Episode 111

He had no choice now.

Yu Jinsan put down the brush and turned his back for a moment.

What he took out of his pocket, blocking Sima Hyun’s view, was a small bag.

Inside were 2 letters.

‘Ah, the thing that will be ‘accomplished’ and the ‘words’ spoken.’

There was no doubt that it was Man-ho who had written it.

But which of the two should he choose?

Less than half of the sand remained, and the closer it got to the end, the more impatient he became.

Choosing one of the two meant the probability was half.

At the height of his dilemma…

-I think I know what it is.

Yu Seol was staring at him with a confident face.

After a moment of thought, Yu Jinsan picked up the brush and handed it to his granddaughter.

Even if she was wrong, he wouldn’t regret it.

-Well, Grandpa isn’t sure, so why don’t you choose?

After all, Sima Hyun was the only one who knew the answer. Now, he had no choice but to leave it to Yu Seol.

Holding the brush, his granddaughter slowly engraved a letter on a piece of paper.

‘Then, accomplishment?’

At that moment, Sima Hyun’s eyes wavered.

It seemed true that the writing had some meaning behind it.

He watched silently and then spoke softly.

“If you have decided on that, put the brush down.”

“I am not done yet.”

Yu Seol didn’t put the brush down. Instead, she wrote another character in front of ‘Accomplishment’.

Shhh!

It was ‘Word’.

And when the two words were combined, the full character was formed.

The face of Yu Jinsan brightened at that, and he clapped his hands.

‘It means sincerity. This is the meaning created from the genuineness of expressing words truthfully. For Sima Hyun, who hates lies, a sincere heart is what means the most.’

He was famous for not telling a single lie in his entire life.

Sima Hyun nodded repeatedly with a slightly surprised expression.

“By nature, a person must not lie and must have a sincere heart. So, I wanted to test you. Because I cannot help those who aren’t even true people.”

What he meant was that they had now passed the test.

Yu Seol asked with a bright look.

“Then will you be deciphering the book now?”

“Yes, as I initially promised, within the time given. However, how much can be done before the hourglass runs out, I cannot say.”

That meant the translation would stop when the hourglass ran out too.

It was absurd, but if they thought about it, it wasn’t so wrong. The time promised was until all the sand had fallen.

Was he trying to test them again?

He had no idea he would act like this.

‘I’ve already wasted more than 10 days here. This is going nowhere.’

He had to find another way.

Yu Jinsan was turning impatient as he glanced at the hourglass.

The amount of sand left was no more than a fingernail. Time was almost over.

At that moment, Yu Jinsan’s eyes widened.

‘No way.’

Upon closer inspection, he noticed the sand had stopped and wasn’t falling, and then the sand was flowing back, from bottom to top?

When he looked to the side, he saw Yu Seol gently extending one hand. There was no need to ask what had happened.

A skill which he couldn’t even attempt.

“We have plenty of time now, Grandpa.”

After saying that, Yu Seol used her internal qi to melt the glass in the center path so the sand wouldn’t fall at all.

“…”

Sima Hyun looked shocked at that.

At that time, Yu Jinsan nodded his head, proud of his daughter’s ingenuity.

Afterward, he spoke to Sima Hyung in polite form.

“I’ve heard that you’ve never lied in your life, and you’ve never gone back on your word.”

It wasn’t like he didn’t understand what was being said.

Didn’t he say that he would give them time until the hourglass ran out?

He had never imagined that the glass could be clogged up like that.

Sima Hyun, who was dazed, came forward and laughed.

“Hehehe, I’ve been outsmarted. Even though you had such martial arts skills, you still waited for days and days? You have wisdom, benevolence, and humility, so I have no reason not to help you.”

“Thank you very much.”

It also meant he would no longer test them.

Sima Hyun was handed the book, and he looked at it earnestly.

“Let us see what this art is…”

Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol stayed together in that house.

This was because Sima Hyun allowed them to stay there until he was done.

In a way, this was natural. Because he couldn’t leave the place while entrusting the precious book to him.

Yu Jinsan helped with the garden work, and Yu Seol watched him from inside.

Two days passed like that.

“I am not one to learn martial arts, but the more I decipher it, the more powerful I feel.”

“What power?”

“It is written here how to break free from the limitations of being human and reach the state of Buddha. There are many constraints, but if you can learn them, you gain the strength to move the world.”

“Woah…”

Yu Seol opened her mouth in awe, but Sima Hyun’s concern didn’t die.

“I don’t know if it is right to decipher this for you.”

“Why?”

“What if you have an evil intention and decide to cause bloodshed? What do you plan to do by learning this martial art?”

Yu Seol clenched her small fist with a serious face.

“I want to protect Grandpa and show justice to the world.”

Sima Hyun took a deep breath at the unexpected answer.

Anyone else might have burst into laughter upon hearing such a statement.

After a moment of contemplation, he looked deeply into Yu Seol’s face.

Her face was untouched by the world’s filth, and her clear eyes seemed devoid of any selfishness or deceit.

Eventually, he made up his mind and nodded.

“Last night in my dream, I saw this small, shining star dazzling under the moonlight. It seems like it was fate, and not a simple one, that brought me into this relationship. I will do my best to help you.”

The child had been secretly anxious.

Relieved, Yu Seol hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Grandpa.”

“Haha. Then, let’s take a look at what I have deciphered so far.”

“Yes.”

Sima Hyun unfolded the translated papers and explained them in an easy-to-understand manner.

“Humans inherently have five senses: eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body. They are referred to as the Pre-five Senses.”

“You mean the five senses?”

“Yes, you know very well. Those who can master this can unfold their consciousness, which is the sense of the mind, and reach the state of being mindful of all things. In Murim, this state connects everything with the heart.”

“Grandmaster!”

Sima Hyun nodded with a small smile.

“Yes, right. It looks like you’ve already reached this point. If the 6th consciousness is achieved, then the 7th sense is the final one. At this stage, one will be able to control their consciousness in the universe. You can see without looking, and you can hear without listening.”

“Then taste without eating?”

“Hmm. I don’t know that much. But that’s the case at this level. In short, it is a state close to being in harmony.”

“Then there is a next step?”

Sima Hyun nodded and picked up another paper.

“The final state, the 8th sense, consciousness, is the one where the subconscious mind, hidden deeper than the upper one, is opened. When this is achieved, one can master the fundamentals of all things and reach the greatest state that the human mind can reach, the Profound Master.”

“Profound Master?”

“Right, in this book, the salvation and training methods leading to the 8th one are written. If you can learn this martial art, you will reach that.”

“…Wow. But is there anything after that?”

Sima Hyun, looking slightly troubled, picked up the bottommost paper.

“Although it is a theory, when one learns this and reaches the top, there is a slim chance that the sense, which can be called the 9th, is awakened. It is a state of becoming Buddha.”

“I want to train quickly and become a Buddha then.”

Sima Hyun stroked the child’s head with a kind smile.

“Right. Grandpa will help you a lot. Although I am no warrior, I can probably help you easily solve the problem. The goal is the 8th consciousness now, Profound Master.”

Nearly two weeks had passed since they stayed at Sima Hyun’s place.

Yu Seol dedicated all her time to understanding the intricacies of the book alongside him.

It was essential before starting rigorous training. The better the understanding, the shorter the training period would be.

And Yu Jinsan was still busy harvesting vegetables in the garden.

“Ah, my fate doesn’t seem to change. To work an old man so hard.”

During their stay, they did not hide their true selves.

They shared their entire story truthfully, but not much had changed.

“Elder, please hand it over.”

Sima Hyun’s guard was shouting. He was likely catching up on deferred tasks.

Yu Jinsan picked up the hammer that was on the floor and threw it.

“Here!”

Wheik!

Whizzing through the air as if it had wings, the hammer landed precisely in the guard’s grasp.

Thump!

Without even looking up, Yu Jinsan returned to his task of digging up vegetables.

“If it weren’t for feeding my child, I’d have torn this all up.”

There was no way it would be easy to work the fields with hands so small. Even though he was grumbling, his hands were full of sincerity.

What wouldn’t he do for his granddaughter’s future? Someone had to help out while they were imposing on others here.

After finishing the work, he went into the kitchen and washed them down.

“The best taste comes from nature. Today, I will be using our family’s secret recipe, and it will be amazing.”

Yu Jinsan, who was showing off his skills in the kitchen, hummed.

After frying the vegetables in oil and spices and boiling the tofu, the food was ready in an instant.

When the preparations were complete, he grabbed the table and headed outside.

A middle-aged man repairing the roof praised the fragrant aroma.

“That’s amazing, Elder. It smells incredible.”

“Of course, who do you think made it? Hurry and bring them all here.”

After a while, the four of them huddled together and lifted their chopsticks as usual.

Sima Hyun was smiling differently than usual.

“Today is the last day. It is also nice to taste such cuisine from such hands.”

“…Has the deciphering of the book been completed?”

Quick to catch on, Yu Jinsan sensed the time had come.

Yu Seol answered for him.

“Yeah, it’s all finished. From now on, I can learn the martial arts.”

Yu Jinsan continued to be polite to Sima Hyun.

“Thank you. How do I repay this…?”

“There is nothing to worry about. I just did what I had to do according to heaven’s will. Perhaps my entire life’s pursuit of knowledge was for this moment.”

For some reason, Yu Jinsan’s heart was pounding.

Mastering this unparalleled martial art could indeed place his granddaughter among the highest ranks of Murim.

Memories of past hardships flashed through his mind, bringing tears to his eyes.

“We owe you a great debt. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“What need does an elder who has stepped out of the world have? Have you thought about a place to practice?”

“You mean….”

Sima Hyun slowly looked around at the scenery and answered.

“In order to complete the arts, you will have to fall into a trance in a place without anyone interfering. There happens to be a suitable cave on the mountain behind this one.”

There was no reason to refuse this.

Finding a secluded spot for intensive training wasn’t easy.

But the thought of being far from his granddaughter bothered him for a long time.

“How long will it take?”

“It is unpredictable because it is a process of achieving enlightenment through discipline. It might take a couple of days, or it might not work no matter how hard one tries.”

Yu Jinsan made eye contact with his granddaughter for a moment.

She was a child who naturally enjoyed the process of becoming stronger through discipline.

A deep will was burning in Yu Seol’s eyes, as if she had made up her mind.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa. I will be back soon.”