Chapter 14: Breakthrough and Departure
Over the past half year, Seokheon had also gone in secret to see the mother-and-son trio of Lady Bang’s ghosts, and they had been faring well. Seocheongi kept his promise and, according to Seokheon’s orders that day, called the old man and Sangnae to pretend to subdue the evil ghosts here. Then, representing the Seo family, he donated money and converted the house into a temple, suppressing the evil ghosts, eliminating disasters, and praying for fortune. He enshrined the so-called Bodo Bodhisattva, commonly known as Bangok, along with the subordinates Dongnam and Dongnyeo, and finally held a grand dharma assembly for the old monk, bringing glory to the temple. Personally, he was tasked with writing the various rumors of Bodo Bodhisattva as picture books and plays to promote throughout the city, while simultaneously collecting the religious doctrines and dharma sermons of the faithful.
Since it was renovation work, the temple was completed in just over four months. When Seokheon visited, the Bang household mother and sons were using incense and vow power to maintain their forms, so the thick, sinister chill had vanished from their entire spirit bodies. Even when appearing before people at night, they were not immediately mistaken for ghosts. Furthermore, because they were unable to cultivate using the vow power of incense, smoke rose from their entire bodies for two hours every day. If there were golden light, auspicious clouds, and noble tones, they looked like true immortals in appearance.
Lady Bang was very grateful to Seokheon, even gesturing and speaking. However, Seokheon paid it no mind. He had merely raised his hand and done the work—or rather, had merely moved his lips. The vast majority of matters had been arranged by Seocheongi. Because Seokheon had not pointed out the subtleties of the religious doctrine or clearly explained the role of rituals, Lady Bang and Seocheongi could not think of how to arrange things even if they racked their brains. Until then, they had not known why people in the world valued rituals, thinking them simply expressions of filial piety to ancestors, and had never connected sacrifices to temple origins.
They thought there was no way to stop Seokheon either. It was not as if they could claim to understand merely from reading the few volumes of Daoist texts and elders’ notes collected by the old Daoist Seo. This was merely the most basic knowledge within the Daoist texts, and it did not even mention the specific problem of how to cultivate the religious Dao. To truly explain, he might have to pull out several volumes of notes and show them; it would be extremely troublesome.
Of course, Seokheon did not see Seocheongi. The fellow was at ease at home without leaving, practicing martial arts. He had come once on the day the temple opened with many of the family’s elders. All words for Seokheon were relayed through Lady Bang. Mujini, too, was dragged along by Seocheongi and teared up daily from practicing martial arts.
Maenggyegyeong and Seogeumui had left Haanbu and returned to Nakgyeong over two months ago. Hearing Seocheongi’s intentions, these two girls, especially Seogeumui, secretly tried to find out Seokheon’s whereabouts. Originally, only a few elders of the Seo family and the children who had first been sent to practice martial arts could know of the old Daoist Seo’s existence. The elders were capable of keeping secrets. Those children were either no longer within the family or had been personally cautioned by Seocheongi. Moreover, because it was such a closely guarded secret, they had been unable to learn Seokheon’s whereabouts even until they departed.
Seokheon was disappointed. He had hoped that after rumors circulated that Seogeumui was in the Ha family, she would come to find him. It was not because he coveted her beauty, but because he had wanted to see well whether she possessed the aptitude, patience, and perseverance for cultivation. If she had, he could have transmitted the Seo family’s Dao lineage to her. Looking through Dubaek’s memory fragments, Seokheon had come to learn that the old Daoist Seo had in fact wished for someone within the clan to inherit his lineage, but having been unable to find anyone all along, he had given up on this thought. Currently, the person Seokheon cultivated was not the Ghost True Scripture. Naturally, he wished to find someone to inherit this lineage and hoped it would be someone from the Seo family.
Since she did not come, Seokheon did not force the matter. She had missed this opportunity. If later he saw someone with heavenly talent, patience, and perseverance, it would not be too late to pass it on then.
Although the estate had brought people over for half a year, Seokheon was not lacking for money now and did not wish to spend time finding another place to live, so he continued to delay, planning to sell only right before leaving.
In Haanbu, the night had deepened and there were no signs of people. Seokheon sat atop a cushion, legs crossed, his five centers facing heavenward. Following the manual Jade Candle Twelve Channels, Eight Nodes, and Seventy-Two Branch Lower Qi Circulation Secret Record, he conducted his inner qi. Passing through the twelve primary meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and seventy-one minor meridians, his inner qi gradually condensed. Then, under the direction of Seokheon’s will, he struck the node of the last meridian. Although his inner qi was like a tidal bore, that node blocked his path like a sturdy dike; even after striking it three times, he could not succeed.
Seokheon had not expected this last meridian to be so difficult to open. After opening the seventieth meridian, he had expected to succeed by the Sunday after tomorrow at the latest, but now a month and a half had passed and he still could not break through this final meridian. Fortunately, his Clear Wind and Bright Moon Spirit-Governing True Formula had advanced considerably. Although he had not touched the threshold of the Sublime Soul Stage’s peak, the strength of his soul had greatly increased, and his ability to control his own emotions had also made remarkable progress. Thus, Seokheon was not swallowed by feelings of disappointment and impatience.
Seokheon stopped circulating qi, settled the emotion that had just surged, then stilled his thoughts and entered a meditative state. First, he planned to conduct today’s visualization lesson, then cultivate his qi aura.
Under the bright moon and with clear wind brushing his body, Seokheon felt his soul growing moistened, its impurities removed, growing stronger and emptier. His divine will could control every corner of his soul, and he felt that everything was under his command.
Seokheon suddenly felt a sense of crisis. His thoughts abruptly elevated, and he looked down at his soul from above. His mind had been so impatient that he had nearly fallen into devilry. In visualization, if one feels that one can control every corner or experiences a similar sensation, that is precisely the harbinger of falling into the devilish path.
Fortunately, according to the dharma method of recognizing the true self and withdrawing thoughts within the Spirit-Governing True Formula, because Seokheon had coordinated visualization and cultivation, he sensed the danger at the critical moment and was able to escape his thoughts. After waiting a moment and calming his mind, Seokheon began to visualize again.
After visualization, Seokheon had not expected that he had nearly died. His soul had instead become even more translucent. A faint light emanated from it. The highest peak of the Sublime Soul Stage, which he had not thought to reach, now seemed to be within reach of the threshold. Unlike before, he could not find the direction.
After withdrawing from the meditative state, Seokheon did not immediately move his qi. He rose and wielded the clever fist art, the Coiling Fist, recorded by the old Daoist Seo in a small room. Fist winds converged, footsteps shifted, and the fist art flowed. Although a slight sweat beaded on Seokheon’s head, his mind was unusually serene.
Only after seeing that he had best regulated his body and mind through the fist art just now did Seokheon sit cross-legged again. Closing his eyes to rest, he began once more to conduct his inner qi. In this session of circulation, Seokheon cast away the thought of opening the meridian, forgetting it as though it were nothing, and simply controlled the flow of his inner qi.
Seokheon felt that his twelve primary meridians were twelve great rivers. Seventy-two rivers ceaselessly gathered into the rivers, and eight great lakes regulated the great rivers; when the river water was abundant, it flowed into the lakes, and when the river water was scarce, the lakes flowed into the rivers. Between breaths, his body seemed to become one complete whole, with only that flaw starkly revealed right there.
Naturally, inner qi accumulated and surged toward the last meridian. Seokheon had just strengthened his soul greatly. He could control this inner qi more easily than before, making it finer and faster as it charged toward that node. Seokheon seemed to feel a thunderous roar resound within his body; the accumulated inner qi broke through that node, widening the meridian and moistening it thoroughly. Enduring the itching, Seokheon let his inner qi pass through this meridian and finally rush into the great river. True qi within his body flowed continuously, as spontaneous and free as pointing with his arm.
He was suppressing the settling of his inner qi, yet not cutting off the state of its natural circulation. This was one of the signs of the Sunday after tomorrow. Once inner qi could circulate on its own, one would fear neither cold nor heat, and when meeting enemies, the body would naturally protect itself. In ordinary circumstances, there was no need to deliberately regulate one’s inner qi even when employing techniques. Between raising a hand and lifting a foot, it became effortlessly natural.
When Seokheon opened his eyes, the dimly flickering candle before him felt warm and stable. He felt he could hear the sound of distant wind brushing leaves, skimming the water’s surface, and sweeping across the tops of clouds. He saw tiny swirling currents drifting in the air, saw dust dancing, and detected the kinetic scenery in every corner of the small garden.
Finally, he had reached the Sunday after tomorrow; finally, it was time to leave this place.
Though it was time to leave this place, Seokheon had many matters and items to take care of, so he could not depart immediately.
For the next several months, Seokheon was busy disposing of the estate’s clutter and training. Since he only needed to take two changes of clothes (including the set on his body), silver, the Ghost True Scripture, talismans, a mirror, specially made incense sticks, several ritual implements used in his methods, and a few volumes of his Daoist notes, there was much remaining clutter to dispose of. There were the old Daoist Seo’s clothes and personal effects, and so on. Seokheon took them to the front of the old Daoist’s grave, burned them, and bowed in farewell.
The talisman materials had already all been converted into talismans during this period. Excluding the sixteen talismans left behind by the old Daoist Seo, Seokheon had drawn over thirty himself. Adding the previous talismans drawn in Dubaek’s style, there were sixty-five in total. However, he did not place them in a bundle but sorted them into hidden pockets in his Daoist robe’s sleeves, waist, and chest for convenient use.
The implements used for boiling medicinal decoctions and taking medicinal baths were all worn out; Seokheon took them to a distant suburb and buried them all using an earth-gathering spell. In short, all implements related to cultivation were handled in this manner. Extra clothes and the like were given by Seokheon to beggars along the road as he went.
Also, after three months of handling the sale himself, when he brought someone again to view the estate, Seokheon no longer haggled and sold it at the buyer’s offered price of two hundred seventy taels of silver. After the official deed and tax payment from the magistrate’s office, as well as the agent’s commission, Seokheon ultimately obtained two hundred twenty-nine taels. Thus, Seokheon carried a total of two hundred thirty-five taels of silver and some copper coins on his person.
And so, on a certain day in the third month, Seokheon shouldered his bundle, followed the bustling crowd out through Haanbu’s city gate, left the place where he had stayed for over a year, and sought the path to immortality.