The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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| Chapter 7

“You want me to follow you?”

Yoo Eun-hyun asked back in surprise at the unexpected proposal.

“That’s right. If little brother has any interest in the martial arts world and desires something from it, I’ll give you whatever it may be. I promise.”

“No, I don’t even know how to use martial arts…”

“Martial arts can be learned. Little brother possesses something that no ancient genius has ever had. I actually covet that.”

“All I know how to do is farm?”

Though Yoo Eun-hyun replied in a bewildered voice, Sa Un-sik raised his voice even higher instead.

“That’s exactly it. Isn’t farming the work of nurturing something? No matter how talented a person may be, that only applies to themselves – there’s no guarantee they can pass it on well to others. But little brother has the ability to nurture others. Of course, whether they gain from it or not depends on each individual… But just the possibility of it is enough. I covet that possibility.”

Sa Un-sik’s expression as he spoke was burning with conviction, as if he himself was proof of this.

“Even so, from farming to martial arts…”

“Haven’t we been saying this directly until now? That martial arts is the work of recreating the laws of farming and nature in reality? Viewed that way, little brother has already reached the realm of enlightenment in martial arts… no, even beyond that.”

Yoo Eun-hyun tilted his head, wondering if the conversation they’d had a few days ago was really that profound. But even so, Sa Un-sik’s conviction seemed firm.

“But if such a little brother were to devote himself to martial arts as well… I’m curious what would happen. No, I personally covet it. Your existence, little brother.”

Having said that much, Sa Un-sik looked at Yoo Eun-hyun intently again, as if asking what he would do. Yoo Eun-hyun still couldn’t answer.

First of all, it didn’t feel real, and Sa Un-sik’s proposal felt somehow ominous.

“I’m sorry, but… it would be difficult to follow you.”

At Yoo Eun-hyun’s words, Sa Un-sik’s face immediately frowned. He seemed to have thought he would naturally follow.

“Why is that?”

“I need to finish this year’s farming at least. And this land has been passed down from my grandfather’s generation… I can’t make such a decision lightly.”

Though Yoo Eun-hyun had thought about wanting to leave Mount Taishan, on the other hand, there was no way he wouldn’t have lingering attachment to the farming he’d done his whole life.

Especially now without Soo Hwa-seon, if he left this place, this year’s farming would end there. No matter what, for Yoo Eun-hyun, who was a farmer by nature, such a choice was too much.

“…Indeed, it would be difficult to leave such a wonderful foundation behind.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, there’s no need to be sorry at all. If there’s no opportunity, we just need to create one.”

“What do you mean…?”

Yoo Eun-hyun asked again, not knowing what Sa Un-sik’s muttering meant. Sa Un-sik shook his head as if it was nothing.

“After digging a trap, you must throw appetizing bait. Isn’t that right?”

Sa Un-sik raised the corner of his mouth and threw words of unclear intent at Yoo Eun-hyun.

“Little brother. Do you happen to have someone you’ve promised to marry or such a person?”

“N-no. When my mother was here, she always told me to get married quickly, but being in a place like this, there’s no opportunity.”

“Do you have thoughts of wanting to?”

“It’s not that I don’t. Naturally.”

When Yoo Eun-hyun answered honestly, Sa Un-sik burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! For a young man to desire women is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Desire is going too far…”

“No, I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s just the natural order. Then I’d like to arrange a marriage for little brother. How about it?”

If he answered yes, Sa Un-sik was ready to bring a woman immediately.

Usually in such cases, it was customary to do a light background check on what kind of person the other party was, but Yoo Eun-hyun answered quite casually.

“Well… if you introduce someone, I’ll meet them.”

Yoo Eun-hyun knew better than anyone that he was being lured with marriage as bait.

But even so, he couldn’t just refuse outright. So he readily accepted.

There wouldn’t be any daughters of martial arts clans who would want a farmer as a husband anyway.

Sa Un-sik’s voice reached Yoo Eun-hyun’s ears like a drumbeat as he thought this.

“Don’t worry. She’ll definitely be to little brother’s liking. If she’s not to your liking, we’ll just make her to your liking.”

At Sa Un-sik’s words, a thought suddenly occurred to Yoo Eun-hyun.

‘What if they really want to get married?’

And as if he roughly understood such thoughts from Yoo Eun-hyun, Sa Un-sik added again.

“I never force choices. I create situations where you have no choice but to choose.”

“I-I see.”

Yoo Eun-hyun wondered just how amazing a person he had prepared to be so confident.

But that was as far as Yoo Eun-hyun could think.

“But this much would only be enough to tie you down. Now, don’t you want something else?”

It was too sudden a question for Yoo Eun-hyun, who had been relieved thinking it was over.

From what he heard, Sa Un-sik seemed to already have some answer in mind and kept asking. It made it even harder to answer carelessly.

“Uh… well… that is…”

As Yoo Eun-hyun couldn’t answer and mumbled, Sa Un-sik burst into laughter as if he knew this would happen.

“Still not faithful to your desires. I knew it would be like this.”

At the mocking tone, Yoo Eun-hyun’s eyebrows twitched. Thinking that if the answer was already decided anyway, it wouldn’t matter how he answered, Yoo Eun-hyun just said what came to mind.

“If farming could become easier, even just for this year, that would be perfect.”

And at such a request from Yoo Eun-hyun, Sa Un-sik poured out generous laughter. Yoo Eun-hyun widened his eyes with a surprised expression.

“Huhu. Yes. That’s exactly it. That’s what desire is. Desire doesn’t come from deep thinking. That would be a wish. Desire is momentary, but that’s also why it shines brighter.”

“Not to that extent…”

Yoo Eun-hyun was about to say more but closed his mouth.

Honestly speaking, listening to it, it didn’t seem wrong either.

Though it was just a momentary thought, if farming really became easier, wouldn’t that be perfect?

And honestly speaking, he was also curious about just how it could be granted.

He didn’t think Sa Un-sik had anything to teach Yoo Eun-hyun about farming, so how could he make farming easier?

“But is that even possible?”

“Of course. I’ll teach you martial arts.”

And at Sa Un-sik’s unimaginable proposal, Yoo Eun-hyun widened his eyes and asked back.

“What? Martial arts?”

Suddenly martial arts? Why would martial arts suddenly come up when talking about making farming easier?

But at Yoo Eun-hyun’s reaction, Sa Un-sik spoke as if asking what was so surprising.

“The first effect you experience when learning martial arts is the improvement of physical abilities. Farming is done with the body. If physical abilities improve, wouldn’t that help with farming?”

“If that’s the case…”

That martial artists were strong and fast was common knowledge. If Yoo Eun-hyun could become like that too, it would certainly seem helpful for farming.

“That’s thinking simply. Recall the conversation we had. Little brother would now acknowledge that farming and martial arts have connected aspects, right?”

“Yes.”

Yoo Eun-hyun nodded readily since he had been feeling that quite a bit himself.

“Then learning martial arts should help somewhere.”

“Would it?”

“Did you forget that I was asking little brother about farming? At least in my case, it helped. Very much so.”

When Sa Un-sik said that much, Yoo Eun-hyun could no longer ask questions. And decisively, his heart was pounding at the mention of martial arts.

He never thought he’d encounter martial arts in this way. It wasn’t that he had grand dreams of what to do after learning martial arts, but it was true that just the name ‘martial arts’ itself was exciting.

“Turn around and sit. Cross your legs.”

“What?”

“It’s for learning martial arts.”

Though Yoo Eun-hyun made a dumb sound, since he was a complete novice when it came to martial arts unlike farming, he followed Sa Un-sik’s words and turned around, settling on the ground.

The cross-legged position he was trying for the first time was uncomfortable, but he could somehow manage to sit in position.

And as Yoo Eun-hyun settled into position, Sa Un-sik placed both hands on Yoo Eun-hyun’s back.

“Breathe calmly and steadily.”

Though Yoo Eun-hyun had no idea what was happening, this time he decided to follow obediently.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Yoo Eun-hyun made a sound as he felt a strange energy flowing in from where Sa Un-sik’s hands touched. Soon after, Sa Un-sik’s stern voice was heard.

“Don’t disturb your breathing!”

At Sa Un-sik’s shout, Yoo Eun-hyun regulated his breathing again. Soon he could feel some foreign energy.

That energy had a very peculiar feeling.

When it first entered, it seemed to give a warm feeling, but as those energies moved through Yoo Eun-hyun’s entire body, he also felt a cool sensation.

Though contradictory, it was a strange feeling as if it possessed both warmth and coldness simultaneously, but the feeling was definitely not unpleasant.

‘It feels strangely familiar somehow….’

And those energies circulated once around Yoo Eun-hyun’s entire body, then moved to the dantian below his navel and lingered there briefly.

It was an indescribable sensation of fullness and satisfaction. The energy seemed to scatter after a moment, but it hadn’t completely disappeared.

A very faint but definite trace remained in that place.

“Do you feel it?”

And as if awakening Yoo Eun-hyun’s mind, which was still intoxicated by that feeling, Sa Un-sik asked.

Yoo Eun-hyun turned his head with slightly dazed eyes and nodded.

“Warm yet cool… I felt the energy very clearly.”

“That is what we call internal energy.”

“It seems similar to the energy I usually feel around me.”

“The essence is the same. Internal energy is nature’s energy transformed so it can remain within the human body.”

Naturally, Yoo Eun-hyun also knew what internal energy was. It was the energy used by those in the Martial Arts World, the source of their power.

“To explain in more detail, taking nature’s energy into the body and circulating it as just happened is called one complete circulation. The energy that gathers in the dantian accordingly becomes internal energy.”

Yoo Eun-hyun could understand that Sa Un-sik had just explained the action he had performed through his body moments ago.

“Let’s try again. This time, stay alert and remember the sequence of how the energy moves through the body.”

When Yoo Eun-hyun nodded, Sa Un-sik performed one complete circulation of internal energy through Yoo Eun-hyun’s body just as before, then asked.

“Do you remember?”

“About half of it.”

At Yoo Eun-hyun’s answer, Sa Un-sik chuckled as if he had expected as much, then repeated the same action two more times.

“Now I remember it completely.”

“Just as I thought.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The pathways through which internal energy flows in the body are called the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. How wide, strong, and unobstructed these meridians are throughout the body can be said to be the true qualification of a martial artist. Your body… is certainly not lacking by that standard.”

Naturally, this was the first time Yoo Eun-hyun had ever heard about meridians and pathways. When he showed a blank expression, Sa Un-sik nodded as if understanding.

“But you must not become arrogant. I have seen many who possessed excellent qualities yet failed to achieve greatness, so continue to train diligently.”

“So have I learned martial arts now?”

At Yoo Eun-hyun’s question, Sa Un-sik raised his hand upward as if telling him to stand up. Yoo Eun-hyun rose from his seat as if drawn by that gesture.

“Nothing is as difficult to master easily as martial arts. But there’s also nothing as easy to get a taste of as martial arts. Take a look around once.”

At Sa Un-sik’s words, Yoo Eun-hyun tilted his head in confusion, but soon couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“Ooh?”

A fresh sensation felt as soon as he stood up. His body had become incomparably lighter than before.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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