Chapter 5: Noh Hwaran

I am still not accustomed to this martial world.

Even though I have lived 35 years, 5 years longer than my previous life, I still haven’t fully adapted to this world.

The “chivalry” they speak of is different from justice, and the boundary between good and evil is blurry.

Under the name of romance, barbarism breathes rather than reason and intellect.

The strong hold everything and shake it, while the weak must live in silence.

The laws of the martial world are simple and clear, but that only makes me more uncomfortable.

I should have gotten used to it by now, but I still don’t understand the ways of this place.

At least in the Wudang Sect, I was able to live like a human.

At first, I thought this place was the most reasonable in the martial world.

It was a misunderstanding.

Wudang was also part of the martial world, and within it, power struggles and schemes never ceased.

Among those who valued face and reason, truth was sometimes buried.

Of course, there were people in the Wudang Sect who understood me.

If it weren’t for Zhangmun Sa-hyeong, I would have left Wudang long ago.

On the outside, he seemed peaceful, but inside, he was someone who thought more deeply than anyone.

If he said something, it was never wrong.

I pondered his words as I slowly turned toward the disciples’ quarters.

The sun was setting, and the air in the mountains had grown cooler.

That’s when I heard it.

The sound of light footsteps approached, and I naturally turned my body.

And then, I faced a familiar face.

“Teacher. Tea. I don’t dislike being refused.”

A short and monotone voice. It sounded like emotion had been excluded, yet somehow there was a playful certainty to it.

It was my third disciple, Noh Hwaran.

Hwaran had liked tea for as long as I could remember.

It wasn’t just a simple preference; she enjoyed the process of selecting and preparing the tea.

She had always been a quiet child, but when it came to tea, her eyes subtly changed.

The scent that spread as boiling water embraced the tea leaves, the warm sensation flowing through her fingertips, and the small warmth when holding a teacup.

For Hwaran, tea wasn’t just a drink; it was almost like a ritual.

Even during her time in Wudang, it was the same.

Despite the busy training, she always made time to brew tea, and drinking it alone while quietly contemplating became part of her daily life.

I smiled softly and looked at Hwaran.

“Alright. What tea have you prepared?”

Hwaran slightly lifted her head to look at me, then silently turned and walked ahead.

“The answer’s already been given, Teacher.”

Her voice was neat and filled with confidence.

She acted as though the result had already been decided.

I chuckled quietly and followed her, walking behind her figure.

When we opened the main door and entered, the subtle fragrance of tea had already filled the entire house.

Had she finished the basic preparations before I arrived?

Without a word, Hwaran began organizing the tea utensils and preparing the tea.

With delicate hands, she arranged the teacups and slowly poured hot water from the teapot.

Steam rose, and the subtle fragrance spread.

I quietly watched her movements.

Her gestures were precise and without excess.

Even the flow of water was balanced, controlled.

It wasn’t just about pouring tea; it felt as if she was calmly building something up.

Her skill had improved once again.

A moment later, Hwaran pushed a teacup toward me.

“Teacher.”

It was a short but weighty call.

I picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The warmth spread in my mouth, and a subtle bitterness followed by a gentle sweetness filled my senses.

As it slid down my throat, the light fragrance spread, gently warming me from within.

I put the teacup down with a slight smile.

“It’s good.”

Hwaran quietly looked at me and then spoke in a calm voice.

“You like it. I like it too.”

And so, we silently drank our tea.

Hwaran silently cleared the teacups and then asked, “Teacher. More?”

I gently waved my hand and answered.

“That’s enough. This amount of tea is plenty.”

I set the teacup down and looked at her.

Hwaran still had a calm expression, but there was a brief flicker in her eyes, as if there was something she couldn’t say.

I folded my arms and leaned slightly against the table, then spoke.

“Well then, what’s bothering you? What brings you to me today?”

In the quiet room, the subtle fragrance of tea settled.

Hwaran turned the teacup with her fingertips and hesitated for a moment.

Her lips slightly parted and then closed again.

Then they parted once more.

“Teacher.”

Her voice was short but full of weight.

I set the teacup down and looked at her.

“I…”

Hwaran swallowed her words for a moment, then opened her mouth again.

“I…”

“Stop.”

I lightly raised my hand.

Hwaran’s words were cut off. She stared at me for a moment.

I slowly picked up the teacup and spoke in a calm voice.

“I already know.”

Hwaran blinked.

Then, she quietly tilted her head.

Even if she went out and experienced real combat without telling me, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.

If things suddenly change like this, even a fool would notice.

Still, I appreciate that she’s the first to come and tell me.

It would have been better if she had told me before going out, though.

“Do you know, Teacher?”

I set the teacup down and asked her, looking at her.

“So, what did you feel?”

Hwaran paused for a moment. She gently ran her fingertips over the surface of the teacup and then quietly spoke.

“I was scared.”

It was a short but honest answer.

I nodded and asked again.

“And then?”

Hwaran lowered her eyes slightly. Her fingertips softly stroked the surface of the teacup.

“It felt suffocating.”

I quietly stared at her.

Hwaran continued in a soft voice.

“I couldn’t touch it. The opponent was coming closer, but my body didn’t move.”

I rolled the teacup between my fingers and asked calmly, “And then?”

Hwaran took a very short breath.

“And then… I thought of you, Teacher.”

I set the teacup down.

Hwaran still maintained a calm expression, but her eyes were shaking.

I quietly looked at her and asked, “What if I had been there?”

Hwaran subtly widened her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, then closed again.

A short silence passed.

She gripped the teacup tightly and answered in a low voice.

“If you had been there… I wouldn’t have been scared.”

It was a short answer, but it contained a lot.

Zhangmun Sa-hyeong’s words were right.

I wondered if I had tried to force an ill-fitting role on the children.

I gave them strength, but that strength didn’t protect them in the end.

Even though they learned the swordsmanship I taught them and honed the martial arts I taught, they never truly felt my presence beside them.

The fact that my disciples felt fear while remembering me as their teacher was proof that I hadn’t taught them properly.

I prided myself on being a teacher, but perhaps I had only placed another burden on them.

I gave them swords, but I never showed them how to wield them, or for what purpose they should swing them.

I taught them how to grow stronger, but I never taught them how to overcome fear.

No, I didn’t even teach them how to become truly strong.

I sighed deeply.

What had I been doing all this time?

At this rate, I could only say I was unqualified as a teacher.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.”

Hwaran quietly looked at me, then slightly tilted her head.

Her expression seemed to show confusion, as if she didn’t quite understand.

“Then, Teacher… Check my pulse?”

Hwaran spoke softly.

“Would you?”

I looked at her, then raised an eyebrow.

“You know how to do medicine as well?”

Hwaran tilted her head once again.

Her response was as if she were asking something obvious.

I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

When did this child start acting like this?

“Go ahead, try it.”

I gave a broad smile and extended my hand.

Hwaran quietly approached and grabbed my wrist.

Her cold fingertips pressed gently as they felt for my pulse.

At first, her fingers moved quietly and precisely, but soon they hesitated.

Hwaran’s pupils subtly shook.

Her gaze fixed on my wrist.

Then, little by little.

Her head tilted.

I watched her.

Hwaran seemed to deeply ponder for a moment before slowly tilting her head even further.

Little by little.

I furrowed my brows.

Her head…

Was it really going to.

Her head tilted to an angle where it felt like the neck would snap if pushed any further.

I couldn’t help but speak up in disbelief.

“Hwaran, what on earth are you doing?”

But Hwaran didn’t answer.

After a long pause, she quietly spoke.

“Teacher. A bet.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at her.

“A little slip, and…?”

I thought for a moment before slowly nodding.

“Alright.”

As soon as I agreed, Hwaran’s bet seemed to seep into me.

I felt her energy flow through my body, following the pathways of my veins and meridians.

It flowed in with precision, passing through my organs and, eventually, reaching my dantian.

I quietly closed my eyes, feeling the flow.

Hwaran’s energy carefully scanned my dantian, then slowly withdrew.

A quiet stillness filled the room.

I opened my eyes and looked at Hwaran.

She stared at me without saying a word.

Hwaran fell into silence for a long while.

Her expression was one of deep contemplation.

Finally, she quietly spoke.

“Teacher. I will leave.”

I watched her and nodded.

Without another word, Hwaran turned her body and walked out the door.

The door closed quietly, and once again, silence returned.

No matter how long I’ve had her as a disciple, girls are still difficult to understand.

I quietly sighed and set the teacup down.

Third Disciple – Noh Hwaran’s Diary.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher is mine.

Teacher.

Changed, but mine.

Before the poison, equality.

Even the seniors, even the juniors.

Everyone seems to not know.

It must be difficult.

To claim the teacher.

Because…

Teacher is Mine