The next day.
We briefly stepped outside to gather supplies needed before starting our retreat in the realm depicted in the painting.
“Wow, we can really travel through the painting,” I said, looking around, while Baek Yujin put her hands on her hips and gave me an incredulous look.
“Did you think it was a lie?”
“Isn’t it rare for someone to believe right away?”
Usually, people don’t easily believe something unless they’ve seen it with their own eyes.
“Anyway, once we start the actual training, we’ll adjust the time ratio inside the realm. A day here equals a month there.”
“Then, since we roughly have a month and a half before the Ascension ceremony, if we exclude the time it takes to travel from the capital to Beijing, we have about two years to prepare.”
“Sounds about right.”
By that time, summer break would be over, and Cheonmu Academy would be starting the fall semester, but which was more important was as clear as day.
If we missed this opportunity, we wouldn’t know when the next one would come, so it would be best to focus our efforts.
‘After all, I enrolled in Cheonmu Academy to protect myself from potential assassins.’
Now that that premise had fallen apart due to Jeongalgyun, who was a puppet of the royal family, there wasn’t much of a need to return to Cheonmu Academy.
In any case, since we didn’t have much time, we decided to scatter and purchase the necessary items.
Essentially, the companion for the retreat was the Wall Fortress, but since we could somewhat be self-sufficient within the realm, it was fine to purchase general groceries.
According to Wolhyang, for her as a rabbit sage, meals were merely treats, so it seemed that rice or barley was only stocked for guests.
I only bought enough rice to last for a while since I could come back to buy more later, and on the way, I stopped by the forge to purchase a weapon.
Maybe it was because there was a Tang family nearby, but they were selling it regularly.
‘It’s not like I can rely on Cheonjamasa forever.’
Essentially, the martial arts of Muryeongsa are predicated on using weapons.
Cheonjamasa is quite sturdy, but it’s better to use weapons to unleash the original power of martial arts. Dokgorin suggested that, so I decided to follow her advice.
Honestly, I still had some reluctance about killing someone, but since I was resolved to get my hands dirty, I couldn’t remain a coward forever.
After purchasing the necessary items and a few clothes to change into within the realm, I returned to the Tang family’s mansion, where Tang Hochang was waiting for me in the yard.
“…You’ve really opened your eyes.”
He murmured that with a slightly dazed expression as he looked at me, then walked over and patted my back.
“Welcome back. That’s what my disciple should do.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“From now on, live with the mindset that you will never die. There are plenty of people around you who would be saddened if you did.”
Tang Hochang said this while crossing his arms.
“I heard a rough explanation from that girl named Baek Yujin. You’re going to retreat for a month, right? Honestly, I don’t know what you can achieve in just a month, but since it’s what you want to do, I won’t try to stop you.”
“Thank you.”
As I bowed my head gratefully, Tang Hochang observed me and said,
“By the way, it seems I haven’t taught you the final secret of the Tang martial arts yet.”
“Will you teach me?”
Tang Hochang chuckled and said,
“Honestly, the final secret is not something I teach or don’t teach. You’ve already grasped it.”
“I’ve already grasped it?”
Tang Hochang nodded as he explained.
“The Tang martial arts’ techniques may seem chaotic at first glance, but every technique except for the Spiral Dragon technique is designed to be organically connected. And unleashing all those techniques at once is the final secret of the Tang martial arts: ‘One-Eyed Dragon.'”
“One-Eyed Dragon?”
“It’s the nickname of Tang Wuyeon, the first family head of the Sicheon Tang family and the founder of the Tang martial arts, in his youth. He’s also my great-grandfather.”
Hearing Tang Hochang’s explanation, I thought to myself.
‘Using your own nickname as a technique name, huh?’
He must have had quite a bit of narcissism.
“Anyway, that completes the transmission of the Tang martial arts. You can now tell anyone that you learned martial arts from me, Tang Hochang.”
“…Yes!”
I responded energetically, and Tang Hochang nodded with a pleased smile.
*
It was some time later when Dokgorin and Baek Yujin returned to the mansion.
“Oh, you’re back already.”
I couldn’t help but gasp as I saw Nguyen standing behind them, carrying a load of items.
Having the mighty Cheonma working as a packhorse felt, honestly, different in scale.
I hurried over and helped carry some of the load Nguyen was holding. He said, “Thank you,” and gave a slight nod.
This man must also be someone who gets treated with respect wherever he goes, yet seeing him silently working hard behind Baek Yujin was oddly pitiful.
“Is that everything we needed to buy?”
I asked, and Baek Yujin nodded.
“We got most of what we needed. And if there’s anything missing, I can always go buy it again, so it’s fine.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Convinced by Baek Yujin’s words, I nodded and looked at Dokgorin standing next to her.
“Did you buy everything you needed, Rin?”
“Yep. All of it.”
After saying that, Dokgorin naturally clung to my side.
She had been like this ever since I got out of bed.
Seeing her stick to me like a piece of gum, I realized anew that I had done her quite the wrong.
“From now on, live with the mindset that you will never die. There are plenty of people around you who would be saddened if you did.”
Tang Hochang’s words echoed in my mind, and I gently patted Dokgorin’s head.
Previously, her displays of affection felt a bit burdensome, but now that I understood why she acted this way, it didn’t feel burdensome at all.
The first time around, Dokgorin wasn’t used to expressing her feelings.
So the ‘me’ from the first round couldn’t say “I love you” before I died, and that left a void, so now it seemed she was actively expressing her feelings.
“By the way, what happened to Sosu and Ruby?”
“Oh, if it’s those two…”
Just then.
“Chilbok!!”
As they say, speak of the devil, and they appear; the two of them had just shown up.
Namgoong Ruby rushed in, shouting loudly and suddenly threw herself into my arms.
Touching!
Feeling Namgoong Ruby’s ample chest hit me, I instinctively flinched.
“These young ones are really something else these days.”
Baek Yujin mumbled, watching from afar as if it were a distant spectacle.
Ignoring her, Namgoong Ruby looked up from my embrace, her eyes slightly watery.
“You really woke up.”
“Uh, yeah.”
As I awkwardly nodded, Namgoong Ruby fidgeted with her lips and said,
“Honestly, I was really worried. I thought you might never wake up.”
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
But if I’m not mistaken, it feels like there’s a bit of a closer distance than before.
To be specific, Dokgorin’s glare at the side was getting sharper in real time.
So I quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, didn’t you say you were going to Anhuiseong? Why are you still in the capital?”
“Well, I was worried about your safety.”
Who would leave when a close friend is sick?
Namgoong Ruby looked up at me with a pouty expression.
She was so beautiful that my heart raced without me even realizing it, and Dokgorin from the side said,
“So when are you planning to let go?”
“Ah! Sorry.”
Namgoong Ruby quickly apologized to Dokgorin as she suddenly remembered and got out of my embrace, but the suspicious glances towards her didn’t seem to fade away.
“So, has the farce come to an end now?”
At that moment, Dang Sosu, who had been quiet, chimed in, and Dokgorin tilted her head and asked,
“Were there any?”
“There was from earlier?!”
Dang Sosu exploded in anger as she spoke, and Dokgorin shrugged innocently.
“I gathered you had the gist of it. I hear you’re planning to retreat for a month in a location no one knows?”
“That’s right.”
“I’d like to go with you, but I still have a lot to do, so it seems I can’t go. My grandfather may not look it, but he has a rather bumbling personality, so he needs me around to help.”
“That can’t be helped.”
If anything, it wasn’t just us; the whole martial world was in a very critical period.
Whether this Ascension ceremony succeeds or fails would determine if the principle of non-intervention is upheld in the future.
If the petition from the protest group is accepted, the history of the martial world will change accordingly, whether it’s received or dismissed.
“What about you, Ruby?”
“I guess it’s too late to go back to Anhuiseong, so I’ll just stay here.”
Honestly, I can always go home during winter break, right? I felt a bit reluctant to leave already.
Seeing Namgoong Ruby say that with a nonchalant face, I thought, ‘This is what we call a dutiful daughter with a fiery disposition.’
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