Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 10

010. The Scholar’s Martial Arts (2)

Guiding someone on their stance can mean very different things depending on the situation.

If Scholar Unhyeon’s martial arts have truly reached a high level, it means there’s nothing left to teach him except pointing out minor imperfections.

However, Unhyeon’s status as a scholar makes it hard to believe.

How could that seemingly frail scholar, who probably hasn’t even held a wooden practice sword properly, reach such a level in just over a year?

Even with Instructor Ilchunghyeon teaching him, it’s still difficult to imagine.

But the opposite is also puzzling.

How could Instructor Ilchunghyeon teach him for over a year and still only be working on his stance?

Gold Guard Instructor Dojin was perplexed.

Most of all, Instructor Ilchunghyeon’s expression bothered him.

How could someone who has been teaching for over a year look so pleased when the student only knows the stance?

“Now that I think about it, it’s already been over a year since I started teaching Scholar Unhyeon martial arts,” Instructor Ilchunghyeon muttered.

Come to think of it, it has been over a year.

During that time, Instructor Ilchunghyeon and Unhyeon have been training here almost every day.

If it weren’t for Instructor Ilchunghyeon’s unavoidable absence today, he would have been guiding Unhyeon himself.

“There comes Scholar Unhyeon.”

At Instructor Ilchunghyeon’s words, Dojin raised his head.

In the distance, a scholar dressed neatly in his official robes was walking towards them.

With his books and writing tools in hand, he looked every bit the student heading to the academy.

Dojin’s brow furrowed involuntarily.

‘Is that person looking down on martial arts?’

To come to train in martial arts wearing official robes was something Dojin couldn’t understand.

However, Instructor Ilchunghyeon, seemingly unaware of Dojin’s thoughts, said softly beside him, “Instructor Do, you’ll see. Scholar Unhyeon is a student you’ll be eager to teach.”

Dojin’s eyes twitched slightly.

Step, step.

Unhyeon, who had come closer, bowed politely to Instructor Ilchunghyeon.

Instructor Ilchunghyeon also returned the greeting with a respectful fist clasp.

“Scholar Unhyeon, this is Gold Guard Instructor Dojin. Instructor Dojin, this is Scholar Unhyeon,” Ilchunghyeon introduced the two.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Unhyeon, a scholar of the Changryong Hall [likely a hall within the Imperial Palace or a specific scholarly institution],” Unhyeon bowed deeply and politely, but Instructor Dojin simply clasped his fist lightly.

“Dojin.”

Unhyeon turned his head to look at Ilchunghyeon.

Ilchunghyeon said, as if answering his unspoken question, “He is in charge of the Gold Guard with me. I asked him to assist Scholar Unhyeon with his training today.”

Unhyeon nodded.

Instructor Ilchunghyeon had already mentioned it yesterday.

Rustle.

Unhyeon soon took his place and took out the book he had been carrying under his arm.

Instructor Do’s expression tightened as he watched.

But Unhyeon didn’t seem to notice or care.

Unhyeon, having taken out the book, approached Instructor Ilchunghyeon without hesitation and asked, “Instructor Il, about what you explained yesterday…….”

“Ah, Scholar Unhyeon. About that.”

Unhyeon, who was taking out his writing tools, raised his head.

Instructor Ilchunghyeon continued, “I think we should train first today. I’ll answer your questions later.”

Unhyeon nodded obediently and closed the book.

Changing the order slightly wouldn’t make a significant difference.

He now had enough strength to wield a brush even after training.

Unhyeon organized his books and writing tools and stood a little away from Instructor Ilchunghyeon.

“Then, let’s start with the first to twelfth forms of the Hundred Strike.”

Unhyeon bowed lightly to Ilchunghyeon and adopted a stance with a serious look.

And after a moment, a loud voice burst from Unhyeon’s mouth.

“Haa!”

At that shout, Gold Guard Instructor Dojin frowned involuntarily.

The voice that came out as a shout, to Dojin’s ears, sounded worse than a baby’s cry.

Whoosh, whoosh.

However, as Unhyeon’s movements began to unfold, Dojin’s furrowed brow gradually began to smooth out.

And soon, Gold Guard Instructor Dojin watched with admiration, his eyes shining.

“Oh…….”

“Isn’t it a really good stance, Instructor Do?” Instructor Ilchunghyeon’s voice was heard softly from the side.

Dojin nodded slowly.

His gaze was still fixed on Unhyeon.

“It’s a decent, no, a really good stance. The position of the feet is accurate, and the movements are clean without any unnecessary actions. The breathing seems quite stable, and the gaze is looking exactly where it should be, and there are no bad habits.”

There was no contempt or antipathy towards Unhyeon in that voice.

Dojin’s eyes had already reverted to those of a cold-blooded Gold Guard Instructor.

Watching Unhyeon’s movements unfold before his eyes, Gold Guard Instructor Dojin continued to analyze each one.

“The fact that there is no disruption in the transition between movements shows that he accurately understands the purpose of each form. At that level, it’s better than I thought… I’d say it’s pretty good.”

Indeed, it was.

Unhyeon’s movements were flawless even to the eyes of Dojin, a skilled Gold Guard Instructor.

Perhaps it was the closest to perfection among the stances Dojin had seen, of course, only under the premise of being a ‘trainee’.

“That’s a correct assessment,” Ilchunghyeon nodded.

“Scholar Unhyeon understands the meaning of each movement down to the smallest detail. That stance is possible because of that.”

Dojin nodded without realizing it.

‘As expected of Instructor Ilchunghyeon. To bring a mere scholar to this level in just one year…….’

Dojin, who was nodding, tilted his head and opened his mouth.

“But…….”

“Haa!”

Listening to Unhyeon’s shout, which still sounded worse than a baby’s cry, Dojin continued, “Was that form originally that slow?”

A slight smile appeared on Instructor Ilchunghyeon’s face.

“Of course not.”

“But why…….”

Dojin looked at Instructor Ilchunghyeon as if he couldn’t understand.

Instructor Ilchunghyeon answered Dojin’s question with a smiling face, “That’s the best speed Scholar Unhyeon can manage right now.”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it obvious since there’s no internal energy [qi or chi, vital life force] in the movements?”

Only then was Dojin able to realize what had been bothering him throughout Unhyeon’s movements.

There was no momentum in Unhyeon’s shout, or rather, in his movements, which should have been there.

‘Oh dear.’

Gold Guard Instructor Dojin clicked his tongue inwardly without realizing it.

Martial arts are based on the correct stance.

If you can get the stance right, then you can move your body naturally.

The stance that allows you to unleash the most powerful and terrifying force, that is the definition of ‘correct stance’.

‘But to think that such a great stance only produces this much…….’

Dojin couldn’t hide his disappointment. He muttered without realizing it.

“It’s a pity.”

“What is?” When Instructor Ilchunghyeon asked, Dojin continued without taking his eyes off Unhyeon.

“If he had the internal strength to support him, he would have been a talent worth teaching. Well, I guess his physical constitution would be a problem before that…….”

A smile spread across Instructor Ilchunghyeon’s face.

“He is a scholar, Instructor Do. If his physical constitution was good and he had internal strength, he would have become a military officer, not a scholar. And……,” Instructor Ilchunghyeon muttered as if passing by, “Scholar Unhyeon’s advantage is not just a good stance.”

Dojin heard Ilchunghyeon’s words, but he didn’t pay much attention to them.

Rather, he was more concerned with the shortcomings that were beginning to appear in Unhyeon’s movements.

Because of Scholar Unhyeon’s unexpectedly excellent stance, things that he hadn’t noticed before were now coming into view.

“His physical constitution is also a problem, but it seems he originally lacks strength. Could he even hold an axe, no, a spear properly with that?”

“We haven’t gotten that far yet, so we can’t know, can we?”

“Yes?”

Dojin looked back at Ilchunghyeon as if asking what he meant.

He hasn’t even gotten to spear techniques yet?

It’s been a year, so don’t tell me he hasn’t finished all eighteen martial arts yet?

“Instructor Do, I’ll say it again, he’s a scholar. Not a Gold Uniform Guard.”

Ilchunghyeon still had a smiling face.

In the meantime, Unhyeon’s twelve forms of the Hundred Strike were finished.

Ilchunghyeon nodded back at Unhyeon, who finished his training and bowed lightly.

“Good job, Scholar Unhyeon. Then, after finishing the second twelve forms of the Hundred Strike, practice swordsmanship. Instructor Do is especially skilled in swordsmanship, so it will be of great help to Scholar Unhyeon.”

Unhyeon’s slightly flushed face turned to Dojin.

Gold Guard Instructor Dojin could see his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Unhyeon soon began the second twelve forms of the Hundred Strike.

“Haa!”

Listening to Unhyeon’s still unsatisfactory shout with one ear, Dojin asked Ilchunghyeon with a puzzled look, “Haven’t you started the sword yet?”

“He finished the sword a while ago. So there’s no need for Instructor Do to teach him the stance directly. Just……,” Instructor Ilchunghyeon, who was watching Unhyeon’s moves, turned his head and looked at Instructor Dojin.

There was a slightly playful smile on Ilchunghyeon’s face.

“You’ll have to answer some questions in between.”

“Questions?”

Dojin asked back, but Instructor Ilchunghyeon smiled slyly and turned his head to watch Unhyeon’s training.

What Gold Guard Instructor Ilchunghyeon highly valued was not Unhyeon’s stance, which even Instructor Dojin admired.

It was the pure, simple, and persistent questions about martial arts that poured out of Unhyeon from time to time.

The martial arts of the Imperial Palace are a little different from the martial arts of the Jianghu [the martial arts world or community].

Compared to the martial arts of the Jianghu, where some sects even consider martial arts as a path to enlightenment, the Imperial Palace’s martial arts prioritize efficiency, practicality, and unified group action.

This is to effectively suppress a large number of enemies in the shortest amount of time as a military group.

Therefore, there is little room for deep understanding of martial arts, and individual pure passion for martial arts is often pushed aside.

Instructor Ilchunghyeon was the same.

Although he had some connection with the Jianghu unlike other instructors, his life in the Imperial Palace was the life of a military officer who earned the Imperial Palace’s salary, not the life of a martial artist who was dedicated to the martial path.

However, that began to change little by little as he met Unhyeon.

Simple yet fundamental questions about martial arts, primitive questions that could only be asked by someone looking from the outside.

While answering those questions, Ilchunghyeon was able to return to the old days, when he had a pure passion for martial arts.

Ilchunghyeon turned his head. And he clasped his fist at Dojin, who was still looking at Unhyeon, and said, “Then I’ll leave it to you, Instructor Do.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

When Dojin clasped his fist back in response, Ilchunghyeon soon turned and walked away.

Dojin felt a pang because Ilchunghyeon’s back looked somehow pathetic.

‘If he had played his cards right, he would have been a high-ranking military officer…….’

But Instructor Ilchunghyeon would never play his cards right.

That’s why I trust Instructor Ilchunghyeon.

Besides, the cold attitude that he had sensed before was almost completely gone now.

In the past, Ilchunghyeon would never have asked for personal favors.

“Haa!”

Unhyeon’s still annoying shout woke Dojin from his reverie.

Gold Guard Instructor Dojin turned his head and looked at Unhyeon.

Watching Unhyeon perform the second twelve forms of the Hundred Strike with a flawless stance, Dojin clicked his tongue.

‘A year……. It took that long, so the stance can’t be bad. But at this rate, it will take several years to complete all eighteen martial arts of the Imperial Palace. It’s not like he’s practicing the Tao [Dao, the Way – often associated with spiritual cultivation] with that…….’

Unhyeon’s progress was frustrating.

As a scholar, Unhyeon has made great progress, but Gold Guard Instructor Dojin can’t help but see it as crawling.

‘Still, the stance is really great. I want to show it to the new Gold Uniform Guards this time.’

“Haa!”

Instructor Dojin frowned at Unhyeon’s spiritless shout that was still annoying to his ears.

‘A scholar is a scholar. In the end, a scholar’s martial arts is…’

Dojin’s inner thoughts escaped his lips without him realizing it.

“……Is it gymnastics?”