Uh, there… (2)
Drip.
The one leaning against the window slowly tipped the liquor bottle. Just as the subtle fragrance of the alcohol spread through his mouth, a low voice reached his ear.
“They say, ‘The Mean is the way of the gentleman [中也者, 君子之道也*].’ Though we are not people who pursue gentlemanly virtue, I do not think the importance of moderation would be any different for us, Sahyeong.”
“Yet it is said, ‘The Great Way has no gate, yet a thousand differing paths lead to it [大道無門 千差有路**],’ and furthermore, that ‘to let the nature take its course [무위(無爲)]’ is not to cease taking action, but to be always flowing. If there is intent, and the heart inclines towards action, is it not excessive artifice to speak of moderation?”
“You are right. We are people of the Tao, so of course we must not turn away from the voice of the heart. But, Sahyeong. Laozi also said, ‘Knowing contentment, one avoids disgrace; knowing when to stop, one avoids danger [知足不辱知止不殆].’ We must not forget contentment and restraint.”
“How could I not know that. But does not the Old Book of Tang also say, ‘Opportunity seldom knocks twice [机不可失, 时不再来]’? That contentment of yours and that restraint, are they truly about the present? Or are they about the days to come? An opportunity missed once may never return again.”
“Of course, what Sect Leader Sahyeong says is also true, but.”
Chung Jin let out a sigh and turned to look at Chung Myung.
“What do you think, Sahyeong?”
“…What?”
“I mean what Sect Leader Sahyeong just said. ‘Opportunity seldom knocks twice.’”
“Opportunity. Opportunity… knocks?”
“…”
“What? What is it? Why are you looking at me like that. Damn it!”
“…”
Chung Myung’s face twisted mercilessly. If you put those two together, this was what they looked like all day long.
Why was it that whenever those men spoke, they apparently couldn’t get a word out unless they tacked on something they had picked up from somewhere? This one said this, that one said that.
‘Why go to such lengths over dealing with just some Wudang?’
It was something that could be settled by simply going over there and driving the Purple Mist Divine Sword into their heads. So damn frustrating.
“Hmm. Yes, as you say, it does seem a little too early still.”
“Thank you for understanding, Sect Leader Sahyeong”
“But it cannot be put off forever. This is not mere bid for fame. Things that are not accomplished in the proper way at the proper time are bound to return one day as thorns.”
Chung Jin quietly nodded.
“I will bear it in mind.”
So long as he, Chung Mun, and Chung Myung were alive, it did not matter. Wudang would never dare make an enemy of them.
No. Even if he and Chung Mun were gone, so long as Chung Myung existed, there would never come a day when Wudang would pick a fight with Hwasan. The name of Maehwa Geomjon might not be widely known across the world, but Wudang, at least, certainly knew it.
‘But after that, it won’t be the same.’
The only reason Hwasan could now stand alongside Wudang was because of Chung Myung’s existence alone. Hwasan without Chung Myung would never be able to withstand Wudang’s power, and their current restraint was nothing more than lying low in preparation for that future.
‘Just as Sect Leader Sahyeong said, before the next generation arrives, there is a need to settle this properly once and for all.’
Chung Jin silently nodded, then rose from his seat.
“Then I will take my leave.”
“Go on.”
“Please take care of yourself.”
After bowing deeply to Chung Mun, Chung Jin turned to leave, then stopped and stared at Chung Myung.
“Why?”
“…Do you absolutely have to pour that drink here?”
“If I pour it somewhere else, will you stop nagging?”
“No, I’ll still do it.”
“Then what does it matter?”
“Even if it doesn’t matter, isn’t it normal for a person to at least try to be out of sight, Sahyeong?”
“I’m fine. No need to worry.”
“…”
Chung Jin squeezed his eyes shut.
Let’s not forget. The one standing before him right now was the reason that the formidable Wudang Sect could not dare recklessly restrain Hwasan, even as it had risen right up under their noses.
And that was Wudang’s misfortune, and at the same time Hwasan’s misfortune too.
“…Wouldn’t it be better if you drank in moderation? There are children watching now, too.”
“Hey, this nagging…”
Chung Myung cleared his throat and straightened his posture. Then he puffed his chest out slightly and spoke in a solemn tone.
“As Laozi said…. What was it again? Ah, right. To do as the heart desires is the true Tao.”
“…That is not what it means.”
“No?”
“Ugh. I’m leaving.”
As Chung Jin walked out briskly, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“I don’t know why he nags so much.”
At that, Chung Mun chuckled.
“You should understand him. Wasn’t he raised in a most proper and prestigious place? It seems he still hasn’t grown accustomed to your free-spirited nature.”
If that could even be called free-spirited nature.
It felt as though he had vaguely heard something like that, but Chung Myung forgot whatever was said after it.
“No, but he’s lived in the Taoist temple for decades.”
“That is what one’s origins are. Marks imprinted in childhood do not so easily fade merely because one grows older.”
“Hm.”
“Chung Jin, too, is still searching. For something of his own that goes beyond what he has learned. So you should try to understand him a little.”
“Ah, what can I do. As someone so broad-minded, I’ll just have to understand that lacking junior of mine.”
“Yes, yes. Just do not say that to Chung Jin.”
“Because I might get hit?”
“No. Because Chung Jin might get hit.”
“Ah.”
Chung Myung nodded. Come to think of it, the faint bluish tint around his eye earlier – looked like the bruise from last time hadn’t quite faded yet.
Chung Myung, too, was someone who understood propriety. If one had become a Sahyeong, then at the very least, they shouldn’t hit someone until their injuries have fully healed.
That aside.
“Family home……”
A somewhat unfamiliar word slipped from Chung Myung’s mouth.
At that, Chung Mun pretended not to notice and stole a glance at Chung Myung’s face.
“Sahyeong, do you not ever go to your family home?”
“…Hm? What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“I was suddenly curious, that’s all. Even that brat Chung Jin leaves the sect gate every so often saying he is going to stop by his family home.”
“That’s true.”
“But I do not think I have ever seen you do that, Sahyeong. Have you completely cut ties with your family?”
At that, Chung Mun laughed as though the idea were absurd.
“Cut ties? What an amusing way to put it.”
Chung Mun laughed for quite a while before continuing.
“To leave home means to sever all ties with the secular world. I chose of my own will to become a man of the Tao, so how could I still cling to such attachments?”
“But the others are not like that. There are still plenty who keep in contact with their families and visit them from time to time.”
“That too must be their Tao. But my thoughts are a little different. Pursuing the Tao [구도(求道)] is a journey more perilous and difficult than any other.”
“So only those who do not understand that would presumptuously cling to lingering attachments?”
“No. Rather, I should say that I am lacking, and do not have the capacity to attend to both.”
Chung Myung let out a faint snicker.
“So anyway, that means you do not so much as set foot near your family home.”
“If one were to put it that way, yes.”
“How cold of you. I didn’t think something like affection could be cut off so cleanly. Well, of course… it is not really a place for someone like me, who has never cut it off, to say this.”
There was not particularly any mockery mixed into the remark. Even so, Chung Myung felt as though he might have misspoken a little. That was probably why he deliberately raised his head to check Chung Mun’s face.
And in that moment, Chung Myung saw it. Chung Mun gazing far out beyond the window with a strange expression he had never seen on him before.
“Emotion and reason [정리(情理)]…”
With his gaze fixed beyond the window, Chung Mun spoke as though reciting to himself.
“I merely did what was natural, as something natural. If a lacking man were to indulge in excessive desire, it would only bring harm to everyone. To me as well, to them as well, and to those who follow me too.”
“…”
“But, Chung Myung. I too am human.”
“……Yes?”
Chung Mun smiled faintly.
“No matter how much one turns one’s head away and refuses to look, how could there be no lingering affection?”
“…”
“To know one must sever it and yet be unable to sever it, that is human. To know one must forget it and yet be unable to forget it, that too is human.”
“…That too is the Tao?”
“Yes. That is so. That too is the Tao. The Tao dwells in all things, but it also belongs to people. If what a person naturally desires is itself the Tao, then being unable to sever worldly affections and wavering because of them must also be the Tao.”
Chung Mun, who had been speaking in a heavy tone, suddenly let out a short laugh.
“But in truth…..”
“Yes?”
“It would be more accurate to say there is no particular need for me to worry. My family, in fact, is a very well-off one.”
“…”
“They are probably living in more comfort and luxury than I am. It is not as though a cat needs to spare a thought for a mouse, so is there really any need for me to worry about them?”
“I suppose so. It is not like they fell into ruin.”
“Exactly. Hahahahaha.”
“Hahahahaha.”
“Hahahahahahaha.”
❀ ❀ ❀
“I told you it went under! You damned old man!”
– How was I supposed to know that…
Standing atop the pavilion roof, Chung Myung jabbed a finger at the distant sky.
“Ascended to immortality, my ass! If you went up there, you should have at least kept a proper eye on your family!”
Meanwhile, the disciples of Hwasan watching him from below exchanged words and sighs.
“…What’s gotten into him this time?”
“Just ignore it, ignore it. It’s not like this is the first time.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying it…”
“I don’t know. Looks like his madness is flaring up again these days, and if you catch his eye for no reason, the sparks will fly your way. Go. Hurry and go.”
After venting his anger at empty space for quite a while, Chung Myung suddenly snapped his head around.
“This won’t do… First, I need to check what the hell is going on.”
His eyes gleaming, Chung Myung shot down the mountain.
⠀
“Shandong Yu Family? That place went completely under…. Aagh! Why are you hitting me!”
Suddenly punched out of nowhere, Hong Daekwang covered his face and shouted in outrage.
It wasn’t exactly a new thing for this lunatic to go on a rampage, but today’s ‘type’ of madness had a slightly different flavor from usual.
“Are you sure you checked properly? You’re not just repeating some nonsense rumor you heard somewhere, right? Look into it properly!”
“Khkkkk! Let go first and then talk! What is there to look into! This is not even something that requires the Beggars Sect’s information network. It is something the whole world knows.”
“Huh..”
“What, have you been doing nothing but wall-facing cultivation in some cave? And you’re only asking about this now?”
“When?”
“Huh? What when?”
“Uh, when did this family fall? When?”
“When, you ask. Well…”
Hong Daekwang furrowed his brow as though he could not quite remember.
“It happened when I was still a brat of a beggar, so it must have been at least twenty years ago.”
“Twenty…”
Thud.
Chung Myung dropped into a chair that barely deserved to be called one in the Beggars Sect branch, staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Your family is… ruined? Oh dear, what an unlucky bastard. His sect collapses, his home goes to ruin, and he ends up getting stabbed to death… Did he sell out a whole country in his past life or something…?”
– Hahahahah.
“Is that something to laugh at? Huh? Is this something to laugh at?!”
“Who’s laughing? Who said anyone laughed? All of a sudden…”
“Ugh. I wasn’t talking to you, old beggar.”
Chung Myung grabbed at his own hair.
If it had been in the process of collapsing, he would’ve done something. If it had been on the verge of ruin, he would’ve rushed over immediately. But what could he do if it had already collapsed – long ago, at that.
“But why the sudden question about the Shandong Yu Family?”
“…That’s not something even you need to know, old man. That isn’t what matters right now – why did they collapse?”
“Hm?”
“You said they were a great noble family, one that even produced several prime ministers.”
“That’s right. Up until the moment they fell, it would have been hard to find a prestigious family to rival the Shandong Yu Family.”
“How does a family like that end up completely ruined overnight?”
“There are stories that they got swept up in political strife, but I do not know the details either. That place is not really under our jurisdiction, you know?”
“…”
“Want me to look into it? If I set out to investigate, it does not seem like it would be particularly hard. It was only about twenty years ago, after all.”
Chung Myung, who looked as though he were thinking for a moment, shook his head.
“It’s fine. Does falling into ruin ever need a special reason? If they fell, then they must have had enough reason to fall.”
“That is true enough.”
“More importantly. Look into something else for me.”
“What?”
“Where the descendants of the Shandong Yu Family are now.”
“….No. Did you not hear what I just said? I told you they were completely ruined, so there are no descendants left.”
“That does not mean the people disappeared.”
“Hm?”
“The family may have fallen, so they could have abandoned the name or changed their surname, but it is not as though the bloodline was cut off.”
“Hm. That is true.”
“Look into it. Find out where those who inherited that blood are now. What they are doing with their lives.”
“And why do you… Ugh. Fine, fine. It is not as though you have ever done anything for a reason.”
Scratching his head roughly, Hong Daekwang asked back cautiously.
“So by when do you need me to find out?”
“Take your time. It is not urgent.”
“Right?”
“Let’s see, then…”
Chung Myung spread all ten fingers wide and held them out in front of him.
“Ten days? That would be tight, but it might still be possi…”
At that moment, Chung Myung’s fingers began folding down one by one.
“Eight. Seven. Six.”
The color drained from Hong Daekwang’s face.
“Aaaagh! You crazy bastard! What are you all doing, you beggar brats! Send a message to the main branch! The message first, hurry!”
“We’re going right now!”
“Run! I said run! Unless you want to see every last hut we barely managed to build smashed to pieces!”
Thus, it was the Hwaeum branch that got struck by a bolt of lightning out of the blue in the dead of night.
________
*The Doctrine of the Mean 中庸 – one of the Four Books of classical Chinese philosophy and an unneglectable work in Confucianism. People’s nature is called “Xing”(Phonetical translation); if you do things by following “Xing” is called “Tao”; if you practice “Tao” and do things according to “Tao”, you will form your principles.
It is best not to abandon “Tao” for even a second — if you can abandon it, it is not “Tao”. So great people are cautious even when alone; they are respectful even when unheard, and the character is more obvious and apparent in the more hidden details. When you don’t have much emotion, you achieve “mean”, the balance; if you show your emotions appropriately, it is “harmony”. Mood swings are inevitable for everyone, but “Harmony” is a state everyone should practice. If you can be “Mean” and “Harmony” simultaneously, everything else will follow, and the world’s peace originates from them.
**From Chinese classics by Wu-men Hui-hai, zen buddhism. Given the chinese characters, this phrase is quite complex and holds a lot of meaning. For other sects of chinese buddhism – to attain enlightenment, one needs to read sutra, speak mantra, beg for blessing from buddha/bodhisattva. All these activities are external, hence, on the other side of a gate. According to zen buddhism, one would attain the status of buddha, with the correct mindset. These involved one’s mental/spiritual activities. Such interpretation would be in line with zen’s story, dialogue.
So, without a gate (無門), there’s no external or internal rules. Together, “大道無門” reminded people that to attain enlightenment, one must put efforts in their mind.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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