Wudang Sacred Scriptures

"Raise your head."

Kwak Yeon hesitated for a moment before slowly lifting his head.

The sharp-eyed man stared at Kwak Yeon’s face briefly before suddenly placing both hands on his shoulders.

The weight felt like boulders, and Kwak Yeon staggered under the pressure.

The man observed as Kwak Yeon bit his lip, struggling to hold his ground, and then finally withdrew his hands.

"I’ll take this child."

"Sir, but the boy is still too young."

Kwak Yeon’s father, Kwak Joong-han, spoke cautiously.

"How old is he?"

"He just turned ten. And… he’s rather frail as well. I believe the eldest or second son would be more suitable…"

The man handed Kwak Joong-han three silver coins.

"I’ve added an extra coin as a special consideration."

Kwak Yeon watched as his father took the silver coins without a moment’s hesitation. Realizing what it meant, his vision went dark.

Even the disapproving glares from his two older brothers and the weary, sorrowful expression of his mother, who looked at him from beyond the reed fence, felt like a distant dream.

But when the man’s firm hand pulled him forward, Kwak Yeon could no longer deny the reality before him.

"Stop looking back."

The man spoke as they reached a point where the slash-and-burn farming village appeared faint in the distance.

"That’s no longer your home, and they’re no longer your family."

Hearing those words, the tears Kwak Yeon had been holding back finally burst forth.

"Let it all out here. After this, you must never show weakness to anyone."

The man then sat silently on a roadside rock, watching Kwak Yeon cry.

Eventually, Kwak Yeon wiped away his tears. He knew no amount of crying would ever turn things back to the way they were.

"Where are we going?"

Kwak Yeon asked, brushing his eyes with the sleeve of his worn-out clothes.

"To Wudang Mountain," the man replied, brushing dust off his pants as he stood.

"From now on, that will be your home."

Kwak Yeon glanced at the pine tree pattern engraved on the scabbard hanging from the man’s waist.

Two weeks later, a towering mountain of majestic rock peaks unfolded before Kwak Yeon’s eyes.

The towering, jagged cliffs stretching like a folding screen were a breathtaking sight, even for a child.

Ha Dong-jo, a martial artist from Wudang’s Outer Sect, led Kwak Yeon to a large estate at the mountain’s foot.

Nestled in the middle of a dense pine forest, the estate was surrounded by a seemingly endless wooden palisade.

"Is this the Wudang Sect?"

The place looked completely different from what Kwak Yeon had imagined, so he couldn’t help but ask.

"The Wudang Sect is up there on the mountain," Ha Dong-jo said, gazing at the towering peaks.

"You have to pass the test here first to climb up there."

"What happens if you fail the test?"

Feeling uneasy at the mention of a test, Kwak Yeon asked nervously.

"You won’t become a disciple of the main sect, but you can still train as an Outer Sect student."

Ha Dong-jo didn’t mention that the gap between a main disciple and an Outer Sect student was as vast as heaven and earth.

"I see."

Kwak Yeon sensed from Ha Dong-jo’s subtle expression that he was leaving something unsaid, but he chose not to press further.

Having grown up as the youngest between two rough and rowdy older brothers, Kwak Yeon had learned to read people’s expressions well.

When his usually stern father suddenly smiled warmly, had him wash up, and lined the three brothers up in the yard, Kwak Yeon already had an inkling of what was happening.@@novelbin@@

It wasn’t uncommon for wealthy households to buy children from poor families in rural villages.

"One less mouth to feed and some extra money—what’s not to like?"

Kwak Yeon’s father often spoke enviously of the Hwang family, who had sold their eldest daughter three years ago and managed to start a new household with the money.

His two older brothers, who clearly knew something, didn’t bother him that day. They only bickered a little among themselves.

Unlike them, Kwak Yeon didn’t want to leave home. He also thought that being the youngest and weakest, he wouldn’t be chosen.

Yet Ha Dong-jo, the man from Wudang Mountain, had rejected his older brothers and picked him instead.

On the way to Wudang, Kwak Yeon had asked why he was chosen.

"Who knows? If I had to give a reason, I’d say I liked the look in your eyes."

Ha Dong-jo’s reply was indifferent, but in truth, he had his own reasons.

Outer Sect disciples like Ha Dong-jo were often tasked with bringing back trainees at the end of their journeys through the martial world. These trainees had to meet certain conditions:

• No parents or siblings (orphans).
• Young age and strong physique.

Finding someone who met all these requirements wasn’t easy. In cases of delay, buying a child from a remote mountain village—like Ha Dong-jo did—sometimes became necessary.

Ha Dong-jo had disliked the cunning looks in the older brothers’ eyes. Such children were often loose-lipped and prone to causing trouble.

In contrast, Kwak Yeon’s reluctance to be chosen and his clear gaze suggested a deep attachment to his family.

When Kwak Yeon had cried endlessly on the mountaintop, Ha Dong-jo had felt a tinge of guilt. But watching him wipe away his tears and stand firm, he became confident that he had made the right choice.

Ha Dong-jo consoled himself by believing he had offered Kwak Yeon an opportunity.

The chance of becoming a main disciple of Wudang was slim, but even as an Outer Sect disciple, a life roaming the martial world was far more meaningful than subsistence farming.

After delivering Kwak Yeon to the training hall, Ha Dong-jo left without another word.

There was nothing more to say and nothing more to do.

From that moment on, Kwak Yeon’s fate depended entirely on his own efforts.

*****

“This is Byeongpal Dormitory.”

Instructor So Jin-sam, who managed the Byeong (丙)-level dormitory, opened the wooden sliding door as he spoke.

The dormitory had long wooden floors on both sides and a pathway lined with sparse stone slabs running down the middle. Against the far wall, there were long wooden shelves arranged in a single tier.

Each shelf was neatly organized with blankets and a few pieces of clothing. Judging by the number of sets, it seemed about twenty trainees lived there together.

Limping slightly, So Jin-sam entered the dormitory, and Kwak Yeon followed closely behind, clutching the bundle he had received at registration.

“This will be your spot.”

So Jin-sam stopped at a place not far from the door.

“Change out of those rags immediately and put on the uniform you received. Store your spare uniform on the shelf. If you lose it, you’ll have to make do with only one set, so take good care of it.”

So Jin-sam clicked his tongue as he watched Kwak Yeon change into the black martial uniform.

“Tsk tsk, you’re practically skin and bones. What have you been eating to end up like this?”

He wrinkled his brow at the sight of Kwak Yeon’s discarded clothes.

“You’re the worst-looking beggar I’ve ever seen. Take those rags to the kitchen hearth and burn them immediately. If you spread lice to the others, I won’t let it slide.”

Following So Jin-sam’s instructions, Kwak Yeon went to find the kitchen hall near the training ground’s wooden palisade.

The kitchen hall bustled with people working, and the ten or so hearths hinted at the large number of trainees.

As Kwak Yeon hesitated at the entrance, a wrinkled old man sitting in front of one of the hearths beckoned him over.

When Kwak Yeon approached timidly, the old man asked:

“Are you new here?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll be seeing me often from now on. You’ll need to eat three meals a day without fail while you’re here.”

The old man chuckled and held out his hand.

“Give me those clothes.”

Kwak Yeon shook his head.

“I’ll do it myself.”

The old man paused, then nodded knowingly.

“Fair enough. It’s better to sever your ties with the outside world yourself.”

As Kwak Yeon watched his clothes burn in the hearth, his eyes stung with tears.

But he held them back.

The old man observed him silently for a moment before walking away.

Returning to the Byeongpal Dormitory, Kwak Yeon felt heavy-hearted.

Left alone in the dormitory, he was overwhelmed by emotions.

The thought of living in this unfamiliar place with strangers felt awkward and frightening.

Even if he left, he had nowhere to go.

He felt no desire to return to the family that had sold him for silver.

Resolving to plant his roots and survive here, Kwak Yeon vowed to never be abandoned again.

“I won’t let myself be discarded a second time!”

That thought sparked a newfound determination within him.

As evening fell, the other trainees returned to the dormitory.

None of them seemed particularly interested in Kwak Yeon. Most were a year or two older than him.

He soon learned that Byeongpal Dormitory housed the newest trainees.

The dormitories were divided into three ranks:

• Gap  - Highest rank.
• Eul - Intermediate rank.
• Byeong  - Lowest rank.

Trainees were tested annually, and those who passed advanced to higher-level dormitories.

According to So Jin-sam, the tests were designed to filter out the weak.

“We get rid of half the chaff every year. Only the best make it to Gap-level, but even that’s not the end. The final test in Gap-level determines who gets admitted to the main sect.”

Worried about what happened to those who failed, Kwak Yeon asked.

So Jin-sam smirked and replied:

“Wudang Mountain is huge, with over five hundred temples. They’re always short on workers. Graduates from the training hall get paid well as laborers, so you won’t starve. But it’s nothing compared to being an official disciple. If you make it to Gap-level, even if you don’t get into the main sect, you might still become a disciple of the Outer Sect Elders. So train like your life depends on it.”

The daily routine for Byeong-level trainees was simple.

• Mornings: Studied martial arts theory, focusing on the Twelve Principal Meridians, Eight Extraordinary Vessels, and acupoints.
• Afternoons: Physical training under the instructors’ supervision.
• Evenings: Lectures from Taoist priests on spiritual cultivation and Daoist scriptures.

Outside training hours, trainees were free to spend their time as they pleased.

However, no one wasted time.

Everyone was determined to advance to Gap-level and graduate from the training hall.

The competition created a cold and tense atmosphere.

Even in Byeongpal Dormitory, where the trainees were newer and less competitive, relationships were distant and guarded.

Having grown up with rough older brothers, Kwak Yeon wasn’t particularly bothered by the tension.

Regular meals and steady training began to improve his frail body, adding some muscle.

Still, his physical training lagged behind the others due to his young age.

On the other hand, Kwak Yeon excelled in studying meridian systems and Daoist scriptures.

Drawn to the subject, he spent most of his free time in the library.

At first, several trainees frequented the library, but their numbers dwindled as they shifted focus to physical training.

After six months, Kwak Yeon was the only one left in the library.

One day, the librarian, Lee Jong-rim, approached him.

“How long do you plan to stay in the library?”

“Am I bothering you?”

“Not at all. I’m just concerned. Focusing only on meridian studies might leave you physically unprepared for the tests.”

“But they don’t only judge physical ability, right?”

“That’s true, but you still need to pass the physical tests first.”

Kwak Yeon sighed.

“I’ve been worrying about that too. No matter how hard I try, physical training is difficult for me. I’m always last at rope climbing and mountain runs. I’m only good at balancing on jars, but strength-based tasks are a struggle.”

“Then you need to train even harder to make up for it.”

“Do you think I can surpass the others just by trying harder?”

Lee Jong-rim was momentarily taken aback by Kwak Yeon’s question.

“Still, you have to try.”

“Thanks for your concern, but I have a plan.”

“A plan? What kind of plan?”

“I’ll focus on scoring high in areas I excel at—balance techniques and fitness methods. I’ll also aim for the top scores in meridian studies and scripture recitations.”

Impressed by the ten-year-old’s strategic thinking, Lee Jong-rim acknowledged his determination but knew physical strength was still essential.

After some thought, he pulled out a book and handed it to Kwak Yeon.

“This might be exactly what you need.”