Chapter 9: Divine Art (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 9: Divine Art (2)
"Haa…! Haa…! Ugh, I’m dying…!"
Chun-bong lay sprawled on the ground, her body twisting in exhaustion. This was the price of surviving their deadly game of tag with the thugs.
"You really need to exercise. Your stamina is pathetic."
Seo-jun clicked his tongue. Naturally, Chun-bong shot him a fierce glare.
"You…! Wheeze…! If you hadn't pulled that crazy stunt, we wouldn't be in this mess!"
"What did I do? Don’t you know the old saying in the Murim? Always beware of women and children."
"That’s because—you fucker! Gasp! It means you shouldn't let your guard down around anyone! Are you saying we shouldn't be careful around adult men, too?!"
"Oho. Good point."
As Seo-jun nodded, Chun-bong struggled to her feet and spat out a glob of thick saliva. It was laced with blood.
"I really thought I was going to die…"
It took her a long time to catch her breath before she asked with genuine curiosity, "So, why did you actually do that? If a woman clings to you, you can just grope her ass a few times and send her on her way."
"What… Miss Geum Chun-bong, do you have no sense of chastity?"
"That’s their job!"
According to Chun-bong, there was no other way for a woman to survive the backalleys.
"Some choose it, but the Black Tiger Sect kidnaps a lot of women and forces them to become courtesans. They even sever the tendons in one of their legs so they can’t run away."
"Sever their tendons? Those bastards are insane."
"Look who’s talking. Honestly."
Chun-bong clicked her tongue. Seo-jun’s mind drifted back to the woman he had seen on his first day in the Murim.
Had she also been kidnapped and forced into that life? He wasn't sure if that fate was better or worse than dying.
While they rested, he told her about that day. Chun-bong gave him a strange look.
"Are you a misogynist or something? Do you just hate women on sight?"
"It’s not hate. I just don’t trust them. What if I’m in the middle of a brutal fight and they stab me in the back?"
"Good grief. Then what about me? I’m a woman, too."
"You’re Chun-bong before you’re a woman."
They had rested enough.
Seo-jun hoisted Chun-bong onto his back and began to walk.
"And you, you little brat, what’s with all this 'woman' talk?"
"I’m old enough to get married, you prick!"
"Sure, keep dreaming."
After that, they walked in silence for a while. Occasionally, Chun-bong would point the way, and Seo-jun would turn like a human being steered by a rat.
The place they eventually reached was still deep within the backalleys.
"This place is huge. The backalleys are practically the size of a city."
Ignoring Seo-jun’s grumbling, Chun-bong tapped his shoulder.
"Let’s try over there. It was empty the last time I checked."
She pointed to a cluster of buildings similar to their previous hideout. However, the condition of these was even worse. Without exaggeration, they looked like they would collapse from a light shove.
"Are we going to die in our sleep?"
"We won't."
Stepping inside, they found what could only be described as a pigsty. Metaphorically speaking, of course. The man inside—who looked like a true beggar even compared to Seo-jun or Chun-bong—was just an added bonus.
"Who are you people? Get lost!"
Ignoring him, Seo-jun looked at the girl on his back. "Hey, there’s someone here."
"Hmm… Should we kick him out?"
"Why are you so mean? He was living here just fine."
"What? You human-slaughtering bastard."
As they chatted, the beggar quietly picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground.
"You, leave that thing at your waist and go. That’s not something a brat should be carrying."
"Whoa, old man. Why don’t you put that down? You’re going to get hurt."
Chun-bong added to Seo-jun’s warning.
"This guy is a total human butcher. Unless you want to be chopped into pieces, let’s just settle this nicely."
"You little…!"
The man stepped forward, his eyes bulging.
"Stop talking nonsense and hand it over!"
He reached out. Seo-jun, with Chun-bong still on his back, lightly pivoted his body.
"Oops!"
The man tripped over Seo-jun’s foot and tumbled to the dirt. He scrambled back up, huffing with rage.
"I tried to be nice!"
He lunged, raising the stone high. Seo-jun secured Chun-bong with one hand and extended the other.
Thwack!
A Finger Pellet shot out, striking the man squarely in the forehead.
"Agh!"
The man clutched his forehead and rolled on the ground. Seeing this, Chun-bong sounded surprised.
"You didn’t kill him?"
"What, do you think I’m some kind of murder addict?"
He was finally getting the hang of Tanji-gong, making it easy to adjust its power. The more he used it, the more he realized what a reliable martial art it was. Even if he had created it himself, it was damn impressive.
"Y-you bastards…!"
However, the beggar still hadn't grasped the situation and charged again.
About five minutes passed.
"He-hehe… Oh, Great Hero…! I failed to recognize your greatness!"
After a thorough beating, the man had become instantly subservient, prostrating himself on the ground.
Chun-bong, who had climbed down to start inspecting the house, looked at him with pity.
"How has he survived this long with such poor intuition?"
"You are absolutely right! It was pure luck!"
"Ugh…" Chun-bong recoiled in horror as she discovered rotting scraps of food on the floor. "Hey, clean this up. I was going to do it myself if it was reasonable, but this is too much."
Hearing her, the man glanced at Seo-jun to gauge his reaction. Chun-bong’s eyebrows twitched.
"…This guy?"
"Whoa, whoa, Chun-bong. You shouldn't hit people."
"Then what were you just doing? Petting him?"
"I’m different."
"You crazy bastard."
Seo-jun chuckled and flicked his hand.
"Old man, Chun-bong says she’s tired, so clean it up."
"Yes, sir!"
While the man began cleaning at lightning speed, Seo-jun looked around and sat down next to Chun-bong.
"The more I think about it, the more of a waste it feels."
"The broad blades? I told you to forget about them. We can’t even sell them; they’re just a liability."
They had taken two from the first group of criminals, and seven from Jang Chun-deuk’s friends who had since become corpses. Seo-jun thought they could fetch a decent price at a blacksmith, but Chun-bong had insisted they throw them away.
"Can’t we just sell them secretly?"
"No one would take them. If word got back to the Black Tiger Sect, the blacksmith and everyone involved would be wiped out."
"Is that so?"
If she said so, then it was a shame.
As Seo-jun smacked his lips in regret, Chun-bong poked him in the ribs.
"More importantly, we need to find a market nearby. The one we used to go to is too far."
"Ah, right."
He turned to the man who was scrubbing the floor.
"Old man, is there a market near here?"
"Eh? Ah, yes! There is! Shall I show you the way?"
"After you finish cleaning."
He heard a soft click of the tongue.
Being the magnanimous person he was, Lee Seo-jun decided to let it slide. However, Chun-bong seemed to have more questions.
"Hey, who are the local powers around here?"
"Powers, you say?"
The man, currently scooping up rotten food with his bare hands, furrowed his brow in thought.
"Hmm… It’s a bit vague. It’s not exactly Black Tiger Sect territory, but it’s not under the control of any of the other small fries either."
"Oh, really? Isn't that a good thing, then?"
The man shook his head at Seo-jun’s remark.
"That’s exactly why you see all of them. Those godforsaken bastards. If there was only one group, they might show some mercy, but since there are several overlapping factions, you get shaken down multiple times."
"Wow."
What a terrible place to live. He’d probably run into a thug whenever he was bored.
Wait, no. In a way, it wasn't bad at all. Didn't that mean training partners would come looking for him on their own?
He certainly wouldn't feel guilty about cutting down guys like that.
Chun-bong frowned, reading his expression.
"I told you before, blood has a demonic nature…"
"Yeah, okay. I get it. Stop nagging."
"I’m worrying about you, you prick."
Seo-jun grinned and patted Chun-bong’s head.
"Oh, were you worrying about me? How sweet."
"Don’t do that."
"Doon’t doo thaaat."
"You bastard!"
He got smacked.
*
After finishing the cleaning and guiding them to the market, the man left with a subservient smile.
Seo-jun hadn't intended to give the house back anyway, but when he asked if the man had another place to stay, the beggar simply said he would find another empty shack.
"Try to clean up a bit wherever you end up living."
"Yes, yes, of course, Great Hero."
And so, their middle-aged beggar-maid left.
Chun-bong looked over their newly reclaimed sanctuary with satisfaction, her eyes sparkling sharply.
"Then let’s start as soon as possible."
"Start what?"
"The transmission of the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword. But first, the Yellow Cloud Divine Art."
*
Unlike when she had taught him the Three Talents Sword Art, Chun-bong became a strict, razor-sharp teacher.
"Memorize it again. If you get this mixed up, you’re truly fucked."
"There’s too much."
"Stop complaining."
Baihui, Yintang, Tiantu, Shanzhong, Zhongwan, Qihai, Huiyin, Weilü, and so on.
Starting with the acupoints of the Governing and Conception vessels, he had to memorize all the other points in the body, along with complex concepts like the Twelve Meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. His head felt like it was going to explode.
"The Three Talents Heart Method isn't a high-level technique and its pathways are quite broad, so it’s relatively safe. But the Yellow Cloud Divine Art is different. It’s not called a Divine Art for nothing. If you mess up, you won’t just end up a cripple; you’ll explode and die without even leaving a corpse behind. So memorize it until you can’t possibly get it wrong."
So, he memorized it. Perhaps his memory had improved along with his martial arts, as it didn't take nearly as long as he expected.
"Good. Now I’ll show you the Qi circulation path of the Yellow Cloud Divine Art."
He memorized that, too.
"Next is the oral chant."
He memorized it.
"The Yellow Cloud Divine Art is fundamentally based on the principle that Wuji is Taiji."
"Wuji… what?"
"Wuji is Taiji. Wuji is Taiji itself. Taiji is the same as Wuji—a state of chaos or nothingness, meaning it is the beginning of all things."
"Sounds grand."
"Just keep that in mind. These are concepts you’ll have to realize for yourself as you learn the Yellow Cloud Divine Art."
"Whoa."
After memorizing everything, he began to circulate his Qi based on the Yellow Cloud Divine Art.
It was completely different from the Three Talents Heart Method. The pathway was incredibly complex, and there were several moments when he almost strayed into the wrong meridian.
"Cough…! Ah, blood."
"Hey, hey! Focus!"
Fortunately, perhaps because the Three Talents Heart Method was such a basic technique, he didn't have to sacrifice the meager internal energy he had accumulated so far to switch arts.
Once he became somewhat accustomed to the Yellow Cloud Divine Art, she began teaching him the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword.
"I haven't mastered all of it myself. In the first place, I learned the Azure Cloud Divine Sword, not the Yellow Cloud Divine Sword."
"What?"
He looked at Chun-bong in disbelief, and she glared right back.
"What, you brat? The Yellow Cloud Divine Art and Yellow Cloud Divine Sword are based on Yang energy, so they don’t suit women. The Azure Cloud Divine Art and Azure Cloud Divine Sword were derived from them specifically for women."
"Aha."
"They eventually merge into one as they achieve Taiji, anyway."
And so, a year passed.
*
"You really have a natural talent for manipulating Qi. From what I’ve seen, you might be the greatest in history."
"Of course. I know."
Chun-bong looked at the smugly nodding Seo-jun with annoyance.
She wanted to retort, but it was the truth, so she couldn't argue.
Even shortly after learning the Three Talents Heart Method, he had handled internal energy as naturally as moving his own limbs.
And what about Jang Chun-deuk? Even when fighting those Black Tiger Sect bastards, Seo-jun had fought remarkably well using only that tiny bit of internal energy.
"But you don’t really have a talent for physical movement. It’s not that you have none, but the gap between your footwork and your talent for Qi is just too large."
"Is thaaat soo?"
"Ah, I told you not to pet me!"
Chun-bong huffed as she dodged Seo-jun’s hand. Seo-jun just chuckled at her.
A year had already passed, but her tiny body showed no signs of growing.
Whether it was because of her Severed Meridians or if she was just fully grown, he didn't really care. She was cute enough as is.
"Anyway, just keep that in mind. It doesn't seem like there’s much more I can teach you… Cough…!"
Chun-bong’s cough was wet with blood.
She tried to act as if nothing was wrong, casually wiping it away on her sleeve, but Seo-jun—whose eyes were finally opening to the world of martial arts—was not fooled.
‘This is dangerous.’
At this rate, her life was in peril. Was there anywhere he could get a spirit herb?
Tap, tap. His fingers drummed against the sword at his waist.