Chapter 96:

Chapter 96:

Around ten days had passed since the Shaolin disciples began staying at Wudang.

Mu-jin, watching the scene at the training ground, felt a sense of bewilderment.

‘This scene feels strangely familiar.’

Over a hundred Wudang disciples were at the training ground, each laying a cloth on the ground and assuming the same posture on it.

‘How did wrist training time turn into a GX session?’

Well, if there was a catalyst, it was probably that. Teaching bodyweight exercises and some close-range spear techniques to the Qing Shui dojo?

After teaching Qing Shui dojo some exercises for a few days, not only Qing Shui but also several Wudang disciples started flocking to him.

At this rate, it was better to conduct the sessions at the training ground rather than the front yard of the hall given to Shaolin.

‘Why is everyone coming?’

The number gradually increased, and now, all the third-class and second-class Wudang disciples were flocking to the training ground.

That didn’t necessarily mean he was losing time.

‘Originally, it was time to teach wrist training methods anyway.’

In fact, most of the wrist training methods had already been taught. Precisely, those that they could follow at a basic level.

Wrist training, after all, was about training muscles, which wouldn’t see significant improvement in just a day or two, and doing wrist exercises alone every day would be counterproductive.

In other words, on days when the wrists needed rest, other exercises were conducted.

Thanks to that, Mu-jin had become an instructor teaching hundreds of members.

“You need to bend a little more there.”

“You have to breathe. Inhale, then bend a little more as you exhale.”

The Shaolin disciples were acting as a sort of assistant instructors.

From the Shaolin disciples’ perspective, it might seem excessive to teach exercises to Wudang disciples who weren’t even their fellow students.Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on no/vel(/bin(.)c/o/m

“Oh! Such impressive muscles, Sir Do!”

“If we exercise consistently, we can build our bodies too, right?”

“Hahaha. This is nothing compared to Master Mu-jin.”

The Wudang disciples, with their stick-like bodies, were showering praises on the muscles, dazzling with admiration, leaving the Shaolin disciples bewildered.

Anyone who has exercised knows that building a body is an arduous task. Martial arts training has its own fun, but weight training is just about lifting heavy things repetitively. It was a tedious and tough process that had to be repeated for years.

Praising muscles not only acknowledged the muscles themselves but also the effort put into building them, making it more gratifying. One of the biggest reasons muscle enthusiasts loved receiving compliments on their muscles and wanted to boast about them.

In this sense, the innocent and pure praise from the naive Wudang disciples, who had only practiced swordsmanship in the mountains, captured the hearts of the Shaolin disciples.

Among them, the most outstanding was, of course, Qing Shui dojo.

“Master Mu-jin! What’s the next move?”

“As expected of Master Mu-jin! How can you move so flexibly with muscles like steel!?”

It was pure, sincere praise without any hint of flattery.

Meanwhile.

The Yunja-bae of Wudang, watching the interaction between the Wudang and Shaolin disciples, were having thoughts similar to Mu-jin’s.

‘How did this happen...?’

Similar, but with a slightly different feeling.

* * *

Twenty days had passed since Mu-jin and the Shaolin disciples had arrived at Wudang.

During that time, the bond between the Shaolin and Wudang disciples had grown stronger.

While it was partly because Mu-jin and the Shaolin disciples taught exercises to the Wudang disciples every morning,

The main reason was that about fifteen days later, Mu-jin’s treatments and wrist training methods began showing results.

Wudang’s main sword experts, who had been complaining of wrist pain, started showing great favor towards Mu-jin, including the Yunja-bae and the first-class disciples.

And today, right after Mu-jin treated the wrists of Wudang’s sword experts,

“Master Mu-jin. May we have a word with you?”

Suddenly, Yun-song Zhenren, the leader of Wudang, approached Mu-jin.

“I have time, but is there a problem?”

Yun-song Zhenren, with a gentle laugh at Mu-jin’s question, finally spoke up after all the Wudang sword experts and second-class Shaolin disciples had left.

“I heard from Yunheo senior that Master Mu-jin’s treatment methods cannot be shared due to a contract with the Cheonryu Sangdan.”

* * *

“Yes.”

Mu-jin replied in a hesitant tone to Yun-song Zhenren’s words.

‘Could he be asking me to secretly teach him anyway?’

As Mu-jin pondered suspiciously, Yun-song Zhenren added more to his statement.

“In that case, could you perhaps open that musculoskeletal treatment clinic near Wudang Mountain instead?”

“A clinic, you say?”

“Indeed. I’ve heard that the clinic not only fixes wrists but also corrects the entire body’s musculoskeletal system. Though wrists are the most severe, there are quite a few who have injuries from rigorous training. But we can’t keep you tied to Wudang forever, Master Mu-jin.”

Hearing Yun-song Zhenren’s words, Mu-jin began to calculate in his mind.

‘Mount Yongzhong, where the Jegal family is based, is less than two hundred li from here, right?’

“I heard that the monk named Mu-jin was also there. Elder Jegal-hyeon, who was defeated by him in Nanchang, was waiting for him, but he couldn’t make a move since Mu-jin was with Wudang.”

She had intended to let it pass without much thought, but the words ‘Shaolin’ and ‘Mu-jin’ piqued Jegal Jin-hee’s interest.

Focusing her hearing, she eavesdropped more intently on the conversation of those passing by the training ground’s wall.

‘According to our agreement, I should wait until the martial arts tournament.’

But nine months was quite a long time. Besides, it wasn’t as far as Henan, just a stone’s throw away to Wudang Mountain.

‘Would it be alright to go visit him?’

Yes! She could just pretend she was visiting Wudang on some business and ran into him by chance!

True to her reputation as a clever member of the Jegal family, Jegal Jin-hee thought of a good pretext and immediately set her plan into motion.

* * *

The next day.

Jegal Jin-hee, fully prepared, set out from her family’s estate early in the morning and arrived at Gyun-hyun, the area closest to Wudang Mountain, by noon.

‘Who knows, we might end up sparring? And I might make a strange noise from my stomach.’

She decided to have a simple lunch here before climbing Wudang Mountain.

While strolling around Gyun-hyun looking for a suitable restaurant, she spotted a signboard that caught her eye.

[Musculoskeletal Treatment Clinic]

It was the same signboard she had seen in Deungbong-hyeon and Nanchang.

With a sense of expectation, she entered the estate and soon encountered a familiar figure.

“What brings you here?”

“...I could ask you the same, young lady.”

It was Ryu Seol-hwa, whom she had met at the clinic in Deungbong-hyeon.

After receiving Mu-jin’s letter, Ryu Seol-hwa had quickly prepared to open the clinic and came to Gyun-hyun. This time, she intended to spend a little more time with him.

However, sadly, Mu-jin had returned to Song Mountain a few days after she arrived, having completed his exchange with Wudang.

Thinking it would be more efficient for her to manage the clinic alone, Mu-jin decided there was no need for him to stay, which was a painful story from Ryu Seol-hwa’s perspective.

Concealing her sorrow, Ryu Seol-hwa asked kindly.

“Are you here to see Monk Mu-jin?”

Jegal Jin-hee replied confidently to her question.

“Yes, we have an agreement.”

Ryu Seol-hwa smirked inwardly at her metaphorical expression, already aware that the “agreement” was about sparring.

“I see. Monk Mu-jin is at the Wudang sect, so you will need to climb Wudang Mountain to meet him.”

“Thank you for the information.”

Jegal Jin-hee, displaying a victorious smile, left the clinic and headed straight for Wudang Mountain without even stopping for lunch.

And what awaited her was:

“Are you talking about Do-woo Mu-jin? He left yesterday.”

“All the Shaolin disciples departed together.”

This was the polite response from the Wudang disciples guarding the entrance to Haegeomji.

‘...Did he dare deceive me?’

She, a descendant of Jegal Gongmyung, had been fooled by someone.

With veins popping on her forehead, Jegal Jin-hee used her qinggong technique to quickly descend Wudang Mountain and returned to the clinic.

Whether it was due to her anger or her rapid movements, she returned to the clinic with an unusually flushed face and confronted Ryu Seol-hwa, who answered with a bright smile.

“Oh my, did he leave? I didn’t know that.”

“...You didn’t know?”

Jegal Jin-hee glared coldly at her.

“Yes.”

Ryu Seol-hwa’s radiant smile and eye smile met Jegal Jin-hee’s icy stare.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Mu-jin, who was pulling a cart loaded with exercise equipment on his way back to Shaolin, suddenly coughed.

‘Ugh, why do I feel a sudden chill?’

Had he caught a cold because he cooled off after sweating during a short break?

Worry crept onto Mu-jin’s face as he considered this.

Mu-gyeong, running alongside him, noticed Mu-jin’s serious expression and asked.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

“No, I’m not sick, just feeling a bit uneasy.”

“What’s making you uneasy?”

“I might lose muscle mass if I catch a cold.”

Mu-gyeong looked at Mu-jin with a bizarre expression upon hearing his answer.