Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Needle and Thread (2)
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Eon Yong-un's words made the faces of the three men in dark training robes—Yun Hyeok, Un Jin, and Jo Cheol-seong—harden simultaneously.
It made sense. By their common sense, Eon Yong-un's behavior was incomprehensible.
To the Fragrant Orchid Hall, an apology was something exchanged between equals while preserving dignity.
So, it shouldn't be demanded so openly like that.
Moreover, in this case, the three from Fragrant Orchid Hall were the seniors, whether by the academy's hierarchy or their standing in the jianghu.
Connections in the jianghu would continue indefinitely, so overlooking minor faults was a virtue from the start.
Even if an apology was given, the seniors should offer it graciously, and the juniors should receive it gratefully.
That way, no needless grudges would form between them, and traditions and foundations would endure solidly.
Un Jin, narrowing his brow based on such thoughts, spoke up.
"Even prostrating in apology holds no meaning, so what meaning is there in an apology forced through such blatant demands?"
Though he'd phrased it tactfully, Eon Yong-un smirked and shook his head.
"You called yourself Senior Un Jin, right?"
He even twisted the honorific oddly.
The top disciple of his cohort wouldn't have poor memory; this was deliberate.
Un Jin bit his lip.
"...It's Un Jin."
"Anyway. Why wouldn't it have meaning? Personally, I believe words carry power."
"...You're really going to force an apology out of me?"
"Yes. Senior Un Jin tried to hurl this junior off a thousand-foot cliff under the pretext of the lightness skill exam, Senior Jo treated me like an untouchable pariah, and Senior Yun Hyeok here urged Jeong Hyeon to abandon the entrance exam."
"......"
"Well, since you're the ones who did all that, your consciences might be so thick with fur that you feel no prick at all. But even so, the moment 'I'm sorry' leaves your lips, you'll become aware of it."
Unable to endure any longer, Jo Cheol-seong stepped forward.
"This punk is really asking for it!"
"That 'asking for it' talk—when did you ever cut us slack, Senior Jo? Fine, overlook the untouchable treatment during the entrance procedures, but I remember you swinging a fist at me the day you were bullying Jeong Hyeon here. Or am I wrong? Actually, I'm the one going easy on you."
"What?!"
"Should I call you 'big brother' like that day instead?!"
As the situation hurtled toward a breaking point, Yun Hyeok—the leader from Fragrant Orchid Hall—closed his eyes briefly.
'...That damned wastrel.'
He wasn't alone among Fragrant Orchid Hall cadets; to them, Eon Yong-un was the epitome of their natural enemy. A walking heart demon that made their blood boil in reverse?
Though they'd clashed only a handful of times, Yun Hyeok had instinctively known this long ago.
He wanted to draw his sword right then and teach the source of that heart demon some manners.
But contrary to that urge, So Seon-chang's parting words as Fragrant Orchid Hall's autonomous vice president echoed in Yun Hyeok's mind.
'Here. The interpretation of the hall rules took a bit due to the need for review. Anyway, with approval from above, go offer enrollment to the top recruits on this list.'
'Interpretation...? Does that mean we're accepting that new student, Eon Yong-un?'
'Yes. Specifically, I just got the professor's interpretation on Eon Yong-un and Jeong Hyeon.'
'Those punks?'
'Yes. Jeong Hyeon is fine since Tae Yeong-ja of Wudang is taking responsibility and in secluded meditation—it's not against the rules. Eon Yong-un is ambiguous since he was expelled from his clan, but his bloodline is undeniably from a prestigious family, and having shone as top disciple, his return to the Pearl Eon Family is only a matter of time.'
'I'm not talking procedures! Those two I've seen with my own eyes! Especially Eon Yong-un—he absolutely doesn't fit Fragrant Orchid Hall's spirit! He'll turn the hall upside down and make us a laughingstock!'
'Listen, Yun Hyeok. We've lost the top spot to Fate-Plum Hall for years now. Don't you get what that means?'
'...We can't lose it this year.'
'Exactly. But we're already losing. Jeon Gal-seol is obviously heading to Yun Nation Hall, and the Peng Clan favors Fate-Plum. If you understand, hurry and bring back Yong-un and Jeong Hyeon.'
'Yes.'
'We're late compared to other halls, but a guy smart enough to snag five points on the final entrance trial won't have decided yet. Plus, those kicked from clans or sects usually yearn for Fragrant Orchid Hall.'
If Eon Yong-un himself heard, he'd scoff that they assumed he'd come running if called, never imagining he'd want the rice cake.
Anyway, Vice President So Seon-chang ended by saying Eon Yong-un and Jeong Hyeon would weep with gratitude if Fragrant Orchid Hall extended a hand.
But as could be seen, Eon Yong-un was absolutely not that type.
"So, how about it? I'm fine with it—shall we head to the back courtyard for a little physical conversation?"
At that moment, Yun Hyeok thought:
'Let's apologize.'
As a martial artist, it wounded his pride and face greatly.
But as Fragrant Orchid Hall's publicity chief, if an apology secured Eon Yong-un and Jeong Hyeon, it wasn't bad.
'Even the great Han Xin crawled between thighs in his youth.'
The famed general who helped Emperor Liu Bang destroy Xiang Yu's Chu in the Chu-Han Contention had endured such humiliation young.
'I can fix Eon Yong-un's manners after he joins.'
With that resolve, Yun Hyeok forced his reluctant mouth open.
"...Sorry."
At Yun Hyeok's voice, Jo Cheol-seong and Un Jin gaped in shock.
"Ch-Chief?!"
"Senior Brother?!"
But the key figure, Eon Yong-un, picked at his ear with a bored expression.
"The two next to you shouted suddenly, so I didn't hear. Could you say it once more?"
Yun Hyeok ground his teeth.
But with the first apology already out, the second came easier.
"I said I'm sorry."
"Alright, got it."
Only then did Eon Yong-un nod as if satisfied.
Yun Hyeok swallowed a deep breath in secret and forced a smile before speaking again.
"That settles it, right? Now sign and seal this enrollment form."
"Huh? What's that nonsense out of nowhere?"
"......? I apologized, didn't I? You said you'd come to Fragrant Orchid Hall if we did."
"No. I clearly said you had to apologize properly first if you wanted to talk to us. You did apologize half-heartedly, so now we can talk."
Come to think of it, that was right.
Eon Yong-un's words never promised enrollment upon apology.
His face flushed red with shame from his pure self-delusion, with no one to blame.
And then Eon Yong-un's voice continued.
"So, what's Fragrant Orchid Hall's offer? By the way, our seniors are trying to eat for free with insincere apologies."
There was no way that punk would join Fragrant Orchid Hall.
At Eon Yong-un's voice laced with a snort, Yun Hyeok finally understood what "qi and blood surging in reverse" meant, but he barely suppressed it and turned to Jeong Hyeon.
If not the pheasant, take the chicken.
"Jeong Hyeon, you at least sign."
But even that didn't go as planned.
"Senior Brother Yun Hyeok. This is Righteous Martial Academy, not Wudang Mountain. I realized that thanks to Brother Eon."
"What?!"
"And if Brother Eon is the needle, then this junior is the thread. Tell us Fragrant Orchid Hall's offer. I'll consider it and give an answer later."
It was the moment Yun Hyeok's molars ground futilely.
The Fragrant Orchid Hall seniors left.
"Sorang."
"Yes, Brother Eon."
"Go borrow some salt from the owner and sprinkle it at the entrance."
"Yes, sir!"
Fragrant Orchid Hall's offer was unappealing even setting aside the bad blood with the trio.
Other halls promised special rooms and autonomous council vice positions as baselines.
Fragrant Orchid Hall's boiled down to accepting the Eun siblings for sure if Eon Yong-un and Jeong Hyeon both joined, with no other perks for new students.
'Well, other halls sent vice presidents, but they sent their publicity chief...'
These guys.
'Did they come assuming we'd join just because they deigned to ask?'
'What a joke.'
Well, Fragrant Orchid Hall had the most overall service victories, produced countless Alliance Leaders, sect heads, and Grand Commanders, and was once called an academy for prestigious sects only, so it held firm status.
Their ethos would attract some. That's why they consistently ranked high in tournaments and totals.
'But not me.'
Anyway.
So the Fragrant Orchid Hall seniors left.
"Kuh. To bring up that needle-and-thread bit from the start. Senior Brother! This is Righteous Martial Academy, not Wudang Mountain. If Brother Eon is the needle, I'm the thread! Kuhuhu! Brother Jeong Hyeon, you slayed me. If I hadn't rolled in the back courtyard earlier to sweat it out, I might've really lost it!"
"Me too!"
"E-enough of that."
"What enough? Hasung's right this time. Wow, is that Jeong Hyeon, the total nerd who just stood there while academy kids tore his uniform in front of the cafeteria?!"
"I didn't see that scene, but anyone who saw it and today's must feel their chests swell."
"...Brother Eon and Miss Eun too!"
"Kuhuhuhu."
"Heung."
"Hahaha!"
"Heeheehee!"
We burst into laughter recalling the moment just now, but as we giggled, a sudden question came from Master's voice at my waist.
-So, which hall are you joining?!
'Who knows?'
-Who knows? You always have a plan, yet 'who knows' now?
'I haven't heard all the offers yet. Azure Bamboo Hall hasn't come.'
-Didn't you call Azure Bamboo Hall a trash bin? From the enrollment ceremony rumors and your self-proclaimed little bros, no one's even considering it!
'True. But Azure Bamboo Hall has its merits.'
-Merits?
'Yes.'
-What merits?
'Desperation.'
If Yun Nation Hall had sharp quick-thinkers, Fate-Plum Hall hot-blooded fighters, and Fragrant Orchid Hall bloodline snobs, Azure Bamboo Hall was Righteous Martial Academy's bottom-feeders.
Say "bottom-feeders" to their faces, and Azure Bamboo seniors or alumni would flush red—but that's reality.
'If they even flush, that's lucky.'
Eternal last-place Azure Bamboo Hall.
Cut academy funding and external sponsorships as a result.
Leading to student avoidance.
More minor issues piled up, but the original depicted those three endlessly cycling into defeatism across all years.
'No wonder even joining the student council—called the academy's flower—was shunned by their cadets. Unlike other halls electing new faces yearly, Azure Bamboo's Jin Kyung-ryong retained council president.'
But.
Jin Kyung-ryong genuinely tried to save Azure Bamboo, so when others sent vice presidents or chiefs,
He—the president himself—came personally with the best offer for Jeong Hyeon, as I recalled.
'Original Jeong Hyeon went to Fate-Plum, but even after halls split, he never refused aid requests—loyal to the end.'
Anyway.
As I thought of Jin Kyung-ryong—one of the few from original Azure Bamboo who left a deep mark—
Speak of the tiger, and he appears.
"I'm Jin Kyung-ryong, Azure Bamboo Hall's student council president. Mind if I come in to talk?"
"The door's open. Come in."
"As I said, I'm Jin Kyung-ryong, Azure Bamboo Hall's council president. I'd come alone, but I've brought a guest. Could you step out to greet us?"
Curious, I opened the door.
There stood a familiar old beggar with an awkward smile.
"Ahem."
"......? Isn't that Professor No Sam?!"
The Mad Wind Drunkard, Wild Wind Maniac No Sam.
The one from whom we barely got the five-point bead.
Sure, my top spot was more solid than original Jeong Hyeon's, but sending the council president wasn't enough—they brought the supervisor professor too?
"...Uh."
"What're you staring at? If you're not kicking us out, offer some tea!"