The Jade Ghost of the Jegal Family - Chapter 3

Thud-
As Hyun-woo stepped over the thick threshold, he moved his body into the main house of the Hwa-un clan.

“……”

“That guy… he’s alive.”

“A tenacious guy.”

“His life is stubborn.”

As soon as Hyun-woo set foot inside the manor, the voices of many people of various sizes reached his ears.

Hyun-woo slowly turned his head and looked around. Everyone seemed to be looking at him with disapproving eyes.

‘The public opinion is not good.’

There was no need to bother confirming it with So-baek.

The words he heard with his ears, and the looks people gave him, were enough to gauge people’s evaluation of So-baek.

– This is not the time to feel the pulse. That bastard is the Mud Dog that killed me.

Hyun-woo’s gaze, which was scanning around, stopped at a boy with a dog-like appearance.

‘You mean him?’

– That’s right. That guy is the Mud Dog that tried to kill me, Jin So-baek. I want to kill him right away.

‘Hold on. It’s not the right time yet.’

Everyone was looking at Hyun-woo with disapproving eyes.

If he were to cause an incident now, who knew what kind of trouble might follow. He had to be patient for the moment.

‘But why do they all look at you like this? Have you been causing trouble?’

– There’s no way. I didn’t associate with anyone.

‘They say you’re a candidate to become the master’s apprentice. Don’t you have any allies or backing?’

At that, So-baek sneered.

– Hmph. Those things are for weaklings to nurture. For a genius like me, those are nothing but burdensome.

‘Don’t tell me you ignored the people who tried to approach you or something?’

– I didn’t ignore them. I just advised them to improve their skills if they had time to approach me.

‘…That’s why your reputation is like this.’

With a wrinkle on his forehead, Hyun-woo let out a light sigh.

It seemed that this socially inept guy had shown rude behavior and pushed everyone away.

‘That’s why people are looking at you like this. You’ve… never mind.’

Hyun-woo, who was about to give a long lecture, clicked his tongue and swallowed his words.

Despite everything, So-baek was still fifteen. Keeping in mind that So-baek was a young boy, Hyun-woo decided to let it go for now.

– Why?

‘No, it’s nothing.’

Talent is like a sweet flower that naturally draws people as it blooms.

Whether the purpose is bad, to exploit, or good, to learn.

But So-baek had pushed away everyone who approached him, sometimes not just with his hands but with his feet.

‘You dug your own grave.’

Considering this, even the betrayal that led to the loss of his chi point seemed somewhat reasonable.

‘I guess I have to change your image too.’

Hyun-woo didn’t find the task of image improvement too concerning.

Having endured ten years in a pharmaceutical company, he thought dealing with children ages fifteen or sixteen would be a piece of cake.

‘First, let’s properly absorb Jin So-baek.’

– Absorb? What do you mean by absorb?

‘Your martial arts. I will use it from now on, so I need to try it myself first.’

– Martial arts?

‘Yes.’

Knowing martial arts and using them are different things.

As with all knowledge, there’s a difference between knowing how to use something and actually using it.

‘The skills are ingrained in the body and can be used instinctively, but to use them properly, one must be able to consciously deploy them.’

Being able to perfectly operate So-baek’s martial skills and internal energy method.

This was the beginning, according to Hyun-woo.

Whether it was for So-baek’s revenge, becoming stronger, or learning archery, he thought it could only be done after fully mastering what So-baek had.

‘Do you have a private training hall?’

– It’s not granted to us. But nobody trains at night, so you can use that time if needed.

Hyun-woo nodded as a response and moved his previously stationary feet.

‘Then, first, let’s go to your room. Let’s start by learning the internal energy method.’

* * *

For a modern person who has never been in a fight, martial arts are quite a difficult matter. Especially the internal energy method that deals with internal energy.

To modern people, internal energy is nothing more than a fantastic fantasy.

‘I’ve seen it on TV…’

Occasionally, some eccentrics who claimed to handle energy appeared on TV. But those people always failed to show anything substantial in front of the cameras.

A particular member of the National Assembly is a representative example.

Anyway.

Since Hyun-woo was a modern person who couldn’t relate to energy at all, in order to handle energy, he needed to go through the process of feeling energy—a process of expanding his energy sense.

‘At least it’s fortunate that I entered a martial artist’s body.’

Inside So-baek’s body lay a considerable amount, albeit not large, of quite refined internal energy.

Utilizing this energy would make the process of feeling energy and awakening the energy sense much easier.

‘If I had entered a body without internal energy, it would have been several times more difficult than it is now.’

If Hyun-woo had entered the body of a commoner who hadn’t learned martial arts, it would have taken about three years just to feel internal energy and another ten years to create a chi point.

– The internal energy method I learned is called So-cheon-seong-gong (Small Heavenly Star Technique). I will recite the formula, follow it.

“So-cheon-seong-gong?”

Hyun-woo’s head tilted slightly.

‘Isn’t So-cheon-seong-gong the martial art of the Jegal clan?’

As far as Hyun-woo knew, So-cheon-seong-gong was the basic internal energy method of the Jegal clan. It’s akin to a stepping stone for mastering the greater techniques that symbolize the Jegal clan, such as the Great Heavenly Star Divine Art or the Profound Mystery Elixir Art.

‘But how did Jin So-baek learn this?’

A martial artist from the dark path learning an internal energy method from Jegal clan, a prestigious righteous clan, was beyond strange.

It was either the author’s mistake due to madness or definitely something concealed.

“How did you learn the internal energy method of the Jegal clan?”

– That… I cannot tell you now. I will tell you when you fulfill my grudge.

“Okay, I understand.”

Hyun-woo felt there was no need to hastily inquire about it since he’d eventually learn the information later.

– Then, close your eyes.

Sitting cross-legged in Jin So-baek’s room with closed eyes, Hyun-woo concentrated his mind and tried to operate energy following So-baek’s explanations heard in his head.

‘It certainly isn’t easy.’

Since it was already inside the body, seeing and feeling the internal energy in the chi point was easy.

But moving it was different.

Just like how it would be hard to use an additional arm that suddenly grows from the back, Hyun-woo was finding it difficult to properly operate the energy.

As a modern person encountering energy (氣) for the first time, this was an inevitable challenge.

– That’s not it. You need to move the internal energy through muscle contractions and meridian openings.

– That’s correct, but don’t steer it elsewhere from there.

– The flow is too strong. You should control the flow instead of being swayed by it.

Even during the breathing method, So-baek’s nagging continued.

Then at one point,

Hyun-woo couldn’t hear So-baek’s nagging anymore.

Actually, he didn’t hear any sound, as if cut off from the world.

It was reminiscent of the feeling when noise canceling was activated on Apple earphones.

‘Ah…. This must be it.’

As the world and self diverged and Hyun-woo fell into a state of unity with his surroundings, a wave of realization enveloped him.

Shhaaa-

Amidst the wave, Hyun-woo’s ears heard the sound of a waterfall pouring down as he floated leisurely through the realm of realization.

“Phew……”

Simultaneously, Hyun-woo opened his eyes.

– Is it really your first time with breathing method? Gaining realization on the first attempt is unheard of. Even the internal energy has increased.

Normally, it takes several months just to sense energy initially. Hyun-woo completed that long process in merely half a day.

– Incredible. It’s a talent I’ve never seen before.

In response to So-baek’s astonished tone, Hyun-woo scratched his nose.

‘I might have quite a bit of talent?’

– As I thought, Tianren (Heavenly Being) is truly different.

So-baek, who still viewed Hyun-woo as a heavenly being descended to Earth, uttered in an admiring voice.

– At this pace, I think you could manifest internal energy right now. How about trying it?

‘Manifest internal energy?’

What Hyun-woo just did was the breathing method—a process of circulating energy within the body according to an internal energy method.

It was different from utilizing the mysterious energy known as internal energy to perform martial arts.

“What should I do?”

– First, raise your hand over your abdomen.

Following So-baek’s instructions, Hyun-woo raised his open palm to chest height.

– Imagine a white sphere above your palm. Create a ball made of energy through your will.

“Hmm……”

Hyun-woo stared intently at his palm, imagining an image of a white sphere resting there.

And after that fleeting moment.

Woonng-

Above Hyun-woo’s palm, a white sphere materialized. It was an orb with a curious feeling, seemingly heavy yet weightless.

“Wow……”

Successfully manifesting internal energy for the first time in his life, Hyun-woo wore a thrilled expression.

As a devoted fan of martial arts novels, this current moment felt overwhelmingly moving.

‘So warriors change the form of energy and use it?’

Curious, Hyun-woo visualized the form most familiar to him, a weapon, in his mind.

Woonng-

Then, the white sphere flattened and started transforming into an arrow shape.

– …Ha! Even converting forms?! Unbelievable….

So-baek’s incredulous voice echoed around Hyun-woo’s ears.

– Manifesting internal energy and changing its forms typically requires at least a few years. But you… being a heavenly being, it seems to be different.

Manifesting internal energy requires not only a sense of energy but also imagination.

The more vivid the imagination, the faster the manifestation of internal energy.

– What you’ve done in a day is what children just beginning to learn internal energy methods would take five years to accomplish. It’s astonishing.

Hyun-woo spoke with confidence.

“I’m pretty confident in my imagination.”

So-baek would probably never know.

About how many martial arts novels a modern martial arts enthusiast has read, and how many scenes they’ve imagined and illustrated in their mind.

* * *

“They say who came back?”

Veins protruded over the brow of the Mud Dog, who was taking a breathing position in preparation for the breathing method.

“Jin… Jin So-baek has returned.”

“I can see that for myself. What I don’t understand is, how that guy is still alive.”

“S-Sorry.”

A boy kneeling on the ground with his butt lifted in a pitiful posture lowered his head further.

The boy, clad in worn and dust-covered white robes, was Ah-jong, who had deceived Jin So-baek, making him lose his chi point by disguising a poisonous plant as a sacred herb.

“Didn’t you say you could handle it well?”

“I-I did.”

“Yet he’s alive?”

As Mud Dog’s thick eyebrows twitched, Ah-jong hurriedly spoke.

“I, I confirmed it myself in the mountains. He must have lost his chi point and become a cripple. Eating that poisonous plant couldn’t possibly have left his chi point intact.”

What Ah-jong purposely planted in the mountains for Jin So-baek was poison known as Il-sa-cho.

Even a master at the peak would have their chi point melt after consuming that poison; there was no way Jin So-baek, who was barely first class, could withstand it.

“Unless heaven intervened, Jin So-baek’s chi point being intact is nonsense.”

“Humm.”

With Ah-jong’s voice filled with certainty, Mud Dog stroked his chin with a peculiar expression.

The slightly premature stubble tickled his fingers.

“Il-sa-cho is not something that guy could withstand. Even I can’t endure such a potent poison.”

“R-R-Right.”

“However… I heard that today his gaze and posture were unchanged.”

“He, he must be bluffing, pretending to be strong.”

Wiping sweat from his forehead with a dirty sleeve, Ah-jong replied.

“Even in the wild, injured beasts expose their claws and pretend not to be hurt. Because that’s the only way they won’t be eaten. Jin So-baek is exactly like that now.”

“Is that so?”

“Absolutely! I’ll directly verify it myself.”

“Oh.”

Mud Dog finally smiled grimly as he heard the answer he desired from Ah-jong.

Although only seventeen years old, Mud Dog was aware.

That people are only somewhat used as they desperately tremble in fear, looking for their own way to survive.

“I’ll go check right away.”

“Clarifying betrayal might not be easy if you openly go.”

“I’ll claim ignorance and kneel and beg. If that doesn’t work, I’ll say someone forced me.”

“Finally utilizing your brain.”

Satisfied, Mud Dog closed his eyes and placed his hands atop his chi point.

Noticing this indicated dismissal, Ah-jong quickly stood, bowed deeply, and hurried out.

‘Jin So-baek, an arrogant guy who, despite having no backing or faction, relied only on his abilities.’

With his eyes closed, a sly smile spread across Mud Dog’s lips.

‘Now that you’ve lost your internal energy and have nothing left, your arrogance ends here.’