Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: The Eve of the Journey to the Rivers and Lakes (5)
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"Ugh... My head."
Rising early in the morning while rubbing the back of his neck, Squad Leader Yang Dae-cheol groaned for a long while.
"I didn't even drink last night, but it feels like a hangover."
Yang Dae-cheol shook his foggy mind awake and spotted someone sprawled out in the common area.
The wretched figure groaning on the floor was a familiar face.
"Hey. Instructor Chu. Up early in the morning? What's the matter?"
This was the guy who usually didn't drag himself out of bed until the sun was high in the sky.
"Ugh... I'm dying."
"You look like hell. Did you pull an all-nighter?"
As he asked after him, a door opened nearby, accompanied by a tongue-clicking sound.
"Hohoho. You're awake, I see."
It was an old man he'd never seen before.
"...And who might you be?"
"Ah, it seems you haven't been told."
The old man smiled kindly and clasped his hands in greeting.
"I'm Wang Wu, the new caretaker. Just call me Old Man Wang."
"Master Wang, I presume."
Yang Dae-cheol responded politely, though he couldn't help but feel puzzled.
A caretaker for temporary lodgings that weren't even proper Silver Hall dorms?
Puzzled as he was, Yang Dae-cheol decided to ask something else.
"Master Wang. Why is Instructor Chu in such a state here?"
"Poor fellow. It seems he heard some terribly distressing news."
"Distressing news?"
"He was over the moon about being assigned as the instructor for the Jianghu journey, but then he was told to finish the instructor's log and miscellaneous duties he'd neglected before starting official duties."
"I see."
This was the man who skipped not just the densely packed daily logs, but even the morning roll call everyone attended.
'All the logs he's written so far are probably blank.'
He'd bet his entire fortune on it.
"He'll have a rough time ahead."
"Indeed."
Yang Dae-cheol was surprised at how naturally he'd fallen into casual conversation with the old man.
He was known for being quiet and taciturn, yet here he was chatting amiably with a stranger.
"Thank you for the explanation. Please take good care of Instructor Chu."
"You seem quite fond of him."
"He just rubs me the right way, oddly enough."
"I see."
The old man spoke with a warm, gentle expression.
"I'll keep an eye on him. Truth be told, I was asked by an acquaintance to do so."
An acquaintance had asked him to manage this place well?
'I thought we'd been given these rundown outer lodgings and left to fend for ourselves.'
Apparently not.
"Oh. Squad Leader Yang. You're up."
As they chatted, the other temporary instructors began to emerge one by one.
"Instructor Ga."
"Well now. You two are already up."
The Bronze Hall instructors appearing one after another all looked exhausted.
"My body feels all heavy and sluggish for some reason."
"Yeah. I feel like I slept without waking, but..."
"Ugh. All my joints ache."
Just as expected, they all looked a mess.
'Is the place cursed or something?'
They'd been fine until now, so it was strange.
"Huh? Instructor Chu."
"Why are you lying there like that?"
As they each commented on Chu Un-hwi sprawled pitifully on the floor...
Clap clap.
Yang Dae-cheol clapped to draw attention and looked around.
"Don't torment Instructor Chu, everyone. Hurry up and get ready."
Thus began another hectic day.
Only after a good while had passed...
"Instructor!"
A clumsy thudding sound was followed by...
A bright, jingling shout echoing out.
"Who's there?"
Spotting the old man peeking out, Mo Yong So-hye jumped in surprise and grabbed Baek Ri-seol's sleeve.
"Unnie. There's someone else here!"
"Huh? That's weird. I thought the only idle person rolling around the dorms in broad daylight was the instructor."
Jeong Tan and Nangong Yun-ho then appeared in front of the temporary lodgings.
They'd come looking for their instructor, who hadn't shown up despite their waiting.
Students visiting an instructor's dorm to drag out a lazy one wasn't common, but it was familiar to them.
Nangong Yun-ho tilted his head at Baek Ri-seol, who kept dipping her toes into the courtyard and pulling back.
"Miss Baek. What's wrong?"
"Well... There's someone inside."
Only then did Nangong Yun-ho recall the taboo: female students couldn't enter male instructors' dorms.
Silver Hall strictly separated men's and women's living quarters, after all.
'I didn't think she was the type to care about that.'
It was unexpected.
"The instructor still hasn't gotten up?"
"I'll check."
As Nangong Yun-ho stepped into the courtyard, he understood why Baek Ri-seol had been groaning.
An unfamiliar old man was diligently sweeping the yard.
'Guess she couldn't go in because of him.'
As he pondered how to broach the subject...
"...White ninety-fifth, ninety-sixth?"
A strange mutter reached his ears.
He whipped around to look at the old man, but the elder's mouth was curved in a smile.
Swish swish.
Nangong Yun-ho stared at the broom sweeping the dirt ground, then clasped his hands toward the old man.
"Elder. May I ask you something?"
"Ho... That's quite..."
A chill ran down his spine.
"Elder?"
He looked up hastily, but the old man still wore that smiling face.
"Speak."
Nangong Yun-ho scratched the back of his head at the serene voice, snapping out of it.
'Was it my imagination?'
He brushed down the goosebumps on his arms and continued.
"We've come for Instructor Chu Un-hwi here."
"Ah, Instructor Chu."
The explanation followed: he'd heard the dreadful news earlier and collapsed in despair.
'No wonder he's late.'
Used to it by now after more than once or twice, Nangong Yun-ho nodded.
"May we help him inside?"
"Hoho. If that's all."
"Thank you for allowing it."
As Nangong Yun-ho started to step inside...
"Oh my. You're all here."
A lovely beauty in elegant attire appeared beyond the low bamboo gate.
Jeong Tan stepped forward.
"Instructor Yeo. What brings you here?"
"Oh. Student Jeong. I have something to deliver to Instructor Chu."
She waved the duty log in her hand.
"I heard the news and brought our duty logs, thinking they might help a little."
Having heard the bad news late, Jeong Tan stroked his chin gravely.
"...So that's what happened."
"Yes. Duty logs need training records, but also the announcements from morning roll call."
"Our instructor..."
"Hasn't attended morning roll call once."
"...They'll definitely be a big help."
As Nangong Yun-ho watched Jeong Tan and Yeo Mae-hong converse, a suspicious mutter reached his ear.
"Hips are wide, so good for easy births."
"Breasts are ample, plenty of milk."
"Teeth are even, so health is..."
Nangong Yun-ho turned at the mutter.
The old man was sweeping away, unchanged from before.
"Ah, you heard? I've been raising cows lately."
"Are there stables here?"
"Personal matter. Pay it no mind."
I see?
As he wondered and tried to say more...
"Ah. You're the new caretaker everyone mentioned."
New caretaker?
Yeo Mae-hong approached briskly, clutching the duty log to her chest, and bowed in greeting.
"Bronze Hall Instructor—no, temporary Silver Hall Instructor Yeo Mae-hong."
"Hohoho. Instructor Yeo, I see."
"I came looking for a fellow instructor who wasn't around. May I go inside?"
"What a kind heart. Please, go right in."
"Thank you."
Watching her enter with light steps, a heartbroken groan came from the side.
"Urgh. That bust monster."
"Unnie. Stop it. People can hear!"
Just like always.
As he turned to leave...
A chill.
Goosebumps prickling, Nangong Yun-ho spun around quickly.
But the old man was just sweeping.
"What's wrong? See a ghost?"
"No, nothing."
Listening to his heart pounding from the inexplicable chill...
"Yun-ho. Let's go in too."
Jeong Tan approached, patted his shoulder, and tilted his head.
"...You look pale. Something wrong?"
"Well..."
As he tried to speak, frenzied cheers from Baek Ri-seol erupted nearby.
"Hurry up! We can't let the bust monster steal the chance to see the sleeping instructor's handsome face!"
"Ahh. Unnie! Instructor Yeo can really hear you!"
Nangong Yun-ho shook his head, releasing his gripped chest.
"Nah. Let's head in."
After the commotion, only Wang Wu—no, Sima Baek-man—remained in the yard.
"Hohoho. What delightful youngsters you're raising."
He looked genuinely amused watching them.
"To stumble upon such fun in my old age—fortune smiles on me."
He felt his decision was the right one.
Two days prior.
Returning to the Murim Alliance, Sima Baek-man—as Wang Wu—sought out the Beggar Elder.
"Brother Wang! I've been waiting."
The Beggar Elder beamed with joy.
"I got permission from the Alliance Leader. He was quite shocked by this incident, so he approved readily."
"Makes sense. Now that we know the Ten Thousand Heavens Society's roots run deep."
The Beggar Elder—an elder of the Beggars' Sect and a famous figure—had been attacked in broad daylight.
It wasn't just a martial artist's duel; betrayers from various places had emerged.
Only a fool wouldn't prepare countermeasures.
"He's even lending inner hall experts. He requested aid from the Nine Great Sects and Ten Great Families too."
The Murim Alliance divided into inner and outer halls.
Receiving relatively elite inner hall experts was encouraging, but the Nine Great Sects and Ten Great Families stepping up was unexpected.
"That's a relief. With the infamous Solar Demon Art appearing, I was deeply worried."
"Haha. I told the Alliance Leader that without Brother Wang, this old beggar would've been charred coal."
The Beggar Elder chuckled heartily, then shifted his expression.
"But what's this late at night?"
"About that person I mentioned before."
"Instructor Chu Un-hwi?"
Nod.
Wang Wu nodded solemnly.
"Watching him, he seems a bit flighty, but not a bad sort."
"Is that so? Similar to what others say."
To the still-suspicious Beggar Elder, Wang Wu said,
"You never know what's in a man's heart, even if you know the depths of ten fathoms of water. We must keep watching for hidden motives."
"True. You learn a person's true worth over time."
Wang Wu broached the subject subtly to the Beggar Elder.
"So, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
"From what I've observed, he has talent in swordsmanship, despite some shortcomings."
Thus.
Feigning deep thought, Wang Wu continued.
"Would it be alright to teach him some swordsmanship?"
"Your swordsmanship, Brother Wang?"
"Something about him draws me in. It seems compatible with Kunlun arts. Finding someone here to teach the sword must be fate."
"Hah. What would your master, the One-Eyed Divine Sword, say?"
"Not taking him as a formal disciple. Just passing on some Kunlun techniques casually. My disciple, who established his own school, wouldn't mind."
"If not a fellow disciple of the One-Eyed Divine Sword, no issue with propriety."
The Beggar Elder muttered, twirling his scruffy beard.
"Heard he has a prickly personality."
"Flaws from lacking noble training. As adults, we guide and refine him."
That's what masters are for.
Faced with the earnest plea, the Beggar Elder couldn't outright refuse.
Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea.
'Observe for suspicious motives, or if it works, pass on Kunlun arts. Either way, a win-win.'
Having sorted his thoughts, the Beggar Elder added a condition.
"If that's your wish, fine. But I have a request."
"I'm listening."
The Beggar Elder raised a finger.
"If you spot anything suspicious later, you must tell me."
Wang Wu smiled like the world's nicest man and promised.
"Even the slightest doubt, and I'll inform you."
Thus, the new caretaker of the Divine Martial Academy was born.