Fist Demon of Mount Hua Episode 4
If There Are Things That Change, There Are Also Things That Do Not 1
Waking up early at dawn, the first thing Dam-ho did was prepare a meal for his Master. He washed the rice and lightly seasoned a few varieties of wild greens. Having done this for a very long time, his movements were extremely practiced.
Sage Hyun-so did not eat much, nor was he picky about food. He strictly observed the duties of a Taoist priest, never consuming anything with a strong smell or anything that went against the teachings. Thanks to this, there wasn’t much for Dam-ho to prepare.
Dam-ho quickly set a simple table and entered his master’s room. Hyun-so was already awake and reading a Taoist scripture.
“Master, please have your meal.”
“Goodness, is it already time to eat?”
Sage Hyun-so closed the scripture and smiled.
Dam-ho placed the table in front of him. It was a very simple meal, just rice and a few vegetable side dishes.
“It looks delicious. You worked hard from early in the morning.”
“Not at all. Please eat, Master.”
“Very well.”
Only after Sage Hyun-so picked up his spoon did Dam-ho begin to eat.
Neither master nor disciple said a word.
The only sound in the room was the quiet clink of their meal.
It was only after the meal was over that Sage Hyun-so opened his mouth.
“Ho.”
“Yes.”
“That was a good meal. Thanks to you, your master lives in comfort.”
“Not at all, Master. It is only natural for a disciple to do so. If it weren’t for you, Master, the current me would not exist.”
If Sage Hyun-so had not saved him five years ago, Dam-ho would not exist today. Not only that, but when many of the Mount Hua Sect rejected or mocked him subtly, Sage Hyun-so was the only one who treated him with sincere kindness.
To Damho, Sage Hyun-so was more than a master. He was like a parent. That was why Damho could only treat him with the utmost devotion.
“Ho.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to learn martial arts that badly?”
“Yes.”
Dam-ho answered without the slightest hesitation. Seeing him like that, Sage Hyun-so let out a quiet sigh.
“Because this master of yours is incompetent, you have had to suffer.”
“That is not true.”
“I am sorry.”
“Master, please do not say such things.”
“You know that this master of yours is a Scholarly Taoist, do you not?”
“Yes.”
“Then do you know what a Scholarly Taoist does?”
“Well, they study the Taoist scriptures…”
“That is what everyone thinks.”
“Are you saying that is not true?”
“Do you know who my master was?”
“It’s the Heavenly Sky Sage, isn’t it?”
“That is right. Heavenly Sky Sage, who was once called the greatest master of the Mount Hua Sect, was my master.”
The Heavenly Sky Sage was a former expert of the Mount Hua Sect who had now become a legend. Because he existed, the Mount Hua Sect was able to enjoy its greatest golden age.
He had been such an intense martial fanatic that he handed the position of Sect Leader over to his disciple, Primordial Sky Sage, and devoted himself entirely to martial arts.
“When I first became my master’s disciple, everyone had great expectations of me. They all thought I must be an incredible genius. Of course they did. It would not make sense for the disciple of the famous Heavenly Sky Sage to be anything other than a genius. But the impossible happened.”
A quiet, unadorned smile appeared on Sage Hyun-so’s face. It seemed both bitter and detached.
“Unlike my master, who was called a genius, I had no great talent for martial arts. I could understand it to some extent with my head, but physically, I just couldn’t follow. Learning my master’s martial arts was impossible from the very beginning.”
Dam-ho held his breath.
They had spent five years together, but this was the first time he had heard this story.
“My master was like the sun in the sky, while I was a disciple with pitiful talent. Naturally, people talked, even within the Mount Hua Sect. I was curious as well. Why had my master chosen me? So one day, I asked him, ‘Why did you accept me as your disciple?’ Do you know what he said?”
“…”
“What Mount Hua needs now is not someone who is strong in martial arts, but someone who is strong of heart. Someone who will preserve the spirit of Mount Hua and pass its banner down to future generations.” Hyun-so, you must take on that role.” That is what he said as he urged me towards the path of a scholarly Taoist. Do you understand his words?”
Dam-ho shook his head.
The Mount Hua Sect walked the path of Taoism, but it was still undeniably a martial sect. It had once been one of the Nine Great Sects, and even now, it was working to regain its former glory.
If the Mount Hua Sect had been nothing more than a Taoist temple, how could it have been counted among the Nine Great Sects under heaven? And in such a Mount Hua Sect, how could the Heavenly Sky Sage, the greatest expert of the sect, urge his disciple to walk the path of a Scholarly Taoist?
A Scholarly Taoist was someone who walked the path of a Taoist through the study of scriptures. They sought truth, but in the current Mount Hua Sect, which had established itself more as a martial sect than a Taoist order, it was not a fitting position.
It had been the same in the past, but in the present Mount Hua Sect, the position of Scholarly Taoist was regarded as almost useless. Sage Hyun-so was treated this well only because he was Heavenly Sky Sage’s disciple. Otherwise, he might not even have received proper quarters.
“At first, I resented him quite a lot. For the disciple of Heavenly Sky Sage, the number one man of Mount Hua, to be a Scholarly Taoist .”
The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
The martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect were disappointed by the decision of the Heavenly Sky Sage, and they looked at Taoist Master Hyun-so with pity. In that way, sage Hyunso began walking the path of a Scholarly Taoist, and he had continued on that path until today.
“I spent countless nights unable to sleep. Even while reading the scriptures, I could not calm my anger. But then, as some time passed, the flames of anger burning in my chest slowly began to die down. And I realized something. One does not have to learn the sword to reach the Tao. There are many other paths to enlightenment. Only then did I vaguely understand why my master had led me down the path of a Scholarly Taoist .”
Dam-ho looked silently at Sage Hyunso. This was the first time he had learned of his respected master’s hidden past.
“Most people think a Scholarly Taoist is someone who merely studies scriptures, but that is wrong. A Scholarly Taoist of Mount Hua has the responsibility of passing Mount Hua’s martial arts down to future generations in their complete form.”
“What does that mean?”
A puzzled look appeared on Dam-ho’s face. It was something he had never heard before.
“A Scholarly Taoist studies scriptures, but also has the responsibility of recording Mount Hua’s martial arts completely, classifying them systematically, and passing them down to future generations. In the worst case, if the Spirit Treasure Palace, where Mount Hua’s martial arts are stored, burns down, or if a rare supreme art were to be lost, the Scholarly Taoist would need to have memorised all of the martial arts. That is the true duty of a Scholarly Taoist .”
Dam-ho’s eyes changed.
It was the first time he had learned that the position of Scholarly Taoist had such a meaning.
“I did not know that was the true role of a Scholarly Taoist .”
“Even the current Sect Leader does not know. The previous Sect Leader passed away before he could tell him.”
“Why did you not tell the Sect Leader? If he knew, you would have been treated more properly.”
“Is there any need to say it? It is enough to find a proper successor and hand down the knowledge. Knowledge is meant to be transmitted quietly like that.”
“Master.”
Sage Hyun-so smiled benevolently.
“More importantly, Dam-ho.”
“Yes!”
“You do not necessarily have to insist on only one path. Being a Scholarly Taoist is not such a bad choice either.”
At Sage Hyun-so’s words, Dam-ho bit his lip tightly. Instinctively, he rejected the path of a Scholarly Taoist. But as if he had expected that, Sage Hyun-so smiled.
“Yes, with your nature, there’s no way you would just sit around digging into scriptures and organizing martial arts manuals in your head.”
“I am sorry.”
“No. Since your resolve is so firm, I’ll change my mind.”
“Master.”
“I know that the martial arts of the current Mount Hua Sect do not suit you. Mount Hua’s techniques are unpredictably versatile, so even those with sound legs cannot learn them easily. And your legs are very uncomfortable. In that state, you can never achieve greatness. Do you understand?”
“But I will never give up.”
“No, you are not the kind of child who would ever give up. If you were, you would have died five years ago. Ho.”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Sage Hyun-so reached out and stroked Dam-ho’s head. It was an unexpected gesture, but Dam-ho did not avoid his hand.
His master’s touch as he stroked his head was very warm.
“I believe in you.”
“…”
At that moment, Dam-ho’s shoulders trembled.
Something hot surged up from deep within his chest. Dam-ho was bewildered by an emotion even he could not understand.
Sage Hyun-so took his hand away from Dam-ho’s head and rose from his seat. Dam-ho stared blankly at him.
Sage Hyun-so took an old book from the cabinet behind him.
“Take it.”
“What is this?”
“I happened to find it long ago while organizing the Taoist scriptures in the Spirit Treasure Palace.”
Dam-ho accepted the book.
It was so old that its cover was tattered like a rag, and it looked as if it might crumble with the slightest force.
“It is called the Heavy Sky Heart Art.”
“The Heavy Sky Heart Art?”
A look of doubt appeared on Dam-ho’s face. It was a name he had never heard before.
“It is your first time hearing of it, isn’t it? I was the same when I first found it. When I looked through the records, I discovered that it was a heart method created in the early days, when the Mount Hua Sect first settled on Mount Hua.”
“But why is it called the Heavy Sky Heart Art?”
Dam-ho asked with a look of confusion.
The name of a martial art usually reflects its characteristics.
The feeling given by the name Heavy Sky Heart Art was weight. It felt different from the martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect, which prided themselves on endless variation and fleeting swiftness.
“The sword of Mount Hua is famous throughout the world for being fierce and ever-changing, but do you think it was like that from the beginning? The martial arts of the early Mount Hua Sect must have been solemn and weighty, like the great boulders of Mount Hua itself. But over hundreds of years, many changes took place, and they must have developed into what they are today.”
Sage Hyun-so had not personally trained in martial arts. However, as a Scholarly Taoist, he had organized and memorized countless martial arts manuals, so his insight into martial arts was far from shallow.
“There are things in this world that never change, but there are also things that change with the passage of time. If we must classify the martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect, they would belong to the latter. They were refined out of necessity, changed, and advanced. That is how the martial arts of the present Mount Hua Sect must have been created. Everyone wants something new. But does that mean the old is always useless? I do not believe so.”
At that moment, Sage Hyun-so was thinking about his master, the Heavenly Sky Sage.
The Heavenly Sky Sage had been a genius. He had advanced Mount Hua’s martial arts by leaps and bounds, and the martial artists of the sect all yearned to be just like him. It was no exaggeration to say that the Mount Hua Sect of today was trapped in the lingering shadow of that extraordinary being.
The Heavenly Sky Sage. had wanted the disciples of Mount Hua to find something different from himself. Perhaps that was why he had guided his sole disciple, Sage Hyun-so, down the path of a Scholarly Taoist.
“Dam-ho, within this Heavy Sky Heart Art, the ancient teachings of the Mount Hua Sect are preserved exactly as they once were. I do not know what you will find inside, but if it is you, I am certain you will obtain what you desire.”
“Master.”
“If the Mount Hua of today cannot give you what you desire, then find it in the Mount Hua of old.”
“Yes…”
Dam-ho held the Heavy Sky Heart Art tightly to his chest.
No one knew whether he would truly find what he wanted within it. But Sage Hyun-so’s warm consideration alone made Dam-ho feel as though he had gained the entire world.
Watching Dam-ho, Sage Hyun-so smiled.
Yes. This is enough.
＊＊＊
Dam-ho returned to his room and carefully opened the old book.
When he turned the cover, he saw the faint words Heavy Sky Heart Art written on the inner page. Dam-ho gently traced the letters with his fingertips.
Heavy Sky Heart Art.
Dam-ho carefully turned to the next page.
Mount Hua has the form of a sword, but at its core, it is a mountain of solid rock.
It stands firm because it bears the weight of countless ages.
Weight comes before lightness.
A person’s heart must be heavy, steady, and not easily swayed.
The sky may seem empty, but in truth, it is full. Its vast weight embraces the earth below.
The human heart is like the sky. If it can hold such weight within itself, no wind will be able to shake it.
Dam-ho turned the pages of the book, taking in every word and engraving them deep within his heart.
Heart Resembles Heaven’s Image
Hold the form of heaven within your heart.
Heart Bears Heaven’s Weight
Carry the weight of heaven within your heart.
Stirred Heart Moves the Heavens
With a heart set in motion, one can command the heavens.
Heavy Heart Moves the Heavens
A heart filled with weight can move even the heavens.
Before Dam-ho’s eyes, the forgotten martial arts of ancient Mount Hua began to unfold.
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