The Sanskrit was as bizarre as a waiter's prank with leftover noodles on a table. I stared intently, hoping to find something, but it only made my head spin. Even when I turned the pages, black was letters and white was paper.
On the ninth page, familiar Chinese characters appeared like a salvation. Gwang-hyo, who was watching, opened his mouth.
“That is the Chinese translation. The scholar monks translated it as literally as possible without adding any interpretation, so it won't be easy to understand.”
Contrary to Gwang-hyo's concerns, the first sentence struck my mind with great force.
‘In the posture of grasping the constellations, one pulls nine cows and extends a hidden hand.’
I didn't know what ‘nine cows’ meant, but my eyes widened at the part about ‘grasping the constellations’ and ‘pulling.’
“...Doesn't this sound like a description of the Heaven and Earth Great Shift?”
Heaven and Earth Great Shift means ‘to greatly grasp and move heaven and earth.’ It was too exquisite and coincidental to be a mere coincidence. As if expecting this reaction, Gwang-hyo let out a dry laugh.
“Each verse of the original Sanskrit text has a specific qi cultivation exercise. These are called the Twelve Forms of the Muscle-Tendon Changing and Marrow Washing Scripture. The posture of grasping the constellations is like this.”