Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 18: In the Jianghu, One's Body is Not One's Own (7) Lee Yu-baek recited the oral formula for the Flying Wind Drift.
The Void Fills Itself,
Do Not Chase the Wake,
The Melody of Pure Emptiness.
'Is this a poem?'
The phrases were abstruse, their meanings hovering just out of reach. Yeon So-wol pondered the words carefully.
'If a space is empty, it fills itself naturally, so do not push from behind. Simply sweep the path ahead to invite the void.'
Ah.
So-wol had a sudden realization.
"You're talking about the knack for guiding the fire, aren't you?"
Fire fills an empty space. Therefore, when moving the fire along the meridians, trying to push the flames from behind is inefficient. One simply needs to clear the path ahead to create a vacuum, and the fire will follow the invitation.
'It's like how air flows toward areas of low pressure. It's the same concept. Instead of trying to push it, if I lower the pressure where it needs to go, it'll be sucked in naturally.'
It seemed simple, but it was a profound teaching—one that allowed for more precise and rapid control with far less effort.
Lee Yu-baek smiled warmly.
"Your Comprehension is truly remarkable. Do you know what Mo Cheong said when I taught him this? 'If it's empty, why would it fill up? People gather where there are already people, not in empty places, so why are you telling me to empty it?' He kept arguing like that, so I just told him to shut up and memorize it."
Mo Cheong, who had been standing silently by, let out a disgruntled groan.
"Ah! Master!"
"It's the truth, isn't it?"
"It's because it's the truth that it hurts more!"
"Alright, alright."
Lee Yu-baek shook his head and recited the next formula.
Use the Drum for Fierce Fire,
Use the Pouch to Warm Fire,
Use the Void to Conceal Fire.
Make the fire fierce with a drum.
Keep the fire warm with a pouch.
Make the fire subtle through the void.
"Do you understand this as well?"
'This is…'
It was a bit more difficult than the previous one. However, So-wol used the analytical skills he had honed so diligently back in school to grasp the meaning.
'First of all: fierce, warm, subtle. Judging by those, it's talking about temperature control. The problem is what the drum, the pouch, and the void represent… Ah!'
He answered confidently.
"It is the method for controlling the heat of the fire."
"Correct. But how do you control it?"
"The drum refers to the instrument. By making the Gathering Fire collide with itself like the beating of a drum, the fire becomes fierce."
"Look at this fellow."
"The pouch refers to a bag. Just as air swells inside a pouch, if you trap the Gathering Fire within a pressure point, the fire grows warm."
Snap!
Lee Yu-baek unfurled his fan. A refreshing scent of lemon wafted through the air.
"Finally, the void connects to the previous phrase. Since the fire flows naturally when you empty the path, keeping it flowing constantly makes the fire subtle and enduring."
"Excellent!"
Lee Yu-baek laughed, fluttering his fan.
"Your Comprehension impresses me more every day. You'll master the formulas much faster than I expected."
It happened just as he said. In a mere two hours, So-wol had memorized all the formulas and began tentatively attempting to manipulate his Fire Phase accordingly.
Lee Yu-baek was impressed, and for the first time in a while, So-wol was actually enjoying himself.
'Yes! This is what studying should be like!'
None of that business about his body melting, burning up, or going insane. Achieving results safely by calmly putting in the time—this was the style of study that So-wol, a man from the 21st century, was most familiar and confident with.
"Now then, shall we start in earnest?"
That was, until Lee Yu-baek strode over and grabbed him by both sides of his waist.
Wait, what?!
A sudden chill ran down So-wol's spine.
"Wait, Father! Just a moment!"
He thought Lee Yu-baek was about to inject Gathering Fire into his body again.
'I'm not mentally prepared yet!'
The idea that the second time would be easier than the first was a lie. If anything, the second time was more terrifying because he already knew exactly what was coming!
'Aaaagh!'
While he truly admired Lee Yu-baek's incredible Fire Phase, the experience itself was far from pleasant. The sensation of someone else's energy burrowing into his body was more bone-chilling than having a sword held to his throat. The fear that the other person could, at any moment, melt him into a puddle of flesh and bone was something he could never get used to.
"Don't worry. I'm not trying to force a Refinement," Lee Yu-baek said.
So-wol felt a split second of relief, but then—
Whoosh!
His eyes flew open as a sudden gust of wind slammed into his face.
"Huh? Whoa?!"
It was a sensation he had experienced before. He was flailing in mid-air, seeing Lee Yu-baek and Mo Cheong looking like tiny figures far below.
"Whoaaa!"
But the difference this time was that his body didn't feel light at all. Unlike before, when he was light enough to be carried by a breeze, So-wol was now heavy enough to crush the wind as he plummeted.
Eleven meters—the height said to instill the greatest fear in humans. Having reached the peak of his trajectory, So-wol began to fall.
"Aaaaagh!"
Lee Yu-baek's voice pierced through the air, ringing in So-wol's ears.
"Now, now. What are you doing? If you've learned the formulas, you should use them. Come on. Make your body light. Let's fly, my son."
"Aaaaaagh!"
How am I supposed to do that?! I just learned them! I'm still just fumbling through it!!!
He wanted to scream those words, but all that came out of his throat was a panicked shriek.
Swoooooosh!
The sound of the wind was deafening. He couldn't even steady his heavy body. The more he flailed in the air, the more his limbs twisted and spun out of control. The dirt ground rushed toward his face in an instant.
Just as So-wol's eyes bulged in terror—
Whoosh!
Lee Yu-baek darted in, cradled So-wol's head and torso, spun once in mid-air, and slammed him into the ground.
Boom!
The ground shook, and a cloud of dust billowed up.
"...."
So-wol's eyes were wide, his mouth agape. Though Lee Yu-baek had supported his neck and the back of his head, the impact that surged through his back and buttocks rattled his very lungs.
"Gah… wheeze…"
He couldn't breathe. If his body hadn't been tempered by the Soft Willow Art, the impact might have ruptured his internal organs and killed him on the spot.
Looking down at the completely dazed So-wol, Lee Yu-baek spoke.
"Why didn't you fly?"
Wait a sec—!
Before So-wol, sensing his impending doom, could stop him—
Whooooosh!
Another fierce wind whipped against his face. Lee Yu-baek and Mo Cheong shrank away, and the entirety of Sinheung County came into view.
"Aaaaaagh!"
*
So-wol was thrown like that for over two hours. Only when beads of sweat began to form on Lee Yu-baek's forehead was a brief rest granted.
"Blegh!Ugh…"
His stomach completely turned, So-wol crawled on the ground, dry-heaving repeatedly. He had already thrown up everything he'd eaten; nothing came out now, and even his gastric juices had run dry.
Watching him with pity, Mo Cheong spoke up.
"Master, isn't this a bit too harsh…?"
"What is?"
"Well, he just learned the formulas. To expect him to manipulate his Fire Phase according to those formulas while being tossed around like that…"
"It's fine. He won't die."
"…He might not die, but if the training is too difficult, his spirit might break. And if his spirit breaks, his progress will plummet."
"That's true."
"Then…"
"But listen, Mo Cheong. So-wol entered the sect at eighteen and achieved the Breath of Smoke and Clouds in less than half a year."
"...."
"Do you really think this training is too harsh? For So-wol?"
"…On second thought, I suppose not."
"Right? I thought so too."
Lee Yu-baek chuckled.
"Seven days and nights. If we do this for just seven days and nights, he'll easily reach the first stage. To fire a large vessel, you need a large fire."
*
So-wol was thrown. And thrown again.
The training had started in the morning, but the sun was already beginning to set.
"So-wol. So-wol. You must be sincere in your heart. When are you going to make up your mind? You have to set your heart on flying to actually fly."
He was already exhausted, but hearing those words from Lee Yu-baek made So-wol feel like he was going to lose his mind. He was so frustrated he stopped dry-heaving and bolted upright to protest.
"…I am setting my heart on it. I just think it might be difficult to do with just 'heart' alone."
He barely managed to squeeze the words out, holding back his temper. Inwardly, he was screaming.
No! How can that be done with just 'heart'?! To perform the Flying Wind Drift, don't I have to move the fire through thirty-six paths according to twelve different heat control methods and manage a hundred and eight variations to temper the body? My head is already about to explode just thinking about that, and you expect me to do it while being tossed into the air?! Does that really work with just 'heart'?!
Despite his polite, restrained protest, Lee Yu-baek's attitude didn't change one bit.
"It is possible. It is possible through heart alone. A martial artist who gives their heart can throw a punch even while unconscious, and a bird that gives its heart will eventually land on the ground even with torn wings. Only when your heart is sincere can you perform martial arts in any situation."
'Argh! That damn spiritualism again!'
Even back on Earth, So-wol had never liked mindless "mind over matter" rhetoric. Nothing is impossible if you have the spirit? People die from exercising with that kind of mindset. Humans are biological entities defined by clear limits; therefore, achieving results through scientific and efficient methods is much faster than just being reckless. That was a proven fact of the 21st century.
It was unfair. It was absurd. How long did he have to be this helpless? How long was he going to be tossed around like a toy? Unable to contain his resentment any longer, So-wol poured out his inner thoughts.
"But! I have to control the fire. I have to monitor the body parts being tempered. I have to think about how to move in the air. I have to use my brain until it feels like it's going to burst just to barely perform the Flying Wind Drift! This is something that needs to be ingrained into the body over a long period of time; it's not something that just happens because you suddenly 'set your heart' on it. It really! It really isn't!"
It was the first time So-wol had argued so strongly against Lee Yu-baek.
Lee Yu-baek looked at So-wol with a serious expression. Then, he spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"So-wol. We call the Soft Willow Art a Simbeop, don't we?"
'What is he going to say now…?'
"Why is that? Since it deals with Innate Qi and the Fire Phase is the core, wouldn't it be more accurate to call it a Qigong or a Fire Phase Method?"
"...."
Now that he mentions it, why? So-wol's gaze turned pensive.
"Among Essence, Qi, and Spirit, the Spirit is the Heart, and the Heart is Light. It is because light permeates everything."
What kind of riddle was this?
"It permeates everything. Only the Heart can illuminate everything within you, all at once, simultaneously."
Tap.
Lee Yu-baek's finger poked So-wol's left chest.
"The light that is the Heart touches all those difficulties you mentioned—simultaneously, yet individually. Like a single moon reflected in a thousand rivers. It shimmers with the ripples, yet no matter how much you scoop away, it never fades."
"...."
"Therefore, if you dye your Essence, Qi, and Spirit with a single light, you will not be negligent even if you fly a thousand times, and you will not be in danger even if it is your first time."
"...."
"Because only the Heart can accomplish such a difficult task. The study of handling the hottest fire within you, the most difficult study in the world—that is why we call it Simbeop."
Why was this happening? So-wol brushed his hand over his arm beneath his sleeve. He had goosebumps.
Why? He understood, yet he didn't. He still didn't fully grasp Lee Yu-baek's teaching, and yet, for some reason, his body was already reacting.
"Haven't you already experienced it once? During your closed-door training. I thought you would have known?"
At those offhand words from Lee Yu-baek, So-wol felt as if he had been struck by lightning. The hours he had spent in seclusion flooded his mind.
At first, it was horrific. Then, it was hateful. Then, it gradually became enjoyable. And finally…
'I forgot everything.'
He had forgotten everything. There was only himself, endlessly observing, investigating, and moving. Perhaps at that time, even the self-awareness of being 'Yeon So-wol' hadn't existed.
'If that… was the state of a sincere heart.'
So-wol suddenly looked inward.
The Innate True Qi within the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
The Acquired Qi within his flesh and bones.
The flames circulating through the Twelve Standard Meridians.
'Ah.'
It was all still there. The traces Yeon So-wol had engraved with a sincere heart in the past. The Twelve Standard Meridians that had been warmed more deeply. The Eight Extraordinary Meridians that had become hotter and purer as impurities were burned away. The bones and flesh that had become softer and more robust.
Because all of those were traces engraved by a sincere heart, simply retracing them one by one made So-wol feel as if he had returned to that time.
Yes. He could feel the "Heart" of that time. It hadn't been swept away by time; it was still engraved within his Simbeop.
"...."
So-wol's energy settled calmly. The flickering in his eyes vanished.
"…Good."
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