Chapter 5

“Who am I, you ask? What a strange question. Of course, I’m just a passing commoner and the master of Sima Mantian.”

“With all due respect, you’ve shown us too much to just brush it off like that.”

Even if I was clueless about the Martial Arts World, I realized it too late. Way too late.

The Mystical Taoist Inner Energy Technique and Heavenly Polar Bear Formation that Master taught me are Taoist martial arts. And the Dog Chasing Stick Technique is a martial art created by a beggar from the Beggar Sect. They belong to different schools.

Unless you have separate masters from the Taoist Sect and the Beggar Sect, it’s rare for someone to learn two martial arts from different schools simultaneously.

Even in fantasy, it’s the same. Usually, one person uses only one school. Well, if the protagonist has multiple masters, they might mix different schools, but normally, they choose one strong school that suits them and practice it to death.

Someone like Master, who knows various martial arts and can perfectly execute them… Well, fantasy and martial arts are similar but different genres, so I can’t be sure, but there probably aren’t many like him.

“…The reason I hide my identity is for my sake and yours. I can only tell you this much for now.”

I felt even more puzzled by Master’s unusually weak tone, but I couldn’t ask more about his identity.

If I pried any further, it felt like Master might just disappear without a word. I still have so much to learn. That would be a problem. …But still, I need to ask one thing I’ve been curious about for a long time.

Carefully, I brought up the question I’ve had since the day Master accepted me as his disciple after receiving the dried meat bundle.

“If Master wishes to hide it, how can I pry? But please, just tell me this. Why did you accept me as your disciple?”

If he wanted to hide his identity, he shouldn’t have taken a disciple. Yet, Master accepted me and taught me wholeheartedly. I don’t understand.

“Because you had talent.”

It’s joyful to have my talent acknowledged by Master, but it’s not a convincing reason. After all, what talent could he see in a brat who got beaten up by a dog while showing off and then rolled on the ground begging for his life?

And besides, I’m crippled. My body isn’t suited for martial arts. So, what talent did Master see in me? I don’t get it.

Seeing me silent and unconvinced, Master smiled bitterly. It was an expression I’d never seen before.

“Mantian, you just haven’t realized it yet, but you possess an outstanding talent. It’s righteousness and chivalry.”

“…Huh? Righteousness and chivalry?”

At the completely unexpected and absurd statement, I asked back in a dumbfounded voice. Master sighed deeply, looking up at the sky.

“Martial arts can be taught. But righteousness and chivalry cannot. They cannot be deeply engraved in one’s heart.”

I was about to argue what kind of talent righteousness and chivalry were, but seeing Master’s sorrowful face, I couldn’t say anything.

“How many people can care for others in a life-threatening situation? It’s an extremely difficult thing. Even the righteous faction’s masters, who believe in their own righteousness, or the evil faction’s masters, who call themselves free chivalrous men, can’t easily do it.”

Master bent his large frame, kneeling on one knee and meeting my eyes. His wrinkled face showed the weight of years and regret.

“But a crippled child did it.”

“…I appreciate the compliment, but I couldn’t run anyway… so…”

I only helped the child escape and faced the dog alone because there was no other choice. It wasn’t because I was filled with righteousness and chivalry. In fact, being called righteous or kind doesn’t suit me at all.

“Mantian, you’re a clever person. If you wanted to survive, you could have pushed the frightened child as bait and escaped.”

“……”

“Even if the child survived and revealed that you used them as bait, you could have easily covered it up with your family’s wealth. But you didn’t.”

Master’s large, thick hand gently gripped my shoulder.

“Because you chose the hard path instead of the easy one, I wanted to give you strength. That’s why I accepted you as my disciple and taught you martial arts.”

This old man is getting his hopes up for no reason. Back then, it just happened that way. I thought I was going to die after getting beaten up. I won’t risk my life like that again. So, even if you look at me with those warm eyes… it’s awkward.

In the end, since my body wasn’t in great shape that day, I had some chicken porridge with Master and went home. And then I got scolded by my mom for sneaking out.

I wish she had just gotten angry and hit me with a stick. It would have been easier. I felt sorry for making her cry.

***

In the autumn when red leaves began to fall.

Now accustomed to the abandoned house, I practiced the Heavenly Polar Bear Formation while stepping on the fallen leaves.

The Heavenly Polar Bear Formation is a formation that uses seven stars—Heavenly Pivot, Heavenly Star, Heavenly Energy, Heavenly Fist, Jade Shape, Opening, and Flickering Light—to overwhelm the opponent. Among them, the most important star is Heavenly Fist. It’s not just important because it’s the commander of the formation.

The Heavenly Polar Bear Formation is a formation that uses the posture of the Big Dipper to face external enemies. In other words, if the opponent takes the position of Heavenly Fist, the center of the Big Dipper and the core of the formation, there’s nothing you can do. It’s too easily broken.

Therefore, the person in charge of Heavenly Fist must skillfully operate the formation to prevent the enemy from entering.

It would be great if I could practice with others, but since I’m the only one, I imagine martial artists who have mastered the Forward Heart Technique and practice coordinating with them.

I’ve perfectly memorized the theory Master taught me. If there were a written test on the Heavenly Polar Bear Formation, I’m confident I’d get a perfect score. First, I take the role of Heavenly Fist and command the formation against an imaginary enemy. Then, I move to the positions of the other stars and perform the appropriate techniques.

The role of Heavenly Fist as the commander is manageable, but the other positions require quick coordination with the other stars. Especially the positions at the ends of the Big Dipper, Heavenly Pivot and Flickering Light, are tough for a cripple like me. I’m already out of breath.

If this were an actual unique monster raid party, I would have been kicked out long ago. And after being kicked out, I would awaken a legendary skill, and the party members who kicked me out would regret, despair, and obsess.

But it’s too late for regrets and obsessions. By then, I’d be enjoying a passionate love story with the only saintess who believed in me.

…Enough nonsense, let’s get back to practice.

As I wiped the sweat dripping down and prepared to practice the Heavenly Polar Bear Formation again, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Something strange was happening with Master’s hands.

At first, I thought he was just clapping. But upon closer look, that wasn’t it. His left and right hands were attacking each other, fighting. And it wasn’t just a simple fight. Each hand was using completely different martial arts, striking and defending against each other.

…What the heck is this??

The right hand was using a strong and fast hard-style fist technique to overwhelm the left hand, while the left hand used a soft-style fist technique, combining flexibility and emptiness, to deflect the right hand’s attacks.

The right and left hands were literally sparking as they fought. A fierce battle with no clear winner.

“Ma-Master is using some kind of sorcery! What is that?!”

Startled by the appearance of this mysterious new martial art, I demanded an explanation. Master answered in his usual calm manner.

“Ah… this is the Double Hands Fighting technique. As the name suggests, it’s a martial art where both hands fight each other, using different martial arts to unleash the power of two people… no, even more.”

So, it’s like the Kaioken from Dragon Ball, doubling your combat power?! How could he hide such a great technique from me all this time? I was so angry I threw my cane to the ground.

“What the hell! If you have something this good, you should have told me! You taught me this trashy Heavenly Polar Bear Formation where seven people barely match one, while you practice this overpowered technique that lets you fight like two people. Does that make any sense?! Spit out all the dried meat I gave you!!”

As I ranted, spitting with fury, Master coughed awkwardly and tried to calm me down.

“Ahem… It’s not that I didn’t want to teach you. As I said before, everyone has a constitution, and it’s hard to learn martial arts that don’t suit your body.”

“…So you’re saying you didn’t teach me because you thought I couldn’t learn Double Hands Fighting?”

Hah! Unbelievable!

The genius Sima Mantian, who deceived even the heavens by learning both the miraculous Dog Chasing Stick Technique and the unnecessarily difficult Heavenly Polar Bear Formation simultaneously, can’t handle it? I must be really dead if Master thinks that. I need to prove to him that I’m still alive.

I brushed my hair back and confidently said to Master, “Master, I am Sima Mantian, the genius who deceived even the heavens. Don’t worry, just teach me.”

Master looked at my confident expression with satisfaction and answered in his usual gentle voice.

“That’s why you can’t learn it. Double Hands Fighting is a martial art that intelligent people, those who think too much, or in a bad way, those with too many distracting thoughts, cannot learn.”