The World's Greatest Countryside Martial Arts Academy - chapter 6

Let’s look back on the events so far. I was scammed out of the manor I bought with my entire retirement fund. It turned out that manor was the home of a close senior brother from my hometown. That senior brother’s family had completely collapsed, leaving only children behind. And on top of that, I’m currently embroiled in a property dispute with those very children—arguing over whose land is whose, whose house is whose. Amazingly, this was all within just two days.

How on earth did I end up here?

Wasn’t retirement supposed to be about peace, tranquility, and living a leisurely, carefree life? After all the merit I earned, suffering like a dog under a vicious superior to save the Jianghu, why has my life become a series of shocks, utter astonishment, and despair? Unless someone is cursing my future with insidious black magic, this shouldn’t be happening. Don’t tell me—Alliance Leader, is it you? Are you secretly performing some sinister sacrificial rite in the Leader’s office using the secret techniques of the Secret Cult?

“……What are you muttering about since a while ago? Alliance Leader? Sinister…?” “You don’t need to know.”

Jin Cheong-un pretended to look up at the sky and let out a sigh.

“Phew, you should never retire.” “……?”

Ever since he called himself an uncle, he had been avoiding eye contact, but now they finally met. Though she glared at him as if he were a strange person. Anyway, when he thought about it, this wasn’t just a staggering coincidence. His senior brother was the eldest son of a flourishing merchant family. It was only natural that the Jeong family’s manor would be the best in the village. Therefore, it was a natural sequence of events that he, wanting to buy a livable manor in his hometown, would choose the Jeong family manor.

The things I didn’t expect were that my senior brother had remained in the village, and that the family had collapsed, causing the house deed to fall into the hands of a swindler.

Thus, fate and coincidence overlapped… And he became entangled with the Jeong siblings. Jin Cheong-un looked at Jeong So-so with a complicated expression.

They say a daughter resembles her father. Seeing her like this, I suppose they do look alike.

The girl, so stubborn—if things were difficult, she should have reached out. No, she probably didn’t even know how to reach out. Even if she had known, she likely wouldn’t have.

I was too late.

He had forced himself to cut ties with Cherry Blossom Village. He only vaguely thought he would return in the distant future, but he had turned a blind eye to everything related to the academy. Maybe the others were… other people?

“That.”

Jin Cheong-un pointed to the table where the spirit tablet was placed.

“What about those withered flowers, incense, and sake in front of the tablet? Did you bring those?” “Yes? Ah, those things have been left there very occasionally starting a few years ago. I thought the former trainees left them behind without me knowing… so I just cleared them away when I came to clean.”

For a moment, Jin Cheong-un’s expression went blank. He turned his head slowly, and a hollow chuckle escaped his lips.

I thought no one would come…

How many of them had visited? He didn’t know who they were, but if he stayed here, perhaps he would get to see them one day. He would have to wait and see if those meetings would be pleasant ones.

“Anyway, the state of the academy…”

Jin Cheong-un looked around and sighed shortly. It was shabby. The floor creaked every time he stepped on it, there was a musty moldy smell, and the paint on the walls and pillars was peeling, with cracks gaping here and there.

“You’ve been managing this place all alone all this time?” “Yes, I’ve only been doing it alone for about four or five years, though… why do you ask?” “It’s just too old. It seems the inside is more dilapidated than the outside.”

At his indifferent tone, Jeong So-so felt a surge of emotion. It was a place she had cleaned with care, sparing every spare moment she had. She couldn’t even count the times she had wrestled with a hammer and nails herself because she didn’t have the money to repair the broken parts. After her father ran away, how much had she struggled to protect the academy, even if she had to do it alone?

“……I still managed it to the best of my ability.” “You must have worked hard.”

Jeong So-so paused.

“Yes?” “I said you must have worked hard. People say a house can last a hundred years if managed well, but if it doesn’t get a human touch, it easily grows old.”

Jin Cheong-un crouched down and pressed firmly on the cracked part of the wall.

“At that age, earning money, doing housework, taking care of a sick brother, and managing such a dilapidated place—there’s no way it was easy.” “Uh…” “Tsk tsk. You worked hard. Oh my, look at all this dust.” “I-it wasn’t hard.”

Jeong So-so, whose throat suddenly grew tight, clutched her skirt tightly. It was the first time. The words “you worked hard” felt like praise rather than pity. It was a careless remark… or perhaps that was exactly why. Suddenly, the tip of her nose felt sore.

“Thanks to you, I’ll have less work to do. I thought it would have all collapsed, but with this much…”

Jin Cheong-un, who stood up while brushing off his hands, turned his body and scanned the room.

“We might be able to repair it instead of rebuilding it entirely.”

If it had to be rebuilt, it couldn’t be helped, but if it could be maintained, he wanted to maintain it. Because this was a place filled with memories for him, too.

More than anything…

Jin Cheong-un clenched his fist.

Money is saved.

That was the most important issue! Now that there was no place left for money to come from, he had to save as much as possible if he could! Jeong So-so’s expression brightened.

“You’re really planning to reopen the academy?” “Just reopening it isn’t enough.” “Then?” “Shouldn’t we try to make it the greatest academy under heaven?”

Jin Cheong-un looked up at the sky. Seeing the blue mountain behind them and the clear sky stretching above it made his heart feel completely open.

—Cheong-un. Will you protect the children and our academy from now on?

It’s late, but I came back to do just that. Right, he had a responsibility to carry on the Cheong-un Martial Arts Academy. But he had cast that responsibility aside. For over ten years. No words could serve as an excuse. If he wanted to avoid even a little criticism in the future, shouldn’t he at least make the Cheong-un Martial Arts Academy much more respectable than it was before?

“The greatest academy under heaven? But we’re just a common countryside academy…” “Is there any rule that a countryside academy can’t become the greatest under heaven?”

After all, Jin Cheong-un was the one who went all the way to becoming the Murim Alliance Leader’s closest confidant, surpassing those from big sects or prestigious families who looked down on his countryside academy origins. Though he is retired now! He was the one who beat up the Secret Cult, even if he was swindled by a mere swindler! Furthermore, the academy was practically a ruined house, but! Anyway! He even cut off the head of the Secret Cult Leader, so how could he not be able to become the best in the academy industry!

“So-so, you said it was your dream to reopen our academy, right? Now that I’m here, that dream will definitely come true, so now you should dream of something even greater.” “Ah…!”

In Jeong So-so’s eyes, Jin Cheong-un’s gaze was full of conviction. Seeing that look, her own heart felt hot, too.

“Yes! I will help with whatever I can!” “Right, that’s it!” “The greatest academy under heaven, Cheong-un Martial Arts Academy!” “Oh, good spirit!” “Just tell me! What are we going to do first?” “First, we need to repair it.” “That’s true!” “And collect trainees.” “Because it’s an academy! And then?” “Hmm.” “……?” “……”

Silence descended.

“Don’t tell me you have no plan…”

Creak! Creak!

The torn paper of the sliding door rattled in the wind. Dilapidated buildings. A yard overgrown with weeds. A smashed gate. Jeong So-so, who had been standing there blankly, felt her gaze slowly dim.

Returning to the Jeong Manor. Jeong So-ryong, sitting in front of the dining table, turned his head slightly to look at Jin Cheong-un.

To think he was a person with ties to our father.

Could there be such a coincidence in the world? Even if he were clumsy at times, his sister, who didn’t trust people easily because she was suspicious, would never make a mistake if she were certain.

A person who will heal my body and also open the academy that is sister’s dream.

Jeong So-ryong’s eyes sparkled. Although they weren’t related by blood, wasn’t he at least more trustworthy than the real relatives who coldly ignored their siblings?

A truly trustworthy adult, an uncle, has appeared.

But… This seems a bit strange.

“A plan! Everything needs a plan!” “If I pay money and entrust it, they’ll do well, so what’s with all these plans…” “You’ll have an accident if you do that. You must be thorough. For starters, I know a carpenter. It would be cheaper to find a stone mason separately…” “……” “Are you listening? Ah, I will also look for a seamstress to decorate the interior.” “……” “Our village has a blacksmith, but the Jeong family blacksmith in the next town is more famous. Let’s go with that side…” “I got it, so shouldn’t we eat dinner first?” “You can listen while you eat.” “……”

Jeong So-ryong looked alternately at his sister and his uncle. Why is the uncle sitting there, shrinking away, unable to say a word to the sister? Isn’t it usually the opposite?

“I think you need to draw up a budget first. Did you report it to the government office regarding opening the academy? You didn’t just not do it, did you?”

Jin Cheong-un cleared his throat once and spoke with feigned solemnity.

“The government office and the Murim do not meddle in each other’s worlds.” “You said you retired, didn’t you?” “……”

From the moment they came from the house to the Jeong manor. Even after sitting down at the dining table again. Jin Cheong-un was being shredded by Jeong So-so’s words, which were sharper than any expert’s blade.

No, isn’t that an age where they shouldn’t know anything?

This won’t do. If it continues like this, his dignity as the academy owner and uncle will crumble! Jin Cheong-un took a deep breath and shouted.

“You insolent…!” “……?” “Is that a way to speak to your elder! I’ve been listening quietly and you’re ignoring your uncle!” “You were the one who told me not to treat you like an uncle earlier because you looked old.” “……”

Jin Cheong-un’s carefully prepared strike was miserably shattered by Jeong So-so’s counter-technique. It was truly a match won in a single blow. He began to feel a bit sorrowful. Is the saying “be wary of children, women, and the elderly” used in times like this? Since Jeong So-so is both young and a woman, she is practically invincible.

“Cheer up.” “……?”

Jeong So-ryong, who had been eating beside him, offered consolation with a calm face. Jin Cheong-un’s expression turned bitter.

Eldest brother. Why is the state of these children like this?

He heard they were only ten years old, but is this right? The Jeong siblings… honestly, I’m starting to get a bit scared.

“By the way, what did Uncle do in the Murim Alliance?”

To Jeong So-ryong’s sudden question, Jeong So-so also shifted her gaze. Jin Cheong-un answered indifferently.

“I was an escort warrior.” “Was your martial art strong?” “It was tolerable.” “Then… why did you retire so early? The Murim Alliance is a place every Jianghu person dreams of.”

Dream? Was the Alliance that kind of place?

I don’t know.

It might be like that for some people. At least, it wasn’t for him.

“Nine out of ten Jianghu people retire because they’re injured.”

He had decided on it before that, but he just glossed over it. At those words, Jeong So-so was startled.

“Are you hurt? How?” “I fought with one bad guy and hundreds of his subordinates.” “……What? Hundreds of them?” “It was enough to cover a whole mountain. We only had twenty people left, so I took out three or four at a time with a single sword…” “Wow, I see.” “It’s true.” “I believe you!” “……”

Hundreds of people, he says. How could twenty people fight hundreds of people?

“Let me ask you one thing, too.” “Ask away.” “Where on earth did your eldest brother go, leaving only you two?”

At that moment, the room fell silent. Soon, Jeong So-so opened her mouth as if it were nothing, continuing to move her spoon.

“He ran away.” “……Ran away?” “Yes, in the middle of the night, leaving only us.”

She explained the circumstances in a calm voice.

“So.” “Yes.” “Debts piled up, eldest brother ran away, and a while later, the debt collection became severe?” “Yes.” “……”

He wasn’t that kind of person. …He was about to say that, but soon realized that these children probably thought that more than anyone else.

It’s not my place to say that.

These children, who had lived together since birth, would know better than he, who hadn’t seen him for over ten years. Tap, tap, tap. Jin Cheong-un crossed his arms and tapped his arm with his fingers.

Still, even so.

Debt, debt he says. Wait, debt? …On this house?

“Wait. By any chance, is the collateral for the debt on this house…” “Ah, th-that is…” “No way.”

Jeong So-so bowed her head heavily.

The land is mortgaged?

Now, even debt? Suddenly, he felt the back of his neck stiffen. But just at that moment.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A rough knocking sound was heard from the direction of the gate.

“Jeong So-so! Come out! We’re from the Black Tiger Gang!”

Jeong So-so’s head snapped around. Her complexion was deathly pale.