Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Chapter 185:

Fox Borrows the Tiger’s Might

Following Mu-yul and Ling-ling, Mu-gyeong, Mu-gung, Dao Yuetian, and the members of the Jegal family began entering the guesthouse one by one.

“!!!”

Some of those who entered the guesthouse widened their eyes upon spotting Yunheo Zhenren.

Having met him in person before, they recognized him instantly.

“We greet the Taiji Sword Immortal.”

“We greet the Taiji Sword Immortal.”

As they cupped their fists and bowed, Yunheo Zhenren waved his hand to stop them.

“Now is not the time for formalities. We can observe them after the task at hand is completed.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Shall we depart immediately, then?”

“Let’s do so.”

Yunheo Zhenren’s leisurely response, as if suggesting a casual stroll, made the people in the guesthouse look at him in admiration.

The combination of the Jegal family’s warriors and Mu-jin’s group had already succeeded in breaking the siege at the Eunshi Grand Canyon.

And now, with the addition of the Taiji Sword Immortal, one of the Three Swords of the World, there was no need to worry.

Of course, the Jegal family was renowned not just for their martial prowess but for the formidable formations that surrounded them like an impregnable fortress.

‘With us here, there’s no need to worry about those formations.’

After all, they were the rightful owners of the family. Now, it was just a matter of driving out the bandits occupying their home.

* * *

Deep within the Jegal family’s residence.

A heavy atmosphere lingered.

“The siege at the Eunshi Grand Canyon has been broken?”

“…Yes, Master.”

The elderly head of the family, Jegal Gi-hwan, asked, and Jegal-hyeon bowed his head in response.

Jegal-hyeon, who played a key role in the rebellion, now had to acknowledge that the final execution of his plans had been flawed.

“They couldn’t have broken the siege with their strength alone. Do you know what happened?”

“According to reports from our hidden observers, they discovered the Shaolin Dragon along with Shaolin monks, Cheongsu Dojang members, and a young unidentified swordsman.”

Jegal-hyeon’s report made the expressions of those present turn complex.

All but one. The middle-aged man, leader of the warriors sent by Shinchun, had already been briefed on the situation through Shinchun.

“If they have saved Jegal Gung, they likely took him to Shaolin. Should we seek help from our allies?”

The man, Yeom Do-cheol, asked the head of the Jegal family.

“Do you mean Emei, Qingcheng, and Hwasan?”

“Yes. Since they are interfering with the Jegal family’s internal affairs, we should unite with our allies to drive out Shaolin’s interference.”

They hadn’t yet involved Shaolin, but it was the only choice left.

The strategists of the Jegal family were aware of this as well.

Yet, none of them easily spoke up for a simple reason.

‘We’ve only recently borrowed power from them, and now we need to seek external help again.’

Relying on them meant inviting more interference from Emei, Qingcheng, and Hwasan.

As the head of the family and the new core members of the Jegal family pondered in silence.

‘Heh heh heh. The foolish Shaolin Dragon is helping us.’

Yeom Do-cheol sneered internally.

Thanks to the cunning of the First Daeju, the orthodox factions had split into three.

And now, the Shaolin Dragon had caused such a commotion.

If the orthodox factions waged war against each other, it would indeed be a windfall for them.

As they were lost in their thoughts, a sudden report shattered the silence in the hall.

“Urgent news!”

“What is it?”

“A group of about twenty, including Jegal Gung, is approaching the family!”

“What?!”

As if rehearsed, those in the hall exclaimed in unison.

Even Yeom Do-cheol, who had been mocking the Shaolin Dragon’s foolishness, was surprised.

* * *

Leaving behind Jegal Gung’s wife, Jamihwa, and a few others lacking martial skills at the Mukyang Guesthouse in Yangfan County, Mu-jin’s group headed straight for Yongjung Mountain.

Utilizing their qinggong, they reached Yongjung Mountain, and after ascending a bit, they spotted a huge building in the distance.

“From here on, follow our movements carefully.”

Jegal Gung instructed Yunheo Zhenren and Mu-jin’s group, then started walking in a peculiar manner along with the Jegal family’s warriors.

‘This must be the Jegal family’s formation!’

Mu-jin, following Jegal Gung through the formation, occasionally glanced back at Dao Yuetian.

‘This feels quite strange.’

In the novel, Dao Yuetian had single-handedly brought down the Jegal family. Now, Mu-jin was leading him to the Jegal family.

‘Things are quite different from the novel.’

Instead of bringing down the Jegal family, he was helping the rightful heir, Jegal Gung. Besides.

‘In the novel, I simply smashed through these formations with brute force.’

These formations were not something to be easily passed through.

As they followed the Jegal family members through the formations.

Jegal Jin-hee, who was leading, suddenly stopped and spoke to Jegal Gung.

“Father, it seems they have slightly altered the formation.”

“Hmm. It hasn’t been long, so they couldn’t have made significant changes.”

Jegal Gung, stepping forward, surveyed the surroundings and confidently took a step.

‘This is indeed the cunning of the Jegal family.’

Contrary to his previous fugitive state, Jegal Gung’s demeanor in dismantling the formation was quite reliable.

“This is the last one.”

Jegal Gung said, leading the group through the final formation.

“Who goes there?!”

They were greeted by the sight of Jegal family warriors pointing weapons at them from the family’s walls.

“How dare you call me, Jegal Gung, the heir of the Jegal family, a mere who?!”

Had he forgotten his fugitive state?

Or was it his trust in Yunheo Zhenren standing with them?

Jegal Gung’s voice was confident and firm.

But the response he received was nothing short of ridicule.

“The supposedly dead Jegal Gung has returned alive? What a ridiculous lie. You knave!”

The elderly man in the center of the warriors shouted, and Jegal Gung replied angrily.

“Jegal Gi-hwan, you scoundrel! So you are the mastermind behind this!”

Only then did Mu-jin recognize the old man as Jegal Gi-hwan from the novel.

Meanwhile, Jegal Gi-hwan shouted again.

“What are you all doing? Do you believe these impostors over your own eyes that saw Jegal Gung and his sons’ heads?”

Understanding Jegal Gi-hwan’s words, Mu-jin’s group realized his meaning.

“Are you all deceived by Jegal Jin-hee, that treacherous woman?! She couldn’t hide her ambition for the head position, so she created a fake with a mask resembling her father’s face!”

“Don’t be fooled by his lies! I am the rightful heir, Jegal Gung!”

As they alternated shouts, confusion spread among the Jegal family’s warriors.

“What does it matter if he is Jegal Gung or not? Do you want to live under the oppression of the main line again?!”

Jegal Gi-hwan’s words instantly changed the atmosphere.

Eventually, whether Jegal Gung was alive or dead didn’t matter.

Jegal Gi-hwan had already accused Jegal Gung of being an “impostor.”

If everyone in the family sided with Jegal Gi-hwan, that claim would become the truth.

From the perspective of those who had been discriminated against as collateral branches, this was a very tempting proposition.

However, Jegal Gung was not flustered because, thanks to Mu-jin, he had anticipated this situation.

“Are you really going to trust those who are trying to sell out our family to foreign forces?”

“How dare you say we sold out the family!”

“If not, who are those people who helped you? Moreover, the legitimacy of the Murim Family comes from martial arts! Because of you, our family’s secret arts like the Hyunwon Jeondan Divine Technique, Seven-string Invisible Sword, and Cheongimi Relocation Step have been lost. How will you atone for this?”

Jegal Gi-hwan sneered at Jegal Gung’s accusation.

“Hmph! Isn’t that just proof of your own wickedness? You used your bloodline as an excuse to forbid the transmission of martial arts, hindering the family’s progress. You are the parasites of the family! That’s why I am rectifying the family! Instead of your so-called superior martial arts, I will teach everyone the new divine techniques I have created!”

“Ohhh!!”

The martial artists of the Jegal family, who had been listening to their conversation, burst into exclamations of admiration at Jegal Gi-hwan’s confident words.

He claimed to have created new divine techniques to replace the old ones made by the direct line! And he promised to teach these techniques to the collateral branches!

As the family’s martial artists reacted vehemently, Jegal Gi-hwan smirked inwardly.

This was the very reason he had engaged in this debate. He intended to use this opportunity to emphasize the resentment against the direct line and solidify his position as the undisputed head of the family.

But Jegal Gi-hwan’s words were exactly what Jegal Gung had been waiting for.

“Are you trying to deceive the family with lies? If you truly created new divine techniques on your own, what do you call this martial arts manual?”

With that, Jegal Gung took out the martial arts manual of the ‘Moonlight Fan Dance’ he had brought with him.

“This manual was obtained by the martial artists over there and given to Jin-hee under the guise of new divine techniques.”

As soon as Jegal Gung finished speaking, Jegal Jin-hee stepped forward, holding two fans.

And then her fan dance began.

Her movements were ever-changing and elegant, and the soft fan energy flowed from her fans.

But contrary to her graceful movements, the energy felt sharp and sinister.

The martial arts she displayed were far superior to the Black and White Fan Technique she had been practicing.

It truly embodied the phrase ‘new divine techniques.’

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, she stopped her dance and coughed up blood.

With a pale face, she spoke.

“The mnemonics of this manual are theoretically correct, but there is a hidden trap. The more you master it, the more it strains the Baihui acupoint, leading to Qi Deviation!”

“And the martial arts you received from Jegal Gi-hwan must also have such traps! You might not have discovered them yet!”

Jegal Gi-hwan’s expression changed dramatically at the successive words from Jegal Jin-hee and Jegal Gung.

‘I couldn’t find the trap hidden in the manual? Something those bastards discovered in just a few days?’

Jegal Gi-hwan, who prided himself on his talent surpassing the direct line, could not tolerate a greater humiliation.

“Hmph! It’s only because you lacked the talent to master it properly. I know there is no flaw in those martial arts!”

Jegal Gi-hwan’s prideful response was met with a change in Jegal Gung’s expression, who now looked like a predator who had spotted its prey.

“Hahaha. How laughable! If you really created the techniques yourself and didn’t receive them from outsiders, you should have denied knowing anything about such techniques! How could you claim there are no flaws in these techniques!”

“!!!”

Jegal Gi-hwan realized he had made a grave mistake.

But even as this realization dawned on him, Jegal Gung continued speaking.

“Look! This is the true nature of Jegal Gi-hwan! He brought in external forces to incite rebellion and tried to turn borrowed martial arts into our family’s secret techniques! He couldn’t even find the hidden traps in those techniques! Do you really want to entrust the family to such an incompetent person?”

Jegal Gung’s words were like a signal flare, causing confusion among the Jegal family members.

On one side was the legitimate successor who had always practiced discrimination but was still the rightful heir.

On the other side was the rebel who promised to overturn this discrimination but might end up giving the entire family to external forces.

Mu-jin watched the Jegal family members, who were now confused about whom to support, with a peculiar feeling.

‘This feels like watching a presidential election.’

It was like watching the negative campaigns and framing tactics he often saw during election periods in South Korea.

‘Well, I did orchestrate this situation.’

As he thought this, he subtly sent a voice transmission to the pale-faced Jegal Jin-hee.

– Thank you for your hard work. Take a rest and treat your internal injuries for now.

The trap in the ‘Moonlight Fan Dance’ martial arts manual only activated if one mastered and frequently performed the technique.

Despite mastering the technique within a day and spitting blood, it was not due to the trap but was a ploy for the current situation.

It was not an internal injury caused by the trap but an injury from forcing herself to perform the incomplete technique.

This was all for a visual effect.

People are more shocked by what they see with their own eyes than by what they hear with their ears.

‘This is what they call “seeing is believing.”’

Thinking of an idiom that was somewhat correct but not quite, Mu-jin stepped forward.

Now that the collateral martial artists of the Jegal family were confused, it was time to quickly wrap up the situation!

As Jegal Gi-hwan, having quickly regained his composure, hurriedly tried to speak,

“Hmph! You too brought in external forces, didn’t you?”

“Shut up! We have no interest in the Jegal family! Our goal is to stop you, who are pretending to help and trying to take over the family!”

Jegal Gi-hwan looked at the young man who suddenly interrupted the conversation with a bewildered expression.

At that moment, Jegal-hyeon, who had been watching the situation, hastily sent a voice transmission to him.

– That man is the Shaolin Dragon, Patriarch.

‘…That guy is a monk?’

Jegal Gi-hwan was about to shout in disbelief.

“You must be the famous Shaolin Dragon! But how could a Shaolin…”

“Shut up!”

“!!!”

“You are a scum who committed the heinous crime of murdering your kin, a crime unimaginable for a human! You are a coward who borrowed the strength of others, using the guise of a cause! Such a lowlife deserves no courtesy!”

‘A monk… talking back?’

And with curses and personal attacks?

Jegal Gi-hwan was too stunned to regain his senses.