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Chapter 47: Do We Just Need to Lift Our Heels?
Shortly after, Shim Yanggak, the Great Master of Dark Arts, released the blocked pressure points of the Taoist and the monk.
“Ugh! Thank you, great heroes!”
“Ah, ah! Namum Amitabul. Thank you very much. May you be blessed.”
Pung Yeoncho nodded absentmindedly.
They hadn't rescued them intentionally, and he didn't want to boast about something that happened by chance. In the past, he would have taken the opportunity to extort money from them, but after pretending to be members of the Ascending Dragon Clan for so long, he was no longer as interested.
Once the excitement subsided, the Taoist and the monk began to show interest in the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks.
“I am Hyunjang of Oryun Temple. May I know the names of my benefactors?”
Pung Yeoncho briefly answered Hyunjang’s question.
“We are people of Five Peaks Mountain.”
“Ah! You are the heroes of Five Peaks Mountain. Thank you once again.”
Hyunjang asked no further.
Knowing they were heroes of Nokrim, he decided to be cautious with his words.
“I am Wang Heo of Mulyang Temple.”
Finally, Wang Heo also introduced himself to the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks.
Tak Gomyung, the vice-boss, looked at Hyunjang and Wang Heo alternately as he asked.
“How did the two of you get kidnapped? Have you made any enemies?”
Hyunjang and Wang Heo quickly shook their heads.
“No, it's not that.”
“I haven’t done anything to make enemies either.”
“Then, do you mean to say that you don't even know who might want to kidnap you? You don’t suspect anyone?”
“Yes.”
Both answered in unison.
Pung Yeoncho, who had been watching from the side, intervened.
“Are you two rich?”
“Not at all.”
“No, we are not.”
Hyunjang and Wang Heo vehemently denied it.
In fact, both were simply monks and Taoists in temples and shrines. Unless they were abbots, there was no way they had riches.
“Well, this is really strange.”
Pung Yeoncho sighed as Tak Gomyung added.
“Big brother, what does it matter? We are not officials. Let’s just consider it a good deed.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Pung Yeoncho also dropped the subject.
It was then that Hyunjang spoke cautiously.
“I’m not sure if it’s true, but I’ve heard that several monks have disappeared quietly. I didn’t pay much attention, but now that this has happened to me, I feel a chill.”
“Ah! Now that you mention it, I’ve also heard this in the temples. I thought they had moved to another region…”
Wang Heo left the sentence unfinished.
But the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks showed little interest.
Hyunjang, who hadn’t caught on to the mood, continued to speak nervously.
“About twenty-five years ago, there was something similar. Could it be them again?”
“Ah! Do you mean the Yoomyung Cult? There was a big uproar in Jiangnan.”
“Yes, Yoomyung Cult. I heard the Seven Sects exterminated them.”
“Could it be that the remnants of the Yoomyung Cult are behind this?”
The two discussed with serious faces.
Meanwhile, the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks stoked the fire, half listening to their conversation.
After a while, the two fell silent.
They realized that the heroes of the Five Peaks were not interested in their problems.
When dawn came, the rain had weakened a bit.
Hyunjang and Wang Heo bowed deeply in gratitude before leaving the shrine.
However, the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks were in no hurry to leave and stayed in the shrine.
They spent the whole day practicing the Flying Dragon Ascension.
At noon, while swinging her sword, Han Chaeyeon glanced at Yeon Jeokha.
It had been six months since they learned the Flying Dragon Ascension.
Now she wanted to learn something new. She knew that even the first technique of the Flying Dragon Ascension was incredible. But human desires never cease.
Han Chaeyeon timidly approached Yeon Jeokha, who was sitting on the window sill.
“Brother?”
“Yes?”
Yeon Jeokha, who was absorbed in watching the rain, turned his head.
“Well, I’ve mastered the Flying Dragon Ascension. Could you teach me something new?”
After thinking for a moment, Yeon Jeokha nodded.
After all, if they were going to live by fighting, it was better to help them improve.
“Alright. I will teach you the second technique, Heavenly Dragon Dance. Gather everyone.”
“Thank you!”
Han Chaeyeon ran through the shrine, calling the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks.
When everyone was gathered, Yeon Jeokha stood up.
“I suppose you are bored of practicing only the Flying Dragon Ascension. This time, I will teach you the Heavenly Dragon Dance. If the first technique starts with a low stance, this second one starts with a high stance.”
With these words, Yeon Jeokha raised his dao over his head.
Then, he took a light step while swinging the dao.
Although he didn’t use any internal energy, the wind from the dao spread in all directions.
“At the end, slightly lift your back heel while extending the dao.”
At that moment, a powerful burst of energy shot out from the tip of the dao in a straight line.
Boom.
The wind from the dao hit the wall, causing stone dust to cascade down.
Yeon Jeokha sheathed the dao and continued speaking.
“Lifting the back heel about two chi (approximately 6 centimeters) is crucial.”
The True Classic of the Nine Heavens explains in detail the reason behind this.
The Nine Heavens Swordsmanship uses the circulation of the body's meridians. The Heavenly Dragon Dance uses the Yang Heel and Yin Heel meridians to draw energy.
With shining eyes, Lee Cheolsan asked.
“Brother, is there a special reason for lifting the heels?”
“That’s to stimulate the Yang Heel and Yin Heel meridians. Did you see the hole in the wall just now?”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t use any internal energy. It was just from maintaining the correct posture.”
“Ah! So, we just need to lift our heels?”
“Hahaha! No, if it were that simple, everyone in Murim would be walking on tiptoes. Only the correct posture of the Heavenly Dragon Dance can harness the power of the Yang Heel and Yin Heel meridians.”
“Oh!”
The Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks let out exclamations of amazement.
The True Classic of the Nine Heavens was impressive, but hearing about the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship was always fascinating.
“Remember, do not use internal energy while practicing the Heavenly Dragon Dance inside the shrine to avoid damaging it.”
After receiving this warning, the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks dispersed.
Shim Yanggak, in a corner, discreetly watched and learned the Heavenly Dragon Dance. Although he hadn’t learned the True Classic of the Nine Heavens, the Heavenly Dragon Dance alone was quite profound.
“This is crazy. I need to learn it well before I forget…”
Unlike the others, he couldn’t practice openly, which was frustrating.
The rain stopped after three days.
During that time, the Ten Heroes of the Five Peaks frantically practiced the Heavenly Dragon Dance inside the shrine. When they left the shrine, they could already generate significant cutting wind with their swords.
----------------
East of Luoyang, in Unsa.
Waryong Manor.
Lee Sechan, the head of Baekse Chamber of Commerce, kept his promise as the great merchant he was.
Two months after they were assigned the task, he had increased the monthly salary of the warriors of Waryong Manor to three taels of silver. This was thanks to the excellent performance of the Blue Dragon and White Tiger teams.
The name of Waryong Manor began to be known in Luoyang, beyond Unsar.
Although the military in Luoyang started to keep a close watch on them, Waryong Manor was not intimidated.
In fact, few places rely as much on skill as the trade caravans. The warriors had to fight bandits every day, and many of them died. Naturally, both fame and the actual performance of the warriors were valued.
The person who was most pleased with the rapid success was Baek Miju.
She immediately accepted fifty new recruits.
This time, half of them were children, instead of wanderers who could be immediate forces. She divided them into two groups: the wanderers joined the Rising Star Division, while the children formed the Hidden Dragon Division.
The new recruits were not organized into three sections as before. There weren’t enough to form three complete sections. The Rising Star Division was under the command of Yeon Mubaek, while the Hidden Dragon Division was led by Yeon Seungbaek.
With the number of disciples they had, Waryong Manor could already be considered a powerful martial family in Murim.
Even the Elders of the Yeon Family began to be cautious of Baek Miju. With Waryong Manor financially self-sufficient, no one could criticize her management.
With plenty of money and disciples, Waryong Manor was lively from morning to night.
Thanks to the success of the disciples, Yeon Mubaek also gained a nickname.
The warriors of Kaifeng, who had never met him, began to call him the Waryong Swordsman. They did this in deference to him being the main master of the warriors of Waryong Manor.
Yeon Mubaek, standing in the center of the training ground, looked at the disciples of the Rising Star Division.
“Today, I will teach you the second technique of the Nine Heavens Swordsmanship, Heavenly Dragon Dance. While the first technique started with a low stance, this one starts with a high stance.”
Yeon Mubaek showed the Heavenly Dragon Dance Technique slowly.
He ended the demonstration with a forward thrust.
With the sword still extended, Yeon Mubaek said.
“Observe the final posture well. How do you see the back heel?”
An observant disciple responded loudly.
“The back heel is lifted about two chi (approximately 6 centimeters)!”
“Well observed. This allows the tip of the sword to advance more than four chi. In swordsmanship, an inch of distance can decide life or death. I don’t need to tell you how important it is to gain more than four chi of reach, do I?”
“No!”
“Understood!”
The disciples responded energetically, and a satisfied smile appeared on Yeon Mubaek’s face.
“Repeat it a hundred times until you master it. Vice-chief Baek, come and guide them.”
Baek Nanyeong, the most skilled warrior among the wanderers, stepped forward.
With her fair and small face, and her long hair tied back in a ponytail, she was quite beautiful.
Yeon Mubaek nodded to her and then left the training ground.
He headed straight to the main residence.
On the way, Yeon Mubaek frowned slightly upon seeing Yeon Seolju strolling through the courtyard.
“I’ve heard that lately you’ve been hanging out with strange people. Moderate yourself. If our mother finds out, there will be trouble.”
Yeon Seolju had been meeting frequently with young warriors from Luoyang. Although as a child she never left Unsa, now, as she grew older, her range of activity had expanded, and she almost lived in Luoyang.
It was certain that Baek Miju, sensitive to reputation, would not let this pass.
“Oh! Strange people? What do you think of the Five Heroes of Luoyang?”
“What? Who calls them the Five Heroes?”
“Now no one recognizes us, but soon they will.”
“Yes, when our mother finds out, she certainly will. Then you will be the Four Heroes of Luoyang. She will shave your head and not let you out.”
“Tch! Don’t underestimate me just because you’re doing well. Soon, I will make a name for myself.”
“Tsk!”
Yeon Mubaek clicked his tongue as he looked at his sister.
Although the second son, Seungbaek, at least trained diligently, the third daughter only caused trouble by wandering outside.
“Bah! Fool! Bleh!”
Yeon Seolju stuck out her tongue and ran outside.
Yeon Mubaek shook his head as he watched his sister and then continued to the main residence.
After a long time, mother and son sat facing each other in the living room.
Yeon Mubaek, stroking his teacup, spoke cautiously.
“I heard from Uncle Yeon yesterday. Is it true that you plan to accept more disciples?”
Upon hearing her son, Baek Miju closed the account book she was reviewing.
“That’s a misunderstanding of your uncle. We will accept new disciples after sending off the Rising Star Division.”
“They are not ready yet. Besides, they were originally accepted to fill the gaps in the Blue Dragon and White Tiger teams, weren’t they?”
Yeon Mubaek looked at his mother with eyes full of dissatisfaction.
Sending them off meant turning them into caravan guards. It was inappropriate to speak like this about the new disciples who had only been here for a month.