Chapter 1760. Because I Made It This Way (5)

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Paat!

Power surged through his legs. His leap resembled that of a hawk targeting the head of its prey.

Tap.

His movements were fitting of the term "valiant," but his attack was effortlessly blocked by a light gesture, making it seem almost laughable.

Then, a palm gently extended and tapped his opponent's empty chest.

However, the result of that light movement was far from insignificant. The person who was pushed back flew backward like a leaf swept away by a typhoon.

"How foolish you are. I've told you countless times that it's meaningless, yet you still can't abandon those ingrained habits."

Heo Dojin, who coldly uttered those words without any expression, folded space and approached Baek Cheon, throwing another punch.

"Ugh!"

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and twisted his body. He narrowly dodged the incoming punch with the shoulder that still had some muscle left, and immediately spun around, rushing toward Heo Dojin's chest.

Thud!

But once again, it was Baek Cheon who was knocked away. Heo Dojin glared at him with icy eyes and rebuked him.

"I told you not to calculate with your head but to feel with your body."

"Cough."

"Four Liang to Move a Thousand Jin literally means emitting the weight of a thousand jin with the strength of four liang." [tl: Sarangbalcheongeun. 1 liang=50grams, 1 jin=500grams]

Paat.

Heo Dojin extended his leg. It was a kick, more of a feint, lacking any real power behind it. However, to Baek Cheon, who could hardly use his internal energy, even this was a lethal move.

Baek Cheon rolled his body without thinking. Right above him, Heo Dojin's kick whizzed past with a loud crack.

Immediately, Baek Cheon tried to get up quickly.

Thud!

But the leg that had passed by twisted in an unnatural direction and struck Baek Cheon's side.

Baek Cheon let out a painful groan as he tumbled to the ground.

"Even if your body is broken, you still have the strength of four liang. But if you can't abandon the habit of trying to manage everything with your strength alone, it's obvious that you won't be able to manage even a hundred jin, let alone a thousand."

Thud!

Heo Dojin, who lightly stepped forward, suddenly extended his fist toward Baek Cheon, who had just managed to stand. Baek Cheon sharply turned his head to avoid the punch.

"Dodge."

Paat!

This time, Heo Dojin's elbow flew toward Baek Cheon's temple. Startled, Baek Cheon instinctively tried to raise his hand, but he hesitated and urgently lifted his shoulder instead.

"Block."

Baek Cheon reflexively extended his leg toward Heo Dojin's chest.

"Counterattack."

Thud!

Before his leg could even cut through the air properly, Heo Dojin's shoulder slammed into Baek Cheon's chest. Baek Cheon was knocked over in the same position he had been in while lifting his leg.

"You are utterly foolish."

Heo Dojin glared at Baek Cheon with eyes full of contempt.

"Don't you understand yet that dodging, blocking, and counterattacking are all contrary to the principles of Four Liang to Move a Thousand Jin?"

"Oh..."

"If you want to utilize your opponent's strength, you must neither dodge nor block, and you mustn't attempt a clumsy counterattack with insufficient power. You should simply deflect and return it!"

Heo Dojin stomped the ground with an angry rebuke.

"Do you still have that foolish pride left in you?"

"....."

"The beginning of all martial arts is observation. You must see yourself to know your limits and see your opponent to understand their strength. If you wish to grasp the principles of 'Able to subdue steel with softness', you must even be able to see the flow beyond that!"

Baek Cheon's face twisted in frustration.

Don't dodge, don't block, don't counterattack. He had heard it countless times. He already understood it in his head.

But it was no different from denying everything he had learned so far. No matter how much he understood that Heo Dojin's words were correct, the things he had accumulated over decades would not disappear in an instant.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

As soon as Baek Cheon replied, Heo Dojin suddenly disappeared from the spot as if the ground had swallowed him up. He then reappeared right in front of Baek Cheon's nose.

Bang!

Heo Dojin launched an attack imbued with the profound technique of "Silk Reeling Energy." Baek Cheon, who was struck squarely in the chest, spun like a toy pinwheel caught in the wind and crashed to the ground.

His breath momentarily stopped, and he started coughing dryly.

"Cough!"

"You're just good at talking."

"I'm sorry...."

"Your current strength is so pitiful that even calling it third-rate would be embarrassing. You're barely at the level of a strong commoner."

"....."

"If you don't fully master the art of using your opponent's strength, you won't be able to last even a moment in any battlefield. If it's too difficult, just give up. Living the rest of your life cultivating the soil wouldn't be so bad."

These words could have been a grave insult.

However, Baek Cheon showed no sign of agitation. Instead, Heo Dojin sighed softly as he saw the even firmer resolve in Baek Cheon's eyes.

"Take a break."

"I can continue."

"That's for me to decide, not you."

"....Yes."

Only then did Baek Cheon nod and plop down on the spot, not caring about appearances at all. It was clear that if he was going to rest, he intended to do so with all his might, wasting no time.

Heo Dojin's expression grew more serious.

How many days had it been since he started teaching Baek Cheon?

'And yet, how...?'

He could see it. In those faltering movements, the essence of Sarangbalcheongeun (Four Liang to Move a Thousand Jin) and Neungyujaegang (Able to subdue steel with softness) that he had taught was beginning to show.

'It's crude, but...'

Of course, it was. His body was at its limit, so it couldn't help but be crude.

But that meant that if Baek Cheon's body were in better condition, he would have shown a level of achievement that would have astonished Heo Dojin.

How could this be possible?

'Even if I were teaching a prodigy of the ages, it would take at least a month just to grasp the basics.'

Of course, Heo Dojin had also tried his best to teach as quickly as possible. But even taking that into account, was this speed really possible?

Was this young man truly a genius of the ages, surpassing even the heavens?

No, that couldn't be.

Then there was only one possibility left.

"May I ask you something?"

"Please, ask."

After a moment of consideration, Heo Dojin spoke.

"Who taught you martial arts?"

"Pardon?"

Heo Dojin couldn't help but laugh at himself for asking such an absurd question. Asking a disciple of Mount Hua who had taught them martial arts—how ridiculous was that?

But he couldn't help but ask.

"I know it's a foolish question... but could you answer?"

"When I was young, I learned martial arts from my family. Although I didn't learn the true essence of Zhongnan. Later, when I joined Mount Hua, I learned most of my martial arts from Un Geom Sasuk."

"Un Geom, you say..."

"Of course... as I grew older, I learned mostly by being beaten by Cheong Myeong."

For a moment, Heo Dojin's eyes darkened.

That name again.

"You learned by being beaten?"

"Yes. He said that if you roll your body enough, you'll naturally learn the essence."

"From someone younger and lower in rank than you?"

Baek Cheon chuckled.

"It's strange, isn't it? But when you spend time with him, it doesn't feel strange at all."

"Not strange... truly?"

"Pardon?"

"That child is younger than you. But from what I've seen, it seems that most of those who use Mount Hua's sword techniques have been influenced by him."

Heo Dojin stared at Baek Cheon intently. If there was any lie, it would surely show on his face. But Baek Cheon met his gaze without hesitation or shame.

Heo Dojin was baffled.

"Your body... already contains the principles of Sarangbalcheongeun, as if someone deliberately planted them there in advance. Not to be used right now, but to help you climb the wall of ascension more easily when the time comes."

"....."

"Who do you think did that?"

Baek Cheon didn't answer. After all, the answer was obvious.

"How do you think that was possible? Do you truly believe that child has nothing to hide...."

Before Heo Dojin could finish his question, Baek Cheon calmly replied.

"Doesn't everyone have secrets they don't want to reveal?"

Heo Dojin fell silent.

"And if it's a secret that causes no harm, then isn't it human decency not to pry?"

"Are you satisfied with that?"

"I'm not sure if I'm in any position to say this... but he is my sajil, and I am his sasuk."

Baek Cheon said quietly.

"Isn't that enough?"

Heo Dojin let out a quiet sigh.

"Is he foolish or clever?"

"If the essence has already been planted in my body... that's fortunate. Though the one who planted it probably didn't expect it to be used like this, it means I can master it a bit faster."

Baek Cheon staggered as he stood up.

"I'll go again."

".... It seems you're truly foolish. I told you to rest."

"I don't have the luxury of time."

Heo Dojin shook his head.

It's clear this young man's talent doesn't reach the heights of the heavens. But if he were a disciple of the Wudang Sect...

'Even I would want to pass on the position of the sect leader to this young man.'

Now, he understood why Mount Hua and Zhongnan were so fixated on this young man. However, he did not let this acknowledgment show on his face.

"Set aside your arrogance. Even if the essence has seeped into your body, it will take at least seven days and nights to fully grasp it."

"I can't afford to take that long. I'll master it within a day."

".... Your mouth is certainly alive."

With a swift motion, Baek Cheon charged at Heo Dojin with all his might.

'Don't make that face.'

He knew it too—that he was being unreasonable.

To continue mastering martial arts in this condition, to force the highest level of essence into his body in just three days, was all absurd.

But knowing this, Baek Cheon had to do it.

Because he had realized the impact his collapse had on his sajil.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget the expression on his sajil's face that night, an expression he never thought he'd see on someone who seemed unshakable, even if the great mountain crumbled.

That face, sobbing like a child who lost everything, was seared into his memory.

'Damn it.'

If Baek Cheon were to fall here, it would all become his sajil's burden. Even if the world didn't blame him, that boy certainly would. Knowing this, there was no way he could stay still.

So Baek Cheon had to prove it.

That he hadn't fallen yet. That he was still Baek Cheon.

Not with mere words, but by standing strong with his body, and giving that foolish face a good punch.

"Haah!"

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and threw himself at Heo Dojin's chest.

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"Here you are."

At the sound of a voice, Cheong Myeong slowly turned his gaze. The person who had come sighed and said,

"I've been looking for you. Where have you been wandering around?"

"What for?"

Yoon Jong sensed that Cheong Myeong's tone was more curt than usual, but he didn't comment on it.

"Well, we've been teaching the juniors how to use qi properly, but it's not going as smoothly as…"

Yoon Jong's quiet words were cut off as he suddenly froze.

"Cheong Myeong, your…?"

Something around the corner of Cheong Myeong's lips appeared dark. Upon closer inspection, it seemed like he had wiped something away.

Instinctively, Yoon Jong brushed Cheong Myeong's sleeve and checked over his shoulder. He saw something black, staining the floor.

His heart turned cold.

It was dead blood.

Only then did the foul stench reach Yoon Jong's nose. It was a smell he'd encountered many times on the battlefield—the smell that only came from rotting blood.

Why was Cheong Myeong vomiting dead blood?

"Cheong Myeong-ah!"

Yoon Jong raised his voice, demanding an answer. Cheong Myeong brushed past him without a word. Yoon Jong reflexively reached out to grab his shoulder, but Cheong Myeong harshly shoved him away.

"Don't touch me."

"What's going on? Since when…"

"What?"

"….."

Cheong Myeong's glare was so cold it seemed almost freezing. But Yoon Jong was more concerned about Cheong Myeong's complexion, which was as pale as a sheet of paper, with not a trace of color.

"Are you really okay?"

"If you have time to worry about me, worry about yourselves. You might drop dead tomorrow."

Cheong Myeong snapped, turning his head sharply as he walked away.

Yoon Jong chewed on his lip as he alternated his gaze between Cheong Myeong's retreating figure and the dead blood he had clearly vomited.

Something had to be done, immediately. But...

'Is that.… really the Cheong Myeong I know?'

The chill he had felt just moments ago was foreign, even unsettling. And that unfamiliar feeling quickly became a wall between them.

After hesitating for a moment, Yoon Jong clenched his fists and turned to run off somewhere.