Go ahead and prove it. (1)
Sparks flew from Jwa Gohak and Baek Cheon’s eyes.
“Sasuk, for now, please calm down a little…”
Yoon Jong, who could not simply stand by and watch the situation, tried to somehow hold Baek Cheon back.
“What are you saying, Sahyeong!”
“Hm?”
But then, a sharp voice stopped Yoon Jong in his tracks.
“That man has been looking down on Hwasan! Didn’t you hear him?”
At Tang Soso’s words, as she glared at Jwa Gohak as if she would kill him, Yoon Jong broke into a cold sweat and tried to reason with her.
“Th-That… to be precise, wouldn’t it be more accurate to say he looked down on Gangho and Taoist sects? I think saying he looked down on Hwasan is a bit of a stretch.”
“It’s the same thing!”
“Huh?”
“Hwasan is the representative of Gangbo and the representative of Taoist sects!”
Since when did that happen, Soso?
“By any chance, is that something Shaolin and Wudang have agreed upon?”
“Is that what’s important right now?”
“…”
Yu Iseol, who had been looking back and forth between the sweating Yoon Jong and Tang Soso, tilted her head as if she could not understand what was going on.
“Why fight?”
“Yes, Sago. That is exactly what I’m..”
“Just kill him.”
“Th-The sword! Put away the sword! Hey! I said put the sword away, you!”
While Yoon Jong desperately clung to Yu Iseol to restrain her, Hye Yeon stepped forward with a solemn face, chanting the Buddhist prayer.
“Amitabha. Meeting another’s hostility with hostility is not a good response. What matters is not how someone judges me, but how I regard myself, is it not?”
“Yes, yes! You are absolutely right, Monk. As expected, you can actually be reasoned with!”
“However.”
“Hm?”
Hye Yeon smiled gently and assumed the half-palm stance.
“If someone has misunderstood something, then that fact ought to be corrected and set right. It is not something to hesitate about simply because it may be called rude. Rather, it is something that should be encouraged.”
“I am sorry to interrupt you, but…. Monk, did you always make the half-palm stance with your fist clenched?”
“Ahem. What a mistake…”
“…”
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed things were not going to be resolved amicably. The disciples of Hwasan and Shaolin alike were spewing venom from their eyes.
And at the very front line of that hostility, Baek Cheon smirked the best he could.
“Haha. I had no idea the martial learning of you Confucian scholars was so remarkable. Would you perhaps give us a chance to witness it for ourselves?”
In other words, ‘Shall we have a go at it?’
“Of course, that would not be difficult. But if we did that… would it not make the word ‘test’ rather meaningless? Since the important thing in a test is an appropriate level of difficulty.”
This meant, ‘Then you would all be smashed to pieces, you know?’
“Haha. Anything can become a good experience. I will not refuse.”
It meant, ‘Go ahead and try.’
“Hmm.”
Jwa Gohak’s eyebrows twitched, and then he displayed an arrogant smile.
“Very well. There are the elders’ requests as well, and there are more than a few friendly scholars [문우(文友)*] who are curious as to how remarkable those chivalrous heroes of Gangho truly are, so let us witness your abilities today.”
“Please do.”
“But one thing.”
“Hm?”
Baek Cheon flinched when he saw the strange smile hanging at the corners of Jwa Gohak’s mouth. It was not merely confidence, but the attitude of someone acting as though the outcome were already obvious.
“To people of Gangho, martial arts must not be so different from what scholarship is to us. Is that not so?”
“….That is true, but…”
“Then it seems martial arts would not be suitable as the subject of the test.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you wish, I have no objection to taking the test through martial arts. But, well…”
Jwa Gohak smiled strangely.
“When I imagine reversing the situation, and us testing Taoists in scholarship instead… Haha, is that not rather laughable? We, at least, could not do such a thing, if only because our pride would not allow it.”
A vein bulged on Baek Cheon’s forehead.
“Ah, is that so? Then please choose the event as you like.”
“May I really?”
“Of course.”
Baek Cheon smiled brightly and said.
“Even so, if we were to be picky about the event against gentlemen who have been holed up in the mountains doing nothing but reading books, would that not be the true disgrace for a martial artist?”
“…”
When the two men’s gazes met, sparks once again flew in the air.
“This Taoist bastard….”
“This ink-stained bastard….”
Jwa Gohak, who had been growling and grinding his teeth, soon nodded.
“Very well! Scholarship is our specialty, and martial arts is yours, so let us exclude both.”
“Then what shall we compete in?”
“There is something suitable.”
Jwa Gohak smiled brightly.
“Have you heard of the Six Arts [육예(六藝)**]?”
“The Six Arts?”
“The Six Arts spoken of in Confucian learning refer to the six accomplishments an ideal scholar ought to master. Namely, propriety, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.”
Jwa Gohak continued, the corners of his mouth raised.
“But… To be honest, I do not think there would be any meaning in discussing propriety and music with Taoists.”
At those words, Baek Cheon turned his head to look at Yoon Jong and asked.
“That bastard just insulted me, didn’t he?”
“Sasuk, please, just…”
“But the remaining four seem to have more than enough value. What do you think? Archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. How about competing in those four?”
“Very wel……”
“Wait a moment!”
Tang Soso, who had been listening attentively, quickly raised her hand.
“They may be hobbies, but from the sound of it, they’re all things Confucian scholars learn. Isn’t it far too unfair to make those the subjects of the test?”
“Did you say unfair?”
“Yes! If this were an examination, then there would be no point in arguing about fairness. But is this really one?”
And not a duel? That was the meaning hidden in Tang Soso’s words.
It was quite a sharp point, but Jwa Gohak did not look flustered or troubled in the slightest. On the contrary, he was absolutely calm.
“Hmm. If you put it that way, then there is no helping it.”
“Yes?”
“If you lack confidence, what can we do? Then please choose the events you see fit. We will accommodate you in anything.”
“…”
The corners of Tang Soso’s eyes twitched faintly. Watching her, Jwa Gohak smiled gently.
“If you wish, how about something like reciting Taoist scriptures and ancillary texts from memory? If you give us just a little time, I think it would make for a good match.”
“Hey! I’ve been letting it slide, but that’s enough! What? The Six Arts? I don’t care what it is, we’re doing it!”
“Soso. Calm down, please.”
“No, Sahyeong! This bastard is seriously getting on my nerves! If he’s from a prestigious family, then he’s from a prestigious family, and if he’s a Confucian scholar, then he’s a scholar! Why is he acting so damn superior!”
“…You’re from a prestigious family too.”
“That’s why I’m even more pissed off!”
“Everyone, quiet.”
Baek Cheon raised a hand and calmed the disciples of Hwasan. Then he looked straight at Jwa Gohak and said.
“That event will do.”
“Hmm… You will have no regrets?”
“Let us begin without any more unnecessary talk. We are all busy people, after all.”
At the unwavering look in Baek Cheon’s eyes, Jwa Gohak grinned.
“Very well. Then shall we see the ability of the renowned Hwasan Sect, famed throughout the world? Song Hyeon [송현(松炫)].”
“Yes.”
When Jwa Gohak lightly clapped his hands, one person from among those lined up walked out slowly.
“The first event is archery. Shooting with a bow.”
“Hmm.”
The Confucian scholars who had been standing in line brought out two longbows and quivers from somewhere. At the same time, a large target board was set up near the entrance to the main gate.
“I will say this in advance, but this will be done without using internal energy.”
“Why, are you not confident in handling it?”
When Baek Cheon sneered, Jwa Gohak scoffed faintly and said.
“Song Hyeon. Show them why interanl energy must not be used.”
“Yes.”
Song Hyeon took the longbow, tied the quiver to his waist, and drew out an arrow, aiming at the target. The target stood at least a hundred paces [보(步)] away, and as he leveled the arrow towards it, a twisted smile spread across Song Hyeon’s lips.
“Because.”
Swaaaaaaak! Thwack!
The arrow flew more than a hundred paces and lodged itself dead in the center of the target.
“Well, that’s nothing special.”
“Considering his attitude, his skill doesn’t seem all that impressive…”
The disciples of Hwasan muttered indifferently.
But at that moment, Song Hyeon loosed another arrow.
Crack!
Hwasan’s disciples’ mouths fell open when they saw that arrow strike the target. The arrow that had flown split the arrow already embedded there cleanly in two and buried itself in exactly the same spot.
Crack!
And before they could even say anything, another arrow split the second one.
Crack! Crack!
After planting five arrows in succession into the exact same spot with perfect precision, Song Hyeon shrugged.
“Because if internal energy were used as well, there would be no meaning to the match.”
“…”
The disciples of Hwasan stared at Song Hyeon with blank faces.
“This is not at the level of a hobby.”
“How can a mere scholar possess archery skills this precise…”
Seeing the shocked disciples of Hwasan, Jwa Gohak smiled meaningfully.
“I do not understand why you are so surprised.”
“…What did you say?”
“Is it not only natural?”
The disciples of Hwasan glared at Jwa Gohak, unable to understand what he meant. At that, he smiled as if asking whether he really had to explain even this, and said.
“I ask just in case, but do you all consider yourselves geniuses?”
“….What is that supposed to mean?”
“Perhaps you do think so. In your world, you have likely never fallen behind anyone. However… in truth, that is nothing more than a tremendous misconception.”
Jwa Gohak looked at the disciples of Hwasan with a strange gaze.
“Every single genius born in the Central Plains chooses Confucian learning and walks the path of success and fame. Only the dregs who cannot properly walk that path revere the words of non-orthodox philosophers, or choose the path of fangshi***.”
“You bastard…”
“In other words, the so-called Gangho where your talents and abilities are praised is merely a playground for the leftovers abandoned after the true core talents of the Central Plains – the scholars – have been removed. So there is no reason for you to be surprised. There is simply no field in which we could possibly fall behind you.”
Baek Cheon’s face twisted horribly.
At that moment, he felt as though he could sell even his soul if it meant he could strike that blasphemous mouth a hundred times with a rod.
He finally thought he understood why that bastard Chung Myung always exploded into fury like a rabid dog every single time he saw the bastards from Jongnam. What Baek Cheon felt while looking at Jwa Gohak right now was exactly the same
But the problem was that there was no obvious way to counter that archery skill. If they were to fight with swords in hand, what would there be to fear, but to the disciples of Hwasan, archery was an unknown territory. There were probably only a few of them who had even seen a proper bow, so how could they possibly match archery at that level…
Whoooooosh!
Crack!
At that moment, an arrow flew through the air, split the arrow already embedded there, and lodged itself dead in the center of the target.
“Huh?”
Baek Cheon turned his head sharply in surprise.
There stood Tang Soso, somehow already holding a bow, with an indifferent look on her face.
“It’s not exactly an impressive skill, so being that confident about it is a talent in itself.”
“Good heavens, Soso!”
The disciples of Hwasan practically screamed as they rushed over to Tang Soso.
“Y-You were skilled in archery? Does the Tang Clan teach archery too?”
“What? No. This is my first time.”
“Huh? First time? I-It’s your first time shooting a bow?”
“Yes.”
Tang Soso nodded calmly, as if to ask what the problem was.
“N-No, then how on earth did you do it?”
“What do you mean, how?”
Tang Soso, if anything, let out a laugh of disbelief.
“I grew up in a household where, if you couldn’t throw a needle, as light as a feather, from ten jang away and pierce a pine needle with it, they starved you. So what’s so special about this?”
“Ah…”
Those insane Sichuan Tang Clan bastards.
No, perhaps for once they should be called the glorious Sichuan Tang Clan.
“Good heavens, did the Patriarch raise you that strictly?”
“No. That’s for the men. I ate just fine. Why would they go so far as starving me? They weren’t going to teach me the secret arts anyway.”
“…”
“This is probably just talent. Something I was born with.”
“…”
Hm. Honestly, they had never thought they would find themselves thinking this, but…
‘Isn’t she kind of obnoxious?’
‘At this point, that’s hardly new, is it?’
While Yoon Jong and Jo Geol exchanged glances, Tang Soso continued indifferently.
“I didn’t particularly plan on stepping in, but the way they were acting was so unsightly that I could hardly keep watching.”
Slipping the bow she held over her shoulder in a deliberately showy manner, Tang Soso stepped forward.
“Now then, go ahead and prove it. The skill of you Confucian scholars, who supposedly consist only of such remarkable geniuses.”
Jwa Gohak’s and Song Hyeon’s faces stiffened at the same time.
Special Spinoff Chapter 42 >>>
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*문우(文友) – a friend made through writing/literature/scholarship/letters etc. Not exactly a penpal in a modern sense, but like a confucian ‘cultured’ scholarly friend.
**For anyone interested this is what they are in korean(chinese) 예(禮), 악(樂), 사(射), 어(御), 서(書), 수(數). Regarding propriety specifically: it involves rites, etiquette and ceremonial order.
***방사(方士) – occultist, alchemist, necromancer, astrologist etc.
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Genuinely. The more I read it the more infuriating it got. Not only it was supposed to be about martial arts of confucian scholars at first? But also everything that he says doesn’t really make any sense?
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