211. Enemy's Grace (4)
Murim Academy. Quadrant Four Dormitory.
Ak Jupyeong grimaced as he flexed his leg, which had been treated with his family's secret arts.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Jin Sowoon's gathering people to break the Jegal clan's qimen dunjia formation."
"What?"
He couldn't wrap his head around it, even hearing it twice. Break the formation? The Seven Stars Seven Metals Formation, which had been out in the world for over fifteen years, still had no known method of cracking. And now this guy claimed he could break the Jegal clan's masterpiece, the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Elephants Formation?
"So Baek Dohoe set up the Eight Trigrams... and people are trapped inside...?"
More details followed, but they didn't stick in Ak Jupyeong's ears. Instead, the words 'Jin Sowoon,' 'break the formation,' and 'people' kept swirling in his mind. Then, like a bolt of lightning, his whole body shuddered.
This is my chance! My chance!
If Jin Sowoon failed, he could pin the blame, get him expelled from the academy, and even destroy Tae-eul Gate by framing them for a crime. But if Jin Sowoon succeeded? Knowing the weakness of a newly developed qimen formation would scream Murim Alliance spy—undeniable suspicion!
A perfect trap, no escape.
He shot to his feet, ignoring his injured leg.
"Huh? Why're you suddenly standing?"
"The event's at the martial arena, right? Baek Dohoe's thing?"
"Yeah."
Thump-thump. Limp-limp.
"Hey, Jupyeong! Where you going?!"
Ak Jupyeong breezed past the voice calling him, quickening his hobbling steps. The clan doctor had warned him: permanent damage. Even if fully healed, lightness skills would feel off. As a martial artist with a crippled leg, he'd always lag a few steps behind chasing anyone.
Jin Sowoon! You thought you could pull this shit and keep living high as the rep?
Ambushed out of nowhere, he'd ended up lame, while Jin Sowoon strutted on as representative. Ak Jupyeong couldn't stomach it. He planned to pressure Tae-eul Gate using his sect's influence. And personal revenge on Jin Sowoon too. Ak Byeongbi had scolded him a bit over it, but even he didn't like the guy. Mobilize the Inspection Hall again, and this time...
Then.
"Ak Jupyeong."
A scrawny runt with wild, beggar-like hair emerged from the alley.
"...Yaryul Geuk?"
"Finally came out."
Seeing the face of the culprit behind all this pissed him off.
"Get the fuck out of my way. I don't have time for trash like you right now."
But Yaryul Geuk stepped closer, one foot after another. Not the weakling vibe from before.
"Oh yeah? I've got business with you."
"You little shit... I'll chop your limbs off someday anyway, so keep 'em safe till then."
"What? Scared of me now?"
With his bad leg, Ak Jupyeong couldn't move, just yelled.
"You goddamn bastard...!"
Word of his disability must've spread. Now even nobodies like this thought they could take a shot.
"You still don't get why you got beat so bad."
Click, click.
Ak Jupyeong assembled his segmented spear from his waist. In response, Yaryul Geuk raised both hands in a ready stance.
Ak Jupyeong circulated his Mukcheon Thunderclap Divine Art, preparing the Ak Family Spear Method.
"No need to postpone judging you."
His spear sliced the air with a chill.
His main technique, but the leg injury hampered charges.
Still, the Ak Family Spear Method that forged the Ak clan wasn't lacking. Plenty to sever a pup's limbs...
Shff, pak!
The spear piercing Yaryul Geuk's heart and dantian veered oddly off course.
"Ugh?"
Despite full power, the shaft twisted, stabbing wide. Yaryul Geuk burrowed in, slamming both fists into Ak Jupyeong's gut.
Sensing wrongness, Ak Jupyeong spun desperately—but too late.
Bam.
"Kuhk!"
Staggered five steps, his insides churned. The morning meal threatened to come up from the sudden hit. Somehow, Yaryul Geuk was different now. Ak Jupyeong denied the fear this weak runt inspired.
"You fucking bastard!"
Infusing Seven Stars inner energy into spear qi, he barely moved his bad leg, thrusting dozens of times at Yaryul Geuk.
Shreek—shreek—
Spear tips filling every direction, ready to riddle him with holes. Yaryul Geuk muttered softly.
"Yeah, can't compare to that guy."
Cold eyes lowered, he plunged fearlessly into Ak Jupyeong's guard. Reminded of Jin Sowoon facing Ak Byeongbi—slipping through even fiercer spears.
Yaryul Geuk gripped the spear shaft with raised palms.
Screeech.
What would've bent a normal spear twisted and shattered.
Thud.
The rebound force made Ak Jupyeong drop it. Panicking, he unleashed Phoenix Divine Fist at Yaryul Geuk.
But Yaryul Geuk sneered down at him.
"You know how much I got beat practicing this for him?"
"...What?"
Yaryul Geuk's eyes flashed.
"That's why you're dead!"
Spouting nonsense, he grabbed Ak Jupyeong's fist and unleashed Snow Flower.
Ak Jupyeong's body floated up helplessly, defying gravity.
Wh-what...?
It slammed vertically into the ground.
Boom.
First time feeling such a technique. First time such pain. And fear he never thought possible.
"Kuhuh...!"
Yaryul Geuk loomed over the groaning Ak Jupyeong.
"You don't think this ends it, right?"
Ak Jupyeong's revenge-filled mind went blank.
# Murim Academy. Headmaster's Office.
"Ahem..."
He noticed it every time, but the headmaster's office had shitty ventilation. The air felt stuffy.
"Kuhum!"
Or maybe because of the people here.
After breaking the Jegal clan's formation, he'd planned to milk the injury for sympathy. But Sama Jeong, urgently summoned from the Medical Hall, checked his hand and declared, 'It's fine.'
Treating a 'serious' injury with just some salve? No tact at all. It hurt like hell.
"Ow... My meridians must be twisted inside. My hand keeps shaking. I need to rest soon..."
I waved my dramatically trembling hand, but Jegal Somyeong said flatly,
"Your left looks worse, so why's your right shaking?"
The Jegal formation experts stared like I was an idiot.
Shit, was it the wrong one? Pain must've addled my brain.
"Th-the unseen wounds are the gravest."
"Sama Jeong was specially recruited for his medicine. Few in the Medical Hall match him now—especially considering age."
"..."
Silence fell as I shut up. Come on, I saved people—why this interrogation? No wonder the Alliance fell to the Demonic Cult...
"First, the key question."
The formation experts across from Jegal Somyeong glared sharply.
"How'd you know about the Yang's Eight Trigrams Myriad Elephants Formation?"
At least they weren't barking half-informal anymore. But I was in deep shit.
"Didn't know it."
"..."
One wrong slip, and I'd be dragged to the Inspection Hall basement.
Their eyes narrowed.
"Didn't know?"
Then they burst into hollow laughs.
I couldn't say 'I saw it in the future.' A formation expert pressed suspiciously,
"Only a select few in the Jegal clan even studied it. No outsiders, barely insiders knew."
"How would I?"
"..."
The questioner flapped like a fish, stumped.
Of course, I couldn't stall forever. Jegal formations were top Alliance secrets, specially managed. 'Dunno!' wouldn't fly.
Sigh... What now?
Can't tell the truth: 'Your formation got wrecked by the Demon Brain in the future.' They'd never believe it, and wounded pride might make the Jegals flip out.
As they pressed, Jegal Somyeong said,
"Heard it from Cheongi."
Salvation.
"Pardon?"
"What...?"
Jegal Somyeong sipped the tea Buk Wonpyeong prepared, calm as ever.
"His sect didn't take Cheongi? Last time Cheongi caused trouble in the clan, it was about a living formation."
Oh ho. So Cheongi wasn't jailed just for mechanisms? News to me.
"S-so the leaker's Young Master Cheongi?"
"Tch."
His eyes sharpened at the dumb question.
"You think Cheongi's that clueless?"
"But..."
"He told him about the living formation's existence."
"But Supreme Leader—no, Chief Strategist. Knowing it exists doesn't mean you can break it."
Jegal Somyeong nodded toward me slowly.
"This guy's the one."
"Pardon?"
"The one who broke the Infinite Buddha's Indestructible Soul Formation at Ma-ryeong Plateau with Mosanpa's help. Didn't know?"
"..."
His eyes held firm trust—or was it my imagination?
"Treating that barren hell like his backyard. Eight Trigrams wouldn't faze him."
A faint smile tugged Jegal Somyeong's lips. Why smile when his clan got punked? Lost it?
"Even so, the Eight Trigrams is..."
Thwack!
Jegal Somyeong slammed the table, silencing him.
"Still stuck in your well?! I always said see the wider world! You rushed that half-assed formation because of the Soul Formation—I know that!"
"..."
The experts clammed up like honey-mouthed fools.
Jegal Somyeong, anger not fading, turned to me.
"Explain the rest."
Me? Explain? Stunned by the hot potato, but for survival, I spoke.
"When Cheongi mentioned living formations, I thought: unparalleled masterpiece born after ages. But no perfect martial art exists, so no perfect formation either, right?"
They looked up, drawn by my confidence.
"Spent weeks—no, months—crafting virtual ones in my head, testing. Felt like I could break it."
"Weeks?"
"Months?"
They scowled at the numbers. Hey, the Demon Brain cracked Myriad Elephants in under three months—that's my benchmark.
Something boiled in my chest, rising. Might turn demonic...
"Yeah. Tried my idea, worked."
"..."
"..."
Their faces twisted like they ate shit.
Fuck 'em. Should've been polite.
But my answer hit the geniuses' sore spot.
"Absurd! Our clan took years! Some Tae-eul Gate punk..."
Thud.
Jegal Somyeong's table slam halted him. But my mind auto-completed.
"...Tae-eul Gate punk what?"
"..."
"Tae-eul Gate punk WHAT? Say it! Say it!"
I lunged, grabbing his collar. Other experts pulled me off in shock.
Like they could stop Four Realms inner energy with desk-jockey arms.
"Say it! What about Tae-eul Gate?!"
"Ughk, ughhh."
Buk Wonpyeong grabbed my hand.
"Enough."
I glared.
"No! Senior brother! Forgive this scum insulting our sect?!"
"..."
Even he looked flustered. The experts' shock was natural. They touched the Murim Academy headmaster's sect! Lay disciple or not!
"They insulted your sect, Tae-eul Gate! Don't hold me—rip his throat!"
"What? Why would Three Pure Ones Unfettered Sword be in Tae-eul Gate..."
"...Haa."
Buk Wonpyeong let go. I hoisted and shook the expert wildly.
But,
"Stop."
Jegal Somyeong's quiet sip-punctuated word made me freeze.
Damn, almost smoothed it over.
I dropped the disheveled expert. Others shielded him, eyes wary.
"We're done here."
"Chief Strategist!"
"More thorough investigation!"
"This can't stand!"
They rebelled; his glare hardened.
"Want heavier blame?"
"..."
"Investigation spotlights your faults. Lured the clan's heir into installing unfinished junk—pay that price?!"
"..."
The proud experts trembled.
"We're ending it. Anyone else?"
They shook heads no.
"Out."
They rose at his dismissal. I followed, no business left—but,
"Didn't tell Jin Sowoon to leave."
"...Refilling tea."
"Headmaster, you too."
"...Yes."
"Wait, why...?"
I shot desperate eyes at my old senior brother, but he sighed, shook his head, and left.
Useless old fart.
Pat-pat.
"Tea overflowed."
"..."
No avoiding the cup size. I sat before Jegal Somyeong.
"..."
Long silence even after I sat. What'd he want private? Nothing came to mind. More Mantongbu nonsense?
Forcing optimism, he asked heavily,
"What are you, really?"
"Pardon? What..."
"Even if Cheongi follows you, he wouldn't spill clan secrets."
"..."
"Your true identity?"
My heart dropped.
Fuck, stabbed in the back like this?