The Miraculous Divorce Technique

Chapter 6

"Gasp, gasp. We must go back now."

A woman who appeared to be a handmaiden urged the woman in the luxurious palace attire, speaking to her with respect.

At the same time, she glared at the young man standing beside her.

The man, with a troubled expression, opened his mouth to help her.

"As So Aeng says, let's go back. The other guards will be looking for us by now."

The man expressed his predicament as they had secretly slipped away from the group, but the young woman scoffed.

"It's not like we've left the mountain gate. I just want to look around the Shaolin Temple grounds. What are you so anxious about? This is Shaolin, Shaolin. Isn't this place called Mount Tai and the Big Dipper? The Northern Shaolin? Something like that?"

"The problem is that you didn't even tell Lord Cheonho, and you only brought me as an escort. Everyone will be worried."

"Hey, Jin Mubaek! We changed our schedule after going all the way to Mount Hua, and you still followed me quietly to Shaolin. Can't I even take a walk? I brought my handmaiden and my personal escort, so what's the problem? Hmph!"

At the woman's words, the handmaiden So Aeng and the escort Jin Mubaek sighed.

It was definitely a situation to cause a fuss that they had to change their journey abruptly due to a problem and couldn't follow the set schedule. They had thought it was admirable that the tomboy had come without causing trouble in that situation, but it had finally erupted.

"And there are fateful encounters in places like this. Just follow me quietly."

At the woman's words, Jin Mubaek asked back with a dumbfounded face.

"What? A fateful encounter?"

"You fool. Since we're out in the martial world, we have to find a fateful encounter! Jin Mubaek, don't you want to become stronger than you are now?"

"Well, I do want to become stronger, but what kind of fateful encounter in Shaolin Temple..."

"Pfft. Do you think fateful encounters are only behind cliffs or waterfalls? This is Shaolin Temple. Who knows? Maybe you'll meet a great master from a previous generation who hasn't died yet and receive a peerless martial art?"

Why would a great master of Shaolin Temple pass on his martial arts to someone else when he has his own disciples?

Jin Mubaek shook his head and pressed his temples. She always used him as an excuse when she was about to cause trouble.

"I want my escort warrior to be the best. Stop talking and follow me."

The woman strode forward confidently. And in front of her eyes, a solitary thatched hut came into view.

"Guys, I found it. It's the residence of an eccentric master, the kind that are as numerous as grains of sand in the martial world."

As she said, it was the residence of the Drunken Buddha, Muheo, who was called an eccentric.

* * *

Cheok Sagyeol looked at the three men and women in front of him with indifferent eyes.

To be precise, he was looking at the chattering woman standing at the very front.

"So, kid. Where did the owner of this residence go?"

The woman was asking Cheok Sagyeol, but her eyes were darting around as if looking for someone.

"Seeing as it's an old house, he must be a great master. He must be an eccentric master from a previous generation."

Cheok Sagyeol could tell at a glance that she was a spoiled daughter of a rich family and her hangers-on.

This type was usually rude and had no manners, so he was waiting to see how far she would get on his nerves.

"Hey, kid, what's the Buddhist name of the great master who uses this residence? Is he famous? I have a feeling he's famous."

Although the thatched hut was old, the scenery was good, so she expected him to be a monk of a fairly high position.

"Well... his Buddhist name is... Muheo..."

"Oh my! Muheo!? Isn't Muheo the strongest person in Shaolin?"

The woman, cutting off Cheok Sagyeol's words, looked at Jin Mubaek and asked.

"Yes. I've heard that the Drunken Buddha, Muheo, is a master who is definitely ranked among the top three in the world."

"Oh my! One of the three great masters of the world! See. I told you so. Hahaha."

The woman chattered and made a fuss without a break.

'She knows Muheo? One of the three great masters of the world? Hmm...'

Cheok Sagyeol, suddenly curious, asked Jin Mubaek.

"Who are the other two of the three great masters of the world you mentioned?"

Jin Mubaek, taken aback by the casual address from a monk who looked younger than him, answered without thinking.

"The Hegemon Martial Lord, Baek Cheonak."

'Right... that guy is also one of the monsters. I admit it. Who's next?'

But Cheok Sagyeol's face crumpled at the following answer.

"The Azure Sky Sword Emperor, Namgung Geon?"

Jin Mubaek had mentioned the head of the Namgung family after the Demonic Faction's number one, the Lord of the Four Alliances, Baek Cheonak.

'Wh... when discussing the world... I... I'm not... you son of a bitch!'

No matter how much the main base of the Demonic Cult was in Xinjiang, which was as good as outside the central plains, Cheok Sagyeol's pride was wounded.

"But who on earth are you?"

At Cheok Sagyeol's blunt question, So Aeng frowned and said.

"You brat. Do you know who this is to speak like that!"

"I don't know who she is, so I asked who she is."

"This person is, in fact..."

"So Aeng."

The woman cut in with an interested look in her eyes.

'Hohoho. It seems he's young and hasn't heard of the imperial procession.'

The woman's name was Ju Nokjeong.

She was one of the princesses of the Great Ming Empire and was visiting Shaolin.

"Little monk. You seem to be a martial monk. Did you by any chance receive tutelage from Grand Master Muheo?"

Ju Nokjeong asked Cheok Sagyeol if he was Muheo's disciple.

'The little bitch's eyes are sparkling because she wants to play a prank. Shall I play along?'

Cheok Sagyeol's feelings were hurt because he was left out of the three great masters of the world, so he was thinking of teasing her when he got the chance.

"Ahem. I am indeed a disciple of Grand Master Muheo."

Hearing his answer, Ju Nokjeong's eyes shone even brighter, so he casually threw out some bait.

"My master is currently away on a trip, so he is not here. This place is forbidden to even the disciples of the main temple, so you benefactors should go back now."

In other words, it meant, 'There are no prying eyes here, so feel free to run wild.'

Ju Nokjeong took the bait that Cheok Sagyeol had thrown without hesitation.

"Wow! You're a disciple of Grand Master Muheo! Then your martial arts skills must be outstanding, right?"

'How outstanding can a kid who isn't even of age be?'

Although she was looking down on him inwardly, Ju Nokjeong didn't show it and continued.

"If you have time, would you like to have a spar with us? Since we couldn't meet Grand Master Muheo, I'd like to at least witness the skills of his disciple."

"With me? Hmm..."

Cheok Sagyeol pretended to be contemplating, but inwardly he was overjoyed. He could legitimately beat the crap out of the escort warrior who had dared to mention the three great masters of the world without including him.

In that brief moment, So Aeng and Jin Mubaek were pulling Ju Nokjeong to a corner and plotting.

'Let's hear what they're up to.'

Cheok Sagyeol composed himself and focused his will on his ears, or more precisely, on the cochlea inside his ears.

As he enhanced his hearing with the Indian Yoga Divine Art, the whispering words began to sound as if they were right next to him.

"Princess, what are you trying to do? A spar?"

"What? We came to Shaolin for a friendly spar anyway. If you experience it in advance and tell Lord Cheonho about the characteristics of Shaolin's martial arts, wouldn't it be helpful for tomorrow's spar? Don't tell me you're not confident you can win against that little kid?"

"You just want to watch a fight, don't you, Princess? I can't fight without Lord Cheonho's permission."

"Hey, you're not confident because he's a disciple of Grand Master Muheo, are you? The youngest guard in the history of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they said. So you're also a nobody when you come out to the martial world? Mmph."

As vulgar words that only a street ruffian would use came out of Ju Nokjeong's mouth, So Aeng hurriedly covered her mouth.

She could do that because she had practically grown up with her since childhood; if she were an ordinary handmaiden, she would have had a hard time keeping her life for the crime of touching the princess's body.

"Princess, please."

"Phew, fine. Fine."

Ju Nokjeong waved her hands and asked Jin Mubaek again.

"You saw him being blunt to me earlier, right? Oh! He also spoke informally. Am I not a princess? Is that okay?"

"He doesn't know you're a princess. If you reveal your identity now, he will show you respect."

"Is it okay if he doesn't know? Does it become a non-issue if he doesn't know? I can just beat him up then? Why? Because I didn't know."

"Ugh..."

Jin Mubaek pressed his forehead as if he had a headache from Ju Nokjeong's stubbornness.

"Mubaek, it's just a spar. You came all the way to Shaolin Temple, so you must want to test your skills against a Shaolin monk, right? Do you think you'll have a chance to spar tomorrow? A low-ranking guard like you won't get that chance. When I set the stage for you, have a go at it."

"..."

"Fine. When we go back, I'll talk to the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and tell him to send you to the Eastern Depot. Seeing you now, you don't seem to have any balls, so that would be better for you, right? Mmph."

So Aeng, sweating profusely, covered Ju Nokjeong's mouth again. Her mouth was truly the number one in the world.

"Phew, I'll do it."

Jin Mubaek raised the white flag and readjusted his sword belt.

It seemed that Ju Nokjeong was determined to make the spar happen no matter what.

"Good thinking. This will all be good experience for you. The path of a master is arduous."

Ju Nokjeong patted Jin Mubaek's shoulder and stepped forward.

"Have you decided, disciple?"

Cheok Sagyeol nodded his head and put on a nervous expression.

Anyone could see that it was a young monk having his first spar in his life.

Jin Mubaek stood in front of him with a pitiful face and said.

"Let's not use internal energy. It's a friendly spar, after all."

Ju Nokjeong was about to say something but shut her mouth at Jin Mubaek's sharp aura.

She had swallowed her words along with her saliva without even realizing it.

'The kid has quite an aura. The imperial family's level is quite something.'

Cheok Sagyeol was impressed, feeling that Jin Mubaek, who looked to be barely twenty, was finely controlling his energy.

He had heard that the masters of the imperial family's Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot practiced martial arts, but this was the first time he had actually encountered one.

The righteous faction's Eui-cheon Alliance had exchanges with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the demonic faction's Four Alliances had exchanges with the Eastern Depot, but the Demonic Cult had no contact with the imperial family because it was located on the frontier and was considered a heretical group.

SHIING.

Jin Mubaek's sword drawing was clean, and his starting stance was fluid without any unnecessary movements.

Cheok Sagyeol, like a beginner, raised both his fists with a nervous and stiff posture.

But he was already thoroughly prepared throughout his body with the function of the Indian Yoga Divine Art.

"I'll go first. Rising Dragon Flying Heaven Sword, First Stance, Striking Heaven with One Sword."

Since it was a friendly spar, the attack signal, the name of the martial art, and the name of the stance came out of Jin Mubaek's mouth in succession.

In his eyes, which had already been enhanced with inner vision, Jin Mubaek's slow sword was approaching, but he was so kind as to tell him this and that, so he was on the verge of yawning.

"Dodge appropriately."

SWOOSH.

Cheok Sagyeol's left face was reflected on Jin Mubaek's sword as it passed by slowly.

He had momentarily enhanced the muscle strength of his legs and moved quickly, so Jin Mubaek's sword had relatively slowed down.

And the name of the stance that followed, which couldn't even be called a stance.

"Tap lightly."

TAP.

As his right hand grazed the tip of his chin, Jin Mubaek's legs were collapsing.

Without even realizing it, his brain had been shaken and had failed to send a signal to his nerves.

"Press acupoints."

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Cheok Sagyeol instantly pressed Jin Mubaek's numbing and muting acupoints and then rushed at Ju Nokjeong and So Aeng.

"Gasp!"

"Press acupoints."

TAP. TAP. TAP.

"W-wait."

"Press acupoints."

TAP. TAP. TAP.

It was truly an instant. The three subdued people couldn't even let out a groan and were just rolling their eyes.

Their faces were full of the expression, 'What on earth just happened?'

Cheok Sagyeol looked at them and spoke nonchalantly.

"Phew, three against one. That was tough."

After wiping away sweat that wasn't even there, Cheok Sagyeol grinned and approached Jin Mubaek. And he took out the scabbard tied to his sword belt.

"It's an acupoint press without internal energy, so it'll be released in less than a quarter of a quarter of an hour... The spar isn't over yet. Right?"

The usual rule of a spar was that one would lose if they surrendered or were unable to fight for more than a quarter of an hour.

Cheok Sagyeol made the three of them lie face down in a row and raised the scabbard high.

'Time for a beating.'

SMACK.

'Your crime is for knowing the three great masters of the world wrong.'

SMACK.

'Your crime is for wagging your tongue and calling this one 'brat'.'

Cheok Sagyeol grinned and savored the refreshing feeling.

The satisfying feeling of the smacks in his hand felt like the indigestion that had built up because of the Bodhi Lotus Art was going down.

As expected, when his head was stuck, moving his body was the best way to change his mood.

Next, he stared at Ju Nokjeong's butt, whose turn was next.

'Your crime is for being rude in the first place.'

SMACK.

'Your crime is for treating this one as a sparring toy.'

SMACK.

'Your crime is for not recognizing this one. Why? Because you didn't know.'

SMACK.

After spanking Ju Nokjeong's butt crisply, Cheok Sagyeol threw the scabbard on the floor.

'She said she was a princess? Hmm... Will the thousand-year-old Shaolin be destroyed because of this?'

(End of Chapter)