The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 141

Another two days passed, and my senior brothers, the Zhuge family siblings, and I were preparing to leave.

It's inconvenient like this when there are many people moving together.

When I moved alone, I used to move with only the bare minimum of preparations. In the first place, it was just a change of clothes, some simple emergency food, and money.

I would usually sleep outdoors, eat the fruits and grasses that were abundant in the mountains, and catch animals to roast and eat...

If the conditions were really not good, then I would eat at an inn for a day and sleep comfortably.

But with more people and Zhuge Ling with us, I don't know how troublesome it is to have to calculate where to sleep, where to eat, and where to wash.

As I was looking at the map and calculating the way back, Zhuge Yun came up to me and started talking.

"Hey. Unhwi. How can you not say a single word when such a huge thing has happened?"

"What thing?"

"The matter of becoming the Grand Master of the Nangong family. Were you really going to hide it until the end if the Nangong family members hadn't made a slip of the tongue in the middle?"

"Well... I was going to. But what can I say? To be honest, it's a little embarrassing. If I suddenly stepped forward and said, 'I've become the Grand Master of the Nangong family!' wouldn't that be strange?"

"If an ordinary person had said that, I might have thought it was strange, but when I think of you saying that, it's not that strange."

"Don't you have a very strange prejudice against me?"

"Who created that prejudice?"

He said smoothly and laughed as if to tease me.

How can a person change so much? It's to the point where I doubt if this is the same person I first met at the Zhuge family.

In fact, not only his mind but also his body has changed considerably.

Originally, he had a slender body that looked like it would break if you touched it, but now he looks to be of average build.

It's my guess, but there must be something in the Nangong family's food that makes a person's body grow.

'If he doesn't neglect his training like this, he'll have a solid body soon.'

They say a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, and seeing him, I think I know what that means.

"Yes. I made it. Anyway, hurry up and get ready to go back. We're planning to leave this afternoon if possible."

"I understand. I'll have to prepare a lot of shoes. When I think of running back to death again."

"We're not going to run."

"Really? Why?"

"The reason we ran to death when we came here was partly because I wanted to teach you and Miss Zhuge Ling what real hard training is, and above all, because the schedule was tight. But there's no rush when we go back, right? So we'll go slowly, at a leisurely pace."

"Really? Then can we look around on the way and go slowly?"

He asked me with sparkling eyes.

Somehow, I think I know what his scheme is.

Even while he was at the Nangong family, Zhuge Yun would go out of the family estate whenever he had time and go around and around the surroundings.

He must have finished preparing to draw a map of this area by walking on his own two feet and checking with his own eyes.

So even on the way back, if he has time, he will want to grasp the surrounding terrain and check how different it is from what he knows in his head.

"Yes. Of course, the way back won't be easy."

"Not easy...?"

"The training we do every day, right? We'll do it every day without skipping it on the way back. In my opinion, now is the most important time for you and Miss Zhuge Ling. It's a time when you have to lay the foundation of your body by continuing to train without resting for the next ten to fifteen days, but we can't stay here for another half a month."

Zhuge Yun's eyes, which had been full of expectation, began to droop, but I continued without caring.

"So my plan is this for now. First, we wake up early in the morning and start training. We usually train for two to two and a half shichen, so that should be enough, and then we have a simple lunch and leave. And I will set a destination every morning. Whether we go fast or slow, when we arrive there, today's schedule is over. And after that, I'm thinking of giving you personal time. What do you think?"

"Personal time...?"

"Whether you rest or do what you want, it's literally personal time. Do I have to teach you what to do in your free time?"

"Ah, no!"

He, as if he had just realized what I was saying, lit up his eyes again.

"But Unhwi-ya. How far will the destination be?"

"Hmm... probably a distance that would take about five shichen to walk?"

"Five shichen... even if we have a quick lunch and leave, wouldn't we arrive at least at the beginning of the hour of the pig (around 9 p.m.)?"

"That's right?"

"Then the personal time is..."

"I said it's a place that takes five shichen to walk to. The faster you go, the more personal time you'll have, right? Of course, it's absolutely not compulsory. I'm just saying you should do that if you want to secure your free time."

"Haha..."

He let out a hollow laugh.

It must be because he had a hunch that he would have to run to death again.

I thought with a smirk.

'But if you do this well, you'll have a huge development in many ways.'

Strictly speaking, the training I just explained will be a process that is at least three times harder than when we came here.

But if they overcome it well, I have no doubt that they will be able to achieve tremendous growth.

And not only in martial arts and physical strength, but there will also be a huge development in the map-making that he truly wants.

The destination I set for us to go to every day was not just based on the walking distance, but I also roughly guessed the distance he could explore in a day and set it so that each area would not overlap exquisitely.

Therefore, if he can look around the surroundings without collapsing after arriving, it means that he will be able to perfectly draw a map of the road from the Nangong family to the Zhuge family.

'If he has that much passion, he will do it, and if not, it's just a dream that's not meant to be.'

If his passion is such that he would throw away this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity just because his body is tired, it would be better for him to quickly realize that it was not his path and concentrate on martial arts training, so I decided to push him a little more.

Usually, this is something that fathers or the elders of the family should do, but since everyone's situation is such that they can't be so harsh on Zhuge Yun, I have no choice but to do it, even if it's meddling.

"Good. Then I'll be alone for a while and strengthen my will. My schedule is one more than others, after all."

But his face is already full of will.

I wonder if I was worried for nothing. Anyway, for a person whose expression brightens up just by thinking that he can do what he likes to his heart's content.

"Then pack your luggage well. You know from when we came, right? The heavier the luggage, the harder it is to run."

"Yes. I'll think about it carefully and pack my luggage. I have to practice packing my luggage well anyway if I'm going to travel around the Central Plains alone later."

I left him, who was looking at his luggage with a serious face, and after checking if the others were doing well, I left our lodgings and headed for the pavilion where the direct descendants lived.

Because I had already told them that I would be leaving today, everyone knew, but it is still proper to say goodbye properly before leaving.

The first place I headed to was Nangong Sang-hyeon.

When I knocked on the door in front of his room, a voice telling me to come in was heard immediately. So I opened the door and went in, and Nangong Sang-hyeon was not alone there.

"Oh? The head of the family is also here? I was going to visit you next anyway, so this is good."

"I had something to discuss with my father for a moment. Are you... leaving now?"

I immediately nodded my head and said, "I think I have been indebted to you for a long time. I think it's time to go back."

"Indebted? How much have you done for us..."

"If I go back any later than this, I don't know what to say to the sect either."

Nangong Sang-hyeon came up to me, patted my shoulder, and said, "Yes. I would be really happy if you stayed here, but if you did, the Wudang Sect might protest greatly to us. For monopolizing such a talent."

"That might really be the case. Father."

"So, let's look forward to the next time. We have been gifted the 'next time' by Unhwi, haven't we?"

Nangong Sang-hyeon talked with Nangong Sang-hyeon with a benevolent and kind face.

Thanks to the words he had just said, I was able to summarize what I had done here in one sentence.

I have gifted them the future.

And at the same time, I was able to look back on what I was trying to do.

Raising the level of the orthodox martial world to stop the Demonic Cult... isn't it ultimately to not lose the future of the entire martial world?

Because the future I know was a gloomy future where half died and the other half lived in pain.

"I have learned a lot and gained a lot here. I would like to thank both of you and everyone in the Nangong family."

I gave them a fist-and-palm salute with all my heart and courtesy, and they also accepted it with a smile.

The meeting with Nangong Sang-hyeon and Nangong Cheon-jin ended so cleanly, a little blandly.

But, this much is just right. As Nangong Sang-hyeon said, we will have a next time.

And the place I headed to was the direct descendants' training ground, where I had been rolling on the floor with excitement until just a little while ago.

When I arrived there, as expected, the three Nangong siblings were engrossed in training.

Since the day before yesterday, the three of them had faced me three against one several times, but they couldn't hit me even once.

Although I didn't intend it, thanks to that, their pride was greatly hurt, and their will for martial arts grew so much that they were on fire with training, trying to hit me at least once.

"Ah... Grand Master."

"Are you leaving now?"

"......"

As I got closer to the training ground, they saw me, stopped their movements, and looked at me.

I nodded my head lightly and said with a bright smile, "Yes. I'm leaving."

"I see... I wanted to catch you at least once before you left."

"I don't know how much more I have to train."

"Even if you train hard, it probably won't be easy. Because I will also continue to get stronger without resting."

"But still, if you keep getting stronger, won't there be a limit someday? When that time comes, the growth rate will also slow down... My revenge is not just for one or two years."

When Nangong Mu-jin said that, it sounded like a serious statement, not a joke, but I let out a small laugh and said to him, "No. I will train with the thought that there is no limit to growth. If the growth rate tries to slow down, I will train that much harder. So if you want to catch me... you have no choice but to work harder than me."

"There is no limit to growth... I was judging my own limits before I even felt that limit... I have learned a lot, Grand Master."

Although I said it as a joke, Nangong Ryu-jin bowed his head and thanked me, which was out of character for him.

Feeling awkward for no reason, I said to them, "All three of you have tremendous aptitude. I am confident that when the three of you are in your prime, the Nangong family will have a greater golden age than now."

"Thank you. Grand Master. I look forward to seeing you again soon."

"Yes. See you next time. Everyone."

After giving them such words of blessing, I said my final goodbyes and immediately turned my back.

Originally, it's not good for a farewell to be long. Because it only leaves a lingering sense of regret.

And so, as I left the training ground and was on my way to my lodgings, I heard the sound of someone running from behind.

"Miss Yu-hwa?"

When I turned around, it was Nangong Yu-hwa. She seemed to be a little out of breath even though she had come using a lightness skill, perhaps because she had come in such a hurry.

"I-I... Grand Master."

"Yes. Miss."

"Would you please accept this?"

She handed me something. When I took it without thinking, it was a comb that looked luxurious, as if it had been made by a master craftsman.

It seems to be made of iron, and to make such a thin handle so sturdy, the price would be no joke.

"What is this?"

"According to a book I read a long time ago, hair is the thread of worries. So a comb is said to have the meaning of organizing one's thoughts while combing one's hair, and that your work will go smoothly."

"So you're giving it to me as a gift?"

She nodded her head up and down greatly and said, "Watching you for the past few days, Grand Master... I have often felt that behind your actions that seem to have no worries, there are actually numerous hidden agonies and worries. I hope that the work you are trying to do... will be successful."

I looked at her with slightly surprised eyes.

After opening my eyes as Unhwi of the Wudang Sect, I think this is the first time I've heard such a thing.

"Thank you. I'll carry it with me."

"Yes. I hope I can see you again... soon."

She said this and then went back to the training ground to train again.

Now that I see her, her sweat-soaked hair and martial arts uniform are quite impressive.

Although the pretty clothes and makeup she wore at the banquet a few days ago were also beautiful, I thought that her current appearance was much more beautiful.

'To go smoothly?'

I put away the comb with a good feeling and moved my steps.

Her words and gift were one of the most pleasant among the numerous words of blessing and gifts I had ever heard.

Until the day I left the Nangong family, I received everything like this and began my journey back to the Wudang Sect.

(End of Chapter)