Chapter 39
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Chapter 11. Ancient Five Animals Technique (3)
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Hwa Yeong was dead. Choi Ong had withdrawn, and now Ma Yeop was about to leave as well. Half of the six in Jeong's squad were gone, leaving only half behind.
What about the other squads?
Flying Tiger figured it was probably much the same. There was no reason to work some mercenaries hired for the same pay to the bone while going easy on others.
And if that was the case, then soon...
'There'll be a major reinforcement of personnel or a reorganization of the group. The branch leader's visit that day was probably in that context too. Yeah, things will be chaotic. A perfect opportunity!'
Flying Tiger had died and come back to life, but that didn't mean he'd forgotten his purpose for being here right now.
A spy who had taken on a double commission.
Working in the temporary organization called the Face Pursuit Squad, he would earn "trust" from those above. Then, using that "trust," he'd extract the necessary information and pass it on. As long as his life held out, it was the one thin thread connecting him to saving Gong Won-yeong!
But...
"Tch, before that, there's some settling up to do, huh?"
Flying Tiger was the type who couldn't rest easy until he'd repaid what he owed, whether it was a debt of gratitude or resentment.
When he thought about it, he owed Ma Yeop a big one this time, and smaller ones to Jin Ga-yong and the Zhao Family Manor.
Fortunately, the parties involved had given him the leads on how to repay them, so Flying Tiger aimed to tie up as many loose ends as possible today.
Starting with the biggest.
As the sun dipped fully toward the horizon in the late afternoon, Flying Tiger went to Ma Yeop's quarters to share a cup of tea. But he didn't send word ahead; instead, he waited idly out front. It was his way of not interrupting whatever Ma Yeop was doing.
About half a shichen (30 minutes) later, a voice came from inside.
"Is that little brother out there?"
"Yeah, Brother Ma. Mind if I come in?"
Ma Yeop opened the door to greet him. His face looked far more haggard than it had at dawn, but a soft glint of resolve shone in his one good eye.
He clicked his tongue and said,
"Come on in. But seriously, if you'd come, you could've made some noise instead of waiting out here the whole time?"
"I just got here, so don't worry about it. How's the body holding up, anyway?"
"What, now that I'm feeling a bit better, you're suddenly curious about my well-being?"
"Heh heh heh, yeah, exactly. Your little bro here's a bit shallow like that."
Ma Yeop and Flying Tiger traded light-hearted jabs with smiles as they exchanged greetings, and Ma Yeop led him inside.
But Flying Tiger was the one who'd been injured—why were they talking like this?
The day before, Ma Yeop had squeezed out too much of his inner energy treating Flying Tiger, leading to minor internal injuries of his own.
So from the day he'd taught Flying Tiger the Ancient Five Animals Technique, Ma Yeop had devoted most of his time to tending his own wounds. After instructing Flying Tiger at dawn, he'd holed up in his quarters nearly all day, focusing on circulating his qi.
Flying Tiger had guessed the situation from the signs, but Ma Yeop's complexion had improved daily, so he hadn't worried much. Today, though, he looked especially worn out, prompting the casual check-in.
A moment later, Ma Yeop poured Flying Tiger a cup of freshly brewed tea and replied,
"I'm fine. Just pushed myself a bit while taking care of some other matters on top of it, that's all. No need for you to worry, little brother."
"Other matters?"
"My mania."
"Hm. And that fixes itself on command?"
"Of course not. But the treatment went as well as I'd hoped, so I'm satisfied."
"As hoped? Not a full cure?"
"The phlegm-fire has been raging so long it's wrecked the balance of my body. It'll be tricky until the fire poison subsides."
"How'd that happen?"
As Flying Tiger looked shocked, Ma Yeop simply clenched and unclenched his fist, staring down at his hand. Then, with a faint smile, he said,
"It was after I abandoned my master and senior brothers to run away like a coward. When I came to and swore revenge. I vowed I'd rather die than run again. But you know, even if that's what I thought, my body was honest, wasn't it? Heh heh heh. Thing is, when that swordsman bastard picked up his blade, his hand shook like crazy. It was tremors. Truth is, I was scared shitless."
"......"
"How could I even dream of revenge like that? So I stoked the heart-fire and dyed myself in madness. A mad dog wouldn't even know what fear is."
"Stoking the heart-fire—something like Reverse Heaven sorcery?"
"It's not a demonic art, so don't misunderstand. Think of it like drawing on innate true qi."
"Haa......"
Innate true qi is the qi you're born with—the fundamental life force of a human.
Thus, while purer than the inner energy accumulated in the dantian, it can't be replenished through meditation. Once depleted, you die. Using it like inner energy grants tremendous power temporarily, but at the cost of death or becoming a cripple. It's infamous as a mutual destruction technique for those who've given up on survival.
In short, what Ma Yeop meant by "stoking the heart-fire" was gaining immediate power—madness—at the price of permanently damaging his body. Regardless of how it was possible, that power was "madness."
In other words, Ma Yeop had chosen to become a madman himself to shake off fear.
"Was the self-harm part of that too?"
"Among other things. My face and voice were disgustingly real, after all."
"And now?"
"If I set the sword aside and keep my mind and body pure, I can live with a sound mind for at least a few more years. And that's plenty of time to fulfill my duties."
Flying Tiger sighed in regret at the thought of the Qingcheng Sect swordsman once called "Fire Rain" and even "Blue-Eyed Sword" leaving the jianghu like this.
Ma Yeop spoke flatly.
"I've achieved my revenge—what lingering regrets could I have in this jianghu?"
The words hung in the air, and Flying Tiger simply nodded.
How could there be no attachments?
But surviving to leave the jianghu was a blessing in its own right. And sending off someone who must go with a willing heart was the proper way.
Slurp.
They sipped their tea in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Though they didn't speak, they both reminisced about the first and last battle they'd fought together. In this modest way, they marked Ma Yeop's retirement.
At the end, Flying Tiger chuckled and asked his impressions.
"So, now that it's all done, how do you feel?"
"Just empty. But satisfied nonetheless. Self-consolation, you might say. If I hadn't even managed that much, I'd still be wandering in hell."
"Good. I'm a bit disappointed, but if you're satisfied, Brother Ma, then I'll accept it that way too. And..."
Flying Tiger set down his teacup and straightened his expression. He voiced his pledge, his resolve.
"...I'll promise once more. As long as I live, whether it takes ten years or thirty, no matter how long, I'll achieve it. And return it fully to the Qingcheng Sect."
"......!"
Before teaching Flying Tiger the Ancient Five Animals Technique (hereafter referred to as the "Five Animals Technique"), Ma Yeop had laid down one condition: he would only teach it if they made a pact.
'Until you achieve mastery in the Five Animals Technique, you must not even glance at any other inner energy methods. Can you do it?'
In other words, accumulate qi solely through the Five Animals Technique—until the vague point of "achieving mastery."
As mentioned earlier, the Five Animals Technique accumulated inner energy far slower than other methods, so even in the Qingcheng Sect, no martial artist made it their primary art. Even Ma Yeop himself had used it only as a supplement, with "Nine Purity Core Skill" as his main practice.
So why did Ma Yeop want Flying Tiger to make it his primary?
First.
It fit Flying Tiger's current state perfectly.
He had to stick to the Five Animals Technique anyway to fully heal his internal injuries. The half-baked "thunder"-attribute inner method he'd been practicing was like a live fuse—who knew when it might blow? If he wanted to live, he had to ditch it ASAP.
Given the circumstances, switching fully to the Five Animals Technique was a solid choice.
Honestly, when did a ronin warrior like Flying Tiger ever get a chance to learn a proper inner method?
Slow accumulation aside, it was an authentic sect treasure, refined over generations by mountain dwellers. Stable, versatile, with benefits like loosening muscles and bones, stimulating meridians, and strengthening organs.
Second.
If the first was based on immediate reality, the second was Ma Yeop's true wish: to prove his master's hypothesis.
'(Omitted)... Thus, the Ancient Five Animals Technique is straightforward and unyielding like the old ways, without blockages or distinctions.
Is it not worthy of being called the Great Way?
Thus, I dare say it is the essence of Qingcheng. If fully embraced and blossomed, its merits will know no bounds!'
Among the merits Wall-Eyed Master claimed, the greatest was that practicing the Ancient Five Animals Technique would make one's qi purer and the body as pristine as an infant's—like undergoing marrow cleansing. In turn, possibilities closed at birth or over life would reopen one by one.
In essence, the path to superhumanity.
Of course, just a hypothesis.
And when Wall-Eyed Master conceived it, neither he nor Ma Yeop and the other disciples could master the Ancient Five Animals Technique to that level—they were too clogged with accumulated impurities.
So he'd wanted to take a prodigious child disciple with exceptional aptitude and bones from the start, but finding such talent isn't easy. Amid his worries, the Sichuan Eight Villains stirred, and in righteous fury, he and his disciples met disaster.
Ma Yeop, the sole survivor, had forgotten his master's wish amid his vengeful rampage.
But now, at the moment of leaving the jianghu, he was passing on both the Five Animals Technique and the aspiration within it. And Flying Tiger, receiving it, pledged to achieve mastery and someday return the merit to Qingcheng.
The jianghu's turning wheel of karma.
"But you... Do you really believe in that transcendent power said to be in the Five Animals Technique?"
"Well, it's a little exciting, I guess?"
"A little?"
"Superhuman? Honestly, it sounds like pie in the sky. But that's why I like it. Feels like I'm the protagonist in some immortal tale."
"......"
"Don't worry. It's something I'll be with for life anyway. Once I've got it ingrained for about ten years and it's second nature, then I'll take it seriously."
"Mm. What if it doesn't live up to expectations?"
"Thirty years."
"...?"
"I'll put in at least that much time and effort, and if it still feels wrong, then I'll be disappointed. But deep down, I believe I'll achieve something, no matter what. Like the Foolish Old Man Moving the Mountain—with that kind of sincerity, even mountains move."
Flying Tiger intended to spend this life with the Ancient Five Animals Technique, whether it made him or broke him. Investing part of his life to fulfill Ma Yeop's wish—that was how he repaid his great debt.