Episode 348. Gong and Dharma
People adapt to the environment.
Even though he thought that every day was hell, he got used to the life in Ohryonggung after about seven days.
I woke up at dawn without Jukbi hitting my shoulder.
I still didn’t know the contents, but I didn’t doze off during the recital.
He also actively participated in lectures.
Now I listen quietly and ask questions if I have any questions.
In the afternoon, I informed Master Bangmu and ran to Namam Palace.
He also developed a knack for finding people, and returned to the Dragon Palace before dinner time.
He was a fully-matured trainee, even by anyone who had a rivalry these days.
After dinner, Yeonjeokha went back to ‘Haseon High School’ and picked up ‘Namhwajingyeong’.
While he was in the midst of reading the sutras, the Master Bangmu came to visit him.
“See me for a moment.”
“yes.”
I closed the sutras I was reading and got up from my seat.
Master Bangmu left behind Yeonjeokha at ‘Yusugak’ inside Ohryonggung and quietly disappeared.
The door to the palace hall opened when Yeonjeokha was wandering around.
“Come in for a moment.”
He was a merchant of heaven and earth who had come back after a long time.
When Yeonjeokha sat down, the merchant of heaven and earth poured tea into a cup and said.
“I don’t know if this is why I called someone who was busy preparing for the question-and-answer ceremony.”
“are you okay.”
Yeonjeokha picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip.
Rather, the conversation with the merchant of heaven and earth, the lord of Jinmugung Palace, was beneficial to him.
Through him, you can learn the basic concepts of Taoism.
“Are your preparations going well?”
“Just like that.”
On the contrary, the Merchant of Heaven and Earth put on an apologetic face at Yeonjeokha’s lackluster answer.
“Why don’t you tell the lord of Ohryonggung who the Yeon Sohyeop is?”
He hoped that this would improve the relationship between Yeon Jeok-ha and the non-partisan faction.
If Yeonjeokha couldn’t pass the question and answer ceremony at all, it would be a waste for both sides.
“are you okay.”
He waved his hand in love.
I didn’t want to suddenly get special treatment at the Dragon Palace after I was doing well.
If that happened, there was no way to know what rumors would spread among the curious cultivators.
Since ancient times, secrets are easier to keep when there are more people who don’t know about them.
If you know one or two, it becomes an open secret.
If that happens, all the efforts made so far will be in vain.
‘It’s okay if the flying flies get caught.’
Wouldn’t you know if you found Baek Il-un?
In a situation where there is no promise of when to find him, when his identity is revealed, it becomes a headache.
“You just need to do well in the question and answer ceremony.”
Yeonjeokha looked at the merchant of heaven and earth with eyes of expectation.
It was only after coming to the Mudang faction that I realized the existence of Jinmugung. Jinmu Palace was the second most powerful conduit after Sangcheong Palace.
If Sangcheong Palace represents the shaman faction, Jinmu Palace is the headquarter of martial arts of the shaman faction.
If he was in that position, he would have been familiar with the question and answer ceremony.
However, the merchant of heaven and earth did not meet the expectations of such a serial enemy.
“ha! You are right. However, the Q & A Ceremony at Oryong Palace is not an easy task. Do you know if it is not easy for even a non-partisan guru to learn the rituals of the Ohryong Palace?”
“yes? Is it difficult to be a non-partisan guru?”
“Even when teaching martial arts at Sangcheong Palace, Jinmugung Palace, and Taehwa Palace, students are selected and accepted. The same goes for Oryonggung and Namamgung. In particular, the question and answer ceremony at Oryong Palace is atrocious, or difficult, so even masters cannot easily pass it. Of course, the standards will be lowered a bit when taking in secular disciples…”
Still, the question and answer ceremony at the Ohryonggung had a reputation for being difficult.
Do you think they will whisper behind their backs that they will do whatever they want?
However, he didn’t say anything because it was the same for other conduits to be screened for disciples.
“I heard that a guru named ‘Cheongbulno’ presides over the question and answer ceremony this time. Do you know anything about him?”
“It’s only to the extent that he is called the ‘Five Dragons and Chilsa’… I don’t know more than that because we pursue different things.”
It wasn’t until recently that the technique attracted attention, but it was just a side branch until famous schools came out.
So masters such as Cheonji Merchant and Younggyeol Merchant did not pay much attention to Oryongchilsa.
“Sorry.”
It was bittersweet taste.
I was going to get information about Cheongbulno through the merchants of heaven and earth, but it seems to be wrong.
“But the essence of the Tao is not different.”
“yes?”
When Yeon Jeok-ha opened his eyes wide and looked at him, the merchant of heaven and earth smiled and said,
“Isn’t the question and answer ceremony ultimately a question about the Tao? If the basis of the technique is ‘Do’, then the basis of martial arts for non-partisans is also ‘Do’. It is a branch that grows from one root.”
“ah.”
“The Yeonsohyeop has reached the height of its rise through Taoga groundbreaking, so the question-and-answer ceremony won’t be difficult.”
“really?”
“I and Jang Moon-in also recognized the seongi (仙氣) dwelling in So-hyeop’s body. Perhaps the Five Dragons will find out sooner or later. However, the problem is that Seongi is a bit blurred due to the aftereffects of the poisoning…”
The Merchant of Heaven and Earth was speechless.
Just as the face was disfigured by the poison, so was the body.
People who used to be overflowing with seongi now have to look closely to be able to recognize them.
‘Now that only the remnants of Seonggi remain, it’s doubtful that Ohryongchilsa will be seen.’
Now, Yeonjeokha’s Seongi was a bit unusual.
What the hell was ‘Nakwol dictatorship’ to make the world’s Yeonjeokha like that?
It is surprising that the world is wide and there are many talented directors.
“You think the question and answer ceremony won’t be difficult?”
He paid attention to the question-and-answer ceremony, not the Seongi of succession.
It’s because the question and answer ceremony touches the skin more than Seongi, whose true nature is unknown anyway.
“exactly. The gong power acquired by Xiaoxia belongs to the Daoists. So, Bindo thinks that small cooperatives are no different from masters who have already attained mastery.”
“Did I get the Dao?”
“Otherwise, how could he have performed such a swordsmanship? Belief in Shin Gong is ‘Tao’. Sohyup is something other than unknowingly mastering the ‘Tao’.”
“Then why can’t you do sorcery?”
“It’s because I haven’t been fully informed. Faith comes from hearing. If you have complete faith, magic won’t be difficult.”
As expected, the words of the merchants of heaven and earth boil down to faith.
Maybe it’s because the shaman faction is rooted in Taoism, but even if it goes well, it’s a matter of faith in the end.
“Which belief?”
In the meantime, I read the scriptures and listened to lectures, but there was no talk about what I believed.
“Didn’t Yeon Sohyup say that he learned martial arts from Gucheonhyeonnyeo?”
“It was.”
“Gucheonhyeonnyeo is one of the Taoist immortals. It is outside the Taoism that believes that such a person actually exists.”
“Then don’t others believe it?”
“I want to ask you. Did others believe it when the Yeonsohyeop said so?”
“Did you treat me like a crazy person?”
“That is the difference between having faith and not having it. I don’t know the Yeonsohyup, but I already have faith.”
“I don’t know about anything else, but I think it’s true about Gucheonhyeonnyeo.”
“Let’s assume there is a world where immortals live. Will Gucheonhyeonnyeo be there alone?”
“There must be many other freshmen, right?”
Yeon Jeok-ha looked at the merchant of heaven and earth with eyes asking why he asked.
If Gucheonhyeonnyeo exists, isn’t it natural that there are other freshness as well!
“That is the belief of our guru. To believe that there is a world of immortals and to try to go to that world as well. that’s all except Isn’t it easy?”
“Then, when a worm rolls cow dung, a ‘god’ is born. What do you mean by that?”
Among the words I heard in my sleep, I brought out one strange thing.
The merchant of heaven and earth laughed and explained.
“My ancestor said that when an insect called a dung beetle rolls dung, a white light emerges from the center of the kernel. It was created by the action of the dung beetle’s ‘god’. I’m going to call it ‘God’s skill’.”
“Are you saying insects build ‘new skills’?”
“exactly. Similarly, if an insect pours out ‘God’, it will create a new energy. Even if people pour out “gods”, won’t “gods” still be created? Perhaps he said that.”
“Is that ‘new skill’ ‘gongpower’?”
“It could be ‘gongpower’ or ‘legal power’. If the lecture was held at the Dragon Palace, it would probably be about ‘law’.”
“Is there a difference between ‘Gong Power’ and ‘Law Power’?”
“It can be said that the essence is the same, but the results revealed are different. ‘Gongpower’ leads to external forces, but ‘legal power’ embodies the object of faith.”
“Can gong power and legal power be the same?”
“If it is fresh, it will be possible. In the first place, there is no distinction between ‘legal power’ and ‘gong power’ in Shinseng. Humans are divided into ‘gongpower’ and ‘law power’ according to the direction they pursue. For example, in our Jinmu Palace, we build up ‘inner energy’ through the breathing method, but in Ohryong Palace, we build ‘law power’ with it.”
“But before, Master Cheonmyeong said that ‘law’ is the size of faith?”
“That’s right. Warriors and magicians are all people who walk on the foundation of faith. Without faith, you cannot build up even a grain of millet.”
“omg! Do you build up your gong power by faith?”
“exactly. Power is not something you can see. You have to believe in the reality without seeing it to be able to practice. The same goes for legal power. Drink the same dew, but don’t cows make milk and snakes poison? The same goes for the beliefs of warriors and magicians.”
“aha! Isn’t that what you mean when you say that a warrior builds air power and a magician builds magical power?”
“exactly. That’s why I said that I have great faith in Xiaohyup. Sohyup, don’t you believe in the existence of the Gucheonhyeonnyeo?”
“I have seen it, so I believe it.”
“If you work hard with that belief, you’ll be able to master the technique without difficulty.”
“Please, I hope so.”
Yeonjeokha learned the basic principles of martial arts and techniques late into the night.
The conversation didn’t end until midnight.
After parting ways with the Merchant of Heaven and Earth, he returned to ‘Ha Seon-go’ with a more relaxed mind.
The practitioners were all asleep.
He quietly went to his seat and read the ‘Nanhwa Jingyeong’.
-There was a fish in the northern sea. His name is Kun. I don’t know how many thousand li the size of Kun is. This fish changed into a bird and was called Peng (鵬).
It was the story of ‘Gunhwawifeng (銀化爲鵬)’ that I once heard from the merchant of heaven and earth.
Come to think of it, it’s something I’ve experienced myself.
I nodded and continued my thoughts, but someone sneaked up to me.
It was Manhwangju, who asserted that he was from the east.
“What did you talk about with your little brother, the martial arts master, until late at night?”
“Didn’t you talk to Master Bangmu? I just came here after wandering around the Ohryonggung area.”
“How long did Brother Chun and I go around looking for you? If there is any good information, let’s get to know it together.”
Manhwangju believed that Yeondubi roasted and boiled the master of Bangmu to dig up the information of the question and answer style.
If that’s not the case, why would a person like a master of defense stay with Yeon Doo-bi late into the night!
“There is nothing like that. You know I go looking for people in the afternoon. I was wandering around.”
I let go of the pretense of dating.
It was clear that he would think more strangely if he knew that he had met the Merchant of Heaven and Earth.
But Man-Hwang-Joo seldom gave up.
“Little brothers, we even told you who the examiner was. If you know anything about the miniatures, let us know. We have to help each other.”
“In exchange for knowing that, unlike anyone else, I paid ten pieces of hermit.”
“What are you talking about again?”
“Only a few days ago, I heard what the old man was saying to me. Even though I didn’t like it, you let me know for free.”
“so? Are you asking me to pay you now?”
Manwangju’s eyes widened.
I picked up a guy who has no place to be, and he climbs up without knowing grace.
“Who will pay? He said he didn’t talk to the defense master. Why do you trust people so much?”
I was kind of annoyed with the relationship.
The thieves of Green Forest who steal other people’s things do not trust each other. Right now, Manhwangju was the perfect match. He said he bought the information with money, and he seems to think that he would too.