Chapter 6
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Training - 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Stretch out your hand."
It was around the time I'd grown accustomed to running while chasing after her words. On the day my footwork training finally brought my push-ups down to under five hundred reps, she called me over.
"Here it is."
Unlike the push-ups and sprints, plus the daily practice of the Three Ultimates Sword Art, all those efforts had been absorbed into my body and circulated thanks to the Five Elements Circulation Art. My frame had developed quite a bit. Muscle had filled out my once-scrawny build, and I'd even grown a little taller.
After inspecting me like that, she took my hand and gently closed her eyes.
"...Ugh!"
The moment her eyes snapped open, something latched onto both my arms. Looking closer, it was rings of light. Just having them there felt like heavy iron weights were bound to me. While I panicked, Yu Ye-ryeon slipped similar rings of light onto my legs as well.
"It's to put a load on your body. Once you get used to these rings of light, I'll add another set, so keep that in mind."
"Understood."
"You're not asking what new technique I'll teach you once you're accustomed to them?"
"Because I trust you."
She was the one who decided the training regimen, so all I could do was follow along.
She seemed pleased that I wasn't pressing her, flashing a bright smile as she ruffled my hair wildly.
Sometimes, when she petted me like this without a word, her sharp beauty softened into something warm and comforting.
That sight was so captivating that I stared at her blankly, and Yu Ye-ryeon leisurely stepped back before speaking.
"We'll arrive at my estate tomorrow. You remember, but there's something I want to ask of you. You know what it is, right?"
"Yes. To cook for someone."
"Exactly. I'd like you to cook for my sworn younger sister."
Yu Ye-ryeon's sworn younger sister. From what I'd heard, she was a woman currently afflicted by yin-yang meridian blockage, unable even to move properly.
In the novel, she was only mentioned in passing and never actually appeared, so I was pretty curious myself.
"Someone of your stature could hire an excellent chef, couldn't you? I'm wondering why you had to bring me along."
"Not really. I considered it a few times, but they all had too much pride and refused to travel."
"A knife to the throat would change their minds."
"Ahaha. I didn't want to go that far. And traveling from the Western Regions here isn't easy anyway. I was looking for a chef who could properly do Western cuisine, and you just happened to catch my eye."
"Are people who can cook Western food that rare?"
"I said properly. Out of all the Western dishes I've tried so far, yours was the best."
"Thank you for the praise."
Who knew the job from before my possession would come in handy like this. Anyway, since she said my cooking was delicious, I'd give it my all.
"But with my arms and legs like this, I'm not sure I can cook properly."
"...Ah. I didn't think of that."
She gave an awkward smile and pointed to the light rings on my arms and legs.
"Say 'release' to take them off."
"Release."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the light rings vanished. The heavy pressure lifted from my arms and legs, leaving only the glowing characters for "heavy" behind. As I stared at them, she stretched lightly and stood up.
"Say 'equip' to put them back on."
"Equip."
The light rings reappeared. So I could equip and release them like this...
"It's up to you whether you keep them on normally. You'll have to fight temptation every day. Things like 'It's fine for just one day' or 'I can take them off for a short break.'"
"...That won't be easy."
"The wisest way to train in martial arts is through dogged persistence. Advancing toward your goal without wavering. Temptations will always be there along the way. It's up to you whether you resist them."
She grinned mischievously and pinched my cheek.
"Try holding out well."
Deep in the northern outskirts of Jinhyu, a massive city in southern Anhui Province where transportation was well-developed, lay Sword Heaven Yu Ye-ryeon's estate—a remote spot far from human traffic.
It was a beautiful estate. The gardens were impeccably tended, and the buildings showed no signs of neglect anywhere.
As I stood before the sprawling grounds—about twice the size of Hwapyeong Inn where I'd worked—Yu Ye-ryeon called out brightly.
"I'm back!"
Her clear voice echoed, and soon footsteps approached from within. Who emerged was...
"The race called elves in the Western Regions."
A woman with long ears and a pallid complexion.
Her long arms, visible through her silk robes, were exceedingly thin, and her cheeks—gaunt beyond mere slenderness—were sunken in, betraying the severity of her condition.
Her faintly green eyes held only a murky aura of death.
Stripped of those afflictions, she would have been a beauty worthy of the title. She bowed her head slightly upon seeing Yu Ye-ryeon.
"Welcome back, sister."
"Yeah. I'm home. Got some good haul this time."
With that, she pulled out the Earthly Shade Herb from her bag. The elf woman let out a feeble sigh.
"I hope you didn't go through too much trouble on my account."
"When my sworn little sister is suffering, it's the big sister's job to hustle like this."
"...Thank you. But the one beside you..."
"A chef who can make Western food. Name's Jin Hyun. Jin Hyun, this is my sworn younger sister, Hina."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jin Hyun."
"Nice to meet you... I'm Hina."
"Sword Heaven brought me all this way for your sake, Lady Hina. Is there anything you'd like to eat...?"
"Hmm. I have no appetite right now... I'll let you know if something comes to mind. But a chef... You're not her disciple?"
"Nah, treat him like a food companion."
"Mm... Since you're the estate lord under Sword Heaven, I'll address you as Sword Heaven Elder from now on."
"...That makes me sound old. Just call me Sword Heaven. Or Ye-ryeon works too."
She grumbled while tapping my back. Hina gave me a soft smile, nodded politely, then turned to Yu Ye-ryeon.
Spotting the exhaustion in her gaze that screamed I want to rest, Yu Ye-ryeon waved her off. Hina bowed to me as well before staggering back inside.
"Well, she's awkward for now, but once she warms up, she'll ask you for stuff. Cook whatever you can if possible."
"Understood."
"If you need ingredients, grab anyone and tell them. They'll buy what you need. Or you can go yourself. Wait, no—let's go together after training."
"Understood."
"Alright, then. Shall we start training like always?"
Rather than spending time with her long-lost sworn sister, she chose to focus on my training.
The small clearing behind the estate was my training ground. It held just a single axe and some unchopped logs. Pointing to them, Yu Ye-ryeon said casually.
"You know how to chop wood, right? Splitting logs is great for tempering the body. Some folks think you just need high internal energy to wield strong techniques, but that's not true. Body and internal energy must be in balance. Otherwise, you can't bring out real power. Here, wanna feel my arm?"
With that, she extended her arm without hesitation. Smooth skin without a single blemish housed firm muscles.
But they didn't look all that developed.
"Doesn't seem like much muscle, huh? That's because I've reached the Return to Pure Realm. Watch."
Yu Ye-ryeon lifted the axe with one hand and began splitting logs.
"Once you're proficient, you can do this easily without internal energy. And this too."
She set the axe aside, drew a dagger from her bosom, and tapped a log.
It split in two from that alone. I couldn't help but clap.
"Wanna try with the dagger?"
"No point challenging the obvious failure. I'll stick to the axe."
"Heh, good choice. And don't forget to equip those. If it's too tough, skip it."
Tell someone not to do something, and they'll want to all the more. I gripped the axe with the light rings still on. It'd looked light when she hefted it one-handed, but it was heavy—no ordinary weight.
I stared at her in surprise, and she giggled, patting my shoulder.
"Heavy, right? Eighty jin of wrought iron."
"...This won't be easy."
Chopping with this? Without internal energy, I couldn't match her casual ease.
And with the light rings to boot...
"Today's goal: all the wood here. No food till you're done. Got it?"
Grinning, she ruffled my hair before leaving. Staring at the mountain of logs, I sighed. But still...
"Gotta do it."
Thinking of the trials ahead, this was just the beginning.
.
.
.
.
We'd arrived at the estate in the morning, but I didn't finish chopping until nightfall.
Chop logs, circulate energy, chop more—the day vanished in repetition. No other training, not even food.
My whole body ached, my dantian empty, a hollow exhaustion washing over me as I collapsed on the ground.
"All done? Good work."
She appeared the instant I finished, having been elsewhere until then. Squatting beside me with a beaming smile, she held a small box.
"Here. Let's eat."
"...Not 'eat this,' but 'let's eat'?"
"Yeah."
Still grinning, she pulled a warm steamed bun from the box, popped it in my mouth, then took a bite of her own.
"I waited all day for you to finish. So we could eat together."
"...I'll have to finish faster next time."
"Yeah. I've got so much I want to teach you."