The Farmer Who Ended Up Teaching the World’s Greatest Martial Artist - Chapter 8
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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 8
“How is it? Do you feel something different?”
At Sa Un-sik’s question, Yoo Eun-hyun, who had been savoring the sensation, nodded repeatedly.
His entire body felt light and refreshed, as if he had removed a thousand-pound burden. Just having his fatigue disappear like this was truly a tremendous gain for Yoo Eun-hyun, who continued grueling labor in his daily life.
“If I keep doing this, will I be able to become like you, sir?”
“Hardly. What I just taught you is merely a method for accumulating internal energy—an internal cultivation technique. Though you learned it somewhat quickly, if you don’t know the martial techniques and formulas to use that internal energy, you can’t say you’ve completely mastered martial arts. To learn those, you’d need to study the nature of internal energy and the fundamentals of utilizing it.”
“…”
“What? Do you want me to teach you that as well?”
At Sa Un-sik’s subtle words, Yoo Eun-hyun couldn’t answer. Honestly speaking, he thought it would be nice if he taught him everything while he was at it. But as if mocking Yoo Eun-hyun’s dilemma, Sa Un-sik spoke.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing more I can give you now. If I gave away everything like this, how could you feel any longing?”
“Then this is only half of it?”
“You can’t see it that way. Internal energy and martial techniques are separate things. And didn’t I tell you earlier? Internal energy has various benefits just by possessing it. As I mentioned before, it will help with farming in many ways.”
“That’s good.”
“If you want to learn the remaining techniques and formulas, come find me anytime. You’ll be welcome.”
From what he heard, Sa Un-sik seemed to want to take Yoo Eun-hyun away from here somehow.
But on the contrary, seeing him say such things made Yoo Eun-hyun’s desire to learn more completely disappear.
“It’s fine. This alone seems sufficient for farming.”
Yoo Eun-hyun no longer wanted to be entangled with Sa Un-sik. This time, he decided to refuse firmly and decisively.
Yoo Eun-hyun waited for Sa Un-sik’s outburst that would surely follow. But an unexpected answer came from Sa Un-sik’s mouth.
“Do as you wish. I can’t force you.”
“Really?”
Though he thought Sa Un-sik was persistent, that was only by Yoo Eun-hyun’s standards. He couldn’t quite believe it would end like this.
“You look suspicious now that I’m agreeing so readily.”
“Not at all.”
“It’s written all over your face. And you’re right to be suspicious. I have two methods for getting my way.”
Saying this, Sa Un-sik raised one finger.
“The first is to force it. It’s the easiest, fastest, and most convenient method.”
“Though it’s not a method just anyone can use.”
Yoo Eun-hyun spoke as if exasperated, but Sa Un-sik didn’t even listen to his words and raised a second finger.
“When the first doesn’t work, there’s the second. Make it happen by force.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
Once again, Yoo Eun-hyun spoke even more exasperatedly, but Sa Un-sik grinned and shook his head.
“It’s different. It’s a method that’s a bit more troublesome and time-consuming than the first.”
Yoo Eun-hyun still wore an expression of incomprehension, but Sa Un-sik didn’t seem inclined to explain further, raising the corners of his mouth in a sinister smile.
“Keke. That’s enough. I’ve presented everything I intended to present, so now the choice is yours, young brother.”
Sa Un-sik spoke as if he was done, but Yoo Eun-hyun couldn’t shake his uneasy expression. Hearing such talk earlier only increased his anxiety about whether this would really be the end.
“In any case, I’m grateful for your teachings.”
But since he had learned what he had learned, Yoo Eun-hyun bowed his head.
“The one who should be grateful is me. I received something I never even thought of. But now it’s time to leave.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I’ve finished my business, so shouldn’t I go? Don’t worry. I’ll keep my earlier promise too. I’ve never failed to repay what I’ve received in my lifetime.”
“Ah… the marriage…”
Yoo Eun-hyun muttered. After receiving the method for accumulating internal energy, he had completely forgotten about the marriage for a moment.
“And there’s something I must warn you about. You must not tell anyone else about the method for accumulating internal energy that you just learned from me.”
“Why is that? But if I have internal energy, won’t other martial artists be able to tell?”
“It’s fine to reveal that you have internal energy. But just don’t say that you learned the method for accumulating it from me.”
“What happens if I’m found out?”
“Actually, it doesn’t matter. But there will come a day when you understand that doing so is beneficial for your well-being.”
And as Sa Un-sik said this, a chilling and dizzying aura momentarily emanated from his body. Overwhelmed by that aura, Yoo Eun-hyun briefly closed his eyes and nodded.
But soon that aura disappeared again as if it had never been there. Yoo Eun-hyun opened his eyes and let out an exclamation.
“Huh?”
Along with the disappearance of the aura, Sa Un-sik’s figure had also vanished without a trace.
Though he had seen him disappear and appear like a ghost several times during their time together, Yoo Eun-hyun could instinctively sense that Sa Un-sik had completely left this time.
*
While Yoo Eun-hyun was accepting Sa Un-sik’s disappearance, Sa Un-sik had already arrived at the foothills of Mount Taishan.
In a densely wooded forest, Sa Un-sik stopped at a small clearing in a place rarely visited by people and glanced around, when something appeared before him.
It was a person.
A figure that appeared suddenly as if rising from the ground was kneeling toward Sa Un-sik with their head bowed so deeply it nearly touched the earth.
And not just one person—more than ten people lined up behind them and revealed themselves, then shouted simultaneously as if with one voice.
“We pay our respects to the Sect Leader!”
“The Cheonwi Guard leader, I presume.”
“This Cheonwi Guard leader Go Pae-ryang. I have come to fulfill my duty as the leader of the Cheonwi Guard, which serves as the Sect Leader’s escort.”
“Did Kang I send you? It hasn’t been that long since I left. That boy still seems to miss his father’s embrace.”
“It’s already been over two weeks since the Sect Leader left without a word. Isn’t the Young Sect Leader’s worry natural? And…”
Go Pae-ryang, who was about to finish speaking, slyly raised his bowed head and trailed off. He seemed worried about being overheard by the subordinates behind him.
“Miss Yeo Un was causing such a commotion that I thought I’d go crazy. As the Sect Leader knows, Miss Yeo Un can’t be controlled by anyone but the Sect Leader’s words.”
“Tsk tsk. How can that boy Kang I rule the sect in the future if he can’t even control one younger sister?”
“It’s not exactly that he can’t control her…”
Go Pae-ryang swallowed the words that he just avoided her because it was troublesome. But there was no way Sa Un-sik wouldn’t know this.
“Don’t worry about Yeo Un. She’ll soon be too preoccupied with other things to pay attention to anything else.”
Since Sa Un-sik said so, it must be so, and Go Pae-ryang bowed his head deeply as if to show his obedience without question. Then Sa Un-sik, who had been silent for a moment as if thinking about something, spoke to Go Pae-ryang.
“Report on what happened while I was away.”
“Yes, sir. Since the Sect Leader left without revealing your destination, there was some minor unrest, but the Young Sect Leader stepped forward and is handling it well.”
“This incident will be of great help to Kang I as well. What about the Cheonmu Alliance’s movements?”
Go Pae-ryang hesitated momentarily at Sa Un-sik’s question but immediately answered again.
“After the Sect Leader moved, the Cheonmu Alliance leader, the Twin Sword Saint, also disappeared.”
“His whereabouts?”
“He’s moving alone, making tracking difficult.”
“Keh. Still desperately trying to court me, that fellow.”
The Cheonmu Alliance—a coalition of sects formed to counter the threat of Maegyo. The alliance leader, Twin Sword Saint So Bi-won, is one of the supreme masters of the martial world, called alongside the Heavenly Demon Sa Un-sik as “One Demon, One Saint.”
When such a master moves alone without escorts, finding his trail becomes nearly impossible. Go Pae-ryang had only barely found Sa Un-sik because he had stayed in one place with Yoo Eun-hyun for about two weeks.
“…I apologize.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t punish someone for failing to do the impossible. However, as long as that man’s whereabouts remain unknown, I can’t leave the sect empty for too long. Since there were gains as well… I’ll return to the sect now.”
“Yes, sir.”
Go Pae-ryang prostrated himself toward Sa Un-sik and bowed his head. As he raised his head to carry out the order, Go Pae-ryang noticed that Sa Un-sik was still looking at him and carefully asked.
“Is there anything else you wish to command?”
“Besides the five Cheonwi Guard members around us, are there others nearby?”
Sa Un-sik seemed to have immediately grasped the number of Cheonwi Guard members hidden in the vicinity.
As if this was nothing to be surprised about, Go Pae-ryang immediately answered the question.
“One squad of the Cheonhwangpaeundae is standing by not far from here.”
The Cheonhwangpaeundae had a total of five hundred members organized into ten squads. Even one squad alone was fifty people. These were personnel stationed in preparation for a possible clash with the Cheonmu Alliance, and Sa Un-sik had seen through even that.
“Were there no movements from the Cheonmu Alliance other than the Twin Sword Saint?”
“Movements of the Jeongeumtae were detected.”
“Numbers?”
“I apologize. We haven’t received an accurate report on personnel yet… but judging by how their numbers aren’t easily determined, they’re likely a small force.”
The Jeongeumtae was a specialized combat unit within the Cheonmu Alliance created specifically to deal with Maegyo—not opponents to be taken lightly.
But it was also true that obtaining information about them was difficult.
“That’s likely the case. Good. Summon the entire squad. That should be enough to respond adequately.”
“Where should I set as the destination?”
“The destination is right here, right now. Send the urgent message immediately.”
“Jon-myeong.”
Go Pae-ryang nodded and called for a subordinate skilled in lightness techniques. After dispatching his subordinate toward a nearby branch, Go Pae-ryang bowed his head toward Sa Un-sik.
“Everything is ready.”
“Good. We return to The Sect.”
Sa Un-sik nodded once, seemingly pleased with Go Pae-ryang’s handling of the matter, and stood up.
Then he glanced back and curled his lips into a smile. That smile carried an eerie laugh within it.
“I traveled the Martial Arts World seeking a clue to reach the peak of the Flame Transformation Realm and transcend it… Who would have thought I’d gain enlightenment in such a place.”
Sa Un-sik had been wandering mountains and rivers rich in natural energy to reach a new realm, recalling his initial dedication to training martial arts in nature.
But in truth, Sa Un-sik himself had only come out with the mindset of trying everything possible since he was blocked by a wall.
“Yoo Eun-hyun… Kuk kuk. A farmer who can teach the greatest master under heaven. What a coveted existence.”
Muttering to himself, Sa Un-sik recalled Yoo Eun-hyun.
On the surface, he appeared to be an ordinary man, but his inner nature was extraordinary.
What caught his attention most was his firm belief in the principles of nurturing all things as a farmer.
And such a perspective from Yoo Eun-hyun, though the means and path were different, aligned with what Sa Un-sik pursued.
“Indeed, that field with its beautiful scenery and the flow of magnificent energy was a spectacular sight. How regrettable. That it must be destroyed.”
As long as that place remained intact, Yoo Eun-hyun would never try to enter the Martial Arts World.
He had thrown out the bait of marriage and martial arts, but a decisive trigger was needed.
“When force doesn’t work, you make it work. Once I give it time and make him enter the Martial Arts World, he won’t be able to escape my sphere of influence.”
Digging a trap and throwing bait to wait for prey to emerge. In this case, the order seemed reversed—throwing bait first then digging the trap—but it didn’t matter.
“My exclusive internal cultivation method, the Demonic Primordial Heaven Technique, is nothingness itself that can harmonize and transform with any martial art under heaven… I’m curious what fruit will bear when that farmer brother learns the Demonic Primordial Heaven Technique according to those principles.”
Muttering while gazing at the ridge of Mount Taishan where Yoo Eun-hyun was, Sa Un-sik turned his body again and departed from that place.
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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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