- Lee Hui’s Visit (2)
Sosam felt as though the sky had gone pale.
“Perhaps… it differs from person to person. Explain it well to your men. I’m leaving.”
Lee Hui turned away.
Sosam raised a military salute toward his departing back, his face twisted in a strange expression.
Battle or training.
Training or battle.
Within the expeditionary force, the Baekryong Unit endured it most intensely.
In battle, they fought with everything to survive.
In training, they fought with everything to avoid additional training.
Standing guard at a gate almost felt restful by comparison.
Lee Hui was heading toward the exit Sosam had indicated when he noticed Soun behind a boulder, standing in a zhan zhuang posture.
The boy was practicing qi circulation where no one could see him.
Lee Hui paused and approached.
“Hey, kid. No—Scholar. They call you Scholar, don’t they?”
“Yes. I passed the provincial examination—”
“Enough. I meant—your comrades really call you that?”
“Yes.”
“They must think you look a bit slow.”
“There is nothing wrong with calling a licentiate a licentiate. I prefer not to think of it as mockery.”
Soun was stubbornly sincere.
It was clearly teasing.
Yet he chose not to see it that way.
At times like this, it was hard to tell whether he was innocent or foolish.
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“Really? You truly believe that?”
“Yes.”
Beside him, Sosam straightened his posture formally.
He seemed to believe that when a superior spoke to his subordinate, one should stand properly.
Lee Hui tossed the next question casually.
“Has qi-sense come?”
“No. Not yet… none at all.”
“How long have you practiced?”
“For some time. Since the day I was assigned to the Baekryong.”
“That long? And still nothing?”
“Yes. I lack aptitude. I believe I have little talent for martial arts.”
“It takes time. Don’t be impatient. Though… you took an elixir, didn’t you? By now you should have qi-sense.”
Lee Hui muttered to himself.
“No. I have never taken any elixir.”
“You did. When you collapsed and were carried in, the General gave you one. If someone else had taken it, their internal power might have increased by a whole jiazi. But in your case, it must have all been spent expelling the cold from your body. What a waste—it was a fine thing.”
“Was it?”
Gratitude rose quietly within Soun.
The General had never mentioned it.
No one had.
How many times in life does one receive help without knowing?
And how often does one pass by such kindness without recognizing it?
“I owe a debt I did not even know of…”
Soun scratched the back of his head.
“Forget it. Leave it be. Now—how do you practice zhan zhuang? Show me.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
Soun lowered into a horse stance, brought his hands together in front of him, and began slow breathing.
“Inhale deeply… exhale… and repeat.”
“Continue.”
As Soun inhaled, Lee Hui placed his palm near him and guided the qi.
He did not strike, yet the guidance was forceful—like a push.
“Follow it. Follow the path of qi-sense.”
Soun felt a peculiar current descend from his flank to his thigh.
He followed it.
Downward.
Then upward again with the breath.
Lee Hui stood beside him, guiding, then pointing out what should be perceived in zhan zhuang.
“That path you just felt—it will gather in the dantian. It must accumulate. That takes time. This time, did you feel it?”
He already knew the answer.
“Yes.”
“Do not practice blindly. Focus on sensing. When it appears, concentrate on the movement at the end of each breath. Wait calmly until it comes, then drive it forward. Can you do that?”
“Yes, General.”
Soun rose and performed a fist salute.
He could have offered a military salute.
Instead, he bowed as to a teacher.
“Thank you for your instruction.”
He felt as though he had grasped a thread.
There had been qi-sense.
If he followed that sensation again and again without interruption, accumulation would come.
A wide grin spread across his face.
Lee Hui looked at the smiling boy and thought him na?ve.
Concern lingered, but perhaps there would be progress.
“Happy?”
“Yes, General. I believed nothing would change no matter how long I practiced.”
“Then why continue?”
“I had nothing else I could do.”
“You once learned your family’s sword art.”
“I forgot most of it. I remember only a few forms. I never grasped its essence.”
“I see. When we return, you will have the chance to learn the Imperial martial art. It is concise, but its core essence is there. Give it your all.”
“Yes, General.”
“I’m going.”
Soun saluted.
Lee Hui gave a casual acknowledgment and leapt lightly over the ridge.