The Youngest Martial Grand-Aunt (2)
In the Sect Leader's office of the Bongrae Sect. Inside the elegantly decorated room, Hyeonmyeong and Hyeonsong, martial brother and sister, sat facing each other across a wooden table. The years they had lived, the time they had spent training, and their levels as martial artists were all similar.
"...Junior Sister."
"Was this poor Taoist not correct?"
"You were right, Junior Sister. If only that genius would join our Bongrae Sect..."
Hyeonmyeong's hand trembled as he raised his teacup.
"But what did you mean by her not wanting to belong to a sect?"
"She isn't playing hard to get; she is entirely sincere. It wasn't even easy to convince her to just come and visit once."
To think the phrase "playing hard to get" would be used regarding entry into the prestigious Bongrae Sect. But a genius of her caliber had every right to do so.
"To deduce the remaining stances just by looking at one wing of the Butterfly Dream Fist... You did something similar in the past, did you not, Junior Sister?"
"I only barely managed to reach the sixth stance."
Hyeonsong mimicked the movement with her hand. The sixth stance—The Graceful Maiden's Flutter.
"From then on, I had to be taught."
After demonstrating the seventh and eighth stances, Hyeonsong's hand stopped. Because that was as far as she could be taught.
It wasn't that her master had refused to teach her. Her master, too, had only been passed down up to that point.
"Even that child could not find the final two stances."
The Butterfly Dream Fist. A fist technique true to the Bongrae Sect's style, harboring the profound mysteries of both strength and splendor within its softness.
However, it was rarely used nowadays. This was because the final two stances, the most powerful ninth and tenth stances, had been lost to time.
Martial arts were also a form of knowledge. New things were created, and past creations were built upon. And sometimes, the creations of the ancestors vanished.
Whether due to grave mistakes made by descendants, or because they were swept away in great national turmoils.
"Mmm... I resent those Mongol bastards. They say the fully realized Butterfly Dream Fist was an incredibly powerful martial art. It would have been particularly compatible with you, Junior Sister."
"It is a pity, but it cannot be helped. As for that child, Cheon Dohwa, this poor Taoist will continue to persuade her."
"That would be best. Even at a glance, she seemed like the type of child who would push back if pressured too hard."
"Now, we must discuss a heavier matter, Sect Leader Senior Brother."
Hyeonsong set down her teacup.
"An Overlord-class Gate opened in Uijeongbu recently. The reason this poor Taoist's return was delayed was because I was caught up in it."
"An Overlord-class...!"
The atmosphere in the Sect Leader's office turned grave.
"What was the level of the boss monster?"
"...Likely Super-Peak Realm. And there were several of them."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo placed a hand on her abdomen.
"If not for that child, Cheon Dohwa, this poor Taoist would have died."
"Were you ambushed?"
"Something like that. To be honest, while trying to protect the weak... No, it was because of this poor Taoist's own shortcomings. In the end, I even failed to protect them."
"Was it cleared?"
"We failed. We only managed to temporarily seal it, so we must return and clean it up properly."
"I understand for now. Rest and recover for the time being."
Hyeonsong shook her head.
"It is not a Gate where we have the luxury of taking our time."
"Kyaaa...!"
I lay down com~fortably in the spacious room.
—I will have dinner brought to you later, so rest well until then. This poor Taoist must go speak with the Sect Leader Senior Brother.
—Yes, Master!
But what is this space originally used for?
It was an old building that smelled of wood, just like a traditional hanok or a temple.
At the very least, it wasn't a space for regular disciples. Disciples basically had to live in groups.
To put it nicely, it had a school trip vibe; to put it harshly, a military barracks vibe.
Well, the world ended before I could even enlist in the military.
Still, I heard things have gotten a bit better lately. In the really old days, dozens of people slept side-by-side on futons, but nowadays, they apparently live in groups of two or three like roommates.
Times really have changed.
21st-century sects. The 21st-century Murim.
Even right before the Gate Outbreak, it felt like the martial artists—who had once been the rulers of local societies—were being pushed to the fringes of the world.
Yet, here we were, with the world of martial artists returning once more. It was truly bizarre when I thought about it.
"Hmm."
But that wasn't what was important to me right now. What was truly important was...!
"Browsing the forums! Ehehe...!"
I pulled out two smartphones.
For the first time since the day I went into a Gate with Nam-yeon and turned into a woman, I could finally access the internet and browse the forums!
First, let's take some precautions.
I configured the two smartphones separately. One was 'Cheon Doyeon's' phone. The other was 'Cheon Dohwa's' phone.
I had absolutely no intention of letting anyone find out about my double life and real-life multi-accounting. It would be a disaster if I got caught.
...But it's strange. There's no sign of the Demonic Cult hunting down 'Anon' (ㅇㅇ)?
Why? I was certain the Black Heaven Emperor would be searching high and low with fire in his eyes for 'Anon', who had insulted him.
I did write and send an apology right after, but there had been no reply.
Should I just ask?
...Well, if he's quiet, that's good enough.
After finishing the setup on Cheon Dohwa's phone, I immediately connected to the internet.
The generous data plan that Gyeon Geumsu bastard had loaded for me worked perfectly, even in the middle of Mount Geumgang.
Kya...!
Good to see you, forum screen! I really missed you!
Sniff.
Oh, man. I'm starting to feel homesick.
Yes, this is the stuff.
This dopamine-fueled goodness, where you can witness all the world's incidents and bastards right from your seat.
I missed you, my beloved forum...!!
Of course, the Jin Murim Gallery, which only martial arts masters (excluding me) could enter, was also great.
It was useful, fun, and gave a thrilling sense of voyeuristic guilt to peek at the raw, unfiltered sides of legendary masters.
But this raw, unpasteurized flavor! Grrr, get over here!!!
"Ehehe...!"
First, let's binge-read the hot posts...!
. . .
"S-Sister. I brought your meal..."
"......Huh? Ah."
Shoot. When I snapped out of it, the sun was already setting.
Had I fallen asleep in the meantime?
No. I had been browsing the forums the entire time.
I had binge-read days of backlogged hot posts, checked out some intriguing forum drama, joined in anonymously to bash some guy who was getting flamed, and even engaged in a light keyboard war... and by the time I came to my senses, it was already evening.
Wow.
Forum browsing really is a life-melting drug.
And looking at the person who had brought me food...
"W-why are you looking at me like that, Sister?"
It was Ju-seo, a woman clearly four or five years older than me.
"Looking at me like that... makes me feel even more embarrassed..."
—Tsk, fine. If I lose, I'll call you 'Sister' for a year.
"You really don't have to call me 'Sister'..."
"Then... Martial Aunt."
"Ah, yes... Miss Ju-seo."
"Please call me your Martial Niece."
"No, I really have no intention of officially joining the sect..."
"..."
"..."
Awkward. So incredibly awkward.
I should probably clear the air with her.
There's no need to make unnecessary enemies.
Though I didn't intend for it, it was a fact that Ju-seo had been compared to me in front of everyone.
What common topic do we have? Or maybe some kind of gift I could give her...
Ah, I just thought of something good.
"Martial Niece Ju-seo, wasn't that martial art from earlier quite fascinating?"
"That martial art...?"
"The Butterfly Dream Fist. Since we're here, why don't we compare notes and practice it together?"
"What?"
Ju-seo broke out in a cold sweat.
Was she trying to humiliate her even further after already defeating her so thoroughly?
Or was she planning to torment her now that the Sect Leader and Elder weren't around to watch?
"Come on, stand up. Let's try it together."
"Yes..."
What choice did she have when her Martial Aunt commanded it?
Ju-seo cautiously began to execute the stances of the Butterfly Dream Fist. First, the first stance—
"Ah, right. This part was weird."
Cheon Dohwa's hand gently touched Ju-seo's back.
"Hyeek!?"
"Instead of sending your internal energy from this acupoint to that acupoint..."
Cheon Dohwa's finger tickled Ju-seo's back.
"Hyaat!?"
"Try sending it from here to here."
"Hyat!?"
"Martial Niece Ju-seo?"
"Y-Yes!"
Ju-seo swallowed hard and circulated her qi as Cheon Dohwa directed while executing the stance.
Instantly, the first stance of the Butterfly Dream Fist flowed from her fingertips with astonishing smoothness.
...Huh?
Was this martial art always supposed to flow this naturally?
"See? That's much better. Next, spread your legs just a bit wider like this... and try again from this position."
As she executed it again, Ju-seo let out a dazed gasp.
"...Huh?"
It was incomparably smoother than before.
She had only corrected two minor points.
Yet, with just that, the mastery of the technique had leaped forward tremendously.
If Ju-seo had tried to figure this out on her own, how long would it have taken her to reach this level of refinement?
Ju-seo turned her head to see her peerlessly beautiful Martial Aunt smiling warmly at her.
"How is it? Much better, right?"
"...Sister!!"
When Ju-seo returned to the second-generation disciples' quarters, her martial brothers and sisters showered her with worried looks.
"How did it go?"
"Did she look down on you after all?"
"To think we have to treat her with the same generational respect as the first-generation disciples..."
"Are you alright, Junior Sister?"
"Tsk. Everyone, quiet down."
Ju-seo spoke flatly.
Seeing her reaction, the second-generation disciples all pictured more or less the same thing.
Senior Sister must be incredibly angry.
Tsk, tsk... what terrible luck.
Of all people...
She must have gotten chewed out pretty badly...
"From this moment on, any attack directed at Sister Cheon Dohwa will be considered an attack against me."
"?"
"??"
"???"
Question marks rained down over the heads of the second-generation disciples.
Having successfully reconciled with Ju-seo, I sat down in front of my dinner table.
As expected, the diet here is strictly vegetarian.
Still, it had been prepared with great care.
There was piping hot rice, deliciously seasoned wild greens, and even savory pancakes coated in flour and egg wash.
By Taoist standards, this was practically a feast.
I had no intention of complaining about the side dishes anyway.
I had spent plenty of days getting by on nothing but rice and kimchi, and during my absolute lowest points, I had even survived by eating food waste.
Nom nom nom.
After emptying every single bowl without leaving a single grain of rice, I set the tray outside just as Ju-seo had told me to.
I was about to dive back into browsing the forums, but then...
But thinking about it again, it's strange.
The Butterfly Dream Fist. If I delve deeper into its mind-image, I feel like I can uncover the remaining two stances.
I closed my eyes.
As I mentally executed the stances from start to finish...
Butterfly Dream Fist
Butterfly, butterfly.
A celestial maiden is dancing.
Butterfly, butterfly. Are you the Old Immortal of Nanhua, or is the Old Immortal of Nanhua you?
The celestial maiden's dance. Every single gesture, as if beckoning a butterfly, is a martial stance.
The maiden creates a dance from the butterfly.
I create a martial art from the maiden.
Am I the maiden, or is the maiden me?
If the boundary between the maiden and the butterfly is blurred, am I also a butterfly?
I snapped out of the mind-image and opened my eyes.
"...Blocked again."
I had reached the eighth movement this time as well.
But I couldn't quite see what lay beyond.
Still, I feel like I can do it if I keep trying.
It wasn't clear, but it wasn't completely invisible either.
Okay, retry.
Butterfly, butterfly... Oh my?
Little celestial maiden, what brings you here?
You wish to see my dance? Fufu. How adorable.
Very well, I shall show you, our sweet little maiden.
For a butterfly must have both of its wings to fly properly.
Oh my. It seems our little maiden was born with a wondrous destiny. Could this also be the Dao?
. . .
"...Completed!!"
Finally! Completed!!
Emerging from my trance, I found my entire body drenched in sweat and trembling.
Sunlight pierced my eyes horizontally.
Looking out the window, the morning sun was rising.
I pulled an all-nighter.
From the moment I finished dinner until morning, about twelve hours had passed.
I had been entirely absorbed in the mind-image and the martial art the whole time.
Quite literally losing track of time.
Martial arts really are fun!
If you put in the time and effort, you get immediate results.
Moreover, those results aren't just vague honor or a sense of achievement; it's a tangible strength that immediately benefits me.
So this is how enjoyable it is to have talent.
All this time, geniuses were living in such a fun world all by themselves?
How incredibly outrageous!
And when a genius achieves something, they have to show it off!
"Master Hyeonsong!"
I quickly slipped on my shoes and ran outside.
"Master! Master Hyeonsong! Oh, and Sect Leader Hyeonmyeong!!"
The two of them, along with other high-ranking members of the Bongrae Sect, were discussing something with grave expressions.
"Hmm?"
"Is that child the..."
Hyeonsongcheonnyeo asked me.
"Dohwa, what is the... No, how did you end up so drenched in sweat?"
"Master! I've finally mastered it all!"
"How commendable! But what do you mean you mastered it all...?"
"I've mastered the remaining two stances of the Butterfly Dream Fist as well!"
Heheh! She's going to shower me with praise, right?