Genius Martial Arts Trainer

After sharing drinks and talking with Mujin, Dao Yuechen returned to the countryside as he had told Mujin he would and opened the Iron Flash Sect together with his family. He concealed the fact that he had once been the leader of the Southern Heavenly Society.

Because his duties left him no time to travel there, Mujin occasionally received news about Dao Yuechen through letters.

And fortunately, all he ever heard was that Dao Yuechen was spending happy days with his wife and family.

The same was true of Mukyeong, who had returned to Shaolin.

According to the news that reached him, Mukyeong enjoyed wall-facing meditation and devoted himself to cultivating the Buddhist path. Whenever he occasionally grew restless, he would supposedly torment his disciple Gongun under the pretext of training or spend time with Muyul.

Thus, two men once called peerless experts disappeared from the martial world, but not everyone chose the path of retirement.

News came that Zhuge Jinxi, a woman born with boundless ambition, had finally become the Family Head of the Zhuge Family.

Although her father was still at a hale and healthy age, he said that he did not want to grow old and show an unsightly side of himself, so he handed the position of Family Head over to her in advance.

After becoming Family Head, Zhuge Jinxi led the Zhuge Family in adapting to the various winds of change sweeping across the martial world of the Central Plains.

Changes also came to the Zhengmu League.

The problem arose because Mujin, its League Leader, had become Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and remained away from the League for long periods while holding a government post.

In the end, they had no choice but to elect a new League Leader, and after various discussions and sparring matches, Nangong Changhui, the Supreme Family Head of the Nangong Family, ultimately rose to the position.

Chief Strategist Zhuge Muhuan, who had always treated the Nangong Family as a den of lunatics, opposed the matter from beginning to end.

In the end, with Mujin blocking his path to becoming one of the emperor’s close aides and the position of League Leader being seized by the type of person he hated most, Zhuge Muhuan stepped down as Chief Strategist.

For a man whose specialty was secret schemes and intrigue, such an age of peace was nothing but dull.

Having grown old enough, and true to his lifelong bachelorhood, he secluded himself alone in the mountains and enjoyed a life worthy of being called the Ghost Valley Master.

Zhuge Muhuan’s seclusion left the position of Chief Strategist in the Zhengmu League vacant, but fortunately, someone appeared who could take the position.

It was Baek Gahwan, who had served as Chief Strategist of the Southern Heavenly Society.

That did not mean Baek Gahwan abandoned the Southern Heavenly Society and devoted himself to the Zhengmu League.

To be precise, the Southern Heavenly Society and the Zhengmu League united into one and were reorganized as the Martial Alliance.

The Southern Heavenly Society had originally called itself an unorthodox faction, but that had merely been the result of its circumstances.

In the southern regions overflowing with corruption, they had overlooked or led the minor crimes committed by poor commoners merely trying to survive, but now that an age of peace had arrived, they had no choice but to change.

Dao Yuechen and Baek Gahwan led that change, and based on what Dao Yuechen had built, Baek Gahwan led the unification.

They reached an agreement that he would yield the position of League Leader to Nangong Changhui in exchange for taking the position of Chief Strategist himself.

Because these were the actions of people whose names were widely known throughout the martial world, each one was a major event, but compared to the ceaseless flow of change, they were merely a small part of it.

In addition, new experts gradually became known among the martial artists traveling beyond the borders.

The most active among them was, absurdly enough, Daoist Cheongsu.

Because most people in the Central Plains who could be considered his match avoided sparring with him, he had been forced to remain on Mount Wudang, where he could do little but train and raise his disciple.

However, after hearing various stories from those who had traveled beyond the borders, Cheongsu ignored the objections of the Wudang elders and immediately threw himself into the world.

Rumors of the Sword Ghost spread far and wide, beyond the Central Plains and throughout the entire world.

As those various events unfolded, time passed swiftly.

Because his duty was to guard the emperor, Mujin rarely had reason to leave Beijing, so he received most of the news about those who had once been close to him only through letters.

However, that was not true of everyone.

“No matter how many times I see it, I still cannot get used to it.”

“You are one to talk.”

Mugung, who still possessed a fierce face—no, now that he was over forty, an even more mature and fearsome face—furrowed his brow.

Mugung had entered government service as a fifth-rank Assistant Director in the Ministry of Works, and after successfully carrying out various road construction projects, he eventually rose to the position of Right Vice Minister of Works.

He was now a third-rank official and the second-highest-ranking figure in the Ministry of Works.

He was no longer involved only in matters related to roads and forests, but in every field under the Ministry of Works.

And Mujin knew where that ability came from.

“Your life became remarkably easy because you married a good wife.”

“......Is that something the son-in-law of the number one merchant association under heaven should say?”

“I am no longer the son-in-law.”

At Mujin’s answer, Mugung shook his head.

Liu Zhiguang, the head of the Tianliu Merchant Association and Liu Xuehua’s father, had retired. His eldest son, Liu Xuelong, who was also Liu Xuehua’s older brother, now led the Tianliu Merchant Association.

After exchanging meaningless jokes, the two soon snorted and burst into laughter at the same time.

Within the suffocating imperial palace, each felt that life was at least bearable because the other was there.

And in addition, they had families waiting to welcome them when they returned home after work.

'Come to think of it, it is strange. Of the four of us, he was the one who was at least somewhat monk-like, yet in the end, he left Shaolin just as I did.'

There was no need even to mention Mukyeong, who had been born with murderous intent, and although Muyul was pure, he did not possess even the slightest trace of a monk’s bearing.

The same was naturally true of Mujin himself.

Mugung had been the only one among them who was even slightly monk-like, yet who could have imagined things would turn out this way?

“As expected, there is no telling what will happen in a person’s life.”

“......Are you picking a fight over my face again?”

When Mugung once again twisted his face into a frightening scowl, Mujin burst into hearty laughter.

***

The years passed swiftly.

When Mujin first became Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his eldest daughter had still been young, but now she had reached an age when she could be married at any moment.

Of course, that was only by the standards of this era.

From Mujin’s perspective, it was something he could never allow.

Watching his children grow with each passing day, Mujin eventually made a decision.

“W-What are you saying, Commander?”

“It is exactly as I said. I wish to step down from my government post and return to my home, Your Majesty.”

Because he was constantly buried in work, he could not spend much time with his family or fully enjoy watching his children grow.

He had failed to properly watch his eldest daughter grow, and even his second child, his son, was already becoming an adult, so Mujin had resolved to spend time with at least his remaining third and fourth children.

The imperial authority had already become completely stable, so there was no longer any particular reason for Mujin to remain and protect Emperor Jianping.

Emperor Jianping initially tried to dissuade Mujin from his decision, but in the end, he had no choice but to accept it.

It was not because he was afraid of Mujin.

As emperor, there was no reason for him to reject the dispersal of power that had become excessively concentrated in Mujin’s hands.

It had merely never become a problem because Mujin had not abused that power.

There was no guarantee that he would continue refraining from doing so forever.

After casting aside his official robes and returning to a quiet life, Mujin enjoyed simple happiness together with his family.

Though his standard of simplicity was somewhat different from that of ordinary people.

After all, Mujin possessed immense wealth and an extraordinary network of connections.

He spent time with his children and occasionally traveled around the Central Plains to visit acquaintances he had not seen for a long time.

He visited the Iron Flash Sect and met Dao Yuechen, went to Shaolin and secretly shared drinks with Mukyeong and Muyul behind the backs of Shaolin’s elderly monks, made an unnecessary visit to Wudang only to shake his head at Cheongsu’s request for a sparring match before leaving, and visited the mountain where Zhuge Muhuan had secluded himself, breaking through the formations laid there with his body before exchanging delighted greetings with him.

As he spent those happy days, Mujin gradually grew old, and his children grew into adults.

Even though he remained beside them every day, the third and fourth children who had once been young eventually became adults and reached an age when they had to leave their parents’ side and face the hardships of the world.

And fortunately for Mujin, once the third and fourth children had grown, the first and second children married one after another, and before long, he was able to see grandsons and granddaughters.

As he aged, his once-massive muscles gradually faded and his body grew thinner, but Mujin found every day endlessly joyful.

Because it was a life he could never even have dreamed of in the modern world.

Choi Kanghyuk had been raised by his grandparents from childhood and had become completely alone in the world in his early twenties.

He had simply thrown himself desperately into work and exercise, and although he had succeeded in establishing himself to some extent, he had possessed neither family nor friends with whom he could truly speak openly.

But now, things were different.

“Father.......”

“Grandfather!!”

His children, who had now become elderly just like him.

His grandsons and granddaughters, who had not merely grown up but had reached an age when they could be called middle-aged.

Behind them stood his great-grandchildren and friends from old connections who had come to see him.

As he lay on the bed and looked at all of their faces, he strangely felt happy.

'It was a happy life.......'

The beginning seemed to have been filled with difficult things.

With Shincheon and the imperial family, it had been one life-or-death battle after another, an endless succession of killing and being killed.

But thanks to his precious friends and the family that grew larger as time passed, he had lived without even noticing the years going by.

Had he grown so old that even his eyesight was fading?

Or were tears of joy filling his eyes?

At some point, even the faces of those calling out to him became blurred, and their voices began to recede into the distance.

Then, as everything turned white and old memories that remained vivid despite the long years passed before him one by one.

An old man with a face he could never forget welcomed Mujin.

“Grandfather.”

Although more than sixty years had passed since Mujin had last seen him, Hyungwang still possessed the same face as he had back then.

'It seems the time has come for me to leave.'

Unlike Mujin, Hyungwang had succeeded in attaining enlightenment, so perhaps he had come to offer a final farewell.

As Mujin thought that, Hyungwang, surrounded by a golden radiance, asked kindly.

“Were you satisfied with your life in this place?”

Mujin also smiled gently and answered.

“I could not have asked for more.”

At Mujin’s answer, a broad smile appeared on Hyungwang’s face.

And together with Hyungwang’s smile, the world was dyed gold.

It was a strange sensation.

Because it was not a dazzling, brilliant gold, but a gentle gold that embraced him.

***

Bzzzzzz.

Bzzzzzzzz.

“Mm?”

At the violent vibration of his phone and the sound of the alarm, Choi Kanghyuk shook his head and regained consciousness.

Choi Kanghyuk raised only his upper body from the bed and sat there blankly for a moment before turning his head and looking at the phone in his hand.

After turning off the alarm and unlocking the phone screen, a window filled with endless lines of text appeared.

[Shaolin Divine Monk Chronicles – Chapter 5]

“Ah.......”

The novel he had been reading before falling asleep.

Only then understanding the situation, Choi Kanghyuk thought.

“A dream.......”

After entertaining the thought for a moment, Choi Kanghyuk snorted and laughed.

“There is no way it was.”

Without hesitation, Choi Kanghyuk moved his finger and closed the window on the screen.

Everything had been far too vivid to be a dream.

All of the memories spanning well over seventy years.

The memories of training at Shaolin, and the countless battles in which he had crossed the boundary between life and death while fighting Shincheon.

It was not only the memories.

The pain of every one of the countless wounds accumulated across his body.

The weight and coldness of those lumps of iron he had repeatedly lifted for decades.

Above all, the joyful emotions he had felt while spending time with the people he had met there.

Everything remained far too vivid to Choi Kanghyuk even now.

Despite being decades’ worth of memories and emotions.

However, he could not allow himself to remain buried in those memories and that happiness forever.

“Up we go. Then shall I start working hard again from today?”

Having finished a happy life and returned to the modern world, he wanted to live the long life still remaining to him as Choi Kanghyuk happily as well.

He had ultimately found happiness even after fighting Shincheon and the imperial family, so why should he be unable to do the same in the modern world?

“Hmm.”

Choi Kanghyuk rose and examined his reflection in the mirror, lightly blowing air through his nose.

His body felt far too slender compared to its prime.

Not compared to his prime as Choi Kanghyuk, but compared to his prime as Mujin.

“I suppose I should build my body first.”

As expected, a strong body brought peace to both the mind and the heart, Choi Kanghyuk thought.

***

- Afterword

With these fifty chapters, which may feel short to some and long to others, the side stories have come to an end.

In truth, the ending I had envisioned from the time I first planned Genius Martial Arts Trainer was somewhat different.

It was an ending in which Mujin chose mutual destruction during the final battle against the Divine Lord and opened his eyes in the modern world.

I imagined that ending while thinking of Mujin, who had rejected Shaolin’s rigid ways, sacrificing himself at the end.

Still, since this was a work that used Shaolin as its subject, and because it contained approximately 0.000002% Buddhist coloring, I had been considering an ending with at least a little religious meaning.

However.

Around the time I was writing Chapter 250, I discussed the ending with my editor and changed direction.

I had thought it was a fairly ordinary ending, but my editor asked whether there was really any need to end it with a bad ending.

Looking back now, I think changing it to the current ending was the right decision.

Thanks to that change, I gradually increased the references to the imperial family, which I had originally intended to give almost no importance, and the side stories came to focus mainly on the imperial family.

Although the actual conflict structure ended within no more than roughly ten chapters.

Hahaha.

I would like to thank all the readers who stayed with Mujin’s story until the end.

Just as Mujin was satisfied, I can only hope that the readers were also able to feel at least a little joy amid their tiring daily lives.

Lastly, I would like to thank Editor Seong Hyochang, who strongly opposed the ending I had originally planned.

I will now set out on my journey toward my next work.