Chapter 117: Wind-Thunder Wall (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 117: Wind-Thunder Wall (1)
"How peculiar. How can a person possess such a constitution?"
Since when had he been there?
I didn't sense his presence in the slightest.
A boy stood five paces behind Namgung Jun.
Even with his senses dulled from having just regained consciousness, he should not have failed to detect a presence at such a close range.
The boy's eyes, reflecting Namgung Jun's face, were incredibly deep and serene.
He had the youthful appearance of a fifteen-year-old, yet his gaze held the unfathomable depth of passing eons.
These two conflicting traits seemed utterly incompatible, yet they achieved a profound harmony within the boy.
As Namgung Jun locked eyes with him, he felt a strange sensation.
His body...
Though it was concealed beneath a worn, ash-gray Daoist robe, it was clear that the boy's physical form was entirely different from that of others his age.
His movements were ordinary, just a light shifting of his limbs, yet the surrounding air seemed to part and flow around him of its own accord.
It was as if he effortlessly shrugged off even the slightest friction and resistance of the atmosphere.
The ground was the same. With every step he took, the grassy field seemed to naturally nudge him forward.
As he took a few steps and stood quietly before Namgung Jun, he resembled a deeply rooted pine tree.
No matter what one did, it felt impossible to even imagine budging him from his spot.
Ah.
A miniature Taiji was alive and breathing right before his eyes.
Namgung Jun thought of the Wudang Sect Master, Jeong Hong.
Even Wudang's First Sword, one of the Five Great Masters under Heaven, had not reached such a state.
"This humble junior goes by the name Namgung Jun. May I ask for Senior's Daoist name or moniker?"
"Does every cloud in the sky have a name? It is enough for them to simply drift by."
Namgung Jun reflexively looked up.
Countless clouds, each with a different shape, hung in the sky.
Understanding the meaning behind the words, Namgung Jun quietly gazed at the boy.
As Namgung Jun stared, the boy spoke.
"You are not a disciple of the Wudang Sect."
"I am not."
"A formation has been laid here. To pass through it safely, one requires a key."
Pausing, the boy glanced toward Namgung Jun's chest.
"The key is inside your martial uniform."
Recalling the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip, Namgung Jun reached into his robes.
As the boy gave a slight nod, Namgung Jun politely offered the item to him.
Wuuung!
Held in the boy's hand, the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip flickered with a purple light and let out a clear, resonant hum.
Just as Namgung Jun's eyes widened slightly at this unprecedented phenomenon, the corners of the boy's lips curved into a faint smile.
"I see. Mount Wudang has incurred a debt to you."
Seeing the boy's faint smile, Namgung Jun had an intuitive realization.
The boy before him had grasped the entire situation just by holding the Purple-Spotted Bamboo Slip.
"Do you know where this is?"
"I do not."
"It is the Wind-Thunder Wall."
Namgung Jun's eyes widened.
The Wind-Thunder Wall.
The place where the Wudang Sect's Founding Patriarch, Zhang Sanfeng, had stayed just before his Immortal-Ascension.
It was also a forbidden ground of the Wudang Sect, where Zhang Sanfeng was said to have left behind his final Martial Insight.
Instinctively looking around, Namgung Jun quickly bowed in respect.
"Though it was unintentional, I have trespassed upon Wudang's forbidden ground. I shall leave immediately. If Senior would guide me to the way out, I will gladly follow."
"Leaving so soon? Do you not covet the Martial Insight of the Wind-Thunder Wall?"
Namgung Jun looked straight into the boy's eyes and replied firmly, "The martial path I have walked is not so shallow that I would covet the insights of another sect."
"Your answer is indeed the truth."
The boy murmured with amusement, as though he could perfectly discern the truth or falsehood in one's words.
There was no concrete proof, but Namgung Jun could tell from the boy's demeanor.
The boy possessed the ability to distinguish between sincerity and lies.
Naturally, Namgung Jun could not help but feel tense.
Is this the intuition of a Peerless Expert?
The intuition of a Peerless Expert who communed with Natural Qi was akin to foresight.
However, immediately discerning the truth of spoken words was not something just any Peerless Expert could do.
One's enlightenment would have to be so high and deep as to transcend the Five Qis Converging at the Origin and Reach the Peak and Attain the Ultimate to even attempt such a feat.
Even the Sword Emperor in his past life had not possessed an intuition like this boy's.
"Are you aware that you have suffered internal injuries?"
"Yes."
"Rest here before you go. Your yin and yang energies are completely warped; it seems your Yin Cold Qi will soon flare up violently."
Even though the boy had alluded to the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, Namgung Jun was not surprised.
He already knew from their very first encounter that the boy had seen right through his constitution.
If a flare-up occurs while I am already suffering from internal injuries, things could get out of hand. Moving hastily is not a good idea.
Namgung Jun thought of Lee Se-ha and the Heavenly Sword Hall.
If he had a way to contact them, he would have done so immediately to ease their worries, but since he couldn't, prioritizing his physical recovery was the most sensible course of action.
Master. I will return soon.
Namgung Jun nodded readily.
"If you will permit it, I shall rest here before I depart."
* * *
Three days had passed since he began staying at the Wind-Thunder Wall.
Namgung Jun focused solely on Qi Circulation.
This was because the boy had not shown himself since their conversation on the first day.
The senior had a reason for telling me to stay here.
The Wind-Thunder Wall was exceptionally rich in Natural Qi.
If an ordinary mountain held a Natural Qi value of one, the Wind-Thunder Wall had a concentration of eight or nine circulating through it.
Thanks to this, his recovery from internal injuries through Qi Circulation was incredibly rapid. Furthermore, his qi accumulation was so efficient that his mastery of the Spear King Azure Aura rose by a level.
Although his internal injuries were not yet fully healed, it was well worth spending more time at the Wind-Thunder Wall.
"Hmm?"
After finishing his Qi Circulation, Namgung Jun was taking a slow stroll deeper into the Wind-Thunder Wall when he spotted something.
Two graves with worn tombstones stood side by side.
The Grave of Jang Seon-bo.
The Grave of Jang So-yu.
Perhaps because they were located in the Wind-Thunder Wall, a place rarely trodden by humans, both graves were overgrown with weeds.
Namgung Jun stared at the two graves for a moment, then began rolling up his sleeves.
He tossed away the scattered stones and pulled out the waist-high weeds by hand to tidy up the area.
Though he did not know whose graves they were, as long as he was staying at the Wind-Thunder Wall, tending to them was a matter of basic courtesy.
It was just as Namgung Jun straightened his back after wiping away the moss that covered more than half of the tombstones.
Turning his head, he realized the boy was watching him from behind.
He couldn't even begin to guess how long the boy had been standing there.
I missed his presence again.
A competitive urge flared within him for a brief moment, but Namgung Jun shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Do you know those who rest here?"
"They were youths who were once the wind and thunder of the Wudang Sect."
The boy's voice was different from usual.
It was so warm that even the most insensitive person could instantly feel the deep affection carried in his tone.
Upon hearing the boy's answer, Namgung Jun realized something.
The reason this place was called the Wind-Thunder Wall was because of the two graves before him.
"In the Jianghu, they say it is called the Wind-Thunder Wall because Daoist Master Sanfeng summoned wind and rain to carve out the mountain."
"The ruffians of the Jianghu have always been prone to exaggeration. The Wind-Thunder Wall was not named for such a grandiose reason."
The boy stared intently at the two graves.
"It was simply to commemorate those two."
"Then is the rumor that Daoist Master Sanfeng left his final Martial Insight here also a lie?"
"What is so special about a martial insight? What can those who obsess over something like Zhang Sanfeng's final insight hope to gain? If a person is capable of attaining enlightenment just by reading a few lines of text, they would gain insight simply by looking at the hill behind their village."
As Namgung Jun gazed at the scenery of the Wind-Thunder Wall, the boy spoke again.
"Why did you tidy up these graves? It is not as if you have any connection to them."
"There is no particular reason. The moment I saw them, I simply felt it was the right thing to do."
"To act righteously through non-action. Is that your path?"
The boy's eyes began to take in both the two graves and Namgung Jun.
After staring at Namgung Jun for a long while, the boy finally let out a chuckle.
"Why do you laugh?"
"It is nothing. I was just reminded of some kids I missed."
The boy calmly continued.
"You had better prepare yourself."
"For what?"
"It seems the balance of your yin and yang will soon be disrupted."
Namgung Jun's eyelids twitched slightly.
How could the boy have sensed the flare-up of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian before he himself had even felt it?
Yet, Namgung Jun did not doubt the boy's words.
He was about to cross his legs to immediately begin Qi Circulation, but the boy stopped him.
"Can you still move even when your Yin Cold Qi runs wild?"
"To some extent, yes."
"Good."
Standing tall, as if he were the center of the world no matter where he stood, the boy widened his stance.
"Follow my lead."
The boy, who had been letting his hands hang loosely, began to move silently.
Centered on his gently descending right foot, the grassy field was quietly pressed down. The blades of grass bowed politely, and the ripples spreading from it seemed to stir the very air.
Shaaa!
His left foot swept smoothly across the ground like a gentle breeze. It showed no sign of lifting, as if the sole of his foot had taken deep root beneath the grass.
It was a tenacious footwork that seemed to grip the vast earth with his soles. Even as his feet stretched wide and his balance shifted, his body remained perfectly centered like a pillar.
Every single movement is infused with various principles.
As Namgung Jun mirrored the boy's movements exactly, sweat began to bead on his forehead.
The movements themselves were not difficult, but the principles hidden within each minor gesture were incredibly diverse.
To avoid missing even a single one, he had to heighten his physical senses to their absolute limit, as if he were facing a mortal enemy in a life-or-death struggle.
Then, the boy's mnemonic formula echoed.
[When you bite into a peach, its refreshing and sweet juice fills your mouth. The juice that flows down your throat invigorates the body, and you must draw circles, both large and small, to spread it to every corner of your form. The beginning is the Nine Palaces. As if creating nine small fruits to reconnect your severed body...]
It was not Voice Transmission.
The boy's intent pierced directly into Namgung Jun's mindscape.
Though startled, Namgung Jun maintained his composure and followed the boy's teachings.
[The scent of a peach, smelled after a long wait, uplifts the mind. This is vitality, and the warmth that will nurture you so you may heal quickly even when injured. If the countless circles remaining in your physical form spin endlessly, this warm vitality shall never cease.]
He continued to move his body while reciting the mnemonic formula in his mind.
Following the profound principles of the boy's formula, the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura began to circulate.
At the same time, the Yin Cold Qi of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian swelled and surged throughout his entire body.
He was on the verge of a flare-up.
Hmm?
In the past, a flare-up would have immediately triggered a physical reaction, forcing him into a desperate struggle to suppress the Yin Cold Qi.
But now, the situation was entirely different.
Following the boy's formula, his two internal energies—the Heavenly Thunder True Yang Formula and the Spear King Azure Aura—began to endlessly interlock with the Yin Cold Qi.
The opposing forces, which seemed destined to clash, gradually began to intertwine.
The energies of yin and yang were achieving harmony.
Taiji?
Even in his astonishment, Namgung Jun gradually became absorbed in the boy's teachings. The flare-up of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian was completely forgotten.
The boy's teachings repeated endlessly.
What followed was the formation of small circles within his physical body.
As the harmony of yin and yang was established, his physical form began to grow robust.
The teachings passed down by the boy—the mnemonic formula that made the body warm and strong—elevated his physical vessel.
Namgung Jun endlessly contemplated the movements and formula the boy had taught him.
He delved so deep that he lost all track of time.
Wuuung!
When the sunlight and moonlight had alternated seven times, the wave of qi emanating from Namgung Jun's entire body began to transform.
Above Namgung Jun's head, as he drew a large circle, three flowers bloomed in a sudden, vibrant burst.