“Hmm…”
Tang So-yeol watched as the group trained. Yeo Il-ye and Hyeok Gi-rin were perfecting the Jeomchang Faction’s Four-Finger Saber Technique, while Black Cat was meticulously handling her training.
Tang Do-yeon was also diligently practicing her whip technique.
Meanwhile, Tang So-yeol, lounging about, rolled over to change the direction he was facing. Using a pillow, he propped his head up and started rolling a cigarette while still lying down.
From the direction Tang So-yeol was facing, Ho Cheon-an was in the midst of training.
“Grrr!”
On the parallel bars, Ho Cheon-an had two water jars hanging from a long stick on his shoulder. With the jars full of water, any slight movement from Ho Cheon-an made it look precarious as the water sloshed.
Sure enough, as Ho Cheon-an passed along the narrow parallel bars, his balance wavered, and the slightest move caused the water to spill.
Swish!
Crack!
“Ahhh!”
As the water began to leak from Ho Cheon-an’s jar, a wooden piece flew off immediately. The Unknown Elder, having thrown the wooden piece, chuckled and said,
“I said every time you spill a drop of water, it’s a slap, and judging by the result, it seems you’ll be eating a lot of slaps, so there’s no need to prepare your lunch.”
“Ahhh! Master! How can you be so stingy with food!”
“Stingy? Haha, seems the grandchild of the Master has no words for the Master himself.”
Smack!
Despite the shock from the slap, Ho Cheon-an barely managed to regain his balance. He twisted his body repeatedly, trying to recover but ended up moving more erratically in the process.
Splash! Splash!
As Ho Cheon-an thrashed about, water continued to spill from both jars.
Splatter!
Water sprayed repeatedly from Ho Cheon-an’s forehead. With each shock, his balance wobbled further, leading to more spills, creating a vicious cycle of water splashing and further slaps. Watching this, Tang So-yeol chuckled softly.
“AAAAAH!”
With gritted teeth, Ho Cheon-an began to run along the parallel bars. Since he couldn’t avoid spilling water, he figured he might as well hurry and get off the parallel bars.
But the Unknown Elder wasn’t just going to stand by and watch.
“This guy is not training and is just trying to cheat.”
Whack!
With a long, crisp sound, Ho Cheon-an’s forehead snapped back. Losing balance, he twisted his body, ultimately falling off the parallel bars, and as he fell, the jars spectacularly tipped over, splashing water everywhere.
Soaking wet, Ho Cheon-an lay sprawled out on the ground.
“You will be using water for the afternoon training, so fill the jars to the brim. Of course, if you can’t catch meal time, you’ll know you won’t eat, right?”
“AAAAAH!”
Suddenly Ho Cheon-an sprang to his feet, shouldering the water jars and bolting outside the cave.
Amidst the unexpected chaos, Black Cat wore a wry smile as she glanced over.
The Unknown Elder’s cooking was undoubtedly a culinary masterpiece, so missing out on such delicacies to munch on cold rice balls would mean Ho Cheon-an was missing out on one of the few pleasures he could enjoy during this intense training.
But unfortunately, with his legs worn out from training, it would be difficult for Ho Cheon-an to fill the jars in time.
Despite his best efforts to cart water back and forth, by the time he managed to fill the jars, all that was left on the lunch table were the remnants of the meal.
“AAAAAH!”
Unlike before, this time Ho Cheon-an roared in frustration and headed out again to fill the jars. Watching him, the Unknown Elder and Tang So-yeol snickered, while Tang Do-yeon, Black Cat, and Yeo Il-ye wore wry smiles.
Seeing Ho Cheon-an’s retreating figure dashing out of the cave, Hyeok Gi-rin cautiously piped up.
“Uh… Elder.”
Hyeok Gi-rin hesitated before speaking.
“Hmm? Is there something you want to say?”
“Um… it’s not that I have doubts about your teaching methods, but I am curious about your intentions in pushing Ho Cheon-an like that.”
“Hmm… Do you think I’m just bullying that guy?”
Hyeok Gi-rin swallowed hard. It was true that the Unknown Elder doted on the rest of the group, but he was slightly worried that this question might cross a line.
However, after finishing his meal and seeing Tang So-yeol sprawled out carelessly on the floor, Hyeok Gi-rin found the courage to speak up. If the Elder could be lenient with such slackness, then maybe he could afford to be a bit blunt.
“While you might have deep intentions, that is how it appears to me.”
“Oh, you’ve seen it quite accurately.”
The Unknown Elder chuckled heartily and nodded.
“…Huh?”
“It just means I’m bullying him.”
As Hyeok Gi-rin looked at the perplexed expression on the Unknown Elder’s face, he handed him a piece of candy. Hyeok Gi-rin accepted it, still bewildered, and popped it into his mouth.
Whatever the Unknown Elder made, it was always heavenly.
Watching Hyeok Gi-rin chew on the candy, the Unknown Elder posed a question.
“Do you think an easy path exists in this world?”
“That’s a tough question.”
As everyone pondered over the sudden question, only Tang So-yeol responded resolutely.
“There is.”
“Indeed. There are many paths in the world, and among them, there must be wide, easy paths without curves.”
The Unknown Elder stroked his beard and spoke.
“However, does the world always unfold as one wishes? Since we cannot solve everything at our will, the path we must take is the same.”
All listened quietly to the Unknown Elder’s words.
“Thus, there are times when one inevitably faces a very winding path.”
“Wall.”
As they listened to the Unknown Elder, the group recalled this term.
“Well, one might think, after all, if one is skillful and talented, and is thus favored by luck, one could achieve what they want without facing walls, right? Perhaps. If one lives an ordinary life, they would be able to choose only easy paths and prosper.”
The Unknown Elder continued.
“But a martial artist cannot do that.”
A single word flickered through everyone’s minds.
Martial Principles.
After reaching the top tier, to elevate one’s realm, there is inevitably a wall to face.
“Whether it’s a Master, a sect, or even spiritual medicine and religious insights, they can only assist. Each person must walk their own path.”
“…Yes.”
“The path of a martial artist is such that you find a mountain after crossing a hill, and after crossing a mountain, a cliff appears. Sure, hills can be traversed by cart or horseback, but can one ride over a steep mountain or cliff?”
The Unknown Elder shook his head.
“How could a man who has only ridden in carts all his life find the strength to reach the mountain peak and crawl over a cliff? They would simply stop there. Only those who sweat diligently, climbing the mountain and enduring pain to build their muscles can ascend the cliff.”
As he saw Ho Cheon-an coming in with a water jar, the Unknown Elder clicked his tongue.
“Look at that guy’s face. It’s as shiny as if he’s always chosen the easy route, and his mental state looks mushy, quite evident, isn’t it?”
“Hmm…”
The group fell silent for a moment. While they understood the meaning behind the Unknown Elder’s words, Ho Cheon-an’s face, which looked dry and shadowed with dark circles, while he sweatily carried the load, bore little resemblance to a lazy person.
“It is the role of a Master to fill in what is lacking. So if he has never experienced challenges or adversities, then I must become that adversity for him!”
Seeing the laughing Unknown Elder, the group mused.
While his reasoning was rather grandiose, the real reason for tormenting Ho Cheon-an seemed to be that the Elder himself enjoyed it.
“Hey! Meal time is over, so get to the kitchen and eat any leftover cold rice!”
“Ahhhh!”
“Hahahaha!”
As the Unknown Elder burst into hearty laughter, the group shared knowing smiles filled with doubt.
*
“I can’t take it anymore!”
Ho Cheon-an shook with anger. The relentless torment had already reached its limit. He could withstand the ridicule and the slaps throughout training.
Ultimately, he felt a desperate need for martial arts training.
“Bloodshed gymnastics number eight!”
“Aaaah!!”
“Number eleven!”
“Aaaah!!”
Thus, he managed to endure the malicious behavior of only alternating between the eighth and eleventh counts of bloodshed gymnastics.
“Haha, kids can rest pleasantly. I can make that guy do chores during his breaks.”
“However…”
“I said go and rest. Haha.”
He could even endure the craziness of being made to do random chores during breaks.
But there was one thing that even Ho Cheon-an could not tolerate.
Bubbling, sizzling, crackling!
It was the Unknown Elder’s cooking.
The sound of delicious food being prepared! After consuming all that energy throughout the day, his heightened sense of smell was mercilessly stimulated by the fragrant, nutty, sweet aroma of delightful dishes! And the sight of such beautifully crafted dishes that hinted at exquisite flavors!
While the rest of the group savored the heavenly meals daily, Ho Cheon-an hadn’t eaten even once since the formation of the array.
He smelled, he heard, he saw, but ultimately, he had never had the chance to taste those mouth-watering dishes. All he could eat were bland preserved foods and cold rice.
“I can’t take it anymore!”
Finally, Ho Cheon-an stood tall against it.
Crash!
Of course, as soon as he stood up, he received a slap and found himself tumbling to the ground.
“This guy should be thankful if he even gets cold rice! Do you want to starve starting tomorrow?!”
“Ahhh! Really! Let me eat!”
The group exchanged furtive glances at the Unknown Elder. They understood his intentions, but it was also true that they were torturing Ho Cheon-an, and it always nagged at their conscience whenever they indulged in meals while leaving him out.
“Haha, does this guy need to be hit properly to come to his senses?”
While exchanging looks, the group gauged when to speak, and the Unknown Elder rolled up his sleeves and stood up. Seeing this, Ho Cheon-an anxiously opened his mouth.
“Let’s have a bet!”
“A bet?”
“Master! Let’s play a round of gambling!”
“Senior…”
Black Cat, who felt pity for Ho Cheon-an and wanted to help, felt a chilly wave of unease.
It wasn’t just her; everyone felt the same way.
“No matter what, betting against the Master…?”
It was true that the Unknown Elder had been hard on Ho Cheon-an, yet challenging him to a gamble felt a bit too far in terms of moral appropriateness.
Focused on the Unknown Elder, Ho Cheon-an didn’t notice the glances of concern being exchanged among the group as he expressed his demands.
“If you win, I won’t complain and will just eat cold rice! If you lose, you’ll prepare a proper meal for me!”
The Unknown Elder casually picked at his ear and replied.
“Why would I do that?”
Upon hearing such indifferent remarks, Ho Cheon-an, feeling desperate, swallowed hard and dared to mention the forbidden phrase.
“Are you afraid?”
At that statement, everyone gasped in surprise.
All eyes widened, and they held their breath as they watched the Unknown Elder.
Frozen in the act of ear-picking, the Unknown Elder!
“Hahaha!”
Then suddenly, he burst into a long, hearty laugh.
The kind of laughter that bubbled up from within, as if suppressing rising anger!
“Haha, well this is… Haha…”
As the Unknown Elder kept laughing, he summoned his energy. A rock fragment that had been lying around turned into a hexagonal die, and a desk and three cups floated up from within the cave, crashing down with a bang, forming the game board between Ho Cheon-an and the Unknown Elder.
“Alright. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
The duel between Master and Grandchild was about to begin.
