Chapter 6 — Kunlun’s Mad Bear
The moment I recognized the person standing before me, my body froze.
Nearly seven feet tall, with shoulders as broad as gates.
A massive man whose mere presence overwhelmed others.
At first glance, his appearance resembled that of a madman.
Wild white hair hanging in disarray.
Pitch-black skin contrasting against it.
Huge eyes blazing beneath deeply wrinkled brows.
The gigantic old Taoist, dressed in ragged gray robes, held a liquor bottle in one hand as he looked down at me with a crooked grin.
And I knew exactly who this old Taoist was.
‘…Elder Jin Gwang-ung.’
One of the four First Elders who stood on the same level as the Kunlun Sect Leader himself.
An absolute master ranked among the very strongest in the sect.
But there was another name people used for him.
“Mad Bear. Kunlun’s Mad Bear.”
A temperament completely unsuited for a Taoist sect like Kunlun.
A violent lunatic said to throw punches first whenever something displeased him, regardless of who the other person was.
There was even a famous story about him.
On the day of an official meeting attended by the sect leader and the higher-ups of the sect—
During his very first appearance at that gathering—
Jin Gwang-ung complained the room was too hot and smashed the meeting hall doors apart with his bare hands.
A completely uncontrollable existence no one could restrain.
The very monster whom all Kunlun disciples prayed never to encounter even in their dreams—
Was now standing right before me.
‘Why the hell is Jin Gwang-ung here?’
Normally, he was famous for shutting himself away in isolation.
Unless it involved major sect events or extermination campaigns against the Demonic Cult, he almost never appeared publicly.
In my previous life, I had only seen him once.
At the funeral of an important sect figure who died suddenly.
Even then, I had merely caught a distant glimpse of Jin Gwang-ung attending the ceremony.
That was the kind of man he was—
Someone completely detached from the world.
So why had he appeared at the Martial Training Hall?
And why right in front of me of all people?
“Well now, look at this brat. Daring to scheme in front of this old man? Seems you’ve got more than one life to spare. Keh heh heh.”
Jin Gwang-ung chuckled while watching me lost in thought.
But the madness contained within his eyes only deepened.
At that moment, I instinctively became tense.
‘I need to be careful. There’s no telling what this crazy old man might do.’
One wrong response and I could die instantly.
“Please forgive my disrespect, Elder Jin Gwang-ung.”
I hurriedly lowered my head and cupped my fists respectfully.
“My name is Han Mujin, and I work in the Affairs Hall. This is my first time meeting someone as great as yourself, Elder, so I lost my composure.”
“Keh heh heh. This little brat’s tongue twists around like a snake’s.”
“I apologize. If I have somehow offended the Elder, I sincerely ask for forgiveness.”
Keeping my head lowered, I waited carefully for Jin Gwang-ung’s next reaction.
The old monster before me was completely unpredictable.
Every careless word or tiny action could become dangerous.
“Raise your head. Keh heh heh. Someone watching might think this old man is bullying you.”
“…”
“This old man merely happened to pass by and witnessed Kunlun’s principles being trampled like dogshit. I simply couldn’t ignore it.”
“…Kunlun’s principles?”
I cautiously raised my head slightly.
“Indeed! A disciple of great Kunlun, who should walk the path of the Dao, attempted to strike a fellow sect member from behind! Isn’t that utterly disgraceful? Though I may be nothing more than an old and frail man nearing death, even I could not simply overlook such nonsense.”
Jin Gwang-ung replied while chuckling.
‘Old and frail? Where exactly?’
Externally, I kept a calm expression before the elder, but internally I was stunned.
The man standing before me was larger and more terrifying than the savage black bears said to roam Mount Kunlun.
And hadn’t I just witnessed it myself?
That monstrous strength capable of launching a grown man straight into a wall in an instant.
Still, based on Jin Gwang-ung’s words, nothing seemed particularly strange.
As a First Elder responsible for upholding the sect’s principles, he had merely done what was expected of him.
The only problem was that the First Elder standing before me was, contrary to his own words, the very kind of destroyer who normally treated those “principles” like pebbles on the roadside—kicking and trampling them however he pleased.
“Thank you, Elder. Thanks to you, I survived.”
“Keh heh heh. Enough, brat. There’s no need to wag your tongue for this old man’s sake. I’m satisfied simply knowing Kunlun’s principles were upheld.”
Jin Gwang-ung looked at me with an expression as benevolent as a Buddha’s.
The smile looked so mismatched against his savage face that it only made him appear even creepier.
‘What’s with this old monster? There’s definitely something going on here…’
No matter how I thought about it, it felt like he had ulterior motives.
And sure enough, his true intentions revealed themselves in his very next words.
“That punch of yours… where did you learn it? That wasn’t the level a mere Affairs Hall servant should possess.”
So he had seen it.
Cloud-Shattering Three Absolute Palms I used.
I quickly hid my expression and tried to play dumb.
“Pardon? I’m not sure what you mean…”
“Keh heh, look at this little brat. Trying to use that tiny head of yours to scheme? Should I smash you into a wall too before your tongue loosens up?”
“…”
“I’ll ask one last time. That Three-Section Palm… did you truly understand it all after seeing it once?”
The sharp gaze Jin Gwang-ung directed at me made my chest turn cold.
‘So he heard everything I said earlier.’
Jin Gwang-ung was an impossible man to predict.
And on top of that, he was a supreme master capable of crushing someone like me with a flick of his hand.
If I answered carelessly here, things could turn disastrous instantly.
‘But I can’t reveal everything either.’
I needed an explanation that this crazy old man could accept.
A believable story mixed with just enough truth and lies.
After taking a deep breath, I slowly opened my mouth.
“Truthfully… I’ve been training in the Three-Section Palm and the Lesser Celestial Breathing Technique for quite a long time.”
“Trained for a long time? Where?”
“Before joining the Kunlun Sect, I learned from my father during childhood.”
“From your father? What do you mean?”
“My father operated a small martial school near Pingliang City in northern Gansu Province. Thanks to his teachings, I was able to learn the Three-Section Palm and the Lesser Celestial Breathing Technique.”
“Really? Then why are you here instead of inheriting your father’s martial school? Surely that would’ve been a far better way to survive than becoming a Affairs Hall servant.”
Jin Gwang-ung questioned me suspiciously.
“Well… the truth is…”
I deliberately trailed off and swallowed hard.
After pausing for effect, I continued in a trembling voice.
“…Both of my parents died from an epidemic five years ago. With nowhere left to go, I wandered from place to place aimlessly.”
“And then you drifted all the way to Kunlun? Is that the story you’re trying to tell me?”
“Yes… The Three-Section Palm and the Lesser Celestial Breathing Technique are practically the only inheritance my late father left me. Every night, thinking of my father, I practiced those two martial arts day and night. Sniff….”
Technically, I wasn’t even completely lying.
This body I reincarnated into really was an orphan who never even knew his parents’ faces.
I deliberately lowered my gaze toward the floor.
Even made my voice tremble slightly.
Though Jin Gwang-ung didn’t burst into tears or anything, it at least seemed like the atmosphere had shifted.
“Hmmm…”
Jin Gwang-ung stroked his chin while slowly scanning me from head to toe.
He looked uncertain whether my story was truth or fabrication.
I needed one final decisive push.
‘Let’s see if you can resist this performance.’
My appearance may have been that of an innocent fifteen-year-old boy—
But in reality, I was a man who had lived well into his late forties before regressing.
The acting skills forged from over forty years of life experience came pouring out.
“…Even now, I sometimes see my father in my dreams. His warm voice still echoes in my ears—‘Mujin, never forget your breathing when you extend your arms.’ Sniff… to leave only young me behind in this cruel world… fatherrr…!”
I burst into loud sobs while wiping my eyes dramatically with my sleeve.
At the same time, I secretly peeked at Jin Gwang-ung through the gaps in my arm.
Jin Gwang-ung stared down at me with an uncertain expression.
Still stroking his chin, he eventually slapped his hand against his knee and spoke.
“Hmmm… fine. I’ll believe you for now. Regardless, it’s true that you properly executed the Three-Section Palm.”
“…Sniff… I was merely remembering my father’s teachings—”
“Stop bawling already. If you keep crying like that, I’ll send you to meet that father you miss so much myself.”
“…What?”
“If I snap your neck, wouldn’t father and son reunite in the afterlife immediately?”
“…”
My tears stopped instantly.
There was no doubt anymore.
This old man was genuinely insane.
“Keh heh heh. So you said you missed your dead father dearly, but I suppose you still enjoy life in this world more.”
As soon as I stopped crying, Jin Gwang-ung chuckled and stepped closer.
“Now then, let’s see. You said you learned the Lesser Celestial Breathing Technique, so you must’ve accumulated some internal energy in your dantian by now.”
Suddenly, Jin Gwang-ung’s left hand shot toward my dantian.
He was so fast I couldn’t even react.
After examining my dantian, Jin Gwang-ung withdrew his hand and muttered quietly.
“So it wasn’t a lie that you’ve trained the Lesser Celestial Breathing Technique for a long time. There truly is internal energy settled in your dantian. Not the filthy energy of the Demonic Cult or the Unorthodox factions—but proper orthodox qi.”
Hearing that, I clicked my tongue internally.
‘So this crazy old man really is a genuine monster.’
His hand had touched my dantian for less than a moment.
Yet in that tiny instant, he discerned even the nature of my internal energy.
There was a reason Jin Gwang-ung was considered one of Kunlun’s top masters.
Looking at me again, Jin Gwang-ung continued questioning.
“How many years have you been in Kunlun?”
“This is my fourth year living in the Affairs Hall.”
“Four years in the Affairs Hall? Then you’ve never formally learned martial arts from anyone in Kunlun all this time?”
“That’s correct, Elder Jin Gwang-ung.”
“And you cultivated the Three-Section Palm and the Lesser Celestial Breathing Technique entirely on your own?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Jin Gwang-ung’s repeated questions toward me.
For some reason, I felt increasingly uneasy.
‘Why does he keep digging into my background like this?’
No matter how superior my Cloud-Shattering Three Absolute Palms appeared compared to the normal version, it was still strange.
At the end of the day, it was merely a low-grade palm technique.
To a peak master like Jin Gwang-ung, it should’ve looked like nothing more than a common foundational martial art seen everywhere.
‘And it’s not like he actually sees me as some peerless martial arts genius either.’
Kunlun Sect already possessed countless talented martial artists.
Even among disciples my age alone, there were probably plenty far stronger than I currently was.
Which only made Jin Gwang-ung’s excessive interest in me even more suspicious.
Then, after a brief silence, Jin Gwang-ung finally spoke again.
“An orphan with no formal martial arts training from Kunlun, yet capable of properly performing the Three-Section Palm… Keh heh… excellent. This worked out perfectly.”
“…Pardon?”
“They say heaven helps those who help themselves! So this must be the will of heaven! KRAHAHAHAHA!”
Jin Gwang-ung suddenly burst into mad laughter toward the sky.
Then, with arms as thick as pillars, he suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
“Han Mujin. From now on, you’ll be working under me.”
“…What?”
“Meaning, you’ll become the piece that runs errands in my place.”
“…A piece? What are you—”
Before I could even finish speaking—
BOOOOM!
Jin Gwang-ung kicked off the ground.
The earth exploded beneath us as my vision flipped upside down.
My ears rang violently, and the world seemed to fall away beneath me.
I blinked once—
And suddenly the ground was far below us.
That was when I realized it.
My body had been slung over Jin Gwang-ung’s shoulder as we soared into the sky.
“What the hell?!”
And so—
In this life as well—
I ended up getting kidnapped.
Not by the Orthodox Alliance this time,
But by Kunlun’s completely insane Mad Bear.