The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

"Yes. If it's not possible, then there's nothing I can do."

"What martial art do you want to learn? The Hebei Peng family traditionally uses sabers. The other martial arts they have are fist arts or palm arts. As a sword user, there wouldn't be any martial arts for you to learn."

I shook my head.

And with a meaningful expression, I said to him, "I heard that the Peng family actually has one sword art. I clearly heard it was called the Qiankun Divine Sword."

"......?!"

At the word 'Qiankun Divine Sword' that flowed from my mouth, the Peng Family Head's eyes widened as if they were going to pop out.

Qiankun Divine Sword.

Because the Qiankun Divine Sword I mentioned is a sword art that not many people in the Hebei Peng family know.

It's a good thing he's the head of the Hebei Peng family; if he were still a young martial artist, he wouldn't have even heard the name.

"How do you know the name of that martial art?"

"I can't tell you who, but I heard one of our Martial Granduncles say it."

"A Martial Granduncle? Since you're of the 'Un' generation... you mean one of the 'Ok' generation said so?"

In the martial world, the Peng Family Head's generation is considered the same as our Martial Granduncles, so he spoke with a slightly pleased face.

"Yes. I overheard that Martial Granduncle muttering to himself as if it were a passing remark."

"What did he say?"

"That if our Wudang's swordsmanship had a swordsmanship with the Peng family's power, the achievements of the young disciples would be even faster."

"Really?"

"Yes. He said that although they will also have destructive power when they become top masters or higher later on, it's hard to exert great power when they are novices because they emphasize harmony and gentleness."

He said with an expression as if he finally understood.

"It must be that Okgil fellow."

"Martial Uncle Okgil?"

It was Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang who asked back, surprised by the familiar Taoist name.

The Martial Uncle asked the Peng Family Head with an expression that said it was the first time he had heard the story.

"Yes. I've only told this story once. To Okgil. Anyway, he's so full of pride. At that time, I said I would teach him, but he refused, saying he couldn't learn the martial arts of another sect. And then he says something like that behind my back?"

The fact that Martial Granduncle Okgil and the Saber King Peng Jianhong are close friends is a well-known story to anyone interested in the martial world.

'Un Gwang, thank you.'

The reason I know this story is because of the Un Gwang of the past.

On a certain moonlit night.

Un Gwang, who was discussing martial arts around a campfire, had said something like this.

'I heard from a Martial Granduncle, did you know that the Peng family also has a swordsmanship?'

At that time, Un Gwang said he had heard from the Martial Granduncle that if he learned that swordsmanship and reinterpreted it in the Wudang way, Wudang's swordsmanship would surely improve by one stage.

Of course, at that time, I had no interest in the Wudang Sect, so I didn't even think of asking which Martial Granduncle it was.

So I had just mumbled the name of the Martial Granduncle who had told that story a moment ago, but fortunately, the Peng Family Head seemed to have passed it off as nothing.

"Yes. I understand."

"Thank you."

"Are you serious?"

Me, who immediately bowed my head and expressed my gratitude, and the Martial Uncle, who asked back in surprise.

That's how uncommon it is in the martial world to teach one's own martial arts to someone else.

If there had been a culture of teaching martial arts to anyone, how many lives had I saved in my past life? I wouldn't have been barely getting by with a trash sword art like the Un Family Sword Art.

"Of course I'm serious. In fact, although the Qiankun Divine Sword is a powerful swordsmanship in itself, it has a big weakness, so it's no different from a lost swordsmanship in the Peng family. If I weren't in the position of a family head who has to pass on everything of the Peng family to the next generation, I wouldn't have learned it either."

He laughed to himself as if he was thinking about something and then continued.

"It's not a very difficult martial art, so if you guys are okay with it, shall we start right away? It will take a couple more hours for our Peng family's martial artists to arrive."

"...Thank you, Family Head."

"What for. I'm the one who's grateful. If I hadn't caught that guy, I might have lived my whole life in regret."

He smiled brightly.

A truly relieved and cool laugh, as if a great burden had been lifted from his heart.

Although I had met him a few times, it was the first time I had seen him laugh like that.

***

Three hours.

It's a short time if you say it's short, and a long time if you say it's long, but it was enough time for us to memorize the incantations and forms of the Qiankun Divine Sword.

From now on, it's our job to further polish this sword art and be able to use it in real battles.

The Saber King seemed to have had quite a bit of fun teaching us.

"Haha! Wudang is truly blessed. If I had a child with as much talent as you guys, the head of the five great families of the next generation would have been our Hebei Peng family."

"I have heard that your children are also talented."

"Well. Since they inherited my blood, they're relatively so. But, they can't match those damn Namgung family bastards."

"The Namgung family..."

"They're the Sword King's children, what else."

He snorted.

The head of the Namgung family, Namgung Cheonjin. He, like Peng Jianhong, is a martial artist who has received the title of King in swordsmanship.

There were even people who said that the Emperor Sword Form he displayed could even subdue Mount Tai.

"Objectively speaking, that Sword King fellow is a little weaker than me, but his children are a little stronger than my children. So in the next generation, they will be the heads of the five great families."

The Martial Uncle and I were at a loss as to what to answer.

Because if we agreed, it would be like admitting that the Saber King's children were weak, and if we denied his words, it might seem like we were deceiving him.

"Haha! I was being mischievous. Seeing your expressions, I went too far."

He looked at our faces and chuckled.

Not missing the opportunity, I quickly opened my mouth to change the subject.

"Family Head! But, what is the big weakness you mentioned earlier? I don't think I felt any particular weakness when learning the incantations or forms. The sword forms that go from a weak stance to a strong stance, and from a strong stance back to a weak stance, were particularly good."

"That's exactly it. Qiankun Divine Sword. Doesn't it mean a divine sword art that contains the energy of heaven and earth?"

"Yes. That's right."

"As the name of the sword art says, it's a martial art made to encompass both the energy of heaven and the energy of earth. Just like Wudang's Taiji."

Qiankun, Taiji, Yin-Yang.

Although the inner meanings are all different, what the words mean is ultimately the same.

To encompass the energy of both poles.

"But, what about our Peng family's martial arts?"

"Hegemonic... and hegemonic."

"Yes. If I had to say, it's a martial art like this earth, the earth that stands firmly on two feet. But what would happen if the earth tried to embrace the energy of the sky, which doesn't fit its theme?"

"Ah..."

Now I understood the weakness he was talking about.

If the earth rashly tries to embrace the sky, the earth will be overturned.

The meaning of the earth being overturned here is...

'Qi deviation.'

In other words, it means that one cannot properly control one's own energy and it goes berserk, or that the qi and blood are reversed.

Peng Jianhong smiled brightly at my expression.

He seemed to be proud that I had understood everything before he had even finished speaking.

"Yes. That fatal weakness is ultimately only applicable to our Peng family. For you Wudang, who value the harmony of yin and yang, it can rather be a strength."

After that, he said to ask now if there were any parts that were not well understood, and he explained the Qiankun Divine Sword with all his heart even in the remaining time.

How much time had passed like that? At the loud noise coming from outside the inn, I went outside and saw that the martial artists of the Peng family had just arrived.

"Heok, heok... F-Family Head! Are you here!"

They had run, unfolding their footwork without rest, and were exhausted, panting for breath.

"Yes. I'm here. With such weak stamina. Tsk, tsk."

He looked at them with a displeased expression and clicked his tongue.

Even at a glance, the difference in level between Peng Jianhong and the family's martial artists was clear.

It was a scene that showed why he was worried about the next generation.

"Since my family members have arrived, shall we stop here? With you guys, you'll be able to develop enough with just what you learned today."

"Thank you. I will do my best."

Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang bowed his head to the Saber King.

Peng Jianhong looked at his figure, which was full of gratitude, with a pleased expression.

"When you have time, stop by the Peng family. Especially you, Unhwi."

"Me?"

"Yes. If you come to the Peng family, I will give you something better than what I gave you today. Then, go on your way well. If you go to Shaolin, give my regards to Grandmaster Gakil."

"...I understand."

He called the abbot of the Shaolin Temple like a friend and then led the martial artists up to the second floor where Peng Won-so was tied up.

"Then let's go."

"Yes, Martial Uncle."

In the first place, we had organized our few belongings and left them on the first floor, so we could leave right away.

"A lot of time has passed. You've rested a lot, right?"

"Yes...? Rested? Don't you remember that I was rolling around like I was dying until the Saber King uncle came?"

"That was training in one place, you didn't run, did you?"

"Ha... so you're saying we're running again?"

"Yes. We have to keep to the schedule. Hurry up and follow me."

Whoosh!

The Martial Uncle, without giving me a chance to answer, immediately unfolded his footwork and started running down the official road.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't want to chase him, but what can I do? This is all to get stronger.

I also let out a deep sigh and then ran after the Martial Uncle.

***

Eating, sleeping, and running.

Eating, sleeping, and running.

The sun and moon had risen and set seven times, and when the eighth sun had reached the top of my head.

"Uwaaa! Finally!"

I shouted loudly, not caring that there were other people around.

Mount Song, Shaoshi Peak.

Because we had finally arrived in front of the signpost pointing to Shaoshi Peak, where the Shaolin Temple is located.

"Hwi-ya. It's loud. Don't you see everyone is staring."

"It's because I feel like I can live now. Sob, sob. It was so hard. I worked so hard. I did well. I overcame it well."

"...What are you doing?"

As I patted my own shoulder and praised myself, the Martial Uncle asked with a dumbfounded look.

"I'm praising myself for running that long way with so little rest. Because the adult next to me doesn't seem to know how to give such praise!"

"It was just running, shouldn't you not be so lavish with praise for just that?"

"Just?! Just, you say. If a kid my age had run like that, they would have died from exhaustion, or their heart would have burst, anyway, they would have died somehow!"

The Martial Uncle let out a small laugh.

He must think I'm joking.

I was serious.

I don't know if I had trained in martial arts for five years, no, at least two or three years, but for a child who had started learning martial arts properly for less than a year, it was too harsh a schedule.

Of course, I admit that thanks to that, my stamina now is unbelievably different from before I left Wudang.

"But, you're not an ordinary child, are you?"

"...Pardon?"

"It means you're a special child. In fact, even while you were so tired, you properly carried out the schedule I had set."

"Ahem. Well. Do you think I'll be happy just because you suddenly say that?"

Huh? But why do the corners of my mouth keep going up?

I even feel like I'm being trained by the Martial Uncle.

"Let's go up quickly. Let's at least go up to Shaolin and rest a bit. I'm really going to die at this rate."

"Yes. Let's go up quickly."

I tried to press down the twitching corners of my mouth and started to lead the way up Shaoshi Peak.

For some reason, I feel like it would be very embarrassing if the Martial Uncle saw my expression right now.

(End of Chapter)