Wudang Sacred Scriptures

Physician Hyun Ik Dojang looked at the apothecary with a bewildered expression.

"Why bring up castor powder out of nowhere?"

"Someone came a few days ago and bought out my entire stock. I just mentioned it because I recently restocked."

Hyun Ik Dojang's expression hardened.

As a physician, he was well aware of castor's effects.

His mind immediately went to the mass food poisoning incident among the trainees.

At the time, he had assumed it was a serious outbreak. But strangely, the matter had resolved itself rather quickly.

Without the use of any medicine.

"If that was because of castor powder...!"

That would explain why the trainees recovered from their stomachaches within a day or two.

"Who purchased the castor powder, shopkeeper?"

"It was a junior instructor from the Byeong-rank dormitory. Since he was already out on an errand, I assumed he was buying it on your behalf."

Hyun Ik recalled seeing So Jin-sam speaking with Chief Instructor Kang on the day the trainees fell ill.

It was as they had watched Division Leader Hyun Gong and Kitchen Hall Head Go Chil-seong leave the dormitory.

"Ha, was I, a physician, completely fooled?"

If this was true, it meant an Outer Sect disciple had deceived a main sect disciple—worse, a direct disciple of the first generation. In Wudang, where rank and discipline were strictly enforced, such an act could be considered Qishamyeoljo—a crime severe enough to warrant expulsion.

But the moment had already passed.

And besides, he'd had no love for Hyun Gong.

He had no intention of making an issue of it.

That said, he couldn't simply ignore the matter either. He needed to understand the full details for the future.

"Ah! Now that I think about it, I must have sent him. I completely forgot."

"Is that so?"

Hyun Ik Dojang had smoothly deflected any further questions from the apothecary.

After he left, another customer approached the shopkeeper.

"That man earlier—is he a Daoist of Wudang?"

"He is. The physician of the dormitory."

"I see."

"But I don’t believe I’ve seen you before, sir…?"

"I'm visiting Wudang Mountain for worship. Thought I'd stop by to see if you had any quality herbs."

The man was dressed in fine clothing, and the apothecary’s face lit up at the sight of a well-paying customer.

"Of course, sir! Take your time. Our shop has every medicinal herb found in the Wudang region."

A short while later, however, the apothecary's face twisted in irritation.

The man had rummaged through everything yet left empty-handed.

"What a waste of time."

But the man was not truly empty-handed.

He was clutching a handful of castor powder.

*****

"How's your leg?"

Physician Hyun Ik Dojang asked as he examined So Jin-sam.

"Thanks to your treatment, the symptoms have improved significantly."

"To be honest, it wasn’t my treatment that did it. I only prescribed what Kwak Yeon discovered."

At the unexpected mention of Kwak Yeon, So Jin-sam flinched inwardly.

"Yesterday, I went down to the village and heard an interesting story from the apothecary."

"......"

"Relax. It's already in the past, and I had no love for Division Leader Hyun Gong either. But as the dormitory’s physician, I should at least understand what happened. I can’t remain ignorant."

So Jin-sam bowed his head.

"It’s true. I originally bought the castor powder to treat the Byeong-rank trainees’ stomachaches using a folk remedy. But feeding each one individually was tedious, so I mixed it into the seasonings… and, well, I ended up using too much. That’s how things got out of hand."

"A folk remedy?"

Hyun Ik Dojang studied So Jin-sam closely.

"My grandmother often gave me and my siblings castor oil when we had stomach troubles."

So Jin-sam repeated exactly what Kwak Yeon had told him to say.

Hyun Ik Dojang was momentarily speechless.

Folk remedies varied from household to household—people couldn’t always afford a physician.

In fact, many medical texts were compilations of such remedies.

Though he remained skeptical, pressing further would be difficult.

As he checked So Jin-sam's pulse, he casually asked:

"When was the last time you saw Kwak Yeon?"

"I haven't. Our meal schedules don’t even overlap."

Hyun Ik Dojang nodded.

"I see."

"......"

"At some point, I’d like to meet him. In any case, this incident turned out to be beneficial for you, didn’t it? You’ve recovered enough to resume martial arts training."

"I heard he’s entered the final promotion phase, so I doubt I’ll have the chance. Though, I do wish I could."

Handing So Jin-sam his medicine pack, Hyun Ik Dojang nodded to himself.

As a physician, he could read his patient’s pulse—not just for health, but for truthfulness.

As expected, Kwak Yeon had indeed been involved.

"Ha, what an audacious little brat."

His intentions hadn’t been malicious, but he had certainly acted far beyond his station.

Just as he was lost in thought, Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu arrived.

"What brings you here, Chief Instructor?"

Hyun Ik Dojang feigned ignorance, though it was clear Kang Ik-yu had just come from seeing So Jin-sam.

Kang Ik-yu got straight to the point.

"I was the one who gave Instructor So the order."

It was a declaration—he would take full responsibility.

Hyun Ik Dojang studied him for a moment before asking:

"Why are all of you protecting that boy?"

"......"

"Kang, I don’t have anything against him. That’s why I’m asking—why?"

"Because of his courage."

Kang Ik-yu's response came without hesitation.

"He has a kind of courage that we lack."

Hyun Ik Dojang realized that Kang Ik-yu had just pointed out something he himself had overlooked.

The courage to act was not something everyone possessed.

And now, he understood why he had been drawn to Kwak Yeon.

With a sigh, he tore apart the report he had been writing.

****

At last, the final exam had arrived.

That evening, after the day's training, Chief Instructor Kang Ik-yu assembled all forty remaining Gap-rank trainees and announced:

"The final exam is simple. At dawn tomorrow, precisely at jinsi-cho (7:00 AM), you will all start from the dormitory and race to the peak of Jeol-ae Peak. Your ranking will be determined by your order of arrival."

The trainees blinked in confusion.

Since it was the final exam, they had expected something grander.

But a mere race?

Then, realization dawned.

Their faces darkened.@@novelbin@@

Jeol-ae Peak was a sheer, rocky cliff, almost a hundred jang (over 300 meters) high.

A vertical wall.

The sheer granite cliffs of Jeol-ae Peak loomed before them, smooth and nearly impossible to climb. Near the summit, an overhanging rock jutted out like the eaves of a temple, utterly rejecting human passage.

"Chief Instructor, are you telling us to climb Jeol-ae Peak with our bare hands?" one of the trainees asked.

Kang Ik-yu nodded without hesitation.

"Of course."

The trainees' faces turned pale.

They were only thirteen-year-old children. Fear was inevitable.

"Anyone who lacks confidence should speak now. Attempting this recklessly could result in serious injury."

"......"

"This is an extremely dangerous trial, so each of you will be provided with a safety rope. You must secure it to the stakes embedded along the cliffside as you climb."

"I have a question."

"Speak."

"Is it permissible to climb without using the safety rope?"

"You must carry the rope at all times. If you lose it along the way, I can’t say much—but it's your lifeline, so I suggest you don’t."

Every year, there were always one or two trainees who fell to their deaths from overestimating their abilities.

Although instructors and drill instructors would follow behind to provide assistance, Jeol-ae Peak’s vast expanse meant they couldn’t possibly watch over every single trainee.

This exam had always been harsh. Numerous requests had been made to modify it, but the main sect’s response had remained the same.

Not allowed. (不可!)

The test was also designed to filter out overconfident trainees. The best they could do was issue stern warnings.

In truth, the danger was minimal if they used the safety rope correctly. Instructors and drill instructors were stationed to rescue those who fell.

But competition always created problems.

Like the trainee who had just asked the question—some would inevitably attempt to climb without using the safety rope.

The rope was heavy and cumbersome, and some feared they would fall behind while securing it.

This year’s exam was even more concerning.

Kang Ik-yu clenched his lips before making another announcement.

"One more thing. This year, only eight trainees will be selected."

The Gap-rank trainees widened their eyes in shock.

The number of disciples promoted to the main sect had suddenly been cut drastically.

Kang Ik-yu addressed them coldly.

"This is the decision of the main sect. No questions will be entertained."

With that, he dismissed the trainees.

****

Standing in front of the dormitory, Kwak Yeon gazed at the towering cliffs of Jeol-ae Peak and murmured,

"I understand why climbing Jeol-ae Peak is the final test."

Seok Jangsan looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"There’s no better way to evaluate everything we’ve learned over the past three years. And there’s no need to determine superiority through sparring."

"Not measuring strength through sparring is a good concept, but why make us climb such a dangerous cliff?"

"I don’t see it as a cliff."

"What? Then what do you see it as?"

"A giant—like the mythological Gwabo."

"Gwabo? That giant from ancient legends who shaped the lands of the world?"

"Exactly. A giant trying to shake us off its body as we climb."

"Come on, it's just a motionless rock. What giant?"

"Look closely at the cliff. It’s not just a sheer vertical face. There are ridges, protrusions like the overhanging eaves. The landscape is constantly changing. Imagine that as the giant struggling to shake us off."

Seok Jangsan stared at Jeol-ae Peak, picturing himself climbing it.

And then he understood.

Certain sections were easier, others incredibly difficult. If he imagined the mountain as a massive rock giant trying to throw him off, the image made sense.

"You sure have a unique way of looking at things."

Seok Jangsan nodded, as if conceding the point.

"So what you're saying is, we have to fight against this giant using everything we've learned."

"Exactly. The knowledge and balance we built in the Byeong-rank dormitory, the endurance from the Eul-rank dormitory, and the martial skills from the Gap-rank dormitory—without all of them, climbing this is impossible."

Seok Jangsan finally grasped what Kwak Yeon had meant about integrating everything from their training.

It wasn’t just about having good stamina. If one simply tried to scale the rock face straight up, it wouldn’t matter if they took one or two days—they’d never reach the summit.

"So we have to find the most efficient path. But what shortcuts could possibly exist on that cliff? I don’t see a single gentle slope anywhere."

"That’s why I told you to think of it as a giant in motion. If you only think of the forces pulling us downward, you’ll never see the way forward."

Seok Jangsan tilted his head.

"Explain a bit more."

"Alright, let me give you an example."

Not just Seok Jangsan, but Ha Gang also turned his full attention to Kwak Yeon.

"Think about this: when climbing a rock face, all forces pull downward. But we’ve learned techniques that use our opponent’s force against them. If we apply that principle, we can propel ourselves further upward."

"So you’re saying we can bypass difficult sections by jumping? That might work once or twice, but not repeatedly."

"You’re right. But martial techniques aren't the only skills we’ve learned, are they? There will be sections where we can use Solgak (footwork techniques), others where we need to press our entire bodies against the rock with Byeokhoji (gecko limb technique). We might even have to use grappling techniques—like wedging ourselves into rock crevices to recover our stamina."

"That’s all stuff we’ll figure out when we’re on the cliff."

"Exactly. But if you visualize it beforehand, doesn't that make it a path?"