Wudang Sacred Scriptures

“What do you mean by that?”

Mae Jang-so’s sharp question was met with the raspy voice’s reply.

“I’m talking about that scrawny kid, Kwak Yeon. Remember how he once asked if we’d share the elixir with him? Back then, I didn’t think you’d be the one begging for it instead.”

Laughter followed the raspy voice’s mocking tone, echoing from the other boys.

Kwak Yeon’s mind flashed back to his conversation with Mae Jang-so a couple of months ago.

Back when Mae Jang-so had asked if Kwak Yeon would actually be willing to take something like that, his expression had been anything but casual.

“No! I won’t drag Kwak Yeon into this!”

“Why not?” The raspy voice pressed. “That kid looks like he’s about to drop out any day now. Don’t tell me you were serious about getting him that powder out of friendship?”

The sharp voice chimed in mockingly.

“Friendship? In this living hell? The only way to climb up is for someone else to fall.”

“That’s right! The faster we get rid of the weaklings, the easier things will get. Once half of them are gone, they won’t push us this hard anymore.”

The raspy voice spoke again, this time in a coaxing tone.

“Just plant the idea in his head. He’s desperate enough that he might even thank you for it.”

“No way!” Mae Jang-so shouted back.

“Kwak Yeon is nothing like us lowlifes!”

“What did you just say? Lowlifes?”

Smack! Smack! The sound of punches landed.

“Say that again.”

“Kwak Yeon’s the only one who looked around and helped others while the rest of you kept your heads down, chasing after results. That’s why he fell behind for a while. But before long, he’ll leave scum like you so far behind you won’t even be able to look at him.”

“You bastard! Then why didn’t you just go grovel at his feet instead of sticking with us?”

“Because his methods weren’t something I could follow,” Mae Jang-so muttered bitterly.

Kwak Yeon felt a sharp pang in his chest at those words.

“Hey! It’s getting late.”

The raspy voice cut in again.

“Mae Jang-so, you don’t need to come tomorrow night. But if you do, you’d better be ready to keep your end of the bargain. Start whining again, and we’ll make sure you leave with something broken.”

There was a rustling sound, followed by the footsteps of three people fading into the distance.

“Hah...”

Kwak Yeon froze as he listened to Mae Jang-so’s heavy sigh from behind the rock.

When Kwak Yeon finally returned to the dormitory after lingering in the pine forest for a long time, Mae Jang-so was fast asleep.

Usually, Mae Jang-so, who was a light sleeper, would wake up and worry whenever Kwak Yeon came back late.

‘He must be completely exhausted.’

Kwak Yeon carefully searched Mae Jang-so’s outer robe and found a small cloth pouch.

Quietly slipping out of the dormitory, he opened the pouch under the moonlight.

Inside, colorful fragments were mixed with grayish powder.

Brushing away the powder, Kwak Yeon recognized the fragments immediately.

‘It’s fly agaric mushrooms!’

He remembered how the instructors had specifically warned about poisonous mushrooms during Eul-rank training.

“Fly agarics cause hallucinations and auditory delusions, and even small amounts can lead to death.”

They had repeatedly emphasized never to consume them, even showing examples during lessons.

Though Kwak Yeon couldn’t identify the grayish powder, he knew that red frogs, or jeokwa, were just as dangerous.

It seemed those boys had figured out how to neutralize some of the poison by mixing the mushrooms with the frogs—an old poison-against-poison method.

Their desperation to rise through the ranks had pushed them to gamble their lives with toxic substances.

‘But is it really worth risking their lives for this?’

Kwak Yeon couldn’t judge them. Each had their own struggles.

Still, even if they managed to advance by destroying their bodies, how could they master martial arts afterward?

Returning to the dormitory, Kwak Yeon watched Mae Jang-so sleep fitfully, drenched in sweat, and fell into deep thought.

*****

“There aren’t any more herbology books.”

Librarian Lee Jongrim looked at Kwak Yeon and said,

“But why the sudden interest in them?”

“My friend caught a terrible cold and is struggling to recover.”

“Then take him to the dispensary.”

“You know the physician doesn’t even look at minor illnesses like that.”

Physician Hyun Ik was notoriously strict with trainees.

It was unrealistic for him to treat every minor ailment in the overcrowded dormitories, so only those with serious injuries or illnesses could seek his help.

“Well, like I said, there are no more herbology books. But a few medical texts came in with the scriptures. You can look through those.”

“I’ve already checked them.”

“Wasn’t that because of So Jin-sam? I heard he’s been pestering the physician with prescriptions.”

Kwak Yeon blushed slightly.

“I just copied the formulas while studying meridians. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Sure, let’s call it that. Either way, looks like you’re out of luck today.”

“There’s nothing I can do, then.”

As Kwak Yeon turned to leave, Lee Jongrim called out to him.

“For something like this, do you really need herbology books?”

“…?”

Kwak Yeon tilted his head in confusion, but his expression brightened as Lee Jongrim continued.

“Have you heard of the saying, medicine and food come from the same source? A person well-versed in food naturally understands medicine too.”

Kwak Yeon immediately understood.

“Thank you so much. Just like the Jianche Yangsheng method, right?”

“Don’t thank me. When you’ve got too much time on your hands, you start paying attention to little things.”

*****

The head cook, Jang Gu-sam, who had been dozing in front of the kitchen hearth, suddenly jolted awake.

“Hm?”

The fire in the hearth was still burning brightly.

He had thought he’d been asleep for a long time, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

Lately, he often woke up to find the fire had died out and had to scramble to add more wood to keep it going.

Feeling lucky today, he stretched—only to spot Kwak Yeon entering with an armful of firewood.

“You…?”

Jang Gu-sam stared.

“What are you doing?”

“I brought more firewood since you were running low.”

“So you’ve been tending the fire this whole time?”

When Kwak Yeon gave a sheepish grin, Jang Gu-sam nodded knowingly.

“No wonder something felt off today. How long was I out?”

“About half a shichen.”

“You’ve been here for half a shichen?”

“You were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t want to wake you. And once I started tending the fire, I got caught up in it. I didn’t know watching flames could be so fascinating.”

“Fascinating? You’re out of your mind if you think there’s a place for you in the kitchen, boy!”

Kwak Yeon just smiled and asked,

“What were you cooking this late at night? Staying up like this must be tiring.”

“Cooking, you say? Why don’t you open the pot and see for yourself?”

Kwak Yeon lifted the lid of the iron pot, using a cloth to avoid burning his hand. Steam burst out, clouding his vision.

The pot was half-filled with boiling water.

“There’s nothing in it.”

“Nothing?”

“It’s just water.”

“And water isn’t something?”

“….”

“I’m brewing life itself.”

Seeing the old man’s serious expression, Kwak Yeon quietly closed the lid.

“You think I’m some crazy old fool, don’t you?”

Kwak Yeon shook his head.

“No.”

“Then what?”

“There must be a reason.”

His answer was sincere. There was no point in making assumptions without understanding.

Jang Gu-sam threw another log into the hearth.

The fire, which had momentarily dimmed, flared up and licked the air outside the hearth.

“You brought good wood.”

“I thought the smoke from damp logs would be bad for your health.”

“Hmm...”

Jang Gu-sam studied Kwak Yeon for a moment before speaking.

“It’s been a long time since I sat with someone watching the fire like this. Not since that friend of mine left.”

There was a wistfulness in his voice, and Kwak Yeon guessed that the friend he mentioned had passed away.

“Can I come here sometimes?”

“You’d just be wasting time instead of training.”

“This is training for me too.”

He wasn’t lying.

Watching the flames while practicing Danjeon breathing felt different from gazing at the stars.

“And I like sitting here with you.”

Kwak Yeon felt at ease sitting beside the old man.

“Even though I was nodding off like a sick hen?”

“Exactly.”

Jang Gu-sam chuckled, and Kwak Yeon followed suit.

The laughter faded, leaving a slight awkwardness.

Kwak Yeon broke the silence.

“What kind of person was your friend?”

“A companion from my childhood days as a temple cook. But more importantly…”

Jang Gu-sam fixed his eyes on Kwak Yeon.

“What brought you here?”

Kwak Yeon hesitated before speaking.

“I need to know how to detoxify poisonous mushrooms. My friend mistook fly agarics for pine mushrooms.”

Jang Gu-sam stared at him for a moment before replying.

“Mae Jang-so, that kid?”

“Oh, you knew?”

“There’s not much that escapes my eyes in this kitchen. I can tell just by the leftovers they leave behind. And there are others besides him.”

“I’m sorry.”

Feeling both guilty and embarrassed, Kwak Yeon bowed his head.

“I let it slide because it’s not my place to interfere. But why are you stepping in?”

“Because I don’t want to lose my friend.”

Kwak Yeon bowed again.

“Please, I’m begging you.”

“You know this might backfire on you, don’t you?”

“I’m willing to do my best.”

*****

“Don’t go.”

Late at night, Kwak Yeon blocked Mae Jang-so’s path into the pine forest.

“You know they’ll just use you and throw you away.”

“…!”

Mae Jang-so’s eyes widened before narrowing into a glare.

“Move.”

Kwak Yeon shook his head.

“If you don’t move, I’ll hit you.”

“Then hit me—but make sure I can’t get back up.”

Mae Jang-so froze mid-punch.

“Damn it!”

His voice cracked with desperation.

“I have to reach Gap-rank no matter what! It’s my father’s lifelong dream. He’s a porter for the trading company, and his only wish is for me to become an outer disciple of Wudang. I’m so close… Please.”

Kwak Yeon cut him off.

“Would your father want his son to die as an outer disciple?”

Mae Jang-so’s face hardened.

“Take this.”

Kwak Yeon handed him a small cloth pouch.

“If you take it steadily for a month, it’ll flush out the poison. Any longer, and you’d have been permanently damaged.”

Mae Jang-so stared in shock, unable to speak.

“This is all I can do.”

Turning away firmly, Kwak Yeon added,

“You need to set clear limits when offering help. And the final decision must always be theirs.”

It was the condition Jang Gu-sam had laid out.