Chapter 95

This intensity, this resonance, and above all, this familiar, terribly dreadful feeling!

'Why did I step forward like a fool again, forgetting the lesson from Mount Emei half a year ago? Is my learning ability and my ability to understand lessons only that much?'

No Hak lamented in his frozen emotions and fading consciousness, and he could not help but tremble in fear. In the meantime, his endurance had also increased a lot, so the pain should have been reduced, but the pain was still the same. He was now tasting the sensation he had felt in fear and despair half a year ago, right here.

In his blurry vision, he saw the Black Dragon Bracelets on Bi Ryu-yeon's wrist, which was moving restlessly. With that as the last, No Hak finally let go of the thread of his consciousness.

The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad looked at No Hak, who was flying away, spewing blood, with eyes full of astonishment. Half a year ago, at Mount Emei, they had also tasted the same scene in a terrifying fear. The name of the unforgettable thrill, the Three Dog Days Beating Fist Method. That cursed martial art had appeared before their eyes again. The ruthless martial art that had driven No Hak to a half-dead state as a demonstration model at Mount Emei last summer.

Seeing the pitiful appearance of No Hak, who was flying away, spewing blood like a red mist, and the sparkling Black Dragon Bracelets on Bi Ryu-yeon's wrist, which he had extended at the last, a word from their master flashed through their minds.

'When you meet your great senior brother, treat him with the utmost respect, as if you were treating this master's incarnation. When you meet him, you will be able to recognize him as your great senior brother at a glance.'

As their master had predicted, they were able to recognize him at a glance. The Black Dragon Bracelets he was wearing were clearly very different from the plain black bracelets they were wearing. Besides, it was the same object as the Black Dragon Bracelets that their master had always worn during the Mount Emei joint training period.

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had once again glanced at No Hak, who had stepped forward and had been sent flying away, spewing a mist of blood, looked back at the Vermilion Bird Squad and said.

"I believe I have presented sufficient evidence now. Is there anyone else who has a complaint?"

There was no way there would be any more complaints. Who would dare to harbor such a thought, wanting to suffer such a misfortune! At Bi Ryu-yeon's question, everyone's faces turned pale, and they hastily shook their heads from side to side. Bi Ryu-yeon was willing to sincerely present the evidence once more for the disciples (who had now become his junior disciples) who would still insist that the evidence was insufficient, but he had to fold that thought with regret because they had unanimously refused.

"Do you want to be hit too? Why are you still standing there?"

Bi Ryu-yeon said, glaring at Tang Cheol-yeong, who was still standing blankly next to him. Tang Cheol-yeong, who had received his gaze, thought his heart would sink.

"How could I dare to do such a thing!"

Tang Cheol-yeong, who was suddenly showing a weak side. It was completely unlike him, but now was not the time to be concerned about such things. He was suddenly grateful to No Hak, who had rushed in first. The entire Vermilion Bird Squad cupped their fists in unison and shouted.

"It is our first time meeting you. It is an honor to meet you, Great Senior Brother!"

Cold sweat flowed down their foreheads and backs as they greeted him loudly. In fact, unless there was a direct master-disciple relationship, for Bi Ryu-yeon to insist on being the great senior brother could be said to be an absurdity. But to ignore Bi Ryu-yeon's existence, the shadow of their master was too deep. Besides, more than anything, the aftermath was as frightening as a tiger attack.

'When you meet your great senior brother, think of him as your master and follow him.'

The words that their master had requested before leaving suddenly came to their minds.

'...That will be beneficial for your well-being.'

And the master's last warning that followed. In the end, it had turned out as their master had said. They suddenly wanted to cry. And now, Bi Ryu-yeon, who had become their great senior brother, admonished his junior disciples.

"The great senior brother is the same as the master. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Great Senior Brother!"

The sixteen members of the Vermilion Bird Squad answered in unison. Bi Ryu-yeon, who had proudly proved his identity with his actions, looked around at them and smiled with satisfaction. It was a touching(?) reunion of a master and his disciples.

Only then did Yeomdo, who had been watching from afar, approach, look around once, and say a word. The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad were once again dumbfounded by his words.

"It seems you have already exchanged greetings."

Greetings? These days, it seems that the series of processes of beating a person like a dog on a dog day and then burying them in a pile of sand is called a greeting?

"I will formally introduce you. Greet him. He is your great senior brother, Bi Ryu-yeon."

Yeomdo formally introduced Bi Ryu-yeon, ignoring No Hak, who was sprawled out like a dog on a dog day. The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad were puzzled. They were one thing, but how did even Yeomdo know of Bi Ryu-yeon's existence?

"How do you know Senior Brother Bi?"

Namgung Sang stepped forward as a representative and asked their question. Senior Brother Bi... It seemed that the effect of showing his authority was already appearing, so Bi Ryu-yeon was very satisfied.

"Huh? Didn't I tell you?"

Yeomdo's acting was so slick that even Bi Ryu-yeon, who knew the situation, was on the verge of laughing. But to ensure the perfection of the matter, he swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out.

"I have been deliberately not telling you until now, but in fact, I have an acquaintance with your master from your Mount Emei days."

"Whaaat? How can that be!"

For the Vermilion Bird Squad, Yeomdo's statement was no different from a bombshell declaration. How could Yeomdo know their master from their Mount Emei joint training days!

"Although the Jianghu is wide, how can the fetters of fate that are intertwined in it be expressed in words? Your master repeatedly requested me."

Emphasizing the words 'repeatedly requested', Yeomdo's dagger-like gaze flew towards the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad and was stuck. Everyone's spine chilled. The feeling was not good.

"He said he wouldn't leave me alone if I made you weak."

"Whaaat?"

It was a statement like a bolt from the blue. The evil hands of their master, which they had thought had been cut off and had been relieved, were still holding them and not letting go.

"So I also promised. I said I would make you win against the Azure Dragon Squad greenhorns by any means necessary."

It was Yeomdo, who was particularly emphasizing 'by any means'. As if to say that that was the key...

"..."

Everyone was now so dazed that they had no energy to speak. It was a feeling as if their minds were being bleached white like a piece of paper. With Yeomdo's testimony, the confirmation stamp of reality was stamped on the certificate of authenticity for the question of Bi Ryu-yeon's truthfulness, which had been in doubt. Besides, the guarantor was Yeomdo, one of the five great saber masters of the world. He, who was a person that no one could ever ignore, was more than qualified to be a guarantor. Who could have noticed that Yeomdo was making a false statement now!

Since the Jianghu was a place where grace and grudges and fate were so intertwined, they could not rule out such a possibility. But for the Vermilion Bird Squad, there had never been a time when the fate of the Jianghu was so resentful.

Thus, the Vermilion Bird Squad had come to serve a great senior brother they had not even had in their destiny. When would they ever be able to escape from Bi Ryu-yeon's yoke?

Regardless of the favor or malice(?) of the Old Masters' gazes on him, as a student, Bi Ryu-yeon had to attend classes. Besides, today there was a class on poison, which could be said to be indispensable for life in the Jianghu.

Poison arts was also a subject that had proudly taken first place among the most disliked classes in the previous year's academy opinion poll. But since poison detoxification was a required subject that all academy students had to take, it could not be avoided, which was a misfortune for everyone. The reason why everyone was reluctant to take the poison arts class was because of the smell.

As he opened the gloomy door and entered, the scene inside the laboratory was beyond imagination. Dozens of pots were boiling, emitting colorful smoke accompanied by a strange stench, and on one side, dozens of classified grave-robbing collection boxes were lined up. In them were hundreds of disgusting and terrible poisons that he had never heard of or seen before, which were ruining the mood of the viewer. Although the source was unclear where he had obtained them, among them was even a red, two-headed snake with two heads. On top of it, a sign was kindly written with the name, 'Red-scaled Two-headed Snake'.

As soon as they entered the poison laboratory, a unique and powerful fragrance stimulated their sense of smell, to the point where their minds became hazy.

"Indeed, it's a poison arts class that all students are said to be the most reluctant to take. This foul smell alone could be enough to kill a person. It's sufficiently murderous."

"Cough, cough. I agree. I feel like I'm going to suffocate and die right now."

Hyo-ryong, who was firmly clutching his nose with a distorted face due to the stimulation that was like hundreds of blades poking and digging at the mucous membrane inside his nose, said. It was the same for Bi Ryu-yeon and the other students, who were covering their noses. But strangely, Jang Hong did not seem to have any particular emotion. He surprised those around him by being so calm that it made them suspect that his sensory organs might be those of a person who was missing the sense of smell among the five human senses.

"Is that uncle's nose paralyzed? Why is he the only one who's fine?"

Bi Ryu-yeon asked, full of suspicion. No matter how much he looked around, there was no one other than Jang Hong who was standing fine without holding their nose with their hand.

"Maybe his nose fell off the moment he first smelled this fragrance. Otherwise, is that a human?"

Hyo-ryong also chimed in. He could endure everything else, but this smell was so terrible and dreadful that he could not stand it. It was a miserable feeling, as if all the hard endurance classes he had received so far had gone to waste. He had been confident that he would not yield to any torture, threat, or pain, but he was miserable and pathetic just thinking about himself, who had broken the wall of patience he had built up with so much effort, with just one foul smell.

"It's really an inhumane, terrible torture. Why do I keep thinking that this might be someone's murder plot?"

Hyo-ryong complained at his own pathetic thought.

"Come on, it's fine once you get used to it. Isn't everyone like that at first?"

Jang Hong, who was still calm, said with even a smile.

"The advice of a human who doesn't have a sense of smell in the first place is not very trustworthy."

Bi Ryu-yeon shot back at Jang Hong's still calm advice. Looking at such students, the Old Master in charge of the lecture, the Thousand Poison Hand, Tang Hak-ryeong of the Sichuan Tang Clan, spoke.

He was also the older brother of the Thousand Hand Soul Stealer, Tang Pyeong, who was teaching Bi Ryu-yeon's party the art of hidden weapons. But the two were not on good terms. Because no matter how much they were brothers who shared the same blood, there was no way the relationship between two people who had different goals and walked different paths would be good.

"When the smell of the poisonous herbs that fill this classroom feels fragrant to you, and when the dozens of poisonous snakes, poisonous insects, and other rare poisons crawling in the iron cages feel cute, and when the elegant colors of the medicinal herbs and poison liquid mixture boiling in the pots look beautiful, only then will your classes all be over."

Bi Ryu-yeon's impression after hearing the explanation of the Old Master in charge of the 'Mystery of Poison Arts and Poisons' class, the Thousand Poison Hand, Tang Hak-ryeong, was just one.

"It means the class will never end."

He resented the academy for having adopted such a thing as a required subject. Couldn't he expect a more elegant and profound martial arts study?

"There might be just one way. A way to end the study."

Hyo-ryong said, still with a triple wrinkle on his brow.

"What is it?"

Bi Ryu-yeon, who was desperate to end the study as soon as possible and befriend a normal, natural environment, asked.

"Just go crazy."

"What?"

Bi Ryu-yeon could not understand Hyo-ryong's words at a glance. But he soon understood the truth contained in those words. And so, Bi Ryu-yeon was able to nod his head.

"That's right. How can the stench that seems to have come up from the bottom of the Avici hell feel fragrant without going crazy? Without the nerves getting tangled after going crazy."

"That's what I'm saying."

Bi Ryu-yeon and Hyo-ryong, who were still exercising extreme patience at the lengthy explanation, muttered with inner dissatisfaction.

Tang Hak-ryeong, whether he knew their feelings or not, continued his lecture, excited with joy, with a few rare poisons in front of him.

He was just at a loss as to how long he had to listen to this. There was no way that such a Tang Hak-ryeong would look favorably on Bi Ryu-yeon's party, who were chattering in a corner over there. A nervous shout mixed with a threat was heard immediately.

"Shut up. Can't you be quiet? If you flap your mouths in front of this sacred poison pot one more time, I'll stuff stomach-melting powder and five-organ-exploding powder into your mouths."

It was a chillingly frightening threat. Stomach-melting powder was a terrible poison that was said to melt the stomach if one ate just half a spoonful. But even this was just a drop in the bucket compared to the five-organ-exploding powder. The five-organ-exploding powder was a poison among poisons that, true to its name, would make one roll around for seven days and nights in the pain of their five organs burning if they drank just one drop, and then finally die. There was no way that Tang Hak-ryeong, who was promising to stuff such things into the mouths of his disciples without hesitation, would not look frightening. And there was no one who would send him a favorable impression.

The Old Master in charge of the basic poison arts class, 'A Thousand Understandings of Poison and Its Various Uses', the Thousand Poison Hand, Tang Hak-ryeong, was a person who looked as gloomy as the subject he taught. His abnormally long lower jaw and his narrowly slit two eyes, and on top of that, his pupils as small as a millet seed, were enough to give the viewer a sense of disgust. Besides, his personality was as eccentric as his appearance. Therefore, all the students taking the lecture, including Bi Ryu-yeon, were able to escape from the guilt of having condemned a perfectly fine person with the narrow-minded way of thinking of judging a person by their appearance alone. Tang Hak-ryeong's personality was that strange and eccentric, beyond common sense.

At Tang Hak-ryeong's one word of threat, the hall was very effectively submerged in silence. Who would dare to open their mouth and wag their tongue with such guts!

Only then did the students' attitude in class seem to please him a little.

"It's quiet now. If you don't want to drink a bowl of five-organ-exploding powder and suffer with five-poison needles stuck in your vital points all over your body, always maintain this state. Do you understand?"

"Yes, we understand."

The voice that answered was also extremely loud. It was a very effective threat, but it was a situation where it was ambiguous whether he was a person of the unorthodox path or the orthodox path. No, it would be rare to find a person as eccentric and frightening as Tang Hak-ryeong even among the people of the unorthodox path. Tang Hak-ryeong had already put his threats into practice several times in the past. Of course, although he had given them the antidote right away, the survivors had unanimously testified that the pain they had suffered in that brief moment was enough time to experience hell.

"I emphasize once again, when you have learned the principle of the harmony of yin and yang and the five elements and the mystery of mutual generation and mutual overcoming that are inherent in this heated pot, and furthermore, when the fragrance of the medicinal herbs that fill this room becomes fragrant, and when you can eat the poison you have prepared yourself without hesitation, and when you can eat any food given to you on the Jianghu path with peace of mind, only then will your classes be over. If you learn with such an attitude and happen to go out into the Jianghu and get hit by someone else's poison art, don't even mention that you learned from me. Where would I be able to hold my head up in shame? Such a punk will die by melting in my hands before he dies from being poisoned by someone else's poison. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

The attitude of the Heaven character group, to which Bi Ryu-yeon belonged, was more excellent than ever before. They endured the terrible poison scent with extreme patience and were all engrossed in the class. Not a single person could be found doing something else, even if one were to wash their eyes and look. Whether they were all intimidated by Tang Hak-ryeong's ice-cold, snake-like gaze, no one could answer and remained silent.

Everyone earnestly wished for the class to end even a minute or a second sooner.

• The White Tiger Squad Falls Out of Favor

The affairs of the world, by the overlapping of coincidences,
often develop into inevitability.
No, this may be the most fundamental law
that constitutes most of the affairs of the world.

Today, all the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad had to resent the innocent sky for a total of six reasons. If there was a god of fate, it was a feeling of wanting to grab even the edge of their sleeve and complain.

First, why did their class time and Bi Ryu-yeon's class time end at the same time? Second, it was fine that they ended at the same time, but why did their path and Bi Ryu-yeon's path have to overlap in the middle? Would it hurt somewhere if they took a slightly different path? Then third, why did Bi Ryu-yeon recognize them as they were passing by from a far distance? Couldn't he have pretended not to see them? Lastly, why did that punk have to appear in the very place where they and their great senior brother, Bi Ryu-yeon, were together? Besides, to make matters worse, that punk had no sense and was even ill-tempered.

"Oh, who is this? Isn't it the Vermilion Bird Squad, who are doing well these days?"

The owner of the twisted voice was the Iron Sword Fly, Dan Dae-pung, of the White Tiger Squad, whom they also knew well. He had been on very bad terms with them from the usual. Dan Dae-pung, who had glanced at Bi Ryu-yeon, who was surrounded by the Vermilion Bird Squad, asked.

"But who is the greenhorn with you?"