“Brother Ya, let’s go!”
“Oh, alright, I’m ready.”
Tang Do-gyeong reported their outing to his father, Tang Moon-gi, and mother, Tang So-so.
“Hey, Older Brother! After work today, you must teach Rye-ah how to get rid of coins! It’s a must!”
“Hehe, of course. Just wait for me.”
Rye-ah, whom Tang Do-gyeong bragged about so much, was indeed adorable. Is she twelve already? It seemed a bit early for her, as she came to see him with half-closed eyes, really commendable.
Just yesterday, she was a bit shy, but after seeing a few magic tricks, her eyes went wide, and she started following him around, calling, “Older Brother, Older Brother!” It was enough to make him beam like a proud dad.
Though he had technically finished his tasks, it seemed he had to stay at the Tang Clan for a while longer.
There were still a few loose ends to tie up.
First, the external reason for his visit was that he had been invited as a consultant to complete the ‘Tang Clan’s Bat-Leaping Tiger Method.’ Thus, the time spent in the Family Head’s Quarters with the Family Head wasn’t about teaching gambling techniques, but rather a period of martial arts research for completing the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method.
Last night, he had wrapped up the conversation with Feng Ying Hall Master about this arrangement.
So, starting today, Tang Guanglie, Tang Do-gyeong, and Feng Ying Hall Master were set to create the fourth basic form of the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method. Externally, it also appeared he was contributing to the creation of the martial arts basics, so he could just spend a few days in the Family Head’s Quarters.
“Oh, you’ve arrived, Teacher.”
Tang Guanglie greeted him warmly. His face was flushed, making him look a decade younger in just one day.
It seemed all worries had disappeared since he’d regained his hidden weapons and enhanced his gambling skills, and had even gotten to spank the direct line kids without hesitation.
“Yesterday, I properly provided ‘admonition’ to the direct line kids and established some rules for gambling in the Tang Clan.”
What he meant was that he had formalized the informal hidden weapon bets they’d been placing among themselves. While it was fine to engage in hidden weapon or poison bets, they strictly prohibited having more than five hidden weapons exchanged daily without a notary.
The chaos had arisen primarily because Tang Do-gyeong, who had learned from him, the invasive species of gambler, had barged in among the frog-in-the-well natives of the Tang Clan. Thus, it seemed they decided to set more systematic betting rules this time around.
“You’ve put the rules of the Tang Clan back in order, Family Head.”
Continuing the theme from yesterday, he praised Tang Guanglie a bit theatrically, and Tang Guanglie beamed a bright smile.
When a person walks into a restroom, their mindset is different than when they leave; similarly, after giving a heavy admonition to the direct line kids, he might think in a few days, “Since I spanked them, shouldn’t I pay them back?” It would be wise to keep a bit of management there.
“Now, we should start creating new basic styles. That way, Brother Ya can return to his main job.”
“Hmm, right. I’ve got a rough idea, but creating a new basic style won’t be easy.”
As the three seemed to begin discussing the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method in earnest, he stood up.
“Then, you three carry on with your conversation. I’ll just spend some time.”
“Brother Ya, we’re just getting started; where do you think you’re going?”
Well, since they were starting the real conversation, he wanted to slip away.
“Hehe, how can an outsider join a discussion about the clan’s martial arts?”
Tang Guanglie laughed.
“Hahaha! Were you worried about that? Generally, that’s true, but Teacher Ya was invited as a hidden weapons consultant today, wasn’t he?”
“No, that’s more for appearances…”
“It’s not just for appearances, Teacher. I heard you received the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method from Do-gyeong.”
“That’s correct, but…”
“Well, the Family Head has learned from Teacher, and I’ve been able to place my experience and the clan’s martial arts onto a solid foundation. Additionally, learning gambling from you has infused a lot of the hidden weapon techniques into the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method.”
What on earth is he talking about?
Even if he asks whether his techniques have been integrated, the truth is he has never seen the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method.
First of all, it’s too long, so let’s just shorten it to ‘tactic.’ Anyway, irrespective of what form the tactic takes, what the Family Head is saying is quite astonishing.
It’s not uncommon for martial arts to be held secret even among blood relatives.
However, even if an outsider had some stake in it, I couldn’t understand the notion of publically revealing the clan’s martial arts.
“I believe I understand what you, Teacher, are thinking… but as of now, this tactic is incomplete. Moreover, even if completed, the current form wouldn’t necessarily be the final version.”
“…Hmm. Is that so?”
Ah, so it’s still in the development stage. After all, any true form takes many adjustments even after being labeled as ‘complete.’
It takes decades to complete a single martial art. Over those decades, the original form of the basics is bound to evolve, disappear, and get reshaped.
The notion of worrying about leaks at this stage, when it’s not even developed, seems a bit premature. Considering their favorability has already been established, they probably think I’m not someone who would leak the clan’s martial arts.
Feng Ying Hall Master handed over a new document. A new request form. Naturally, it came with secrecy conditions, and the sum was… considerable. It was something I could certainly do.
Most importantly, I was dying to know what this tactic was. I had never heard of the Tang Clan’s Bat-Leaping Tiger Method while playing the game.
“Then, for now, let me warm up and show Brother Ya a demonstration.”
“Hehe, alright. Let’s do that.”
He went out to the training hall with the three of them.
“Then I’ll start the demonstration. Though it’s still lacking, this Tang’s Descendant will show you. I’ll unfold the 8 forms from the fist technique section one by one.”
Tang Do-gyeong began to display the tactic.
“Hmm.”
It had certainly changed.
I had absorbed Tang Do-gyeong’s original martial art, [Bat-Leaping Tiger Fist]. Even though I was from Iryu, I had enough knowledge of rising martial arts. Of course, I didn’t acquire it directly; it was merely knowledge taken from gaming.
It might be silly for me, being from Iryu, to evaluate an ultimate martial art, but if I were to give my opinion, it had definitely increased in completeness compared to before. No matter how good a tool, if one relies solely on it, its weaknesses will soon become evident.
There’s no need to complicate things, but monotony without variation allows opponents to adapt more easily.
Tang Do-gyeong’s Bat-Leaping Tiger Fist was just that. It was a powerful attack, yet it was a martial art filled with similar moves and power.
What was the mixed martial art here? Well, the only martial art that Tang Clan has is the Tang Clan’s Eight Techniques, so it probably is that. Though I might be a veteran, I surely didn’t remember the movements of the Tang Clan’s lesser martial art, the Tang Clan’s Eight Techniques.
Anyway, it wasn’t important what it was mixed with.
What mattered was the effective changes brought to the monotonous strong attack of the Bat-Leaping Tiger Fist.
After watching the 8 forms of the tactic, I clapped my hands.
I felt there were too many unnecessary flashy movements, but compared to the previous monotony of the Bat-Leaping Tiger Fist, it was a substantial improvement.
While the uniqueness of the Bat-Leaping Tiger Fist was at the peak level, its composition was so incomplete that it was hard to consider it an actual martial art. But the current 8 forms could be recognized as a peak-level fist technique, albeit with excessive dazzling movements.
Even considering the illumination factor, given a single person created it, it earned a solid evaluation.
“Now, let me show you the 3 forms using hidden weapons.”
Tang Do-gyeong showcased the hidden weapon techniques. Only then did I understand the significance of those flashy movements in the 8 forms.
Shoulder. Waist. Wrist.
Those overly twisted hand and arm movements were all transitions passing through those specific points.
And those areas were where the hidden weapons were primarily stored.
A smirk escaped me.
Fundamentally, hidden weapon techniques are long-distance attacks. In this martial world, long-distance attacking implies something significant. This is because among the martial artists of this world, there are prominent sword and dao users. The remainder of the martial world is occupied by a myriad of diverse weapons.
Among those myriad of weapons, there’s hardly anything that can be classified as a long-range weapon aside from hidden weapons.
Therefore, using hidden weapons stealthily is very difficult. More accurately, it’s difficult to launch them while maintaining both power and speed stealthily.
The strength and weakness of a long-range weapon is the distance; the farther the distance, the more room is given for response.
“Is this how the tactic works?”
“Oh, have you already grasped the subtleties of the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method?”
“It’s as if the opponent walks into the territory of the fist where you’d have to push hard.”
“That’s right.”
This is a complete hellish multiple-choice question.
The basics of the fist techniques and the basics of hidden weapons share the same dazzling movements. When they mentioned my gambling techniques had been applied, this was what they referred to.
While passing through the space where the hidden weapons were stored, did they pick it up or did they not?
Did they take the hidden weapons or not? They leveraged the element of surprise, which is the core aspect of the tactic through gambling sleight of hand.
The territory of the fist is narrower compared to the sword and dao. Therefore, fist users try their best to pierce through the sword and dao territory and invade the opponent’s space.
Conversely, sword and dao practitioners can comfortably widen the distance. Why? It’s way easier to keep a comfortable gap than to maintain precise intervals with the rival. A difference in range means at most a span or usually half a span.
Maintaining that tiny distance with delicacy is more dangerous and requires less effort than launching attacks at a distance while advancing and dodging.
But what if hidden weapon techniques were mixed in? The method of exchanging each form and stepping back would become untenable.
By simply widening the distance, they could comfortably throw hidden weapons.
For Tang Do-gyeong, it would mean the opponent is walking headlong into the territory of the fist, but as for those in the direct line, what would happen? If they wanted to throw hidden weapons, it would serve as preventive force against an advancing opponent.
If they thought they were just throwing hidden weapons but actually were employing a fist technique.
In such a scenario, where they are not at close range but instead launching an attack from a distance? In that situation, even just a single step forward would bring them into a state where they couldn’t escape the fierce territory of the fists.
If the opponent lunged forward without thought, believing the opponent would throw hidden weapons, and they received a counterattack, would they be able to do the same reckless charge again?
Moreover, it’s worth mentioning that the charm of hidden weapons is also applied here.
Charm refers to a phenomenon that occurs in close quarters. Why? Because there’s no time to respond and no leeway to assess whether something is real or fake; it can deceive the opponent easily. What significance is there in pretending to throw hidden weapons from far away when everyone can clearly see it?
Generally speaking, close-range hidden weapon techniques are pointless. Because hidden weapons have the advantage of long-distance, that’s where they ought to strive for advantage.
However, the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method would also be able to exploit benefits even when distances are narrowed. Therefore, there was a need for a way to effectively utilize hidden weapons even up close.
Specifically, it’s about a method to take down the opponent when they completely maintain their weapons’ intervals.
Even while preventing the intervals of the fists, when the distance is preserved enough that the hidden weapon methods would fade away, it can deceive them into thinking they’re being attacked with hidden weapons.
Since the distance isn’t far, the opponent won’t have a choice but to respond. They may not know whether the attack is a stab or merely feigning one, but once they determine the approach, blocking becomes impossible, leaving them with no choice but to merely respond.
After witnessing all three forms of the hidden weapon techniques, I realized why I’d never heard of the Bat-Leaping Tiger Method.
The Tang Clan’s Bat-Leaping Tiger Method was a martial art that could only have been born from my imparting of gambling techniques to Tang Do-gyeong.
