Sure, Baek Ri-won may have been the one to learn martial arts first,
but the one who had worked far harder had to be himself.
And yet, Baek Ri-won offered no explanation.
He simply stepped closer and handed something over.
"Drink."
"W–what is this?"
Startled, Baek Ri-cheon asked back, but Baek Ri-won only gave him a look as if to say, What kind of stupid question is that?
"What do you think? It's water. You've been running and sweating—your throat must be dry."
Indeed, what Baek Ri-won held out was a small gourd bottle of water.
But to Baek Ri-cheon, the moment felt… strange.
He's offering me water?
Wasn't he supposed to be afraid of me?
Because of his mother's advice, Baek Ri-cheon had never outright bullied Baek Ri-won.
Even so, he had always quietly looked down on him.
Baek Ri-won was, after all, an illegitimate son—and even putting that aside, his timid nature had always been unpleasant to watch.
Maybe that's why…
The old Baek Ri-won, though technically his elder brother, had always been a little afraid of Baek Ri-cheon.
He'd avoid making direct eye contact and rarely made any effort to speak with him.
Yet here he was now—approaching first, no less—and offering him water.
"Uh… uh…"
"Not even a thank you?"
And now he was even scolding him!
Baek Ri-cheon stared at Baek Ri-won, mouth hanging open.
But then—
"I… I don't need it!"
Somehow, a strange sense of stubbornness rose in him.
He didn't want to accept help from someone he'd always looked down on.
Besides, wouldn't that make his whole effort to win back the support Baek Ri-won had stolen look… ridiculous?
"What? You disrespectful brat."
But then, something unexpected happened.
Whack!
"Ugh!"
Baek Ri-won's fist landed squarely on Baek Ri-cheon's forehead.
Baek Ri-cheon's jaw dropped.
Never in his life had he imagined he'd take a knock on the head from an illegitimate brother barely any younger than himself!
"You… you just hit me?"
"If someone looks thirsty and I give them water, they should say thank you and drink it.
If you start snapping at me with 'I don't need it,' how am I not supposed to get annoyed?"
Baek Ri-won clicked his tongue, utterly unconcerned with Baek Ri-cheon's outrage.
Looks like the kids got raised wrong.
They were his blood—well, his younger brother's descendants to be exact—yet he couldn't help feeling deeply disappointed.
How had his kind little brother's bloodline ended up producing such an ill-mannered brat?
"You—!"
But Baek Ri-cheon didn't hear a word of Baek Ri-won's lecture.
What mattered was that the illegitimate brother he'd always looked down on had actually struck him.
Fury surged, and he roared—
"You really want a beating!?"
"My ears, you'll make them fall off."
"You—!"
Fire lit in Baek Ri-cheon's eyes.
He swung his fist, intent on returning the blow—
"Huh?"
But his punch sliced uselessly through the air.
Baek Ri-won had simply tilted his head to the side, dodging with ease.
"What was that supposed to be?"
"H–how…?"
Baek Ri-cheon was stunned.
It had been surprising enough that Baek Ri-won's stamina now outstripped his own—
but dodging his punch like that?
He had learned the basic fist techniques passed down in the Baekri clan.
In contrast, Baek Ri-won had never actively trained, barely even grasping the proper forms.
And yet, he had dodged the attack so easily.
For a moment, Baek Ri-cheon wondered if he was dreaming.
But—
Whack!
"Argh!"
The sharp sting on his head made it painfully clear this was no dream.
"No matter how much kids grow up brawling, since when is it okay to just throw punches around?"
"You… you…"
"And you can't even execute the move properly. Do it again."
"What?"
"Do it again. The one from just now."
He meant that earlier attack.
Baek Ri-cheon's face went blank for a second.
Was this supposed to be some kind of provocation?
"Not gonna?"
No… the look on Baek Ri-won's face was far too calm for that.
It was the kind of expression… yes, exactly—
like a senior family member watching over a junior's martial practice.
He was starting to lose count of how many times he'd been shocked today.
After a brief hesitation, Baek Ri-cheon threw his fist again.
Once more, Baek Ri-won avoided it with ease, clicking his tongue.
"How in the world were you taught martial arts for your fundamentals to be this bad?
You're only moving your fist while your body stays still."
"What?"
"When you extend your arm, you're not putting any strength into your waist, so there's no real power in the strike.
And your gaze—it's way too obvious.
Anyone can see exactly where you're aiming."
Baek Ri-won gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
"Fine, I'll let the gaze issue slide for now… but at least fix your stance.
Get into a basic position."
"Why should I—?"
Shhhk. "You want to get smacked again?"
Baek Ri-won clicked his tongue and raised his fist.
Startled, Baek Ri-cheon instinctively took a stance.
"Eyes forward—no, your front foot's too far out. Pull it back just a little.
Before you throw a punch, keep your torso and both arms tucked in as close as possible.
If they're spread out, you won't generate proper power."
"What's going on?"
"Th-the Third Young Master is… teaching the Fourth Young Master something?"
"What?"
As Baek Ri-cheon followed Baek Ri-won's instructions, some of the Baekun squad members wandered over.
They watched the impromptu lesson with expressions half-curious, half-worried.
Feeling their eyes on him, Baek Ri-cheon's face turned bright red.
But—
Whack!
"Ow!"
"Not focusing?
If you slack off just because people are watching, is that what you call training?"
Another merciless flick to the forehead followed.
For some reason, Baek Ri-cheon found himself unable to defy his once-timid brother.
With no choice, he obeyed Baek Ri-won's instructions.
Once his basic fist stance was in place, Baek Ri-won nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. That's much better.
From this position, the punch should be driven by your lower body and waist.
Try it."
Whoosh!
Following the guidance, Baek Ri-cheon threw a punch.
Baek Ri-won nodded again, clearly pleased.
"Much better than before.
Maintain that stance and do about a hundred straight punches every day.
You'll improve a lot faster that way."
"Wait, hold on!"
Baek Ri-cheon dropped his stance and shouted.
As much as he feared Baek Ri-won's flicks, he couldn't understand why he had to learn this at all.
"Why should I do that?
Our family uses spears anyway!
Is there even a need to learn fist techniques properly?"
"There is.
Empty-hand techniques and spear work are inseparable."
But Baek Ri-cheon's reply was firm.
"Do you even know the single most important factor for a warrior who wields a spear?"
"That would be…"
Baek Ri-cheon, about to say something in reply, found his mouth clamping shut.
It was because no answer came to mind right away.
Baek Ri-won gave a faint chuckle and revealed the answer.
"It's all about distance. It's the same for other martial artists who use weapons, but for spearmen, nothing is more important than the sense of gauging the distance between oneself and the opponent."
"I didn't think you'd actually go along with this. You planning to do it?"
"...It's not wrong, and there's no harm in accepting it."
"Hooh."
He had thought the kid was just a brat throwing a tantrum, but now he saw him in a different light.
This one might actually have some potential.
Baek Ri-won looked at Baek Ri-cheon with pleased eyes. At first, he hadn't liked him one bit, but seeing how obediently he followed orders, it didn't seem like he was rotten to the core after all.
"Alright. Then let's start light—say, a hundred reps."
"L–Light? A hundred is light?"
"Of course it's light. I'll be right beside you, so just take it slow."
In this body, even if he tracked down the Honcheon Demon, he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it anyway. Naturally—how could he, in the body of a fifteen-year-old brat, possibly subdue a fugitive from the Heavenly Realm?
First, I need to build up this body's strength and influence.
That meant training was a must. And while training, he might as well teach this kid—keeps things interesting.
"Alright, let's begin."
Baek Ri-won took his stance and began throwing straight punches. Baek Ri-cheon followed a beat later.
That very day, rumors spread throughout the entire Baekri Clan.
About two hours later
Second wife Yu So-yeon's residence.
"…"
Baek Ri-cheon kept his head lowered before his mother, as if he had nothing to say.
Yu So-yeon let out a soft sigh. She had heard the rumors and got the general idea of what happened, but she had never imagined it would be this.
"What exactly happened? Did he get struck by lightning and suddenly regain memories from a past life or something?"
Yu So-yeon muttered, baffled. In truth, nothing short of that would explain Baek Ri-won's dramatic transformation.
"Cheon-ah, are you certain it was really him?"
"Yes. I don't know what he's been eating, but his stamina's improved and his martial arts skills have shot up. It's like he's become a completely different person, and before I knew it, I…"
"I'm not blaming you, so you don't have to make excuses. Still… it's truly strange."
That timid boy must have had some sort of circumstance behind his change.
Could the clan head have done something?
No—the timing didn't add up. As the Baekri Clan's representative in the Martial Alliance, he was far too busy. And if he had done something, there was no way she wouldn't have known.
If he intended to, he would've done it much earlier.
If he'd had the leisure for it, he would have acted when the first wife's two sons were bullying Baek Ri-won. But he hadn't. Which meant the boy must have stumbled upon some kind of fortuitous opportunity on his own…
"I don't know."
She sighed again. Without evidence, any guess was just idle speculation.
But one thing is certain.
Baek Ri-won had truly changed. And the change was clearly for the better—already, many martial artists in Baekundae were seeing him in a favorable light.
Bullying or harassing him now would be the move of a fool. And whether they could even bully someone who had changed that much was another question entirely.
Which is why—
"Cheon-ah, my son."
Yu So-yeon smiled warmly.
"From now on, be friendly with Won-i, alright?"
Better to make him a solid ally than a needless enemy. Yu So-yeon was a woman who understood that well.
The Baekundae members who had been listening to Baek Ri-won's words nodded in agreement.
A spear was a weapon meant to overwhelm the enemy with its long reach. Therefore, gauging and using the gap between oneself and the opponent was the foundation of spear techniques. That Baek Ri-won knew this was surprising enough.
"And… what does that have to do with learning unarmed techniques?"
"It's got everything to do with it. No matter how diligently you measure the distance, you never know what will happen in a real fight. The opponent might break through the range you calculated and rush in close."
In such moments, a spearman faced a dangerous situation.
"That's when unarmed techniques are essential for increasing your survival rate."
"...!"
"If someone comes inside the spear's range, you use fists or palms to drive them back out. Or, if you can, smash them right there and subdue them."
In his days as the Divine Spear, Baek Ri-won had been famous not only for his spearwork but also for his exceptional skill in close combat.
He had even taken down a foe known as the Fist Demon—not with his spear, but with martial fists.
Even without reaching that level, unarmed combat was immensely useful. Even using it just to keep the opponent in check was enough to justify its worth.
"Now you see why I said it's important?"
"…"
Baek Ri-cheon was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had never imagined he'd get a martial arts lecture from Baek Ri-won.
And judging by the nods and surprised looks from the martial artists nearby, it wasn't nonsense either.
Wherever he had learned it, the theory was the real deal.
Which is why…
"Oh?"
Baek Ri-won raised his eyebrows in mild surprise—because Baek Ri-cheon had taken the stance just as he'd instructed earlier.
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