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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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“Brother Ya. Let’s go.”
“Oh, alright. I’m ready.”
I informed Tang Do-gyeong’s father, Tang Moon-gi, and mother, Tang So-so, of our outing.
“Brother Ya! After your official business is done today, you have to teach Ryeo-ah how to make coins disappear! You must!”
“Hoho, of course. Wait for me.”
Ryeo-ah, whom Tang Do-gyeong had boasted about so much, was truly adorable.
She was twelve years old, I heard.
It was quite remarkable to see her come out to see us off with half-closed eyes, which was still an early time for a child.
Yesterday, she was quite shy, but when I showed her a few magic tricks, she opened her eyes wide and followed me around, calling me ‘brother, brother’, which naturally made me smile.
Although my actual work was finished, it seemed I would have to stay in the Tang family for a while.
There were still some things left to wrap up.
First, the official reason for my visit to the Tang family was that I was invited as an external consultant for the completion of the ‘Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique’.
So, the time I spent with the Family Head in the Family Head’s quarters for a week wasn’t about teaching gambling techniques, but a period of martial arts research for the completion of the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique.
Last night, I finished talking with the Feng Ying Hall Master who visited and decided to announce it that way.
So, starting today, Tang Guanglie, Tang Do-gyeong, and the Feng Ying Hall Master were actually going to create the fourth move of the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique.
Officially, I was also supposed to contribute to the creation of martial arts moves, so I could just spend a few days killing time in the Family Head’s quarters.
“Oh, you’re here, Teacher.”
Tang Guanglie welcomed me warmly.
His face was full of color, as if he had become 10 years younger overnight.
He had retrieved the secret weapons, improved his gambling skills, and finger flicked the direct line members to his heart’s content, so it seemed all his worries had disappeared.
“Yesterday, I gave an appropriate ‘lesson’ to the direct line kids and established rules for betting within the Tang family.”
They had just formalized the secret weapon betting that had been implicitly done between individuals.
They said it was fine to gamble with secret weapons or poisons, but they strictly prohibited having more than five secret weapons change hands in a day with a notary public present.
Since the main cause of this incident was Tang Do-gyeong, a foreign bullfrog who suddenly intruded into the Tang family where frog-in-a-well natives were gambling harmoniously, the Tang family also decided to establish more systematic betting rules on this occasion.
“You have set the Tang family rules straight, Family Head.”
When I praised him, saying he did well, continuing the act a bit from yesterday, Tang Guanglie grinned.
People say that one’s feelings are different when entering and leaving the bathroom.
Even after giving a lot of lessons to the victims, no, the direct line members yesterday, he might think, ‘But since they got finger flicked, shouldn’t I pay them back?’ a few days later, so I needed to manage him a bit.
“Now we need to start working on creating new moves. So that Brother Ya can return to his main job.”
“Hmm, yes. I have a rough idea, but it won’t be easy to create new moves.”
As the three of them started to discuss the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique in earnest, I got up from my seat.
“Then you three discuss it. I’ll just spend time appropriately.”
“Brother Ya, where are you going when we’re about to start the discussion?”
No, I have to leave since you’re starting the actual discussion.
“Hoho, how can an outsider intervene in a discussion about the Tang family’s martial arts?”
Tang Guanglie laughed.
“Hahaha! You were worried about that? Generally, that’s true, but weren’t you invited today as a consultant for secret weapon techniques, Teacher Ya?”
“No, that’s just for the public…”
“It’s not just for the public, Teacher. I heard that you learned Do-gyeong’s Fierce Tiger Fist technique.”
“That’s true, but…”
“This Family Head was able to newly place the tricks embedded in the Tang family’s martial arts on the bedrock of systematic theory while learning from you, Teacher Ya. Also, while learning about gambling from you, a large part of the secret weapon techniques mixed into the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique relies on your techniques.”
What is he talking about now?
Even if you ask me if my techniques were incorporated, I’ve never seen the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique.
Let’s shorten the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique… it’s too long.
Let’s just call it the Fighting Technique.
Anyway, regardless of what form the Fighting Technique takes, what the Family Head was saying was too unprecedented.
Martial arts are often not shared even with blood relatives.
So, even if an outsider had a share in it, I couldn’t understand disclosing the Tang family’s martial art.
“I think I know what you’re thinking, Teacher Ya… But the current Fighting Technique is incomplete. And even if it’s completed, the current form won’t necessarily be the final version.”
“…Hmm. Is that so?”
I see, it’s because it’s an incomplete martial art still in the development stage.
After all, it will go through numerous modifications even after completion to be polished into a real ultimate technique.
It takes at least several decades for a martial art to be completed.
During those decades, the prototype of the moves gradually changes, some moves disappear, new ones are added, and it gets refined.
It seemed that they thought it wasn’t a stage to worry about leaking it as a non-ultimate technique before it was even completed.
I also had to consider the fact that the three people whose favorability had already been raised didn’t think I was someone who would leak the Tang family’s martial art.
The Feng Ying Hall Master handed me a new document.
A new request form.
Of course, there was a confidentiality condition attached, and the amount was… considerable.
If it was this much, I couldn’t refuse.
Above all, I was curious about the identity of the Fighting Technique.
I had never heard of a martial art called the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique while playing the game.
“Then, should I demonstrate it first to loosen up and show it to Brother Ya?”
“Hoho, alright. Let’s do that.”
I went to the training ground with the three of them.
“Then I’ll start the demonstration. It’s still an incomplete martial art, but this Tang Do-gyeong will display it once. I’ll start with the 8 moves of the fist technique part in order.”
Tang Do-gyeong started to unfold the Fighting Technique.
“Hmm.”
It had definitely changed.
I was someone who had mastered Tang Do-gyeong’s original martial art, the [Fierce Tiger Fist Technique].
Although my body was second-rate, I had sufficient knowledge of ascending martial arts.
Of course, I didn’t directly enlighten and obtain all of it, and it was just knowledge gained from the game.
It might be ridiculous for a second-rate like me to evaluate a late-stage supreme level martial art, but if I were to comment on it, the completion level was much higher than before.
No matter how good a tool is, if you just rely on it and push through, you’ll quickly reveal weaknesses.
There’s no need to be complicated, but monotonous uniformity allows the opponent to adapt.
Tang Do-gyeong’s Fierce Tiger Fist Technique was exactly like that.
It was a high-level strong offense, but it was a martial art filled with only similar techniques and similar power.
I wonder what martial art is mixed with the Fierce Tiger Fist Technique?
Well, since the only fist technique in the Tang family is the Tang Family Eight Fists, I guess it’s the Tang Family Eight Fists.
I’m a veteran, but not to the extent of remembering the movements of the Tang Family Eight Fists, a non-mainstream martial art of the secret weapon and poison specialist Tang family.
Anyway, what it’s mixed with isn’t important.
What’s important is that effective changes have been made to the monotonous, solely strong offensive Fierce Tiger Fist Technique.
After seeing the 8 moves of the Fighting Technique, I applauded.
I did feel like there were too many unnecessary deceptive movements, but compared to the previous monotonous Fierce Tiger Fist Technique, it was truly a tremendous development.
If the Fierce Tiger Fist Technique had the essence of strong offense at the late-stage supreme level, but its composition was at such a low completion level that it was hard to consider it a martial art, the current 8 moves had risen to a level that could be recognized as a late-stage supreme level fist technique, although the deception level was excessive.
Considering that it was created by one person, even with the enlightenment boost, it deserved to be highly praised.
“Then I’ll demonstrate the 3 moves using secret weapons.”
Tang Do-gyeong demonstrated the 3 secret weapon techniques.
Only then did I realize the meaning of the deceptive movements in the 8 moves.
Bosom.
Shoulders.
Waist.
Wrists.
I thought he was unnecessarily rotating his hands and arms, but those movements all passed through those parts once.
And those parts were mostly where secret weapons were stored.
A chuckle escaped my lips.
Secret weapon techniques are basically long-range attacks.
The implications of long-range attacks in this martial world are very significant.
Because nine out of ten martial artists in this martial world use fists, swords, and sabers.
The remaining one out of ten is occupied by various weapons.
Among those various weapons, there are hardly any long-range weapons except for secret weapons.
That’s why it’s very difficult to launch secret weapons secretly.
To be precise, it’s difficult to launch them secretly while preserving power and speed.
The advantage and disadvantage of long-range weapons is distance.
The longer the distance, the more room it gives the opponent to respond.
“So this is why it’s called the Fighting Technique.”
“Oho, have you already grasped the essence of the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique?”
“The opponent will voluntarily enter the realm of fists that require the use of energy and close contact.”
“That’s right.”
This is a complete hell of a forced choice.
The moves of the fist technique and the secret weapon technique share the same deceptive movements.
I wondered how my gambling techniques were applied, but they were used in this part.
Passing through the space where secret weapons are stored, did one draw a secret weapon or not?
Did one hold a secret weapon or not?
This part, which can be considered the core of the Fighting Technique, utilized the hand techniques of gambling.
The range of fists is narrow compared to swords and sabers.
So, fist practitioners try to break through the range of swords and sabers and penetrate into the opponent’s bosom.
Therefore, swordsmen and saber practitioners comfortably maintain distance.
Why?
Because it’s much easier to keep a generous distance than to precisely maintain the gap with the opponent.
Well, even if there’s a difference in range, it’s at most 1 zhang, and usually about half a zhang.
Rather than delicately maintaining that short distance, it’s much less dangerous and less consuming to separate and engage, exchanging one round at a time.
But what if secret weapon techniques are mixed in here?
It becomes impossible to exchange one move at a time and retreat.
Because if you keep a long distance, you can easily throw secret weapons.
For Tang Do-gyeong, it would be a situation where the opponent voluntarily enters the realm of fist techniques, but what about for the direct line members?
If they try to throw secret weapons, it will become a deterrent to the opponent’s movement of trying to penetrate.
If one tries to penetrate thinking the opponent will throw a secret weapon, but it’s actually a fist technique.
A situation where one attacks and enters not from close range but from long range in an instant?
In such a situation, if a Tang family member takes just one step forward, they will enter the inescapable realm of fists.
If the opponent recklessly charges thinking a secret weapon will be thrown and gets hit by a counterattack, will they be able to charge like that again next time?
Another notable point is that the essence of illusion is applied to the secret weapon techniques.
Illusion is an essence that is only applicable at close range.
Why?
Because there’s no time to respond and no leeway to discern its authenticity, so it can be deceived.
What’s the point of pretending to throw a secret weapon from far away?
It’s clearly visible whether a secret weapon is flying or not.
Generally, close-range secret weapon techniques are meaningless.
Because secret weapon techniques are always advantageous in keeping distance.
However, the Dark Dragon Fighting Technique can also take advantage of the distance being narrowed.
So, a way to effectively utilize secret weapons even in close contact was needed.
To be precise, it’s a means to break the opponent when they are perfectly maintaining their weapon gap.
When maintaining a distance that doesn’t allow the gap of fist techniques but is close enough for the advantages of secret weapon techniques to fade.
Deceive as if throwing a secret weapon or deceive as if not throwing.
Since the distance isn’t far, the opponent has no choice but to respond.
The opponent may not know whether one is thrusting or pretending to thrust, but they can’t block after discerning, so they have no choice but to respond first, just like one has no choice but to respond to a thrust.
After witnessing all 3 moves of the secret weapon techniques, I realized why I had never heard of a martial art called the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique.
Because the Tang Family Fierce Tiger Dark Dragon Fighting Technique was a martial art that couldn’t have been born if I hadn’t passed on gambling techniques to Tang Do-gyeong.
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