Chapter 364
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## Episode 364. I Pass This On to Yeon Namcheon
Yeon Jeokha lowered his head, dejected.
A myriad of indescribable emotions filled his chest, feeling like they would suffocate him.
—Don’t make that face. Everything that begins has an end. Anyone who has been born will die someday. Today it’s my turn, but someday it will be yours—Cheongbulno said in a calm voice.
—Yes, I understand…—answered Yeon Jeokha.
He knew it, but he couldn’t help the pain.
—My master took me in as a disciple when I was young and gave me the name Cheongbulno. I always thought that name was a metaphor for my youth and vitality, but today I realized it wasn’t.
Yeon Jeokha listened in silence.
—Even though the body ages, the heart shouldn’t. Namcheon, the heart is immortal. Do you understand what I mean?
—Yes.
Yeon Jeokha answered respectfully, valuing each word as if it were a treasure, conscious that they would be the last.
Cheongbulno looked at him with satisfied eyes.
—Fortunately, I was able to accept you as a disciple before ascending. If I left without passing on the Power of Words (언법) to you, my master wouldn’t have forgiven me.
His voice began to falter, and Cheongbulno paused to catch his breath. It was evident that the moment was near.
—I have taught you the mystical techniques that you needed most. You will learn the others gradually in the Five Dragons Palace (오룡궁). Now it’s time to pass on the Language of Words to you.
Cheongbulno stood up, and Yeon Jeokha tried to get up too, but his master gently pressed his shoulder to keep him seated.
—Sit down and empty your mind.
Yeon Jeokha obeyed and began to control his breathing, following his master’s instructions.
Cheongbulno waited patiently until Yeon Jeokha’s breathing reached the state known as “Sik (息)”, where his breath became so calm that it seemed to have disappeared completely.
With the palm of his hand, Cheongbulno touched the crown of Yeon Jeokha’s head and, with a soft but firm tone like a rock, declared:
—In the name of Gongyaja and Cheongbulno, I pass on the Language of Words to Yeon Namcheon.
From the state of absolute concentration, Yeon Jeokha listened to his master’s voice.
At that moment, it didn’t seem unusual to him. However, when the words “I pass this on” echoed, an indescribable power descended upon him from the crown of his head, as if an invisible axe struck him with overwhelming force.
—Boom!
The impact was so violent that he felt as if his head would explode. The intensity was so crushing that he lost consciousness.
————
Yeon Jeokha opened his eyes to the sound of a soft chant.
The faint light of dawn filtered through the window. He was lying on the floor of the main hall, and, startled, he quickly got up.
In the place where there had been a field of isolation before, Cheongbulno was sitting in the lotus position.
—Master? —Yeon Jeokha called cautiously.
But Cheongbulno didn’t answer.
Yeon Jeokha approached slowly. His face was so serene that it seemed like a joke what he had said about his imminent ascension.
With a glimmer of hope, Yeon Jeokha extended his hand towards his master’s nose.
There was no breath.
Suddenly, Yeon Jeokha’s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees in front of his master.
—How could he leave like that, without me even being able to say goodbye?
He had expected that, after receiving the Language of Words, Cheongbulno would leave him a last message. But there hadn’t been a farewell, nor any final words.
—I couldn’t even say goodbye…
Tears began to flow.
Although he knew this moment would come, not having given him a proper goodbye made him feel like he had failed as a disciple.
—Idiot… You should have thanked him before. Now you’ll never be able to tell him what you wanted…
Tears fell to the ground as he blamed himself for his clumsiness.
After a while, Yeon Jeokha bowed deeply in front of his master, who had passed away sitting in the lotus position.
———–
Cheongbulno’s death became known at dawn, when a Taoist from the Five Dragons Palace went out to clean and found his body.
Although the Taoists were filled with sadness, they organized the preparations for his funeral with calmness and solemnity.
Two weeks later, Cheongbulno’s funeral was finally held.
The master, who had passed away sitting in the lotus position, was placed in a prominent place in the main hall of the palace. The Taoists recited scriptures in front of him, following traditional rites.
During the funeral, something surprising happened.
Celestial Master Cheonmyeong, leader of the Five Dragons Palace, designated Yeon Jeokha as the main mourner, placing him in the most important place.
Although both the Taoists and the disciples found this strange, the solemnity of the funeral kept them silent.
As Cheongbulno had wished, the funeral was held simply. He was buried on a hill behind the Palace, still in the lotus position.
During the two weeks of the funeral, the Palace kept a sacred fire burning and burned ritual paper. Once the mourning was over, the place returned to normal.
That September, the initiation ceremony for new disciples was not held, but no one dared to complain. Even Jang Ido, who was eagerly awaiting the ceremony, remained silent, recognizing the greatness of the Seven Sages and showing respect.
After the funeral, Celestial Master Cheonmyeong officially proclaimed that Yeon Jeokha was Cheongbulno’s formal disciple, his named disciple (기명제자), and announced his new title: Yeon Namcheon (연남천).
Yeon Jeokha’s fellow disciples in the Namchaego Pavilion (남채고) reacted with surprise and bewilderment. However, the Taoists of the Palace were unfazed, for they knew that the Seven Sages followed their own rules, incomprehensible to most.
After the funeral, Yeon Jeokha was transferred from the Namchaego Pavilion to the prestigious Yeo Dongbin Pavilion, in recognition of his status as Cheongbulno’s named disciple.
And from that day on, the name Yeon Dubi was forgotten. Now he was known as Yeon Namcheon.
Now that he was called Yeon Namcheon instead of Yeon Dubi, it seemed like everything had turned out well. However, the reality was very different.
The disciples of the Eight Immortals Pavilion (팔선각), although they envied him for his good fortune, also despised him.
The external disciples of Yeo Dongbin, who had gone through a rigorous selection process, looked down on him. They considered it unfair that Yeon Namcheon had been accepted as a disciple just because he caught Cheongbulno’s attention. Some even said that Cheongbulno had lost his mind in his later years.
It was all due to Yeon Namcheon’s murky past, something that even he recognized. That’s why he simply ignored the criticism.
The only one who seemed to receive him kindly was Lee Doju, an external disciple like him.
————–
After lunch, Yeon Namcheon was sitting under the eaves of a building, looking distractedly at the sky. Since Cheongbulno had passed away, memories of his time at Waryong Manor (와룡장) came back frequently. Perhaps it was a sign of his emotional exhaustion.
Just then, Lee Doju, who was passing by, saw him and approached.
—Younger brother… No, I should call you brother disciple now. Although you are Cheongbulno’s named disciple, I entered first, so you should address me as older brother.
In the hierarchy system of external disciples, the order of entry defined the titles and respect between them, even if someone was a named disciple.
—It’s a relief to have at least someone I know. The other older brothers don’t even look at me.
—It’s understandable. The initiation process for external disciples is extremely difficult. It takes at least six months of training to pass it, but you became an external disciple in just two months. That surely provokes some envy in them. Consider it the price of not having gone through the formal process.
—I already assumed that—answered Yeon Jeokha with resignation.
—Anyway, I trust Cheongbulno’s judgment. There’s a reason why the Six Sages of the Five Dragons Palace (오룡육사) accepted you as their named disciple. As you may have noticed, sorcerers/mystics/shamans are incredibly demanding.
—Yes, that became clear to me.
Unlike warriors, who had a more direct character, sorcerers were meticulous to the extreme. Even the procedure for becoming an external disciple in the Eight Immortals Pavilion was so rigorous that, in other sects, they would have been considered full disciples just by passing that test.
However, in the Five Dragons Palace, that wasn’t enough.
It was evident that the cold treatment towards sorcerers in the world of Murim didn’t correspond to the level of difficulty and demand that they faced. That’s why it wasn’t surprising that someone like Jang Ido, from the Jongryeongwon Pavilion, constantly asked for the rules to be relaxed.
Thinking of Jang Ido, Yeon Namcheon asked casually:
—Older brother, do you know Jang Ido, from the Jongryeongwon Pavilion?
—Of course I know him. He’s an external disciple of the Sangcheong Pavilion. Why do you mention him?
—Nothing in particular. He just seemed to know you, so I was curious.
Yeon Namcheon quickly changed the subject. Although Jang Ido had belittled the disciples of the Taihua Pavilion, he had no intention of complaining. That wouldn’t fit with his dignity as a man.
—When you spend time in the Eight Immortals Pavilion, you end up knowing where the other external disciples come from.
—Now that I think about it, it seems like the Five Dragons Palace doesn’t care much about the origin of each one. Or am I wrong?
—It’s true. Sorcerers aren’t interested in the clans or sects of Murim. They believe they are completely different paths. It’s the same as the clans of Murim, who don’t bother to understand mystics.
—It seems like both sides avoid each other.
—I think it’s because warriors despise sorcerers/mystics/shamans. That’s why sorcerers keep their distance.
—By the way, older brother, what changes when you become an external disciple?
—Changes?
—External disciples do the same activities as the others: they recite scriptures in their lodgings and participate in the lessons. Isn’t there something different that they do?
—Ah! In the afternoon, while the other disciples learn swordsmanship and talismans in the Eastern Garden (동원) and the Palace, the external disciples learn the advanced techniques of the Palace in the Western Garden (서원).
—Understood. I think I heard something about that once.
—Since you mention it, it’s time to go to the Western Garden. Let’s go together.
Yeon Namcheon happily followed Lee Dohy.
The Western Garden and the practice of invisibility magic
After walking for a good while westward, they arrived at a huge garden surrounded by high walls. This was the famous Western Garden.
The external disciples of Yeo Dongbin arrived one by one at the garden, while they cast scornful glances at Yeon Namcheon. Their discomfort was understandable, since he had received the privilege of skipping the difficult initiation process.
Shortly after, a Taoist named Go Hak appeared in front of the external disciples, who numbered a little over ten.
—Today we will continue with the practice of invisibility magic (Eunhyeongsul, 隱形術).
Go Hak taught three mantras: “Magic of the Void (공허법)”, “Magic of Darkness (흑암법)” and “Magic of the Sea Mist (해무법)”.
—The Magic of the Void is the most difficult, followed by the Magic of Darkness, and the easiest is the Magic of the Sea Mist. If you manage to execute at least one of these techniques, I will consider that you have been successful.
After the explanation, the disciples began to recite the mantras. Some remained standing, while others sat in the lotus position.
After an hour, Go Hak gathered the disciples again.
—The purpose of learning these three techniques is not to master them all, but to find the one that best suits you. Of course, if you manage to master all three, it will be excellent. But remember, in the end, the sorcerer/mystic/shaman who excels is the one who perfectly masters a single technique.
—Yes, master—the disciples answered in unison.
Go Hak nodded in satisfaction.
—Who wants to be the first to demonstrate their power?
None of the disciples volunteered. Most didn’t want to risk making a fool of themselves in front of the others.
Finally, Go Hak pointed to Lee Doju to be the first.
Lee Doju chose the Magic of the Sea Mist.
—Sa wol chim chim jang hae mu… Om geup geup ye yul ryeong sa ba ha!
A faint smoke began to form around him, but it wasn’t enough to hide him completely. Despite this, Go Hak praised him.
—Although your energy is weak, you managed to materialize the smoke. Keep practicing.
Lee Doju’s success encouraged the other disciples to try. Some did a little better, but most had similar abilities.
However, not everyone was at the same level.
When Baek Seolyeon recited the mantra of the Magic of Darkness, a dark shadow spread behind her. Although it wasn’t perfect, her skill far surpassed that of the others.
Go Hak congratulated her enthusiastically, and the other disciples couldn’t help but look at her with admiration.
Baek Seolyeon smiled shyly, but her confidence became evident when she looked at Yeon Namcheon. She was sure that he couldn’t surpass her.