I Was Forced to Become His Disciple
I was forced to become his disciple.
"Haaahm... hm. Mother...?"
I woke from an unsettling dream to find my mother's room empty. Stumbling over half-asleep to check, I saw that the bedding had long since gone cold—she must have been gone for quite a while.
Where had she gone?
A sudden sense of dread crept over me. Surely she hadn't gone to that man in the middle of the night? I hurriedly threw open the door and stepped outside.
The inn was already bustling with preparations for opening, even at this early hour. Walking quickly back to the place where we had eaten last night, I found—thankfully—Ma Cheonseong sitting alone at a table, leafing through a letter. As I approached, he spoke as though he'd been waiting for me.
"Awake at last? Ah, your mother went to wash up."
She went to wash up? If she'd been cozied up with this man since morning, my heart might have seized right there. Perhaps it was because I'd been so on edge over Mother and this man lately, but in the night I'd dreamed of the two of them doing unspeakable, obscene things in bed.
It couldn't be. Surely not.
I turned my eyes away from Ma Cheonseong toward the stairs, and just then Mother was coming up them.
"Did you sleep well, Mother? You went to wash up?"
Having just bathed, her already fair, translucent skin was flushed a delicate pink, making her look more beautiful than ever.
"You grow more lovely by the day, madam."
Watching Mother blush at Ma Cheonseong's compliment, a pointless spike of jealousy rose in me. I knew Mother's beauty better than anyone.
"I'm getting old, you know. Excessive flattery only embarrasses me, so please, no more of it."
"That's what they call mature beauty. Or should I say ripened allure?"
At that, Mother's face grew even redder.
She turned away, then caught my eye, and stroked my head in greeting.
"Did you sleep well, my son?"
"You disappeared in the morning. You gave me a fright."
"It was early, and you were sleeping so soundly I didn't have the heart to wake you. I sweated quite a bit last night, so I went to wash up."
"Nothing... happened last night, did it?"
"...Of course not. What could possibly have happened? Now hurry and wash up yourself."
By the time I'd done as she said and returned, the two of them were seated at the table, apparently in the middle of a rather important conversation.
"Then, as I said last night, I shall pass the Heavenly Demon Divine Art down to the boy."
"...In exchange, please don't tell him anything unnecessary. He grew up without a father. Don't wound him again."
"Understood."
"And once the boy has achieved enough to protect himself—or if, before that, anyone ever attacks Seyoung—then Seyoung and I will leave at once."
"Then you must promise as well, madam. As long as neither of those two conditions is met, you will not leave."
"Yes..."
Mother's face had grown noticeably dark.
"Mother, I'm back from washing up."
"Seyoung, my dear... come here a moment. There's something I need to discuss with you, here with this gentleman."
Ma Cheonseong was watching me, as if he had something to say as well.
"Do you remember the conversation the two of us had yesterday?"
"Yes. You said you'd be leaving this morning."
"That's going to be postponed a little."
When I shot back a what?, Mother wore a genuinely apologetic expression.
"Seyoung, there's a problem with your body now. It seems going home right away won't be possible. As it happens, His Excellency says he can improve your condition, so I intend to travel with him while he treats you."
"But I'm not sick."
"You may not be sick now, but there's a strong chance you will be in the near future."
Somehow, it felt like there was another reason entirely. Whatever that reason was, Mother—despite the promise she'd made with me just yesterday—seemed to have tossed it aside this morning without a second thought.
And I wasn't sick at all.
Come to think of it, it was strange. Only days ago I had coughed up blood, my bones and sinews crushed, my qi and blood twisted in agony—yet my body now was inexplicably full of vigor. Perhaps the elixir the man had given me, combined with the breathing method he'd taught me, had done the trick. I had apparently slept a full day and night, but when I woke, my body felt light.
On the point of having saved my life, I supposed I could be grateful. Even if my body had ended up that way because of this man in the first place.
"So it's decided. From today onward, Seyoung, this man Ma Cheonseong will be looking after you."
"I refuse."
"A fine answer. Let's get along wel—what?"
"I don't like you."
I hadn't liked him from our very first meeting. The way he treated Mother as if she were his possession. The way Mother responded to him so naturally. And worse—Mother had tried to abandon me over something involving this man. She'd lied to me. She'd broken the promise she made with me. What reason could I possibly have to like him?
Not that I could call it a reason, exactly, but the dream of Mother and this man from last night had been utterly sinister.
"Seyoung, what are you saying..."
Mother moved to restrain me.
"As I just said, your body is not in a normal state. Only by entrusting yourself to him can it be treated."
"Why? Why does it have to be that man? Why can't it be anyone else?"
"Seyoung, your condition has become something very unusual—something no ordinary physician could resolve. And the only way to heal it is for you to learn martial arts from this gentleman."
Mother herself looked exasperated at having to explain such a thing to her own son.
"Martial arts? You mean the very thing I begged you for, time and time again, and you never once permitted?"
The tales of chivalrous wanderers who carried a single sword across the world, drawing steel beneath the banner of justice—those stories had captivated a child like me, living deep in the mountains and gathering herbs.
But whenever I said I wanted to learn martial arts, that I wanted to become a man of the murim, Mother would turn fearsome and scold me. Now the tables had turned. If the alternative was learning from that man, I'd sooner teach myself.
Even if mastering martial arts would make me strong, I had no desire to wander the murim anymore. I understood too well now. If I left Mother's side, those who coveted her would have nothing left to fear.
I had never even seen my father's face, but perhaps guarding Mother was how a child fulfilled his duty to him. Of course, to keep what happened before from ever happening again, I needed to grow strong.
That man might be stronger than any of those wandering heroes from the stories.
But I couldn't stand the way he looked at Mother. I had a premonition that if I followed after him, that man would take Mother from me in the end. I wanted to grow strong to protect her—if I obeyed these words, it would defeat its own purpose entirely.
"Seyoung, there's no help for it this time. Through this chance, you can finally begin properly—with a proper master—the martial arts you always wanted to learn."
"I don't want to learn from him. I want to go back to where we lived and keep living the way we always have."
At her son's flat declaration, Mother's face twisted with trouble. Seeing it stirred a faint guilt in me—but something like certainty had taken root as well.
Teaching me martial arts was not Mother's will. I would absolutely not do as that man wished.
The moment I looked away from Mother, Ma Cheonseong, having watched the standoff between us, weighed in on her side.
"Seyoung. I am far stronger than you imagine. In all of history, few have surpassed me. That is not boastfulness, nor a reckless guarantee. It is simply fact."
I had no words. Had this man chewed up the word "humility" and spat it out?
"And one who receives instruction in the martial arts from me is a tremendously fortunate person."
When I gave no answer, he continued.
"Was it not infuriating? Having your mother stolen from you by me."
"She hasn't been stolen yet!"
My true feelings burst out before I could stop them.
"Dear, what are you trying to say?"
"Stay out of this, madam."
Ma Cheonseong stared straight into my eyes and went on.
"Is that so? You've merely been lucky—lucky that your mother hasn't yet been taken from you."
"Yet? What do you mean, yet?"
"Just so. I find your mother pleasing. Do you know? After you lost consciousness, I could have taken her. But I did not. From now on, however, I intend to take her as mine. In truth, it was for that very reason I sought out that remote mountain village at all."
"Dear! That is quite enough!"
I thought the man had gone mad. He was standing there, declaring to a son's face that he was going to take his mother away and make her his wife. I wanted to laugh at him. I wanted to shout that his plan had been doomed from the very start.
"That will be impossible."
"And why do you think it's impossible?"
Ma Cheonseong and I glared at each other like beasts ready to devour one another. Unlike before, I did not lose consciousness.
"Because Mother still loves our father!"
"Seyoung?!"
Mother ducked her head as if embarrassed, while Ma Cheonseong froze for a moment—then broke into a confident smile and asked me in return.
"She said that, did she? When, exactly?"
"Seyoung, stop this at once!"
"She said it yesterday!"
Why was she interrupting me? Did Mother have feelings for that man? Was everything she'd told me about her memories with Father merely an obstacle to whatever future she had with that damned man?
Now even Mother's attempts to calm me felt hateful. It sounded, somehow, as though she had only said she still loved Father in order to deceive me.
"So she did say it. Interesting, madam."
Watching Ma Cheonseong smirk while Mother blushed and looked away, I felt like I was losing my mind.
"Fine. Seyoung. Let us make a wager."
"A wager...?"
With eyes that looked thoroughly entertained, Ma Cheonseong laid his bet before me.
"As I said before—you very nearly lost your mother. Because you were weak."
Tch. That much was true. Mother started to say something, but Ma Cheonseong cut her off and continued.
"Learn the martial arts from me, and you will gain the strength to protect her."
"In other words..."
"Precisely. If you learn from me and grow strong, you will be able to stop me from taking your mother."
"That's absurd! How long would it take for me to grow strong enough to keep her from you? You're just talking in circles!"
"Then will you sit on your hands and watch as I take her? Well? Care to try calling me Father?"
"I'll kill you!"
I could bear it no longer.
"Then follow me. There's a decent clearing just ahead. We'll settle this there."
"Dear! What is the meaning of this?!"
"Madam, I shall soon receive your son's blessing and make you a formal proposal of marriage. Wait for me."
"What on earth..."
Mother wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Father, please. Help me protect Mother. I swear I'll do it.
We made our way to the clearing and faced each other across a stretch of distance. Now that we stood like this, I couldn't help wondering—could I actually beat him?
This was nothing like an ordinary street brawl. Mother's fate hung on this fight. I could not afford to lose.
"Very well. Then let us set the terms."
"Terms?"
"As you know, there exists a hopeless, overwhelming gulf between the two of us."
That was also true. Again and again, he bound me in truths I couldn't refute.
"And I have no particular taste for tormenting the weak. If I won her by such methods, I doubt your mother would be pleased."
Ma Cheonseong spoke as though I weren't even worth his attention, his gaze drifting past me to Mother, who was watching us with anxious eyes.
"I'll give you half a shichen—about an hour. If you can lay so much as a single finger on my body, you win."
It would be no easy feat.
"If you win, I will send you and your mother back at once. But if I win—you become my disciple, and from that moment I will pursue your mother openly and without restraint. You will not interfere."
"Those terms are insane!"
There was no chance at all that I could even touch his body—I wouldn't manage to stain it with a speck of dust. He was telling me outright: hand your mother over to me.
"If you refuse, that's fine as well. But don't imagine that your interference will keep me from approaching her."
He was right. What could I possibly do to stop him from approaching her? Especially if Mother's heart had already begun to drift toward him.
And yet—there are times when a man walks forward, even knowing he will lose.
Seeing me suddenly charge at him, Ma Cheonseong smiled.
"I like a decisive young man."
As expected, I couldn't lay so much as a fingertip on him—not a single grain of dust touched his body.
Ma Cheonseong, without shedding a single drop of sweat, looked down at me kneeling on the ground and declared that he and I were now master and disciple.
It was humiliating. But even so, I felt keenly all over again how lacking my strength was.
Even if he gave up and Mother and I returned to where we'd lived, nothing guaranteed this would never happen again. And next time, the man who came might not be as gentlemanly as Ma Cheonseong.
And if Mother truly did have feelings for him... then perhaps letting her go was the right thing after all.
My spirits sank.
Mother's face was brimming with sorrow, but she fought to change her expression and smiled for me.
"Her consent has already been given, so there's no need for anyone to feel awkward about it."
"Now, Seyoung. You must greet your master, hmm?"
"It's an honor to learn from you, Master... sir."
I bowed. He said there were traditionally proper ceremonies, but that as his master he didn't care for such empty formalities, and we should skip them.
"Seyoung, from today onward you will train not only in the Heavenly Demon Divine Art but in forging your bones and sinews as well. It will be punishing work. Brace yourself."
"Yes, Master... sir."
Following Ma Cheonseong—no, my master—Mother and I were to continue the journey after all.