Chapter 2

Mumu (2)

‘It’s faster to chop with my hands.’

—Crack!

Keeping an eye out, Mumu picked up the axe and chopped the firewood.

Every time the axe hit a dry log, it split cleanly.

The wood split so easily, as if someone had already cut along the grain beforehand.

‘He makes it look so easy.’

Yu Yeop-gyeong had also chopped firewood often when Mumu was younger.

But even after chopping for just a quarter of an hour, his hands and feet would go numb, making it hard to continue.

Even though he had become much healthier by moving his body more since coming to his place of exile than when he was at the National Academy, that was still his limit.

‘Has it already been two hours?’

That was how much time had passed since Mumu started chopping firewood.

The guy hadn’t taken a single break.

He kept chopping firewood over and over, and had already piled it up to the height of two grown men.

It was more than nine loads for an A-frame carrier.

‘…….Amazing. Truly amazing.’

Who would believe he had been doing that since he was eight years old?

Whenever he jokingly mentioned it to the peddlers who sometimes passed through here, they always told him not to speak nonsense.

Yes, it must sound like nonsense.

‘It’s just a drop in the ocean.’

It would take more than half a day to recount all the stories about Mumu.

That was how different the boy was from ordinary children.

Especially when it came to strength, he was extraordinary.

‘It’s already at Eight (八).’

At the beginning of this year, he had turned the dial to its final setting: Eight.

But Mumu had already grown strong enough to split firewood with his bare hands.

Until he was nine, Two (二) had been enough, but his strength had grown exponentially over time.

It’s strange, since he doesn’t seem to be training his body specifically.

‘Suspicious. Suspicious. Suspicious.’

My sensitive instincts as a father are telling me.

Something is suspicious about my adopted son.

He’s a simple and good son who always respects me, his father, and listens well—

No, he sometimes shows signs of being annoyed, but still.

I trust this son of mine, but today, I must uncover that child’s secret.

—Crack!

“Mumu.”

“Yes.”

“That’s enough for now. You can rest.”

In truth, it had been enough long ago.

While he was busy harboring suspicions, even more firewood had piled up.

Mumu had already chopped the amount that would be handed over to the merchant caravan arriving later that afternoon.

In other words, the warehouse was overflowing with firewood.

‘My life in exile has become too prosperous.’

Given that he could afford to drink expensive tea like Xinyang Maojian, one could easily guess how much wealth he had accumulated from firewood alone.

Inside the residence, there was also Fenghuang Dancong and Wuyi Rock Tea from the Wuyi Mountains.

They were the only pleasures of his life in exile.

‘Thank you, Mumu.’

All of this was thanks to his adopted son, Mumu.

When he first started raising this child, he wondered what he was doing with his life in exile.

But now the boy had become just as precious as a biological son.

“Father.”

“Yes, Mumu.”

“Can I go play in the mountains?”

“Of course. You know you’re not allowed to go beyond ten ri, right?”

“Father.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve always wanted to ask this, but doesn’t that rule not really apply to me?”

“…….Do you want to abandon this father of yours?”

“No.”

“Then don’t go beyond ten ri.”

“Yes.”

And with that, Mumu, looking excited, headed toward the forest with light steps.

Watching Mumu’s back, Yu Yeop-gyeong let out a small laugh.

It feels like he’s grown up quite a bit now.

‘He even knows how to tease his father.’

“Hoo. Well then…”

Shall I get ready?

Yu Yeop-gyeong put on his hiking shoes and prepared thoroughly.

Today was the day he would finally find out what that child did whenever he went to play in the mountains.

Yu Yeop-gyeong ran into the forest in the direction Mumu had gone.

‘What?’

I followed him immediately, but his figure was already a tiny dot in the distance.

He was dashing up the mountainside as fast as a water deer.

Yu Yeop-gyeong muttered as he watched his adopted son.

‘It’s impossible.’

The faster you give up, the better.

How in the world am I supposed to catch up to that?

Meanwhile, Mumu, who had already run halfway up the mountain, stopped and glanced back.

Far below at the foot of the mountain, he could see his adoptive father, Yu Yeop-gyeong.

Strangely, despite the considerable distance, Mumu could clearly see even the troubled expression on his adoptive father’s face.

‘Sorry, Father.’

He had bolted because he thought he would get another lecture if his father followed him.

Fortunately, perhaps because the distance was too great, his adoptive father, who had been staring at him helplessly, soon left the forest.

Now, it seemed he could finally go to his hideout.

As Mumu ran expertly through the mountain, something soon caught his eye.

It was an empty clearing filled with broken trees.

In that place, starting with a thick wooden staff that had large rocks tied to each end, numerous pieces of strength-training equipment were lined up.

‘My treasures.’

These were Mumu’s treasures.

Things he had personally made since he was young in order to train his body.

At some point, his adoptive father had started disliking his training and strongly opposed it.

Mumu couldn’t understand why.

‘He used to say that a man should know how to protect his own body.’

He had started training because of his father’s words.

In fact, moving his body became easier and more comfortable the more he trained.

Mumu looked at the iron rings around his wrists and ankles.

His father called them Strength-Limiting Rings.

They were much heavier than they looked.

The strange thing was that this weight only applied to Mumu himself.

‘If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t even be able to sleep on my bed.’

It would have broken from the weight long ago.

As the number on the dial increased, the weight became unimaginably heavy, and he could no longer move normally without training.

So, from a certain point onward, training had become part of his daily life.

And the more he trained, the lighter his body felt.

‘Aah, this is great.’

Just thinking about starting his training made him excited.

Mumu approached the wooden staff with the giant rocks tied to both ends.

He grabbed it with both hands, balanced it across his shoulders and back, and repeatedly squatted and stood up.

‘One… two… three…’

Today’s quota was ten thousand repetitions.

Each rock weighed around five hundred geun, meaning together they weighed one thousand geun.

He wanted to find heavier rocks, but the wooden staff, reinforced with an iron core he had bought from a peddler, couldn’t withstand more than this.

This was already the limit.

The staff itself was heavily bent and needed a new iron core soon.

‘I don’t have many spares left. I’ll have to secretly ask Mr. Oh from the merchant caravan later.’

He had even gathered valuable medicinal herbs specifically for that purpose.

—Grip!

Every time he squatted and stood up, the densely defined muscles in his thighs bulged and screamed.

And each time, a smile of exhilaration spread across Mumu’s lips.

Thatched House at the Place of Exile.

Yu Yeop-gyeong patted his lower back as he sipped his tea.

“If only I were ten years younger, I would have chased after him.”

In truth, he knew it would still be difficult even if he were twenty years younger.

That child’s stamina was far superior to that of ordinary people.

In the end, he had failed to trail him today as well.

But what did it matter?

‘……I should just be grateful that he grew up well.’

He was merely a scholar who studied and taught others.

Yet a man like him had raised a child for seventeen years.

He was a father full of mistakes, but it was satisfying enough that he had raised the boy into someone upright and not twisted.

‘I am also grateful to you, Elder.’

If the Taoist Master with a Divine Bone Structure hadn’t given him the child, he might not have been able to endure this long life in exile.

It was truly long.

He thought it would end in ten years.

‘Wait… am I going to grow old and die here without ever seeing my family again?’

If that happened, he would feel sorry for Mumu.

The boy had never once left the place of exile from birth until the age of seventeen.

The only people he had ever met were the merchants from the traveling caravan.

‘……What a sad thing.’

To be confined to one place for an entire lifetime.

It seemed selfish to hope that Mumu would remain by his side forever.

If his exile continued indefinitely, perhaps the right thing to do would be to send Mumu out into the world…

—Rustle!

Yu Yeop-gyeong raised his head.

The sound of several footsteps came from the bushes outside the yard.

‘It seems the merchant caravan has arrived.’

They had arrived earlier than expected.

Filled with a sense of welcome, Yu Yeop-gyeong stood up and walked into the yard.

However, the moment he saw five rough-looking men wearing animal pelts emerge from the bushes, he froze in shock.

‘M-Mountain bandits?’

Judging from the blades and iron club in their hands, it seemed certain.

Yu Yeop-gyeong’s body stiffened.

He had lived in exile for many years, but coincidentally, he had never encountered mountain bandits during all that time.

Perhaps because the mountain terrain was so rugged, very few people came this deep into the forest.

But today, for the first time, mountain bandits had appeared.

Just then, a hairy man among them spoke to the scar-faced man standing in the center.

“The Sub-leader was right. You said it looked like smoke was rising, and someone really was living here.”

At the flattering words, the scar-faced man called the Sub-leader smirked.

“We’re lucky today. To find such a windfall in this mountain valley.”

Their eyes landed on the mountain of firewood stacked high nearby.

It would fetch a considerable sum if sold, and would also be useful back at the mountain fortress.

One of the bandits pointed at Yu Yeop-gyeong with his iron club.

“What should we do with that bastard?”

At those words, the man called the Sub-leader glanced at the signpost near the entrance to the yard and said,

“Looks like an exiled prisoner.”

“There’ll be no trouble even if we kill him.”

“Just kill him.”

“Hehehe. Understood.”

As soon as the order was given, two bandits strode toward Yu Yeop-gyeong.

The scholar’s legs froze instantly.

He had spent a long time in exile, but he had never before faced a life-threatening situation like this.

Then suddenly, he remembered something.

‘Mumu.’

His adopted son.

If Mumu came down from the mountain now, he might run directly into them.

Then that child would also be in danger.

‘I have to warn him!’

Yu Yeop-gyeong started running and shouted with all his might.

“Son! Mountain bandits have appeared—!”

—Stab!

“Gah!”

Before he could finish shouting, something pierced the back of Yu Yeop-gyeong’s thigh.

It was a sharp dagger.

Struck by it, he collapsed to the ground in agony.

“Hmph. A useless gesture.”

The one who had thrown the dagger appeared to be the man called the Sub-leader.

Judging by the terrifying accuracy of the throw, he clearly wasn’t an ordinary mountain bandit.

“Guuuhhh.”

The fallen Yu Yeop-gyeong clutched his thigh where the dagger was embedded.

Is this how my life in exile ends?

If he died here, what would happen to Mumu, who would be left all alone?

It was at that very moment.

“Father!”

The owner of the voice was none other than Mumu.

Yu Yeop-gyeong’s face instantly hardened.

No, the boy who usually returned very late whenever he wandered the mountains had come back unusually early today.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

Yu Yeop-gyeong screamed with all his might.

“M-Mumu! Don’t come! Run away, now!”

“Hah. How foolish.”

The bandit called the Sub-leader sneered.

Yu Yeop-gyeong probably didn’t know, but they weren’t ordinary mountain bandits.

They belonged to Muyang Fortress, one of the Seventy-Two Fortresses of the Green Forest that dominated the mountain ranges of the Central Plains.

In other words, they were martial artists.

Most of the subordinates brought along had also learned martial arts.

A normal brat like that could be killed effortlessly.

“Seems to be his son.”

“Kill him.”

“Yes, sir!”

At the Sub-leader’s command, the bandit wielding the iron club charged toward Mumu.

Using a lightness skill, he moved as quickly as a galloping horse.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived right in front of Mumu.

“Farewell, little boy.”

The bandit swung the iron club directly at Mumu’s face.

He expected the iron club, empowered with internal energy, to instantly shatter the boy’s skull.

But something unexpected happened.

—Grasp!

‘Huh?’

The bandit’s eyes trembled.

The iron club that should have crushed the boy’s head stopped in midair.

The reason was simple.

The boy standing before him had caught the iron club with one hand.

“Y-You bastard… you’ve learned martial arts!”

At those words, Mumu tilted his head slightly.

“Martial arts? What’s that?”

“Are you pretending not to know?”

“If you haven’t learned martial arts, then how could you possibly block this one’s iron club, you bastard…?!”

—Snatch!

‘Huh?’

Now the iron club had been completely taken away.

Then Mumu suddenly folded the iron club in half.

And then folded it again.

And again.

—Cr-cr-cr-crumple!

In an unbelievable sight, the iron club was compressed into a lump of iron like clay.

Anyone seeing it would never believe it had once been solid iron.

‘!!!’

The bandit stood speechless in utter shock.

Meanwhile, Mumu rolled up his sleeve, revealing the densely rippling muscles underneath, and said,

“What else is there besides strength?”