Cleansing the Mirror and the Closed Fist
Dang Sohee's new room in the Bi Yeon Pavilion was spacious and comfortable. A vase of her favorite flowers sat by the window, and the bookshelves were packed with tomes that made you wonder if she actually read them. The furniture arrangement bore the clear touch of the pavilion master, with Sohee's little touches sprinkled in here and there—adorably so. A wooden doll propped against the bedhead caught the eye; until last year, it had been Sohee's constant companion, clutched wherever she went.
While I sat waiting, Sohee slipped out and returned with a basin brimming with water.
"Sohee-ya, why'd you bring soapberries?"
Soapberries—those wooden pods used like soap.
"You can clean silver with them, nice and shiny."
I jumped at her words.
"What? The mirror... it's silver?"
I'd thought the dingy thing was lead or something, but the rusted geezer started sniping at me right away.
That's why men are... Did I really give Senior Sister Wol such a cheap gift? Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a mirror that reflects so clearly? You little punk who can't even grow a proper beard yet!
"It's pretty tarnished, yeah," Sohee said heartlessly to the forcibly adopted mirror, then began scrubbing it thoroughly with a brush. She soaked the soapberries in water, worked up a lather, and soon white foam bubbled up between her fingers.
Her hands are seriously deft, I thought, watching in fascination as she cleaned the mirror. Will this be a regular thing from now on?
"Feel refreshed?"
Refreshed? I don't feel that... Ah, right there. Scrub that crevice a bit more thoroughly...
For all its griping, the mirror seemed plenty satisfied. The more she brushed, the shinier it got—sparkling clean, practically glowing with new life.
Just then, a familiar voice called from outside.
"Sohee-ya, still up? What are you doing?"
I quickly snuffed the lamp with my sleeve. Sohee, without a hint of surprise, called back clearly toward the door.
"Going to bed now, Master."
She plastered herself against the wall to check if Dang Yeonhwa had left, then sent me a telepathic message.
Yohwan, where you going?
"Huh? It's late, so back to my room..."
Can you sneak out without getting caught?
That gave me pause. I'd come to Sohee's room because Dang Yeonhwa wasn't around, but now that the old lady was back, I had zero confidence in slipping out undetected. I'd raided the warehouse plenty, but getting caught in a girl's room? That was a whole different level of trouble. Remembering how I'd thoroughly looted the Emei Sect's sect leader and matron made me shudder—what if that hag really lost it?
"Maybe not..."
Her point was valid, so I lay down on the empty floor. Sohee stood over me, looking down.
Get up, Yohwan.
"You said crash here earlier—now what?"
Husbands and wives share the same bed. Let's sleep together.
It wasn't a situation where we had to stay silent, so her out-of-left-field line didn't faze me much—but Sohee had always been one to push boundaries.
What? Don't wanna sleep with me?
Aw, screw it.
I couldn't resist her insistent tugging and headed straight for the bed. It was adult-sized, plenty roomy, and the quilt was big enough to share amicably. Sohee clung to my arm like a corpse clinging to life.
Gotta wake up early tomorrow, before Dang Yeonhwa stirs...
With that resolve, I closed my eyes. Sohee's soft breathing lulled me, and soon I was out like a light.
* * *
"Sohee explained it to me. You brought the Mirror Ghost?"
"Uh..."
"Don't sneak in like a thief. If you're staying over, say so ahead of time."
"Yes, ma'am."
Not even a real scolding? At five years old, sharing a bed doesn't spark any incidents.
"Plenty of spare rooms anyway..."
Like at Emei, eating breakfast with company felt awkward, but I wolfed down the meat-and-egg porridge anyway.
"Then, uh, I'll go see my instructor."
"No need. Yohwan, you don't have an instructor anymore."
"Pardon?"
"He had a breakthrough, so he's been reassigned directly under the family head."
Only after Sohee's detailed explanation did I gawk at Dang Yeonhwa in disbelief.
"Wait, if Instructor hit Peak, why not just say so?"
I'd thought some major crisis had hit, but it was just a personnel shuffle. At Peak, teaching basics like Tang Family Fist was beneath him, I guess. Shame I didn't get to say goodbye, but living in Tang Family Village under the family head's elite unit, we'd cross paths eventually.
"Still, shouldn't we go welcome the new instructor for me and Jihwan-hyung? Or has it not been decided?"
"Tang Family Fist is usually taught peer-to-peer by age. Now that Sohee's caught up, why not learn together?"
Sohee jumped in like she'd been waiting.
"Yes, Master!"
Spending the whole day glued to Sohee? Dream or reality?
We headed to the courtyard. In the center—where I'd sparred with Mo Yongyoung—members of the Heart Shadow Unit grunted as they hauled what looked like blackboards.
Sohee and I sat under a shaded tent.
"Yohwan, how far in Tang Family Fist?"
"Fifth form."
For reference, Tang Family Fist has twelve forms total. With "Outer Family" scrawled on the paper, Dang Yeonhwa began her lecture.
"Tang Family Fist's forms divide into three major parts. Forms one through four: outer family fist techniques. Forms five through eight: inner family fist techniques."
"Ah, so that's why the fifth felt different."
"Indeed. In martial lineages, outer family stems from Buddhism, inner from Daoist sects..."
Her explanations hit home perfectly. Shaolin straight punches! Taiji that borrows the opponent's force!
"...Never mind, forget I said that. Don't repeat it around the Nine Great Sects."
"Because outer and inner aren't split like chopping water with a sword? Even Shaolin fists incorporate inner principles?"
"Because Tang Family Fist's existence is secret?"
"Not some grand reason... Tell simpletons it's simple, and they'll get mad. Nose-picking monks and beggar brats think we only use poison. Yohwan, recite the Five Poisons of the Five Poison Sect."
"Easy. Snake, scorpion, centipede, spider. And..."
"Yohwan, you missed toad poison."
"Oh, right."
Forgetting toad sage. Turns out lots of toads pack lethal venom. No wonder Orochimaru studied with them.
"Right. Southern Barbaric Five Poison Sect: snake venom, scorpion venom, toad venom, centipede venom, spider venom."
Just hearing it conjured swarms in humid jungles—a paradise of natural toxins.
This wasn't the first comparison to Five Poison Sect. As fellow poison clans, it was like Apple vs. Samsung.
"So, what does Five Poison Sect have to do with Tang Family Fist?"
"Forms nine through twelve are for fighting poison users?"
"Correct. Sohee's right. No matter what the world says, only Mysterious Realm grants true poison immunity. That's why even your father strives for it."
"Pardon? Then true poison immunity..."
"Doesn't exist, obviously. Fools who don't know poison think building tolerance is easy... Know ninety-nine poisons, and a new one drops you. Don't spread this around. Our clan does excel in poison, after all."
"But..."
The Heart Shadow Unit elders watching our lesson showed no reaction—Dang Yeonhwa wasn't lying.
So no such thing as total poison immunity? False advertising?
Classic Chinese hyperbole on a massive scale—I clicked my tongue. Still, as a Tang clansman, I'd guessed poison wasn't omnipotent. Starting poison training at ten was proof enough.
"Anyway, mastering outer family is good. Straight to form nine."
Without hesitation, she flipped the paper and dashed off two characters on the blank sheet in one stroke.
"Who can read it?"
"Closed Fist."
Closed as in shut tight—Closed Fist.
"So Tang Family Fist comprises outer family, inner family, and Closed Fist. Closed Fist means..."
She added four more characters beside it.
"Approach with Smashing, probe to gauge their strength, then crush. Subdue always. Why end with subduing against poison users?"
Her koan sparked discussion among us. Sohee spoke first.
"If it's an unknown poison, you need the antidote from them. Gotta gather clues on what poison they used."
"Killing them means no interrogation. They might pull poison tricks too..."
"Right. Ponder how to subdue poison users, and you'll grasp how to wield poison yourself. Thus, the first eight forms are for self-defense; the last four hold our clan's essence."
Beyond arm movements, Tang Family Fist's structure seemed logical. Not every day fighting poison experts, after all.
"Instructor?"
Our eyes met, but he bowed only to Dang Yeonhwa.
"A letter from Sima Clan arrived. Sima Byeok's holding his gold retirement ceremony..."
"What does the family head say?"
With the instructor now under Father, this was as good as the family head ordering Dang Yeonhwa's attendance.
"No specific intent stated, but probably considering the pairings..."
"I see. Good work."
The former instructor nodded only to Dang Yeonhwa and left. She read the letter, then waved it at us.
"This from a pre-Mysterious Realm show-off. Yohwan, you reach Mysterious Realm someday too."
Her blessing, paired with Father's portrait, left me unsure how to respond. Glancing aside, Sohee's poker face was flawless.
"Yes, ma'am."