Chapter 16
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: No Tutoring—Just Textbook Study
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“What? You’re saying he only learned a single form?”
“He’s still just a child. One who’s been watching those who swing swords and bloom plum blossoms with sword qi even before he could walk or talk. In Biyeon’s world, that might seem perfectly natural.”
Suddenly, the image flashed in his mind of Biyeon, back when he could barely walk, clumsily imitating the first five seconds of the first form before turning away in disappointment.
Even then, the little kid must have thought it was natural for plum blossoms to scatter whenever a sword was swung.
“I hope this incident makes you reflect slowly on what a master’s role truly is. The time to take on new disciples is coming soon, isn’t it?”
With those final words came a gentle dismissal, and Uiseong quietly closed the door and stepped outside.
“It’s hard. So hard.”
Muttering Biyeon’s words to himself, Uiseong looked up at the clear blue sky.
‘The role of a master...’
He’d thought it was just about passing down teachings and taking joy in his disciple’s achievements.
「From what I’ve seen, Fourth Junior Brother, you’ve got no talent for teaching.」
Remembering the kid’s blunt words, Uiseong couldn’t help but chuckle. Yeah, you knew it, but I didn’t.
“What’s this? Not slacking off for once and sticking to the upper palace?”
Do-un spotted him and teased in a tone full of fresh surprise. Uiseong stared blankly at Do-un before blurting out.
“Master, I respect you.”
“What trouble did you cause this time? It makes me uneasy when you say stuff like that, you rascal.”
Instead of warmly embracing a disciple expressing belated respect, his master was prying into what mischief he’d caused. Uiseong’s eyes gradually cooled.
“No, I just respect you. It hurts that you’re belittling a heartfelt thank-you like this.”
“If you really respect me, then don’t skip training and show up. Why’s a young punk suddenly getting all sentimental?”
A heavy flick landed on Uiseong’s head. Rubbing his stinging scalp, Uiseong grumbled.
“I never knew teaching someone could be this tough.”
“Biyeon? Besides slacking off in front of that kid, did you actually teach him anything?”
“That’s something he learned on his own without me teaching it. Martial arts, I mean—martial arts.”
Not long ago, he’d heard that Biyeon had finally mastered the Six Harmonies Art by picking up a wooden training sword. Do-un nodded.
He’d probably only taught him a bit of the Six Harmonies Sword at most.
“His grasp of the incantation is lacking, but he follows the form pretty well. Wow, it took me three days just to learn the form myself.”
“What did you teach him?”
“You know, the first form of the 24 Plum Blossom Sword Techniques.”
Do-un froze.
Thinking he’d misheard, he turned to his disciple walking beside him, but the words came back exactly as he’d heard.
Clutching his stiffening nape, he smacked the back of his immature disciple’s shoulders.
“You fool! Handing down one of the trickiest advanced techniques among our sect’s exclusive arts to a kid who hasn’t even started entry-level training—what were you thinking?!”
“Hey, didn’t you always say the kid was Mount Hua’s future?! You’re too much! You’re always ‘my baby, my baby,’ but when it’s like this, he’s somebody else’s kid?”
“That’s not what I meant! Everything has an order, but you’re teaching flight to a kid who can’t even walk!”
“Huh? But if you can fly, you don’t need to walk, right?”
“Aigoo, Primordial Heavenly Venerable! Please make this fool wise!”
Do-un’s cry, laced with lifelong regret over picking the wrong disciple, echoed through the upper palace.
* * *
“Thanks to you, I got called by the Sect Leader and chewed out, you rascal.”
“Whoa, really?”
To my soulless reply, Uiseong pinched my still-chubby, baby-fat cheeks—painlessly—and grinned, locking eyes with me.
“You were worried about failing the entrance exam, huh? I’ve been too neglectful as your master. Couldn’t even notice my disciple’s real concerns.”
“Not you. Didn’t you figure it out while teaching the form?”
“Anyway.”
Dodging the topic, Uiseong continued.
“So, I’m going to make sure you pass the entrance exam no matter what.”
“Really?”
“How about it? Feel like giving it a shot?”
His unexpected words made my eyes go wide. Wait, isn’t this... entrance exam corruption? No, entry exam corruption? But, but...!
My conscience and true feelings waged a fierce battle inside.
In the end, true feelings won. Why detour when he’s offering a surefire path?
I nodded with a determined face, and Uiseong ruffled my hair.
“No whining about it being hard, kid. Follow along properly.”
“Yeah!”
After my hearty response, I followed Uiseong to an empty training ground.
It was a small, remote corner that disciples rarely used. After Uiseong told me about it, I’d mostly used it for my hopscotch games.
The hopscotch lines I’d drawn were still vividly marked on the training ground.
“Normally, sandbags on the wrists and ankles are best, but you’re so tiny there’s no fitting ones right now, so we’ll start with this.”
What Uiseong dangled in his hand was some rope and a wooden block that looked hefty.
He wrapped the rope tightly around the wooden block, tied it off, then looped the other end around my waist.
Narrowing my eyes, I grabbed the rope and tugged. Taking a few steps, the heavy block’s weight pulled fully, making my steps leaden.
Uiseong pointed a finger around the training ground in a circle and shoved my back.
“Alright, run now.”
“How many laps?”
“Until I say stop.”
What? Starting my jog, I glanced back at Uiseong—he was already jogging beside me at my pace.
The dragging block made my body feel twice as heavy as usual, slowing me down constantly.
As I panted while running, Uiseong, who’d been lightly jogging hands-behind-back to match my speed, added.
“If you fall behind me, I’ll add another block.”
More here? But it was my choice, and backing out would bruise my pride, so I gritted my teeth and ran.
How long had I run? My mouth tasted metallic, sweat pouring like rain.
“Fourth... Senior... Brother... huff... huff... when... will you... stop?”
“When I say.”
To my near-death question, Uiseong smirked wickedly. Unlike me, soaked in sweat, his face was fresh as if out for a stroll.
“Huff... this... for the... entrance exam... huff... prep...?”
“Of course. I thought hard about it, and it seems your basic stamina’s lacking, so that’s why you’re worried. Just follow my training to the letter, and I’ll get you through Selection Hell for sure.”
Damn it. Thought it was leaking the answers, but it’s basic workbook and textbook drills. Boundless blessings, boundless blessings! Damn boundless blessings!
Chanting to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable in my head, alternating boundless blessings and curses dozens of times, Uiseong finally called it.
But if only it ended there.
“Sip, don’t sneakily bend your knees. Lower your hips more—more, more.”
“Uwaaaah, I’m dying! Senior Brother Uiseong’s killing me!”
“Quiet, kid. Selection Hell makes this look easy. Collapse here, and you’re guaranteed to fail, got it?”
After the 10-minute break, I had to assume the horse stance.
Every time my form slipped, his wooden sword poked my knees and back.
Alone, I could subtly ease into a comfy pose and kill time, but under Uiseong’s fiery glare monitoring my knee angle, it was impossible.
After holding the horse stance until my legs went numb, break time led to dragging the block around the training ground again.
Even though I trained daily, it was brutally tough, breath ragged with liver-scented exhaustion. I pleaded desperately.
“The... sword? Sword... huff... swings?”
“Sword? Wanna do a thousand downward strikes, or keep running the grounds?”
“Training ground!”
Better laps than strikes.
To my hasty answer, Uiseong shrugged—saying he’d make me do strikes later anyway.
After three rounds of training ground laps-horse stance combos, my legs gave out.
As I flopped sweat-soaked onto the dirt, Uiseong offered a gourd of water.
“First day, so I went easy on you.”
This is easy...? No strength to retort, I just gulped the water.
“Can’t handle this much? You’ll drop out immediately.”
“Doesn’t matter. I heard even Outer Disciples and Secular Disciples can promote to Core Disciples.”
Do-un had said one of his junior sisters was like that.
Entered as Secular Disciple, showed heavenly talent, got recommended by elders, received a Taoist name, became Core Disciple.
Asked who, and he said five years ago she left the sect for some reason. Not expelled—her own choice.
In modern terms, transferring into Seoul University then dropping out.
World’s full of weirdos.
“If the entrance exam’s a needle’s eye, that’s one hell of a fine mesh, punk. So, you’re just gonna fail the entrance exam?”
“No!”
When a woman draws a sword, she’s gotta cut something. A thousand-mile journey starts with one step—build stamina first!
* * *
Next morning.
“Arrrgh! I definitely exercised daily!”
Muscle pain hit hard, writhing on my bedding.
Me, out of shape?! All my prior training was a joke. Couldn’t even sit up, limbs trembling—Uihyeon, startled, massaged them before calling Uiseong.
“How intense did you make that kid train?”
Scratching his head to Uihyeon’s question, Uiseong trailed off.
“Made him drag a wooden block around the training ground a bit, hold horse stance a bit...”
“Five times!”
Uihyeon gaped as I snitched quick. Uiseong slyly avoided his gaze.
“Yeon’s four years old—four! You trying to kill the kid?”
“We did similar when we first entered...!”
“You were seven then! Four and seven the same? I’ll make a training plan—stick to it exactly, no more!”
The sharp smacks on his back rang crisply. Ah, so satisfying.