Chapter 94

"If you were offended, I deeply apologize."

Moyong Hwi's eyes, as he bowed his head to apologize, were clear without a single tremor. Gongson Il-chwi's mouth, which had been silently looking at his eyes with a firm expression, opened. His expression had softened a little.

"Good. You are bold. Then may I expect you to show me the proof before my eyes?"

Moyong Hwi inadvertently looked directly into Gongson Il-chwi's eyes.

'Expectation? What does he expect?'

"If you yourself said no, shouldn't you take responsibility for it yourself? If you win the Sword Saint Exhibition at the Three Sages Festival this year, I will believe that your words are true."

"The Three Sages Martial Festival's Sword Saint Exhibition... you mean?"

He knew well what the Three Sages Festival was. Besides, if it was the Sword Saint Exhibition, he knew it even better.

"Since it is a competition to honor your grandfather, Jeong-cheon, it would be natural for you to prove your skills in that competition. If you can do that, I will also know that your words are true and withdraw what I have said."

"..."

For a moment, Moyong Hwi was silent like a mute who had eaten honey. Gongson Il-chwi's proposal was an excessive demand for anyone to see. It was unreasonable to demand that he, who was still only a first-year student, win the Sword Saint Exhibition, in which only the best talents in the field of swordsmanship who had polished their skills for at least three years at the Cheonmu Academy participated.

"If you are not confident, you don't have to do it. I don't really care. If you, Jeong-cheon's grandson, say you can't do it, who would make a more unreasonable demand?"

His last words had set fire to Moyong Hwi's fighting spirit. He felt a strange emotion that he himself had not known until now captivating his heart.

"I will do it."

Moyong Hwi said as if he were vowing. His firm answer brought a strange light to Gongson Il-chwi's eyes. Because he had expected at least a word of excuse or complaint.

"Then I will look forward to a good result."

With those last words, Gongson Il-chwi left the place. And in that place, only Moyong Hwi, surrounded by several whispering people, remained. The declaration that the Seven Absolutes Divine Sword, Moyong Hwi, would win the Three Sages Festival's Sword Saint Exhibition as a first-year student was a shocking bombshell declaration that would make the academy noisy for a while. And it was also an event that focused the attention of all people on one individual, Moyong Hwi. It was a golden opportunity to finally see the true face of the successor of the Sword Saint, who had been a topic of conversation even before his entrance. There was no way it would not be noisy.

"That old man seems to have a lot of regrets about you. Why is he picking on you?"

Even the renowned Sword Revered of the Jianghu would just be reduced to a mere old man if he got caught by Bi Ryu-yeon. Moyong Hwi's gaze turned towards him.

"Why are you looking at me with those eyes? It's burdensome..."

There was no way Moyong Hwi's gaze, which was looking at Bi Ryu-yeon, would be favorable. Bi Ryu-yeon, who was embarrassed by his sharp gaze, scratched the back of his head.

"I'll be going."

Leaving those words, Moyong Hwi left the place.

"He's still a friend like an ice block."

Bi Ryu-yeon complained, looking at the back of Moyong Hwi, who was moving away.

"But for the Seven Absolutes Divine Sword, Moyong Hwi, to declare that he will win the Sword Saint Exhibition, the academy will be noisy for a while."

"Isn't it fun and good? I'm already looking forward to it. I've always been curious about how sharp his sword ki is."

"It will be fun. But it's a relief that I won't have to face him."

"Come to think of it, didn't you also promise someone that you would win the Three Sages Martial Festival?"

It was Hyo-ryong, who was asking even though he knew.

"Why are you asking again when you already know? Are you afraid I've forgotten? Don't worry. I haven't forgotten. But ooh... what is this strange feeling that is rising in my heart for that punk? Is this what they call empathy? I feel that that punk is even closer than before."

Bi Ryu-yeon smiled once and then showed an exaggerated expression.

"That's what they call 'delusion is free, going crazy is also free'. That side probably hates you even more now."

Hyo-ryong said as if giving a reprimand.

"Well, there's nothing for me to lose. Then let's look forward to the next development."

As expected, Bi Ryu-yeon was second to none in his shamelessness.

"That's right. The class must have already started. This class is the lecture of the Mount Hua Flying Heavenly Eagle, Old Master Mun Il-gi. His feelings for you are not good anyway, so if we don't go in quickly, he might cut our heads into thirty-six pieces."

"Let's go quickly."

Bi Ryu-yeon, along with his party, excluding Moyong Hwi, hurried on his way to the classroom where the next class was.

On the evening of the day when Ha Se-in, one of the Nine Dragons, had been publicly humiliated in the corridor in broad daylight, Bi Ryu-yeon once again visited Yeomdo. This time, Yeomdo did not swing his beloved saber, Hongyeom, without any warning. Because he had strongly declined to have his left eye turn black and blue again like last time. But even if he had refrained from his radical actions, there was no way that a respect that had not existed from the old days would suddenly arise. So, Yeomdo's reception of his forced master, Bi Ryu-yeon, could not help but be blunt.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean, what's up? Does a master need a reason to visit his disciple's residence?"

At the word 'master', Yeomdo's firm shoulders twitched. His inner dissatisfaction was slightly expressed through his shoulders. Yeomdo was still not submitting to that fact in his heart. Bi Ryu-yeon, who was not at all mindful of Yeomdo's psychological state, spoke. What he needed was a disciple, and if that disciple did not listen, he was willing to discipline him with a rod.

"Just tell me your business."

Having met again in a short period of time, Yeomdo seemed to be in an even worse mood. His pouting mouth was like a sulking child. Bi Ryu-yeon smiled at his completely unfitting appearance and said.

"How is the Vermilion Bird Squad these days? Are they teachable?"

The purpose of today's visit was also on the Vermilion Bird Squad. As the story of the Vermilion Bird Squad came up, Yeomdo's expression changed completely. It was not a displeased expression.

"Well, after teaching them, they are quite useful. Their basics are well-established, and their potential for development is excellent. Also, I don't know what kind of harsh training they received before, but they tend to follow even the most difficult classes well."

This was the highest praise that Yeomdo could give. Although Yeomdo had always liked to be alone and had extremely disliked being tied down, it seemed that he did not dislike teaching them inwardly. Besides, it was a double effect of relieving his accumulated dissatisfaction.

"Whose junior disciples are they, of course they would be!"

Bi Ryu-yeon said with a grin.

"Whose junior disciples are they?"

Yeomdo, who still did not clearly know the relationship between the Vermilion Bird Squad and Bi Ryu-yeon, could not understand his words. In a strange silence, Bi Ryu-yeon's finger pointed at Yeomdo. In turn, Yeomdo's index finger also pointed at his own chest.

"Huh? Me?"

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded his head with a slight smile. Yeomdo's eyes widened in astonishment. What was this, a bolt from the blue?

"Since their master is me, they naturally become your junior disciples."

For a moment, Yeomdo was shaken by a shock as if his brain had gone blank.

"...How can that be..."

Yeomdo was so shocked that he could not continue his words for a moment. The shock that Bi Ryu-yeon's bombshell declaration had thrown at Yeomdo was that great. Yeomdo, who had barely managed to calm his troubled heart, looked at Bi Ryu-yeon with a dazed gaze.

"What kind of absurd and ridiculous nonsense are you spouting this time?"

It seemed that he was still displeased with the fact that he had been caught in a scheme and had been reduced to Bi Ryu-yeon's disciple. Perhaps because of that, Yeomdo's words were extremely rough.

"Ahem, let's watch our words. Absurd... There's a reason for everything, isn't there? Anyway, it's a secret to those punks. Because it's a fact that those punks don't know."

Although Yeomdo had a sudden thought of blowing it out in rebellion against Bi Ryu-yeon, he had no choice but to fold his thought and stuff it into a trash can at Bi Ryu-yeon's following words.

"If you reveal it, I'll tell them all that you've become my disciple, so you know. Ah... I can see their happy faces in my eyes. Because they have such an excellent senior brother. Isn't that right?"

'Damn it...'

Yeomdo's face crumpled like a piece of tissue paper. Bi Ryu-yeon's threat was the most frightening threat in the world for Yeomdo. There was no way he would have the courage to harbor a different thought even in his dreams.

"Of course."

It was Yeomdo, who answered reluctantly.

"By the way, how is Jun-ho?"

Bi Ryu-yeon had a history of not only passing on Yeomdo, but also the plum blossom hypersensitivity patient, Yun Jun-ho, to Yeomdo under the pretext of treating his illness. Still, it seemed that he had not forgotten.

"You mean that strange hives punk?"

Bi Ryu-yeon nodded his head at Yeomdo's question. In this world, there was no way there would be another human who would get hives from the plum blossom scent that was emitted from the realm of the Sword Scent, throughout the entire Murim.

As the story of Yun Jun-ho came up, Yeomdo shook his head.

"It seems he's still far from it."

"For a punk who has reached the realm of the Sword Scent to not be able to unfold the Plum Blossom Sword Method properly, I've encountered all sorts of absurd cases in my life. Still, he's now quite good at unfolding the Whirling Wind Dancing Willow Sword. He's become much more proficient."

Even Yeomdo seemed to be fed up with Yun Jun-ho's absurdity inwardly. It would have been the first absurd thing he had encountered, even for him who had been in the Jianghu for a long time.

"Is that so? Seeing the situation these days, it seems he has improved a lot. It might be necessary to push him even more roughly."

"Until when?"

"Of course, until he escapes the realm of the Sword Scent and reaches a higher realm."

Bi Ryu-yeon said as if it were natural. But the problem was that the content contained in those words was neither simple nor easy. Yeomdo's face frowned slightly.

"Is that even possible? It seems more difficult than making that punk the sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect."

Even for Yeomdo, it seemed that he thought that that was absolutely impossible. Yeomdo's opinion was that negative.

"We have to at least try. Although it was something I started as a joke, there's no such thing as giving up in the middle now. Who knows? As I said before, if he faces the fear of death right in front of him, he might be able to overcome the symptoms."

"That is certainly effective. Last time, when he was in a crisis of death, he unfolded a high-level Plum Blossom Sword Method. But what's your business?"

"Ah, today's business is to gather the Vermilion Bird Squad punks in the training ground by the beginning of the hour of the snake (around 5 PM) tomorrow."

"May I ask the reason?"

Yeomdo asked back at Bi Ryu-yeon's sudden instruction. Until now, Bi Ryu-yeon had entrusted the matter of the Vermilion Bird Squad to Yeomdo and had not interfered.

"Ah, as a master, I can't just stand by and watch the weakening of my disciples' mental strength with a heavy heart."

At Bi Ryu-yeon's words, which were said with a faint smile, Yeomdo grumbled inwardly. What did he mean, his heart was heavy? Yeomdo could not fully agree that Bi Ryu-yeon's heart, which seemed to be covered with about eight layers of steel plates, was feeling pain. It was Bi Ryu-yeon's words that he could absolutely not trust.

"Does it make sense for them to not be able to win against the weak punks of the Azure Dragon Squad?"

"Of course not!"

This was a part that Yeomdo also fully sympathized with. It was impossible and should not be that the punks he was teaching would lose to the punks that the Ice Sword punk was teaching. On this part, Bi Ryu-yeon and Yeomdo's hearts had miraculously reached an agreement.

"I think so too. We'll have to increase the intensity of the training a little more."

"If it's that, I'll do it immediately."

This was something that even Yeomdo would welcome with both hands. But for the Vermilion Bird Squad, who had been reduced to the target of Yeomdo's anger under the guise of training every day without a single day's rest these days, and whose bodies were not in good shape, it was no different from a death sentence.

"Ah, and those punks know me as a great senior brother they have never met, so you know. Please keep my identity a secret."

Finally, as he was leaving Yeomdo's residence, Bi Ryu-yeon repeatedly requested. Yeomdo, who had heard Bi Ryu-yeon's terrifying threat, would of course faithfully carry out his instructions. Because the person who held his most certain weakness was none other than Bi Ryu-yeon.

'Is it finally a reunion...'

It seemed that his heart was pounding after a long time. A pleasant excitement enveloped his whole body.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Bi Ryu-yeon muttered lowly, melting his whole body in the moonlight. The fact that hundreds of various and diverse cooking methods(?) were now running rampant in his head with a pleasant imagination was a fact that only he in the world knew.

• Reunion with the Disciples

Yeomdo kept his promise, and now Bi Ryu-yeon
stood in front of the Vermilion Bird Squad as he had announced last night,
not with a human skin mask, but with his true face.
And he was looking at his disciples with eyes full of emotion.
After parting at Mount Emei, today was the first time
they had met so closely.

When all sixteen members of the Vermilion Bird Squad had finally gathered, Bi Ryu-yeon finally walked out leisurely and stood in front of them.

"Who are you?"

Tang Cheol-yeong, who could no longer watch a person he was seeing for the first time loitering in their exclusive training ground, asked. Bi Ryu-yeon, who had glanced at Tang Cheol-yeong, who was asking as if he were displeased, said as if declaring.

"It's our first time, right? Nice to meet you. I am your great senior brother."

The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad blinked their eyes at Bi Ryu-yeon's absurd declaration. An absurd astonishment made their eyes round. What was this, a bolt from the blue, a dog-like mutt eating a ghost's rice?

At Bi Ryu-yeon's self-introduction, all the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad doubted their ears. And then they once again carefully looked back at their past. But no matter how much they thought about it, had they ever seen the face of such a senior brother in the past? Besides, they had no hidden, secret past.

Somehow, he was wearing a plain-looking black martial robe with generous sleeves, and his bangs were so long that his facial features could not be properly recognized. Judging from the smooth jawline that was slightly visible through the gaps in his hair, it seemed that he did not have a metaphysically shaped face. But he was still a person he did not remember. Besides, absurdly, judging from the mark on his sleeve, he was undoubtedly a greenhorn first-year student. They were already third-year students now. It was clear that something was very wrong. Then the conclusion was only one.

"Madman!"

They shouted in unison. It was a natural reaction. For a punk they had never seen before, and a first-year greenhorn who had just entered the Cheonmu Academy, to dare to talk about 'senior brother', and even 'great senior brother', in front of the sky-like third-year seniors. There was no way they would not be angry. For the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, who did not know Bi Ryu-yeon's true identity, it was a natural reaction.

"What do you want?"

Even Bi Ryu-yeon, who had no respect and had always used a sarcastic, fake honorific, was thoroughly informal with them from the beginning.

"Madman, you've lost your mind. Where do you think this is to dare to make such a rash statement? Is it safe to assume that you have that much confidence when you make such a rash statement?"

The one who had stepped forward first and criticized Bi Ryu-yeon was the quick-tempered No Hak. The others' faces were also turning red and blue, so it seemed that their feelings were the same.

"Of course."

Bi Ryu-yeon answered with a bright smile. They had grown a lot in the short time he had not seen them. Or should he say their guts had swollen? That's why he had told them to take care of their health... Anyway, since the result was the same, it didn't matter.

"Oh, you seem to be confident. You arrogant punk, then show me the proof."

No Hak had no idea that his one statement had dug his own grave.

"Proof? Are you that curious? Then I'll show you. You!"

Bi Ryu-yeon's index finger pointed at No Hak.

"And you!"

The place where his finger turned again was where Tang Cheol-yeong was.

"Come here!"

Bi Ryu-yeon's index finger beckoned inwards. An attitude as if looking down on No Hak and Tang Cheol-yeong. The unpleasant feeling, as if they were being ridiculed, stimulated the nerves of the two. No Hak and Tang Cheol-yeong flared up at the same time.

"You punk!"

Although the two shouted in unison like angry wild boars, the one who had rushed at Bi Ryu-yeon first was No Hak. The quick-tempered beggar had forgotten about his joint operation with Tang Cheol-yeong and had just rushed in. He had said he would fix that arrogant punk's habit in just one second. And he had thought that there was no need to borrow Tang Cheol-yeong's hand to take care of such a greenhorn. This misunderstanding of No Hak had resulted in him taking all the disaster upon himself and inadvertently saving Tang Cheol-yeong.

No Hak prepared the Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Palms that he had polished so far and rushed in with the Shadowless Movement Technique. It was not an exaggeration to say that no one had been safe under his twin palms for the past half a year. He thought that Bi Ryu-yeon could not be an exception.

But No Hak's expectation was shattered in one breath. As if caught in Bi Ryu-yeon's simple hand movement, which was like turning over his palm, the center of his figure was disturbed, and in the blink of an eye, a dull impact hit his chest. Bi Ryu-yeon's one palm had struck his chest. Although Bi Ryu-yeon had used a strength that would not kill him, the pain was great.

"Keok!"

A final scream burst from No Hak's mouth. And he was dumbfounded.

'Tsk tsk, it's been almost half a year, and you can't even block this... What on earth have you been doing, slacking off?'

Bi Ryu-yeon had at once completely nullified the bloody and sweaty training process that the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad had gone through for half a year. Shouldn't there be a result for him to be convinced?

"Not bad, but you're still far from it. How can you be used anywhere if you fall for someone's provocation so easily! This is the punishment for that."

In an instant, dozens of fist shadows rushed at No Hak's entire body. It was an ignorant attack without any rules or laws.

Pabeobeobeok!

With hundreds of sounds like a leather ball bursting, No Hak's body gradually rose vertically.

"Th... th... that is!"

The mouths of the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, who were watching, dropped open. No Hak and the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad knew painfully well what kind of phenomenon occurred when one was hit by That ruthless martial art. It was something that was deeply engraved in their bones with the tool called fear.

Three Dog Days Beating Fist Method!

That cursed, ignorant martial art had once again appeared before them. They wished that this was just a dream. But the sensation of the cheek they had deliberately pinched hard betrayed their expectations and complained of pain. It was a feeling of wanting to resent God.

'Why... only me...'

No Hak's consciousness was gradually fading. This was already the second time.