Genius Martial Arts Trainer

Chapter 44:

Dengfeng County, Henan Province.

Among the countless estates and pavilions in that vast place overseen by Shaolin and Cheonryu Sangdan, there was one estate that stood out for its grandiosity.

At the entrance of this estate, the words “Cheonryu Sangdan (天流商團)” were written in a dragon-serpent flying calligraphy.

Deep within this estate was a pavilion.

In that place called the Hall of the Head, the head of Cheonryu Sangdan, Ryu Ji-gwang, was reading through letters with a stoic expression.

[Hubei Province Wuhan General Report]

[Hubei Province Yichang Purchase Report]

……

[Gansu Province Lanzhou Disbursement Report]

……

[Shanxi Province Hejin County General Report]

……

The numerous letters on the table were from branches of Cheonryu Sangdan located all over the Central Plains.

“Hmm.”

As Ryu Ji-gwang read through the documents, he slightly furrowed his brow when he came across a letter from the Mianyang branch in Sichuan Province.

After rechecking several reports from other branches, he quickly scribbled a few characters on a blank piece of paper.

“Yang Chief Officer.”

As soon as he sealed the letter, he called for the chief officer, and a man with graying hair entered the Hall of the Head.

“Yes, Head of the Sangdan.”

“Send the Cheonggeumdae (靑金隊) to the Mianyang branch in Sichuan Province and the Hanzhong branch in Shaanxi Province. The details of the investigation are written in this letter, and it must only be opened upon arrival at the location.”

“Understood, Head of the Sangdan.”

After handing the letter to Yang Chief Officer, Ryu Ji-gwang let out a light sigh.

“Foolish tricks.”

The main business of Cheonryu Sangdan, one of the top five merchant groups in the world, was transportation.

As evidenced by the stacks of reports on his table, Cheonryu Sangdan had branches all over the continent, buying various specialties in bulk from different regions and selling them nationwide.

Of course, the letter from the Mianyang branch in Sichuan contained numerous items regarding purchases and disbursements.

In fact, the report from the Mianyang branch about the goods they bought and the contents received by the Hanzhong branch in Shaanxi matched.

However, when cross-referenced with information from other regions, the price of one item was higher than the market rate.

“Tsk. The sangdan being too large is also a problem.”

Ryu Ji-gwang clicked his tongue lightly and muttered to himself.

“Should I reinforce the Cheonggeumdae personnel…?”

Cheonggeumdae was a kind of inspection team. An inspection team of Cheonryu Sangdan composed solely of those whom Ryu Ji-gwang could trust.

But Ryu Ji-gwang quickly dismissed the idea. He knew well that arbitrarily increasing the number of Cheonggeumdae members could backfire.

“If the local branch leader lied and the inspection team sent to monitor the situation took the branch leader’s side?”

To avoid such a terrible situation, Cheonggeumdae had no choice but to be composed only of the most trustworthy individuals with the highest loyalty to Ryu Ji-gwang.

‘If only the recent activities of several local branches weren’t suspicious, there would be no need to worry so much.’

In fact, just a few years ago, he had never felt that Cheonggeumdae lacked personnel.

But recently, a strange sense of incongruity had been constantly bothering Ryu Ji-gwang.

The only problem was that there were no clear signs or evidence to indicate anything.

Ryu Ji-gwang’s sense of unease was merely due to his keen instincts honed over decades of running the organization.

“If we deal with the exposed tails first, we will eventually be able to catch the body.”

Shaking his head, Ryu Ji-gwang turned his gaze back to the stack of letters piled on the table.

He couldn’t just stop working because of a bad feeling. There were still piles of letters on the table that he had to deal with.

Continuing to write letters regarding the peculiarities he noticed, he gave instructions to the branches across the continent through the chief officers.

“Sigh.”

Ryu Ji-gwang let out a deep sigh, rubbing his aching back and hips from the long hours of paperwork.

He had managed to finish the tasks for the day. Although it was already past 9 p.m. after starting early in the morning, it was still relatively early compared to usual.

Having finished his work, Ryu Ji-gwang stood up and headed somewhere. Despite the late hour, he was not heading to his quarters.

“Mother, it’s Ji-gwang.”

The place he headed to was his mother, Yeon Ga-hee’s quarters.

“You may come in.”

With her permission, Ji-gwang entered the room and looked at his mother with a bitter expression.

It wasn’t that Ryu Ji-gwang had always visited his mother after finishing his work.

‘Hah. I was so blinded by work that I couldn’t see my family.’

For decades, he had lived obsessed with work since his days as an heir.

A while ago, seeing his mother walking in the yard, Ryu Ji-gwang felt as if he had been hit hard in the head.

In his memory, his mother, who used to smile like a girl even in her middle age, now had hair that had turned completely white, and she walked across the yard with a pained expression, her back bent.

Since that day, Ryu Ji-gwang tried to find time to spend with his mother and family whenever he had even a small break from his work in the organization.

However, it felt like that effort was already too late.

His wife had passed away while giving birth to their youngest daughter, and his mother was already elderly.

Moreover,

‘Even if I want to see my children, it’s not easy to meet them now.’

His two already grown sons each managed a regional branch, making it difficult to meet them directly.

Moreover, like himself, they were competing with each other to become the leader of the trading group, often making Ryu Ji-gwang wonder if they were really a family.

However, he couldn’t just sit idly by.

Ryu Ji-gwang had come to see his mother today to bring up a topic he had been holding back for the past few days.

“Mother, have you been to Shaolin Temple again today?”

He had come to stop his mother from going to Shaolin Temple.

Ryu Ji-gwang couldn’t bear to watch his ailing mother go to Shaolin Temple to pray out of concern for her children.

“Mother, please take care of your health. I earnestly beg you as your son.”

When Ryu Ji-gwang spoke with a face full of sorrow, the old woman replied with a girlish smile from her younger days.

“Hohoho. You don’t need to worry, Leader. Besides, I went to Shaolin Temple today and received some treatment.”

“……What do you mean by that, Mother?”

When Ryu Ji-gwang asked with a puzzled expression, Yeon Ga-hee began to recount her meeting with a novice monk named Mu-jin at Shaolin Temple today.

“It was truly a miraculous touch. It was much more effective than those acupuncture needles I’ve grown tired of, or the decoctions that make me retch just from the smell.”

“……So, you mean you will go to Shaolin Temple again tomorrow for the treatment?”

“Yes, Leader.”

Upon hearing his mother’s response, Ryu Ji-gwang replied with a determined look.

“Then, I will accompany you to Shaolin Temple tomorrow.”

Ryu Ji-gwang intended to verify the treatment from the novice monk named Mu-jin and prove its uselessness to stop his mother from going to Shaolin Temple.

Mu-jin found it difficult to properly respond to the old woman’s farewell, saying she would return the next day.

This was due to the sudden mention of the Cheonryu Sangdan.

And the next day,

Just as he had feared, the old woman returned to Shaolin Temple, this time with a middle-aged man.

Mu-jin, who had a fair amount of social experience, greeted the old woman and the middle-aged man without showing his bewilderment.

“Hello, Grandma! Nice to see you again. I am Mu-jin, a third-generation disciple of Shaolin.”

Ryu Ji-gwang had a strange expression at the sight of the novice monk, who was very polite to him while being somewhat informal with his mother.

“Oh ho ho ho. Isn’t our little Mu-jin so adorable? Leader, oh my, I have been impolite to Mu-jin again.”

“What are you saying, Grandma! Please speak comfortably!”

Their conversation, which sounded like that of a real grandmother and grandson, left Ryu Ji-gwang flabbergasted. Even Ryu Ji-gwang’s own sons, Yeon Ga-hee’s grandsons, were not this affectionate towards her.

‘As long as Mother is happy, that’s all that matters.’

Ryu Ji-gwang decided to think that the novice monk was doing something that neither he nor his grandsons could do.

With his thoughts organized, Ryu Ji-gwang responded with a seemingly gentle smile, befitting a seasoned merchant.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my mother, Mu-jin. You said you would treat her?”

“Treat? Ha ha ha. It’s more like spending time together.”

Mu-jin, having perfected his expression, replied nonchalantly.

‘So this is the former leader of the trading group.’

He thought to himself.

At this point, Ryu Ji-gwang was the current leader, but in the novel Mu-jin had read, a different character appeared as the leader.

‘Hmm. If I get close to the former leader, I might be able to uncover the relationship between the Cheonryu Sangdan and the hidden antagonist.’

If his memory served him right, Cheonryu Sangdan was not entirely allied with the hidden antagonist in the novel. Their relationship was more contractual.

Moreover, there were mentions that during the tenure of the former leader, the trading group was not as notorious.

Thus, Mu-jin decided to hope that the Cheonryu Sangdan had not yet allied with the antagonist. Conversely, if they were already allies, he planned to keep them close to find an opening.

‘Yes. As the old saying goes, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’

Having made up his mind, Mu-jin put on a business smile and spoke.

“Leader, you seem to spend a lot of time working while seated.”

“I often read documents while sitting.”

Ryu Ji-gwang, true to his nature as a seasoned merchant, hid his curiosity and responded kindly.

“From sitting for long periods, your pelvis is misaligned and your back is slightly hunched. Why not take this opportunity to receive treatment along with Grandma?”

Mu-jin started pitching his services to Ryu Ji-gwang.

‘Hoho?’

Ryu Ji-gwang’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly at Mu-jin’s business smile and his sharp observation of his physical condition.

“Can I see what kind of treatment it is?”

However, Ryu Ji-gwang was not easily swayed. He asked in a tone that seemed both intrigued and indifferent.

Since Mu-jin had already decided to approach Ryu Ji-gwang, he chose to properly treat both the grandmother and Ryu Ji-gwang.

“Then please follow me. Ah! Grandma, I’ll carry you again! Just like yesterday, get on my back!”

Mu-jin carried the old woman on his back and confidently led the way through the Shaolin Temple buildings.

The place Mu-jin took them to was where Hyun-gwang and Beob Geon resided.

“Mu-jin? What brings you here at this hour?”

Hyun-gwang asked, noticing Mu-jin’s arrival.

Beob Geon, who had asked with a puzzled look, soon saw the old woman on Mu-jin’s back and the middle-aged man standing beside them and figured out what was going on.

“Since Grandma is unwell, I thought it would be good to receive treatment together. Master.”

At Mu-jin’s words, Beob Geon turned his head to look at Hyun-gwang. Hyun-gwang, who had been enjoying the breeze on the veranda, nodded with a benevolent smile.

“Heh heh heh. If that’s what you wish, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Grandmaster! Then how about we also proceed with your treatment right now?”

With Mu-jin’s suggestion, the treatments for Hyun-gwang, the old woman, and the leader were conducted simultaneously.

Beob Geon first performed acupressure on Hyun-gwang, while Mu-jin alternated between giving acupressure to the old woman and the leader. Once their bodies were slightly loosened, they began Pilates.

Although the equipment was somewhat varied, there was only one of each type suitable for Hyun-gwang, so Mu-jin conducted different exercises for each of the three based on their specific needs.

For example, for the leader, who had a hunched back, they used the Pilates arc to focus on the abdominal and core muscles.

For the old woman, whose body was severely stiff, they used the barrel to focus on close-range spear technique movements.

And for Hyun-gwang, who lacked muscle, they used the reformer to focus on strength and rehabilitation exercises.

‘This might be a blessing in disguise.’

Mu-jin had been uneasy about Beob Geon and Hyun-gwang conducting Pilates classes after just a month of instruction. Now that he was approaching both the grandmother and the leader, he could also pay more attention to Hyun-gwang’s treatment, which felt like a fortunate turn of events.

As the exercise continued for some time,

“Heh heh heh.”

“Ho ho ho.”

The two elderly people exchanged similar laughs as they worked out together.

“Are you feeling alright? This is quite strenuous despite appearances.”

“But our little Mu-jin wouldn’t do anything harmful to our bodies. Ho ho ho.”

“……”

When treating Hyun-gwang alone, Mu-jin hadn’t noticed it, but treating two elderly people at the same time made him wonder if this was Shaolin Temple or a specialized elderly rehabilitation center.

After nearly half an hour of acupressure, massage, simple close-range spear techniques, and Pilates sessions,

Mu-jin found himself deep in thought.

‘It would be ideal to include electrotherapy or heat therapy as well.’

Both the old woman and the leader were in better shape than Hyun-gwang initially had been. At least they could move around on their own.

However, since their bodies had not been maintained for decades, Mu-jin felt their stiff muscles all over as he applied acupressure.

Hyun-gwang, keenly observant, immediately noticed what Mu-jin was contemplating.

“Heh heh heh. Mu-jin, you want to try thunder and heat therapy, don’t you?”

“Yes, Grandmaster.”

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

Hyun-gwang replied with a benevolent smile and raised his hands.

Zap.

Fwoosh.

Natural energy gathered around Hyun-gwang, lightning sparked from his left hand, and flames blazed from his right.

“……”

Mu-jin watched the scene in stunned silence, lost for words.