Chapter 10

Indeed, when you think about it, fantasy often features dragons in all the colors of the rainbow, so why wouldn’t martial arts stories have them too?

At the point where martial arts possess mysterious powers, anything is possible. I can’t say for sure since I don’t watch many martial arts stories, but since martial arts are a kind of fantasy, I think it’s entirely plausible.

Let’s watch Guhae, who is curled up, munching on snacks. Guhae avoids my gaze and turns her head away. It seems she’s upset because I forced her to show her teeth. But even while curled up, she still eats snacks.

“Sorry about that. But your teeth are cute and pretty, so why hide them?”


“Not pretty… different… from others… weird…”

If that’s how she feels, then so be it. It would be funny if I acted like a light novel protagonist and said, “No, no! You’re not weird!” “You’re just a little different from others!” “You should value yourself more!” So I just nodded.

“Alright, if you think you’re weird, then you’re weird. Keep hiding it from now on.”


“……”

Though she didn’t say anything, Guhae looked at my right leg with a dissatisfied gaze.

Her gaze seemed to ask why I was so confident despite having a leg that was different from others.

I thought she was just a passive person who would take whatever came her way, but it seems she knows how to fight back. Teaching her will be fun.

I scoffed at Guhae’s dissatisfied look, confidently twisting my lips into a smile.

“Well, I’m handsome, smart, and great at board games. I don’t let a lame leg bring me down.”

When I walk outside, I feel the strange gazes of many people. I hear the whispers behind me too. But I ignore them. I ignore them all.

Why? Because I’m awesome. I’m good-looking, have a sense of humor, and a great personality. I even excel at martial arts.

Being born with a limp is just the heavens trying to balance out the genius, Sima Mantian. It’s a balance patch. Whether it’s true or not, that’s what I believe.

If your flaws are noticeable, it’s because your confidence is low. You need to create so many strengths that your flaws are buried.

My goal is to be the strongest version of myself. To crush my weak self with my strong self.

Too lazy to get up with a cane, I crawl on all fours towards Guhae. She senses something is off, but it’s too late.

Like a wolf pouncing on a rabbit, I knock Guhae over and climb on top of her. She twists and resists, but it’s futile. ~Muda muda muda.

Who said a dreamy kid like you could look at me with the eyes of a loser? Brat. Punishment time.

I stretch Guhae’s soft, elastic cheeks, revealing the shark teeth she wanted to hide. Her eyes widen, and she struggles, but I don’t care.

Instead, I look down at her pouting face and smirk.

“With those tiny shark teeth, you’re just a small fry. But don’t worry.”

I smile as our eyes meet.

“I’ll make you as awesome as me. I’ll teach you everything you don’t know.”

I let go of her cheeks and sweep her bangs away from her forehead and eyes.

“So don’t feel down, you dummy.”

Hmm~ It’s much better without her face covered. I should trim her hair later or buy her a hairpin from the market.

As I look down at Guhae’s eyes, filled with mixed emotions, Jang Sam-i returns from his errand.

“Young Master~ I’m back from my errand-?!”

A teary-eyed girl. And on top of her, the master’s son with a sneaky smile. It’s a jaw-dropping scene.

“Hey hey… this is no joke! Is Sima Mantian actually Sima Wicked? The Sima Family’s reputation is ruined.”

“It’s not what you think, so close the door and come in.”


“I don’t know what’s going on, but people will misunderstand. Young Master, you should get up.”

Jang Sam-i was just making a fuss to tease Mantian, knowing he wasn’t the type to do such things. He came inside and pointed at Guhae with his chin.

“But who’s this girl? I haven’t seen her before.”


“Some Zhuge person. Now she’s Guhae. I picked her up because I was bored.”


“…You shouldn’t pick people up just because you’re bored.”


“It’s my choice.”


“Anyway, it’s fine. But who knew Zhuge someone could be such a cute girl? People really do look better when they’re dressed up.”

As Jang Sam and Mantian continued to chatter, Guhae didn’t hear a word. All she saw was the face of the boy who named her. All she heard was the loud thumping of her heart.

Dragons are sacred creatures. But they are also greedy. They take what they want.

They protect what enters their heart, even if it means death. They kill rather than let it be taken.

Dragons are celestial beings. The logic of the mortal world doesn’t apply to them. That’s why the wise act carefully to avoid their attention.

For the creatures of the earth, a dragon’s attention is both a blessing and a curse.

***

I gave her a name. I gave her snacks. Now it’s time for serious martial arts training. Originally, she should have received a bundle of jerky as per the custom, but since Guhae had nothing but a wounded sparrow, I boldly skipped it.

“Right now, I’m teaching you for free, but these are not just any martial arts. They’re all high-level techniques. Got it?”


“…Yes!”

“Good. So, what should you do when you succeed and make it big?”


Guhae frowned, pondering, then tilted her head in confusion.

“…I don’t know.”


“Don’t say ‘I don’t know’ with that innocent face! Don’t underestimate people! You should repay me! Pay me back several times over! Got it?”

It’s unclear if she really understood, but Guhae nodded strongly.

“…Yes! I’ll repay you!”


“Good. Then I’ll teach you the Internal Energy Technique first.”

I tried to teach her the Internal Energy Technique’s口诀, but since she didn’t know how to sit cross-legged, I had to teach her that first. It’s a long road ahead.

“Now, follow what I say and breathe. Got it?”


“…Yes!”

She answers well. I taught Guhae the口诀 of the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique as I learned from my master.

“Calm the mind, forget the essence. When the body is weak, gather energy.”


“…Calm the mind, forget the essence… When the body is weak, gather energy.”

“When the mind dies, the spirit lives. When yang flourishes, yin perishes.”


“…When the mind dies, the spirit lives… When yang flourishes, yin perishes.”

It’s been about a week since I started teaching Guhae basic reading, writing, and the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique, commonly known as the Jeonjin Technique.

She had no trouble communicating, so she’s not slow. The problem is with her internal energy. Or is it even a problem?

I watch Guhae, sitting cross-legged, exhaling and practicing the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique. She’s almost too perfect. Her internal energy accumulates abnormally fast.

To put it simply, the Internal Energy Technique is like distilling seawater into drinkable water. The human body can’t contain natural energy as it is. So, through breathing techniques, it’s transformed into a form the body can handle.

While other Internal Energy Techniques, known as Ascension Techniques, sacrifice some safety to increase efficiency by reducing the distillation process, the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique distills energy to the level of pure water, ensuring high safety but lower efficiency compared to other techniques.

It’s a safe technique with little risk of deviation, but it’s slow to accumulate energy. That’s the technique I learned. And I taught Guhae the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique as I learned it.

…But why is her energy accumulating so fast? I don’t understand.

It’s as if she can drink seawater by the bucketful without any issues, with natural energy flowing directly into her dantian without distillation.

The downside of the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique is that it takes about ten years of practice before energy accumulates at a decent rate. But this is completely different.

High safety and high efficiency. This is no longer the Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique. It’s something else. Has it transformed into something else?

As I watch Guhae with a puzzled look, she finishes her breathing and looks at me with her increasingly deep blue eyes, giving a faint smile.

…Somehow, I feel a little scared.