Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Geuk-sok-mu-yeong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
From the very beginning, it was clear that Cheong-myeong-dae was a place designed to test those who had mastered movement techniques.
The abundance of debris in the lake, the towering cliff wall that appeared as soon as the path ended…
It was all an artificial gauntlet, designed to test the proficiency of every Nang-ya-gak disciple's movement techniques.
“No matter what, I have to climb.”
With a determined gaze, Bu Eun-seol slowly began to scale the cliff face.
The initial section of the cliff was rugged and full of handholds, allowing him to ascend without hesitation.
But the higher he climbed, the smoother the rock became, making his ascent increasingly difficult.
Clatter.
A momentary misstep sent a small stone tumbling down.
Looking down, the ground was already a dizzying distance below. He estimated the height to be about forty jang.
Lifting his head, Bu Eun-seol gritted his teeth.
He still had well over a hundred jang left to climb. If he were to fall from this height, every bone in his body would undoubtedly shatter on impact, leading to certain death.
Drip. Drip.
Before he knew it, blood had pooled at his fingertips and was dripping down.
Yet, like a man forged from steel, Bu Eun-seol continued his ascent, his face an emotionless mask.
What he feared was not falling from the cliff, but failing to learn a proper martial art.
“Haaah.”
As the smooth rock became more prevalent, Bu Eun-seol subconsciously began to circulate his Ban-geuk-sim-beop.
Ssssp. Ssssp.
A strange whistling sound accompanied each release of his fingers.
He had never learned any kind of absorption technique. Yet, as he scaled the perilous cliff with his bare hands, he was instinctively generating a suction-like force.
Crack.
Just then, the tip of the rock he was gripping crumbled slightly.
His body lurched, and he began to plummet.
‘No!’
A fall from this height would leave little more than bone fragments to recover.
As he fell, Bu Eun-seol spotted a crack between the rocks.
“Haaap!”
Without a second thought, he pushed his Ban-geuk-sim-beop to its absolute limit and jammed his left hand into the crevice.
Crunch.
With the sickening sound of bone grinding against rock, his fall came to an abrupt halt.
Scrape.
The force of jamming his hand into the crevice tore the skin from his wrist and the back of his hand, releasing a gush of crimson blood.
‘I’m safe.’
Fortunately, no bones were broken.
But an excruciating pain, enough to make him lose consciousness, wracked his entire body. His vision blurred and the taste of blood filled his throat, yet Bu Eun-seol resumed his climb with a stoic expression.
Thud.
At last, Bu Eun-seol hauled himself over the edge of the cliff.
His entire body was covered in dust, and blood flowed continuously from his fingertips and through his torn shoes.
“Hah, hah…”
Every time he exhaled, his skin felt like it was on fire.
Pain, agony, torment.
During the climb, Bu Eun-seol had experienced every form of torment and pain the human body could endure.
Yet he straightened his shoulders and walked forward. No amount of pain or hardship could break his spirit.
“……”
As he walked, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
Before him, in a wide-open space with a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape, stood a small teahouse.
It had the shabby, ordinary appearance of a place one might find in a city’s back alleys. But nestled within the beautiful scenery, it seemed to possess a special quality.
“Cheong-myeong-da-ru…”
Under the eaves of the teahouse, he could see the engraved letters spelling out ‘Cheong-myeong-da-ru’.
“……?”
It was strange enough for such a teahouse to be deep in the mountains, but as he approached, he could smell the rich aroma of tea.
Bu Eun-seol felt a fierce thirst he had never experienced before.
Creeak.
Like a drunkard stumbling into a tavern, he hastily pushed the door open and stepped inside, revealing a clean and orderly interior.
But the inside was empty, and only the sound of tea water boiling could be heard from the kitchen in the back.
‘Is no one here?’
After a quick glance around the teahouse’s interior, Bu Eun-seol reluctantly turned to leave.
But just then,
“Welcome.”
An aged voice echoed from behind him.
He turned to see an old man with neatly combed white hair standing before the kitchen, blinking slowly.
‘But there was no sign of anyone…’
Bu Eun-seol couldn’t hide his surprise.
He had mastered Ya-su-do to the point where he could sense the very flow of the air, yet he hadn't detected the slightest presence as the old man emerged from the kitchen?
“Sit over here.”
The old man’s eyes were closed, his back was stooped, and his gait was slightly unsteady.
Nevertheless, he approached Bu Eun-seol very naturally and pointed to a nearby table.
As if mesmerized, Bu Eun-seol followed the old man’s guidance and sat down.
“My.”
Only then did the old man notice Bu Eun-seol’s wretched state and click his tongue.
“What on earth does one do to get into such a state?”
“I swam and climbed a cliff.”
“What?”
At Bu Eun-seol’s calm reply, the old man’s slitted eyes widened.
“You mean to say you swam across Yeong-gyo-ho and climbed Sa-ja-am with your bare hands?”
The old man couldn’t hide his baffled expression.
“Well, once they enter Nang-ya-gak, all disciples seem to pick up one strange hobby or another.”
“I…”
Bu Eun-seol was about to say he came to learn a movement technique, but the old man waved his hand.
“First, sit. I'll bring some tea right away.”
And he went back to the kitchen.
Watching him, Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but be greatly surprised once again.
He could sense a leaf falling from ten jang away, yet he couldn't hear the footsteps of the frail-looking old man walking right before his eyes.
“Drink up.”
In that short time, the old man who had gone into the kitchen had already placed a cup of steaming tea on the table.
“Elder.”
Without even looking at the teacup, Bu Eun-seol stood up and respectfully cupped his hands.
“My name is Bu Eun-seol, and I recently joined Nang-ya-gak.”
“I thought you looked unfamiliar.”
The old man nodded as if his curiosity was satisfied, then unsteadily turned back towards the kitchen.
“Then drink up slowly.”
“Elder.”
Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands once more.
“Please teach me your movement technique.”
“I cannot teach you.”
“Why is that?”
“Why? Do you not know the rules of this academy?”
The old man explained calmly.
“Now that you are a disciple, you can learn martial arts from any master in this academy.”
But the old man smiled faintly.
“However, if one refuses to teach, you cannot force them. Do you understand?”
“I am well aware of that.”
“If you know, then that’s that.”
As the old man turned away without a second thought, Bu Eun-seol bit his lip.
He had a feeling that this time, he would have to rely on someone else’s name rather than his own merits.
“Elder Hyeol-geum-gang sent me.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke loudly, his voice resonating from his core.
“Elder Hyeol-geum-gang told me to come to this teahouse and learn movement techniques and footwork.”
“Hyeol-geum-gang?”
“That is correct.”
The old man stopped walking and turned around, a surprised expression on his face.
“He sent you here?”
“Yes.”
A look of doubt appeared in the old man’s eyes.
“Why would he…”
The emotion in his voice was complex.
It seemed the old man had a deep history with Hyeol-geum-gang.
After a long silence, the old man let out a deep sigh and spoke again.
“Are you also learning an internal energy technique from him?”
At the words ‘you also’, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes flickered slightly.
‘So there were others in the past who learned the Ban-geuk-sim-beop from Elder Hyeol-geum-gang.’
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
The old man let out a deep sigh.
Looking at the distant sky outside the window, he said in a low voice.
“I will be honest. I have decided not to pass on my movement technique to anyone else.”
“Why is that?”
“Did you truly not hear the reason?”
The old man’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the distant sky.
“Because I, just like Hyeol-geum-gang… have driven many disciples of Nang-ya-gak to their deaths.”
“To their deaths…”
Looking into the old man’s darkened eyes, Bu Eun-seol suddenly understood the meaning of his words.
—Originally, Dan-cheong said he would send me a prodigy who could master the Ban-geuk-sim-beop. Ten years have already passed since then.
Recalling Hyeol-geum-gang’s words, Bu Eun-seol soon pieced together the complicated circumstances.
‘Elder Hyeol-geum-gang didn’t just wait for ten years; he taught the disciples of Nang-ya-gak during that time.’
Hyeol-geum-gang had taught many disciples of Nang-ya-gak for ten years.
But no one had been able to master the Ban-geuk-sim-beop. Because it bestowed a pain akin to death…
“The fact that he sent you… means you have mastered the Ban-geuk-sim-beop.”
“Yes.”
“Amazing. Hasn’t it only been about two months since you joined?”
The old man looked Bu Eun-seol up and down, as if newly surprised.
“But you’ve already reached the first stage of the Ban-geuk-sim-beop?”
“I have reached the second stage.”
“What?”
As the old man asked again, Bu Eun-seol lowered his head with an apologetic face.
“Due to my lack of talent, I have only managed to cultivate it to the second stage.”
The old man swallowed his astonishment, speechless.
He had witnessed countless disciples who took their own lives or became paralyzed while trying to learn the Ban-geuk-sim-beop.
The Ban-geuk-sim-beop, an art that even a heaven-sent prodigy would need more than a year of training to reach the first stage of.
To reach the second stage in just two months?
“You’ve reached the second stage?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Only then did the old man understand Hyeol-geum-gang’s intention.
‘No wonder he was boasting so much.’
The old man recalled the Vice-Lord, Dan-cheong, who had visited Cheong-myeong-da-ru not long ago, and nodded.
The young man before him had to be a heavenly prodigy, possessing not only outstanding talent but also the warrior’s spirit to overcome any trial.
“Fine. I will teach you my movement technique.”
At the old man’s words, Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands and bowed deeply.
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. Once you hear my explanation, you will probably change your mind.”
“I am listening with all my attention.”
“My name is Go-wol.”
An aura as imposing as Mount Tai flowed from the old man who introduced himself as Go-wol.
“In the past, I was called Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.”
A glimmer of past glory shone in the old man’s eyes as he seemed to reminisce.
“I was originally a master thief. Therefore, I not only had to be faster than anyone else, but I also had to use my movement technique while dodging attacks.”
The old man, Go-wol, spoke with pride in his eyes.
“The technique I will teach you is a Body Movement Martial Art that breaks the boundary between movement techniques and footwork. I named it Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, after my own moniker.”
As he continued to speak, the light in his eyes gradually faded.
“For a long time, I tried to pass down this Geuk-sok-mu-yeong to the disciples of Nang-ya-gak. But they all failed… and were crippled.”
Bu Eun-seol could not understand.
Internal energy techniques were delicate and perilous martial arts that controlled the energy within the body.
But to be crippled while learning a movement technique that merely lightens the body?
“Why did they fail?”
“There are two reasons. First, Geuk-sok-mu-yeong is a technique that continuously consumes internal energy. Without a solid internal energy foundation to support it, one can suffer internal injuries instead.”
Go-wol continued.
“But what is more serious is that if you perform Geuk-sok-mu-yeong incorrectly, both your legs could be severed.”
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
“You mean your legs can be severed while performing a movement technique?”
It was a statement he could not comprehend at all.
To think one’s legs could be maimed simply by performing a movement or footwork technique incorrectly.
Where in the world could such a technique exist?
“Watch carefully.”
A demonstration was better than a hundred explanations.
Go-wol briefly floated into the air, then landed back in the same spot.
Watching this, Bu Eun-seol had to doubt his own eyes.
‘So that’s Geuk-sok-mu-yeong…’
If he hadn’t learned Ya-su-do, he wouldn’t have even been able to perceive the subtle footwork.
Go-wol had clearly only floated his body slightly in place, but in that instant, he had changed direction forty-four times.
A moment of silence filled the teahouse.
As the heavy silence began to dissipate,
“It seems you saw.”
Go-wol, who was carefully watching Bu Eun-seol’s expression, spoke in a voice full of pride.
“The Geumgang-budong-sin-beop, said to be the best movement technique of the Orthodox Faction, can change direction sixty-four times in place.”
As Go-wol continued, his eyes flashed.
“But my Geuk-sok-mu-yeong can change direction up to ninety-nine times. That is because it is a Body Movement Martial Art, a fusion of movement technique and footwork.”
If Bu Eun-seol had been knowledgeable in movement techniques and footwork, he would not have believed those words.
Movement technique was, after all, a lightness skill, an extension of internal energy arts. In contrast, footwork was a martial art based on formation arts.
“Do you understand now why performing Geuk-sok-mu-yeong can cripple you?”
“Earlier, Elder, you continuously changed directions in place.”
“And so?”
“Because you’re moving at high speed in mid-air within a short time, if you misjudge a single step, your legs would collide with each other, wouldn’t they?”
When Bu Eun-seol explained it perfectly, Go-wol nodded with satisfaction.
“There are many stable movement techniques in the martial world. To be honest, unless you plan on becoming a thief, there’s no need to learn such a dangerous technique.”
Bu Eun-seol could understand Go-wol’s explanation.
No one would risk losing both legs just to learn a single movement technique.
“Do you plan on becoming a master thief?”
“No.”
“Then I recommend you learn another technique. There are many masters in this academy who have mastered excellent movement techniques.”
Bu Eun-seol stared at Go-wol, his voice resolute.
Shaking his head, Bu Eun-seol spoke with conviction.
“I will learn your movement technique, Elder.”
Go-wol’s expression was one of utter disbelief.
“Is it because of what Hyeol-geum-gang said?”
Bu Eun-seol spoke with an unwavering gaze.
“I trust my senses.”
“Senses?”
“Yes.”
Bu Eun-seol had a gut feeling.
That the movement technique of Go-wol, whose footsteps couldn't even be detected right in front of him, was the best in all of Nang-ya-gak.
“Hmm.”
Go-wol looked into Bu Eun-seol’s confident eyes.
He too could sense it.
That the prodigy he had waited for so long, one who could master Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, was standing right before him.