Chapter 87

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Gongson (昔有佳人公孫氏).

When she danced with her sword, the whole place trembled (一舞劍器動四方).

The spectators, gathered like mountains, were entranced (觀者如山色沮喪),

As heaven and earth swayed up and down (天地爲之久低昂).

Her brilliance seemed as if the hero Yi fell nine suns (㸌如羿射九日落),

When she soared, it was as if an immortal rode a dragon (矯如群帝驂龍翔).

When she came and went like thunder, her anger subsided (來如雷霆收震怒),

As the dance ended, a clear light gathered in rivers and seas (罷如江海凝淸光).

Du Fu remembered the dancers of the teaching hall he saw in his childhood when Emperor Xuanzong of Tang led the dynasty, the twenty-two sword dances.

He wrote a poem in his later years, recalling the overwhelming Gongson Darang. The poem was “Guan Gongson Darang’s Disciple Dance Song.”

Though she was merely a courtesan in a teaching hall, she made a name for herself with her sword throughout the world and trained numerous disciples.

This text was a martial arts book inspired by the poem of the same name, written about Gongson Darang.

It wasn’t a typical tale of great heroes but had a depth likely because its protagonist was a woman.

That’s why it wasn’t such a popular book.

Among the books I requested for inspiration, the reason this unpopular book found its way to me is likely because I share the same name ‘Gongson.’

For a long time, there have been fewer and fewer people flaunting the name Gongson, so perhaps it was an attempt to leverage the legendary recognition of someone close to the illustrious descendant of Emperor Gongson Huan Yuan against their current pitiful state.

Nevertheless, aside from that, I adored this story.

Unlike the tales where extraordinary births naturally crush adversity, the story of Gongson Darang began as that of a common woman.

And even after breaking all those shackles and attaining strength over the world, she was satisfied simply dancing as a courtesan.

Transcending worldly fame, she lived merely as she wished.

And ultimately, transcending everything, she became an immortal and achieved eternal life.

With her life barely sustained due to the pulse’s abandonment, her situation contrasted sharply with that of the Gongson family, where she was trapped and raised.

She was unlike me, lacking self-confidence, unable to endure without the interest and need of others.

Unlike my mournful and fleeting life filled with lingering attachments, I envied her transcending everything and living as an immortal.

I devoured the story of Gongson Darang like drinking saltwater amid thirst.

But, in the end, I realized.

I could never be like Gongson Darang.

When, overnight, an expensive beeswax candle completely melted away.

I fainted as if losing consciousness.

◈ ◈ ◈

“…Yes, Ye.”

“Yes, Young Master. You shouldn’t be out for too long or the sun won’t be good for you. Please go inside.”

“…Was there a tree like this in our front yard?”

I looked at the massive tree before me and spoke.

The trunk was thick enough that three grown men would need to hold arms to embrace it, and its branches and leaves thrived energetically.

With overflowing vitality, there was even a somewhat auspicious energy radiating from the tree.

Above all… for some reason, as I kept gazing, my heart felt warm, filled with longing.

This huge tree couldn’t have been transplanted; it was likely that the house was built where the original tree stood.

‘…Isn’t this too conspicuous?’

As someone officially non-existent in the Gongson family, the place I was residing should be appropriately hidden and difficult for anyone to access.

Even if the family wasn’t as powerful as it once was, a family of the Gongson’s stature would have a certain number of secret residences prepared for emergencies.

I was using a remodeled secret residence as my abode.

However, a secret residence ought to be hidden, and this extraordinary tree, firmly rooted within the home, had a presence too pronounced.

“…I don’t know. Perhaps it has always been here?”

An emotionless voice came in response.

When I turned to look at Ye, I flinched momentarily.

Ye was looking at me with a face devoid of any expression, like a doll made of wax.

In Ye’s eyes, something dark, like shadows, seemed to ripple ominously.

“…Ye?”

Upon calling her name due to the bizarre sight, life seemed to return to Ye’s eyes.

“Yes! Young Master! If you don’t like this tree, should I call someone to chop it down?”

‘…What was that?’

For just a moment, I felt unease at Ye’s demeanor.

I then inspected the tree, which was exuding its presence grandly in front of the house.

“Let it be. If a tree has grown this large, it must be a spirit. It would be a shame for such a magnificent tree to be cut down just because of a fleeting life like mine.”

“…”

“Moreover, getting closer reveals an auspicious energy… and there’s something pitiful about it—the spirit seems like it might inspire martial arts.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Somehow, my body, which had become heavy like drenched cotton because of the pulse, feels lighter, as if it swallowed a pin. Staring at this tree makes me feel rejuvenated.”

At my words, a fleeting look of regret seemed to cross Ye’s face.

I found it a bit strange to have forgotten about such an noticeable tree, but I gazed at the tree, which shaded me with a cool canopy from the sun, for a long time.

◈ ◈ ◈

“…Are you saying you need to reform twenty-seven martial arts in two months?”

“Correct.”

Despite being in my residence, a middle-aged man seated in the main seat nodded.

He was Gongson Cheonjun, the current head of the Gongson family and my father.

I pondered over what Gongson Cheonjun had said.

Reform twenty-seven martial arts in two months.

This consisted of nineteen martial arts that had yet to be refined by my hands and eight core martial arts from mid-sized sects that the Gongson family wished to recruit.

This was essentially equivalent to producing one martial art every two days.

Martial arts aren’t crafted as casually as making straw sandals.

Most importantly, if I undertook such a rigorous schedule, my body wouldn’t be able to endure.

Day by day, my body had been inching closer to its limits.

‘…No, is that why?’

I was seen as an essential strategic resource for the family.

Naturally, information regarding my current physical condition would have reached the head’s hands.

As a head of a family leading a clan, it was only natural for him to want to use resources efficiently without waste.

Drawing closer to death, he likely sought to make the most of me.

To him, I was an unwanted child.

“Your understanding of martial arts expands day by day, and as your father, I take joy in that. Even though your body is not well right now, you can embody its meaning by borrowing the physical form of others. Your martial arts will spread around the Gongson family.”

Yet, even still, at those sweet words, my heart melted.

In this narrow residence of just over a hundred pyeong, where the world is all I know, in a life akin to a mayfly, even if it was fake, the bond and concern of blood relatives felt like sweet nectar falling upon my parched tongue, akin to martial arts.

No matter how unreasonable the request, I could not refuse.

Even if they were to abandon me, I could never abandon them.

Despite its transience, it was one of the few things I possessed in this world.

My father, who had long cultivated me through his interest, looked at me, assuming I would not refuse.

I smiled bitterly inwardly.

Indeed.

Bow my head and accept the head’s order.

At that moment, my heart throbbed.

I heard the faint echo of about six voices chattering somewhere.

◈ ◈ ◈

Head Gongson Cheonjun had left.

Before he departed, he gazed upon the giant tree in the yard and spoke.

‘This tree is unsuitable for a secret residence that should be concealed. How about chopping it down?’

If the supreme of the Gongson family wished, I could have one tree felled regardless of my will.

If Gongson Cheonjun wished it, I too had to agree.

‘In my eyes, such a large and beautiful tree, which even gives off an auspicious energy, is a spirit-like tree. Furthermore, staring at this tree seems to bring inspiration to my mind. Since inspiration is paramount in crafting martial arts, I’d prefer to leave it as is.’

However, what came was the opposite of my desire.

Surprised by my unexpected response, Gongson Cheonjun narrowed his brow.

Yet, I didn’t hold back my words.

For the sake of the secret residence that was merely meant to protect me, I didn’t want the tree to be cut down.

Moreover, I felt a sense of warning, as if the energies flowing through my Baihui Point urged that the tree must never be cut down.

Gongson Cheonjun, who had silently watched me with my head lowered, then turned to leave.

Eventually, his followers and the brothers who had accompanied him exited the residence, and once again it turned silent.

It was a house cared for by an esteemed family, thus even in its secluded location, it was vast for a mere boy, not yet of age, and a few servants to dwell in.

Perhaps it was due to the fatigue from sending off the head.

Today, I had no desire to either work or read my favorite books.

‘…Perfect, a full moon night.’

Looking at the moon hanging in the sky, I hoped I would feel better.

The outside air was still a bit chilly.

Feeling slightly sluggish, I donned my outer garments and left the room.

My movements were beginning to feel burdensome.

‘…How much longer can I live?’

The next task would surely put a strain on my body.

As if hearing the sound of death approaching, the footsteps of the grim reaper seemed to echo through the gaps of the night’s veil below.

Stepping outside the house, which felt like it harbored ominous shadows swirling about, I entered the yard where the tree still radiated freshness beneath the moonlit night.

As I struggled to move toward the tree, my steps suddenly halted.

In the secretive hidden residence of the Gongson family.

Under the full moon that brightened the dark night sky, and the radiant tree that seemed to glow in the moonlight.

The Moonlit Beauty (月下佳人).

A beautiful woman, as if the phrase were embodied, gazed at me with an ethereal aura.