Wudang Sacred Scriptures

Not long after departing Deokseonghyeon, Kwak Yeon realized that the old woman hadn’t entrusted Ju Yeoryeong to him out of concern for her safety.

She had recognized that her body movement technique surpassed even his own.
No matter the martial sect, body movement arts were always taught as the foundation of martial training. And thus, by gauging the level of someone’s movement techniques, one could roughly discern their martial attainment.
There was likely no one capable of troubling a lone traveler like her. And if she truly intended to flee, not even he would be able to catch up.

Kwak Yeon couldn't help but grow curious about the old woman’s true intent.
“You can ask our Sect Leader later.”
Ju Yeoryeong said it curtly, as if avenging the frustration she'd suffered earlier.

“I absolutely cannot say it myself.”
“You really are too much. Doesn’t your sect ever consider the position of someone subjected to such bizarre circumstances?”
When Kwak Yeon even mentioned her sect, Ju Yeoryeong paused for a moment before replying.

“It’s because of our sect’s circumstances.”
“...?”
“It’s an absolute secret, so just leave it at that.”
With those words, Ju Yeoryeong clammed up like a seashell.

 
Standing atop Cheongun Bridge, Lady Unhyeon, Palace Lord of Ujingung, looked up at the three peaks of Samnyeongbong with a conflicted heart.
“They also call that Samnyeong Peak ‘Hyeongi Peak.’ Because it looks like black flags fluttering in the wind. It may seem like those black flags are encircling Jasogung, but in truth, it’s Jasogung that protects Samnyeong Peak.”

She recalled the words her master once said, buried deep within memory.
She had always thought it was said to reassure her, so she wouldn’t feel diminished as a disciple of Ujingung compared to Jasogung.
But today, as she looked upon Samnyeong Peak, the dark rock ridges seemed filled with a vibrant spiritual energy. And perhaps because of that, the more she ascended, the more peace she felt.

She must be getting old.
Lately, she had been recalling her master more and more frequently.
Yet, her stubbornness only seemed to grow stronger—she worried she would be remembered by her disciples as a rigid old woman.

She had spent her life pushing both her fellow palace lords and her disciples relentlessly.
It was all in an effort to escape Ujingung’s position as the lowest-ranked among the seven palaces of Wudang, excluding Samnyeonggung.
Her master had once told her that the order of rankings wasn’t so important, but to Palace Lord Unhyeon—head of Ujingung—it mattered more than anything.

Because the status of last place didn’t end on Mount Wudang. It extended even to the secular disciples in business, affecting their success.
There were few from Ujingung’s secular disciples who had built reputable trade groups or family names, and it wasn’t unrelated to the palace being last in the hierarchy.
“Jangsan made a request, but I, too, believe it is best for this disciple to learn the teachings of Seondo directly. Jangsan has an innate gift for comprehending the essence—he will gain much from it. Besides, wasn't it Samnyeonggung where Brother Hyeonmu attained mastery? Even if not a fateful opportunity like that, it will surely become a karmic connection.”

Palace Lord Unhyeon recalled those words, once stubbornly spoken by her head disciple, Hyeonjeong.
Though her normally gentle head disciple had nearly argued with her to the point of defiance, strangely, she hadn’t been angry. No, she’d actually found it endearing.
That’s what a real disciple does.
To surpass the wall of Huagyeong, enlightenment was essential. The scriptures that could serve as the foundation for that enlightenment were plentiful in Ujingung’s library.

The problem was that her grand-disciple Seokjangsan suffered from dyslexia.
She had been interpreting the texts for him, but the thoughts of the one interpreting inevitably bled into the teachings—it could never be fully pure.
And since communication between palaces must go through the palace lords, Palace Lord Unhyeon had no choice but to climb Samnyeong Peak herself.

Yes, I can’t be remembered forever as a stubborn old master.
Palace Lord Unhyeon crossed Cheongun Bridge.

A young Daoist approached her within the courtyard of Samnyeonggung and bowed deeply.
“Hm? And you are...?”
“I am Cheongsong, Second Disciple of Hyeonmu Palace.”

Cheongsong, Second Disciple of Hyeonmu Palace!
He was among the most promising second-generation disciples in Hyeonmu Palace, so Palace Lord Unhyeon knew him well.
“Cheongsong, what brings you here?”

She knew that he had been designated as the next leader of the Wudang Seven Swords and was currently undergoing rigorous cultivation.
He should not have had a moment to spare—yet now she was meeting him at Samnyeonggung. She couldn’t help but be surprised.
“By order of our Palace Lord, I’ve been climbing to Samnyeonggung once every seven days for Seondo scripture lectures and am on my way down now.”

Tang!
Palace Lord Unhyeon felt like she had been struck on the back of the head.
“Since when, exactly?”

“Since about a month ago, I’ve been coming here weekly.”
A month ago—that was when the letter from the Grand Commander of the Murim Alliance arrived and the palace lords convened.
It was also when it had been confirmed that Kwak Yeon had reached the River Stage.

“I shall take my leave now.”
“Wait a moment.”
Palace Lord Unhyeon stopped Cheongsong, who was bowing politely to depart, and asked,

“Are disciples from other palaces also frequenting Samnyeonggung?”
“Yes. Senior brothers from Okheogung and Geomamgung also come and go, as far as I know.”
Palace Lord Unhyeon watched blankly as Cheongsong crossed Cheongun Bridge.

So the palace lords—except for Ujingung—had already begun moving swiftly.
She suddenly realized what it was they hoped for from Samnyeonggung.
Samnyeonggung had produced a Huagyeong master. One who had done so without any particular advanced martial technique.

That Seondo lineage had undeniably influenced the breakthrough of that wall.
Thus, each palace was rushing to send its most outstanding disciples up the mountain.
They had realized that the study of Seondo could serve as the foundation for transcending the wall of Huagyeong.

Palace Lord Unhyeon realized how blind she had been.
That she had stubbornly clung to her pride without even knowing this.
“My master sees only a foot ahead, even now. That’s why I oppose him—not because I hate him, but because it pains me.”

She remembered what Hyeonmun had said to his senior brother Hyeonjeong on the day of his departure from Yeongmudang years ago.
At the time, she'd overheard it out of guilt for refusing Hyeonmun’s request.
Back then, she had only felt furious—but recalling it now, a deep chill gripped her chest.

Palace Lord Unhyeon felt all strength drain from her body. As if her liver and gallbladder had melted away.
Even as she sat face to face with Master Hyeonhae in the Hall of Empty Heart within Samnyeonggung, she couldn’t summon her usual energy.
“Senior Martial Aunt Unhyeon, are you feeling unwell?”

Master Hyeonhae asked in concern, but Unhyeon shook her head.
“I’m fine.”
Master Hyeonhae looked at her solemn expression for a moment, then spoke.

“You don’t look well. Why didn’t you just summon me instead of coming all this way?”
“My body is fine. And besides, as the one requesting a favor, I could not presume to do so.”
It wasn’t her body that was in pain, but her mind.

Master Hyeonhae felt a slight bitterness.
She understood well why the Palace Lord of Ujingung had climbed Samnyeong Peak herself. All six other palace lords had visited in turn—except Jasogung.
Is it truly so unacceptable to have one’s disciple learn Seondo from our Seondo lineage?

While Master Hyeonhae was silently brooding, Palace Lord Unhyeon composed herself and spoke.
“I cannot obstruct the training of a fellow palace lord’s disciple for long, so I will be brief. I hope you will instruct my grand-disciple Seokjangsan in the Seondo path.”
“That is no difficulty at all. It would be my honor. However, if you are expecting anything more, I advise you to reconsider.”

“...”
“Please don’t misunderstand. I’ve said the same to every other palace lord.”
Palace Lord Unhyeon nodded.

“As the master of Samnyeonggung, I expected you would say as much. It is only natural. The secret arts of each palace are not something one dares hope to be passed down.”
“Senior Martial Aunt Unhyeon, perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding. Our palace has no such thing as a ‘secret art.’ The path of Seondo we pursue is one we share openly to spread enlightenment. We teach it to any who wish to learn.”
“How could I not know that? Just treat my grand-disciple no differently from the others.”

“Of course.”
Palace Lord Unhyeon lifted her teacup and took a sip, then spoke.
“Did you know that Seokjangsan shares a special bond with Master Hyeonmu?”

“I am well aware.”
“My grand-disciple pestered me whenever he got the chance—asking me to take Master Hyeonmu in as a disciple of our palace. Such sincere friendship is rare indeed.”
“...”

“How I regret not granting that request when I had the chance.”
Unhyeon now lamented her lack of understanding toward her disciple Hyeonmun. Regret and self-reproach weighed heavily on her heart.
Part of her still wondered how things might have turned out had she refused Grand Elder Unhak’s recommendation back then.

But she ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) had instead accepted the outstanding Seokjangsan as her grand-disciple, and now she wanted to do everything she could for him.
She wanted him to be taught with no neglect. Even if not the secret transmissions, she hoped he could be guided to at least glimpse the threshold of transcendence.
Perhaps that was why she finally said what she had been too embarrassed to admit.

“In truth, I helped ensure that Master Hyeonmu could remain on Mount Wudang. Though… there were shameful circumstances I cannot bring myself to say.”
Master Hyeonhae quietly looked at her and said,
“I know.”

Palace Lord Unhyeon flinched. Seeing Master Hyeonhae’s serious expression, she knew this wasn’t just a polite response.
“How… do you know?”
“Master Hyeonmun of Yeongmudang came to this palace several years ago.”

“...”
“He said he wanted to set things right, even if belatedly. That if I gave permission, he would somehow persuade his master to accept him into Ujingung. And if that wasn’t possible… he said he would renounce his monastic life and teach instead.”
Unhyeon’s face turned pale.

When a disciple who has learned advanced martial arts renounces the Daoist path, they are required to sever all ties to martial cultivation.
If such a renounced disciple taught martial arts to another, it would be considered a capital crime—Destruction of the Lineage—and severely punished.
And if Wudang marked someone as a criminal for Destruction of the Lineage, they would become a public enemy of the entire Murim Alliance.

In short, Hyeonmun had been prepared to become an enemy of the entire Murim world if it meant opening a path for Kwak Yeon.
Palace Lord Unhyeon felt momentarily overwhelmed.
If her disciple Hyeonmun had pleaded with her so desperately, what decision should she have made?

Even so, she could now feel how deeply Hyeonmun had cared for Ujingung.
A tidal wave of guilt swept through her—why had she not understood Hyeonmun sooner?