Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 152

152. A Step Further at the Edge

Un-hyun tilted his head, puzzled.

When he first learned martial arts, he focused intently on his posture.

He tried to be as correct and precise as possible, faithfully executing each movement’s intention.

But he didn’t do that anymore.

He had surpassed that level long ago.

“It’s like… I feel it. Like a huge river flowing… that kind of flow…”

“Yes.”

Wabur nodded.

“That’s right. So when your heart moves, it should be the same.”

‘So, you mean complete immersion?’

As Un-hyun was thinking this, Wabur suddenly spoke.

“But that doesn’t mean you should just stand there blankly.”

Wabur glared and continued.

“If you do, I’ll punish you severely. I can see right through your mind.”

‘He says he can see right through me, but he didn’t know I was preparing the Flower Snow [a secret technique]?’ Un-hyun thought, but Wabur chuckled.

“I knew, but I let it slide.”

‘But he seemed quite moved for someone who knew.’

Un-hyun muttered inwardly.

Wabur seemed to sense his thoughts and sighed.

“Kid, you’ll understand when you get old. When you get old, even the smallest things touch your heart. So be good to the elderly. They get upset easily over little things.”

Un-hyun shrugged.

‘Isn’t this good enough?’

“Well, it’s not bad. More importantly, what are you doing? Why aren’t you practicing as I told you?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Although his reply was indifferent, Un-hyun began his mental training with a serious expression.

But only for a moment, as Wabur’s finger struck Un-hyun’s forehead again.

Thwack.

“Ouch!”

“Where do you think you’re wandering off to, losing focus!”

The old Wabur’s voice echoed through the humble hut.

Un-hyun protested, looking wronged.

“That’s, that’s not it…”

As always, Dokgo-rang, who was guarding the surroundings, glanced at Un-hyun and Wabur.

The two seemed to be playing rather than training, but Dokgo-rang was certain of at least one thing.

That was the fact that the conversation continued even though Un-hyun hadn’t said anything.

‘So, it’s true that he can see into his mind.’

‘Perhaps an old monk and an old monster are similar,’ Dokgo-rang thought.

At that moment, Dokgo-rang flinched as Wabur looked at him.

“Ahem.”

Very rarely, Dokgo-rang cleared his throat and looked away.

Wabur also turned his attention away from Dokgo-rang and looked back at Un-hyun.

“Now, hurry up! Do proper mental training! Until I say it’s enough. Keuh heh heh.”

Wabur’s voice, sounding somewhat pleased, echoed through the hut.

But Dokgo-rang never looked in that direction.

Thus, another day passed in the hut.

***

Thwack.

“Ugh.”

With a sharp sound, Un-hyun clutched his forehead.

Un-hyun frowned but didn’t complain.

In fact, it didn’t hurt much anymore, and he knew very well that his mental training had strayed elsewhere.

“Again.”

Wabur said calmly, holding his teacup.

Un-hyun, who had been rubbing his forehead, sat cross-legged on the platform again.

Then he suddenly asked.

“How do you do that?”

“Huh?”

Un-hyun asked again, seeing Wabur frown.

“Hitting my forehead. I can clearly see it coming, but I can’t avoid it or block it.”

“Heh heh.”

Wabur chuckled, holding his teacup.

“Well, even you can’t do this. This is something I obtained by giving up everything.”

He said it casually, but it was by no means a light statement.

“Gave up everything?”

“Yes.”

Sipping his tea, Wabur said.

“Even though I look like this, I used to be an unmatched master in the world.”

‘Yeah, right.’

Un-hyun respected the elderly, but he found that hard to believe.

Besides, old people’s stories tend to be exaggerated, don’t they?

Wabur seemed to read Un-hyun’s thoughts and chuckled.

“Kid, who do you think I am?”

“Why, you’re Master Wabur.”

Wabur was surprised by Un-hyun’s obvious answer.

He blinked and then chuckled.

“Yes, I am Wabur. But isn’t there something that comes before that?”

Un-hyun, who was thinking of the modifier ‘ill-tempered and unpredictable,’ suddenly realized Wabur’s intention.

“You are the teacher of Divine Monk Bulyeong.”

Thwack.

“Ouch!”

Wabur scolded Un-hyun, who was clutching his forehead.

“Divine Monk, my foot! What Divine Monk is a runaway monk who abandoned his teacher and temple!”

Wabur huffed and continued.

“Yes, I am that guy’s teacher. But am I worse than him? Even when that Bulyeong was making a name for himself with the Hundred Step Divine Fist, he couldn’t even breathe properly in front of me.”

Un-hyun could understand the part about not being able to breathe properly.

However, it seemed more likely that it was due to Wabur’s bad temper rather than Wabur being a better master than Bulyeong.

‘But…’

The problem was that Un-hyun couldn’t feel any presence from Wabur.

It wasn’t like he was concealing his energy, or that his level was too high to measure.

To Un-hyun, Wabur seemed no different from an ordinary old man.

“Heh heh.”

Wabur chuckled.

“Well, that’s because my dantian [energy center] is shattered.”

“What?”

Un-hyun asked in surprise.

The dantian (丹田), meaning ‘field of elixir,’ is essentially the source of all internal energy.

Therefore, having one’s dantian shattered is a terrible thing for a martial artist.

They would instantly lose all their internal energy, their life would be in danger, and even if they survived, they would be crippled.

“No, how did that happen…?”

Un-hyun asked, flustered.

But Wabur answered calmly.

“Didn’t they say, ‘Take a step further at the edge of a hundred-foot pole (百尺竿頭 進一步)?’ If you do, you will gain true enlightenment.”

Take a step forward at the end of a hundred-foot pole. Then the world will reveal its true form.

This is an aphorism expressing the aspect of asceticism that requires abandoning everything.

But what does that have to do with shattering one’s dantian?

“In that very situation of being at the edge of a hundred-foot pole, I chose to take a step forward. And I lost all my internal energy.”

Wabur chuckled and continued.

“My dantian was completely shattered.”

Un-hyun gritted his teeth.

Although he couldn’t understand the situation, he knew how serious it was to lose the internal energy one had built up over a lifetime.

“Then…”

Un-hyun carefully opened his mouth.

But Wabur already knew what Un-hyun was going to ask.

“Enlightenment, you mean? Of course, I gained it.”

‘Ah.’

Un-hyun’s eyes sparkled.

What did Wabur, who took a step forward at the edge of a hundred-foot pole, gain?

Wabur half-closed his eyes and said calmly.

“I realized that you can’t trust what others say.”

Un-hyun was momentarily bewildered.

And soon, his face crumpled.

Didn’t that mean he didn’t gain any enlightenment at all?

Un-hyun bit his lip.

He wanted to say, ‘What is that?’ but Wabur had lost too much to say that.

Besides, Un-hyun couldn’t say anything because Wabur’s voice was so calm.

Sip.

Wabur sipped his tea.

Then he let out a hollow laugh.

“Haha, that guy.”

Wabur said, looking at Un-hyun.

“I’m the one whose dantian was shattered, so why are you about to cry?”

As Wabur said, Un-hyun’s expression was almost tearful.

It couldn’t be helped.

What was the sense of loss that Wabur felt when he lost the internal energy he had trained for a lifetime?

Thinking about that, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Moreover, Wabur’s appearance, calmly talking about the matter, was too similar to his sworn brother, Ilchung-hyun, who was resolute even in the face of death.

So, Un-hyun unknowingly choked up.

“It’s okay.”

Wabur said with a comfortable expression.

“Internal energy is necessary for martial artists, but what’s so great about it for a monk like me? Would I, who doesn’t even cherish the Buddha, cling to some dantian or internal energy?”

Wabur was rather comforting Un-hyun.

“And it’s not like I didn’t gain anything at all. As I said before, I gained this one move…”

Wabur chuckled, looking down at his wrinkled and emaciated hand.

“Because I was able to glimpse the other side of the world.”

“Yes?”

Un-hyun raised his head at the unfamiliar words.

“You don’t need to know. No, it’s better for you not to know.”

Wabur said firmly.

He looked a little different than usual, but Un-hyun couldn’t pay any more attention.

Thwack.

“Ouch.”

Wabur struck Un-hyun’s forehead again.

It was a painful blow that brought tears to his eyes.

“More importantly, what are you doing? Why don’t you start again quickly?”

“Ah, I understand.”

Un-hyun quickly sat down in a cross-legged position.

Having become accustomed to it, Un-hyun quickly entered mental training.

The old Wabur watched the scene with a warm gaze.

Although the only person who saw that expression was the silent Dokgo-rang.

***

Early in the morning, Un-hyun, who had finished his dawn training, was sweeping in front of the hut.

Swish, swish.

With each movement of the long broom, the traces of training disappeared, and neat patterns filled the yard.

It was as if he was organizing his mind, and Un-hyun continued to sweep with a somewhat reverent attitude.

After the dawn training and cleaning were finished, Un-hyun would go down to the lower village to get Yongjeong tea [a type of green tea].

Around that time, Wabur would wake up and sip tea, ordering Un-hyun to do mental training or the White Tiger Sword Training.

Mental training had become quite familiar, and the number of times Un-hyun was hit on the forehead by Wabur had decreased.

No, sometimes it was more satisfying than directly practicing the sword.

It is said that the mind is difficult to control, but at the same time, the mind is a place without any restrictions.

Swish, swish.

It was when Un-hyun was continuing to sweep.

“…Great One.”

Un-hyun raised his head at Dokgo-rang’s low voice.

And soon, he realized why Dokgo-rang had called him.

Thud.

Footsteps were heard from inside the forest path.

Soon, an elderly monk wearing a splendid robe appeared.

The old monk, exuding an undeniable powerful aura, was none other than the head of the Disciplinary Hall of the Shaolin Temple, whom Un-hyun had met before.

“You have worked hard, Benefactor.”

The old monk greeted Un-hyun, who was holding a broom, with a bow.

Even so, he did not forget to glance at Dokgo-rang once.

“Not at all. I am doing well thanks to you.”

Un-hyun also returned the greeting.

“Rather, I feel like I am causing great trouble to Shaolin…”

Creak.

The door of the hut opened, and Un-hyun’s words were cut off.

The head of the Disciplinary Hall also raised his eyes towards the hut.

“Have you come?”

Wabur came out dragging his shoes with a stooped posture.

The head of the Disciplinary Hall respectfully bowed to Wabur.

“Yes, Great Patriarch.”

His voice and attitude were extremely respectful.

However, Wabur asked the head of the Disciplinary Hall rather bluntly.

“Among your disciples, is there a child with outstanding talent in martial arts?”

At those words, the eyes of the head of the Disciplinary Hall lit up.

“Does that mean…”

“I thought I only had days left to enter Nirvana [Buddhist enlightenment], but I never knew I would have such enlightenment in my old age. I will now relieve Shaolin of its burden even a little, so go and send me a useful child.”

“Heo!”

As if truly moved, the head of the Disciplinary Hall clasped his hands together with a bright expression and chanted the Buddha’s name.

Wabur is the teacher of Divine Monk Bulyeong.

It would be a lie if he were not happy to hear that he would impart enlightenment.