The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 5

'Did I overdo it?'

Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang said that was enough for today and sent me back.

If I were the Martial Uncle, I would have been surprised too.

A third-generation disciple who had just started learning an internal technique for the first time today had not only felt the energy but had also accumulated and operated it.

How surprised must he have been for that fearsome Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang to be at a loss for words and just tell me to go back for the day?

'Success.'

On my way back to my room, I clenched my fists.

It was all according to plan.

Everything was going as I had expected.

'I have to make a huge impression at the beginning.'

Not just making an impression.

I had to make them mistake me for a once-in-a-generation genius.

If you are recognized as a genius when you first learn martial arts, from that moment on, the sect starts to provide support beyond imagination.

In my past life, when I was in the Martial Alliance, the group I envied the most was this kind.

Martial artists who received all sorts of spiritual medicines from a very young age, learned advanced martial arts, and walked a different path from me from the very beginning.

'There should be some reaction by tomorrow.'

No matter how much of a stone-faced man Hyeon Yang seemed to be, he wouldn't be able to stay still in the face of the talent I had shown.

While lost in these thoughts, I arrived at the room where I was staying.

But in my room, a couple of people were already waiting for me.

They were all around my age, and the one in the middle was Un Gwang, whom I knew well.

"Senior Brother. What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Junior Brother. Why are you back so early today?"

Un Gwang greeted me with his characteristic fresh smile.

"Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang told me to go back for today and come again tomorrow."

"Really? Then I wouldn't have needed to bring the other junior brothers. Well. It can't be helped."

Looking around, I saw that my bedding and my few belongings were all packed up as if I were moving.

"By any chance, do I have to move rooms?"

"Yes. Now that you've recovered, you have to go back to the Yuyeop Pavilion."

"Yuyeop Pavilion? You mean we're living in a dormitory?"

I was so dumbfounded that I asked him again.

A dormitory all of a sudden. I hadn't expected it.

"Yes. You don't remember this either?"

"Ah, well... that's right."

"Isn't this serious? Should I ask them to postpone your training?"

"No! I'm fine. I'll carry this too."

I quickly picked up my luggage and left the room first.

That Un Gwang fellow, sometimes I get confused whether he's trying to help me or hinder me.

Soon after, I followed Un Gwang, who came out after me, towards the Yuyeop Pavilion.

In Wudang, the young Taoists who were just beginning to learn martial arts were called Yuyeop (young leaves).

Perhaps that's why the place where the disciples learned basic martial arts was also called Yuyeop Hall.

The pavilion where those disciples stayed and lived together was also called Yuyeop Pavilion.

"Junior Brother. Are you okay? You look tired."

"I told you I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine."

In truth, I was really tired.

The Wudang Sect was truly in the deep mountains, and even on the way to the Yuyeop Pavilion, I had to hike.

It would have been tiring to climb even if my stamina was at its peak, but I had overused my internal energy just a moment ago to leave a deep impression on Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang.

If I sat down for a moment and circulated my qi, my energy would be replenished and my stamina would be restored, but I couldn't possibly circulate my qi in front of my senior brothers right now.

'Because they think I don't know any martial arts at all right now.'

The Wudang Taoists I had seen so far were all naive and kind, but it would be beneficial for my own safety to not reveal my abilities as much as possible.

No matter how much Wudang was the pinnacle of the righteous heart, it couldn't be said that there was no envy or jealousy at all.

Especially when they were still young and unrefined.

'First, I should start by blending in here.'

Laying low as much as possible and grasping the situation until I had gathered some strength.

That was one of the secrets to my long survival in my previous life.

As I walked behind Un Gwang, watching his expression, we crossed a hill and a wide area appeared.

Here, about twenty low pavilions of the same shape were lined up, which was clearly a dormitory.

There was even a spacious open area in the middle of the pavilions, which seemed to be the training ground.

"We've arrived, Senior Brother."

"You recognize it at once? Is your memory coming back?"

"Only very faintly."

"Really? That's a relief."

Memory my ass.

I just made a lucky guess, but Un Gwang was overjoyed.

"Junior Brother, you can go into room number nine here."

"What about you, Senior Brother?"

"I'm in room number one. If you need anything, just tell me. The guys you're sharing a room with will treat you well. I've already told them to."

Since it was a dormitory, there would be senior brothers living with me.

I didn't remember who they were at all, but I gave Un Gwang a look that said not to worry.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Don't mention it. Rest well today. The junior brothers who finished their afternoon training will be back in the evening."

"Yes. Thank you always, Senior Brother."

"Haha. I'm hearing 'thank you' so many times today."

Un Gwang lightly placed his hand on my head and patted it before turning around.

I almost slapped his hand away instinctively, but I barely held back.

I'm just the youngest disciple right now. Let's always be aware and careful.

"I wonder what kind of guys I'm sharing a room with."

To be honest, it's not easy to match the mental age of young kids.

Un Gwang was so naive that I could just agree with whatever he said and follow him, and he would take care of me, but I didn't know how the other kids would react.

Creeak—

When I pushed the old door, it opened with a loud noise.

A door sound like this would disappear quickly if you rubbed the contact surfaces with candle wax, so I must have been living with some pretty lazy guys.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw several beds.

I quickly counted them and found there were five in total.

'Five people use one pavilion, and there were about twenty pavilions, so that's about a hundred people. It roughly matches the number of third-generation disciples I heard about.'

The other senior brothers were said to be at their afternoon training.

I scanned the beds. Four of them had blankets on them, and there were belongings placed next to them, but one bed was clean.

That seemed to be the bed I used.

"The bed is cleaner than I thought."

Since it was a bed that hadn't been used for nearly a month, I thought it would be covered in dust, but it seems they cleaned my spot too when they cleaned.

"They must be nice kids, right?"

It seems only nice kids live in Wudang.

I smiled brightly and unpacked my belongings on the remaining bed.

My belongings were just a few clothes and a few books.

"Let's see. The blanket is..."

I found the blanket under the bed, spread it out, and then slipped inside.

"Right. Rest. I need to rest first."

It's still the body of a child.

When you've overexerted yourself, you need to rest quickly so it doesn't interfere with your growth.

If my joints get damaged from this, I might not grow any taller than this short stature.

"Haaa— Whoo... Haaa— Whoo..."

And inside the blanket, I quietly closed my eyes and began to do my breathing exercises.

In my past life, I never had enough time for training.

Because I had a less efficient internal technique than others, I had to cut back on my sleep to circulate my qi and accumulate energy, and what I created in the process was this.

The so-called Sleeping Divine Art.

The name is grand, but it's nothing special.

It's just circulating qi while sleeping.

Feeling the gradual onset of sleep, I continued my breathing exercises.

Even as I fell asleep, I could feel my internal energy recovering little by little.

This feeling always feels good whenever I experience it.

I fell asleep happily.

***

"Senior Brother. The blanket here is bulging. Don't you think Unhwi is back?"

"Yes. I heard from the Senior Brother that Unhwi would be coming back here from today."

"Is this guy okay?"

"He must be okay if they told him to come back. No need to worry too much."

As I was sleeping well, it suddenly became noisy.

It seemed that the senior brothers who lived in this dormitory had returned to their room after their afternoon training.

'Have I recovered quite a bit?'

I hadn't slept for more than a few hours, but fortunately, most of my energy had been restored.

My stamina had also returned quite a bit.

Perhaps because it was a young and pure body, the recovery speed was also fast.

I crawled out from under the blanket and sat up halfway, and I could see the four Taoists still standing near the entrance.

'Why is this one so big?'

Among them, one person particularly caught my eye.

Judging by his face, he looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, but his height and build were no joke.

He looked to be about six feet tall, and his shoulders were so broad that if you only saw him from behind, you wouldn't doubt he was a robust adult.

'Uncheol...?'

A name popped into my head.

The name Uncheol.

It seemed to be the Taoist name of this big guy in front of me.

Uncheol spoke to me cheerfully.

"Youngest Junior Brother! You're finally back. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes. Senior Brother Uncheol. Thanks to your concern, I've gotten much better."

I answered tactfully for now.

"This is my spot, right?"

"Yes. You said you lost your memory. Have you still not fully regained it?"

"No. I don't remember well. I think I need to recuperate for a few more days."

"For now, focus on recovering your body for a few days."

"Yes. Thank you, Senior Brother."

I answered with a bright smile.

You can't spit on a smiling face, and Uncheol looked at me, grinned, and then went to the bed in the innermost part of the room.

Perhaps because he was the oldest here, he seemed to be using the most honored seat.

"You guys rest up too."

"Yes. Understood, Senior Brother."

At Uncheol's words, the other three who were standing awkwardly went to their respective beds.

But, the atmosphere is a little strange.

I could feel Senior Brother Uncheol looking at me from his bed.

'From that guy just now, in order, Uncheol, Unjeong, Unshik, Unmi.'

Fortunately, these jumbled memories were slowly coming back.

It would be nice if they all came back at once, but they were coming back in tiny bits, just as much as needed.

'Still, this is better than nothing.'

I'm grateful for even this much.

It's much better than having nothing.

Now, all four senior brothers were looking at me.

But, no matter how I think about it, that look is strange.

It's not the face of someone worried about a junior brother who has returned from his sickbed.

I've been living among martial artists from large sects, reading their expressions, for decades.

Reading the expressions of children like them, whose minds are not yet deep, is a piece of cake.

'There's definitely something.'

For now, I decided not to pay attention to it.

As I sat there for a moment, Unmi, the senior brother right above me, approached me.

"Hey. Unhwi."

"Huh? Oh, yes. Senior Brother."

"You've gotten a lot bolder while I haven't seen you, huh? You didn't even bat an eye while talking to Senior Brother Uncheol."

"Did I usually not even talk to Senior Brother Uncheol?"

"Yeah. Not just Senior Brother Uncheol. You couldn't even make eye contact with people, and you just followed the Senior Brother around all the time."

Ah. So that's how it was.

The owner of this body must have been very timid.

No wonder my senior and junior brothers were always surprised whenever I did something.

"And the fact that you were the only one left in the competition, could it be true?"

"What is?"

"In that pond. Was there really an elixir that makes you bold there?"

What is this now?

So the reason this timid guy named Unhwi left the mountain gate and threw himself into the pond was to find an elixir that makes you bold.

"Ah, well, I guess so. Everyone says I've changed since I fell into the pond. Haha."

I answered with an awkward laugh.

I didn't remember exactly what had happened, so I had no choice but to play along.

At my answer, Senior Brother Unmi returned to his bed with a sour expression.

'What's he so dissatisfied about?'

I could tell that the guy named Unhwi didn't get along well with his senior and junior brothers in the first place.

Un Gwang was such a nice guy, so he must have been good to Unhwi too.

'I'll just get closer to them slowly.'

Anyway, the training at Yuyeop Hall was pretty much meant for me to learn social skills.

The real training was with Martial Uncle Hyeon Yang in the afternoon.

All I had to do was maintain a decent relationship with these guys.

-Senior Brother. Senior Brother. Was it true that there was an elixir in the well?

At that moment, I heard Senior Brother Unmi approaching the one at the very end, Uncheol, and speaking.

He seemed to be trying to speak quietly so I wouldn't hear, but unfortunately, my ears were too sensitive.

I kept my head still and only turned my eyes to look at Uncheol and Unmi.

Then I saw Uncheol shake his head very slightly.

-Right? We made it up, so there's no way it could really be there.

Huh? What?

"Unmi. Stop talking nonsense. If you have time for that, you should be circulating your qi."

"Ah, yes. Senior Brother."

Uncheol dismissed Unmi, then glanced at me, cleared his throat, and turned away.

'Haha. So... the reason this guy named Unhwi fell into that pond and died... no, gave his body to me, was because of these guys?'

Because of Un Gwang, I thought all Wudang Taoists were nice.

But, this place is also a place where people live.

There can't only be good people.

'The plan to get moderately close is completely canceled. Right. I should get really close with these guys tonight.'

I went under the blanket and pulled it up over my nose.

If I didn't, those guys would see me smiling.

Let's play long and hard tonight, shall we, Senior Brothers?

(End of Chapter)