34. Promise (4)
Promise (4)
34. Promise (4)
The Spirit Vessel Art required a much longer incantation and far more time than the Spirit-Summoning Art. Only after I spent nearly three full minutes flipping through the Spirit-Binding Art and reciting without pause did Elder Hwangseong's form scatter like smoke and settle into the White Feather Fan. This shit took forever.
—Old Man. Did it work?—
—Of course! At last, I'm free from being an earthbound spirit and can go anywhere now.—
The Spirit-Summoning Art, Soul-Ascension Art, Spirit Vessel Art, and Spirit Possession Art were all parts of the Spirit-Binding Art, a Taoist system that had existed only in theory and had never once been realized. For now, I could breathe a sigh of relief that it had worked. If it had failed, I would have had to begin reciting a four-thousand-eight-hundred-character incantation from memory on the spot.
—Then try moving on your own. The weather is growing warm, so give me a nice cool breeze.—
—Must you make your patriarch do such things to be satisfied? You insolent brat.—
Despite his words, Elder Hwangseong, the creator of the Spirit-Binding Art, tested the Spirit Vessel Art's performance with a voice even more fascinated than my own. The fan resting on the table rose as if held by a person and began fanning me.
—Is the wind your patriarch fans for you truly refreshing?—
—Hmm. It feels a bit stuffy because there's so much dust in here. Anyway, it moves exactly as you intended, so let's finally try the Soul Descent Art.—
I'd never used the Soul-Ascension Art, but its incantation was far longer than the Spirit Vessel Art's. The Soul Descent Art, by contrast, had an extremely short incantation—barely about twenty characters. The moment I recited the Soul Descent Art's brief incantation, I felt a vague sense of foreignness in my body.
"Huh! How astonishing! A dead man's spirit can enter a living person's body like this. Truly remarkable!"
Words that came not through spirit conversation but through my own voice. Overcome with emotion, Hwangseong moved my hands this way and that, experiencing the sensations of a physical body. Even with his soul placed into my body through the Soul Descent Art, I couldn't read his thoughts.
—You can talk this way too, right?—
—Indeed. Still, since it's truly been so long since I've had a body, I wanted to speak real words through your mouth.—
OK. I didn't have to worry about being treated like a lunatic talking to himself in front of other people.
The old man moved my body this way and that. When I resisted, however, my will took priority over Hwangseong's. He'd been a Daoist among Daoists and had supposedly designed the art around the principle that no Daoist should ever be controlled by a ghost. Like the Three Laws of Robotics created in the twentieth century, Hwangseong had established safety principles for later techniques while developing the system. Though he could be a scatterbrained old fool, he really was an impressive researcher.
—Say, would it be all right if I left the library like this and walked around Yeongsan Sect a little?—
I couldn't read his thoughts, but I felt the depth of his longing. When I opened the door, Hwangseong walked through the Yeongsan Sect he'd founded nearly eighty years ago as though two people were steering one body, his steps trembling. I expected him to chatter in emotion or remorse, but he silently circled the entire sect. He gazed at the Senior Sisters still wearing patched rags, the Great Clarity Palace on the verge of collapse, and the beggar's-den fence repaired with tree branches.
—So this was what became of it. Now I understand. I finally understand why you resented me. It was all my fault. If I was going to leave my disciples a sect this wretched, I should never have founded Yeongsan Sect.—
—What can you do about it now? We simply have to revive it, even at this late stage. Master, the Sect Leader, has already given up. But I haven't. With the Spirit-Binding Art you left behind, Elder, we can raise Yeongsan Sect again.—
—...Thank you.—
Even though it was a spirit conversation, I somehow felt that he was choking up. The Soul Descent Art was dispelled the very instant I willed it. Hwangseong's soul instantly returned to the White Feather Fan, and now all the experiments were finished.
—Say. There's one thing I'd like to ask.—
A quiet voice came from the White Feather Fan.
—You said your name was Baek Eun-hyeok, yes? If you've become a Taoist, it would be proper to bear a Taoist title. Could it be that your master isn't a Taoist himself and thus couldn't bestow one upon you?—
—No. After the second-generation Sect Leader, Yeongsan Sect became a half-abandoned motley group that had given up not only on martial arts, but halfway on its Daoist tradition as well. The custom of using Daoist titles disappeared by then.—
Hwangseong's sigh echoed in my heart. More than the Yeongsan Sect that had collapsed as a martial sect, the words that it was a ruined Daoist lineage that didn't even use Taoist titles seemed to have gouged his heart.
—It is all my karmic retribution. I was never worthy of immortal ascension. Still, it's fortunate. Since I failed to ascend and you completed the Spirit-Binding Art, you and I—the two of us? No, one person and one ghost—must now raise Yeongsan Sect again, even if we begin only now.—
—Isn't that what I've been saying all along?—
—Yes. But as you know, I have no talent for providing powerful martial arts. That will be your responsibility from here onward. At least as a Daoist, however, I will do everything I can to revive Yeongsan Sect as an orthodox Daoist sect descended from Maoshan. As the first step, I'd like to bestow a Daoist title upon you.—
—Huh? A Taoist title? Now, of all times?—
—Whatever your own frame of mind may be, haven't you already resolved to raise Yeongsan Sect as a Taoist going forward? You are already a Taoist. The sole Taoist of Yeongsan Sect. If a person such as you has no Taoist title, who under heaven would recognize our Yeongsan Sect as a Taoist sect?—
Hmm... I hadn't thought of that. A Taoist title was definitely a kind of calling card for a Taoist. A whelp without even a business card starting a venture—no one was going to invest.
—Yeongmok. A tree that puts down roots in Yeongsan Sect and stands firm even if a landslide strikes, and that makes a great shade where the followers of Yeongsan Sect may rest. You are both root and fruit. The fruit that inherited everything of Yeongsan Sect by mastering the Spirit-Binding Art and that Yin-Yang Art of yours, and the root from which all future descendants of Yeongsan Sect shall receive your teachings. What do you think? Yeongmok?—
Whoa. On top of Taoist arts like the Spirit-Binding Art and various rituals, things like the Four Pillars of Destiny and the Naming Art seemed to be the old man's specialties as well. Honestly, I liked the explanation far more than the Taoist title Yeongmok itself.
—Thank you.—
—No, I am the one who is grateful, Yeongmok. Not only did you fulfill my long-cherished wish, you've given me a second chance like this even after death.—
I'd performed the ceremony, worn the Taoist robe, and mastered the Taoist art called Spirit-Binding Art, becoming a Taoist, but now, having acquired the White Feather Fan and a Taoist title, I truly felt for the first time that I had become a Taoist.
—There's something else I should tell you. I only learned it after taking residence in the White Feather Fan, but I can feel Divine Power now. If I borrow your strength, Yeongmok, I believe I can use the Spirit-Binding Art as well.—
—Really?—
This was tremendous news. Having to drone through essentially meaningless incantations for dozens of minutes was an enormous nuisance. My Divine Power was limitless anyway, and now the old man could solve both the truly lengthy Soul-Ascension Art, which I hadn't yet tried, and the need to carry the book whenever I used the Spirit Vessel Art.
—Then, Old Man, I'll leave it to you.—
—However, I've also grasped the Spirit Vessel Art's weakness. The Spirit Vessel Art could only be used within your line of sight.—
Hmm. I'd expected that. The Spirit Vessel Art allowed an object to move autonomously, but it would have been absurd if its operating range had no limit. Otherwise, I could collect hundreds of farmers' souls, place them in farming tools, and create an automated plantation in the fifteenth century. Learning that it was limited to my field of vision was more valuable than I'd expected.
Now all my worries were over. Master's impatient anxiety had faded, and Jeong-hyang had become my lover, sharing affection with me every dawn. Son Yeong steadily advanced with her new Treasured Sword and Snow-White Sword despite the harsh circumstances, while Lee Eun-ha's liquor ripened little by little. And of course, Cho-ryeong was always adorable. My only disappointment was that, contrary to what I had imagined, ghosts weren't very common. Hwangseong, now residing in the White Feather Fan, used the Spirit-Summoning Art while I walked throughout Yeongsan Sect and confirmed that no other spirit remained there.
"Master. It's embarrassing, but I've decided to use a Taoist title from now on. Yeongmok. That is my Taoist title."
By now I'd grown close to everyone in the sect, and two of them had even shared love with me, yet eating at the same table remained strictly forbidden. While I ate, the four Senior Sisters—or five women including Master—stood respectfully behind me and waited until I finished. This time I waited for them to eat, and only when tea was served could we sit face-to-face at one table. I liked Lee Eun-ha's mugwort tea, but the others, as people of the Central Plains, preferred real tea. As we drank cheap tea together, I revealed my Daoist title.
"A Taoist title? That's wonderful. Reverend Yeongmok."
The first to react was Jeong-hyang. Even if I'd made my Taoist title Dog Turd, right now she'd still gaze at me lovingly with those infatuated eyes of hers.
"It is a fine Taoist title. But does one ever bestow a Taoist title on oneself?"
Fortunately, Master had no particular objection.
"Actually, while I was training in the Taoist arts in the library, I met the spirit of the founder, Reverend Hwangseong. It is a Taoist title bestowed by the patriarch."
"Oh, there you go making things up again because we aren't Daoists. Do as you please, Disciple."
Naturally, Master thought I was joking. She showed a slightly sulky expression.
"Master. Our junior brother is not someone who speaks falsehoods. The patriarch's spirit must truly have appeared for our sake."
Unlike the playful Master, Son Yeong spoke with a perfectly serious face... Uh, I did lie now and then. Not often, but certainly sometimes.
"Junior Brother. Do ghosts really exist?"
Cho-ryeong, her eyes big with worry, grabbed my sleeve and asked with a troubled face.
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. Ghosts definitely exist, but there's a Taoist here too, isn't there?"
"Ah. That's true, is it not? Phew... What a relief."
Cho-ryeong steadied her startled heart and let out a cute sigh of relief.
"I'm not sure about the founder's spirit, but I think using a Taoist title would be good. You'll be presiding over a huge expedition ceremony at the Murong Clan next month, and if you're a Taoist without a Taoist title, people might think it strange."
Lee Eun-ha was the one who thought the most like me. This casual conversation over tea felt truly happy to me. Even when I was at Baek Clan Estate, I'd mostly spent my time drinking tea or liquor alone in a melancholy state. This light, soft, gentle mood felt more joyful than anything.
"By the way, Reverend Yeongmok. The Murong Clan's expedition ceremony prays for safety and fortune in battle before its young scions leave for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering at the Martial Alliance in Henan, correct? Since Yeongsan Sect is also sending you outside to undertake a great task, even if ours isn't an official expedition ceremony, would we not lose face if we failed to hold at least a modest send-off?"
Lee Eun-ha playfully called me Reverend Yeongmok and brought up the topic.
"Let's see. If we had at least liquor, meat, and some delicious fruit, even we who are not Taoists could joyfully see off the reverend."
Glances were exchanged swiftly. Since it was an opportunity like this, if I bought liquor and meat, they'd prepare a generous spread for me. So, please loosen your purse strings. That was the message in Lee Eun-ha's eyes. Come to think of it, the liquor she'd brewed still had a long way to go before it matured, and we'd never once enjoyed alcohol at Yeongsan Sect.
"C-could we not have candied fruit?"
Cho-ryeong asked wistfully. No matter how close the village was, it still took several hours to cross the mountain, so candied fruit seemed out of the question. The sweets of this era weren't the hard-coated tanghulu of the twenty-first century and would not travel well.
"Junior Sister, I can make sweets too. If only we had sugar or malt syrup."
Lee Eun-ha used adorable Cho-ryeong as her opening and gave me a meaningful look.
"Really?"
Even without Cho-ryeong's bright smile, this was the kind of gathering I wanted. Just as they wished for my safe journey to Shenyang, I wanted them to remain safe and well while I was gone.