The Teacher’s Grace Is Like Heaven

10 – Unforgettable (4)

The sun that had set completely rose again. As usual we naturally took down the tents. And afterwards resumed the procession.

However, the atmosphere was quite different from yesterday. The majority were martial artists who kept glancing this way. I tilted my head.

Objectively, I wasn’t a person who attracted much attention. I didn’t have great fame or anything particularly outstanding about me.

Yet in just the span of one night, martial artists had started glancing my way. I didn’t know the reason exactly, but I had a bad feeling.

“Bi Yan-ah, I have a bad feeling.”

“I feel the same, Master.”

“Get ready firmly in advance.”

“Understood.”

However I look, I’ve rolled around the martial world for over 10 years now. Strictly speaking, 8 of those years were intensely training nonstop, but

still, I had quite a bit of experience. And that experience was ringing alarm bells that my life was in danger.

I slowly looked around. At some point, not just martial artists, even Zhuge Sega’s guards had surrounded me. I couldn’t help but furrow my brows at their blatant actions. But just in case, to make sure, I stopped walking.

The martial artists’ movements simultaneously ceased as well. Thanks to that I could be certain. Although I didn’t know why, they currently had their sights on me.

“Why are you targeting me?”

“W-What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Hurry up and go!”

“I see, then we’ll be going this way.”

“Th, that’s…!!”

I let out a sigh while glaring at the martial artists unable to speak properly. It didn’t seem they had personal grudges,

it looked like they had been ordered by someone above them. But why? I didn’t even have a proper nickname, so why go out of their way to target me?

Although I call myself a third-rate martial artist, I think I’ve comported myself decently so far. I never recklessly swung my sword to make enemies.

Nor was I deeply involved in any incidents. I wasn’t even an important figure who would be openly targeted by everyone to this extent.

While the martial artists dithered, soon the youth who had been observing the situation from behind revealed himself. He opened his mouth with a smile.

From noble mtl dot com

“Having sharp eyes like Wangshu of Wei is useless.”

“You speak of the anecdote of Geyang?”

“Why do you, of low status, know so much?”

“…….”

“Then you must know what became of Wangshu’s end.”

Geyang referred to chicken ribs, carrying the implication that they were too good to throw away yet not good enough to eat. But how would I not know that?

Because I’m from the modern era. Anyway, the story goes that Zhuge Liang executed Wangshu for seeing through the meaning of Geyang, and regretted it later.

Strictly speaking, it was Wangshu’s own doing. But that wasn’t important. I looked at Jegal Hyeok who had approached me and spoke.

“I do not have broad knowledge like Yang Zhoufu.”

“…….”

“Although I do not know what wrong I have committed due to my lacking knowledge, if I was impolite, I apologize. Can we not simply let it pass then?”

While speaking as politely and courteously as possible, I bowed my head to Jegal Hyeok. My pride was hurt, but was pride important?

My opponent was one of the Hundred Great Masters, the top hundred martial artists in the central plains. Even if the Hundred Great Masters had various controversies and noise about them.

The fact that they had all entered the advanced stage or higher could not be denied. If I were to fight that kind of master…

What’s most important to me is my life. And I didn’t want to die yet. Although it may not be resolvable with words,

there is a saying one cannot spit at a smiling face. If one cannot spit at a smiling face, let alone when courtesy is shown and the head is lowered.

Then wouldn’t the chances of simply letting it pass be slightly higher? Thinking so, I slightly raised my head and took stock of the mood.

“How dare…!! A lowly worthless beggar like you…!!”

“…???”

The youth’s face that had been as fair and smooth as white jade instantly dyed with anger. His teeth grinding could be heard all the way here.

Seeing that, I was genuinely taken aback. No, why? I sincerely apologized and even lowered my head, so why is he reacting like this?

However, there was no time to be bewildered. The deep blue aura gushing like a waterfall from the enraged Jegal Hyeok’s hand flowed down his arm.

“I’ll kill you myself!”

*

What exactly is courtesy? It means respecting the other person and comporting one’s body and speech properly. Of course, some say this:

Courtesy is nothing but useless etiquette and formality. However, courtesy elevates one’s dignity, and shows one’s knowledge.

Can an ignorant beast like a dog or pig possibly display courtesy? The huge difference between beast and human was precisely courtesy and intellect.

And also, courtesy was a symbol of composure. Frankly, could a person display courtesy at death’s door? Usually that wasn’t the case.

Most would beg for their lives and lower their heads. Jegal Hyeok also believed without doubt that the beggar before his eyes would do so.

“Although I do not know what wrong I have committed due to my lacking knowledge, if I was impolite, I apologize. Can we not simply let it pass then?”

According to records, the forces of Yuan Shao who once ruled Hebei fell, and his successors Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi were captured by Gongsun Kang.

When restrained, Yuan Shang told Gongsun Kang it would be good to prepare a place because he couldn’t endure the cold, angering Gongsun Kang to death.

Then why did Gongsun Kang become angry? The answer is clear. Not only displaying composure by showing courtesy even at death’s door,

but even provoking Gongsun Kang himself. And Jegal Hyeok could keenly understand Gongsun Kang’s feelings at the time.

‘Speaking so shamelessly… This damn beggar!’

All the means he had planned until now had failed completely. He knew that guy was behind those tricks. And what does he say?

Don’t know what I did wrong? Was impolite? Does he really think I know nothing? How dare he look down on me!

Jegal Hyeok was furious. He couldn’t help but be furious. Despite lowly status, a worthless beggar! How dare he look down on me, Jegal Hyeok!

Originally he didn’t plan to personally step out. At a glance, the guy didn’t have tremendous inner power or anything, and his swordsmanship wasn’t outstanding either.

He was a typical third-rate martial artist you’d see on the market floor. So he was just going to have the martial artists directly take care of him. But he changed his mind.

“I’ll kill you myself!”

It was said of Zhuge Sega in the martial world, he has outstanding strategy and is skilled in all kinds of tricks and schemes, but lacks martial arts in return.

Jegal Hyeok disliked that evaluation. And so he personally entered the Xiaolin Monastery to temper his martial arts. Fortunately, he had considerable talent in martial arts

and thanks to that he gained the nickname Clean Hands, and received quite a generous evaluation as one of Zhuge Sega’s few martial arts experts.

And the powerful blue energy technique that had earned him the name Clean Hands rushed toward the beggar without restraint.

Kwaang!

Along with a tremendous boom, dust swirled up. Jegal Hyeok smiled. Although different from his intention, the result was achieved nonetheless.

In his view, the beggar’s inner power was negligible at best. In other words, he couldn’t take or evade his technique.

So the moment he personally stepped out, the beggar could only die. That’s what he had thought. That the beggar he looked down on would be there unharmed,

he didn’t think that until he directly witnessed it with his own two eyes. Jegal Hyeok’s eyes grew as round as lanterns. No, how?!

“Impossible! With that pathetic inner power, how could you take my technique?!”

“With inner power perhaps not, but what about external techniques?”

“External techniques?! Don’t make me laugh!!”

Unlike inner power built up in Dantian and made sturdy through inner energy, external techniques refer to training the bones and muscles.

Of course appropriate external techniques were essential for martial artists too, but external techniques were considered slightly less important than I expected, because of inner power.

Frankly, by building up inner power and utilizing that qi, anyone’s physical abilities are enhanced, and by entering bone transformation, the body is strengthened.

There’s no need to devote everything to external techniques. Although not as important as inner power, it is still an essential virtue of martial artists, but

still, blocking inner power techniques with just external techniques was near impossible. Yet that guy is saying he did it!

However, not paying heed to Jegal Hyeok’s astonished expression, he drew his sword. He wouldn’t know, having walked the straight path from the start.

That while some have many paths open to them, others only have a single path. And the one called a beggar was the same.

Yet never once had he resented his position. If there was only one thing he could do, then do that one thing well.

“Even a slow horse can travel ten days’ journey of the Son of Heaven’s carriage in ten days.”

Don’t covet what you don’t have. Instead of cutting others down, cultivate your own strength. The third-rate martial artist called a beggar calmly answered the advanced realm cultivator.

“If there is only one path given, then I can only keep following that path, no?”

Even if in others’ eyes, it seems a frustrating thorny path.

The mtl will switch from here, so some names may have a slight changes