Chapter 7: Then, I'll Concede in Three Seconds
There was another pair of eyes watching Jegal Myeong's group training from a distance, showing clear discontent. It was Sado Gwang.
“Ugh, I specifically told them not to do group training.”
He had come to Damryong Pavilion to say that, only to get entangled with an insolent brat.
He hadn’t expected that the Hidden Dragon Hall’s riffraff would be there.
“If you have time to waste on those expendables, you should be paying more attention to the disciples of the Five Great Families.”
He was displeased.
Being from the Five Great Families, Jegal Myeong probably found his words insignificant, given his humble background.
Despite that, it was a direct order and request from the chief instructor.
Sado Gwang had become the chief instructor of Hidden Dragon Corps purely based on his abilities.
Therefore, he keenly felt the importance of connections. He realized that without backing, this was his limit.
In the end, Sado Gwang chose to align himself with the Five Great Families, doing everything to catch their eye.
But so far, there had been no results.
If Jegal Myeong gave a bit more attention to the disciples from the Five Great Families, it might work out somehow.
Even though he himself was from the Five Great Families, why did he care so much about those scumbags from the Fierce Dragon Corp?
To Sado Gwang, the Fierce Dragon Corp was a thorn in his side.
***
The scene during self-study time had changed.
Danmok Unrae’s training method, which used to be just doing horse stance all day, had changed.
He ran diligently in the training yard, did horse stance, and practiced shield techniques he learned from Jegal Myeong.
At the end of group training, he asked Jegal Myeong for advice.
Even just moving the large shield according to the basic forms provided excellent strength training.
Jegal Myeong had designed it with that in mind.
Sweating profusely and trembling all over, Danmok Unrae's face was lively.
It was because he had finally learned proper martial arts.
The joy came from having the groundwork to acquire strength.
Watching from a rock in the shade, Ha Mubek's gaze was complicated.
Seeing him train so hard with such joy made him wonder if he should just leave them be.
“Sigh.”
A sigh escaped his lips unknowingly.
At that moment, Danmok Unrae paused to catch his breath.
He had just finished all four basic shield techniques learned from Jegal Myeong and was taking a short break.
Then Danmok Unrae's eyes met Ha Mubek's.
After a moment of hesitation, Danmok Unrae seemed to make up his mind, put down his shield, and approached Ha Mubek.
“Instructor Ha.”
“Hm? What?”
“During group training, I heard from cadets in other groups that there's a basic martial art that everyone who enters the Hidden Dragon Hall must learn.”
Ha Mubek tilted his head at this.
It was news to him.
Was there such a thing?
“Other group cadets are learning the basic martial arts, so when will we learn them?”
It was a question filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Ha Mubek frowned. Not knowing, he couldn’t give an answer.
“Keep training for a moment.”
If you don't know, you have to ask.
There was only one place Ha Mubek could go.
The Hidden Dragon Pavilion in the north, where the office of the hall master was located.
Despite the sudden visit, Paeng Doyul was there.
“What brings you here?”
Paeng Doyul greeted Ha Mubek with a calm face.
“Is there a basic martial art that every cadet in the Hidden Dragon Hall must learn?”
“Yes, there is.”
“Then why wasn’t I informed about it?”
“The martial art manuals should have been among the books given to you on the first day.”
In response to the question, Ha Mubek rifled through his memories of that day.
There was.
Although he had mainly focused on the instructor's manual and the hall regulations, there certainly was a thin manual.
He had found it so ridiculous that he had briefly skimmed through it and tossed it aside.
The titles were...
“Hidden Dragon Mind Method, Hidden Dragon Sword Technique, Hidden Dragon Fist Technique, and Hidden Dragon Footwork, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Paeng Doyul nodded firmly.
Ha Mubek looked at Paeng Doyul in disbelief.
“Seriously? You’re saying those pretentious names are for those trashy techniques?”
“Even those so-called trashy techniques can’t be mastered by most people in the Hidden Dragon Corps.”
“……”
He was right.
“Do you think the Crouching Dragon Corps or the Hidden Dragon Corps would bother with those techniques? They wouldn’t need to. Those from prestigious families or distinguished disciples have already learned them, if not mastered. For them, the Hidden Dragon techniques would be redundant.”
“The SamjaeMind Method, Samjae Sword Technique, Samjae Fist Technique, and Samjae Footwork. They’re just the Samjae Techniques with slightly different names. Just a bit modified.”
“But aren’t they better than the Samjae Techniques?”
[TL/ Samjae literally means “Three Abilities or Three Talents, but the name samjae itself seems better in this context, The "Three Talents" typically represent heaven, earth, and humanity.]
“Do you honestly believe that?”
Ha Mubek asked in disbelief.
“It seems you think otherwise. Well, Instructor Jegal created the shield techniques because he thought the basic techniques were insufficient. Because you can't survive with just those techniques. But think about it. Adding the basic techniques to the shield techniques would benefit them a lot. If you didn’t know about their existence, your cadets wouldn’t have learned them, right?”
“Sigh…”
Ha Mubek let out a deep sigh.
“And by the way.”
“What now?”
“Are those techniques really that useless to you too?”
Paeng Doyul asked with a subtle smile. Meeting his gaze, Ha Mubek shook his head and left the hall master's office.
Returning to the training ground, he saw four people still training hard and one pretending to train.
“Attention.”
At Ha Mubek's low call, the five gathered.
“I will tell you about the basic martial arts of the Hidden Dragon Hall that Danmok Unrae mentioned.”
If there were no officially required martial arts for all cadets, he would have continued to leave them to train on their own.
But since it was a mandatory basic martial art for all Hidden Dragon Hall cadets, Ha Mubek, as an instructor, had no choice but to teach it.
Meeting the members of the seventh group for the seventh day, Ha Mubek was finally about to begin his duty as an instructor.
Danmok Unrae looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“It’s literally basic martial arts. Some of you might have already learned something similar. They are the Hidden Dragon Mind Method, Hidden Dragon Sword Technique, Hidden Dragon Fist Technique, andHidden Dragon. But to be honest, they’re just the Samjae Techniques with a slight modification.”
Even after hearing the truth, Danmok Unrae’s eager eyes didn’t change.
Ha Mubek’s gaze passed over Tang Jinsan, Baek Lipyeong, and Yeon Hamin. It meant, hadn’t they already learned it all?
“I am already training in my sect's basic techniques.”
It was Baek Lipeong who spoke up.
“Yeah, the things I’ve learned aren’t like that.”
Tang Jinsan, from the Tang family, which specializes in poison, hidden weapons, and whips.
“I’ve never practiced martial arts.”
It was Yeon Hamin's response.
Surprisingly.
Ha Mubek had certainly seen traces of the Hubei Yeon family in Yeon Hamin. But he claimed never to have practiced martial arts.
There was no need to ask Danmok Unrae and Naku Jin.
“So, only Danmok Unrae, Naku Jin, and Yeon Hamin need to learn the basic martial arts?”
“I’ll try it too. Well, since it’s Samjae Gong, it shouldn’t clash with the martial arts I’ve already learned.”
Surprisingly, Tang Jinsan decided to learn along with them.
Baek Lipeong stepped back.
Having trained thoroughly from the basics at Jongnam, he saw no reason to learn the Samjae Gong-based martial arts.
“Then, let’s start with the mind method. Come over here.”
The four of them sat down cross-legged and regulated their breathing under Han Mubek’s guidance.
That was all.
Despite its grand name, the mind method was just a breathing technique.
Since it allowed for a slight accumulation of inner energy, it was called a mind method.
Even in the marketplace, one could easily buy the Samjae Gong manuals for money.
Calling it a secret manual was almost too generous.
The Samjae Gong was the most commonly practiced martial art among wanderers.
The basic martial arts of the Hidden Dragon Hall were slightly more advanced than that.
“Don’t look down on the Samjae Gong. It’s a martial art based on profound principles. I’ll teach you the basics of the Samjae Gong rather than the clumsily modified basic martial arts of the Nine Dragon Hall.”
The four of them paid attention to their breathing and listened to Ha Mubek’s words.
“What’s all this about?”
A rough voice came from behind Ha Mubek.
He was teaching the breathing technique in a shaded area by the trees on the edge of the training yard.
The place was adjacent to a path, and Sado Gwang happened to pass by and overhear the conversation.
“Are you saying the basic martial arts of the Hidden Dragon Hall are just a crude modification of the Samjae Gong?”
Sado Gwang was moving with the cadets of the Hidden Dragon Corp.
Whether it was just a coincidence or a deliberate choice to take this path, only Sado Gwang knew.
He took issue with Ha Mubek’s words.
“I’m teaching a class. Don’t interfere.”
Ha Mubek spoke in a low voice.
“How can I, as the chief instructor of the Hidden Dragon Corp, pass by when you’re spouting nonsense? The cadets of the Hidden Dragon Corp also heard that nonsense.”
Sado Gwang’s eyes were filled with anger.
And for good reason.
He was the one who had modified the Hidden Dragon Fist Technique among the basic martial arts of the Hidden Dragon Hall.
Ha Mubek’s words implied that Sado Gwang had crudely modified the Samjae Gong.
“This is my class, and I’ll teach it as I see fit.”
“The basic martial art you called a crude modification, the Hidden Dragon Fist Technique, was something I crafted with great effort and sincerity. So I have every right to interfere.”
His voice was laced with anger.
Ha Mubek chuckled.
He saw the level.
Sado Gwang seemed skilled, but he had not yet reached the pinnacle. That’s why his modifications were crude.
Samjae Gong.
A martial art based on the principles of the three talents.
Although time had eroded its original profound principles, it was still not to be underestimated or meddled with lightly.
At least that’s what Ha Mubek had been taught by his master.
“That’s why I said so.”
At Ha Mubek’s words, Sado Gwang shouted.
“You bastard!”
His shout didn’t end there. He swung his clenched fist.
It was different from the altercation at Damryong Pavilion.
That time it was indoors, and there were many eyes watching.
No, back then, Jegal Myeong was there.
And now, he wasn’t.
There were still many eyes watching. The number was increasing.
It was near the path leading to the Hidden Dragon Corp’s quarters. Many people were passing by, mostly cadets of the Hidden Dragon Corp.
The commotion caused by Sado Gwang drew their attention to the seventh group’s training yard.
Sado Gwang’s fist cut through the air.
There was no way Ha Mubek would be hit by such a punch.
“Grr.”
Despite being the one who threw the punch, Sado Gwang gritted his teeth in frustration and glared at Ha Mubek.
“What’s all this ruckus?”
“Ruckus? Hmph. You must be held accountable for your words. Prove that the Hidden Dragon Fist Technique is a crude martial art!”
His voice was filled with poison.
Ha Mubek signaled to the middle of the training yard with a gesture and moved.
The four who had been practicing the breathing technique stood up long ago. They followed Ha Mubek, along with Baek Lipeong.
Of course, Sado Gwang and the members of the Hidden Dragon Corp moved as well.
Sado Gwang’s furious steps, snorting as he walked, made it clear to anyone that he was extremely angry.
Whether it was rumored or not, people began to gather.
A large crowd surrounded the small training yard.
“I don’t understand why you’re picking on the Hidden Dragon Corp.”
The Group shield training.
Ha Mubek knew that Sado Gwang had secretly watched from one corner during that time.
A master like Ha Mubek couldn’t help but sense his presence.
“Then, I’ll concede three seconds.”
Ha Mubek beckoned to Sado Gwang with his finger.
“You bastard!!!”
Sado Gwang screamed and sprang forward.
Previous Chapter - Chapter List - Next Chapter
Previous Chapter
Comments
Post a Comment