The Next Plan (7)
The Next Plan (7)
After Im Seo-ryeon left, I was busy flailing my left hand in the air, trying to grasp some sensation. I could use a different martial art with my left hand to defend, and finish off the opponent with a single strike from the axe in my right.
Although the fight against Tournament Killer had helped me find a style that suited me, the martial arts I could use with my right hand and my left hand were both pitifully shallow. Even to a novice like me, their limitations were obvious.
'What martial art could I learn to become stronger here, without side effects?'
"What are you flailing your hand around like that for? Doing Taijiquan or something?"
"...Taijiquan?"
Sannyeo tilted her head at my question. She blinked and spoke.
"Yeah. Taijiquan. You were waving your hand around like they do in Taijiquan. I thought maybe that was something you wanted to learn."
"...Doesn't sound too bad, Taijiquan."
I didn't know even the basics of Taijiquan yet, but in my imagination it looked promising. I would use the profound principle of Taijiquan—turning their force against them—to deflect an opponent's attack, and once I created an opening, I would bring the axe down on their crown.
When I roughly mimicked the technique in the air, a plausible picture seemed to emerge. I waved my hand and said:
"An axe strike is very fast and direct, whereas Taijiquan is a soft and yielding martial art, right? If I could use the two appropriately, they'd make an excellent combination."
Sannyeo smiled and nodded.
"Hmm, that sounds plausible. Even I think it's a decent foundation. Softness and speed make a really good match. They're unpredictable, adaptable, and make it hard to anticipate the opponent's attacks. Of course, that's only possible if you have the talent to master Taijiquan and can freely use martial arts with both hands."
"I'm already using Golden Capturing Hand and Mount Tai Axe Technique separately with each hand, aren't I?"
My confidence seemed like a joke to her. She laughed out loud once, then shook her head and said:
"If Taijiquan were a martial art you could easily pick up and grasp its profound principles, everyone under heaven would be learning it. Starting is easy, but you can't truly use it until you understand its principles—so mastery is far from easy. If you're just going to blindly imitate the forms without understanding, you'd be better off sticking with Golden Capturing Hand."
I shook my head at her negativity. She was the one who always provoked me by asking if I lacked confidence, so I hadn't expected this from her. I looked at her and said:
"What, do you have no confidence in your teaching?"
"Of course not."
She said that and thrust her hand toward me. When her manacled hand came right up to my face, I instinctively averted my eyes and said:
"Right."
"I have pride in my skills, but I'm not arrogant. Do you really think I can teach someone the essence of a martial art when I don't have its secret manual, don't properly understand its profound principles, and have my hands bound?"
With her hands bound, how could she possibly teach each stance one by one? She'd be spending all day correcting posture. Her intention was clear: she couldn't teach me properly, so she wanted me to take that into account.
"...So, to learn Taijiquan, I'd have to go to a sect after all, right?"
Sannyeo nodded.
"That's why I'm against it. I don't know what the master of that sect is like, and it's doubtful they'd teach you well. It often happens that so-called orthodox masters forget their place and commit misdeeds. Taijiquan is no exception."
I had already felt firsthand how low the morality of the orthodox sects had sunk. I could understand her reluctance. I asked:
"Where is the Taijiquan sect located?"
"I heard there's one in Sichuan and one in Henan. The branch split, they say. Yang Family Taijiquan. Chen-style Taijiquan."
There was no need to deliberate.
"Then I'll just go to Sichuan."
Sannyeo wore a puzzled look at my decision and said:
"You decide fast. Do you have a reason?"
"They say Sichuan cuisine is delicious."
She looked dumbfounded and stayed silent for a moment. Blinking as she searched for words, she steadied her breathing before opening her mouth.
"Well, whatever criteria you use to choose, isn't that fate as well? It's not like I can explain exactly what Chen-style Taijiquan or Yang Family Taijiquan is like. Do as you like. But you do know that you have to bring good results accordingly, right?"
"I know."
I nodded at her words. I was going to Sichuan because the cuisine was delicious, but I had no intention of learning half-heartedly. My future ultimately depended on how diligently I mastered martial arts. If I settled for a small position like Crimson Ring Sect Leader, I'd end up a spent puppet and die miserably.
The path only opened for those with the strength to open the door themselves. Sannyeo always expected results that exceeded expectations from me; our alliance was built on my potential for growth. I spread my hands like a magician and said:
"I'll master Taijiquan in no time and show you."
"You can't learn martial arts if you're impatient. Stay calm and learn."
Of course, Sannyeo countered my confident attitude with sound reasoning.
I clicked my tongue and nodded.
********
"You're going to Sichuan?"
That night, after I'd decided to go to Sichuan, Seon-go lay beside me, fidgeting with her hair. She pouted and kept staring at the lamp, avoiding my eyes. The night air felt especially chilly that day, and the room, lit only by candlelight, gave off a faint and pitiful atmosphere.
I rubbed the pillow with my hand and spoke. Though I hadn't done anything yet, somehow it felt like a conversation that takes place after committing adultery.
"That's how it turned out."
"When you go to Sichuan, there will be many better women than me...."
Seon-go said that and clutched the blanket. I reached out my hand to her and said:
"Hey, don't you know that to me, Seon-go, you're number one?"
Seon-go shook her head at my words and said in a melancholy tone:
"They say the human heart is like a reed, right? I heard there are many beauties in Sichuan, and I'm afraid you'll fall head over heels for them and neglect me."
"...There are many beauties in Sichuan?"
She narrowed her eyes at my answer and said:
"See? Your eyes already changed at the word 'beauties.' You said I was the best."
I hugged her as she turned away sharply. Seon-go grumbled that she could see through my actions, but she didn't escape from my arms. She was small and slender; I could feel her heart beat as I held her. I stroked her hair and said:
"...No, I was just curious because you mentioned beauties. Seon-go, who exactly are you so worried I'll commit debauchery with, huh?"
"Ah, well...."
I bit her earlobe. Seon-go shivered and closed her eyes. As I exhaled, my breath misted faintly in the cold night air. Her body temperature rose, and I felt her fingers tap lightly against me.
"Well, they say the daughters of the Sichuan Tang family are exceptionally beautiful...."
"....Seon-go, you're quite the broad-minded one."
I had a lot of nerve, but I didn't want to die from carelessly touching a daughter of the Sichuan Tang family right now. If the Hengshan Sect stabbed me, I might survive, but if I tangled with the Sichuan Tang family, I felt like I'd die without anyone knowing.
Yet Seon-go was already assuming I would lay hands on a daughter of the Tang Clan. Was this the difference in our calibers?
I pressed her head with my chin and said:
"What else?"
"And, they say the Emei Sect also has many outstandingly beautiful heroines."
"Oh."
I saw Seon-go turn her head. She was looking at me as if shooting lightning from her eyes. I sheepishly averted my gaze, then hugged her tight again and said:
"Do you dislike it when I take women into my arms?"
"...I don't like it if it's in front of me."
"....So it doesn't matter if it's not in front of you? Any woman?"
Seon-go wiped her lips briefly, then wore a coy expression and said:
"....Actually, I imagined a daughter of the Tang Clan pinned beneath you, struggling... and it felt kind of good. I mean, how should I put it... Like I was superior, somehow...."
What on earth had shifted in her mental image after watching a first-rate master whine and struggle? I smiled bitterly and kissed her cheek.
"...All right. All right. Still, if I go somewhere and take a woman, it's an unavoidable thing. It's necessary for my future. I'm going to be a hero, after all. It's only natural for great heroes to have multiple wives."
Seon-go nodded. She was jealous, but she also understood my amorous adventures.
A person with the ambition to devour the world can never have only one spouse. Whether for political reasons or personal lust, taking many women is inevitable.
"And I'm the greediest person among such people."
"I know. You. But I am really your first, right?"
"Of course."
Seon-go, with her face flushed bright red, put her hand on my chest and said:
".....If you happen to get a woman there, make sure you do it in front of me at least once...."
"...I'll do it as many times as you want."
My wife's peculiar taste.
'Was this really okay?'