Chapter 38
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Chapter 11. Precise Golden Footwork (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Once Biho finished the Peacock Tail Form, Ma Yeop, who had been correcting his posture, asked,
"How did that form feel?"
"It's burning hot. The pain spreads through my whole body like flames licking over me."
"And then?"
"It fades quickly, and now it's just stinging like embers."
"No place where the pain pools heavily?"
"No."
"Good. That means you've stimulated it properly, proof your stance was correct. As I've emphasized time and again, don't rush. Control the rhythm, connect them smoothly and tightly. Your breathing will follow naturally."
Ma Yeop urged him gladly, repeating himself over and over.
Biho stared blankly at Ma Yeop.
"Why?"
"Heh heh heh, how can a master as upright as you glare at the world with such fierce eyes the day before?"
"Hmph, nonsense!"
Embarrassed by Biho's praise(?), Ma Yeop dismissed it and glowered at the clear blue sky with his one remaining eye, grumbling curtly.
"That was the last movement. With this, I've taught you all fifty-five forms of the Golden Footwork. You worked hard learning it."
"You did all the work, brother."
"Right you are. No, it's a relief. Swing by my quarters this afternoon when you have time. Let's have some tea."
"Planning to return to the sect now?"
"I should."
With that, Ma Yeop rose first.
Ma Yeop's damaged voice was still unpleasant to the ear, but it no longer grated like before. There was a handful of longing in it, making it feel all the warmer.
In this way, Ma Yeop had come back without ever crossing the line!
Biho grinned as he watched Ma Yeop's retreating back.
"It's a relief. A good thing, too."
Left alone, Biho rested briefly before resuming his training.
Determined to make this technique a lifelong part of him, he savored each movement from the start, ingraining it properly with intense focus.
Biho was pouring sweat like that when...
Sabak sabak.
A young woman who looked just on the verge of leaving girlhood behind walked quietly into the training ground. He'd spotted her once or twice a day passing by for the last two days, but he hadn't greeted her first. She had clearly seemed uncomfortable.
The woman's name was Jo Baekbing.
She was Jin Ga-yong's fifth martial sister, the Zhao Family Manor's Lord's only daughter, and now the last blood relative of the Jo Clan.
What could it be about?
The late Zhao Family Manor Lord had six disciples in all.
The first was the young manor lord Jo Mok, who died fighting alongside his father.
The second was the Unperson Sword Jin Ga-yong.
After him came the third, Remote Mountain Sword Go Dan-o; fourth, Wang Wu; fifth, Jo Baekbing; and the sixth and youngest, Geum Yu-bong.
Among them, the third, Go Dan-o, was said to be training in some remote place, and the sixth, Geum Yu-bong, had been sent back to his family two months ago.
So the martial siblings of Jin Ga-yong that Biho had met were the fourth, Wang Wu, and the fifth, Jo Baekbing—just the two. They weren't openly hostile to Biho, but neither were they friendly. It felt like they were holding back their displeasure for Jin Ga-yong's sake, who had introduced him.
But Biho didn't pay it much mind.
To them, he was an outsider. Once he focused on treatment and his injuries healed, he'd leave anyway. No need to get entangled.
Or so he thought...
Jo Baekbing must have come for some reason, but she said nothing, simply sitting demurely on a large rock under the plum tree in one corner of the training ground. Then she began watching Biho's training intently with her big eyes.
What the...?
In the martial world, watching someone else's training with such eyes was taboo. It was seen as stealing their martial arts.
And Jo Baekbing, as the scion of a martial family, surely knew that. In other words, she was provocatively challenging Biho in her own way right now.
But Biho wasn't a true denizen of the jianghu deep in his bones. He knew the taboo existed, but he just let it be. Honestly, this was her home, and he was the uninvited guest. So he figured she'd speak up when the time came, training on silently with such easygoing thoughts.
This was the private training ground in the backyard of the detached quarters the Zhao Family Manor had given Biho.
......
After finishing his training, Biho went to the well by the backyard fence, stripped off his upper garments, and rolled up his pant legs tightly. Then he washed his body clean. It was soaked in sticky, pungent sweat.
According to Ma Yeop's explanation, Biho's body, badly damaged from injuries, had been full of dead blood and stagnant qi, and this was them leaving. So it was a good sign.
As Biho scrubbed vigorously, Jo Baekbing continued observing him. It naturally got on his nerves, and Gong Won-yeong's whispered words from some time ago tickled his ear.
'Biho, you don't understand women at all. Next time you meet a strange woman, approach her kindly first. Like you do with me.'
'They're not you.'
'But I'm a woman too, you know?'
'What if they harbor ill intentions toward me? What if one's an assassin out to kill me?'
'Heh, then approach her kindly but cautiously. If she still tries to kill you, deal with her gently. Got it?'
Hoo—
Biho loosely threw on his top and approached Jo Baekbing. Looking at her properly for the first time, he took her in.
Fitting for a martial family daughter, Jo Baekbing had sturdy, straight bones. Her features were symmetrical and well-balanced, her skin smooth and slender. Her curves were distinct where they should be, pronounced and full.
She was a flower in full bloom.
A fresh, pure fragrance wafted from her, in stark contrast to the withering Gong Won-yeong. That tugged at Biho's heart, darkening his expression unwittingly.
"Miss Jo, what brings you here?"
"Hmph, that unlucky look on your face—you must've seen something awful this morning. What, is this the Zhao Family Manor, some forbidden zone I shouldn't enter?"
Jo Baekbing stared at Biho with spirited eyes sharp as blades.
Why?
Biho puzzled over what the problem was, then realized his expression had slipped. He smoothed it out and tried to defuse things.
"This is your home, so you can go anywhere you please. I was just surprised since I wasn't expecting you."
"Aha! Shocked because I'm so ugly, huh?"
"No. Because you're pretty."
"What? Then why the frown?"
"Circumstances. Listen. My heart raced at your beauty, but my injuries aren't fully healed, so it stung and hurt. That's why I grimaced without thinking—don't misunderstand. It's all because of the wounds."
"What nonsense? Selling such ridiculous flattery... looking all pretty-boy gigolo like..."
Jo Baekbing turned her head sharply, muttering, her cheeks faintly flushing. In her fluster, she didn't even notice Biho had casually switched to informal speech.
"I answered because you asked. No other intentions. Anyway, what's your business?"
"Ah, right... Um, you're Martial Brother Jin's subordinate, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then tell me. Are you Martial Brother Jin's man? Or the Martial Qin Alliance's? Who do you swear loyalty to?"
Wariness rose in Jo Baekbing's eyes, and only then did Biho understand the feelings of her and the other martial siblings toward him.
Her father and brother had been killed by the Martial Qin Alliance. How could she feel at ease facing a member of the Face Pursuit Squad they created? Even if her martial brother was part of it.
His thoughts extended further: despite his own circumstances, Jin Ga-yong had brought him all the way here.
All in all, he felt grateful and sorry.
Biho chose his words carefully for a moment. Then he spoke sincerely.
"I don't swear loyalty to anyone. I'm a mercenary who works for pay, doing just as much as I'm paid for."
"Mercenary?"
"Yeah. No affiliation. But if I had to pick a side, it'd be Team Leader Jin Ga-yong's. He's my superior until the contract ends, so I follow his orders."
"Hmm, Martial Brother Jin is..."
"An outstanding swordsman. And I think he's a capable, good superior too."
"Really? You know your stuff."
"I work with him. You see those things when you're together."
"...!"
"So, what's your business?"
"......"
Jo Baekbing eyed Biho anew, up and down, chewing her lip.
She hesitated.
She must have pegged Biho as some scoundrel for whatever reason. But now that conversation flowed, she looked troubled. She was clearly wondering how to broach what she really wanted to say.
'Did she come to pick a fight by creating a tense atmosphere? Watching someone train like that from afar is odd too. Was she hoping I'd get mad first?'
If Biho were in her shoes, he'd have spat in the guy's face first thing. Or slapped him across the cheek. In fact, he'd been doing that since he was ten.
Yet seeing the grown Jo Baekbing act all hesitant and immature made the word "cute" pop into his head unexpectedly.
Looking at her that way, she had the looks to make any young man of her age flutter...
Ahem, ahem.
Biho quickly averted his gaze, turning sideways to look far off. He waited like that for her to finally speak.
But what came from Jo Baekbing's mouth wasn't spit, but an unexpected declaration.
"Spar with me!"
"Why?"
"Well... You see, I need to check if you're qualified to be under Martial Brother."
"And if I'm not? You gonna tell me to quit the Face Pursuit Squad?"
"Yeah."
Biho stared at Jo Baekbing, and she flushed, well aware her words were forced.
Biho added aggrieved gestures to his plea.
"That's too much."
"What is?"
"I told you, this is my livelihood. I was thrilled to land a job I like, and now suddenly another test? Not great from my perspective."
"Tch, just prove your skills then! So, uh... You don't have to beat me or anything. Just to check..."
"Hey."
"What?"
"I've heard the Ye Mountain Zhao Family Manor has been known for generations as paragons of justice. Right?"
"Of course."
Jo Baekbing bristled, and Biho asked again.
"That's what I think too. You took in an injured guy with nowhere to go, even when the manor isn't in great shape lately. Right?"
"Uh......"
"Yeah. So the daughter of such paragons of justice wants to test my qualifications through a spar?"
"Mm, not exactly..."
Jo Baekbing's pupils wavered. She realized her coercion was far from the behavior of a paragon of justice's daughter.
Seeing yet another glimpse of her immaturity, Biho thought at least she wasn't an assassin out to kill him and said indifferently,
"Got it. Let's do it."
"Huh?"
"Spar."
"...!"
"But I'm leaving tomorrow, so only today works. That okay?"
"Uh... Around the end of the You hour (7-9 PM)?"
"Yeah. End of You hour. See you then."
With that, Biho made the appointment with Jin Ga-yong's martial sister Jo Baekbing, waved, and left.
Jo Baekbing, caught off guard, waved back awkwardly before lowering her hand and mumbling,
"But since when did that guy start mixing in informal speech with me?"