Chapter 39

Among the many lakes in the Tianshan Mountain Range, we visited the Black Dragon Lake.

“It is amazing no matter when you see it. Sajae, this is your first time here, right?”

Wi So-rang spoke in a smug tone.

She clearly wanted to boast that she had been here before.

“You could say that.”

In this life.

I added a word inwardly.

Large and small boats were moored along the lakeshore.

I rented a shabby-looking fishing boat among them.

It was just the right size to train with her.

“Last time, I rode that boat over there.”

Where Wi So-rang pointed with her finger was a huge boat that could easily hold over a hundred people.

It was not just a matter of money; it did not suit our purpose either.

I waved my hand and practically pushed Wi So-rang onto the boat.

Me, Wi So-rang, Im Yeon and three of my escort warriors, four of Wi So-rang’s guards, and one boatman.

A total of eleven people climbed aboard nice and snug.

“Shoving off.”

The boatman curtly pushed against the lake bottom with his sculling pole.

The boat began to glide forward smoothly.

Then Wi So-rang pressed herself against the railing and leaned her head out over the water.

“Wow, the boat is moving, Sajae. I can see fish too.”

She chattered excitedly as if she had never complained.

And she said she did not like this boat?

“Boatman, take us over there to the foggy part. I want to see what is there.”

On the far side of the lake, mist was rising.

It probably looked fascinating to a child’s eyes.

‘Sorry, but we are not here to play.’

I had rented this boat not to play, but for Wi So-rang’s training.

As I had said many times, the biggest cause of her stagnation was her body.

Broad Sun Fist Art was a martial art whose core lay in controlling a wide area. For short-reached Wi So-rang, it was impossible to execute it properly.

At least, on the surface it was.

I had thought long and hard about why the Heavenly Demon had taught this to Wi So-rang.

To start with the conclusion, I had figured out his hidden intent.

From now on I would be able to confirm whether that guess was correct.

“Sajeo, having fun?”

“Yeah!”

“Want to make it even more fun and play a game?”

“What kind of game?”

At the word “game,” Wi So-rang’s eyes sparkled.

“The boat is rocking, right? The game is to keep your balance.”

“Oh, come on, who cannot do that.”

“Can you still use your fist art?”

“Of course.”

“Even like this? Guard Im, get ready.”

“Yes, Young Lord. Everyone, to your positions!”

“To positions!”

Wi So-rang’s eyes went wide.

It was because Im Yeon and the three escort warriors leaped gracefully and landed near the four corners of the boat.

I had already spoken to them about this.

I had asked them to do this and that for Wi So-rang’s training.

“Start rocking it.”

At that, Im Yeon and the others took turns putting strength into their legs.

The boat began to shake as if a pleasure boat had run into a storm.

“What in the—”

I handed two taels of silver to the boatman just as he opened his mouth.

His mouth shut at once.

It was money as precious as blood, but this was an investment.

Once I achieved my goal, two taels of silver would not feel the least bit wasteful.

“Sajae, what is this?”

“What else? It is a game.”

“It does not feel like a game.”

“You are right. It is the ‘hit the sajae running around on a rocking deck’ game.”

“That sounds so fun!”

“See, I told you it was a game, right?”

“Yeah!”

Wi So-rang answered brightly.

As expected of a kid, I liked how simple she was.

“What will you do for me if I succeed?”

“Let me see. I will secretly buy you candied hawthorn skewers without the Patriarch knowing.”

“I love it!”

“But there is a condition. You can only use Broad Sun Fist Art. No internal energy.”

“Why?”

“So it counts as training while we play.”

Wi So-rang thought for a moment, then nodded readily.

“Got it. Here I come!”

Almost before she finished speaking, Wi So-rang charged in.

Her first move was Dawn Strike.

Her momentum was good, but the boat was rocking violently. Her center was slightly off, so the original power did not come out.

I only leaned my upper body slightly back, and Wi So-rang’s fist brushed right past the tip of my nose.

Wi So-rang did not panic.

Planting her right foot firmly, she spun and swung her leg.

It was Turning Sun Kick.

‘Her talent really is exceptional.’

I silently marveled.

Strength was properly loaded into the foot with which she stepped on the deck.

Her first move had failed, but with that single failure she had gotten the feel for it.

Wi Geum-myeong probably thought that he had turned Wi So-rang into a Little Demon with money.

But there was no way the Heavenly Demon would take just anyone as a disciple.

“Hiya! Hrah!”

Her small fists cut through the air as her strikes rained down without pause.

I dodged them all with Whirling Wind Fluttering Leaf Steps.

I had sparred endlessly with Wi So-rang at this time in my previous life, so I knew exactly how she would move.

So I kept her in the center and never moved more than one and a half meters away.

The fact that she still could not even brush my collar made it clear what problem Wi So-rang had.

‘This is why she could not reach the fourth stage.’

The factors that were closely tied to mastery of Broad Sun Fist Art were breathing and range.

To go from third to fourth stage, she had to seize a radius of about three meters in every direction in two breaths without using internal energy.

For an adult, it would somehow be possible since their limbs were long, but it was not easy for Wi So-rang.

That was why Wi Geum-myeong had her eat only vegetables, saying her body was heavy.

If her body weight dropped, she might be able to move that much more nimbly.

‘But it is a wrong judgment.’

Wi Geum-myeong’s martial attainment was lacking compared to the other heads of the Seven Demonic Houses.

Even so, he was still undeniably a top-class master.

He must have grasped what Wi So-rang’s problem was. He had only fallen short compared to me when it came to finding the path to a solution.

That was because he did not know two things.

His daughter’s talent and the Heavenly Demon’s intent.

“Sajeo. Why do you think Master passed Broad Sun Fist Art on to you?”

“I don’t know!”

Wi So-rang answered without even thinking about it.

It was because she was dying to hit me.

“Why can I not land even one hit!”

It was probably because the boat was rocking more and more violently.

But that was what made this training even more effective.

With clumsy movements, she would not be able to do anything. She would only truly gain something by overcoming this rough environment.

“Hyap!”

I dodged her attack while leaning my back against the railing.

Charging hard, Wi So-rang nearly went over the railing and fell into the lake.

“Hey! You, Sajae!”

“What do you mean, ‘you,’ to your elder?”

“I am your sajeo, so I can call you ‘you.’ You, you, you, you, you.”

“Do you not think your martial arts are weak for a sajeo? At this rate, you will never hit me even if you live your whole life.”

“Why you. I am not going easy anymore!”

A wave of energy spread from Wi So-rang’s body.

She was using internal energy.

“Yaaap!”

Creak. Wi So-rang kicked off the deck and charged.

Whoong!

Leaning my body out of the way and letting the attack slide past, I spoke.

“Take it easy. We cannot have the boat breaking.”

“I can just buy a new one!”

“The world is not all about what you can buy with money.”

I felt I would have to teach her many things from here on.

Having lots of money was good, but I had to teach her that it was not everything.

For the days Wi So-rang had ahead of her.

And yet.

“It is fine, please break it, Sixth Young Lady! I am dying for an excuse to buy a new boat!”

…the owner of the boat was the one who wanted it destroyed.

I had never told him, but he must have recognized who Wi So-rang was.

But what will you do if it sinks like this?

‘There is no helping it. I will have to use internal energy too.’

Originally, I had planned to take it slowly and let Wi So-rang figure everything out from start to finish.

But there was no way I could face Wi So-rang using internal energy while not using it myself.

About a quarter of an hour.

I would give her a short but intense lesson.

‘I hope she grabs hold of the clue before class is over.’

“Ee-yacha!”

Now that she had permission to destroy things, Wi So-rang’s movements became light.

She kicked off the deck and leapt into the air, swinging her leg.

Now the rule of keeping a meter and half distance from Wi So-rang was completely broken.

I widened the distance and freely used the entire deck.

Kwachik!

The railing shattered under Wi So-rang’s heel. Wood splinters fell into the lake and sent up sprays of water.

“Too slow. Do I look like a railing?”

Wi So-rang rushed back in the moment she landed.

When I stepped back half a step, her attack struck empty air.

“Your stepping foot is weak. Your balance breaks. Even if the boat shakes, your lower body must not.”

Whoong!

Wi So-rang pressed me even harder.

I kept dodging and tossed out a word or two at a time.

“Forget about the length of your limbs. The range your fingertips and toes brush is not your true domain.”

“Your breathing is unstable. That is why you cannot leap the distance you want.”

“Make it more explosive, in a single moment!”

Wi So-rang did not answer a single word and focused completely on the fight.

Her concentration was astonishing.

Yes, this was talent.

I had discovered a talent too.

As I kept nagging, my spirits strangely rose.

I had always been on the receiving end of the Heavenly Demon’s teaching, so I never knew. Could it be that I was actually suited to teaching?

Riding that momentum, I shouted even more enthusiastically.

“Sajeo, your arms and legs are way too short!”

“You just told me to forget that!”

“Why are you so weak? Did you skip breakfast?”

With an extremely serious face, Wi So-rang responded for the first time.

“I did. Greens.”

“Ah, right.”

That made me feel solemn for no reason.

“…Anyway, move well. When this is over, we will go eat meat.”

“Okay!”

Exactly five exchanges later.

Ppaak!

Wi So-rang’s attack hit me for the first time.

Feeling the tingling pain in my arm, I smiled.

‘She actually hit me?’

It made boasting to Wi Geum-myeong worthwhile.

In that moment, Wi So-rang had caught a glimpse of the fourth-stage realm. With just a bit more, she would firmly set foot in it.

“That is enough.”

Regrettably, a quarter of an hour had passed.

I asked Wi So-rang, who had stopped on the deck and was gasping for breath.

“You did well, Sajeo. Did you not feel anything?”

Wi So-rang fell into deep thought.

This brat had a few outstanding strengths.

Innate talent, solid internal energy built thanks to an absurdly wealthy environment, agility and flexibility gained through training, balance and more.

And the essence of Broad Sun Fist Art.

Its essence was not simply to control a wide area.

No, that was true, but that was not all.

It was to condense the elements that were Wi So-rang’s strengths and release them as if they exploded, creating instantaneous expansion of her domain.

By doing so, she filled in her lacking reach, restricted the opponent’s movements, and created a destructive ‘moment.’

That was what Broad Sun Fist Art truly was.

‘Exactly like just now.’

The Heavenly Demon really was a nasty fellow.

Why had he not taught the core principle while teaching the martial art?

If he had at least mentioned it once, Wi So-rang would have grasped the principle of Broad Sun Fist Art without a period of wandering.

And once even her physical drawbacks disappeared, she would have become several times stronger.

‘It really is just like the Heavenly Demon.’

If you cannot overcome it, he lets you break.

That is the Heavenly Demon.

The only exception to that had been me.

Even now, I still did not know why.

“So. Are you done thinking now?”

“Yeah.”

“Then tell me what you felt.”

“I’m hungry.”

“…Shall we go eat meat?”

“Yeah.”

I told Im Yeon and the others, who were still rocking the boat hard, that they could stop, and asked the boatman to turn the boat back.

‘Hm?’

I furrowed my brow.

Not too far away on the other side of the lake, the giant boat I had seen earlier was drifting.

Since when had that boat been following us?

I had not noticed because I was so focused.

“Tomorrow, let us do it without internal energy.”

“Okay!”

At her confident answer, I smiled.

---

That night, Wi Geum-myeong visited Silver Cloud Pavilion.

He glared at me with a very displeased expression.

“What is the matter? Is there some problem?”

“Problem? Problem indeed. Seventh Young Lord, what have you been doing with the Sixth Young Lady yesterday and today?”

“Training.”

“Ha. You say the most absurd things. Are you telling me playing in the marketplace and playing on a boat are training?”

“Playing? What kind of nonsense are you saying?”

“I saw it with my own eyes!”

Personally, he says.

The boat was so conspicuous that I had wondered who was on it. It must have been Wi Geum-myeong.

“In the middle of the lake you were doing something bizarre. Not even children’s play. Training, you say, is really nothing more than playing at smashing boats?”

“Please say it correctly. Only your daughter broke the boat.”

“What exactly are you trying to do? I truly want to know. Do you think the Sixth Young Lady can attain the fourth stage in Broad Sun Fist Art with such methods?”

I looked straight into Wi Geum-myeong’s eyes as I spoke.

“There is a rumor going around, and it seems it might be true.”

“What rumor are you talking about?”

“That the Patriarch of the Iron-Gold Wi Clan’s insight is lacking compared to the other Patriarchs of the Seven Demonic Houses.”

“What was that?”

Wi Geum-myeong’s plump cheeks quivered with anger.

If not for my status, he looked like he would smash me into the floor with a single palm right now.

‘How interesting.’

Wi Geum-myeong’s epithet was Smiling-Face Golden Demon.

Having ‘smiling-face’ attached meant, to start with, that he smiled often.

In my previous life he had looked down on me as well, but he had always worn a smile.

Yet now he was showing such a furious face.

“No matter if you are the Seventh Young Lord, this is an unforgivable discourtesy!”

“If you saw, you should know. Tomorrow, Sajeo will definitely achieve a breakthrough.”

At those words, the momentum of Wi Geum-myeong, which had seemed endlessly overwhelming, faltered.

“You said the Sixth Young Lady can reach the fourth stage. Tomorrow?”

“I said she can.”

“You are truly confident.”

“If you do not believe me, you can check for yourself. Come to Little Dragon Pavilion in the afternoon.”

Wi Geum-myeong’s brow twitched.

It seemed it was because of the unexpected suggestion.

“I hope this is not mere boasting. If it is, I believe I will be very angry.”

For an instant, Wi Geum-myeong’s killing intent filled the main hall.

It was intense enough that he could have blown away the entire hall with a single move.

I did not shrink back and instead smiled faintly.

After glaring at me for a moment, Wi Geum-myeong rose to his feet.

“May I ask you just one thing?”

“What is that?”

He looked down at me with icy eyes.

“Why did you come personally to keep watch? You could easily have your subordinates report to you in detail.”

“I do not trust my subordinates. A hundred reports I hear are not worth seeing once with my own eyes.”

“Do you judge everything that way?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You do not trust your daughter, you do not trust your subordinates, and you even do not trust me, who has taken charge of your daughter’s training. What exactly do you trust, Patriarch. Is it only money?”

Wi Geum-myeong’s eyes trembled.

He must have felt insulted.

“A merchant is not the same as an ordinary person. He must suspect and verify everything.”

“Keep that attitude for when you do business. When it comes to your daughter, please look at it as a father, not as a merchant. I can understand you not trusting me, but you should trust Sajeo. Her judgment and her possibilities.”

“……”

Why was it?

Wi Geum-myeong did not reply any further.

He only glared at me for a long time.

“I will see you tomorrow.”

After quite a while, he left Silver Cloud Pavilion.

With eyes full of thoughts.