Chapter 30
Benefactor (1)
To head for Sichuan, Kang Yong-un chose the official road.
The fastest and most comfortable way was, of course, to board a merchant vessel and follow the Yangtze River. But his control over Donggong (Moving Qi technique) wasn’t yet at the level where he could handle traveling by boat.
“Wow. Up to the ordinary walking level it was manageable, but beyond that it’s tough.”
The rate at which his Supreme Qi gathered was mediocre.
If he used Donggong diligently for three days, it was barely equivalent to one night’s worth of training.
“Like gathering food in an anthill… Still, it’s better than nothing, but—hah!—it’s not very satisfying.”
How could he progress further?
“I’ve already achieved everything the elders taught me. Should I now move on to the next stage?”
Yes, it seemed so.
“Elders—!”
Kang Yong-un recited the mnemonic formula and activated the Great Celestial Divine Art.
As soon as the light returned to his spirit mark, the beings of the Firmament, as if waiting, immediately connected to him.
[You impudent brat—! Why is it you always call us only when you’re in need…]
[Hey, Baekwoo! Wait your turn—!]
Baekwoo, who scolded him right away upon connection, changed his tone instantly at a single word from Wang Chongyang.
[…Hohoho. So, child, you called for us?]
Since Kang Yong-un also had his own pressing matter, he pretended not to notice.
“…I’ve mastered everything you elders taught me. But from there, I hit a wall. What should I do for the next step?”
It was a sincere, earnest question, but the elders seemed baffled—no answer came for a moment. Then suddenly—
[You blockhead—!]
[Baekwoo! Your turn—! If you ruin this boy’s mood, you’ll get pushed back in line—!]
Baekwoo erupted furiously.
[To hell with order! You dimwit! If you can walk, what’s next, eh?! Of course you run! Run—! Right now—!]
At such a ridiculously simple answer, Kang Yong-un’s face flushed red.
And what did he do?
“Yes, Elder—!”
Without hesitation, he really began running.
Each time his breath grew ragged and his Donggong faltered, he desperately clung to it, forcing it to flow.
But—
[Tsk. That idiot can’t even run properly and already wants the next stage—!]
Once Baekwoo started criticizing, he wouldn’t stop. He kept pointing out Kang Yong-un’s flaws as if determined.
[Ha! Look at this fool. Just running nonstop because I told him to run. Use your brain! Run with Donggong, and at the same time channel your Supreme Qi into the Yongcheon point and burst it out! Haven’t you heard of killing two birds with one stone—?!]
He had been considered a genius back in his hometown, but here he was—reduced to someone who didn’t even know “two birds with one stone.”
‘Ugh. But since I’m the one being taught martial arts, I can’t just talk back…’
Besides, Elder Baekwoo was none other than that legendary figure!
Kang Yong-un could only endure silently.
[Hohoho. Child, Baekwoo means you should also practice lightness skill. It works very well with Donggong. The actual method is this: operate your internal energy like flowing water, but release it in short bursts, pushing off as if stepping on a foothold…]
Perhaps aiming to score points, Wang Chongyang kindly began explaining the essence of lightness skill.
‘Thank you, Elder.’
Kang Yong-un was genuinely grateful, and partly to tease Elder Baekwoo, he added a few words.
“Elder Wang Chongyang. Didn’t you say your descendants live near Mount Zhongnan?”
It was only a playful jab meant as payback to Baekwoo, but suddenly his mind was flooded like a storm.
[Oh-ho, so you needed lightness skill? Then I, Iron Crutch Li, shall show you the secret of Qungshintang’s steps…]
[Bah, you limping fool. Does he even have the inner strength to use that? Hey kid, let me, Baek Yan, simplify Soaring Swallow for you…]
[Good grief. You idiots. Even that’s too much for him. Child, just use my Flying Stream Divine Step. With only a single breath of inner energy, you can cross a hundred li in one go…]
Flooded like a waterfall with countless revelations and mnemonics, Kang Yong-un couldn’t help but shout—
“Ah, enough already—!”
Time passed.
One day, two, three, four…
Day and night blurred, and for ten days straight, he ran. With Donggong as rest, running as training. Eventually, he reached the foot of Snow Peak Mountain (Seolbongsan), on the western border of Hunan.
“Huff… Huff… Huff… This… this should be enough…”
A broad, satisfied smile spread across his face.
Through such relentless passion—skipping meals and sleep—he had tasted the true flavor of lightness skill.
“…The elders will be pleased too, right?! Huff… huff… huff—!”
His breathing was still rough, but now he had a vague grasp of what lightness skill truly was.
Whoosh!
Each time he ran, the wind grazed his ears. He had gotten considerably faster.
And thanks to Donggong, the duration of the technique also lengthened.
“It’s all thanks to Flying Stream Step.”
A lightness skill that let one soar with even a handful of Qi—it had proven its worth.
Ten days wasn’t much, but he had given it his all. Now, at last, the basics were in place.
Growl—
At the foot of Snow Peak, Kang Yong-un finally halted his training. He took dried meat from his bundle and offered thanks.
“Thank you, Elder Wang Chongyang. Thanks to the Flying Stream Step, I’ve gotten much faster.”
Ah—wait, they can’t hear unless he calls them!
He activated the Great Celestial Divine Art again, then began with gratitude, as if to wash away Elder Baekwoo’s scolding from ten days prior.
“Thank you, Elder Wang Chongyang. After I finish my business in Sichuan, I’ll head straight to Mount Zhongnan. Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve gotten stronger.”
Stronger?
Did they take those words as a desire for new combat techniques?
Or were they provoked by his mention of visiting Mount Zhongnan afterward?
[Hohoho. So, child, you truly wish to step further ahead?!]
[Indeed. The Three Talents Sword has nearly reached its bottleneck. It’s time you learn other fundamentals as well.]
Some elders began imparting martial arts he hadn’t even dreamed of.
[Child, it would be good if you visited Mount Song too. Ah! But the journey may be boring, so practice a simple fist technique along the way. It’s called Tanzha Fist. The strikes are simple, but it’s surprisingly useful. The formula and method of Qi operation are…]
Gasp!
Kang Yong-un’s jaw dropped.
‘My god—! The legendary Bodhidharma himself is personally teaching me his art—!’
He didn’t know yet how profound Tanzha Fist was.
But it didn’t matter.
‘Even if it’s only on the level of the Three Talents Sword, how could anything personally taught by Bodhidharma himself be bad?!’
With just the Three Talents Sword and a few basics, he had reached first-class level. If Tanzha Fist was of that caliber, he was confident he could advance further.
‘Thank you, Elder.’
He had asked for a penny’s worth and suddenly received a chest of gold.
Perhaps because of that, some elders grew uneasy.
[Hey, Bodhidharma! Isn’t this unfair? Giving the kid one of the Seventy-Two Arts when he’s barely learned to walk?]
[That’s too much—don’t give it to him—!]
Bodhidharma flared up.
[Seventy-Two Arts, my ass. It’s just a basic. Like the Three Talents Sword! Everything else—Hundred-Step Divine Fist, Arhat Fist, even Tapping-Finger Divine Power—stems from this foundation!]
His heated defense shifted the mood again.
[Fine! So basics are allowed, huh? Then I’ll pass him Cotton Palm.]
[Hey, Zhang Sanfeng! Not you too—?!]
[This is too much—don’t give it—!]
[What’s too much? Cotton Palm is a foundation. It’s just pushing and swaying like the autumn breeze!]
Stunned.
‘Wait—Seventy-Two Arts?! And now Cotton Palm too?!’
The elders ignored his shock completely.
[Still, this is too much. Cotton Palm is the foundation your descendants now treat as the lifeblood of their sect! From it came Autumn Breeze Palm, then Taiji Fist, and—]
[Lifeblood my foot. They’re running wild. That’s why I’m desperate, asking him to carry a message directly to Mount Wudang—!]
After snapping, Zhang Sanfeng’s voice softened.
[Child, don’t feel burdened. It’s only a single fundamental move. Just breathe and let it flow naturally like the Three Talents Sword. Understand? The method is…]
And that wasn’t the end.
[Damn it, I won’t lose either. Kid, if your sword breaks mid-fight, just grab any long stick nearby and use it as a short staff. Back in my youth I did this a lot. It’s called Lotus Blossom Staff Technique…]
[You madman! Iron Crutch Li! Can you just hand over the basis of Beggar Sect’s Cane Arts like that?!]
[Bah. After what Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng just did, you still complain? Step aside unless you want to lose your turn! Kid, Lotus Blossom Staff is just like Tanzha Fist and Cotton Palm—simple but fundamental. Here’s how…]
Was it that he had grown used to surprise?
Kang Yong-un now began absorbing the torrent of basic martial arts like a sponge soaking up water. He engraved every bit of it in his mind.
With Donggong, lightness skill, and now several martial arts foundations, he had to pause his journey.
‘Luckily, the former head of the Jin Clan is still alive and strong.’
Unlike Zhejiang Province, the situation here was different.
‘As the elders say, I still lack the insight to fully master the Three Talents Sword. So for emergencies, I’d better learn these arts first.’
And in such cases?
‘Into the mountains I go.’
Kang Yong-un avoided inns and houses.
Even if they were only basics, what he was learning were the very roots of Shaolin, Wudang, and Beggar Sect.
‘It won’t do me any good if someone sees me practicing them.’
It was the wise choice.
So after stocking up on dried meat, he entered a nameless valley deep in Snow Peak Mountain.
‘Once I can wield them as naturally as breathing, like the Three Talents Sword, I’ll resume my journey.’
It wouldn’t take too long.
After all, as Bodhidharma, Zhang Sanfeng, and Iron Crutch Li said—each was but a simple, essential move.
***
How much time had passed?
Deep in Snow Peak, hundreds of eyes gleamed in the dark.
They belonged to those who made their lair at the mountain’s heart—bandits known as Snow Peak Stronghold.
“Chief—!”
Stronghold leader Mak Bung turned his head.
Behind him, half-hidden in the forest’s shadows, stood several figures.
Each wore a mask.
There were six in total.
Five wore ash-gray masks, and leading them was a man in a white mask.
Mak Bung’s eyes glittered with greed as he blurted out—
“You’ll really back us, right—?!”
“Heheheh. Don’t worry.”
The white-masked man nodded with a sinister grin.
“We’ll raise you into a power great enough to rule both Sichuan and Hunan. All you have to do is make regular offerings. Understand?”
“Puhehe—!”
Mak Bung burst out laughing foolishly.
“Never did I imagine such fortune would fall upon me, Mak Bung—!”
And reflected in his greedy eyes were a dozen fluttering banners.
Banners of the Jin Clan of Sichuan, one of the Top Ten Merchant Guilds in all the land.
