Book 16 Chapter 3

Mo's Worries

-Sincerest regards

What is chi?

What are the Eightfold Path?

What is yin and yang?

What is Natural?

What is Tai Chi?

Is such a thing, namely, nature, a self-caused thing that has no other cause? If so, does that mean that nothingness, the opposite of being, cannot exist? Does nature have no beginning or end? If so, is what is commonly called nothingness a relative nothingness or an absolute nothingness? Does the "nothingness" in the phrase "nothingness in existence" mean a nothingness that is not even a nothingness, that is, an absolute nothingness that is not a relative nothingness but an unfixed formlessness? Unfixed means that it can change into anything. So, is there anything wrong with describing the nature of the Tao, which can be called the first cause, as formless?

But what does this speculative thinking have to do with the development of martial arts? Is it necessary to seek answers to such esoteric questions? Doesn't a martial artist simply need to temper his muscles to steel and his sword to be as fast and sharp as the wind?

In the days of his youth, when he had no doubts about the world, when he was simply going along with what was given to him, he would have had no problem accepting it. But now, when he knew better than anyone that true mastery could not be attained by physical training, he could not do so, for it would be an act of evasion of the enormous problem that lay before him, which he suddenly realized was right in front of him. I couldn't be a coward, but… I didn't know if I already was.

"Whoa……."

A low sigh escaped Mo Yonghui's mouth.

Lately, this genius young man (not to be confused with anyone else) has been troubled by the topics that have been plaguing him. Of course, this was a huge drain on his energy. The biggest problem and frustration with these topics was that they didn't produce the answers he was looking for. In short, it was a terrible business. I don't think you can find a more hopelessly bad business in the world.

Of course, if the conclusions about these things were of such a nature that they could be tied up in a simple and straightforward manner in such a short time, the discourse about them would not have continued for hundreds of years. But it was also a forced reality that we had to accept that if we couldn't move beyond this topic, we couldn't move on.

'物極必反(物極必反)…….'

The idea is that every property reverses to its opposite when it reaches its pole. It was said that this is how the world cycles. When water reaches its pole, parity is not preserved. There is no such thing as a perfect balance of yin and yang. Perfect balance is, in a sense, non-existent. And in this case, it shouldn't exist, because it would mean the world stopping, freezing. Perfect symmetry is not preserved, and because of this, the world is in an endless cycle, never stopping.

'To understand the world is to understand me, and to understand my essence is to understand the world. It is not for nothing that the human body is called a microcosm, and that such a thing as nature is called a macrocosm.'

The old man who introduced himself as Rev. Unidentified Old Man……. The old man said that he would pass on the strongest martial art in the world, with the promise that those who followed his progress would become the greatest martial artist in the world. He said that what he was about to say was an initiation into that martial art. Imagine my surprise when I later realized that the old man was the head of the Ruling Spirit!

He didn't think it was a lie; if it was indeed the progress of the Martial God Army, it deserved to be. The old man's status only added to the credibility of his words. But he couldn't bring himself to accept it.

'Thank you for your kind words. I am honored that you think so highly of me, a mere half-breed. But I can't do that, I haven't even mastered what I'm learning yet, so how can I be worthy to pass on such divine knowledge?'

He refused. To pass it on would mean taking on a great deal of responsibility and obligation, but he was willing to take it on.

But…….

There was something even scarier.

It was a fear of self-doubt, that the job would be a confirmation of how insignificant he was. Fear of being reminded of his inexperience, of his limitations. He had already tasted a few setbacks. Once by a friend he once despised, once by a faceless being on the other side of the darkness.

Yes, he was. To be honest, I was afraid for my future if I couldn't handle the new technology, and I felt like I would really fall apart if I experienced another setback. So I caved in and said no for superficial reasons that weren't really true.

The old man didn't seem too upset, but he didn't seem to have given up either. I was grateful that he didn't yell at me, "You're crazy for passing up such a golden opportunity! I just left with one topic as a connection. With the words, "If you think about it, you might be enlightened.

The questions I left at the beginning and at the end were imprinted on my mind, and as an added bonus, they had a knack for messing with my head. An unanswered question is like a dark labyrinth without an exit.

"Is this all I am, a vessel, that people waste words like "gifted" and "genius" on a mere mortal?"

Once the sprout of self-doubt was planted, the weed began to multiply at a frightening rate and soon covered his entire mind. He had never doubted his abilities like this before. His tolerance for setbacks had never been high enough, so the despair he felt this time was indescribable.

Of course, he was always proud of himself, but he was never conceited, nor did he ever lose the virtue of humility and become arrogant. He did not allow his mind and body to drift into such a state through strict self-control. The brilliance of his grandfather, who was higher than the North Star, became a "shield" to protect him from hasty pride.

But he had never been looked down upon in his own generation; his lessons had not been so easy. He was neither weak nor shameless enough to rely on the shadow of his lineage, and he was learning the hard way that the only person who could improve his abilities was himself, a commonplace, neglected truth that was surprisingly little understood, much less practiced. The sweat he put into his swordsmanship was not something that could be measured in words. To be able to work tirelessly was also a talent. Natural materials and unrelenting effort were the driving forces that had shaped the Mo Yonghui of the Seven Deadly Divine Swords so far.

But for the first time, his talent and hard work hit a wall. There had to be an impact, and it was a powerful one, shaking him to the core of his being.

The helplessness he felt this time was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The moment you stop believing in yourself, the world loses all hope and turns gray.

It was stifling. It was suffocating. I had never felt so alone before.

"Grandpa……."

Mo Yonghui thought of the swordsman Mo Yongzheng, his model and goal as a martial artist. His grandfather had always been a steadfast pillar of support for him in times of need. But this time, he was at his wits' end, and it only made him feel even more lonely. The loneliness came in waves. Walking through his inner world without a path was like floating alone on the open sea, and he felt like a lost sailor searching for the light of a lighthouse. Suddenly, he missed his grandfather like crazy, and longing swept through his heart like a flooded Yellow River.

"What is it, you look like you're going to cry? Is there something you can't figure out?"

At first he thought he was hallucinating: the voice sounded so nostalgic, so full of compassion. Only after a while did he realize that it wasn't just ringing in his ears.

Mo Yonghui's head snapped back hard. It was the second time since coming to the volcano that he'd given up his back without a hint, but that was probably a good thing, and he wasn't surprised by it now. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"…Grandpa?"

There, within reach, stood the one person he most honored and loved in this world.

It was his grandfather, the swordsman Mo Yongzheng.

"Is this a dream?"

I stuttered and asked a stupid question.

"Hehe, with him. Why are your eyes so wide open, so unlike you? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

That's what it felt like. I felt like the person I missed the most, and who was the most painful to see, had transcended my consciousness and appeared in my reality.

"Heh heh heh, kid, why don't you go see for yourself if it's a dream or not, real or fake?"

The gray-haired old man laughed a hearty laugh, spreading his arms wide as if to embrace the heavens.

It was… not a dream.

"Ha, Grandpa!"

Suddenly, I felt a lump in my throat. Tears threatened to fall. But as a male captain, he couldn't show tears, not in front of his grandfather. The blood of the sword family should never show tears. However, Mo Yonghui couldn't help himself and ran into his arms like a child. The upstanding young man who had been called the Seven Days Divine Sword in the Jianghu Clan, who had lived a perfectly restrained life and acted in a modest manner, was just a cute, pampered grandson in front of his grandfather, Mo Yongzheng. For those who had always known him as an aloof figure, this was a stunning revelation.

"Hehehe, kid. I haven't seen you in about two years, and you've gotten even more stupid!"

Gongsheng smiled benevolently and patted his grandson on the back in his arms.

As the nostalgia wore off, Mo Yonghui began to wonder what had led to the current situation that had surprised him. Of the many ways he could have resolved the question, he decided to take the quickest and most effective one: asking the person directly. He was curious as to the reason why Sword King had come to this place.

"Dude, you seem to have forgotten who I am."

This was Gum Sung's answer to the question.

"He holds the title of Sword Saint, is the greatest swordsman in the Martial Realm, a member of the Three Immortals, and my proud grandfather. How could Suo Jia forget that fact?"

Mo Yonghui politely replied.

"Hehe, and yet you ask such a question?"

At his grandfather's urging, Mo Yonghui realized something.

"I see. Xiao'En asked a question."

There wasn't a single place in the current Martial Forest that Sword Saint Mo Yongzheng couldn't go. This was especially true if it was the volcanic Tianmu Mountain, where the Volcanic Covenant Conference was being held. For the past hundred years, Tianmu Mountain had been treated as the highest honored guest of the Volcanic Covenant Conference. A polite invitation would have been sent to his home. I don't know about other frivolous events, but I've never heard of a volcano meeting that Samsung didn't attend. It was a testament to his unwavering attention to detail.

Of course, not only here, but at every event, big or small, held in Jianghu, invitations are sent to Chunmusamsung with the most extreme examples. Of course, it would be a great honor for them if it happened, but they didn't hold out much hope for it. The point is that it was sent or it wasn't sent. That's the least you could do for the legend of the martial arts.

"Oh, by the way, Hal's friends are waiting over there. If I keep them waiting any longer, they might hear something untoward, so I must go. You should come with me. I'm sure they'll be happy to see a familiar face after all these years."

"If you're my grandfather's acquaintances……."

There weren't many people who were acquaintances of his grandfather, Xue Sheng, who could have climbed the volcanic Tianmu Peak with him. It didn't take long for the two to form a picture.

"I don't suppose you're going to let those two……."

Gongsheng nodded.

"Who else but those friends? A hundred years of unbroken bonds, hehehe. You should say hello too, it's been a while……."

"Yeah, I haven't seen those two in a decade."

"Yeah, it's been ten years since you fell off that roof!"

"Ha, Grandpa… that story is……."

Mo Yonghui blushed in embarrassment as he muttered with nostalgic eyes. He remembered something from his past that he had forgotten.

Mo Yonghui was only a snot-nosed child of twelve years old when he first encountered the three of them. But he was the scion of a martial family, and had been systematically training in martial arts since the age of five, so like many other martial family bloodlines, he grew up listening to the stories of the many masters of the martial arts.

Stories about the many great masters and legendary masters have always been encouraged because of their positive effect on instilling dreams and setting goals for children. What other stories could be told than those, and by far the most popular were those about the living legend of the current powerhouse, Tianmusheng. To boost their pride as descendants of the Mo Yong family, the adults in the community would regale them with tales like the myth of the Sword Saint Mo Yong Zhengtian whenever they had time, or whenever the children asked for stories.

There was no one among the descendants of the Segawa, Bunga, and Hou who was not intrigued by the story, and the tale of Swordsman was not without its two licorice-like supporting characters-Gum Hu and Tosheng-who would surely have gone astray had they heard it. For this reason, Mo Yonghui grew up hearing the stories of the legendary martial hero Mo Yongzheng and his trusted companions and helpers, Tosheng and Swordsman, as naturally as a tree receives sunlight, and they became the heroes of his heart.

That's why, for the first time since he was born, when the Duke and Duchess visited the Mo Yong family and held a meeting of the Heavenly Three in their backyard, he watched the three of them with envious eyes……. It was Mo Yonghui who was the most eager to spy on the meeting. And in the end, he was caught. However, none of the three people scolded him. In fact, they even saved him from falling off the roof when he panicked at being caught.

"They say time is like water… It's been ten years since you fell off that roof and had to be rescued by Gumshoe! You'll love those two. They used to think you were so cute."

"Yeah, I've gotten a lot of flak from other kids for that."

In a child's world, this was natural. But he was so excited to meet the legend that he didn't mind the envy of his neighbors.

"There are many fine children in Mr. Mo Yong's family, but this one seems to be the only one who will carry your sword."

"Heh heh heh, do you really think so, this is my third grandchild, not even my first?"

"Hmph, why are you being so sneaky, you already know it all."

"Heh, heh, heh, did I bomb this? I actually have high hopes for that kid. Maybe my progress can be traced back to her."

"That's better than the real thing."

"Come to think of it, didn't you say that this sister also has a child who could make progress?"

"I'm pretty sure I heard you were his daughter……?"

"Yes, that child would be able to take everything I have, and maybe even surpass me… but my mind is still closed… and it's a shame that I can't break through to new heights until that closed mind is opened. There has to be some kind of trigger……."

That's when I decided. I would be the child who would never disappoint my grandfather. I would never let that name, or those three people, down. Never!

"But what does this pathetic state of affairs mean?

"Is it really okay as it is, Mo Yong Hwi?

You can't be okay, how can you be okay with a dagger in your heart!

"You mean you forgot your vows?

Of course he hadn't forgotten, for to forget that oath was to abandon his own self.

One thing's for sure: it's not working. Something has to change, but how?

'It's your mind that defines the world! You can change the world by changing your perception of it, by changing your mind's perception of it, because the world can't acquire any meaning without passing through the sieve of your mind. It's all meaninglessness, but that's the beauty of the world.'

Who was it that said that? Was it Bi Ryuyeon? It was too erudite and too profound for her light-hearted mouth, and she hadn't given it much thought. He was right. Only you can change yourself in the end. The world is not kind enough to change for you. He was the only one who was allowed to draw on the white paper of the world he had been born into.

"Is it right to disappoint the expectations of the three of you? Have you forgotten whose grandson you are? Have you forgotten the pride of the proud Moyonsees?

But what about now? I felt even more pathetic about myself.

'It's too early to give up yet. Believe in your own blood, believe in yourself, for what can he do who cannot even believe in himself?

Once I made up my mind, I suddenly felt an unbelievable surge of energy radiating through my body.

Once the path is set, you just walk on it. What I needed was the courage to step onto the unknown, the patience to not quit, and the persistence to fight boredom and win.

And while I'm not bragging, patience and persistence are words I'm a little more confident in than others.

"Yes, there's still plenty of time. I'm still young. There's no need to be impatient, just take it one step at a time!

My dead heart stretched and my courage rose again. His face brightened.

"Looks like you finally got over the hump!

But he trusted his grandson and watched silently, and his grandson more than lived up to his expectations. Swordsman looked at his beloved grandson with pride in his eyes.

The sniveling child who was being led by the hand is now an adult who is walking on his own two feet.

Boom, boom, boom!

Mo Yong's nephew, who was walking with her, saw a group of them gathering in front of her.

"What's going on? There's quite a commotion up front."

There was a bustle of activity here and there, people moving about in groups of three and four, exchanging ideas at every turn. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the seemingly complex movement was centered around a single point. A group of humans, young and old, had gathered in a circle around a single point.

The middle-aged man's ramblings were clearly visible to Sword Saint and Mo Yonghui, who were more than ten zhang away. It wasn't chatter. Rather, the aura emanating from it was more like the reverberation left behind after a simultaneous explosion of bewilderment and astonishment.

And while they were there, they also witnessed an amazing sight.

"This, this!!!"

Mo Yonghui was speechless at what he was witnessing. He couldn't think of any words to describe what he was seeing, and he understood why everyone else found it so ridiculous. If you can't look at something like that and not feel a sense of dumbfoundedness, there's something wrong with you.

"What are you doing, draw your sword!"

An ancient-looking middle-aged woman was shouting and pointing a finger at someone, and it turned out to be her friend Bi Ryuyeon, whose vocabulary she knew very well.

The graceful woman did not appear to be the sort of person who would make any coercive demands on others, but now she was certainly demanding it in a firm voice. To Mo Yonghui's confusion, what was even more disconcerting was that the middle-aged woman's face was one that existed in his memory. The woman's face was unforgettable. Decades had passed, but she hadn't aged at all, as if time had passed her by. Even the winds of time seemed to have failed to etch age into her face. Meanwhile, in the distance, Na Yerin could be seen standing nervously, looking flustered and unworthy of her nickname, Ice Phoenix, while beside her, the alumni lion, Dokgo Ling, calmed her down.

Mo Yonghui indifferently gazed at Xiao Sheng's face. His grandfather was also looking at them with a slightly stiff face.

"Hehe, what kind of a prank is this?"

A muffled sob escaped from Xiao Sheng's mouth. It was clear that what was happening now was being categorized as an unexpected event, even for this giant.

The woman urging Bi Ryuyeon to take up her sword. She has a myriad of titles.

Guardian of Kwan Yin Bodhisattva, Lady Zhong, First Sword, Master of Swordsmanship, First Seat of Heaven and Earth…….

There were many names for her. But most people called her this out of respect and honor.

劍后!

The city sat a short distance away from the Curtain of Innocence. He was wearing a cloak of secrecy, so he didn't have to pay for his fame. He, too, wore a cloak of secrecy wherever there was a noticeable increase in the number of people, for otherwise he might suffer disaster. Celebrities are always tired.

He was very pleased with his choice, and waited there for the sword to be tested.

"Uh, did you get back?"

Do-sung said, turning his head slightly to acknowledge Gyeom-seong's presence as he approached.

"There you go. But what kind of a joke is this?"

Common sense dictated that it was impossible for a saber-toothed swordsman to speculate in front of a fresh-faced young man.

"Alas, there's a problem."

"Problem?"

"Disciple love is child love, and it's something every parent goes through."

"Um……."

"She doesn't like the son-in-law her daughter always brings home."

"……?"

It was a good explanation, except that Dao Sheng's words, which were supposedly meant to help him understand, didn't help him understand at all. So, naturally, he was hoping for a change of subject, to get him out of the realm of the incomprehensible and into the realm of the comprehensible. As if sensing his desire, Dao Sheng asked.

"More than that, what happened to 'him'?"

"Oh, I had the medical team put you in a room specifically for the three of us. I thought it would be safer that way."

"Are you awake?"

Gongsheng shook his head slowly.

"He's alive. But he's still in a coma, occasionally mumbling unintelligible words in his sleep, but they're so fragmented that we don't have a full picture yet."

"Unintelligible?"

Tosung asked, and received a friendly reply.

"They found a dragon."

"For?"

Dao Sheng asked again, and Swordsman nodded once more in confirmation. Still, it was an unsolved mystery, and not one that could be solved quickly, so they changed the subject.

"Oh, and who's that puppy curled up next to you?"

Suddenly, Mo Yonghui's gray-haired figure came into view, standing at a distance beside his saintly friend.

"He's my third grandchild!"

"Oh, is this the same snotty little girl?"

Apparently, the impression of Mo Yonghui had miraculously remained in the back of my mind.

"Say hello, Hui, do you remember him? He's Mr. Tosung."

"How could I forget you, old man, I haven't seen you in a long time!"

Mo Yonghui bowed politely, taking a firm gesture of respect.

"Onya, you've grown up!"

With a wry smile, Dao Sheng replied. In fact, he'd forgotten about Mo Yonghui's existence until Gongsheng introduced him. But that wasn't so much to blame. After living for more than a hundred years, such things were not uncommon.

"When was the last time I saw you……. when you were about my waist! I haven't seen you since then. It must have been a decade. Ten years… Ten years… Where has the time gone already……."

Seeing the boy become a young man seemed to rekindle a sense of the passage of time that had been lost.

"It's all because of your wanderlust. Who's to say you can't be wanderlust, but think of those around you. Isn't your son-in-law always running around trying to find you because of your whims?"

"Alas, you mean the Magin family, she's got her hands full with her position as the head of the Heavenly Martial Academy, so why is she treading on the heels of this insignificant old man when she could be taking care of that?"

"Tsk, tsk, stubborn, and……."

He clicked his tongue as he looked at his friend, who was far from steady, and then, as if waiting for him, he spoke up. An offense was an offense, even for a legend of the Martial Kingdom, and he was warned to rise to his feet and protest any accusations.

"What, stubborn? You don't think you're stubborn, do you? Don't tell me you're going to get away with it. You're more stubborn than I am, and you're the only one in the world who doesn't know it!"

"What do you mean I'm stubborn? I'm always trying to follow and practice the Middle Way."

"Well, maybe everyone else believes you because you're so brilliant, or maybe they pretend to believe you because they're afraid of your authority, but I don't believe you."

Tosung's tone was sour.

"Why? I still don't understand why you harbor such misconceptions."

"Why? Do you really not know that, or are you just pretending you do? What did you say to me once upon a time, 'Hey, Husik, don't you think you could cut a river with a sword?"

"I did, and you laughed at me fiercely, but that must have been about eighty years ago."

Xiao Sheng admitted it meekly. It was said that the river acid would change in ten years, but that was before the river acid had changed eight more times.

"But what does that mean?"

"And then there's the aftermath, when you get mad at me for laughing at you, tell me to wait because you're going to show me the possibilities firsthand, and then tell me to forget how long that took."

If the person who uttered those words had not been a black man, he would have been put in quarantine.

"But you did it in the end, didn't you?"

Gongsheng said casually.

"Yeah, because it took thirty years!"

Tosung said through clenched teeth. He was obviously speaking in human language, but in the mock English he was listening to, he could only roll his eyes.

"You're wrong about that! No one is reckless enough to spend thirty years on something like that. It only took twenty-five years! It didn't take thirty years, and your face was a sight to behold, and that alone makes the twenty-five years of labor worthwhile."

Gongsheng kindly corrected her misunderstanding, but she couldn't understand a word of what he was saying in her own language. It was a story from another world. What did you do with the river eighty years ago, and what did you do with it? It was a conversation that could never take place between humans.

"For twenty-five years, thirty years, that's what it is, and then they come up with this weird thing called a gateway sword or a gateway sword to do it… and then they go, 'This time it's the ocean!' because it sounds so much fun……."

"Oh, that one didn't work out yet! It was hard, hard, hard. Nature is great after all……."

"What's hard?"

Tosung tugged on his ear as if he were very suspicious.

"Alas, the ocean. Nature's power is vast and infinite. I've spent fifty years in it since then, and it's still not easy, but it's very helpful in my training. I recommend it to you!"

"I'll politely decline."

Thinking that even though he was his friend, he was a terrible bastard-and he had the decency to say so-Do shook his head. Then he said.

"But still, we're both no match for Gum Hu. When have we ever beaten her?"

Tosung took a moment to reflect on the past hundred years, then slowly shook his head.

"Never. Not once!"

It was truly a lie, it had never happened. With a very sympathetic gaze, he glanced at Bi Ryuyeon, who stood facing Sword Hu.

"He's going to have a hard time with this."