Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 12

12. You Need to Have Dated a Girl to Understand

“I wish I could use the sword like I did earlier…”

Yun-hyun muttered regretfully.

But he couldn’t.

If a Haksal [a scholar-official] who wasn’t a Royal Guard were caught carrying a sword in the Imperial Palace, he might literally lose his head.

The only reason Yun-hyun could even hold a sword during training was because the Gold Guard Instructor was present.

Swish, swish.

Yun-hyun swung a branch a few times with familiar motions.

However, his dissatisfied expression didn’t fade.

The shape didn’t matter, but the weight and the feeling were incomparable to a real sword.

But he couldn’t complain.

There wasn’t a single tree in the outer court of the Forbidden City, so even finding a branch like this wasn’t easy.

“Maybe if I use something like this, my posture might change a bit…”

After swinging it around, Yun-hyun gripped the branch as if it were a sword and took a stance.

The somewhat familiar stance was completely different from the swordsmanship he had practiced with Instructor Do-jin earlier.

“Hoo.”

Yun-hyun’s expression, as he regulated his breathing, was quite tense.

And then, at some point.

Yun-hyun’s body began to move so slowly that it was impossible to tell when it had started.

Rustle. Rustle.

There was no sharp sound of cutting through the wind, nor a resounding shout.

However, the branch in Yun-hyun’s hand was constantly drawing smooth curves.

It was quite different from ordinary martial arts; in some ways, it looked like a dance, or as Instructor Do-jin had said, like gymnastics.

But Yun-hyun was extremely serious.

Soon, beads of sweat began to form on Yun-hyun’s forehead.

Thud.

Yun-hyun’s feet returned to their original position.

But he didn’t stop and repeated the same movements again.

He didn’t care about the sweat flowing down.

Yun-hyun was concentrating all his mind on drawing lines in the air.

It was a natural curve like flowing water, but Yun-hyun’s eyes were filled with a taut tension that couldn’t be relaxed even a little.

How many times had he repeated it?

Yun-hyun finally stopped moving.

His whole body was soaked with sweat, but he still tilted his head as if something was lacking.

“I think my posture was a bit off in the middle; is it because it’s just a branch?”

Yun-hyun held up the branch and stared at it as if to say, “It’s your fault.”

But no matter how much he glared, the branch wouldn’t be embarrassed or feel sorry.

Yun-hyun suddenly felt pathetic and sighed, lowering the branch.

“It’s so picky. It says my posture shouldn’t be off even a little, but it also says I shouldn’t be too bound by formality… What am I supposed to do?”

The target of Yun-hyun’s grumbling this time was the nameless Haksal of the White Tiger Hall.

—The sword form should flow smoothly and continuously, with the beginning and end being consistent…

Yun-hyun recalled the words written in the report.

The Haksal of the White Tiger Hall was very meticulous and persistent.

Yun-hyun agreed that a scholar should be meticulous and sometimes obsessively persistent.

But even Yun-hyun couldn’t help but think, ‘Do I really have to go this far?’ The requirements in the report were extraordinary.

Moreover, at the end, it was written that ‘This is like dealing with a woman’s heart,’ which was a difficult situation for Yun-hyun.

“I need to have dated a girl to understand.”

Muttering, Yun-hyun suddenly thought of his so-called popular friends from his days as a student.

Perhaps they would have understood the meaning of these words right away.

But he had no way of knowing.

While they were popular, Yun-hyun was just a bookworm.

“Instructor Il-chung-hyun…”

Yun-hyun thought of Instructor Il-chung-hyun. It wasn’t because he seemed popular.

Il-chung-hyun was a Gold Guard Instructor.

Naturally, he would understand the contents of this sword form better than Yun-hyun.

But he couldn’t just take this book and say, ‘Please teach me this.’

That would be too rude, regardless of their positions as Haksal or Gold Guard Instructor.

“In the end, I have no choice but to do it alone, but will this really work?”

Whether it works or not, this training is to confirm it directly.

In a way, the conclusion of this report was these twelve simple sword forms.

The author of the ‘report’ said that only when one had fully mastered these sword forms could one know that Qi [life energy] fills the heavens and earth.

That was in line with what Instructor Il-chung-hyun had said when he first started training: ‘All masters are masters of internal energy.’

Yun-hyun, who had been frowning for a while, shook his head.

“I have a long way to go. It’s better to do it one more time than to think about this.”

According to the book, a skilled martial artist needs to repeat it at least ten thousand times to get a feel for it, and only after training it a hundred thousand times can they vaguely see the true meaning of the sword form.

If he, a Haksal who wasn’t even a martial artist, were to do it, he had an even longer way to go, which he could tell without even thinking about it.

“Ten thousand times…”

It had only been about six months since Yun-hyun started practicing this sword form alone.

Yun-hyun, who had unconsciously counted the number of times he had trained, shook his head.

He suddenly had the conviction that it would be better not to count.

“Is this going to take my whole life?”

Even while grumbling, Yun-hyun was setting up the branch and taking a stance.

It was a flawless stance that even Instructor Do-jin had admired.

The sunlight was already beginning to slant, but Yun-hyun’s smooth curves never ceased.

***

Yun-hyun finished his so-called ‘report sword form’ training after the sun had completely set.

Realizing that dusk was already setting in, Yun-hyun hurried back to Munyeon Hall.

“Ah, Eunuch Park.”

As Yun-hyun entered the miscellaneous book area that had become his designated seat, he suddenly recognized a familiar face and was delighted.

“It’s Haksal Yun, ho-ho.”

Eunuch Park also smiled and bowed his head.

“I saw the books spread out on your seat, so I thought you might be nearby. You’re always so diligent, ni-ye [yes, in a respectful manner].”

Yun-hyun replied with an embarrassed smile.

He couldn’t very well say that he had just spread out the books and done other things all afternoon.

“Then, please take care. I’ll be going now… Ho-ho-hot.”

“Ah, do so.”

As Yun-hyun moved towards his seat, he suddenly heard Eunuch Park’s voice.

“Oh, right, Haksal Yun.”

“Huh?”

When Yun-hyun turned around, Eunuch Park said in a passing tone.

“You’ll be coming to Chang-eum Hall today, too, right?”

“Chang-eum Hall?”

When Yun-hyun asked, Eunuch Park replied in a clear voice.

“Ni-ye. I heard that the troupe performing today is quite famous. I’m sure it will be quite a sight to see, don’t you think?”

“Chang-eum Hall…”

Come to think of it, he had heard such a thing from Manager Sa-il-cheon of the Azure Dragon Hall this morning.

He had said that if he wanted to go to the performance given by the Emperor, he could, but at the time, he hadn’t paid much attention to it and had just brushed it off.

“I’d like to go, but as you know, I’m a bit busy, aren’t I? I don’t think I can…”

The urgent matter Yun-hyun was referring to was writing the report to be submitted to the Azure Dragon Hall.

For the past year, Manager Sa-il-cheon of the Azure Dragon Hall had practically left Yun-hyun to his own devices.

But those days couldn’t continue forever.

—Isn’t it about time to produce some results?

It had been two months since Manager Sa-il-cheon of the Azure Dragon Hall had said that in a passing tone.

Although he had said it as if it were nothing, for Yun-hyun, this report would be a crossroads for his future, so it was a very important matter.

That’s why Yun-hyun had been revising and refining the draft he had made two months ago with great care.

“Ah, I see, ni-ye.”

Eunuch Park shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

“I heard that today’s performance is a love story about a peerless beauty and an ill-fated general, so it’s a shame. Then, I’ll be going now…”

Yun-hyun’s ears perked up at Eunuch Park’s words.

“Wait a minute.”

“Ni-ye?”

“On second thought, not attending a performance that the Emperor is giving is disloyal as a subject, and besides, such a story would be quite helpful for research purposes…”

Yun-hyun gave a lengthy excuse, but Eunuch Park had a smile on his face.

Soon, the question Yun-hyun really wanted to ask popped out.

“Where exactly is that Chang-eum Hall located?”

The memory of wandering around the Imperial Palace on his first day came to mind again.

Eunuch Park smiled and offered to come and pick up Yun-hyun.

After Eunuch Park disappeared, Yun-hyun returned to his seat and organized his books.

Thud, thud.

Looking at the books that were piling up, Yun-hyun muttered.

“Actually, I shouldn’t be watching a performance right now…”

Yun-hyun looked at the ten or so books in front of him.

He had decided to submit the report in chronological order, and these were the materials he had selected for the first report.

For the past two months, Yun-hyun had stayed up all night reading and rereading these ten or so books.

“Taking a break to clear my head wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”

His training over the past year hadn’t been in vain, so he had no difficulty understanding the contents of the books.

Organizing the records of the masters’ duels was also progressing better than he had expected.

Yun-hyun felt a slight sense of accomplishment and picked up a thin book and put it in his arms.

He was going to take it to Chang-eum Hall and read it whenever he had time.

“If I’m lucky, I’ll have to stay up all night again today.”

He didn’t know if he would have time to read the book at Chang-eum Hall, but it was the right attitude for a scholar to never let go of a book.

Stroking the book in his arms, Yun-hyun came out of Munyeon Hall.

Fearing that he might be late, he hurried to the place where he had agreed to meet Eunuch Park.

***

Yun-hyun felt a sense of alienation, as if he had suddenly fallen into an unfamiliar world.

Chang-eum Hall, before the performance had started, was quite noisy, and the faces of the people dressed in gorgeous clothes all looked bright.

Among them, only Yun-hyun was isolated.

Thanks to Eunuch Park’s consideration, his seat wasn’t too bad.

The problem was that he didn’t know anyone among the people sitting around him.

Eunuch Park had left because he had someone to attend to, and he didn’t see a single person he knew.

In fact, the only people he knew were Instructor Il-chung-hyun, Manager Sa-il-cheon of the Azure Dragon Hall, and Eunuch Park.

Moreover, the whispering voices of the palace women coming from behind were quite stimulating to Yun-hyun’s ears.

“Oh, my. Your taste is really unique, hohoho.”

“Why? Isn’t he okay? He seems to be a Haksal, I wonder if he belongs to the Hallimwon [Office of Royal Decrees]?”

Yun-hyun gave a bitter smile.

Just in case, but it seemed like they were talking about him.

He was the only person who looked like a Haksal in the vicinity.

“Oh, really. Don’t you know that person? He’s a Haksal from the Azure Dragon Hall. You know, the one who’s learning martial arts…”

“Really? That person?”

The surprised maid continued to speak in a chattering voice.

“I didn’t know. But the first impression is ruined. What’s with the dignified Haksal?”

“I know, right? He’s not as sturdy as the martial artists, and he’s really being a nuisance, what. He doesn’t even know how unsightly he looks, hohoho.”

Yun-hyun felt his face turn red and, at the same time, felt the blood rushing to his head.

He felt like grabbing the palace women by the collar and arguing with them.

‘What have you done to help me learn martial arts?’ he wanted to say.

But Yun-hyun couldn’t even turn his head to glare at them.

“…Enough. How can sparrows know the great ambitions of a stork?”

He muttered to himself, but his mouth tasted bitter.

He was embarrassed, but he couldn’t understand how they could talk about such things so openly in a place where the person in question could hear them.

Come to think of it, he realized that the people around him were quite good people.