Episode 2. Deukdo Village (The Village of Attaining the Dao) (2)
The old man slowly rose and sat in the chair with as much courtesy as possible.
“Please, eat.”
“T-thank you. I shall eat gratefully.”
The old man spoke to Musaeng with a courtesy so excessive it was almost burdensome. Musaeng blinked, then nodded and poured tea. It was a simple dish of noodles and chilled vegetables, but the aroma was anything but simple. The moment the old man took a bite of the noodles, his body stiffened. His eyes opened wide, and tears began to flow. Tiny, round teardrops fell like morning dew.
“Such flavor…!”
The old man exclaimed and began to move his chopsticks with trembling hands.
“Well now! Give me a bowl too. This time, I shall specially pay for it.”
“Are you trying to look generous, knowing you have a tab?”
“Hehehe, well, aren’t there no other guests?”
Musaeng shook his head and brought out another bowl of noodles, placing it on the table. Unlike the ordinary scene between Gwangno and Musaeng, the old man felt as though he himself had become an immortal. The flavor dancing across his tongue led him to paradise, and the richly flavored broth was a spicy, heavenly soup that cleansed his five viscera and six bowels.
And what of the chilled vegetables? With his profound internal energy and deep training, no physical impurities remained within his body, but spiritual impurities, inner demons, were always bound to lurk. Yet the moment he ate this simple cucumber salad, peace came to his heart, and like an old monk who had mastered an immovable mind, all his worries and sufferings were subdued.
Clack.
The old man set down his chopsticks, closed his eyes, and bowed respectfully.
“I have received great grace.”
“You must have been quite hungry. It is included in the room fee, so please do not mind.”
After the tea and simple liquor that followed, the old man nearly fainted as he entered his room. The furniture in the room was so beautiful that if put up for sale right now, people would clamor to buy them.
‘A master who has returned to true purity. No, perhaps an immortal who has descended to the mortal world. How fearsome. How terrifying. Musaeng (Non-Birth), the state of Nirvana where afflictions and delusions do not arise—so it was true.’
Only now did the old man understand the profound meaning behind Gwangno waking him at the entrance to Deukdo Village. If things had gone slightly wrong, he could have fallen into qi deviation and lost everything he had achieved in his lifetime. Upon entering the inn, he felt that walls which had seemed insurmountable had lowered. The old man finally awakened to the realm of the Mind’s Eye, reading others with the heart.
‘Only after stepping down as sect leader did I realize that the glory of Huashan and my own cultivation are not the same! Even small things can contain great aspirations, so what importance do rank and position hold?’
The moment the greed that had existed in his heart vanished, the inner demons quietly retreated, and his enlightenment deepened. The faint violet light gradually deepened, and the old man’s meditating body slowly floated upward. Only the quiet sunset glow illuminated the old man’s figure.
***
Musaeng.
It was merely a name meaning “without life.” It held no profound meaning, nor did it signify Buddhist enlightenment. It was simply a name Musaeng himself had given himself with that meaning in mind.
“This place has long since passed a hundred years now.”
It was a strange thing to say. How could someone who looked like a youth barely past his coming-of-age have stayed here for over a hundred years?
“It is fortunate that there are still many things in the world to learn.”
Musaeng looked up at the moon in the night sky, then entered the inn and began cleaning. The moment he picked up the broom, his bearing seemed to change, and dust rose from the floor and scattered into the air. With a single swirl of the broom, he gathered the dust into one place and blew it outside.
“Phew. Refreshing.”
A sight that would have left others gaping was to him merely cleaning he had done for over a hundred years. He could find no greater meaning in it than that.
Click!
The door to the room opened, and the old man who had stayed the night revealed himself. Musaeng thought the old man’s expression was like that of a housewife whose constipation had been cured. He didn’t know what had happened during the night, but Musaeng’s thinking was that if the guest had been comfortable, that was enough. The old man bowed deeply to Musaeng, pressed quite a few silver pieces into his hand, and went out of the inn.
“This is too much.”
“Musaeng, just accept it.”
“You still appear without a sound.”
As soon as the old man left, Gwangno appeared suddenly, and Musaeng spoke. Musaeng tossed the bundle of silver onto the table carelessly. Gwangno smiled gently and shook the liquor bottle in his hand.
“Hehe, Musaeng, I’ve obtained some precious liquor; will you have a drink? Of course, it cannot compare to the liquor you brew. Drinking liquor made by you makes one feel like becoming an immortal at once, so I try not to drink it anymore.”
“You’ve gotten quite glib, my friend. Yes, liquor, liquor is good.”
Musaeng went to the kitchen and brought out some simple drinking snacks. He sat facing Gwangno at the table and began tilting their cups.
“Come to think of it, Musaeng, it’s been over ninety years since I’ve been with you.”
“So it has. In all that time, the only thing that has changed about you is a few wrinkles, so you are truly remarkable.”
“For you to say what I should say. Hehe, indeed.”
Musaeng smiled briefly and thought of the day he first met Gwangno. It was a rainy day. Before it was called Deukdo Village, when it was nothing but a beggars’ den, Musaeng had found Gwangno half-dead in front of the village. It was Musaeng who had saved Gwangno. Gwangno remembered clearly. He remembered Musaeng driving out the poison with acupuncture so marvelous it was almost miraculous. Musaeng thought nothing of it, but Gwangno had been so shocked he nearly succumbed to inner demons.
“It was fortunate that I happened to be obsessed with medicine at the time.”
“Hmph, it was quite a severe poison. How were you able to cure it?”
“I haven’t been out in the world for a long time, so I don’t know, but isn’t that degree normal? Well, let’s just call it the result of long experience.”
“If you think so, then I suppose it is.”
Gwangno drained his cup and poured liquor into Musaeng’s empty cup. Musaeng looked at Gwangno for a moment, then spoke.
“Gwangno, didn’t you say you once led some group?”
“You probably don’t know, but it was in a place called the martial world. It was the largest among those called the Demonic Sects, and it was quite fun.”
“Murim, huh. I know it as a place of fighting, but well, it must have nothing much to do with me.”
“You are busy enough doing this and that.”
Musaeng smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“The world is tedious.”
“Is that so.”
Musaeng’s words were extremely arrogant, but Gwangno thought he was qualified to say them.
“Given time, a person can do anything.”
“So, do you intend to do just anything?”
“I suppose so. If I don’t do something, I feel like I’ll go mad. I think people only have value because their lifespans are limited. Value is not a matter of qualitative high or low, but something meaningful one achieves by burning time with what they possess.”
“Are you bored these days?”
“I am, but I tried being a blacksmith for twenty years, and the time passed quickly.”
“Still, you only wish to die.”
“Don’t you know? I live because I cannot die. Even at this very moment, I want to die. Only interesting things console me.”
Death did not exist in Musaeng’s life. Therefore, everything lost meaning for him, and his heart was filled only with emptiness. He wanted to lose his mind but could not go mad; rather, his clear mind brought him immense ennui. Ten years, a hundred years, and… Amid countless changes, only Musaeng remained unchanged. If time passed like this, Musaeng might surely grow weary of everything around him.
“If the Jade Emperor asked me what my wish was, I would only wish for death. If he says it cannot be done, I would flip the table right there.”
“Hahaha, that would be a sight to see. Musaeng, is there nothing you wish to do?”
“If I wanted to do it, it would be accomplished, no matter how many years it takes.”
To Musaeng, even the things everyone wanted to achieve were judged merely by whether they were interesting or not. Gwangno looked at Musaeng with sunken eyes.
“I feel I might know a little of how you could die, but I don’t want to tell you.”
“I suppose I must be the one to find it. Whether it’s a way to die or a way to live anew. That wouldn’t be boring, either.”
“I’ve always thought that you living hidden from people’s eyes, immersed in things, might be the will of heaven. I know a bit of how to read heavenly signs, you see…”
“Heavenly signs? Did you learn some Dao art that only appears in legends? Haha, what nonsense.”
“To be precise, it is martial arts. How about it? If you’re interested, why don’t you learn it too?”
Musaeng shook his head. It was because he did not want to immerse himself in such ethereal pursuits. He had heard the rumor that learning martial arts made one good at fighting, but Musaeng had no particular desire to do so. No, there was no need for him to be good at fighting. To Musaeng, the greatest master under heaven and third-rate rabble all stood on the same line. There was no meaning in dividing their ranks. A fight is only established when there is a chance to bring each other down. Therefore, the very concept of a fight did not apply to Musaeng. Because no one could kill Musaeng. He couldn’t even take his own life.
To end his tedious life, he first leaped from a cliff, but only the rocks were shattered; his body actually felt refreshed, as if he had received acupressure. He entered a deep lake to attempt drowning, but the water felt like land, and he only improved his swimming skills. He tried starving himself to death, but he was never hungry. Even chewing poisonous herbs only whetted his appetite with their bitterness. After countless years passed like this, the concept of danger disappeared. Perhaps because of this, Musaeng’s way of thinking was different from ordinary people. He did not know how to feel tension, crisis, or threat. Fighting was utterly unnecessary for Musaeng, who wished to die. Therefore, Musaeng still had no interest in martial arts.
‘It’s a good thing he’s not interested.’
Secretly relieved, Gwangno tilted his cup with a smile. The conversation continued for a while. As the liquor went in, Musaeng’s expression relaxed and he gradually began to talk more. Gwangno’s expression listening to Musaeng’s complaints was incomparably serious. Musaeng drank consecutive cups, then planted his head on the table and passed out.
“If anyone had been listening, they would have undergone bone transformation and tendon replacement by now.”
Musaeng’s stories from countless years of life and his unique perspective were truly a shortcut leading to enlightenment. That he could casually swallow even such profound insights along with a cup of liquor spoke to a realm as a martial artist that was difficult to fathom. Gwangno circulated his internal energy to blow away the alcohol’s effects, then looked at Musaeng and smiled slightly.
“This fellow, overdoing it when he can’t hold his liquor. You live because you cannot die, but thanks to you, I have lived. Because you are infinite, you have shared life with me.”
Gwangno hoisted Musaeng up, took him to his room, and laid him on the bed. He slowly walked out of the inn, looked at the moon, and spoke.
“Muyeong, report.”
A masked man suddenly shot up from the floor and prostrated himself before Gwangno. His form flickering like a shadow seemed to show he had reached the pinnacle of stealth.
“The Asura Jade Woman dwelling beside the inn has reverted to infancy, so it seems the village composition must be readjusted.”
“That old hag attained the Dao in her twilight years. If she retired, she should have holed up in a cave; why crawl all the way here and cause such a fuss. In any case, handle it so Musaeng doesn’t notice.”
“As you command!”
Muyeong’s form scattered and disappeared. It was a fearsome movement technique surpassing Shape-Shifting Position-Switching. The unfortunate thing was that there was no one here to see and admire the sight.
“By the way, that brat from the Huashan Sect properly held his initiation. It’s obvious as daylight that old fools drunk on plum blossoms taught him while strutting about. Still, he seems to have gained something great. The Profound Realm, huh. What a good time. Yes, indeed.”
Gwangno clasped his hands behind his back and turned around.
“Huashan’s turn is over; next is Shaolin. Was the dharma name of the brat who retired this time Bulhyeon? I need to hold a meeting and make some adjustments. My whole body aches, tch…”
Gwangno.
His identity was by no means ordinary. If one heard his true name from the past, there would surely be no one who would not be surprised. Of course, with the exception of Musaeng.