Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Where There Is Change, There Is That Which Does Not Change (Part 1)

Dam Ho rose before dawn, and the first thing he did was prepare Sage Hyeon-so's meal. He washed the rice and dressed a few wild vegetables with practiced hands.

He had been doing this for so long that his movements were exceedingly熟练.

Sage Hyeon-so ate little and was not particular about flavors. He adhered strictly to the Taoist discipline, refusing food with strong scents or anything contrary to his teachings. This meant Dam Ho did not need to prepare much.

Dam Ho set the meal before Sage Hyeon-so in short order. Sage Hyeon-so was already awake, reading a Taoist scripture.

"Master, please eat."

"Has it already come to that hour?"

Sage Hyeon-so smiled as he closed his scripture.

Dam Ho placed the tray before him—plain rice with a few simple vegetable dishes. It could not have been more modest.

"This looks delicious. You went to a great deal of trouble this morning."

"No, Master. It is what a disciple ought to do. Without you, I would not exist."

Five years ago, had Sage Hyeon-so not saved him, Dam Ho could not be here today. Moreover, when many in the Mount Hua Sect had rejected or quietly mocked him, only Sage Hyeon-so had treated him with genuine sincerity.

To Dam Ho, Sage Hyeon-so was more than a master—he was like a parent. And so his attitude toward Sage Hyeon-so could not help but be one of utmost devotion.

"Ho-ya."

"Yes?"

"Do you truly wish to learn martial arts that badly?"

"Yes!"

Dam Ho answered without a heartbeat's hesitation. Looking at him, Sage Hyeon-so let out a soft sigh.

"It is because this master is useless that you suffer."

"No, Master."

"I am sorry."

"Master, please do not say such things."

"You know that I am a Scholar Taoist, do you not?"

"Yes!"

"Then do you know what a Scholar Taoist does?"

"He studies the scriptures of the Tao…"

"That is what everyone believes."

"Is that not the case?"

"Do you know who my master was?"

"Was it not the Heaven Vault Master?"

"That is correct. The Heaven Vault Master, called the greatest martial artist Mount Hua ever produced, was my master."

The Heaven Vault Master—a legendary figure among the previous generation of Mount Hua's masters. It was because of him that Mount Hua had enjoyed its greatest golden age.

He had been such a madman for martial arts that he had passed the position of Grandmaster to his junior brother, the One Vault Master, in order to devote himself entirely to cultivation.

"When I first became my master's disciple, everyone had great expectations. They all believed I was some extraordinary genius. Naturally—would it make sense for the disciple of the famous Heaven Vault Master to be anything less? But that is precisely what happened."

A complicated smile surfaced on Sage Hyeon-so's face. It seemed bitter, yet also serene—resigned.

"Unlike my master, who was called a genius, I had no great talent for martial arts. My mind could understand to a degree, but my body simply would not follow. Receiving my master's martial arts was impossible from the very start."

Dam Ho held his breath.

In all their five years together, this was the first time he had heard this story.

"My master was like the sun in the sky, while I was a disciple of pathetic talent. Naturally, there was much talk within the Mount Hua Sect about it. I too wondered why my master had chosen me. So I asked him—why did you take me as your disciple? And do you know what he said?"

"…?"

"'What the Mount Hua Sect needs now is not a man of great martial skill, but a man of great heart. One who will preserve the spirit of Mount Hua and carry its banner to future generations. Hyeon-so, you must fill that role.' He spoke those words and led me toward the path of a Scholar Taoist. Can you understand his meaning?"

Dam Ho shook his head.

The Mount Hua Sect followed the path of the Tao, but it was undeniably a martial sect. It had been one of the Nine Great Sects, and it was still working to reclaim its former glory.

If the Mount Hua Sect were merely a simple Taoist order, how could it have been counted among the Nine Great Sects? In such a sect, how could the Heaven Vault Master—the greatest martial artist of Mount Hua—have led his own disciple toward the path of a Scholar Taoist?

A Scholar Taoist was, in name, one who walked the path of the Tao through scripture. One who sought truth. But in the Mount Hua Sect, which had long since established itself as a martial sect rather than a mere Taoist order, such a role was ill-suited.

Even in the past, the position of Scholar Taoist in the Mount Hua Sect was considered virtually useless. The only reason Sage Hyeon-so received any respect at all was because he was the Heaven Vault Master's disciple. Without that, he would not have been granted even proper quarters.

"At first, I resented him deeply. The disciple of the Heaven Vault Master, the greatest of Mount Hua, reduced to a Scholar Taoist."

When expectations were great, so too was disappointment.

The martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect had been disappointed by the Heaven Vault Master's decision, and they had directed looks of pity toward Sage Hyeon-so. And so Sage Hyeon-so had walked the path of a Scholar Taoist, arriving where he was today.

"Through countless sleepless nights, I burned with anger. Even as I read the scriptures, I could not quell my fury. But then—after some time had passed—the flame of anger in my heart began to subside. And I realized: one need not wield a sword to reach the Dao. There are many paths to enlightenment beyond the blade. Only then did I begin to understand, however dimly, why my master had led me toward the path of a Scholar Taoist."

Dam Ho gazed at Sage Hyeon-so in silence. He had not known until today that his revered master carried such a hidden history.

"Most people believe that a Scholar Taoist merely studies scriptures, but that is wrong. The Scholar Taoist of Mount Hua bears the responsibility of passing the sect's martial arts to future generations in their entirety."

"What do you mean?"

A puzzled look crossed Dam Ho's face. He had never heard such a thing before.

"A Scholar Taoist not only studies scriptures but also bears the duty of fully recording and systematically classifying the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts for transmission to future generations. In the worst case—should Spirit Treasure Palace burn, or a rare supreme art be lost—the Scholar Taoist must have memorized every technique. That is the Scholar Taoist's true obligation."

Dam Ho's eyes changed.

He had not known until today that the position of Scholar Taoist carried such a duty.

"I did not know that was the Scholar Taoist's true calling."

"Not even the current Grandmaster knows this. The previous Grandmaster passed away before he could convey it."

"Why did you not tell the Grandmaster? If he had known, you would have received far better treatment."

"What need was there to speak of it? I need only find a worthy successor and pass on my knowledge. Knowledge is best transmitted quietly."

"Master."

Sage Hyeon-so smiled gently.

"More importantly, Ho-ya."

"Yes?"

"There is no need to fixate on a single path. Being a Scholar Taoist is not such a bad choice."

At Sage Hyeon-so's words, Dam Ho clenched his lips. Instinctively, he rejected the path of a Scholar Taoist. But Sage Hyeon-so smiled as though he had expected this.

"Yes, I know—your nature would never allow you to sit still, poring over scriptures or organizing martial arts texts in your head."

"I am sorry."

"No. Your will is so resolute that I shall not try to change your mind."

"Master."

"I know that the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts do not suit you. Mount Hua's techniques are so mercurial and dazzling that even those with whole legs struggle to learn them. Your leg is severely impaired. In your current state, you will never reach the highest levels. Do you understand?"

"But I will never give up."

"You are not the kind of boy who gives up. If you were, you would have died five years ago. Ho-ya!"

"Yes!"

Suddenly, Sage Hyeon-so reached out and placed his hand on Dam Ho's head. The unexpected gesture startled Dam Ho, but he did not pull away.

The hand resting on his head was warm.

"I believe in you."

"…"

For an instant, Dam Ho's shoulders trembled.

Something hot surged up from within his chest. Overwhelmed by an emotion he could not understand, Dam Ho was at a loss.

Sage Hyeon-so removed his hand from Dam Ho's head and rose to his feet. Dam Ho stared after him in a daze.

Sage Hyeon-so retrieved an old, worn text from a cabinet behind him.

"Take this."

"What is this?"

"Years ago, while organizing the scriptures in Spirit Treasure Palace, I came across it by chance."

Dam Ho accepted the text.

How old it was—he could not tell. The cover was frayed and tattered, and it seemed as though the slightest pressure might cause it to crumble.

"It is called the Heavy Heaven Heart Method."

"Heavy Heaven Heart Method?"

A look of doubt crossed Dam Ho's face. He had never heard the name before.

"I imagine it is unfamiliar to you? I felt the same when I first discovered it. According to the records, it is a heart method created in the early days of the Mount Hua Sect, when it first settled on this mountain."

"Then why is it called the Heavy Heaven Heart Method?"

Dam Ho asked with a puzzled expression.

A martial art's name was meant to reflect its characteristics.

The name "Heavy Heaven Heart Method" conveyed a sense of weight and gravity—a quality that stood in stark contrast to the mercurial, flashy nature of the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts.

"The sword of Mount Hua is fierce and ever-changing—such is its fame throughout the world. But was it always so? The early martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect must have been stately and solemn, like the great boulders of this mountain. Over centuries of change, they evolved into what they are today."

Sage Hyeon-so had never practiced martial arts himself. But as a Scholar Taoist who had memorized and organized countless martial arts texts, his insight was not insignificant.

"In this world, there are things that never change, and there are things that change with the passage of time. The martial arts of the Mount Hua Sect, if one must classify them, fall into the latter category. They were refined, modified, and improved out of necessity—and so the Mount Hua martial arts of today were born. Everyone desires the new. But does that mean the old is necessarily useless? I do not believe so."

In that moment, Sage Hyeon-so was thinking of his own master, the Heaven Vault Master.

The Heaven Vault Master had been a genius.

He had advanced Mount Hua's martial arts to new heights, and the martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect wished to emulate him. The Mount Hua Sect of today was, in a sense, trapped in the shadow of that extraordinary figure.

The Heaven Vault Master had wished for the disciples of Mount Hua to find something different from himself. Perhaps that was why he had led his only disciple, Sage Hyeon-so, toward the path of a Scholar Taoist.

"Ho-ya, within this Heavy Heaven Heart Method lies the ancient teachings of Mount Hua, preserved intact. I do not know what you will find there, but I am certain you will find what you seek."

"Master."

"If you cannot find what you need in the Mount Hua of today, then seek it in the Mount Hua of old."

"Yes…"

Dam Ho clutched the Heavy Heaven Heart Method to his chest.

Whether he would truly find what he sought within its pages, no one could say. But the warmth of Sage Hyeon-so's kindness alone made Dam Ho feel as though he had gained the entire world.

Seeing Dam Ho like this, Sage Hyeon-so smiled.

'Yes. That is enough.'

***

Dam Ho returned to his room and carefully opened the old text.

Turning past the cover, he found the faint characters "Heavy Heaven Heart Method" inscribed upon the inner page. Dam Ho ran his fingertip gently over the characters.

'Heavy Heaven Heart Method.'

He turned the page with care.

Mount Hua is tall and straight.

Its form is that of a sword—yet beware, ye people.

Mount Hua bears the shape of a blade, yet it is itself a mountain of stone.

It bears the weight of countless ages, and thus it maintains its uprightness.

Weight comes first; lightness follows.

The heart must always be heavy, and must not be easily swayed.

The heavens appear empty, yet are full—and their weight is sufficient to encompass all the earth.

The human heart is like the heavens; if it can bear that weight, no wind shall ever shake it.

Dam Ho absorbed every word as he turned the pages.

Image Heaven Above the Heart—the heart contains the image of the heavens.

Heavy Heaven Within the Heart—the heart holds the weight of the heavens.

Moving Heart Governs Heaven—when the heart moves, it can govern the heavens.

Heavy Heart Moves Heaven—a heavy heart moves the heavens.

The forgotten martial arts of ancient Mount Hua were revealing themselves before him.