As I faced the gazes of the Hongseong disciples, I shrugged. Right now, what mattered wasn’t my relationship with Chaejin.
“By the way, I didn’t expect so many from Hongseong to show up here.”
“Seomhwa Village is under the protection of our Hongseong, after all.”
Ryuhyun said this nonchalantly while stealing a glance at Chaejin. Despite her sharp gaze, Chaejin remained utterly unbothered.
“The appearance of the Do-gyeon could mean that Mabok is planning to attack Seomhwa Village. You know what Mabok is, right?”
“Of course I do. It’s an evil monster, after all.”
“So, for the time being, Hongseong plans to send disciples to help patrol.”
“That’s quite a generous offer.”
Mabok might be a strong evil monster, but for someone like Chaejin, it’s just a minor nuisance.
Naturally, the prospect of having a competitor wouldn’t sit well with Chaejin.
I watched her intently as she looked for traces of Do-gyeon and Mabok with a serious expression. Did she sense my gaze? She lifted her head and asked to clarify her suspicions.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Nope. If you don’t want to lose that reward, you better move quickly.”
“Reward? Ah, well, I suppose…”
Chaejin smirked with an arrogant expression.
“If there are more people who can fight, the damage will be less. Besides, I’ll be the main character in this affair, so what’s there to worry about? Hehe.”
Chaejin spoke confidently as if to prove she didn’t earn the title of the Great Disciple through mere luck.
But it seemed her voice was a tad too loud.
It caught the attention of Hongseong, especially seeing Ryuhyun’s face twist in displeasure.
“It’d be wise to inform Hongseong as well. The appearance of Do-gyeon indicates that there might be a Mabok lurking nearby. Since this area is all under my jurisdiction, if you catch Mabok, I’ll be sure to provide a reward to Hongseong too.”
“A reward? How much…”
“Two gold pieces.”
In an instant, Ryuhyun’s eyes bulged, and Sayoon’s eyes went wide as saucers. Just moments ago, their gaze towards Chaejin was almost suspicious; now they looked positively hostile.
Two gold pieces.
It was indeed a tempting enough amount to reconsider.
“That said, let’s not resort to fighting among ourselves.”
The competitive atmosphere felt like it was about to boil over. So I cut in, and finally, Chaejin and the Hongseong group settled into a more subdued mood.
The investigation wrapped up briefly. Ryuhyun was deep in conversation with the guards, while Chaejin closed her eyes in thought.
“Um, Innkeeper?”
A voice tickled my ear.
I turned my head slightly to see Sayoon standing there, nervously fidgeting and looking up at me.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ryuhyun mentioned that… the evil monster appearing on the outskirts might actually be a diversion.”
“A diversion, huh…”
Well, it wasn’t completely out of the question. There had been instances in Heavenly Bright Moon where someone was manipulating the evil monsters.
Considering that Mabok had come this close only to turn back, the possibility couldn’t be ruled out.
“So, we’re planning to participate in the village patrol and also ensure the safety of important figures.”
“Oh, I see. So who would those important figures be?”
It would have to be the local leader, Hyeonryeong, at the very least.
And now we have the village chief, and finally, the local gentry, Nago.
“So we at Hongseong are thinking of taking turns to escort you. Would that be alright?”
What? How could I turn that down! If I’m lucky, Sayoon could come too?!
I was about to shout “Woohoo!” but I held back and nodded as calmly as I could.
“I shall graciously accept.”
“Hehe, thank you for your cooperation! Then I’ll go tell Ryuhyun right away.”
I could tell she was thrilled by my approval. Sayoon beamed and turned to dash off, saying something to Ryuhyun, who then lightly waved in my direction.
I should be the one feeling grateful.
“Hmm… but I’m the one being escorted.”
Hearing Sayoon’s words, Chaejin approached, looking a bit sour. I shrugged at her.
“Can you search for the Evil Monster while escorting me?”
“Well, you can’t catch an Evil Monster with just the guards, can you? That’s why I brought this.”
What Chaejin pulled out from her sleeve was a flare. A type of firework that makes a loud noise and emits light using gunpowder.
But why did you bring that?
“I’m the Great Disciple of Moonjeong.”
“But the gunpowder permitted by the government to Moonjeong is limited. Can we really use this? Is that allowed?”
“Who cares? This is the time to use it. It just sits there if we don’t.”
That’s true. The Empire strictly controls gunpowder, and it has to be brought to the government directly once you get it.
Even in Heavenly Bright Moon, if you got some gunpowder, you had to hand it over.
Of course, depending on how much you brought, they might give you cavalry or valuable outfits.
“If it goes off, I’ll use light body technique and head out immediately.”
Should I call this clever or cunning?
As I stared at her, it seemed she caught the meaning behind my gaze. She gave me a playful wink and gently took my arm.
“Alright! Shall we head back, member?!”
“Huh?”
What’s going on?
Was that a sparkle in Chaejin’s eyes?
Am I imagining things?
“You need to practice Taiji now! You must have heard them say that you should be able to defend yourself in case of an emergency! So I’ll teach you properly!”
Chaejin looked quite serious.
…Looks like I’m going to have a tough time for a while.
Once we returned to the inn, and lunch service was finished, Chaejin immediately pulled me to the backyard.
There were a few things to sort out, but I didn’t expect her to drag me out like this.
“Wow, how pushy.”
“Do you know? If you take a day off from martial arts, it’s like losing three days’ worth of progress. I may have guided you through Taiji yesterday, but you haven’t completely mastered it, have you?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Then what are you doing just standing around?”
Chaejin reached out, and at that moment, everything in the yard was pushed against the walls, creating space.
The ability to manipulate the air like that, something only those who surpassed top martial artists can do, was casually displayed, showing just how strong she really was.
“Tsk.”
Chaejin wasn’t wrong. It’s true that if you don’t practice martial arts, you regress.
Even in Heavenly Bright Moon, there were times when I’d see people’s proficiency drop if they just practiced and didn’t use it.
So I immediately got into position.
Standing next to me, Chaejin extended her hands. Her left hand, representing Yin, went down, and her right hand, representing Yang, went up.
Left hand down, the right hand symbolizing sheep up.
It all began with the left hand. Just like the birth of light in the darkness, the left hand slowly created a realm.
At the same time, my body was strongly fueled by an intangible force.
“Ugh…”
“Embrace the flow. We don’t have time, so I’m being a bit forceful. But trust me, this is the quickest way. You can realize the truth later.”
The left hand was gently swirling. I moved my left hand in sync.
A light spin, just one turn.
As my outstretched hand enveloped the realm, my right hand subtly emerged, beginning to manifest the Yang within the previously Yin-colored space.
“All things are formed of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are inseparable, and through them, destruction and creation repeat.”
—Buuuum…!!
The realms began to separate. The collision of internal energies began to stir a slight breeze.
Within it, I moved both my left and right hands, and slowly, Chaejin and I began to face each other.
The left foot created a realm, while the right foot twisted it.
“Opposites interact, and this signifies union.”
—Shook!!
My hand extended towards Chaejin’s head. She casually deflected it with just a flick of her hand.
Before my arm could even return from the air, Chaejin spun gracefully. Her back touched my chest, and I stepped back a few paces to regain my stance.
However, Chaejin didn’t stop.
“This is called the Taiji.”
With a very gentle flick of her hand, my body lifted into the air. But there was no shock when I fell; her right foot barely supported me.
With a soft smile, Chaejin kicked me back into the air.
“Ugh.”
Once again, I spun in mid-air, propelled by a forced force, and reached out with my right hand.
What caught it was Chaejin’s left hand. Gently pulling me, she took the opposite pose from earlier, meaning my back now pressed against her chest.
I pushed her away like she did before, and when Chaejin stepped back a few steps, I reached for her hand and pulled her up.
“The Yangtze flows gently, yet its power is immense. It doesn’t take great strength to harness it. Remember the meaning of the dragon’s helplessness. All you need is willpower.”
Though I didn’t exert much strength, Chaejin soared into the air. She spun a few times, her skirt fluttering.
“The gentleness born from extremes can change the power of a mighty river. This is called ‘Yuhwan Jeonghyeong.’ Remember this; ‘Cha’ is the name and core essence of Taijiquan.”
“Ugh… that’s difficult.”
“If you fully master this, you’ll grasp the nuances of Sarangbalcheonkeun and Ihwajeobmok, even just a bit. As the innkeeper with little internal energy, you must learn this…”
—Buuuum!!
She landed and extended her long legs. I retreated while blocking her kick with my hands as her attacks intensified.
Meanwhile, the force acting on my body grew stronger.
“Just like a lotus blooming in mud, amidst hardships, one can gain truth…”
Pain left its mark on my body, and that mark forcibly made me remember the Turow.
“Let’s make it happen.”
As the long legs swiftly aimed for my head, they suddenly whacked my ankle, and I went rolling on the floor.
“Through this, you will come to know softness.”
I might just faint before I understand anything.
After what felt like an eternity of training, once Chaejin finished the first section of Tai Chi, she finally released the hold she had on me.
“Are you okay?”
“Umm, I’m fine enough.”
“Great! Then…”
With that, she spread out her ten fingers.
“Let’s do it ten more times!”
“…Seriously, ten more?”
“Yes! Ten more!”
Night fell, and as promised, people arrived from Hongseong to guard the inn.
Sayoon and Yoohee were there.
“Tonight, we need to stay close to the innkeeper. Is that alright with you?”
“Of course.”
“That’s a relief. But your expression looks a bit bad… Are you sick?”
“…It’s just that instructor is a bit pushy.”
After Chae made me repeat the first section of Tai Chi and the Yu Hwan formation dozens of times while demonstrating what true rote learning was, she finally let me go.
I don’t need to understand it with my head!
My body will remember!
Around the seventeenth time I did the Yu Hwan formation, gasping for air, I recalled Chaejin’s bright smile when she said, “It’ll be easy!”
But wait, if you said ten, why did you make me do so many?
I hoped the familiar scent of a trainer from that strange girl was just in my imagination.
As I weakly smiled, Sayoon awkwardly returned my grin and headed toward the inn’s backyard with Yoohee.
Why? There are still rooms in the inn!
While I was puzzled, they began laying out a large mat and an old sleeping bag on the yard.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to sleep here. The innkeeper’s room is up there, right?”
“Uhh… yeah?”
The window she pointed to definitely led to my room. So, I nodded, and she casually patted her sleeping bag.
“I’m fine with this. I’ve camped a lot, plus I’ll train a bit before bed… And Yoohee won’t mind, right?”
“Of course not.”
Sayoon smiled brightly, assuring me that even if something unexpected happened, they could all see it and climbing a wall would be no big deal, so I shouldn’t worry.
“Why not just sleep in a room?”
“No! No! I can’t do that! I’m here to provide protection, not to relax in the inn!”
Wow.
What do I even call this?
I felt a weird guilt creeping into my chest.
Why on earth would people have such grudge against this kind-hearted, responsible girl…?
“Uh, it might get cold at night. Should I light a fire or something?”
“Hehe. I’m fine.”
Sayoon said proudly, gathering the branches she brought along. Then, she confidently held up a fire starter.
“I’ve done this a lot!”
Seeing such a young kid confidently talk about having a lot of camping experience made me secretly wipe away a tear.
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