“Yesterday, Sa Gong-hyeon that old man gathered us and talked about the Helpers. He mentioned how the behavior of the Children has changed too.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“Indeed. Which Sect could it be… Our Jeomchang can be said to have a pretty strong interest in education.”
This was definitely something I could agree with.
The way sects typically cultivate Disciples in the Martial World is quite standardized.
First, they gather the Children into groups and teach them shared Martial Arts. Those who stand out are promoted to upper groups. This way, they select outstanding Children to become someone’s Disciple.
So, they start off with group education and if they see potential, they assign them to one of the Master candidates. There are cases where someone might just take a Discipleship on their own initiative too.
Interpreting this in modern terms essentially means they’re just saying to train your own Disciples individually.
While basic training is provided by the Sect, it’s entirely up to the Master to teach the advanced courses.
This is why, in the Martial World, the correct teaching method is viewed as assigning capable Masters as private tutors for promising Disciples.
On the other hand, Jeomchang’s method of cultivating Disciples is more like an academy format. Multiple Masters teach multiple Disciples.
It’s not partitioned by each Martial Art… you could say it’s more like “all Masters, all Disciples”.
I can’t really comment on which educational approach is superior, but it was clear that Jeomchang has a significantly higher interest in education compared to other Sects.
If I were to put it negatively, you could say that in other Sects, the method for teaching Disciples is left entirely to the discretion of the responsible Master. It’s obvious which approach is more interested in education when you compare “Disciple cultivation is to be worried over by individual Masters” and “the entire Sect should think about how to cultivate their Disciples.”
“It’s only been a few days, but seeing such dramatic results has piqued everyone’s interest in your mind.”
That was chilling to hear. My mind… what? Feeling a shiver at the attentive gazes of the Teachers, I trembled slightly.
“Your actions have inspired us considerably. First, we realized just how bored we were raising our Children.”
“Ugh… It’s not easy raising Children when just the old folks are gathered! I thought they’d just play well if I let them loose…”
“Why did I forget that every evening I used to go out to greet my Father coming home with a piece of candy…”
“Haha, that’s right. My Father would bring home fried chicken.”
I cleared my throat to break the nostalgic trip the Elders were taking. If I got caught in this, it could easily take an hour.
“Ahem… I apologize. Back to the main topic. Frankly… I don’t quite understand your actions! You managed to inspire the Children by distributing Tang Sweets, and yesterday you got Sa Gong-hyeon’s cooperation on the spot?”
“If you didn’t understand, then just imitate it. I intend to mimic the very actions you just took as a way to handle the Children. Providing them with things to see and distinguishing rewards and punishments to inspire self-reflection.”
“Hmm…”
I scratched the back of my neck. What do I know about educating Children? My knowledge was essentially limited to tidbits I picked up from magazines and lectures in my cultural subjects. I know how to cultivate Martial Artists, but I’m clueless when it comes to raising Children.
“What was it… I can share my techniques with you, but I honestly don’t have confidence in the teaching methods you wish for in educating the Children. I’ve never raised a Child before, I’ve just attracted their interest and given them snacks.”
“Haha. That’s true. You’re not a teacher. The educational aspect will take time through conversation. By the way, do you have any objections to passing on your skills? Honestly, I was taken aback by your level. I thought you were just fooling the Children…”
I understood Master Yeong-yul’s astonishment. I thought it was merely a trick to dazzle the Children, but it turned out to be a skill on the level that even a Hwa-gyeong Martial Artist could be deceived by.
“Now, if you need some light techniques to put on show for the Children, it’s fine to share at that level. If you offer a proper price for all my techniques, I can pass them on.”
“Right, we can’t decide on the price for all your techniques right now… so let’s adjust the details gradually. My suggestion is this: you teach us how to entertain the Children and how to handle them, and we will teach you Martial Arts.”
So it means instead of Hyeok Gi-rin teaching me, the Hwa-gyeong Martial Artists would be the ones teaching me.
“One of us will watch your Martial Arts during working hours. After dinner, you can teach us your techniques or how to handle the Children.”
Hmm… what should I say about this?
To put it bluntly, although I have been disguised as a cute Hyeok Gi-rin, I now need to learn from the old Elders…
Ah, but that’s right. The capabilities of the Masters would definitely surpass Hyeok Gi-rin’s. Learning from a much more competent Master would be a great gain… but why do I feel like I’m losing out emotionally? Isn’t this a win?
I felt a sense of injustice creep into a corner of my mind, but I accepted the offer.
“I will.”
It wasn’t just because I was changing teachers; it was also a choice considering the black cat, which was curiously eavesdropping from afar.
If I step away, the black cat can focus on intense training with Hyeok Gi-rin. Truly, if I were to consider an efficient distribution, the black cat should learn from the Hwa-gyeong Masters while I learn from Hyeok Gi-rin… but it still makes more sense for the black cat to learn from Hyeok Gi-rin, who has resistance against its lunar body.
The black cat has been growing noticeably every day just from learning a few hours from Hyeok Gi-rin in the afternoons. While I grumbled about talent, the fact is, unlike me, the black cat’s swift changes are to be expected.
Unlike the black cat, who has been building their foundation their entire life, my foundation has only been laid for a year. A mere year from the period between 15 and 16 years old. After that, most of my invested time was spent trying to break through the Iryu limitations and to learn gambling techniques instead of real cultivation.
Considering not just my growth but also the black cat’s, this is the right decision.
“If I study under you, then it only makes sense for Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero to take on the training of my companions.”
“Hoho, Hyeok Gi-rin overseeing your training is a form of repayment from Jeomchang. Don’t worry about that.”
Just like that, it had been less than a week since I began my life in Jeomchang, and a new phase had arrived.
* *
Classes started promptly the next morning.
“Hmmm… Did you spend a long time hospitalized in your childhood?”
“I don’t have memories from when I was little, but that shouldn’t be the case…”
Ho Cheon-an’s body wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either. Finger tendons, well… it’s common for young ones to break a finger once or twice, and [underdeveloped body] is a usual trait that can occur with nutritional deficiencies.
Setting aside those minor traits, it just had average stats—highly likely that if you’ve spent a long time bedridden, you would have some negative traits, so it’s safe to say their childhood was quite normal.
“You’re a Sacheon Outcast so inquiring about actual experience is pointless… How many life-or-death situations have you faced?”
“… Well, plenty.”
During my time living as 15-year-old Ho Cheon-an, real-life-and-death situations approached me every month without fail. Even after becoming a Sacheon Outcast, I faced several life-or-death situations, but back when I was in the wild… life was truly intense.
“Hmmm… Honestly, your ability to control Qi is quite lacking. This Qi is essentially the essence of all things, so if a person has lived, one naturally communicates with it unconsciously. Your Qi manipulation ability is no more than that of a ten-year-old child.”
That was an incredibly precise diagnosis, feeling a chill run down my spine. After all, I had reincarnated into the body of a 15-year-old Ho Cheon-an… if the organ regulating Qi was the soul, then I was considering that I was coming into touch with Qi for the first time eight years ago.
“Hmm… but I pride myself on my ability to sense Qi, at least.”
“It’s a bit different from that. Hmmm… but what does the cause even matter? The solution is what’s important.”
“Oh, is there a solution?”
“Get older.”
Unintentionally, I glanced at Master Yeong-heo. Master Yeong-heo chuckled as if he expected this and began to explain.
“If one’s control over Qi increased simply by aging, then those who began practicing Martial Arts later in life would achieve certain levels of accomplishments too, but does reality work that way? There’s a limit to how naturally one can grow their Qi control. You will reach a comparable level of control around your mid-thirties.”
“Great…”
“Of course, you’ll improve through training, so don’t make such a miserable face. Anxiety and impatience are the enemies of a Martial Artist’s heart; don’t be quick to judge your progress and instead, keep your mind at ease.”
What can I say about this? I suppose this is what it’s like studying under an elite instructor. Wouldn’t you hope to learn special techniques that you can’t expect from ordinary teachers? I did too. I thought a Hwa-gyeong Martial Artist might have something out of the ordinary, but the conclusion is ‘time is the best medicine’.
However, since the diagnosis of my condition was made accurately, I should trust and follow their guidance.
A fulfilling yet uncertain day came to a close, and I headed towards Chae Seon-dang for dinner.
“Oh! Senior!”
In Chae Seon-dang, I encountered the black cat. Perhaps it was because she had received concentrated training from Hyeok Gi-rin today, but I felt a subtle change in the black cat’s Qi. It felt more refined and closer to her skin.
“Looks like you’re doing well.”
“Yeah. It’s because the Master is great. Isn’t that right, Master?”
“Hoho. Thanks to little black cat absorbing it well.”
The two seemed to have spent a harmonious day together, making their bond even stronger. Though I hadn’t made any progress myself, as long as the black cat was improving, that was good enough for me.
“Oh, by the way, are you going to hold a Qi meeting today too?”
“Hmm. Well, I suppose I will.”
Not that I would do it.
I guess one of the Masters, who was currently getting frustrated practicing magic, would take over.
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