Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Demonic Arts? Excuse Me, It's Righteous Martial Arts (2)
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There was an educational purpose for the later-generation disciples, of course.
But the true aim of the Hundred Flowers Academy's founding was to foster exchange among them.
That was why, after midterms, there came a brief period of rest.
The epiphany on Mount Taebaek had certainly ignited a fierce passion for martial arts within me, but passion alone couldn't bridge the gap in time.
So, aside from the hours spent chasing that elusive insight just within grasp, I moved to gradually expand my influence within the academy.
Most notably...
I formally joined the National Unmatched Mahjong Society, which I'd once considered.
They were people pursuing the path to becoming the academy's—no, the Central Plains'—foremost mahjong masters, but their skills? Well...
At best, compared to my old world, they were on the level of some 'Yabongko Club' amateurs.
Playing purely on beastly instinct, stubbornly clinging to their own ways.
Of course, mahjong is an irrational game decided by luck anyway, a meaningless one.
So instead of overimmersing or preaching techniques, I focused on communication and fun.
While incidentally memorizing the IDs of those at my table.
"Tsumo! National Unmatched, everyone pays 16,000 points."
"Kuhuk...!"
"Your luck is ridiculously good!"
Rude? Yeah.
Skill-wise.
"Geum Sihyeon, you bastard..."
Of course, since I'd already demonstrated a few 'techniques' before, Moyong Taek's reaction was a bit nuanced.
But hands are faster than eyes.
Can they keep up? With the speed of my left hand?
"Haha. Skill."
It was a stroke of damn good luck that day.
"Pardon the intrusion. Is Cadet Geum Sihyeon here?"
That is, until three academy guards suddenly came looking for me.
My brain accelerated to life-or-death duel speeds.
I hadn't pulled any major stunts lately.
At worst, I'd drawn a few pieces of erotic art mimicking 21st-century Japanese styles and sold them on the sly for a fortune.
Or borrowed Unhak's smartphone for promo purposes and lightly spammed about ten pages on the gallery.
Or, seeing Moyong Wicheon still acting cocky after getting pinned down, secretly dosed Ok Cheongja from Mount Hua Sect's meals with special laxatives since he wouldn't learn.
Or swept up about ten gold taels at a gambling den over the weekend with some ikasama.
Or dusted the Tang Family's spices with heaps of pepper, fed it to Luri, and rolled on the floor laughing at her explosive sneezes.
Just your average day-to-day.
"I'm Geum Sihyeon. Let's step outside to talk."
...Whatever it was, going public wouldn't end well.
Getting labeled a porn peddler? No thanks.
Thankfully, the guards obligingly escorted me out.
And then.
"You are under temporary confinement on suspicion of cultivating forbidden demonic arts. You have the right to remain silent, and anything you say may be used against you in the hearing."
"Pardon?"
"Do you understand these rights?"
"Pardon?"
Suddenly, a straight Miranda warning came flying at me.
Judging by the ominous vibe, it felt like I was being dragged to some underground dungeon.
Fortunately, it was just temporary detention in one of the main building's rooms.
Demonic arts? Me?
Me, who strives tirelessly to live the pure, innocent, flawless life of an orthodox sect disciple—being called a demonic cultist!
If anything even remotely demonic I'd learned was the Blood Wolf Sword Technique.
But my swordplay had already evolved beyond what could be called Blood Wolf—revised, reworked, reforged, whatever.
Originally, I'd mimicked the forms seen in my mind-image, blended in observations from Luri's, and infused colors from the Blazing Shadow Sword Art with Sister Seol.
To the point where it could be called the Flower Wolf Sword Technique, fully individualized.
They wouldn't publicize now after leaving me alone in class, so what else could it be?
No way they'd check my smartphone.
Post-Luri incident, I'd secured it thoroughly—no forensics popping up meant my gallery was safe.
Still, ruminating on the loss, fear, emptiness, loneliness, agony of half my world gone, my leg jittered.
Then the door opened.
In came my second brother, Geum Sirang.
"As expected of brother! You came to save me!"
"No. I got nabbed too."
Geum Sirang, face darkening the moment he saw me, sauntered over and plopped down beside me.
"What mess did you cause now? Demonic arts?"
"Haven't caused any yet. Didn't learn any demonic arts."
"Yet?"
I averted my gaze from his narrowed eyes.
Honestly.
I'm a man of open mind; I don't distinguish between demonic and divine arts.
If a bad guy uses it, demonic.
If a good guy uses it, divine.
Sure, there are bizarre arts with insane training methods, but just don't learn those.
"So what's my charge?"
"Blood Wolf Sword Technique, Absorbing Star Great Law."
"Absorbing Star Great Law? What's that?"
"No idea."
Geum Sirang boldly admitted his ignorance.
Come to think of it, this guy's a Forest of Scholars parachute with zero martial knowledge.
Utterly useless.
If only Master were here.
She was away on disciplinary leave after the Mount Taebaek incident.
Probably scouring those mountains for traces of the fiend right now.
"Hmm... Brother. Suspicious timing, no?"
"Why?"
"Hitting right when Western Master is away."
Geum Sirang's face grew grave too.
With our Master—who favors not just me but the entire Ten Thousand Gold Treasury Fortress—away, pressuring us fit the puzzle.
"Deliberate timing. No wonder I hadn't heard whispers."
Geum Sirang shrewdly grasped it, rubbing his temples furiously.
After that.
Until the guard came calling, "Cadet Geum Sihyeon. Come outside."
We prepared countless countermeasures, refining our logic layer by layer.
Time to see the bastard who framed me.
An emergency hearing at the Hundred Flowers Academy was unprecedented in recent memory.
At most, it'd been for moral scandals.
Seducing a Divine Maiden Sect disciple into breaking the no-gold-with-men rule and getting her pregnant.
Or claiming to cure heart demons by entering a sparring room with an Ami Sect disciple to indulge masochistic tendencies.
Or busting a midday tryst with an inn girl not even five feet tall, defying social norms.
All ended in expulsion, of course.
First in at least two years.
And regular instructors were notified only on the day.
The hearing hall buzzed with disorder.
Soon, Geum Sihyeon entered, swishing his expensive robe, face sullen with packed indignation.
"Amitabha. Let the emergency hearing commence. This is not for accusation or punishment, but to ascertain truth—please proceed solemnly and calmly."
From the head seat.
Master Wolseong, expression inscrutable, declared the opening.
"Then, let us first review the evidence submitted by the accuser of Cadet Geum Sihyeon's demonic arts charge."
Stepping forward to lead the hearing.
The anonymous accuser himself.
Nangong Baek wore a faint smile.
Those idiot Tang Family fools botched the job despite deploying assassins—no results.
But rootless scum like him get caught eventually.
How could a merchant house heir accumulate academy-level inner power without forbidden demonic arts?
Obviously he'd dabbled, and he'd secured proof.
"We can confirm the charges in this Mutube upload. Let's watch together."
Nangong Baek connected his smartphone to the massive screen in the hall and played the video.
He'd watched casually at first.
But hearing of Mount Taebaek, and that the figure matched Geum Sihyeon with the Face-Changing Ghostly Reincarnation Art? Different story.
Face-Changing Ghostly Reincarnation Art: known Green Forest expert at least super first-rate.
Geum Sihyeon: first-rate at best.
Rumors of peak? Nonsense. Martial depth doesn't grow in short time.
In short.
No way Geum Sihyeon beats him, dead or alive.
Especially the end.
The inner power clash—Ghostly Reincarnation pushed back decisively.
"Once more, slowly this time."
Replay after replay.
From Ghostly Reincarnation's body, inner power vaporizes like heat haze, faintly sucked into Geum Sihyeon.
Rare arts absorb others' inner power in the jianghu.
Well-known ones are usually sex arts.
Absorbing yang to supplement yin: Demonic Cult's Maiden Rejoicing Art.
Absorbing yin to supplement yang: Lust Demon's unique Cloud-Rain Ecstasy Art.
Absorbing yang to supplement yin: Bear Maiden Sect's Treasure Ice Heat Joy Art.
Absorbing yin to supplement yang: Two Swelling Sect's Five Poison Convergence Art.
All activate only during intercourse.
So, one possibility left.
Absorbing Star Great Law.
Unknown how he got it, but he'd touched that cursed demonic art for sure.
"—That's it. Circumstantial evidence Cadet Geum Sihyeon dabbled in forbidden demonic arts. Additionally, analysis shows his swordplay resembles the Demonic Cult's Blood Wolf Sword Technique, as you've all seen."
Finishing, Nangong Baek surveyed the room.
Moyong Seol's shit-eating glare, ready to gut him with eyes alone.
Right, she'd favored Geum Sihyeon.
Scum stick together.
Tang Mok's silence irked—he'd probably sulk over stolen credit, petty as ever.
The rest.
"Heh... Certainly..."
"Even now, no super first-rate suppressing power from Cadet Geum Sihyeon."
"Feels off to call it pure skill."
The mood tipped.
Nangong Baek bit his lip to stifle a grin.
Waste his power, tie Ten Thousand Gold Treasury Fortress to demonic arts, exterminate them all.
Then.
"But what's the Absorbing Star Great Law?"
Geum Sihyeon brazenly asked.
"From reactions, it's a forbidden demonic art? My learning is shallow; I don't know its features. In my ignorant days, I might've brushed similar unknowingly—please enlighten me."
Right.
I didn't know, his ploy.
Nangong Baek inwardly sneered, elaborating.
"Absorbing Star Great Law literally sucks in opponent's inner power. Operating it brings endless thirst, quenched only by absorbing more. Inevitably mixes various energies, turbid inner power maddens the marrow, turning one demonic."
"Hmm... You know it well?"
Geum Sihyeon narrowed his eyes.
Furious at the arrogant response after his spiel, Nangong Baek opened his mouth to snap—
- No one can enter right now—
- Cause a scene here and—urk!
Commotion outside the sealed doors swelled, then burst open with a grind.
In walked an unassuming middle-aged man.
Scanning the room, he murmured low.
"Heh, quite a few familiar faces."
Roars erupted immediately.
"Sword Demon! How dare you intrude here!"
"An outsider meddling in orthodox academy affairs?!"
"Master! How long must we tolerate this outrage?!"
But the Sword Demon didn't blink, striding to an empty seat and claiming it.
And then.
"Heard the punk I marked as disciple is in hot water. Won't interfere—wrap up the expulsion quick. I'll take him as direct disciple and raise him."
His casual toss rippled the hall massively.