Chapter 35:

Chapter 35:

“Blank Paper (2)

That afternoon.

After finishing all the duties at the Arhat Faction, Hye-geol sighed deeply as he looked at Sa-son, who had just returned.

“Sigh.”

“Hehehehe.”

It was hard to scold someone with such a bright and innocent face; it was said you can’t spit on a smiling face.

Hye-geol, boiling with frustration, forced himself to adopt a gentle tone as he spoke.

“Mu-yul.”

“Yes, Master!”

“How exactly did you learn martial arts during your novice disciple days?”

“My novice disciple days? Mu-jin helped me!”

“Mu-jin?”

“Yes! And senior brothers Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong helped a bit too!”

Mu-yul added, but Hye-geol’s repetition of Mu-jin’s name wasn’t for that reason.

‘Mu-jin... That must be the name of the child taken in as a sworn son by Abbot Hyun-gwang.’

He had been a noticeable child since the entrance examination. It was just that his path seemed different from the Shaolin Five Fists, and because Hyun-gwang had wanted it, he had given up.

However, that wasn’t what was important now.

This naive, no, pure-hearted novice, the secret to how he had been brought to his current level was what mattered most.

“Mu-yul.”

“Yes, Master!”

“I’m thinking of visiting Mu-jin, would you like to join me?”

“Sure! Hehe.”

After hearing Mu-yul’s cheerful answer, Hye-geol headed with him to the residence where Hyun-gwang lived.

As he is a sworn son of that person, Mu-jin would also be there.

* * *

Today, as usual, Mu-jin was treating Hyun-gwang’s body and practicing martial arts in the courtyard.

“I pay my respects to Abbot Hyun-gwang!”

With a loud voice, a stern-looking middle-aged monk appeared in the residence.

“Haha, Hye-geol, my disciple. Come in.”

“I apologize for not visiting often, as I am an ignorant disciple.”

Saying so, Hye-geol entered the residence, accompanied by Mu-yul.

“I pay my respects to Great Uncle Hyun-gwang! Hi Mu-jin~!!”

Mu-jin chuckled at Mu-yul’s greeting. Truly, he was a bright soul wherever he went.

[5:09 PM]

While Mu-yul and Mu-jin exchanged greetings, Hyun-gwang asked Hye-geol.”

“Haha. While guests are always welcome, it seems you must have a particular reason for visiting, given how busy you are.”

“Ahem. My apologies, Abbot. Today, I specifically came to see Mu-jin.”

Hye-geol, looking somewhat awkward despite his fierce appearance, said this, prompting Hyun-gwang to ask with a curious expression.

“Are you talking about Mu-jin?”

“Yes, Abbot.”

Hye-geol cautiously explained his circumstances.

He had tried to teach Mu-yul the forms and key points of the Crane Fist, which is the most fundamental martial art of the Shaolin Five Fists. And that even now, after nearly five days, Mu-yul could hardly follow along.

Lastly, he mentioned that Mu-yul had learned martial arts during his novice disciple days thanks to Mu-jin.

Having heard Hye-geol’s explanation, Hyun-gwang looked at Mu-yul.

“Hehehe.”

Facing the Great Uncle who was looking at him, Mu-yul responded with his ever-innocent smile.

“Hmm. It seems I need to see for myself why you took this child as a disciple. Mu-jin.”

“Yes, Granduncle.”

“!?”

Hye-geol was involuntarily startled by Mu-jin’s response of ‘Granduncle’. However, neither Mu-jin nor Hyun-gwang seemed to pay it any mind.

“Would you be able to spar with this Mu-yul?”

“Yes, we often sparred during our novice days, Granduncle.”

Mu-jin confidently answered and then spoke to Mu-yul.

“You know, right Mu-yul? Just have fun with it.”

“Yep yep!”

Mu-yul brightly agreed, and Mu-jin took a step back and assumed a ready stance.

It was a strange mix of softness and decisiveness in the movements.

One thing was for sure, though called ‘fist’, the Crane Fist was a martial art that blended footwork and body movement techniques.

“Now you two try to follow along.”

Right after Beob Hyun demonstrated the sequence twice, Hye-geol instructed them.

Since it was just about learning the form, Mu-jin tried to mimic the movements Beob Hyun displayed, recalling them from memory.

Mu-yul, seated next to him, also attempted to copy the movements, but...

“Eh?”

Despite only trying to mimic the form, Mu-yul lost his balance and couldn’t even sustain the posture for three seconds.

Seeing this, both Hye-geol and Beob Hyun let out involuntary sighs, as they had been witnessing the same scene for five days straight.

Mu-jin, who was practicing alongside them, tilted his head in confusion.

‘Why is he struggling like that?’

Mu-yul wasn’t bright, quite the contrary, severely so.

[6:05 PM]

However, conversely, his physical aptitude was quite outstanding. Particularly, his flexibility and resilience were closer to that of an animal than a human.

When Mu-yul learned martial arts, he might mix up the sequence, but copying each movement was something he did exceedingly well.

So why was he having trouble now?

“Mu-yul, what’s wrong?”

“Hehe. It feels awkward.”

To Mu-jin’s question, Mu-yul scratched his closely shaven scalp and answered with the same sunny smile as always.

Hye-geol, who had been watching Mu-yul just like Mu-jin, sighed at that bright smile and then spoke to Mu-jin.

“That’s why I sought you out. I heard that during your novice days, he learned martial arts from you. Tell me, Mu-jin, how did you teach him martial arts?”

The method Mu-jin used to teach Mu-yul? It was nothing special.

He didn’t bother with the names of muscles, joints, or meridians; he simply pointed out the movements with his fingers and had Mu-yul repeatedly practice them until mastered.

Upon hearing Mu-jin’s brief explanation of his teaching method, a look of realization, as if the character for ‘heaven’ had appeared on Hye-geol’s forehead, crossed his face.

“Hmm. It’s certainly a method that would be helpful for beginners or basic martial arts. However...”

Although Hye-geol did not say it outright, he felt quite deflated. If that was the case, it wasn’t much different from what they had already been doing.

They had been stuck on the form of the Crane Fist for five days, without even touching upon the key points of internal energy. By this point, even a monkey would have memorized the form.

So what was the problem?

Mu-jin, Hye-geol, and Beob Hyun all looked at Mu-yul with expressions of contemplation.

“Hehe?”

Mu-yul, looking like a curious monkey, tilted his head in confusion.

After observing that bright demeanor for a moment, Mu-jin decided to first check Mu-yul’s condition.

“Mu-yul.”

“Yeah?”

“You said earlier that the posture of the Crane Fist felt awkward, right?”

“Yep, yep.”

“What specifically feels awkward? Is it awkward connecting the movements?”

“Um? I’m not sure. Is it awkward when moving? Or is it awkward when stopping?”

While answering, Mu-yul attempted the opening posture of the Crane Fist again, but once more, he lost his balance a few seconds in.

‘Hmm? It doesn’t seem to be a problem with his memory; he remembers the form.’

However, watching him move this time, it was clear that he remembered the form even without Beob Hyun’s demonstration.

So Mu-jin turned to ask Hye-geol and Beob Hyun.

“Is the Crane Fist a martial art that inherently has awkward transitions between the initial postures?”

“That’s nonsensical. The Shaolin Five Fists were created by Dharma Master after observing the movements of animals. Among Shaolin martial arts, they are known for having the most natural flow.”

Hye-geol answered Mu-jin’s question with pride.

‘So it’s not the connection of the initial postures.’

[6:16 PM]

As Mu-jin fell silent in thought, the residence was once again enveloped in silence.

In the stifling atmosphere, as if something was clogged, Mu-jin recalled the words he had heard before coming here.

Granduncle Hyun-gwang had indeed said it.

That what is seen on the surface is not as important as the underlying intent.

Then, what is the underlying intent of the Crane Fist?

It was Mu-jin’s first day learning the Crane Fist, so it was impossible for him to know its underlying intent.

‘Oh?’

A thought struck Mu-jin’s mind.