Chapter 1353
It’s just the way it turned out. (3)
Paaaaat!
The surrounding landscape distorted and stretched out. Chung Myung, hitting the ground and accelerating even faster, shoot forward.
‘Is it this way?’
With a slight furrow of his brow, Chung Myung adjusted his direction and accelerated further.
A sharp scent lingering at the tip of his nose guided him.
Following that scent, vivid memories of past conversations flooded his mind as if they happened yesterday.
⁃ I don’t need this kind of thing, you know?
⁃ Just learn as you’re told. Once you’ve learned it, there are many ways to use it.
⁃ I’m not a dog, why should I learn how to sniff out things?
⁃ When you’re sniffing out alcohol, there’s no one better than a dog.
⁃ Well, what’s this?
A faint smile formed at the corner of Chung Myung’s mouth.
Amidst the strong scent of grass, the unmistakable fragrance of the Incense that Follows for Thousand Li [만리추종향(萬里追從香) – manli-chujong-hyang] permeated the air.
Incense used to track people by Haomun or Beggars. Those who have learned the appropriate light arts do not miss this scent. Even if one couldn’t catch a whiff of it from thousands li away as its name suggested, those skilled in specific tracking techniques could pursue their target effortlessly for tens of li without fail.
‘I made the right call receiving this in advance from Lord Tang.’
Sure, he had to endure Tang Gunak’s unsettling gaze when he handed over the incense, but the worth of the toil and the risk it would save him made it worthwhile.
Knowing that the scent was with stupid Dong Ryong, there was no need to worry about losing the trail. Simply following the scent would naturally lead him to the group.
Without slowing his pace, Chung Myung glanced down at his hand. After clenching and releasing it a couple of times, he nodded in satisfaction.
Despite fighting for quite some time with this weak body, Chung Myung didn’t feel tired. Instead, he felt his strength surging even more. If his condition upon emerging from the cave was only seventy percent compared to his peak, now it was at least eighty percent.
‘Better than I expected.’
Of course, Chung Myung had experienced the benefits of his Taoist power flowing within him. The exceptional ability to heal and recover, allowing him to fight on even after countless wounds and near-fatal injuries, was undoubtedly thanks to the remarkable efficacy of his Taoist background.
But now, the speed at which his body was recovering surpassed even Chung Myung’s expectations.
With each swing of his sword and each draw of his inner energy, the pure energy within him pushed out impurities and debris, naturally restoring his battered body. It was as if nature itself was repairing his dwelling.
‘It’s nature [자연(自然)]…’
The purest energy in the world could also mean the energy closest to nature. In that case, it makes sense. After all, nature is inherently like that. Even if it crumbles and collapses, with time, it naturally returns to its original form, doesn’t it?
Yes, just like Hwasan now.
Thud!
Chung Myung’s foot lightly touched the ground. Though he exerted little force, the energy flowing through his legs lifted his body effortlessly.
It was a peculiar sensation.
His body leisurely moved forward as if taking a stroll, yet the visible world around him raced by at an incredible speed. In this moment of coexistence between two incompatible sensations, all the senses he had naturally relied on became tangled and ambiguous.
Boom!
With each step, his body accelerated even faster.
Before long, Chung Myung’s eyes, now reaching speeds invisible to the naked eye, gradually lost focus.
‘A person is also a part of nature… But any action imbued with intent is inherently artificial. Nature rejects artificial things and returns to its primordial state. Therefore, nature excludes humans.’
In his unfocused gaze, something inexplicably profound began to manifest.
‘But… If humans are part of nature, then human will is also the will of nature. Why then reject that will as artificial? Actions driven by will and those without. Even animals have will in their actions…’
His thoughts flowed like water, their beginning and end indistinguishable. The stream of thought, with its inscrutable currents, soon enveloped him like a mighty river. As his senses expanded, they also became muddled, and as the world became clearer, it also became more obscure.
The boundary between oneself and the world continued to blur.
Flowing and flowing. But ultimately, that flow returns to its origin.
The form of the Taiji symbol, where yin and yang meet. Yet, that form soon distorts back into the shape of a warped circle.
‘A circle is equality. It has no beginning, no end, endlessly continuing. Life is both an end and a beginning, a conclusion and a continuation…’
“Huh?”
Chung Myung’s eyes widened in a moment of realization. Blinking a few times, he his face became distorted.
“Wow, damn it! I missed it!”
Just now, he clearly entered the realm of enlightenment. But he couldn’t recall when was the last time he set foot in that realm.
Attaining enlightenment is akin to transcending a barrier, an achievement beyond measure for a martial artist.
In the pursuit of martial arts mastery, one encounters two types of barriers: those of the body and those of the mind. While Chung Myung’s body may not have reached its peak, clear evidence suggests his mind is delving deeper beyond what it was in the past. However…
“Huh?”
But why did it shatter so easily?
Enlightenment typically isn’t something easily broken once achieved. Usually, one feels a sense of inadequacy at the end of contemplation and must retreat on their own, right? Yet now, it feels as if something is forcibly blocking…
Tap. Tap.
Chung Myung’s toe tapped into thin air.
Only then did Chung Myung realize that nothing had been beneath his feet all along. The vast expanse of sky stretched out before him, a revelation that came belatedly.
“The sky…?”
The ground sprawled out below. And behind him, a sheer cliff, carved and jagged, loomed, a testament to his unconscious journey.
He must have leapt from there all the way to here. Quite a distance indeed…
“Aaaaah! You madmaaaaan!”
Chung Myung’s body plummeted rapidly, flailing helplessly.
But no matter how much he struggled, there was nothing to grasp, nowhere to reach. How could he possibly catch hold of a cliff that was now more than thirty jang away? He wasn’t Sun Wukong, after all.
“Eeeeeeeek!”
As the ground rushed closer at breakneck speed, Chung Myung hastily expelled his inner strength in all directions, hoping to create some resistance and slow his descent even slightly.
Then, in Chung Myung’s eyes, a thick pine branch loomed into view. His gaze flashed with determination.
‘I have to grab onto it!’
With a powerful kick into the void, Chung Myung pushed his body sideways, stretching his hand out as far as he could. The moment his fingertips made contact, he snatched the thick branch in one swift motion.
‘There… got it…’
Snap!
“Huh?”
Whirrrrrrr!
Finally, Chung Myung’s body crashed painfully into the ground, trembling pitifully before slumping down.
Thud.
The broken pine branch fell carelessly next to him.
Fortunately, he hadn’t died, as evidenced by the forceful sneeze that erupted from his nose. Dry dust puffed up around him.
“Ugh…”
Struggling, he propped himself up with both hands and lifted his face from the ground. The blood from his nose fell on the ground freely.
Although the tree branch had broken, it had at least slowed his descent. Whether that could be considered fortunate was debatable.
“Ugh…”
Adjusting his crooked nose and wiping away the blood, Chung Myung sighed heavily. The red blood plopped onto the ground as he sat there with a despondent expression.
“This…”
They say an unlucky person will break his nose even if he falls backwards, but because he is unlucky, even if he comes to enlightenment, he falls off a cliff…
“If I attain enlightenment twice, will I really depart to the nether world! Does this make sense? This?”
He had wanted to attain enlightenment, not to plunge straight into the abyss!
“Why does enlightenment come in the midst of running?”
Chung Myung scratched his head in frustration.
If only it hadn’t been a cliff in front of him, he might have been able to grasp onto something. But the sudden appearance of the cliff had forcefully ejected him from enlightenment. The more he thought about it, the more his stomach churned.
Of course, Chung Myung knew better than to cling to that fact. Enlightenment would come again in due time, there was no need to dwell on it. By constantly lamenting and clinging, one only pushes enlightenment further away.
He understood. He understood it very well. The problem was…
“Oh no! What a waste!”
Chung Myung rolled on the ground, frothing at the mouth in frustration.
Even if he claims to understand everything, would that really be Chung Myung? Even if he knew, his guts were still twisting, that’s Chung Myung.
Sure, he couldn’t just instantly regain his past achievements or ascend to the highest realms of enlightenment just because he’s a bit further along mentally now. But still, things should have become a bit easier!
“Why does there have to be that damn cliff! That’s why they should just flatten all the roads, blast through mountains, and dam rivers to make everything flat!”
– Oh, Heavens. That’s blasphemy.
“Shut up! Just shut up!”
Chung Myung spat fire into the air.
“If you’re a person, you should know when to push and when to hold back! It’s not like fanning a fire in a burning house. When something goes wrong, you don’t just blindly shove yourself forward without a place to sit!”
Chung Myung, who had been vehemently pointing towards the sky, abruptly stopped and paused. The sound of Chung Mun’s voice echoing in his ears felt remarkably vivid, reminding him how long it had been since he last heard it.
“…Tsk.”
Feeling a bit self-conscious, he theatrically scratched the back of his head. As a human being, crossing the Hundred Thousand Mountains seemed to ease his mind somewhat.
“Living for so long, I’ve experienced everything.”
With a chuckle to dispel the awkwardness, Chung Myung, now chasing after the fading scent with determination, leaped into the air. His body soared like the wind once again. Though it was no different from a moment ago, the clue to enlightenment still eluded him.
Feeling a tinge of regret, he reluctantly pushed aside any lingering attachments and continued onward.
‘But…’
A strange light gleamed in Chung Myung’s eyes as he ran on silently.
‘What was that?’
A flow that surged like a river, intertwining beginning and end. Like the merging of yin and yang in the Taiji symbol. But soon, those yin and yang breached their boundaries and merged into one.
It was the primordial circle. Or something that could be called Wuji, the limitless.
Chung Myung had heard of Wuji before, but this was the first time he had witnessed its form in the realm of imagination. This realization would undoubtedly lead Chung Myung to a higher understanding.
But at that moment, his thoughts weren’t focused on Wuji.
Moments before being pushed out of enlightenment, he had clearly seen it.
The harbinger of change in the eternal flow of the circle.
‘There is clearly something beyond that.’
Perhaps that was a realm Chung Myung had yet to reach. No, it might be something that no one has ever reached or even conceptualized.
The moment one comprehends the meaning of that circle, it could open up. A realm of absolute power beyond reach. A way to contend with gods themselves.
His fingertips trembled faintly.
‘But…‘
A moment of inexplicable complexity flickered across Chung Myung’s face. If his speculation was correct, that circle would be profoundly unsettling. It would encompass the essence of everything he had learned and represent the deepest truth of the world. Undoubtedly, it would be so.
‘But why… does it feel ominous?’
Even though he had reached what he sought, why did his heart feel so heavy? What could possibly be lurking beyond? What he had to see…
“Tsk.”
Chung Myung, momentarily lost in thought, lightly clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“My stomach’s growling.”
With a light jest to dispel the unease that had clouded his mind, Chung Myung tightened his grip on his resolve, his face now refreshed.
‘Let’s leave the thoughts for later. For now, let’s focus on what needs to be done.’
With a spirited stride, he chased after the scent, the ground beneath his feet echoing with determination.
As he pushed through the forest towards the towering mountains, the cloudless blue sky gazed down at him. Warmly, yet indifferently.
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