Chapter 7:

Chapter 7:

Beob Gang (1)

In the morning hours, when the novice monks were deeply immersed in their sutra studies.

“Master Uncle Hye-jeong, how did the sparring between Mu-jin and Mu-gung go?”

Hyun-seong, the leader of the Arhat Party responsible for the education of disciples and Master Uncle Hye-jeong’s teacher, queried in a low tone.

Choi Kang-hyuk, who had become possessed by Mu-jin, had caused his first incident seven days and nights ago. By this time, Hyun-seong had already received reports about Mu-jin from Master Uncle Hye-jeong or Ban-dangju Hyun-mun.

Upon receiving Hyun-seong’s question, Master Uncle Hye-jeong, while internally chanting prayers to maintain calm, recounted the events of that dawn.

“So you’re saying, this boy named Mu-jin subdued Mu-gung in just a single exchange?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Huh... It seems he was not just a mad child, after all.”

“In my view as well. Though the boy acts willfully during morning training, when it comes to practicing the Revolving Fist Technique, he trains harder than anyone else. It’s just...”

“You’re worried that his training in the Revolving Fist Technique might have been to figure out how to counter it, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Master.”

Hyun-seong appeared to ponder for a moment before shaking his head.

“It’s unlikely that’s the case. Logically, if he were a spy from an evil sect or the Demon Cult, he wouldn’t draw attention to himself with such conspicuous actions.”

“Could it not be a deliberate ploy to attract our attention?”

“What if it is? The Revolving Fist Technique is merely a beginner’s martial art. It wouldn’t be worth it for the Demon Cult to research a counter for a beginner’s technique. Unless it were one of the Shaolin’s seventy-two secret arts, that might be a different story.”

Frankly, anyone with a considerable level of martial arts mastery could devise dozens of ways to counter a simple martial art like the Revolving Fist Technique just by watching it once.

“There’s no need to worry. That child hasn’t even officially become a third-class disciple yet. By observing him over time, we’ll determine whether he truly is a spy or just a slightly unusual child.”

“Yes, Master.”

Master Uncle Hye-jeong’s concerns were appeased by Hyun-seong, who paused to stroke his beard.

“Hmm.”

A curious tone of interest flowed from his mouth.

“If we assume that child is not a spy for the evil sect, perhaps he might be from some martial family.”

“...I also thought that might be the case. It doesn’t seem likely that a young child would come up with such bizarre training methods on their own, so perhaps they are techniques practiced by his household.”

Ban-dangju Hyun-mun had reported about strange items like ‘protein supplements,’ which, they speculated, could perhaps be special foods consumed during training in that family.

“The greatest person to a child is their father. It seems that the child wanted to prove that his father’s training methods were superior to those of our Thousand-Year Shaolin.”

After stating his hypothesis, Hyun-seong added with regret, “It’s truly a shame.”

“If the child could defeat Mu-gung with such foolish training methods, then his talent might be beyond imagination. It’s a pity that such a child is wasting time on ineffective training methods. Tsk.”

“It’s truly regrettable, Master.”

It would have been an utterly shocking misconception and nonsense to Mu-jin.

“Especially since he has even defeated Mu-gung now, he must have gained confidence in his useless training methods. What should we do about this?”

“...How about we force the child to practice Shaolin’s training methods and let him experience their effectiveness for himself?”

Considering Hye-jeong’s suggestion for a moment, Hyun-seong shook his head.

“That is not advisable. Taking into account the stories from both you and Novice Monk Hyun-mun, it seems the child has a resolute character. He would break before bending, so we cannot force him; he must come to realize it on his own.”

Despite the pressure of many peers and even Second-class Disciples who had reached far greater heights, including Hye-jeong, the child had confidently expressed his own beliefs.

It wasn’t difficult for Hyun-seong, an elder of Shaolin, to deduce that a child with such courage would not easily be swayed by force.

‘Thinking about it this way, it’s even more regrettable.’

The child had extraordinary martial talent and a steadfast character that upheld his beliefs in any situation.

If properly nurtured, Hyun-seong was convinced that he could become a pillar of Shaolin.

“Continue to observe the child. Not only to verify that he’s not a spy from the evil sect but also to look for an opportunity to prove that Shaolin’s training methods are superior to his. We must somehow start him on Shaolin’s training methods. We cannot let him waste any more time on such useless training. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.”

Mu-jin, if he had heard, would have grabbed the back of his neck at the conversation they were having—it was about how to entice Mu-jin.

Then, as Hyun-seong was deep in thought, he suddenly spoke as if a good idea had come to him.

“Ah. How about entrusting the matter to Beob Gang?”

“Is Beob Gang not currently with the Jurisdiction Department? Surely you don’t intend to send Mu-jin to the Jurisdiction Department?”

“Hehehe. Do not worry. Beob Gang is scheduled to move to the Arhat Faction tomorrow.”

With Hyun-seong’s explanation, Hye-jeong looked at his master with a face full of admiration.

A child with exceptional talent but refusing the training of Shaolin.

“I will definitely teach that child what the spirit of Shaolin is.”

With a firm vow to himself, he started the horse stance again, bending his knees.

Considering the terrible screams of his knees merely as part of asceticism.

* * *

The following dawn.

Mu-jin, who woke up early for morning training as usual, loosened up his body with the Close-Range Spear Technique alongside Mu-yul before heading to the training ground.

And with the sound of the morning bell, Master Uncle Hye-jeong and the second-class disciples began to appear one by one at the training ground.

‘Huh?’

Mu-jin noticed that a few of the second-class disciples showing up at the training ground had changed.

And among them, there was one man in particular who caught Mu-jin’s eye.

‘Is he just a perfect soldier?’

In modern times, anyone would have asked if the man with such a military demeanor was a soldier.

And strangely enough, Mu-jin wasn’t the only one who felt puzzled by the military-like second-class disciple.

“But, Brother Beob Gang?”

The second-class disciples, who had suffered terribly during their third-class period, called out his dharma name with shocked expressions upon the sudden appearance of Beob Gang.

“Why, what brings you here, brother?”

“From today, I have transferred to the Arhat Faction, and I will be together with you all. I ask for your good cooperation.”

Why was it? Although Beob Gang greeted them with a blunt tone, the disciples all looked as if they had received a death sentence upon hearing his answer.

‘Hoho.’

And Mu-jin, who had been watching the scene from beginning to end, was able to quickly grasp the situation.

‘The new arrival is the discipline leader for the second-class disciples.’

As the saying goes, “it takes one to know one,” and Mu-jin, who had spent seven years in the military, immediately realized the role Beob Gang was playing among the second-class disciples.

“Begin the morning training!”

Whether Mu-jin was contemplating this internally or not, Master Uncle Hye-jeong announced the start of training with a resounding roar.

‘Well, it’s none of my business.’

Whether a discipline leader had come or not, Mu-jin had one thing to do. He had to train his body to see the end of this novel.

Having turned his attention away from Beob Gang, Mu-jin focused on his breathing and concentrated on his exercise.

As days passed and today’s training had come full circle, it was time to train the lower body muscles again.

Like the other novice monks, he began squats by bending his knees, then straightened them on his own.

“Sseup.”

“Hoo.”

While Mu-jin was focused on his own exercise routine.

Before long, Beob Gang approached Mu-jin’s side and began to examine his posture.

Beob Gang thought to himself.

To scold someone, one needs to understand exactly what they are doing.

Knowing oneself and the enemy means you will not be endangered in a hundred battles, and understanding the opponent’s actions allows for more accurate and logical chastisement.

‘Is this how it’s done?’

To personally experience how futile the training method was, Beob Gang willingly began to imitate Mu-jin’s posture.

“Sseup.”

“Hoo.”

He even briefly mimicked the breathing technique for accurate understanding.

‘Hmph. It’s indeed futile as I thought.’

After repeating the squats a few times, Beob Gang soon stood up because he felt a sharp pain in his knees, no different from standing in a horse stance.

Ultimately, as he was about to speak, having concluded that it was a trick to avoid the arduous Shaolin training.

“You shouldn’t do it that way.”

Instead, Mu-jin, with a stern expression, pointed out Beob Gang’s posture.