Return of the Mount Hua

Because I made it this way. (5)

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Swish!

Strength surged through his feet. His body shot forward like a hawk targeting its prey.

Thud.

It was a kick that befitted the word ‘courageous,’ yet the attack was effortlessly blocked by a simple wave of the hand, almost as if it were a joke. The extended palm lightly tapped the opponent’s open chest.

But the result of that light touch was anything but light. The person whose chest was struck was thrown back, bouncing away like a leaf caught in a typhoon.

“How foolish can you be? I’ve told you countless times that it’s pointless, yet you still can’t break that ingrained habit?”

Heo Do Jinin, who had spoken in a cold, expressionless tone, approached Baek Cheon so fast, as if folding space itself, and extended his fist once more.

“Ugh!”

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and twisted his body. Barely avoiding the fist that flew towards his shoulder, which still held some muscle, he immediately spun and charged at Heo Do Jinin’s chest.

Boom!

But once again, it was Baek Cheon who was sent flying.

Heo Do Jinin glared at Baek Cheon with an icy gaze and said. 

“Didn’t I tell you not to calculate with your head, but to feel with your body?”

“Cough.”

“Salyang Balcheongeun – To move a thousand jin with four liang [사량발천근(四兩撥千斤)].”

Swish.

Heo Do Jinin extended his leg. It was a kick that was closer to a feint, without much force behind it. Yet, to Baek Cheon, who could barely muster any internal strength, even this was a deadly strike.

Without time to think, Baek Cheon rolled his body. Heo Do Jinin’s kick sliced through the air just above him with a sharp whistling sound.

Immediately after, Baek Cheon tried to rise quickly.

Thwack!

But the foot that had just missed him twisted in an unnatural direction and struck Baek Cheon’s side with force.

Baek Cheon let out a groan as if the wind had been knocked out of him and tumbled across the ground.

“No matter how broken your body is, you should at least have four liang of strength. But if you can’t break the habit of relying solely on your own power, it’s obvious that you won’t even be able to handle a hundred jin, let alone a thousand.”

Boom!

Heo Do Jinin, who had lightly planted his foot, extended his fist towards Baek Cheon, who had managed to get back on his feet. Baek Cheon sharply turned his head to avoid the punch.

“Dodge.”

Swish!

This time, an elbow shot towards Baek Cheon’s temple. Startled, Baek Cheon instinctively reached out his hand but quickly jerked his shoulder up in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

“Block.”

Baek Cheon reflexively extended his leg towards Heo Do Jinin’s chest.

“Counterattack.”

Boom!

Before his foot could even cut through the air properly, Heo Do Jinin’s shoulder rammed into Baek Cheon’s chest. Baek Cheon was knocked down, still in the position of trying to lift his leg.

“You are unbelievably foolish.”

Heo Do Jinin glared at Baek Cheon with a look of contempt.

“Do you still not understand that dodging, blocking, and counterattacking all go against the principles of Salyang Balcheongeun?”

“Ugh…”

“If you want to use the opponent’s strength, you must not dodge, block, or attempt a feeble counterattack with insufficient force. You must simply deflect and redirect!”

Bang!

Heo Do Jinin stomped the ground forcefully as if reprimanding him.

“Do you still have that foolish pride left in your body?”

“…”

“The beginning of all martial arts is ‘to observe’ [관(觀)]. You must observe yourself to understand your limitations, and observe your enemy to comprehend their strength. If you wish to grasp the principle of subduing strength with gentleness, you must go beyond that and learn to perceive the flow as well!”

Baek Cheon’s face twisted in frustration.

He was told not to dodge, block, or counterattack.

He had heard it countless times. He understood it in his mind.

But this was no different from telling him to deny everything he had learned up to this point. No matter how much he understood the logic behind it, the habits ingrained in his body over decades would not disappear in an instant.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

No sooner had Baek Cheon answered than Heo Do Jinin vanished from where he stood, as if the ground had swallowed him. Then, suddenly, he reappeared right in front of Baek Cheon’s face.

Bang!

An attack infused with the intricacies of Silk Spinning Force [전사경(纏絲勁)] came flying at him. Baek Cheon, who took the full force of Heo Do Jinin’s blow to his chest, spun like a pinwheel dropped by a child and crashed into the ground.

For a moment, he felt his breath catch, and a dry cough burst forth.

“Cough!”

“You certainly talk good.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Your current strength is hardly even worthy of being called third-rate. At best, you’re at the level of a strong commoner.”

“…”

“If you don’t fully master the art of using your opponent’s strength, you won’t last even a moment on any battlefield. If it’s too much for you, you might as well give up. Spending the rest of your life tilling the soil wouldn’t be so bad.”

These words could have been a great insult.

But Baek Cheon showed no sign of being shaken. In fact, his eyes grew even more resolute, which made Heo Do Jinin sigh briefly.

“Rest for a moment.”

“I can continue.”

“That’s not for you to decide, but for me.”

“…Yes.”

Only then did Baek Cheon nod and slump down where he stood. There was no concern for appearances. It was clear that if he was going to rest, he intended to do so with all his might, not wasting a single moment.

Heo Do Jinin’s expression grew increasingly serious.

How many days had it been since he started teaching Baek Cheon?

‘But how…?’

He could see it. In those awkward, unsteady movements, the principles of Salyang Balcheongeun and gentleness that he had tried to impart were beginning to show, bit by bit.

It was rough, but…

That was to be expected. With his body in such a state, it could hardly be otherwise.

Which meant that if Baek Cheon’s body had been in perfect condition, by now, he would likely have shown a level of accomplishment that would have shocked even Heo Do Jinin.

How could this be possible?

‘Even if I were teaching a prodigy of the highest order, it would take at least a month just to grasp the basics.’

Of course, Heo Do Jinin had done his utmost to teach as quickly as possible. But even considering all that, could this really be a plausible rate of progress?

Could this young man truly be a genius of such caliber, surpassing even Heo Gong?

No, that couldn’t be it.

That left only one possibility.

“May I ask you something?”

“Please do.”

Heo Do Jinin paused briefly before speaking.

“Who taught you martial arts?”

“Excuse me?”

The question was so absurd that even Heo Do Jinin let out a small, incredulous laugh. Asking a disciple of Hwasan who taught him martial arts – how ridiculous could a question be? Yet, he couldn’t help but need an answer.

“It may be a foolish question… but could you answer it?”

“When I was young, I learned martial arts from my family. I didn’t learn the true martial arts of Jongnam, though. After entering Hwasan, most of my training was under the guidance of Un Geom Sasuk.”

“Un Geom, you say…”

“Of course, as I got older… I mostly learned by getting beaten by Chung Myung.”

For a moment, Heo Do Jinin’s gaze darkened.

That name again.

“You learned by getting beaten?”

“Yes. He is the type who believes that if you are just kept getting knocked around, you’d naturally pick up the intricacies.”

“You mean you were taught by someone younger and less experienced than you?”

Baek Cheon let out a small laugh.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? But when you spend time with him, it doesn’t feel strange at all.”

“Not strange… Is that really true?”

“Yes?”

“That boy is younger than you. Yet, it seems that most of those who wield the sword of Hwasan have been influenced by him.”

Heo Do Jinin looked at Baek Cheon intently. If there were any lies, it would show on his face. But Baek Cheon met his gaze confidently, without a hint of hesitation.

Heo Do Jinin was astonished.

“Your body already contains the principles of Salyang Balcheongeun, as if someone deliberately implanted them ahead of time. Not to benefit you now, but to ensure that when you face a wall on your path to ascension, you might find it a bit easier to overcome.”

“…”

“Who do you think did that?”

Baek Cheon didn’t respond. After all, the answer was obvious.

“How do you think he managed such a thing? Are you certain there’s nothing that boy is hiding?”

Before Heo Do Jinin could even finish his question, Baek Cheon calmly replied.

“Doesn’t everyone have secrets they’d rather not reveal?”

Heo Do Jinin fell silent.

“And if those secrets don’t cause harm, isn’t it a matter of respect not to pry into them?”

“…Are you satisfied with that?”

“I don’t know if I’m in any position to say this, given my situation… but he is my junior, and I am his senior. Isn’t that enough?”

Baek Cheon spoke with quiet composure.

“Isn’t that sufficient?”

Heo Do Jinin let out a low sigh.

“Foolish or wise, I can’t tell.”

“If those principles are already planted within me, then… that’s fortunate. Of course, the one who planted them probably didn’t expect they’d be used like this, but in any case, it means I can learn a bit faster.”

Baek Cheon staggered as he got back on his feet.

“Let’s continue.”

“…It seems you really are foolish. I told you to rest.”

“I don’t have the luxury of time.”

Heo Do Jinin shook his head slowly.

It was clear that this young man’s talent did not reach the level of a true prodigy. But if he had been a disciple of Wudang…

‘Even I would have wanted to pass on the position of the Sect Leader to this young man.’

Now, he understood why both Hwasan and Jongnam were so fixated on him. However, the recognition he felt inside didn’t show on his face.

“Abandon your arrogance. Even if the principles are already embedded in your body, it will still take at least seven days and nights to fully internalize them.”

“I don’t have that much time. I’ll master it within a day.”

“…You’ve got a bold tongue.”

Swish!

Without further words, Baek Cheon charged at Heo Do Jinin with all his strength.

‘Don’t make that face.’

He knew it too – he was being unreasonable.

The idea of continuing to practice martial arts with his body in this condition, or cramming the highest principles into his body within three days, was utterly absurd.

But even knowing this, Baek Cheon had to do it.

Because he realized the impact his downfall had on his Sajil.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget the expression on his Sajil’s face that night – the face of someone who, he once believed, wouldn’t waver even if Mount Tai itself collapsed.

The image of his Sajil sobbing like a child who had lost everything haunted him.

‘Damned bastard.’

If Baek Cheon were to crumble here, all of this would become that brat’s burden. Even if the whole world didn’t see it that way, that bastard certainly would. Knowing this, Baek Cheon couldn’t just stand still.

So, Baek Cheon had to prove it.

That he hadn’t fallen yet. That he was still Baek Cheon.

He had to stand up with this body, not just rely on words, and land a blow on that foolish face.

“Taah!”

Gritting his teeth, Baek Cheon hurled himself towards Heo Do Jinin’s chest.

❀ ❀ ❀

“There you are.”

At the sound of the voice, Chung Myung slowly turned his gaze. The person who had found him let out a sigh and spoke.

“I’ve been looking for you for a while. Where have you been wandering off to?”

“Why?”

Yoon Jong noticed that Chung Myung’s response was more curt than usual, but he didn’t comment on it or show any reaction.

“Why, you ask? I’ve been trying to pass on the technique for using immortal energy to the other disciples, but it’s not going as well as I thought…”

As Yoon Jong quietly spoke, he suddenly froze.

“Chung Myung…?”

He noticed something unusual around Chung Myung’s lips – it looked dark and smudged.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if something had been wiped away.

Instinctively glancing at Chung Myung’s sleeve, Yoon Jong’s eyes drifted to the area behind him. There, he saw something dark staining the ground.

A sudden chill gripped his heart.

It was dead blood.

Only then did the faint, metallic stench reach Yoon Jong’s nose. He had encountered this smell many times on the battlefield. It was the unmistakable odor of rotting blood.

Why on earth was Chung Myung coughing up such blood?

“Chung Myung-ah!”

Yoon Jong raised his voice, demanding an answer. Chung Myung brushed past him without a word. Yoon Jong instinctively reached out to grab his shoulder, but Chung Myung harshly slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“What’s going on? When did this happen…?”

“What do you mean?”

“…”

The glare Chung Myung shot at Yoon Jong was so cold that it sent a chill through the air. But what caught Yoon Jong’s attention more than that icy gaze was Chung Myung’s complexion – it was as pale as a sheet of paper, devoid of any color.

“Are you really okay?”

“If you have time to worry about me, worry about yourselves instead. You might be dead on the ground by tomorrow.”

Chung Myung coldly spat out his words and quickly turned his gaze away, walking off into the distance.

Yoon Jong bit his lip as he alternated his gaze between Chung Myung’s retreating figure and the blood that was undoubtedly his.

Something had to be done immediately. But…

‘Is that… really Chung Myung I know?’

The coldness he had just felt was unsettlingly unfamiliar. And that unfamiliar feeling quickly became a wall between them.

Clenching his fists and hesitating for a moment, Yoon Jong turned around and began running somewhere.

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