Chapter 210
Chapter 210
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: News from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains (2)
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"My lord, this has arrived for you."
In a secluded clearing where they met in secret, Dokgo Yul pulled out a single letter.
"It's news of arrival at the Hao Gate branch in Shinkang."
"...Shinkang? Ah. It seems Feng Xie has made up his mind."
"Is this Feng Xie someone reliable?"
"Where in the world is there anyone truly trustworthy?"
Except you.
Chu Un-hwi quickly added as moisture gathered in Dokgo Yul's eyes.
"Let me see."
Chu Un-hwi soon examined the letter and wore a grave expression.
"...Have you read this?"
"Not yet. It's news for you, my lord."
"Read it."
Dokgo Yul took the letter and read it, his voice sinking low.
"...If this news is true, then the dog we unleashed has clearly crossed the line."
"Exactly."
Chu Un-hwi nodded in agreement and spoke.
"I thought it was handled well, but I never expected a blow like this from behind."
"...Even after your lordship's generous judgment, it seems he failed to grasp his place."
"It's my oversight. Relying solely on memories from my past life was the root of this disaster."
Upon opening his eyes in this new life, Chu Un-hwi had unleashed a storm of blood upon the Blood Cult based on those memories.
The first thing he did was kill the Horse Demon Army of the Five Poisons Cult, the very first foes he encountered.
They had been leading the Five Poisons Cult in an attempt to exterminate the Evil Tyrant Family, and later even tried to kill his wife, so folding their waists four times posed no issue.
That was the beginning.
"I thought purging the Six Demonic Veins of the Blood Cult and weeding out the traitors would suffice."
The current cult leader, Gu Il-so, was one who had survived that bloody storm sweeping through the Six Demonic Veins.
To be precise, he had merely been spared.
"In my previous life, Gu Il-so was someone with little presence. He even fought for the Blood Cult until the end, dying at the hands of the Heaven-Extinguishing Society."
"And in this life, such a man was the first to betray the cult."
"Exactly. I can't fathom why he changed his mind."
In contrast, Dokgo Yul seemed to have some inkling.
"It seems your lordship is unaware, but I have my suspicions."
"Suspicions?"
"It's probably because your shadow looms too large."
What does that mean?
The response was hard to grasp easily, but Chu Un-hwi paid it no particular mind.
Now that the situation had unfolded, the reason behind the man's actions was irrelevant.
"I warned him endlessly never to join hands with them, and even if he obtained the name of the Six Heavens, words alone won't resolve this."
Only force would do.
"Indeed. If this letter is genuine, a massive blood storm will rage within the Blood Cult immediately."
"Feng Xie will hold out for a while. He says he can manage until winter, so we have to trust him for now."
"Can we truly trust him? The cult leader is rampaging beyond control."
"He's capable enough to keep his word. First, he must pass the test he himself proposed."
Cheekily, Feng Xie had offered to track down and report the whereabouts of the Seven Heavenly Apostles.
'He wants confirmation that I'll deal with the Seven Heavenly Apostles and can handle the Blood Cult?'
Daring to test him—quite an amusing proposal.
"This Feng Xie must have no eye for people. To dare test your lordship."
"Let him be. We need to earn his trust at least once anyway."
Above all, killing the Seven Heavenly Apostles was something he desired, so there was no real grievance.
"In any case, the Seven Heavenly Apostles can be handled once Feng Xie reports their tracks, but the Blood Cult is the problem."
"...Breaking the laws is an issue, but with Cult Leader Gu Il-so fully seizing control of the cult, the Law Enforcement Hall will rebel fiercely."
Not even the cult leader could trifle with the Law Enforcement Hall.
If they rose up, it would be no exaggeration to say the entire Blood Cult had turned enemy.
There was another concern.
"Yes. And the rampaging Gu Il-so is even more problematic."
He never shied from battle, but in his current state of madness over completing the Awakening Stone, he would surely drive the cultists to spill as much blood as possible.
"No need to open the blood realm that the Heaven-Extinguishing Society desires. We'll need some time for preparations."
"...I'll prepare as best I can, but I can't guarantee how much it will help."
It was a direct confrontation with the Blood Cult.
"Above all, it troubles me that your lordship has broken the laws and been branded a heretic."
The laws of the Blood Cult, passed down from the founding Blood Demon.
The cultists revered the laws like the heavens and never forgave betrayers.
Grudges and loyalties from the past existed only under those laws.
"Yeah, probably."
"Moreover, the Six Demonic Veins that prop up the Blood Cult all view your lordship as their mortal enemy."
Chu Un-hwi had torn apart several of their family heads. It was only natural for the Six Demonic Veins to sharpen their blades for revenge.
"I know. Those we can win over will suffice."
"Will they truly be enough?"
"They will."
Even in this double bind, Chu Un-hwi spoke with confidence.
He even added leisurely.
"By the way, do you know any scary stories?"
Like yokai, ghosts, or strange tales.
"?"
Dokgo Yul's eyes filled with confusion.
***
That evening.
Standing before the Silver Hall gate with his permit, Neung Pung-un came running up.
"Haha, I'm too late. So many people held me back."
"...I figured."
He could tell without looking.
Neung Pung-un had traded his drab instructor uniform for a flowing sky-blue robe.
Excited for the outing after so long, his hair was neatly styled, adorned with flashy blue silk, and even his scabbard bore tassels.
For a man, seeing him dash from afar made it seem like a marble statue draped in blue silk was charging over—what more need be said about his elegance?
"First drinks with a friend, so I put some effort into dressing up. Hm? Senior, you planning to go like that?"
"My uniform is my casual wear."
And his casual wear doubled as uniform.
Insisting stoically, Neung Pung-un laughed and slung an arm over his shoulder.
"Haha, doesn't it hurt to dress up now and then? Think of it as a habit. Practice in bits, and it'll pay off properly when it counts."
"I can agree to some extent, but..."
To assert himself as a senior instructor at any moment, donning the instructor uniform anytime, anywhere was best.
'You never know when you might run into your wife.'
Above all, dressing up only for her might make Jang Cheol-sim suspicious of his intentions.
"Think about it."
"Good, you're listening. Haha. By the way, you said there's company today?"
"Yeah. You've seen them before. Instructor Moyong and Instructor Yeo."
That was right.
Today's gathering was a drinking party requested by Moyong Seon-ya through Yeo Mae-hong.
Rarely opting out of the usual skewer joint at Palmi Alley, they chose a grand restaurant on the main street.
Even more surprising, it was an expensive place offering private rooms for intimate meals and chats.
'Instructor Moyong takes an interest in handsome men too.'
The realization felt strangely novel. Unaware or not, Neung Pung-un brimmed with delight.
"Haha, meeting those beauties again—quite an honor."
"The more the merrier when eating together."
"Not something for someone who always eats alone. You ditched today saying you were busy."
"I need my time."
Taking his words of casual treatment in private to heart, Neung Pung-un chattered excitedly.
Rumble rumble rumble.
Before long, the heavy gate creaked open, and the drawbridge began to move.
***
The meeting spot was even grander than imagined.
The five-story building gleamed with gold-leafed walls, and the patrons entering and exiting appeared exceedingly wealthy.
"...Even the errand boy is dressed better than me."
As he sulked, Neung Pung-un patted his shoulder.
"Chin up. Uniforms are fine."
Following the errand boy to the third floor revealed several private rooms.
"This is the place."
The boy stood by the door, and flinging it open wide showed Moyong Seon-ya and Yeo Mae-hong already seated inside.
However, contrary to expectations of them dressing up like Neung Pung-un, both wore their uniforms.
"This is awkward. Feels like I alone got all excited and dolled up."
Neung Pung-un looked sheepish to a surprising degree, while the two remained utterly as usual.
No—Moyong Seon-ya looked even more disheveled than usual.
Her uncombed hair stuck out messily, and exhaustion etched her face.
"Fuck. Seriously."
"Hang in there, sis."
The conversation hit them right as the door opened, revealing why they'd booked a room.
'Not for cozy chat, but to curse freely?'
Yeo Mae-hong turned, her face flushing red as she flapped her hands.
"O-oh, you're here? Instructor Chu? Instructor Neung too."
"...Why the gloom?"
As they sat, Moyong Seon-ya ruffled her hair and slammed her glass down with a thud!
"Instructor Neung, I know it's rude after calling you here."
"Speak freely. It's fine."
"Do you know Instructor Bok well?"
"Of course, Bok Yu, my junior colleague. We're from the same academy."
"Ha.... Really, truly..."
"...Is your junior causing trouble?"
Moyong Seon-ya snapped irritably, ruffling her hair further.
"He got into a fight mid-class with an instructor from the Mount Zhongnan lay branch."
"That figures. Bok Yu does have strong pride."
"I get that clashes are inevitable. It's a place full of people proud of their sects."
But the manner is the issue.
"He dismissed Mount Zhongnan martial arts in front of the students, and it escalated to a fight."
"...Oh dear."
"Rivalries among instructors happen all the time, but slandering and brawling before students is another matter."
"Instructors, who should set examples, clashing vulgarly in front of trainees."
"Exactly that."
The ensuing details sounded gravely serious just from hearing.
After listing issues with the newly joined instructors for a while, she asked in a dejected tone.
"The discord with the new arrivals has gone too far. Any way to resolve it?"
"I hoped time would heal it, but it sounds worse."
"Right?"
Moyong Seon-ya's tousled hair swayed slowly up and down.
"Worst of all, this reached the higher-ups."
"...Higher-ups meaning?"
With eyes like rotten mackerel, Moyong Seon-ya added hollowly.
"Aca. dem. ic Affairs."
"Gasp! That's the worst."
Listening in, Chu Un-hwi interjected.
"Why the Academic Affairs?"
The nagging scribes were annoying but hardly fearsome.
Yet all three looked like the sky had fallen—something was clearly up.
Yeo Mae-hong whispered beside him.
"Academic Affairs enforces rules but also manages budgets. And now's the time for next year's allocations."
"So, why is that a problem?"
Pressing, Moyong Seon-ya drained her glass and began gravely.
"Instructor Chu. Remember this clearly."
Her gaze held pure dread as she explained.
"In the Divine Martial Academy, they say you'd rather face a rival faction in the jianghu than an Academic Affairs scribe drafting budgets."
Mm-hmm.
Two heads nodded eagerly from both sides.
"They're desperate to cut budgets anywhere they can."
"That's the problem?"
"It is! Giving those budget-slashers any pretext?"
The end of peaceful days!
"For instance, if Academic Affairs hears about instructors fighting like this."
Moyong Seon-ya added sinisterly.
"Everyone's overtime pay gets cut."
"Pardon?"
"Caught late by Academic Affairs? Overtime pay cut."
"Rise, fall, battle—overtime deductions?"
"Who'd do overtime properly with heads like that?"
"......"
As the baffling explanation continued, Yeo Mae-hong chimed in.
"Instructor Chu, there was a time dress code issues cut our dinner allowances."
Don't wander outside tarnishing the academy's prestige—eat at the academy cafeteria, they said.
What the hell.
"Divine Hall got caught eating three meals a day, and their research funds were slashed."
Save meal time for research, so less funding's fine, they claimed.
'Vicious, these righteous jianghu folk.'
Do they really need to go this far?
All three began drowning their sorrows with booze, faces rotting away.
"No dinner stipend, eating out of pocket, and now overtime cuts too..."
"Sis, I'm exhausted. Already wrecked from overtime, need to eat well to compensate..."
"Worst, without overtime, superiors will gleefully work us to death. Free labor without extra pay."
Damn it all—!
Led by Moyong Seon-ya, the three downed glasses in succession.
"What now? If budgets shrink, we'll blame each other and bonds worsen."
"Yeah. Who'd like budget cutters? Tomorrow's always worse than today, but I don't want to fight colleagues."
In despair over this horrific future, Neung Pung-un slammed the table with a thud!
"There's a way."
A surefire plan to end all this misery!
"Really, Young Hero Neung?"
"Ooh, tell us quick."
While the passionate exchange excluded him, Chu Un-hwi nibbled appetizers.
'This place is a gem.'
Shall he eavesdrop on tales of the last Murim Alliance Leader, hope of the righteous factions?