novelraw Chapter 9 : My Learning is Not Yet Finished
Chapter 9 : My Learning is Not Yet Finished
"Show me."
"Yes."
Jin Sohyun unleashed the Flying Heaven Ten Swords he had learned so far to his heart's content.
The ten flying swords that left his hand flew at a tremendous speed, striking down all the small, fingernail-sized stones falling from the sky without missing a single one.
Afterward, Jin Sohyun retrieved the flying swords and sent them flying straight ahead.
Flash—!
The flying sword, imbued with a blue light, pierced through a tree.
A scent of burnt charcoal wafted from the pierced tree.
Having finished his martial arts demonstration, Jin Sohyun spoke in an uncharacteristically serious voice.
"All that's left now is the realm of Thousand Hands."
At Jin Sohyun's heated gaze, having completed even Lightning Flash, Kang Cheon thought of Bieunggaek, who had abandoned him and fled, and grew angry.
'That damn chicken-footed bastard!'
As Kang Cheon was pondering how to get rid of Jin Sohyun, Bieunggaek came into his sight.
"Bieunggaek?"
The gazes of Kang Cheon and Jin Sohyun moved simultaneously.
Bieunggaek, who had appeared like the wind, placed a large bundle in front of the two.
"What is this?"
At Kang Cheon's question, Bieunggaek untied the bundle, and surprisingly, a woman who looked as if she had lost her mind appeared from within.
"Ugh— Ugh!!"
The woman, who staggered and disappeared into the bushes, vomited her guts out and then appeared with her eyes full of hatred.
O Yoran, who wiped her lips with her sleeve, said in a cold voice.
"Bieunggaek... where is he."
Her voice was beautiful, but the killing intent within it was real.
"Here..."
Kang Cheon pointed to the spot where Bieunggaek had been standing just a moment ago, but there was no one there.
"...It seems he has run away."
"Is that so? Then you tell me. Why am I here?"
As O Yoran looked at him with a gaze so hot it felt as if it would burn if she touched him, Kang Cheon's lips went dry.
'Bieunggaek, that bastard... now he's even stealing people!?'
As expected of the number one thieving ghost in the Central Plains, Bieunggaek, who had left the mountain, had stolen... no, kidnapped a person.
The flustered Kang Cheon waved his head and hands at the same time.
"I-I have nothing to do with this!"
As O Yoran's gaze turned to him this time, Jin Sohyun quickly answered.
"Me too!"
"Hoo... hoo... hehehe... Bieunggaek... if you thought you could hide from me... you're mistaken."
O Yoran took out a daegeum from her bosom and began to play it.
At first, Kang Cheon and Jin Sohyun were surprised by her amazing daegeum skills, but at O Yoran's continuing performance, they had to gasp for breath.
'This is... sound art! And it's the highest level of sound art!'
Kang Cheon raised his internal energy to protect his eardrums from internal injury.
'Oh no! Sohyun!'
Jin Sohyun still didn't know how to protect himself from sound art.
Realizing this belatedly, Kang Cheon quickly imbued his hands with internal energy and covered Jin Sohyun's ears.
The moment O Yoran's performance reached its peak, something in the shape of a person fell from a tree.
"Kkeueuk—!!"
Bieunggaek, who must have failed to protect his eardrums while hiding his presence, writhed in agony.
O Yoran's daegeum did not stop and emitted an even more intense sound.
Blood spurted from Bieunggaek's nose and mouth.
'Damn it! At this rate, that chicken-headed bastard will die!'
Kang Cheon imbued his voice with internal energy and shouted.
"In front of you is the son of Jin Seomok!!"
At his thunderous shout, O Yoran stopped her performance.
She opened her eyes wide and looked at Jin Sohyun, who was standing in Kang Cheon's arms, captivated.
"You... are the son of Family Head Jin?"
As Kang Cheon removed his hands from his ears, Jin Sohyun gasped for breath and answered.
"Th-That's right."
"Ah."
O Yoran, who changed her expression in an instant as if nothing had happened, smiled benevolently and caressed Jin Sohyun's cheek.
"The last time I saw you, you were just a baby who had just started walking... when did you grow up so much? You're very handsome, just like your mother!"
As O Yoran caressed him with a gentle touch, Jin Sohyun smiled happily.
"Hehe..."
"But... why is that thief with Sohyun?"
As O Yoran's sharp eyes turned to him, Kang Cheon hurriedly said.
"I am Kang Cheon. And... that guy and I were just teaching Sohyun martial arts."
"Martial arts!?"
O Yoran glared at Bieunggaek with a face as if she had seen something she shouldn't have.
"That despicable, perverted thief is teaching Sohyun martial arts!?"
"Well... Bieunggaek's personality is like that, but his movement technique is quite good."
"..."
Even O Yoran couldn't refute that.
Hadn't she just suffered the disgraceful act of being kidnapped because she couldn't handle Bieunggaek's speed?
But that was that, and this was this.
"I cannot agree. A master is a milestone that guides a disciple's path. But for such a low-life, perverted thief to be Sohyun's master! Hmph! Absolutely not!"
"No matter what anyone says... Jin Sohyun is... the successor of this master's Number One Divine Wind Shadowless Divine Steps!"
"Number One Divine... what did you say?"
"Number One Divine Wind Shadowless Divine Steps!"
"What a bizarre martial art... anyway, no. Sohyun, you don't want to learn the martial arts of such a person, right? Right?"
O Yoran's mouth was smiling, but her gaze was very hot.
Nevertheless, Jin Sohyun shook his head.
"I must learn the movement technique from Master Bi."
"Why!?"
"Because... my learning is not yet finished."
Jin Sohyun's one sentence struck a chord in the hearts of the two masters who had been running away from their disciple.
Especially Bieunggaek, who had been denounced as a perverted, low-life thief by O Yoran, was greatly moved.
"My disciple...!"
Bieunggaek was so moved that he even shed tears.
"My disciple!"
"Master!"
The moved master and disciple ran to each other and embraced.
"I will definitely teach you everything I have!"
"Then you'll teach me the Supreme Does Not Walk now, right?"
"Of course!!"
Watching the two embracing each other preciously, O Yoran's heart was complicated.
"Sohyun is a sheet of paper. A vast and clean sheet of paper that ordinary people like us cannot dare to fill."
"...What do you mean?"
"Sohyun is a Heavenly Martial Body."
At Kang Cheon's words, O Yoran's eyes shook greatly.
"I dare to say... Sohyun will make a great name for himself in the Central Plains within ten years. Later, he will become the number one under heaven and peacefully protect the Central Plains. That's why Bieunggaek and I are trying to be of some help to the path that child is taking."
"..."
"Do you understand our intentions now?"
"Then the reason you brought me here is also... to teach Sohyun sound art?"
"The process of bringing you here was a mess, but our intentions are sincere. With the sound art of the Heavenly Sound Hundred Flowers... we can trust it, can't we."
O Yoran, who had been thinking with her eyes closed for a moment, slowly opened them.
"Alright. I will teach Sohyun my Ten Thousand Sounds Creation Supreme Flower Sound Art."
"T-T-Ten... was it always that long?"
"No. I just named it that. That pervert's movement technique is called the Number One Divine Wind Shadowless Divine Steps, so my sound art can't have a lesser name."
Kang Cheon, who had been laughing at Bieunggaek's Number One Divine Wind Shadowless Divine Steps, thinking that the longer the name, the less valuable the martial art seemed, was feeling a sense of crisis for the first time.
When he imagined Jin Sohyun playing the daegeum with the Ten Thousand Sounds Creation Supreme Flower Sound Art while performing the Number One Divine Wind Shadowless Divine Steps, his Flying Heaven Ten Swords somehow seemed shabby.
"Hmm... should I change the name of my martial art now..."
In a different sense, Kang Cheon's worries deepened.
***
"Damn it! O Yoran! What on earth are you teaching my disciple!?"
"Sohyun is my disciple too, you know? And what's wrong with Sohyun!"
"You don't feel anything after hearing that!?"
"..."
In fact, O Yoran was in a great predicament.
Screeeech— Kweeeeng!
It was a bizarre, ghostly wail that could not possibly be seen as a sound coming from a daegeum.
'I can't believe Sohyun was tone-deaf.'
O Yoran, who had firmly believed the words 'Heavenly Martial Body' and boasted to the other two masters, wanted to hide in a knothole if she could.
—Sohyun has never learned an instrument before... will he be able to learn it well?
—Hmph! Watch carefully. Before long, Sohyun will be playing so beautifully that he can even revive dead flowers!
Of course, Jin Sohyun could not revive dead flowers.
Instead, he could kill living flowers.
Jin Sohyun, who had a Heavenly Martial Body and absorbed all martial arts like a sponge, was surprisingly terribly tone-deaf.
The moment he first played the daegeum, O Yoran felt something was wrong.
'This isn't the right note? Is the fingering wrong?'
The fingering was not wrong.
Then was there a problem with his breathing?
There was no problem with his breathing that could be seen with the naked eye.
But why?
Screeeech! Kweeeek!!
The sound of the daegeum Jin Sohyun played became an indescribably terrible noise.
So much so that the leader wolf, Nurongi number 1, who always hovered around Jin Sohyun and acted as his guard dog, ran away ten li in disgust.
But there was a more serious problem.
"Ahem! This is quite..."
It was the fact that Jin Sohyun was very satisfied with his own performance.
'You have to know what's wrong to fix it!'
O Yoran's vision went dizzy.
"Sohyun."
"Yes!"
"W-Well... have you ever tried singing?"
"I've tried it once for fun."
"Really? Did anyone else hear your singing?"
"Hmm... a maidservant named Siu heard it."
"What did she say?"
"I don't know. At that time, Siu's ears were bleeding, so I never got a proper evaluation."
"Hmm...!"
O Yoran felt sorry for the maidservant named Siu for no reason.
"Am I... not talented in sound art?"
The corners of Jin Sohyun's eyes drooped.
"N-No! Why do you think that?"
"I practiced the piece you taught me last night. But Master Bi came and begged me not to play the daegeum at night... he asked me to spare him just once."
At the sight of Jin Sohyun, whose shoulders were slumped in dejection, O Yoran's heart felt as if it were tearing apart.
"Sohyun. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
"Yes, Master."
"Do you know what the biggest difference between other martial arts and sound art is?"
"No."
"It's that... sound art has no set path. All swordsmanship, fist techniques, and footwork have a set path. The movement of the sword, the length and order of the steps... even which foot to walk with first is set. But sound art is not like that."
O Yoran's warm and gentle palm rested comfortably on Jin Sohyun's head.
"Everyone who learns sound art produces a different sound. Just as all sounds are different if you listen closely, even if they seem similar, you have your own sound."
"Does that mean I wasn't wrong?"
"That's right. So remember. You don't have O Yoran's sound art, but Jin Sohyun's sound art."
"Yes, I'll remember!"
'You must remember.'
O Yoran was afraid.
What if one day, Jin Sohyun, who had gone out into the world, performed a terrible piece with his daegeum?
And what if it was revealed that his master was O Yoran?
O Yoran would no longer be called the Heavenly Sound Hundred Flowers.
Instead, she would be called the Ghostly Wail Saintess.
'That can never happen!'
A vein popped on O Yoran's forehead.
"Sohyun, you must remember! Your sound art is yours and yours alone!!"
Jin Sohyun, who had no idea of O Yoran's inner thoughts, smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yep!"
Jin Sohyun, who had gained a new enlightenment from his master, went to the next mountain to play and picked up his daegeum again today.
"I can't believe I have a talent for the daegeum."
It was a statement that would have made O Yoran or Bieunggaek foam at the mouth and collapse, but Jin Sohyun was happy.
"There's no hobby less troublesome than this."
Playing the daegeum was a hobby that could be enjoyed even while lying down, so it was to the liking of the lazy Jin Sohyun.
Jin Sohyun lay down on the stone floor he had been eyeing and began to play the daegeum.
Screeeeeech— Keeeeek!
***
"Haaa."
Siu was lost in thought, basking in the fresh sunlight of spring.
Siu, who had lost the young master she served and received a long vacation, had been leading a leisurely life for over three years now.
By now, the head servant would have run over and given Siu some work, but there were few people in the Jin Family who could say anything to Siu.
It was the common thought of the people of the Jin Family that she deserved this much vacation, having attended to the laziest person under the heavens, Jin Sohyun, without any complaints.
But there was a big secret here...
'Huhu... there's no one easier to serve than Young Master Jin.'
If you thought about it, it was only natural.
How could it be difficult to attend to someone who doesn't move?
But the clever Siu had been spreading non-existent hardships here and there for a very long time.
—The Young Master said he didn't like the meal several times again today...
—The Young Master said he doesn't like his clothes today... I have to go buy new ones...
—Sigh... the Young Master said he won't eat anything but the fruit from Uncle Yu's... I'll be right back.
At this sight of Siu, people looked at her with pity.
But in reality, Jin Sohyun was just lying still.
"Hehe... I don't know when the Young Master will be back, so I should enjoy it more until then."
Songi and Cheongi appeared in front of the leisurely lying Siu.
"Siu! Did you hear that rumor?"
The two maidservants approached with sparkling eyes.
"What is it?"
"That a very terrifying haunted forest called the Ghostly Wail Forest has appeared next to the mountain where the Young Master is training!"
"What do you mean?"
"They say you can hear a ghost crying in the Ghostly Wail Forest every third night! The sound is so terrible... the surrounding old trees have withered, and not a single blade of grass grows!"
"Where are there ghosts in this world?"
"It's true!? Janga, who went out to see if there were really ghosts, heard the real ghost sound and was so surprised that he fell and broke his leg while running away."
Come to think of it, Janga had recently appeared with a splint on one leg.
At that time, she thought he had just fallen while running around like a colt as usual, but now she saw that wasn't the case.
"See! Isn't it scary?"
"S-Scary!"
"Are you really not scared at all?"
"Yeah. Not at all..."
"Kyaa!"
"Kkyaak!"
As Songi suddenly screamed, Siu flipped over on the spot.
At the ridiculous sight, the two maidservants giggled and ran away.
"She got scared!"
"What a coward, pretending not to be scared!"
Siu, who had suddenly become a coward, glared at the receding two maidservants and then stared at the distant mountain.
"There's no such thing as ghosts! Hmph!"
Feeling an inexplicable chill, Siu shivered.
Thinking that the winter wind had just not completely passed yet.
***
"Haa... haa!"
A girl was running barefoot at the foot of a mountain where the snow had not yet melted.
Blood was seeping from the soles of her feet, but the girl did not stop.
No, she couldn't stop.
"Already this far..."
The girl felt a cool killing intent approaching quickly from a distance.
The girl, who was looking left and right for a place to escape, unknowingly found a black forest that was dead and black, unlike the other mountains.
A surge of fear welled up, but the girl turned her steps towards the black forest.
"If it's here..."
The girl did not know.
That the mountain she had chosen was the Ghostly Wail Forest, which was known for a ghost appearing every third night.
(End of Chapter)