Vol. 1 Chapter 2.6
by @Yué* * *
A human being becomes truly strong only when they surpass their own limits.
People who enjoy running know the term “dead point.” That moment you encounter while running with all your might…
Your breath chokes up to your throat, and your legs no longer move the way you want. Your mind fills with the single thought of wanting to stop.
Should I quit? Yeah, let’s stop here. I’ve done well enough.
Usually, that’s where compromise sets in. But in truth, that’s where it begins. Only those who overcome the intense temptation and take one more step only those who shatter their own limits achieve new records. And become stronger than before.
Fully aware of this principle, Yeon was sweating like rain from early morning.
“Huff, huff.”
She had risen before dawn, built her internal energy through breathing exercises, and finished intense bodyweight training and running. Hwangbo Yeon’s body had tremendous lung capacity, but even that was reaching its limit. Yet Yeon still wasn’t satisfied.
“Something’s missing.”
The reason Yeon was pushing herself so hard was because of what had happened at the Guest House yesterday. She had successfully humiliated the Namgung siblings, but…
“Listen here, Young Lady Hwangbo. Yeon.”
When Namgung Myung had revealed his true skill, honestly, Yeon had felt a flicker of unease. He was clearly different from third-rate fighters like Peng Dong-hu.
The pressure from a true scion of a prestigious Clan was something else. Different from any opponent she had faced so far. And more than anything, martial arts in this world were predicated on “killing.”
Maybe I could have lost.
The fact that she’d even entertained that thought, even for a moment, scratched at Yeon’s pride. That’s why she’d been raising this ruckus since early morning, but she still wasn’t satisfied.
“I need to properly train in martial arts. Not the modern way… the Central Plains way.”
That was Yeon’s conclusion. But it wasn’t an easy task. She’d tried practicing the Hwangbo Clan’s martial arts on her own, but it wasn’t enough. Perhaps it was only natural, since she hadn’t yet shed her modern-world mindset.
Hwangbo Yeon’s memories, which had always been a great help, were useless this time too. Because she had mostly trained alone and never had a proper teacher.
Continuing her thoughts, Yeon suddenly lifted her head.
“That’s right. A teacher. What I need now is a teacher.”
Just then…
“Your teacher is right here, my Yeon-ah!”
Accompanied by a hallucinatory pop sound, Hwangbo Jeong-gun appeared. His face was covered in a doting father smile.
His daughter-fool symptoms seem to be getting worse.
As Yeon stared blankly, he deliberately adjusted his expression and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, ahem. You’re diligent this early in the morning, Yeon-ah.”
“When did you get here?”
“Actually, I’ve been watching for a while. You were training your external techniques very hard. Good form.”
As he smiled contentedly, Yeon asked,
“Father, I want to properly learn martial arts now. Is there a good teacher you could recommend?”
“Well, there are many. Even just within our clan. There’s the Captain of the Heavenly King Guards, the elders, and also me…”
When he said the last part, Hwangbo Jeong-gun subtly glanced at Yeon. He probably wanted to spend time with his daughter more than teach her martial arts. But unfortunately, Yeon had no intention of learning from him.
“Father, you wouldn’t make me do any hard training.”
“Well, that’s because I’d be worried if you got hurt. You can become plenty strong without going that far.”
I’m sure you could. But that would only get me so far.
Seeing Yeon’s dissatisfied expression, Hwangbo Jeong-gun spoke again.
“Hmm, if it really bothers you, then maybe the Captain of the Heavenly Guard or an elder…”
“They’d be the same, and you know it. They’re all too busy watching what you think, Father.”
“A-Ahem”
Hwangbo Jeong-gun’s expression fell. The truth was, if Yeon wanted to do dangerous training, he wanted to follow her around and stop her. No matter how much his daughter had changed, to him, she was still a lovable and fragile existence.
Knowing how her father felt, Yeon didn’t expect to find a proper teacher through him. Instead, she searched her memories.
Isn’t there someone who can push me hard? But learning martial arts from outside is also tricky. As the only daughter of the Hwangbo Clan, I can’t exactly go looking for a teacher outside.
Just as she was deep in thought, a name suddenly popped into her mind. A perfect candidate, skilled and unconcerned with Hwangbo Jeong-gun’s opinions.
But that person already retired when Hwangbo Yeon was young.
He was a character who was only briefly mentioned in the original novel. It was questionable whether he was even still alive.
“Ah, whatever. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just learn from outside.”
“What? Yeon-ah, don’t even think about saying things like that!”
“I’m going to go bathe now. See you later, Father.”
Abandoning her worries, Yeon walked away. Only Hwangbo Jeong-gun’s voice echoed behind her, unable to follow since she was going to bathe.
“Yeon-ah! You can’t do that! Yeon-ah!”
* * *
After washing off the sweat, Yeon headed toward the Chinese arborvitae forest. It was where she had agreed to meet Cheon-gang. The excuse was that she was curious about the next day’s gathering, and unlike the rumors, he had readily agreed.
In the original novel, Lee Cheon-gang didn’t have a single heroine. Perhaps it was because the genre was old-school martial arts back then, people didn’t like mixing in romance. Ironically, Yeon found that very satisfying.
If this were a romance fantasy, Cheon-gang would clearly be the male lead, or at least a sub-male lead. There would be swarms of young ladies, but here, he didn’t even have a romantic interest.
Heh heh. He’s practically a natural monument.
Yeon resolved that she would definitely win him over. By obtaining the Eastern-style Elond, her romance fantasy dream would finally be complete. The wish she had longed for for so long!
But what if I fail? What if the story changes and another heroine appears.
Imagining it for a moment, Yeon muttered,
“Then I’ll personally make sure it goes extinct. A natural monument, my foot…”
Just as she was smiling darkly, a group of people came into Yeon’s view. There were visitors standing in the cypress forest.
Huh?