Monghwa Hwanyeongbo
Morning broke.
Bathed in the dawn light filtering through the cracks in the training hall ceiling, Ye Hajun sat circulating his qi. Even in the middle of his recovery breathing, sweat kept pouring off him — enough to soak not only the spot where he sat but the floor around it.
He had spent the entire night chasing Anonymous 1's footwork, even pushing him to go faster, and in the end he had managed to copy it.
Watching the whole spectacle from the side, the gallery could only swallow its awe.
Watching all of this unfold from the side, Anonymous 1 was no different. He too had to forcibly swallow the admiration that threatened to spill from his mouth.
Even if he still doesn't know the finer points of internal energy circulation or how to use it in a real fight… the form itself has already reached perfection.
Grinding an axe into a needle — the old parable of relentless, patient labor. The effort Ye Hajun had poured out through the night had summoned that very tale unbidden into Anonymous 1's mind.
At first I only wanted to keep Yumae from losing to those demonic cult bastards…
But the boy had followed so well that Anonymous 1 had gotten carried away without realizing it. The long-forgotten joy of teaching someone — and when the student absorbed it that quickly, how could any instructor not be delighted?
Still wearing that pleased little smile, Anonymous 1 met Ye Hajun's eyes.
"Finished circulating your qi, have you?"
"…What's with that smile?"
Anonymous 1's brow furrowed at the blunt reply.
"What about it?"
"Feels like you've still got something left to make me do. It's giving me a bad feeling."
Ye Hajun rose, grumbling under his breath, and Anonymous 1 immediately raised his voice.
"You insolent little—! Is this Taoist not allowed to so much as look at you?"
"No, that's not it. It's just that after tormenting me all night, when you sit there with that suspiciously sweet smile, it feels a little…"
"Tormenting you?"
Anonymous 1 let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn't believe his ears.
"You learned the peerless footwork I named Monghwa Hwanyeongbo — the Dream Flower Illusion Steps — and instead of crying 'Thank you, Master!' and kowtowing a hundred times, a thousand times, you dare say what?"
"Then you should've just taught me properly. You kept jacking up the speed and you were clearly enjoying yourself."
"Bah! What an ungrateful brat! If you hadn't kept up so damn well, this Taoist would have had no reason to raise the pace!"
"The gallery's brainless rabble can shut their mouths!"
Anonymous 1 waved his hands wildly, blocking Ye Hajun's view of the gallery, and pressed on.
"In any case, circulating your qi should have restored your body, yes? The Baekgyeol Johwadan's energy is still lingering, so you ought to have recovered quickly. There's time before Yumae arrives — let's review the footwork once more."
Ye Hajun looked distinctly flustered.
"Well… before Yumae gets here, I kind of need to wash off all this sweat, and after moving around so much yesterday I was hoping to swing by the physician's…"
"Which is exactly why you should demonstrate it quickly. There won't be time later, will there?"
At Anonymous 1's scolding, Ye Hajun grumbled but settled into stance again.
Monghwa Hwanyeongbo.
Its roots lay in Mount Hua — but Anonymous 1 had twisted the technique just enough that no one would recognize it as a Hwasan art.
"What is the goal of Monghwa Hwanyeongbo?"
"To deceive the enemy. Ultimately it's a footwork technique you created to pass on the principle of Illusion to Yumae."
"Correct."
Ye Hajun moved his feet, tracing the footprints Anonymous 1 had left him to follow through the night.
"A martial art's name always carries the founder's intent. What, then, is the Dream Flower?"
"You said it's about creating a hazy illusion — like a flower blooming in a dream."
True to the name, the opening movements were large and florid, almost flower-like. A stance riddled with openings, as if an attack could land at any moment.
But the steps that followed transformed in an instant.
"Because it is a flower in a dream, it has no shadow. And having no shadow means it has no substance either."
"You said the opponent can therefore never seize the true form."
Unlike the large, linear opening, from the midpoint onward Monghwa Hwanyeongbo's movements shifted through a thousand transformations. Exquisite control of the ankles and the precarious transfer of weight produced steps no one could predict.
"What draws forth Illusion is, in the end, a development of the principle of Returning. Softness always overcomes hardness — a gale may snap a tree, yet it cannot break a reed."
"But a dream doesn't last forever, so the moment it ends is mine to choose."
Ye Hajun's feet stopped, and in the same breath his hand shot out into empty air.
"And finishing with an attack is the conclusion of Monghwa Hwanyeongbo… right?"
"Correct. Have you gotten a feel for the internal energy circulation?"
Ye Hajun shook his head.
"I can roughly imagine it, but it still snags every time I circulate qi, so I'm holding back for now. See?"
He lifted his bandaged right hand.
"I'm still a patient, you know."
"Tsk. That's precisely why this Taoist kept demonstrating the footwork with both hands behind his back. Even those Wudang types' Jeunjong works the same way."
Anonymous 1 swept a hand through the air, and plum blossoms scattered on the wind.
"In the end, when bringing the principle of Illusion to life, the most important thing is internal energy. No matter how perfectly you copy the form, without qi behind it you cannot deceive a martial artist's sensory perception."
"Speaking of which, I still can't get a handle on that sensory perception either. Is that something you only feel once you've experienced it?"
"Worry about internal energy circulation first. Sensory perception will follow on its own."
Anonymous 1 looked Ye Hajun up and down.
"You have a bad habit of skipping steps. Look at the state of you — a boy who's only been practicing a mind method for a week, and you go and use force projection?"
"Yesterday you told me not to set limits on myself, and now you're changing your tune."
"I told you to push yourself while still looking after your own body. And since the subject has come up, a warning: you intend to learn martial arts from Ice Water Dispenser and Cheonma as well, don't you?"
"I suppose so, eventually."
"All the more reason to be careful with your internal energy. The arts those two handle both push qi to its absolute extremes. One wrong step and you risk falling into qi deviation."
"Qi deviation?"
When Ye Hajun looked uncomprehending, Anonymous 1 made a simple whirling gesture near his temple with one finger.
"It means you go mad, you fool. You become a murdering demon who slaughters everyone without recognizing a single face — or a lust-crazed fiend who assaults every woman he sees after the yin energy drives him insane."
"…Yeah, that's pretty terrifying."
"Don't be impatient. In martial arts, the most important thing is ultimately walking the right path — the proper path."
So saying, Anonymous 1 reached toward Ye Hajun's head. His hand turned to smoke and never quite touched, yet he stroked the boy's hair all the same.
"And you have people who will guide you along that proper path. Are early-blooming flowers the only ones that are lovely? Late-blooming flowers are beautiful too."
"…Why are you suddenly being like this? This is actually scarier."
Ye Hajun waved his hands awkwardly, trying to bat the gesture away, and Anonymous 1 gave a short snort of laughter.
"There's no point saying more to the likes of you. It's only tiring my mouth. For the time being, pay steady attention to the Yongcheon acupoint on the soles of your feet as you walk. For a martial artist, even walking is training. Meridians only open when you keep using your internal energy."
As if his business were finished, Anonymous 1 waved him off.
"Go have the apothecary check your condition properly. You reek of sweat — wash up. The martial path is long and treacherous, and delusion finds you at times along the way. Remember this Taoist's words well, and when that time comes, do not forget them."
Anonymous 1 shoved his face in close and delivered the warning.
"Do you know what the most terrifying delusion is on that martial path?"
"No idea."
"Women. So, Juddak — you will not lay a single finger on our Yumae."
"…You told me to teach her martial arts."
"Bah! Did they not say that boys and girls past the age of seven do not share a seat? The only reason I permitted this is that there was no other choice besides you. This Taoist will be watching at your side the entire time, so do not so much as brush a hair on her head."
"That would only happen if both of us felt the same way anyway. Don't go planting weird ideas."
"Ignore those brainless idiots who don't know a thing. Your thinking is quite correct. From now on, make sure our Yumae remains a lovely stone."
A stone is just a stone. What's a 'lovely stone' supposed to mean?
Muttering to himself, Ye Hajun headed out to wash up.
Meanwhile, with time to spare until noon, Han Yumae first made her way to the Hwasan Sect's Chengdu branch in the Outer Academy before visiting Ye Hajun.
It's about time for the regular report to the branch anyway. Paying my respects today beforehand is the right thing to do.
Before long, she was seated across from the branch master.
"So, that friend of yours, Ye Hajun — he's all right?"
"Yes. Thanks to Branch Master's request, the Principal granted him the Beggars Sect's secret treasure, the Baekgyeol Johwadan. Sensation has already returned to his arm, so he should recover quickly."
"Glad news indeed. Truly a relief."
The fact that Han Yumae had been swept into a Rift in the Void had caused a considerable stir within the Hwasan Sect. The story of how Ye Hajun and Han Yumae had saved each other had not spread all the way down to ordinary disciples, but among instructors and above, it was already an open secret circulating in quiet whispers.
Could a great sect afford to be stingy before the man who had saved one of its own disciples and upheld its dignity? Hwasan had pledged Cheonmu Academy its full support in any form of repayment for Ye Hajun, and that pledge had borne fruit.
Some might have thought it an excessive investment in a mere rising talent — but the Chengdu branch master was already looking further ahead.
Judging by what that boy Ye Hajun does, it's fairly clear he has a firm sense of debts and grudges. Building a connection through Yumae can only work in our favor.
Moreover, the branch master was certain this investment would not fail.
Good thing I kept my antennae up through Yumae. I'd heard his talent was exceptional and prepared accordingly, but to think he even defeated Namgung Gyeom in a spar…
It was already confirmed that Ye Hajun was living alongside and building ties with Namgung Gyeom — the future of the Namgung Clan, first among the Five Great Clans.
And the fact that Namgung Gyeom, widely rumored to be leaving the academy soon, had instead dug in his heels and stayed was surely due in no small part to Ye Hajun's influence.
While the other great sects were only now scrambling behind the scenes to figure out who Ye Hajun even was, Hwasan — thanks to Han Yumae as a solid point of contact — was already ahead on information.
As a result, the branch master spent his days looking down with deep satisfaction upon the elders of other sects who visited him daily, practically begging for any scrap of a clue about who Ye Hajun was and how the connection had formed.
Yumae truly is a walking treasure.
In excellent spirits, the branch master set his teacup on the table and asked her,
"Well then. Any other news?"
"This junior recently sparred against a senior known as Gal Hyeonsang of Shin-gyo… and lost."
"How did that come about?"
"I went to check on Hajun's condition, and there I ran into Senior Gal Hyeonsang, who had come to Senior Namgung Gyeom's quarters for the same reason. A misunderstanding arose, and a spar was proposed. I apologize."
"Nothing to apologize for. The Gal Clan, if counted among the orthodox, would stand in a position equal to the Namgung Clan. Their two siblings are well known."
Outwardly he offered words of comfort, while inside his mind spun rapidly.
So the demonic cult has its eye on Ye Hajun as well. Damn them for how fast they gather intelligence. And from Yumae's words, even though she lost the spar, they seem to have built a good rapport. Should I just let that part slide?
No matter how freely the younger generation crossed the lines between Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic to form friendships, the branch master's generation still carried wounds from the demonic cult that would never wash clean.
The same was true of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which was precisely why they had put forward the relatively young Gal Soha as their representative.
But one could not simply dump the grudges of the older generation onto the younger. Keeping his feelings off his face, the branch master spoke to Han Yumae.
"The Gal Clan's Crimson Flame Hand Palm Art must have been a valuable experience. Did you gain any insight from it?"
"As it happens, that is precisely what this junior wished to report."
"Go on."
"Senior Namgung Gyeom and Hajun watched that spar… and Hajun said that if I improved my lightfoot technique and footwork just a little, I could win a rematch against Senior Gal Hyeonsang. So we agreed to train together."
The moment he heard those words, the branch master's expression flickered ever so slightly.
We already know Yumae's footwork is her weak point. He saw right through it. But agreeing to train together…
In the branch master's estimation, no matter how outstanding Ye Hajun was, he was not yet so exceptional that he could hand down teachings to other rising talents of the same age. So why would he have proposed joint training with Han Yumae? As he turned it over, a thought suddenly struck him.
Our Yumae is quite the beauty, and Ye Hajun is a young man in his prime.
Come to think of it, they said he had protected Han Yumae with his life inside the Rift in the Void. Ye Hajun might well be a youth overflowing with chivalry — but if one thought more simply, how many situations were there in which a man would risk his life to protect a woman?
Once his thoughts reached that point, the branch master could not suppress the faint smile rising at the corners of his mouth.
So he has feelings for her. Using training as a pretext to deepen his relationship with Yumae, is he? Ah, youth.
Though Hwasan was a Daoist sect, the color of the secular world ran strong through it, and marriage among its members was not forbidden. The Daoist faction, which insisted on pure pursuit of the Dao, might raise some objection — but the branch master leaned closer to the Sword faction, which held martial prowess supreme.
Could he let this opportunity slip away?
The branch master nodded readily and encouraged Han Yumae.
"You will make fine companions walking the martial path together. Think of it as the bond of fellow travelers on the Dao, and nurture this precious connection for a long time to come."
Having received the branch master's permission — and utterly unaware of what was going on in his head — Han Yumae nodded with a bright, happy heart.
"I will continue to devote myself!"