The World's Greatest Countryside Martial Arts Academy - chapter 8

Song Woon-chan had once been the head of a Black Tiger faction in the region. Although they had become a group that merely managed Cherry Blossom Village after the Black Tiger Gang unified the existing underworld factions in Yichang, that conversely meant he was a skilled fighter recognized enough by the gang leader to be kept alive instead of killed. That was why it was absurd.

What? You won’t kill me?

Jin Cheong-un, who had locked the main gate, came walking over, slouching and cracking his neck. He was no different from a back-alley thug. His behavior looked more like that of a criminal than they themselves, who were actual members of the underworld.

Where did such a low-level guy come from? It’s ridiculous.

Spirit and capacity—together called Gido (spirit/presence). Martial artists who have trained in internal energy naturally let their presence flow outward. Then what about Jin Cheong-un? He could feel it. Maybe as much as a fly’s eye worth? Song Woon-chan smirked. He had seen plenty of guys like that. Guys who had trained in third-rate martial arts sold on the street and thought they had become experts—they were all exactly like him.

“You have guts, that’s for sure. But let’s see if you can still keep that up after being beaten to a pulp in front of the girl who’s either your trainee or niece.”

Jin Cheong-un narrowed his eyes, as if that remark bothered him.

“I can’t let this slide.”

He said it as if throwing it away, and curled his hand into a fist.

“Let’s start by getting beaten a bit.”

Whoosh!

At that moment, Song Woon-chan gasped for air. Jin Cheong-un, who had been walking slowly, had lunged forward in an instant.

“St-strike him!”

Song Woon-chan and two gang members hurriedly swung their swords. Clang, clang, clang, clang! The sunset that had descended upon the quiet Jeong Manor’s yard was shredded by the sharp, blue-tinged blades. And Jin Cheong-un’s body came spiraling into that sunset. A punch penetrated the trajectory of the blades at exact speed. Song Woon-chan’s eyes widened as he saw the fist flying right in front of his nose.

WHAM!

Song Woon-chan’s jaw rotated right then and there. His vision went black for a moment, then brightened again. When he barely regained his senses, Song Woon-chan heard the sound of wind being split—shiiiing!—from the direction of his solar plexus.

BAM!

His mouth fell open due to the pain, which felt like being pierced by an arrow. Pushed back sliding, Song Woon-chan knelt down and slammed his forehead onto the floor.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

He even shed a tear at the feeling of his breath being squeezed out. Even as he writhed in pain, Song Woon-chan could not understand what had happened. He walked straight into the path of sharp blades? Is that even possible without using internal energy? Something, something just doesn’t make sense!

“Br-Brother!” “This bastard!”

The Black Tiger Gang members, who had regained their senses a beat too late, rushed at Jin Cheong-un, who had his back turned.

“Gasp! U-Uncle! It’s dangerous!”

Jeong So-so, who was watching from behind, screamed. However.

Swoosh!

The blade swung from the left barely grazed only Jin Cheong-un’s robe hem. Swish! The sword that thrust in from the right pierced nothing but empty air.

“H-huh?”

The gang member turned his head with an expression as if possessed by a ghost. At that moment, Jin Cheong-un’s fist appeared in his vision.

BAM!

It was the first time in Jeong So-so’s life she had heard such a crisp sound of impact. Another gang member was horrified, watching his colleague fly away with blood spurting from his nose like a fountain.

“Th-this insane!”

He twitched as if having a seizure and lunged at Jin Cheong-un’s back to stab him.

Thwack!

But it was blocked halfway. Jin Cheong-un’s left hand grabbed his wrist, and he stretched out his right hand like a lightning bolt, grabbing him by the collar.

“Huh?” Vwoom!

The gang member’s body shot up into the air. His field of vision tilted sharply, and the world spun. Before he could even resist, he was thrown away like a piece of luggage.

Crash!

Dust erupted around the gang member, who had flown at least a jang and was slammed into the ground.

“Th-this, what is…”

Song Woon-chan, who had stood up staggering with a blank face, trembled.

What on earth is happening!

He is clearly using martial arts. But he is not using internal energy. It doesn’t make sense. Isn’t martial art without internal energy backing it only half-baked? In other words, Jin Cheong-un was running even though his legs were broken. You ask how he can run with broken legs? That’s why it’s strange! Even compared to himself, who is running with two legs, he runs better!

Even if he is an expert… an expert?

At that moment, Song Woon-chan realized something and opened his eyes wide.

“Br-Brother.” “Cough! Th-this way, really…”

By then, the recovered subordinates limped over to Song Woon-chan’s side. Song Woon-chan whispered:

“Get a grip. I’ve figured out his weak point.” “Yes?” “It’s not that I don’t feel his presence, but he isn’t using internal energy. Furthermore, he even looks a little tired. What do you think that means?”

At those words, the gang members’ eyes widened. Looking closely, it was really like that. His shoulders were heaving slightly, and his side hair was slightly damp, wasn’t it? Controlling one’s breathing is the most basic of the basics. He seemed to have trained in some martial arts, but it meant he was not in a normal state.

“I’ll create an opening, so rush in all at once. We only need to land one hit. Just one hit.”

After whispering that, Song Woon-chan stared at Jin Cheong-un nonchalantly again.

“Right, it seems you have trained in martial arts, but…”

The corners of his mouth twisted upward.

“Seeing as your presence is like that, you must have internal injuries or have lost your internal energy, right? Hehehe!”

Jin Cheong-un, who had been staring at him blankly, nodded.

“You’re quite the educated underworld figure. That’s accurate.”

Song Woon-chan was momentarily flustered because he admitted it so refreshing.

“……You have no intention of hiding it?” “I’ve never hidden it.”

At those words, Jeong So-so, who was watching from afar, wanted to scream.

Hide it! At least hide it! What are you going to do if you say that right now!

Song Woon-chan, who had been momentarily flustered, glared at him again.

“Regardless, there’s no way a guy like you would come to our territory without a reason.” “……?” “I will definitely take you to the gang leader and claim credit. K-hahaha!”

Song Woon-chan closed his eyes as if concentrating and let out a bizarre war cry. Ssssss! Before long, dust rose up centering around him, and a chilling wave of energy flowed out. Jin Cheong-un’s eyes widened slightly.

“Hoo! Hoo! I didn’t want to use this move, but… it’s a desperate technique I learned from the gang leader. I’ll end you with this.”

Jin Cheong-un admired him inwardly. A hidden power. Weren’t those classic lines for villains?

So he intends to drag this into a clash of power and end it at once, huh.

As expected, the Black Tiger Gang leader was no pushover. To temporarily raise one’s Hwahoo (stage of cultivation) like that—a technique only seen in orthodox evil martial arts—yet to teach it to a mere subordinate.

“I’ll tear you to shreds!” BOOM!

Song Woon-chan kicked the ground, making a sound distinctly different from before. Thump. Jin Cheong-un took a step forward with his left foot. Then he stretched his fist far back. As if he were going to face it head-on instead of dodging.

You blockheaded bastard!

The moment Song Woon-chan wore a triumphant smile, Jin Cheong-un’s punch was fired like lightning.

CRACK!

A roar that could only be heard in a blacksmith’s shop erupted. Song Woon-chan’s two eyes widened until they felt like they would tear.

Huh?

It’s breaking. Not his fist, but his own sword. Although human flesh and metal clashed, that flesh was crushing the metal and flying toward him.

WHAM!

Song Woon-chan’s body flew through the sky like a stone kicked by a foot. The gang members who had been rushing to follow him watched the scene blankly. Song Woon-chan, who had spun several times in the air, crashed right into the ground.

“Ugh! Uuuuugh…”

Only after writhing on the floor for a long time was he able to raise his upper body. He looked up at Jin Cheong-un with bewildered eyes.

“Cough! Y-you… clearly… you lost your internal energy…” “It’s true that I have internal injuries, but I didn’t say I had no internal energy.” “……?” “I just don’t know how to use it.”

You have legs, but don’t know how to run? But how are you running! Song Woon-chan’s eyes were filled with confusion.

It’s understandable that I can’t understand.

Because even he didn’t know what was what right now. But it wasn’t a lie. After being struck by the Secret Cult Leader’s blow, Jin Cheong-un had sustained severe external injuries along with internal injuries that caused him to lose a significant portion of his internal energy. All the physicians of the Alliance diagnosed that it was a miracle he was even alive, and that he would have to live with a disability for the rest of his life, let alone practice martial arts. However, Jin Cheong-un recovered. In a form that no one, not even he himself, had expected. His Dantian, which had been cracked. His energy vessels, which had been torn and severed. His battered body. In every single one of those places, a new Jingi (true energy), whose identity even he didn’t know, had taken root and healed him miraculously. However. Since I’ve never trained in something like this, I have no choice but to not know how to use it.

Tssst!

The unidentified Jingi that had been emitted from his palm vanished in an instant. Even if he forced it out, it couldn’t last for even a split second.

No, maybe it’s not unidentified.

It was the martial art that had endured the Secret Cult Leader’s blow at the very last moment, and it was the martial art he had once learned and practiced right here at Cheong-un Academy.

“……Sp-spare me.” Thud!

Song Woon-chan knelt, blood streaming from his nose.

“What are you doing! Why aren’t you all kneeling!” “Gasp! Yes, yes!” “Please, spare me!”

Song Woon-chan shouted urgently.

“I-I misjudged you. We only did what we were told. If you kill us, our gang won’t just stand by, and you don’t want that, do you? Please, just spare my life!”

Jin Cheong-un replied with a bitter look.

“I never said I would kill you.” “……?” “I’m a person who promised a certain someone I know that I would try my best to live without seeing blood. I won’t kill you, so don’t worry.”

Song Woon-chan was delighted. He had just tried saying it! However, what was reflected in Song Woon-chan’s eyes when he looked up was Jin Cheong-un cracking his knuckles.

“……?” “I said I wouldn’t kill you. I won’t kill you.”

Song Woon-chan jumped up, terrified.

I-I got tangled with the wrong person. He was a truly crazy person.

The moment he turned to run away, Jin Cheong-un’s eyes flashed. Whoosh! Thwack!

Jeong So-ryong had sensitive senses since he was young. Even without seeing with his eyes, he could distinguish people far away, and he could hear even small sounds clearly. So, he was clearly feeling the commotion that was shaking Jeong Manor loudly right now.

Rumble! Crash! “Aaaah!”

The sound of something exploding and breaking, and his sister’s scream.

Did Uncle lose? So is Sister being subjected to something terrible?

Jeong So-ryong’s already pale complexion turned even paler. He knew he wouldn’t be of any help. But thinking he couldn’t just stay there, he hurriedly ran outside. Whoosh! He saw something flying through the sky.

Huh?

What is that? Dark, and thick… A person?

The person who was flying through the sky crashed right into the garden. Crash! Crack! The pine tree in the garden was shattered entirely and fell. Thud! Bang!

As Jeong So-ryong turned his gaze again, his mouth fell wide open. A person was embedded(?) in the wall like a nail. The legs protruding outside the wall trembled, then went completely limp.

“……?”

Seeing a sight he had never seen in his life, Jeong So-ryong’s eyes popped out. Already, only one person was left standing. Song Woon-chan, who had had the highest martial arts prowess among them. And he was regretting having learned martial arts for the first time in his life.

“I’m sorry! Didn’t I say I’m sorry!” “No, you’re not sorry enough yet.”

Song Woon-chan’s complexion turned deathly pale as he watched Jin Cheong-un, who was wearing a look of indifference.

It’s been a crazy person, indeed.

Song Woon-chan, terrified, tried to run away, but he couldn’t shake off his collar which was already grabbed.

“Sp-spare me…! Gaaak!” Thwack! “I-I was wrong… Ugh!” Cr-r-rack! “I-I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please spare me—!” CRACK!

Gruesome sounds continued. A while later, Song Woon-chan was released only after he had literally been beaten into a pulp. Jin Cheong-un dusted off his hands with a refreshed face.

Ah…

Jeong So-ryong had watched the entire scene with his mouth wide open. His body was trembling and cold sweat was forming on his hands. A scene too cruel and shocking for a young boy.

Cool.

However, he couldn’t take his eyes off Jin Cheong-un for even a second.

I want to become strong like that, too…

Jeong So-ryong’s eyes sparkled brightly.