Chapter 10
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: First Mission
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“Never mind the kneeling, and forget the formal bow. Instead, just call me Biyeon.”
“What?”
“Call me Biyeon, and I'll teach you. The Six Harmonies Footwork.”
Though he didn't understand why, Ha Yuseong decided to go along with it.
“Alright. Senior Biyeon?”
“Just Biyeon.”
“That's a bit...”
“It's fine. Go ahead. I give you permission.”
Left with no choice, Ha Yuseong dropped the honorifics, even though she was his senior.
“Biyeon?”
“Yes. One more time.”
“Biyeon?”
“Yes. This is it.”
*Is she a strange woman?*
* * *
For Jegal Biyeon, her family was the entirety of her social life.
Her distinct appearance came with many advantages, but also many drawbacks, making it both a blessing and a curse.
Because of this, she always felt a sense of suffocation when meeting people outside her family.
But this man she had just met was different. She felt the same comfort she did when she was with her family.
And after their brief conversation, she understood why.
This man was looking at her, yet he wasn't truly *seeing* her.
For Jegal Biyeon, it felt like stepping out into the world and breathing freely for the first time.
It was the first time she had ever felt so comfortable conversing with a stranger.
“The foundation of all martial arts is divided into the forward form and the rear form.”
“Ooh! The fundamentals of martial arts!”
“But you, Junior Yuseong, don't even have those basics down. I don't know who taught you the Six Harmonies Footwork so poorly.”
“Well, it was young Namgung who taught me.”
“Ah. That idiot-looking kid.”
Ha Yuseong boldly ignored the unimportant information.
“So, what are the fundamentals?”
“All martial arts of the Orthodox Faction are based on harmony. While some arts are skewed to one side, those are special cases. Most are rooted in balance.”
Hearing this, Ha Yuseong wondered if he had broken that harmony, but he couldn't find anything wrong with what he was doing.
However, Jegal Biyeon's next words made him realize his mistake.
“The same goes for the flow of internal energy.”
Jegal Biyeon stood up. Her movement made Ha Yuseong tense up slightly for some reason, but she continued speaking.
Jegal Biyeon reached out and poked Ha Yuseong in the chest.
“Internal energy generally flows through the Conception and Governor Vessels. The Conception Vessel is located at the front of the body and is mostly comprised of Yang acupoints.”
Smoothly, Jegal Biyeon moved behind him and poked him in the back.
“The Governor Vessel is located at the back of the body and is mostly comprised of Yin acupoints.”
Jegal Biyeon returned to the front.
Though he was a little tense at first, as the discussion about martial arts continued, Ha Yuseong quickly relaxed and became absorbed in the topic.
“When you perform martial arts, this harmony of Yin and Yang is fundamental. So, you might think, 'Don't you have to open the Conception and Governor Vessels to properly perform martial arts?'”
“Isn't that right? Didn't you just say so, Biyeon?”
“It is. But that's only half-right. If you can open both vessels and achieve perfect Yin-Yang harmony, you can truly be called a grandmaster. However, the Conception and Governor Vessels are not so easily opened.”
Even Ha Yuseong, who had been a third-rate ronin, knew about the Conception and Governor Vessels.
“Of course. If it were easy, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would have opened them.”
“Right. As far as I know, only ten people in the entire martial world have succeeded.”
Ha Yuseong calmly spoke of the figures who immediately came to mind, his voice filled with a burning desire.
“The Ten Grandmasters of the World.”
Jegal Biyeon replied softly.
“Correct.”
Jegal Biyeon reached out again and poked Ha Yuseong's solar plexus.
Then she gently moved her hand downward.
Ha Yuseong felt a tingling sensation travel down his entire body at her touch.
He attributed this feeling to the thrill of learning something new about martial arts.
Jegal Biyeon's hand moved from his solar plexus to his navel, then further down, stopping at his thigh.
“Try to draw your internal energy up from your dantian. I'll help guide it at first. What I'm about to teach you is the simplified method most martial artists use before they open their Conception and Governor Vessels.”
Even if it was a simplified version, the mere fact that he was learning a proper martial art made Ha Yuseong's heart pound wildly.
“Now, feel the movement of your internal energy. I will guide it through the Yanggu, Zusanli, and Zhongfeng acupoints. This is the forward form.”
Just like before, he felt a simultaneous sensation of heat and coolness in his right leg.
“Immediately after, I'll send it through the Yingu, Chengshan, and Kunlun acupoints in the other leg.”
Then, he felt the same sensation of heat and coolness in his left leg as he had in his right.
“Alright, now try to send the energy yourself, over and over, until both legs feel the same.”
Seeing Ha Yuseong quickly begin to guide the energy on his own, Jegal Biyeon sat back down.
The method she had just taught him was the basic form of the Six Harmonies Footwork.
To complete the Six Harmonies Footwork, one had to open the Conception and Governor Vessels and perform both the forward and rear forms simultaneously.
And that was the advanced footwork of the Huashan Sect, widely known in the martial world: the Seven Star Steps.
Jegal Biyeon chose not to mention this.
Opening the Conception and Governor Vessels was not a realm an ordinary martial artist could ever hope to reach.
Junior Yuseong seemed to have enough talent to join the Murim Alliance, but when it came to martial arts, he was like a baby just learning to walk.
Opening the vessels was a feat that was difficult even for those who began training from a very young age.
For someone past the age of twenty, with less than five years of internal energy, the probability of opening the vessels was nonexistent.
Sometimes, it's better not to even look at a tree you can't climb.
Still, she believed that if he trained diligently, Junior Yuseong could certainly reach the pinnacle of mastery.
And so, as Jegal Biyeon watched Ha Yuseong train, a sense of comfort and ease washed over her, and she drifted off to sleep.
And so, she did not see it.
The moment the Six Harmonies became the Seven Stars!
“Hoo-ha! So this is what it feels like!”
Feeling refreshed, Ha Yuseong stood up.
“Alright! I think that's enough for today. Hmm?”
Having finished his satisfying training session, Ha Yuseong looked to the side with a troubled expression.
Jegal Biyeon was sitting in her chair, dozing off.
“Senior. Senior!”
Ha Yuseong tried shaking her awake, but Jegal Biyeon wouldn't stir.
There was a reason for this. Before coming to the banquet, Jegal Biyeon had just returned from a mission. The constant discomfort she felt while outside had kept her from sleeping a wink for three days.
This brief nap was her first in three days.
“Tsk, tsk. Kids these days are so careless. What has the world come to! It's the end of days, I tell you.”
Muttering this, Ha Yuseong took off his outer robe and draped it over Jegal Biyeon's shoulders.
“This should keep her warm, right?”
Youth might be wonderful, but the weather was still too chilly for sleeping outdoors.
* * *
The banquet continued all night.
Ha Yuseong accepted the cups of wine offered by his seniors and, for the first time in a while, enjoyed the lively festivities.
From time to time, he brought a blanket from the inn and wrapped it around Jegal Biyeon.
“This should be enough, right?”
As the morning sun began to rise, Ha Yuseong wore a satisfied expression.
*This was the best that Grandpa Yuseong could do.*
“The banquet is over. Everyone, disperse. Go and attend to your duties. The two rookies, report to the Crouching Dragon Unit by noon.”
Young Namgung was passed out drunk.
“I'll carry this one.”
One of the seniors hoisted young Namgung over his shoulder and left. The other seniors also disappeared to their own destinations.
Ha Yuseong also left the inn and headed home. He needed to get at least a little sleep before reporting in by noon.
* * *
Today was what you could call his first official day of work at the Murim Alliance.
The scene that greeted Ha Yuseong upon his arrival at the Crouching Dragon Unit was similar to his first day.
The Unit Leader was slumped in his chair, feet propped up on the table, taking a nap.
The seniors he had seen yesterday were nowhere in sight, and young Namgung was still sleeping face-down on the floor.
“You're here.”
“Yes, sir!”
Seo Pung saw Ha Yuseong and rose from his seat.
“Starting today, you two will be on guard duty at the side gate to get acclimated to the Murim Alliance...”
Just then, a white messenger hawk flew in and perched on its stand. A letter was tied to its leg.
Seo Pung checked the letter.
“Intervention from the Strategist's Hall. This is unexpected.”
After reading the letter, Seo Pung looked at Ha Yuseong and spoke again.
“You two have been given a new assignment. Starting today, your guard duty will be in the first district of the Chengdu outer sector.”
* * *
The Strategist's Hall.
“The white hawk has arrived.”
“What is the reply?”
A second-class secretary of the Strategist's Hall untied the letter from the hawk's leg, checked it, and replied.
“It's an acceptance.”
“Understood.”
In the hands of the Strategist, Jegal Noein, was a letter.
[Ronin Association]
-Please take good care of the man named Ha Yuseong. If you ever need a favor, do not hesitate to ask. -Myeongwon-
“Hoho. To think I'd live to see the day I could put the Ronin King in my debt. Ha Yuseong, who are you?”
Jegal Noein was about to give an order to his subordinate, but then stopped.
“Investigate everything about Ha Yuseong. No! Never mind.”
“Sir?”
This was a man whose identity was personally guaranteed by none other than the Ronin King. There was no reason for him to risk offending the man.
“Yes. It wouldn't be a bad idea to use this situation as he suggested. And as it happens, the prized flower of the Namgung Family is with him.”
A situation had arisen where he could potentially move the kingdoms of Han and Chu by using a mere pawn.
Jegal Noein began the headache-inducing task of figuring out where best to place these individuals who were backed by the Sword King and the Ronin King.