Chapter 190: Would You Be Able to Share Tang Zichen’s Loneliness? (1/2)
Chapter 190: Would You Be Able to Share Tang Zichen’s Loneliness?
“Sister Chen, you came specifically to Korea to track Choi Jang Baek and Yoshida Miyagi’s whereabouts, are you going to resolve some business with them?” A young woman to the side of Tang Zichen asked curiously.
Smiling, Tang Zichen replied, “The Jangbaek style Taekwondo has been developing quite furiously in the past few years. Taekwondo has already been making their rounds in the western nation and earned them enough capital to form an independent system outside the World Taekwondo Federation. They’re costing me plenty of business with their actions. And to join with a Karate organization only serves as another clash with the Chinese martial art dojos in the world. Actually, the Hongmen has already sent out assassination orders for those two, but they haven’t succeeded just yet. I might not be acting the capacity of the Hongmen anymore, but if Choi Jang Baek wishes to be rid of my younger brother, I may as well take advantage of this situation. Two birds with one stone, they say. I’ll be rid of this one nail soon enough.”
“But…..” The woman reflected, “Choi Jang Baek is a person of renown in Korea. If he suddenly dies, wouldn’t there be some sort of scandal. If the Hongmen kept sending people after to stop him and failed, that’s only a loss of their own resources. It’s true that Choi Jang Baek is strong, perceptive, and successful, but his sudden death would be an equally major event. Sister Chen, it goes without saying that he’ll have a hard time running if you go after him. But this is Korea–an unfavorable place for us.”
“Who said I was to kill him?” Tang Zichen huffed. “We’ll be destroying his reputation and stripping away that halo of his.”
“Does sister Chen plan to challenge and defeat him in public? Korea is a vassal state to the United States, so the American army has a base here. If sister Chen shows her face, that will be even more unfavorable.”
“I won’t be showing my face at all, naturally.” Tang Zichen explained. “I’ve a plan. Follow my plans later and it’ll work out. What a shame, Choi Jang Baek should have been someone my little brother should have defeated, but with how his situation is in China, it wasn’t to be. He has far too many enemies around him on every side, so I’ve no other choice but to wade into his affairs for him.”
“Sister Chen, I’ve heard news about your younger brother recently. Rumors say that he’s an extraordinary master of martial arts, but what makes me so curious is just how well he’d fare? How strong is his martial arts? If there’s a chance, I wish to try my hand with him. We’ve plenty of sisters that were taught personally by you, sister Chen. But we’ve heard that your younger brother had only learned from you for two years only.”
The women behind Tang Zichen were all looking at her with great curiosity.
“If my guess is correct, then his martial arts has reached a realm of perfection similar to what is said to be the Golden Elixir. The state of nothingness is imminent for him. The dozen of you combined wouldn’t be a match for him.” Tang Zichen stated with her eyes closed.
“Aah? If sister Chen says so, it must be correct then.” The woman spoke, but there was a clear tone of being unconvinced and was eager to prove herself should the time come.
It went without saying that such an obvious tone had been caught by Tang Zichen, but instead of saying anything, she smiled.
“Ah, how lonely it is!” Tang Zichen pondered to herself with her eyes closed. “Once I swallow this Golden Elixir, that will be the start of when my destiny follows me rather than Fate. With even more practice, I refine spirit and return to emptiness to break through the veil of illusion and free my true self. From those confines, my true self forever remains immaculate. What is known to man as the ‘divine’ is a man beyond comprehension. The closer one goes with both spirit and body, the closer one is to subtlety to merge with the Way in its true authenticity.”
“My colleague Shang Yunxiang is one who has understood this deep theory .”
TL Note: Please refer here for a better translation of this passage, credits to Paul Brennan.
These words were written by Sun Lu-tang in his later work, A Study of Baguazhang and used the terminology of Daoist alchemy to depict the highest realms of martial arts: Merge with the Way in its true authenticity.
Author Note: There had never been a codified terminology of martial arts in its own right. Since the ancient times, many grandmasters and teachers have borrowed the terminology from Daoist alchemy and perhaps the study of medicine to illustrate the classics of the fist. Because of this, the world has often times misunderstood the writings. The lead and mercury ball for example symbolized stillness and movement while using Yin and Yang to illustrate inhaling and exhaling. The Five Elements were used to depict the Jin of the fist as well. For future readers, this became a challenge to read and many felt as if they may as well be using a foreign language to try translate poetry from Tang and poems from Song while changing the inherent meanings.
The final meaning behind this final passage had only one meaning: Aside from me, my friend Shang Yunxiang had also reached this realm.
Tang Zichen might not have any friends, but she had her younger brother Wang Chao.
She had already felt that one day, her younger brother would earn the right in being able to share in the loneliness she felt.
The one sapling she had planted into the ground long time ago had already turned into a giant sturdy tree without her noticing.
The neverending mysteries to the world were forever something that could never be unraveled and understood.