The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 7

"Aha. So. You're saying you didn't intend to kill me, you just said it to tease me a little?"

At my words, the three senior brothers kneeling before me nodded their heads desperately.

I must have hit him too hard; Uncheol still showed no signs of getting up.

Fortunately, he was breathing well and his qi and blood weren't twisted, so it seemed he would wake up without any issues.

He must have a weaker chin than his build would suggest.

"I really didn't think you'd jump in... Junior Brother, you were always so timid."

"Hmm... so you said that because you didn't think I'd jump in? But why did you want to tease me?"

Unmi, whose face was clean as if he hadn't been hit at all since I had focused on his abdomen, glanced at the fallen Uncheol and said, "Senior Brother Uncheol wanted Junior Brother... you, to leave Wudang. At the very least, to leave the martial hall and move to the Taoist hall."

"To the Taoist hall?"

"Yes. He said that if you learned martial arts and went out into the martial world, you would surely tarnish Wudang's name..."

Ha! A scoff escaped me.

To think they incited young kids for such a reason, ostracized this small and cute body, and even told a lie that could have led to death.

But hearing it, the original owner of this body was also amazing.

To jump into a pond for an elixir of boldness when he couldn't even swim.

If he had been a real coward as these guys said, he wouldn't have been able to jump in.

My assessment of the original owner of the body changed, albeit slightly.

'Ah... the reason this child could jump was because of the elixir of boldness.'

Something flashed through my mind.

It was this child's emotion right before jumping into the pond.

If the senior brothers had lied about a different elixir, this child would never have jumped.

For example, an elixir that makes one stronger in martial arts, or an elixir that helps one earn a lot of money.

But, it just had to be an 'elixir of boldness'.

He hadn't lived long, but he wanted to change his lifelong timid personality even if it meant doing this.

'No. You were brave. That's why I could come here. You went through a lot.'

A feeling of both apology and gratitude filled my heart.

I wondered if I could have lived this life again if this child hadn't shown courage.

'Right. I'll live twice as hard for your sake. I'll make a name for myself in the martial world, and I'll make sure no one in the entire Central Plains ever thinks the name Unhwi belongs to a timid child.'

I spoke words he couldn't hear.

Then, an emotion surged up.

After barely suppressing the emotion, I asked the senior brothers as if nothing was wrong.

"Besides Senior Brother Unmi, Senior Brothers Unjeong and Unshik didn't directly bully me and just quietly followed Senior Brother Uncheol's words?"

"Yes. We didn't go that far..."

"Tsk! As if that's something to be proud of. A bystander is the same as a perpetrator. If you think you're a little better, throw that thought away right now."

I looked them up and down and then continued.

"It seems our conversation was a bit lacking, doesn't it?"

"Ah! No. It was enough. I understood everything you said."

"Right. I don't know why we did that. We should have stopped it if it was obviously wrong! Please forgive our foolishness."

Finally, a somewhat satisfactory answer came out immediately.

Even though this body wasn't trained, it was no big deal to beat up these three little brats with just a little bit of internal energy operation.

To be honest, the three of them didn't even think of resisting, but I still beat the senior brothers to a pulp.

Fear and pain are imprinted on the body.

It was the same in my past life.

The nearby fist and violence are more frightening than the distant law.

I had a physical conversation with the senior brothers until they completely remembered the taste of my fist.

"Hmm. I see. Then let's make a few things clear. You can listen to everything I say, right?"

"Y-Yes. Say anything."

"First, don't follow Senior Brother Uncheol's words from now on. When he wakes up, I'll have a good talk with him separately."

"I... understand."

I thought he would get up quickly, but contrary to my thoughts, Uncheol didn't wake up easily.

In that gap, I fell into thought.

'I've never heard of the Taoist name Uncheol?'

In my past life, I was considered to be in the ranks of the top masters.

Thanks to that, I had at least seen the faces of the masters who were somewhat skilled in martial arts.

But I had never even heard the name Uncheol.

The same goes for Unjeong, Unshik, and Unmi.

'Then does that mean they all either didn't reach my level, or they died before that?'

To put it simply, it meant they were worse than Un Gwang, who was always teased for being a weakling.

After thinking about this and that, I came to one conclusion.

'This is why the Wudang Sect was so weak.'

In my past life, Wudang's power was not that great.

Although it was revered as the Seonsan Sword Sect, its voice in the Nine Sects One Gang was greatly reduced due to the absence of an absolute master who could sway the outcome of a war.

Un Gwang was kind, so he accompanied me, but the fact that he made martial artists who were no different from ronin like me accompany the Wudang Sect showed clearly how the Nine Sects One Gang treated Wudang.

"Right. The same thing shouldn't be repeated, right?"

"...Yes?"

When I suddenly stood up from my seat and muttered to myself, the senior brothers were startled and looked at me.

"Senior Brothers. Don't you want to become stronger?"

"Us? I'm not really..."

I glared at Senior Brother Unshik, who was about to say something.

Then, the senior brother's eyes widened and he hurriedly opened his mouth.

"I want to become stronger."

"What do you mean you don't really want to become stronger?"

"That is, because I was affirming it too strongly..."

It was suspicious, but I showed him a bright smile.

Because that was what I wanted to hear.

"What about the other senior brothers?"

"Me too! I want to become stronger."

"Of course. The reason I joined the Wudang Sect was to become a master!"

"Right? Your resolve is very good. You have to become at least strong enough to beat me to get revenge on me in the future, and so that something like this doesn't happen again."

"Hiccup!"

Senior Brother Unmi suddenly hiccuped loudly.

He must have been pricked by something I said.

Revenge, or if not that, then revenge.

"So if you just follow my words, I will make you stronger."

"What are you going to make us do...?"

"Well. Just simple training."

"Training...?"

I approached them and said, "Everyone, get up now. And, horse stance!"

"Huh?"

"Horse stance. You don't know the horse stance? Hah!"

"I know, I know!"

When I raised my arm, the three of them assumed the horse stance with lightning speed.

"We do the horse stance every day anyway. In the dawn training."

"Really? That's great. The foundation of all martial arts starts from the lower body. For now, just keep doing it."

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed.

The senior brothers were grimacing.

Their legs were trembling, and sweat was pouring down. It seemed they had reached their limit.

"Ju-Junior Brother..."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

"We... how long... are we doing this?"

I tilted my head.

Why are they asking something like this?

"Why? I was planning to fill half a shichen (one hour)."

"Half a shichen?!"

The senior brothers' faces were filled with astonishment.

Senior Brother Unjeong, who had been silently following my words until now, opened his mouth.

"Ju-Junior Brother. I don't think we can do that. How can we do the horse stance for half a shichen...?"

I shook my head firmly.

"No. You can do it."

"We've never done it for that long before. Training should be done systematically while nourishing the body. If we do it so ignorantly, no, so recklessly..."

Well, look at this.

As I spoke softly, he started to talk more and more.

He was still doing the horse stance, but it seemed like he was trying to stand up naturally while talking like this.

'Should I hit him?'

I clenched my fist.

Senior Brother Unjeong flinched when he saw my fist, but it didn't seem like he was going to take back what he said.

I looked straight into his eyes and opened my mouth.

"Senior Brother. Do you really, truly think that?"

"Think what?"

"That you can't do it. That because you couldn't do it until now, you won't be able to do it in the future."

"That's of course..."

I cut him off, shook my head, and said, "No? That's not it. It's definitely not that you can't do it, but that you won't do it."

"What does that mean?"

"When you came into the dormitory after the afternoon training. I was sleeping, but I felt the presence of the senior brothers."

I spoke calmly.

This was sincere. It wasn't like the playful things I had said until now, but the sincerity I had felt since I fell into Wudang.

"But, the four of you came in laughing and talking?"

"That's because we're close..."

"No. That's not what I'm talking about."

"Then...?"

"You came back after doing the dawn, morning, and afternoon training, but you have the strength to walk, laugh, and talk as if nothing happened?"

"Huh?"

"After training like that, it should be normal to have no strength left in your whole body, not even the strength to lift a spoon... Are you all just killing time, perhaps?"

As I spoke, I started to get a little excited.

This was what I had felt while spending a few days in Wudang.

These Taoists all live too happily.

Shouldn't training be done by risking one's life, by burning one's life force?

I was like that in my past life too.

Because I learned a more lacking internal technique and sword art than others, I made up for the difference with so-called hard labor.

I just made them do it for half a shichen, and they say they can't do it. This horse stance, I've done it all day before.

"We're not just killing time. We're also working hard in our own way..."

"Hard...? Do you have the right to say the word 'hard' right now?"

"Hiccup—"

When I spoke with killing intent without realizing it, the senior brothers hiccuped.

Right. This is Wudang's problem.

The atmosphere I felt when I came to Wudang.

When it's hard, you have to do more, that's training, but when it's hard, they think that's enough and stop. This atmosphere!

I could sum up this situation in one word.

"...Lacking."

"Wh-What's lacking?"

"And it's not just lacking, it's severely, intensely lacking!"

"So what is?"

"Effort!"

I opened my eyes wide and looked at the senior brothers.

Wudang is now definitely riddled with a disease.

The name of the disease is Lack of Effort Disease.

"Effooooort!!"

Terrified by my crazed eyes, the three senior brothers had no choice but to complete the half-shichen horse stance without a word.

***

"Morning! It's morning. Get up!"

"Ugh, hmm..."

Uncheol opened his eyes at the loud noise.

"Ugh!"

The first thing he felt when he woke up was a tremendous pain in his chin.

He clutched his chin and barely came to his senses.

'What on earth happened yesterday... was it a dream?'

In this situation that he couldn't easily understand, he was unsure if yesterday's events were a dream.

It was a dream where he was hit in the chin by Unhwi, whom he had ignored the most and even tried to kick out of Wudang, but it was too vivid. And this pain on top of it.

"Senior Brother Uncheol. How long are you going to sleep? I let you be yesterday because I thought I was too rough, but from today, there's no way. Senior Brother Unjeong! Just take off that blanket."

"Alright!"

Flap!

The blanket covering Uncheol disappeared, and he began to come to his senses as he felt the cold wind.

'Did... Unjeong just take my blanket? Am I still dreaming?'

He couldn't easily understand this situation.

Unjeong was usually quiet, but he was a junior brother who treated him with respect.

For such a junior brother to take his blanket!

"Ah. You're still not getting up. Get up right now, won't you?!"

"I-I'm up."

Uncheol barely opened his eyes and sat up.

The first thing that came into his sight when he opened his eyes was the youngest junior brother, Unhwi.

He put his hands on his hips, approached him, and said, "Our room will be the first to leave for the training ground. So, get ready quickly, Senior Brother!"

Unhwi said his piece and turned around.

Uncheol looked around.

But, the appearance of the junior brothers was strange.

Their legs were trembling, and they couldn't walk properly.

'What on earth happened yesterday...'

"Senior Brothers. Are you going to show that you're in pain? Are you going to walk around like that outside and make the Martial Uncles worry?"

"No! I can walk straight!"

"What did I say? Pain is what?"

"Pain is just pain!"

"Good. If you walk like that again... just think for yourselves."

Uncheol's eyes widened. Unhwi had definitely said this.

I can make you unable to walk.

It was a barely audible statement, but his ears had clearly heard it.

"No, no! It would be a lie to say it doesn't hurt, but I can move normally like this even if it hurts. Hahaha!"

But Uncheol saw it.

The junior brothers who were breaking out in a cold sweat from enduring the pain.

He couldn't understand this situation and could only stare at them blankly for a while.

(End of Chapter)