Five Days to Master Qinggong
Hye-yul was heading toward the Incense Accumulation Hall to offer the evening meal to the demonic heads confined in the Repentance Cave when the abbot’s summons made him turn his steps toward the abbot’s chamber instead.
When Hye-yul arrived, a prior guest was already present besides the abbot monk. It was none other than his master, the greatest expert in the current Murim world, Hyeon-jung.
Wondering what business could have prompted the summons, Hye-yul waited with a curious heart for the abbot’s words.
“The reason I called you is to confirm one matter. Speak honestly.”
“Yes.”
To the question from Shaolin’s abbot, Hyeon-gak, Hye-yul answered at once.
“You must know that five days from now, on the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shaolin will hold a lantern festival.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“On that day we will exceptionally open Shaolin’s gates, accepting not only Murim comrades but ordinary citizens as well.”
“Yes.”
“Your master Hyeon-jung has proposed handing over the Blood Hand Witch from the Repentance Cave to the Wudang disciples who will visit that day. What is your thoughts on this?”
“Pardon?!”
Hye-yul was so shocked that words failed him.
‘The Blood Hand Witch… to Wudang?’
‘Master said the Blood Hand Witch is using disguise techniques. Could that be the reason?’
‘And why am I so flustered? I should simply follow the elders’ instructions as always.’
Into the ears of the confused Hye-yul came the abbot’s voice.
“You must be wondering why it must be done. According to your master… when he pressed the Blood Hand Witch, the demonic heads of the Repentance Cave defended the child with desperate fervor.”
“...”
“Is that correct?”
The dazed Hye-yul uttered a retort he would never normally dare.
“…It is correct, but how does that lead to…”
Seeing this, Hye-yul’s master Hyeon-jung let out a sigh and spoke.
“You are Shaolin’s future. Therefore you too must know someday.”
“Pardon?”
Today of all days Hye-yul looked unusually blank.
“Demonic heads protecting one another? That cannot be permitted.”
After steadying his breath for a moment, Hyeon-jung spoke gravely.
“The Blood Hand Witch is the one who created such an atmosphere in the Repentance Cave. If we leave her as she is… ‘it’ will emerge.”
Hyeon-gak took over from Hyeon-jung and concluded in a low yet resolute voice.
“If that happens… Shaolin will be erased.”
…What? In six days I have to be transferred to Wudang’s Repentance Cave?
The story struck like a bolt from the blue, freezing my entire body.
“What the hell is this all of a sudden? Why me?!”
It was time for the evening meal offering. The fake monk who had come to distribute the food was, unusually, still lingering in front of me even after the meal service had ended, fidgeting awkwardly.
Then he dropped the bomb that in five days I would be transferred to Wudang’s Repentance Cave. His master, the big monk, had insisted on it, and even the abbot of Shaolin had agreed.
‘Has he lost his mind? What kind of nonsense is this!’
Preparations to escape Shaolin’s Repentance Cave within a month had been proceeding smoothly! Once I learned even a portion of Ok-myeon Eum-ma’s Phantom Butterfly Soul-Bewildering Steps, Hyeolbu Mak-ga the ‘Blacksmith’ would bend the iron bars like taffy so we could break out.
If the demonic heads recovered even thirty percent of their prime strength, escape would be entirely feasible.
But suddenly five days? Even if I am a super genius, the hope of humanity, and the great hero of Earth, how could anyone master qinggong in five days?!
I had only ever read about qinggong in martial arts novels. I had done combat similar to swordsmanship in my original world, but there had been no need for qinggong there. We could simply fly.
Concentrate inner energy on the Yongcheon point or whatever… Just hearing the explanation, I couldn’t even grasp the concept!
‘…They wouldn’t leave without me, right?’
After the escape we were all going to survive on our own anyway, but what would become of me if I couldn’t even use qinggong? I would be nothing more than bait to buy time while the demonic heads fled.
Besides, if I were transferred to another prison now, I would have to start everything over from scratch. These Shaolin demonic heads still had some humanity left; who knew what kind of monsters would be in another place!
Above all, this place had the ‘Great Awakener’ Hyeolbu Mak-ga! The escape plan that should have taken three months had been shortened to one month thanks to that ‘Blacksmith’!
The thought of having to begin anew filled me with bottomless despair and irritation.
“…Do not worry, benefactor.”
I was already confused enough, and now this insane fake monk was speaking again…
“I will definitely tell my master that I too will go to Wudang.”
‘…Why are you following me?’
Bewildered, I glared at the shameless fake monk’s face.
‘What the hell is with this crazy bastard’s expression?’
The fake monk was staring at me with a dreamy, sorrowful gaze. Had he gone mad?
At that moment, the Thousand Poison Elder spoke to the monk. (The demonic heads normally never even addressed him.)
“So after the Shaolin lantern festival in six days, the Blood Hand Witch will be transferred to Wudang’s Repentance Cave. Is that certain?”
“…Yes, it is certain.”
For once the monk answered obediently.
“And this lantern festival will open Shaolin’s gates to everyone?”
“…Yes.”
“Then the Wudang bastards will come to Shaolin at that time. Hmm.”
‘What? Old Man Cheon, why are you so interested? Do you want to watch the lanterns or something?’
I was about to be dragged off to another prison without managing to escape, yet he was acting far too relaxed, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Having finished his business, the fake monk left behind the skin-crawling words “I will definitely follow you to Wudang, so do not worry,” and exited the Repentance Cave.
Was that lunatic planning to follow me all the way to Wudang just to torment me?
Discouraged, I clutched my head in my hands. When plans went this wrong, even a superhuman like me felt wounded.
“According to that young monk bastard… we must change the plan.”
The Thousand Poison Elder’s voice sounded.
What was he about to say?
Gapjil Jijon took up the thread.
“…Then we should escape during the lantern festival in five days.”
‘…Huh? What is this about?’
“Then let us do so.”
“We need to draw up the plan starting now.”
“Let’s get out in five days!”
“Agreed!”
Ok-myeon Eum-ma, Hyeolbu Mak-ga, Demonic Head 1, and Demonic Head 2 chimed in enthusiastically.
“Then let us all depart together in five days.”
Even Guyu Majon… The demonic heads suddenly burst into a chaotic uproar, beating drums and gongs.
…What? What was happening?
‘Could it be… they’re doing this because of me?’
Flustered yet moved, I asked in a trembling voice.
“What is this? Could it be… you’re doing this for me?”
“Of course we have to leave together, you ugly bitch!” Gapjil Jijon shouted.
The Thousand Poison Elder, facing me directly, simply smiled.
The other demonic heads also shouted “Obviously!”, “We’re all getting out together for sure!”, “We can do it!” and so on.
Hah… These pathetic demonic heads… actually bringing tears to a man’s eyes.
It wasn’t menopausal crying since this wasn’t my original body, but genuine hot tears of a man were about to flow.
…Even if I no longer had the equipment for it.
Now we had to make a plan. Yet there was nothing grand enough to truly call a plan.
1. Hyeolbu Mak-ga disables the iron bars of the prison cells.
2. Smash the wooden side door of the Repentance Cave.
3. Escape in different directions to avoid pursuit.
4. One year later, gather at the destination and confirm each other’s survival.
Simple, right? Of course I had included number four because I still needed to extract the martial arts from these demonic heads.
Some might cry out, ‘What kind of escape plan is this!’ That was because I had come up with it on the spot.
In my original world I had been an Ultra S-Class Awakener. Using my head was exhausting. Planning had never been my responsibility. I existed solely for raw power! The planning had always fallen to government officials or the weak, pathetic A-Class Awakeners beneath me.
“Hey, you crazy bitch! You sang escape, escape all day long, and this is the plan you came up with!”
As expected, the grumbling Gapjil Jijon immediately picked a fight.
“I draw the big picture. The small details are for you demonic heads to fill in.”
“So… what word replaces leader? That’s right! I am the cult leader, and you are the believers. Therefore fulfill your duties as believers.”
“What?! Are you claiming to be the Heavenly Demon? Cult leader? Believers?”
Gapjil Jijon roared.
At that moment a quiet cough came from the far side of the prison.
“Cough.”
Guyu Majon, apparently uncomfortable at the word Heavenly Demon, cleared his throat.
‘Ah! That gentleman is from the Demonic Cult.’
“Gapjil brother, calm yourself. We are locked up here without any outside help. We have no choice, do we?”
The Thousand Poison Elder took my side.
As expected of an educated man!
“Ugh…”
Gapjil Jijon shut his mouth at the Thousand Poison Elder’s ‘academic background’ attack.
The Thousand Poison Elder calmed the mood and continued.
“As the Madwoman said, let us draw the small picture. First, Hyeolbu Mak-ga will remove the iron bars of each cell so we may leave the prisons. Is that not so, Hyeolbu Mak-ga?”
“Hmm~. This seat is a ‘Great Awakener,’ so I shall fulfill my responsibility.”
Hyeolbu Mak-ga puffed out his chest and declared proudly.
“Second, breaking the side door of the Repentance Cave. This too is easy.”
The Thousand Poison Elder held up two fingers.
“The lock or hinges securing the side door are mere toys to us who have recovered more than two-tenths of our former martial prowess.”
“But why did the Shaolin monks make the side door of the Repentance Cave so poorly guarded?”
To my question Gapjil Jijon answered in their stead.
“With only old demonic heads whose dantians are shattered and meridians severed, what kind of threat could there possibly be?”
“Still, your comrades might come to rescue you. Besides, you said the Repentance Cave is quite far from Shaolin Temple.”
“Hmph. You do not understand the ways of the unorthodox path. What fool would make an enemy of Shaolin to rescue useless relics?”
‘Ah! I get it.’
It made such perfect sense that I had nothing left to say.
“…..”
“Hmm. If you are finished speaking, I shall continue.”
The Thousand Poison Elder coughed once more and went on.
“The first two steps are easy. The problem is the third: ‘escape.’”
“Fortunately, five days from now is the Mid-Autumn Festival lantern celebration, so the Shaolin monks will be preoccupied with outside guests. They likely will not discover our escape until the following day.”
“The time given to us is between the evening meal offering and the morning meal offering the next day. During that single night we must flee as far as possible.”
“Then we simply escape in different directions?”
Ok-myeon Eum-ma asked the obvious.
“Correct. However, since the Madwoman is unfamiliar with the local geography… she will move together with me.”
The Thousand Poison Elder glanced at me.
At that moment the previously inconspicuous Demonic Head 1 raised a question to the Thousand Poison Elder.
“But the fourth… why did you include ‘meet at the destination in one year to confirm survival’?”
“That is…”
The Thousand Poison Elder looked at me with a dazed expression.
“…Madwoman, why is that necessary?”
‘This old man really…’
I clicked my tongue in exasperation and spoke with the dignity of a cult leader.
“You demonic heads really lack loyalty! Are we strangers? In this hellish Repentance Cave, are we not like brothers who ate from the same floor—I mean, the same bowl of rice?!”
My passionate speech seemed to move the demonic heads; they chimed in with “Oh!”, “That’s right!”, “Yes, we are not strangers!”
‘It’s because I still need to wring every last bit of martial arts out of you idiots.’
“But… what will we eat after we get out? You’re not planning to live like before, committing atrocities, are you?”
Hyeolbu Mak-ga’s realistic observation.
‘Yeah, at that age it would be truly pathetic to keep acting like a thug. Good thinking.’
The Thousand Poison Elder pondered a moment before speaking cautiously.
“I have a small garden on the outskirts of Quanzhou in Fujian Province that I used as a secret safe house. Some fields are attached… If you find life difficult, come there. A living mouth will not grow cobwebs, after all.”
Gapjil Jijon immediately voiced doubt.
“You poison freak! Has it not been twenty years since you were locked up here? Would that garden still remain? How will you prove those fields belong to you?”
“Do not worry. In Fujian Province, who would dare touch the territory of the ‘Ten Thousand Poison Gate’?”
“Ten Thousand Poison Gate? You… were you from that sect?”
“Not exactly. But… I have a deep connection with them.”
The Thousand Poison Elder smiled meaningfully.
“Hoo… Then the meeting place in one year can be that garden of Elder Thousand Poison.”
Ok-myeon Eum-ma quickly summarized the situation.
“Hmm… What do all of you think?”
When the Thousand Poison Elder finally confirmed the demonic heads’ opinions, they all agreed without objection.
“Good. If you come to Quanzhou in Fujian Province, simply tell the ‘Ten Thousand Guests Inn’ that ‘a friend has come.’ I will find you myself.”
After the Thousand Poison Elder even explained the contact method, he turned worried eyes toward me.
“But Madwoman. Will you be able to learn some qinggong within five days? If not… this old man will carry you on his back at the start.”
“Do not worry, Old Man Cheon.”
I gave a confident smile.
“The unparalleled genius of the age stands before you.”
The Thousand Poison Elder made an expression that said he could not stop me.
‘Yeah, I’ll finish it in five days. How hard can it be?’
After all, I could learn it in my dreams. From experience, the training I received while getting beaten by Geomjeong-i in my dreams applied equally in reality.
‘Good. Then I should sleep early today.’
Early to bed and early to rise makes a good child, after all.