The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

Ju Opal’s training method was very simple and ignorant.

He would do push-ups with a large rock on his back or repeatedly run up a mountain.

And he would throw himself into the valley created by the waterfall and endure for half an hour, saying it was to build up his lung capacity.

Ju Opal did the training without a break, which martial artists from any well-known sect or martial arts school would have pointed at and laughed at.

“How long have you been doing this?”

Jin Sohyun looked at Ju Opal, who was doing push-ups with only his index fingers, as if he were strange.

“30 years.”

“You haven’t rested a single day?”

“That’s right. I’ve trained every single day without resting for a single day!”

Ju Opal said proudly and took his unique starting stance.

He spread his two legs shoulder-width apart and took a horse-riding stance, then extended his left fist forward.

And he twisted his waist and threw his right fist.

A typical stance for a straight punch.

Ju Opal repeated the straight punch without a single complaint.

Jin Sohyun, who was watching this, covered himself with a blanket and watched Ju Opal’s straight punch for a long time.

And only after a thousand straight punches were finished did a hot breath come out of Ju Opal’s mouth.

“Phew—!!”

“You’re amazing.”

“Haha! How about it! The straight punch of this Fist Saint!”

“It’s a flawless and excellent movement.”

“You bastard… you look like a courtesan, so I thought you were a complete mess, but you have a better eye than I thought.”

“Haha.”

While Jin Sohyun and Ju Opal were chatting, Beomgang came up from the bottom of the mountain.

He was holding a lot of rice balls in both hands.

“You’re here?”

Beomgang, who handed the rice balls to Jin Sohyun who was greeting him warmly, glared at Ju Opal with a displeased gaze.

“Are you still here?”

“Yeah. What about the Hao Sect?” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“A letter sent by the person called the Sect Master has just arrived.”

Jin Sohyun’s eyes shone as he took the letter that Beomgang handed him.

“It’s about time to move.”

“You’ve thought well. What help would it be to just play along with a guy who’s all talk?”

Beomgang said with a high-handed attitude, crossing his arms.

Beomgang was feeling a kind of hostility toward Ju Opal.

The reason Beomgang harbored hostility toward Ju Opal, with whom he had no relationship, was because of the title he had given himself.

‘Fist Saint? A guy like that?’

Fist Saint.

The one and only disciple of the Fist King could not help but be dissatisfied that he had attached the character for fist (拳) in front of the title of saint (聖), which was only given to those who had reached the pinnacle of a certain field.

Moreover, apart from having the arrogant title of Fist Saint, Ju Opal had a poor level of martial arts.

‘A commoner who can only do a straight punch.’

Beomgang couldn't easily understand.

If you only looked at the measure of strength, the gap between Jin Sohyun and Ju Opal was literally heaven and earth.

Even if Ju Opal trained for a thousand years, he would not be able to catch up to Jin Sohyun.

That’s how pathetic Ju Opal’s talent was.

“Little brother.”

“Hmm?”

“Stop doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“You, little brother, probably wanted to boost that commoner’s pride, but you know it too. That person is a commoner who can’t even be considered third-rate… a level that’s embarrassing to even call a martial artist.”

“I don’t know.”

“That’s the reality. No matter how long you train, if the method is wrong, even decades of time are meaningless. Wouldn't a martial artist of your or my level be able to split a waterfall as a basic, and if we wanted, we could even shatter a cliff?”

While Beomgang was giving a passionate speech, Ju Opal, who had finished his training for the day, laughed heartily and shouted.

“I’m going for a final hike.”

“Have a good trip!”

As Jin Sohyun waved his hand, Ju Opal laughed and ran up the mountain.

Jin Sohyun, who was watching this silently, finally took off his blanket and stood up.

“Little brother.”

“That’s right. Uncle Ju doesn’t have the great skill or talent to be called a Fist Saint. But there’s one thing he’s better at than me.”

“That braggart is better than you, little brother? No matter how nice a person is… praising someone like that will only have the opposite effect. Someone has to be honest.”

Jin Sohyun, instead of answering Beomgang’s words, raised his flying sword and threw it with all his might at the waterfall.

The flying sword, which flew, creating a vortex with the power of the wind, was sucked into the waterfall, and a big wind arose.

The vortex that was created once spread the falling waterfall in all directions.

At that moment, Jin Sohyun pointed with his hand at the part of the cliff that was revealed due to the wind caused by the flying sword.

There, a fist mark that had been made over a very long time was deeply carved.

“That’s…”

A fist mark created by a fist wind.

Beomgang had a surprised expression, but he didn't seem greatly surprised.

In fact, Ju Opal’s straight punch was flawless and perfect through decades of training.

But.

That was all.

His insufficient internal energy was still not enough to pierce the waterfall.

And you can’t become a master by just being good at one straight punch.

“For something made by a commoner, it’s excellent, but it’s a bit much to judge him as an excellent martial artist with just that.”

“Brother Beom.”

“Ooh! I’m hearing you call me brother after a long time! Go on, speak.”

Beomgang’s eyes became bright as he heard Jin Sohyun call him brother for the first time in a long time.

“I’m a fast learner. I didn’t know it before… but now I know.”

In his childhood, when he had no knowledge of the martial world.

Jin Sohyun did not know how fast his learning was.

Because there was no one to compare with.

But after leaving the Jin Clan estate and Shanxi Province and experiencing numerous things, he came to know.

That he was a fast learner.

“And yet…”

Jin Sohyun took a horse-riding stance and then did a straight punch, just as Ju Opal had.

Beomgang, who was watching this, had to hold his breath for a moment, his mouth shut.

‘It’s truly perfect!’

The straight punch of Jin Sohyun, as seen by the fist master Beomgang, was so perfect that no flaws could be found.

Nevertheless, Jin Sohyun seemed to be dissatisfied with something and repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist.

“No matter how much I imitate, I can’t do it like Uncle Ju.”

“There’s no need to imitate him.”

“That’s right. I don’t need to imitate him… and I can’t.”

Jin Sohyun stared at the fist mark of Ju Opal, which had now disappeared into the waterfall.

“If Brother Beom and I didn’t have a talent for martial arts, we would never have been able to make that mark.”

“I might have, but why you, little brother?”

At Beomgang’s question, Jin Sohyun smiled faintly.

“Because I would have given up.”

***

Thud— thud—!

Jin Sohyun, who had to light a bonfire in the darkness that had fallen, turned his gaze to the direction of the sound.

There, Ju Opal, who had appeared holding a bundle of firewood, stood laughing heartily.

“Were you waiting for me!”

“The firewood was just about to run out.”

“Hehe… I knew it!”

Ju Opal pushed the firewood he had brought into the bonfire.

While the bonfire, which had grown in size with the firewood as its food, was flickering vigorously, a subtle silence flowed between the two.

The silence that had continued for half an hour ended with Ju Opal opening his mouth.

“I’m from a small village called Ojunghyeon, south of Hebei Province.”

Jin Sohyun silently listened to the story that Ju Opal had started.

“Although it was a small and insignificant village with nothing to boast of, thanks to that, the villagers were very close, so it was a harmonious village.”

“I see.”

“But one day… a martial artist with a deep sword wound on his shoulder came to the village. Although it was a small village without a proper doctor, we took care of the martial artist with all our heart. Thanks to that, the man regained his energy in five days.”

Ju Opal’s eyes, which were recalling the past, swayed along with the flickering flames.

“The man said he would repay us, but we didn’t accept. At that, the man said he would definitely come back and repay his debt, and then he left. The villagers of the small village were satisfied with just having saved a person and just hoped that he would live a healthy life, whether he came back or not.”

But surprisingly.

The man who owed his life returned to Ojunghyeon.

It was to repay his debt.

“The man returned to the village with ten of his subordinates. We greeted him warmly, who had become healthy, and the man, looking at the villagers who were welcoming him, said this.”

Anger welled up in Ju Opal’s eyes, which felt a sense of regret.

“You are really good people. But no one should know that I am alive. So, just as you treated me without any compensation, please help me this time too.”

And what began was.

A blue blade that repaid a favor without compensation.

It was a one-sided massacre.

Eleven martial artists had slaughtered all the residents of a small village of only fifty people.

“Luckily, I, who was working in the fields far from the village, was able to avoid the disaster. Yes… I ran away without looking back at the screams coming from the village.”

At some point, tears were flowing from Ju Opal’s eyes.

“Do you understand? The title of Fist Saint is just an empty title that I made up. I am a coward who abandoned my family and ran away, a coward who hid in the mountains, saying I would get revenge for my family and villagers… and a cripple who couldn’t do anything because I was afraid of revenge.”

Ju Opal, who had finished speaking, looked at Jin Sohyun with a self-deprecating laugh.

“You can laugh at me as much as you want. You can even make fun of me for being a cripple.”

Jin Sohyun didn't say anything.

He just stared at Ju Opal.

“I knew from the first day that you were a master incomparable to me. That you could split the waterfall, which I couldn't do in my entire life… with a single gesture.”

Ju Opal’s clenched fists trembled.

“Why did you stay by my side and ask me to teach you martial arts? Was it fun to watch the shabby state of this old cripple? Were you trying to boost your self-esteem by looking at my garbage-like talent and fist technique? If so, then do as you please. Anyway, I…”

“Fist Saint Ju Opal.”

“…”

Ju Opal shot up from his seat and glared with angry eyes.

“Mock me as much as you want. And then leave this place. Because I am a guy who is not worthy of the Fist Saint you mentioned.”

“Who were the people who killed the people of your village, Uncle Ju?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been down from this mountain in my life. I just… know that the man had a black axe-shaped tattoo under his left eye… hehe… that was also 30 years ago, so he might already be dead.”

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

At Ju Opal’s question, Jin Sohyun grabbed him and led him.

The place they arrived at was in front of the waterfall.

“Try it.”

“Try what?”

“You said you would split the waterfall with that fist. So try it now.”

“Are you going to mock me with this now?”

Jin Sohyun just smiled.

Ju Opal, who had let out a deep sigh, stood in front of the waterfall and took the stance for a straight punch, just as he had for 30 years.

“This is the last straight punch I’m showing you… so watch carefully with your two eyes, and mock me as much as you want.”

At that moment, Jin Sohyun came up behind Ju Opal and said.

“Uncle Ju.”

“What.”

“Try it. The straight punch.”

“Phew…”

The moment Ju Opal extended his left fist forward and was about to throw his right fist, as he always had.

Jin Sohyun placed his hand on his back.

And at the same time, Ju Opal, at the vast internal energy he had never felt before in his life, threw his fist with all his might without realizing it.

At that moment.

The intense fist ki that extended from Ju Opal’s fist strike split the waterfall in two and carved a large fist mark on the revealed cliff.

“Heok—!!”

The surprised Ju Opal blinked his eyes.

“D-did you… do that?”

“No. You did it, uncle.”

“It can’t be… I’ve never split the waterfall once in 30 years!”

“The reason you couldn't split the waterfall was not because you lacked talent. It wasn't because you lacked perseverance either. It was just because you were afraid.”

“Because of… fear?”

“You were planning to get revenge for your family and villagers if you succeeded in splitting the waterfall, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But you were afraid.”

“…Yes.”

Could he, who couldn't even perform a proper martial art, fight against them?

Wouldn't it be a futile death?

So, Ju Opal had never once achieved his set goal of splitting the waterfall.

The wall of fear had blocked him.

“Was that it? What blocked me… was not a lack of talent… but fear?”

Behind the dumbfounded Ju Opal, Jin Sohyun recalled what Beomgang had said when he first saw Ju Opal.

—It’s Fajing.

—Fajing?

—It’s a method of concentrating the power of the whole body in one place and exploding it. You can only perform a proper Fajing if you can freely control the flow of ki and the movement of your muscles.

Jin Sohyun, with this as a starting point, imprinted Ju Opal’s movements in his eyes.

‘If I can combine the flying sword and Fajing.’

He might be able to create a new style of flying sword technique.

Jin Sohyun, while watching Ju Opal who had finally performed a proper Fajing after more than 30 years, clenched his fist and repeated the three names.

“Ma Seongun.”

***

“Ma Seongun.”

Blood-Sucking Sword Demon.

“Am I one step too late…”

Gu Jucheol and his party looked at the dried-up corpse of the Sword Saint, Hong Yumong, with pained faces.

They were one step too late.

Gu Jucheol laid Hong Yumong’s dried-up corpse on the floor and closed his eyes tightly.

“I’m sorry.”

If only they had been a little faster.

Could they have prevented Hong Yumong’s death?

This was not the time for regrets.

Gu Jucheol, who had stood up from his seat, said to everyone.

“If the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon has even absorbed the power of the Sword Saint, he will now have a formidable level of power. A single moment of carelessness can lead to death… so you must be firmly prepared.”

The martial artists could not answer Gu Jucheol’s advice.

They were no longer looking at Gu Jucheol.

Gu Jucheol, who had felt a strange premonition, also followed the party’s gaze and looked back.

And there.

“You’ve come sooner than I thought.”

Was Ma Seongun.

(End of Chapter)