Chapter 14: Meeting the Future Supreme Master of the Martial World (4)
"Let's go. I’ll help you find her."
"Really?"
I already knew that to Ha Cheolryeong, Baekseol was like family. No matter what happened, I wanted to help him find her. Out here in these isolated mountains, his only support was his grandfather. If he lost Baekmyo too—a friend like no other—Ha Cheolryeong would be unbearably lonely.
"Just point me in the direction."
I carried Ha Cheolryeong on my back and leapt in the direction he pointed.
As we climbed closer to the peak—about two hours away—we came upon a cliff.
"I first saw Baekseol over there, across that cliff."
"My guess is, there's probably a den where Baekseol lives somewhere near that cliff. I think we’ll find her soon, so don’t worry."
When we arrived at the other side of the cliff, I started searching for small holes in the area.
I was looking for an opening that the white cat could go in and out of.
"There's fur here."
I found some white fur snagged on a tree branch in the thick brush on the right side of the cliff.
"She’s close by."
Cheolryeong shouted, hopeful at the thought of finding Baekseol.
"Baekseol!"
He called her name several times, but only echoes answered—Baekseol didn’t show herself.
"She used to appear whenever I called her from here."
He sounded disappointed, and I patted his head.
"It’s okay. She’s probably safe. It seems like she’s nearby, so let’s keep looking a little more."
Pushing through the underbrush, I spotted a large boulder. Under a small gap at its base, I saw more white fur.
"She’s here, Cheolryeong."
But the boulder was larger than my whole body, and the hole beneath it was too small to look into properly.
I tried to move the boulder with all the internal energy I had, but it didn’t budge an inch.
"Even with all my energy, it doesn’t move at all. If only I could wield Sword Qi, I could split the rock."
To emit Sword Qi was considered the mark of a first-class martial artist. One needed at least one Gapja's worth of internal energy to do that.
Those who possessed a Gapja of energy and could unleash Sword Qi were known as first-rate martial artists. But I didn’t even have half a Gapja—I could barely make my sword ring, let alone produce Sword Qi.
"Should I bring the Two Wook Sword Demons or Master Mo?"
They were first-rate masters, capable of emitting Sword Qi. As I hesitated, Cheolryeong stuck his hand into the hole under the rock.
Then the soil collapsed beneath him.
"Hyung! There’s a big hole under here!"
I looked into the hole—it was narrow at the entrance, but inside, it seemed to open into a fairly large natural cave.
"Is this the ceiling of the cave?"
I felt wind rising from below. That meant there must be a sizable chamber beneath.
As I pondered what to do, Cheolryeong climbed into the hole.
"Cheolryeong, it’s dangerous!"
We didn’t even know what was inside the cave, and he had gone in without any precautions. I shouted after him.
"It’s okay, hyung! The cave is spacious!"
Before I could stop him, he was deep inside. I had no choice but to follow.
"Hyung, there’s more of Baekseol’s fur here! I think she’s inside this place!"
Cheolryeong shouted joyfully.
"Be careful. The cave might collapse at any moment."
Though it was a natural cave, it was so old that even a small tremor could bring it down.
Tap!
As I stepped onto the cave floor, I felt a cool breeze flowing from deep within.
‘There’s an exit or passage at the end of this cave.’
"Cheolryeong."
I called him, and his voice echoed back from within.
"Over here, hyung!"
I was surprised at how spacious the cave turned out to be.
When I reached the spot where Cheolryeong was, I came to a sudden halt.
And I felt like my breath had stopped.
"It—It was here all along."
The cave walls were covered with erratic carvings, as if someone had etched them using their inner power. At the center sat an old garment laid atop a rock.
Its meaning was clear.
Seeing the characters carved into the stone wall, I instantly knew who the owner of those clothes had been.
Tai Chi Profound Heaven
These characters alone wouldn’t let anyone guess the owner among the martial artists alive today. But the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra was later acknowledged by the Wudang Sect to be the true essence of Zhang Sanfeng’s enlightenment.
That acknowledgment wouldn’t happen for another ten years.
So, no one now would even know this fact.
"Hyung, Baekseol is here."
The white cat was crouched beside a small water pool to the right of Zhang Sanfeng’s robe.
She looked weak, probably injured.
It seemed she had been hurt while fleeing from the warriors of the Jaegal Clan and fled into this cave.
No matter how mystical Baekmyo was, she couldn’t avoid the sword of a first-rate expert completely.
A thought crossed my mind.
Baekmyo might have once been the companion of Zhang Sanfeng himself. As I looked around the cave, I swallowed dryly.
‘I finally found it!’
Beneath the garment Zhang Sanfeng had left behind upon his ascension, there was a booklet.
Tap, tap!
I brushed off the dust, and the title was clearly engraved: Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra.
Cheolryeong didn’t even notice me finding it—he was focused on checking Baekseol’s condition.
I began bowing to the stone.
It was the Keisurye, the grand bow one makes to a master.
I believed that by studying the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, I would be taking Zhang Sanfeng as my master, and thus, I paid the proper respects.
"Hyung, why are you bowing to that rock?"
"Ah, I just figured someone must have lived here since there were clothes. I’m praying they find peace in the afterlife."
I figured Cheolryeong was too focused on Baekmyo to notice anything else, so I gave an excuse.
Still innocent, he believed me without question.
Looking at him, I thought:
‘I feel a bit guilty. This martial art was originally supposed to be his…’
It felt like I had stolen the secret manual from him. But I consoled myself by thinking I could make it up to him in other ways.
Tucking the booklet into my robe, I said,
"Cheolryeong, let’s take Baekseol and head back. We need to treat her."
Cheolryeong nodded, holding Baekseol gently in his arms.
"She’s completely drained of energy."
"She’ll get better with treatment, don’t worry. I’ll make sure she recovers."
"Really?"
He looked at me with a bright face, comforted by my words.
"Of course."
It was funny.
I had struggled so hard to find this secret manual and failed—yet I found it only when I was doing something good.
It made me wonder if the old saying was true: the world does reward good people.
If I had given up and descended Mount Wudang in disappointment without finding the manual, Cheolryeong probably would have found it in this life as well—just like in the previous one.
And if it were the me from back then, I would’ve had no desire to help Ha Cheolryeong. I wouldn’t have even cared about some kid from a rural mountain village, let alone moved for him.
Back then, I was not only physically weak, but emotionally closed off—unable to trust or care for anyone else.
‘If I hadn’t said I’d help him find Baekseol, I never would’ve found this manual. In the future, Cheolryeong must have come here while looking for her, and that’s how he came across it and took an interest in it.’
One way or another, I couldn’t help but feel overjoyed now that I had achieved my goal.
If I returned to the clan quickly, absorbed the Demonic Poison Stoneflower, and trained in the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra, I believed I could achieve the results I aimed for.
Even if I didn’t become overwhelmingly powerful in just one year, I could at least protect my younger sibling from crisis—that was enough for me.
***
I treated Baekseol with great care.
I brought her to a physician and spared no expense, using silver generously. Both Hae Deokgong and Ha Cheolryeong were deeply grateful.
After the treatment, I rushed to my room and pretended I was practicing breathing techniques just so I could examine the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra.
‘So this is the martial art that turned Cheolryeong into the greatest master in the world.’
My curiosity was overwhelming. I felt like I’d go crazy wanting to know what was in it, what kind of monstrous techniques were hidden within.
But halfway through flipping the pages, I let out a deep sigh.
‘I expected as much, but this isn’t something I can understand in one go.’
Even with my scholarly background in my past life, I couldn’t fully grasp the meanings of the incantations.
‘I’ll have to go slowly, understanding each line step by step.’
Each verse was profound and mysterious—it would take deep thought to comprehend.
I closed the book and stood up.
There was no point in lingering here. I needed to return to my family and devote myself fully to mastering the Tai Chi Profound Heavenly Sutra.
Having made up my mind, I immediately said farewell to the two of them.
To Cheolryeong, who looked saddened by our parting, I said again,
"Cheolryeong, if anything happens or you’re in trouble, come find me. Okay?"
"Yeah! I got it."
He had grown attached over these few days, and it was clear he didn’t want me to go.
I left a message with Hae Deokgong.
"If you ever come down the mountain, please visit my sect. You and Cheolryeong won’t lack anything while staying there."
He smiled and asked,
"But why are you so concerned about Cheolryeong?"
At first, I only treated Cheolryeong and his grandfather kindly because I had a purpose. But the guilt kept eating at me.
Before I realized it, I had become emotionally attached—he now felt like family.
I could have ignored them and walked away, but I just couldn’t.
"As I mentioned before, I was weak and spent my days alone in the clan, only reading books. I had no real interactions with anyone, so I was always lonely. But when I saw Cheolryeong here, it felt like I was looking at myself. My heart naturally went out to him. He reminded me of my younger sibling. So if you two lived with me, I thought I wouldn’t feel lonely either. I apologize if I’m overstepping."
Hae Deokgong thought I was a polite and kind-hearted youth. He believed I could be trusted with Cheolryeong.
After living for over sixty years, he trusted his judgment of people.
"Maybe not right away, but when I grow weaker, I might send Cheolryeong to you. I’ll be counting on you then."
He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep being an herb gatherer forever, and that’s why my offer touched him.
On the day I descended Mount Wudang, I handed Cheolryeong a token.
It was a token proving he was a direct family member of the Heavenly Central Sect.
"Cheolryeong, if you ever need money or face any trouble, take this to the front lines. They’ll give you all the money you need and send a message to me if anything happens. Even if you don’t use it now, you’ll definitely need it when you’re older. So don’t lose it—always keep it with you. Got it?"
"Yeah, hyung!"
By now, Cheolryeong saw me as a real older brother.
The jade token had an image of a soaring dragon engraved on it, and Cheolryeong loved it.