"Where did these bastards go again?"

Makgae, who woke up around noon, grimaced at the two empty spots.

It had been several days already.

Cheonyeong and Yongcheon.

They were gone when he woke up, and returned late at night, exhausted, to sleep.

"I don't know, they've been running towards the mountain at dawn these days."

"Running?"

"Yeah. They run well."

"..."

At Sami's words, Makgae crossed his arms and tilted his head.

Running?

What kind of bullshit is that?

It would just make them hungry for no reason...

No, more importantly, can they survive without begging?

What do they eat?

Suddenly, he remembered what Cheonyeong had said.

That he was going to look for berries.

"This bastard, really!"

Makgae grimaced, angry that he hadn't listened to his warning.

"These sons of bitches... they don't know the grace of being fed and keep going astray, is that it?"

The corners of Makgae's eyes shot up.

But he couldn't run to the mountain right away.

How would he find them if he didn't know where they were?

More importantly, today.

"Boss! We're all ready."

"..."

"Aren't you going? Brother Ucheol will be waiting. It'll be a problem if we're late and lose our spot."

"Damn it, let's go."

Makgae, who had been glaring at the mountain, turned his steps towards the village at Sami's words.

The butcher shop.

It was one of the prime spots for beggars.

If you stayed nearby, you might get leftover scraps of meat as a reward.

Since the Ucheol gang, who were moving to a newly formed market, was handing over that spot to them... they absolutely couldn't miss it.

He was curious about what they were eating in the mountains...

He could ask them about that at night.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cheonyeong and Yongcheon ran around the mountainside all morning.

They run quite well now.

In fact, they were originally good runners.

Running was a taboo yet essential element for beggars.

Threats of beatings and being chased by neighborhood dogs were common.

Moreover, perhaps because he had taught him the breathing method, Yongcheon ran much better than yesterday.

Dogs would be no match for him now.

After running for a long time, when their bodies were drenched in sweat, Yongcheon and Cheonyeong returned to their hideout.

"Gasp, gasp..."

"Are you tired?"

"No, I'm fine. Heh heh."

He looks tired.

Well, it's not easy to run around eating only grass.

"Shall we have some meat today?"

"Meat?"

"Yeah."

"There was meat?"

Yongcheon's eyes shone brighter than the stars in the night sky.

In their situation, meat was a precious food that they could only eat a few times a year...

But unfortunately, there was none yet.

"We have to catch it now. We're tired of eating only grass every time."

"Ah... so we have to catch it."

The stars lost their light.

In an instant...

"Don't worry. I've spotted a place while running around the mountainside for a few days."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Today, if you perfectly master what I've taught you... let's have meat for dinner."

"Huh? What else do I have to learn? It hasn't been long since I learned the breathing method."

"The breathing method is the most basic of basics. You have to do it every day. Morning and evening."

"Damn it... I never knew becoming a hunter would be this hard."

"Heh."

At Yongcheon's grumbling, Cheonyeong burst out laughing.

It won't be easy.

The method you're learning is not for hunting beasts, but for hunting people.

And there are many who devote their entire lives to training to master that hunting method.

"Anyway, if I do well what I learn today, we'll eat meat, right? Really?"

"Yeah."

"Alright! Then teach me quickly."

At the sight of Yongcheon, who was burning with enthusiasm as if oil had been poured on a dying ember, Cheonyeong grinned.

"What you'll learn from today is called Six Harmonies Fist."

"Liuhe?"

"Yeah."

"What's that?"

"An efficient way to hunt."

"You learned that too?"

"Yeah."

"You really learned a lot of things."

At Yongcheon's words, Cheonyeong nodded.

Six Harmonies Fist.

Well, it wasn't that great of a martial art.

It was a basic skill that was usually taught to beginners in the three or four martial arts schools in any neighborhood.

Of course, that's only for those who have.

Is a martial arts school even plausible for the children of the streets?

It's a dream as high as the sky.

Cheonyeong had never attended a martial arts school either.

However, he had a private master.

Because he was well off.

Once upon a time...

That's how rich people are.

Health is a very important factor for them.

Because they have to live long to enjoy their wealth for a long time.

So even in families that don't walk the path of a martial artist, they teach their children basic martial arts.

That was Six Harmonies Fist.

Although his family went bankrupt just two years after he learned it.

"First, open your eyes wide and watch."

"Yeah!"

Cheonyeong slowly took his stance.

"Hoo..."

With a low breath.

Thump!

He stomped the ground hard.

Whoosh!

The fist he threw made a plausible sound of wind.

Whirl!

He then twisted his body and kicked forward, and with the rotating force, he kicked into the air once more.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he returned to his original position and took his first stance.

"Hoo..."

With a low breath.

"Wow!"

He had paid quite a bit of attention, and he thought it was quite cool himself, so it was natural for Yongcheon to exclaim in admiration.

At that gaze, Cheonyeong said smugly.

"Did you see that well?"

"Um, I saw it, but..."

"Do it."

"Huh?"

"I said do it."

"I just saw it."

"You can do it."

"..."

"Do it."

With those words, as Cheonyeong stepped back, Yongcheon stepped forward with a sullen expression and took his stance.

To show it once and ask him to follow.

He was full of complaints, but Yongcheon recalled the movements Cheonyeong had shown him in his head.

And then.

Thump! Whoosh! Whirl! Papapak! Thud.

"Ouch."

Although he fell because he landed wrong at the end, he imitated it as it was.

"See, it doesn't work. How can I follow something I've only seen once..."

At the sight of the dejected Yongcheon, Cheonyeong smiled wryly.

As expected... this bastard.

If someone had seen it, they would have immediately taken him as a disciple.

Does it make sense to follow the movements exactly after seeing them only once, as you said?

And it's the first time you've learned it?

But what made that possible was Yongcheon's talent.

How surprised he was when he saw his talent during the assassin training.

A thick crack had formed in his heart, which he had considered a genius.

If he hadn't died in his place, the name of the strongest assassin would have belonged to him.

Well, his application skills were significantly lacking, but...

Seeing it again cracks my heart.

Damn bastard, to be born with such an amazing talent.

"Show me again."

"Shut up."

"Huh?"

"That's enough. From now on, after doing the horse stance until your legs are trembling, practice that movement until you get used to it."

"But, I think I need to see it more... my landing was unstable, and it seems different from yours."

"I said shut up."

If he watched any longer, he felt like he would only feel a sense of self deprecation.

To hurt the heart of a genius.

"Just do the horse stance training for now. I'll make sure you eat meat for dinner."

"Tsk, alright."

He listens well.

Cheonyeong, who was watching Yongcheon take the horse stance, went into the nearby forest.

He twisted the vines he had picked up on the way and made a snare.

"Is it around here?"

He looked around, found a small footprint, and grinned.

A rabbit footprint.

This path is definitely it.

"Well, then shall I train until evening too?"

Cheonyeong returned to the cave of the hideout where Yongcheon was sweating like rain while holding the horse stance.

He had barely managed to form a core yesterday.

It took a whole month during the assassin training.

As expected, the progress is fast because it's a path he has walked once.

It was time to start the Samyang Divine Art in earnest.

The first start is, Hwasin.

Transforming the body to be suitable for learning the Samyang Divine Art.

Since he had formed a core, he had to widen and thicken his blood vessels.

That's how paths are.

If you make them small and narrow, the number of people who can pass is limited.

Similarly, if the blood vessels through which ki flows are narrow, no matter how much ki stays in the dantian, the amount sent to each part of the body is limited.

But what if you strengthen and widen the blood vessels, and make them firm?

You can send all the power you have when you want.

In other words, even if you have the same amount of internal energy, the power of the one who acts through a wide path and the one who acts through a narrow path cannot be the same.

It's a simple principle, but it was a group that was difficult to apply if you didn't know it.

However, thirteen.

If a little more time passes, the eight extraordinary meridians will harden.

If that happens, unless you meet a fortuitous encounter, you can never advance to a higher level.

That was the reason why he couldn't learn the Samyang Divine Art in his previous life.

Because it was too late when he got it.

Cheonyeong closed his eyes and started to circulate his ki, controlling his breathing.

He didn't accumulate internal energy, but continued to refine and refine the path through which ki flows.

Until it becomes strong.

How much time had passed?

Thump! Thump!

A faint echo was felt in his ears.

Yongcheon must have started his fist training.

You bastard... you're already confident in the first form of Six Harmonies Fist?

Otherwise, given Yongcheon's personality, he wouldn't have moved on to the next training.

"Hoo..."

As he finished his breathing, his concentration scattered and he could hear the surrounding sounds more clearly.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of Yongcheon's punches hitting the tree grew louder and louder.

As Cheonyeong, who had finished his internal energy, came out, Yongcheon stopped punching.

"Cheonyeong!"

Seeing his bright face, he felt like he knew without having to check.

...his expression is just like a puppy waiting to be praised.

"Do it."

"Yeah!"

At Cheonyeong's words, Yongcheon took his stance as if he had been waiting.

Thump!

The ground vibrated slightly at his foot stomp, and Yongcheon's movements continued naturally.

Damn bastard.

It's beyond my expectations.

Cheonyeong, who smiled wryly, said to Yongcheon, who was blinking and looking at him.

"You did well. It was perfect."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now do the breathing method training. I'll prepare the meat when you're done."

"Yeah!"

Yongcheon, who had been praised, ran into the cave.

"Heh, he really doesn't suit his size."

While Yongcheon was training his breathing method, Cheonyeong headed to the place where he had set the snare.

Fortunately, a rabbit was caught. And it was quite plump.

That should be enough for dinner.

Cheonyeong, who had gathered a lot of pine branches and twigs from the nearby ground and returned to the hideout, started a fire in front of the cave.

Click, click click!

Starting a fire?

What's so difficult about that...

He had only returned to being thirteen, but he had been sleeping in the wild for years.

Even without metal, stones are enough.

Survival training was also essential for assassins.

Cheonyeong, who had finished starting the fire, began his training.

He wasn't going to roast the rabbit yet.

If the smell spread, the gluttonous bastard wouldn't be able to concentrate on his breathing method.

Cheonyeong was doing the same training as Yongcheon.

He ran until he was out of breath, built up his basic stamina through the horse stance, and circulated his ki.

Then he took turns with Yongcheon to practice Six Harmonies Fist and trained his body by hitting a tree.

Because everything has to be solid from the basics.

After a long training session, Cheonyeong and Yongcheon, who had filled their hungry stomachs with rabbit meat, came down the mountain in a good mood.

But just as they were entering the vagrant village's dwelling.

"Oh, you're here?"

Makgae and the children were waiting for them with a bonfire.

The usual time.

But Makgae's expression was different from usual.

"Cheonyeong, you bastard. I warned you, didn't I?"

"..."

"What happens if you skip out on begging!"

He thought about it for a moment.

Why is Makgae suddenly like this?

Seeing him roll up his sleeves... there's only one answer.

Is this... perhaps... a fight? Something like that?

To me, who has built up quite a bit of stamina through training these past few days, and even accumulated some ki in my dantian?

(End of Chapter)