"Did you say twenty times?"
"At least that much is needed to make it worthwhile."
In situations like this, one must be shameless.
The old man looked at me with an expression as if asking what kind of thief I was, but I confidently explained why I needed to be paid twenty times more.
"If I tutor you, I plan to focus solely on you and not take any other students."
"Isn't it true that no one else would come anyway?"
...
Even though a major crisis hit from the start, I pretended not to hear and continued speaking.
"Usually, tutoring involves checking martial arts once every three days for about an hour. But for you, that won't suffice. It seems you have some internal energy, but you haven't practiced external techniques much. Am I right?"
"... I do some basic exercises for health every day."
The old man nodded without denying it.
I sighed as if I had expected it.
"Entering the Blue Dragon Academy with just basic exercises? Impossible. You need to train both internal and external techniques, manage your diet, and take care of your health. I have to pay attention to you for the entire month. In other words."
I looked the old man in the eye with a serious expression.
"This means the time and effort I put in is more than twenty times. It's not an excessive amount at all."
"Heh heh... Now that I hear it, it sounds plausible."
The old man stroked his beard and laughed.
Then his smile turned mischievous, and his tone changed.
"So how much is this twenty times? I haven't heard the price yet."
Well, if you ask, it's...
I swallowed hard and said, "Six thousand silver taels."
"... That's highway robbery."
The old man clicked his tongue as if it was absurd.
But he didn't look angry or like he thought it was unreasonable.
Six thousand silver taels.
It's money that commoners can't touch in their lifetime, and even wealthy families find it hard to gather.
Yet the old man merely clicked his tongue lightly upon hearing the amount.
'So, money is not an issue for him.'
An old man who can think lightly of such an amount.
I became curious about his identity, but I didn't show unnecessary curiosity.
"So if I pay six thousand taels, you can get me into the Blue Dragon Academy?"
"If you follow my guidance diligently..."
"Sir!"
At that moment, a dark shadow blocked the space between us.
It was the woman in black who had escorted the old man here.
She glared at me with fierce eyes.
"You don't need to listen to this swindler any longer!"
"Black Shadow. I haven't finished speaking yet..."
"There's nothing more to hear!"
Black Shadow interrupted the old man and glared at me.
Her hand was on her sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
"Do you really think it's possible for someone of his age and condition to learn martial arts?"
"Is there any reason it can't be done?"
"He's not only old, but he's also seriously ill. He's here to recuperate."
"I'll tailor the lessons considering his condition, so there's no need to worry. He'll be healthier in a month."
"How dare you...!"
I spoke with a smile, intending to be friendly, but Black Shadow's face twisted like a demon.
"Who are you trying to deceive?"
In an instant, her drawn sword was at my throat.
Black Shadow glared at me, exuding a chilling murderous intent.
"Stop using your silver tongue to deceive him. Before I cut it off."
"... What is the meaning of this?"
"Black Shadow!"
Startled by Black Shadow's menacing aura, the old man shouted, and from inside the manor, Hyunwon Kang and Weiji Cheon, sensing the murderous intent, rushed over.
"Teacher!"
I squinted at the woman named Black Shadow.
The tip of her sword, touching my throat, didn't waver an inch.
'She's more skilled than I thought.'
Black Shadow, who revealed her aura, was an expert beyond imagination.
It was hard to understand why someone of her caliber would serve as a bodyguard.
"Put down your sword immediately!"
"What are you doing!"
With a clang, Hyunwon Kang and Weiji Cheon, who had drawn their swords, aimed at Black Shadow.
But Black Shadow didn't even glance at them and continued to glare at me.
"This is your last warning. If you continue to deceive him with absurd lies, next time it won't end with a warning."
"I've never lied."
"Do you really think that tongue of yours won't be cut off until..."
Thud!
It was a small sound.
The sound of a cane hitting the ground.
It wasn't imbued with any formidable internal energy; it was just a sound of irritation.
"Black Shadow."
The important thing was that the person who made that sound was the old man Black Shadow served.
"Sir."
Black Shadow, whose face had turned pale, turned to look at the old man.
Her body was trembling like a leaf.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me..."
"Put away your sword and step back immediately."
It was different from the aura of a martial artist.
The intense presence emanating from the old man's small body made Black Shadow lower her sword.
Not only that, but she knelt before the old man.
"Please forgive me..."
The old man walked past Black Shadow, who was kneeling, and approached me.
"I'm sorry. My bodyguard showed an unsightly side."
"No, I'm envious that you have such a loyal bodyguard."
"Heh heh. Thank you for thinking so."
When the old man smiled warmly, the oppressive aura he had shown earlier disappeared as if it were a lie.
"Let's continue our conversation. If I receive martial arts guidance from you, can I really enter the Blue Dragon Academy and become a martial arts master?"
His gaze was gentle, but at the same time, it was sharp, as if probing my true intentions.
I spoke honestly without adding any falsehoods.
"To be frank, starting martial arts at your age and achieving great success is difficult. At best, you might become a second-rate martial artist, and if you're extremely lucky, a first-rate one."
"Nonsense..."
Black Shadow, who was kneeling, gritted her teeth and muttered, but when the old man glared at her, she clamped her mouth shut.
The old man looked at me with a bitter expression.
"Extremely lucky... I'm not particularly lucky."
"Fortunately, it seems luck is on your side this time."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
I smiled and pointed at myself with my finger.
"Isn't luck appearing right before your eyes?"
For a moment, the old man's eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! I really like your boldness! I noticed it when you didn't even blink with Black Shadow's sword at your throat!"
"Well, it wasn't that dangerous."
"What? Hahaha!"
The old man laughed so hard that he dropped his cane, and Black Shadow glared at me, grinding her teeth quietly.
After a while, the old man finally calmed down and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Then I'll give you thirty times."
"What?"
That was an unexpected development, and I looked at the old man with wide eyes.
"I'll give you nine thousand taels in silver. No, I'll make it ten thousand. Half as an advance, and the other half if you pass the entrance exam. How about it?"
There was no reason to refuse.
Since I had started tutoring under my name, I intended to ensure he passed, but the better the reward, the more motivated I became.
"I'll make sure you pass."
"You'd better."
The old man's smile was gentle, but the words that came out of his mouth were not.
"If you don't get me in, I'll be very disappointed in you. I might even get angry."
This was a threat.
The anger of an old man who could pay ten thousand taels with just a word...
I was a little curious, but I didn't want to experience it.
"You won't be disappointed."
"I'll look forward to it. So when does the training start?"
"They say to strike while the iron is hot, so let's start today."
"... Today?"
"Let's go back inside for now."
The old man's eyes widened as if genuinely surprised.
Before he could change his mind, I quickly led him into the White Dragon Manor.
Black Shadow followed us with a sour expression.
"And I didn't mention this earlier, but for the next month, you'll have to stay here with us."
"Hmm... Is that really necessary?"
"It is."
To the old man, who looked troubled, I nodded firmly.
Although I confidently said I'd get him in, getting a sixty-five-year-old into the Blue Dragon Academy was no easy task.
"We'll start the lessons this evening. There are plenty of empty rooms in the manor, so feel free to choose any."
"... Alright."
Thus began the cohabitation with the oldest applicant in the history of the Blue Dragon Academy.
That evening.
I stood facing the old man, Gong (he only introduced himself as Mr. Gong, not revealing his full name), in the training ground.
"Your stamina isn't as bad as I thought."
"Huff... Didn't I tell you? I've been doing basic exercises for a long time."
The old man, who had just finished his exercises, caught his breath.
He looked at me with hopeful eyes, as if asking how he did.
I scratched my chin, recalling his movements from a moment ago.
They were slow and clumsy, but I could sense the profoundness of Taoist martial arts in his gentle and mysterious movements.
"It wasn't just basic exercises, was it? I noticed some movements from the Wudang style mixed in."
At my words, Mr. Gong's eyes sparkled.
"Heh. As expected of an instructor, you have a keen eye. That's right. Although I've never formally learned martial arts, I've been doing these exercises for over thirty years. How is it? Isn't my stamina comparable to young people...? Cough! Cough!"
...
If only he hadn't coughed at the end, it would have been quite convincing.
As Mr. Gong coughed, Black Shadow, who had been watching anxiously from behind, rushed over to support him.
"Sir!"
"I'm fine. I just got a little carried away and did it too fast. Huff..."
"Take slow, deep breaths. Slowly..."
It's a mess...
While Black Shadow supported the pale-faced old man and helped him breathe deeply, I picked up the cane he had set aside and brought it to him.
'Hmm?'
Just by holding it briefly, I noticed that the cane's balance was quite different from what I had expected.
Click.
As I pressed a part of the cane's handle, a two-inch spike popped out from the end, just as I suspected.
"I was wondering why you were using a cane when you could do exercises on your own..."
When I handed the cane back with a bewildered expression, the old man gave an awkward smile and said, "Heh heh. As you can see, it's a self-defense weapon. Unfortunately, I've never had to use it."
"As long as I'm around, you won't need to use it."
Black Shadow spoke with a determined expression, and Mr. Gong chuckled.
Mr. Gong looked at me with anticipation in his eyes.
"So, how is it? Even though I'm old, isn't my body quite usable?"
Saying that with a face as pale as a corpse after just a short exercise wasn't very convincing.
"Not even close."
"Hmph."
Mr. Gong pouted with a displeased expression.
They say people become like children when they age.
He had a childlike side.
'Though I said that, his stamina isn't as bad as I thought.'
At least it's not the worst.
Mr. Gong had the minimum strength needed to perform martial arts.
His body was more flexible than expected, and he had enough will to learn.
'I can mix some of the Eighteen Forest Styles into his exercises to make up for the lack of stamina.'
I had confirmed the external state of his body.
Now it was time to check inside.
I cautiously asked Mr. Gong, "Sir, may I examine your body more closely?"
"Didn't you already do a pulse check yesterday?"
"That wasn't enough. I'd like to flow my internal energy into your body to check."
Flowing one's internal energy into another's body without permission is taboo.
It can cause internal injuries or cripple the person if one wishes.
That's why I only did a pulse check yesterday and confirmed there were no major issues.
"Sir..."
Black Shadow shook her head with a stern expression, signaling not to allow it.
But the decision was ultimately Mr. Gong's.
He looked at me intently and then nodded.
"It would be strange to refuse at this point. Go ahead and examine."
"Please sit over there and assume a cross-legged position."
Mr. Gong sat cross-legged, and I sat behind him, placing my palm on his back.
Black Shadow glared at me, exuding murderous intent.
"If you do anything foolish to him, I'll cut your throat immediately."
"Just focus on guarding him."
I lightly dismissed Black Shadow's menacing words.
Since I had placed my hand on Mr. Gong's back, Black Shadow couldn't touch me carelessly.
"I'll guide my internal energy. Don't resist and let it flow naturally."
"... I'm a bit nervous."
I drew upon my Reverse Heaven Divine Art and flowed my internal energy into Mr. Gong's body.
And soon after, my expression twisted into a strange grimace.
'Why is there so much?'