episode_0025

A bolt from the blue struck.

“What on earth is going on in your head! Don’t you even know your master’s surname! I seriously doubt if there’s any common sense in you, Heeseong!”

“Oh, it wasn’t Seosse… ”

“It’s Seomun. Hoo. This incompetent girl…”

“Ah.”

Acheong felt a bit unjustly treated.

She looked at the name of the person from Jungwon with up to five characters.

But he didn’t even bother to tell her if it was Seosse or Seomun.

“Cheong-a. My disciple.”

“Oh, it feels much better that way…”

Cheong felt better than Acheong.

The name Acheong sounded a bit off, after all.

“Well, now that we have a name, I should pass on the important martial arts to you first.”

“Oh, uh, oops.”

Cheong stumbled as she spoke, but it was too late.

Thud! A core technique flew towards her.

“Talking like a fool… What I’m going to teach you is the Seohucheonae Simgyeol, a martial art technique. It’s a profound technique of the same school, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn.”

“Seohucheonae Simgyeol…”

“If you master the Seohucheonae Simgyeol, it will be a great achievement for you as a disciple.”

Cheong swallowed nervously.

The name sounded cool, and the fact that the best female student was personally teaching her martial arts made it seem extraordinary.

“What kind of achievement is that?”

To which Seomunsurin replied, “It makes you beautiful.”

“…What?”

“It cultivates beauty in you.”

“Uh… Is that all?”

Thud! Another core technique hit her.

Cheong held her head and looked distressed.

This seems a bit strange.

“The way for a woman to hide herself is to be beautiful. That’s the most constant method. Now, I’ll call out the principles for you to memorize. Sanggo Yeil Anmyeongwi…”

Seomunsurin called out the principles of Seohucheonae Simgyeol.

Cheong listened attentively to the principles.

But can I really learn martial arts the way the martial artists do?

Well, if not, I could ask for a demonstration or write it down in a book.

But then.

As soon as she finished listening to the principles, another status notification popped up.

A new internal energy technique with a blue border had been added to her martial arts.

I was a bit disappointed that all I learned was just in blue…

Ouch, my head!

The words suddenly pierced uncomfortably into my head.

“…Did you memorize everything?”

“Yes, I memorized everything.”

“Everything? All at once?”

Seomunsurin asked in surprise.

She seemed like a complete ignoramus, but suddenly?

“Can you recite it?”

“So, from ancient times, the most esteemed talent was to brighten one’s face and receive love without any action. This is called beauty. There was a daughter who achieved virtue through this beauty among the many children of Shin Nong Yeomje…”

Acheong recited the words that had entered her mind.

It was a blatant act of cheating.

Seomunsurin, who didn’t know the situation, nodded satisfactorily.

It seemed that all talents were concentrated in martial arts for this child.

So, it was unlikely that a child who was still far from reaching her prime would enter the peak stage.

“Then, perform the Jinki-do-in. Sit down.”

Jinki-do-in was an act of guiding someone else’s energy to experience the correct use of Jinki firsthand.

Half of the story about a good teacher came from here.

No matter how dull one was, experiences directly felt in one’s body were not easily forgotten.

Energy circulated freely within my body.

It was a strange feeling.

From the gentle flow leaving the Dahnjeon to circling the body and returning to the Dahnjeon.

Then, another status notification appeared.

It was an announcement of achieving 1 star in Seohucheonae Simgyeol.

The status bar was precious, but the free training points were scarce.

“Would you like to try the Hwacheon? Right. You’re learning quickly. Excellent. It’s truly remarkable.”

Seomunsurin showered her with praise.

Indeed, she was the next world’s best.

Yes, it was time for the world’s best to emerge from the female martial artists.

After all, martial arts belonged to women from the start.

The way to convey the principles of nature to people and control their true energy all originated from the divine woman, Gucheonhyeonyeo.

When Gucheonhyeonyeo descended into the world, she concealed her appearance and introduced herself as just an ordinary woman, so people called her simply a woman of the moon, a lunar woman.

Because she liked to wear blue clothes, she was also called “Acheong.”

And the fateful connection was here.

The potential has already pierced through a thousand layers.

So, as a master of the female realm, one must teach dignity.

How can one create people like this foal?

Cheong hesitated at the praise bomb like a drug.

If Seomunsurin knew what he was thinking, he probably wouldn’t have laughed like that.

“So, let’s now learn how to control the mind.”

“Controlling the mind?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of study is that?”

“Quite literally, it’s a way to control the hair, which is like a woman’s life.”

“…What?”

Cheong blinked in confusion.

Why suddenly control the hair?

Whether Cheong was puzzled or not, Seomunsurin continued speaking.

“Teach the disciple forty-two ways to tie hair. They should memorize them all and be able to do them naturally.”

“Um, will tying hair help with martial arts?”

“That’s all you think about.”

Seomunsurin looked stern.

“The disciple is already a master of the female realm. However, the way the world looks at a female martial artist is endlessly cruel.”

If a female martial artist is weak, what can a weak woman do?

If she is strong, then the same criticisms arise.

If her beauty is lacking, she must excel in martial arts to compensate.

If her beauty is exceptional, imagine how many masters she could attract with that face.

Even if a female martial artist cuts down enemies and blood flows, they say she is resolute, strong-willed, and outstanding.

But if a female martial artist behaves the same way, people say she is treacherous and wicked, like a poisonous snake, committing such atrocities.

Even if she shows kindness to a starving beggar, if a man does it, it’s considered generous.

But if a female martial artist does it, it shows weakness and vulnerability, unable to withstand the cruelty of men.

“Uh…”

Cheong felt that something was wrong.

Teacher?

Suddenly, it feels awkward to deviate like this.

You are making very dangerous remarks.

“So the disciple who wanders around the riverbanks must embody all female masters. To do this, one must always maintain the demeanor of a graceful and beautiful woman, along with one’s own skills.”

Me… representing all female masters?

Cheong was astonished.

Among all the women in the world, there was only one person, or rather, someone who shouldn’t be here.

“Th… Teacher?”

“Well then, let’s start learning now.”

A strong will that allowed no objections was felt.

Cheong nodded tearfully.

—-

I have to escape from here!

As soon as possible!

Seomun Surin said that a disciple’s nature is like that of a foal and can never be corrected.

So, he promised to engrave femininity into her habits properly.

Just stay for half a year and then retire.

What seemed okay for about six months turned out to be a real ordeal.

That’s how Cheong’s suffering began.

The culprit was Hakkkulbam.

If even a single strand of hair was loose, it was Hakkkulbam.

If the attire was not neat, it was Hakkkulbam.

If the gait was awkward, it was Hakkkulbam.

If the speech was light and rough, it was Hakkkulbam.

If eating was seen as devouring, it was Hakkkulbam.

“Don’t sit with your legs spread,” said Hakkkulbam.

To the extent that a dictator who believed that nuclear armament could solve national power, livelihood, economy, and culture issues came to mind.

It wasn’t just any Hakkkulbam.

If you receive a blow, your mouth goes numb without you realizing it.

Warm tears well up in your eyes, gold flows into your skull, and pain follows as your scalp tears apart.

Cheong had not run away earlier thanks to Jinjangmyeong’s persistence.

“Unnie, are you okay?”

“I feel like I’m going to die. I might really die like this.”

“What should we do? Unnie, you already have a terrible headache.”

Jinjangmyeong gently stroked Cheong’s head.

“Don’t stroke it. It’s getting loose.”

Acheong untied Cheong’s hair and then tied it back up again.

Today was the twenty-third time. Two hairpins instead of one.

It was a very natural touch that moved unconsciously without thinking.

After six months, five months of being hit, this was the result.

Jinjangmyeong sat in front of Cheong and leaned forward.

“Me too. Do mine.”

“I’m lazy. You do it.”

“I’m lazy too.”

Jinjangmyeong lay down as is and pressed Cheong’s stomach with her head.

Cheong sighed and asked, “How many times?”

“Thirty-five times.”

“Why exactly thirty-five?”

Cheong grabbed Jinjangmyeong’s hair.

It was a hairstyle that involved braiding two strands of side hair and wrapping it around thirty-five times.

It was truly an incredibly tedious hairstyle.

In just five months, Jinjangmyeong had transformed from a plain ten-year-old kid to a petite teenage girl.

It was more of an evolution than growth.

Those rare innate talent holders like Jinjangmyeong would progress rapidly once they achieved a breakthrough in their inner strength.

And she had fully absorbed the effects of the Great Transformation Pill.

Jinjangmyeong had already surpassed the top-tier late stages with her inner strength alone.

As her body became healthier, she grew taller and gained weight.

However, according to Seomunsurin, she had already missed the growth period, so she might not grow much more from here.

“Are you going to the secret chamber soon? We have to go for afternoon training.”

“Yeah.”

Cheong headed out to her secret chamber.