“I’ll get revenge! I’ll kill you!”
Still, how long should I just keep taking these punches?
The impact had no effect on Ak Mujin, who had already mastered martial arts to the point of reaching the Transformation Realm, but as he watched Jin Geum-ryeon gradually tire himself out and start panting, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The child glanced at Ak Mujin, noticing that he wasn’t feeling even the slightest bit of pain, and became even more frustrated, his breathing becoming rapid.
“You should know by now that you can’t kill me with just your fists. Stop now and calm down.”
Jin Geum-ryeon looked as if he would breathe his last any second. Ak Mujin, finding him in such a state, had no choice but to bend down, grab Jin Geum-ryeon’s hands, and immobilize him. Jin Geum-ryeon then thrashed and screamed. It was a high-pitched, ear-splitting sound, like what a pterodactyl might make.
“Aaaargh! Aaaaargh!”
“……”
Ak Mujin considered silencing him by striking a pressure point again. But that was too convenient, and he also felt like he was abusing a child, so he decided to be patient until the boy calmed down.
Jin Geum-ryeon continued to scream and stomp his feet. Still, since he was just a child who couldn’t even control his qi properly, Ak Mujin figured he wouldn’t suffer from inner force deviation, so he patiently held the boy’s hands and gazed at his face.
How long had passed? Jin Geum-ryeon, starting to pant, seemed to have calmed down a bit, slowly letting his flushed face return to its normal color as he looked back at Ak Mujin.
The boy sniffled once.
“Are you done?”
“……”
Jin Geum-ryeon didn’t answer, as if he hadn’t fully vented his anger. Instead, he pouted his lips and nodded his head half-heartedly. Ak Mujin couldn’t help but smile faintly at the sight.
How could he not find the boy adorable? Moreover, Jin Geum-ryeon was the most handsome man in the world, according to the setting. The child version of someone with such a setting had an unbelievably cute appearance. His bright, large eyes, his well-shaped, slightly protruding nose, and his chubby cheeks were enough to captivate even someone who disliked children.
He wanted to soothe the boy and put a snack in his hand right away, but Ak Mujin pretended to be nonchalant and stood up. Then, he picked up Jin Geum-ryeon and placed him on a large, flat rock.
“With that level of skill, you won’t be able to avenge your mother even after several years.”
That was a lie. With Jin Geum-ryeon’s skills, he would be more than capable of avenging not only his mother but also his father.
As Jin Geum-ryeon was about to retort, Ak Mujin put his index finger to his lips as if telling him to be quiet. The boy seemed to think for a moment at the gesture, then obediently curled up. Ak Mujin, though surprised by Jin Geum-ryeon’s behavior, didn’t show it and continued.
“I’ll teach you a simple qi circulation technique.”
In truth, Jin Geum-ryeon would soon learn inner energy cultivation methods and various martial arts from Mae-yeong, a peerless expert, so neither was particularly necessary for Jin Geum-ryeon. But they would be spending quite a bit of time here until evening. So, it was just to kill time.
Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyes widened at the mention of qi circulation. Receiving teachings from the enemy who killed his mother. From the boy’s perspective, it was impossible not to be suspicious. Jin Geum-ryeon soon furrowed his brow, squinted, and began to glare at Ak Mujin.
“…Why are you trying to teach me martial arts?”
When Jin Geum-ryeon asked with a suspicious voice, Ak Mujin felt a bit wronged.
Seriously. Do you think I’m trying to teach you something bad?
Of course, as someone who had mastered Demonic Art, he could transmit negative influences to the boy if he wanted to, but to avoid even leaving a trace of Demonic Art, Ak Mujin was just planning to teach him very simple things.
“If you’re going to learn martial arts somewhere, you need to have a foundation, don’t you?”
Of course, answering ‘because I’m bored’ when trying to teach the boy something wouldn’t be very cool, would it? Ak Mujin quickly made up a plausible excuse.
“If you want to learn martial arts from someone, it will help to show them what you have.”
Anyway, Jin Geum-ryeon, who had initially been suspicious of Ak Mujin, couldn’t help but get excited at the topic of ‘martial arts,’ and his concentration noticeably improved.
“Um, my father taught me something!”
Then, he got excited all by himself and quickly looked up at the sky. At those words, Ak Mujin calmly watched Jin Geum-ryeon. The boy immediately moved his legs nimbly and seemed to leap up, catching four falling leaves in a row.
Even though he regrettably missed the last one, Jin Geum-ryeon had considerable talent in Ak Mujin’s eyes.
Of course, what Namgung Cheon had taught Jin Geum-ryeon was just the basics. But if he honed it well, it would definitely be a great help in his future training.
…….
I guess I don’t really need to teach him anything?
The thought naturally occurred to him, so Ak Mujin crossed his arms. But Jin Geum-ryeon, thinking he could learn something else, looked up at his face with great anticipation.
“What are you going to teach me? I want to learn swordsmanship.”
Jin Geum-ryeon already had Mae-yeong, the best teacher, for swordsmanship. Moreover, Ak Mujin had already vowed not to exert any influence on Jin Geum-ryeon, so how could he dare to teach him anything significant?
When Ak Mujin haughtily raised his head, Jin Geum-ryeon, now impatient, subtly stood on tiptoe.
“What I’m going to teach you is just a simple qi circulation technique. You don’t have to learn it if you don’t want to.”
“I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”
Neither his father nor Ak Mujin seemed to have any intention of teaching him cool martial arts. Jin Geum-ryeon felt somehow dejected, but he was still tempted by the fact that he could learn something new, so he quickly said.
Ak Mujin stood facing Jin Geum-ryeon.
“Sit in a lotus position.”
As soon as he gestured towards the rock with his chin, Jin Geum-ryeon quickly sat down.
“Close your eyes.”
Jin Geum-ryeon closed his eyes.
“Take a deep breath in,”
Jin Geum-ryeon did as he was told.
“Exhale.”
Ak Mujin’s gentle, low voice penetrated Jin Geum-ryeon’s ears and entered his heart. Jin Geum-ryeon felt something ticklish in that voice and wanted to rub his chest. But the moment his hand twitched, Ak Mujin said.
“Stay still. Slowly breathe and try to feel the flow of blood circulating in your body.”
Unable to move recklessly, Jin Geum-ryeon simply placed his hands on his knees, his chest rising and falling as he continued to breathe. After that, Ak Mujin didn’t say anything. He would occasionally walk around Jin Geum-ryeon, making soft rustling sounds as he gently stepped on the grass, or he would stop for a moment and quietly watch him.
About an hour later, Ak Mujin had Jin Geum-ryeon open his eyes.
He had wondered if the boy might fall asleep while meditating because he was a child, but Jin Geum-ryeon clearly had good concentration and learned quickly when it came to training, so he followed along quite well.
Jin Geum-ryeon opened his eyes slightly and looked up at Ak Mujin.
He didn’t know why, but he felt somehow refreshed compared to before he did the qi circulation, or maybe he didn’t.
As he tilted his head at the ambiguous effect, Ak Mujin looked down at him and said in a calm voice.
“You may not know the effect of this now, but it will be more effective when you can control your inner energy later.”
Jin Geum-ryeon quietly nodded. Still, what was certain was that his mind had become clearer. Feeling good for some reason at the thought that he had learned something, Jin Geum-ryeon smiled brightly at Ak Mujin.
Looking at that face, Ak Mujin couldn’t help but feel his heart melt. Afraid that it would show on his face, he suppressed it with all his might and instead hardened his expression coldly.
Jin Geum-ryeon, faced with that expression, felt awkward and 괜히 touched his cheek. That’s right. Ak Mujin was still his enemy. Teaching him something didn’t change what he had done.
But Jin Geum-ryeon still had a question.
“But, you know.”
As if his familiarity with Ak Mujin had increased due to the training session, Jin Geum-ryeon stared at Ak Mujin and asked.
“Why are you helping me?”
Ak Mujin was naturally flustered by the question. Even the boy knew. The fact that he hadn’t taken Jin Geum-ryeon’s life and had deliberately kept him alive meant that he didn’t have any bad intentions.
To hide his embarrassment and to coldly push away the familiarity that Jin Geum-ryeon felt towards him, he feigned an even colder face.
“Does it look like I’m helping you?”
Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyes widened.
“I’m holding your lifeline right now. I’m just wondering how to deal with you. If you act like this… I’ll have to find a more certain method.”
In the end, the boy hesitated and stepped back, fidgeting with his fingers.
He shouldn’t have done anything pointless to kill time. After that, Ak Mujin didn’t rashly speak to Jin Geum-ryeon.