Chapter 106
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: A Meeting of Young Masters
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The young beggar who had been chiding his friend stepped forward in his place.
“Why were you spying on our spar? Didn’t you know that’s not polite?”
“Oh? Was it?”
Dan Ak-seon looked up at Han Seol-hwa with a surprised expression.
Han Seol-hwa smiled and nodded.
Truthfully, their skills weren't impressive enough to be worth spying on, but it was indeed an unspoken rule.
“I'm sorry. I didn't know.”
This time, it was the young beggar who was flustered by Dan Ak-seon's apology.
Judging by how he had watched their spar and casually analyzed it, he had to have learned martial arts.
But to say he didn't know...
It was then.
“Fine. I accept your apology.”
When the Wudang disciple nodded, the young beggar flared up.
“Why are you forgiving him on your own?”
“Since he has admitted his fault, it is the way of a gentleman to offer forgiveness.”
“What are you talking about? A fledgling Taoist who hasn't even had his name registered in the official scrolls.”
“And you?”
The beggar grinned and held up his tattered rags, which were full of holes and utterly shabby.
“Anyone can see I'm a beggar who has perfectly achieved the unity of inner and outer self. Unlike you, I already have a title.”
“Really?”
“Of course. The Swift Hero of Wind and Cloud! People call me Bang So-bang, the Swift Hero of Wind and Cloud.”
“Then why haven't I heard of it?”
“W-Well, that's because...”
The beggar boy, who had introduced himself as Bang So-bang, was visibly flustered.
Then he needlessly turned his arrows on Dan Ak-seon.
“Anyway, I still haven't forgiven you.”
Seeing Dan Ak-seon at a loss, Han Seol-hwa finally stepped in.
“But is this not a public street?”
The two boys, belatedly noticing Han Seol-hwa's presence, stared wide-eyed.
Though they hadn't lived long, even to their young eyes, the beauty of the woman before them far surpassed anything of the mortal world.
After a moment.
“Now that you mention it, that's true.”
The Wudang disciple nodded and cupped his fist toward Dan Ak-seon.
“I formally apologize. I was too hasty.”
At this, Bang So-bang sighed and reluctantly gave a nod.
“Me too, sorry.”
“Huh? No, it's okay. None of us knew, so it's fine.”
Dan Ak-seon smiled and spoke to the Wudang disciple.
“By the way, what's your name?”
“My name is Un Jung-san.”
“That's a nice name. It suits you.”
At Dan Ak-seon's compliment, the boy who introduced himself as Un Jung-san looked pleased.
Bang So-bang also introduced himself.
“I'm Bang...”
“I know. I heard earlier. Bang So-bang, right? And your title is the Swift Hero of Wind and Cloud.”
“Huh? That's right. That's me.”
Grinning broadly, Bang So-bang asked Dan Ak-seon.
“You've learned martial arts too, right?”
“Yeah. I started learning last year.”
Before long, the three of them were chatting comfortably.
“You two were amazing.”
At Dan Ak-seon's praise, Un Jung-san smiled shyly, while Bang So-bang asked back with a proud look.
“Were we good?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded.
“Yeah! You were truly brilliant. I couldn't take my eyes off you.”
“Haha. I still have a long way to go.”
Despite his modest words, Bang So-bang's shoulders were puffed up with pride.
“Could I maybe join your spar?”
At Dan Ak-seon's words, Bang So-bang looked troubled.
“Well...”
Unlike Bang So-bang, who trailed off, Un Jung-san stated his thoughts frankly.
“I don't think that would be possible.”
“Why?”
“Didn't you say you've been learning for less than a year? We've been training since we were five.”
“But I learned from excellent teachers.”
Bang So-bang chimed in.
“So did we. Anyway, the gap is too wide, so sparring right now would be difficult.”
Un Jung-san nodded in agreement.
“Don't misunderstand. We're just worried you'll get hurt.”
Dan Ak-seon sighed.
“Then could you at least see how skilled I am?”
Un Jung-san and Bang So-bang looked at each other, then nodded.
“Well, if it's just that.”
Un Jung-san stepped forward.
“Shall we begin?”
“Anytime.”
At Dan Ak-seon's words, Un Jung-san replied with confidence.
The spar began with Dan Ak-seon's first move. Before long, however, Un Jung-san was overcome with bewilderment. Dan Ak-seon, whom he had expected to be far below his level, was remarkably skilled.
That wasn't all.
*'What is this?'*
Un Jung-san screamed inwardly.
The forms themselves didn't seem that impressive, but the power contained within them was simply immense.
A profound internal energy that was unbelievable for someone of his age!
With such powerful internal energy, even unremarkable forms were instantly transformed into ultimate techniques.
Unaware of this, Bang So-bang chided him with a pathetic look.
“What are you doing? Against a beginner. Are you even trying?”
At that moment.
*Thwack.*
Kicked in the chest, Un Jung-san was sent flying backward.
“Are you okay?”
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Un Jung-san blinked his large eyes, speechless for a while.
He never imagined he would be defeated so helplessly.
But Dan Ak-seon, the one who had actually won the spar, was just as bewildered.
“Jeez, you should at least pretend to try.”
Bang So-bang stepped forward confidently and provoked Dan Ak-seon.
“Come at me. This lord, Bang, the Swift Hero of Wind and Cloud, will bestow upon you a lesson with the Beggar's Sect's ultimate art, the Nine Paths Strange Fist.”
Through Bang So-bang's lips, a basic martial art of the Beggar's Sect was suddenly transformed into a divine ultimate technique.
Once again, Dan Ak-seon took the initiative.
This time, he focused on applying the forms of grappling, wanting to compare them to his opponent's fist techniques.
*Thwack, thwack, thwack.*
Hands clashed with hands, arms with elbows, creating a series of loud impacts. And the confident expression on Bang So-bang's face had hardened.
*'Good heavens!'*
Bang So-bang began to break out in a cold sweat.
Watching from the outside and experiencing it firsthand were worlds apart.
Dan Ak-seon's hands moved with fluid grace, flying toward him.
At some point, their trajectory became difficult to follow with the naked eye.
It was clearly a type of grappling, but he couldn't respond properly.
As time went on, his hands and feet began to feel muddled.
It was then that he saw a fist flying unexpectedly toward his face.
“Ugh!”
Gasping, Bang So-bang hastily retreated.
*Pant, pant.*
Bang So-bang heaved for breath, staring at Dan Ak-seon with startled eyes.
“What are you?”
“Are you okay?”
“O-Of course!”
Bang So-bang grinned, pretending nothing was wrong.
“You're pretty skilled. No wonder Jung-san lost.”
As if conscious of Un Jung-san's gaze, Bang So-bang puffed out his chest and spoke.
“You know, right? I let you win on purpose. If we had kept fighting, it would have been a disaster. I almost had to use my divine arts, you know.”
Just then, Un Jung-san called out to him.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“You have a nosebleed.”
“......!”
Bang So-bang jumped in surprise and wiped under his nose.
“Agh! My blood! My precious blood that I've never even given to a pack of fleas!”
As if genuinely regretting the loss, Bang So-bang stuck out his tongue and licked the blood trickling down his philtrum.
Un Jung-san wrinkled his face in disgust.
“Disgusting.”
Bang So-bang flared up at his words.
“Disgusting! How can a friend's blood be disgusting?”
“My mistake. I stand corrected.”
“....?”
“It's shameful.”
“You traitor!”
Leaving the fussing Bang So-bang behind, Un Jung-san turned to Dan Ak-seon.
And cupped his fist in a polite gesture.
“Un Jung-san of the Wudang Sect thanks Young Master Dan for his valuable lesson.”
He must have seen it somewhere, as it was a rather formal greeting.
In response, Dan Ak-seon hastily copied Un Jung-san's gesture.
Pouting, Bang So-bang also reluctantly cupped his fist toward Dan Ak-seon.
Watching them, Han Seol-hwa smiled gently.
They were trying to act like gallant heroes, but to her, it was just the cute antics of children.
*'By the way...'*
Han Seol-hwa examined Un Jung-san and was inwardly impressed.
His solid frame, keen eye, and reflexes.
He had considerable natural talent for martial arts.
Due to the nature of the Wudang Sect's martial arts, growth is slow in childhood.
Then, at a certain point, their martial prowess explodes, and they are reborn as masters. Despite this late-blooming nature, Un Jung-san possessed skills quite remarkable for his age.
*'That other boy, too.'*
The same went for Bang So-bang.
His opponent was Dan Ak-seon, but his talent was by no means ordinary.
In that sense, Wudang and the Beggar's Sect were fortunate.
The rise and fall of a sect is ultimately determined by the presence of outstanding successors.
If they could grow up just like this, unbroken by the harsh winds of the world, they were children with promising futures.
Han Seol-hwa smiled quietly.
Even now, the boys were lost in their own conversation.
“Have you really been learning martial arts for less than a year?”
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Un Jung-san's question.
“Yeah. How was I?”
“How were you...”
Un Jung-san stared at Dan Ak-seon with an incredulous expression.
“You were unbelievably skilled.”
Un Jung-san's expression grew serious.
“I suppose you must be a genius.”
“Jeez, you blockhead!”
Bang So-bang interjected with a scolding.
“Normally, in a situation like this, you're supposed to doubt the 'one year' part.”
“Really?”
Un Jung-san asked Dan Ak-seon.
“Were you lying?”
“No. It's true.”
“He says it's true.”
At this point, Bang So-bang had no choice but to give up. But it didn't seem like Dan Ak-seon was lying.
Dan Ak-seon's eyes were just as pure and innocent as the blockhead in front of him.
“Hmm...”
Just then, Un Jung-san rubbed his chest and frowned.
As the tension eased, the spot where Dan Ak-seon had kicked him began to throb.
Dan Ak-seon spoke with a worried expression.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“It's fine. It'll be better after a night's sleep.”
“I'm sorry. I tried to hold back at the end, but...”
“It can't be helped. That's what a spar is.”
“Wait a moment.”
Dan Ak-seon took out a wooden case of needles from his robes.
“Huh? What are those for?”
Bang So-bang asked in surprise upon seeing the needles from the wooden case.
“If you're in pain, you should treat it right away. The most foolish thing in the world is to let an ailment worsen.”
Un Jung-san and Bang So-bang both took a step back.
The aversion to needles was the same for children and adults alike.
“Do you even know how to use those needles?”
At Bang So-bang's suspicious gaze, Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
“Actually, I'm a physician. I've been learning martial arts for less than a year, but I've been a physician for over ten.”
Un Jung-san gasped in admiration, his face filled with surprise.
“I see.”
“What do you mean, 'I see'?! In a suspicious situation like this, you're supposed to be skeptical first!”
At Bang So-bang's words, Un Jung-san asked Dan Ak-seon.
“Is that a lie?”
“No. I really am a physician.”
Un Jung-san looked at Bang So-bang.
“He says it's true.”
“Agh, really! What am I going to do with this kid?”
Toward the still-skeptical Bang So-bang, Dan Ak-seon quietly held out his hand.
“What's that? Your hand.”
“Give me your wrist. I'll prove I'm a physician.”
After a moment of hesitation, Bang So-bang reluctantly extended his hand, swayed by Dan Ak-seon's earnest gaze.
Dan Ak-seon closed his eyes for a moment to take his pulse, then nodded.
“You often get indigestion after eating, don't you?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“Because I'm a physician.”
Smiling gently, Dan Ak-seon continued his explanation.
“The water energy of your kidneys isn't sufficiently supporting the fire energy of your heart. That's why you have a hasty temperament and act before you speak. It's also why you're a light sleeper and can't fall into a deep sleep.”
“That's right! That's why the elders at the Beggar's Sect call me the Little Mouse Beggar. Because I pick up every little whisper at night, like a mouse.”
“Little Mouse Beggar? I thought you were the Swift Hero of Wind and Cloud?”
At Un Jung-san's question, Bang So-bang, as if caught, quickly changed the subject.
“That was in the old days. The old days...”
