Chapter 5: Final Goodbyes
"Now, where did you go after being told to dry your hair and put on shoes?"
Around thirty minutes had passed since I arrived back home, more than half of which was used trying to get rid of the putrid smell off my body. After that I walked into the main room of the house and immediately started getting questioned by my mother.
"I went up to the old pine tree on the hill to relax and calm my mind so I would be ready tomorrow. But after relaxing for a while, I met an elder from the Mount Song Sect!"
"A Mount Song Sect elder, huh... It is the day before the examinations begin so it makes sense that the elders have departed. Ryu Il, did the elder say what his name was?"
What was it people in the future said? 'A mother always knows when their child lies?' I didn't have any extended encounters with a mother and her child in the future, but I don't think that rumor is very true.
"He said his name was Ryom Un-Ju."
Weirdly, at the mention of Master Ryom Un-Ju's name, my mother completely froze and stared intensely at my face. If I think about it, it's actually not that weird, saying Master Ryom Un-Ju is the second ranked elder in the Mount Song Sect.
"W-What did he look like?" My mother stammered out, her eyes fluttering as fast as bee wings.
"He had long black hair with his bangs and beard turning grey, his eyes were green and calming, and his face was much more relaxed than anyone I've ever seen."
"T-That's definitely Elder Un-Ju you're talking about... W-What did he say when you met him?"
"He wanted to examine the scar on my chest and find out the story behind it."
"And you told him r-right?"
What was up with my mom's reactions? She's acting as if Master Un-Ju was a demon of some kind. Or maybe they know each other somehow? I'll have to ask Master Un-Ju about this later.
"I told him the truth about my scar, and after hearing my story he said he wants to take me in as his direct disciple!"
"A-and you... you accepted his offer, right Ryu Il?"
"I did, he'll be returning to bring me to the Mount Song Sect relatively soon."
Out of nowhere, my mother fell to the floor with an overjoyed expression in her eyes.
Thump!
"Uh, mom?"
"Ryu Il! You've made us so proud!" My mother exclaimed, practically jumping off the floor and hugging me tightly.
Wait, she was excited for me the whole time? I swear it looked like she was having a nightmare, despite being wide awake.
"Ack! Mom... Too much!"
"Ah! I'm sorry Ryu Il!"
My mom quickly came to her senses and let go of me, it was as if she didn't realize what she was doing for a moment. Though she quickly stood up and placed her hands on my shoulders.
"Ryu Il! I'm so happy you've made your way into the Mount Song Sect! Your father and I had feared you might not be able to learn martial arts after the incident, but we've been proven wrong! Please, do your best in the Mount Song Sect for us!"
I never got to see this side of my mom in my previous life... I knew she cared deeply for my success within the Mount Song Sect, but this level of commitment to my endeavors, she really is a great mom...
"I will mom... I'll become the best in the sect so I can come and visit you and father from time to time."
I leaned in toward my mom and gave her a hug for the first time in millennia. I'm not going to get this type of moment with my family again in my life, so I should enjoy this as much as possible...
However, despite my wish to stay in her embrace for a moment longer, my mother's soothing voice entered my ears.
"Ryu Il, if you don't leave soon, you'll be making your new master wait. Please, it's time for you to go..."
She was right, I only had a few more minutes before the time Master Un-Ju gave me was up.
"Alright mom, tell father I said goodbye when he returns home for me." I replied, backing away from my mother's embrace with a tear running down my face and ran out of the house and up the hill behind it, where the old pine tree I had met Master Un-Ju rested.
As I approached the top of the hill where the old pine tree rested, I could make out two human outlines next to the tree, one of which was much shorter than the other.
"You've arrived later, young Ryu Il. What took you so long?" Master Un-Ju asked as I reached the top of the hill.
"Saying final goodbyes before I left my family, Master." I replied as I bowed deeply.
"You're forgiven, now young Ryu Il. Please introduce yourself to miss Il Ji-Soon, as she doesn't seem to remember you."
It's not that she didn't remember me, until this point, me and her hadn't met yet. The only reason I knew she studied under a tree in the center of her town was because I had learned about her past while training under Master Un-Ju.
"My name is Ryu Il, it's nice to meet you, sister Ji-Soon."
"How did you know I would read Taoist scriptures under the tree at the center of town, despite us never meeting?"
She's still as sharp as ever, even at this age I can see why she was chosen to be Master Un-Ju's direct disciple.
"I saw you when I was leaving the restaurant nearby there a few weeks ago when I was visiting the village with my father. The one that has really good pork dumplings."
Il Ji-Soon's face quickly relaxed at the mention of the pork dumplings. I knew she loved that restaurant's dumplings, so this was the best way to convince her that I had seen her in the past.
"Ah, the restaurant owned by the old Namgung clan disciple! I really love that place."
Huh, wasn't that restaurant owned by a nameless family? Why is the Namgung snooping around so close to Mount Song? In my past life the Namgung was nowhere close to the Mount Song Sect.
"Well, I see that you two have been introduced. Now come along, it's time we set off to the Mount Song Sect."
Wait, how are we going to get up to the Mount Song Sect? It takes at least a day to climb if you don't have internal energy, and Ji-Soon and I don't have internal energy yet.
However, my question was quickly answered not with words, but with Master Un-Ju's actions. As within a few seconds he had grabbed me and Il Ji-Soon and had begun leaping from building to building without causing so much as a tile to fall.
Well, that's Master Un-Ju for you, he may be one of the most relaxed elders in the Mount Song Sect, but he's also the fastest elder within the sect too.
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