. Moreover, when many in the Mount Hua Sect shunned or subtly mocked Damho, only Master Hyeonso treated him with genuine sincerity.
To Damho, Master Hyeonso was more than a master—he was like a parent. Thus, Damho could not help but treat him with utmost respect.
"Ho-ya."
"Yes?"
"Do you want to learn martial arts that badly?"
"Yes!"
Damho answered without the slightest hesitation. Seeing this, Master Hyeonso let out a quiet sigh.
"It is this master's inadequacy that makes you suffer so."
"No, Master."
"I am sorry."
"Please do not say such things, Master."
"You know that I am a Doctrine Scholar, yes?"
"Yes!"
"Then do you know what a Doctrine Scholar does?"
"Well, studies the Taoist scriptures..."
"That's what everyone thinks."
"Then... it is not?"
"Do you know who my master was?"
"Was it not Elder Heavenly Vault?"
"Correct. Heavenly Vault, called the greatest master of Mount Hua, was my teacher."
Heavenly Vault—that legendary figure from Mount Hua's previous generation. It was because of Heavenly Vault that Mount Hua enjoyed its greatest prosperity.
He was such a martial fanatic that he passed the sect leader position to his junior brother, One Vault, to devote himself fully to martial arts.
"When I first became Heavenly Vault's disciple, everyone had great expectations. They all thought I was some prodigy. Of course they did—who wouldn't expect the disciple of the renowned Heavenly Vault to be a genius? But then the impossible happened."
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Master Hyeonso's face—bitter yet enlightened.
"Unlike my genius master, I had no great talent for martial arts. I could understand it in my head to some extent, but my body simply wouldn't follow. Inheriting his arts was impossible from the start."
Damho held his breath.
In the five years they had spent together, this was the first time he had heard this story.
"My master was like the sun in the sky, while his disciple was a wretch with worthless talent. Naturally, there was much talk within Mount Hua. I too wondered why he had chosen me. So I asked him: why take me as your disciple? Do you know what he said?"
"..."
"'What Mount Hua needs now is not one strong in martial arts, but one strong in heart. Someone to preserve Mount Hua's spirit and pass its banner to future generations. Hyeonso, you must take that role.' With those words, he urged me toward the path of Doctrine Scholar. Do you understand his words?"
Damho shook his head.
Mount Hua followed the Taoist path, but it was undeniably a martial sect. One of the Nine Great Sects in its time, and now striving to reclaim its former glory.
If Mount Hua were merely a simple Taoist order, how could it have been counted among the Nine Great Sects of the world? For Mount Hua's greatest master, Heavenly Vault, to urge his own disciple toward Doctrine Scholar—how could that be?
A Doctrine Scholar truly walks the path of the Tao through the scriptures, pursuing truth. In today's Mount Hua, more a martial sect than a Taoist order, it was a position that ill fit.
Even before, but especially now, Doctrine Scholars were seen as nearly useless in Mount Hua. It was only because Master Hyeonso was Heavenly Vault's disciple that he received this much respect; otherwise, he might not even have proper quarters.
"At first, I resented him deeply. The disciple of Mount Hua's greatest, Heavenly Vault, reduced to a Doctrine Scholar."
Great expectations breed great disappointment.
Mount Hua's warriors were disappointed in Heavenly Vault's decision and cast pitying glances at Master Hyeonso. Thus, he walked the path of Doctrine Scholar, leading to this day.
"I spent countless sleepless nights. Even reading scriptures, I could not quell my anger. But after some time passed, the flames of rage in my heart began to subside bit by bit. And I realized: one does not reach the Tao only through the sword. There are many paths to enlightenment. Only then did I vaguely understand why my master led me to this path."
Damho gazed silently at Master Hyeonso. He had just learned today of this hidden story from the master he so revered.
"Most think a Doctrine Scholar merely studies scriptures, but that is wrong. For Mount Hua's Doctrine Scholar, the duty is to pass down Mount Hua's martial arts intact to posterity."
"What do you mean?"
A puzzled look crossed Damho's face. These were words he had never heard before.
"A Doctrine Scholar studies scriptures but also records, systematizes, and transmits Mount Hua's martial arts perfectly. In the worst case, should the Spirit Treasure Pavilion housing them burn or a rare ultimate art be lost, he must memorize everything. That is the true duty of a Doctrine Scholar."
Damho's eyes changed.
He had just learned today what the position truly entailed.
"I did not know the true duty of a Doctrine Scholar was such."
"Even the current sect leader does not know. The previous sect leader passed before telling him."
"Why not tell the sect leader? If he knew, you would receive proper respect."
"Is there need? Find worthy successors and pass on the knowledge—that suffices. Knowledge is transmitted quietly, thus."
"Master."
Master Hyeonso smiled kindly.
"More importantly, Ho-ya."
"Yes!"
"There is no need to cling to one path. Being a Doctrine Scholar is not so bad."
Damho bit his lip at Master Hyeonso's words. His instinct rejected the Doctrine Scholar's path. But Master Hyeonso smiled as if he had expected it.
"Yes, with your temperament, you would not sit studying scriptures and organizing martial manuals in your head."
"I am sorry."
"No. Your resolve is so firm that I shall change my mind."
"Master."
"I know Mount Hua's arts do not suit you. Mount Hua's martial arts are so full of variations that even those with perfect legs struggle to master them easily. Let alone you, with your legs so impaired. In that state, you can never reach great attainment. You know this?"
"But I will never give up."
"You are not one to give up. If you were, you would have died five years ago. Ho-ya!"
"Yes!"
Suddenly, Master Hyeonso reached out and stroked Damho's head. It was unexpected, but Damho did not pull away.
The master's hand was exceedingly warm.
"I believe in you."
"..."
For a moment, Damho's shoulders trembled.
Something hot welled up from his chest. Bewildered by the emotion he could not comprehend, Damho faltered.
Master Hyeonso withdrew his hand and rose. Damho stared blankly at him.
Master Hyeonso took an old book from the wall cabinet behind.
"Take it."
"What is this?"
"I found it by chance long ago while organizing scriptures in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion."
Damho received the book.
The cover was so worn it was like rags, fragile as if it might crumble with the slightest pressure.
"It is called Heavy Heaven Heart Decree."
"Heavy Heaven Heart Decree?"
A doubtful look appeared on Damho's face. He had never heard the name before.
"You would not have. Even I was surprised when I first found it. I searched the records, and it turns out it is a heart method created in Mount Hua's early days, when it first settled on the mountain."
"But why the name Heavy Heaven Heart Decree?"
Damho asked with a confused expression.
Martial art names usually reflect their characteristics.
The name Heavy Heaven Heart Decree evoked heaviness. It felt alien compared to Mount Hua's flashy, variable arts.
"The world hears that Mount Hua's sword is sharp and ever-changing, but was it always so? Mount Hua's early arts must have been solemn and majestic—like those crags on the mountain. But over centuries of change, it evolved into its current form."
Master Hyeonso had not personally trained in martial arts. But as Doctrine Scholar, organizing and memorizing countless manuals had given him considerable insight.
"There are things in the world that never change, but also things that do with the flow of time. Mount Hua's arts could be said to be the latter. Refined, altered, advanced out of necessity... thus becoming today's Mount Hua arts. Everyone desires the new. But does that make the old necessarily useless? I do not think so."
In this moment, Master Hyeonso thought of his master, Heavenly Vault.
Heavenly Vault was a genius.
He advanced Mount Hua's arts, and its disciples sought to emulate him. Today's Mount Hua could be said to be trapped in the shadow of that exceptional figure.
Heavenly Vault wished his disciples to seek something beyond himself. Thus, he may have set his sole disciple, Master Hyeonso, on the Doctrine Scholar's path.
"Ho-ya, this Heavy Heaven Heart Decree contains Mount Hua's ancient teachings intact. I know not what you will find within, but you will surely obtain what you seek."
"Master."
"If you cannot find what you desire in today's Mount Hua, seek it in the ancient Mount Hua."
"Yes..."
Damho clutched the Heavy Heaven Heart Decree to his chest.
Whether he would truly find what he sought within was unknown to all. But with Master Hyeonso's warm gesture alone, Damho felt he had gained the world.
Seeing Damho thus, Master Hyeonso smiled.
'Yes, this will do.'
***
Damho entered his room and carefully opened the old book.
Turning the outer leaf revealed faint writing on the inside: Heavy Heaven Heart Decree. Damho traced the characters with his fingertips for a moment.
'Heavy Heaven Heart Decree.'
Damho carefully turned to the next page.
Mount Hua is high and straight.
Its form is like the sword itself, yet beware, O people.
Mount Hua takes the shape of a sword, but it is itself a rocky mountain.
Bearing the weight of eons, thus it maintains its straightness.
Heaviness comes first, lightness second.
The mind must always be heavy, unshaken easily.
Heaven seems empty, yet is full, its heaviness encompassing the great earth.
The human heart is like heaven; if it can bear that heaviness, no wind shall shake it.
Damho engraved each phrase into his heart as he turned the pages.
Heart Like Heaven Above—hold heaven's image in the heart,
Heavy Heaven in the Heart—hold heaven's heaviness at the heart's center.
When Heart Moves, Command Heaven—when the heart moves, one can govern heaven.
Heavy Heart Moves Heaven—a heavy heart moves heaven.
The forgotten martial art of ancient Mount Hua was revealing its true form before him.