What Good Would Resentment Do?
Of Cheonun's Seven Peaks, Nagun Peak was the only one that stood truly apart—a remote, solitary summit far removed from the rest. Unconnected by the Iron Cloud Bridges, the sole means of reaching it was the Cheonun Sect's specialized flying platform, the Cloud Ascending Device, a journey of some ten minutes through open sky.
Han Un was riding that very device now, Yeop Pung at his side. He watched the billowing clouds drift past and fought to keep the emotions boiling in his chest from reaching his face.
How did the Cheonun Sect fall this far...?
To think the sect would cower and submit before a single minor clan from Bongsang County Seat. To think it would sacrifice a disciple's future just to soothe the Gi Clan's wounded pride.
Was this truly the Cheonun Sect that had once commanded all under heaven and shaken the Eight Wastelands? Pathetic. Nothing but pathetic.
Han Un glanced at the boy standing beside him. From the moment the two of them had set out together, Yeop Pung had not uttered a single word of complaint, nor shown even a flicker of disappointment. Anyone else would have cursed the heavens and damned the earth for such unjust treatment.
Yet from this boy there radiated a maturity and forbearance almost never found in children his age. He even stood atop the Cloud Ascending Device at his ease, quietly taking in the scenery, and from time to time he would turn to Han Un with a remark.
"Elder Han, is that Nagun Peak up ahead?"
"Hmm?"
Han Un paused a moment, then nodded.
"It is."
"The view looks rather nice. Far better than Pyeongun Peak, where the outer sect is, at least."
"Yeop Pung... do you truly feel not even a shred of resentment toward the sect's decision?"
Han Un searched those calm, quiet eyes, but he could not fathom what lay behind them.
Yeop Pung turned to look at him, a faint smile touching his lips.
"Hmm?"
"Elder Han, if resentment alone were enough to make a man strong, I would already be the greatest master in the Cheonun Sect..."
He seemed about to say more, then closed his mouth. A moment later he smiled at Han Un once again, polite and composed.
"In any case, I'm grateful to you, Elder Han."
"Grateful? For what?"
"I haven't forgotten the kindness you showed me that day on the sparring grounds, when you saved that Gi Beonjin's life. If you hadn't been there, I would have found myself in far worse trouble. Anyone else would have used brute force to stop me without a thought for whether I got hurt. But you pushed me back with nothing but the gentlest of energies. I've engraved every bit of that in my heart."
"You..."
Something stirred in Han Un's chest, a feeling he could not quite name.
As that trailing-off a moment ago had made plain, this boy had already seen through a great deal. He simply kept it all buried deep, and conducted himself with care because of the distance that stood between a disciple and an elder.
But what difference would it make, saying such things to me? Yeop Pung, you really are a child so grown-up it is almost pitiful.
"Ahem. Ahem."
Han Un cleared his throat twice and smiled.
"It was nothing. Yeop Pung, though you'll be confined at Nagun Peak, your time there won't be too hard. Don't worry yourself overmuch."
"I understand, Elder."
They talked as they crossed over the mountains, and at last the Cloud Ascending Device settled onto a broad clearing at the summit of the peak that had been drawing nearer all this while.
So this is... Nagun Peak?
Yeop Pung looked around. The clearing where they stood was not particularly large—perhaps four or five sparring grounds across—and the wreckage of fallen palaces lay scattered over it in every direction. Only antique blue-green bricks and pillars still stood firm, as if to testify to a glory long since gone.
Beyond the ruined halls, a massive cliff ran all the way to the far side of the summit. It was not especially high, more like a low wall raised against the fierce winds that came howling out of the north.
Nagun Peak as a whole was rugged and steep, set a considerable distance from the other principal summits of the Cheonun Mountain Range. The only link to those peaks was a narrow mountain path winding away behind Yeop Pung—and anyone who tried to walk that path as far as Cheonun Peak would need a good half a day at the least. Small wonder the place was regarded as an abandoned peak.
"Follow me."
Han Un led Yeop Pung onward as though the ground were long familiar to him. They picked their way through the ruined palaces until they arrived before a great hall standing at the very end.
It was the only structure among the ruins that still held its original shape. Dust had settled over it and cobwebs hung in the corners, yet it stood as imposing as ever. Four tall wooden doors were shut fast, and from them emanated a faint aura of Profound Qi that kept ordinary folk from approaching as they pleased.
Han Un did not take Yeop Pung inside the palace. He turned instead toward a small cabin attached to its side. The courtyard in front of the cabin looked as though it had been added later; within the house itself, only two rooms sat waiting. In front of one of those doors, a large dog covered from head to tail in golden fur lay sprawled in a lazy midday nap.
The animal looked to be well over three feet long, and grossly overfed. It had the air of a creature that ate well and lived well, and the golden coat over its entire body glittered dazzlingly in the sunlight.
"Ahem... Martial Uncle Hwang. This disciple, Han Un, has come, bringing the third-generation disciple Yeop Pung to Nagun Peak in accordance with the confinement order."
The moment Han Un stepped into the courtyard he bent at the waist from a considerable distance, offering a respectful bow.
Elder Han really does know his manners. To start greeting from that far away...
That was what Yeop Pung thought—until something struck him as odd. Han Un's greeting was not directed into the room at all. It was aimed at the great golden dog lying in front of the door.
What... is going on here?
Yeop Pung knew, of course, that strange Profound Beasts existed in the world. Such creatures cultivated Profound Qi of their own, and some were even said to understand human speech.
But the mutt in front of him gave off not the faintest trace of Profound Qi. It was certainly no Profound Beast, nor any other non-human race.
And yet the look in the dog's eyes carried a distinctly human emotion, one even Yeop Pung could read. It was as if the animal were saying:
I heard you. Now be quiet. Can't you see I'm sleeping?
What on earth is that dog...?
Yeop Pung was still staring in bewilderment when Han Un, as though nothing whatsoever were amiss, walked right past the golden hound, approached the somewhat larger of the two rooms, and bowed once more.
"This disciple, Han Un, pays his respects to Martial Uncle Maeng."
No answer came from within.
"The third-generation disciple Yeop Pung has come to Nagun Peak under confinement orders. Martial Uncle Maeng, please take him into your care."
"Khrr... khrr..."
This time Yeop Pung heard it clearly too. A steady, rhythmic snoring drifted from inside the room. Someone in there was dead to the world.
This Nagun Peak... there's something strange about this place.
"Ahem. Ahem..."
Han Un cleared his throat twice more, looking faintly embarrassed.
At that, the golden dog beside him cracked its eyes half open. It did not even lift its head. It merely swept a look over Han Un, as if to say:
If you're done talking, get lost. You're blocking my sun.
"Then we shall take our leave."
Han Un flinched at the look in the dog's eyes and hurriedly turned, retreating out of the courtyard.
Yeop Pung watched him, a peculiar expression on his face, no closer to making sense of Nagun Peak than he had been a moment before.
Then Han Un looked at him with a deep, considering gaze, as though he had come to some decision. He drew close and spoke in a low voice.
"Yeop Pung. Come with me."
Yeop Pung followed him out of the courtyard. Han Un channeled energy into his palm, and from the ring on his finger a book with a blue cover appeared. He held it out.
"Yeop Pung, you and I seem bound by fate. In truth, I am the Dharma Transmission Elder of Maun Peak, responsible for guiding the inner disciples in their training. Think of this Profound Art as homework I am assigning you ahead of time, and train hard. One year from now, I will come myself to test your progress!"
"Elder Han..."
Yeop Pung accepted the thin booklet with both hands. Three characters stood out in sharp, clear strokes across the cover.
A fierce heat surged up in his chest. It was only a single slim volume, but to him it was more precious than anything in the world.
For eight long years Yeop Pung had endured every kind of cold scorn and mockery the world could offer. He no longer swayed at people's shallow praise.
But how many people in this world would truly reach out a hand for someone else's sake? Anyone who did not turn away from another in distress was, by that act alone, a fine human being.
Fortunately, these past few years he had had a friend in Yi Sang. And now, though they had met only twice, there was Elder Han Un at his side. An ordinary Profound Art manual would have meant little enough to the elder. But to Yeop Pung, trapped in his present plight, it was a warmth more precious than anything else.
He was about to offer his thanks when he saw that Han Un had already turned and was walking away.
What Yeop Pung did not know was that one year from now he would be driven from the Cheonun Sect and find himself facing the Gi Clan's terrible vengeance. Han Un had transmitted this Profound Art so that the boy might grow strong enough to protect himself. And perhaps, too, it was Han Un's own small act of defiance against the Cheonun Sect as it stood today.
Yeop Pung... if you can cultivate the body arts recorded in the Thunder Roaring Palm, you will have at least a slightly better chance of slipping the Gi Clan's pursuit after you leave the sect. This is as far as I, Han Un, can go.
Yeop Pung's voice rang out behind him once more.
"Elder Han!"
Heh.
Han Un did not look back. A bitter smile touched his mouth, and then he was gone into the distance.
Once Han Un had left, the silence of Nagun Peak belonged to Yeop Pung alone. The warmth that had filled his chest cooled by degrees in the mountain breeze. He looked out at the dense forest ringing the peak and shook his head.
How could there be no resentment in his heart? A piece of human garbage like Gi Beonjin deserved to die a hundred times over, and the Cheonun Sect was casting him out because of that creature. Did justice even exist in this world?
The moment the banishment order had been announced, Yeop Pung had given up on the Cheonun Sect completely.
But as he himself had said, complaining was the most useless thing in the world. What he needed to think about now was how not to waste the year of confinement ahead of him—how to push his cultivation as far and as fast as it would go.
He had already endured eight years. One more would change nothing. His hunger to grow stronger had not weakened in the slightest, no matter the circumstances. In the end he would become a powerhouse, command the Cheonun Sect, and go beyond Great Jin into the world outside.
For the moment, though... he needed to report in to the great senior of the Cheonun Sect who had charge of this place.
Yeop Pung turned and was just stepping back into the little courtyard when the golden-furred beast slowly lifted its eyelids once more. With a look of profound exhaustion, it swept a cold glance over him.
"Woof! I told you to let me get some sleep. Can't you hear me?"