Chapter 210

“Some funny guy in Qing’s hometown once said that life is a tragedy when viewed up close, but a comedy from a distance.”

And Qing’s situation was exactly like that.

From a distance, she was just a fool who joked around at the dining table and learned a harsh lesson.

But up close? It was painful, so painfully painful it drove her mad.

“Well, since Qing Ah can’t be numbed, there’s not much I can do…”

She had severely bitten her tongue, and normally she’d need stitches, but since she couldn’t be numbed, that wasn’t happening.

“So, I have to leave it like that?”

Pang Dae-san watched Qing gulping down her own blood and spoke up.

Tang Nan-ah shook her head.

“If Guan Yunzhang had tried to stitch his tongue without anesthesia, he would have quietly taken the anesthetic and passed out…”

The tongue was packed with nerves, and no matter how patient a person might be, they couldn’t endure it while staying sane.

Moreover, the attempt itself was risky.

When a person is in pain, they tend to bite down.

If she tried to stick the tongue out to stitch it and bit down, it could end up getting completely severed.

Thus, Tang Nan-ah’s solution was simple.

Pouring hemostatic powder into her mouth.

Once the bleeding was controlled, the tongue was a fast-healing organ, and it would mend quickly.

But the hemostatic powder was extremely bitter and spicy…

Qing was just on the verge of tears.

“Nan-ah…”

“Hmm? What?”

“Perhaps I can’t eat this…”

Tang Nan-ah slapped Qing’s shoulder, making a smacking sound.

“No, you expect to eat dinner when you’ve just bitten your tongue in half? Isn’t your tongue hurt?”

“Well, it’s not the worst…”

“Hmph. For now, you’ll just have to drink honey mixed with goat’s milk. After all, the tongue isn’t really involved when eating, is it?”

The tongue plays an active role in pushing food between teeth while chewing, so she shouldn’t be chewing anything at all right now.

“Ugh, no…”

Qing’s eyes dimmed. They were truly the eyes of someone drowning in despair.

Some might even call them dead eyes.

“And for the time being, you’re banned from dueling.”

“Why…”

“Because intense exercise is off-limits. What if you start bleeding again? The time you can’t eat your favorite food is back to square one?”

“Aww…”

“And don’t speak. Every word you say just prolongs your meal times.”

In response, Qing nodded eagerly.

Tang Nan-ah had a big realization. Qing listened well when threatened with food.

“Keep your head down so blood doesn’t rush to your head. Sleep with a high pillow and lie on your back. Don’t lay on your side.”

Nodding along.

And so she watched Qing, looking like she had lost everything, practicing in the corner of the training hall.

Then suddenly a thought hit her: If the merchant uncle in the martial arts book had a training method that could work just like this.

Wondering if he might be there, Qing made her way towards the bathhouse.

And sure enough, just as she thought, she spotted Cheon Yu-hak lounging on his mat.

He seemed to be snoring loudly, but as soon as Qing approached, he naturally opened his eyes and sat up.

“What is it? Finally feel like paying your respects?”

Qing shook her head furiously.

Cheon Yu-hak scowled at her.

“What’s with the shaking head? Why are you just flopping your mouth around?”

“Permission…”

Then Cheon Yu-hak burst out laughing.

“Oh? You bit your tongue while eating, didn’t you? Isn’t it a trial everyone goes through once? I’ve had my fair share of jabs too; my lips have been bitten to shreds.”

“…”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Does saying it make any difference? You won’t understand until you experience it yourself.”

“…”

“How’d you figure it out just by looking at my expression? That’s experience for you, girl. Your expression is just too easy to read.”

“…”

“I don’t know, just say it.”

So Qing slowly began to speak.

“Um… intense… know… training…”

“Is there a training method that doesn’t involve intense movement? Ha, looks like you messed up pretty badly. You wanna train even like that?”

“But…”

“Hmm, well, there is a suitable method, but…”

Qing’s expression brightened.

But then Cheon Yu-hak smirked.

“Why should I tell you? You’re not my disciple; what reason do I have to help you? You’re a funny girl. Or should I make you come over and beg me now?”

Before Cheon Yu-hak could finish, Qing bent down in a half-bow. Since he had told her to keep her head down, her angle wasn’t too deep.

“What a stubborn girl! Fine. Here, take this.”

Cheon Yu-hak pulled something from his pocket and tossed it at her. It turned out to be a finely carved small statue, with each tiny detail and fold of the clothing meticulously sculpted.

Even Qing, who knew nothing about Buddhist art, could tell it was a precious item.

“You have a Qingzajian, right? Get a big, fresh daikon from the kitchen and carve it the same way.”

“…”

“You think this will help? Aren’t you trying to master softness? Softness ultimately comes from detail and sensitivity. All those fancy terms like Flower Branch Technique or Three-Yang Eight-Directions; they’re just big words for a technique that involves finely chiseling, flowing, and rolling with a specific few angles.”

“…”

“Strength is just power. More strength can mean faster or more intense actions. Of course, a person’s strength is limited, so you can’t just grow stronger. So you train skills to reach a stronger effect with what you have. Even so, relative to softness, it’s not that tough. That’s why there’s so little soft martial arts; they’re just too difficult, and if the achievement isn’t high enough, they won’t even pack a punch in reality.”

“…”

Cheon Yu-hak understood Qing’s silence.

“Why? Surprised I seem like a master? I’m just light on my feet. It’s ridiculous for a master to take themselves so seriously, isn’t it? Does face matter for cooking?”

Qing nodded vigorously in agreement.

It was an emphatic nod of support.

Cheon Yu-hak grinned.

“You seem to connect pretty well for someone who’s supposed to be a Daoist. People who worry too much about their face are often just old fools. Are you really going to deny being my disciple?”

Qing bent again.

Cheon Yu-hak clicked his tongue.

“Then don’t disturb this old man while he’s resting, and don’t come crawling back unless you need something. Geez.”

Hearing that made Qing feel a bit guilty, so she sincerely thanked him.

“Ah! Thank you…”

“No worries.”

Cheon Yu-hak said that, then lay back down and closed his eyes.

Qing fidgeted, standing still for a moment until she realized his snoring meant she should quietly leave.

So, Qing returned to the training hall, having snagged a whole box of daikon from the kitchen.

“What! Qing Ah, you can’t eat this!”

Qing narrowed her eyes. Did this guy think she was some kind of monster just chowing down? Besides, if she was going to eat, wouldn’t she want something tasty instead of just munching raw radish?

Qing grimaced and then settled down to start carving the daikon.

However, hmm. Not going as planned.

She had an inkling that carving a statue would be tough.

After all, she had never carved anything before, and the detail involved was on another level entirely.

But still, she figured she might just find a way to manage it—but no, that was a pipe dream.

The first problem was the tools.

Carving knives aren’t simply a bunch of different angled blades; each has a specific purpose for shaping surfaces, carving circles, and detailing.

And since it was a delicate process, the blades were short, perfect for precision work.

But those Qingzajian were on the longer side among daggers and had an unreasonably sharp edge that was able to slice through things like tofu.

So there she was, unable to even carve the most basic shapes of the statue, wasting all that precious radish.

“Stop messing around with food!”

Qing glared, unable to mask her annoyance.

Pang Dae-san shrugged his shoulders and continued to duel with his sister.

However, Qing wasn’t joining in, so Tang Nan-ah was the only one who was absolutely thrilled.

“I did quite a bit of carving myself. It’s a sure-fire way to sharpen your hand coordination and helps a lot with memorization training.”

After hearing that, Qing felt a surge of confidence in the merchant uncle’s training method.

Tang Nan-ah pulled out her own knife to show off, swiftly carving a decent-looking statue from her daikon.

Of course, it was only the basic shape and posture, nowhere near the intricacy of the statue Cheon Yu-hak had given her.

“There’s definitely a knack to it, you know? First, establish the balance with the larger pieces. From there, consider the head, body, and legs. Get the overall balance first.”

After hearing that, Qing felt like she understood.

But understanding? Pfft, as if just listening would suddenly make her a sculptor. If it were that simple, there wouldn’t be anyone in the world who isn’t a sculptor!

Yet, Qing didn’t give up.

She wasn’t a man of indomitable will, but she couldn’t just sit around doing nothing after the bit of tongue she had just hurt. She had to keep improving her skills somehow, however she could. She couldn’t afford to stop just because she had a little injury.

—-

Days earlier—

Unyeonjeong looked utterly disgusted.

“Oh dear, are you really intending to bring that ugly, filthy dog with you?”

“What reason do I have not to take in a creature that fate has brought me?”

“A dog that has gone wild will bite people, you know? It’s no better than a wild beast, not a domestic animal!”

“Ha! Are you worried an old man like me will be bitten by a dog?”

Then Unyeonjeong made another attempt to reason with him.

It was really something else if she hated it so much she was actually passionately ranting, something that was rare for her.

“Moreover, dogs stink. With their long hair all fluttering around, and when you take them on a walk, they’ll come back covered in all kinds of bugs and filth.”

“Who said you had to raise it? I’m the one raising it in my house, so why do you, someone who just lives here, care?”

“Oh dear, you must consider the others living with you, right? I don’t want that. I can’t stand beasts!”

“If you hate it so much, why don’t you go live with the Demon Horse or the Snake Demon?”

“This is just too much…. I have no home, and look how sad that makes me…”

Unyeonjeong pretended to wipe her tears and turned suddenly hostile, her eyes gleaming with menace.

“If you consider it so, make sure to train it not to poke its nose into my quarters. If it steps even one foot in, I’ll dispose of it and throw it out into the wilderness!”

And now—

“Oh my, Chugu! Did you roll around in the mud? No, no. Sit down. Such a good dog, you listen so well. Now, let’s go get you cleaned up!”

The name Chugu, meaning “ugly,” might sound harsh for a dog’s name, but it was fitting given the dog’s appearance.

Indeed, it was clearly an ugly dog anyone could see at a glance.

“Chugu is a blessing. Such a blessing!”

“Oh my, sir, isn’t Chugu the perfect name for it? Chugu, which name do you prefer?”

The dog barked and wagged its tail as it lay at Unyeonjeong’s feet.

“See, sir? Chugu likes his name!”

At this, Soumusa’s expression twisted.

“You were the one threatening to dispose of it once, and now look at you acting so happy—what a turncoat!”

“Well, should I say my opinion has changed a bit?”

“Changed a bit? Then why the drastic change in demeanor? How shameless!”

Unyeonjeong sported a faint smile.

“Sir, haven’t you ever felt this way? Even when you’re with someone, there’s this constant feeling of loneliness—truly, a deep-seated loneliness that feels like a knife to the bone, being dropped into this world all alone…”

“Hmph. Life is essentially a lonely struggle.”

“You may not understand. You can’t possibly know the feeling of being different, or of being all alone in the world.”

“People essentially are like that. They might think they know it all, but at some point, they realize they know nothing of others.”

There was a tone of regret in the voice.

This only deepened Unyeonjeong’s smile.

“What I meant was about the essence of things, rather than feelings… But still, don’t you think being utterly alone in the world is cruel? I have my insecurities so I needed to open things up. Chugu, don’t you think you might understand me now?”

The dog barked, seeming to say it understood.

And with that, Unyeonjeong’s smile became even brighter.

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