A few days after the Jin Academy incident…
“So…tired…”
“No more…squats…”
“Waah…I want my mommy…”
In the Baek Academy training grounds, under the scorching sun, I lay down on my side with my eyes half-open and watched a bunch of snot-nosed brats sweat buckets while doing squats. I vaguely remember telling them to keep their eyes ahead of them, but nonetheless, I could feel several gazes directed my way.
“Master, my legs hurt…”
“I want to rest…”
“…Wait, is Master sleeping!?”
“Do you think we’ll be able to sneak out?”
“Master is not sleeping,” I said.
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““Gasp!””
The sniveling brats immediately tensed their muscles and lowered their postures. After confirming that they were doing the squats properly, I rolled over and faced the opposite side.
The afternoon wind is cool and the sun is warm. It’s a great day for a nap…
“HUPP!”
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A few days ago, one of these brats would definitely have run off and complained to their parents about me. After the events at the Jin Academy though, the situation has changed.
“Everyone! Is this the best you can do? Do you think you can become a master like this?” cried Jang Yi, the son of the cloth merchant.
Ever since I helped him get revenge for his brother, Jang Yi has looked at me in a completely different light.
“According to Master, lower body strength is the basis of all martial arts!”
Woah, those were my exact words.
As the leader of the snotty brats, it seems that Jang Yi has taken it upon himself to maintain class discipline.
“That’s why, it’s important to train our lower bodies properly!”
Not too long ago, this brat was still begging his father to convince me that squats were unnecessary.
Well, I’ll just let bygones be bygones now.
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“But…squats are so boring…and tiring…” one of the other brats whined.
Jang Yi shouted in response, “Dumbass! If you give up just because you’re tired, you’ll never become strong! Even if it’s painful and tiring, we have to endure it no matter what!”
Oh? I don’t recall telling him this, but he’s right! To become a master, one has to at least be able to do squats for four hours without taking a break. Back in the Blood Demon Cult, I’d even do squats while walking from one place to another. Couldn’t afford to waste any time, you know?
Just then, another one of the brats complained, saying, “Is Master really that strong? He looks pretty weak to me…”
“He’s super strong! He sent the evil sect villain flying in mid-air!”
To be precise, Dad was the one who had sent Goatee flying, but that was after I had already won anyway!
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Jang Yi continued praising me, “Master is actually an incredible warrior. He just swung his fist, and the wind went WHOOSH! He stomped his foot, and the ground went BOOM!”
The more I listened, the more farfetched Jang Yi’s story became. However, the sniveling brats seemed to be enjoying it, so I’ll ignore him for now.
“Master can smash a rock with his bare fists!”
“He can even fly in the sky!”
“Our Master…is probably what people call a ‘hidden master’!”
“Really? Really?”
“Wow!”
This stupid kid has no idea how dangerous false rumors like that can get… Don’t they know that the people in the next village just got cheated by the evil sect because they believed the fake rumors those assholes spread?
“Yes! That’s why, as long as we keep working hard, I’m sure Master will definitely teach us his god-level martial arts!”
I know five top-class martial arts. I don’t intend to teach those to these brats, though. Not until after I master them myself, that is!
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Well, I might fulfill my promise with the four masters and help them find successors, but that probably won’t be happening for many years…
That was what they had said. The wording wasn’t absolute, so I had the freedom to choose whether I wanted to teach it or not.
“Also, Master…!”
Before Jang Yi could make me out to be an ancient master who lived hundreds of years ago, I suddenly stood up and groaned, “Why are you guys so noisy during training?”
The sniveling brats immediately shut their traps and adjusted their postures. Perhaps the story Jang Yi had just told them had some effect, because they seemed terrified of me.
In the past, I would have utilized their fear of me to increase the intensity of their training, but the Baek Academy is not a demonic sect, and I am no longer an instructor in the Blood Cult.
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These children would not be beaten or starved for being bad at martial arts. I also wouldn’t lose my job and be disposed of because I failed to produce results.
This is a rural village with clean water and fresh air; a village that has nothing to do with the bloody gangho.
Until I find a way to make a lot of money and treat the Heavenly Yin Blocked Meridians, my best option would be to strengthen my body while torturing these little snot-nosed brats.
As I lost myself in deep thought, Jang Yi suddenly came running over to me, knelt on one knee, and put his hands together in a fist salute, saying, “Master! I have brought you homemade jajangmyeon for lunch today! Please enjoy!”
Where the hell did he learn that kind of greeting method!? Is this chestnut-sized sniveling brat actually aiming to become my first disciple?
Not a chance~
“By the way, your hands are supposed to be placed the other way round.” 1
“Oh no!”
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I slapped away Jang Yi’s hands, stood up, and turned to face the brats looking at me with puppy-dog eyes.
“You can take a half-hour break now.”
“YEAHHHHHH!”
“Before you start cheering, you should understand that the training after the break will be…”
“I’m sorry, but that will be all for training today.”
I turned around to face the person who had just interrupted me. It was Dad, wearing a complicated expression on his face.
“Did something happen?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
Dad sighed, saying, “Yeah. A person from the Murim Alliance is here.”
The Murim Alliance: The largest orthodox murim coalition, based mainly in Hubei. Due to its vast influence and the number of people in the alliance, branches have been set up in every region of the Central Plains.
Right now, I am in the middle of exchanging greetings with a group of middle-aged men who claimed to be warriors from the Jiangxi Branch of the Murim Alliance.
“I am Go Ju-Yeol, the Second Captain of the Investigation Squad at the Jiangxi Branch of the Murim Alliance.”
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The man talking to me now has a gentle manner that gives off the impression of a fifty-year-old uncle next door. He’s thin, with long limbs like a crane. When he walks, his steps are unusually light and he wears shoes that are different from what ordinary people would choose. In conclusion…
He’s a master of either movement or kicking techniques, perhaps even both.
I glanced at Dad for confirmation, but for some unknown reason, Dad seemed to be trying his best to avoid eye contact with Go Ju-Yeol.
“Greetings, Flying Eagle (飛鷹客). I have often heard of your great name.”
Why is Dad’s expression so stiff? It’s like he saw someone he doesn’t want to meet.
Go Ju-Yeol smiled in pride at being recognized and said, “Hahaha, this is really embarrassing. Why on earth did those people in the gangho give me a title like that?”
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Dad lowered his head politely and introduced himself, “I am the director of this Baek Academy. You can call me Mister Baek. Sadly, I’m not very good at martial arts, so I don’t have a title.”
I copied Dad’s polite attitude, saying, “My name is Baek Suryong. Since this person next to me is my father, it’s only natural that I’m just as bad at martial arts, having learned it from him.”
When I was done talking, Dad shot me a fierce glare.
“You two are too humble. Aren’t you the ones who figured out the evil sect’s conspiracy and even defeated them? I’m sure the both of you are much stronger than us.”
“You’re praising us too much. We just got lucky, that’s all.”
Although Go Ju-Yeol only said that out of politeness, it was a fact that Dad was stronger than him in martial arts.
I’m the only one who knows that, though!
“Actually…” Go Ju-Yeol suddenly tilted his head to the side, a puzzled look on his face.
“Have we met before?” he asked.
“…I’m not sure. My memory isn’t very good these days… But I’m afraid that this is probably our first time meeting.”
Dad immediately changed the topic, saying, “Why don’t we go inside and talk? This may be a mere countryside academy, but we can at least afford to serve you tea.”
“Haha, I’d be thankful even if you could only give me some cold water. We’ve traveled a long way.”
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“The living room is this way.”
“Thank you.”
Go Ju-Yeol turned to face the other Murim Alliance warriors behind him and ordered, “You guys head over to the prisons first and secure the evil sect spies. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Yes, Sir!”
While the Investigation Team headed over to the prisons, Go Ju-Yeol walked over to the living room together with Dad. I followed behind them, making sure to always remain a step behind in regard for their seniority.
Out of habit and boredom, I resumed observing the man named Go Ju-Yeol.
Go Ju-Yeol sat down opposite Dad, straightened his back, and said, “Ahem. Now that those people are gone, I’d like to officially offer my thanks to the Baek Academy on behalf of the Murim Alliance. If not for you and your son, Director, the evil sects would likely have made this place one of their bases of operations, to the detriment of the common folk.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
Dad made small talk with Go Ju-Yeol for a while before finally asking, “Is it okay if I ask what’s going to happen to the evil sect people we captured?”
“Sure. We’re going to drag them back to the Jiangxi Branch and interrogate them to find out who the ones behind them are.”
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While I was lost in thought, Go Ju-Yeol suddenly leaned closer to us and whispered, “By the way, this is supposed to be a secret, but…”
Dad and I immediately perked up our ears.
Go Ju-Yeol grinned with satisfaction at our interested response, adding, “…we suspect that they are descendants of the Blood Cult.”
“The Blood Cult?”
“……”
I tried my best to appear calm. If I started breathing raggedly or opened my eyes too wide, Go Ju-Yeol would definitely look at me with suspicion.
…Okay, I wasn’t surprised. Before I could ask Go Ju-Yeol for clarification, though, Dad said, “Didn’t the Blood Sect disappear decades ago?”
A cold light flashed in Go Ju-Yeol’s eyes for an instant as he nodded gravely, replying, “That’s right. Several decades ago, the Blood Sect split into many factions due to internal strife. The Alliance Head at that time then took advantage of the situation and annihilated the Blood Cult.”
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I have already heard the story of how the Blood Cult was destroyed many times. However, I’m also the only person who knows the entire truth of what happened at that time.
*Internal strife? Is that what they think it was? Haha. *
These people have no idea that the four absolute masters and I were the true cause of the bloodiest day in the history of the Blood Cult.
“Recently, we’ve detected some unusual activity by those whom we believe to be descendants of the Blood Cult.”
“Huh…”
“Are they planning to rebuild the Blood Cult?” I asked.
Go Ju-Yeol instantly shot me a sharp glare. However, before I could react, he had already smoothed over his expression.
“We’re not sure, but we can’t exclude the possibility. Did you two hear something to that effect from the captured evil sect spies?”
“I tied them up and locked them in the prisons, but besides bringing them the occasional meal, I have never talked to them.”
“Me neither…”
Go Ju-Yeol sighed and said, “Anyway, the Murim Alliance is keeping a close watch on the evil sects’ movements. If you guys discover anything, I would appreciate it if you would inform me as soon as possible.”
“Certainly.”
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“Thank you. Also, you will be receiving compensation for your contribution to this incident shortly.”
“Compensation? I didn’t do this for a reward…”
To tell the truth, I was quite rattled when the Blood Cult was mentioned. However, at the same time, I couldn’t quite shake off a nagging feeling in the back of my mind.
I squinted my eyes and closely observed the conversation between Dad and Go Ju-Yeol.
The moment I detected something off, Go Ju-Yeol suddenly shifted his feet and appeared right in front of me.The kid put his right palm over his left fist, which is the signal for a duel to the death. He should be placing his left palm over his right fist instead LOL.