Genius Martial Arts Trainer

By the time the martial arts training had ended and it had grown late into the night.

“Phew.”

Cha Taeseok was about to lie down his thoroughly exhausted body.

Had the mistress of the Road Party, which existed in name only, not called for him.

“Y-yes. Yes, Madam.”

Even so, he did not entirely dislike it.

Since she was the wife of that terrifying Party Master, he did not dare harbor any improper thoughts, but she was, at the very least, a beautiful woman whose mere presence made him feel at ease.

As Cha Taeseok approached Baek Garyeong with a foolish grin already spreading across his relaxed face, she suddenly asked an unexpected question.

“By any chance, do you know how to read?”

“Though we were poor, my father still had me educated, so I more or less finished learning the Thousand Character Classic.”

At Cha Taeseok’s answer, filled with pride, she smiled brightly.

While Cha Taeseok was thinking that her smile was truly beautiful, he soon felt a strange sensation.

Because, before he knew it, some kind of booklet had been placed in his hands.

“Then, please read this book by tomorrow.”

“......By tomorrow?”

“Yes. It is a book concerning the basics of construction needed to carry out the work on the mountain stronghold.”

“Um...... it is already late at night.”

“Since it is an elementary book, half an hour should be more than enough time to finish reading it.”

“.......”

Baek Garyeong spoke with a gentle smile, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Feeling a peculiar gap between that beautiful smile and the situation he had been placed in, Cha Taeseok asked in a dazed tone.

“W-what happens if I cannot finish reading it?”

As though she had not considered such a question, she tilted her head, pressed her index finger to her chin, pondered for a moment, and then opened her mouth.

“Hmm. I wonder. First, I suppose I would have to tell my husband? I would say that since you claim you cannot even manage such an easy task, you do not seem to be the kind of talent the Road Party will need in the future.”

“.......”

At the sight of her casually discussing his dismissal, cold sweat ran down Cha Taeseok’s back.

'Dismissal does not simply mean being told to return to the village...... does it?'

Judging from the appearance of that terrifying Party Master, that day would likely become the anniversary of his death.

***

For several days after that, the Mount Tianling bandits. No, the Road Party members followed a regular and productive daily schedule.

Upon waking, they practiced qi circulation and regulated breathing.

“Now, since you worked hard all day yesterday, let us loosen up your bodies a little today.”

Under Mugung’s direction, they loosened their bodies, which had stiffened as much as they possibly could, with the muscle-extension art.

Around the time they had fully awakened, another load brought by some men arrived from below the mountain.

As expected, it was a load filled with food.

After eating breakfast, they headed to the work site.

Ordinary bandits would wait until travelers passed by and ambush them to extort money, but they brought axes and hoes, widened the road, and packed down the ground.

Then they ate lunch, continued the construction for a little longer, and returned to the mountain stronghold around the beginning of the hour of the monkey(15~17).

Naturally, they were not returning to rest.

From then until around sunset, they continued constructing the mountain stronghold, and after eating dinner, martial arts training began.

Lastly, after once again loosening their bodies with the muscle-extension art under Mugung’s direction, the day’s schedule came to an end.

From the party members’ perspective, the fortunate part was that external cultivation training was not included in the schedule.

Since they were already working like construction laborers from morning until evening, and since all of that labor consisted of swinging axes and hoes, there was no need to separately carry out external cultivation training.

One could call it killing two birds with one stone.

Had Mujin seen it, it was a sight that might have made him think, 'Is this the famous manual-labor practical compressed muscle training?'

In any case, unlike on the first day, because consideration had been given to the time needed for constructing the mountain stronghold, the party members had gained some time to rest.

Roughly one double-hour before going to sleep at night.

“Brother Cha is truly diligent.”

“Indeed. To think he studies books so earnestly even though his body is exhausted.”

Of course, Cha Taeseok was an exception.

“Ha. Hahaha. I-it just turned out that way.”

“Hey. Does that look like working hard to you? Is he not simply trying to curry favor with Madam?”

“True. Even I would do that much if I could be together with Madam.”

“This is why I should have learned my letters. Damn it.”

Under the gazes of his companions, mixed with envy and jealousy, Cha Taeseok wept tears of blood only inwardly.

'Even if I told them, they would not believe me.'

The guilt and shame he felt whenever his incompetence was exposed before that beautiful mistress of the household.

They could not possibly imagine how great it was.

***

The next morning.

As always, immediately after finishing qi circulation and regulated breathing, the muscle-extension art, and breakfast.

Mugung suddenly brought up something unexpected.

“We will be leaving for a while to recruit new party members.”

“......Pardon?”

When the party members wore expressions showing that they did not understand, Mugung answered.

“At this rate, there is no way we can finish the road. So naturally, we have no choice but to obtain more people.”

“We have paid the cost in advance, so meals will continue arriving at the proper times even while we are away. Therefore, for a while, please stop the road construction and focus on constructing the mountain stronghold. New party members will be coming, so we will need more space.”

At Mugung and Baek Garyeong’s explanation, one of the party members asked.

“W-what exactly do you mean by bringing in new party members? Are you saying you will hire laborers from the village below?”

At that question, Mugung gave a faint laugh and answered.

“Have you forgotten how you became party members?”

“Ah.......”

Only then did the party members realize how things would proceed and let out exclamations of understanding.

“Amitabha.”

A few among them even prayed for the souls of the future party members who would soon be dragged here.

At the familiar Buddhist invocation, the corner of Mugung’s mouth rose crookedly.

At that moment, as though he had realized something, one of the party members asked again.

“Then, after developing the road here, will we develop the mountain where those fellows you bring in as new party members were staying?”

“Why would we do something so troublesome?”

At Mugung’s answer, that party member asked again.

“Y-you said you would develop all the mountains throughout the nine provinces and eight wildernesses.......”

“Tsk. What would be the point of developing mountains no one uses? The reason we came here first is because people at least travel through this mountain. From what I heard, there are also bandits on other mountains nearby, but I cannot understand what foolish nonsense those bastards are doing on mountains that no one even passes through. Therefore, I intend to drag them into our party and make them join in constructive work.”

At Mugung’s answer, one of the party members listening to the conversation clapped his hands and pointed at Cha Taeseok.

“Come to think of it, Brother Cha said something like that when we came here!”

“That is right! Among the mountains around here, this one at least has some people passing through.”

“Ah....... So that is why the Party Master and Madam came here first.......”

Before the last party member could even finish speaking, every party member’s gaze focused on Cha Taeseok.

Their eyes surged with killing intent, as though they wanted to kill him on the spot.

The party members had remembered being beaten by the Party Master on the first day like dogs on the hottest day of summer.

Under those gazes, Cha Taeseok shouted as though wronged.

“Listen here, all of you! Did you not hear what the Party Master said? He said all the idiots from the other mountains would have been dragged here anyway.”

“Ahem.”

At that protest, the party members cleared their throats and turned their gazes away, while Mugung, who had been watching their foolish behavior, shrugged and said.

“It seems Party Member Cha possesses a certain degree of intelligence after all, my wife.”

“Yes. Judging from the fact that he came to this place, it seems he possesses at least the bare minimum of discernment. Conversely, it is merely a little disappointing that he failed to consider that because people travel through this mountain, there was also a possibility of encountering dangerous individuals.”

She was saying he was a half-clever fool.

However, in such a barren environment, even a half-clever fool was better than nothing.

“Since we are going to capture fellows who could not even consider whether people passed through their mountains, it seems there will be no one else to assign to you for a while, my wife.”

In other words, every bastard they were about to capture was a complete idiot.

“For now, we are only developing Mount Tianling, so Party Member Cha alone is enough. Party Member Cha. While we are away, please lead the construction of the mountain stronghold. You remember everything I have taught you so far, do you not?”

“O-of course! H-how could I not!”

Cha Taeseok, who had been listening to words that could have been either praise or an insult, hurriedly bowed his head and shouted.

***

On the road as they left the mountain after entrusting the construction of the mountain stronghold to the party members.

“My wife. Is it truly all right to leave those fellows behind like this?”

At Mugung’s concerned question, Baek Garyeong answered with unexpected coldness.

“Should we not give them a chance to choose as well? Whether they will repent and live honest lives, or have their heads cut off in a single stroke as villains.”

That was right.

They were leaving for a while partly to drag in the bandits from the other mountains, but the greater reason was to test the current party members.

Since the Road Party would continue growing in size, it was necessary to filter out from the beginning those who were incapable of repentance.

***

Meanwhile.

The party members, unaware that they had been placed on trial, were in the middle of constructing the mountain stronghold.

After blindly following Cha Taeseok’s instructions and building the mountain stronghold for a while.

Clang.

“Good grief, this is exhausting. Let us rest for a while.”

Perhaps because the terrifying overseer was gone, someone began slacking off.

However, Cha Taeseok, who had been pushed into the position of supervisor, could not stand the sight.

When the Party Master and his wife returned, if the work had not been completed, he had no idea what kind of thunderous rebuke would fall upon him.

“Hey! How do you plan to handle the consequences when the Party Master returns!”

At Cha Taeseok’s rebuke, the man who had put down his hoe glared sullenly at him.

“Brother Cha. Are you not going too far just because you were given a little authority?”

Before Cha Taeseok could open his mouth to respond to that attitude.

The oldest man among the party members there opened his mouth.

“Tsk. You fool.”

“What did you just say? Just because I have called you elder brother all this time, do you actually think you have become my real elder brother?”

As that party member picked up his hoe again and glared with flashing eyes, the man clicked his tongue once more.

“For a young fellow, you truly cannot tell right from wrong. If that is how you feel, then simply leave right now.”

“Do you think I cannot leave just because you tell me to? I have no intention of wearing a leash and living like a slave like the rest of you!”

“Fine. Leave, then where will you go? Do you think there is anywhere else that will feed you three meals a day like the Party Master does now? Ah. There is one place. If you get dragged to the battlefield far to the noooorth, you will at least be fed three meals a day.”

“.......”

The young man, who had fled to avoid being dragged into the army, was suddenly struck speechless.

“Think about it. Even if our first meeting was unpleasant, do you think there is another person like the Party Master? Not only does he feed us three meals a day, but he is even teaching us martial arts! Even ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) if I intended to run away eventually, I would at least learn some martial arts first and become capable of making a respectable living on my own before fleeing. You fool.”

“.......”

While the party member, having lost any words with which to answer, closed his mouth, the nearby party members all nodded as though agreeing with the older man.

Since the atmosphere seemed to be settling down, Cha Taeseok hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Now, now! Enough foolish talk, and let us continue with the construction! If we keep slacking off like this, instead of running away, we may end up taking the road to the underworld by the Party Master’s hand.”

The moment Cha Taeseok finished speaking, the party members began moving their bodies.

The man who had been wearing a sullen expression also pondered for a moment, then eventually picked up his hoe and joined the construction work.

***

Three days later.

The Party Master and his wife returned to the Mount Tianling stronghold.

Together with more than a dozen men strung together in a row with a thick rope.

While the party members, who had been in the middle of constructing the mountain stronghold, examined those fellows whose eyes were bruised blue.

The Party Master’s chilling voice pierced their ears.

“Hooh. To think not a single one of you ran away.”

“Judging by the completeness of the mountain stronghold, it seems you did not slack off at all during the past three days, my husband.”

“Hrrahahaha! Excellent. Truly excellent.”

While listening to the conversation between the Party Master and his wife, one tactless party member asked.

“W-what would have happened if we had run away?”

“If you are curious, try running away once.”

At the sight of Mugung answering with a broad grin, the face of one young party member turned deathly pale.