Do You Know Who I Am?
Once the boy had stored the Seong-jin-geum-ru-ok-ui inside the Maha Dam, Red Pine began teaching him the Taego Sect’s arts in earnest.
“The art I will now impart is the Primordial Chaos Sword, the very root of the Taego Sect. Until you grasp the principle of ‘one sword is all, all is one sword,’ you cannot wield it, so simply commit it to memory for now. When the sword rides the void, its light cleaves the nine heavens—Geom-yak-seung-gong Gwang-cham-gu-so……”
After reciting the sword formula, the boy asked cautiously, “Master, what exactly are the nine heavens?”
“The nine heavens lie beyond the nine skies.”
“Such a place exists?”
“The universe is boundless. How could there be nothing beyond the nine skies?”
“Ah, I see.”
The boy answered half-heartedly. After all, the names and verses of martial arts were built on exaggeration and metaphor. The archives of Byeongmachong even contained the Eight Desolates Sword Art supposedly created by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Though the boy’s reaction was less than enthusiastic, Red Pine said nothing. It was true that the Primordial Chaos Sword was the foundation of the Taego Sect, yet without a single cultivator who had mastered it, even its true form had grown vague.
“The Primordial Chaos Sword requires at least the realm of a True Immortal before one can even imitate it. Do not waste effort trying to master it now. The art you will use throughout your life is the Boundless Sword.”
He then taught the boy the three opening forms of the Boundless Sword: Geom-gwang-baek-pa, Geom-ui-seong-hwan, and Geom-ryeong-myeol-jin. In truth, the Boundless Sword had been the entry-level art for inner disciples of the Taego Sect. Red Pine taught only this because he knew further cultivation was impossible in the mortal realm. Honestly, even mastering the Great Void Shadowless Sword would be difficult, but he had taught the Boundless Sword as well because of the Seong-jin-geum-ru-ok-ui. Still, even with the primordial energy within the robe, the limits of a human lifespan made anything more impossible.
Finally, Red Pine taught the movement art Water Moon Divine Walk. When the boy tried to follow it, Red Pine smiled and said, “Right now it will feel like nothing more than the dazzling dance of a court performer. But once mastered, your movements will become as wondrous as the moon reflected on water. Even the descendants of the sect will not find it easy to harm you.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Red Pine nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly extended his palm forward. A soft, multicolored radiance gathered above it, and soon a glowing pill materialized. He handed the pill, no larger than a chestnut, to the boy.
“This is a Qi Condensation Pill refined from my own Tae-eul Qi. It will aid you when cultivating the Tae-eul-bon-won-yeon-seong-gyeol.”
“Goodness! Such a precious thing…… Thank you, Master!”
The boy popped the pill into his mouth the moment he received it. It melted instantly upon touching his tongue and slid down his throat. A hot and cold energy flowed down his neck and filled his stomach. While the boy stood dazed by the unfamiliar sensation, Red Pine spoke.
“Do not just stand there. Absorb the pill with the Tae-eul-bon-won-yeon-seong-gyeol.”
At his master’s urging, the boy quickly sat in a lotus position and recited the formula of the Tae-eul-bon-won-yeon-seong-gyeol in his mind. In an instant, a violent whirlwind of energy erupted in his abdomen. After he circulated the art three times, the whirlwind subsided. When the boy opened his eyes, Red Pine asked, “How many Zhou Tian cycles did you complete?”
“Three, Master.”
“Well done. You bypassed the minor elixir and reached the major elixir directly. It seems you were still a virgin. Your luck held.”
“You mean I was still a bachelor?”
“Nine times out of ten, yes.”
“Does that mean I must remain a bachelor from now on?”
“Of course not. The golden core is already complete, so whether you are a virgin or not no longer matters.”
“Ah, I see.”
As the boy let out a sigh of relief, Red Pine asked teasingly, “Is there a girl you have in mind?”
“No. I have no desire to become a monk or a Taoist priest.”
“With the golden core in place, you will face no difficulties in your cultivation.”
“Master, if the golden core is complete, does that mean I have become a master of internal energy?”
“I placed a century’s worth of Tae-eul Qi into the pill, but your golden core has not yet fully absorbed it. So it is only half-complete internal energy. If you continue cultivating the Tae-eul-bon-won-yeon-seong-gyeol until you fully absorb the Tae-eul Qi and can use the golden core at will, then you will truly become a master of internal energy.”
“So I still need to train until all the Tae-eul Qi is absorbed into the core?”
“Yes. Until then, maintain your virginity if possible. Lying with a woman will scatter whatever Tae-eul Qi remains.”
“Understood. I will stay away from women.”
“The descendants of the sect are merciless. Exercise caution, and do not reveal yourself until you have at least mastered the Great Void Shadowless Sword. This is my request so that I may retrieve the Seong-jin-geum-ru-ok-ui after your lifespan ends.”
To Red Pine, who had lived as long as the stars, the boy’s life was but a fleeting moment. That was why he had given him the robe. Yet his wish for his young disciple—his first human disciple in tens of thousands of years—to live a long life was sincere.
The boy, who had been listening with a startled expression, nodded vigorously. “I will remember it well.”
Red Pine gazed at the boy for a moment, then spoke as if in passing. “If, by some one-in-ten-thousand chance—though it will never happen—you obtain a great opportunity and achieve tuo ke…… No, what nonsense am I saying.”
When Red Pine stopped mid-sentence, the boy asked innocently, “What happens if I achieve tuo ke?”
“Do you even know what tuo ke means?”
“Isn’t it the Taoist golden cicada shedding its shell?”
“That is the mortal realm’s version.”
“Ah.”
“When you nurture the golden core until it unites with the primordial spirit, it becomes a yuan ying. After three hundred years of cultivating that yuan ying, the physical body finally transforms into a yuan ying body—that is tuo ke. Three hundred years in the celestial realm would be roughly three thousand years in the mortal world. Once you possess a yuan ying body, you can travel between the adjacent celestial realm and the asura realm through your mental world.”
“Ah, I see.”
The boy scratched his ear with an expression that clearly said, “Not this again.” Red Pine was exasperated by his disciple’s attitude, yet he continued the explanation.
“Ahem. If you obtain a heaven-and-earth-shattering opportunity and achieve a yuan ying body, go to the celestial realm and return the Seong-jin-geum-ru-ok-ui to the Taego Sect.”
“My Seong-jin-geum-ru-ok-ui?”
“Tsk! Why do you call the Taego Sect’s treasure your own? Do you think I would need to use a great technique to retrieve it?”
At the implication that Red Pine might kill him to take it back, the boy flinched. “Goodness! I was only speaking hypothetically. If such a day ever comes, of course I will return it.”
“Good. Do you have any more questions?”
“No, Master.”
“Very well. You and I will never meet again in the mortal realm. Live your one and only life without regrets.”
When Red Pine spoke as though they would never see each other again, the boy asked with a puzzled look, “Master, are you going somewhere?”
“Naturally. I must find Seok-je-ga and Yuk Yak-bin and return to the celestial realm. Once I leave, you should return the way you came.”
“Right now?”
“Right now.”
“Shouldn’t we leave this place first?”
“I never said I would walk out. I will depart through the mental world.”
“You mean straight from inside this underground tomb?”
Red Pine chuckled at his young disciple’s words. He had told too unrealistic a story to a boy whose mind was not entirely sound, so perhaps this reaction was only natural. If the boy witnessed his master ascending to the celestial realm with his own eyes, his reaction might change……
“Watch carefully how I leave.”
Red Pine raised the sword-finger seal of his right hand before his face. Moments later, a brilliant radiance burst from his entire body. The light gradually dimmed, then vanished in an instant.
“Huh? Master!”
The boy cried out in shock at the unimaginable sight. Yet nowhere in the layered tomb was Red Pine to be found.
“What……?”
The boy circled the stone coffin. The satchel lying on the floor and the open coffin proved it had not been a dream. But the fact that his master had turned into light and disappeared was beyond comprehension. The boy, who had been standing blankly, grabbed the diagonally leaning lid of the stone coffin with both hands.
“Hup!”
With a shout, he exerted his strength. The lid, nearly a ja (about thirty centimeters) thick, began to move slowly. Grind, grind, grind—thud! A heavy rumble echoed through the layered tomb. The boy looked at the stone coffin with eyes full of emotion. It was hard to believe that the same lid had not budged an inch when he had pushed it upon first arriving.
“Wait, he said to return the way I came.”
The boy leaped up the layered tomb steps in a single bound. After three jumps he reached the upper level and retraced the passage. Soon he arrived at the spot where he had fallen with the stepping stone. His eyes widened in astonishment. The ceiling that had been gaping open was now sealed, and on the wall before him was carved an image of a man holding a snake along with some characters.
“Huh? Where am I?”
Startled, he spun around, but to his shock the passage he had just walked through was gone. He now stood before a dead-end wall engraved with the image and characters. It felt as though he had been possessed by a ghost. The only difference from before was that he could now see the image and characters even in the darkness.
It must be because of the golden core!
After staring at the man in the image for a long while, the boy slowly turned around. Retracing his steps was easy. He quickly found the place where he had first awakened. Then he set off in the opposite direction—toward Byeongmachong.
***
When the boy spotted Byeongmachong in the distance, color returned to his face. But it lasted only a moment. As he walked without hesitation, he swallowed a groan in his heart.
Hmm……
Something felt strange. Until just now he had felt as though he were floating, yet the closer he drew to Byeongmachong, the heavier his mood became. This was the place he had lived and would continue to live, yet he could not understand why he felt this way. As he trudged forward, two large boys appeared before him. The boy approached them with a welcoming heart.
“Wait! Brothers, I have something to ask.”
At Dan Yeop’s call, Deung-pyeong and Jeon-jung, who had been walking, stopped in their tracks. A spark of interest flashed in the eyes of the two third-generation boys. Dan Yeop was speaking to them first? That had never happened in the past seven years. Though Dan Yeop was a first-generation disciple, even the second-generation disciples ignored him. A few months ago, he had even been beaten by Ma-geol, a fellow third-generation disciple. Was this person now trying to act like a senior?
Deung-pyeong, who had been thinking quickly, asked coldly, “What is it?”
“Do you know who I am?”
In an instant, Deung-pyeong’s face twisted. “Don’t tell me you’re complaining that we third-generation disciples didn’t greet a first-generation disciple?”
“No, I’m asking because you don’t seem to know who I am. Who am I?”
The atmosphere turned icy. At Dan Yeop’s words, Deung-pyeong and Jeon-jung exchanged glances. There was no way such nonsense was sincere—it was clearly a provocation. A sly smile appeared on Deung-pyeong’s face. After Ma-geol had beaten Dan Yeop, he had briefly become the center of attention among the third-generation disciples. Deung-pyeong had found that irritating, but now an opportunity had come to him as well. He dropped all pretense of respect.
“Why? Didn’t Instructor Dan teach you who you are today?”
It was obvious mockery, but the boy was more curious about who Instructor Dan was. “Who is Instructor Dan……?”
He had been about to speak casually as well, but held back since he did not know the full story. Mistaking Dan Yeop’s restraint for submission, Deung-pyeong spoke triumphantly. “Instructor Dan Bul-wi—your adoptive father.”
“Ah, my adoptive father. Then what is my name?”
Jeon-jung, who had been watching from the side, quickly jumped in, eager to join the fun. “Dan Yeop! People have been calling you the Stone Monkey so much that you’ve forgotten your own name? Damn, how pitiful.”
Only then did the boy learn who he was. “Aha! So I was Dan Yeop. From what you’re saying, I’m first-generation and you two are third-generation. The numbers probably refer to the order in which we entered Byeongmachong?”
Though his demeanor had shifted slightly, Jeon-jung failed to notice the subtle change. “Yeah. Don’t tell me you’re trying to act like our senior without knowing your place? You can get that treatment from the fourth-generation kids. Of course, there’s no guarantee they’ll actually give it to you. Heh heh!”