The Sickness of the Heart Must Be Cured by the Study of the Heart
With the last of the five Bigu Pills gone, Dan Yeop tucked the Yeonangyeong into his travel pouch and headed for the Amun training hall.
The Amun training hall.
When Dan Yeop asked how many days had passed, Chief Instructor Dan Bul-wi answered,
“Three days.”
“What? Only three days?”
“Why are you so surprised? I was just thinking it was about time for you to show up.”
Dan Bul-wi looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“Um… the Bigu Pills. You eat them when you’re hungry, right?”
“You can eat them when hunger strikes, but it’s better to take them in the morning and evening. Hunger fluctuates depending on your state of mind.”
“Fluctuates?”
“If you’re focused on something, you forget your hunger. But if your mind is cluttered with stray thoughts, the empty feeling hits harder. That’s why it’s best to eat on a schedule. Why do you ask?”
“Ah… I ate all the Bigu Pills. So I thought about two weeks had passed, but hearing it’s only been three days is a bit shocking.”
“What? You ate two weeks’ worth of Bigu Pills in three days?”
The value of Bigu Pills varied wildly depending on quality.
Those made with premium ingredients were expensive, while ones ground from cheap grains were cheap.
Even in Haomun, branch leaders never carried around low-grade Bigu Pills.
Dan Yeop had spent one silver tael to obtain a single pouch from the Horse Face Branch Leader.
One silver tael in three days was an outrageous waste.
‘So this brat was popping those precious pills like roasted beans!’
Dan Bul-wi was so stunned he couldn’t speak.
“I ate one every time I felt hungry, and that’s what happened. I thought I’d been training in seclusion for two weeks and was really happy about it…”
Dan Yeop felt a pang of regret that he had finished his closed-door training in just three days.
“Haha, that can happen when you use Bigu Pills for the first time.”
Though Dan Bul-wi felt the loss of the silver tael keenly, he smiled kindly.
He couldn’t afford to sour his relationship with his once-in-a-millennium genius adopted son over a single silver tael.
“Next time I’ll try to eat them on a proper schedule, Father.”
Even Dan Bul-wi found the word “Father” unwelcome today.
Still, he didn’t let any of that frustration show.
“Right… next time, control yourself better. So, have you finished your training?”
“I think so. It was fine while I was in seclusion, but now that I’m back here my vision keeps blurring. It’d be better if I just went back to my quarters and slept.”
“Wise decision.”
“Please speak well to the others about the ‘Dunce’ Dan Yeop being able to train his internal energy. I left a letter and everything, but if they find out I didn’t leave seclusion, they’ll grind their teeth at me.”
“Don’t worry about that. The ‘Dunce’ Dan Yeop is shallow in learning. He’ll follow my words without suspicion.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you. I’ll be going now.”
“Yes, yes. Go rest quickly.”
Dan Yeop bowed to Dan Bul-wi and returned to his quarters.
When Dan Yeop woke from sleep, he blinked with a dazed expression.
Seeing the familiar ceiling gave him a strange feeling.
‘The exit examination must be over by now, right? Wait… don’t people usually leave seclusion right after the examination?’
The clearer his mind became, the more ominous thoughts chained together.
Chapter 18. The Sickness of the Heart Must Be Cured by the Study of the Heart.
Dan Yeop slowly sat up and looked around at his hands and the bed.
There was no separate letter left behind.
‘That means…’
Since he had woken up, at least a day must have passed.
‘I failed again.’
He didn’t need to ask the trainees to know.
He had believed that the talent of the arrogant ‘Yi (another personality)’ would be enough to pass the examination, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
Getting down from the bed, he opened his travel pouch just in case.
As expected, it was completely empty.
Seeing that he had made no preparations to leave, he shook off his lingering hopes.
“Of course…”
How could such good fortune ever follow his pathetic life?
To think he had believed that entering a qi deviation would actually help his life.
He felt ashamed for having hoped for a lucky break, even if only for a moment, in his desperation.
Once outside, Dan Yeop headed first to the Jeommun training hall.
Not so much for training, but because he was curious about news of the third-generation disciples.
Morning training time.
Jeommun training hall.
As Dan Yeop stepped inside, he froze at the completely changed atmosphere.
Young children he had never seen before were sweating profusely.
‘Ah…’
Entry and exit examinations happened around the same time.
If his guess was right, these children were all fourteenth-generation disciples.
The Cheonji Dobop was the easiest martial art to learn among the Six Gates’ techniques.
Naturally, when young children entered the sect, they began training with the Cheonji Dobop first.
What was the Samjae Sword Technique in ordinary martial halls was the Cheonji Dobop in Haomun.
However, the training period did not exceed one year.
That was because there were superior arts like the Baekryu Dobop and the Chilsang Dobop.
The children focused on mastering the ever-changing Baekryu Dobop and the highly lethal Chilsang Dobop right up until their exit examination.
In fact, most of those called experts in Haomun were masters of either the Baekryu Dobop or the Chilsang Dobop.
Instructor Go Muk, who spotted Dan Yeop, wore an unpleasant expression.
He was still bitter about being kicked in the shin by the Horse Face Branch Leader three days ago because of Dan Yeop.
“What brings you here?”
At Go Muk’s cold tone, Dan Yeop quickly lowered his gaze.
“Ah, um… I came to train the Cheonji Dobop…”
That was what he said, of course.
In truth, he had come here because he wanted to hear news about Baek Yu-hwa.
Suddenly, Go Muk shouted at the trainees.
“Everyone stop! This person is your great senior from the first generation. He will now demonstrate the Cheonji Dobop, so watch carefully and learn!”
Then his gaze turned to Dan Yeop.
“You heard him. Show the new juniors a move or two.”
“……”
Dan Yeop reluctantly stepped forward at the martial instructor’s command.
He had thought there was nothing more humiliating, but standing in front of these children felt strangely awkward.
Still, since he had come this far, he had no choice but to do it—whether it turned out well or poorly.
With a determined face, he executed the first form of the Cheonji Dobop: Cheonroe Nakcham (Heavenly Thunder Falling Slash).
When he reached the final ninth movement, his mind wavered slightly.
Because he only remembered three movements of this form.
But just as he began the second form, Hoengso Sanjeol (Sweeping Mountains and Cutting Peaks)—
His mind felt clearer than before?
Previously, after finishing the first form his mind would go completely blank, but he didn’t feel that at all now.
It was as if Baek Yu-hwa’s voice was ringing clearly in his ears.
—Turn to the left, strike the sky once, strike the ground once, then while looking straight ahead, cut left and right—chop! Chop!
Dan Yeop’s body moved naturally along the forms, and his straight blade sliced through the air with a sharp whoosh.
Before he knew it, his blade technique had moved into the middle of the second form.
—Advance to the right while cutting left, cutting right, then bring the blade in front of your chest…
Dan Yeop’s hazy expression looked as if he had entered a state of no-self.
The straight blade, held upright before his chest, blocked high once before sweeping out horizontally in a long arc.
Swooooosh—!
A mysterious ringing sound echoed throughout the training hall.
Dan Yeop flowed through all nine movements of the second form before finally stopping.
He couldn’t recall even the first movement of the third form.
Even so, it was more than enough to captivate the young fourteenth-generation disciples.
The children, who had been watching in a daze, burst into wild applause.
“Waaa!”
“So cool…”
At the unexpected sight, Go Muk was at a loss for words.
Even to him, who had trained the Cheonji Dobop his entire life, Dan Yeop’s blade technique looked quite decent.
What had started as an attempt to embarrass the boy in a fit of anger had ended in a strangely positive way.
‘What? He improved this much in just a few days?’
Just three days ago, Dan Yeop’s Cheonji Dobop had been terrible. He had no idea what had happened.
Dan Yeop bowed to the still-dazed Go Muk and said,
“…I’m sorry. I couldn’t remember the third form.”
“Ahem, yes. Good work. It must have been very helpful for the young juniors.”
Dan Yeop retreated with a bewildered expression, still unable to believe what he had just done.
‘What just happened?’
He had only known up to the third movement of the second form, yet he had performed it all the way through without a single hitch!
Go Muk stepped forward again.
“Alright! We’ll start over from the beginning. Cheonroe Nakcham!”
At his command, the children swung their blades in perfect unison.
Dan Yeop also followed along diligently from the very back row.
It wasn’t a one-time fluke.
Even on the second and third repetitions, the second form flowed out smoothly.
For the first time, a smile appeared on Dan Yeop’s lips as he wielded his straight blade.
It was after lunch, while Dan Yeop was resting in his quarters for the first time in a while.
Fourth-generation disciple Gwan Gu-jong burst in, panting.
“Huff! Huff! Senior Brother Dan Yeop, Chief Instructor Dan is looking for you!”
Among the fourth-generation disciples, those from the Amun branch never treated Dan Yeop rudely.
Part of it was the large age gap, but it was mostly because Dan Bul-wi had recently begun showing clear favoritism toward him.
To the Amun-born trainees, Dan Yeop was the Chief Instructor’s adopted son.
“Me?”
“Yes. He wants you to come to the Amun training hall.”
“Oh, alright.”
Having comprehended the second form of the Cheonji Dobop, Dan Yeop’s voice was noticeably clearer than before.
Amun training hall.
Dan Yeop cautiously approached Dan Bul-wi.
“…Chief Instructor.”
A bitter smile flickered across Dan Bul-wi’s face.
Even though he knew about the split personality (the Genius Dan Yeop), the Dunce Dan Yeop stubbornly insisted on calling him “Chief Instructor.”
“Come in. I heard you trained at the Jeommun training hall this morning?”
“Yes…”
“Instructor Go Muk praised you. He said your Cheonji Dobop has improved beyond recognition.”
“……”
Dan Yeop scratched his head with an embarrassed look.
He felt good, but at the same time he thought, ‘Just how pathetic was I that mastering only the second form of the Cheonji Dobop makes him react like this?’
“Did you have some kind of realization?”
“No. I just remembered things I couldn’t remember before.”
“You have no idea why?”
“None.”
“I see.”
Dan Bul-wi looked at him with ambiguous eyes.
The Cheonji Dobop was a blade technique built upon the foundation of the Samjae Sword.
It wasn’t merely simple and easy; it possessed its own profound principles.
Instructor Go Muk had said that Dan Yeop’s Cheonji Dobop had gained an inexplicably deep level of mastery.
That was not something one would say about a dunce who had failed to comprehend even the third form in thirteen years.
Anyone else might have laughed it off.
But Dan Bul-wi, who had witnessed the blade techniques of the once-in-a-millennium genius Dan Yeop, could not.
‘Could there have been some unknown communion between the two personalities?’
Though they were two, they were originally one body, so it was entirely possible.
“Do you know that three days have passed since the exit examination?”
“Yes…”
“It seems you trained your internal energy that day.”
Dan Yeop hung his head in shame.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to leave seclusion so badly that I resorted to a cheap trick.”
“It’s your own body, so it can hardly be called a cheap trick. Ahem. That aside, I looked into it… about your qi deviation. It’s not something that can be cured with medicine.”
“Then how…”
“Isn’t it an illness caused by improperly training the Bunsim Gong? The sickness of the heart must be cured by the study of the heart.”
“The study of the heart?”
“If you learn a renowned mental cultivation method, it should heal the mind that was split by the Bunsim Gong.”
“Ah!”
Dan Yeop nodded, then asked with a worried face,
“But if I train a mental technique, won’t another personality emerge? Wouldn’t that be bad?”
“Are you saying you won’t make fermented soybean paste because you’re afraid of maggots? Another personality may emerge, but in the end it will lead to a cure. If you continue avoiding internal energy training like you are now in the rivers and lakes of Dosan Geomrim, you may suffer an even greater disaster.”
“……”
Since it was true, Dan Yeop could not refute him.