Chapter 5: Introduction to Martial Arts (2)

Chapter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠5: Introduction to Martial Arts (2)

Dongfang Shuo, the icon of Chinese longevity famous for the legend of living three thousand cycles of the sexagenary cycle, once dropped some ultimate life hacks for his long life. He claimed he "peeled his skin and thinned his hair" (bakpi-beolmo) and "washed his bones and cleansed his marrow" (bangol-sesu).

As you can tell, the term Cleansing the Marrow—a mandatory curriculum for any silver-spoon youth in the martial world—is a portmanteau of the "cleansing" from the first phrase and the "marrow" from the second.

So, what exactly does it involve? You might ask if they performed major surgery in the Middle Ages to cut open a child’s spine and extract marrow like a treatment for spinal cancer. That’s a sharp observation.

"Nang-rang, do I really have to go in there?"

"Yes, Young Master."

"Stop child abuse..."

I muttered feebly in front of a bathtub filled with a boiling, pitch-black, viscous liquid before slowly lowering my body into it.

It was hot, stinging, and the potent herbal concentrate seeped into my skin.

Whatever sauna runs an event tub like this deserves to go bankrupt...

"You only need to endure for two hours, Young Master."

"Ha... damn it."

The process of absorbing the energy of medicinal herbs through the skin and into the body is closer to the realm of External Arts, unlike swallowing a spirit pill.

It wasn't about strengthening the Dantian or the total volume of internal energy; it was, quite literally, a therapy to improve one's constitution—Cleansing the Marrow.

It was a process of toughening the skin and strengthening the muscles and bones to create a body more suitable for martial arts.

This meant I shouldn't be absorbing internal energy, but rather letting the medicinal energy permeate my External Art without leaving a drop behind.

In other words, I couldn't even operate an internal cultivation method.

Which meant... I just had to lie there blankly for two hours in this horrible, boiling, toxic-feeling tub.

"Nang-rang, tell me a funny story. I'm so bored."

"Once upon a time, there was a child who complained despite being born into luxury."

"You're killing me."

Nang-rang stared at me with a face devoid of any humor.

I let out a deep sigh as I looked into her serious eyes.

My personal maid was strict. It wasn't that I didn't understand; it was likely my mother’s orders.

Since my mother didn't want the youngest son of a powerful family to grow up pampered and idle, all the servants around me tended to be on the strict side.

That wasn't a bad thing. The martial world is a forest of blades and a mountain of swords, and those in Black Path sects must live prepared for death from the moment they make their debut.

So, in the end, all of this was out of concern for me.

To be honest, that thought made me feel good enough to crack a smile.

"Just read me a scripture then."

"A scripture...?"

"Let's go with the Analects today. How far did we get?"

"You read up to the Shu Er chapter, Young Master."

"Right, let's just do a review."

"...Young Master, do you perhaps... have aspirations for a government post?"

Nang-rang asked with a serious expression.

Certainly, if a child of the Peng Family—no, a child of a martial lineage—mastered the Thousand Character Classic at three, the Elementary Learning at five, and was now reading the Four Books and Five Classics, such a question was bound to arise.

I shook my head.

"It's a hobby."

"A hobby..."

"Everyone in our family is a bit... stu—... uneducated. It would be embarrassing if I were like that too. If you ever hear someone saying the Peng Family lacks brains, tell them to look at me."

"Well... if the older young masters heard that, uh..."

"Any bastard brave enough to say that to their faces would be killed. That's true, but who knows what they say behind our backs?"

"Is there a need to care about the rabble who talk behind your back?"

"Prestige."

I said, splashing around in the murky tub.

"The family's dignity. Public perception. No matter how much of a martial family we are—no, rather, because we are a martial family, it's more important. Why do those Orthodox Faction bastards get applauded even when they shamelessly wear swords and beat people up in broad daylight? It's because they have prestige and justification."

Suppose a Mount Hua Sect swordsman cuts someone down in a tavern during the day.

People tend to move on, thinking the dead guy must have done something shady.

But what if a Peng Family warrior tears someone apart in a tavern during the day?

Rumors would only spread that a Peng Family thug was acting out again. This is the difference in justification and prestige.

I don't necessarily need to become 'Orthodox.'

However, it is a self-evident truth that the higher one's prestige, the freer one's range of action becomes.

My change alone won't raise the public's evaluation of the family, and I don't even expect that much.

But at the very least, when I move, this is the easiest and fastest way to make others hesitate to judge me.

To make them think that I didn't use violence because I was uneducated, but that there must have been a reason why someone so well-educated had no choice but to use violence.

Nang-rang nodded as she listened to my explanation.

"Indeed, Young Master, you are certainly different from the other young masters."

"I've heard that since I was little. Nothing new."

"....I have often thought you were quite mature for your age."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Of course."

Nang-rang smiled faintly and opened the book.

I submerged myself deep into the tub as I listened to her voice.

"Sanrenxing, biyou woshi yan. Ze qi shanzhe er cong zhi, qi bushanzhe er gai zhi."

"Confucius said: 'When three people walk together, there must be a teacher among them. One should select their good qualities and follow them, and identify their bad qualities and correct them in oneself.'"

"Zi yue: Tian sheng de yu yu, Huan Tui qi ru yu he..."

Her clear voice continued with the words of Confucius.

After finishing that cursed sauna time listening to Confucius in a hell-tub, I returned to my quarters. As Nang-rang laid out my bedding, she spoke.

"I heard a guest will be staying in the Inner Hall starting tomorrow."

"Huh? Not the Outer Hall?"

"Yes, Young Master."

"Who could it be to stay in the Inner Hall? Someone like the Beijing Hwa-jok?"

The Inner Hall was where the family's core institutions were gathered, including the Family Head's residence, the Mountain King Pavilion, the Library, and the Hall of Ten Thousand Blessings.

It also housed the residences of the direct lineage, like my Purple Tiger Hall, so security was extremely tight.

As such, while a guest might visit briefly depending on the circumstances, 'staying' there was fundamentally impossible.

Even the servants of the direct lineage couldn't stay in the Inner Hall and had to commute from the Outer Hall every day.

The fact that a guest was being provided quarters in the Inner Hall meant... the other party's status was not to be ignored.

"I haven't heard who the guest is, but I was told not to be surprised if we happen to run into them tomorrow."

"What could possibly surprise me about meeting someone in the Peng Family?"

"Indeed. Or perhaps... they are worried you might be too mischievous toward a guest you're meeting for the first time?"

"It's not like I'm a child."

"You are a child, Young Master."

"Oh right, I forgot."

Even at my joke, no smile appeared on Nang-rang's lips.

Failed again today.

Last time, I even pulled out my finishing moves—puns like 'Why are there two princes? Because they're wangu-wangu (wavering)' and 'What does the Emperor say when he doesn't want to go home? Gung-si-reong gung-si-reong (grumbling)'—but I still failed to make her laugh.

Medieval China is cold...

"Anyway, please go to sleep early today. They say it's better to sleep early for the medicinal bath's energy to permeate well."

"Alright. Goodnight, Nang-rang. Sweet dreams."

"Yes, Young Master."

"I give a greeting, but none comes back."

"Have sweet dreams, Young Master."

"This is why people need power. It feels good even when you have to force a greeting out of someone."

"I think it is a great relief that you are not the eldest son, Young Master."

"Sure, sure."

Only after chasing Nang-rang out as usual did I lie down on the bed.

Late at night, the moon shone over the high walls ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Peng Family estate.

I stared at the moon for a long time before closing my eyes.

The medicinal energy from Cleansing the Marrow was for External Arts, not internal energy.

There was no need to manage it with a Microcosmic Orbit; the medicinal properties themselves would naturally condense and seep into the body.

It worked regardless of whether I was asleep or not.

So, there was no need to go to sleep early for fear of wasting the medicinal energy.

Like a typical rebellious seven-year-old of the Peng Family, I sat in a lotus position as soon as Nang-rang left.

It was time for some fun.

Sssss...

Breath filled my mouth.

Air headed to the lungs through the trachea and flowed back out, but the internal Qi started from the mouth and settled through the blood vessels.

It was a strange sensation.

In my past life, I had never felt anything like 'energy.'

Because of that, I remembered that my initial entry into martial arts was actually quite difficult.

It was a skill that required a sense in a realm I had never even imagined.

It wasn't much different from asking someone with two hands to imagine the sensation of a third hand.

Considering that the fewer prejudices one has, the easier the initiation, the fact that I succeeded in gathering Qi within a year was a feat in itself.

So, it wasn't that I lacked talent.

If I heard such a thing in the Peng Family, I wouldn't be able to live with the shame.

Huuuu...

The Lower Dantian. Two inches below the navel, a small lump hanging in front of the organs.

It was a kind of internal organ created artificially.

This was a physically existing organ.

An organ that existed solely for the purpose of gathering internal energy.

Just as an animal's lungs breathe in oxygen, and a fish's gills filter and swallow oxygen from the water.

The Dantian filters and swallows internal energy from the atmosphere brought in through breathing, and projects it throughout the body just as the heart pumps blood.

The Dantian is an organ said to have existed in all beasts since the beginning of time.

In Taoism, it is said to be an organ planted by the Thunder God, who was proud of his daughter Nuwa's achievement when she first created life.

After a long time, the innate Dantian of living creatures became a vestigial organ and degenerated.

The gathering of Qi in martial arts is akin to reviving and using that vestigial organ.

Ancient beasts that could do this were called spiritual creatures, and the reason an inner core comes out when you cut open a spiritual creature's belly is exactly that. It's the same for humans.

Sssss...

Anyway, for humans, the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantians all stop developing when the fontanelle on the crown of the head closes after birth.

That's why the chances of success are higher if you start young.

Efficiency is best when you start gathering Qi before the closed gap completely hardens.

If you succeed in that process, it's called Forming the Core. It's considered the first step of gathering Qi.

Usually, this must be achieved within three months at the earliest or two years at the latest, and it becomes harder as one gets older.

Fortunately, I started without being too late.

Huuuu...

The Dantian squirmed and exhaled internal energy.

The energy that burst out followed the guidance of the acupoints, drawing lines as it circulated through the body.

Connecting each point of the body in a single long stroke—observing this shape is like a Heavenly Bow Diagram where constellations are spread out. By analogy, the human body is called a Microcosm, and the path where internal energy completes one cycle is called the Microcosmic Orbit.

'Cool...'

Closing my eyes and observing the flow of internal energy, it looked as if small starlight was burning in geometric patterns throughout my body.

An era where it wasn't hard to find stars in the night sky because there was no light pollution yet.

If one could recognize them, one could see the shapes of the Three Enclosures and the Twenty-Eight Mansions of the ecliptic tangling according to the seasons.

A martial artist can see something like this just by closing their eyes and managing their breath.

One's own body is a universe in itself.

Huuuu...

When exhaling, the internal energy pushed out from the Dantian passes through the ecliptic inside the body, lighting up one's own constellation.

Following the guidance of the Hunyuan Art, it travels along the Conception Vessel through the Huiyin, Juque, Qihai, Shanzhong, and Yutang. Whoosh. A constellation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blazes up, leaving a canvas that stretches from the belly to the chest.

Ssssss...

When inhaling, the internal energy mixed in the atmosphere seeps into the Dantian, and the internal energy that rose to the Yutang flows along the remaining half of the body.

Along the Governing Vessel, passing through the Dazhui, Shendao, Jizhong, and Mingmen, then from the Huiyin to the Qugu.

Whoosh. Another constellation is drawn unsteadily along the back from the neck to the waist, leaving a canvas.

Thus, one small circle of the Conception and Governing Vessels is completed. Constellations are embroidered across the vast acupoints corresponding to one hemisphere when viewing the human body as a Microcosm.

This single process is called gathering Qi.

Though minute, I could feel the amount of internal energy accumulated in the Dantian increasing slightly.

A power that increases by exactly one day's worth for every day I continue.

Talent, the quality of the cultivation method, individual concentration, and physical suitability are all important. But the basis of gathering Qi lies in 'patience' and 'persistence.'

I opened my closed eyes and looked at the night sky.

It was fun.

To the point where I regretted every moment I hadn't felt this until now.

I didn't know if I had talent for martial arts or not.

That was something difficult to grasp objectively.

However, in terms of feeling interest, I didn't think I would lose to anyone.

Martial artists who take the existence of internal energy for granted might be fast to enter the path.

But a possessor from a world without internal energy might feel even greater interest, precisely because his entry was late.

And Confucius said that the one who enjoys it is the strongest.

Therefore, according to the syllogism, I am the strongest.

I lightly dispersed the internal energy swirling in my palm, stared at the stars in the night sky for a long time, and then closed the window.

Sssss...

Huuuu...

The sound of deep breathing continued in the room until late into the dawn.

It was ten days later when I met the 'guest of the Inner Hall' Nang-rang had mentioned.

"Grrrr."

"....?"

I saw something sitting still on a tree whose branches stretched elegantly over the wall of the Purple Tiger Hall.

Accompanied by a sharp aura that made the skin on my back crawl.

"Nang-rang...? Nang-rang, something strange showed up at our house."

I was warming up in the training yard prepared just for me, following my usual routine, when I suddenly encountered a wild beast.

I slowly straightened up and looked up at the shadow sitting on the branch.

It was a pretty-looking kid wrapped in clothes that looked expensive at a glance.

Hair as black and flowing as ebony, contrasting with snow-white skin.

With that very well-maintained hair hanging down, the kid looked to be about my age.

"Grrr..."

Except the kid was acting like they belonged in a veterinary clinic rather than a pediatrician's office.

This was the training yard of the Inner Hall's Purple Tiger Hall, and the surrounding area was lined with residences for the young direct lineage.

Aside from me, the direct lineage, and a few elders, it was a deep sanctuary that no one dared to intrude upon.

A suspicious kid who had sneaked into my training yard by hiding in a tree without being caught by any of the patrolling warriors...

'An assassin...?'

I didn't know what kind of idiot would use such a crazed-looking kid as an assassin, but "those who come are not good."

If they had come with good intentions, they would have come through the entrance of the Purple Tiger Hall.

I first took the Mountain King Stance and asked Nang-rang, who was approaching.

"Not a face you know, right?"

"Well... there's no way a guest from the Outer Hall could have crossed the Inner Hall gate... and among the guests who visited the Inner Hall recently, there wasn't a child like... Ah! Could it be?"

"Could it be?"

"I think... it might be the guest who has been staying in the Inner Hall these past few days."

"Go get the family elders. Looks like they're lost."

Well, sure, if you're so flustered from being lost, you might drool a bit, have your eyes roll back, and growl.

As a scholar who had learned the scriptures, I decided to be open-minded and understanding.

Considering the child education environment of medieval China, well, raising a kid like a beast was within the realm of understanding.

The moment Nang-rang nodded at my words and turned around, the kid sitting on the tree disappeared.

"—?!"

The expression 'disappeared' might be a bit of an exaggeration.

I turned my gaze, following the trajectory of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kid who dove down from the tree as if falling.

In that split second, the kid, who had approached before I knew it, was lunging toward the back of Nang-rang, who was about to leave.

"Nang-rang!! Get down!"

"Huh? Eek!!"

With a thud, my fist throbbed.

My hastily extended Heart-Protecting Fist barely made it in time.

The kid's hand was stopped by my left fist right in front of Nang-rang's nose.

'They've learned martial arts. Their internal energy is deeper than mine.'

I didn't know how they taught internal energy to a kid with no reason, but well. It looked like they had been fed spirit pills by the bucketload.

I also had to consider that my internal energy was only about a year's worth.

It wasn't strange.

This was the Inner Hall of the Hebei Peng Family, and the fact that this kid could stay here as a guest suggested that their family was very special.

"Nang-rang."

"Ye-yes? Yes, Young Master...!"

"Go right now and bring the elders and Physician Jang."

"Ye-yes? Physician Jang...?"

"It would be troublesome if a guest got hurt."

Gripping the arm of this crazy kid who was bursting with black energy, crackle, crackle, I stood with my back to Nang-rang.

I didn't have time to go get my gauntlets, but well. This kid was unarmed too.

"You dare to launch a surprise attack on a member of the Hebei Peng Family, on Hebei Peng Family land, and try to harm a vassal of the Hebei Peng Family?"

I firmly gripped the kid's arm, which was squirming violently in my grasp.

I heard the sound of bones grinding together.

If they were my age, they were seven or eight at most.

At this age, there couldn't be a body 'better finished' than a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family.

Spirit pill doping couldn't beat a solidly built natural-External Art.

"Clench your teeth."

This was North China. In other words, Beijing.

If they were allowed to stay in the Inner Hall of the Hebei Peng Family, their family's influence must be great, and indeed, the clothes the kid was wearing were clearly expensive luxury items.

'Probably Beijing Hwa-jok.'

They were likely the child of a high-ranking official or a noble classified as Beijing Hwa-jok.

I straightened my posture, feeling the gazes of the servants gathering at the commotion.

"Actually, you don't have to clench them that hard. Let's just think of it as pulling out your baby teeth early."

This was the Hebei Peng Family.

And here, patience and understanding could never be virtues.

The Hebei Peng Family had only one virtue.

Ferocity.

Crunch.

My thoughts were organized in an instant.

What I had to do was clear, the reason was sufficient, and enough witnesses and spectators had gathered.

My fist slammed deep into the kid's snow-white chin.

The kid immediately tumbled away, then stood up, toughly shaking their wobbling head with a crack!

"You really are no different from a beast. I'm a bit weak against this kind of thing."

Teaching those who lack learning is the duty of a scholar who has read books, but Master Zhu Xi also said that beasts are not to be taught. (The Analects of Zhu Xi)

Historically, animal training was classified as a specialty of Buddhism or Taoism, not Confucianism.

"Let's give it a try."

I gripped my fists tight and walked toward the kid.

Only after about fifteen minutes had passed did I succeed in completely pinning the kid down.

'I'm gonna die.'

I tried to hide my trembling hands behind my back and straightened my waist as much as possible.

The attempt to overwhelm the difference in internal energy with pure physical strength only worked because we were seven.

Of course, it was only possible to face them because the kid was a beast type who simply lunged with faith in their internal energy...

'If they were even ten years old, I would have lost.'

If I had lost after grandly declaring they should clench their teeth and gathering a whole audience, I would have been too embarrassed to live in this house anymore.

This was, so to speak, a victory of desperation.

A beast cannot win against civilization.

"Nang-rang? Bring a towel. Did you bring Physician Jang?"

"Yo-Young Master... th-that is..."

Nang-rang approached hesitantly, acting unlike herself.

When I turned my head at her subtle attitude, I saw many family elders gathered behind where Nang-rang was standing.

In the midst of them, my father and the elders were standing near a man I had never seen before, their hands on their sword hilt.

'What's going on?'

Seeing the man with a face so fierce he looked ready to jump in at any moment, and the elders blocking him with a grim aura, my head, which had been hot with excitement, began to spin rapidly.

'Is that kid's dad?'

I thought it made sense since I had just beaten his kid in front of him, but who was he that my father himself stepped forward?

"Young Master, f-first, please wipe your sweat..."

"Why? Who is that kid?"

"She is the daughter of the Heavenly Demon."

"Aha."

Wait.

Why is the Demonic Cult in the Hebei Peng Family's backyard?

"A-and... I heard the Young Family Head's words on my way..."

"And?"

"She is... your fiancée..."

"Aha."

So it was my in-laws.

If I had known that beforehand, I wouldn't have hit her so hard...

I quickly lowered the towel I was using to wipe my cheek and cautiously approached the kid.

I gently lifted the kid, who was staring vacantly with drool dripping from her mouth, and began dabbing at her battered face.

"Hey, are you okay? You didn't lose any teeth, did you? Jeez, baby teeth are supposed to fall out naturally. It’s a bit much to have them extracted like this."

It wasn't like I was a dental hygienist.

The kid, who had been staring blankly at my hand as I wiped her chin, rolled her large eyes to look at me.

"Grrr!"

"Chomp!"

She bit down hard on the back of my hand.