Chapter 15
The ten days of Cook Li's teaching were very harsh.
What kind of walking was so difficult? After barely learning how to walk, he now had to learn how to walk using internal energy.
His head was already about to explode from just studying and helping Master Gongsun, but now that he was also learning the Nine Palaces Divine Steps or whatever, Agong thought that he might die from his head exploding before he was eaten by the beasts of the Hermit's Valley.
As the training became more and more difficult, the only thing Agong could cling to was the internal energy cultivation method he had learned from the Slender Moon Squad.
But when he practiced the internal energy cultivation method diligently, he was fine that day, but the next day it was even more difficult, and he couldn't understand why.
"Gasp... Gasp..."
"You've only taken a few steps, and you're already spread out like a summer frog?"
Although Agong was complaining, Cook Li only gave him a scolding and had no intention of helping him.
"It's really hard... Do martial artists really have to walk this hard?"
"Do you think it's easy to learn even the tip of a supreme martial art at your age, when your bones are already set?"
Although Cook Li said that, Agong's complexion looked so bad that he inwardly thought that he might have been training him too harshly.
He had gotten into the fun of teaching martial arts after a long time and had pushed Agong too hard.
Still, it was a good thing that he had learned a decent cultivation method somewhere and had a fair amount of internal energy. It was a miracle that he had followed along so far.
"Gasp... Then do I have to keep struggling like this?"
"You can only display the Nine Palaces Divine Steps by properly circulating your energy to the Yongquan acupoint while taking the steps. What you're doing now is no different from the foolish act of dancing with the Heavenly Demon Hand before."
"It's strange... You do it so easily, Cook Master."
"Stone head, it's my unique martial art. Does it make sense for me to do it with difficulty?"
"That's true, but..."
"Originally, there is a Nine Palaces Heart Art that pairs with the Nine Palaces Divine Steps, but that, along with the rest of the divine steps, is my bread and butter, so you should just try to properly learn even the first step of the Nine Palaces Divine Steps on your own."
'How stingy...'
In the end, there was no way.
Since it was so difficult because he lacked the internal energy to send it to the Yongquan acupoint, he had no choice but to practice harder and also practice the internal energy cultivation method he had learned from the Slender Moon Squad even more diligently...
Agong, who had to go on his first hunt soon, was exhausted after a murderous training session with Cook Li for about an hour and came out of the kitchen.
Agong longed for the fishing rod he had left in his room.
Tongtian hadn't visited the tavern lately because he was busy, and because of his promise with Tongtian, he couldn't go to the lake except on the days he met him, so he hadn't been able to use his new fishing rod.
Agong, out of disappointment, would often imitate the Heavenly Demon Hand whenever he had free time.
Sweep, sweep.
Agong sat down on a chair, exhausted, and without realizing it, he began to imitate the Heavenly Demon Hand with the broom next to him.
Agong now knew that Tongtian hadn't told him the important things about the Heavenly Demon Hand either.
Since he was trying it from memory, it was a mess, and it was only a clumsy and similar hand movement on the outside, but sometimes his fingertips would tingle and he would feel the flow of true energy, which was quite thrilling.
As Agong was imitating the Heavenly Demon Hand with the broom for a while, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Gasp!"
Agong reflexively ducked his head.
He was startled by Hongjun, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
"What's a man so surprised about?"
"Wh-when did you get here?"
"I've been here for a while."
"Did you see...?"
"What? That half-baked Heavenly Demon Hand?"
Although he had never displayed his martial arts in front of him, Agong had guessed that Hongjun had learned martial arts nine times out of ten.
But when he pointed out the Heavenly Demon Hand without him even mentioning it, Agong, who had done nothing wrong, flinched once again.
"I was sweeping diligently."
"Yes, and you have the talent to sweep while sitting down?"
"My legs were just trembling for a moment..."
"Well, it's not martial arts, so it must be sweeping."
It was a relief that he wasn't being scolded for slacking off, but it was a strangely annoying thing to say.
As Agong grumbled and was about to get up to go sweeping again, Hongjun walked in step with Agong.
"Is it fun to learn martial arts?"
"What?"
"Even after being tormented by Cook Li like that, you're diligently practicing martial arts when no one is around, aren't you?"
The Heavenly Demon Hand was one thing, but Agong, who had been careful not to have anyone around when he practiced the True Heart Auxiliary Method, was startled by Hongjun's words.
He was indeed an old man with a quick wit that Cook Li would shudder and fear.
"Is it not allowed?"
"There's nothing that's not allowed."
Hongjun, who usually didn't pay much attention to Agong, was talking to Agong a lot today for some reason.
"You met the people from the Non-Duality Gate a while ago, didn't you?"
He had learned from Cook Li's explanation, but the Non-Duality Gate clearly meant the dwarf and Miss Mu.
"I did."
"And before that, you met Tongtian."
"Yes. He's a very nice person."
"And before that, you met Lingbao."
"Ugh."
Thinking of the Taoist Lingbao, Agong stopped sweeping and frowned.
"Do you dislike Lingbao?"
"It's not that I dislike him, but he bullies people..."
"How did he bully you?"
"He threatened me that he wouldn't just let me be if I learned martial arts."
"Hoho... what a busybody. Does he think he can tell a child who is responsible for someone else's livelihood what to do?"
It sounded like he was taking his side, but it was a statement whose meaning he couldn't understand at all.
Agong stopped sweeping and asked Hongjun a question that had suddenly come to mind.
"That... is that Taoist named Lingbao really a master of the righteous path?"
"Why, because he doesn't look like one?"
"Well... he's too frivolous. Old man Tongtian is serious and looks like he has something at a glance, but that person..."
"When one reaches the peak, one becomes pure. Whether that is stillness or movement is a matter of individual difference."
"Uh, umm..."
Something difficult came up.
Hongjun's words were not over.
"The essence of orthodox martial arts is to subtract. It is to return to the pure primordial purity, achieve the peak of study, and in the end, shed the human shell through immortal ascension."
Orthodox meant the so-called righteous path in the martial world.
"Then what about that... the demonic cult?"
"The martial arts of the demonic path are about filling. They constantly fill and constantly covet. In the end, they fill everything and make it black. The ink that has absorbed all the most turbid colors is also purity. The essence is the extremes. In the end, whether it is righteous or demonic, the pursuit of purity is the same."
"Your words are too difficult."
"In short, it means that this guy and that guy are the same."
"I don't think so..."
Just by comparing Lingbao and Tongtian, the two did not look like the same person at all.
No, should I say there was a difference as big as the sky and the earth?
While Agong was comparing Lingbao and Tongtian in his mind, Hongjun quietly counted his fingers and then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he tapped his forehead.
"People from the escort agency will be visiting soon."
"The escort agency?"
"Didn't I tell you before?"
"I haven't even tried hunting yet."
As the flustered Agong stammered, Hongjun clapped his hands as if it were a good thing.
"If you can't even do what you're told, you have no choice but to be kicked out."
If he were kicked out of the tavern, he would be as good as dead.
Agong, startled, raised his voice.
"You can't say that!"
"Weren't you planning to leave this place as soon as you had the ability anyway?"
"Th-that's..."
Agong, who had shown Hongjun his clear intention to return before, could not easily answer Hongjun's sharp question.
"What's the point of showing consideration to a brat who would abandon an old man and return if he had the chance?"
"That's not what I meant."
"A fortnight."
"That's too soon!"
He couldn't even properly do the Heavenly Demon Hand, which he was still practicing to catch fish, let alone the Nine Palaces Divine Steps he was learning from Cook Li.
"They are regular visitors, so don't send them back empty-handed after they've come a long way."
Leaving the troubled Agong behind, Tongtian leisurely whistled and went out of the tavern.
Agong, left alone, could only tear at his own hair, looking at Tongtian's empty spot.
"If only old man Tongtian had come..."
If it were someone else, it would be one thing, but it seemed that Tongtian could help with fishing or hunting.
But he couldn't just vaguely wait for Tongtian, who hadn't shown up even though the day he was supposed to visit had passed a few days ago.
"To prepare for the worst-case scenario, is training the only way..."
Agong let out a sigh that seemed to make the ground sink.
Since he couldn't continue training inside the tavern, he went outside the tavern for now.
Agong's legs were trembling so much that he couldn't possibly practice the Nine Palaces Divine Steps.
In the end, he had no choice but to slowly pull out the Heavenly Demon Hand from his memory and imitate it.
"Still, there was a tingling sensation, so I think I'm doing it somewhat similarly..."
Agong, who had learned through Cook Li that martial arts were not just simple movements but also required the proper use of a power called internal energy, concentrated as much as possible and tried to move his small amount of internal energy.
Whenever his limbs trembled or he felt pain, as if he had sent his internal energy through the wrong path, he would immediately stop his training, think deeply, and then try again.
"You brat!"
Agong, who had been practicing the Heavenly Demon Hand for a while, was startled by someone's voice ringing from the sky and turned his head.
The owner of the voice was the Taoist Lingbao, who had appeared through the fog.
The sight of him falling lightly to the ground from a height of thirty feet, like a bird, was enough to make one gasp in admiration.
Lingbao, as soon as he saw Agong, could not hide his anger.
"What's wrong?"
Agong, seeing the Taoist Lingbao approaching him with a scary expression, was startled and stepped back.
No matter how free he was, had he really come here to hit him just because he was practicing martial arts?
"Do it right now."
"What?"
Agong, who was thinking what nonsense he was spouting with a scary face after suddenly appearing, felt his vision go dark for a moment and at the same time felt a hot pain in his head.
"Ouch!"
"The Heavenly Demon Hand! I saw you secretly learning it, so don't even think about hiding it!"
"Why did you hit me!"
Agong, who was furious from being suddenly hit on the head, talked back to Lingbao.
But since there was no way Agong could block Lingbao's attack, he had no choice but to be beaten helplessly.
"Grrr!"
Agong, who was thoroughly provoked, naturally raised his internal energy.
As Agong's hand movements became more and more exquisite, Lingbao soon noticed what it was similar to.
Agong was imitating the Heavenly Demon Hand without realizing it.
"Oh-ho. Tongtian! You insidious old man!"
It was no different from finding irrefutable evidence.
When he had heard the news that Agong was secretly practicing the Heavenly Demon Hand, he had been half-convinced, but he had found the evidence right in front of his eyes.
Moreover, not only that, but judging by Agong's complexion and the energy he was displaying while practicing martial arts, it was clear that he was still practicing the insidious cultivation method of the Black Contemplation Fortress that he had told him not to learn.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Agong was frustrated that he couldn't do anything to Lingbao even though he was attacking him with all his might.
The fact that nothing had changed even though he had been practicing martial arts diligently made Agong sad.
"Why on earth are you tormenting me!"
"Are you saying that this True Man is tormenting you?"
Agong, filled with anger, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Then am I not? A fake Taoist who only bullies a child!"
"Wh-what did you say?"
(End of Chapter)