Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Frog in a Well (3)
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Someone kicked things off with, "That seems a bit off," and the Mosan Sect disciples' objections continued from there.
"Professor, we can concede the assignment exemption a hundred times over as reasonable enough, but extra credit and a finals exemption feel a tad excessive."
Watching them, I couldn't help but find it oddly endearing.
'After dealing with those Demonic Cult bastards who were ready to kill or kidnap me like madmen, seeing these kids nitpick over a bit of prestige just seems pathetic and cute.'
So, arms crossed, I decided to hear what they had to say.
"Exactly. A perfect score exemption like that would hugely impact the overall rankings, and the other cadets who didn't attend our class might complain too."
"Plus, if you look at our course syllabus, it says we're evaluating how much cadets know about jiangshi and how much more they want to know. I don't see how Eon Yong-un's lucky catch of a few jiangshi meets those criteria."
That prompted the guys who'd come with me from Shansi to flush red and let out hollow laughs.
Jeonggal Seolji, ever sensitive about grades, and Jeonghyeon, sensitive about the Dao, both muttered under their breath, clearly baffled.
"Lucky catch? What a joke. I was just standing there, and now they're whining about perfect scores and other cadets' complaints—it's so obvious what they're after."
"Word from Shansi must've reached the academy to some extent, so how can Dao-seeking Taoists act like this...?"
Still, I got why the Mosan Sect disciples were behaving this way.
'The Righteous Martial Academy is like a microcosm of the orthodox murim.'
I'd called them frogs in a well while recalling the White Orthodox Assembly on the way south.
If that assembly was the upper pond, the academy was the lower one.
'When even the upper pond frogs are flailing blindly, no wonder the lower ones don't sense the crisis.'
Of course, understanding didn't mean I'd just sit back.
Just then, thoughts of the long road ahead and how to mess with these punks flickered through my mind simultaneously.
- Are those long-nosed bastards the culprits again this time?
My master's voice rang out, snapping me from my reverie.
That's when I heard a particularly familiar face among the Mosan Sect disciples speak up.
"First, we need to check the condition of the jiangshi Eon Yong-un brought. It's customary to route all jiangshi matters through our Mosan Sect, but he transported them on his own. If there was any negligence in transit, we should hold him accountable instead."
- Doesn't that Mugil punk ever learn? After getting beaten like that, he starts this crap?
I shook my head slightly at my master's voice.
From past encounters, Mugil was a guy whose ambition and greed far outstripped his innate talent.
'Mugil's personality is exactly the type to pull something like this.'
But this time, I had to note the other Mosan Sect disciples were in on it too.
'No reason for them to follow Mugil after he'd embarrassed himself twice.'
Someone else was backing them.
'With cadets from Yunmaegwan and Yungukgwan present, it's not Hyangrangwan executives—must be from Mosan Sect headquarters.'
Right then, Professor Yeonghwan—known for his scholarly temperament and gentle nature—raised his voice unusually sharply.
"I was listening quietly, thinking this was legitimate objection, but now I see you're just nitpicking! How do you 'luckily' capture a Kingless Vajra Jiangshi?! Have you even attended my classes?!"
Mugil flinched at Professor Yeonghwan's outburst.
He quickly glanced around and stopped mid-sentence.
"Professor, this is..."
He was sending a transmission toward Yeonghwan.
The fact he did it in front of everyone proved it wasn't something for public ears.
And Professor Yeonghwan's response confirmed my suspicions.
"I don't want to hear it! Under the name of the Righteous Martial Academy, I'm just one professor among many, and you're just cadets!"
Classic reaction the moment headquarters got mentioned.
'Word that I restored the Eon Family's jiangshi techniques must've reached Mosan headquarters.'
As I said earlier, the academy was a microcosm of orthodox murim, but it was easy to dismiss issues as "kids' stuff" when convenient.
Thus, cadets sometimes moved to bolster their sect or family's position.
'They're using the hot potato that is me to embarrass myself and solidify Mosan's hold on jiangshi matters, huh?'
The Mosan disciples seemed motivated exactly by that.
'Who said I'd play along?'
My mind raced with ways to screw them over so the backlash reached their backers.
I immediately spoke up toward Professor Yeonghwan.
"Professor? If it's not too presumptuous, may I have a word with these guys?"
"I'm fine with it, but no need to stoop to their nitpicking..."
Well, the plan was simple.
Lots of people watching.
"Mother! Even after you prepared them, they're badmouthing us— we could've just sent those jiangshi straight to the Pearl Eon Family, but I donated them and now look at this!"
I feigned a heartbroken expression, wailing toward the north to publicize the grievance.
Then, all I had to do was humor the Mosan disciples' objections.
"...If we'd done that, it would've given Mother and Father more face with the family elders, and this scoundrel's rehabilitation would've come sooner. But I donated for the advancement of jiangshi studies across orthodox murim, and this is the treatment I get."
"......"
"This absurd, nose-pinching reality is lamentable, but given the intent, I'll just accept their objections."
With that opener, I strode straight toward Mugil.
I went to sling an arm around his shoulder.
But Mugil flinched, thinking I was about to hit him.
"!"
Sheesh, the key to the plan was setting aside my whiny fists and Regret's hum— no hitting.
I pulled his shoulder toward the jiangshi-laden carriage.
And whispered my first line.
"So, Foot Fungus."
"My courtesy name is Mugil!"
"...A guy with 'lake' stuck in his skull nitpicks his courtesy name. Foot Fungus or Mugil, same difference."
"What?"
"Muttered it, but you heard, Foot Fungus?"
"It's Mugil!"
"That's not the point right now."
I bellowed the next line loud enough to shake the surroundings.
"So, you want to check if there was negligence in transporting the jiangshi, if my jiangshi knowledge merits a perfect in Intro, and if 'luckily' capturing them is a big deal. That's three things, right?"
Reaching the carriage, I released the shoulder hold and spoke.
"Nine in this one, three in the front— start here."
Mugil huffed, flung open the carriage door, and bravely pried open a coffin lid.
I tossed him a question.
"Well?"
"...Ice is good, preservation seems fine."
Seizing the moment he relaxed to answer, I activated the magic circle I'd drawn on my left hand en route, rousing a jiangshi.
💥 ROAR!!! 💥
The open-lid jiangshi lunged immediately, while the covered ones kicked off their lids and rose.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
💥 ROAAAAAR!!!! 💥 Mugil convulsed backward like he was having a fit, tumbled from the carriage, and rolled in the dirt.
"Mommy!!!"
As Mugil wailed for his mother, Professor Yeonghwan's eyes bulged and he spoke.
"D-Did you just raise jiangshi without paper talismans or bells?!"
I nodded calmly.
Staring at the Mosan Sect disciples gaping like Yeonghwan, I spoke.
"Two of your three checks are done? Who's gonna 'luckily' capture one now?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ That was it.
No Mosan Sect disciple stepped up to capture a jiangshi.
Professor Yeonghwan just repeated himself in a daze.
"Theoretically possible, but that was just theory— how?!"
I addressed him.
"That's family secret territory, and an academic matter besides— hard to explain here. Plus, we've kept the jiangshi fine so far, but not leaving them out in summer heat. Need to move them to the ice storage."
"Ah. R-Right."
"Yes. We can discuss methods in detail later."
"Yes! In detail! Definitely!"
"Of course, after a little agreement on that commotion just now."
"......"
With that settled,
Yeonghwan glared at the Mosan disciples.
"...We'll talk later!"
He had his lab assistants move the jiangshi carriages and announced class dismissal to the other students.
"Today's Jiangshi Studies Intro ends here. Instead, cadets, submit reflection essays on raising jiangshi without shamanic tools like Eon Yong-un demonstrated. Assistants, take the jiangshi to the stone ice vault behind my research building."
Meanwhile, I called over Obok— the quick-footed one from the Solgeo beggar trio— and gave him a task.
"Obok. Head to Dangeokgu Library and spread exactly what you saw."
"Got it!"
I didn't know who the old fogey behind them was, but it'd piss them off.
Then, toward Yin Xia Lian.
"Silver Sis is..."
Before I finished, she read my mind and answered.
"Emotional trauma? Scar salve?"
I nodded silently.
Just then, Dang Okgi broke from the crowd and ran over, blurting out.
"What was that? How? We learned controlling jiangshi without tools in class is near impossible! What trick did you pull?!"
"Okgi, watch your tone. What scam with Lord Yong-un?"
"And who's this? What's going on that Seolji's back as Eon Yong-un's spokesperson?"
Seeing his darting eyes amid the bustle, I felt like teasing him.
"Not telling."
"Argh!!"
Not just Dang Okgi— cadets bombarded me with questions.
Leading them was Haseong.
"Bro, spill everything from Shansi onward. I'm dying here."
I stared into Haseong's eyes and spoke.
"Oh yeah, the Chief acknowledged my attendance, so y'all free now?"
"Yessir!"
"Then let's see if you qualify to hear it."
"Huh?"
"All Cheongjukgwan cadets. Front and center at the training grounds!"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Meanwhile,
at the Murim Alliance, one side had sect leaders and family heads fiercely debating the Demonic Cult, while the other had elders handling finances and events haggling gains and losses over various issues.
Song Yangja, the Mosan Sect's event elder—who'd decided not to meet anyone the first day to build leverage— gazed toward the Righteous Martial Academy and spoke.
"If we could just humble that Eon Yong-un punk here before moving on, it'd be perfect, but leaving it to that wallflower Yeonghwan and the kids... it's nagging at me."
One of the patrolling Upper Pure Sword Guards nearby replied.
"...Eon Yong-un has bad blood with Senior Brother Mugil, but he's still just a freshman. Does the elder need to worry so much?"
"It's not that simple. Shansi was regrettable, but the Demonic Cult deploying jiangshi gave us an opening. Notice how the White Orthodox Assembly treated us differently when we joined earlier."
"True."
"This is our chance for promised support and expanding lay branches and businesses. We leverage it, and all that 'Mosan unfit for the Nine Greats' talk vanishes."
"But what does that have to do with Eon Yong-un?"
"Foolish child, this opportunity arose because we're the only real counter to the Demonic Cult's jiangshi. If the Pearl Eon Family butts in, it complicates things."
"I see."
"Look at this incident. Jiangshi matter, and he dares bypass us, buries them on his own judgment, selects some, and notifies us he's bringing them down?! That's a slap in our face!"
"But claiming all the world's jiangshi belong to our sect is a bit overreaching..."
"Nonsense! Not overreaching at all! We must cement that jiangshi means Mosan! Instead of this, after the conference, on the way back to Mosan, I'll detour to the academy and nip that punk in the bud."
"...Without just cause, that might be tough?"
"Who says no cause?! The academy's freshman-senior meet-and-greet is soon, right? I'll use that as pretext."