Chapter 79
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Chapter 22. Fragments of the Past (4)
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......
My breath was catching in my throat.
Once again, Wang Baek-gun lunged to the left and thrust out his fist. Flying Tiger gritted his teeth and extended his palm to block it.
But Wang Baek-gun spread the fingers he had clenched into a fist, reshaping them into a pointed form. This was known as a spear hand strike, and the momentum behind it seemed like it could pierce right through Flying Tiger's blocking palm.
Their close-quarters exchange was so blisteringly fast and fierce that there was no room to even think.
'So just let the body lead the way!'
In an instant, Flying Tiger twisted his wrist to unwind his extended palm strike, then slapped the back of his hand against Wang Baek-gun's thrusting spear hand with a sharp smack.
He immediately followed up, trying to snatch Wang Baek-gun's wrist with the technique of the Golden Crow Hand.
But this time, Wang Baek-gun was faster. He folded his arm and swept Flying Tiger's hand away with his elbow.
And that was not all.
At the same time, Wang Baek-gun spun his body counterclockwise and gathered his opposite hand like a bird's beak, jabbing viciously backward.
It was aimed at the area around Flying Tiger's knee.
Flying Tiger countered by twisting his body and slamming down his left palm like Mount Tai pressing down on a peak.
Targeting the bird's beak strike coming at his own knee.
Thud.
In that interval, Wang Baek-gun, having fully rotated, extended his stance and thrust at Flying Tiger once more.
This time, he unfurled his previously folded elbow, and the speed was like a bolt of lightning.
'This is insane.'
Flying Tiger urgently withdrew his left foot and raised a knife-hand block with his right to deflect it, but he lost his balance and staggered.
Already on the defensive, the unexpected attack shattered his focus.
Flying Tiger realized his mistake.
The current standoff was like a tightly drawn thread. A blunder like this was fatal.
......?
But Wang Baek-gun did not press the pursuit.
Huff. Huff.
As Flying Tiger panted raggedly and looked up, Wang Baek-gun was dusting off his hands and straightening his robes.
The sparring match, which had lasted half an incense stick's time, had concluded after over a hundred exchanges.
"Good work."
"Thank you for the guidance."
Flying Tiger bowed awkwardly and politely.
He had come to help, only to end up receiving instruction himself instead.
In the heat of battle, he had been too focused on each individual move to notice. But now that he had caught his breath, it was clear. Wang Baek-gun had pressed him relentlessly while subtly varying the tempo to draw out his responses.
That was how they had been able to exchange blows for so long.
"Now that you've loosened up, let's sit and talk for a bit."
Wang Baek-gun moved to a suitable spot midway up the rocky hill and sat down. Flying Tiger followed and took a seat opposite him.
From there, the view of the yellow earth plateau beyond the valley was grand and mystical.
"Your fist technique is concise yet solid. No one could easily break it down. In a real fight, it would carry even more of that unique ferocity, I imagine. Impressive for your age. To my eyes, it resembled Tiger Fist. Am I right?"
"Yes. My teacher said this fist art stems from one branch of the Shaolin Five Fists' Tiger Fist. It's the most refined among the fist and leg techniques I've learned, so I led with it, but it was sorely lacking. I hope it was of some help."
"Help? More than enough—it overflowed. It stirred my fighting spirit after so long; I nearly overdid it."
"Then I'm glad."
Wang Baek-gun looked pleased, then suddenly asked as if struck by a thought.
"By the way, just out of curiosity—why didn't you use your internal energy technique?"
"What do you mean? The Returning Tiger Fist I know is an external fist art. I've never learned Internal Fist separately."
"Hm? Just the other day, you were practicing that internal energy technique so diligently. What is this? At your level, it seemed plenty usable even in combat. And you say you've never learned Internal Fist? Since when has there been a strict divide between internal and external?"
Flying Tiger blinked in confusion at first, then realized Wang Baek-gun was referring to the Nine Breaths Convergence Method as his "internal energy technique."
It was true that the breathing exercise was a form of energy cultivation.
However, Flying Tiger had only thought of it as a way to gather qi and heal body and mind, never as something that could be used to harm others.
"Is that even possible?"
"You didn't know?"
"......"
"To gather qi, you refine your breath and draw it into your dantian, right? So what if you reverse it and emit the refined breath outward?"
"Ah... But even if possible, my internal energy is just a handful. I'd burn through it after a few uses that way. It's not something to squander, so in real fights, I hold back on emitting energy unless it's a decisive moment."
"Tsk, you really didn't know. In terms of profound internal energy, even Shaolin elders might qualify as top-tier, but who can just blast out sword qi or fist qi willy-nilly? Even I, after nearly fifty years cultivating my family's method, struggle to last a single incense stick if I use it recklessly."
"I see."
"That's how it is. But unlike you, I don't fight while skimping and fretting over it. Know why?"
"Hm... Because in a real fight, it wouldn't last even a single incense stick? The outcome would be decided before then."
"That's part of it. But what about a melee? In my case, age is a factor—whether my stamina holds out—but purely in terms of internal energy, I could fight steadily for half a shichen."
"So it's about efficiency."
Wang Baek-gun beamed.
"Exactly. The freer you are in taking in and emitting energy, the less wasted effort. If it's not right, withdraw it. If needed, use just enough. And after using it, you can recover a portion."
"So mastering the knack is key?"
"Yes. But it's not something anyone can learn just by being taught. It's in the realm of talent, like innate strength or intellect. Many warriors hit a wall here."
"I have a question."
"Speak."
"Has Protector Wang reached the stage of perfectly controlling the intake and emission of qi?"
"Perfectly? Heh, if I can't even fully command my own limbs and a fragment of my mind, how could that be possible? It's just like honing body and mind daily—striving to be a bit more adept today than yesterday."
Flying Tiger smiled wryly.
Borrowing Wang Baek-gun's words, he had been toyed with by an old man whose movements were clumsy. He had taken a scolding, but his questions had yielded substantial gains.
He had glimpsed the attitude of a true jianghu master toward martial arts.
'What seems skilled to me looks clumsy to them? Our standards and goals differ. That's the gap between us. Right, that's it! And that business of qi intake and emission......'
Flying Tiger quietly reviewed his conversation with Wang Baek-gun, savoring each point.
It was a matter of convergence and emission.
He had mentioned forward and reverse flows.
And even denied any strict internal-external divide.
To handle qi freely like that... No, before that, where to even start?
The answer lay in the Nine Breaths Convergence Method!
Back then, Protector Wang must have seen something in his practice that even he hadn't noticed.
'What was I like at that moment?'
As he tried to recall the circumstances, atmosphere, sensations, and thoughts, a glimpse suddenly emerged.
The movements of the Nine Breaths Convergence Method ingraining themselves in his body, and the accompanying breaths. An inspiration dawned along that path.
It was still a vague, unrefined lump, but if he could melt it into his own...
It would be extraordinary!
Or would it?
The next moment, dizziness washed over Flying Tiger. It was the bewilderment following that fleeting insight.
Clap.
Wang Baek-gun clapped, snapping Flying Tiger back to awareness. He recomposed himself and refocused, his heart pounding.
Watching the process, Wang Baek-gun nodded quietly.
Guiding a junior even a little and witnessing their growth had its own special satisfaction. If he could voice a human regret, it was that this junior wasn't one of his own.
'If only Na-mok had half that boy's sharpness... Tsk, pointless greed. Just fate as it is.'
A moment later, Flying Tiger bowed deeply to Wang Baek-gun, with a sincerity beyond before.
"Did you gain something?"
"It's all still hazy. But I know which way to step next, thanks to you, sir."
"Excellent!"
Wang Baek-gun was greatly pleased and fell silent. He seemed hesitant to broach something. Finally, Flying Tiger spoke first.
"Protector Wang, please feel free to share your request. After such great help, I'm ready."
Wang Baek-gun gazed at him ambiguously and asked,
"If you have time, would you hear an old man's ramblings?"
"......?"
"Your question yesterday stirred something in me. It helped me steady my shaken heart."
"I was just trying to encourage the team members."
"People are funny like that. You bolstered my dignity, so how could I not find you endearing? Thanks to you, I spent the night sorting my thoughts and preparing. With time left, I called you here to at least express my gratitude."
"So you really did call me to check my martial arts."
As Flying Tiger expressed surprise and tried to bow in thanks again, Wang Baek-gun waved him off and sat him down.
What came next was the real talk.
The day before, Wang Baek-gun had pitied seeing Flying Tiger fail at the threshold of great enlightenment. So he had offered help to salvage even a small insight.
Under the guise of a request, of course.
The spar had benefited him greatly too, so it was a case of killing two birds with one stone.
In any event, the modest fruit Flying Tiger reaped today was an extension of yesterday's efforts, thanks to Wang Baek-gun's kindness. And that had been his original purpose in summoning him.
Yet during their talk, an unrelated thought struck Wang Baek-gun.
Why not confide his current dilemma to this third party, Flying Tiger?
He had a recent unspoken trouble from an incident. He had planned to take it to the grave after this job, leaving the jianghu behind. But thinking of someone made ignoring it feel like a burden. Until now, he had held off deciding, just observing.
Why choose Flying Tiger as confidant?
Their conversation flowed well; he impressed as sharp, with sound conduct and judgment. Plus, having just done him a small favor, their rapport was good.
'Maybe this kid could handle it properly even if something happened to me? But is it right to drag an unrelated stranger into something that could bring disaster?'
Wang Baek-gun had wavered with such thoughts, but Flying Tiger's readiness spurred his resolve.
"Have you heard of the duel at Yeonman Plains?"
"Yes."
"Then you know I was one of the Martial Qin Alliance's representatives?"
"Yes."
"That makes this quicker. You wouldn't be unaware of the Shaanxi Ghost Three Treasures, surely?"
Flying Tiger stared at Wang Baek-gun in surprise.
Why start with something so grandiose?