Namgoong Ruby’s martial art style was as swift as her swordsmanship, like a flash of lightning.
Should I express it as every movement of hers being quick?
Yet, with her great strength, she wielded a massive greatsword as if it were a feather, making her power nothing to scoff at.
“Ugh!”
Whenever I failed to deflect an attack even once, Namgoong Ruby’s fist unhesitatingly found its way to the gaps in my defenses.
It seemed she was trying to control her strength, but one good hit felt like my insides were twisting in agony.
Eventually, after taking a solid hit, I clutched my abdomen and collapsed on the ground, speaking to her in a voice that sounded like wind whistling through my lungs.
“I can’t take it—”
Seeing her concern, perhaps realizing her actions were too harsh, Namgoong Ruby bent forward to ask worriedly.
“Chilbok, are you okay?”
“N-no—”
I nearly blurted out a retort asking how I could possibly be okay if I was in this state, but I barely managed to suppress that impulse and remained in a position reminiscent of a newborn calf until the pain subsided.
After about three minutes, it seemed the pain had eased enough for me to take a look at my abdomen, only to find a dark bruise shaped like her fist.
“Ow! That’s gotta hurt!”
‘It’s not like medicine and poison are interchangeable!’
What was she thinking, being shocked after striking me? Honestly.
I suggested we call it a day for our training since I was fine, and stumbled as I got to my feet.
Then, perhaps due to feeling guilty, Namgoong Ruby instantly came to my side to support me.
“I’ll take you back to your room!”
How heartwarming!
During that moment, her ample chest brushed against my arm, but frankly, considering the beating I just took, I felt I had earned this little perk.
With her looking apologetic, I was helped back into the annex.
*
“Is this your room, Chilbok?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Still leaning on Namgoong Ruby, I returned to my room, and seeing the bed before me, I threw myself on it without worrying about appearances.
Swoosh!
The bed welcomed me comfortably.
It had to be because it was a bed from a wealthy household; the cushioning felt different.
Lying on the bed, I said, “Thanks for bringing me here. You can go back now.”
“Oh, right.”
She answered like that, but for some reason, she didn’t leave and stayed put.
Curious, I lifted myself slightly and found Namgoong Ruby fidgeting near the entrance of the room.
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
With that, Namgoong Ruby scratched her cheek while looking at me.
“Well, I feel a bit guilty leaving just like this.”
As she said that, her gaze drifted down towards my abdomen.
“Oh, this?”
I was about to say I’d be fine by tomorrow, but before I could finish, Namgoong Ruby pulled something out of her pocket.
“Before I leave, I’ll put some healing balm on you.”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but feel flustered at her words. She wasn’t just going to drop it off, she was going to apply it?
However, Namgoong Ruby was already approaching me with the healing balm in hand.
“Wait—!”
I hurriedly tried to stop her sudden action, but her hand was already grabbing my clothes.
Whoosh!
With that, my abdomen was fully exposed.
“Wow. You really got hit hard.”
Namgoong Ruby exclaimed in awe as she gazed at the dark bruise on my belly.
“Fine, do what you want.”
Now that I had come this far, I had nothing left to be embarrassed about.
As I gave up resisting and willingly exposed my belly, Namgoong Ruby giggled and unscrewed the cap of the balm.
Then, a pungent odor spread throughout the room.
I couldn’t help but scrunch my face in discomfort, but Namgoong Ruby seemed unfazed by the smell as she cheerfully said, “This is our family’s special healing balm. The smell might not be great, but its effectiveness is top-notch.”
“…Got it. Just make it quick.”
As I said that, Namgoong Ruby scooped a generous amount of the thick, dark balm with her index and middle fingers and began applying it evenly to my bruised abdomen.
Flinch! Flinch!
The cool sensation of the balm combined with the thought of someone else touching my body made me shiver involuntarily.
But Namgoong Ruby said nothing as she focused on applying the balm, while I tried my best to hold back the strange feeling of becoming some sort of pervert.
“Done.”
Content with her work, Namgoong Ruby wiped the sweat from her forehead that had gathered from her effort of applying the balm to my bruised area.
Surprisingly, I felt the pain diminish almost immediately, and as I marveled at the effectiveness of the balm, I noticed that it wasn’t just the bruised area she had treated.
It seemed she had also applied it to the smaller cuts I had acquired during our sparring.
‘This balm definitely has superior effects compared to the ones sold in stores.’
Feeling amazed at its effectiveness, I changed into fresh clothes after a workout and headed outside.
“Phew…”
Training daily without a miss was quite a challenge.
Sometimes I felt tempted to skip my morning workouts, but I figured that once I started allowing myself to slack off, I’d come up with all sorts of excuses to keep resting, so I gritted my teeth and continued practicing.
Starting with light warm-ups like I usually did in the training hall, I moved on to a few modern exercises and eventually began to repeat the foundational movements of Tang Mun Kwon.
From the first stance, Jeopbi Bongsim, to the eighth stance, Yongsa Biteong.
I demonstrated all eight movements in order.
After about three repetitions of the fundamental forms, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Chilbok, breakfast is ready.”
It was Tang Sosu, who had come to fetch me just like she did back when I stayed at the Si Cheon family.
I was about to thank her for coming to get me when suddenly I remembered something and asked, “By the way, I think you mentioned you were going out to introduce the saint with Ruby today?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Chilbok, do you want to come along?”
I smiled wryly at Tang Sosu’s question as I replied, “I’d love to, but Master said he’s starting special training today.”
“Special training?”
“Yeah. Since last time, I was only able to learn one of the advanced techniques due to time constraints. He said he would help me perfect the other two during this holiday.”
“Seriously? Grandpa is sticking you with outdated martial arts he only uses.”
“…Outdated martial arts?”
“To be honest, the reason people in the Si Cheon family avoid learning Tang Mun Kwon is partly due to Grandpa’s eccentric personality, but more so because it’s a bit tricky to learn the techniques. You know how the Si Cheon family tends to focus on memorization and poisons, right? Tang Mun Kwon is primarily based on close combat, so it doesn’t offer much practicality. Grandpa often says that assassinations are only accomplished when all witnesses are eliminated, but realistically, very few possess the skills needed to pull that off.”
“Haha….”
Hearing Tang Sosu’s explanation, I could only offer a vague smile because I could discern what she meant.
In essence, it seemed the people of the Tang family had abandoned the practice of the family’s martial arts because they believed they wouldn’t find opportunities to use it in real-life situations.
I figured there might be some story behind it, but I hadn’t imagined it would be like this, leaving me feeling somewhat bewildered.
“Anyway, I see you have your schedule set, Chilbok. So, it’ll just be Ruby and me going out today.”
I expressed my confusion in response to Tang Sosu’s words.
“Aren’t you bringing Rin along?”
Tang Sosu shrugged her shoulders and replied.
“She doesn’t seem particularly interested. She’s already lived in the Sacred Capital for about two months, so she probably thinks there’s not much to see.”
“…Is that so?”
I’d personally hoped to see her engage more actively with her friends, but it seemed that was a distant wish for now.
After acknowledging Tang Sosu’s comments, I returned to my room quickly to change out of my sweat-drenched clothes, leaving her to head to the dining hall first.
