¹As Sangjenim left Hyeong-ryeol’s house on May 17, he declared, “This journey will be an auspicious one. I intend to meet a certain person—one whom I will reveal to you in due time.”

²Sangjenim traveled to Yongam-ri Village and briefly stayed at the watermill. Later that afternoon, at a nearby inn, he encountered Cha Gyeong-seok of Jeongeup County, who was a twenty-eight-year-old man of tall stature and handsome features.³Gyeong-seok was an Eastern Learning adherent and had served as the Iljin Association leader for Jeollabuk-do Province.

⁴On this day, Gyeong-seok was on his way from Jeongeup County to Jeonju County to take legal action in a property dispute.⁵Gyeong-seok had finished his midday meal and was preparing to leave the Yongam-ri Village inn, when Sangjenim, shabbily dressed and wearing a bamboo hat, arrived accompanied by Gim Ja-hyeon and another man.

⁶To Gyeong-seok, Sangjenim seemed unpretentious and vigorous.⁷His speech and conduct were simple and natural, but Gyeong-seok found he could not look directly into Sangjenim’s eyes, which seemed to radiate an intense light.⁸Sangjenim spoke to others in a warm-hearted way that reminded Gyeong-seok of a spring breeze blowing across the fields;⁹Sangjenim explained all things simply, his words flowing like a mighty river;¹⁰and his eloquence was as grand and powerful as rolling thunder—his every act was so majestic that he defied understanding. ¹¹Helplessly drawn to Sangjenim and intoxicated by his grace, Gyeong-seok greeted him.

¹²Sangjenim responded warmly. Drinking rice wine, he invited Gyeong-seok to join them and offered him a bowl of chicken stew. ¹³When Gyeong-seok received the stew, a bee appeared from nowhere and flew into it. Gyeong-seok feared this to be an ill omen, ¹⁴but Sangjenim reassured him, “Bees are highly organized insects.”

¹⁵Gyeong-seok requested of Sangjenim, “May I inquire of your profession?”

Sangjenim smiled. “I am one who heals.”

¹⁶“Where are you staying?”

“I am a guest in the east, a guest in the west, a guest of heaven and earth without a home.”

¹⁷Gyeong-seok had asked Sangjenim where he lived because he meant to visit him, but Sangjenim’s answer suggested it would be impossible for Gyeong-seok to find Sangjenim ever again. Gyeong-seok therefore decided not to part from him.

¹⁸“How can one become a leader of multitudes?” Gyeong-seok inquired, seeking to test Sangjenim’s knowledge and insight.

¹⁹“In short, hastiness in endeavors hinders attainment.”

²⁰“I do not quite understand what you mean.”

²¹Sangjenim revealed, “The cultivation of people is similar to the cultivation of silkworms: whether the silkworms hatch early or late, if they are fed adequately in a timely manner according to their degree of development, they will be set on the screens at the same time to spin their silk. ²²Whether they reach this stage early or late depends wholly upon the keeper’s dedication.