Chapter 35

• Find a Way, No Matter What

Instinctively, Na Jung-hae stroked the nape of his neck. It was a confirmation process. A careful operation to ascertain if his neck was still intact. It was a way to check if he had been deprived of the right to live out the rest of his given life.

Fortunately, his neck was safe. After confirming that it was safely attached to his body and not separated, Na Jung-hae let out a sigh of relief. One of the six brushes that had been in the brush holder was missing. When he carefully turned his stiff neck to check behind him, wasn't there a brush stuck deep into the stone wall? And it wasn't the handle part, but the brush part. With a light flick of a finger, he had sent the brush he was toying with flying like the wind and embedded it in the stone wall.

With this one move, Na Jung-hae completely erased the thought of underestimating Bi Ryu-yeon from his mind. He also berated himself for his carelessness and rashness. In the Jianghu, it was an absolute taboo to judge an opponent by their appearance alone, yet he, who was in the information business, had made such a mistake.

Na Jung-hae was scared out of his wits. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but a chill ran through his entire body as if it were boiling. Cold sweat flowed down his back like rain, and his clenched fists were full of sweat. His legs trembled like an aspen tree. There were still five more brushes left in the brush holder. It was as clear as day that if the aim was even slightly off, he would be on his way to the next world, but unfortunately, mistakes were something anyone could make, and in this world, there was also the clear existence of intentional mistakes. Bi Ryu-yeon's hand began to fiddle with one of the remaining brushes in the brush holder again. Only a smile, accompanied by a light eye-smile, floated on his face.

"Can't get in? So I have to wait another year?"

Bi Ryu-yeon muttered to himself in a low voice and began to roughly fiddle with the brush he was toying with in his hand. A loud clattering sound echoed, and this sound was enough to pierce Na Jung-hae's eardrums and make his heart shrink. It felt as if his lifespan had been shortened by at least a few months from the destined amount as of today.

"A year is too long. I can't wait... What should I do?"

"..."

"And yet you tell me to wait a year!"

"..."

Thwack!

This time, the wind brushed past his left ear. Another brush had left the brush holder and flown into the stone wall. The number of remaining brushes was still four. A number sufficient to end Na Jung-hae's life. A faint smile still hung gently on Bi Ryu-yeon's face. But this time, taking it a step further, Bi Ryu-yeon began to fiddle with the brush while feigning indifference, his gaze fixed elsewhere. He was poised to send it flying without even looking if the situation called for it.

At this absurd sight, Na Jung-hae's liver shrank as small as it could get, but because he still hadn't found a solution, he became even more anxious. He had to use all his strength to calm his violently pounding heart.

"You know what? I hate waiting. I really hate it. I'm sick and tired of it. There's nothing to gain from it."

"..."

"But I waited."

Thwack! Thwack!

Two striking sounds rang out simultaneously. Without even looking, while feigning indifference, he had sent not one, but two brushes flying. To commit such a life-threateningly dangerous act so casually—Na Jung-hae was seized by the desire to open Bi Ryu-yeon's skull and examine the structure of his brain if he had the ability. But due to his lack of strength, ability, and talent, he had no choice but to regretfully fold his grand plan and yearn to carry it out in a simulation in his dreams. Bi Ryu-yeon's hand was still fidgeting. Na Jung-hae was seized by the illusion that his lifespan was being cut down by a year each time his fingers moved playfully. A bright smile, completely unsuited to the current situation, was still on Bi Ryu-yeon's face.

"And I really hate it when what I want doesn't happen. So if I ever find myself in such a situation, I have a rather persistent personality of challenging the possibility, even if it means pushing myself a little."

The words he spoke with a smiling face were quiet, but his hands were not as quiet as his words. This was very unfortunate for Na Jung-hae.

Thwack! Thwack!

Two more brushes brushed past him and stuck into the stone wall. Now, there were no brushes left in the brush holder. Regrettably, it had become an empty container. They had all been used up in the measures to increase the chances of success, even slightly, by Bi Ryu-yeon's hands. Only after all the brushes in the brush holder were gone could Na Jung-hae finally let out a sigh of relief, like a person who had barely escaped a threat to his life. But his relief was a bit premature.

Even though the brush holder was empty, Bi Ryu-yeon's words showed no sign of ending. He was still being stubborn. As he said, he had a rather persistent and tenacious side.

"You know, I hate people who say something can't be done when it can. If it can't be done, you have to make it happen. Isn't that your job? Isn't it? I definitely came here knowing that. This place isn't so pathetic as to disappoint a customer who came here with rock-solid faith, is it? I came here because I heard this place has reliable credibility and information. Aren't you ashamed to give up so easily over something like this?"

Na Jung-hae swore a firm oath to himself that he would root out the person who had said such things to that punk and chase them to the ends of the earth to surely bring them to an early grave. Exaggerated promotions and over-the-top advertisements were for increasing his and his organization's profits, not for becoming the cause of his and his organization's ruin.

But to keep his oath, the premise that he had to preserve his own life first was attached.

"B-but..."

Na Jung-hae tried to make a clumsy excuse. Just then,

CRASH!

Bi Ryu-yeon's hand, still smiling, struck the brush holder, and soon a loud roar echoed.

Swiiissssh!

Pababak!

Na Jung-hae was once again scared out of his wits. The cold terror of death enveloped his entire body. His mind went blank, and in it, only the single-minded thought of 'I must live, I must not die' remained.

As the brush holder shattered into pieces, each of its fragments transformed into a terrifying weapon and rushed towards Na Jung-hae's entire body. They were terrifying lethal weapons, each with enough power to send Na Jung-hae on a tour of the underworld if even one of them hit a vital spot or near it.

He didn't even dare to block them, nor did he dare to move. It had happened so quickly that he had no time to react. He had no choice but to entrust his fate to the heavens. The fragments of the brush holder, which had turned into sixteen streaks of light, passed by Na Jung-hae's entire body precariously. But the traces of the fragments passing by were clearly left all over his body.

His clothes were tattered, the string that tied his hair was pitifully cut, and his hair flowed down in strands. But dramatically, there were no life-threatening traces. By a stroke of luck, he had narrowly let the reaper's blade slip past the back of his neck. With a sense of relief at having survived safely, Na Jung-hae let out a big sigh of relief. He even had the illusion that nothing had happened, like a daydream in the middle of the day.

Only the sixteen wounds left on his clothes proved what had just happened. No blood seeped from those traces. Magnanimously, the arrows of fragments had exquisitely cut only his cloth, passing by without leaving a single scratch on his skin. But even though he had not suffered any direct physical injuries, the psychological blow Na Jung-hae received from this incident was immense. Na Jung-hae, who had shed enough cold sweat to fill more than a bucket from the heart-stopping shock, felt as if his lifespan had been shortened by ten years.

But the one who had actually committed such an act, Bi Ryu-yeon, was smiling brightly and slyly, as if to say, 'Did I do something just now?'

"Oh? It's broken. What should I do?"

"I-it's alright. I can just buy another one."

Na Jung-hae managed a smile and opened his mouth. The law is far, and the fist is near. No matter how high-quality a stationery item that zitan wood brush holder was, and how much he cherished it, how could he dare to protest? It was a waste, but it wasn't more precious than his life, so he had no choice but to endure it.

"No. We can't just let something like this go. It would be best to go to the place where you bought the brush holder and protest. They're really terrible people to be selling such a flimsy, defective product as if it were a real product. Make sure you get compensation for the damages. Tsk tsk... what is the commercial morality of this country coming to..."

Bi Ryu-yeon feigned a deplorable expression and worried about the future of the Jianghu's commercial world.

'Detestable punk!'

Frankly, if there was anyone Na Jung-hae should receive compensation from, it was Bi Ryu-yeon himself. The material and mental damage he had suffered so far, and his shortened life expectancy, were impossible to convert into money. When life is said to be priceless in gold, the amount he should claim would be impossible to even approximate with his concept of numbers—that was Na Jung-hae's assertion.

In this situation, Na Jung-hae couldn't help but find this series of actions by Bi Ryu-yeon and the bright smile hanging on his lips so detestable. He could never be fond of someone who was shortening his lifespan as they pleased. Of course, even if it weren't Na Jung-hae, anyone who experienced such a situation would have thought the same.

---

Na Jung-hae's pitiful situation was enough to arouse the sympathy and compassion of those around him, but for Yeomdo, whose own feet were on fire, he had to enter the Cheonmu Academy by any means necessary. He didn't want to be tormented by Bi Ryu-yeon's nagging anymore. He was not in a leisurely position to care about other people's circumstances like a gentleman.

Being tormented by Bi Ryu-yeon—that was a truly troublesome and annoying thing, a shortcut to shortening one's lifespan. As a warrior living in the Jianghu, he had no great attachment to life, but if possible, he wanted to live out his natural lifespan and die like ordinary people. To do that, he had no choice but to find a solution, even if it meant persecuting Na Jung-hae.

"So, there's absolutely no solution? Even if you die?"

Yeomdo especially emphasized the latter part. He was poised to do just that if it really came down to it. Yeomdo had more than enough intention to do so.

Perhaps it's true that when a person is placed at the crossroads of life and death, their hidden potential is revealed. As if to prove the amazing mystery of the human body, Na Jung-hae's brain scanned through all the experience, knowledge, and information it had accumulated, and finally, it fished out a clue to break the situation. He had grasped a lifeline in the infinite sea of information.

"N-no, sir. Th-there is. Of course, there is. How could there not be!"

Na Jung-hae answered in a hastily trembling voice. He had spoken in a hurry as soon as the thought came to him, because he was poised to not only be smashed to pieces if he didn't speak quickly, but also to have his life taken away.

"Oh? Really? What is it?"

At his positive answer, Bi Ryu-yeon's eyes sparkled and regained their vitality. After observing Bi Ryu-yeon's complexion for a moment, Na Jung-hae, confirming that his face had a grayish tint, cautiously brought up the story. His question was not about Bi Ryu-yeon, but about Yeomdo.

"Well... I have one question. Does Great Hero Gwak also intend to enter the Cheonmu Academy?"

"Of course!"

Before Bi Ryu-yeon could even answer, Yeomdo himself threw him the answer to his question. The words he spat out were really short. But this might be his way of communicating. The most concise and short!

"I was wondering, and it turns out to be true. I can't believe it. However, if you look at the Cheonmu Academy Entrance Qualification Regulations, it strictly limits the entrants to those under the age of 25. It means that if you're not young blood, you're not needed. Moreover, if you enter at an old age, you are at a disadvantage in many ways, both in terms of aptitude and martial arts achievement, so an age limit is implemented. Of course, it is also clearly stated in the Ascending Heaven Martial Festival regulations. 'Absolutely no one over the age of 25!'"

"So?"

A sharp, murderous red light flashed in Yeomdo's eyes. At that gaze, Na Jung-hae felt his body stiffen once more. His neck instinctively shrank. Just by receiving that one gaze, his entire body's muscles stiffened, and a chill ran down his spine. This was because he could feel Yeomdo's impatient nature revealed without a doubt in the flashing red gaze.

"Yes, so... therefore, I'm sorry to say, but at Great Hero Gwak's current age, you are definitely not qualified to enter."

"So?"

"Yes, so Great Hero Gwak cannot enter the Cheonmu Academy. As a student, that is."

"So?"

Yeomdo's voice grew colder and colder. It seemed he was getting heated at Na Jung-hae's dragging of the story. For his impatient personality, listening to Na Jung-hae's twisted and roundabout story was very perplexing and made a fire rage up from the depths of his heart. Whether he knew Yeomdo's state or not, Na Jung-hae cluelessly continued to ramble on with unnecessary words. It was a frustrating story that was still far from reaching a conclusion.

"In my humble opinion, a person with Great Hero Gwak's divine might doesn't need to enter the Cheonmu Academy..."

"So?"

CRASH!

Yeomdo slammed his terrifying, pot-lid-sized fist on the floor. In that instant, the floor caved in, and Na Jung-hae could feel his own buttocks jiggle from the shockwave. Yeomdo's angry voice echoed thunderously in the room of about 10 square meters. He had finally lost his patience and exploded. A furious roar erupted from the depths of Yeomdo's lungs.

"So what about it? I must enter the Cheonmu Academy. So answer one thing. Is there a way to get in or not? If there is, you will live. If there isn't, you will not be safe."

A tension that felt as if Na Jung-hae's neck would be permanently separated from his body with a flash of light if he said one more irrelevant thing welled up. As far as Na Jung-hae, who controlled 30% of the information circulating in Nanchang, could tell, Yeomdo was more than capable of doing just that. This man already had a splendid history of such precedents several times in the past. Considering the precedents of the Green Forest heroes who had died in vain for blocking his path and the several unorthodox sects that had been cut down for displeasing him, taking care of him would be as simple as drinking a cup of tea after a meal. When his thoughts reached that point, Na Jung-hae's body collapsed in fear into a prostrating position.

"I'll find a way. No, I've found it. There is. There is a way."

A solution that came out so easily with just one threat, could it even be trusted... But no matter how short the time, Na Jung-hae's brain, which was still in the rather extraordinary category, had been spinning furiously, as if to show what human potential was.

"Speak."

"Yes, Great Hero Gwak's age has long since passed twenty-five. Therefore, you cannot enter the Cheonmu Academy through normal methods. The rules are the rules. However, Yeomdo Gwak, you are one of the five great saber masters of the world, and your reputation in the Murim is high and lofty. For a person with such god-like martial might to enter the Cheonmu Academy as a mere disciple is absurd, nonsensical, something that cannot and should not happen. Great Hero Gwak's martial arts are equal to, or greater than, those of the Cheonmu Academy's martial instructors. The world knows this fact, so how can such a person set foot in the Cheonmu Academy as a mere disciple?"

As if oiled, Na Jung-hae's tongue moved smoothly without tiring, and all sorts of flowery words and flattery spewed from his mouth. Na Jung-hae spoke with fervor, as if he had a powerful iron plate on his face, and flattered him.

"In other words, you become not one who learns, but one who teaches. If you do that, all problems will be erased in an instant."