Picking and Choosing Martial Arts, Part 2
At that very moment, Hyeonsongcheonnyeo was sitting in a downtown tea house, having decided to enjoy a rare outing. She wanted to check the latest forum drama in a comfortable setting. It was exactly as Cheon Doyeon had predicted.
'She wants to become my personal disciple, not a member of the Bongrae Sect?' Her finger tapped against the side of her teacup. 'Hrmmm...'
First of all, according to the sect rules, it was absolutely out of the question. Especially since the techniques she wanted to teach Cheon Doyeon were high-level martial arts reserved strictly for the core disciples of the Bongrae Sect. It was forbidden. If she got caught, she would receive a massive earful from the Sect Leader, her senior brother, as well as her other senior brothers and sisters.
'Haaah... But with a child as talented as Doyeon, maybe it's worth it...'
In common sense, the one who possesses and imparts knowledge holds the upper hand. The master is superior to the disciple. In terms of a power dynamic, the master is the boss. In the Murim, where martial arts are passed down in strict secrecy, this dynamic was even more absolute.
However, when the student's talent is overwhelmingly absurd, a strange phenomenon occurs. The power dynamic completely flips.
Masters from all over the world flock to beg them. "Please, ignore everyone else's techniques and learn ours. I am dying to see what happens when someone like you masters our art. If you just choose me as your master, I will take responsibility for your entire life, so please, come and learn from me."
They babble all sorts of excuses. "If such a genius learns our martial arts, our sect will flourish, blah blah blah." It's all a lie. In truth, it's for their own selfish pleasure.
Teaching a fool is pure torture. Conversely, teaching a genius is pure ecstasy.
And in that sense, teaching Cheon Doyeon would undoubtedly be the greatest pleasure a master could ever experience.
"Ugh..." Hyeonsongcheonnyeo pressed a hand to her forehead. 'But still...'
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo imagined a hypothetical scenario.
[IF]
"I cannot do that. If you do not join the Bongrae Sect, I cannot teach you. Absolutely not."
"Oh, really?" Cheon Doyeon's eyes turn ice-cold. "Understood."
"W-wait. Is that it? You're just giving up?"
"Ah, thank you for everything you've done for me so far." Cheon Doyeon bows politely, but with a distinct, chilling distance.
"No, that's not what I meant—"
"I'll just go learn martial arts somewhere else. The Baekdu Sect has been sending me tons of love calls, and Myohyang Temple with all those Buddhist nuns seems pretty interesting too... I'll just pick whoever offers the best terms. Well, goodbye then."
"No, you can't!! Wait!! Please wait!!!!"
"Please wait—!!" Hyeonsongcheonnyeo blurted the words out loud before flinching as she realized she was still in the tea house. She looked around frantically. Fortunately, no one was staring at her like she was a madwoman.
"Whew..." What an embarrassing display. She felt like dying of shame.
The truly frustrating part was that usually, highly talented people were too young to understand the ways of the world. Normally, if a master said, 'Ahem, while it is technically forbidden, I shall make a special exception and teach you because of your admirable efforts. Know that you owe me a great debt,' the child would gasp and say, 'Thank you, Master!' while bowing their head to the floor. They were young, so they didn't know the true value of their own talent.
But what about that child, Cheon Doyeon? She was more cunning and experienced than most merchants. And she didn't even have the decency to feel ashamed of it.
What was even worse was that she couldn't even bring herself to hate her for it. 'I've got it bad. I've got it really bad!!' The girl was openly playing her like a fiddle, yet instead of getting angry, she was actually marveling at how impressive it was! What was the world coming to?! There was a limit to spoiling a child!
'This won't do. Yes, what's forbidden is forbidden!' She had to teach her a firm lesson here. Even if it meant losing Cheon Doyeon as a disciple, she had to scold her: 'You wish to learn our techniques without joining the Bongrae Sect? I cannot accept such an absurd proposal!' Go forth, Hyeonsong! You are an honorable Elder of the prestigious Bongrae Sect!!
"..." Hyeonsongcheonnyeo took a sip of her tea. The aroma of the green tea was wonderfully savory. The owner's claim that they cultivated it with utmost care seemed to be true.
'This poor Taoist is not the bad one here. Yes, I am not in the wrong.' Wagging her tail with such coveted talent. Playing hard to get. Tempting her only to threaten to go somewhere else.
'You are the bad one, Doyeon. I am not bad. You are...'Slurp.
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo began to seriously contemplate how she would make excuses if her senior brother, the Sect Leader, ever found out.
Meanwhile, Cheon Doyeon, who had just received Hyeonsongcheonnyeo's reply, smiled inside the car. 'Hehehe, I knew it.'
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo was a good person. Truly. Doyeon respected her and considered her a savior. But that was a separate matter... there was no reason to refuse what was being offered on a silver platter. It wasn't like she had blackmailed her. If the Elder didn't want to teach her, she could have just said no.
In the end, for Hyeonsongcheonnyeo, the sheer joy of teaching Doyeon martial arts far outweighed any drawbacks. 'Geez, I'm too soft.'
And to be completely, brutally honest, if Doyeon wanted to squeeze her for more, she could have easily done so. Hyeonsongcheonnyeo was fundamentally a good-natured person. She possessed a natural talent for being a pushover. But Doyeon didn't want to go that far. Because the Elder was her benefactor.
She was the savior who had helped her during her weakest, most miserable, and most dangerous days before she became this body. Doyeon's affection and gratitude toward her were entirely genuine.
'Still, I personally hate being tied down to a sect, and it would get in the way of my goals.' She would make sure to treat her well as a master. She would make her master grin from ear to ear whenever her name was mentioned.
'Hrm.' Just visiting wouldn't hurt. She did want to see the famous scenery of Mount Geumgang at least once. But...
Whoa, she's sharp.
Fearing the impending storm, Doyeon quickly closed the Jin Moorim Gallery app.
"Alright, that's sorted. Guide us to the secret vault!" Gyeon Geumsu said as he hung up his phone.
"Yes, yes, right away, Your Highness."
"Hey."
"I was obviously joking just now. Whew, alright. Let's do this. I'll call you Nuna, but in exchange, I get to speak casually to you. Deal?"
"Deal, my ass, you little punk."
"Ow!" Gyeon Geumsu rubbed his forehead.
"Cut the crap and show me to the secret vault. Got it?"
"Got it... Sheesh, what kind of Nuna is rougher than a man..."
"That's just who I am."
"Your younger sister is so sweet and gentle, though..."
"Dohwa is Dohwa, and I am me, you idiot."
The plan was a flawless success. He would never in a million years dream that the sweet, gentle Cheon Dohwa and the rough, masculine Cheon Doyeon were actually the exact same person.
The interior was a fairly clean, modern-looking office.
"By the way, what is this place?"
"Ohsung's General Strategy Division... Well, it used to be the place that managed the entire conglomerate."
"Used to be?"
"I mean, technically it still is... but most of our manufacturing plants have shut down. To be honest, we're a far cry from the massive conglomerate we used to be."
Because of the Gates breaking out all over the country, let alone the nation, even local regions had to become self-sufficient. In particular, the Gates appearing in the oceans had completely cut off maritime shipping, which was a devastating blow.
"A few light industries managed to survive, but... it really feels like we've reverted to the old merchant guild days. Buying cheap, transporting to other regions, and selling for a profit."
"Hrm..." The office landscape had certainly changed. There were very few computers and a mountain of paper.
"Come to think of it, what about the countries with low food self-sufficiency?"
"Right?"
"What happened to them?"
"They died. A lot of them."
"I figured as much."
"Even here in Korea, half the population perished. In those places, the casualties were far worse."
"...Tsk. It really hits home how brutal this world has become."
"You're surprisingly compassionate. I thought you'd be the type to calmly eat a lunchbox even if thousands of people were being decapitated right in front of—ow!"
"Do you think I'm some kind of warden of hell?"
A female secretary rushed out from inside the building.
"Young Master!!! I heard about what happened at Seonkyung's store!!"
"The situation is exactly as I explained over the phone. I'll report the details to the Chairman separately. For now, we need to enter the secret vault."
Ah, so that's why he was making those calls earlier.
"There is no need for that."
Behind the secretary, an elderly man walked down. He looked to be in his late seventies or eighties.
'Is that Gyeon Geumsu's grandfather? No, the founder of Ohsung passed away a long time ago.'
"...Father."
It seemed Gyeon Geumsu was a child born very late in his father's life.
"It seems you received help from a martial artist." The old man turned his gaze to me.
"My son owes you a debt of gratitude, and it seems he promised to give you any secret manual of your choice."
"Father," Gyeon Geumsu tried to step in, but the old man raised a hand to silence him. With that single gesture, he completely commanded the room.
"Do not worry. We merchants of Songdo keep our promises no matter what. However..."
The old man's eyes gleamed sharply. He was evaluating me. Measuring my worth.
"Would you care to make a wager?"
"That depends on the terms."
"Wise." The old man nodded. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely praising her or just being polite.
"Follow me."
The old man led them to the Chairman's office on the top floor of the building. For the office of a conglomerate's chairman, it was surprisingly sparse.
"We possess two secret vaults: one for high-grade martial arts and another for low-grade ones. My son is aware of this, but..."
When the old man tapped on the office bookshelf, the entire shelf slid sideways, revealing a hidden door.
'Oh...!' It was a secret room straight out of a movie.
"Inside, there are three identical-looking secret manuals. One of them is a sword technique."
"And the other two?"
"Fakes." The old man glanced at me. "I assume you've already guessed the nature of the wager?"
"I have to pick the real one out of the three, right? If I succeed, I get a high-level sword technique that can't be found in the other vaults. But if I fail, I get absolutely nothing."
"Precisely. Well? Do you accept?"
"Hmm..." I pondered. Or rather, I pretended to ponder.
"Do I have to choose just by looking at them?"
"You cannot open them."
"Can I at least lightly touch the covers?"
"...The covers?" Now it was the old man's turn to hesitate. "Very well. But you must not tear or damage them."
"Hmm... Still, is it better to just pick one with absolute certainty...?"
On the outside, I maintained my deeply conflicted expression, but inside, I was desperately holding back a burst of laughter. This was a wager I could absolutely never lose.