Chapter 315 - The Cutting Winds of Late Winter (3)

Thanks to Father making a scene(?), the banquet came to an end.

At first, when some middle-aged old man who was not even worth their time picked a fight, the Black Dragon Stronghold men had glared at him, but they soon realized he was my father and bowed politely.

"Ah! So you were the Great Stronghold Master!"

"..."

For some reason, Father grew even angrier and drove the Black Dragon Stronghold boys out at once.

Along with the tribute payment they had brought.

Hey, wait, do you know how much all that is?

In the end, I had no choice but to meet the Black Dragon Stronghold men at dawn after the banquet was over.

"Did you bring it?"

"Ah, yes. Stronghold Master."

"I told you not to call me Stronghold Master."

"My apologies. Stronghold Master!"

"..."

I do not like being called the Stronghold Master of the Black Dragon Stronghold either.

To begin with, I am not a Green Woods bandit, so being called a Stronghold Master makes no sense.

"We exchanged it for banknotes as you instructed."

"Really?"

But money has done nothing wrong, has it?

I pressed down hard on the corners of my mouth as they tried to rise and checked the amount on the banknotes, then tilted my head.

"Hm? There were precious metals too, but you got full price for all of them?"

"Ah! The bastard tried to play games, so we educated him a little."

"..."

To show this much competence against a bank that had no blood or tears when it came to money.

These subordinates, whom I had never known about and only met today, seemed rather capable.

I kind of like these guys.

"Ahem."

"Give us your command!"

They reacted this nimbly even to the sound of my cough.

I like them even more, don't I?

"Listen carefully."

In case they misunderstood, I drew the line clearly.

"I am someone who cannot become your Stronghold Master, and I have no intention of becoming one."

"What do you mean..."

"Who am I?"

At my question, the fierce-looking men timidly tilted their heads.

"Black Flame Dragon... Stronghold Master, sir."

"No, not that. I mean, what is my official position to the outside world?"

"Top student of the Murim Academy..."

"Exactly!"

The Black Dragon Stronghold is operated together with the Green Dragon Stronghold.

The two must be regarded as one whole.

And the Stronghold Master of this Ssangryong Stronghold is Bang Duchil.

I gripped the banknotes tightly in my hand and said,

"A man who will become a pillar of the Orthodox faction cannot be the Stronghold Master of a mountain stronghold."

"..."

For some reason, the Green Woods bandits looked once at my hand, then lowered their heads like puppies that had lost their master.

I looked at the backs of their heads and added,

"So from now on, send the tribute payment directly to me, after exchanging all of it for banknotes."

"Yes?"

The subordinates all raised their heads at once with puzzled expressions.

"If Father finds out, there will be hell to pay."

"Um... what does that mean? You just said you were not our Stronghold Master..."

Why do they not understand?

I waved the banknotes in my hand in front of them.

"Do you not want to give me money?"

"..."

If they are insisting on giving it to me like that, then I have no way of refusing.

Rejecting another person's feelings is not polite either.

I am not that rude a person.

"And if possible, send it on a fixed day each month. If you send a large sum all at once, there is a chance the funds will be traced."

"..."

For some reason, the Green Woods bandits looked dumbstruck.

The next day, as planned, we left the Daecheon Merchant Group to return to the academy.

All the people of the Taiyi Sect came out to see us off.

"... I do not see the External Hall Leader."

Except Father.

When Saryeon looked at me worriedly, I shrugged.

"Well, I suppose he is busy."

Just then, Kang Chaeseok approached with a small bundle.

"Take it."

"What is it?"

"Your father prepared this last summer to give to you. Well... yesterday he did put it beside the firewood, saying he would burn it."

Honestly, he is such a fool for his son.

I chuckled and untied the bundle.

Inside was a black martial robe of the sort I often wore.

"They say it is customary for parents to have clothes made when their child becomes top student, don't they? Your father heard that belatedly and asked the person in town best at embroidery several times."

Delicate patterns had been sewn in silver thread, and the characters for "Taiyi" were embroidered on the sleeves.

How fortunate that "top student" was not written across the chest.

I wrapped the bundle again and smiled.

"Please tell him thank you."

"He will curse me for doing something unnecessary."

"Still."

The farewell gathering was short.

Because after what had happened the previous night, everyone in the Taiyi Sect was watching Jin Taesan's mood.

Unlike when we came, this time we used an escort agency and headed comfortably for the academy.

As we traveled from Hefei to Wuhan, I could clearly feel the weather growing warmer.

While the carriage moved, I listened to my junior brothers chattering nonstop, and when the set time came, I made sure to eat the food prepared by the escort agency's porters.

The greatest advantage of traveling with an escort agency was that there was no need to stand night watch separately.

Most of the time we slept at predetermined guest houses, but there was no discomfort even when we occasionally camped outdoors.

And by the time we arrived at the academy.

Spring flowers were beginning to bloom little by little at the academy.

"Oh? You arrived today? If I had known, I would have come with you from Hefei."

Seong Moran arrived at the academy on the same day as us, together with Namgung Seonhwa.

"It was really, really, really nice!"

And Eun Seollan, who somehow seemed in an even better mood after visiting her hometown, arrived two days later.

"Haa, hyung..."

Three days later, Moyong Jaehwa arrived, and for some reason, there was a sword hanging at his waist.

"Grandfather asked me what I would do if I ran out of arrows."

He no longer opposed Moyong Jaehwa shooting a bow, but when he told him to learn swordsmanship in case of emergencies, Moyong Jaehwa readily agreed.

"Uuugh..."

And apparently, he realized far too late that those words had turned this break into hell.

He said that throughout the entire break, not a single day passed without one-on-one training with Moyong Gang, or something like that.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

When Eunho scolded him for grumbling despite receiving personal training from an absolute expert, Moyong Jaehwa's eyes grew wet as if he would burst into tears at any moment.

"H-He did this, and this, and kept stabbing at my neck with a sword, and my flesh really got cut, uuugh... I passed out from getting hit. B-But do you know what was scariest...?"

"..."

"It hurt so much I thought I was going to die, but the next day I could get up perfectly fine again. And then the same day repeated... I really, really wanted to run away so many times..."

At Moyong Jaehwa's vivid testimony, even Eunho, who had been scolding him, nodded as if he deeply understood and patted his shoulder.

"Mm, mm, I know. I know exactly how it feels when you really cannot do it, but then you can do it again... Yes, cry. You can cry!"

... But why is that guy looking at me?

Soon after, all the members of the academy representative office returned as well.

"Have you been well, Representative?"

"We heard about the Jeondeung Sect this time."

"As expected of you, Representative."

For a while, the inside of the representatives was abuzz with talk of the Jeondeung Sect.

As if everyone had been waiting for the new term to begin, they were busy opening up their bundles of stories.

"To think someone who had learned forbidden arts was hiding inside an Orthodox sect. It is truly horrifying beyond words."

When an academy student shuddered as he spoke, as if creeped out, another academy student said with a serious expression,

"This time, in my hometown as well, one sect was attacked after being suspected of having learned forbidden arts."

Starting with his words, similar stories began flowing among the representatives.

"Huh? Near my sect, a sect suffered something similar too."

"We had a sect like that as well."

As if they had all agreed on it beforehand, stories burst out here and there.

And the people who had been sharing their stories with one another soon sensed something strange.

"... This many sects learned forbidden arts?"

At the absurd situation, everyone shut their mouths.

Even if there were many sects that had learned forbidden arts, it was not as if their suspicions could be easily proven.

So how had this many sects been exposed in such a short span of time?

'Has it already begun?'

Eliminating political enemies.

Considering that most of the reported sects were rivals of the sects that reported them, the intent was far too obvious.

Even without receiving help from the Murim Alliance, one could strike an opponent under the pretext of personally subjugating forbidden arts, and even if the suspicion later proved unfounded, the sect that had already been ambushed would no longer exist in the world, so there would not even be any need to correct the false charge.

'They must think of the time before the Alliance Leader's command is issued as their chance.'

Until the Murim Alliance proclaimed the Alliance Leader's command, the reports and ambushes would not stop.

Because this was also the best opportunity for them to expand their own power.

'I delayed it, but did I bring about the same problem in the end?'

I had thought I reduced the casualties by shortening the Sichuan Blood Incident, but I had never imagined matters would spread in this fashion, so a bitter taste rose in my mouth.

Once those who had truly learned demonic arts began appearing in the world later, I could not even imagine what would happen.

To restrain the Jianghu figures currently excited by the emergence of "forbidden arts," the Murim Alliance needed to make a swift decision.

"At least the elders of my sect have connections with the Inspection Pavilion, so that is fortunate."

"This is why sects try so hard to make connections with the Murim Alliance in preparation for times like these."

"We must receive good assignments as well. If we clumsily begin our Murim Alliance careers at a branch from the very start, we will end up neither here nor there."

Since they were people who had entered the academy, they knew well that the core of the current situation was not "forbidden arts," but "a struggle for interests."

'This really is dirty business.'

Those who held high positions in the Murim Alliance, or who maintained close relationships with the Murim Alliance, would not be easily attacked in this "forbidden arts" situation.

If they were to ambush sects with power through ties to the Murim Alliance, they would not be able to easily pass it off with the excuse of a mere "mistake."

To begin with, the only time one could avoid responsibility for a "mistake" was when the other party was weaker than oneself.

The sight of the sudden "forbidden arts" situation inspiring the academy students' desire for academic achievement was not very pleasant.

Most of the academy students returned to the academy after finishing their break.

However, the somewhat excited atmosphere did not settle easily.

I could not tell whether it was because the winter break was longer than the summer break, or because of the recent "forbidden arts" situation.

In any case, everyone seemed to be making thorough preparations for the newly beginning term.

"Yo."

Before the term began, I met Cheol Sunjik.

Because there was something I had to give him.

"It seems you passed through without anything happening."

It sounds like he means, how are you still alive?

Tsk.

Seeing as I understood immediately what he was saying, I suppose I have gotten used to the bastard's way of speaking.

"If you were watching Zhongnan, you would have known, no?"

"I did not particularly want to concern myself with it."

How coy.

"Anyway, did you bring it?"

At my question, Cheol Sunjik tilted his head.

"... I am certain I came here to receive something. No, to begin with, what could I possibly have to give Representative Jin?"

What, he did not bring it?

I stood with my weight on one leg and held out my hand.

"The iron pellets."

"..."

"You should have brought the retrieved iron pellets. Do you know how much those are worth?"

Cheol Sunjik stared at me.

Hm, I know that expression.

It is definitely the expression that says, what kind of bastard is this?

"What, did you really not bring them?"

Cheol Sunjik looked around, then spoke in a low voice.

"Do you not know that the full story of a crime is always revealed because of evidence? Of course I melted them all down and discarded them."

No, why would he throw them away?

He could have made them into something else and used them.

Could it be that because he was born the son of a rich family, he does not know the concept of using things sparingly?

"Tsk. I cannot entrust any task to you, can I?"

"... I do not want you to, either."

As I watched Cheol Sunjik spring up from his seat with a prim face and try to leave, I took out a small mother-of-pearl bottle from my robe and set it down on the table.

Cheol Sunjik, who had been heading outside, stopped dead.

I gestured toward the mother-of-pearl bottle with my chin.

"What I promised."

Because of this, I ended up not being able to eat the spiritual elixir.

Well, since I ate Vajra Honey, it was not much of a loss.

"..."

Cheol Sunjik, who had sat back down and was silently staring at the mother-of-pearl bottle, soon raised his head and looked at me.

His expression still seemed to say he had no idea what was going on.

"Are you... really giving this to me?"

"If I am giving it to you, then of course I am really giving it to you. Would I give it to you fake?"

Cheol Sunjik picked up the mother-of-pearl bottle and popped the stopper open.

Then, after smelling the scent for a moment, he quickly closed the stopper again.

"It is real. The quantity is larger than I expected as well."

Then he shook the mother-of-pearl bottle and gauged the amount.

"... Why are you giving this to me? To begin with, even if you had said there was not much, or that the purity was not high, I would have had no way to verify it."

"You are making a fuss even when I give it to you."

"..."

I looked at him and shrugged once.

"I promised. I am merely keeping that promise."

"A promise..."

Just how does this guy see me?

"..."

"If you do not want it, forget it."

When I tried to grab the mother-of-pearl bottle, Cheol Sunjik hurriedly tucked it into his robe.

I looked at his face and chuckled.

"At any rate, our deal is over. You are an accomplice now too. Do not say anything different later."

With this, I had shut Cheol Sunjik's mouth as well, so I stood up from my seat and was about to leave.

"Do you know that Jianghu is in an uproar because of 'forbidden arts' right now?"

It seemed Cheol Sunjik wanted to talk more.

Then again, he does not have many friends either.

I leaned back in my chair again.

"So?"

"There is talk that the academy's classes will change."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they will change the academy students' method of evaluation."

"And what do they gain from that?"

"The Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans are each gathering their own forces."

I chuckled.

Because it was a fact I already knew well.

"You talk as if the Twelve Peaks and Castles are not doing the same?"

As though he had not heard my words, Cheol Sunjik continued.

"The instructors and drill instructors will all be replaced."

Now?

"They will be replaced with people who have served in the Murim Alliance at least at Hall Leader-class. There is also talk that all of them volunteered of their own accord."

"And the ones who volunteered are people from the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans?"

Cheol Sunjik nodded.

"It is something carried out with the Hall Leaders and elders of each hall at the center. They say they intend to change the system that has been fixed in place all this time."

"Why now, of all times?"

For a change like this, the preparation itself should take a long time...

Yet like roasting beans over a lightning flash, they cannot even wait for one class and are changing it in the middle of a term?

"Isn't this too rushed?"

"... Because the situation is urgent?"

Is there another problem I do not know about?

"What is urgent?"

Cheol Sunjik silently stared at me.

Why is this bastard not talking?

"At any rate, that is all I have to say."

In the end, Cheol Sunjik did not speak of the important part.

In any case, this sort of information would be classified as confidential even internally, so why did he go out of his way to tell me?

Cheol Sunjik hesitated, then lowered his gaze.

"... Let us call it the price of this."

He lightly tapped the chest where the mother-of-pearl bottle was tucked away, then rose from his seat.

The day before the term began.

As Cheol Sunjik had said, the instructors and drill instructors were all replaced.

At the sudden situation without any prior notice, the academy students raised objections, but they were not accepted.

To begin with, the number of people raising objections was overwhelmingly small as well.

And so, the new term began.

THUD, THUD, THUD.

The man who entered the lecture hall stood still and looked around the inside.

"Everyone must be confused by the sudden situation, right?"

The man smiled with a likable face and continued speaking.

"You must also feel disappointed that you cannot see the instructors you were originally close to... and I hear some even raised objections?"

Did the instructor truly know?

That what the academy students who had raised objections took issue with was not the sudden replacement of instructors, but the "backgrounds" of the replacements.

"Well, I am sure there was all sorts of talk, like those ball-less bastards in Beijing."

The instructor spoke without hesitation, as if he did not care about complaints at all.

"But the responsibility for this situation lies with you, this class."

At the instructor's words, the atmosphere in the hall sank coldly.

"Because your achievements fall far below those of the previous classes, we ultimately had no choice but to take such extreme measures."

At this absurd disparagement, one academy student raised his hand.

"... What do you mean by that?"

These were people who had broken through the bloodiest standard exam in history and entered the academy.

To say that their achievements fell short compared to other classes.

At this, the instructor nodded broadly as if it were a good question.

Then, in an instant, his face hardened coldly.

"I mean that if we graduate you as you are, you will harm the Murim Alliance."

"... I do not understand."

"Hmm, as expected, the level of this class itself is low?"

"..."

The instructor shook his head, sighed, and continued speaking.

"For instance, something like this. In my time, an academy student with skills that would have barely gotten him into the White Wolf Pavilion might be able to go to the Red Dragon Pavilion in this class."

"..."

"That is how great the gap in level is. But do not worry. The newly arrived drill instructors and instructors will raise your skills, and at the same time, through absolute evaluation, determine where you will be assigned..."

"Pfft!"

As I sat quietly listening to the instructor, I finally could not hold back my laughter and burst out.

This is really hilarious, isn't it?

"Pffft!"

"...!"

The instructor who had been about to begin class stopped dead.

Soon, he began glaring at the academy students with sharp eyes.

"... Who was it? Who let out that laugh?"

When no one came forward, the instructor began releasing killing intent little by little.

Starting from the front row, the academy students' faces began turning pale.

"So you will not come out? Everyone, down in the push-up position!!!"

His ringing voice shook the entire platform.