Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: S3. Murim Travelogue (武林紀行) -3
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They rented out a small martial arts hall, cleared it of people, and gathered just their group. This was their makeshift training ground.
"So there's an imugi living beneath Heavenly Mirror Lake! There've been tons of stories about suspicious shadows around the lake for ages, and it looks like that was the culprit."
"Having an imugi is fine and all. But why do we have to spar looking like this...?"
Tap, tap, tap.
Namgung Seunga grumbled as she eyed the stick hanging from her waist. It was a makeshift tail, fashioned by tying a long rod near her tailbone with cloth.
Every time she wiggled her hips side to side, the stick tail whipped back and forth, scraping the floor. It was a ridiculous sight, but Cheonghwi spoke with utmost seriousness.
"I've learned from the Tower of Trials that perfect preparation wields true power. I've realized that by devising strategies and exploiting weaknesses, even a vastly superior foe can be defeated."
"...And?"
"But no one's ever fought an imugi here before. So we need to predict how it fights first and devise countermeasures."
The imugi dwelling in Heavenly Mirror Lake resembled a giant salamander. It had front and back legs, with a tail about half its body length trailing behind.
Cheonghwi mimicked its form by hugging the ground flat on his belly.
Then thud-thud-thud. He crawled across the floor like a salamander, alternating hands and feet.
"Eek?!"
Namgung Seunga jumped back in surprise. Namgung Myeong clapped in delight at the high-fidelity imitation.
"Whoa! You really look like a salamander, Daoist Cheonghwi!"
"See? In this posture, its attack options are limited. Humans have endless movements to study, but with a salamander, we can strategize."
"...So, you're saying we should create counters to the salamander's forms right now? Like breaking down martial arts techniques?"
"Exactly."
It sounded absurd... but it wasn't unconvincing!
Namgung Seunga covered her mouth, taking a moment to accept Cheonghwi's proposal.
"There are form-mimicking arts called 'animal-style fists'... Thinking of it as practicing Child Dragon Fist instead of just imitating a salamander might not make it that embarrassing..."
"Let's have a light spar. This time, I'll play the salamander, so explore efficient counters."
"...Right now?"
Thud. Thud.
Whoosh!
The Cheonghwi-salamander charged like an arrow. Namgung Myeong and Seunga hastily drew their wooden sticks and focused.
From what Cheonghwi had heard, the imugi below was only human-height tall. No enlargement arts existed, so they couldn't replicate its size—they'd have to use their imaginations there.
First impressions of the charging salamander...
"...Low. Heavy."
"Yeah, its center of gravity is super low, sis!"
Against humans, disrupting their center of gravity works well. Standing on two legs means a trip or shove scatters their balance.
But with its belly glued to the ground, a salamander wouldn't fall for that.
Thump!
The Cheonghwi-salamander kicked off the floor and leaped, spreading its arms wide then snapping them shut. It symbolized a bite.
Imagining a massive imugi gaping its jagged maw to swallow them whole—what to do?
Block? No chance. A beast that size would overpower human strength, and it wasn't light enough to swat away.
Dodge. Namgung Seunga stepped back with footwork. But...
"...!!"
The giant imugi pursued relentlessly, jaws agape. With free front and back legs, it could accelerate mid-bite.
Namgung Seunga's back hit the training hall wall. Retreating was a blunder!
"Damn it...!!"
Chomp.
Namgung Seunga got "bitten" by the giant imugi. She should've dodged sideways, not back. She squeezed her eyes shut, accepting her imaginary death with regret...
"..."
No, it was just pretend.
Namgung Seunga opened her eyes. In a real fight, she'd be dead. The method was silly, but it cut down mistakes—not bad.
As she accepted it and resolved to take the form-mimicking training seriously, hot breath puffed into her chest, snapping her back to reality.
She was hugged tight by Daoist Cheonghwi, his face buried in her cleavage.
Namgung Seunga's face flushed beet red.
"...Get off!"
"Whoops, not on purpose. I got too immersed..."
"I said get off!"
Namgung Seunga smacked the top of Cheonghwi's head repeatedly with her palm. He shielded his head with his arms and scampered away. A brief chase ensued.
Their martial art to counter the imugi's movements gradually improved.
"This tail's more useful than I thought. Like, swing it like this..."
"..."
"Why avoid my eyes...? Look at the tail, the tail!"
Counter to tail strikes: Hang onto the tail.
"If it swings from here, this spot becomes a blind angle, right?"
"That's why you circle to the side and strike like this?"
"No, not that. It'll expose here, so like this... Argh! You're making me frustrated, Daoist Cheonghwi!"
Counter to charging rams: Deflect and slip inside.
"There are lizardmen. Bipedal lizards that use tails cleverly... Maybe like this."
"Lizard people as big as humans, walking on two legs?!"
"Do those mysterious creatures lay giant eggs?"
"We can talk about that later? Let me demo my tail uppercut first."
They anticipated various tricks and steadily wove them into techniques.
With every drop of sweat, their martial knowledge deepened. Three novice martial artists pooled their heads, yielding surprisingly solid results.
A genius's wit, otherworldly experience, and near-inevitable coincidence combined.
Thus, two arts were born. One mimicking the imugi: Child Dragon Fist. The other to slay it: Child Dragon Killing Method.
Rough around the edges, but undeniably effective against salamanders.
They couldn't neatly codify the essentials, but thrilled at creating martial arts together, they bought two blank books from a bookstore.
And stylishly inscribed the names on the covers. Pride lit their faces.
Yet Cheonghwi wore a vaguely uneasy expression.
"Hm..."
"What's wrong, Daoist Cheonghwi?"
"Feels like something's missing... Like..."
If these crude arts somehow passed to posterity.
Cheonghwi hoped future practitioners would learn them joyfully. The goal was the elixir, but mimicking and piecing together salamander moves felt like play.
Even in this grave pursuit of an elixir to fix his dantian. Wiggling hips to ape a tail always brought laughs.
So, practitioner, joy exists everywhere. Never forget the delight of martial learning!
Cheonghwi prefixed the names with "Joyful Path".
Joyful Path Child Dragon Fist and Joyful Path Child Dragon Killing Method.
This was the arts' intent.
Cheonghwi and the Namgung siblings were finally prepared. After bathing and centering mind and body, they headed beneath Heavenly Mirror Lake.
To catch the imugi and claim the elixir.
Kuoooooh—!! "No one said salamanders shoot ki blasts from their mouths—?!"
"How was I supposed to know it'd spew breath attacks?!"
"Wh-what's a 'breath,' Daoist Cheonghwi?! If you know about that vicious attack, tell us so we can counter it!!"
"Run first—!!" Rumble-rumble!! The three ran for their lives. A rock-melting murder beam chased their heels.
"Things were going so well..."
Cheonghwi lamented. Until moments ago, everything had gone perfectly. Joyful Path Child Dragon Killing Method performed admirably; they'd beaten the imugi handily. They dodged tricky tail attacks, sidestepped lunging bites, every formula clicked. They even struck its reverse scale fatally. Who knew it'd have a phase two! Cheonghwi tucked the lagging Namgung Myeong under his arm and sprinted, yelling to Seunga.
"It can't fire forever! The breath will stop eventually—exploit the gap!"
"Before we all burn to death!!"
"...Or split up? Left and right!"
"Sacrifice one as bait?!"
Namgung Seunga hesitated, then nodded. She and Cheonghwi exchanged glances and split left and right. Ooooooh—!! The imugi rolled its eyes, then chased Seunga. Cheonghwi hid Myeong in a cave shadow and charged its massive body to stab the reverse scale. The scale was at the nape.
"Joyful Path Child Dragon Fist, Lizard Dragon Sprint...!"
Cheonghwi flattened and quadruped-ran. Slower than bipedal, but unmatched for stealthy approach. Creep through rock shadows. Control breathing. Step delicately to silence all noise. Suppress even mana. Essence of Redburn assassination arts. Mages were finicky, perceptive folk. Techniques to kill them fooled a big salamander easily. Climb jagged scales.
"Getting tough—!!"
Seunga, kiting desperately, was reaching her limit. Cheonghwi arrived at the nape, gripped his stinger, and gathered power. One strike to kill, or complications arose. Prolonged fights exhausted humans first. Maximize damage. Recall myriad hanging strikes. One must be right. Raise arm high, draw back. Invoke all learned, all seen. Luna's elegant curves. Bennett's rigid straights. Namgung Seunga's domineering sword. And the Heavenly Demon's gesture. That trajectory yielding vast power from minimal force.
"Explosive Splash Bind—!!"
He wove and thrust. In that instant, the sky pressed down. Pfshk. It slid in smooth. Piercing thick scales felt like parting water. Cheonghwi as nail, sky as hammer. Kroooooh—. The imugi wailed mournfully and expired. Seunga collapsed exhausted; Myeong rushed to her. Cheonghwi flexed his hand oddly. What just happened...? Couldn't repeat it. Like divine inspiration. He'd glimpsed a higher realm, then descended. As Cheonghwi spaced out.
"We lived...!"
"Daoist Cheonghwi, sis is fine! You okay?!"
The siblings' voices snapped him back.
"Y-yeah. I'm good. Let's harvest the elixir quick!"
He slid down the corpse hastily.
Lush spiritual herb. Cheonghwi carefully dug and lifted it. The root mimicked a human form perfectly; its faint aroma invigorated.
"..." Gulp. Namgung Myeong swallowed dryly, then said gravely.
"...I've heard some fail to digest elixirs and perish. So, just to say: even if I don't wake, don't blame—" "Why jinx it? Shut your mouth."
"Not the time for ominous words."
Seunga and Cheonghwi quashed Myeong's death flag, stuffing the humanoid ginseng in his mouth.
"Urk."
Tasted bitter, apparently. Myeong grimaced, chewed long, swallowed, and sat cross-legged to circulate qi. Moments later, eyes closed, he flopped over.
"...?!"
"Wh-what's wrong?!"
"Wait. Don't touch!"
Seunga checked his pulse in alarm: heart steady, breathing fine. Vast inner power swirled inside. She concluded.
"The herb's energy is healing his body. Fell asleep naturally. He'll be fine."
"...Phew."
They sighed in relief together. In the relaxed mood, they sat and rested.
"...Absorbing all that power could've enabled Threefold Flame. Don't you regret it, Daoist Cheonghwi?"
"Thought I would, but it's liberating. Feels great."
Success. He'd set his mind and achieved it. Now, returning to Namgung House to see Myeong lively—that'd suffice. After that...
"Saved their son; they'll teach you some arts, right? What do you think?"
"Same here. The patriarch's generous—might even share family secrets. Then we train together again."
"That'd be fun..."
He'd have declined no reward, but wouldn't refuse offered. Imagining gifts, Cheonghwi joked lightly.
"Just need a safe trip home! No bandits or demonic cultists chasing Myeong."
"...!!"
That sealed their future woes.