5. Evaluation (2)
There had never been a bolt from the blue like this in my life. Even in my previous life, that pig I fought was just one of Sa-gonghyeon's underlings, and all I could do was take a beating while suffering humiliation. And that pig hadn't even learned any martial arts—he just overpowered me with his bulk. Sa-gonghyeon went without saying.
"I'm fine with it."
Sa-gonghyeon's eyes flashed with killing intent for a moment.
Cheonghwa nodded as if he'd expected as much. But he didn't even ask for my opinion. It was as if he considered it a done deal that I would be the one fighting.
"I'd prefer to fight someone else, if possible."
"Why?"
Cheonghwa asked in a tone laced with outright disappointment. He seemed to have some expectations of me, but I had to let him know those expectations didn't match reality.
"I've never learned even a single form of martial arts."
"Didn't your master teach you the Samjae Fist Method and Samjae Heart Method?"
"As you know, Sa-gonghyeon over there is the young leader of a Central Plains sect. I'm just the son of a lowly farmer. There's nothing for me to gain from this fight."
"We're just trying to gauge your talent, so don't worry about it."
Cheonghwa stared at me for a moment before continuing.
"Naturally, Young Master Sa-gong knows that too, so he'll go easy on you. And if things get dangerous, I'll step in."
"There's no need for you to worry, True Person. My junior brother hasn't even properly begun the Heart Method, so I won't use internal energy either."
Sa-gonghyeon smiled. Cheonghwa nodded with evident satisfaction.
"......No."
I started to say more but clamped my mouth shut.
Behind me, Cheonghyeon was glaring daggers, as if he wanted to devour me whole. It seemed he thought my backtalk to his revered senior brother was tarnishing his own dignity.
There was no escaping this. Reluctantly, I nodded. It wasn't like I had zero preparation. If anything, this might work out even better.
"Very well, then."
"Good thinking."
Only then did Cheonghwa relax his expression and nod.
I shuffled out to the training ground and took my stance. Unlike me, Sa-gonghyeon assumed the proper form of the Samjae Fist Method.
As expected, you could tell from his stance alone that he had trained in martial arts. His arms and thighs evoked the image of a warhorse—thick and solid—nothing like my own greasy, flabby lumps.
"I'll go easy, so loosen up that face."
Sa-gonghyeon spoke to me in a chummy tone. He was acting friendly now that I had Cheonghwa's attention. The guy was repulsive from one to ten.
"Let's begin."
At Cheonghwa's words, Sa-gonghyeon charged. The look in his eyes as he rushed me held no hint of going easy.
I had one shot at this. Fortunately, Sa-gonghyeon was underestimating me. Because of that, he barreled straight at me without any probing moves.
I pulled the satchel from my waist and dumped its contents right in front of me. Sand poured out in a cloud of dust.
"Urk!"
Sa-gonghyeon faltered at my sudden action, but he was already at full speed and couldn't stop. He took a faceful of sand.
"......What the hell was that?!"
Cheonghyeon True Person's furious voice rang out from the sidelines.
I knew. This was the kind of dirty trick unorthodox sects pulled—something a righteous faction like Wudang should never stoop to.
But I wanted payback on the pig who had beaten me down in my past life, and if this got me kicked out, I'd be grateful.
"You crazy bastard!"
Sa-gonghyeon couldn't hold back his rage amid the chaos. He'd even forgotten Cheonghwa and Cheonghyeon were watching.
I wasn't about to let this chance slip. As Sa-gonghyeon flailed blindly with sand in his eyes, I smashed my fist into his jaw.
Thwack!
The solid impact of his jaw against my knuckles felt damn good.
'Got him.'
Even back when I was a street merchant, I'd gotten into plenty of fistfights with other peddlers over prime spots. We'd tussle right there on the ground.
From experience, a clean hit to the jaw like that dropped anyone.
But Sa-gonghyeon was a martial artist. His head snapped to the side from the punch, then he whipped back into stance, glaring at me. His eyes were bloodshot from forcing them open.
I threw another punch right away, but this time he caught my wrist.
In that instant, the night sky spun into view, followed by a massive impact to the back of my head and spine. Sa-gonghyeon had grabbed my arm and hurled me like a ragdoll.
"Gah!"
I hit the ground and groaned like I was retching.
The power of a martial artist trained from childhood was terrifying. Even without internal energy, he'd flung me three zhang.
Sa-gonghyeon's fury wasn't sated. He was charging again, his clenched fist brimming with the desire to pummel me.
They say the body awakens in crisis. Lying there would mean no part of me left intact, so I sprang up.
And awkwardly assumed the Samjae Fist Method stance. I hadn't paid attention during Cheonghyeon's explanation, but it was all I could rely on now.
"Damn it."
Depending on fuzzy memories, I stepped into the footwork.
But suddenly, my feet moved far more fluidly than expected. As far as I remembered, they'd never been this agile.
His fist arced in a semicircle toward me. Instinctively, I leaned back sharply. It grazed the bridge of my nose.
Normally, I'd have toppled over from that dodge, but my body held balance against my expectations and reset into stance.
"You little shit!"
Frustrated, Sa-gonghyeon shifted into a new stance. It wasn't the Samjae Fist Method—one I'd never seen before. He was switching to his family's hereditary martial art.
A storm of kicks rained down. We'd learned the fist method, not the leg technique. As expected, it was his family art.
Each kick targeted my shin, solar plexus, and nose. I twisted left and right, dodging them all.
Once my body got moving, my eyes adjusted to his speed. Or rather, since my eyes were part of my body, reading his movements came naturally?
'I can see the trajectory.'
Was this possible? Sa-gonghyeon must have started training alongside other martial clan heirs from the moment he could walk.
Reading the attacks of someone like that? I'd fought a few times in my past life, but this sensation was new.
Only then did I think of the Hwi-yeong Merchant Group shop. I'd definitely bought agile movements.
'What the hell is going on?'
No way it changed this drastically from one purchase? It defied common sense. Though, the money vanishing out of nowhere wasn't exactly logical either...
"Argh!"
As I kept evading, venom filled Sa-gonghyeon's eyes.
A faint blue glow shimmered around his leg. Now he was using internal energy.
Boom!
His heel slammed the ground, sending dirt flying and cracking the earth. Infused with energy, his attacks grew fiercer and faster. I barely rolled away.
Sand got into my clothes, but I didn't care.
Sa-gonghyeon lunged with both hands twisted into claws.
"Enough!"
I blinked, and there was the back of someone in a blue Daoist robe blocking my view. Cheonghwa True Person.
"Using internal energy against someone who hasn't learned martial arts? I can't let this continue."
"He started it with that cowardly trick!"
Sa-gonghyeon raised his voice in protest. Right behind him, Cheonghyeon bellowed.
"Who do you think you're yelling at?!"
No matter that Cheonghyeon had the lowest martial prowess among the Cheong generation disciples—it was relative within the group. His shout, laced with internal energy, shook me to my core.
Sa-gonghyeon flinched too.
"Junior brother, it's fine. He's not wrong. So I won't hold you responsible. But using internal energy against someone without it is taboo. Hwi-yeong scattering sand first was an unorthodox move, but even they wouldn't use energy against the powerless."
Cheonghwa spoke sternly. Come to think of it, there was such an unspoken rule. Sure, rogue tyrants ignored it, but they became objects of contempt for flaunting martial arts against common folk.
Sa-gonghyeon ground his teeth, glaring at me. Sand from my stunt still clung to his eyes. They must sting, yet he stared daggers, dying to beat me senseless.
What could he do? Cheonghwa stood between us now. I rolled my eyes up in mockery.
"Muk Hwi-yeong."
Cheonghwa turned to me abruptly. I snapped my eyes back to normal.
"Yes."
"You failed to uphold the dignity expected of a Wudang member. A disciple of Wudang Sect using sand in a spar and rolling on the ground like a Lazy Donkey is unacceptable."
The Lazy Donkey Roll must refer to my tumble. Righteous factions were picky about such things. When your life's on the line, you roll in the dirt to survive.
Of course, this wasn't the time to argue, so I just bowed my head.
"I'm sorry."
"I'll decide on an appropriate punishment for you. Wait here."
"......Yes. Understood."
I bowed deeply, feigning deep remorse.
Appropriate punishment—did that mean expulsion? Probably. No place valued face like the Nine Great Sects. I hoped they'd decide quickly.
Anyway, the fight satisfied me. I'd landed a solid punch on Sa-gonghyeon's jaw and made myself persona non grata in Wudang.
"Go inside."
I went in with Sa-gonghyeon. He sidled close and whispered with murderous intent.
"I'll kill you."
His voice brimmed with inexpressible grievance and rage. The raw emotion made me burst out laughing in triumph. His glare turned even fiercer.
Sensing eyes on us, I glanced back. Cheonghwa was expressionless; Cheonghyeon looked ready to eat me alive.
As Muk Hwi-yeong had anticipated, Cheonghwa did have high hopes for him. Over several generations of lay disciples, he'd never seen one stand up to a core disciple like this.
He'd hoped that cleverness might translate to martial talent.
"We should kick that punk out right now!"
His junior brother Cheonghyeon roared.
"Filling a satchel with sand to throw? He came prepared from the start."
"Didn't Sa-gonghyeon use internal energy too?"
"That can be excused as rage. Is it the same as premeditated sabotage?"
True enough. Cheonghwa gave a wry smile.
In truth, he'd been the most disappointed when the sand flew. Preparing such a cheap trick? He hadn't sensed even a shred of martial bearing in his prior stance.
"Still, we should watch him once more. Didn't you see his movements?"
"......Hah."
Cheonghyeon still clearly disliked Muk Hwi-yeong but couldn't deny Cheonghwa's words.
Both were seasoned martial artists. They could tell at a glance if someone had trained.
Muk Hwi-yeong's claim of never learning a single form rang true. No calluses on his hands, body soft as dough.
But his movements after the sand? Astonishing. No one untrained could move that nimbly.
That punch he threw was perfect Samjae Fist Method. To match the basics taught just days ago without prior training? Even Cheonghwa, rich in rivers-and-lakes experience, had never seen such talent.
"If he showed that without any training, he's an incredible martial prodigy."
"Maybe he learned lightness skill at least."
"We'd have noticed."
Cheonghyeon shut his mouth. Indeed, Muk Hwi-yeong knew no martial arts.
Even if Sa-gonghyeon was just average, he had over a decade of training. Dodging his fists and kicks meant something big.
"Junior brother. Mind if I join in managing the lay disciples?"
"Pardon?"
"Just curiosity."
Cheonghyeon looked troubled at the glint in Cheonghwa's eyes.
"Not to overstep, but two people for lay disciple duties seems excessive. You travel the jianghu often too."
"I'll only drop by when I have time. Won't interfere with your work."
"......I'll ask the elders."
"Good man. That's my junior brother."
"But didn't you say you'd punish Muk Hwi-yeong?"
"Oh, right. What to give him?"
Cheonghyeon clicked his tongue. Cheonghwa's face wasn't stern like a punisher's—it beamed like he was about to hand out a reward.