Chapter 300: Death (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 300: Death (3)
Profound Cloud Hall, the residence of the Wudang Sect Leader, sat where the earth met the sky.
While the hall itself wasn't extravagant, the view it offered—a sweeping panorama of the entire Wudang Sect—was considered one of the most breathtaking sights in all the Central Plains.
Seo-jun, accompanied by Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah, visited Profound Cloud Hall and was served tea personally brewed by the Taiji Sword Immortal.
“……”
The four people sitting around the small table remained silent.
Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah waited for Seo-jun to speak, while the Taiji Sword Immortal made no move to rush him.
Instead of speaking immediately, Seo-jun gazed out at the Wudang Sect through the waist-high wooden railings. From his seat, the scenery of Mount Wudang harmonized with the drifting clouds, visible in glimpses between the balusters. The sight of the Taoists moving leisurely amidst the flowing mist held a truly elegant charm.
After quietly moistening his lips with tea, Seo-jun finally spoke.
“How can opposing forces achieve harmony with one another?”
He posed the same question to the Taiji Sword Immortal that he had asked True Human Heo-do, recounting the conversation they had shared.
Wuji and Taiji. Taiji and the Two Forms.
The harmony of things that were originally one, and the harmony of things that were not.
He did not explicitly mention Primordial Unity or Heaven-Defying.
However, as the Taiji Sword Immortal listened to Seo-jun’s story, he grasped the crux of the problem.
“To put it into words is not difficult,” the elder replied. “As you said, there is a sequence of before and after. If one acts according to principle, it shall be achieved.”
The Taiji Sword Immortal tilted the teapot in his hand. Following natural law, the tea began to pour out.
Trickle—
However, the Taiji Sword Immortal’s Void Object Grasping guided the liquid, carving out a path for it. The tea traversed the air as if it were a flowing river.
Seo-jun watched the stream of water without a word.
Soon, the Taiji Sword Immortal smiled faintly and released his control.
Splash!
The stream that had been flowing through the air plummeted.
Following natural principles, the water poured down like a miniature waterfall and was caught perfectly in a teacup. Though the tea surged as if it might overflow, in the end, not a single drop was spilled.
“If one does not intervene by force, all principles follow their rightful Tao. Wudang’s martial arts seek to contain such a Tao within oneself, completing the proper principles internally.
“However, it is no easy task for a human, who is but a mere fragment of nature, to embrace such grand principles. It is something that must be built up within oneself, step by step, over a long period of time…
“Principles contained in such a way achieve the Tao on their own, even without forced intervention.”
The Taiji Sword Immortal took a sip of tea and continued.
“With the power you already possess, there is no need to force anything. Even if you intervene with intent, it must be done slowly, over time. Do you not already know how difficult it is to manifest principle through human skill alone?”
Just as changes in nature naturally required time, so too did the principles a human carried within.
Whether achieving harmony with opposing forces or not, it was a matter to be accomplished calmly and patiently.
“But… it seems the story you truly wish to tell is not this one.”
As the Taiji Sword Immortal let out a soft chuckle, Seo-jun looked at him steadily.
Meeting his gaze with gentle eyes, the Taiji Sword Immortal asked casually, “If you are comfortable, would you care to tell me your story?”
* * *
Seo-jun glanced at Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah beside him for a moment, then spoke after a brief hesitation.
He began with the story of the Wudang Taoist, Jin-myeong.
Death, Returning to the Tao, and the people who spoke of it with feigned cheer.
Seo-jun looked at the Taiji Sword Immortal with sunken eyes and said, “I have never felt a particular fear toward the concept of death. Or rather, I should say, toward my own death.”
Jin-myeong’s death was not particularly special.
Seo-jun had witnessed countless deaths up until now. Among them were many he had killed with his own hands.
What was the difference between those deaths and Jin-myeong’s?
Seo-jun examined where his emotions originated. This was not a difficult task for a martial artist of the Transcendent Realm, who had already given form to his own mental imagery.
As he peered into his own heart, Seo-jun realized the answer without much trouble.
The source of his fear was, ultimately, the death of his father-in-law, and… the death of his father.
Jin-myeong was nothing more than a stranger whose name he had heard for the first time today.
However, the man’s final words and the reactions of those around him had triggered Seo-jun’s unresolved trauma.
That attitude, which seemed to almost welcome death, was a violent act that Seo-jun simply could not accept.
“I know it is selfish. Even though I feel no particular emotion regarding my own death, I want the people around me to stay by my side forever.”
It was instinct for a living being to desire life, but Seo-jun lacked such instincts.
He did not know if it was because of some flaw within himself, or because he harbored the power of Heaven-Defying.
But he wanted the people around him, at least, to live forever.
He hoped they would not be swayed by nonsense like ‘achieving the Tao’ or ‘not disappearing.’
Not for their sake, but for his own.
“That is all. It is not that I have encountered an insurmountable hardship, nor am I looking for a solution. I simply could not suppress my irritation while standing there.”
The Taiji Sword Immortal, who had been listening in silence, gave a bright smile.
He looked at the two women beside Seo-jun, who were listening to the story with grave expressions.
What the young man before him desired was neither a shameful thing nor something severely selfish.
Aside from the fact that he held his own life lightly, was his wish really any different from any other person’s?
“You were born with a talent bestowed by the heavens.”
Seo-jun’s eyebrows twitched at the sudden remark. The Taiji Sword Immortal continued, unbothered by his reaction.
“It is merely my intuition, but I suspect you are not very old.”
“I have about half a year left until I turn twenty-six.”
“Hmm…?”
The Taiji Sword Immortal blinked. He fell into deep thought for a moment, then burst into a warm laugh.
“Ho-ho, well now. There was no need for me to say anything at all.”
“Pardon?”
“The years you have lived do not even amount to thirty. No matter how much of a genius one is, there are things one can only know by experiencing them. It is only natural to lose one’s way and worry at your age.”
The Taiji Sword Immortal looked at Seo-jun with profound eyes. A quiet chuckle kept escaping his lips.
Seo-jun did not take offense; the old man's attitude was not one of mockery, but rather as if he had encountered something delightful and wondrous.
The Taiji Sword Immortal apologized to Seo-jun and continued.
“Those called geniuses often realize far more things in a far shorter time than others. It goes without saying for someone born with such absurd talent as yours.
“Because of that, they tend to resolve the worries they should rightfully share with others all by themselves—but that is a very bad habit. Why do you try to resolve worries about the people around you all on your own?”
Trickle— The Taiji Sword Immortal poured tea into Seo-jun’s cup, which had become empty at some point.
He looked into Seo-jun’s eyes, brought close by the act of pouring, and said gently, “Of course, there are parts you must resolve yourself. I am not particularly worried about those. You will handle them well on your own.
“However, there is no need for you to shoulder this fear alone while keeping it all inside. Nothing is too late yet.
“The eyes of the two women beside you are clear, so they must surely be wise. Speak with them and work through it.
“They say you can know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but not the heart of a single person. There are things you cannot know unless they are spoken.”
Setting down the teapot and straightening his back, the Taiji Sword Immortal smiled brightly.
“Of course, not here, but perhaps in your quarters tonight. Intimate conversations between a man and women should be held where there are no interruptions.”
Heh-heh. The Taiji Sword Immortal let out a grandfatherly chuckle and slowly closed his eyes.
“It is a good time of life. Indeed it is.”
Seo-jun did not know what memories the man was recalling.
However, the sight was so slyly charming that he found himself letting out a short laugh despite himself.
At that, the Taiji Sword Immortal snapped his eyes open and smiled brightly.
“It seems your mood has improved a bit.”
“Yes, well…”
“Then, shall we discuss the Sword of Seeking Non-Action?”
“……?”
“I finished it just before you arrived.”
The Taiji Sword Immortal smiled like a child.
* * *
The claim that the Taiji Sword Immortal had gained enlightenment by observing Seo-jun’s Heaven-Defying power might sound strange at first.
How could the Sect Leader of Wudang, a man who walked the most orthodox of paths, gain enlightenment from the power of Heaven-Defying?
However, the Taiji Sword Immortal was not bound by ‘Right’ and ‘Wrong.’
He had reflected on his own Taiji while watching Seo-jun’s Reverse Taiji, and he had been profoundly shocked seeing the Reverse Taiji sublimate into Heaven-Defying.
It wasn’t that he gained enlightenment from the process of sublimation itself.
Rather, it was the energy of Heaven-Defying—clear and stainless, utterly unsuited to the word ‘Demonic’—that sparked the Taiji Sword Immortal’s enlightenment.
Taiji, Wuji, and Wu Wei.
The Taiji Sword Immortal had infused the profound shock he received from the man before him into his sword. Through that, he was able to complete the Sword of Seeking Non-Action, which had previously felt somewhat lacking.
Heaven-Defying, which denied all Tao, was also a form of the Tao.
Having realized the ‘Right’ by observing the ‘Reverse,’ the Taiji Sword Immortal repeatedly demonstrated the completed Sword of Seeking Non-Action with light flicks of his fingers.
“What do you think? Is it not quite decent?”
The Taiji Sword Immortal chuckled warmly and continued.
“The harmony of opposing forces you asked about earlier will likely follow the same path. If it is a power opposing Heaven-Defying… yes. Did you not handle Taiji as well as Reverse Taiji? You are likely referring to the principles of Wuji or Primordial Unity. But you must keep in mind that Heaven-Defying is a concept that only came into existence after the world was established. As always, the answer lies within nature.”
The Taiji Sword Immortal looked joyful as he demonstrated the Sword of Seeking Non-Action.
No matter how deep one’s cultivation was, how could an exchange with someone who truly understood not be enjoyable?
Seo-jun also wore a much lighter smile as he manifested Primordial Unity above his palm.
Watching the Taiji Sword Immortal’s now-perfected Sword of Seeking Non-Action had suddenly brought something to mind.
The Taiji Sword Immortal jumped in surprise.
“Wait, that is—?”
“Pardon? It’s Primordial Unity.”
Had the old man not just deduced it himself? That if there were a concept opposing Heaven-Defying, it would be Wuji or Primordial Unity.
Was there a reason to be so shocked?
“Now that I see it, it could be called Primordial Unity… no, that is indeed the true Primordial Unity…”
The Taiji Sword Immortal stared as if possessed at the sphere of Primordial Unity floating above Seo-jun’s palm.
“Can the Primordial Unity harbored by a mere human be this complete? How on earth…”
Seo-jun tilted his head at the peculiar reaction.
“Is the Primordial Unity others use different? The Peng Clan’s version was Primordial Unity in name only; it wasn’t the real thing.”
“That is… hmm… It would be better for you to go and see for yourself.”
Just as the Taiji Sword Immortal was about to continue, Seo-jun sprouted a bud of Heaven-Defying inside the Primordial Unity.
Since both Primordial Unity and Heaven-Defying were present, the energy of Heaven-Defying blooming from within the Primordial Unity began to mix with it.
No—they began to devour each other.
However, even if they followed a natural flow, a massive gap existed between Primordial Unity and Heaven-Defying.
Seo-jun suppressed the power of Primordial Unity as much as possible while bolstering the power of Heaven-Defying to its absolute limit.
“Do not rush so much. It is something that must be achieved slowly from within yourself, not from the outsi—”
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s jaw dropped.
“No, what in the…”
Something was quickening within the sphere.
The Taiji Sword Immortal’s eyes shook with disbelief.