Chapter 77
“Ouch… my head.”
“Ugh… ugh… blech!”
“Tsk, tsk, you should have drunk in moderation and expelled the alcohol with your internal energy. How are you going to be a martial artist like that!”
Early in the morning.
A variety of scenes unfolded.
Last night, the students had drunk like madmen at the Twin Dragon Fortress.
When unexpected delicacies and sweet bamboo leaf liquor were served on the table, they had drunk heavily.
“Ugh, you fools. Why do you drink so much when you can’t even handle it?”
So-ah chided a few students who were groaning from their hangovers.
The students glared at So-ah with dumbfounded eyes.
‘How is that human perfectly fine after eating and drinking so much?’
‘He must have burned off the alcohol with his internal energy.’
‘Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense?!’
But their guess was wrong.
“You guys don’t really think I drank expensive liquor and expelled the alcohol with my internal energy, do you?”
“…”
“Only foolish humans do that. You guys shouldn’t make such a mistake by drinking precious liquor either.”
At that, Myo-seon shook her head and asked.
“So-ah… no, Instructor. Are you saying you drank so much yesterday without using your internal energy? But you’re perfectly fine?”
“Of course. This is all the result of training my body regularly. A person with a healthy mind and a strong body, a hangover? They don’t experience such things. In fact, to explain the correlation between stamina, the body, and alcohol academically…”
‘Ugh…’
‘I shouldn’t have said anything…’
‘There he goes again with his stamina lecture.’
The students, with fed-up expressions, closed their ears.
***
“Brother! Thank you.”
“Keke! Younger Brother. Don’t say such things.”
It was still unbelievable.
Whether it was Jang Beon-pal, who had accepted a young man not even old enough to be his son as a sworn brother, or So-ah, who laughed happily and readily called him ‘Brother’.
Furthermore, what was more noteworthy was So-ah’s attitude.
The students had never seen So-ah take such a polite attitude before.
It was the same when he dealt with other instructors, and even when he dealt with the Head Instructor of the academy, Namgung Won, So-ah had not been subservient.
“No, Brother. After listening to your story carefully, it was clear that the Daemyeong Escort Agency was reckless, but I am just grateful that you considered my situation and returned the goods.”
From the moment he took Jang Beon-pal as his sworn brother, So-ah’s attitude towards him was consistently polite and extremely friendly.
Of course, Myo-seon, the Tang siblings, Moyong Hwa, and Moyong Su, who were close to So-ah, knew well that this was So-ah’s ‘true nature’.
So-ah might be harsh to others, but he was infinitely generous to his own people.
Just by looking at how he treated the Human Division students, one could well understand So-ah’s character.
Although he did not hesitate to use insults, beatings, and harsh words, which could be considered character assassination, all of that became a ‘stimulant’ for the students’ development, and in fact, So-ah had worked tirelessly for them.
Didn’t he push the students all day to help them train, and after work, spend at least two to three *shichen* preparing medicinal water, barely sleeping?
Also, when he obtained the internal dan of the Sun Fire Carp, he first thought of Myo-seon, his junior sister, and his junior brother, and he always analyzed the martial arts of the Tang siblings in depth to correct their strengths and weaknesses.
‘One might think that Young Master Jin benefited from gaining a sworn brother like Jang Beon-pal through this opportunity, but in my opinion, that’s not the case. Rather, it is Jang Beon-pal who benefited from being able to take Young Master Jin as his sworn brother. That’s how much Young Master Jin is… huhu.’
As Tang Il-gi was having that thought.
A thunderous statement fell upon the students.
“You will all carry all the goods of the Daemyeong Escort Agency. It’s not a short distance from Ojeong Mountain to Mount Song, so don’t think about being lazy, you’ll have to run hard.”
“Yes?!”
“What’s that?”
“Money… I’ll pay! Rather, we’ll pay, so please hire some porters, Instructor!”
The students shouted in astonishment.
And for good reason, because the amount of goods that the Twin Dragon Fortress had collected from the Daemyeong Escort Agency was considerable.
‘I’m going to die…’
‘Carrying that all the way to Mount Song? I’d rather die here.’
‘Absolutely! No way.’
The students frowned and shook their heads.
But.
“You all know that this mission is one of the final student evaluations, right? Who do you think will be the judge? It’s me, gentlemen. Kikik.”
‘That… devil-like bastard!’
‘Ah…!’
A long sigh came out.
“Those who complain, those who are lazy, those who give up in the middle. All are grounds for disqualification. Those who want to pass the final evaluation safely and become officials, show your will. Who knows? Maybe I’ll write you a letter of recommendation myself.”
“Instructor! Are you threatening us with something so cheap?”
Han Baek growled.
At that.
“You have to carry twice as much as the other students.”
“Yes?!”
“What did you say to me yesterday? You said you’d break my head, didn’t you?”
“Oops…”
“Han Baek-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful. You’ll really shit blood if you keep that up. Cut back on the alcohol from now on, you brat.”
“Yes, sir!”
The attitude of Han Baek, who had been complaining until just now, changed in an instant.
It was because he remembered last night’s drunken behavior.
‘That’s right… this is getting off easy.’
It was clear that if he pushed his luck any further, he would shit blood before he even arrived at Shaolin, so Han Baek’s survival instinct was telling him to ‘comply’.
“I’ll carry not twice, but three times as much, Instructor!”
‘Crazy bastard… haha.’
So-ah let out a smirk and dismissed last night’s incident.
***
As always, the farewell was simple.
After a brief farewell with Jang Beon-pal, who had now become his ‘sworn brother,’ So-ah left the Twin Dragon Fortress and headed for Mount Song.
Jang Beon-pal looked disappointed, but he readily accepted the farewell only after getting a promise from So-ah to write at least once a month and to visit the Twin Dragon Fortress from time to time.
But unlike So-ah’s light steps.
“Ugh… ugh…”
“What… what on earth is this…”
The students were dying.
Transporting goods?
Yes.
They were martial artists who had learned martial arts, so what was the problem with that?
Moreover, hadn’t the students trained to death under the banners of ‘Body Remodeling’ and ‘Infinite Stamina’ for the past year?
But the problem was So-ah’s nagging.
Even though the students were carrying loads twice the size of their own bodies, in the midst of that, So-ah.
—Run. Aren’t you running? Wow… a grub would reach out its hand to be your friend.
—These guys… you can’t even run half as fast as usual just because you’re carrying a few bundles of luggage?
—Now! Look at this. I’ve been living with black iron on my body since I was twelve. But you’re complaining in front of me? You all want to be disqualified, don’t you?
‘Please just shut up…’
‘It would be much easier if that human’s mouth was sealed…’
Although such words were about to come out of their throats, they had no choice but to endure.
After all, the menacing demon in front of them was their instructor.
“Running with a chant. One for the body! Two for the remodeling! Charge, forward!”
“Uwaaaah!”
“Let’s goooooo!”
When you feel like you’re going to die, the best thing to do is to endure with grit and determination.
Because the students had learned that lesson through So-ah, they rather clenched their teeth and began to burn off the pain of their bodies.
“One!”
“Bodyyyy!”
“Two!”
“Remodelingggg!”
“One!”
“Body!”
“Two!”
“Remodelingggg!”
In that way, the hell instructor and the 30 students were crossing the steep mountain ridge through a ‘non-stop forced march’.
***
Henan, Mount Song, Shaolin Temple.
The great mountain of the Central Plains martial world, and the source of all martial arts in the world.
Not to mention the Orthodox Martial Path, even the Unorthodox Path and the evil sects would not deny it.
That was how symbolic the name Shaolin was.
So-ah’s heart was also pounding greatly.
‘So this is the Shaolin Temple!’
For the past few years, Shaolin had been in seclusion.
Not only had it not exerted much influence on the Martial Alliance, but it had also rarely interfered in the affairs of the Jianghu.
Therefore, gossips would sometimes spread that the Shaolin Temple was not what it used to be, but the key figures of the Jianghu would just scoff at such words.
That was because.
—Shaolin is always the best of the Orthodox Path!
Because such a foundation was laid in the subconscious of all Jianghu people.
‘Someday…’
‘Our sect…’
‘Will stand shoulder to shoulder with Shaolin!’
The students, too, as they looked at the sign of Shaolin engraved with a dragon-and-snake-like handwriting, were each steeling themselves for the future.
“Amitabha… distinguished guests?”
A middle-aged monk recited a Buddhist chant softly and greeted So-ah’s group.
“Greetings. I am Jin So-ah, the chief instructor of the Martial Alliance’s [White Martial Academy].”
“Aha! You must be the Young Master Jin who is currently shaking the Jianghu. It is a true pleasure to meet you. This humble monk is called ‘Gwang-ji’.”
‘The character Gwang… he’s right below the current abbot of Shaolin?’
So-ah could not hide his surprise.
The seniority of Shaolin went from the elder ‘Gong’ generation to the abbot Gwang-Dam-Dae, so this monk was a person with a seniority corresponding to a generation.
But he was acting as a gatekeeper, so he couldn’t help but be flustered.
“Ah. Great Master Gwang-ji. It is an honor for me as well. The reason my students and I have come to Shaolin today is…”
So-ah explained the situation, and a little later, under the guidance of the Great Master Gwang-ji, the group entered the Shaolin Temple.
***
“Kya! To come to Shaolin. I’ve made it big too.”
“But why has Shaolin been in seclusion these days?”
“Hmm… maybe it’s because they’ve lost face.”
“Lost face? What are you talking about?”
“Although the Great Master Gong-seung of Shaolin is the current top master of the Orthodox Path, there is no successor worthy of him. The rising generation is also the same. Think about it. Who is the best rising star of the Orthodox Path?”
“That’s… that demon… no, Instructor Jin, right?”
“And then?”
“Over there, Namgung Mun?”
“That’s right. So they’ve lost face.”
“Huh?”
“Shaolin should always be number one, but since there are no rising stars like Instructor Jin or Namgung Mun, they can’t just go around saying, ‘I’m Shaolin!’ and act all high and mighty, can they?”
“Is that so? But it’s still Shaolin…”
“Ah, I don’t know! It’s just my thought.”
Among the students who were exploring the interior of the Shaolin Temple, which had a long history and tradition, with wide eyes, someone whispered in a low voice.
But since So-ah’s hearing had reached its peak, there was no way he would miss their conversation.
“Hey! You two over there!”
“Uh… yes?”
“Gasp…”
“You guys, be careful with your words. You should only say such things when we’re having a drink together and laughing. What kind of place is Shaolin? The bald monks here are famous for being stubborn, right? Don’t cause any trouble, shh!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Shh!”
As So-ah and the two students winked at each other with mischievous expressions.
“Hohoho… Amitabha. It seems that the monks of Shaolin are renowned in the world for being stubborn. Keke!”
A carefree voice that made one’s heart drop brushed past their ears.
‘My goodness…’
‘Oh my…’
‘I’m screwed…’
This time, even So-ah, who was the best in the world for his boldness, squeezed his eyes shut.
It was because the face of the old man who had suddenly appeared like a mirage was familiar.
‘It’s the Great Master Gong-seung. Hah…’
The Great Master Gong-seung.
At his grandfather’s funeral, the Great Master Gong-seung had personally come to Samryun Peak.
At that time, he was too preoccupied, and since his uncle Moyong Baek had received the Great Master Gong-seung, he had only given a light greeting.
But the light in his eyes, which had been shining through the wrinkles that showed the traces of time, contained an unforgettable brilliance and depth.
“Gr-Great Master Gong-seung! To meet you again like this. It is a great honor. Ha… haha.”
‘That human is nervous for the first time.’
‘Keke. That’s right, you should have been careful with your words, you human.’
‘Senior Brother is stuttering? Pfft…’
Whether they were immature.
Or whether they were hopeless.
Even in this situation, a smile was spreading in the hearts of the students.
‘Ugh, those guys are laughing? Damn it!’