Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Chapter 157:

Wise Strategist

That evening, the group led by Mu-jin rented an inn in Hajuhyeon after leaving So-cheongmun.

They spent their days visiting So-cheongmun once a day.

Since the incident at the Gyerim Black Market, Cheongsu Dojang, which had seemed somewhat complicated, began to regain its original atmosphere while spending time here.

Mu-yul and Ling-ling started interacting innocently with the children.

Mu-jin and Mu-gung also played with the children, but they spent most of their time helping treat Baek Ga-ryeong or being with Baek Ga-hwan.

Today, as usual, Mu-jin and Mu-gung entered the room where the Baek siblings were. Baek Ga-hwan, who was holding Baek Ga-ryeong, stood up and greeted them.

“Thank you, as always.”

Perhaps because his sister’s condition seemed to be improving, Baek Ga-hwan’s attitude, which had been merely polite, had become noticeably more respectful over the past few days.

(Tying grass to repay kindness).”

Though her voice was as tiny as an ant’s whisper, Mu-jin and Mu-gung, who were both trained in martial arts, could understand her well.

Since it was a well-known idiom, deciphering its meaning wasn’t difficult either.

It just felt strange that she would suddenly recite an idiom out of the blue.

“Please forgive my sister’s rudeness. Due to her poor health, she has a habit of speaking briefly.”

“How could expressing the desire to repay kindness be considered rude?”

Mu-jin replied appropriately, yet he felt a peculiar sensation.

If she found it hard to speak at length, wouldn’t simply saying “thank you” suffice?

‘Does she have a bit of a pretentious streak, despite her illness?’

Mu-jin suspected that Baek Ga-ryeong might have a bit of a pretentious nature, but fortunately, it was a misunderstanding.

Baek Ga-hwan, who had apologized for his sister’s rudeness, suddenly looked upset and turned to Baek Ga-ryeong.

“Ga-ryeong, why do you speak of death so easily?”

At Baek Ga-hwan’s sudden remark, Baek Ga-ryeong averted her gaze sideways.

“What do you mean by speaking of death?”

Mu-jin asked, puzzled by the siblings’ strange conversation, and Baek Ga-hwan sighed before explaining.

“Because Ga-ryeong finds it difficult to speak at length, she avoids meaningless words. If she only wanted to express gratitude, she would have said ‘thank you.’ However, the idiom means repaying kindness even after becoming a spirit after death. She implied that she would repay the kindness later as a spirit since she is now confined to a sick body.”

“……”

Did that single idiom hold such a complex meaning? Wasn’t this just over-interpretation?

Mu-jin kept silent, unable to critique a sick person. At that moment, Baek Ga-ryeong spoke in a very small voice.

(Changban Slope), (Liu Bei).”

Mu-jin, who had read the comic version of the Three Kingdoms in his past life as Choi Kang-hyuk, understood the rough meaning.

‘……Like Liu Bei who abandoned his family and fled with his generals at Changban Slope for the future, she is telling him to abandon her and think of his own future?’

Mu-jin’s guess seemed correct as Baek Ga-hwan looked at his sister with a face suppressing anger.

“Ga-ryeong! Why do you say such things?”

He understood the feelings of a younger sister who had continuously burdened her brother due to her illness and the sadness of a brother hearing such words.

Nonetheless, the atmosphere became awkward, so Mu-jin intervened between them.

“Why don’t we calm down and start the treatment?”

Saying so, Mu-jin glanced sideways, and Mu-gung tactfully placed his palm on Baek Ga-ryeong’s abdomen, infusing extreme yang energy.

But the room still felt cold. Despite the fire lit in the corner of the room for Baek Ga-ryeong’s sake, the silence created an icy atmosphere.

To lighten the mood, Mu-jin spoke up.

“Hmm. From the conversation earlier, it seems that Miss Baek is very knowledgeable for her age.”

Mu-jin believed that compliments were the best way to lighten the mood.

Fortunately, Baek Ga-hwan took Mu-jin’s compliment positively.

“Haha. Ga-ryeong has always been quite smart.”

Mu-jin smiled faintly at the sight of Baek Ga-hwan, who seemed genuinely happy to praise his sister like a proud fool.

‘That’s just like what I read in the novel.’

Although Baek Ga-hwan, who would later be known as the Wise Strategist, often said, “Compared to my sister, my wisdom is nothing,” he was immensely proud of her.

As the mood seemed to lighten, Mu-jin continued with another question.

“So, where did you learn such idioms?”

“Actually, our family used to be scholars preparing for official positions. Some generations ago, one of our ancestors did hold an official position. I also studied to become an official in my youth, but it was difficult as I wasn’t smart enough. On the other hand, my sister, despite being a girl, quickly memorized and understood the books just by watching me study.”

Baek Ga-hwan proudly shared his story in response to Mu-jin’s question, but his expression darkened suddenly.

“However, as we failed to secure an official position for generations, we were running out of money. We spent all our money on my sister’s medical bills, and then our parents passed away suddenly…”

“Er, sorry for asking unnecessary questions.”

Mu-jin apologized with an embarrassed look, trying to quickly change the subject.

“But still, Miss Baek seems truly exceptional. Remembering the books she read at such a young age is impressive.”

“What do you mean by young age? How old do you think we are?”

“With the age difference between you two, wasn’t Miss Baek very young when you were studying?”

Baek Ga-hwan tilted his head in confusion at Mu-jin’s question.

“What do you mean? Ga-ryeong and I are only three years apart.”

“…Pardon?”

Mu-jin looked at Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong in shock.

“Uh, how old are you, Baek Gongja?”

“She’s eighteen this year.”

“Then, you’re saying Miss Baek is fifteen?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Mu-jin looked at Baek Ga-ryeong with a strange expression in response to Baek Ga-hwan’s answer.

‘No matter how generous I am, she looks twelve. Honestly, I thought she was around ten or eleven.’

In modern terms, she appeared about eleven years old, which would be roughly equivalent to a fifth or sixth grader in elementary school.

But to say she was fifteen?

“Hmhm. Ga-ryeong has had health issues, so her growth has been a bit slower since she was young.”

“Is that so.”

Mu-jin awkwardly responded to Baek Ga-hwan’s explanation, his eyes catching a peculiar sight.

“What are you doing…?”

Mu-gung, who had been treating Baek Ga-ryeong, had suddenly removed his palm from her abdomen.

‘Why is he blushing all of a sudden? How creepy.’

Maybe realizing Mu-jin’s curious gaze, Mu-gung urgently sent a telepathic message.

– Help me.

– Help with what?

– Don’t you know the saying that men and women should not touch each other after they reach the age of seven!?

Only then did Mu-jin understand what Mu-gung was thinking.

Up until now, it seemed Mu-gung had treated Baek Ga-ryeong without much hesitation because she looked so young.

However, in this era, it was common sense that men and women shouldn’t touch each other after the age of seven. And a fifteen-year-old girl was old enough to be preparing for marriage.

In other words, Mu-gung, who had treated her without much thought, had started to recognize her as a ‘woman’ upon learning her age.

‘Is this guy insane? How can he see her as a woman?’

Of course, biologically speaking, she was a woman, but it was crazy to consider someone who looked like a fifth or sixth grader as one.

Mu-jin started to worry that Mu-gung might need some physical mental education.

– Hey. What are you thinking about a kid for? Are you crazy?

– A kid? She’s a young lady at fifteen, you ignorant fool! She’s only three years younger than you! And just four years younger than me… Even the marriage compatibility… But I’ve been touching her with my hands all this time…

Mu-gung’s face was getting redder and redder, as if he was about to experience Qi Deviation.

– That’s something a Shaolin disciple would say? What, are you going to leave the order and get married?

– Ahem. No, that’s not it.

– Just think of it as a treatment and don’t see her as a woman, see her as a patient.

– Easier said than done.

To help the confused Mu-gung regain his composure, Mu-jin thought of a plan.

– Close your eyes and think of Master Hye-dam.

Mu-jin suggested thinking of Mu-gung’s stern and extremely serious master, who embodied the essence of immovable heart.

“Is there a problem?”

As Mu-gung and Mu-jin stopped the treatment and exchanged silent glances, Baek Ga-hwan asked anxiously.

“Oh. He just had a moment of concern. Since this is a delicate treatment, it’s better to take a break when one’s mind is unsettled.”

“I see. I apologize for pushing you in my concern for my sister.”

While Mu-jin soothed Baek Ga-hwan with a plausible excuse, Mu-gung closed his eyes and tried to calm his mind by imagining his master’s stern face.

“Whew.”

After a moment, having escaped his mental turmoil, Mu-gung placed his palm back on Baek Ga-ryeong’s abdomen.

However, unable to open his eyes to look at her, Mu-gung treated her with his eyes closed, thinking only of Hye-dam.

Meanwhile, Mu-jin was thinking,

‘If anything goes wrong, I’ll just hit him on the back of the head.’

He was prepared to give Mu-gung some physical mental training if the situation called for it.

* * *

After the strangely tense treatment session, Mu-jin spoke to Baek Ga-hwan.

“This treatment is only a temporary measure. As you might know, a proper treatment requires special medicine or learning a particular form of energy cultivation.”

Though there were proper treatment methods in mind, they couldn’t be carried out here.

So, this temporary treatment was a preparatory step for the upcoming long journey.

Of course, Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong were unaware of this impending journey.

“We are already thankful for this. My sister used to have to sleep with a fire even in midsummer, shivering from cold. Recently, she has been able to sleep comfortably. So, please, feel free to speak your mind.”

While Mu-gung and Mu-jin appeased the grateful Baek Ga-hwan and Baek Ga-ryeong, they were about to leave So-cheong-moon.

Suddenly, a carriage stopped at the entrance of So-cheong-moon, much like Mu-jin’s group had a few days ago.

As Mu-jin’s group looked curiously at the carriage, a middle-aged man alighted from it and was greeted by a disciple of So-cheong-moon.

“Welcome. Please, come inside.”

The disciple, along with the middle-aged man who had arrived, cheerfully announced,

“Mun-hyuk! Do you remember? This is Master Geum who visited last time. He has come today to become your father.”

“Ha ha ha. Come here.”

The middle-aged man called Master Geum opened his arms with a kind smile, and the young boy called Mun-hyuk ran into his embrace with a bright smile.

“Oh. So, this place not only raises orphans but also finds new families for them.”

Mu-jin’s group, touched by the beautiful scene, exclaimed in admiration.

After holding the boy in his arms for a while, the middle-aged man patted his head a few times, then put him down and went to have a conversation with the head of the sect.

“Today might be the last day.”

Cheong-su Dojang, who seemed saddened by the news of Mun-hyuk leaving, spoke softly to the boy.

“You’re such a fool, big brother! I can come to you, or you can come to where I live!”

“Ha ha ha. That’s true.”

Cheong-su Dojang laughed heartily and stepped aside to let the boy spend his last moments with the other children.

After watching the children for a while, Cheong-su Dojang and Mu-jin’s group left So-cheong-moon and returned to their inn.

As soon as they returned, Mu-jin started to put on the black martial arts uniform he had prepared in advance from Ha-juhyeon.