Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Geumgungyo Chief Il Chung-hyun

The serious struggle between Unhyeon and the books began the next day.

Unhyeon , a scholar of Changryongjeon, went to Munyeongak at dawn and spent the entire day there.

In the morning, he flipped through books, selecting any that were even remotely related to martial arts.

Even sorting through the books was a significant task. He examined dozens of books each day.

However, books on martial arts were not easy to find. Most were reports of unknown purpose, and many books had unclear authorship.

Some books even had vague titles, requiring him to read them to understand the content.

After spending the morning sorting, Unhyeon spent the afternoon reading the martial arts books he had previously found.

The topic of martial arts was a field Unhyeon had never dealt with before.

Naturally, he didn’t know where to start.

So, he had no choice but to read whatever came his way.

He would understand parts of one book from another, and what was not explained in one book, he would find in another.

After a month of this, all he had gained were miscellaneous words he barely understood.

Unhyeon grew weary.

“Sigh…”

Unhyeon sighed as he looked at the pile of books in front of him.

“What am I supposed to do…?”

The path ahead was unclear.

He had worked hard for the past month, but any progress was less than a handful of sand; at this rate, it would be impossible to meet the Crown Prince’s expectations.

“Thirty-seven thousand volumes…”

The problem was the overwhelming number of miscellaneous books.

Somewhere among them were the stories about martial arts that the Crown Prince wanted, but Unhyeon lacked the skill to find them.

“But I guess it’s reduced to about thirty-six thousand volumes.”

Unhyeon muttered, estimating that he had checked and passed over roughly a thousand books in the past month.

However, saying it out loud made him feel even more hopeless.

When he thought about it again, even if one percent of these were books on martial arts, that would still be 360 volumes, which would take him a full year to read at the pace of one book a day.

As Unhyeon counted on his fingers, he suddenly stopped.

“If I could even manage to read one book a day…”

Unhyeon glanced at the books he had set aside.

Seventeen volumes.

He had found seventeen volumes over the past month and had read only nine of them.

And even those he had mostly skimmed through, not understanding much.

“At this rate, it will take more than three years just to read them.”

The problem wasn’t just in reading.

The problem was that even after reading, he still couldn’t understand.

Moreover, understanding wasn’t enough.

He had to turn it into a story that the Crown Prince would like—something that would really catch his interest.

If it were poetry, he could write it with some elegance, but he had never dealt with stories like this.

“Sigh…”

Unhyeon sighed again.

The more he thought about it, the more unsure he felt.

“But there’s no choice. With nowhere else to turn, I have to somehow secure my position here…”

Thinking of his situation, Unhyeon felt a pang of sadness.

He had completed his studies safely with the financial support of his wealthy uncle.

But he couldn’t forget the scornful look on his aunt’s face as she looked at him.

To her, he must have seemed like nothing more than a good-for-nothing who wasted money.

One of the things he was most pleased about after becoming the top scholar was the hope that his aunt would see him differently.

“But that…”

Unhyeon sighed once more.

What he had thought was a stroke of luck had suddenly turned into a tangled mess.

He realized firsthand that life doesn’t always go as planned.

“But I can’t just sit here and give up.”

If he sat down now, he would eventually rot away. Sighing alone wouldn’t accomplish anything.

Clatter.

Unhyeon stood up.

The antique chair of Munyeongak creaked as it slid back.

There was still one more thing he could do.

**”Haaaah! Haap!”**

The vigorous shouts of young men echoed in unison.

In a corner of the Forbidden City, a group of bare-chested young men were drenched in sweat, fully immersed in their training at the plaza.

“Fifth Form!”

At the sharp command of the man leading them, the young men moved in perfect synchronization.

Thud.

“Haaaah!”

The sound of their collective step reverberated through the stone floor, and their powerful shouts resonated in all directions.

The sheer intensity of their movements was so daunting that Unhyeon , watching from a distance, instinctively flinched.

‘This… this is more intense than I thought…’

These young men, dripping with sweat, were new recruits who had just joined the Jin Yiwei (Imperial Guards). Like Unhyeon , who had recently passed the civil service exam, these young men had just passed the martial arts exam.

In theory, they were peers of Unhyeon , but no one thought of them that way. The divide between civil officials and military officials ran deep.

‘Is that man their training instructor?’

The man leading the young guards was a large, bearded man with a rather intimidating appearance, even from a distance.

‘…I don’t think I can even approach him.’

The reason Unhyeon had come to the Jin Yiwei’s training grounds was simple. He needed someone who could teach him the basics of martial arts, at least the essentials.

Within the Forbidden City, it was natural to think of the Jin Yiwei when considering who might have knowledge of martial arts.

The problem, however, was whether they would be willing to help him.

‘My situation is truly pitiful.’

In retrospect, it was quite a sight. What could a scholar like him possibly lack that he had to sneak around watching the training of junior military officers?

“Sigh, damn it.”

Unhyeon muttered under his breath, only to be startled and cover his mouth.

‘Damn it,’ was a phrase unbecoming of a scholar.

At that moment…

“What is it?”

“Eek!”

A voice suddenly came from behind, and Unhyeon , startled, fell forward onto the ground.

It was unnerving enough to be hiding, but to hear a heavy voice from behind—who wouldn’t be frightened?

“Ah, sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you…”

As Unhyeon turned his head, he saw someone standing behind him. He squinted, trying to make out the figure against the blinding sunlight.

“Are you alright?”

The man extended a hand toward Unhyeon .

Unhyeon , calming his racing heart, responded, “Ah, I’m… I’m alright.”

He didn’t take the offered hand, but the man, undeterred, grabbed Unhyeon by the shoulders.

With a surprising show of strength, the man lifted Unhyeon as if he were a small stone and set him gently back on his feet.

Unhyeon , involuntarily standing upright, widened his eyes as he looked at the man in front of him.

The man was a middle-aged warrior, wearing light armor, and though he didn’t appear extraordinarily strong, his tanned face and attire clearly indicated he was a military officer.

“You seem to be a civil official. What brings you here?”

The man’s voice was deep and resonant.

Unhyeon quickly collected himself.

Adjusting his disheveled attire, he replied to the officer, “Ah, I am Scholar Unhyeon from Changryongjeon. I actually came here to inquire about martial arts…”

Martial arts, one of the terms Unhyeon had picked up after a month of struggle.

“Martial arts?”

The officer tilted his head in puzzlement.

Most scholars he knew had no interest in martial arts. In fact, they often held it in contempt. Young scholars like Unhyeon were even more so.

The officer frowned slightly, his sharp gaze piercing through Unhyeon as he asked, “Is there a particular reason you need martial arts? There aren’t many in the world bold enough to dare harm a scholar within the Forbidden City.”

Unhyeon didn’t immediately understand the officer’s words, but soon realized that the officer had assumed he was seeking martial arts due to some threat or harassment.

Unhyeon quickly shook his head. “Ah, no, it’s not like that. I wasn’t planning to use it anywhere…”

Before Unhyeon could finish his sentence, a loud voice rang out from behind.

“Salute the Instructor!”

This was immediately followed by a thunderous chorus of voices.

“Salute the Instructor!”

Unhyeon turned to see the young guardsmen, along with the bearded, rugged officer, all looking in his direction.

Under their sharp, gleaming gazes, Unhyeon instinctively took a step back. Just then, a deep voice brushed past him.

“Resume the training.”

It wasn’t a loud voice, but the entire training ground responded instantly.

“Form up!”

The bearded officer shouted, and the young guardsmen immediately stood at attention.

“Start again from the First Form. First Form!”

Thud, thud.

“Haaaah!”

The young guardsmen resumed their training in perfect harmony.

Unhyeon found himself glancing back at the middle-aged officer.

Initially, he had thought the officer looked somewhat mild, perhaps even approachable, but the respect shown by all the other officers and the way they immediately followed his command suggested otherwise.

‘He must be someone of high rank…’

Just then, another officer ran up to Unhyeon .

“Instructor, you’ve arrived!”

The young officer saluted the middle-aged man before glancing at Unhyeon .

“And who might this be…?”

The young officer’s eyes were sharp as he scrutinized Unhyeon , making him instinctively tense up. The officer called “Instructor” responded.

“This is Scholar Unhyeon from Changryongjeon. He’s here with some questions. You needn’t concern yourself with him.”

“Understood!”

The young officer snapped a crisp salute and turned away, but not before giving Unhyeon one last scrutinizing look.

Only after the officer ran back to the training ground did Unhyeon manage to relax a bit.

“Apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Il Chung-hyun, the Instructor of the Imperial Guards.”

The officer, now identified as Il Chung-hyun, lightly clenched his fist and made a respectful salute.

Unhyeon , almost reflexively, tried to mimic the salute but quickly stopped himself and bowed his head instead.

“Ah, I am Scholar Unhyeon from Changryongjeon…”

A smile tugged at the corners of Il Chung-hyun’s mouth.

“I heard your introduction earlier. But how about we move to a different location?”

“Ah! Yes, let’s do that.”

Unhyeon barely managed to respond, trying to suppress the urge to lapse into formal speech.

***

The two moved to a small pavilion, open on all sides.

Though small, the pavilion was richly adorned with antique patterns, befitting its location within the Forbidden City.

“I see… So that’s your situation, Scholar Unhyeon .”

After hearing Unhyeon ‘s story, Il Chung-hyun nodded, though his expression remained somber.

Unhyeon anxiously watched his face, nervous about the reaction.

Even if it was for the Crown Prince, his request could still be seen as nothing more than a frivolous amusement. Asking Il Chung-hyun to teach him martial arts might have been an affront to the pride of the dignified Imperial Guard Instructor.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Il Chung-hyun turned his gaze back to Unhyeon .

“I, too, serve the royal family, just as you do. And after hearing your situation, it wouldn’t be right for me to turn a blind eye now.”

Unhyeon ‘s face brightened immediately.

“So, I don’t think I can refuse your request, Scholar Unhyeon .”