Chapter 143: Jangcheon Sect (2)

The instructor appeared long after the sun had reached its peak.

“Ah, those petty bastards.”

Grumbling as he appeared, the instructor lamented the unfairness of the world.

“I caught the Hidden Moon Flying Thief all by myself.”

“So shouldn’t all the credit and rewards be mine?”

“They’re so petty, nitpicking over every little thing.”

He really did seem petty.

‘He only dealt the final blow.’

It was Wang Woo and the instructors who had combined their efforts to capture the Hidden Moon Flying Thief. In terms of contribution, Wang Woo had the most, and the instructor had the least.

Yet the instructor insisted.

“The final blow is what counts.”

That’s how it was where I come from!

It didn’t really matter.

“Oh?”

The instructor glared at the cats raising their fur at him.

The cats scattered in a hurry.

“So, you’re ignoring me too!”

Punching and kicking the air as he chased after the cats, the instructor looked quite petty.

I wished he would stop.

The returning instructor waved his hand.

“Hey, come here.”

Checking his mood, he didn’t seem particularly upset.

Approaching cautiously, the instructor handed over an old booklet.

“Here, take a look at this.”

“What is it?”

“A martial arts manual.”

Examining the booklet again, it was so old that the cover was tattered.

*Flip.*

Turning the cover, Namgung Yun-ho could finally read the words written on one side.

“Floating… Cloud… Steps?”

“Gasp! Isn’t that the Hidden Moon Flying Thief’s martial art?”

The instructor chuckled.

“What do you think? They acknowledged my great contribution as an instructor and gave it to me.”

Earlier, he complained that they wouldn’t give it to him because they were petty.

It seemed like a lot of middle steps were skipped, but no one thought to question the truth.

Everyone knew that provoking the instructor at times like this would result in a kick.

Instead of questioning the truth, Baek Ri Seol cleverly extended her arm and asked something else.

“Instructor, I have a question.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Is this really the Hidden Moon Flying Thief’s martial art?”

“Yes, it is. You experienced it yourselves, didn’t you? That bizarre movement technique.”

Baek Ri Seol pressed her lips with her index finger and nodded.

“It was definitely a frightening technique.”

Despite having a supreme master like Wang Woo, they repeatedly found themselves in dangerous situations because of Gon Ya-pyeong’s elusive movement technique.

“He would soar into the air and suddenly appear from the darkness. It was truly terrifying.”

The movement technique that rode the wind was incredibly fast and strange.

“Yes, so you understand how important movement techniques are, right?”

Jegal Tan, who had been listening, chimed in.

“Instructor, deciding to learn martial arts is not something to take lightly.”

“Why not?”

“You need to get permission from the elders of your sect. Moreover, this is an unorthodox martial art, isn’t it?”

Learning unorthodox martial arts privately is not something a righteous martial artist should do.

There are moral reasons, but the following is most important.

“Unlike the profound and orthodox martial arts, unorthodox martial arts are often a hodgepodge of shallow techniques. If you make a mistake while learning, you could suffer from qi deviation.”

Nodding.

Even Namgung Yun-ho, who usually sided with the instructor, agreed.

This was common knowledge, even for the resident spirit of Dongcheon Hall.

– Orthodox martial arts are like a long journey, slowly building a foundation.

– In contrast, unorthodox martial arts are like a sprint, quickly learning anything useful.

– You can’t learn fundamentally different practices together.

– At best, it will cause internal energy backlash. At worst, it can be fatal.

The instructor’s response was simple.

“How can a person live on rice alone?”

“Sorry?”

“Sometimes you want snacks or something spicy.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Martial arts are the same. Try it, and if it doesn’t suit you, stop.”

Treating martial arts like side dishes.

“There’s no need to worship it like a sacred relic. It’s just a way to kill people.”

Mo Yong So-hye, unable to bear it, began to criticize indirectly.

“Instructor, then why do people say that righteous martial artists can suffer from qi deviation if they learn unorthodox martial arts?”

“That’s because they forced themselves to eat something that didn’t suit them and got sick.”

But the instructor countered with a simple, straightforward logic.

Tired of the repeated argument, Baek Ri Seol asked something else.

“Then, is it okay to learn it?”

“If it doesn’t suit you, just learn what does.”

Why can’t they understand this simple thing?

*Flip.*

Opening the manual, the instructor pointed to the characters.

“This is the formula for lightening the body.”

“This part describes the directions and steps for footwork.”

“It’s clearly about exploding your energy to ride the wind.”

“Can’t you see it?”

They couldn’t.

No matter how many times they read it, they couldn’t understand what he was saying.

The formula was over a thousand characters long and confusing.

Just reading and understanding it would take at least a month or two.

‘Is it because I’m lacking?’

Looking around.

‘No, it’s not.’

Jegal Tan had a lion-like expression.

Seeing his usually stoic friend looking dazed confirmed that this was not a normal situation.

“Hey, Jegal.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

“A smart guy like you can’t do this?”

“This… This shouldn’t be possible. No, it shouldn’t be.”

What do you mean it shouldn’t be?

Jegal Tan was more concerned about the strange occurrence before him than the instructor’s iron fist hitting his chest.

He kept flipping through the manual, writing and erasing characters in the air with his finger.

The instructor clicked his tongue.

“You can’t do something this simple because you lack determination.”

“How can you understand and break down this complex formula all at once?”

“Determination! It’s all about determination!”

“De…termination.”

Jegal Tan repeated the word sadly, defeated by the instructor’s insistence.

It was a moment when cold logic was utterly defeated by stubbornness.

“Um, I’ll read it first.”

“Sure. You don’t have to memorize it all. I’ll guide your energy at first.”

Qi Guidance.

A refined technique where one’s internal energy is directed into another’s body to move their energy.

It’s a high-level skill, surpassing techniques like acupoint sealing or blocking, usually mastered by those proficient in medicine or with immense internal energy.

Despite mentioning such an advanced skill, no one asked further questions.

Baek Ri Seol stepped forward first.

“I’ll learn it first.”

“Okay. Turn around and show your back.”

*Swish.*

When the instructor placed his hand on her back, Baek Ri Seol shivered.

“Hehe, this feels nice.”

“Close your mouth. Talking while I’m infusing energy can be dangerous.”

*Swish.*

From the instructor’s hand on her back, a mirage-like energy flowed out.

*Buzz.*

As the profound energy moved, the surrounding air buzzed like a swarm of bees, and a hot wind rustled their clothes.

‘It feels like the air is resonating.’

Namgung Yun-ho swallowed hard, watching the instructor.

Seeing him yawn lazily, he didn’t seem to be exerting much effort.

The Qi Guidance didn’t take long.

*Step.*

The instructor, stepping back, nodded lazily.

“How do you feel?”

“I feel full of energy.”

“Move right away. While the energy remains, you can easily use the Floating Cloud Steps.”

“Yes.”

After explaining the movements described in the manual, Baek Ri Seol kicked off the ground and leaped into the air.

She perched on a pine branch used for the cat playground, hanging upside down like a bat, or leapt into the air from a small branch.

After moving around for a while, Baek Ri Seol noticeably slowed down.

“Huff, huff. This is really tiring.”

“The more you move, the more exhausted you feel?”

“The more I move my energy, the more my acupoints ache.”

The instructor scratched his chin sympathetically.

“Hmm, it doesn’t seem to suit you.”

Well, it’s not entirely useless.

Picking up a small branch, the instructor wrote a hundred characters on the ground.

“But you can still learn the formula for lightening the body.”

“So, the movement technique isn’t just about lightening the body?”

“It’s a combination of lightening the body, changing direction quickly, the footwork, and accelerating by bouncing.”

Lightening your body will make the White Crane Sword Technique faster and lighter.

Hearing this, Baek Ri Seol ran to get a small brush and paper.

She crouched beside the characters and began copying them.

“Next.”

***

The Qi Guidance and demonstration of the movement technique continued.

Unfortunately, Namgung Yun-ho was even less compatible than Baek Ri Seol.

“Click. It seems the footwork is still too difficult for you.”

“I’m sorry. I lack the skills.”

“You might be able to use the formula for bouncing with some adjustments.”

Next was Jegal Tan.

Surprisingly, Jegal Tan gained a lot.

He mastered the formulas for lightening the body, changing direction, and bouncing.

“You’re lucky.”

“What’s happening? My body feels so light.”

“It suits you.”

“Unorthodox martial arts suit me?”

“Maybe you have a talent for unorthodox martial arts more than orthodox ones?”

Jegal Tan looked unsure whether to laugh or cry.

“Hmm, let’s see.”

The instructor, humming, wrote a three-hundred-character formula.

It was a third of the Floating Cloud Steps.

“Quickly stepping with the footwork and moving lightly should be enough. You’ll be able to perform the Illusion Sword Technique faster and more variably.”

“Yes.”

“But aren’t you going to write it down?”

“I memorized it while you were writing.”

Jegal Tan, confidently claiming this, was kicked in the shin.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“Just because.”

The last was Mo Yong So-hye.

*Tap!*

Lightly stepping and leaping a full length, Mo Yong So-hye blinked.

“Huh?”

Feeling something was off, she climbed the tree trunk, scaled the pine tree, and landed on a thin branch repeatedly.

Then, lightly bouncing off the tip of her foot, she flew through the air and landed on the roof of the pavilion, breaking a tile.

“Still not used to controlling your strength.”

Though there were some awkward parts, she quickly got the hang of the movement technique.

Lightly kicking the ground, stepping on a pine branch, and landing on the eaves became familiar in less than thirty minutes.

She looked like a flying squirrel, standing at the edge of the eaves with tears in her eyes.

“Why can I do this?”

“Why do you think? You’re suited for unorthodox techniques.”

“Why can I do this!”

“Impressive. The Blood Soaked Flying Technique. Flying through the air and drenching the Jianghu in blood.”

“Wow!”

Surprisingly, Mo Yong So-hye, who gained the most, burst into tears.

***

After teaching the movement technique, the instructor got to the main point.

“Now, let’s move on to the request.”

It seemed he had a hidden agenda for teaching so diligently.

But no one expected the instructor to handle his duties thoroughly on his own.

No one raised any objections.

“First, let’s start with the first request.”