I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 110

< A Wealthy Secular Disciple 2 >

“Hey! Stop it!”

Noh Hye-gwang shouted, silencing Jo Gwang-yun.

But he, too, had to shut his mouth.

“You shut up as well.”

At the Sect Leader’s words, Noh Hye-gwang stepped back, fuming.

“Elder Jo is not an ordinary disciple. He already leads a sect and manages the large business of the Jo Clan. Surely, you know he cannot be a regular disciple. Yelling won’t solve anything.”

The Sect Leader knows why Noh Hye-gwang wants to keep Jo Gwang-yun around.

He is an opponent who can create palpable tension with just his inner energy. There is no such rival in Mount Hua. So, he must have wanted to keep Jo Gwang-yun close and share the joy of martial arts training.

“Sending carrier pigeons for training feels excessive. Provide him with a handwritten copy [of the manual] and let him train alone. However, have him stay in Mount Hua for a few days and teach him what you have realized, Hye-gwang, instead of just giving him martial arts books. That will be a greater lesson.”

Everyone was displeased with the idea of giving away Mount Hua’s martial arts manual, but they couldn’t say anything after the Sect Leader’s next words.

“He is the one who gave us the Mount Hua’s Spirit Pill. Is a handwritten copy of a martial arts manual more precious than that? Elder Jo is already as good as a disciple of Mount Hua.”

Jo Gwang-yun immediately bowed to the Sect Leader.

“I am once again deeply indebted to you, Sect Leader. Thank you.”

Noh Hye-gwang immediately approached Jo Gwang-yun and grabbed his arm.

“Let’s go. Time is of the essence.”

He also spoke to Gwon Jung-won, who was watching with a pleased expression.

“I’ll only keep him for seven days and nights. In the meantime, Uncle, please enjoy your time at leisure.”

Jo Gwang-yun’s expression wasn’t too dark as he was dragged away. Seven days seemed manageable. He had been feeling regretful, wanting to experience that intense moment he had felt earlier once more.

* * *

“Let me ask to confirm. Is your inner energy at its limit right now?”

“No, it’s not. There hasn’t been much change from when our swords met until now.”

“So, you’re saying it replenishes as quickly as you use it?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously, I knew it, but hearing it directly makes me incredibly envious. What’s your upper dantian [energy center] like that it works that way?”

It wasn’t just idle talk; his sincerity was evident on his face.

“Think of it as a large jar with an inlet and an outlet. As much water flows out through the outlet, water keeps flowing in through the inlet…”

“Stop it. It’s not that I don’t know that—that’s why I asked.”

“Ah, yes. Sorry.”

Jo Gwang-yun quickly shut his mouth.

“Then, from now on, inner energy training should focus on increasing the size of the inlet and outlet rather than the size of the dantian jar.”

Jo Gwang-yun’s expression changed at the welcome words.

“Is there such a training method?”

“Just use it frequently. Then, the holes will get bigger each time you reach the limit.”

It’s no different from building muscle.

Using it frequently means not neglecting martial arts training.

“Since we only have seven days and nights, I’ll only teach you what you need. You do the training ‘in your spare time.'”

‘This guy is subtly resentful. Well, I guess martial arts masters aren’t necessarily great people.’

Jo Gwang-yun chuckled as he looked at Noh Hye-gwang.

“Now, first, how to use inner energy as freely as your own hands.”

Noh Hye-gwang took out something like an old leather belt from his pocket. The wide leather belt was shaped to be worn around the waist.

Eight sharp daggers without guards or handles were embedded on the wide leather belt.

“How is it? Cool, right?”

Looking at him stroking the gleaming blades, it seemed he had a special affection for these daggers.

“Does Mount Hua martial arts involve using daggers?”

Jo Gwang-yun asked in surprise, and Noh Hye-gwang said, looking dumbfounded.

“Would it? I happened to acquire these, and I brought them because they seemed suitable for your training. I used to train with these too. Of course, this is a secret. The old folks will confiscate them if they find out.”

His unconstrained freedom, not bound by fixed frameworks, might be what made him the best in Mount Hua.

“Watch closely. I’ll use only inner energy to use these from now on.”

Suddenly, the eight daggers floated into the air and began to move around.

“You’ll be able to do this easily with a little training. This is stage one. If you inject a little more inner energy, it changes like this.”

Each dagger split into two, becoming sixteen. They seemed a bit thick for daggers, but it was because they were two layers stacked together.

“This is stage two. And one more time.”

The sixteen daggers split again, becoming thirty-two, and began to fly around the old dojo. At thirty-two, the daggers were as thin as paper.

“Wow!”

An exclamation burst out involuntarily.

“If you can move thirty-two as you wish, there will be no problem with inner energy control.”

The sound of cutting through the air filled the dojo. The daggers were like living creatures.

“I heard these daggers came from the Flying Knife Gate (飛刀門) [a legendary school of assassins]. I don’t know if it’s true or not, though.”

“Flying Knife Gate?”

The daggers were still dancing in the air.

It was amazing to see Noh Hye-gwang controlling the daggers effortlessly while speaking naturally.

“There’s a story that Fan Zeng (范增) [advisor to Xiang Yu], the strategist of King Xiang Yu (項羽) of Chu, created an assassination organization to kill Emperor Gaozu (高祖) Liu Bang (劉邦) [founder of the Han dynasty] for Xiang Yu, but it’s all old tales.”

As soon as the story about the daggers ended, the thirty-two daggers flying in the air combined back into eight and embedded into the leather belt in order.

“Try it.”

“Yes? Me?”

“Yes. Let’s see your limit right now.”

Jo Gwang-yun took a few breaths and began to focus on the eight daggers.

After a short time, Noh Hye-gwang’s nagging flew in.

“Do you think inner energy will work by just glaring at it? Imagine holding those eight daggers in your hands and throwing them… Huh!”

Jo Gwang-yun looked at one of the daggers embedded at his feet, sweating cold sweat, and Noh Hye-gwang snatched two daggers that suddenly popped up with one hand. The rest were embedded here and there in the dojo, trembling.

“It’s good that you can move them. You’ll get better gradually.”

With one gesture from Noh Hye-gwang, the daggers were embedded back in place.

“Don’t be impatient and train in your spare time. It won’t be a gradual process, but it will happen naturally at some point.”

Jo Gwang-yun was more concerned about the word ‘moment’ than ‘spare time.’

“That’s how it is most of the time. When you’re training in martial arts, you’re always in the same place, but one day you’ll suddenly see a different path.”

“Is that enlightenment?”

“Yes. There are big enlightenments and small enlightenments. They accumulate and become a realm.”

Noh Hye-gwang took out a small booklet from his pocket and handed it over along with the rolled-up leather belt.

“It’s a martial arts manual for the throwing knives. I didn’t need it, so I didn’t learn it. You decide for yourself.”

“I’m receiving too much. Thank you, Great Hero.”

Noh Hye-gwang quickly withdrew his outstretched hand.

“Hey! Are you really going to be like this? So cold?”

“Just give it to me, Brother.”

As the title changed, Noh Hye-gwang smiled and handed over the manual and the leather belt.

“Now, let me tell you what I’ve realized about the Plum Blossom Sword.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Martial arts is something that everyone who learns it accepts differently. What do you know about Mount Hua’s sword?”

“This younger brother doesn’t pay much attention to martial arts, so I’ve only heard bits and pieces. I’ve heard it’s a flashy and highly variable sword technique.”

“Yes. That’s the general assessment. But I’m a bit different.”

Jo Gwang-yun perked up his ears.

How would Mount Hua’s best swordsman evaluate his own school’s sword?

“Many masters refer to martial arts as the Dao (道) [the Way]. Reason, path, thought, virtue… It’s a word with many meanings. It’s as mysterious as that and also a way to reach the truth. But I think it’s all nonsense.”

He was expected to be a somewhat unique character. But I didn’t expect such a shocking statement. For a noble disciple of Mount Hua to call the golden rules of his predecessors nonsense.

“What’s so special about martial arts? In the end, it’s just fighting. Martial Art (武功), Martial Skill (武藝), Martial Way (武道), Martial Art (武術), even if you attach all sorts of names, it’s just about beating people up or killing them with a sword. The more famous the martial art, the better you can beat someone up and the easier you can stab them. No matter who the opponent is.”

Simple and clear. And it speaks to the essence of martial arts.

“The fact that Mount Hua’s martial arts are flashy and versatile only comes out when you meet a difficult opponent. Would I show off my flashiness when facing a low-level martial artist from the Azure Dragon Gate? I’d just stab them, and they’d be helpless.”

“That’s right. How could they avoid Brother’s quick sword?”

“Then, what about when I face your master?”

“It wouldn’t be easy.”

“That’s right. It’s not easy, so I try everything. I throw out feints and transform my stances.”

“Are you saying that we should beat up or stab our opponents with the simplest form of martial arts?”

“Hey! Doesn’t that look too low-class?”

Noh Hye-gwang said with a smile.

“That’s right. The simplest form. If you can’t see through this, you can’t grasp the essence of the Plum Blossom Sword.”

The essence is always simple. The flashy rhetoric is just a means to decorate and hide the essence. The flashiness and versatility of the Mount Hua Sword are like that rhetoric.

“The martial arts manual of the Plum Blossom Sword that you will see in the future will have a long list of very complex stances.”

“Does that mean I have to find the essence among them?”

“No. It means you have to find the essence contained in each and every character. If you do that, you’ll find your own essence that permeates the whole thing.”

Jo Gwang-yun nodded.

“You’re saying that everyone who learns it finds a different essence.”

“Yes.”

“Could you tell me what essence Brother has found for reference?”

Noh Hye-gwang thought for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I’ll tell you if you’re confident that you won’t be bound by my words.”

“I have a very strong ego, so I don’t take other people’s words as gospel.”

“Arrogant bastard. Hehe.”

Noh Hye-gwang said with a smile, but the meaning was neither funny nor simple.

“Gaenbyeol (干瘪) [Withered/Desiccated].”

Withered.

At first, I thought I misheard. I wondered if it was an unknown Chinese character, but when I thought of a plum blossom tree in winter, I was sure I heard it correctly.

Jo Gwang-yun also smiled at Noh Hye-gwang, who was smiling.

“It’s too difficult, so I won’t be bound by it. I don’t even think I’ll take it as a topic.”

“Tsk, tsk. You say that because you don’t know anything. You’ll slap your knee later.”

The smile disappeared from Noh Hye-gwang’s face.

“The day you slap your knee, come to Mount Hua with a sword. That means you’re either on par with me or… one level above me.”

Seeing Noh Hye-gwang’s serious appearance for the first time in a while, Jo Gwang-yun still smiled and said.

“You won’t have to wait that long.”

* * *

They didn’t have inner energy battles or learn stances for seven days.

All they did was sit face to face, discussing martial arts, with Jo Gwang-yun asking questions to Noh Hye-gwang.

Jo Gwang-yun put the handwritten copy of the martial arts manual given by Mount Hua in his arms and went down Mount Hua with Gwon Jung-won.

Noh Hye-gwang, who was seeing them off, was filled with regret, and the others had expectant eyes.

And…

One month after the Spirit Pill-snatching thief went down the mountain.

Two carts arrived, loaded with a mountain of gold and silver and a pile of weapons, including swords that looked extraordinary at a glance.

There was also a letter saying that they were still looking for the elixir, so please wait a little longer.

Even to the Sect Leader, who was good at calculations, it was not a losing deal, so the Sect Leader’s mouth, which was hooked on his ears, did not come down.

< A Wealthy Secular Disciple 2 > End