Chapter 9: The Thunder Dragon Emerges
I was filled with doubt at Mangnyang Seonsa’s words. Certainly, if that were true, it could explain why the astrologer Mangnyang Seonsa was unable to interpret the passage, but the problem lay in my inability to fully trust his abilities. For all I knew, he might still be collecting some vague words to string together.
As if sensing the suspicion on my face, Mangnyang Seonsa frowned.
“I can guess what you are thinking… but my words are true.”
“I want to believe that as well.”
“After all, what do you lose by believing? So far, you have no clues to interpret the passage.”
“Hmm…”
His words were indeed true. He hadn’t claimed that he could interpret it, only pointing out the [reason he could not interpret it]. Doubting him wouldn’t yield any beneficial facts for me. Therefore, I decided to ask about my burning curiosity.
“So, why are you telling me all this, risking your life? We have only just met today, know little about each other, and you don’t even know what I intend to do as the Celestial Arm Secretary.”
“Well, this encounter itself is a rare opportunity for me.”
Huh?
Me, a rare opportunity?
As I looked perplexed, Mangnyang Seonsa’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“I may be living as a fool now, casting fortunes for dimwits, but once, I held the pride of being the greatest astrologer on the continent. Now, to be able to see a passage I could never comprehend before is something I must understand, even if it means violating the royal duty of secrecy.”
“A scholar… weren’t you the Taoist who refers to himself as a Seonsa?”
“Ha ha ha. You seem to not know much about Qimen Dunjia.”
Mangnyang Seonsa chuckled bitterly and continued his explanation.
“Qimen Dunjia is not mere superstition. It is a formula that yields specific results when the essence of Jia is arranged according to established principles. It can be considered as lying within the realms of arithmetic and physics. The chart I laid out here on this mountain is the same. It’s not that I possess some extraordinary divine ability to lay out the formations; I simply followed predetermined principles. Qimen Dunjia is yet another realm that a scholar can explore. One might even call it a form of self-defense art.”
“Oh… I see.”
I felt as though I was hearing something truly valuable.
If Qimen Dunjia is something one can create merely by using their intellect rather than requiring Internal Energy for mystical powers, then it was a concept entirely foreign to the life of an average person like me. Such a story, I had never heard in my mundane existence, sparked my curiosity. Since I had the opportunity, I decided to inquire further.
“Then, are talisman using arts or exorcism arts also devoid of divine ability?”
“That requires a bit of special talent, but it’s more about the power of the Upper Dantian.”
“Upper Dantian?”
“Ha ha. I should explain a bit more to our esteemed guest.”
Mangnyang Seonsa chuckled with excitement and continued.
“The Internal Energy you have accumulated through your training is the force stored in your Lower Dantian. Centered on the Dantian, this energy propagates through the Eight Extraordinary Vessels to elevate the body to a superhuman state. As the ability of the Lower Dantian increases, one reaches into the realm of the Middle Dantian; this does not exist in specific bodily locations like a regular Dantian.”
“Then, where exactly is the Middle Dantian?”
“The Middle Dantian is often referred to as the heart, but that’s not entirely correct. When the ability of the Lower Dantian has significantly increased, it undergoes a process of integration, during which all the power converges in the heart. Thus, one could say that the ultimate realm for a martial artist is essentially the Middle Dantian.”
I was quite astonished and said, “So, does that mean the Upper Dantian refers to the brain?”
“Indeed.”
Since Mangnyang Seonsa had been explaining for a while, he seemed a bit thirsty and poured himself another cup of water. After quenching his thirst, he continued.
“However, one must not be mistaken; the Middle Dantian evolves from the Lower Dantian, but the Upper Dantian is entirely unrelated. The ability hidden in the brain is a unique power that one must develop on their own to interfere with another dimension. Essentially, it is a capability that one cannot use unless they are born with it, and those who possess it have acted based on that innate ability.”
Isn’t that quite similar?
“Hmm… If it is indeed such an inherent ability, then it seems unnecessary to distinguish it from divine ability.”
“No. While I don’t know the details, practitioners of the Left Path clearly argue that one must differentiate between the Upper Dantian and divine ability. There must be a definite meaning to that for those who utilize the power of the Upper Dantian.”
“I see…”
I felt that I had accumulated significant knowledge.
The distinctions among the three Dantian and the understanding of Qimen Dunjia techniques!
Such knowledge would be hard to come by, even for a fortune. Mangnyang Seonsa offered me some water.
“Would you like some water?”
“No.”
“Anyway, the conversation veered a bit, but I have one request.”
Thud!
Mangnyang Seonsa struck the wooden table, which was carved like a desk, with his palm. His eyes revealed an unmistakable desire.
“I don’t care who you are; just allow me to interpret this Celestial Arm Secretary.”
“……”
So, that was the reason he had been rambling on.
I crossed my arms and fell into thought. I had a rough understanding of his motives, but hearing it expressed so plainly felt refreshing. I looked at his face and asked, “Mangnyang Seonsa, what would you have done if I had attempted to resort to violence and torture against you?”
“Isn’t that precisely why I told you everything beforehand?”
“There are people in this world who act first and think later.”
“In my view, you are not that kind of person. If you were, the moment the cloud diagram was broken, I would have already been a dead man. I only wanted to engage in conversation because I felt you were someone I could communicate with.”
Mangnyang Seonsa’s eloquence was impressively smooth. There was little doubt that he possessed extensive knowledge.
I realized I was at a significant crossroads of decision.
Should I give him the Celestial Arm Secretary to interpret as he wished?
Or should I simply verify that he could not interpret it and leave?
“However… you mentioned before that even after searching through the Celestial Arm Tower, you could not interpret the passage. Doesn’t that imply that you lack the ability to interpret the Celestial Arm Secretary?”
“Um… that’s…”
Mangnyang Seonsa hesitated, as if finding himself in a difficult position. Indeed, there was no evidence that he would be able to interpret the mysterious passage (怪語) now when he couldn’t do so when working as an astrologer at the Celestial Arm Tower. After a moment’s pause, he spoke.
“Perhaps I might be able to interpret it.”
“How so?”
“If I had the Nameless Ritual Manual, it would be possible. No matter how mysterious the language may be, there is always a structure to language, and if there are enough samples, I could roughly deduce the meaning. The Nameless Ritual Manual is a single volume, so I couldn’t figure it out then, but by comparing it with the Celestial Arm Secretary containing the same mysterious phrases, I might be able to interpret its meaning.”
“Indeed…”
I nodded thoughtfully, then hit upon the key point.
“So, if I bring the Nameless Ritual Manual, that means you can interpret it.”
“Hmm… that is true, but…”
Mangnyang Seonsa realized his method sounded somewhat absurd and muttered quietly.
“The Celestial Arm Tower is right next to the Great Dragon Hall where His Majesty the Emperor resides. It’s located in the innermost part of the Inner Palace; do you really think you can retrieve the Nameless Ritual Manual from there?”
“It’s possible.”
“Huh…”
When I answered without hesitation, Mangnyang Seonsa appeared astounded. After all, my statement implied that I would sneak into the innermost part of the Imperial Palace, the most perilous location in the world, to steal a book; I must have sounded like a madman.
However, with the Celestial Arm Secretary, I had a potential means to reverse any fatal outcomes. If I used my intellect wisely and devised a solid plan, I believed I could obtain even the Nameless Ritual Manual.
“Please wait a moment.”
Mangnyang Seonsa pondered for a bit before stepping inside his house.
He soon emerged with several scrolls and three books. He handed me the scrolls.
“Take this.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a map of the Inner Palace. The Imperial Palace consists of a total of 99 halls, and with the additional buildings, it effectively comprises 173 halls. Without a map, one could never reach the Celestial Arm Tower.”
“……”
I stared at Mangnyang Seonsa with disbelief.
“You mean to say you brought out a map of the Imperial Palace when you left?”
“I made it.”
“This is utterly…”
This item alone could be considered a serious crime. If the map of the Imperial Palace were to leak to outsiders, it would undoubtedly complicate the evacuation of the Emperor and the royal family. If discovered, one would be immediately beheaded and their entire lineage exterminated—yet Mangnyang Seonsa spoke so casually. He then confidently stated,
“What does it matter? In any case, let me continue explaining.”
“……”
This man certainly lives by his own rules.
Well, that would explain why he left the Imperial Palace to live as a quasi-recluse.
“And these are three books you absolutely must read. The Book of the Tai Chi contains a simple understanding of formations and techniques, and reading the True Book of Divination will help you comprehend the Book of Tai Chi more easily. Lastly, read the Thunder Spirit Classic aloud for at least half an hour each day; it will awaken vitality in your brain.”
“Why must I read these technique manuals?”
“Hmm… So you really don’t know.”
Mangnyang Seonsa clicked his tongue.
“The outer palace of the Imperial Palace consists of regular buildings, but the 36 halls of the Inner Palace are constructed using techniques of Qimen Dunjia. When an outsider invades or when an intruder appears, the astrologers or the Imperial Guards will trigger the formation, allowing the internal security forces to corner the intruder in a significantly advantageous position. To evade this, you must understand Qimen Dunjia and the formations yourself.”
“Is the formation really that terrifying?” Mangnyang Seonsa spoke in a somewhat deflated voice.
“Even someone like you, who easily broke through my Mangun Formation, cannot overlook the formations of the Imperial Palace. They were crafted by the finest Qimen Dunjia master, and even with your current level of internal energy, you would still be hunted down.”
“Hmm…”
“You’ll understand once you experience it for yourself.” With that, Mangnyang Seonsa handed me the three books as if he were gifting them.
“Once you have a reasonable understanding of the Book of the Tai Chi and the True Book of Divination, I will explain to you how to penetrate the defenses of the Imperial Palace based on that knowledge. Come back then.”
I frowned.
“This seems… overly complicated, doesn’t it?”
“To infiltrate the Celestial Arm Tower means you could also infiltrate the Great Dragon Hall right next to it. It’s only natural that reaching a position capable of taking the Emperor’s life would not be easy.”
“What if I fail and get caught?”
“Well, that would be a problem for the future. I’m already considered dead in this world, so I’m quite confident I can slip away.”
Only after looking at the three books and the scroll map nestled in my arms did I grasp the ridiculous difficulty of this task. If I had known it would be this challenging, I would have prepared myself better before coming.
However, I decided to completely revise my plan.
“Then I think it would be better for me to learn Qimen Dunjia directly from you.”
This time, Mangnyang Seonsa looked taken aback.
“But this is the most basic level; even someone who has merely learned the Four Books and Three Classics could read it.”
“I don’t know about the Four Books and Three Classics. I’m not illiterate, but I only possess knowledge related to divination.”
“……”
Mangnyang Seonsa’s expression conveyed he felt as if he had been struck. He must have assumed I was somewhat knowledgeable. But once he realized he would have to teach a complete novice, he started to pout with his chin resting on his hand.
“Uh… but I’m not particularly good at teaching either…”
“Does anyone excel at learning?” We must collaborate to achieve our respective goals.”
“… How well do you know Chinese characters?”
A moment later, he assessed my knowledge level briefly and then despaired.
“What the hell… you’ll need at least three years to read the Book of the Tai Chi properly.”
“What does it matter?” I replied curtly.
“Then let’s start immediately from tomorrow.”
I canceled my plan to go to Luoyang.
With a new plan formed, I would now learn Qimen Dunjia while studying writing.
What’s three years to me?
After all, I have plenty of time, so I just need to steadily pursue my goals.
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