Sightseeing
A sharp voice made Song Hyeon and Cheongha whirl around in alarm.
An old man in a black robe, with a blue sash tied around his waist, was glaring at them with a ferocious aura rolling off his body.
There was already a sword in his hand.
Cheongha pointed the sword she’d been holding blankly all this time at the old man.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Song Hyeon lifted the hand that had been stroking the deer, making it clear she had no intention of fighting.
At her subtle signal, Cheongha obediently lowered her sword as well.
The old man wasn’t the sort of person who would fling his sword around at women who were acting so obediently.
Still, the wariness in his eyes hadn’t gone away.
“Explain what this is about.”
He wanted to understand the situation, but he still didn’t sheathe his sword.
The old man’s gaze shifted to the sacred beast beside Song Hyeon.
Baekrok, the sacred beast of Wudang Mountain that he had searched day and night for over the past several days.
Without a doubt, that holy being was benevolent by nature, but it was not the sort of creature that would so meekly expose its neck to a stranger.
Looking more closely, he could see bloodstains on its belly, but no actual wound.
Just as he was realizing that and beginning to ease up, Song Hyeon spoke.
“I’m not sure how I should explain this... The deer called to us, and when I reached out because it was looking at us as if asking for help, it ended up like this.”
What Song Hyeon said was true.
She’d always been confident in her way with words, but with even she herself still dazed by the whole situation, her mind wasn’t working properly.
As she had always feared, when something sudden happened, the curse on her body made her talk in a childishly incoherent rush.
“...You expect me to believe that jumble of nonsense?”
The old man’s thoughts weren’t much different.
Given her youthful appearance, that sort of childlike explanation might have fit, but this was no trivial matter.
It involved the safety of a sacred beast.
It wasn’t something he could simply brush off after hearing only her side of the story.
Then Baekrok, standing beside Song Hyeon, moved.
As though to shield her, Baekrok stepped between the two of them and thrust its antlers toward the old man.
The old man’s eyes widened in disbelief.
A spirit beast protecting someone...
Baekrok was a wondrous creature he had watched grow all his life on Wudang.
A difficult existence that rarely opened its heart to humans.
Even the sect leader of Wudang had once spent decades trying to win Baekrok’s favor.
The old man looked back and forth between the deer and Song Hyeon several times.
Baekrok, seeing this, let out a rough snort through its nose.
At last, the old man slowly let the strength drain from the hand that gripped his sword.
Sheathing his weapon, Hu Dojin bowed deeply.
As a disciple of Wudang, it was absurd to treat as an enemy someone who had been acknowledged by a spirit beast.
He had no choice but to admit that the whole situation had begun from a misunderstanding.
“I have been rude. I could not have imagined that you were the benefactor who treated the sacred beast.”
Song Hyeon accepted his polite apology with a calm nod.
Even if it had been unintentional, the fact remained that she had treated the deer.
“It’s all right. It was a situation that could easily be misunderstood.”
Her composed response seemed only to deepen the old man’s impression of her, and he clasped his fist in the other palm.
“Your heart is as vast as the sea. Anyone who has been misunderstood would struggle to clear their name so lightly, and yet you bear no resentment. This old daoist has learned something.”
“You’re praising me too much.”
Seeing the old man humble himself so much made Song Hyeon feel a little burdened.
In the murim, people didn’t heap praise on others for no reason.
She couldn’t know what purpose might be hidden behind such goodwill.
Stroking the deer’s neck in front of her, Song Hyeon did not let her guard down around the old man.
But the old man paid her caution no mind and chuckled heartily.
“This old daoist is Hu Dojin, elder of the Wudang Sect. I have wronged a young lady whose name I do not even know, and now I do not know how I am to repay it.”
“So you’re from the Wudang Sect.”
Hu Dojin still couldn’t take his eyes off Song Hyeon, who continued to stroke the deer’s neck with total composure.
Baekrok seemed to like her touch, because it kept closing its eyes and nudging its head into her hand.
An extraordinary girl.
Hu Dojin’s evaluation of Song Hyeon kept rising in his heart.
Despite her childlike appearance, she acted with composure even in the face of misunderstanding, and even after hearing his aura and status, she showed not the slightest sign of agitation.
Most of all, she had tamed a spirit beast.
After a quick calculation, Hu Dojin made her an offer.
“Since Wudang owes the young lady a debt, speak your wish. If it is something this old daoist can do, I will grant it.”
Song Hyeon was slightly taken aback.
That ridiculous murim obsession with debts and favors.
She had only reached out to a hurt deer while passing by, and somehow the whole thing kept getting bigger and bigger.
After a moment’s thought, she remembered why she had come here in the first place.
“I came here for sightseeing at Wudang. Could you show me around and introduce me to the beautiful scenery?”
Hu Dojin was moved by the answer.
She had saved a sacred beast and asked for nothing in return.
Even after he had revealed his lofty position as an elder of Wudang, the girl in front of him hadn’t even blinked and had made only a modest request.
Give this to anyone in the murim, and they’d seize the chance to ask for everything under the sun.
It was a purity of heart rarely seen these days.
He nodded readily and smiled with booming good humor.
“Hahaha, of course. To think you have such a clear heart. I will gladly clear the road for you. Follow me.”
With that, he started walking in the lead.
Behind him came the two of them, and now a spirit beast that had completely attached itself to Song Hyeon’s side.
**
What a sweet deal.
I cheered inwardly.
Wudang Mountain was already a famous peak when you just looked at it, but to think an elder of the Wudang Sect himself was giving us a guided tour.
There was no better sightseeing than this.
Hu Dojin laughed heartily as he led the way, looking absurdly pleased with himself, and Cheongha and I followed behind him.
The white deer spirit beast walked along with us too.
It felt like we were on a picnic.
“The peak you see over there is Chonjubong. It is the main peak of Wudang Mountain. It was named so because it is like a pillar supporting the heavens.”
“Ohhh.”
Turning my head along the direction of his outstretched finger, I saw a massive peak piercing through the clouds and showing off its majesty.
It really did live up to its name, a spectacular sight through and through.
We stared at the view, speechless.
As we kept blurting out words of admiration, the deer beside us suddenly gave a clear, ringing cry.
At once, a faint halo of light rose from the tips of its antlers.
And at the same time, a fantastical scene unfolded above Chonjubong, where we had been looking — as if a rainbow were blossoming over the peak.
“Wow.”
“That’s gorgeous.”
Cheongha and I gasped in honest admiration.
Hu Dojin seemed startled too, his eyes going wide as he stared at the sight.
“Heh heh, it seems the spirit beast likes our guests as well. The Dao is like this, you know. Things that are not forced naturally come together, and when you empty your heart, you come to gain what is truly important. To flow like water, to never linger like the wind...”
Maybe that scenery had stirred something in him, because Hu Dojin stopped walking and, while gazing at the view, launched into a lecture on Daoist philosophy.
... Why did it have to turn into this after going so well?
He seemed to be trying to say something profound, but I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.
At first I listened with some interest, like I was hearing a Wudang elder recite a tale, but his speech just kept getting longer and longer.
Honestly, I was getting bored.
I turned my head just in time to hide a yawn and listened with forced attention, only to notice Cheongha’s eyes shining brightly.
She nodded seriously, as if she didn’t want to miss a single word.
“I thought Daoist thought was far from the idea of carrying out justice, so this is surprising.”
At her quiet murmur, Hu Dojin chimed in.
“In the end, the practice of martial arts is for the sake of righteousness and chivalry. The direction may differ, but the heart that seeks righteousness is the same.”
Watching the two of them hit it off and chat away, I just stood beside them and stroked the deer.
“Well... it’s not bad, I guess. Right?”
A slight shudder ran through him.
The deer made a sound that could have meant yes or no for all I knew.
As long as it wasn’t that boring philosophical rambling, the sightseeing itself was fun.
There was plenty to see on this mountain, and with Cheongha enthusiastically responding to everything, the elder seemed to get even more fired up, adding all sorts of legends and stories to his explanations.
By the time we’d walked for quite a while, we finally reached the entrance to the Wudang Sect compound.
A huge pond blocked our way, and beside it stood a stone stele engraved with the words Haegeomji.
“From here on is Wudang territory. Since this is a place devoted to the Dao, you must leave behind blades and other such dangerous weapons before entering.”
I nodded lightly, perfectly unbothered.
As far as I was concerned, I didn’t have a weapon anyway — just my bare fists.
But Cheongha was different.
She clutched the sword at her waist protectively, clearly reluctant to let it go.
“...Is that really necessary?”
“This is Wudang’s rule. If you won’t follow it, then I can’t make any special allowances.”
I didn’t know what the sword meant to her, but it felt a little disappointing to turn back like this.
So I spoke carefully, trying to persuade her.
“Cheongha. Why are you so reluctant to set your sword down?”
“This sword... is the same as my identity. The power of Tacheon also comes from my sword...”
I didn’t understand her fear.
But I did have just the line she’d probably love.
“That power doesn’t come from the sword. Power comes from the world.”
Cheongha’s eyes trembled wildly at my words.
“If you put down your sword, does your righteousness weaken? If the world’s essence is contained within the sword, then all you have to do is become one with the sword. Then, in the end, the world and you will become one as well.”
Very convincing, very cool. I was pretty pleased with myself as I said it.
Cheongha’s eyes widened, and she froze as though she had suddenly realized something.
Without any more hesitation, she unfastened her sword and laid it down on the sword rack set up nearby.
Then she hurriedly sat down right there, closed her eyes, and began to concentrate.
I was still trying to wrap my head around her sudden breathing exercise when Hu Dojin spoke, unable to hide his admiration.
“Heh heh, those are truly profound words. As a wielder of the sword, I have learned from the young lady’s insight.”
“Not at all. I’m embarrassed that you’d praise such a half-baked bit of insight.”
I had just tossed out something that sounded impressive, yet to see a Wudang elder react like this was mortifying.
“All things change and circulate endlessly, yet their root is one. This is what is called manmuljedong. In the end, you have realized that there is a principle by which the sword itself succeeds.”
Hu Dojin didn’t seem to be flattering me; he smiled faintly and went on.
Then he began talking at length about Daoist philosophy in general.
To be honest, half of it went in one ear and out the other, but I nodded along and listened as if I understood everything.
I had to wait until Cheongha moved again anyway, and there was no downside to pleasing a Wudang elder.
Fortunately, while I was dutifully chiming in, the deer kept nudging me with its head and acting cute, so I never really got bored.
As I stroked its soft fur under the warm sunlight, my eyes naturally started to close.
Before I knew it, Hu Dojin had stopped talking and was staring at me intently.
“May I ask whether Young Lady Song Hyeon was taught martial arts by a master?”
“No. I simply awakened on my own and trained while taking nature as my companion.”
After being lectured for ages on the Dao, on wuwei and natural circulation of qi and all that, I felt like my brain had melted halfway out of my skull.
With my mind half-blank, still idly petting the deer, a boastful answer slipped out of my mouth.
Yet the answer, tossed out so casually, seemed to please him, because Hu Dojin’s eyes brightened.
“To meet such a deep doyeon must surely be the will of heaven. If the young lady does not mind, would you stay at Wudang for a few days and be our honored guest?”
For reasons I couldn’t begin to fathom, an astonishing invitation was suddenly laid before me, and there was no reason at all to refuse.
An honored guest, too.
Free lodging and meals, and on top of that, a perfect chance to look around the sect from the inside.
What would Wudang’s home cooking taste like?
I cheered inwardly and tried my best to keep my face modest.
“That would be my honor.”
The deer under my hand gave a pleased, rumbling cry.
A satisfied smile spread across Hu Dojin’s face as well.
About two more jagyeong later, Cheongha finished regulating her breath and energy and opened her eyes.
Her gaze seemed somehow deeper than before.
“Sorry, unni. I slowed us down.”
“No need. Don’t worry about it. In fact, I have good news for you.”
Led by Hu Dojin, we moved deeper into Wudang.
The sight of the Wudang disciples sweeping the courtyard and nearly falling over in shock when they saw a deer walk through the gate was rather memorable.
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