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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Ancestral Secret Arts
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The next morning.
Do Cheon, who had slept soundly for the first time in ages, stepped out of his quarters to find Little Sparrow pacing in front of the door. She broke into a wide grin.
"Ah, you really did come back."
"You thought it was a dream?"
"Yeah. It felt like a terrible nightmare."
"Nightmare's a bit much."
"You're never leaving again, right?"
"Yeah. No more wandering from the sect for me."
"For real?"
"You doubting your eldest senior brother?"
"I do. You said you'd be back in a year, but it took three!"
"Yeah. Sorry about that. But I'm really not going anywhere now, so trust me."
Little Sparrow stared at him for a long moment before nodding.
"Fine. This is your last chance. I'll believe you this time."
"Thanks. Where's Master?"
"He's been coughing and waiting since early morning."
"Got it. Starting tomorrow, I'll get up earlier."
"Then hurry up and go already."
Despite Little Sparrow's urging, Do Cheon didn't budge. He turned his head instead.
Toward Yi Yeol's quarters.
"I just checked on Second Brother. He's still out cold. No sign of waking up."
"He'll open his eyes any second now. Go on."
"Really?"
"Didn't you say you'd trust your eldest senior brother?"
"...!"
Little Sparrow blinked, her face full of skepticism, then dashed off toward Yi Yeol's place.
Sure enough, Yi Yeol had opened his eyes.
Little Sparrow's worried face lit up with a beaming smile as she peered in.
"You're awake?"
"It's my pretty little junior sister."
"You idiot! I thought you were dying!"
"That bad, huh?"
"You had a fever all night and could barely breathe!"
"Really? I feel perfectly fine now..."
Yi Yeol sat up.
"No! Lie back down!"
"I mean it. I really don't hurt anymore."
"I said lie down!"
Little Sparrow's shout must have carried outside, because the door burst open. It was Iron Mountain.
"Damn, you're awake, so looks like you won't kick the bucket."
Even as he spoke, he quickly scanned Yi Yeol's face.
Yi Yeol chuckled and asked,
"Where's Eldest Brother?"
"Outside."
"And Master..."
"Forget Master and Eldest Brother for now. Focus on recovering, Second Brother. How much starving did you do to end up half a skeleton?"
"Yeah, those bastards only fed me dog slop."
"Fucking pricks!"
As Iron Mountain fumed, Little Sparrow quickly chimed in.
"Eldest Brother promised."
"...?"
"He said he'd never leave again. You promise too, Second Brother."
"Promise what?"
"That you'll never do anything reckless again!"
"I promise."
"For real?"
Tears welled up in Little Sparrow's eyes as she asked.
"Yeah, never again."
Yi Yeol nodded, and Little Sparrow wiped her tears. He reached out and patted her head.
"I always wanted to keep you smiling, but I ended up like this instead."
"Just make me smile from now on."
"Yeah, I will."
Yi Yeol sat up again.
"I said lie back down!"
"I'm really fine."
Yi Yeol stood and stretched his limbs. It felt exactly as it had when he lay down. Not only was his body perfectly fine, but he even felt refreshed and full of energy, like after a good night's sleep.
The only thing lacking right now was food in his belly.
Tilting his head, Yi Yeol started walking and said,
"Let's go. We need to greet Master and fill our stomachs."
"Ah, hurry! I made beef stew."
Now that Yi Yeol looked fine, Little Sparrow was the one urging them on. Yi Yeol smiled faintly and followed.
Stepping outside, Yi Yeol spotted Do Cheon.
Do Cheon stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the rising sun in the distance. He looked somehow different from the senior brother of three years ago.
"Damn, did taking over Master's seat make you put on such airs?"
Iron Mountain sneered.
Do Cheon sighed and turned around.
"That mouth of yours."
"Whatever about my mouth. Let's go already. Second Brother's hungry."
"Yeah, let's head out."
Do Cheon nodded with a sigh and looked at Yi Yeol.
Yi Yeol stared back, full of doubt.
"What do you mean, 'taking over Master's seat'?"
"I'll explain after we eat. Let's go. Master must be waiting."
A short while later.
Do Cheon, Yi Yeol, Iron Mountain, and Little Sparrow sat in a row before their master.
Sa Jung-gyeong, the current sect leader of the Iron Lion Sect, smiled warmly at his disciples lined up before him.
"My disciples have finally found their places. I'm truly happy. With you all in your rightful spots, now the sect just needs to find its place."
The three glanced at each other happily at Sa Jung-gyeong's last words, but their faces grew heavy. Only Do Cheon remained composed.
"Why the long faces? I managed alone. I raised you four all by myself. You've got four now. What can't you do if you unite your wills? Always trust each other. Always protect one another."
Do Cheon bowed deeply at Sa Jung-gyeong's smiling words, and the other three followed suit.
Seeing his great disciple lead and the others follow filled Sa Jung-gyeong with contentment. His smile wouldn't fade.
Naturally, the disciples' moods lifted too.
"Let's eat. Yeol, you've wasted away, so force yourself to eat plenty."
"Yes. If it's not enough, I'll eye Master's bowl."
"Go ahead."
It was a meal Little Sparrow had prepared with care.
Nothing special about the taste. It was decent enough, and since it was their usual fare, no one made a fuss. They all busily worked their chopsticks.
Little Sparrow fought back tears and kept piling meat into Second Brother's bowl.
"Eat lots."
"Yeah, give it all. Your senior brother will polish it off!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Restoring lost martial arts was no easy task.
Especially for a sect like the Iron Lion Sect, where not only the manuals were gone, but even oral traditions were incomplete.
What Sa Jung-gyeong, the current sect leader, had received from his master was only the First Stage of the Iron Thunder Divine Art's Seven Stages—the basics. For the fist art, Iron Tyrant King Fist, there was nothing at all, just a description that it produced thunderous sounds when executed.
After his master's death, upon becoming sect leader, Sa Jung-gyeong bought up every miscellaneous martial arts manual circulating in the markets and studied them relentlessly.
As the saying went, "all rivers flow to the sea." All the world's myriad flows converged to one. He believed martial arts, though starting differently, ended the same. So he delved into every scrap of knowledge.
That had been thirty years now.
While wandering in search of even obscure manuals, he'd taken in beggar children one by one as disciples. He'd taught them the single First Stage of the Iron Thunder Divine Art, along with the basic principles he'd gleaned from his studies, living in a frenzy. His once-sturdy frame had withered, making him look far older than his mid-fifties.
Do Cheon pitied his master's appearance.
He could somewhat understand the despair Master must have felt upon first becoming leader.
It must have been like facing an unclimbable mountain range. The years of forcing himself onward, the endless bleak days—not just one or two. He must have wanted to quit countless times.
That he'd endured was surely for the dream of reviving the sect and for his disciples who looked only to him.
Now, Do Cheon wanted to lighten that burden. He'd asked Master to entrust the sect's affairs to him. Let him take the load so Master could focus on his own cultivation.
"Since Master approved, I'll handle the Sky-Spanning Gang matters myself."
"I could lose everything else, but not you all. Do you understand?"
"I do. I won't be reckless with the Sky-Spanning Gang. And over the past three years, I've never done anything to shame the sect. Nor will I in the future."
Do Cheon spoke firmly, staring straight at Sa Jung-gyeong.
Confidence shone on his face.
It stirred memories in Sa Jung-gyeong.
He recalled young Do Cheon, a beggar, gazing at him boldly despite days of starvation.
- I don't want to be a well-fed beast.
- I have no intention of raising beasts.
- Should I serve as your master then?
- I handle everything myself. No need for attendants.
- Then what should I do?
- Just become my disciple, not a beast. Will you follow?
- Yes, Master.
Sa Jung-gyeong smiled warmly, remembering Do Cheon bowing deeply right there.
"You're not reckless, so you'll handle it well. Do as you wish."
"Understood."
Do Cheon bowed and placed something on the table.
"What's this?"
"A cultivation manual."
"Cultivation method?"
"Yes."
"I know you don't act without weighing pros and cons, but I can't help worrying. Is it suitable for our sect?"
"You should read it first."
Sa Jung-gyeong stared at Do Cheon's calm words, then hesitated before taking the manual and slowly turning the first page.
He hadn't expected much. Maybe a decent third-rate method at best. But as he flipped through, his eyes widened more and more.
Sa Jung-gyeong sped through the manual.
After breathlessly reading a dozen pages, he couldn't go on. His eyes bulged as he stared at Do Cheon.
"Iron Thunder Divine Art... Is this really it?"
"Yes."
"...!"
Sa Jung-gyeong was too shocked for joy. He alternated between the manual in his hand and Do Cheon, unable to recover.
"A hundred years ago, when the Heavenly Demon vanished, so did our sect's Iron Lions. As soon as I left the sect, I sought their traces."
As Do Cheon began, Sa Jung-gyeong's face darkened with frustration. He'd wandered the land for years seeking the same.
"You said their traces led only to Mount Tai to stop the Heavenly Demon—that's all passed down in our sect. Remembering you found nothing at Mount Tai, one doubt arose. Why was the Heavenly Demon, vying for supremacy against our sect, in Shandong Province on the northeast coast?"
If the Iron Lions went to Shandong, so did the Heavenly Demon. But Shandong wasn't ideal for plotting supremacy. The Heavenly Demon Cult's base was in Gansu, northwest, far from Shandong.
Why scheme so far away, whatever the plot?
Do Cheon focused on that doubt and raised another.
What if "Mount Tai" wasn't Shandong's Mount Tai?
Pursuing that led to a conclusion.
If the Heavenly Demon plotted something requiring all seven Iron Lions, it signaled a crisis. Likely in Hunan, home of the Iron Lion Sect, or nearby.
Do Cheon searched Hunan and adjacent provinces for famous mountains named "Mount Tai."
Many famed peaks, but only Henan and Hubei had ones matching: Tianzhong Mountain in Henan and Longzhong Mountain in Hubei.
Tianzhong meant "center of heaven," fitting Mount Tai. Longzhong evoked supreme height without bias, also fitting.
"I went first to nearby Longzhong Mountain. Searching it thoroughly, I felt something strange. The meager inner energy from the First Stage you taught me reacted oddly. Like a mother's call to her child. I followed instinctively."
Where Do Cheon arrived.
Nothing there—just ancient trees and rocks deep in the mountains. But the call to his dantian was intense, emanating from the ground beneath him.
Entranced, Do Cheon dug frantically.
Losing track of days, the ground suddenly caved. He tumbled down a long tunnel into a vast cave.
"There, I saw our sect's ancestral arts carved on the walls by the seven Iron Lions. This Iron Thunder Divine Art is my transcription from last night. I'll write the rest as time allows."
The revelation hit like a typhoon.
Sa Jung-gyeong stared endlessly at Do Cheon, speechless.
After the long tale, Do Cheon left.
Alone, Sa Jung-gyeong gazed at the Iron Thunder Divine Art manual.
Do Cheon found it thanks to the seven Iron Lions' arrangements.
He'd witnessed something奇妙 in the cave.
Seven-colored lights floating like koi in a pond.
Their inner energy legacies.
Most dissipates upon death, but they'd likely set up a formation in the cave to preserve it. The strange patterns on the walls circulated its energy.
Worried their arts' loss would doom descendants to suffer against the Heavenly Demon and his cult, they'd ensured transmission after a century.
'...!'
Suddenly, Do Cheon's words resurfaced amid Sa Jung-gyeong's awe: no shame to the sect in three years. Something even he couldn't tell Master.
Sa Jung-gyeong trusted Do Cheon.
He cleared his mind and began reading the manual from the start.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Leaving Master's quarters, Do Cheon found Yi Yeol and Iron Mountain waiting.
"With Sky-Spanning Gang matters, don't even think of going out for a while. Especially you, Iron Mountain—no stepping foot outside. This is an order as your eldest senior brother."
"Before bossing us around like always, show us the martial arts you picked up in three years."
Iron Mountain grumbled.
Do Cheon had only told Master about the ancestral arts, so the juniors didn't know. Iron Mountain still harbored suspicions.
'Demonic sorcery for sure!'
Even for a fallen Iron Lion Sect, a great disciple learning demonic arts? Everyone would turn on them, and what little they had would be lost.
'Damn show-off. Gonna wreck the sect in one go after hogging all the glory!'
Iron Mountain resolved to stop it. No glory to boast, but it was their precious home.
But Do Cheon's brow furrowed.
"Show you?"
"We can just watch. Or do you want to fistfight your brothers?"
"Want to?"
Iron Mountain realized it was his tone.
"I'll fix that mouth of yours today."
"I'll fix my own tone, so just show us the martial arts already."
Iron Mountain tried shifting to the arts, but Do Cheon didn't budge.
"Both of you, follow me."
Do Cheon led them to the training chamber.
These underground rooms in each hall were for undisturbed meditation. They headed to the one beneath Iron Bear Hall, where they'd played as kids.
"We said show the arts. Why here?"
Iron Mountain fidgeted uneasily.
Do Cheon ignored him, scanned the room, and picked up an old wooden sword they'd played with as children.
"Why grab that?"
Iron Mountain feigned calm.
The rotten wood would snap with a touch, easing his mind a bit.
"You'll get hit twice a day till you fix that tone."
"Just tell me to fix it. Gotta hit? You ditched Master and us for three years—now back and picking fights? Venting on us for whatever you got elsewhere?"
"I'll factor in the three years I couldn't watch over you and beat you extra hard. No worries."
"No one likes getting hit. I'll fix my tone, so..."
Iron Mountain recoiled mid-sentence.
Do Cheon swung the stick. Iron Mountain blocked with his arm, aiming to snap it.
But suddenly, the sword vanished, and lightning struck his chest.
"...!"
Iron Mountain's jaw dropped.
Pain so intense no scream escaped. The sword didn't break—instead, immense agony hit. And that was just the start.
Lower abdomen, ribs, chest, shoulder, arm, wrist.
Lightning-like pains struck relentlessly.
Bone-shaking agony made his teeth chatter. Yet after the first blow, he couldn't move.
'Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck... fuck!'
All Iron Mountain could do was curse inwardly.
Meanwhile, Do Cheon's swings battered him thoroughly, like a summer downpour.
Crack!
The final blow to the back of his head dropped Iron Mountain unconscious, stiff as a log. Yi Yeol caught him and laid him down.
Yi Yeol stared at the fainted Iron Mountain, then stood and fixed his gaze on Do Cheon. Do Cheon met his eyes.
"I asked Master. To entrust the sect's affairs to me from now on."
"That's what Mountain meant by 'taking Master's seat'?"
"Yeah."
Yi Yeol just stared at Do Cheon's answer.
He didn't ask why. Eldest Brother had his reasons and plans.
"What do I need to do?"
"Get stronger."
"How? Like Mountain?"
He seemed to catch on.
Do Cheon nodded. Yi Yeol bowed his head.
"Please."
Do Cheon swung the wooden sword.
Starting at Yi Yeol's lower abdomen like with Iron Mountain, he battered his whole body.
It hurt like hell—"Hng!" barely escaped clenched teeth. Yi Yeol endured. This wasn't bullying or venting. Somehow, it was regulating his channels.
'Eldest Brother! What happened these three years?'
Yi Yeol looked at Do Cheon, full of questions.
Do Cheon focused silently.
Crack!
Yi Yeol collapsed unconscious too.
Do Cheon caught him, laid him beside Iron Mountain, and watched them for a long while.
'You two need to get stronger. So my reckless, bold plan won't fail.'