Hongryun Sect (8)
Hongryun Sect (8)
"I told you not to hold your stance like that!"
"Ugh!"
Sannyeo had said she would begin proper training after taking over a sect, but that didn't mean they'd be idle for a month. According to Sannyeo, the quality of training possible with a secure base was different from the training they could manage while living as wanderers.
"Alright, let's try again. Starting with the downward strike, was it?"
In a clearing a short distance from the village, I was repeating the stances of the Mount Tai Axe Technique and practicing correct posture. Sannyeo stood opposite me, alternating between consulting the Mount Tai Axe manual and observing my form, correcting my stance. Meanwhile, I had to swing the axe at her without hesitation.
"But do we really have to train like this? If you can't dodge..."
However, no matter how much greater a master she was than me, attacking her while she was distracted by the manual still made me falter. When I cautiously asked, Sannyeo snorted and gently waved the manual.
"You're the one swinging the axe here. Why do you worry about that? Back when you were a bandit, you surely hacked at people's heads without a second thought."
"Back then, it was fine if they died. Now, if you get hurt, it's a huge problem for me."
"Are you worried about me?"
"What do you think would happen if a Sannyeo-gok woman in manacles showed up at the clinic with an axe wound?"
I hadn't said it out of concern for Sannyeo.
Even monkeys fall from trees, as they say. If she were accidentally struck by my axe and wounded, I felt it would become troublesome. First of all, she wore manacles, so if a physician saw her, it would easily draw attention, and if word got out that she was from Sannyeo-gok, pursuers would be on us in no time.
The possibility of her getting hurt was a considerable burden on my axe swings.
Sannyeo smiled and looked me straight in the eye. My calculating nature had meshed well with hers so far, but at this moment, I sensed a slight disconnect. Tilting her head askew like a winter branch, she said:
"Docheol. When you use martial arts, you must empty your mind of even such idle thoughts. What we're practicing here is not a philosophy of saving people, but the art of killing them, isn't it?"
I stared at the axe. Its gleaming blade appeared vicious against the softness of her skin. Sannyeo continued in a gentle voice.
"There's always a chance you might get hurt. They might be innocent. They might be a child. An elder. If you let those trivial things cloud your mind in the midst of a life-or-death fight and disrupt your hand's flow..."
The wind blew. It was a strong gust, so I blinked for a moment. Just as I thought Sannyeo's voice was drifting from a distance, her scent rushed over me. With a sweetness like floral fragrance, the hem of her robe appeared before my nose, and her manacled hand pressed right up against my throat.
Only then could I feel the sensation of those fingers clinging to my neck, and a cold sweat broke out. The thought that she could have killed me if she'd wanted instantly flooded my body with tension.
With her head still tilted, Sannyeo said in a low voice,
"You die."
The fingers withdrew. Though wearing manacles, her handwork was supple and swift. As we distanced ourselves again, I finally noticed the Mount Tai Axe lying on the ground. In that brief moment my eyes had been closed, she had batted the axe aside and lunged for my throat. Sannyeo picked up the axe and went on. The killing intent that had felt so sharp a moment ago was completely gone.
"You die. Docheol. Even the slightest hesitation can make a martial arts master die just like those ordinary people you killed. Meaninglessly."
The Mount Tai Axe manual fluttered. Like a matador, she waved the paper and said:
"That's why you need to empty your mind. What happens after I get hurt? That's not something you need to worry about. When you fight, you must always empty your mind of idle thoughts. This training is for that. So that you won't hesitate even when attacking a frail woman like me."
"You're right."
What she said was the correct answer. In this martial world, I would meet all kinds of people, and there would inevitably be times I had to swing the axe. If I stopped to consider the other party's circumstances every time and held back my hand, who knew where things might go wrong?
Winning first and then thinking about what comes after suited my temperament as well.
Learning from a true martial arts master really did make a difference, even from the basics, I thought.
Martial arts master?
Muttering the words "martial arts master" to myself, another question arose.
A master who had reached her realm through her own methods was right before me, so why was I still learning the Mount Tai Axe Technique? Couldn't I just ask her to teach me the martial arts she used?
I adjusted my grip on the axe and spoke.
"By the way, Sannyeo."
"What?"
Sannyeo answered while comparing my stance to the one in the manual once more. I looked at her manacled hands and said,
"You're a martial arts master too, so can't you teach me the martial arts you learned? Then I could get stronger more easily."
She shook her head.
"My inner cultivation method is incompatible with the Shaolin method you've already learned, and my martial arts... they're the kind that would draw all kinds of unwanted attention if you learned them. I don't think it would be a good idea. And with my hands bound, it's hard to properly demonstrate them."
Sannyeo's expression grew hesitant as she spoke, and then she shook her head back and forth. Martial arts that would draw attention if I learned them? What kind of martial arts could they be to make her react like that? And her inner method was incompatible with the Shaolin method, so it seemed Sannyeo was truly unorthodox, even among the unorthodox sects.
"Did you learn demonic martial arts?"
"Shall we just say that's the case?"
Sannyeo replied with a laugh, in a probing tone. It was perfectly clear she didn't want me to pry any further, so I shrugged and had no choice but to focus on training again.
Sannyeo stood before me and waved the Mount Tai Axe manual.
"Docheol. Now swing."
Since she'd told me not to hesitate, I had nothing to fear. I flashed a resolute smile, then aimed for her neck and swung the axe with all my might.
"Take this!"
"Your form is all wrong. You got excited and put too much strength into your arms. Emptying your mind means you can't let yourself get excited either. You must always think coldly, only of this moment, right now."
Once again, she caught me before I could even swing the axe.
Following her instructions, I resumed my stance and wondered if I would even manage to swing the axe that day.
*******
"Fuck."
"Good job~."
In contrast to Sannyeo's relaxed voice, I spat out dirt and repeated the curse. Far from swinging the axe properly all day, I'd been caught by her just before each swing, rolling on the ground and ending up covered in filth. Ignoring my rough reaction, Sannyeo waved the Mount Tai Axe manual and said,
"Still, you're definitely improving nicely, that's good. You have talent."
I scratched my head. Every time I did, dirt flaked out.
"But do I really need to master the Mount Tai Axe Technique this diligently? Later, when I get stronger martial arts or something, I'll have to train in those anyway. Then I wouldn't even end up using this."
Sannyeo shook her head at my words.
"Docheol. You're full of greed, but you really don't know much about martial arts yet. What you're learning now is the Mount Tai Axe Technique, but you're not just learning the Mount Tai Axe Technique."
"I'm not just learning the Mount Tai Axe Technique?"
"You've also learned movement techniques, and the Golden Capturing Hand. By now, haven't you realized something? How to shift your weight while using the Mount Tai Axe Technique. How to swing a weapon with power. How to maintain balance after a strike, and a retreat method with no blind spots. Do you really think these things will only be used with the Mount Tai Axe?"
"Ah...."
When I thought about it, that was true. Even when learning the Bedroom Arts, everything was interconnected—I learned hand movements for holding a woman from the Golden Capturing Hand, and while building thigh strength, I learned movement techniques and footwork. Applying the movement technique let me infiltrate women's homes, and the Golden Capturing Hand I'd polished for the lustful arts helped me subdue the women there.
The Mount Tai Axe Technique was the same. The fundamentals of martial arts were dissolved within it. Precisely because it was a basic martial art, it was full of things that would actually assist me when using other techniques.
"That's... how it works. I see."
I felt like I had grasped something. The movements I'd only vaguely memorized and blindly followed until now were linking together in my head, flowing like water as I envisioned a single stance.
The minute details I hadn't been able to memorize no matter how hard I tried were now unfolding in my mind as naturally as breathing.
Sannyeo saw me staring blankly into the air and kept silent.
Closing my eyes for a moment and recalling the stances, I then stood up and picked up the axe.
I thought I understood something.
I thought I finally understood, at least a little, the meaning behind the movements I had been repeating all along.
"Let's go one more time. Just once."
Sannyeo broke into a broad smile and nodded.
"Alright."
Sannyeo stood in place, waiting for me. I stepped one foot forward, raising the hand holding the axe overhead.
There was no obstruction.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, I followed that motion and brought the axe down in a forward strike.
Sannyeo's figure, which had seemed to offer her crown, blurred and vanished.
The axe uselessly cleaved the empty air.
"Pass."
But I smiled.
And Sannyeo was smiling too.