Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 139



Only Noblemtl

139. Fate (3)

Hyunwol was sitting on the roof of the hermitage and looking at Mukhwiyoung. As soon as he disappeared, Mukhwiyoung’s eyes became sharp. The obedient and gentle appearance she had shown him until now was an act.

‘He’s a funny guy.’

At first, he wanted to surprise his disciple who had appeared after a long time. However, the disciple looked so serious that he was anxious, and he left the child on his shoulder in the hermitage. His expression was so serious that Hyunwol didn’t even feel like talking to him. Hyunwol’s attention naturally turned to the child that Cheonghwa had brought.

‘Who is that guy?’

Even if Hyunwol was practicing asceticism at Mt. Mudang while minimizing contact with people, he at least knew his disciples. They were children with the Taoist titles of Myeongseong, Myeonggyeong, and Myeongjin.

But the guy lying in that hermitage looked to be beyond his years. Even if Hyunwol had no sense of time, it was absurd.

Hyunwol sat quietly on the hermitage and waited for the guy lying there to wake up.

“Yaaaah!”

“You crazy teacher!”

And as soon as the guy woke up, he screamed loudly.

‘Aren’t you a shaman’s disciple?’

For a moment, Hyunwol was mistaken. Not all disciples of a shaman are the same, but even so, the shaman’s results were too different.

But seeing as he was called a crazy master, it was clear that he was Cheonghwa’s disciple.

Hyunwol was curious. After all, his disciple Cheonghwa was also a child who was somewhat outside the bounds of a shaman. And even Cheonghwa had never made absurd remarks like “crazy master” to him. Of course, he didn’t know what it was like behind his back, but he didn’t think Cheonghwa would be someone like that.

In this way, Hyeonwol followed Muk Hwi-yeong. Muk Hwi-yeong could not capture Hyeonwol’s new form that had created the realm of creation through persistent practice. The realm of creation was a state of unity between nature and the self, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to discern it.

However, the child named Muk Hwi-yeong was definitely not the culprit. He ran towards Jin-beop and swung his sword, and his skills were extraordinary, if not extraordinary.

‘Hoo.’

Of course, it was far from enough to break the formation. The formation surrounding Nam-am was designed for the purpose of blocking the masters who were possessed by the magic of money.

Despite that, Mukhwiyoung continued to swing his sword. What was surprising was that the child had already reached the realm of the Sword Ring, but what was even more surprising was that the sword contained an intention. Even the person swinging the sword seemed unaware of the fact that an intention was contained in it.

‘It just looks like a set of terms and conditions.’

The level of thought that goes into a sword varies from person to person, but most people start by putting their thoughts into it, even if it is only vaguely.

The reason why those below the peak cannot contain their thoughts is because they are not yet fully developed as humans. It is impossible to contain something that does not exist.

Only Hyunwol, who had reached the level of Harmony, could clearly discern this. Those with a good sense or those who had reached the peak of their power would be able to recognize that Mukhwiyeong’s sword contained his own thoughts, or in other words, his mind. This was because the swordsmanship was more free-spirited than what he had mastered.

However, only Hyunwol knew that it contained a spiritual body, that is, an intention.

‘Wouldn’t it take at least a thousand people to form that level of righteousness?’

The small fragments of thought contained within free-spiritedness, although different in size, are structurally self-similar, and their structures ultimately become the same as the overall structure. This is what is called a division.

‘It doesn’t seem like you have any experience as an unmanned person.’

Compared to the level of the idea, the sword was relatively crude. There is no royal road in the capital. If he had honed his sword until that idea was formed, it would have been at least super-high-end. However, Mok Hwi-yeong’s sword now seemed to be first-class.

What this means is that Mukhwiyoung’s ideas were achieved while doing other things.

Usually, thoughts gather, layer, and sediment to form meaning. Hyunwol thus saw through the fact that Mukhwiyoung had accumulated a great deal of thoughts and experiences, and unexpectedly read Mukhwiyoung’s past and even her age before returning. To Muin, the black spear was such a true image.

Hyunwol stuck out his tongue. Even his own disciple Cheonghwa had difficulty putting his mind to the sword. It was only when he reached a state of no-self that he could occasionally glimpse it. It was impossible to create a self that could be drawn out by a person without a certain amount of polishing.

‘What kind of monster have you brought, my disciple?’

If you have such a complete idea, you will achieve much more than others even if you are given the same amount of time and experience. The perspective that you can see from the experience is different.

If Mok Hwi-yeong continues to hone his martial arts skills and reaches the pinnacle of excellence, that pinnacle will definitely be different from others. Even if it is the same level, the depth will be vastly different.

Hyunwol felt her heart pounding. This was the first time she had seen this type of person since she had gone into seclusion to practice her religion.

‘Is this fate?’

Hyunwol decided to think that way. Since he was originally Cheonghwa’s disciple, it would be normal to leave it entirely to Cheonghwa, but for some reason, Hyunwol also felt like touching him.

He is not a genius who is common among the shamans. He is a heavenly being who came down to earth in a perfect state. He is a truly mysterious being. If you are not curious about him, you are not human.

But rather than just giving teachings, I had to get to know the person named Mukhwiyeong. Only by getting to know the person can I give teachings that are suitable for that person.

After finishing her thoughts, Hyunwol slowly began to reveal herself.

“Knock knock, knock. Who is it?”

That’s how Hyunwol’s search for the silent spirit began.

* * *

The inside of the formation was very narrow. It was visible at a glance from the roof of the hermitage. It was actually impossible to play tag in such a place.

But it’s a game of tag, and the tagger is nowhere to be seen. This is also a situation that doesn’t make sense. When two absurd situations overlap, it becomes a game of tag that makes sense.

Whew.

But Hyunwol didn’t suggest tag for nothing. There was absolutely nothing in sight or even in the air. Since they were in the middle of a cliff, the only thing that could be seen was the wind blowing.

“Grandpa! If you come out for a moment, I’ll give you a sugar reed! It’s sweet and delicious!”

In my experience as a merchant, older people like sweet foods. Sugar-coated fruit is a delicious snack for middle-aged people and a nutritious snack for older people. I don’t know if it’s nutritious, but anyway.

Whew.

The wind blew coldly again. There was no response. Perhaps because he was a monk, he seemed to be resistant to such temptations.

“Or a beautiful old lady who takes good care of herself… … .”

“Stop talking nonsense and just go find it. Time is still passing.”

A voice rang out within the formation. It was a cowardly word that used the Six Combatants’ spirit, whose origin could not be found.

“Ugh.”

I sighed deeply. It seemed like there was no way to trick anyone.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I figured that it would be quicker to feel the old man with my senses than to see him with my eyes.

Certainly, the senses could see more than the eyes could see. Grass swaying in the wind, and spring water that seemed stagnant but was still flowing. But there was no sign of human figures.

Eventually, I started digging around haphazardly. I used my lightness to roll through the bushes, tried to go into the spring, and tried to knock on the formation wall once more.

I calculated that one day I would get close to where Hyunwol was, and Hyunwol would continue to move even if she hid herself in nature, so I thought there would be no mistakes.

But that was a naive thought. The sun went down and the moon rose, and the moon went down and the sun rose again, until I didn’t even touch the collar of the moon’s coat.

His clothes were wet and covered in dirt and fallen leaves, making him look absolutely shabby.

“Half an hour left.”

The voice was heard again. Of course, it was the Six Combatants, so it could not be traced.

“Why does it look so distant?”

“I’m always looking for answers.”

“Confidence is nice to see. Even if it’s just lip service.”

The laughter was unlucky. I went up to the roof of the hermitage and sat cross-legged.

“Haven’t you already failed at trying to catch me with your senses?”

“Please be quiet.”

“Tsk tsk. You have absolutely no manners towards your master.”

“Respect is something that is shared mutually. I wonder what the expression on Sajo’s face will be like when I find him before half an hour has passed.”

“Take it. Catching me now is like catching a wave in the ocean.”

Those words brought a flash of light to my mind.

Catch the waves in the sea.

All streams and waves that are born and raised on the land go to the sea. However, the sea does not discriminate between the streams and waves and lines them up.

Streams of water coming from other lands inevitably go to the sea and become one wave. Wasn’t that the Manryu-Gui-Jong?

And that Manryuguijong was one of the talents I had. I simply used that talent to combine magic and spirit energy. But I may have been using that talent too narrowly.

“Sir, I have figured out how to catch waves in the ocean.”

“What?”

“Wouldn’t it be great if I could become the sea?”

“… … !”

I’ll give it a try. It’s something I’ve never tried before. Becoming one with nature? I’m not a monk, so I wouldn’t have thought of something like that.

And then I had an amazing experience. I could see where I was sitting as if I was looking down from a high place inside the formation.

The flow of nature was flowing very smoothly, but there was one place where it collided and turned around. That was the body of a person named Na sitting on the roof of the hermitage.

It was too dense a material for the waves of nature to flow through. If I wanted to let nature flow through me, I had to empty my body. So that everything could flow through me without going against me.

The natural energy that had been flowing over the mountain gradually began to penetrate my body. As if a levee had collapsed, my body, which had only allowed a few streams to pass through, began to pour out the natural energy.

I, too, have become one with nature in this formation. Of course, this was possible because it was within this narrow formation. The formation was a wall that prevented nature from flowing.

Even just containing the size of five rooms in this room seemed like my body was overloaded. But I had no idea what it would feel like to contain the entire world, or even the universe.

“That’s amazing.”

The voice rang in my ears. It was Hyunwol’s voice, filled with sincere admiration.

Only after I allowed my whole body to be in nature did I feel a new sense of energy. Now my body was not trapped in the flesh.

It could be a spring, a blade of grass, a tree, or even a hermitage.

As I took control of everything here, I naturally saw the crescent moon. It was a very slight difference, but where the crescent moon was, the flow of nature was slightly distorted. It seemed that it was also because I was not in a state where I could completely assimilate with nature.

When I opened my eyes, Hyunwol was standing in front of me with her arms crossed and looking down at me.

“You won the bet.”

The sun was standing tall over our heads. It was the position of the heavenly circle on a Go board.

Just before the bet was over, I found Hyunwol.