The Martial Arts We Will Train From Now (1)

A prepared palanquin sat in the backyard of the Snow Mountain Escort Services.

Yu Jinsan, who was looking inside, was shocked.

“It’s surprising. To have so much hidden space in the…”

Inside the palanquin was a Buddha statue that had to be donated to the Shaolin Temple, and there was a space hidden within it.

A small space that no adult would dare enter, but it seemed just right for Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter to lie down.

Pungho, who handed a bundle to him, said,

“This is the robe of Shaolin monks, so please change into it. There are a couple of other things here for the sake of camouflage. Prayer beads, a motak, and other necessary items are kept inside.”

“Good. This should be no problem.”

“When are you leaving then?”

“There is such a long way to go, so why wait?”

When Pungho made a gesture, eight palanquin bearers approached and lifted it.

“We’ve assembled a team of smart and swift ones, so you will reach there in four days at most. We’ve also arranged resting areas at the necessary branches so you can take breaks.”

Yu Jinsan truly felt happy about this.

“I don’t know how to repay you for this kindness.”

“Compared to the grace I have received from the elder until now, this doesn’t come close to repaying it. And what do we have to lose?“

“If you think as such, I am thankful.”

Yu Jinsan’s gaze shifted.

There, his granddaughter, who was done preparing for their journey, approached with her hands held by Hyun Hee.

He couldn’t help but smile at how cute she looked in the Buddhist attire, complete with a cap on her forehead.

“Grandpa, try using this. It is so soft and nice.”

Yu Jinsan also donned the items his granddaughter gave him. As long as they wore the robes of monks, they were in perfect disguise.

“Hmm, so warm and comfortable. We will leave now. Are you ready, child?”

Yu Seol, tilting her head, then extended her hand out for a second and shouted,

“Wait!”

“…Why?”

Was it because there seemed to be no apparent reason?

Yu Jinsan waited for his granddaughter’s upcoming words with a bit of confusion.

But the answer that came was something he could never have expected.

“I forgot my snacks.”

Everyone burst into laughter at the sight of the child running off somewhere.

The journey to the destination was quite comfortable, thanks to the efforts of the Black Night Clan to ensure they had the best travel conditions.

The Shaolin Temple was located on Songshan Mountain, and the road to the entrance of the temple was open for the public to travel.

This was partly because of the common people coming there to offer their donations, but also because they were confident that no one would dare attack them.

And after four days, at the foothills of the mountains, two children dressed as monks hid inside the palanquin.

“From now on, we must move slowly, so please make no noise.”

Yu Jinsan wasn’t so oblivious.

Lying down in the small space with his granddaughter, he quietly responded from outside the palanquin.

“I understand.”

From here on, there were so many eyes on the palanquin that they were unable to use their footwork.

Then, the silence continued to stretch out.

How long has it been?

Yu Jinsan heard something from Yu Seol, who lay next to him.

-Grandpa

-Uh?

-I am bored.

Of course, she was. Lying down in the dark, narrow space was undoubtedly boring for a child.

Yu Jinsan, after a moment’s thought, came up with something entertaining.

-Should Grandpa tell you an interesting story?

-Yes!

-Ah, the story I am going to tell you is about the monk Tripitaka, a high monk from the Tang dynasty, who took Son Wukong on a pilgrimage to the West to find the Buddhist scriptures.

-What is a pilgrimage?

A pilgrimage was a journey to places of religious significance.

But he knew a child would not understand that.

-It’s about people who lead others and take them to different places.

-Woah, that sounds interesting. I want to hear more about this~.

As his granddaughter showed interest, Yu Jinsan, who was narrating the story, became excited too.

It wasn’t known just how long it would take for them to reach their destination. And so, he took as much time as he needed to finish the story by adding more tales.

His granddaughter, listening intently, didn’t even notice how late it was getting.

-So what happened to Wukong?

-Hmm. Sun Wukong, like our Seol, was so strong that no one could defeat him. In the end, he hit them all with a baton.

Yu Seol covered her mouth and laughed.

-Hehehe. Interesting.

-And you know what? The treasure hidden by Tripitaka, when he returned from the West, is said to be where we are headed now.

-Really? There is such a treasure?

Was her innocence touched? He laughed at the sight of his granddaughter, so taken by the story.

-Yes. And we will find it now.

His granddaughter looked as if she completely believed the absurd legend she had heard.

-That treasure will be mine. I will make sure to find it.

Yu Jinsan held back a smile because the sight of Yu Seol clenching her fists and showing her determination was amusing.

-That is what we will do.

-I want to hear more about the story of Sun Wukong and Tripitaka.

The tale of Journey to the West was actually a mixture of real experiences and fiction, comprised of eighty-one trials.

But Yu Jinsan only remembers a few now. And there was a limit to the stories he could fabricate.

Yet, he couldn’t refuse his granddaughter’s request, so he agreed to it.

-Yes, yes.

Although he accepted her request, there were limits to the fun he could derive from a hastily concocted story.

The story gradually became boring, and his granddaughter’s interest waned.

After a while, Yu Jinsan was alone, rambling as if he were possessed. It was around the time when light passed…

-Why has everything turned so quiet?

“…”

No answer came.

All that could be heard was this snoring-like sound.

Snore.

Had she fallen asleep at that time? Yu Jinsan, who had wrapped the palanquin with the qi blanket, knew that a skilled warrior could control their sleep. This meant they could also sleep and wake up at will.

‘This child… is so deeply asleep.’

Did she prefer sleeping over listening to him talk?

It was a lack of discipline, even for a child, but she still looked lovely in his eyes.

How could he not love his own granddaughter?

‘Well, I think we’re almost there.’

He sat in the dark, placed his hands on his chest, and closed his eyes.

His ears focused on the sounds coming from outside.

After a while, when the palanquin stopped, Yu Jinsan slowly rose.

This was because, with a monk of strong skills nearby, there was a risk of them becoming aware of the two.

-Child, wake up now. It looks like we’ve arrived.

The whispers of the palanquin carriers and monks could be heard outside.

“Are you saying this is a Buddha statue sent from Cheon-yang Temple?”

“Yes. The head monk said that with thieves targeting the temples these days, he decided to send it to Shaolin for safekeeping.”

“Amitabha. You have nothing to worry about. Let me help you with the entrance process.”

Cheon-yang Temple, located in the northernmost part of Hunan, had nothing to do with the Black Night Clan, yet the palanquin carriers managed to lie convincingly.

Yu Jinsan and Yu Seol waited quietly until they reached the right place. The palanquin that had been handed over to the monks of Shaolin was moving to an unknown location.

After a while, the monks’ words could be heard.

“Sahyung, the Cheon-yang Temple sent us a Buddha statue.”

“Well, there was indeed a shortage of Buddhist statues in the temples these days, so this is good for us. I will report it, so keep it somewhere inside for now.”

“Yes.”

Clack!

It seemed they had been moved to a warehouse, as it was a place with no darkness.

After confirming that everyone had left, Yu Jinsan crawled out first, and then Seol followed.

“I think we can finally move now.”

“Exciting. Let’s move quickly!”

Yu Jinsan said as he held the prayer beads in the arms of his granddaughter.

“This is a dangerous place, so you have to be careful. Make sure to follow where Grandpa goes.”

“Yes.”

When he stepped out of the warehouse, he saw huge temples and many monks moving around.

Yu Jinsan led his granddaughter toward their destination, following the direction he had memorized in advance.

Yu Seol kept tilting her head at the sight of the Shaolin Temple, which she was seeing for the first time.

“Wow, so many monks.”

“Don’t turn your head like that. People will notice. Just look ahead and walk.”

“Uh. But where are we going?”

“We’re heading to a place called Repentance Cave. Once we arrive, Grandpa will go in alone, and you will stay outside and keep watch.”

“Will you come out with treasure?”

“Right. So, it would be better to be quiet from now on.”

There wasn’t even a hint of anxiousness on Yu Seol’s face.

“Grandpa, can you hold my hand?”

“Shhh! Not now. I will hold it once I get back.”

“Ehhh….”

Soon, they would be on the right path.

Yu Jinsan took a quick glance around, and his mouth fell open in astonishment. The sight of the wide-open pavilion interior was overwhelming.

A huge, reclining Buddha statue was split in half, as if a force of qi had been torn through it.

The place was none other than the Shaolin Temple, a sacred place for martial arts. Who would have thought that something like this was in the Mahavira Hall, the heart of the sect?

There was just one thing he could guess.

‘Could it be that Taoist Jeong Hye destroyed the Buddha statue to find the entrance to the cave?’

This had to be the work of that crazy monk Pungho had spoken of.

He was curious to know more, but that wasn’t important right now.

Yu Jinsan maintained his composure and walked further in with his granddaughter.

Young monks were passing by, and not a single person gave them an odd look. Well, not yet, at least.

And, as expected, a shout came from behind.

“What are you doing here?”

Was he around 11 years old? He was a slightly taller young monk. They ran into difficulties right away, and Yu Jinsan felt disheartened.

“…?”

“If we don’t gather together soon, we will be in trouble. Master Hye Un is angry; we need to move quickly.”

Their destination was not far off. Where could they go in this situation?

As Yu Jinsan continued to hesitate, Yu Seol blinked and asked,

“Why?”

“Why? In this situation? You should have been here for a while, right? What is your name?”

“…Seol.”

The young monk tilted his head.

A pretty face and an awkward voice.

How could a woman enter the Shaolin Temple?

Squeezing through the gap between Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter, the child reached out both arms to grab the backs of their monk robes.

“I will scold you if you continue doing this, so follow me.”

Part of him wanted to knock the child out, but there were too many eyes watching.

Yu Jinsan looked around and gave Yu Seol instructions on how to behave.

-If it gets discovered that you’re a girl, you will be sent out right away, so be quiet from here on.

“…”

-There are many scary people here, so be careful. After we finish the work, Grandpa will get you something nice.

When something nice was mentioned, the sad look on Seol’s face brightened a little.

Eventually, they arrived at the Shaolin Temple.

Perhaps it was a gathering of the lowest ranks of monks?

An enormous number of young monks were forming ranks. At a glance, there seemed to be at least five hundred.

“Join the others over there.”

They had no choice.

Moving to the very back of the line, they looked up at an old monk standing on the platform.

From his furrowed brow and the swollen veins on his forehead, he appeared quite enraged.

“Why are your movements so slow? I have been teaching martial arts for 20 years now, and I have never seen someone as bad as all of you here.”

It was a soft mumble, yet it carried a tone as if the man were speaking right next to her.

Such a feat was only possible for someone with strong internal qi.

He turned and shouted in an angry tone,

“Seeing how you lack discipline, the future of Shaolin seems bleak. Therefore, after seeking permission from the Abbot, we have decided to start special training today.”

After he finished speaking and vented his frustration, a group of people arrived.

There were about 50 young monks, each holding a bamboo stick.

The monks who looked at them seemed nervous as well.

“S-Sasuk?”

“Why are they here…?”

The old monk’s next words instilled fear in the younger monks.

“The martial arts technique we will practice now is the Iron Clothes Body. I have called upon the elders to assist in your training, so give it your best effort.”

What was the Iron Clothes Body? It was a method that toughened the body—an external strength that relentlessly conditioned the flesh to become as durable as steel.

The technique wasn’t complex, but the process was so grueling that only a few chose to learn it.

It was well known that any monk who mastered this would be eligible to learn the Diamond Buddha Body Arts.

At this revelation, the surroundings fell silent.

“…”

Yu Seol recalled the image of a street clown who allowed people to push him around before taking their coins. This reminded her of what her grandfather had said about the martial arts he practiced.

-Grandpa, we’re in trouble now.

Yu Jinsan’s face darkened upon hearing his granddaughter’s words.