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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Guided Sparring
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Pa-sun realized it then.
The Young Master's words that things would be different from now on were true. They were different. Very different.
On the first day, we went to a secluded place where the Young Master told me various things.
He said we would begin guided sparring. With a serious expression that made me think we would start training immediately, the Young Master instead drank the bamboo leaf liquor he'd acquired from a ruffian, chattered away while surveying our surroundings, and then promptly returned to our quarters.
The real guided sparring began on the second day.
I had been expectant at first, but though it was called guided sparring, it was nothing more than a one-sided beating. The day would end with me being dragged to the back mountain after my work was done, getting thoroughly thrashed by the Young Master, and returning to our quarters just as I was about to pass out.
It was the same on the second and third days.
That's when my stubbornness kicked in. Of course, the fact that the Young Master was my savior hadn't changed. I was naturally grateful. However, after being beaten continuously, I found myself wanting to land just one punch on that arrogant face of his.
The fourth day.
"Come at me as if you intend to kill."
"Yes, sir! Here I come!"
Recalling all the beatings I had endured, I threw my fist with all my might. The muscles, well-honed from my training, unleashed an explosive power.
My fist, which had cut through the air and rushed toward the Young Master's face, suddenly stopped in mid-air.
"You won't even graze me at this level."
The Young Master, having dodged by slightly turning his head, struck me in sequence, starting from my foot and moving up to my leg, pelvis, waist, heart, shoulder, and arm.
"Gah!"
Frustrated, I continued to throw not only punches but also kicks. Yet, the Young Master effortlessly dodged my attacks and beat me until there wasn't a spot that didn't hurt.
Each time, I gritted my teeth.
Just one hit.
Just! One! Hit!
No more, no less, if I could just land one single punch, I would have no other wish. What kind of guided sparring was this?
He would hit me all over my body, making sure every part ached in turn. It was clear that no one could conduct guided sparring in such a manner unless they had a hobby of beating people up.
Despite my desperate efforts born of frustration, my wish was not granted by the time the sparring ended.
"I'm so frustrated!!!"
The eighth day.
After the guided sparring, the Young Master didn't return to our quarters but instead taught me the basic knowledge of circulating internal energy. It was at a level where I couldn't tell if it was medicine or martial arts, but I learned diligently nonetheless.
He also showed me a few techniques, but when I failed to understand them, he said we should just move on.
So I thought we were moving on… but that day, I witnessed the Young Master's elegant yet destructive palm and sword techniques. He told me it would be impossible for me to learn them and that he would find a suitable martial art for me when the time was right.
I was frustrated, yet hopeful. With that much power! If only I could learn it!
'Young Master, I'm sorry for doubting you.'
Two weeks had passed since I started living a busy life, farming in the morning and undergoing guided sparring at night.
In the middle of it all, there was an unexpected encounter.
The administrator came to me and asked again about the features of the Cult expert I had seen. Since the person was imaginary, I replied that I couldn't remember anything other than what I had already told him.
This was proof that the Young Master's plan was proceeding smoothly, but it was also an indication that something more dangerous than expected might occur.
Three weeks later.
A change came over me.
"Wh-what… is happening?"
Internal energy had gathered within me. Even on the way to Blade Leaf Valley, I had practiced breathing exercises to gather ki in my dantian, but it would quickly disperse, and I couldn't manage it properly. But now…
'For ki to fill my lower dantian in such a short time…'
I even felt like I knew how to manage the energy in my dantian and how it should flow through my body when I attacked.
Overjoyed, I circulated the internal energy I had accumulated. It moved along my ki meridians, and my body, empowered by the ki, moved faster and stronger.
There was a vast difference between simply circulating ki and using it to move one's body. It was by no means an easy task.
However, the acupoints the Young Master had opened—Baihui, Yongquan, and Laogong—made managing my ki much easier. Moreover…
A familiar sensation. The path of pain I felt while being beaten every day. That very path allowed me to use ki naturally when I moved my body.
"To think that path of pain was a ki pathway…"
To think that the guided sparring I had resented, which I had only felt was the Young Master venting his anger by beating me, had such a profound intention behind it.
"I thought he was just hitting me, but it was a planned part of my training."
Once again, I was purely in awe.
'What I received from the Young Master is a stroke of fortune one couldn't obtain even with a thousand gold pieces in the martial world. In return, all I've done for him is perform trivial errands.'
"What have I done to deserve such kindness?"
At that moment, for the first time, I vowed to serve the Young Master not with my head, but with my heart.
'Now I feel guilty for lying to the Young Master…'
I had told him I was an orphan farmer and that someone had given me the name Jang Ryang, but that wasn't the truth. My real name is Pa-sun, and in my family…
My thoughts grew complicated.
Mu-heun, however, had no way of knowing Pa-sun's complex feelings.
***
During work hours, the workers were divided into those who cultivated ordinary crops and those who cultivated special medicinal herbs.
Pa-sun and I were laborers cultivating ordinary crops, and our work was generally unremarkable.
'They wouldn't make the newly arrived farmers cultivate Mihonsan right away…'
When the scheduled work was over, I would go up the back mountain with Pa-sun for guided sparring.
The guided sparring with Pa-sun was frustrating. It wasn't as if I could teach him the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon, nor did I know any other martial arts in detail. All I could teach him were the basics and things I knew from hearsay.
After this matter was resolved, I thought it would be good to find a martial art for Pa-sun, or perhaps even create a new one for him. I was confident in my ability to research and create things.
After the guided sparring with Pa-sun was over, I would invariably avoid surveillance and find an empty lot to train.
I took my time circulating the Divine Arts of the Heavenly Demon and conditioning my body.
After training my martial arts, when everyone was asleep during the Hour of the Rat, I would move.
Between the Hour of the Rat and the Hour of the Ox.
When everyone was asleep, I calmly investigated Blade Leaf Valley.
'Heavenly Demon's Shadow Art.'
Using the stealth technique I learned from my Heavenly Demon master, I erased my presence to its absolute limit.
I hadn't yet figured out the number of martial artists moving about Blade Leaf Valley or the location of the Golden Fang Poison Claw, but I had identified the valley's terrain, a warehouse where suspicious herbs cultivated by the herb gathering team were stored, and an underground prison that was always guarded.
The underground prison was guarded by martial artists in shifts, changing about three times every four hours.
'A prison in this mountain village… And one that's constantly guarded, no less.'
The fact that it was guarded without any gaps suggested someone was imprisoned there. However, as if nothing had happened for a long time, the guards were dozing off in their seats or yawning, appearing complacent and lax.
Next, I recalled the bamboo fragrance I had left on the martial artists who had been watching Pa-sun and me. I traced their movements by following the scent.
The trail of the bamboo fragrance ultimately led to one place.
The dispatched administrative office…
Just as I thought…
As I continued my investigation, I spotted a suspicious person.
He hadn't learned martial arts, but he moved covertly, avoiding the gazes of others in Blade Leaf Valley.
Seeing him, I knew instinctively. There had to be something very important there.
This place, where Mihonsan was cultivated, had clearly fallen into the hands of the Golden Fang Poison Claw. I couldn't be certain about the status of the administrator and the Blade Leaf Demon, but those who moved freely here were either members of the Tang Clan or on their side.
Conversely, those who acted covertly like him were likely opposed to the Tang Clan. I applied a tracking art to the suspicious man using the bamboo fragrance and secretly followed him.
After moving stealthily for a while, the man entered a warehouse so dilapidated it looked like it was about to collapse.
I climbed onto the warehouse roof and expanded my senses to survey the inside.
'Huh?'
It was then. I was sure I had followed him closely, but the suspicious man had vanished.
Old luggage was scattered about haphazardly. The bamboo fragrance was pointing downward, beneath it all.
'Under here…'
I wanted to clear the luggage immediately and see what was underneath, but I restrained myself. If I entered now, my presence would be revealed, so I had to think more cautiously.
In the end, I decided not to follow the suspicious man and returned to our quarters.
***
After the day's work and guided sparring were finished, I returned to my room.
As I was resting, a knock sounded on the door, and a figure entered.
It was the farmer who had guided Pa-sun and me on the first day, telling us we had to farm. But…
The bamboo fragrance emanated from him.
It was him.
The suspicious man who had disappeared beneath the old warehouse last night.
"What is it?"
"Is it… true that you met an expert from the Divine Cult?"
"Why are you suddenly asking about that?"
The suspicious man, whom I presumed was on the side opposing the Tang Clan, was asking about a Divine Cult expert.
"I've spoken with you for a few days, and I've concluded that you are no ordinary farmers, nor are you from the Red Demon Pavilion… Who are you, exactly?"
"We are…"
I hesitated for a moment.
I had to be careful.
Was it alright to tell him the truth?
I thought again about whether this man was trustworthy.
However, it was also true that I didn't have much time to deliberate further, so in the end, I had to trust my judgment.
"We are an investigation team dispatched from the Main Cult to uncover the truth of Blade Leaf Valley. If you tell us the current situation here, I will tell you about the Divine Cult expert and the reason we are here."
"..."
The suspicious man lowered his calm eyes and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"The day after tomorrow, between the Hour of the Rat and the Hour of the Ox, can you come to the warehouse I'll tell you about without anyone knowing?"
"I understand."
With those words, he disappeared. The next day, I went to the warehouse the suspicious man had told me about. It was the same place I had seen the night before.
The suspicious man was waiting for us inside the warehouse.
"As you said, I surveyed my surroundings and came without being seen by anyone."
Hearing my words, the suspicious man pointed to the scattered luggage and spoke.
"There is a secret passage beneath this. Let's go together."
After clearing the luggage and sweeping the floor, we found a trapdoor on the ground.
The suspicious man opened the trapdoor and entered the underground passage. Pa-sun and I followed him. After walking for a long time, we reached a strange place.
A man with a greatsword strapped to his back was there. His physique was noticeably larger than an average person's, and the muscles visible on his body and the aura he exuded told me he was a martial artist.
"Did an expert from the Divine Cult save you?"
"..."
The man's greatsword was engraved with a leaf pattern. His short, red hair and thick eyebrows gave him a strong impression. Pa-sun, seemingly intimidated by the man's presence, asked in a fearful tone.
"E-excuse me… Who are you?"
"Ah! I am Un-pyo, a disciple of Master Blade Leaf Demon!"
"Un-pyo? You are Un-pyo, Master Blade Leaf Demon's disciple?"
"That's right!"
I didn't know the name at all, so I quietly asked Pa-sun.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, I believe he was part of the Azure Dragon Unit that protected the Heavenly Dance Family back when Master Blade Leaf Demon was at the Main Cult."
"The Azure Dragon Unit?"
"Yes. However, due to his rough and violent nature, frequent fights broke out within the unit, and I heard the Azure Dragon Unit Commander intended to destroy his dantian. At that time, Master Blade Leaf Demon, lamenting the waste of his talent, took him in."
"Is that so…"
One thing was certain.
'This man is a close aide to the Blade Leaf Demon.'
The emotions reflected in Un-pyo's expression were anticipation and hope. It seemed he believed that an investigation team, accompanied by a formidable expert, had arrived from the Divine Cult.
"..."
"Now that I have revealed my identity, I hope you will answer my question about whether an expert from the Divine Cult has arrived."
I observed Un-pyo closely. The well-refined energy he possessed was a sharp ki. If channeled into his blade, it would become a keen sword qi, capable of slicing through his enemies.
'As expected of a disciple of a Transcendent Master.'
He was a trustworthy man. Believing so, I resolved to tell him the truth.
"Sir Un-pyo."
"Speak."
"Before that, you must tell me the situation here in Blade Leaf Valley. I ask for your cooperation."
"...Very well."
That day, I was able to hear the truth of the incident that had occurred in Blade Leaf Valley.
"My master was the hope of this unremarkable, failing Blade Leaf Valley…"
The original owner of this place was said to be an evil man who sucked the blood of the Blade Leaf Valley residents. However, the Blade Leaf Demon executed him and resolved to change this place.
The Blade Leaf Demon willingly spent his own fortune to buy farming tools for the people here. He also taught them how to distinguish and cultivate medicinal herbs, and had his disciples work hard to clear the fields.
The Blade Leaf Demon's disciples led the way.
And he himself was said to have tilled the fields.
The martial artists who stood by his side, including himself, gradually began to realize how those with power should live.
As a result, this place was no longer a place where people worried about winter due to lack of food, and it became a good place to live.
However, everything changed abruptly after the Blade Leaf Demon's granddaughter, Cho-wol, went missing in the Central Plains one day.
As the Blade Leaf Demon began to pay less attention to Blade Leaf Valley, the Red Demon Pavilion dispatched an administrator. He came to the Blade Leaf Demon with information about Cho-wol.
"According to his information, the ones who kidnapped Cho-wol were not far from Blade Leaf Valley, and my master, wanting to rescue her from their clutches as soon as possible, set off in a hurry. However…"
"It was all a trap."
"...That's right."