Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Hwangbo Seong-u's Arm is Broken
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"Hwangbo Seong-u's arm has been broken."
A shadow shifted beyond the curtain. Seo Il knelt on one knee and bowed his head.
Beyond it sat the Chief of the Shadow Division.
Moon Shadow Immortal Baek Cheong-ha, one of the Ten Heroes.
Seo Il had been a squad leader in the Shadow Division even before becoming an instructor, and he was one of the few at the Righteous Heaven Academy who knew the chief's true identity alongside Academy Lord Nam Myeong.
"I see."
"You're not surprised..."
The young sect leader of the Cheonhwa Sect had broken the arm of the Hwangbo Clan's young master. It was news that should have shocked everyone, yet the Shadow Division Chief showed no surprise.
"Squad Leader. What did you make of it?"
"...What do you mean...?"
"That fight. Do you think Wi Seong-cheon broke Hwangbo Seong-u's arm out of sheer luck?"
"No."
Seo Il answered without hesitation. Baek Cheong-ha let out a chuckle at his response.
"Squad Leader. As his supervising instructor, you reported his skills to me."
"My judgment must have been lacking."
"Don't blame yourself. The boy, Wi Seong-cheon, was simply hiding far too much."
"...But Chief, the classes I conducted strictly excluded the use of internal energy. Rather than him deliberately concealing it..."
"It sounds almost like you're defending the boy. Have you grown fond of him already?"
Though asked with a smile, Seo Il's expression hardened. His head bowed even lower.
"No."
"Ghost Arm Thunder Separation."
Baek Cheong-ha uttered the alias. A dark gleam filled Seo Il's eyes. The moniker known to the world was Golden Capture Whip Flash.
But before Golden Capture Whip Flash, he had been Ghost Arm Thunder Separation, one of the four clouds of Salun, the predecessor to the Shadow Division.
"From now on, answer not as Golden Capture Whip Flash Seo Il, but as Second Cloud Yi Un."
"As you command."
"Between Wi Seong-cheon and Hwangbo Seong-u, who is stronger?"
"Wi Seong-cheon."
"Even if Hwangbo Seong-u went all out?"
"Yes."
"And yet he lost their first fight. What do you think was the reason?"
"I believe it was an intentional loss to induce carelessness."
"And the reason he won today?"
"He hesitated just before."
Seo Il replied in a quiet voice.
"He hesitated on whether to win, even though he could have?"
"I can't say for certain, but..."
"Do you think there's a chance Wi Seong-cheon is a spy from the Black Death Society, the Demonic Cult, or some third force?"
"...I can't rule it out."
"Why?"
"He's hiding too much. He could have won but didn't. Given his situation, there's little benefit in concealing his strength. At his age, as the successor to a despised sect, it wouldn't be strange if he sought fame and glory..."
Seo Il's words trailed off. Baek Cheong-ha did not press him on the sudden silence.
"...But if he's pursuing fame... If he's thinking ahead to the 'next' step..."
"He wants to be underestimated?"
"...Rather than overwhelming Hwangbo Seong-u, he might have aimed for a narrow victory or a draw."
"Hwangbo Seong-u is just a stepping stone for fame. He's aiming higher than that."
"It's just speculation."
"But it could be true, couldn't it? If so, it would be quite intriguing. It means he's not charging in blindly but scheming with intent."
Baek Cheong-ha murmured as she rested her chin on her hand. Was it the will of the Cheonhwa Sect Lord? Or the Enlightened Light Buddha's will?
Or... Wi Seong-cheon himself desired it.
'It can't be the Cheonhwa Sect Lord...'
She erased the thought from her mind. It was too early to jump to conclusions. Baek Cheong-ha fell into thought for a moment.
"Chief, if I may ask...?"
"Yes."
"Do you think Wi Seong-cheon is a spy?"
"I have my suspicions."
A lie.
That's what Seo Il thought. He knew how thorough and merciless Moon Shadow Immortal Baek Cheong-ha truly was. Beyond that beautiful face, she wore countless others.
If she genuinely suspected Wi Seong-cheon of being a spy, that suspicion alone would have turned him into a corpse by now. The fact that it ended with surveillance and reports... meant it wasn't about spy suspicions, but some other reason.
'...She must know I'm thinking this way too. Yes... A warning not to learn too much.'
"What about the other students?"
Baek Cheong-ha asked with a smile. Seo Il composed his expression.
"...Ha Ji-tae clashed with some lower-class students, but there were no surprises. The lower-class students abandoned their hideout and fled, and in the process, two were taken down and sent to the Medical Ward. Among the scattered students, one more fell to Dang Heeran."
"And the remaining two?"
"They're probably hoping to survive the last three days unscathed."
"Is Bang Jun still with Wi Seong-cheon?"
"Yes."
"And Paeng Yeon-hwa?"
"...She's been alone ever since entering the Sword Forest."
Baek Cheong-ha nodded from beyond the curtain. As she slowly raised her hand, figures in black masks rose around Seo Il.
Seo Il showed no surprise. The clouds of Salun, excluding First Cloud who never left the Shadow Division Chief's side. All the squad leaders of the Shadow Division prostrated before Baek Cheong-ha.
"A pack of rats has infiltrated Righteous Heaven Mountain."
"...How many?"
Seo Il asked. His name as a Salun assassin was Second Cloud. With First Cloud absent, he held the highest rank. Baek Cheong-ha shook her head at his question.
"We haven't pinpointed the exact number. But... it won't be many."
To evade the eyes of Moon Shadow Immortal Baek Cheong-ha, one of the Ten Heroes? If possible, they were either a master on par with the Ten Heroes or an assassin who could target them. Or... they were using something that enabled it.
"There was the recent incident where Absolute Death Sword was ambushed by the Blood Light Man."
"Yes."
"The Blood Maniac Pill isn't something riffraff can easily obtain. If it was given to someone with a grudge targeting Absolute Death Sword and the academy instructors from the start... we can assume the Demonic Cult is gearing up for action."
Baek Cheong-ha murmured. At the words "Demonic Cult," the Shadow Division squad leaders' expressions hardened.
"I can't intervene. Especially not if these rats come from the Demonic Cult."
The rats' fangs being unexpectedly sharp wasn't the issue. What concerned Baek Cheong-ha was their 'eyes.' If their nest truly belonged to the Demonic Cult. Her seclusion on Righteous Heaven Mountain must not be revealed to them.
"Third Cloud and Fourth Cloud. Go to Repaying Grace Peak and protect Mu Yeon-jun."
"Should we kill the rats if we find them?"
"If necessary, yes. But if not, don't engage first."
No need to capture them.
It would be pointless. Whether the rats' backing was the Demonic Cult or not was unknown, but Baek Cheong-ha was assuming it was. Interrogating Demonic Cult warriors was impossible.
"First Cloud. You stay in the Sword Forest."
She didn't ask about Complete Rock Valley, where Second Squad was stationed. The rats had no reason to target it, and the Shadow Division's duty was solely to protect Mu Yeon-jun.
It was cruel, but to safeguard Mu Yeon-jun, the other students could all die for all she cared.
'And yet, stay in the Sword Forest...'
To avoid suspicion from the other instructors if he left? Or... was there something to guard against in the Sword Forest too?
"As you command."
Seo Il bowed his head without questioning the reason.
* * *
Two more days had passed since breaking Hwangbo Seong-u's right arm.
Bang Jun had thought Wi Seong-cheon might seek out Hwangbo Seong-u again, but over those two days, Wi Seong-cheon spent his time peacefully.
He never skipped his morning horsemanship or meditation, but the rest of the time was spent hunting mountain beasts himself, scouting the surroundings, and the like.
As a result, only two days remained. The day after tomorrow, the joint class practical would end.
"You don't need to do more?"
Bang Jun finally asked after Wi Seong-cheon devoured five mountain rabbits in a row. He sucked the grease from his fingers and eyed Wi Seong-cheon.
"It ends the day after tomorrow. At noon, the instructors will declare the class over, so effectively, we only have tomorrow left."
"I'm asking if you don't need to do anything else?"
He knew, but asked anyway. Bang Jun grumbled and flopped onto his back.
"About Hwangbo Seong-u. You definitely shattered his arm, and no matter how good his recovery is, it couldn't have healed already. If you fought now, you'd win for sure, right?"
He prodded slyly. He didn't hold any personal grudge against Hwangbo Seong-u. He'd lost to him in the first semester rankings, sure.
But he wanted to see that expression on Hwangbo Seong-u's face when his arm broke—one more time.
"No need for more."
Wi Seong-cheon replied.
If he had lost or drawn with Hwangbo Seong-u as initially planned in their last fight... he could have fought him again. But he had already won then. So it had to end there.
To leave room.
Hwangbo Seong-u's arm was broken by Wi Seong-cheon?
But Hwangbo Seong-u didn't go all out.
He hadn't turned into a bear.
'He'll have to settle for that.'
Wi Seong-cheon smacked his lips as he thought. Bang Jun didn't prod further. What could he do if the guy said no?
"...Well, if you say so."
He wanted to see more, but that was just greed.
"Anyway, hey. You said you wanted to find someone. Who is it?"
Bang Jun recalled something Wi Seong-cheon had said before and asked. Back then, he'd brushed it off without really listening. But now, his mind had changed a bit.
When he'd first heard it, Wi Seong-cheon was unproven. Cheonhwa Sect young sect leader, madman. That was Bang Jun's entire view of him then.
But now? He'd used some inexplicable martial art and broken Hwangbo Seong-u's right arm head-on.
Hwangbo Seong-u didn't turn into a bear, was careless—plenty of excuses, but who cared.
What mattered was that Wi Seong-cheon had beaten Hwangbo Seong-u, and a guy like that clearly wanted something from Bang Jun.
"Why? Gonna help if I know who?"
"...Hm. Can't promise I'll find them. But I could put in a good word with the branch leader and see about looking into it."
Putting in a request with the Beggars' Sect was easy with money. But every group had priorities.
That was why Wi Seong-cheon had chosen Bang Jun. At his young age, a third-generation disciple. And the first Beggars' Sect member to enter the Righteous Heaven Academy.
He didn't boast about it, but everyone knew Bang Jun had significant standing and attention within the sect.
"You said no back then?"
"Ah, that time... uh... I just thought you were nothing special."
Bang Jun averted his gaze and cleared his throat. Wi Seong-cheon smiled as if he'd expected it.
He had no intention of blaming Bang Jun. In the end, to be treated properly, one had to earn recognition.
"My brother."
"...Brother? The Cheonhwa Sect Lord had another son?"
"Not blood-related, adopted, but still... a son's a son. He is my brother."
"Simple family matter."
Bang Jun grumbled. Martial clans had far more complicated family histories than that.
"So. What's his name? Age? If you're looking for him, he must've run away or something."
"Name's Wi Seong-yeol. Two years older than me. Three years ago now... when my brother was nineteen, he ran away."
"Any distinguishing features? Looks, physical traits. You know how vast the Central Plains is? Hard to find with just a name."
Bang Jun smacked his lips as he asked. Wi Seong-cheon recalled his brother's face from three years ago.
"There's a mole under his left eye."
"Height?"
"A bit taller than me. Might be even taller now. And... here."
Wi Seong-cheon touched below his right ear.
"There's a scar here."