Book 12 Chapter 10

Is the master suffering from amnesia?

- Fishing in the Sea of Clouds

A vast forest, a high cliff, an endlessly spreading plain of silver-white stretching to infinity, and the immense, surging waves of clouds that serpentine around dozens of mountain peaks. It was truly a breathtaking, unparalleled landscape that deserved to be called a hidden gem of the world.

Thundercloud Peak, Silver-White Plain, Sea of Clouds Rock

It was a small knoll protruding like a shelf in the middle of a sheer cliff. Though it might have seemed like a mere tiny, insignificant protrusion on the entire mountain, the sea of silver-white clouds spread out below it led to an abyss of unfathomable emptiness. Once one fell in, abandoning the search for a corpse would have been a forgone conclusion.

In the midst of this vast, panoramic scenery, as if painted by the divine hand of a master artist with a single, sweeping brushstroke, sat an old man on a rock weathered by the passage of time. He held a fishing rod made of dark purple bamboo in one hand, casting it over the sea of clouds.

His silver beard hung majestically, his snow-white hair, resembling the dazzling mane of a white horse, cascaded down. Beneath his thick white eyebrows, his clear, cool eyes burned with a fiery intensity, like a red-hot sword quenched on an anvil. In the face of such imposing eyes, a timid person would not dare to meet his gaze directly.

His appearance evoked images of an immortal from Kunlun Mountain, a man of noble bearing and transcendent spirit. Yet, this was the master of the current Thunderclap Sect, the one whom his only disciple, Bi Ryuyeon, evaluated with various terms such as "vicious," "malicious," "monster," "demon," and "goblin."

The master was clearly fishing. The uses of a fishing rod are quite limited. What else could one do with a bamboo rod besides fishing? It was made for fishing, after all. However, there was no water anywhere nearby.

The summit of Thundercloud Peak. (Bi Ryuyeon and his master called the peak they lived on Thundercloud Peak. They cared not what others called it.)

What body of water could possibly be found at the top of this thousand-zhang cliff where even trees struggled to grow? The source of the mountain's streams lay far below. This place was so distant and high that even the sound of flowing water grew weary and never reached them.

Yet, the master, unconcerned by such facts, elegantly and silently cast his fishing line. His seriousness even felt solemn.

In truth, whether his demeanor was serious or not was irrelevant. Regardless of the master's attitude, he cast his fishing hook not into the azure sea, where waves crashed with white foam, but into the sea of clouds, which felt as white as snow and as soft as down, a plain of wind. Unless the sky and sea were inverted, this fact remained unchanged.

To boldly dangle a fishing rod in such a place was an act that defied all common sense and was worthy of extravagant praise.

What was he trying to catch? Or was he even trying to catch anything at all?

Beside the old man fishing, there was a young boy actively participating in this blatant disregard for common sense. Like his master, the boy also held a fishing rod made of purple bamboo. His face was hidden by long, dark bangs that fell like a curtain, making his appearance impossible to discern.

It was Bi Ryuyeon.

At the edge of the vast, white sea of clouds, numerous peaks pierced through the clouds like black spears. From a vantage point where this spectacle could be viewed at a glance, the master and disciple, as if in a competition, cast their fishing rods.

As if submerged in time, dissolved in the flow of time, they were so natural, so assimilated into nature, that even in the midst of this vast and mystical natural landscape, they appeared defiantly and completely at ease. They looked as if they belonged there, as if their presence was the most natural thing in the world.

Neither the old man nor the boy paid any mind to how much time had passed while fishing. Their entire attention was focused on the tips of their fishing rods. However, it seemed they were not having much luck.

The golden sun, which had been submerged up to its crown in the eastern sea of clouds, slowly rose and hung at the zenith of the sky. Their shadows, cast by the master and disciple, were at their shortest for the day. Yet, their fishing rods remained silent, like criminals exercising their right to remain silent.

But their eyes still refused to give up.

"… Disciple!"

Without turning his gaze, the old man called out to the boy in a dry voice, his eyes fixed on the tip of the bamboo rod. What was the intention behind casting a fishing rod, designed fundamentally for use in water, into this sea of clouds, which, though called a sea, was undeniably made of clouds? Nevertheless, these two, old and young, did not seem to consider these actions futile or worthless. They genuinely expected to obtain something.

"Yes?"

Bi Ryuyeon replied in a voice that was indifferent, apathetic, and devoid of emotion. Unlike a boy's voice, it was filled with a weariness seasoned by years, as if burdened by time.

"Are you catching anything?"

"… Not really!"

"… Is that so?"

"……"

The conversation, devoid of emotion, concluded with prolonged silence and stillness. Today, the bites were particularly meager.

"Master!"

This time, the boy called out to the old man.

"It's 'Sir'!"

The master emphasized a single word. As if nothing else mattered.

The east wind blowing above the clouds churned the silver-white sea, forming rapids and occasionally creating whirlpools. The clouds, following the wind, flowed, painting countless ever-changing patterns.

"Haaaam! It seems your claim of being a master angler is proven false today."

Bi Ryuyeon said in a bored voice, punctuating his statement with a magnificent yawn.

"Strangely, the bites are quite poor today. That's all."

However, seeing his disciple's unenthusiastic reaction, he quickly added.

"Taigong, the Great, didn't become Taigong by catching many fish. His catch was shamefully small, enough to be ridiculed as an angler. Yet, he didn't he catch the world! From now on, call this master Taigong Master."

He offered an excuse to defend himself. He couldn't accept the situation.

"It seems all the Taigongs in this world are dead. For the chance to fall to you, Master!"

The disciple's reaction was one of utter indifference. The master felt a pang of realization that he had a heartless fellow. And that insolent tone…

"Fishing is not just about catching something. The way of an angler is to hold the bamboo rod, embrace nature as a companion, and fish for life and time itself."

The master's fervent speech knew no end.

"That is romance! Romance! Young pups cannot easily feel such emotion. Haven't you heard the golden rule of anglers: 'Wait, and wait again! Then you shall catch something!'?"

Though the master spoke sternly in a lecturing tone, there was no sign of him listening.

"That's too grand an excuse for coming up empty-handed. Even fabricated proverbs are brought out. Let's give up now."

At Bi Ryuyeon's indifferent response, the master's thick white eyebrows twitched.

"Ho, you impatient fellow! Isn't this also a form of training!"

"Again with the training theory?"

The disciple's response was utterly lukewarm.

"Of course, you rascal! As I've said many times, this cloud fishing (also known as cloud fishing) requires great skill. What are we trying to catch here?"

"Obviously… fish!"

*Snap!*

Heavenly Punishment Descends!

"Birds, you idiot! What kind of crazy fish would live at the top of this mountain?"

"Ugh! It was a sophisticated joke."

Bi Ryuyeon grumbled, clutching his forehead.

"Sophisticated joke, my foot. The seeds of rebellion are sprouting. Disciple!"

"Ah, that's a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding!"

Bi Ryuyeon, feeling a pang of guilt, waved his hands dismissively. He once again experienced how sharp his master's animalistic intuition was…

"… Furthermore, the creatures that ascend this high are not ordinary birds. Only birds of prey like hawks and eagles, with strong wings capable of flying above the clouds, can reach these heights. Moreover, they are fierce, strong, and fast."

The master's passionate speech continued without pause.

"Therefore, to succeed in fishing, you first need sharp eyesight capable of piercing through the clouds. You must be able to grasp the target's approximate location. If you think that by simply attaching a single earthworm and casting it into the clouds, birds of prey will swoop down and snatch it, you are gravely mistaken. Such a thing will never happen. The second is…"

As if his throat were parched from his fervent oration, the master paused for a moment and took a swig from a wine gourd at his waist. Bi Ryuyeon, watching from the side, licked his lips, but it seemed his turn was not coming.

"The second is how skillfully you can move the fishing line with your qi. The higher the altitude, the stronger the wind. Moreover, the winged fish you need to catch are fast enough to cut through the wind. You must move the fishing line at a speed that does not lag behind them, binding them in an instant. This can be considered essential training for mastering the Thunderclap Sword Style. And yet, you are telling me to give up this sacred fishing merely because you are not catching anything?"

It was an oration possessing the power of fire, of a volcano. However, Bi Ryuyeon's mind remained unmoved.

'Will this really be that helpful? No matter how I look at it, it just seems like a personal hobby…'

The seeds of doubt and suspicion sprouted, growing deeper. But he decided to bury his true feelings quietly within his heart. In situations like this, wise handling was necessary.

"But it's already been half a day sitting here blankly. Are you trying to catch a phoenix by wasting such a long time?"

"Well, that's not a bad plan either."

The master replied, tilting his head. It seemed he was starting to waver.

"If we catch that, it'll be expensive, right?"

"Extremely expensive!"

He emphasized.

"Hmm…"

The scariest thing about the master was how he took jokes as truth. Recently, Bi Ryuyeon felt a sense of melancholy, realizing he was becoming more and more like his master.

"What do phoenixes like?"

Suddenly, the conversation became more concrete.

"I vaguely heard somewhere that they have a preference for white horses?"

"Weren't white horses dragons?"

The master pointed out the disciple's mistaken information about bait.

"Was that so? Then it must be so."

"Ancient texts say that to catch a dragon, you must use a white horse as bait. Then, to catch a phoenix, should we use a white tiger as bait?"

"Hmm? I have no idea, as I've never caught one. That's not in any fishing manual! Besides, isn't a white tiger a friend of the Four Divine Beasts? Even if a phoenix has a good appetite, would it really eat its friend?"

"Ugh!"

The master showed a momentarily flustered expression. But he quickly recovered.

"So, the conclusion is that you don't know?"

"I don't know."

"Tsk, tsk. You don't even know that. What have you been seeing and learning all this time?"

In such cases, it would normally be strange to know the answer. Yet, the master inexplicably reprimanded his disciple. He was always a great master, no matter how you looked at it.

"Of course, I've only seen what Master has shown me and learned what Master has taught me. If the disciple knows what the Master doesn't, that would be disrespectful to the Master. You should consider yourself incredibly fortunate to have such an outstanding and respectful disciple."

Bi Ryuyeon did not concede an inch. What a commendable attitude for a disciple! It was, without a doubt, a heartwarming(?) relationship between master and disciple.

"Ah, I have brought upon myself a calamity of cosmic proportions!"

The master looked up at the sky and let out a deep sigh. Bi Ryuyeon paid it no mind.

A moment later, they were back to their original state, as if nothing had happened. The bickering between master and disciple was no longer in their minds. Strangely, it seemed to be their normal way of life. The two, master and disciple, old and young, continued to wait, gazing at the tips of their fishing rods.

Who said it? That fishing and life are a continuous sequence of endless patience…

"Maa~ster!"

The disciple called out to the master.

"Why? Di~sciple~? You always forget to add the 'Sir.' That's never a good habit. It makes me want to twist your arm, despite being this kind and gentle master."

The master pointed this out, turning his head. However, he didn't seem to expect it to be corrected next time. It was a wise judgment. The master's eyebrows and beard were as white as a snowfield, and the bright eyes beneath his bushy eyebrows made it impossible to guess his age. This was why Bi Ryuyeon occasionally felt that his master was a being quite alien to the people of this world.

"Tell me an old story, please. Like a heroic tale from the past."

Bi Ryuyeon said in a rare, affectionate tone. At the age of twelve, after reading Sun Tzu's Art of War, which his master had casually thrown at him, he realized he had been doing things wrong for a long time. He felt that this wouldn't do.

Didn't they say, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be imperiled"? Only by knowing the enemy and knowing oneself can one fight without being in danger and gain an advantageous position. Of course, the hope of victory would also increase significantly.

If this adage were true, he was in a very disadvantageous position. While the master knew his every minor habit, he knew next to nothing about his master. This wouldn't do.

From that day on, thinking it wasn't too late, Bi Ryuyeon firmly resolved to gradually learn about his master.

"What do you want to know for? Showing curiosity about someone else's past affairs is never a good habit."

The master said in a gentle, admonishing tone.

"Please just consider it the earnest wish of a disciple who wants to hear about the great footsteps of his respected master!"

Suddenly, his conscience pricked him like a needle. But Bi Ryuyeon gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

"Reeeally?"

The master's reply rose in pitch, as if pleased.

'I've been tainted by the world too much!' Bi Ryuyeon lamented inwardly. But if necessary, one must know how to bend! Strength alone was not enough. The idiom "enduring hardship for future success" didn't come out of nowhere. There was also "sweetness after bitterness."

One must be able to skillfully wield both strength and flexibility to survive until the end on the battlefield of life and achieve victory. Moreover, it was an immutable truth that pain always followed victory.

"Please tell me stories from the martial world. Secrecy is like poison to a bright master-disciple relationship bathed in sunlight. It's by no means a commendable virtue. So, Master, what kind of being were you in the past?"

"Hmm, the past…"

Suddenly, the master turned his head and looked at the western sky. The sky was high and blue, and the clouds silently drifted westward, carried by the east wind. Bi Ryuyeon shivered as if the master's gaze was looking far beyond the present. Although the master was clearly beside him, and he could confirm his presence with his own eyes, it felt like mere shell, and his spirit seemed to be sailing to a distant place, creating a tremendous sense of incongruity. What was the master looking at? Bi Ryuyeon, who was not privy to it, felt frustrated but had no way of knowing.

However, perhaps not intending to linger in the past, the master eventually returned to the present.

"I forgot!"

The master replied with an unusually serious face, like a sage. When he looked that serious, he sometimes appeared like a sage, but Bi Ryuyeon would dismiss it as an optical illusion and ignore it. That was Bi Ryuyeon's firm belief.

"What?"

Bi Ryuyeon retorted incredulously.

"I forgot. I can't recall. It was an event so long ago that it's overwhelming to even try and pull it from memory… I've already forgotten who I am, even to myself."

For a moment, Bi Ryuyeon felt himself going numb. He had never imagined hearing such an answer. Though he stumbled, he managed not to fall. His expectation of a grand heroic tale had been shattered.

'Could it be senile dementia?'

Bi Ryuyeon thought, struggling to keep his thoughts from being read. If his thoughts were accidentally revealed, Baekyeom (his name is Baeg-a!) would attack him relentlessly, like stopping a stone fist.

Every time he saw those whiskers, Bi Ryuyeon felt an urge to rush over and snip them off. The magnificent, flowing silver beard was indeed luxuriant, but the problem was that it sometimes served not just as ornamentation but as a tool of oppression for his pitiful and unfortunate disciple.

Bi Ryuyeon squinted, examining the master's expression. Concealing his presence and not revealing his intentions were the most important tasks. However, the master, engrossed in digging through his forgotten past, paid no attention to his beloved disciple. The master's eyes still seemed to be gazing endlessly at the lingering remnants of a distant past.

"Even so, how can you irresponsibly dismiss it with a simple 'I forgot, I can't remember'? Try to remember at least one thing, even if you have to force it. You can't have forgotten everything, can you? Think about the heart of your disciple who is eagerly awaiting your heroic tales!"

Although Bi Ryuyeon's mouth was spitting out a torrent of words like a fiery dragon, the pulsations of his heart, which were said to be throbbing, were remarkably steady, without the slightest tremor. However, his curiosity was piqued. The fact that he seemed so reluctant to reveal it made him even more curious.

"Hmm, the past… the past…"

The master emitted a hum, like someone struggling to recall words unused for a long time from his deep memory. He remained silent for a while, as if lost in thought, as if he were pulling out a dusty album of the past buried deep within his memory vault. Of course, Bi Ryuyeon already harbored many doubts about the inadequacy of the master's memory vault and its current state of record-keeping. After a considerable amount of time had passed, Bi Ryuyeon, unable to bear it any longer, asked again.

"Do you remember anything now?"

No, no. The master shook his head.

"I still don't remember!"

The results of the vault exploration seemed unsatisfactory. Or perhaps he was hiding something from him… The master's past was completely shrouded in a veil of secrecy, and he had never once peered inside. For some reason, that thought made him feel uneasy.

Bi Ryuyeon exclaimed indignantly.

"Does that make any sense? Are you a patient suffering from amnesia?"

"Is there a law that says I can't be a patient with amnesia?"

"You might as well say you forgot how to eat with a spoon! That would be more believable."

"Ho ho! You impudent brat! You've clearly decided to make your master seem like a senile old man! If I don't remember, I don't remember. What more needs to be said? The master is Heaven, and therefore, those words are also the Mandate of Heaven. Understood?"

Bi Ryuyeon was forced to back down due to the master's coercive attitude. He knew that confronting the master at this point would yield no benefit. Bi Ryuyeon was not foolish enough to act on his overflowing emotions and anger, which would result in immense loss, damage, and after-effects.

Bi Ryuyeon adjusted his strategy from a hardline policy to a conciliatory one. His voice, which had been like the north wind of winter, softened back to a gentle breeze of spring.

"Master, you also lived as a martial artist in the martial world in the past, didn't you?"

"The martial world? It did exist back then. Perhaps it still does?"

"It exists nowadays."

Bi Ryuyeon answered briefly and firmly.

"However, Ryuyeon…"

"Yes?"

The master's eyes gazed into the deep abyss of time. In a gentle voice, he said,

"Such things are meaningless to me now. Perhaps I have lived for too long. The past is no longer significant to me… it can no longer affect me. Only the present is important to me now."

"For example, is it about what kind of alcohol I'll be drinking this evening?"

The master smiled faintly, looking at him.

"Precisely. You've become much smarter. Can you read your master's mind too? Have you finally become an adult who understands?"

It had been a long time since he had received praise.

"It's not that grand. That's basic. I'm usually so smart that I rarely encounter things I don't know! Unfortunately, my brain is too good, so I rarely encounter things I don't know!"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded, feeling proud of himself. The master was always amazed by the boy's impudence.

"You insolent rascal! It's still three hundred years too early for you to say that."

The master said, as if finding it ridiculous.

"I am a non-existent being in the martial world. Therefore, I have nothing to tell you about the martial world. I seem to have done something, but I've already forgotten what it was. It was too long ago. It all seems like insignificant matters from a distant past that need not be revisited now."

"It really is senile dementia!"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded, his face filled with conviction in his diagnosis, as if he were Hua Tuo, a noble and renowned physician.

"You rogue!"

The master's face turned crimson, and his hand slashed through the air.

*Snap!*

The master's knuckle caused sparks of punishment to erupt on his forehead. Stars appeared before Bi Ryuyeon's eyes.

"Oh dear! Alas! In these times, honesty and truth are disregarded!"

It was typical of Bi Ryuyeon to never admit he was wrong, even if it meant death.

"You damned scoundrel! I've told you repeatedly to have respect and reverence for your master… I've always told you that respect and love for your master should be like faith!"

The master said in a voice filled with conviction.

"Today, I will show you, you who have not an iota of respect, what the honor and pride of the sect are, and what it means to protect them! You damned fool! Pierce your thin earlobes and listen carefully!"

The master spoke in a solemn, stern, and intimidating voice. He seemed quite angry. Resisting at such times always led to bad outcomes. Bi Ryuyeon knew well from his long discipleship that when the master became serious, he was fearsome.

The master slowly opened his mouth.

"No country's law is mine. I am not bound by any regulations or rules, nor am I restricted by them. I am not constrained by the superficial morality and etiquette that people arbitrarily create and embellish with their tongues. I only speak and act according to what my eyes and ears perceive and what my heart commands."

The master paused for a moment, glancing at Bi Ryuyeon to see if he was listening attentively, and continued.

"Even if others say what is right is wrong, what is right does not become wrong. The opposite is also true. Do not participate in the foolish spectacle of the masses, who measure their worth by others' standards and are swept away by them. We only need to be faithful to the standard of truth presented by our own hearts."

"Us?"

"Yes! You and I! That's why we! A disciple of the Thunderclap Sect should think and act accordingly. Therefore, you must be responsible for your name."

"Name?"

"Yes, name! There is only one thing I can still remember and pass on to you."

An invisible dignity emanated from the master's entire body like heat haze. Suddenly, the master seemed to have become a giant.

"The name 'Thunderclap' cannot be used by anyone else. This applies to everyone. Only the descendants of our Thunderclap Sect can use that name."

"Then what about the character 'Thunder' (雷)?"

"The character 'Lei' (雷)? Hmm…"

The master seemed to ponder for a moment.

"To use that name, you must obtain permission. No incompetent person can use the name of Lei. There are too many mediocre and useless individuals in the world who carelessly attach the name Lei to the front of their titles. It's laughable. Without any skill, they dare to be so ostentatious as to freely use the name Lei! Teach such foolish people their place. That name is not for a person like you to use."

"Then what about the character 'Lightning' (電)?"

Bi Ryuyeon was persistent. The master's gaze flickered towards Bi Ryuyeon. The boy tried to evade it, but the old man was faster.

*Snap!* A spark flew before his eyes.

"It's the same, the same! Those who have not passed the test have no right to use the name of Thunder and Lightning. Of course, of course."

The master added one more sentence.

"Honor can be considered respect for one's name. Therefore, defiling a name is defiling honor. Therefore, you must hold pride and do your best to protect the name of our Thunderclap Sect. Can you tolerate our name being defiled by others?"

"How can I tolerate that?"

Of course, he could not and should not tolerate such an outrageous thing. He had long known that tolerating such things was detrimental to one's mental health. It was of no help in living a happy life.

"So, remember this too!"

"Yes, Master!"

Bi Ryuyeon replied in a resolute voice filled with determination. It was not his usual playful demeanor, but a serious one.

"Sir!"

The master strained.

"Yes! Sir!"

Bi Ryuyeon replied immediately. This time, the word 'Master' had vanished somewhere. Preparing for heavenly punishment once more, the master's fist slowly rose. Bi Ryuyeon subtly took a stance to escape, slowly lifting his buttocks slightly off the rock he was sitting on.

However, the master's fist did not fly. At that moment, the tip of his fishing rod twitched and swayed. It was the long-awaited bite.

Although the master was always self-willed and exploited his disciple, he was remembered as being extremely strict when it came to honor.

They say it sticks in your ears, don't they? In such situations, even if you don't want to, you are forced to do it because the association makes your mind noisy. Bi Ryuyeon wasn't quite at that point, and he wasn't so kind-hearted as to silently tolerate his sect and his name being defiled. He was by no means a benevolent person.

Above the blue sky peeking through the jagged canyon, scattered clouds, like powerful horses, raced on the strong west wind.

"I have to do what I have to do!"

He said quietly in a voice devoid of emotion.