Chapter 63 : The White-Handed Golden Palm
Chapter 63 : The White-Handed Golden Palm
Jin Sohyun, who had returned, looked at Jong Ryeo'ak, who was lying with his eyes open, and asked.
"Not sleeping?"
"Shut up."
As Jin Sohyun, who had shrugged, went to bed and fell asleep soundly, Jong Ryeo'ak ground his teeth.
Grind—!
"It's noisy."
"This dog...!"
Jong Ryeo'ak felt like he was going to die from frustration.
'Why has that brat not been caught in a surprise attack even once?'
Jin Sohyun, whom he had been watching for fifteen days, would go to bed and not wake up until the bell announcing the morning assembly rang.
He had slept so deeply that he couldn't even hear the bell and would often crawl out last.
And yet, Jin Sohyun had not allowed a single surprise attack.
'Wait... don't tell me I've been standing guard for that brat!?'
Jong Ryeo'ak felt as if he had been hit on the head.
The instructors of the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple, who were launching surprise attacks while the officials were sleeping, always came late at night.
But since Jong Ryeo'ak was not sleeping, the instructors did not come to him either.
Thanks to that, he had been able to avoid the surprise attacks, but as a side effect, he had not been able to sleep properly for fifteen days.
"Hmmnya."
Instead, only Jin Sohyun was sleeping soundly.
"This damn...!"
Jong Ryeo'ak, who had shot up from his seat, approached the sleeping Jin Sohyun and threw a punch at his face.
His right fist, imbued with internal energy, cut through the air.
A punch with enough power to crush his face if he were to be hit.
His fist stopped right in front of Jin Sohyun's nose.
"Tsk."
Nevertheless, Jin Sohyun did not move a muscle and even talked in his sleep, smacking his lips.
"Mr. Yu... apple..."
"He seems to be sound asleep."
Jong Ryeo'ak barely calmed his anger and sat down on his bed.
"Alright, if you're going to come, come right now. Even if I have to run around the training ground... I can't stand to see you resting comfortably."
Jong Ryeo'ak dropped his head as soon as he finished speaking.
No matter how outstanding a martial artist was, he could not endure for fifteen days without sleeping.
As Jong Ryeo'ak fell asleep, prostrated on the bed, a black shadow appeared on the ceiling of the dormitory.
This time, there were two people.
—I'll take Jong Ryeo'ak, so you take Jin Sohyun.
—Yes.
The two instructors exchanged telepathic messages and took out brushes from their bosoms.
***
"This is hell!!"
Jong Ryeo'ak, who was running around the training ground, spitting out curses, was huffing and puffing.
A long black line was drawn on his face, connecting his eyebrows.
"Why that brat...!"
Jong Ryeo'ak, who couldn't understand at all, glared at Jin Sohyun, who was chattering among the people without black lines.
'As expected, he must have bribed them! This cheap brat!'
Jin Sohyun, who was resting comfortably, leaving behind the resentful Jong Ryeo'ak, looked at Siu, who was sitting next to him, stroking her cheek with satisfaction.
"You managed to avoid the surprise attack this time?"
"That is..."
Siu blushed as if she were embarrassed.
"Young Lady Cheon Yerang helped me."
"Young Lady Cheon? That's surprising."
"Hehe."
"Heok— heok—!"
Zhuge Ming, who had painted his face with ink, came over, gasping for breath, and asked with a voice full of air.
"How... how did Young Lady Cheon... help you?"
"What? Th-That is..."
Siu, who couldn't look straight at Zhuge Ming's two eyes, which were sparkling with high curiosity, turned her head away.
'How can I say that!?'
Siu couldn't possibly say what had happened last night.
That was because the way Cheon Yerang had helped Siu was a little, no, very peculiar.
Last night.
Siu, who was afraid of running around the training ground, had cut the chopsticks she had received from the dining hall to a suitable size and had put them in her two eyes to lift her heavy eyelids.
Cheon Yerang, who had seen this, had asked with a curious expression.
"What are you doing?"
"My eyes are so heavy... I have to do this so I don't fall asleep."
"Why can't you sleep?"
"That's... if I fall asleep, my face will be painted with ink. Then I have to run around the training ground..."
"..."
Cheon Yerang, who was staring at Siu's face, moved her body a little and made space on the bed.
"Lie down here. If you're right next to me, I'll be able to help you."
"Y-Yes!?"
Siu's head was dizzy because of Cheon Yerang, who had suddenly proposed to sleep together.
"But... how can I share a bed with Young Lady Cheon..."
"Was there a rule that you can't share a bed?"
"That's not it, but..."
Looking at Cheon Yerang's blinking blue pupils, Siu felt as if her heart were melting.
Those beautiful pupils were refusing her refusal.
Moreover, the sweet temptation that she might be able to sleep without any worries for the first time in a long time made Siu get up from her seat.
In the end, Siu, who had lain down next to Cheon Yerang, had her heart pounding.
'I hope I don't smell. I definitely washed myself clean. But Young Lady Cheon's body smells fragrant.'
Although the bed was originally made for one person, it was not insufficient for Siu, who was relatively small, and the slender Cheon Yerang, who had no excess fat, to use together.
Thanks to that, Siu, who had been able to get a good night's sleep for the first time in a long time, stroked her smooth cheeks and smiled happily.
"There are a lot of martial artists running around the training ground today, aren't there?"
"They've reached their limit. No matter how superior their physical abilities are to ordinary people, martial artists can't live without sleeping."
At the explanation of Zhuge Ming, who had recovered his breath at some point, Siu giggled.
'I can sleep comfortably every day now!'
Siu, who was looking at the martial artists scattered around after running around the training ground with satisfaction, quickly erased the smile from her face.
'I can never say it.'
At the appearance of Cheon Gaseong, Siu shut her mouth.
'If that crazy brat finds out that I'm using the same bed as Young Lady Cheon... he'll kill me!'
Swoosh—
As Cheon Gaseong's gaze turned towards her, Siu's heart almost stopped.
But Siu was lucky.
A new master appeared in front of the officials.
"Greetings."
A bald head sparkling in the sunlight.
The middle-aged man, who had appeared with a gentle impression that showed his benevolent nature, showed a bright smile towards the officials with his hands clasped together.
"It is an infinite honor to meet the brilliant and beautiful saplings who will lead the future of the Orthodox Martial World. I am Song'u, a Buddhist monk of Shaolin."
"The White-Handed Golden Palm, Monk Song'u!!"
This time too, Yu Useon, who had a knowledge of people no less than that of the Beggars' Sect, made a fuss.
"It is an honor that you recognize this humble monk."
"I-I am also honored!"
The Shaolin monk who had come to the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple was not just Song'u.
Behind him, twenty monks wearing monk's robes appeared in a line.
They were all disciples of the Shaolin Temple.
"The reason we have come to see you all today is to offer our meager help."
"As Monk Song'u said. Today, you will personally experience the Golden Grasp of Shaolin, so form groups of five."
At the instruction of Gwak Myeong, who had appeared next, the officials formed pairs of five.
The majority of them formed groups with people from their own sects or families, but those who did not have matching numbers also gathered and formed groups.
However, there was one problem.
'As expected.'
As Gwak Myeong had thought, no one approached the two martial artists of the White Moon Palace.
The subtle pressure they exuded and the high background of the White Moon Palace did not allow the martial artists to approach.
And there was another side that had not formed a group.
"Young Master... what should we do?"
"Hmm."
Jin Sohyun, who was left alone with Siu because he was too lazy to look for a group, had no thoughts.
"Won't the Head of the Daoist Temple arrange it for us?"
"I guess so?"
"Jin Sohyun, Siu."
As they had expected, Gwak Myeong called the two of them.
"Yes!"
As Siu answered vigorously, Gwak Myeong called the names of Cheon Gaseong and Cheon Yerang this time.
"Don't tell me..."
Siu's face turned pale.
The names of the two people she had never wanted to meet had flowed from Gwak Myeong's mouth.
"And Yu Useon."
"Y-Yes!"
"You five will form a group. I will not hear any objections. Move at once!"
At Gwak Myeong's instruction, the five people who had no connection with each other gathered in one place.
Siu, who had a guilty conscience, hid behind Jin Sohyun's broad back, and Yu Useon looked at Jin Sohyun and Cheon Gaseong, rolling his eyes here and there.
'This is the first time I've seen them this close.'
Cheon Yerang felt strange for some reason.
She had finally gotten to see Jin Sohyun, who had been on her mind since the entrance ceremony, up close.
And Jin Sohyun and Cheon Gaseong looked at each other indifferently.
The two who had been looking at each other for a while turned their heads at the same time.
"Hoo."
"Hoo."
Siu and Cheon Yerang let out a sigh of relief at the same time.
In the meantime, a Shaolin monk came to them.
He was a man with a solid build and a bald head with not a single strand of hair, just like Song'u.
"Amitabha. This humble monk is called Doryang. I am a monk who is accumulating Buddhist merit at the Shaolin Temple."
"I-I am Useon of the Yu Family."
In front of the clasping Doryang, Yu Useon introduced himself with a fist and palm salute, and Jin Sohyun and Siu also introduced themselves.
But Cheon Gaseong and Cheon Yerang were silent.
"Haha. Today, this humble monk has come to show you all a little of the Golden Grasp of Shaolin. You all know what the Golden Grasp is, right?"
Doryang's question was natural.
It was because there was no way a martial artist would not know what the Golden Grasp was.
"Yes!"
Unlike the energetic Yu Useon, Jin Sohyun and Siu shook their heads at the same time, and the two from the Cheon family were still silent.
As the reactions of the five people were all different, Doryang felt both confusion and interest at the same time.
"Since there are those who do not know, I will explain briefly. The Golden Grasp is, simply put, the art of catching. It can also be said to be a way to subdue an opponent without shedding blood."
To protect the benevolent beliefs of Buddhism, the martial monks of Shaolin make it a principle not to kill.
Even if the opponent is an evil person walking the path of the unorthodox faction, they use subduing as the first means.
That's why the Golden Grasp of Shaolin was being evaluated as the number one in the martial world.
"Especially for the almsgiver here, learning the Golden Grasp will be of great help in protecting your body."
"Wow! Really?"
As Siu, who did not know martial arts, clapped her hands with a bright face, Cheon Yerang said.
"It won't work on a martial artist. On the contrary, a clumsy Golden Grasp will put Young Lady Si's life in danger."
"..."
Siu became sullen again.
"Haha... that's not wrong. But there is a big difference between knowing and not knowing. Shall we experience the Golden Grasp first?"
As Doryang extended his hand, Yu Useon's wrist was in his hand at some point.
"Ek!?"
Yu Useon, who didn't even know his wrist had been caught, was greatly surprised.
"This is the Golden Grasp technique of Shaolin. The Maitreya Three Heavens Solution. It is a Golden Grasp technique divided into a total of five stages."
"It's amazing. I heard that with a normal Golden Grasp, you can't do anything from the moment you're caught because of the immense pain... but the Golden Grasp of Shaolin is somehow... warm."
"Understanding and compassion are the first steps of the Buddhist path, so that spirit is also imbued in the martial arts."
"Ah..."
Yu Useon's pupils, who had personally witnessed the Golden Grasp of Shaolin, became hazy.
Following that, Doryang grabbed Siu's sleeve.
As if she were being pulled by an invisible force, Siu, whose sleeve had been caught without her realizing it, blinked with round eyes.
"Oa..."
Doryang, who was satisfied with Siu's reaction, then extended his hand towards Jin Sohyun's wrist.
'Is this the Golden Grasp?'
Jin Sohyun stared at Doryang's slowly approaching hand.
His hand, which was imbued with qi-absorbing techniques, moved several times in a short moment and grabbed Jin Sohyun's wrist.
'He's blocking the escape route. And I feel a sucking qi. The slowness is a disadvantage.'
Doryang's Golden Grasp had blocked the path for his wrist to escape in advance.
It was impossible to avoid even if he tried.
'It would be useful when I don't have a flying sword.'
He had actually thought about how to deal with an enemy when he had no weapon.
Hadn't he been subdued by Gu Jucheol recently, with his acupoints suppressed?
If he had been able to display the Golden Grasp, he would not have been so easily subdued.
'It wouldn't be bad to know it.'
While Jin Sohyun was showing interest in the Golden Grasp, Doryang stood in front of Cheon Gaseong.
He displayed the same Golden Grasp and tried to grab Cheon Gaseong's wrist.
Swoosh—!
Doryang's hand swiped at the empty air for the first time.
"Hmm!"
The first move of the Maitreya Three Heavens Solution, the Maitreya Protection Solution, was a technique to subdue the opponent's wrist with a compassionate touch while blocking all escape routes.
But Cheon Gaseong had moved his hand before all the escape routes were blocked.
His speed was so fast that it was difficult for Doryang to follow.
Even after that, Doryang extended his hand several times and tried to grab Cheon Gaseong's hand, but he never gave his wrist.
Doryang, who could not hold back any longer, said with a calm voice.
"Young Hero. We cannot study like this."
"Then try harder. The level of the White Moon Palace is not so low as to be caught by a Golden Grasp of this level."
Now, stubbornness was forming in Doryang's eyes.
From now on, it was a battle of pride between Shaolin and the White Moon Palace.
'You're not going to let yourself be caught meekly.'
Doryang caught his breath and concentrated his internal energy in his right hand.
Soon, his hand emitted a golden radiance.
"Then I will show you the true Golden Grasp of Shaolin."
Cheon Gaseong did not answer. He just extended his wrist.
At Cheon Gaseong's action, which was close to a provocation, Doryang quickly extended his hand.
It was the fourth move of the Maitreya Three Heavens Solution, the Maitreya Thousand Hands Respect.
Doryang's right hand, which had been divided into several, emitted a bright radiance and aimed for Cheon Gaseong's wrist from all directions.
"Wow!"
Unlike the admiring Siu and Yu Useon, Jin Sohyun's eyes were moving busily.
'So you can do it like that too. It would be nice if the speed were a little faster. I want to see him go all out... but that would be difficult, right?'
Unlike Jin Sohyun's thoughts, Doryang was going all out.
His hand fiercely struck and tried to grab Cheon Gaseong's wrist, but it was impossible.
"Heok... heok..."
'My goodness!'
Doryang, who had displayed the Golden Grasp with all his might until he was out of breath, looked at Cheon Gaseong in astonishment.
Cheon Gaseong, who had not shed a single drop of sweat or had his breathing disturbed, had avoided all of Doryang's Golden Grasps just by moving his wrist lightly.
'This is the White Moon Palace!'
Gulp—!
Behind Doryang, who was swallowing dryly, a benevolent face popped out.
"It seems the almsgivers here need my help."
The White-Handed Golden Palm, Song'u, appeared in front of the five people.
(End of Chapter)
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