Chapter 87
Elder Deung Noya glanced at the mountain of martial arts manuals piled high on the table and called out to Unyeong.
“Disciple.”
“Yes, Master.”
Unyeong’s eyes sparkled brightly as she answered the call.
“What is all this?”
“They’re martial arts manuals, Master.”
Deung Noya groaned.
“So why exactly are you putting all these manuals in front of me? And where did they come from?”
He picked up the topmost manual. The faint smell of fresh ink suggested it had been copied recently.
“I brought them to ask a favor of you, Master.”
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
One of Deung Noya’s eyebrows arched, showing his displeasure.
“I was wondering if you could teach these martial arts techniques to our Seol family’s guard unit.”
“Me?”
“Yes, Master. You.”
“And why should I do that?”
“Well, because you’re a master, of course.”
“Indeed, I am. But even for a master, learning entirely new techniques and then passing them on isn’t an easy thing.”
“Really? That can’t be right. Master, you’re the greatest thief in the Central Plains! I thought you’d just swish-swish, steal the techniques and bam, learn them instantly!”
Deung Noya sighed deeply, trying to figure out how to escape this ridiculous situation.
Though the Shadowless Sect (Muyeongmun 無影門) had always been a single-lineage tradition, he had never once felt the need to take on a disciple.
Before his death, his own master had said, “You should at least pass down the lineage. But if you really don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
After all, they were thieves.
Old grudges and debts between thieves were always messy and uncomfortable.
He had thought it no big deal if the sect ended with him. Sure, his master might scold him in the afterlife, but what of it?
However, the girl Seol Unyeong, who had challenged him to a duel just to become his disciple, had turned out to be quite interesting.
She was brave enough to speak her mind even when afraid, and her martial arts potential was extraordinary.
And besides—hadn’t she saved the life of his only grandson, the one lingering regret he had left in this world?
After meeting the bright child and receiving her respectful bow, he’d accepted her as a disciple.
That part was fine.
But then, she dragged him into the training yard saying she had something important to do—and now she wanted him to learn new martial arts.
“I’ll ask you something.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Do you know how old I am?”
“Hmm… I think you’re older than my grandfather.”
Unyeong tilted her head thoughtfully.
“Right. I’m older than the head of the Seol family. People like me are called ‘elders.’”
“Yes, that’s true. People say things like ‘Elder’ or ‘Old Master,’ right?”
“Exactly. And do you know that overworking elders is called elder abuse?”
“Oh, come on, Master. Don’t try to trick me.”
Unyeong snorted and lifted her chin proudly.
“Your inner power is enormous! For martial artists, age doesn’t matter—strength does. I know you’re still in great shape.”
Then she grinned slyly.
“And I know you’re obsessed with martial arts. You love studying them like they’re an academic pursuit. I bet this kind of thing really excites you.”
Her words struck straight to the heart.
Deung Noya groaned again.
How could a ten-year-old never lose a single argument?
And worse—he couldn’t help but smile.
Whenever she asked him to do something, he felt compelled to agree. That was the real problem.
“All right then. Where did these martial arts manuals come from?”
“Oh, those? I made them.”
Unyeong grinned as she answered, her eyes shining like a puppy begging for praise.
“…Say that again?”
“I made them.”
For a moment, he thought he must have misheard because of her sparkling eyes—but no, she was serious.
Wait—was that even possible?
He knew well that Unyeong’s Heavenly Martial Body (Cheonmu Jiche) was special—born to master martial arts naturally.
But creating new martial techniques? That was a completely different matter.
He started to feel deeply conflicted.
No—perhaps there was no point in overthinking it.
This girl was an enigma from the start—unnaturally mature, aware of his and his grandson’s connection, even knowing about the future.
He had decided long ago not to try understanding her.
Better just to accept things as they were.
He picked up the top manual again.
In her round, childish handwriting was written:
“Supreme Harmonization Heart Technique (絶頂造化心法)”
He picked up another:
“Supreme Harmonization Sword Technique (絶頂造化劍法)”
Then others: replacing sword with saber, spear, and so on.
And beneath those—
“Basic Harmonization Heart Technique (基礎造化心法)”,
and matching Basic Harmonization Sword/Saber/Spear Techniques.
Deung Noya felt a headache coming on.
Were these really names of martial arts?
Weren’t martial art names supposed to sound cool?
Even the worst third-rate sword styles would at least throw in a Tiger or Dragon somewhere.
Her first lesson, he decided, would have to be “how to name martial arts properly.”
Or maybe he’d just send her to Jinryang for more literary training.
Yes, that might be best.
Still, with little expectation, he opened the first page and began reading.
It was a cultivation method based on the harmony of Heaven, Earth, and Man—focusing on balance.
The introduction claimed that with diligence, one could reach the pinnacle.
So that’s why she called it the “Supreme Harmonization Heart Technique.”
“Don’t expel impurities, but convert them into internal energy…”
“What kind of nonsense—wait… hold on. That… might actually work?”
As he pondered deeper, shff!—the manual vanished right before his eyes.
“What was that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Be honest, Master. It’s interesting, isn’t it? You’re intrigued, right?”
“…Yes. Quite interesting.”
“So, you’ll do it?”
“Ugh. Fine, fine. I’ll learn it and pass it on. Happy now?”
“Yes, Master!”
Unyeong placed the manual back on the table. Just as he reached for it, she spoke again—faster.
“That’s the first thing you’ll do.”
“There’s more?”
“Yes, Master. Hehe. Sohyo, come in!”
The door to the indoor training hall opened, and a young girl entered.
“Greetings, Elder. I’m Hong Sohyo.”
“Yes, yes. I’m Deung Sochan. But why did you call her here?”
Smiling brightly, Unyeong explained,
“I want you to take a look at Sohyo’s martial arts too.”
Deung Noya’s dull eyes suddenly lit up.
“You’ve learned assassination techniques, haven’t you?”
“Yes, Elder.”
“Impressive. What do you want to learn next?”
Before Sohyo could answer, Unyeong jumped in.
“Oh, Master, no need to ask! Just everything—inner techniques, assassination skills, all of it.”
“Ha… ha ha… ha ha ha.”
Deung Noya laughed helplessly. But he didn’t refuse.
“All right then. We’ll do that.”
His voice was tired, but Sohyo bowed respectfully.
“Thank you, Elder.”
“No need for that. Let’s start tomorrow, all right?”
“Yes, Elder. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
After Sohyo left, Deung Noya sighed deeply.
“Disciple, is there anything else?”
“Oh, of course, Master! First of all, I think you should get a bit closer with my grandfather and father.”
“And why must I do that?”
“Hehe, because it seems like my grandfather doesn’t have many friends. It’d be nice for you two to bond!”
It was an odd request, but Deung Noya didn’t feel like arguing anymore.
“All right, fine.”
“And when the time feels right, you should tell them about the Heavenly Martial Body thing too.”
“Yes, yes. That was the plan anyway.”
“And… do you happen to know any good martial artists? Our family’s guard unit is recruiting, but barely anyone’s applying. If you know some strong fighters, could you recommend them?”
“…Anything else?”
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. Clearly, she had prepared a list of requests before coming.
Still, he found it… oddly endearing. It meant his new disciple needed him.
“That’s all for now. Oh, and please take this!”
She handed him a bundle wrapped in cloth.
“What’s this?”
“Night-raid clothes.”
“Night-raid clothes?”
“Yes! We’ve got something to handle tonight, and I’d like you to come with me.”
Her cheerful tone left him momentarily speechless.
“Oh, don’t worry—it’s nothing dangerous. I’ll be going with Haeshin. Remember the spy he mentioned? We’ll deal with that, and there’s also something I want to show you.”
“…Ugh. Fine. I understand.”
Deung Noya waved a hand tiredly, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.
“Then, I’ll see you tonight!”
Unyeong waved energetically and skipped out of the training hall.
When she was gone, Deung Noya opened his eyes and muttered,
“Well… maybe this isn’t so bad.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
It seemed he would soon be a very busy master indeed—
not that he could remember ever being busy before.
