Chapter 344
The evening before leaving the Wudang Sect.
I, having finished my preparations to leave, visited my master for the last time.
My master has recently been continuously devoting himself to martial arts training.
Although it seemed he would occasionally go somewhere on the Sect Leader's orders or at the request of the Martial Alliance Leader, he would come back quickly in a few days, so it didn't seem like he was on a long-term mission.
My master's martial arts have been developing recently like a flower in full bloom.
There was a time when his martial arts were stagnant for a while, but he said that he overcame that period while being with me, and thanks to that, he was able to achieve the growth he has now.
"Hoo... why on earth did the Sect Leader send you guys for such a thing, when he could have sent a martial artist from our Hyeon generation..."
My master, who had just finished his training and was wiping his sweat when I went, said in a dissatisfied voice.
Perhaps because he himself is growing right now, it seems he wants me to focus on training recently.
"But I've been able to focus on training for the past few months, so I've improved a lot. Wouldn't a real battle make me even stronger?"
"Yes. Come to think of it, that's right."
My master stroked his chin and nodded his head.
It seems he is thinking about how much experience helped him in his own growth.
"For now, go and come back safely without getting hurt anywhere."
"Yes. I will."
"If you need help, send me a letter anytime. I recently told my master and the Alliance Leader that I don't want to receive any missions for a while. Because I feel like I'll miss a great opportunity to become stronger if I miss this time. So I can go to help you anytime."
"Just hearing you say that makes me grateful, master."
I grinned at my master.
I'm truly grateful just to hear him say that.
Because a person who says he won't receive any missions to secure time to grow is so naturally saying that he will come to help me.
"Then go. The rest time is over. I have to train again."
"Ah. Yes. I'll be going."
Although sometimes when he's like that, it doesn't seem like it.
***
I, after saying goodbye to my master, my senior brothers, and of course, the Sect Leader, left the Wudang Sect with my senior brothers.
To be honest, it was a little awkward because it was the first time I had come out anywhere with this number of people.
Especially since Senior Brother Un Cheol and Senior Brother Un-ji-hak are very close friends, and Un Gwang and I have also become a little special while creating new martial arts, only Senior Brother Un-hwang has no one he is close to.
Even more so because Senior Brother Un-hwang had caught the eye of Elder Ok-gil early on and had left Yuyeopdang.
So I thought I should be more considerate so that Senior Brother Un-hwang wouldn't feel awkward this time...
But that was my groundless fear.
"Un-hwang! Why are you walking alone at the back? Come over here."
"Yes, senior brother."
"Don't you have anything to say? Is Elder Ok-gil treating you well? He's not making you train too hard, is he?"
"Yes. It's manageable. On the contrary, the training at Yuyeopdang seems harder."
"Haha! That's right. Ever since Unhwi started to supervise our training, it's been a living hell every day. But we've gotten stronger because of it."
Un Gwang was indeed like an incarnation of friendliness.
Although Senior Brother Un-hwang usually doesn't talk much, he raised both hands to Un Gwang's continuous barrage of questions and interest and was diligently answering Un Gwang's questions.
In the midst of that, Senior Brother Un Cheol began to walk naturally in a different direction from the path the other senior brothers were walking, and Senior Brother Un Gwang, who saw that, said in a puzzled voice, "Huh? Un Cheol. Where are you going? We have to go to the village at the foot of the mountain first. We don't have time."
"Yes. I'm on my way to the village."
"You're going to the village? There's nothing but a cliff there."
"There's a shortcut... don't you know?"
Everyone except me tilted their heads.
Although they must have passed this place many times, they are making an expression as if it's the first time in their lives they've heard that there is a cliff here.
I, chuckling to myself from behind, said to my senior brothers, "If it's your skills, it will be a very good shortcut. Everyone, try following Senior Brother Un Cheol."
My senior brothers, after glancing at me, followed Senior Brother Un Cheol.
And the cliff they soon faced.
"Where is the shortcut?"
"Yeah. A joke like this isn't very funny."
As Senior Brother Un-hwang said with a slight frown, I gestured to Senior Brother Un Cheol with my eyes.
Then.
"Huh?"
"Ugh!"
"Un Cheol!!"
My senior brothers, surprised, shouted. Because Senior Brother Un Cheol had just thrown himself off the cliff.
Everyone, in a panic, went to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
At that moment, the three of them made the same expression. An expression mixed with relief and dumbfoundedness.
"When my room's senior brothers and I leave the Wudang Sect, we always go down this way. But when we come up, it takes too much strength, so we use the stairs."
"Heo... you should have told me sooner. My heart almost dropped."
"I thought Un Cheol was crazy."
"...... Reckless."
Senior Brother Un Cheol was hanging on, with his feet and hands on a slight crack in the cliff.
In fact, although it might be a very natural thing for me and Senior Brother Un Cheol, who go down the cliff like this every time, I thought the other senior brothers had a right to be surprised.
"With your movement techniques, you can more than go down. Senior Brother Un Cheol and I will go down first, so everyone, please follow us well."
I, leaving those words, began to go down the cliff, and my senior brothers, who had been hesitating, began to follow me one by one.
'Their movement techniques are better than I thought.'
Although I'm sorry to my room's senior brothers, the senior brothers I'm with now are not the Five Swords of Wudang for nothing.
Despite it being their first time coming down the cliff, my senior brothers followed me very naturally.
They didn't look precarious, and they didn't seem to be scared.
Their skills are good, and their courage is also good. If they all grow up well like this, it seems highly likely that they will become tremendous martial artists in the future.
"Hoo-ah. I thought my liver was going to drop."
"Senior Brother Un Gwang. For someone who says that, you came down very calmly."
"Me? I was actually worried that I would fall because my legs were trembling."
"I didn't notice at all."
"Do you guys always come down this way?"
"Yes. Except for the very first time we came, we've been coming down this way every time."
"A path... I don't know if you can call it that, but anyway, I think I know why your room's movement technique and footwork have become so solid."
As we were talking about this and that and passed through a small forest.
My senior brothers' faces changed to admiration once again.
"Wow... to think a village would appear right here."
"Yeah. I never thought we could come down so quickly."
"To think we came down in about a shichen a distance that would take half a day to go down using a movement technique... at this rate, I think we should build stairs on that cliff."
"This is why I come this way. If we come down this quickly, at least we'll have time to eat. Speaking of which, shall we go and have a meal together?"
"A meal? Shall we? Come to think of it, although we had breakfast, I feel like I'm already hungry because I was trembling so much."
Un Gwang, with a broad smile, looked back at the other senior brothers.
Since Un Gwang, the grand senior brother, and I, the de facto grand senior brother, had said let's eat, there was no way they would refuse, and I took them to the inn I usually go to.
"Taoist! Why have you come after so long this time?"
The owner of the village inn greeted me warmly.
I, sitting down naturally, answered, "Have you been well? And are you healthy?"
"Of course. I may not have anything else, but I'm in good health. Haha! Shall I get you your usual?"
"Yes. Please."
"I understand."
The inn owner, with a beaming smile, went into the kitchen, and a little while later, began to bring out several dishes.
My senior brothers, except for Senior Brother Un Cheol, were surprised to see them.
It's understandable.
Because the table was filled with only meat dishes.
"No, Unhwi-ya. What are all these dishes?"
"What do you mean? It's meat."
"How can we eat something like this? The consumption of meat clouds the pure qi and makes the qi and blood turbid. We cannot eat such food."
Senior Brother Un-hwang said in a firm voice, cutting me off.
Since he was a senior brother who usually managed his body very thoroughly, it seemed difficult for him to accept this situation.
"How can you not eat this delicious meat? That's a great loss in life."
"The pleasure of the tongue is brief, but body management must be done continuously. If I can't achieve the achievement I want to obtain because of a little bit of turbid qi mixed in, wouldn't that be a shame?"
"You know that there are more than one or two benefits to be gained from eating meat, right? It's a great help in muscle growth, and it also shows a tremendous effect on stamina enhancement and stamina recovery. Of course, since martial arts cannot be performed with just internal energy, what can help the growth of the body that much is the consumption of meat."
"I know that too, but our Wudang Sect's martial arts are based on qi art and pure qi. To abandon pure qi to build up the body is to lose something big while coveting something small."
He spoke very logically and with common sense.
In fact, everything Senior Brother Un-hwang said is right.
From a general point of view, that is.
I, with a broad smile, said to Senior Brother Un-hwang, "Senior Brother Un-hwang. What if there is a way to completely resolve that turbid qi even if you eat meat?"
"Huh...?"
"If there is such a way, wouldn't it be a case of taking only the advantages?"
"Is there... such a way in the world?"
"Of course. Don't you think that my room's senior brothers, including me, seem to build muscle well and grow in height and size well for some reason?"
"Yes. I thought so. No way...?"
I nodded my head vigorously.
"You're right. We consume it periodically. When we come out like this, we almost only eat meat."
"Heo..."
Senior Brother Un-hwang looked at me with a dumbfounded face.
In fact, since he knows well how much my room's senior brothers' martial arts have improved, he will know well that the statement that eating meat makes the qi and blood turbid is not true.
I said to him, "So, for now, let's eat. Only then can I teach you how to get rid of the turbid qi. Isn't that right?"
"Hmm..."
As he was hesitating for a moment.
"Un-hwang. If you're not going to eat, I'll eat first. In my experience... it's a gain to eat a lot."
As Senior Brother Un Cheol said, he moved a few dishes to his front plate with his chopsticks.
And then he said to Un Gwang, "Grand Senior Brother. I will eat."
"Uh-huh. Eat a lot."
Even Un Gwang, while being unsure, since I was speaking with such conviction and Senior Brother Un Cheol was acting so naturally, naturally nodded his head.
I also chuckled and began to eat, and. Un Gwang, after swallowing a few times, finally reached for the food.
"It's delicious!"
Un Gwang, who had put the Dongpo pork in his mouth, didn't even chew a few times and said loudly, and then, as if he were embarrassed, covered his mouth with his hand.
I, chuckling, looked at Senior Brother Un-hwang.
Even Senior Brother Un-hwang, who had been holding out until the end... finally picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.
Although he didn't show it like Un Gwang, his eyes widened, so it was clear that he was greatly impressed by the taste.
Senior Brother Un-ji-hak also began to eat naturally, and we had a wonderful start to our first meal after coming down from the Wudang Sect.
Senior Brother Un Cheol, who was diligently inhaling the food, stealthily raised his head and looked around at his senior brothers with a pitiful expression.
Because Senior Brother Un Cheol knows.
About what the method to get rid of the turbid qi is.
'Don't do anything useless, just eat your food quickly.'
I said that to Senior Brother Un Cheol with my eyes, and my senior brother, as if he had understood, flinched for a moment and then began to focus on the food again.
(End of Chapter)