CHAPTER 09

Heo Cheon’s provocation struck directly at the pride of the martial artists—or rather, the pride of men.

‘How dare he call us cowards, even if it’s just to provoke us!’

‘Does he think we have no pride at all?’

Among them, the hot-tempered Jeong Choo-gang was about to step forward with an indignant expression.

But before he could, a thick arm blocked his path.

“Choo-gang, calm yourself.”

“Brother Yeon…!”

Ignoring Jeong Choo-gang’s dissatisfied voice, Yeon Do-seung stepped forward.

“I’ll go first, Young Master. I humbly ask for your guidance.”

After formally cupping his hands, Yeon Do-seung immediately closed the distance between himself and Heo Cheon.

His stance was extremely aggressive, in stark contrast to his otherwise composed appearance.

It was proof that he, too, had been provoked by Heo Cheon’s words.

At the same time, his right fist shot rapidly toward Heo Cheon’s left shoulder.

It looked like a direct attack, but it was actually a feint. His real target was his left fist, which was hidden from view by his turning torso.

Of course, Yeon Do-seung didn’t expect Heo Cheon to fall for such a simple trick.

‘He’ll easily see through something like this.’

With that in mind, Yeon Do-seung had already planned the next technique he would use.

But contrary to his expectations, Heo Cheon didn’t dodge.

Instead, he struck out with his palm.

‘Damn…!’

Yeon Do-seung flinched when he saw it, but it was already too late to withdraw his attack.

Just as their fist and palm were about to collide, Heo Cheon’s wrist suddenly twisted sideways, deflecting Yeon Do-seung’s attack.

And that wasn’t all.

Astonishingly, Yeon Do-seung’s fist was forced to twist in the opposite direction and return toward him along the same path it had come from.

He was suddenly being made to attack himself.

Without even having time to panic, Yeon Do-seung hurriedly raised his remaining left hand and blocked his incoming right fist.

But—

BAM!

“Urgh!”

The impact was even greater than the force he himself had originally put into the punch, forcing him to stagger backward.

‘Could that have been Moving Flowers and Connecting Trees…? No, perhaps Four Ounces Deflecting a Thousand Jin?’

Both were famous techniques that redirected and exploited an opponent’s own strength to subdue them.

For a moment, Yeon Do-seung wondered if Heo Cheon had broken the conditions of their spar.

But he immediately rejected the thought.

What Heo Cheon had just used was a basic palm technique of the Heo Family Manor that Yeon Do-seung knew very well.

Flowing Cloud Palm.

The amount of internal energy Heo Cheon had used was also not significantly different from his own.

The problem was that although Heo Cheon’s Flowing Cloud Palm had the same basic form as the technique Yeon Do-seung knew, its essence was completely different.

‘You can use Flowing Cloud Palm like this?’

Whether Yeon Do-seung was shocked or not, Heo Cheon continued unleashing the techniques of Flowing Cloud Palm one after another without giving him a moment to breathe.

Just like before, every single technique was one he knew.

Yet Yeon Do-seung was reduced to desperately dodging and blocking.

‘The variations are too fast…!’

It wasn’t merely a matter of speed.

The order and combinations in which the techniques were linked together were completely different from the methods he had learned.

‘How does he even connect them like that?’

In a battle between martial artists, mastering powerful martial arts was important.

But far more important was the battle of wits.

There was a world of difference between anticipating an opponent’s next move and reacting accordingly, and simply responding after the fact.

That was also the fundamental difference between a master and an inferior martial artist.

Heo Cheon, in particular, countered every technique Yeon Do-seung used with the optimal response.

At times, he would casually exploit openings that Yeon Do-seung hadn’t even realized he had exposed.

As a result, even though Yeon Do-seung knew exactly which Flowing Cloud Palm technique Heo Cheon was going to use, responding to it was still extremely difficult.

But there was one thing Yeon Do-seung couldn’t understand.

Despite everything, Heo Cheon wasn’t delivering a decisive finishing blow.

‘Why? If he wanted to end this, he could have done so long ago.’

It strongly felt as though Heo Cheon was deliberately dragging the fight out.

‘Could he be playing with me?’

Anger welled up inside him.

He had indeed been suspicious of Heo Cheon, but even so, this was going too far.

It was no different from a well-fed cat refusing to eat the mouse it had caught and instead playing with it like a toy.

Yeon Do-seung found it deeply humiliating.

But before long, he realized that his judgment had been premature.

[Your circulation of internal energy is too slow compared to the unfolding of your techniques. Try making it faster than it is now.]

Heo Cheon’s voice suddenly entered his mind through a transmission of sound.

Yeon Do-seung was startled and looked at him, but Heo Cheon continued attacking with a completely calm expression, as though nothing had happened.

After exchanging several more moves, another transmission reached him.

[This time, you’re too fast. Focus entirely on minimizing the gap between the speed of your internal energy circulation and the transitions between your techniques.]

‘Minimize the gap between the speed of my internal energy circulation and my techniques?’

He had no idea what Heo Cheon meant.

Still, he decided to try doing exactly as he was told.

And immediately, Yeon Do-seung’s eyes widened as if they were about to split apart.

‘Ah!’

Recently, whenever Yeon Do-seung performed his techniques, he had felt that the flow of his internal energy wasn’t smooth.

He had wondered if he simply lacked enough internal energy, so he had devoted himself to cultivating his internal technique day and night and had spent more time sweating in the training yard than anyone else.

Yet he had made no meaningful progress.

He had vaguely assumed that he had reached the limit of his talent and had become deeply discouraged.

But who would have thought that simply following Heo Cheon’s instructions would immediately resolve the problem?

‘Yes! What I lacked wasn’t the amount of internal energy, but the proper control of its speed when circulating it!’

It was something he had overlooked because there had been no one around capable of teaching him properly.

And with that realization came a transformation.

BANG!

When Yeon Do-seung unconsciously thrust out his right fist and it tore through the air, an explosive cracking sound erupted.

The martial artists of the Heo Family Manor were startled.

“That’s…!”

“Fist Force?”

Going beyond merely using internal energy to increase the power or speed of a technique, there was a way to use internal energy itself to attack an opponent.

That was what was commonly known as Force.

And when it was released through the fist, it was called Fist Force.

It meant that Yeon Do-seung had finally reached the First-Class Realm he had long yearned for.

Yeon Do-seung froze in place with his fist still extended, staring blankly ahead.

Then he suddenly turned toward Heo Cheon.

“Young Master, what on earth is this…?”

“How is it? Do you understand something now?”

To those watching, the question seemed to come out of nowhere.

But not to Yeon Do-seung.

He immediately dropped to his knees before Heo Cheon and respectfully cupped his hands.

“I have received an enormous favor from you. Thank you, Young Master!”

“This is only the beginning. Don’t become arrogant. Continue striving forward from now on.”

“Yes! Your words are more precious than gold or jade. I, Yeon Do-seung, will never forget them.”

Unlike the dutiful attitude he had shown before, Yeon Do-seung now expressed genuine respect toward Heo Cheon.

Seeing his drastically changed attitude, the others finally realized that Yeon Do-seung had broken through to the First-Class Realm thanks to Heo Cheon.

“All right, then. Who wants to spar with me next?”

Heo Cheon smiled and looked toward the other martial artists of the Heo Family Manor.

Then—

THWACK!

Without anyone needing to go first, every single one of them raised a hand at once.

What had initially seemed like sparring intended merely to establish discipline had turned out to have a genuine purpose: strengthening the Heo Family Manor’s overall forces.

Once they realized that, the way they looked at Heo Cheon changed considerably.

Of course, that didn’t mean Heo Cheon simply taught them kindly.

Compared to Yeon Do-seung, he pushed the other martial artists to their limits with absolutely no mercy.

Their skill levels were simply far too poor.

“Reckless attacks inevitably invite painful counterattacks.”

THUD!

“Is that what you call defending yourself? You might as well just say you want to get hit.”

CRACK!

“Do you keep that head on your shoulders as a decoration? Please think before you move.”

BANG!

“Looks like you don’t understand why our manor’s Nine Palaces Steps are called the Nine Palaces Steps. Stay behind after we’re finished and practice your footwork for two hours.”

THUD!

At this point, they were suffering more from the blows to their pride than from the physical pain.

After finishing sparring with all thirty martial artists, Heo Cheon astonishingly stood there without even a drop of sweat on him.

“All right, everyone did well. I’m not sure whether this has completely cleared up your doubts about me, though.”

“Y-Yes! More than enough!”

“We completely trust you, Young Master!”

At Heo Cheon’s question, the martial artists of the Heo Family Manor, drenched in sweat, desperately shook their heads and shouted.

They knew all too well that if anyone admitted they still had doubts, another round of “fact-based beatings” disguised as sparring would immediately follow.

Of course, they were also genuinely impressed by Heo Cheon’s martial prowess.

Seeing their expressions, Heo Cheon chuckled.

‘You bastards finally look a little more respectable.’

As expected, sometimes people only listened after you worked them hard.

Still, after pushing them this brutally, Heo Cheon knew that simply dismissing them afterward could earn him plenty of resentment behind his back.

“All right. Since everyone worked so hard, how about we have a little dinner gathering to celebrate?”

“A dinner gathering?”

“Yeah. Hey, Chief Steward Im, go to the kitchen and bring those things over.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Im Ho-pil, who had been watching from outside the training yard, immediately ran to the kitchen without a word of complaint.

A short while later, the maids arrived carrying large plates piled high with the old-fashioned fried chicken Heo Cheon had made.

Then Im Ho-pil arrived with an entire large cauldron of oil bubbling furiously and set it down in the training yard.

Heo Cheon tossed the cooled fried chickens into it one after another.

SIZZLEEEEE—!

Since they had already been fried once, frying them again in the blazing-hot oil gave them an even deeper, more appetizing golden-brown color.

“All right, there’s plenty, so eat as much as you like. Everyone should have at least one whole chicken.”

When it came to chicken, one whole chicken per person was simply the rule.

Their initial curiosity at seeing this unfamiliar food lasted only a moment.

The instant they took a bite, Yeon Do-seung and the other martial artists of the Heo Family Manor were astonished.

‘What?! How can fried chicken taste this good…?’

‘This texture is insane!’

It was already around dinnertime, and they had just spent a long time sweating in the training yard.

Like starving creatures from the depths of hell, they began devouring the old-fashioned fried chicken.

When alcohol was brought out as well, the gathering quickly turned into a full-blown drinking party.

Heo Cheon quietly watched them from behind.

‘I was worried about how I was going to get rid of all that by myself. This worked out nicely.’

He was happy that he didn’t have to throw away perfectly good food, while the martial artists of the Heo Family Manor got to enjoy a delicious meal to their hearts’ content.

It was a win-win situation and a perfect example of mutual benefit.

After watching them for a while, Heo Cheon quietly slipped away.

Normally, if a superior stayed at a company dinner the entire time, people were bound to complain that he had no sense of timing.

As Heo Cheon stepped outside the training yard, Im Ho-pil approached him.

“You worked hard, Young Master.”

“Ah, Chief Steward. Since it’s just the two of us, just call me the way you normally do. It feels awkward otherwise.”

“No. Regardless of the need to distinguish between public and private matters, you will eventually inherit the Heo Family Manor. We should start treating you accordingly from now on.”

“Really? Well, if that’s how you feel, then fine. Do as you please.”

“Yes. But Young Master, may I ask you something, if you don’t mind?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you go this far?”

“Why did I go this far?”

“Yes. Aren’t you a master far beyond anything those people could even imagine? If so, there was no need to go through all this trouble. You could simply have crushed them with your strength.”

At Im Ho-pil’s question, Heo Cheon stared at him for a moment.

‘Chief Steward Im isn’t stupid…’

Im Ho-pil had been the chief steward of the Heo Family Manor for several decades.

Anyone who could serve as the steward of a major family for that long would naturally possess greater insight and judgment than an ordinary person, not less.

And yet he was asking such a simple question.

Thinking that there must be a reason behind it, Heo Cheon deliberately pretended not to understand.

“Well, simply crushing them with strength would certainly be the easiest option. But if I did that, wouldn’t all they do be submit to me?”

“Wouldn’t that be enough?”

“Not at all. What I ultimately want is their hearts.”

“Their hearts?”

“Yeah. Chief Steward Im, what do you think a martial artist wants most?”

“Wouldn’t it be martial arts manuals, spiritual medicines, or perhaps some extraordinary treasure?”

“No. Those things are merely secondary.”

“What? Then what do they want?”

“What a martial artist desires most is hope—the hope that the person they will become in the future can be stronger than the person they are now.”

“The hope that they can become stronger. Now that I hear it from you, it certainly makes sense.”

Martial arts manuals, spiritual medicines, and everything else were merely means of becoming stronger.

They were not the goal itself.

“Then the reason you deliberately sparred with them was…?”

“To give them hope that they can become stronger.”

“To win their hearts?”

Heo Cheon nodded.

“I actually succeeded in winning one person’s heart today, didn’t I?”

“You mean Martial Artist Yeon.”

Thanks to Heo Cheon, Yeon Do-seung had been able to break through the barrier to the First-Class Realm.

It was obvious that from now on, Yeon Do-seung would be completely loyal to him.

“Once I turn them into my people, one by one, that’s when the real beginning comes.”

“What? What do you mean?”

When Im Ho-pil asked with a completely clueless expression, Heo Cheon chuckled.

“Chief Steward Im, why have you been pretending to be stupid this whole time? It’s not like you didn’t figure it out from the very beginning. You already knew what my real goal was.”

At those words, Im Ho-pil grinned.

“My, I was found out so easily. It seems my acting wasn’t very convincing.”

Just as Heo Cheon had said, Im Ho-pil had understood from the beginning why Heo Cheon was doing all of this.

Nevertheless, he had continued asking questions while pretending not to know because he wanted to hear directly what Heo Cheon was planning.

“Young Master, may I ask you one final question?”

“Go ahead.”

“How far are you planning to go?”

When Im Ho-pil asked with a serious expression, Heo Cheon shrugged.

“Well, I don’t necessarily have to become the greatest in Zhejiang…”

Heo Cheon paused and met Im Ho-pil’s gaze.

Then he grinned and finished his sentence.

“But at the very least, shouldn’t I become the strongest man in Hangzhou?”