I’ll Help, Hyung. (1)

Kwaaang-!!

With a fierce blast, a violent gust swept through the Training Ground.

And within it, Yu Jinsan was collapsing with a thud.

“Ugh!”

This made it the twelfth time he’d rolled on the ground.

He looked like he couldn’t accept this situation.

He had thought he could at least hold his own against his granddaughter by now. It was no different from before he reached the Supreme realm.

No, it was even worse than when he had relied on the demon-possessed left hand to fight.

He hadn’t withstood even a single one of his granddaughter’s three moves. A strange sense of humiliation washed over him.

“Grandpa, are you okay? Shall we stop now?”

At his bedside, about five steps away.

Yu Seol was blinking with the bamboo staff lodged behind her head like a prop.

Her words sounded like mockery, and he couldn’t help it.

He didn’t want to accept such a humiliating situation.

“Stop? What do you mean stop? It’s not over yet, stay right there.”

Yu Jinsan’s body sprang up like a roly-poly toy from where he lay.

Steadying himself, he dashed toward Yu Seol like an arrow.

His movement was completely different from before.

In the blink of an eye, the bamboo staff in his grasp was heading for his granddaughter’s forehead.

It was truly lightning speed.

But Yu Seol’s face remained full of ease.

Yu Jinsan’s bamboo staff struck nothing but empty air.

She had merely tilted her head and avoided it.

But this had already been part of the plan.

He yanked the bamboo staff, spun like a top, and struck his granddaughter’s waist.

Whoooosh-!!

A sharp gale swept past, but that was all. Yu Seol’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

A momentary bewilderment flashed in Yu Jinsan’s eyes.

Having finished the move, he extended the staff behind his back and searched for his granddaughter’s position.

Then his eyes widened as if they’d split.

‘…My goodness.’

Unbelievably, Yu Seol was perched on the tip of his bamboo staff.

She had alighted like a sparrow and balanced on one foot, leaving him speechless.

Amazingly, she didn’t even seem to weigh as much as a feather.

It was clear his granddaughter had grown stronger just as he had.

“It’s my turn now, right?”

By yielding two moves, she meant she was about to start her counterattack.

It was always like this.

He hurried to reclaim the staff, but Yu Seol’s motion was one step faster.

Yu Seol’s body leapt from the bamboo staff as if to pierce the sky.

Then she inverted in midair, preparing to descend.

Watching that, Yu Jinsan’s expression darkened.

‘One Hundred and Eight (Tentacle) Strikes?’

It was a move from the Invincible Seol Spear Technique that he himself had devised.

For now, it was also the strongest finishing spear move in Yu Seol’s spear art.

Yu Jinsan lowered his stance and gritted his teeth.

At that moment, his granddaughter’s body began to fall like a meteor from above.

Yu Jinsan was not one to take it lying down.

He drove his toes into the ground with force.

Yu Jinsan poured ten-star internal qi into the bamboo staff in his grip and released a battle cry.

It was the ninth move of the Yu Family Wind Slaying Spear: Fierce Dragon Ascends to Heaven.

Two clusters of light collided in the air, producing a flash.

It was the sound of the bamboo staff Yu Jinsan was holding snapping.

‘…Damn it!’

He felt a chill run down his spine, countless bamboo staffs were descending from the sky like tentacles, wrapping his entire body.

The weapon in his hand had broken, and he had no means of defense.

Now the only thing he could rely on was the Vajra Indestructible Divine Arts. He hastily covered his face and head with his arms.

Thwack-thud-! Tatatatak-!!

“Aaaah!”

The flurry of blows from the air ended in less than a single breath.

In that short time, he was struck over a hundred times.

Like a bird with broken wings, his body fell to the ground.

Once more sprawled out, Yu Jinsan couldn’t get up.

It wasn’t because he was hurt.

He hadn’t been injured because his granddaughter had restrained herself.

He simply couldn’t rise because of the crushing sense of defeat.

“Grandpa, does it hurt?”

Yu Seol came over and crouched at his bedside. She seemed to think she had been too harsh.

“No. I just need to rest a bit, go on in first.”

“Sniff. I’m sorry. From now on I’ll hold back more.”

Yu Jinsan asked with a look of disbelief.

“You mean you were holding back for this too?”

“Mm-hmm. Otherwise Grandpa might die.”

Not long ago, Yu Jinsan had felt as if he owned the world.

But that joy quickly turned to frustration.

To be defeated so miserably.

At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to contribute when fighting the Murim Alliance leader.

‘I’m still far from it.’

He wasn’t satisfied with his current level. He wanted to become a bit stronger.

Even if he couldn’t match his granddaughter shoulder to shoulder, at least he wanted to be able to synchronize with her.

There was only one fastest way in the current situation.

‘I have no choice but to persuade the Renegade monk.’

The best course was to learn the Muscle Changing Technique from him, the supreme martial art of the Shaolin Temple.

He had already received the Great Body-Shift Technique and the Vajra Indestructible Divine Arts. It wasn’t impossible.

Having resolved his thoughts, Yu Jinsan dusted himself off and stood.

“Let’s call it a day for today.”

Yu Jinsan headed for the Defeating Blade Clan.

Upon reaching his destination, he strolled through the manor looking for Jeong Hye.

After wandering for a while, a familiar child ran up from across the way and bowed.

He was one of the kids who had come to visit the house with his granddaughter not long ago.

It was perfect timing.

“Mandu, is it? I came to see the monk, but I can’t find him.”

“Ah. The monk? I know where he is.”

There was only one person here who wore monk’s robes.

Although he had been expelled and was no longer a monk in status, everyone still called him ‘monk.’

“Alright, lead the way.”

Yu Jinsan followed Mandu to somewhere.

It was a small flower garden newly being arranged in the most secluded corner of the manor.

“He’s been there every day lately.”

“Good. Thanks. Come by later to visit Seol again.”

An elderly pair were tending flowers in the flowerbed.

Surprisingly, one of them was the Renegade monk, Jeong Hye.

And opposite him was Aunt Wang from the kitchen hall, who prepared food for the sect.

He had known there was something between them, but he hadn’t expected it to develop this far.

It wouldn’t be strange to call them a married couple now.

‘Though he’s a somewhat odd monk, he’s purer and more dependable than anyone in the world.’

At that moment Jeong Hye placed a flower in Aunt Wang’s white hair and asked.

“Heeey~ Do I look pretty? How’s my hair?”

He was once an unpredictable, fearsome figure, but now he had become a completely different person.

“Pretty. Prettier than the flower.”

Of course, it wasn’t said entirely sincerely.

Until recently she had been known in the Defeating Blade Clan as the grumpiest old woman.

So bad was it that she hadn’t married even in her twilight years and earned the nickname ‘Aunt Wang.’

Seeing her shyly lower her face, Yu Jinsan couldn’t help but smile.

“Oh my, oh dear.”

“Like a pair of egrets. Sorry to have disturbed your pleasant time.”

At Yu Jinsan’s awkward remark, her face flushed like a persimmon.

“I-I’m busy, I should go. You two talk!”

Jeong Hye waved his hand toward her.

“Go on, cutie! I’ll come by secretly tonight!”

Aunt Wang covered her face and ran off toward the kitchen hall.

After she disappeared from view, Yu Jinsan subtly asked.

“You two suit each other. Why not get married for real? I could find a way to help.”

Jeong Hye shook his head with a melancholic expression.

“Monks can’t marry.”

“But you’re expelled from the Shaolin Temple now, so you’re not a monk anymore.”

“No. Jeong Hye must return.”

Yu Jinsan already understood that Jeong Hye still longed for the monastery despite being expelled.

The problem was that Shaolin Temple would never accept him; they considered him an enemy.

His rampage of destroying Buddha statues and relic towers was unforgivable.

“Then why did you turn the temple into a ruin?”

“To find a secret martial arts book and kill that black-faced brat.”

What Jeong Hye sought was the secret manual for the Buddha Lion Roar Divine technique that Yu Seol had learned, to protect Shaolin from the Tianzhu master who had defeated him.

In any case, he had promised that in exchange for him giving up the manual, the granddaughter would help him in the future.

Yu Jinsan began to use this point to persuade Jeong Hye.

“Shall I help too?”

Jeong Hye blinked and appraised Yu Jinsan up and down.

Then suddenly he began waving his hands in delight.

“Our hyung is now Supreme realm too! Supreme realm!”

“Yes. I’m not who I used to be.”

Jeong Hye returned to a serious expression and wagged his index finger.

“Hmm~ But you’re still no help.”

There was a huge gap between Yu Jinsan, who had just reached absolute warrior rank, and Jeong Hye, who had achieved the pinnacle of the Supreme realm.

In both the quality and mastery of martial arts, they were incomparable.

“Then you could make me stronger, little one.”

“How?”

“Teach me your arts. Do you remember what you told me before?”

Jeong Hye, with a nonchalant look, began picking his nose.

“Hmm~ I don’t know.”

No matter how mad he was, he couldn’t possibly not remember that.

Yu Jinsan asked again with a stunned expression.

“You said you’d pass on the Muscle Changing Technique if I reached the Supreme realm?”

To be precise, he hadn’t received a firm promise, only a ‘I’ll think about it.’

Still, he had blurted it out to gauge his intentions.

“Why not?”

Jeong Hye still picked his nose and answered gruffly.

“There’s a condition.”

It wasn’t hard to guess what the condition would be.

Hadn’t he already been toyed with twice?

‘Is he really going to flick boogers at me again?’

No matter how coveted the Muscle Changing Technique was, he couldn’t accept it without saving face.

Then he would have to take a different approach.

He wasn’t someone who came without thought.

“What kind of condition between us?”

At that moment, mischief appeared on Jeong Hye’s face.

“Heeey~ Aren’t you hungry?”

As expected, the Renegade monk’s index finger had a round object on it.

And this time it even had blood on it.

Just imagining it made him gag.

“Wait a moment. I have something to say first.”

“What is it?”

“The guy you mentioned seems to have already crossed into the Central Plains. Haven’t you heard?”

At that instant, Jeong Hye’s mischievous face hardened.

A coldness swept over him as if he had become a different person.

“That black-faced brat has returned?”

“I’m not sure it’s definitely him. He’s been seeking out warriors and challenging them; I heard even the Kunlun Martial Emperor was bested.”

“Black-faced?”

“He came from Tianzhu, so probably.”

Jeong Hye’s brow tightened sharply.

He clenched his left hand and began to radiate anger.

“…I’ll kill him.”

“I think he’s just a vanguard. Even if you kill him, his comrades will swarm in.”

“It’s fine. Seol agreed to fight with me.”

“Two alone won’t be enough. But if you want, I’ll help too.”

Jeong Hye seemed to ponder for a moment.

Yu Jinsan continued to press him.

It didn’t take long to move Jeong Hye’s heart.

After barely a moment, he quietly asked.

“Shall I teach you? The Muscle Changing Technique.”

Yu Jinsan inwardly wanted to shout for joy.

But the joy was short-lived.

“Alright! Good thinking….”

As he continued, his eyes widened, he saw Jeong Hye flick his finger.

He had used the finger-flick technique to shoot a booger.

He was playing a prank until the end.

He had fallen for it in the past when off-guard, but the situation was different now.

Yu Jinsan twisted his waist with all his might.

Jeong Hye’s flicked booger skimmed the bridge of his nose by barely an inch.

It was close, but he narrowly avoided the ambush right in front of him.

Just as he was calming his startled heart, Jeong Hye’s single shout rang out.

“Pass!”