Chapter 89

On a late evening when the stars spread across the night sky.

Wang Miaoyang sat on the porch, swinging her legs like a pendulum, absentmindedly gazing at the stars. She lowered her head and spoke to her disciple.

“How about we call it a day and rest?”

“Haa… haa… Just a little more.”

But Mantian shook his head and took a stance to resume his Taijiquan.

“Master, you should go in and rest first.”

“…Then I’ll go in and sleep. I’m sleepy.”

Whether it was due to the side effects of overexertion or just her body feeling heavy, Wang Miaoyang squinted one eye as sleepiness overwhelmed her as the night grew late.

“It’s good to work hard, but I can see impatience creeping into your basic forms. Cool your head a bit.”

After pointing out Mantian’s attitude with drowsy eyes, she walked toward the accommodation.

“…Impatience, huh.”

A sigh escaped him as her words hit home. Unconsciously, he must have put too much force into his basic forms again.

…Well, it’s understandable. The Dragon and Phoenix Association has already begun.

Originally, his goal was different, but he got caught up in training more than he expected, so naturally, his body grew restless.

In the path of martial arts.

He knew that such emotions could be poisonous, but it wasn’t easy to calm his mind.

He felt increasingly anxious, hitting a wall.

Honestly, I know. It’s not that I lack talent, but in learning martial arts.

I know… that I’m not a genius.

He straightened his back and looked up at the vast night sky spread out like the sea.

A true genius is someone like Guhae.

He recalled the blue-eyed girl with an innocent face, displaying talent beyond measure.

Surprised by her unexpected talent, he had once given her the absurd task of performing the Empty Clarity Fist ten thousand times and then ran away.

Even now, it’s the most pathetic memory.

In the middle of the night, under the moonlight, Guhae’s figure performing the basic forms without hesitation flickered in his mind.

Because I told her to.

She believed she could do it without a doubt, purely performing martial arts with a sincere heart.

“……”

When he came to his senses, he was performing the Taijiquan basic forms again.

‘When the mind is settled, forget emotions; when the body is empty, gather energy.’

Exhaling evenly, he circulated his internal energy, moving his tired body.

‘When the mind dies, the spirit lives; when yang flourishes, yin perishes.’

With faith, he shook off unnecessary anxiety and moved his feet to draw a circle.

‘Haha~ Even the heavens deceive geniuses. I thought I could easily do this much.’

Though the Master probably said it as a joke, he was still happy to be acknowledged.

‘Mantian~ Amazing! I want to do it too! Teach me!!’

He felt pleased seeing Guhae’s pretty blue eyes light up over a trivial skill.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped him.

Just for a moment, a very brief moment…

To think that I considered myself not a genius.

I must have been really tired.

Whether I hit a wall or my body couldn’t keep up, it doesn’t matter.

I am the disciple of a genius, the master of a genius.

I must become a genius who surpasses geniuses, a genius who deceives even the heavens.

…So, shaking off distractions, I move forward, even if just one step.

‘Carry the Taiji above your head.’

Taiji is yin and yang. Heaven and earth, the world.

To carry Taiji above your head is to place yourself at the center of the world.

Standing boldly between heaven and earth.

‘Embrace the Eight Trigrams in your arms.’

The Eight Trigrams are Heaven, Marsh, Water, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Mountain, and Earth.

The eight principles that form all things. To embrace the Eight Trigrams is to accept great power.

This part confused me the most. Even within Taoist martial arts, the Empty Clarity Fist and Taijiquan are different.

While the Empty Clarity Fist turns the opponent’s force into nothing, Taijiquan accepts and redirects it.

‘Step on the Five Elements with your feet.’

The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The cycle of life.

From here, it’s simple. No need to overthink it.

Just let your body follow the natural flow and move your legs.

After finishing the basic forms and catching his breath, he looked down at his feet.

The most plausible circle he had drawn so far was there.

He laughed.

“Now… one more time.”

He took his stance again, exhaled, and performed Taijiquan.

The ten thousand Taijiquan strikes of gratitude begin.

Whether it succeeds in one try, dozens, hundreds, or thousands.

“…I’ll do it until it works.”

If it succeeds, it succeeds. In the end, it’s the same as being a genius.

‧

‧

‧

The next morning.

“Chirp chirp~!!”

Hearing the birds chirping, Wang Miaoyang, worried about Mantian who hadn’t returned to the accommodation, walked toward the training ground.

‘That guy must be overtraining again…’

And he didn’t even have breakfast. I’ll have to scold him when I see him.

Thinking this, she entered the training ground.

Wang Miaoyang’s eyes widened in surprise.

“……?!”

Countless circles that weren’t there last night were drawn on the ground.

And in the center.

A perfect circle, a Taiji, that no one could believe was drawn by a cripple.

Wang Miaoyang cautiously walked toward Mantian, standing boldly like a pillar connecting heaven and earth at the center of the Taiji.

Shaded by the rising sun, his face was obscured, but the atmosphere was different.

It felt like seeing something enormous.

“Teheng~ Counting the days made me tired.”

…But it was Wang Miaoyang’s misconception.

The weight from earlier was gone. Whether he was embarrassed or not.

“What, what is this?! Get off!!”

“Waaah! I’m baby Mantian! Carry me!”

He acted spoiled toward his small master with his large body.

Almost clinging, he pressed his body against her small back to be carried.

Practically hugging her from behind.

“?!?!?!?”

Before master and disciple, they were man and woman. The unexpected physical contact made Wang Miaoyang’s face turn red rapidly.

Just as she was about to throw the disrespectful disciple off.

A serious voice echoed in Wang Miaoyang’s ear.

“Master, how far has the Dragon and Phoenix Association progressed?”

“…It’s not over yet. The Eight Strong starts tomorrow.”

The Eight Strong, it’s late, but not completely too late.

To preserve my stamina, I closed my eyes, using Wang Miaoyang’s shoulders and back as a pillow.

The pleasant scent from her swaying golden hair made me feel good.

Anyway, after a full day of martial arts training, Mantian fell asleep just like that.

“…Just this once.”

Wang Miaoyang had no choice but to indulge her disciple’s spoiled behavior.

Carrying Mantian on her small frame, she walked back toward the accommodation.

***

As the yin energy from the Cold Ice Medicine gradually subsided.

Sososo, whose condition was improving, sat on the bed, smiling faintly, comforting Wolhwa who had come to visit.

“I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry so much. More importantly, Wolhwa, what about the Dragon and Phoenix Association…”

“Sososo unnie is awake. That’s not important!”

Hearing that Sososo was better, Wolhwa had skipped today’s Eight Strong match of the Dragon and Phoenix Association to come here.

“You must have been bored lying in bed. I brought a fun game for you.”

She took out a beautiful jade dice from her pocket.

“Let’s call Sima Mantian and play together!”

As they say, speak of the devil and he shall appear? Sososo’s hospital room door was knocked.

“Namgung hyung, it’s Mantian. I’m coming in.”

“Ah… S, Sima Gongzi… Just a moment…!”

Sososo didn’t want to show her haggard appearance from being bedridden.

While she quickly tidied up, the door opened without waiting for her permission.

“I’m sorry. I have something urgent to tell you.”

And Sososo intuitively realized from Mantian’s unusually calm face.

“You’re planning to fight… Modan, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’ll settle the unfinished business from the inn.”

Without hesitation, he approached, leaning on his cane like the first time they met.

“I came to tell you that before I go.”

His resolute tone made Sososo’s slender fingers tightly grip the bedsheet.

“…You’ll lose.”

She couldn’t hold back otherwise.

She knew Mantian was strong. But compared to Modan, he was weak. He couldn’t win.

A rough breath escaped her.

In her wavering vision, the image of her parents brutally killed flashed by.

She didn’t want to see anyone she cared about get hurt because of her weakness anymore.

Wolhwa fidgeted anxiously, but Mantian remained composed.

“Why are you so sure I’ll lose?”

“…It’s like the dice.

Born with the fate of becoming a king, cursed with his own destiny.

“There may be variables, but when rolled, it can only result in one to six. No other numbers can come up.”

There’s no escape. Can’t win. Can’t run away.

“It’s a predetermined fate.”

Perhaps due to her poor health, her emotions were rough, even bringing up her own unrelated fate to confront Mantian.

…But Mantian didn’t run away.

“Then shall we make a bet?”

“…Huh?”

He calmly raised the stakes against her irrational logic.

“I’ll roll the dice now.”

He reached out and picked up the jade dice on the table.

“If a number less than six comes up, I lose. Any other number, I win.”

‘What nonsense…’

Before Sososo could react, Mantian rolled the dice.

“……?!”

The result was one dot and six dots, seven.

He had split the dice in half just before rolling it.

“This is… this is just wordplay…”

“Yeah, it’s sophistry.”

No longer wanting to call her his senior, he spoke bluntly.

He took another step toward Sososo. Facing her directly, he locked eyes with her.

“And such simple sophistry is what fate is.”

He declared war on the girl frightened by her heavy fate.

“Wait for me. I’ll show you how trivial the fate you speak of is.”