The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 89

The Sword’s Path

“I once heard a saying from Master: If your sword loses its way, first put it down and ask your heart. When that heart becomes a sword and points in one direction, only then are you qualified to wield the sword.”

Pung Hyeon-ja smiled quietly at his disciple, who was pondering his words.

“You stingy fellow.”

“Yes?”

Pung Hyeon-ja teased Myeonggeom, who looked puzzled.

“Shouldn’t you show me that you sometimes worry and struggle like this? Otherwise, this teacher won’t have the joy of teaching, will he?”

Pung Hyeon-ja continued.

“Actually, I haven’t had much fun so far. You’ve always known the path you needed to take without me having to say anything.”

Pung Hyeon-ja patted Myeonggeom with a kind smile and voice.

“Now you seem a bit more human.”

It was a joke, but half of it was sincere.

Myeonggeom’s talent for martial arts was extraordinary.

Even someone who didn’t know martial arts could see that with talent alone, he might surpass Beopryo of Shaolin, one of the Ten Great Masters.

His innate patience and diligence properly supported his outstanding perception.

“Think comfortably. It’s just that you’re shaking when it’s time to shake. When it’s time to move forward, you’ll move forward again.”

“……”

“Now is the time to put down your sword and feel.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Tao [the Way or the Path] that can be told is not the eternal Tao.”

The moment you try to define it, the Tao is no longer the Tao. Gaining enlightenment was that elusive.

“You will naturally know when the time comes.”

Myeonggeom sighed softly.

The more he engaged in Zen questions and answers with his master, the heavier his heart became.

“You will do well.”

Pung Hyeon-ja gave him a smile.

“If I were to pick the best thing I’ve done since I put my name on Hwasan’s register, it would definitely be initiating you as a disciple of Hwasan.”

“Master……”

“A giant whale navigating the ocean does not envy the birds in the sky.”

“Yes?”

He was puzzled by his master’s sudden words for a moment.

“Is it because of Bingok Seonja [Ice Valley Immortal]?”

Myeonggeom was taken aback by Pung Hyeon-ja’s follow-up. He had hit the nail on the head.

Pung Hyeon-ja nodded as if he knew it.

Myeonggeom’s face darkened, and his sword became scattered because he couldn’t focus his mind, starting around that time.

“You were defeated without even putting up a proper fight, right?”

Pung Hyeon-ja continued, looking at his disciple who had lowered his head.

“She has long deviated from the common sense of the human world. She is an exception.”

“Does that mean……”

Myeonggeom carefully asked the question.

“Hwasan’s sword cannot surpass her?”

“Well……”

Pung Hyeon-ja vaguely trailed off and wore a mysterious smile.

“You should find out.”

Pung Hyeon-ja laughed as if he found his disciple’s bewildered expression amusing.

“A great teacher shows his disciple the path to take, and a great disciple shows his teacher the path he could not take. I have taught you the path you must take, so you must show me too. How far can Hwasan’s sword rise?”

Myeonggeom simply cast a troubled look.

Then, he opened his mouth with difficulty.

“The Sect Leader… No, is it really true that Grand Master tried to abandon Hwasan?”

Pung Hyeon-ja’s face showed bewilderment.

He couldn’t understand why he was repeating a story he already knew from that spot.

“Why are you asking that?”

“I still can’t believe it. The fact that the Grand Master, the greatest swordsman in the world, was swayed by mere beauty and tried to leave Hwasan……”

He had been practicing the sword with him as his goal, looking at his back until now, so the shock was that much greater.

Pung Hyeon-ja chuckled and opened his mouth.

“Could it be that your worries are due to resentment towards your master?”

“Th, that’s……”

“Wouldn’t your master have had a passionate youth?”

“But……”

“Did you think he suddenly fell from the sky? He has reached where he is now by wavering back and forth like you and becoming that much stronger.”

“……”

“And you’re wrong.”

“Yes? But according to the conversation between Master and the Seonja that day……”

Pung Hyeon-ja shook his head, cutting off Myeonggeom’s words.

“It is true that she is incredibly beautiful, but that is not the only reason why Master was shaken.”

Pung Hyeon-ja said to the bewildered Myeonggeom.

“There are areas that you cannot understand unless you experience them. No matter how much I explain for a hundred days to make you understand, you will not understand. That’s because I saw it, and you didn’t.”

“What did you not see?”

“Hmm……”

While Pung Hyeon-ja was contemplating whether to explain or not,

One of the third-generation disciples rushed over from afar.

“A guest has visited the sect.”

“A guest?”

The young disciple, whose Taoist name was Myeongjeong, nodded hastily at Myeonggeom’s question.

“Bingok Seonja and the Son of Righteousness are requesting to see the Sect Leader.”

Pung Hyeon-ja and Myeonggeom were startled.

‘Why now……’

Pung Hyeon-ja looked at Myeonggeom’s face, which could not hide his agitation, with worried eyes.

‘This might be a good opportunity.’

If a small fire can be set in advance to avoid a big fire, this could also be a way. That’s because frustration builds up and eventually becomes an uncontrollable mental fire.

Soon, Pung Hyeon-ja nodded.

“I will personally greet the guests. Myeonggeom, you tell the Sect Leader this news.”

Then he smiled brightly.

“Maybe the heavens are helping you.”

“Yes?”

Leaving the puzzled Myeonggeom behind, Pung Hyeon-ja flew towards the mountain gate.

* * *

Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa were guided by the third-generation disciples of the Hwasan Sect and climbed the mountain path leading to the mountain gate.

Four peaks that approached with splendor beyond magnificence.

A faint smile settled on Han Seol-hwa’s lips as she took them in.

Dan Ak-seon, who noticed this, smiled and spoke.

“Is this a place with many memories?”

“Memories? Memories, huh……”

Han Seol-hwa vaguely trailed off and shook her head slightly with a light smile.

“Let’s just say it’s a fragment of memory.”

Dan Ak-seon tilted his head, curious about the meaning contained within.

At this time, a person who seemed to fly from the mountain gate politely paid his respects to Han Seol-hwa.

“This is Pung Hyeon, the second-generation disciple of Hwasan, greeting the Seonja.”

Han Seol-hwa nodded silently. Pung Hyeon-ja turned his head and greeted Dan Ak-seon.

“Nice to meet you, Young Master Dan.”

Bewilderment arose in Dan Ak-seon’s eyes.

“Do you know me?”

Pung Hyeon-ja added an explanation.

“I heard about you from Myeonggeom.”

“Ah!”

Belatedly, Dan Ak-seon bowed his head towards Pung Hyeon-ja.

“Nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Dan Ak-seon.”

Suddenly, Dan Ak-seon felt a strange feeling and raised his eyes. It was because Pung Hyeon-ja was staring at him with a somewhat surprised expression.

“Why are you doing that?”

At Dan Ak-seon’s question, Pung Hyeon-ja coughed dryly.

“It’s nothing.”

However, unlike his words, Pung Hyeon-ja couldn’t help but be surprised. Dan Ak-seon, whom he faced directly, was too different from what he had heard.

A correct posture without disarray and clear eyes.

Beyond that, he could feel a well-managed inner strength.

‘I clearly heard that he hasn’t learned martial arts?’

Despite his young age, Myeonggeom possessed outstanding skills enough to lead the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

Naturally, his discernment was also incomparable to that of any expert.

However, Myeonggeom reported that Dan Ak-seon had not learned martial arts.

‘Furthermore……’

The person in charge of the escort team that went to Hubei at the time was Jin Hyeon-jin-in. He is a junior master and the Sect Leader’s junior brother.

He is one of the top three experts in Hwasan.

Even if Myeonggeom didn’t know, he couldn’t deceive Jin Hyeon-jin-in’s eyes.

However, Jin Hyeon-ja also said the same thing about Dan Ak-seon as Myeonggeom.

‘What on earth is this……?’

He was bewildered.

If the two people’s words were true, then the child in front of him had only started learning martial arts for about half a year. How on earth could he achieve such accomplishments in such a short period?

It was difficult to understand with his common sense.

“Has Hwasan’s code changed in the meantime?”

Pung Hyeon-ja, who belatedly came to his senses at the cold voice, turned his gaze towards Han Seol-hwa.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying, how long do we have to stand here?”

“Oh! I apologize.”

Pung Hyeon-ja, who offered a polite apology, met Han Seol-hwa’s gaze.

“That’s how unexpected it is. I didn’t know that Seonja would visit our sect.”

Pung Hyeon-ja stepped aside.

“Let’s go inside for now. I will escort you.”

At Pung Hyeon-ja’s words, the third-generation disciples who had guided the two stepped back after paying their respects.

“Let’s go.”

Pung Hyeon-ja took a few steps ahead and guided Han Seol-hwa and Dan Ak-seon.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour.

An old stone building with an elegant feel revealed its appearance.

It was Okcheonwon, the ruins of the Jeonjin Sect (全真派) [a Taoist sect], which has now disappeared.

Only the signboard with the two letters Hwasan, scribbled in an incomparably magnificent handwriting, was engraved.

Han Seol-hwa’s eyes were momentarily tinged with nostalgia.

Passing through the wide-open Okcheonwon and walking about a quarter of an hour further inside, the mountain gate of the Hwasan Sect appeared.

As they entered, countless Hwasan disciples were already lined up.

And one person was standing at the forefront.

Hair neatly tied up under a Taoist hat.

He was an old Taoist with a white beard that stretched down to his chest, as white as his hair, with a divine aura.

He was the Sect Leader of the contemporary Hwasan Sect, called the Hwasan Divine Sword.

Jin Myeong-jin-in personally greeted Han Seol-hwa.

As their distance grew closer, Jin Myeong-jin-in gave a gentle smile.

“It’s been a while.”

Han Seol-hwa, who was silently gazing at Jin Myeong-jin-in, smiled faintly.

“A lot of time has passed.”

At those words, Jin Myeong-jin-in slowly nodded his head.

Han Seol-hwa silently stared at the old Taoist in front of her.

A young Taoist who relied on a single sword and tempered himself with the spirit of courageous advancement. The moment that vigorous figure overlapped with the old Taoist in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel the impermanence of time anew.

Thus, the two simply looked at each other without saying a word.

Silence quietly surrounded the surroundings.

It was after a long time that Han Seol-hwa broke the silence.

“You seem to have a lot to say.”

“There are too many to know what to say.”

“Then how about showing me instead of saying it?”

At those words, Jin Myeong-jin-in smiled slyly.

It was also at that moment that a different light appeared in Han Seol-hwa’s eyes.

‘Come to think of it……’

There was one thing about him that time had uniquely avoided.

It was his gaze.

For a moment, Han Seol-hwa felt as if she was facing him in his youth.

“Give me the sword.”

At Jin Myeong-jin-in’s words, Myeonggeom raised his sword with both hands.

Unlike the Wudang Sect, the Hwasan Sect did not have a separate sacred object such as the Songmun Ancient Sword, which symbolized the authority of the Sect Leader.

The unique mental cultivation technique, the Violet Mist Divine Art (紫霞眞氣) [a powerful internal energy technique], and the Plum Blossom Sword Technique were enough.

Han Seol-hwa moved Dan Ak-seon away.

―Engrave it well in your eyes. It will be of great help to you.

At Han Seol-hwa’s telepathic message, Dan Ak-seon nodded his head.

Han Seol-hwa and Jin Myeong-jin-in.

The two stood facing each other at a distance of three lengths, looking at each other.

But that was only for a moment.

Without either of them acting first, they flew towards each other.

Clang!

The Hwasan disciples changed their expressions at the deafening sound.

The red glow filled the sky.

The Hwasan disciples, realizing that it was the divine power visible from the Violet Mist Divine Art that had surpassed its limits, could not help but be greatly shocked.

They knew that their Sect Leader was called the greatest swordsman in the world, but this was the first time they had directly witnessed his true power.

And among them was Myeonggeom.

‘To think that Grand Master’s power was at this level!’

Myeonggeom’s gaze was fixed on the two and would not fall.

At that moment.

Amidst the purple auspicious energy that filled and swayed the surroundings, an even clearer sword flower revealed its appearance.

The red plum blossom that only the Plum Blossom Sword Technique at its peak could show.

And it wasn’t just one or two.

“No way!”

Someone among the Hwasan disciples stared at the sky with a shocked expression. An uncountable number of red plum blossoms were pouring down like stars before their eyes.

The sixteenth stance of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

It was Nakmaeseongu (落梅成雨) [Falling Plum Blossoms Forming Rain], named after the falling plum blossoms forming a rain.