Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Eve of the Storm
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A solemn air hung over the Hundred Flowers Academy on the eve of departure.
Of course, it was confined to one corner.
The tension limited to where the cadets had gathered.
The opposite side was quite chaotic.
Whether Master's common sense had returned to normal.
Or if pressure had come from even higher up, she wouldn't say.
About ten guards who normally patrolled the academy grounds to maintain order.
A force made up mostly of Peak Realm experts—practically a full martial squad in itself.
And the assistant instructors.
Sister Seol, grimacing with an expression that said she had no idea why she was here, accelerating her skin's aging with all that frowning.
And Tang Chunsik with his medics, trying to keep a straight face but clearly brimming with dissatisfaction to the tips of their hair.
"......We're just going to watch, right?"
Moyong Taek muttered dejectedly as he watched the commotion.
But I'd already experienced Master's training methods firsthand.
"No way. She probably won't come to our rescue until we're half-dead."
"Hah. You think she'll go that far?"
Being a beggar must make even his faith lacking.
The Eve of the Storm.
I ignored Unhak, who dismissed my words.
The results would speak for themselves.
A moment later.
"Heh heh, Amitabha."
The Academy Head appeared as a mysterious guest.
Everyone shuddered with a bad premonition.
And sure enough, he didn't disappoint.
He proceeded with a bandit subjugation orientation—condensed into a chant of "Safety good good good"—that dragged on for over three ke (about an hour and a half).
"......It's good to uphold justice, but you are all still junior disciples. Don't chase after glory and lose something precious. Keep that firmly in mind."
"Yeeees!"
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
From past experience,
we knew that the quieter the cheers, the longer the lecture would last.
So everyone responded with one heart and mind, mustering voices from deep in their dantians.
"Amitabha. Seeing junior disciples so diligent and overflowing with a sense of justice... Truly the Yangtze's young wolves and tigers. The future of the righteous martial world is bright indeed."
And with that final grumbling from the old fogey, he exited, proudly displaying his shiny bald head.
Only then
did Master, who looked ready to explode at the slightest touch, step up to the podium.
"......Overprotection has its limits. No wonder he has no hair."
Among the Twelve Apostles, only Hyecheon—the baldy—looked slightly uncomfortable.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"The bandits hiding in Mount Taibai number fewer than a hundred to begin with. And aside from one, they're all worthless chaff. Not even Second-Rate, barely scraping by as Third-Rate."
"Who's the one?"
"There's an idiot whose arm I lopped off. He hasn't even touched Peak Realm. I'll handle him anyway, so no need to worry."
Only then did the tension among the cadets melt away.
"Second-Rate at best? I can handle ten of those on my own."
Moyong Taek muttered, rolling his shoulders.
"Hmph... Second-Rate, you say?"
Moyong Taek's face soured at my verbal abuse.
"Ugh... I wanna reach Peak Realm..."
Ignoring Unhak, who spouted nonsense with a serious face again,
I locked eyes with Master, who was pondering whether to hurl an axe my way.
Master shook her head slowly.
"It's just past oshi now, so we'll run nonstop to Wu Gong County. Rest there briefly, then push on to Mi County."
Murmurs grew louder.
The ancient place names of this primitive Central Plains still felt foreign.
I poked the seemingly knowledgeable Unhak to activate his navigation mode.
"From here to Wu Gong County is about 165 li. Then 110 li more to Mi County. So 275 li in a day. Wonder if that's feasible stamina-wise..."
I pressed the button again to switch to Western units.
Roughly 120 km.
That'd be an average of 120 kph for an hour cut.
Hmm... About right?
"Not that Gold bro looks like an ignorant bastard who's never left Xi'an, but normally, First-Rate martial artists can cover 80 li per shichen (two hours) with lightness skill on well-paved roads. That's three and a half shichen... seven hours nonstop."
First-Rate standard: 16 kph?
Hmm... About right?
"Where does this Second-Rate punk get off calling the Peak Realm master, Shaanxi's top genius, an ignorant bastard?"
"Ack."
I smacked Unhak's head—his output system glitching—to reboot him.
"Depart in a bit. Guards, match pace with the cadets and assistants as much as possible, but don't coddle them. Only carry those who look like they're about to drop dead mid-run. I'll head out first."
"Yes!"
Leaving the guards' resounding reply behind,
Chicken Master's figure shrank to a dot and vanished in an instant.
"Beggar. How fast do you think she is per shichen?"
"......At least three times faster than us. Could be more if she's mastered exceptional lightness skill."
A woman three times faster.
A woman faster than Usain Bolt.
That was my Peak Realm Master.
I added a point to my respect meter.
Looking around, everyone was changing shoes or padding socks, a solemn air of long march prep filling the air.
"Um, Sword Mistress?"
I approached Sister Seol, who looked like she was on day two of her period.
"......What?"
Worth holding onto that Sword Mistress title, even if it felt like a knife to her throat.
"Is the trip there part of the evaluation?"
"No. But if you're too late, no food."
"Ah."
Relieved, I pulled out Little Fluff from my bosom.
Secret technique.
Mount Summon!
"Happy...!"
I ignored the horrific sensation of Gongju's personality awakening in Sister Seol's body.
"Little Fluff. You've just eaten your fill till now. Time to earn your keep."
"Kyau?"
"Let's run like mad. I'll stuff you with meat till you burst today."
Her huge true form always left her chronically walk-deprived at the academy, grunting in frustration.
Today, shake off all that regret.
Whether lured by the run or the meat, I couldn't tell.
Little Fluff barked once, shook herself out,
and—
Pooof!
"Gasp!"
"Happy's super Happy...!"
"W-Wait... That's Little Fluff?"
"Huge and so cute!"
She puffed up to chest-scratching size from before.
No saddle,
but with that thick fur, she looked plenty fit as a one-seater ground mount.
"Dalam, close your eyes...! Don't look at that! You're cute and great and cool enough as is...!"
"Kkwiing..."
Inadvertently crushed the neighbor kid's spirit, but whatever.
Not my pet anyway.
After flaunting First Apostle dignity before the Twelve Apostles,
I smacked Little Fluff's butt to signal departure.
"Grooo..."
With Little Fluff's weight digging into my chest like full battle gear, I barely reached the destination.
This girl.
Her top speed beat lightness skill, but stamina and fuel efficiency sucked.
Worst was the ride comfort.
Felt like sensation had left my groin.
New and unused, too...!
Still, first place in the inaugural Shaanxi Stakes goes to yours truly.
Hundred Flowers Academy top entrant.
Perfect midterms score (real).
"......Hmph. Well, making full use of what you've got is skill too."
Master hung completion necklaces on me and Little Fluff with a deeply displeased look.
It was a fairly large inn with stables.
Ignoring the horses whinnying in fear,
I watched Little Fluff devour her meat feast with gusto.
"Cheon Luri. Second place, huh."
Short legs, light chest.
Luri, embodying short-short front legs and flat chest principles, took second.
"Hey, Little Fluff's off-limits."
I preemptively blocked Luri's greedy stare at Little Fluff.
And stuffed her with a candy stick from my pack instead.
"......Nyum."
Sullen face, but honest smile tugging at her lips.
After that, grim-faced cadets trickled in one by one.
Surprisingly, third was me and the fox.
Up to fifth, Unhak, walked in on their own feet.
After that, they'd pushed lightness skill to exhaustion
and arrived supported or carried by guards.
The most pathetic sight
was Moyong Taek,
arriving piggybacked on Sister Seol's back.
"Yongtaek. Truly shameful."
"Moyong bro. Big disappointment today."
"......Ugh."
I'd known since he skipped training for mahjong.
A moment later.
With the arrival of a fellow cadet from the mid-tier Falling Petal Sect,
we enjoyed a late meal at the inn.
Already nearing midnight.
I figured we'd rest here and raid tomorrow,
but
"Depart in half a shichen. Circulate qi and check your condition. If anything hurts from the run, see the Tang Family medics."
Grumbles mixed with complaints erupted here and there.
"If you were the bandits, and a subjugation squad camped right outside overnight before attacking, would you just wait with eyes wide open? I'd torch the inn first."
Everyone had to concede to Master's logical point.
Soon,
with tables cleared, they sat cross-legged one by one to circulate qi.
Being First-Rate and with instructors and guards helping if danger arose,
no one was hurt.
"Boss! They're here!"
"What? Didn't they say they'd set out today?"
The Blood Cult woman had warned of the Green Forest Bandit King-led subjugation force departing,
but
Sadokyung's face twisted in dismay at their arrival today of all days.
He'd just finished fortifying the main base, Taibai Village, and even repaired the backup Gongmyeong Village just in case.
Original plan: dig traps to bog down the righteous greenhorns,
then when the Bandit King charged in rage, he and the Blood Gang Corps would pincer and eliminate him.
But the traps weren't even done.
"Groan..."
Sadokyung desperately wracked his sluggish brain.
With Blood Gang Corps glaring behind him,
escape was impossible.
He suddenly opened the wooden box he'd been forced to carry.
The blood pill that madwoman left—"Eat when you need power"—glowed ominously.
"Nngh..."
With a grunt,
"......They probably force-marched all day, so they'll be exhausted and rest. Plus, they think we have no idea."
After brief deliberation, Sadokyung bellowed with as much dignity as possible.
"Send Third and Fourth Squads to torch their inn. Daring to strut into my domain—they need a taste of heat to wise up."
Right after the messenger left to relay orders,
Sadokyung pondered briefly.
Stay in Taibai Village?
Or detour to Gongmyeong Village for a pincer?
But he didn't deliberate long.
He'd witnessed the Blood Gang Corps' power firsthand.
Better to use these uncontrollable monsters in battle.
In the end,
Sadokyung's judgment extended his life a bit longer.
"To think mere bandits would sully the Loyal Martial Marquis's banner. The height of insult."
In the place called Gongmyeong Village,
only one man still breathed.
Flicking blood from his sword, the Sword Demon stabbed it into the ground, spreading his aura wide.
Right after,
a glint entered his eyes.
"Oh? Peak Realm, Peak Realm. A Peak Realm in the green forest—must be the Mighty Twin Armored one? Intriguing."
If it were righteous sects, it'd be tricky,
but green forest didn't matter.
The Sword Demon Wi Jiryang slowly stepped toward the source of the massive energy.