Chapter 209

Well, it turns out Cheon Yu-hak had a plan all along.

The Sword Training Method is a time-honored secret of Shintu, designed to maximize perception.

The fact that Turo became softer? I guess you could call that a side effect or maybe an unexpected gain, but it was just an incident on the side.

Since a blade can’t replace a person’s hand, overcoming that requires sensitive perception, a delicate adjustment of strength, and a keen sense of balance.

So, naturally, if I were to question whether this would work after failing, my intention was to show off a splendid demonstration and offer a martial art or two.

With the Divine Skill called Yulryu Yeonryeon, true to its name of honing the body softly, it was an external martial art that made the body flexible and soft.

External martial arts focus on body development, unlike the Qi Mastery that builds internal strength. Noteworthy among them is Shaolin’s Great Prajna Diamond Unbreakable Skill.

“Um, yeah. That’s the least you should do. Hmm, you do have a bit of talent.”

“Oh, really? I’m talented?”

Qing’s eyes sparkled as she asked again.

It was the first time she had heard she had talent without the help of a status display.

Ever since last night’s dinner kicked off, through the midnight wardrobe debacle and right into breakfast, all those hours of non-stop effort were finally paying off.

Suddenly feeling quite proud.

But then the status display felt a bit wronged.

With such immense stats, it all felt like I was just mimicking through mindless repetition, not mastering any tricks, just relying on physical abilities that surpassed human limits.

To put it another way, it was like running.

A talented person quickly figures out the best posture, breathing, and how to run effectively, but in Qing’s case, she was just stomping the ground with brute force.

Still, if the records are the same, from the observer’s standpoint, she could easily seem talented.

“But you’re still lacking. Whether it’s with bare hands or a dagger, the time taken should be the same, right? How long did it take to eat yesterday? To get dressed?”

“Hmm. Well, that’s true. But won’t it get better soon?”

“And then you’ll have to do it with your left hand, and eventually, you’ll have to live your life holding daggers in both hands. Only then can you say you’ve truly grasped the essence of the Sword Training Method.”

“Ah…”

Then Qing suddenly asked again,

“Is it really necessary for me to grasp the essence? I just need to learn what softness is.”

“Ahem, once you realize the essence of the Sword Training, wouldn’t you naturally also understand the essence of softness?”

“Hmm, do I really need to go that far…”

Cheon Yu-hak felt slightly stung and tried to soothe her.

“Why, is it too hard? You see, Sword Training isn’t just about living with a sword in hand; there’s a supplementary training method, you know? If you combine them, your progress in practice will be much quicker.”

“Oh, there’s a supplementary training method?”

“Yes, it’s called Yulryu Yeonryeon. Hmm? What are you looking at? Is something there?”

“Oh! What’s that over there?”

Yikes. Qing suddenly played dumb.

Cheon Yu-hak, given his profession, didn’t miss that brief moment of distraction.

Yulryu Yeonryeon. External Martial Arts. Golden.

Sure, the name sings “Divine Skill,” but still, isn’t it golden?

Does this guy not have a purple martial art?

Must be rubbish!

If Cheon Yu-hak had known, he’d be jumping up and down in rage.

This is a “Divine Skill”? This filthy world only recognizes the very best!

“So, will you teach me that Yulryu Yeonryeon training method?”

“Of course. Just one showing of courtesy—”

“I’m sorry.”

“Darnit! You’re so sharp, aren’t you? Just think again—”

“I’m sorry.”

“Dammit! This is a Divine Skill! Look! If you’re a swordsman, you can see how amazing this is!”

He then demonstrated bending his hand in every direction. It was so flexible it was downright bizarre; bending it backward almost touched his wrist, and forward it came frighteningly close to his palm.

His joints could bend more than 90 degrees, truly surpassing normal human limits.

At the same time, his arms extended fully with elbows bending ridiculously the other way, and he could rotate his arms without spilling a drop. Perfect alignment.

Certainly, any swordsman, or warrior for that matter, would be floored by such skill.

Once the range of motion in joints extends to that extreme, the potential for techniques would seem to be in the thousands.

However, Qing fell short as a warrior in this regard. She just had things but didn’t know how to apply them.

“Wow, that’s impressive. Last time you were selling books, now you’re selling medicine?”

“Impressive! Who do you think I am! You can’t possibly mistake me for a cheap peddler! I’m offering you this terrifying Divine Skill for free!”

“Well, even if I’m tempted, I can’t really have two teachers, can I? Unfortunately, I might have to concede this one to someone else.”

“Oh my! Have you ever seen such a closed-off blockhead? How can anyone be this foolish?”

Cheon Yu-hak thumped his chest.

Qing, watching him, thought he might actually bruise himself from so much striking, it was almost self-harm levels of enthusiasm.

“Hmm. With all these great Divine Skills, surely you can find a disciple without needing me?”

“Hmph! Had I not seen you, I’d have no idea! Who would choose anything else after seeing the world’s rarest gem?”

“Hehe, I’m not that special…”

Qing blushed and scratched the back of her head.

This only infuriated Cheon Yu-hak even more.

But on the flip side, it fueled his determination.

At first, he thought she was just sharp enough to recognize a secret manual, then he believed she was simply outstanding.

But once he saw her in training, he realized she possessed all the qualities necessary for Shintu.

And just look at her loyalty.

If she could maintain such loyalty to her current teacher, it’d be the same once she was under his wing.

How could he not feel greedy in that situation?

Even if he raised someone else as a successor now, he’d constantly regret it in the future.

“Hmph. Just you wait.”

“No need to look! I’ll take my leave now.”

Qing nodded her head and departed.

—-

Henan Province cuisine is characterized by its blend of northern and southern regional specialties.

In other words, it’s like a mish-mash without any unique traits exclusive to Henan Province itself.

Still, if you want to nitpick about the cooking style, rice is the staple food but they don’t eat plain rice; they always have to make fried rice. Likewise, rice noodles dominate in the noodle department.

And it’d be hard to find a province with a greater love for onions than in the Central Plain.

Which means, eating with a knife feels a bit inconvenient.

When it comes to fried rice, each grain of rice must remain independent, not sticking to one another to be considered quality, and onions are sliced paper-thin.

Qing piled fried rice on the edge of her knife and carefully moved it over her head. Naturally, a shower of rice grains fell onto the table.

When she lifted her chin and stuck out her tongue to shovel it into her mouth, four fell on the table while three landed squarely on her face, with only three managing to get into her mouth.

Honestly, Pang Dae-san only said one word at first, but after that, he completely zoned out, so rather than zeal for training, it was more like a spectacle of seeing an unparalleled beauty behaving awkwardly that drew attention.

But when it came to Namgoong Shin-jae doing the same, it was downright hard to watch.

“What on earth are you doing at the table? Why is Namgoong hyung acting this way?”

Pang Dae-san sighed.

Namgoong Shin-jae was already wielding a long sword with grunts, making it rather unpleasant to watch the blade dance around the table.

“Hmm. I watched my swordmaster doing this, and indeed, it’s effective training. Didn’t you experience that today?”

“There’s no guarantee that it’s thanks to that training, um, sis. Why are you holding the Dao? I, no, I trust you.”

“Thinking back, I realized I’ve been quite lazy. I had been boasting about my Dao and then merrily married it off, how shameful. Hmm. Looking at Qing, it seems clear. Every breath should be a form of training.”

Pang Dae-san’s expression twisted up.

Thinking about it, Pang Choryeo was indeed a rather renowned martial artist known for her eccentricity.

Just because she was Oki-rin’s sister, everyone treated her like an elder sister—at the core, she was an absolute training fanatic.

“What on earth is this?”

Pang Dae-san sighed heavily and reached for a large piece of Dongpo Pork.

Just then—

“Yap!”

With a cute shout, a dart suddenly pierced the Dongpo Pork!

And following the dart, the thread sent a chunk of meat soaring through the air to beautifully land on Tang Nan-ah’s plate.

“Phew, see? This is why you need to choose your weapons wisely. Look how convenient this is!”

What she was holding was a long needle, which was basically like a slim set of chopsticks.

Pang Dae-san thought as he looked at Tang Nan-ah.

She’s really becoming someone I hate more each day. Is that wrong?

Pang Dae-san felt a moment of confusion.

Thinking back, she was quite bothersome right from their first meeting, always tossing around titles and acting smug. It felt like she hadn’t changed one bit since then.

Pang Dae-san sighed again and reached for the food.

“Yap!”

And once more, another dart went flying.

“…What is this?”

“This is for Qing. Qing, eat this. Training is great, but a person’s gotta eat too. Come on.”

Then, with great flair, he swung the string and catapulted a chunk of meat right onto Qing’s plate.

“…This is maddening.”

Pang Dae-san wiped his face in exasperation.

And there was one more person who had every reason to lose her mind.

Qing loved shoving her mouth full of food until her cheeks bulged.

But since all she was doing was piling fried rice crumbs with a dagger, it could only make her blood boil.

Finally, driven to the edge, Qing lunged forward with her dagger.

This is Goro Sobi, one of Henan Province’s representative dishes, distinguished by being grilled on a high stove.

Qing carefully raised the knife to slice under the Goro Sobi, ready to take a big bite.

But then the ensuing debacle was purely a result of her usual habits.

As she bit down on the bread, it began to tear along the bite line, and while Qing, filled to the brim with food, involuntarily tried to push it back with her hand, what she held was a dagger, and she stabbed it straight in.

Clang! Accompanied by the sound of the dagger clattering—

“Ack!”

From her shocked, pain-filled scream, all eyes instantly turned to Qing.

Qing held her hand over her mouth, but crimson blood was gushing down beneath it.

It wasn’t a trickle; it was a stream.

“Qing! What, what happened?”

“I, I accidentally pricked it.”

Basically, she meant she had poked her tongue.

How deep did she stab it for that much blood to flow?

Yet, as Qing’s face turned beet red, she kept her gaze lowered, as if her embarrassment weighed more than the pain.

Realizing it wasn’t a serious injury, Pang Dae-san sighed deeply, unable to contain a massive exhale in the end.

I knew this would happen, didn’t I?

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