Chapter 384: Reincarnation (2)
The day after the entrance examination took place.
Mugung, with his arms crossed, was watching Gonghwan’s martial arts demonstration.
“That is enough.”
When Mugung, having observed to some extent, said that, Gonghwan, who had been swinging his arms and legs through the air, stopped.
“I confirmed it yesterday as well, but now it is certain. You have already grown strong enough that there are no opponents among those your age, but you are still immature when it comes to controlling your strength.”
“I apologize. Master.”
At the sight of Gonghwan lowering his head as though ashamed, Mugung almost scratched his head without realizing it.
But as a master, he could not show such a clumsy appearance.
Especially because the image of a master he had grown up watching was that blunt Hyedam, Mugung believed that a master ought to show a dignified appearance.
“What reason is there to apologize? We have merely just found the problem. If you know the problem and still do not fix it, that would be wrong, but if you strive to fix it, it does not become a sin.”
“!!!”
At the sight of his disciple looking at him with wide-open eyes as though deeply moved, Mugung’s facial muscles twitched without him realizing it.
Because Mugung, who was naturally an attention seeker, felt extremely pleased at his disciple’s expression full of respect.
The problem was that when the facial muscles on that fierce face twitched, it looked to anyone as though he was angry.
Barely seizing control of the corners of his mouth in order to continue maintaining a dignified appearance, Mugung opened his mouth solemnly.
“Ahem. Then, from today onward, I shall teach you a training method so that you can properly control your blazing yang energy.”
Having opened the subject like that, Mugung continued a lengthy explanation along with several demonstrations.
And Gonghwan, after hearing the entire explanation, began moving his arms and legs through the air sluggishly, at a speed as slow as a crawling turtle.
Mugung, who watched that sight for a moment, opened his mouth.
“Ahem. I said to unfold it as slowly as possible, not to loosen your strength and flop around like that.”
After saying that, Mugung demonstrated again, and Gonghwan watched him with shining eyes.
“Ah.”
And before long, he realized the difference between them.
Mugung was swinging his arm so slowly that even a grub would yawn and call it slow, but astonishingly, fierce and forceful power was loaded into it. Unlike Gonghwan, who had been flopping around.
“Try again.”
“Yes, Master!”
When Gonghwan answered vigorously and entered training again, Mugung stood with his arms crossed and watched him.
Just like his grandmaster Hyedam had done when teaching him.
However, unlike his solemn expression, Mugung was thinking this inwardly.
'Hoo. It’s fortunate that I received this kind of training from Grandmaster.'
That was right. The training being carried out now was the method Mugung had learned from Hyedam.
In fact, when that fellow Mujin had first eaten the Small Summoning Pill and his internal power had gone berserk, he too had received this kind of training from Hyedam together with Mugung. It meant there was nothing better as training for controlling rampaging internal power.
Honestly, from Mugung’s perspective, the disciple called Gonghwan was a child who brought up complicated thoughts in many ways.
Since he was born with the Solar Body, there was not even any room to doubt his talent. If he learned a martial art that handled extreme yang energy, it would be strange for him not to become a master.
But precisely because of that, conversely, he was also a burden to Mugung.
Gonghwan had already entered Shaolin and begun training earlier than any of the Gong-generation children. On top of that, he had the innate talent called the Solar Body.
To put it bluntly, unless a problem arose with his character as he aged in the future, the position of Abbot among the Gong generation was considered to belong to Gonghwan.
In fact, because he had entered the mountain first and had the highest realm, he had already been selected as the eldest disciple of the Gong generation.
To think he had to personally teach a child who would become the future Abbot. It was a situation that placed pressure on him in many ways, but.
'Still, it is fortunate that he is a diligent child.'
Mugung nodded as he watched Gonghwan carrying out the training he had taught with all his might.
Thinking about it, when he had been around that age, he had truly hated this training.
Because it was filthy boring and had no style whatsoever.
As he watched Gonghwan’s training, Mugung had this thought.
'If even I, as his master, feel this much burden, it must have been even worse for that fellow.'
Since the beginning of his entry into the mountain, Gonghwan had been receiving all expectations that he would become the eldest disciple or the Abbot.
It must have been a heavy burden for a young child to handle.
'I can’t be the one whining when I’m the master.'
For some reason feeling proud of his disciple, Mugung nodded by himself and snorted through his nose.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
“.......”
Hyegyeol, the Outer Hall Master, who had been unable to attend yesterday’s entrance examination because he had been busy with work, was looking at Muyul and the third-generation disciple beside him with a complicated, subtle expression.
He had thought Muyul had only gone to the entrance examination for a casual look, but Muyul had returned after proudly selecting one disciple.
“Ahem. So, what is the reason you selected Gongcheon as your disciple, Muyul?”
“Hehe. Because he looked the kindest.”
“Ookki!”
At Muyul’s bright and innocent answer, Hyegyeol already felt a headache beginning to throb.
When he endured the headache and subtly turned his head, Gongcheon, who had become Muyul’s disciple, was looking up at him with pure eyes exactly like Muyul’s.
At that inexplicably intense ominous feeling, Hyegyeol cautiously opened his mouth.
“Cheon.”
“Yes, Great-Grandmaster.”
“I shall ask you several questions. If there is something you do not know, honestly say you do not know.”
“Yes.”
“Four companions ate food at an inn and, when they tried to pay, the total food cost came out to twenty nyang. If the four of them were to divide this money equally and pay, how much do you think each person should pay?”
Despite the question seeming to have absolutely no connection to martial arts or Buddhist scriptures, Gongcheon answered while maintaining his clear eyes.
“It seems each person would only need to pay five nyang.”
“Ohh. Then by any chance, do you know the meaning of this Chinese character?”
After that as well, Hyegyeol continued several more questions. He asked about idioms, and he also asked for his opinion on what he thought about a certain passage from Buddhist scripture.
On top of that, after finally asking whether he remembered all the essential formulas of the basic martial arts learned in Shaolin’s Arhat Hall.
“Phew.”
Hyegyeol let out a deep, deep sigh of relief.
'His eyes are clear, but he is not an idiot.'
He was simply a kind child.
Even at this very moment, despite having received his barrage of strange questions, he still had clear and good eyes. There was no bewilderment or discomfort mixed in at all.
“Hahaha. Muyul. You have selected a very fine disciple.”
Yes. What did talent in martial arts matter so much?
Was it not enough if the child was kind and not stupid?
Hyegyeol, who had selected Muyul as his grand-disciple after seeing only his talent and then suffered for more than ten years, had developed a rather low standard.
“Wow! Cheon is smart!”
“Ookki!!”
The master, who might perhaps be stupider than his disciple, was lying around admiring the sight of his smart disciple.
Hyegyeol, who had felt a little better thanks to Gongcheon, felt his head start throbbing again.
“Hoo.”
Hyegyeol, who barely calmed his mind with a sigh, said,
“Then now go outside and teach Cheon the Crane Fist.”
Yes. What if his head was a little bad?
Was he not pure and kind, and at least certain in his talent for martial arts?
Of course, that was only when limited to the Five Fists of Shaolin.
“Yes, Grandmaster! Cheon, let’s go out together.”
“Ookki!”
“Yes. Master.”
Watching Muyul lead Gongcheon out, Hyegyeol somehow felt as though two children were going out to play.
“Hmm.”
After sending the two out and trying to handle work in his room for a while, Hyegyeol soon crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.
“Hmmm......”
Hyegyeol, who could not focus on work and kept groaning for a long while, eventually sprang up from his seat.
It bothered him so much that he could not endure it.
Would Muyul really be teaching Gongcheon properly?
Because of that worry, Hyegyeol eventually went out the door.
And in his eyes, a bizarre sight was reflected.
“Look carefully. Hehe. Isn’t it cute?”
Instead of doing the Crane Fist training they were supposed to be doing, the two were lying flat on the ground and watching a crane.
“Now. This is how you do it.”
And suddenly, Muyul imitated the crane’s movements and unfolded the Crane Fist.
“Cheon, you try it too. It’s fun. Hihit.”
“Yes!!”
Gongcheon answered clearly and imitated that movement, however clumsily.
'Hmm. Well, since Muyul learned the Five Fists of Shaolin in that sort of way, he has no choice but to teach according to the way he learned.'
Hyegyeol decided, for now, to watch, considering it an unavoidable issue.
Like that, he watched for a long while as Muyul and Gongcheon observed the crane’s movements and imitated those motions.
Hyegyeol, who realized some fundamental problem, eventually could not hold back and cut in between the two master and disciple.
“By the way, Muyul.”
“Yes, Grandmaster.”
“Why are you only teaching the movements and not telling him the essential formula of the Crane Fist?”
Since a while ago, they had only been imitating the crane’s movements, and there had been no talk at all about the internal power formula.
And at Hyegyeol’s fundamental question, Muyul tilted his head.
“The essential formula of the Crane Fist?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t remember it?”
“......Th-then how exactly did you unfold the Crane Fist just now?”
“Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmm.”
Muyul, who shook his head back and forth as though thinking hard about something for a long while, soon put on a bright and innocent expression and answered.
“How did I do it? I think I just did it however I felt like? Right, Lingling?”
“Ookki! Ookkikki!”
“.......”
Hyegyeol, who watched the conversation between the two monkeys, who were nothing but bright and innocent, ultimately had no choice but to accept reality.
The fact that it was impossible for Muyul to teach Gongcheon.
In the end, someone else would have to tell him the essential formulas and guide his training in his place.
However, his own disciple and Muyul’s master, Beophyeon, was currently away from Shaolin because of work.
“Huh. Hahaha. Hahahahaha.”
Hyegyeol, who had risen all the way to the position of Outer Hall Master of Shaolin, a position equivalent to an elder in other sects, had ended up in a situation where he would personally teach a third-generation disciple.
***
Meanwhile.
Somewhere in Shaolin, there was one more warrior monk who had encountered a problem similar to Muyul’s.
“Hmm.”
Mukyeong tilted his head while looking at Gongun, who was sprawled on the floor.
“Why can’t you do this?”
It was the sorrow of a genius.
Because it was something he had done casually as though eating a meal, it was far too difficult for him to teach others.
Of course, there was a small yet great difference from Muyul.
“You just have to operate your internal power according to the essential formula.”
At least Mukyeong remembered all the essential formulas.
The only problem was that he was a monster who could instantly understand and unfold the essential formulas of Shaolin’s Seventy-Two Consummate Arts, which were famous for being complicated, without even needing to explain them.
Why would one explain and understand all of that one by one before unfolding it? It would only slow down the speed at which one unfolded martial arts for no reason.
At that moment, Gongun, who had been beaten by Mukyeong and collapsed on the floor, barely raised himself and said,
“Master. Can’t we just do one thing?”
“Just one thing?”
“Yes. I haven’t even understood the martial art’s formula yet, but you’re telling me to unfold it in sparring. What kind of insane bullshit...... ah, no. What kind of nonsense is that?”
Gongun, who had nearly lost his mind after being beaten all day, barely grabbed hold of the last thread of sanity at the very end.
However, Mukyeong could not understand Gongun’s complaint.
“I thought so too, but when I tried it, it worked. When a person feels like they might die at this rate, things tend to work out somehow.”
Mukyeong had learned in that way from Hyegwan.
He had suddenly shown him the formula and form once, then abruptly charged in and beat him up.
Mukyeong found himself freshly remembering the beautiful memories of resisting by unfolding martial arts almost desperately in order not to get hit.
'Hmm. Isn’t this kind enough by my standards?'
At least he had given Gongun time to memorize the form and formula.
It meant he had not, like Hyegwan, shown it once and then immediately launched a surprise attack.
But that was only Mukyeong’s circumstances.
At Mukyeong’s reaction, which seemed to think that was obvious, Gongun eventually lay down on the ground.
“In any case, I can’t do it. I cannot do it. Even if you could do it, Master, I cannot. Just kill me instead.”
It was a reckless reaction for Gongun, who had been trembling in fear until yesterday.
But because Gongun was a quick-witted child, it was not really reckless.
He had realized it after spending a day together in fear. That Mukyeong was not truly the cruel murderer rumored throughout the martial world.
He had realized that he was simply a strange person who was slightly off somewhere.
Naturally, he had also noticed that Mukyeong would never kill him, his disciple.
But there was one thing Gongun had thought wrongly.
As he expected, Mukyeong would not kill him.
“My disciple. People do not die that easily.”
But he had absolutely no hesitation about beating him so badly that he would wish he were dead.
“I know well because I have been beaten myself, so do not worry.”
Mukyeong was putting into practice the educational method he had learned from Hyegwan on a child with a temperament similar to Hyegwan’s.