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chapter 47
Son Yu-baek continued speaking as he explained why he had brought Do-gyeom Hyunwi along.
“Hyunwi Do just went back today, but Hyunryeong Jo Mu-jin will probably order an investigation into you. You see, a Hyunryeong’s position is such that even a stone bridge must be tapped before crossing.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I trust that you have no connection to Cheon-ryeon. Please, don’t betray my trust.”
Son Yu-baek fixed his blazing eyes on Dan-yeop.
If Dan-yeop were connected to Cheon-ryeon, Son Yu-baek himself could be accused of treachery.
“Absolutely not.”
“I believe you.”
It wasn’t just empty words.
If Dan-yeop were involved with Cheon-ryeon, he wouldn’t have handed over Gwak-jin’s scroll to him.
“What is that scroll?”
Dan-yeop showed interest in the scroll.
Since he was already entangled with Cheon-ryeon, he needed to know what it was.
“It contained Cheon-ryeon’s scriptures. At the end of the text, Cheon-ryeon’s emblem was even stamped for all to see.”
“Scriptures?”
“Yes. Part of the stories of Nok-yeo in the Jabbojanggyeong (Miscellaneous Treasures Sutra, about the Buddha’s past lives) is included in Cheon-ryeon’s scriptures.”
“What is the story of Nok-yeo about?”
“Long ago, a female deer drank the urine of a sage and gave birth to a woman of subtle and delicate appearance. Wherever she stepped, lotus flowers would bloom. King Beom-yeong made her his second wife, and when she became pregnant, she bore a thousand lotus flowers. Within these thousand lotuses were a thousand children, all of whom grew into mighty warriors. Cheon-ryeon is believed to be those thousand sons—the thousand Buddhas of the present era—where the father is Jeongban-wang (the Buddha’s father) and the mother is Lady Maya.”
“Interesting.”
“The Buddhist scripture is entertaining, but Cheon-ryeon’s own texts are terrifying.”
“Why?”
“The thousand Buddhas of the current era represent a thousand Buddhas appearing in this world to guide it. Understand?”
“So Cheon-ryeon is those thousand Buddhas?”
“Exactly. But they interpret the ‘current era’ differently.”
“You don’t mean the ‘current era’ as a time of crisis, do you?”
“Why not? The Jabbojanggyeong is full of allegories. And allegories…”
“Are open to interpretation.”
“Correct. Cheon-ryeon interprets it as the ‘thousand Buddhas of the present era,’ meaning ‘a thousand Buddhas who will overcome the crises of the present world.’ Not necessarily wrong—that’s a noble intention, after all.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that they believe the thousand Buddhas can save sentient beings only after a thousand calamities occur.”
“Whoa! They’re planning to create a thousand disasters?”
“Exactly. Only after the thousand great calamities appear will the thousand Buddhas manifest to save the people. Those thousand Buddhas are the thousand lotuses, Cheon-ryeon.”
“So it’s like giving a disease and then the cure.”
“Haha, one could see it that way. Thinking back to the calamity twenty years ago, imagining a thousand more disasters makes me shudder.”
“Will Cheon-ryeon save people from these disasters?”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
“How so?”
“They always side with the weak, absolutely. They prioritize natural law over human laws like those in the Yullyeongjipseong you read earlier. Evildoers simply perish.”
Dan-yeop muttered inwardly, “Hmm, not bad.”
“But in that process, Cheon-ryeon also enacts vengeance. Many perish swept away while punishing evil, and they treat it like a natural disaster. Like standing next to a jagged rock when lightning strikes.”
Dan-yeop frowned.
Even he admitted it seemed problematic.
“Today, you’ll learn a lot from Lord Son.”
“Anyway, I said that to warn you to stay safe for now. Hyunryeong Jo will be watching you.”
“I’ll be careful.”
“By the way, have you promised marriage or do you have someone in your heart?”
“Not yet.”
Dan-yeop, the genius, truly had no one, unlike the simple Dan-yeop who might have said yes.
Son Yu-baek suddenly jumped in.
“Good. How about my granddaughter as your companion?”
“My granddaughter? You mean Miss Son?”
“Yes. My granddaughter, a girl unmatched anywhere. Not only academically brilliant, but skilled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting—called the Three Arts Beauty of Chang’an. I’ve never found anyone suitable for her until now…”
“Uh, I’m sorry, but I’m not looking to court anyone yet.”
Dan-yeop’s firm refusal made Son Yu-baek’s eyes widen.
His granddaughter was virtuous and beautiful, and matchmakers never stopped calling. And he rejected her outright…
“Hmm, just asking, but you only like…”
“I only like women.”
“I thought so. No one as fine as you could be different. Then, when do you plan to start courting someone?”
Son Yu-baek, liking Dan-yeop too much, pressed him further.
Even without his daughter-in-law’s urging, he didn’t want to let Dan-yeop go.
“I’ll be honest. I’m currently mastering Dongja-gong, which I happened to learn during my wandering. Once I master it, then I’ll consider a woman.”
Son Yu-baek blinked at the absurdity.
“I heard Dongja-gong is hard to master… Is there a reason you must learn it?”
“A man who draws his sword must at least try cutting radishes with it.”
“Hmph, understood. Very well. Tell no one, even my daughter-in-law. But promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“When you master Dongja-gong, show it to me. Not that you must keep my granddaughter, just… I believe with your talent, you could master it in a few years.”
A few years? That was manageable.
Dan-yeop nodded unknowingly at Son Yu-baek’s pleading gaze.
“I’ll do that.”
But he didn’t expect much.
If Son Yu-baek knew he belonged to Haomundo, he would retreat first, just like the Nabu-gang siblings. Even minor nobles kept distance, so imagine high officials’ families.
Son Yu-baek’s face brightened with a smile at Dan-yeop’s promise.
“Don’t forget. The Son family’s stubbornness is unmatched by heaven itself.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
And so, the old man and the young boy made a promise with no set date.
The next day.
Early in the morning, a messenger arrived at the annex to deliver a letter to Dan-yeop.
Opening the sealed letter, Dan-yeop smiled.
[Please collect the spices you ordered by 9 a.m. on December 20, as the store will be closed on the 21st.]
The 20th is tomorrow.
It meant that he would be appointed Gyo-du (sect leader) in front of the disciples tomorrow.
The thought of meeting Baek Yoo-hwa made his heart race.
As he placed the letter in the brazier to burn it with a firestarter, Si-bi came cautiously.
“Dan Gongja, the master requests that you join him for breakfast.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seeing the letter burn, Dan-yeop hurriedly rose.
Thanks to Simma, he received special treatment, though it felt awkward.
The middle-aged steward took such care of him, it felt like a mother tending to a cherished child.
Sometimes she cared more than his own elder brother, Son Ji-heon, which embarrassed him.
The more she cared, the sterner Ji-heon’s gaze became. But there was nothing to be done.
Might as well eat well while staying in the annex.
Inner Hall.
Dan-yeop politely greeted Son Yu-baek and the middle-aged steward before sitting.
Getting used to it, he no longer felt awkward among the Son family.
As he reached for his chopsticks, Son Yeon-hwa quietly poured tea into his cup.
Dan-yeop smiled awkwardly and nodded.
Son Yeon-hwa’s fair face flushed like peach blossoms.
Seeing this, Son Ji-heon teasingly said,
“Yeon-hwa, fill my cup as well.”
Flustered, Yeon-hwa tried to pick up the teapot, but the steward gently stopped her.
“Yeon-hwa, you don’t pour tea for just anyone.”
Annoyed, Ji-heon retorted,
“Mother, why isn’t he just anyone? Dan Gongja can have tea, why not me?”
“Dan Gongja is grandfather’s precious guest; you are not. You mustn’t try commanding others yet.”
“Ha! That’s unfair. Not anyone… Yeon-hwa is my sister, and Dan Gongja is…”
Son Yu-baek interrupted.
“Ji-heon.”
“Yes, grandfather?”
“How’s your study at the National Academy?”
“Uh… fine…”
“Are you learning the Chunqiu Samjeon from that scholar?”
“Yes…”
Entering the real topic, Ji-heon’s voice dropped.
Aiming for a military career, he was weak in academics.
“Eat quietly, can you do that?”
“Yes…”
He hung his head, chewing reluctantly.
Perhaps he should rent a room at the guesthouse.
That night.
Dan-yeop took his horizontal sword and went to the annex’s backyard.
Practicing martial arts there, he would not be seen from the main hall.
“Tomorrow will surely bring a lot of attention.”
Thinking of the fellow disciples from the Byungma Tomb made his mouth bitter.
He wanted to show his best in front of Baek Yoo-hwa.
Haomun’s Jin Samdae Do법 (Three Great Sword Methods) was now so ingrained, he could perform it with eyes closed.
But that alone was not enough.
He needed to overwhelm the disciples so they wouldn’t dare challenge him.
He slowly moved his Tao.
Perhaps it was the determination born from a different kind of emotion than usual.
The white Tao energy shimmered across the blade of the horizontal sword.
Swoosh―.
Even the wind cutting sound was unusual.
Dan-yeop gradually entered a state of selflessness.
His single-minded devotion to Baek Yoo-hwa became a single thought, which flowed into the Uninterrupted Continuum.
The Uninterrupted Continuum is a state where single mind and single thought persist endlessly.
Dan-yeop of Dunjai sought to surpass the limits on his own.
It was a different realization from the naive Simma or the self-proclaimed prodigy Dan-yeop.
Tsst-tsst―!
The Tao energy along the sword blade sparked like fire.
Dan-yeop’s sword dance evoked a poignant feeling, perhaps because of his slightly subdued expression.
That night, Son Ji-heon, battered by his family, could not sleep.
Finally, he threw off the blanket and went for a night walk.
From “Why was I born?” to “Where do people go after death?” strange sounds reached his ears.
It sounded like a firestarter sparking or silk being sliced by a sword.
Hearing such an unfamiliar sound, Ji-heon returned to the annex.
And saw it.
Under the crescent moon, a dazzling, dreamlike sword dance.
Each swing ignited Tao energy like flames.
Tsst-tsst―!
“Whoa! How can anyone perform such martial arts!”
He had seen Dan-yeop with a sword before, thinking him just a flashy kid.
He had studied at Hyeonmugwan for three years, never seen anything like this.
Even after two years of private tutelage under a famous elder of the Zhongnan Sect, same result.
“Dan-yeop… no, Dan Hyung… no, Master Dan…”
At that moment, Son Ji-heon vowed, hidden in the shadows of the annex, to regard Dan-yeop as his master.
