Chapter 17
"I've taken care of you enough, what more do you want me to do?"
Moyong Gi said with a shameless face.
At those words, So Moogyeol, who had a look of disbelief, shouted.
"You damn bastard! What are you talking about? What did you take care of?"
"You asked me to help with your lightness technique, right? So I did."
"What do you mean, you did? Was throwing me as dog food helping? Look at my state. Can you still say such things after seeing this?"
Scabs were caked on the numerous holes all over his body. It was no exaggeration to say it was a honeycomb.
"Do you know how embarrassing it is, because I haven't said anything? Does it make sense for a beggar to be bitten by a dog! My elder even told me not to carry the Dog Beating Staff. He said it was embarrassing."
The Dog Beating Staff Technique was a martial art created from the movements of beating a dog.
The direct disciple of the Beggars' Sect leader, who had learned such a technique, was being bitten by a dog, so it was embarrassing. He couldn't hold his head up.
"So work a little harder."
"Hey, you bastard! You've blocked my internal energy so I can't even use it, and you're saying such things? Is this something that can be done by working hard? Putting me aside, look at his state."
So Moogyeol pointed to Myung Jin, who was next to him.
"How is this a Wudang disciple? I'd believe it if you said he was a beggar."
Although not as much as So Moogyeol, Myung Jin's appearance was also not to be taken lightly. The bite marks were clear in places, and his appearance was tattered.
"You say something too! Does this look normal? Lightness technique, my ass! I'll be bitten to death by a dog before that!"
Myung Jin glanced at So Moogyeol and then turned his gaze to Moyong Gi.
"Let me ask you one thing."
"Go ahead."
"Is this really helpful?"
Although he didn't grumble openly like So Moogyeol, Myung Jin also seemed to lack confidence. He had gained nothing even after running around like crazy for a week.
Rather, he had shed precious blood, so suspicion had naturally arisen.
Moyong Gi sighed.
"These guys don't know how to use their heads. That's why martial artists are criticized for having nothing in their heads."
"What kind of bullshit is that. What's going to change by using your head? There's no internal energy, no internal energy."
So Moogyeol glared with unkind eyes.
Moyong Gi, who was looking at him with a dissatisfied expression, soon walked away.
Then, he went to a corner, lifted a kettle, and poured water.
So Moogyeol reacted immediately.
"What are you doing now?"
"Shut up and just watch, you blockhead."
Moyong Gi snapped and then wet the bottom of his shoes with water. Then, he walked with light steps. Footprints were left on the path Moyong Gi had moved.
"This is the Cloud-Stepping Art."
He had engraved the path of the Cloud-Stepping Art on the floor.
Myung Jin and So Moogyeol's eyes sparkled. Even Zhuge Yeon, who had a face that looked like she was about to die from exhaustion, showed interest.
Moyong Gi shook his head.
"There's no need for that. What you guys have is better."
Not long after, Myung Jin nodded.
"Certainly... it's a stretch to call it a supreme lightness technique."
Myung Jin had recognized it at a glance.
Although it followed a decent pattern, the profundity shown by Wudang's Cloud-Ascending Art or the Beggars' Sect's Drunken Eight Immortals Steps could not be found. It was just an ordinary lightness technique.
A beat later, So Moogyeol, who had seen the same thing, had a look of puzzlement in his eyes.
"Why are you showing us this?"
Moyong Gi grinned and moved once more.
But this time, the feeling was different. A sense of lightness could be felt with every step he took. After moving swiftly, he opened his mouth again.
"I did this to move quickly."
So Moogyeol's eyes narrowed.
It was definitely the same footwork, but it looked so different. If he had seen it without knowing the path of the Cloud-Stepping Art that Moyong Gi had shown at first, he wouldn't have even been able to think that it was the same Cloud-Stepping Art.
Myung Jin, unlike his usual self, shouted and shot up.
"I see!"
So Moogyeol was startled and looked at Myung Jin.
"Aish! You scared me!"
Myung Jin left the training room without looking back.
"Huh? Hey! Where are you going? Hey, you punk!"
Moyong Gi stopped So Moogyeol.
"Don't worry about him and just do what you have to do. That will be erased soon."
So Moogyeol, with a look of realization, quickly turned his gaze.
Then, he carefully examined the footprints that Moyong Gi had left.
Although he was slower than Myung Jin, it did not take him long either.
Seeing the two types of footprints with clearly different forms, he could easily grasp the true meaning contained within them.
The meaning of the footprints that Moyong Gi had left was that clear.
So Moogyeol had a look of dejection.
"What? Was it this easy?"
"That's why I told you to use your head, you blockhead."
Even without any particular training, he could imitate the movements that Moyong Gi had just shown.
It was a really easy method. However, he looked at Moyong Gi with a reluctant expression.
"By the way... is it okay to do it like this?"
"Why? Do you think it's not?"
So Moogyeol's eyes narrowed. It was because there was a point that conflicted with what he had learned so far.
Moyong Gi also knew that point well. And he also felt the need to break it.
"Look at Myung Jin. Have you ever seen anyone say that his sword is not the Taiji Sword Art just because it has a sharp edge?"
So Moogyeol was not stupid.
In the first place, if he had been stupid, he wouldn't have even been able to enter as a disciple of the Beggars' Sect leader.
He had easily grasped Moyong Gi's intention.
"I might get beaten to death by my master..."
It was easy to say to do it like Myung Jin, but if he was not careful, he might be branded as a heretic.
The martial arts of the Orthodox Faction had that much of a rigid side.
At least Myung Jin was protected by his master, but So Moogyeol's master might try to eat him alive.
"Ah... this is driving me crazy."
So Moogyeol scratched his head.
He still couldn't shake off his hesitation.
But that much was enough.
It was not an easy thing to break a long-standing practice, so for now, he had to be satisfied with taking one step.
The first time is always difficult, but the next is easy.
But Zhuge Yeon still had a look of unresolved questions.
"By the way... isn't it impossible to move like Young Master Moyong showed with just this?"
"Of course. This is the basics of the basics. It's impossible to move like me with this."
"Then?"
"The rest is for you guys to think about."
So Moogyeol frowned.
"Hey! If you're going to teach, teach everything."
"Isn't it enough that I set the table? Do I have to spoon-feed you too? Think for yourself."
In fact, even if he wanted to teach more, it was impossible to do more than this.
To go deeper, he had to know the way to operate the internal energy, but they wouldn't tell him, and even if he knew, he wasn't confident.
He was able to operate the Cloud-Stepping Art freely because he had practiced it for over twenty years.
You had to be at that level to produce such movements.
So, he couldn't just learn another lightness technique right away and teach them how to do it.
"Aish, you petty bastard."
So Moogyeol, while grumbling, got up from the floor and, just as Myung Jin had done, left the training room without looking back.
In any case, he was planning to at least give it a try.
Moyong Gi grinned and looked back at Zhuge Yeon.
"Then shall we continue too?"
Zhuge Yeon looked crestfallen.
***
The eldest of the Four Hounds of Henan had gathered his brothers at the Righteous King Pavilion for the first time in nearly a month.
After that incident, he had been taking only the second with him because it was awkward, but he didn't feel any strength. Only when all the Four Hounds of Henan were gathered did he feel a sense of power in his shoulders.
The eldest looked at the fourth, who still had a splint on his arm.
"Are you okay?"
The one who had been hit the hardest was the fourth. Putting aside his broken arm, his nose had completely collapsed.
He had somehow managed to set his nose bone, but it had been set wrongly, and he had become pug-nosed.
His nostrils were clearly visible even from the front, so his already fierce impression had now become not just fierce, but hideous.
"I'm fine, big brother."
He grins, showing his teeth, saying he's fine.
His clearly visible nostrils contorted strangely. It was not just hideous, but repulsive.
The eldest coughed to hide his uncomfortable expression.
"Ahem... ahem. Yes. I'm glad you're okay. I was sorry about that day."
The fourth shook his head.
"Not at all, big brother. How could that be your fault? It was just bad luck."
The second, who was next to him, chimed in.
"That's right. Who would have known that guy was such a master?"
Even the third nodded.
"Of course. Isn't it a good thing that no part of us was cut off? It's much better to be like this than to become a cripple."
Only then did the eldest also smile brightly.
Although he didn't show it on the outside, the apology he had kept in his heart seemed to have subsided a little.
"I'm grateful that you think so. Instead, eat as much as you want today. I'll pay."
The second's face lit up.
"Really? Is that okay?"
The dishes of the Righteous King Pavilion were famous for being delicious.
Instead, they were that expensive. It was a burden for those with light pockets.
But he was excited that the eldest had told him to eat as much as he wanted.
The third tried to calm his excitement and glanced at the eldest.
"Will you be okay? The food prices are not ordinary..."
"It's fine. I have that much to spare."
The eldest, who was connected to the Hao Clan, had more to spare than them.
Although it was impossible to treat them every time, he could afford it once or twice.
The fourth grinned with that hideous face of his.
"It's worth getting hurt once in a while, isn't it? To enjoy such a luxury."
"That's what I'm saying. Our big brother is taking such good care of us. Should I get hurt next time?"
The third laughed heartily. But someone tapped the third's shoulder.
"What bastard... hiccup!"
The third, who was turning his head, was startled and hiccuped.
"Do you want to? I can do it as much as you want."
The other three also froze upon confirming the face.
Moyong Gi was grinning.
So Moogyeol, who was next to him, looked at Moyong Gi with a pathetic expression.
"Why are you bullying weak kids?"
"What do you mean, weak. Aren't they the Four Hounds of Henan who rule the streets of Kaifeng? You might get beaten up for saying such things."
"Hey, you bastard! You always have to say things like that..."
So Moogyeol glared.
Moyong Gi didn't even pay attention and squeezed in between the third and fourth.
"What are you doing?"
"What do you mean, what am I doing. I have business, that's why. You guys go and sit over there."
Moyong Gi waved his hand.
Myung Jin walked away first as if he wasn't interested, and Zhuge Yeon followed him, tilting her head as if it was strange.
So Moogyeol let out a groan and soon joined them.
Only then did Moyong Gi turn his gaze to the eldest.
"It's been a while, big brother."
"What are you talking about, Grandmaster! What big brother!"
"What Grandmaster. You guys said it back then. You called me 'little.
brother.' Didn't you?"
"Th-that's..."
The eldest showed a look of difficulty. The other three couldn't even reply and lowered their heads. The silence grew long.
Moyong Gi, with a dissatisfied expression, picked up his chopsticks and tapped the table. The wooden chopsticks stuck into the table without a sound. The faces of the Four Hounds of Henan turned pale.
Moyong Gi, with a calm face, asked again.
"Am I the little brother, or not? I'm asking."
But like a puppy that needed to poop, they just groaned, and none of the Four Hounds of Henan could readily answer.
Moyong Gi frowned and picked up another chopstick.
"Should I stick this in one of their heads to get an answer?"
The Four Hounds of Henan were terrified. The other three looked at the eldest with desperate eyes. The eldest squeezed his eyes shut.
(End of Chapter)