Chapter 75
Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: The Tang Family's Friend (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
How long had it been since the freshmen, gathered together after so long, started chatting away?
A graduate student in navy martial robes appeared in the banquet hall with a haggard face and spoke up.
"The professors are coming."
At those words, the dormitory council executives began rounding up the scattered students.
"Yunmae Hall cadets, line up and sit here!"
"Yunguk Hall cadets. That's enough chatting—take your seats as we discussed earlier. There'll be time after the chancellor's address for you cadets to mingle again."
Ah, of course, the first dormitory to assemble was Hyangran Hall, which had forbidden individual actions among its cadets from the start.
"Hyangran Hall cadets, assume proper seated posture."
They were already seated, so they just needed to square their shoulders.
But the next most orderly in taking their seats was Azure Bamboo Hall.
"Azure Bamboo! Assemble!!"
With that single command came a sharp whistle.
Wheeeek!!
At the whistle, the Azure Bamboo cadets tensed up as if they'd spotted a ghost, then gathered and sat in perfect formation like elite imperial guards.
The perennial last-place, do-everything-last, Righteous Martial Academy's sluggish worms—Azure Bamboo Hall, which had every bad nickname imaginable—showed an unprecedented display of discipline.
In truth, they were sweating under someone's watchful eye, but to the other cadets, that didn't matter.
Well, anyway.
Azure Bamboo's display left the other dorm cadets, the banquet staff carrying food, and pretty much everyone gaping in shock.
Among them was Chancellor Gyeong Hye Sa-tae, who happened to witness it as she entered the hall.
Of course, she quickly turned her astonishment into a hearty laugh.
Then she turned to No Sam, the supervisor professor for Azure Bamboo Hall beside her.
"Has Professor No Sam regained his motivation? This year's Azure Bamboo is brimming with energy. Even if it's just the freshmen, I've never seen them like this."
"What could an ugly beggar like me have done? My kids are just doing it on their own. Like they say, when the bream jumps, even the loach follows—as that Eon family punk, Eon Yong-un, thrashes around, everyone's thrashing with him."
"Indeed. That child Eon Yong-un is Azure Bamboo's council vice president, right?"
But then Chang Ryang, supervisor for Hyangran Hall, clicked his tongue and stepped in.
"Tch."
No Sam twisted his brow and shot back.
"What's with that 'tch'?"
"Not a jumping bream, but a mud loach muddying the riverbed. I hear he got into fistfights with his seniors—truly a lawless rogue, isn't he? And you put a vice president's hat on such a guy? Tch tch. I'm worried for Azure Bamboo's future, and that the doomed breed's traits might spread like plague to the other dorms."
"You stiff-necked twig sure know how to twist words."
"Ha. Where's the twist in my words?"
"You're playing word games slyly. The order of events, as you put it, is that the Eon kid became vice president first. So it's not that he fought his seniors, but suppressed an act of insubordination. And calling him a mud loach, a doomed breed—you're just jealous of the Eon kid deep down."
"Ha. What nonsense. Why would I covet the world's greatest doomed breed?"
"Then why did you let that world's greatest doomed breed join Hyangran Hall? I heard from the Eon kid himself that Hyangran extended an invitation too."
"Hmph. I know nothing about that."
"In Hyangran Hall, where even cleaning the outhouse requires permission from the council vice president all the way up to the supervisor professor, they made an entry offer without your approval? Come on. If you like the Eon kid, just say so—instead of whining because he got snatched away."
"...Outhouse again? How childish. Can't you maintain some dignity, Senior No?"
"Yeah, I'm childish. Has this brat not been childish forever? Heh heh heh! Your dorm doesn't have Eon Yong-un, huh?"
It was then.
As No Sam ramped up his taunts and Chang Ryang unconsciously gritted his teeth to fire back.
Chancellor Gyeong Hye Sa-tae spoke up.
"That's enough from both of you. The cadets can hear. Isn't this event about competing with each dorm's honor while remembering you're all Righteous Martial Academy cadets?"
"My apologies, Chancellor."
"Ahem. I'll be more careful."
"In any case, I have high expectations for Azure Bamboo. Keep it up, Professor No Sam."
But as Gyeong Hye Sa-tae wrapped up what she'd meant to say earlier—interrupted by their bickering—it oddly looked like No Sam had scored a moral victory.
"Yes, ma'am. I will."
No Sam bowed to Gyeong Hye Sa-tae, then stuck his tongue out at Chang Ryang.
"......!"
Chang Ryang's molars ground down once more.
"Seeing the valiant figures of the young heroes who will lead the Baekdo Murim in the future fills this old woman's heart with reassurance. Tomorrow, classes begin, and you'll compete staking your personal honor and each dorm's pride. But through tonight's gathering, remember that all four dorms' cadets are fellow first-years under the Righteous Martial Academy banner."
The chancellor's address, as the nominal host of the banquet, came to an end.
The dorm supervisors followed with brief words—essentially 'don't fight and have fun.'
As soon as they finished, they brought out prepared jars of liquor and departed.
With the professors gone, banquet dishes started arriving.
In sync, the four dorm councils cracked open the liquor jars from their professors.
- Hmph. As expected, yours is bamboo leaf liquor.
'...Seriously? You were predicting that?'
- You only said each dorm brews its own without specifying what, so I made my own guesses. Why treat me like a drunkard?! My only hobbies are watching you fools and sampling a bit of liquor now and then—yet you scold me for it?!
'When did I scold you? I just asked if that's what you were doing.'
- Your tone said it! It was definitely that tone!
Well, anyway.
No time for this.
I needed to check on Tang Ok-gi, but first, handle council duties.
I left my grumbling master behind and started dividing tasks with Jin Kyung-ryong.
"We distribute to our kids, and send one jar each to the other dorms as custom, right?"
"Yes. I'll handle delivering ours to the other dorms and bringing back theirs to share. Vice President, just distribute Professor No Sam's bamboo leaf liquor to our cadets, then rest. Sorry for burdening a freshman, but you're doing too well—thanks."
"No problem. Let's split it that way then."
"Sure, sure."
Tasks divided quickly.
I gathered my Eon underclassmen and assigned roles.
"Silver Junior, you're learning essence transmission from Sword Sage, so no drinking, right?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, but since you're at it, keep an eye on the cadets. Stop anyone overdoing it. Jeong Hyun, you? Want some grain tea?"
"I'm fine."
"If you want to drink, say so; if not, say no. 'Fine' means no—help Silver Junior then. We'll drink together after."
"Understood."
I assigned basic order-keeping to Yin Xia Lian and Jeong Hyun first.
"So Neung and Ha Seong, distribute Professor No Sam's liquor. Then join the fun."
"Yes! We'll carry out orders perfectly—no, rest spectacularly, Brother Yong-un!"
"But is it okay just us?"
"...I'd prefer you two mixed half-and-half, really."
"......"
"......"
"Ha Seong, don't get too hyped—you'll cause trouble."
"...Yes."
"So Neung, mingling with other cadets is part of your job too. Anyway, you've worked hard—take a break."
"Ah. Yes!"
"Anyway, you heard—get to your tasks."
"Yes!"
"Yep!"
With traffic sorted, I told Yin Xia Lian and Jeong Hyun I'd handle something quick and grabbed the pre-requested plate of Sichuan-style braised pork and a bottle of bamboo leaf liquor from Head Chef Ju-sa Go-go, heading to the Hyangran Hall cadets' table.
With tasty food and liquor flowing, the hall's atmosphere heated up intensely.
But amid it, Hyangran Hall sat rigidly in formation.
'These guys are straight-up children of darkness—no other way to put it.'
Tang Ok-gi wore the same dark martial robes but sat at the edge, chin propped, looking out of place.
'Can't be helped.'
Tang Ok-gi was lively enough to suggest we drop formalities despite barely knowing me.
'She was busy at the time, but not everyone is. Jeon Gal-seol clung like a leech but kept manners.'
Formalities and etiquette didn't suit her.
Why join Hyangran? Her father, head of the Sichuan Tang family, wanted it, as per tradition.
'Her brother attends too.'
Tang Ok-gi knew Hyangran didn't fit but followed family orders.
Her personality clashed with the murim folk's blind fear of the Tang name, leading to subtle ostracism—her brother didn't help.
'In the original, she connects with protagonist Jeong Hyun amid that.'
Of course, my path differs from original Jeong Hyun's, so no identical friendship.
But we already had a 'debt' link, and I planned to leverage it to hook her.
'Though I'm after Heavenly Poison Pill, so not purely platonic.'
But what friendship is ever pure?
The world is tainted; friendships have motives.
'Even mine with Yin Xia Lian started over friend fees, but it works fine.'
I'll give her what she wants; she'll give me mine.
That should do it.
Especially since Hyangran let her join but leaves her isolated—I'd be better than ignoring her, for a fair friend fee.
It was then.
As I approached Tang Ok-gi's spot at Hyangran's table edge, lost in thought.
A figure in distinctly darker navy robes—deeper than the freshmen—blocked me.
"Wrong seat?"
It was Un Hyeok—Jeong Hyun's private tutor, Hyangran's PR head, and no fan of mine.
"Found the right one. Got business with a Hyangran cadet."
"Meetings with outsiders require council or floor leader approval via application. No such report, and no executive would approve a scoundrel like you loitering here."
Reciting dorm rules, but I'd tuned out at 'application.'
No.
I switched the plate to my right hand with the liquor, then scratched my ear with my left pinky.
Un Hyeok narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"What's that attitude? Too ignorant to understand?"
"Your question assumes ignorance from the start."
"What?"
"Think I haven't skimmed academy and dorm rules? Yours apply only to internal meetings. If universal, Hyangran cadets would need applications daily just for class encounters."
"...Class and now differ. Cadets must follow council now."
"No—the chancellor encouraged mingling, supervisors gave liquor. Why twist newcomer tradition your way?"
"...You?"
"Yeah. You. Polite speech makes you look down? I'm Azure Bamboo vice president. Who're you, PR lackey?"
"...Lackey?"
"Move. Complaints? Bring your vice or president at my level—talk then!"
Brushing past Un Hyeok, I stood before Tang Ok-gi.
Held up the braised pork and liquor.
"Sit for a bit."