The Hot Spring
Women walked ahead of us.
In this world of Murim, the ratio of men to women was said to be roughly nine to one. In other words, for every ten martial artists, only one was a woman.
Which meant the men overwhelmingly outnumbered the women.
And there were reasons for that.
First and foremost, the era itself was the biggest factor. No matter how much of a noblewoman you were, learning martial arts was never easy.
At best, only the great clans had a few women who had actually been taught martial arts. Among the sects that took in disciples, women were almost nonexistent.
In that sense, Extreme Line and Geumran were both unusual cases.
They were women from their respective sects who had gone wandering the world and brought back disciples of their own.
So while they belonged to the Zhongnan and Mount Hua Sects, respectively, they were close to being single-line successors in all but name.
Still, when you thought about it, it made sense.
Men and women were simply built differently. That was an established principle of nature.
It was one of those limits human beings could never quite overcome, no matter how hard they tried.
Women had less raw strength. People said they had greater flexibility, but that wasn’t true for everyone.
More importantly, women had periods.
Once a month, sometimes for as long as a week, their bodies would turn into a complete mess and they wouldn’t even be able to move as they pleased. There was no way learning martial arts would be easy under those circumstances.
A natural penalty. Of course, I’d heard that as one’s cultivation rose, menstrual pain would lessen.
Martial arts really were all-purpose. They could even do that.
But getting to that level was hard.
And once you reached that level, menopause would probably come along on its own. That’s how internal energy cultivation worked. It was just that long, just that drawn out.
So really, the only thing I could do was keep Dang Yeong-young close.
Jitongsan was priceless. Dang Yeong-young alone was worth her weight in gold just for manufacturing and distributing Jitongsan.
And there was another reason women had trouble learning martial arts easily.
What Extreme Line had said before: most martial arts were of the yang type.
Women were born with yin energy, so they couldn’t easily master yang-based arts.
That was why, unless you had special martial arts made for women like those of the Ice Palace, Mount Yigu, or the Begonia Sect, it was hard to achieve mastery.
Seen that way, Extreme Line and Geumran really were impressive people.
They’d overcome all those penalties and still reached the heights they had.
“By the way, I’ve got a question.”
We were walking at a leisurely pace.
The entire group had been moving in silence, but the moment I spoke, everyone turned their attention to me.
“You said it’s hard for women to learn yang-based arts, right?”
“That’s right.”
It was Geumran who answered.
Extreme Line usually didn’t chime in to back up questions like this. She was listening to everything, of course, but she didn’t often respond.
“Then what about Wudang? Their martial arts are based on Taiji, aren’t they? They place more importance on balancing yin and yang than anywhere else, so wouldn’t it be easier for women to learn yang-based arts there?”
“An interesting thought, but no. In fact, Wudang’s arts are even more strongly yang in nature. Haven’t you heard of Pure Yang Art, Scarlet Yang Art, Six Yang Divine Art, or Nine Yang Divine Art?”
“Ah….”
“Doesn’t the name alone tell you? They’re all arts overflowing with yang energy. They’re rather far from what those people call Taiji.”
“Hmm. Why is that? Isn’t it Taiji?”
Extreme Line quietly cut in.
When I turned to look at her, she spoke as though she were muttering to herself.
“When one thing reaches the extreme, one comes to understand all others. It may be called to unify through one principle, or all rivers return to the source. Wudang does not begin by proclaiming harmony. Rather, they are those who attain the Way through extreme yang and thereby come to understand extreme yin.”
The explanation was a little difficult, but I somehow managed to grasp it.
Basically, if you max out your main character, then thanks to all sorts of synergies, it becomes easier to max out your alt, too.
Well, the meaning was pretty different, but roughly speaking, it was similar.
...Was it? If not, then whatever.
“Then what about the Begonia Sect? Do they have any martial arts that are especially good for women to learn?”
“They do not. The teachings of Mount Emei are no different from those of Shaolin.”
“Uh… really?”
“So those foolish nuns will never surpass the monks of Shaolin.”
Huh. That was a pretty sharp reaction.
Extreme Line was prickly to begin with, but she seemed to have especially little affection for Shaolin and Mount Emei.
Was it because she was from a Daoist sect? No, that didn’t seem like the reason.
In any case, it got harder to ask more.
It felt like I was poking at some sensitive territory.
So the topic changed, and we kept walking, chatting idly as we went.
From Kaifeng to the Dabie Mountains, it was about eight hundred li—just a little over three hundred kilometers.
In a straight line, that was roughly the distance from Seoul to Busan.
About the same distance as from the Jegal Clan Manor we’d visited last time.
But this time, things were different.
For one thing, there was absolutely no chance of some annoying problem cropping up around us.
If you weren’t a martial artist, you wouldn’t have the guts to bother a group of women walking around with weapons in hand.
And if you were a martial artist, the moment you recognized Extreme Line, you’d probably run for your life. If you didn’t, your longevity might take a hit.
What if you didn’t recognize Extreme Line? Well… then you’d better be ready for what comes next.
Ignorance is a sin. Especially in Murim, where it’s a major sin. A very, very major one.
Besides, I didn’t know what the Inn Keepers’ Association had told them, but the inns along our route already knew we were coming.
We reached a city before evening, and when we followed Extreme Line to the inn, the proprietor came out personally and treated us with great hospitality as soon as we arrived.
Well, even without whatever the Inn Keepers’ Association had said, they would’ve reacted the same way the moment Extreme Line and Geumran showed up.
Thanks to that, traveling southward with them was easy.
All we had to do was walk at a relaxed pace, and when evening came, stop at an inn tied to the Murim Alliance and rest comfortably.
“Shouldn’t we hurry and deal with the bandits? I feel uneasy just strolling along so casually.”
On the second day, when I said that, Extreme Line gave me a flat look and answered, “The Murim Alliance has already sent word, hasn’t it? There won’t be any more trouble, so stop worrying about it.”
Ah. So that’s how it was. Now that I thought about it, that made sense. If that was the case, there was no need to worry about being late.
Once I relaxed a little, the road felt easier too.
I could finally take in the scenery around us properly.
Of course, “scenery” mostly meant riverbanks, rice fields, or dusty roads raising little clouds behind our feet.
Still, what a difference it made. When I traveled with Moyong Jua and Paeng Jeon-ho, it had been absolutely chaotic.
Then again, those two were both rather full of righteous zeal.
Wherever they went, they helped people in trouble and always jumped in when they saw injustice.
Were they the type to practice chivalry?
I had no idea how they managed to live like that. They weren’t even that outrageously strong.
But I did wonder what they were up to now. That part was kind of interesting.
“Yuhwa.”
As I was thinking that, Geumran called out to Extreme Line.
Extreme Line didn’t answer directly, but she did lift her chin slightly and turn her gaze toward Geumran.
How could every tiny movement look so arrogant? What kind of life did you have to live to end up like that?
“Do you know there’s a hot spring at Chaha Mountain?”
The mention of a hot spring brought a flicker of curiosity to Extreme Line’s eyes.
Wait. A hot spring meant… a spa?
“At Chaha Mountain?”
“Yes. It’s a proper hot spring. The water temperature is just right, and it’s a lovely place to visit. What do you think? Would you like to stop by once?”
“Hmm….”
Extreme Line’s expression turned thoughtful. But that expression meant she was interested.
“Ah! I definitely want to go! I’ve always been curious about it!”
And surprisingly, Baek Jin-ah spoke up.
Was it because she came from the Ice Palace? She seemed to have quite a romantic fascination with hot springs.
“My, really? Then that’s perfect. It’d be nice to experience it while we have the chance. What do you think? This child wants it so badly—shouldn’t we go at least once?”
Extreme Line replied as though she had no choice in the matter.
“Very well. Do as you please. Is there anyone who dislikes the idea?”
As she said that, she looked toward me and Dang Yeong-young.
“I like hot springs,” Dang Yeong-young said without hesitation.
But the problem was me.
A hot spring. Of course I liked hot springs too. Soaking my body in warm water… no, wait. Soaking in warm water really was great.
The problem was that I was in a woman’s body. And everyone with me was also a woman.
Even last time, when I bathed with Extreme Line, it had been pretty awkward.
Now? Wow. Could I even handle this?
“I’m fine with it, too.”
But contrary to all that inner conflict, my mouth cheerfully agreed for me.
What the heck? What was that just now? It felt like my inner self answered on its own.
Damn it. Was I still a man after all?
Well, refusing in a situation like this didn’t make much sense either….
Anyway, that was decided, and everyone began talking about the hot spring.
Baek Jin-ah, especially, looked thrilled beyond words.
Her face was bright, almost glowing. She looked genuinely excited.
“But… if it’s a hot spring, does that mean it’s just hot water coming out in the open? There isn’t a hall built over it or some kind of screen around it, right?”
When I asked that, Geumran nodded and replied, “Of course not. Even the locals in that area don’t know much about it. Why would there be a hall or a screen?”
“Uh… then is it really okay? To take off our clothes outdoors like that….”
Halfway through saying it, I realized I was worrying over nothing.
It was Extreme Line and Geumran we were talking about. If anyone was nearby, they’d sense them with their perception anyway.
Those two were more than capable of that.
“My, you really do worry about everything. You’ll see when we get there. There’s no need to fret over that.”
Geumran waved a hand at me dismissively.
Well, if she said so, then I might as well accept it. Maybe I was worrying too far ahead.
So we walked another day and stayed at an inn affiliated with the Murim Alliance.
Then, at dawn the next morning, we left the inn, walked for a long while, and soon headed toward a mountain that looked somewhat high.
There was no proper mountain path there. Only trails made by beasts.
Geumran used lightness skill to pass through such terrain, and the rest of us followed after her.
After trekking deep into the mountain for quite some time, we came to a valley, and Geumran led us inside.
As we approached, warmth hit us all at once. There was water there, steaming and rising with mist.
A spring exhaling heat in a deep green hue. It was an astonishingly mystical place.
“Waaah.”
Baek Jin-ah gasped in admiration as she looked at the water.
Geumran, seeing her reaction, wore a satisfied expression.