Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered

Episode 10: The Scholar’s Martial Arts (2)

Teaching a posture can mean vastly different things depending on the situation.

If the scholar’s martial arts had truly reached a high level, it would imply that there was nothing left to teach except for pointing out minor mistakes.

However, the fact that the scholar is merely a “scholar” weighs on my mind.

How could a frail scholar who had likely never even held a wooden stick reach such a level in just over a year?

No matter how well Master Ilchunghyeon taught, this story seems improbable.

Yet the opposite is also strange.

How is it that, after over a year of teaching from Master Ilchunghyeon, he’s still only learning postures?

Captain Dojin of the Royal Guards was confused.

What troubled him most, however, was the expression on Master Ilchunghyeon’s face.

Could someone who’s taught for over a year and only sees postures really have such a pleased expression?

“It’s already been over a year since I started teaching martial arts to Scholar Un,” Master Ilchunghyeon muttered.

Now that he thought about it, a year had already passed.

Throughout that time, Master Ilchunghyeon and Unhyeon had trained in martial arts here almost every day without fail.

Today, too, if not for unavoidable circumstances, Master Ilchunghyeon would have been personally guiding Unhyeon.

“There, Scholar Un is coming,” said Master Ilchunghyeon.

At his words, Dojin looked up.

In the distance, a scholar dressed in neat official robes was walking toward them.

Holding books and writing tools, he looked every bit like a student heading to an academy.

Dojin’s brow furrowed on its own.

‘Is this person looking down on martial arts?’

The very fact that he showed up for martial arts training dressed in official robes was incomprehensible to Dojin.

However, oblivious to Dojin’s thoughts, Master Ilchunghyeon spoke in a gentle voice beside him.

“You’ll see when you meet him, Captain Do. Scholar Un is the kind of student you want to teach.”

Dojin’s eyes twitched slightly.

Step by step, Unhyeon approached and bowed politely to Master Ilchunghyeon.

Master Ilchunghyeon responded by clenching his fist and returning the salute.

“Scholar Un, this is Captain Dojin of the Royal Guards. Captain Do, this is Scholar Un.”

Master Ilchunghyeon introduced the two.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Unhyeon, a scholar from Changryong Hall,” Unhyeon greeted with a deep bow, but Captain Dojin merely responded with a brief salute.

“I am Dojin.”

Unhyeon turned to look at Master Ilchunghyeon, who spoke as if in answer to his gaze.

“This is the captain of the Royal Guards, who works with me. I’ve asked him to assist in your training today.”

Unhyeon nodded.

It was something Master Ilchunghyeon had already mentioned yesterday.

Rustle.

Unhyeon soon settled in and took out the book he had tucked under his arm.

The expression on Captain Do’s face twisted sharply as he watched.

But Unhyeon paid him no mind.

Unhyeon, who had taken out the book, approached Master Ilchunghyeon without hesitation and asked, “Master Il, about what you explained yesterday…”

“Ah, Scholar Un, about that,” Master Ilchunghyeon interrupted.

Unhyeon, who had taken out his writing tools, looked up.

Master Ilchunghyeon continued, “I think you should train first today. I’ll answer your questions later when we return.”

Unhyeon nodded obediently and closed the book.

It wouldn’t make much difference to change the order a little.

He now had more than enough energy to wield the brush even after training.

Unhyeon put away his book and writing tools and stood a little distance from Master Ilchunghyeon.

“Then start with the first through twelfth stances of Baekta,” said Master Ilchunghyeon.

Unhyeon gave him a light bow and, with a serious look in his eyes, assumed his posture.

And soon after, a loud shout burst from Unhyeon’s mouth.

“Haa!”

At that shout, Captain Dojin couldn’t help but frown unconsciously.

To him, the shout sounded no better than a baby’s cry.

Whoosh, whoosh.

But as soon as Unhyeon began executing his techniques, the frown on Dojin’s face began to soften.

And soon, Captain Dojin’s eyes gleamed with admiration.

“Ho….”

“It’s a truly good posture, isn’t it, Captain Do?” Master Ilchunghyeon’s voice quietly sounded from beside him.

Dojin slowly nodded.

His gaze was still fixed on Unhyeon.

“Not just good, it’s truly excellent. His footing is precise, his movements are clean without any excess, his breathing seems stable, his gaze is focused on exactly the right spots, and he shows no signs of bad habits.”

There was no trace of disdain or resentment in his voice.

Dojin’s gaze had already returned to that of a sharp Royal Guard captain.

Observing Unhyeon’s movements unfolding before him, Dojin, the Royal Guard instructor, began offering critiques one by one, as if analyzing each aspect.

“Seeing the flawless transition between movements, I can tell he fully understands the purpose of each technique. For his level, it’s actually quite… decent.”

Indeed, Unhyeon’s movements were impeccable, even in the eyes of a seasoned Royal Guard instructor like Dojin. Under the premise that he was still a “student,” it was perhaps the most perfect form Dojin had ever seen.

“That’s a fair assessment,” Ilchunhyun nodded in agreement. “Unhyeon understands the meaning behind each movement, down to the smallest detail. That’s why his form is so perfect.”

Dojin found himself nodding unconsciously. ‘As expected of Instructor Ilchunhyun. To bring a mere scholar to this level in just one year…’

But then, tilting his head in confusion, Dojin spoke.

“But…”

“Haa!”

Hearing Unhyeon’s shout, which still sounded weak, Dojin continued.

“Was this technique always meant to be performed so slowly?”

A slight smile appeared on Ilchunhyun’s face. “Of course not.”

“Then why…”

Dojin looked at Ilchunhyun, clearly puzzled. Ilchunhyun, still smiling, responded to the question.

“That is the fastest speed Unhyeon can manage at the moment.”

“What?”

“He hasn’t infused any internal energy into his movements yet. Naturally, that’s the result.”

It was only then that Dojin realized what had been bothering him all along as he watched Unhyeon’s movements—there was no sense of energy or force behind them.

‘How disappointing.’

Dojin clicked his tongue in frustration. In martial arts, having the correct form is essential. Once the form is mastered, the body’s movements follow naturally. The correct form unleashes the greatest and most terrifying power—that’s what defines “proper form.”

‘But to think that such a perfect form can only produce this level of output…’

Dojin couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Unconsciously, he muttered, “What a shame.”

“What is?” Ilchunhyun asked. Without taking his eyes off Unhyeon, Dojin continued.

“If he had internal energy to support it, he’d be quite promising. Though, before that, his physique would be an issue…”

Ilchunhyun smiled again. “He is a scholar, Dojin. If he had a strong physique and internal energy, he wouldn’t be a scholar; he would be a warrior. Besides…”

Ilchunhyun murmured quietly as if in passing, “Unhyeon’s strength lies not only in his perfect form.”

Dojin heard the words but didn’t pay much attention. His focus was on the flaws that were becoming apparent in Unhyeon’s performance, now that his excellent form had set a high standard.

“His physical strength is clearly lacking. Could he even hold a spear or an axe properly with that level of strength?”

“We haven’t gotten to that point yet, so it’s hard to say.”

“What?”

Dojin looked at Ilchunhyun, confused. Haven’t they even gotten to spearmanship yet? How could a year have passed without covering the basics of the eighteen traditional martial arts?

“Dojin, I remind you again, he is a scholar, not a Royal Guard.”

Ilchunhyun still wore a smile as he spoke.

By then, Unhyeon had completed the first twelve forms of the Baekta technique. After finishing, Unhyeon bowed slightly, and Ilchunhyun nodded in return.

“Well done, Scholar Unhyeon. After you finish the second set of twelve forms, you can begin practicing swordsmanship. Instructor Dojin is particularly skilled with the sword, so he’ll be of great help to you.”

Unhyeon’s face lit up, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he turned toward Dojin. Seeing the eager look in Unhyeon’s eyes, Dojin couldn’t help but notice how expectant he seemed.

Unhyeon soon began the second set of the Baekta technique.

“Haa!”

Though Unhyeon’s shout still grated on Dojin’s ears, Dojin turned to Ilchunhyun with a puzzled look.

“Has he not started with the sword yet?”

“He recently finished learning it. You won’t need to teach him the basics, but…”

Ilchunhyun, who had been watching Unhyeon’s movements, turned to look at Dojin with a mischievous smile.

“You’ll have to answer quite a few of his questions.”

“Questions?”

Dojin echoed back in surprise, but Ilchunhyun simply smiled and resumed watching Unhyeon’s training.

It wasn’t Unhyeon’s perfect form that Ilchunhyun admired most—though even Dojin had to acknowledge its brilliance. What Ilchunhyun valued was Unhyeon’s relentless, straightforward, and pure questions about martial arts.

Martial arts in the royal palace differed from those of the Jianghu. In the Jianghu, some sects pursued martial arts as a path to enlightenment, whereas in the palace, practicality and efficiency took precedence. It was designed for swift, coordinated action by groups, to subdue enemies quickly and effectively. As such, there was little room for deep insights or personal passion for martial arts.

Ilchunhyun had been no exception. Though he had some ties to the Jianghu, his life in the palace as a martial officer left little room for a pursuit of the martial way. But meeting Unhyeon had started to change that. His basic yet profound questions, born from an outsider’s perspective, rekindled Ilchunhyun’s passion for martial arts.

Ilchunhyun turned and gave a respectful bow to Dojin.

“I’ll leave him in your care, Instructor Dojin.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

Dojin returned the bow, watching as Ilchunhyun walked away. There was something forlorn about his retreating figure, leaving a bitter taste in Dojin’s mouth.

‘If only he had navigated court politics more wisely, he could have become a high-ranking officer…’ But Ilchunhyun would never be the type to play politics, which was precisely why Dojin trusted him.

Suddenly, the weak sound of Unhyeon’s shout brought Dojin back to the present.

“Haa!”

Looking over at Unhyeon again, who was flawlessly executing the second set of twelve Baekta forms, Dojin clicked his tongue.

‘A year… With this kind of progress, it’ll take him years to finish learning the palace’s eighteen martial arts. And it’s not like he’s cultivating some higher martial path…’

To Dojin, Unhyeon’s progress felt agonizingly slow. For a scholar, it was undoubtedly remarkable improvement, but in Dojin’s eyes, it seemed like watching someone crawl.

‘Still, his form is exceptional. I’d like to show this to the newly recruited Royal Guards.’

“Haa!”

The weak shout grated on Dojin’s nerves once again.

‘A scholar is still just a scholar. In the end, that’s all a scholar’s martial arts will amount to.’

Before he could stop himself, Dojin muttered under his breath.

“…It’s like doing calisthenics.”