Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 166



Only Noblemtl

166. I, Mokhwiyeong (3)

There was silence between me and the old man. I was proud of this silence, but the old man must have felt embarrassed.

“… … .”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“My magic is for this brat… … .”

The old man muttered. His voice, which had been confident when he made the bet, was now shrunken and even distorted.

“Stop whining. You said you were going to answer my questions.”

“Tch, you’re whining?”

The old man had a shocked expression on his face, as if he had never expected to hear such words. He seemed like a very well-raised old man.

“Yes. By the way, is this a pre-order?”

“… … That’s right. Don’t you even know what you’ve learned?”

“The person who told me didn’t say much.”

“You are the one who taught me. Who can teach you the secrets of the sword? And if you were taught them, would you be able to learn them? If you have met the Sword Immortal, did you also learn the Heavenly Sword Technique?”

“Hey, you’re acting so prickly just because I was joking. You were so relaxed earlier.”

The old man flinched. He seemed embarrassed to have shown such a change in attitude to a friend who was much younger than him.

“Ugh, I lost face for a moment. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Anyway, it’s Seon-gi. I guess it’s the kind of energy that people who practice the Tao acquire.”

“That’s right. That’s why it’s usually practiced by hermits who are far removed from the secular world, but I wonder what kind of chance it was that gave you the opportunity to practice the sage technique.”

“I was lucky.”

I just brushed it off. Actually, I think it was just a coincidence that I met Hyunwol, so I guess I was lucky. But the old man seemed to be curious about something else.

“But the spirit of the ancestors is not something that can be learned just by being taught. It requires deep reflection and understanding of nature, the universe, and oneself. Are you really that kind of person?”

“I don’t know about reflecting on the universe, but I am constantly reflecting on myself.”

“Hmm. In my opinion, the person who taught me seems to be someone who is truly close to a divine being. Do you happen to know which person he inherited the affinity from?”

“Wasn’t it time for me to ask questions?”

The old man sighed in resignation.

“Okay. Ask me anything.”

“You said that the energy I have acquired is virtuous energy, but what happens if I refine my virtuous energy to the extreme?”

“You really don’t know anything about the Immortal. How could someone like you have learned the Immortal?”

The old man clicked his tongue as if he was frustrated. The explanation continued immediately.

“What is the spirit of immortality? It is the energy of a god. Of course, if you continue to learn the spirit of immortality, you will become an immortal.”

“Are you fresh?”

“It’s the end of the feathered ascent to immortality.”

“Isn’t that just nonsense?”

“Oh, that’s blasphemous.”

The old man frowned as if he was genuinely offended, but I didn’t really feel like apologizing. A fabled lantern? That’s just some ridiculous talk that only a pharmacist would say.

“Does the Uhwadengseon really exist?”

“That’s right. How could it not be?”

“Who made the fable? Is there anyone I should know besides a mythological figure?”

“Tsk tsk, listen. It’s called Uhwadengseon. It means to break free from the shackles of karma and connections. From the moment you achieve Uhwadengseon, all human beings’ memories of that person will inevitably be erased. After all, immortals are beings that humans cannot recognize.”

“That’s really convenient. That’s what they mean when they say that people who have been to the fabled temple don’t know.”

“Perhaps I did know. It was just a fable and was erased from my memory.”

I’m starting to really feel sorry for the old man now. He was, in my view, a crazy man suffering from delusion. Of course, I should have known since he started making strange jokes about Peng Chae-hyang.

I didn’t want to talk to this madman any more, but I couldn’t leave because he might give me a clue about Seon-gi.

“I see. I understand.”

“You don’t look convinced at all.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. Anyway, I’ve been practicing Seon-gi these days, but I don’t feel like I’m making any progress.”

After going around and around, we finally got to the main point. It really took a long time to get to the main point. When I brought up my sincere concerns, the old man soon returned to his serious expression.

“I wanted to talk about that.”

“The introduction was long.”

“What kind of training are you doing, and what is blocked?”

“I am practicing becoming one with space. The person who taught me said that I cannot perceive everything at once, so I should expand slowly. But I do not know how to expand slowly.”

Fortunately, the old man nodded, as if he had some idea about the matter.

“Hmm. That was the problem.”

“Do you know the answer?”

“I know the answer, but it’s not the answer for you.”

This time it was my turn to frown. I didn’t expect to hear the Taoist priests’ empty talk from the Habuk Peng family, not the Shaman faction.

The old man noticed my discomfort and immediately added:

“Words and words limit meaning. No matter what word I use to express it, you will perceive it differently, so it is not the answer.”

That was a topic I had discussed with my teacher, Cheonghwa. It was about the meaning contained in the word family.

“I see. So how do we find the answer?”

“Now that I hear your story, it seems like you understand the world through yourself. Then the power of perception extends from the inside out.”

“Isn’t that how it is?”

“No. I am the opposite. I understand myself through the world. Then the power of perception comes from the outside in. This is not the right answer. Everyone has a different way of perceiving.”

The old man’s words were muddled. Something seemed plausible, but at the same time, it sounded like nonsense.

“Then, from now on, I will ask you a question. Which do you think is more important, the principle or the energy?”

The question of Neo-Confucianism came up out of nowhere. Since I have read most of the classics, I was able to answer immediately.

“It is reason.”

“Why is that so?”

“This is as it ought to be, that is, as it should be. Chairs are made for sitting, and beds are made for lying down. It is not that we sit or lie down just by looking at the construction of chairs and beds that appear by chance.”

“I see. So you think you were born with a calling?”

“I was born to be a merchant.”

“You knew that from birth?”

“That’s not true. But even if the rock is hidden by the fog, it doesn’t mean that the rock isn’t there.”

I was just saying what was coming out of my head without any thoughts. This was beyond my thoughts, it was my way of living. The old man had brought me out of my unconsciousness.

“I see. So you are a merchant now?”

“Yes. It’s the top of the top.”

“As far as I know, he is also a disciple of the non-partisan faction?”

“Yeah… … .”

I stopped answering and looked at the old man. What he had just said was that he had known what kind of person I was from the beginning and had approached me. Our meeting was not a coincidence.

“You know me.”

“That doesn’t matter now. What matters is who you are.”

The old man’s words had a strange magic. I nodded without realizing it.

“Yes, that’s right. To answer your question earlier, I am a disciple of the Shamanist faction and also a warrior.”

“So there was one rock in the fog, one called Merchant and one called Muin? Weren’t there any other rocks?”

“that…….”

I was at a loss for an answer to the old man’s question. Up until now, I had lived believing in fate. I had no doubt that I was destined to become a merchant. That was why, even after returning, I once again entered the path of a merchant.

But this was something that changed a little in my second life. If I was born with the destiny of being a merchant, where did I, as a warrior, come from? If it was destiny, shouldn’t it have appeared from my first life?

“You only considered merchants as fate, but you don’t seem to consider warriors as fate. How did you become a warrior?”

“Somehow it happened… … .”

“There is no such thing in life. It is all about your choices.”

Certainly, it was not by accident that I became unmanned. It was entirely my own choice.

And depending on my choices, there were many things I could become other than a merchant or a drone. This was also a mindset that changed after becoming a drone.

Yes, martial arts has given me strength and has changed my entire life.

“That is not an easy problem.”

“yes?”

Only then did the old man’s serious expression disappear and he smiled brightly. Now I knew what I had to do.

I see the world through myself. So, I had to first grow my vessel. To grow my vessel, I need to reflect on myself. I have become a non-human and have changed considerably, so I am different from my previous life.

I nodded and gave the old man a lottery ticket. Since he was a man of martial arts, I paid him the appropriate respect.

“I think I need to take a moment to reflect on who I am.”

“You got the answer right. You’re so smart.”

The old man laughed heartily. This was definitely a coincidence for me. The old man kept asking questions and leading me to a topic. The answer was to look inside first before expanding the outside.

If the old man had just told me the answer, I would have probably gone around in circles. That was the kind of answer that had no meaning unless I realized it myself.

“You are wise, sir.”

“Haha. What’s so different? I just grew old like everyone else.”

“No. How many old fools are there who don’t live up to their age?”

I gave the old man a lift. As expected, there is no one who dislikes praise. The old man’s mood seemed to improve slightly.

“But how did you know?”

It is up to me to dig deeper. So I asked the question I had been wondering about. The old man smiled.

“I was curious. How much courage would it take to touch our Pangga alone?”

“yes?”

Just now, we called it Pengga. At that moment, the old man’s bones began to crack and his body began to grow. It was the study of the contraction of bones. When his shrunken body was fully straightened, the thick and spacious body characteristic of the Habuk Pengga appeared.

“Is there anyone… … .”

As I was about to ask, I felt someone approaching me quickly from a distance. I turned my head to check, and it was a familiar face.

By the way, there was only one face in Habukpangga that I was familiar with. Peng Chae-hyang.

I thought she had come to see me again, but I was mistaken. As soon as Peng Chae-hyang arrived, she yelled at the old man.

“Grandpa! I told you not to go!”

“Haha. My grandson has shown interest in a man for the first time, so as a grandfather, I have to find out.”

“What are you interested in! Stop acting like a fool and come out!”

Peng Chae-hyang grabbed the old man’s wrist and dragged him out. In his other hand, he was holding something that looked like a file. It looked like he had come in a hurry after doing something.

The old man laughed and was dragged away by Peng Chae-hyang.

Everyone in the guest house restaurant, including me, just stared blankly at this farce.

“You were the Supreme Lord, right?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while.”

The old man’s identity became clearer because of the words of those who seemed to have stayed for a long time. I was talking to the Taishang family head of Habuk Pengga. Then, it would be fair to say that he had Peng Chae-hyang in mind. There is no grandfather who does not care about his grandchild.

“I guess I’m the only weird one.”

I scratched my head. I don’t know why the Habukpengga Taesanggaju helped me. But there is nothing more worthless than digging into the world’s good intentions and interpreting their meaning. I decided to just gratefully accept the teachings.

I finished eating. Now it was time to go back and reflect on myself.

* * *

“Hehe. That kid was fun, wasn’t he?”

Peng Su-il smiled. However, Peng Chae-hyang stuck out her lips and showed that she was upset, and did not answer.

“Hyang-ah. Are you going to let Grandpa talk to himself?”

“Oh, what?”

“I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“I told you not to touch him for no reason. I’m just curious as a non-combatant opponent.”

This was why Peng Chae-hyang was angry. She had clearly told her grandfather, Peng Su-il, who was leisurely wandering around as the head of the Taesang family, to pay attention to Muk Hwi-yeong, whom she had brought.

However, the grandfather, who couldn’t do anything about his granddaughter, ended up going to see Mukhwiyeong, even using a gong. In fact, Peng Su-il also didn’t want to get scolded by his granddaughter, Peng Chae-hyang, so he tried to watch from afar.

However, upon closer inspection of Muk Hwi-yeong, it was surprising that he had such a keen mind at such a young age, and that was why Peng Su-il approached him. When they actually talked, it was clear that, although Muk Hwi-yeong’s speech was a bit rough, he had insight beyond that of a young man.

In addition, Mukhwiyeong, a disciple of the shamanist faction, used the Yuun sword technique and was even a Taegeuk swordsman. At first glance, his background was obviously not ordinary.

So, Habuk Pengga did not hold Mukhwiyeong responsible for destroying Peng Jinyeong, but instead put Peng Jinyeong in a disciplinary situation. Although he was a bit bothered by the fact that he had insulted Habuk Pengga, he judged that such remarks were something that could come out of the spirit of youth.

“Are you really not interested? She’s a decent person to date. The speed seems deep.”

“What are you dating? That’s nonsense.”

“If you don’t like it, then just break up. Who would point a finger at Habukpangga’s daughter?”

“Okay!”

Peng Su-il hinted at it, but Peng Chae-hyang was startled. Peng Su-il clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“What should I do since I’ve never met a man until that age? It must be my father’s fault for leaving me to black and white slaves since I was little.”

“No, that’s not it?”

Paeng Chae-hyang shouted. Paeng Su-il laughed heartily. As he grew older, Paeng Su-il found pleasure in teasing his granddaughter. Paeng Chae-hyang looked toward the guest house without realizing it, feeling irritated.

‘It’s true that it’s more comfortable than other men.’

Peng Chae-hyang couldn’t understand why she had such feelings for Muk Hwi-yeong.

Peng Su-il looked at his granddaughter with a smile.