The Genius Grandson of the Namgung Family Chapter 76

Chapter 76

After spending a long time at the cliff and returning, Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar  stayed close to Ha Hyeon.

No, not just close—he practically kept him by his side at all times.

“Hmm… Grand Master. He’s my disciple.”

“That’s correct. Who said he wasn’t the Elder’s disciple?”

Though he said this, Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar  showed no intention of sending Ha Hyeon back to Drunken Moon Elite’s side.

“I feel like something has been taken from me.”

“Taken? How can you describe the Leader’s fondness for a disciple that way?”

“While that’s not wrong… what if the Leader decides to take him as his own disciple…”

“That’s a wonderful idea. What do you think, Ha Hyeon? How about officially joining the Beggars’ Sect and becoming my disciple?”

“Leader!”

When Drunken Moon Elite shouted, Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar  laughed heartily.

Ha Hyeon realized there was someone besides his grandfather who could tease the famous Drunken Moon Elite.

In the end, until the moment they left the Beggars’ Sect again, Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar  kept Ha Hyeon with him, telling him various stories.

From the history of the Beggars’ Sect to emphasizing once more about justice.

Because it was his heart’s desire to give Ha Hyeon as much as possible in a short time, Ha Hyeon listened diligently.

The time at the Beggars’ Sect was brief.

Late at night with the moon already hanging in the sky.

Ha Hyeon was about to leave the Beggars’ Sect.

“I could stay here tonight…”

“Haha. You don’t yet know how terrifying bedbugs can be. Instead of suffering by sleeping here, go sleep somewhere far away.”

Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar , despite being the king of beggars himself, was concerned for Ha Hyeon.

He worried about Ha Hyeon, who wasn’t a beggar, sleeping and eating here.

“Leader. I meant to say this earlier but forgot—there’s a rather talented fellow in Gosi Bunta.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. His name is Ma Yun-Cheol. He’s quick-witted and has an aptitude for martial arts. And above all, he’s a beggar well-suited to our sect.”

Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar  nodded firmly.

If Drunken Moon Elite spoke this way, the person must certainly be a good talent.

“I understand. I will soon send someone to Gosi Bunta.”

“Thank you, Leader.”

“Azure Divine Dragon. I should have properly hosted you, but I apologize for the poor treatment.”

“Not at all, Leader. It was a good time for me.”

Namgung Min respectfully performed a cupped-hand salute.

While Heavenly Beloved Divine Beggar  spent time with Ha Hyeon, Namgung Min had light sparring matches with Ji-hwan and No-sak, sharing thoughts on martial arts.

For him too, it was an extremely beneficial time.

“Come visit again. Ha Hyeon, you must come back too.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“Well then, farewell.”

Unlike the attachment the Leader had shown to Ha Hyeon, the parting was light.

After saying goodbye, he turned back without hesitation and returned to his hut.

“In our Beggars’ Sect, partings are easy. We always wander throughout the Central Plains, begging and living without a fixed abode. That’s why we can easily turn away, knowing we’ll soon meet again.”

“That’s right. We’ll meet again.”

Drunken Moon Elite said this while stroking the back of the regretful-looking Ha Hyeon.

“Now then, let’s go.”

“Where are we going this time?”

“First, we’ll leave the vicinity of Chongta and rest for a night, then tomorrow we’ll head straight to Mount Song.”

“Finally…!”

Ha Hyeon said with a face full of anticipation.

Namgung Min, standing beside him, nodded with a similar expression.

“But Elder, it’s only been half a month since we left the Namgung Family. You said the appointment was in a month…”

“What? Did you think you’d spend the remaining time playing?”

Drunken Moon Elite looked at both Ha Hyeon and Namgung Min and said:

“Just because we arrive at Mount Song doesn’t mean we’ll go straight to Shaolin. People who don’t know better think Mount Song is a small mountain, but it’s a massive mountain called the Central Sacred Mountain among the Five Sacred Mountains of the Central Plains. Once we reach Mount Song, we’ll train with me for ten days.”

Namgung Min’s face showed that he now understood.

Seeing this, Drunken Moon Elite smirked and said:

“Somehow you look pleased even though I mentioned training.”

“How often does one get the opportunity to receive teachings from an elder who is counted among the top masters in the martial world?”

At that answer, Drunken Moon Elite’s face suddenly frowned. 

“You shouldn’t be so good with words too? Heaven must have given you everything! Such an unfair life.”

Drunken Moon Elite grumbled as he went ahead once again.

Namgung Min and Ha Hyeon made eye contact and followed him with bright smiles.

* * *

Mount Song consists of three main peaks.

The western peak is called Small Chamber, the middle peak is called Steep Summit, and the eastern peak is called Great Chamber.

Among these, the peak where Shaolin is located is Small Chamber, the lowest of the three peaks.

Even though it’s called the lowest, it’s only relatively lower among the three peaks, not low in absolute terms.

“This is the entrance to Steep Summit. Steep Summit is the highest peak in Mount Song.”

Drunken Moon Elite stood at a fork in the road and explained to Ha Hyeon and Namgung Min.

When Ha Hyeon looked up, he saw a dizzying high peak.

The summit was so high that it was hidden by clouds, barely visible even when focusing his inner vision.

“Ha Hyeon.”

“Yes, Master.”

“At the top of Steep Summit, there’s a small flat area. And I’ve left something there.”

“At the top?”

Drunken Moon Elite nodded.

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll naturally find out when you get up there.”

Namgung Min tilted his head.

“When did you go up there? We’ve been together the whole time…”

“I put it there after meeting Monk Juwon at Shaolin last time. I knew I’d be coming here with you all anyway.”

“I see.”

Drunken Moon Elite grinned and said:

“Anyway, Ha Hyeon, go to the summit and bring it back.”

“I just need to go get it?”

“Yes. But you must return within six days.”

“Six days…”

Ha Hyeon looked up once more at the seemingly endless summit of Steep Summit and nodded.

“I’ll try. I made it from Gosi to Huchang in just one day!”

“Good. Let me give you one piece of advice. You should reach the summit within a day or two at most.”

“So you’re saying I should climb as quickly as possible.”

“That’s right.”

Drunken Moon Elite handed Ha Hyeon a bundle.

When Ha Hyeon looked inside, he found emergency rations and a small water bottle that had been prepared at some point.

“Get any additional food or water you need on your own. Have a good journey. And when you come down from the mountain, don’t come back here but go directly to Shaolin Temple.”

“I understand.”

“When you reach the entrance to Small Chamber, there’s a long stairway, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find Shaolin.”

After speaking to Ha Hyeon, Drunken Moon Elite turned to Namgung Min.

“Min, let’s go straight to Shaolin. We’ll do your training there.”

“Understood, Elder.”

Seeing that Ha Hyeon seemed ready to depart, Drunken Moon Elite said to him:

“Take care.”

“Yes! Master.”

Ha Hyeon immediately began running toward the summit.

* * *

About two hours after he started running toward the summit.

Until now, Ha Hyeon had been taking it easy.

‘At this rate, I could return in three days, not six.’

As he ran quickly uphill, he felt like he was getting closer to the summit.

Although the steep mountain path made running difficult, he developed techniques as he continued, allowing him to climb faster than when he first started.

‘When running normally, I thought about using strength in my legs overall, but when climbing a mountain path like this, it feels easier to focus more energy in my thighs.’

Ha Hyeon even began to enjoy climbing the seemingly endless mountain path.

But the problem began after about six hours.

It wasn’t an issue with stamina or inner energy.

Until now, there had been something that could be called a mountain “path,” but problems started when that path ended and he had to push through the forest to climb.

“Huh? Haven’t I been here before?”

Ha Hyeon looked around with a confused expression.

In the middle of a dense forest of tall pine trees, Ha Hyeon had noticed a rock while passing by.

It was a distinctively shaped rock that he thought resembled a crouching bear.

But now that same rock was in front of him again.

“Hmm… that can’t be right.”

Ha Hyeon came up with a classic method as he entered the pine forest again.

This time, instead of running, he walked while breaking branches one by one as he made his way through the forest.

But the result was the same this time too.

“No way, I’m here again?” Although I thought I had been making my way through the forest for a long time, that same rock was sitting there, as if to mock Ha Hyeon.

“What is this…?”

After that, Ha Hyeon tried to escape the forest several more times, but no matter which direction he went, he returned to this same spot.

Even running downhill from the mountain brought him back to the same place.

“Could it be?”

Ha Hyeon kicked off from the nearest tree and jumped upward.

Climbing to the treetop like a monkey, Ha Hyeon finally realized.

“I can’t see the summit…!”

And looking down, the mountain path he had climbed had already disappeared.

Quickly looking around, all Ha Hyeon could see was an endless pine forest stretching out in all directions from where he stood.

Coming back down to the ground, Ha Hyeon fell into deep thought.

He was trying to recall where he had experienced this strange feeling before.

“Ah…!”

Ha Hyeon could remember immediately.

Two years ago, when he entered Jeong Dae-in’s estate in Jeongdeok, he had felt this same sensation.

He couldn’t help but shout loudly.

“It’s a Formation Array!”

He didn’t know how a Formation Array could be set up in this place.

However, Ha Hyeon instinctively understood.

Unless he broke through this Formation Array, there would be no further progress.

* * *

At that time, at Shaolin Temple.

Namgung Min, who had arrived at the Shaolin Temple earlier with Chwiwol Geolgae, now had a face that clearly showed signs of exhaustion.

“Min. How about it? Want to go another round?”

“Whew… May I rest for just a brief moment before we continue?”

Chwiwol Geolgae cackled at Namgung Min’s weary words.

“I never thought I’d hear you ask for a rest.”

“It’s because you’re not showing any mercy in your movements, sir.”

The training Chwiwol Geolgae mentioned for Namgung Min was sparring with him.

To be honest, Chwiwol Geolgae had nothing more to teach Namgung Min.

Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that Chwiwol Geolgae, a novice in teaching others, couldn’t find anything to teach Namgung Min, who had received systematic education from the Namgung family since childhood.

‘If we keep sparring, I’ll figure out what he needs!’

So the method he chose was sparring.

Although Namgung Min had been called the Azure Divine Dragon from a young age and was considered among the ranks of masters, he still couldn’t compare to Chwiwol Geolgae.

For the first time in his life, Namgung Min experienced having all his attacks blocked in sparring.

“Still, you’re gradually getting better. Your talent is indeed as frightening as Hyeon’s.”

“Haha. I haven’t even grazed your collar yet, sir.”

“Hey now, don’t try to catch up to me so soon—there’s plenty of time.”

Though he said this, Namgung Min’s attacks, which initially had no chance, had developed to nearly reaching him after just one day.

Namgung Min was enjoying the training, genuinely sweating hard for the first time in a long while.

“But, sir.”

However, Namgung Min’s expression darkened slightly.

“What? Is there a problem?”

“I’m a bit worried about Ha Hyeon. Will he be all right?”

“What? Afraid he won’t be able to escape the Formation I set up?”

“It’s not exactly that, but…”

“Hehe. It’s Hyeon’s first time facing a Formation Array, right? Then learning directly through experience is best. To understand how mystical power a Formation Array has.”

Namgung Min nodded.

“As you say, Formation Arrays possess mystical power.”

“Right. If you face the Eighteen Arhats Formation unprepared, you might be so surprised by its power that you become confused and lose in an instant.”

“But why did you take such a reckless action?”

“Reckless?”

Chwiwol Geolgae’s eyebrows raised.

He seemed not to understand what Namgung Min meant.

“What if Ha Hyeon fails to break through the formation and cannot return…”

Chwiwol Geolgae looked even more puzzled than before.

“You call yourself Hyeon’s brother, yet you understand him so little?”

“What have I…?”

“If Hyeon doesn’t return, I’ll burn my hands as punishment. He’s more than capable of breaking through something like that.”

His face showed an expression of complete trust.

Seeing that face, Namgung Min’s worry about Ha Hyeon disappeared, and he could smile lightly.

“Haha. You’re right. I’ve still been treating Ha Hyeon too much like a child.”

“And if Hyeon doesn’t return in six days, I’ll go and dismantle the formation myself. Just in case, I gave him food so he wouldn’t starve in there.”

Namgung Min thought that Chwiwol Geolgae was much more thoughtful than he had expected.

“What are you doing? Stop resting now and get up. We need to spar again.”

Namgung Min set aside his worries about Ha Hyeon and stood up again, wondering if there was anything more he could learn from him.