Dojin pressed himself close against Iri’s side.
“They say the King has ruled the True Mortal Realm for five thousand years. Of course he’d burn out. You don’t have to worry so much, Master. It’s something every immortal being has to go through at some point. I’m sure the King will overcome it wisely.”
Dojin, barely twenty years old, spoke with deliberate maturity. Iri shifted a step away from where Dojin had clung to him and replied with a simple, “Yes.” His disciple was probably just trying to sound grown-up, but the sentiment wasn’t far off from Iri’s own thoughts.
Is this how masters and disciples start to resemble each other…….
A faint smile touched Iri’s lips.
After finishing their work, the two went inside and got ready for bed. As usual, Dojin showered, then wandered around shirtless in front of Iri’s room. Iri, still not changed into pajamas, was seated at his desk.
“Master, aren’t you going to sleep?”
“…I’m planning to stop by the True Mortal Realm for a bit before that. And please, put some clothes on.”
“Why the True Mortal Realm? Can’t I come with you?”
“If I go this time and you come along, you might end up short on virtue when it’s time for the Gido Ceremony. Let’s save it.”
Dojin crooked the corner of his lips.
“Then why are you going? In the middle of the night, no less. Who are you meeting— the burned-out King?”
“It’s my first time taking in a disciple. I wanted to ask someone experienced about the Gido Ceremony.”
The moment he heard ‘first time taking in a disciple’, Dojin immediately broke into a wide grin again. The master hardly showed emotional fluctuations, while the disciple swung wildly every minute. They still had a long way to go before truly resembling each other.
“An experienced one… the Butterfly Immortal?”
“No. There’s someone named Moongyong. The most recent Gido Ceremony was three hundred years ago—Moongyong Immortal’s ceremony with Jeon Woochi. Now go to bed. And seriously, after you wash, wear proper clothes.”
“Want to try pressing on my chest?”
“…….”
“Okay. Since I need to spend a fun day with you tomorrow, Master, I’ll go to bed early for skincare reasons. Good night.”
After making a move that didn’t land, Dojin shrugged and headed back to his room. Iri let out a sigh, absently fiddled with his thread bracelet, then closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he was standing in front of a modest villa nestled deep in the mountains.
It was night, and a crescent moon looked down from the sky. Fireflies glowing yellow and green drifted around the fence.
Iri extended a finger toward one curious firefly that fluttered close. There was a rustling sound, and a child in blue robes holding a lantern appeared. It was a Cheongui-dongja, a blue-robed attendant who served the Immortals of the True Mortal Realm.
“Greetings, Immortal Iri. This is our first meeting.”
The Cheongui-dongja bowed respectfully.
“Hello. Is Moongyong inside?”
“Yes. He’s been waiting for you. Please, this way.”
Iri followed the Cheongui-dongja. After walking for several minutes while taking in the tranquil scenery, they reached a pavilion. A figure with a dragon’s head and a human body sat there, smoking a long pipe as he gazed up at the night sky.
The Cheongui-dongja bowed silently and withdrew. Iri stepped into the pavilion and sat across from Moongyong.
“Moongyong. Is there something up there in the sky? You’ve been staring for a while.”
Moongyong kept his gaze fixed on the heavens as he drew deeply on his pipe and exhaled.
“It’s been a long time, Immortal Iri.”
“Yeah. It has.”
“I was surprised when I heard the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
“What rumors do you think?”
When Moongyong smiled, the two forked whiskers extending from his face swayed faintly.
“I thought, no matter how close the Butterfly Immortal may be to you, Immortal Iri, spreading such absurd rumors was too much. But it turns out they weren’t rumors at all.”
Moongyong smiled bitterly. And it was only natural that he would.
When his disciple Jeon Woochi was still human, he had chased after one Immortal for decades, begging him to form a master-disciple bond. That Immortal ultimately refused, and as Woochi simply grew older, another Immortal finally extended a hand to him.
‘Immortal Iri has no intention whatsoever of accepting you. If you wish to become a Taoist, then form a master-disciple bond with me.’
The Immortal who rejected Jeon Woochi to the very end was Immortal Iri himself. And the Immortal Jeon Woochi chose out of necessity was Moongyong.
“You were so reluctant to take in a disciple. What change of heart led to this?”
“Well…… I suppose it just felt natural that we should become master and disciple.”
“Natural, you say…….”
“How did you feel when you took in Woochi?”
Moongyong finally tore his gaze away from the night sky and looked at Iri. With a flick of his hand, the pipe disappeared, replaced by a fan painted in ink wash. It was a gift Jeon Woochi had personally painted and given to his master.
“I didn’t want to lose a talented human.”
“…….”
“Even while suffering the pain of unrequited love, he shone so brilliantly… I thought that if I taught him Taoist arts, under my guidance he’d grow even greater than I ever could and bring great benefit to the world.”
In reality, after becoming a Taoist, Jeon Woochi could have become an Immortal with just a bit more cultivation. Instead, he set aside boundless honor and became the Podo Captain, thereby benefiting the world at large. His master’s wish had come true.
“I’ve answered honestly. What change of heart did you experience, Immortal Iri?”
Iri hesitated briefly before answering.
“I’m the same as you. Dojin is a Jangsa born with exceptional talent, and I didn’t want to let him slip away. I thought that if he became King, he’d bring great benefit to the world—so I chose a more certain way of supporting him.”
That method of support was forming a master-disciple bond.
Moongyong slowly fanned himself. His sparse whiskers fluttered.
“Did you know? Among the Immortals, rumors about Kim Dojin are already widespread.”
Iri was aware that whenever the Butterfly Immortal hosted a banquet, he would go on and on about Dojin. A disciple whose guardian was Immortal Iri, a wealthy-born baby Jangsa, a Jangsa aiming to become an Immortal rather than a General, somewhat hot-tempered and arrogant in personality……. Not to mention having a Taoist duel with Gangnim Herald and even winning an arm-wrestling match against Yama King.
Until recently, because his guardian was so famous, the name ‘Kim Dojin’ hadn’t stuck particularly well. But thanks to the Butterfly Immortal, many residents of the True Mortal Realm now remembered those three characters clearly. While many still didn’t even know the name of the Black Tortoise faction’s candidate, Dojin had become the most famous of the three candidates.
“The Butterfly Immortal sometimes… says things that are rather outrageous.”
“Outrageous things?”
“He claims that your disciple harbors romantic feelings for you.”
“…….”
Iri slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again. His eyelashes trembled faintly. Moongyong curled his lips in amusement.
“Could it be that you’re feeling awkward right now?”
“Hm…….”
“Does that mean those outrageous rumors are true?”
Iri simply pressed his lips together. He was incapable of lying, and if he opened his mouth, he felt he’d only spew evidence proving the rumor true—such as that indecent prophecy about his disciple eventually becoming his destined partner…….
“Hahahahaha!”
For the first time since they met, Moongyong burst into loud laughter. The fireflies scattered at the booming sound, only to drift back again moments later.
“Stealing your disciple’s heart must weigh heavily on you. If you don’t dislike the idea, why not take this opportunity to create your first destined partner?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? I changed Dojin’s diapers.”
“And what of it? The greatest obstacle to an Immortal taking a destined partner is lifespan—but if the other party is a Jangsa, lifespan isn’t an issue. Open your heart, Immortal Iri. Love isn’t as terrifying a feeling as you think.”
“You’re doing this because you find it amusing to make me uncomfortable, aren’t you?”
“I can’t deny that. You’re not someone whose flustered side one gets to see easily.”
Moongyong snapped his fan shut and tapped it against his other palm. When he opened it again, an illusion unfolded between him and Iri. A quiet, placid lake appeared—so still it almost looked like a landscape painting.
“This is what your emotions are like, Immortal.”
“…….”
“Calm… silent, and tranquil. I’ve never seen a lake this still in anyone but you.”
Every Immortal has their own specialty. For instance, the Butterfly Immortal specializes in garden-dwelling life such as bees, butterflies, and earthworms. Iri’s specialty lies in bizarre objects spontaneously born from all things.
And Moongyong’s specialty is ‘emotional detection’—more precisely, the detection of intense emotions. Joy, anger, love, sorrow……. He sensed vividly colored, violently surging emotions more keenly than other Immortals.
“Even the King, who’s sunk into lethargy, is occasionally swept up in emotional storms. Yet Immortal Iri, no matter when I see you, remains calm. At first, I thought, as expected of a Primordial Immortal—you truly are different from ordinary beings. But after living for no small span of three thousand years, my thoughts gradually changed.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Did you know? The word ‘tranquil’ can also mean ‘lonely.’”
Iri let out a quiet sigh.
“I’m not lonely. I don’t believe that choosing not to take a destined partner or live in love automatically makes one’s life lonely.”
“You’re saying you aren’t lonely.”
“Yes. If anything, my days are rather noisy.”
Running the rental shop left him no time to feel lonely. Especially these days, with a disciple who’d gone so far as to set up his own room.
“I believe the problem is precisely that you aren’t lonely, Immortal Iri…….”
