Chapter 11
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: I Have Other Business
That marked the end of the morning training session.
They had spent the entire morning focused solely on breathing exercises. However, the posture for those breaths had been different from before.
Dang Jin-san, who had initially doubted what good mere breathing practice could do, threw himself into it with the most enthusiasm of all.
It was thanks to the impossible feat he had witnessed firsthand.
Whether inspired by Dang Jin-san's zeal or not, Dan Mok Un-roe, Yeon Ha-min, and Nak Woo-jin were all concentrating intently on their breathing as well.
Baek Ri-pyeong was equally immersed in his own internal energy cultivation method.
Instructor Ha Mu-baek watched them with a satisfied expression.
'Well, getting this serious isn't a bad thing.'
He still hadn't decided how much focus to devote to these kids.
They were acquaintances of barely a few days, after all.
They weren't even his disciples—just cadets under his charge. He was merely an instructor.
Jegal Myeong's words had made him take things a bit more seriously, but how far that went would depend on time and how his relationship with these kids developed.
The bell signaling the hour rang out across the entire Dragon Training Pavilion.
"It's mealtime already. Go eat, then self-study this afternoon."
Ha Mu-baek turned to leave after saying that.
"Where are you off to, Instructor?"
Dang Jin-san's question stopped him in his tracks. Ha Mu-baek turned back.
"Why?"
"You always eat with us, but now you're rushing off all of a sudden."
Dang Jin-san grinned slyly as he spoke.
"Devouring Dragon North Pavilion. Today's menu there is right up my alley. So handle lunch and self-study on your own today. I taught you plenty this morning."
Plenty was an understatement.
He had planted the internal energy of the Three Talents Arts directly into their dantians.
It was an enormous gift.
Normally, cultivating a heart method alone could take anywhere from days to months—or even years, depending on talent. He had accomplished it in an instant.
"I'm off, then."
With that, Ha Mu-baek vanished.
The five left behind exchanged glances.
The instructor who always led the way at mealtimes had abandoned them today and left first.
What should they do? They eyed each other uncertainly.
"Well, let's go eat, then. Food time."
As expected, Dang Jin-san stepped forward.
Among the five, he had the most upbeat personality—the playboy who had conquered Chengdu's entertainment district boasted impressive charisma.
Until now, Squad Seven's gloomy atmosphere, as if they'd been forsaken by their instructor, had kept him subdued and watchful.
But after the instructor's impossible miracle, the mood was no longer so bleak.
This was finally their chance to bond properly as squadmates.
Dang Jin-san's true colors began to emerge.
"Come on, let's move. East Pavilion's closest from here. East it is."
He slung an arm around Dan Mok Un-roe's shoulder and strode ahead. Dan Mok Un-roe had no choice but to match his pace.
The remaining three exchanged looks.
Nak Woo-jin and Baek Ri-pyeong followed, but Yeon Ha-min stood frozen.
"Yeon Ha-min. You coming or what?"
Dang Jin-san glanced back and asked.
"I have other business."
Her curt reply.
With that, Yeon Ha-min turned and walked away.
"Tch."
Dang Jin-san watched her go with regret. It was about time for all five squadmates to band together, so this was disappointing.
At least he had to look after the ones who remained.
Ha Mu-baek, who had left Squad Seven behind, was entering the northern Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
He ran into Jegal Myeong, who was just heading in.
"Hello, Instructor Ha."
"Ah, good to see you, Instructor Jegal."
Jegal Myeong greeted him with a smile first, so Ha Mu-baek returned it warmly.
Truth be told, he was in a great mood right now.
Or perhaps it was anticipation.
"What brings you to Devouring Dragon North Pavilion? You always eat with your cadets."
"Ah, I heard today's menu here is special."
The instructors' exclusive Devouring Dragon North Pavilion.
It was bound to differ somewhat from the other three. And since it was for instructors...
"And what about you? What's your business here?"
"Ever since that incident last time, I've been rotating through the east, west, south, and north pavilions for every meal."
Switching Devouring Dragon Pavilions with each meal.
Ha Mu-baek's eyes widened at that.
"You never know when something like that might happen again. I move irregularly, and this meal happened to land here."
Ha Mu-baek looked at Jegal Myeong with newfound respect.
This guy was the real deal.
A true instructor who cared for his cadets, going above and beyond his duties.
To think the Five Great Clans had someone like this—it was astonishing.
"Though today's menu isn't all that special."
"It is to me."
It was Ha Mu-baek's favorite dish, one that hadn't appeared in the other pavilions.
Even here in the north, it was a first today. Ha Mu-baek had overheard instructors chatting about it in passing.
Jegal Myeong recalled the menu.
"It's crispy fried pork, right?"
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"Now that you mention it, today is Qingming Festival."
Ha Mu-baek's eyes went wide at Jegal Myeong's words.
"Looks like you know about crispy fried pork too, Instructor Jegal."
"I have a wide range of interests. Never tried it myself, though. Seeing you come all this way has me curious now."
"Same here. Who'd have thought Devouring Dragon North Pavilion had a Bai clan chef?"
Ha Mu-baek smacked his lips and hurried inside.
Crispy fried pork was a type of deep-fried pork dish.
Coated in egg and flour before frying, it was a staple of the Bai people in the central plains' southwest, especially for Qingming Festival.
Ha Mu-baek devoured his serving ravenously.
He kept nodding in approval, clearly delighted.
Jegal Myeong sat across from him, eating slowly. His expression wasn't displeased either.
The two men's ears naturally picked up the conversations among the other instructors in the pavilion.
"Squad Seven of Fierce Dragon Corps is getting too rowdy, don't you think?"
"What can you do? It's not like we can spar with them. It's because the chief instructor is a moron."
"Sigh. That Sado Gwang bastard is dragging down the whole Hidden Dragon Corps. A first-year cadet chief instructor, of all things."
"Heh heh. A chief instructor who gets his ass handed to him by a regular instructor from the trash heap of Fierce Dragon Corps. Says it all about Hidden Dragon Corps' level."
"Shut your mouth, you Wa Dragon Corps scum."
Most of them didn't know Ha Mu-baek's face.
So even with him sitting there eating, they carried on oblivious, chatting away.
Fierce Dragon Corps wasn't even on their radar—it was a fierce pride battle between Wa Dragon Corps and Hidden Dragon Corps.
And Sado Gwang's loss to Ha Mu-baek had them mocking Wa Dragon Corps.
Ha Mu-baek ignored it all, focusing on his meal. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had crispy fried pork.
'Just like that time in the Bai village when I took down the Demonic Cult elder and they treated me. Perfect.'
So engrossed in his satisfying meal, nothing else registered.
"Ho, then why don't you hotshots from Wa Dragon Corps step up and show us how great you are?"
"Getting tangled with trash meat shields is shameful enough. Save that for your Hidden Dragon Corps to enjoy."
"What did you say, you bastard?"
"Oh ho?"
"Enough, you two. Didn't a killer girl join that Fierce Dragon Corps squad?"
"Ah, she was no joke."
"Yeon Ha-min, was it?"
"Huh? Same name as the Yeon clan girl? No way, right?"
"You mean the Ice Lotus Flower? One of the Five Flowers of the Martial World?"
"Yeon Ha-min of the Five Flowers? Did the Yeon clan head take a sword to the skull? Sending the Ice Lotus Flower to Fierce Dragon Corps? You're out of your mind."
"Right? No way. Probably just same name."
"But she really was a killer. Heh."
Before long, the topic had shifted to Yeon Ha-min.
The Hidden Dragon Corps and Wa Dragon Corps instructors, who had seemed ready to throw punches moments ago, were now united in girl talk.
Ridiculous.
But it was growing harder to ignore.
The conversation veered into vulgar, obscene territory.
Instructors leering at cadets with lustful eyes.
Even Ha Mu-baek frowned at that. No matter how rare the crispy fried pork, he couldn't focus on his meal anymore.
Yeon Ha-min was one of his cadets, after all.
Especially during this precious time.
"Uh, Instructor Ha."
Jegal Myeong noticed the change in Ha Mu-baek. Truth be told, it was hard for him to listen to as well. Instructors making such base remarks about cadets.
He was thinking he might need to step in and stop them when...
Ha Mu-baek set down his chopsticks.
He was just about to speak when...
"Huh?"
"What's that?"
All eyes turned to the Devouring Dragon Pavilion entrance.
A woman was stepping lightly inside.
Her face was coldly beautiful, like a blooming ice flower.
That was why.
Even in her cadet uniform, no one stopped her.
They just stared dumbly at her face.
Yeon Ha-min glanced around briefly before spotting Ha Mu-baek.
Her expression flickered slightly as she started toward him.
She was curious about the seed of internal energy planted in her dan tian today.
She had wanted to ask about it, but he had vanished without giving her a chance.
So she had followed him here.
But as she approached Ha Mu-baek, her path was blocked. Someone had reached out a hand.
"Hold on. Cadets aren't allowed in here, are they? Don't they teach you that in Fierce Dragon Corps?"
He was the first to snap out of her beauty.
"Ah."
A soft exhale.
That voice alone had them gaping again. Even her voice was beautiful.
Lust crept into the stares fixed on Yeon Ha-min. Her face remained coldly impassive, unchanged.
It was a look she had seen since childhood.
No, actually, Squad Seven of Fierce Dragon Corps was the odd one.
No one there looked at her that way—not her squadmates, not even the instructor.
For a moment in Fierce Dragon Corps, she had wondered if her appearance had changed.
But today's reaction here proved otherwise.
Squad Seven of Fierce Dragon Corps was just weird.
"Such a fine body is wasted in Fierce Dragon Corps."
The instructor blocking her path raked his eyes over her with blatant desire.
"How about transferring to Wa Dragon Corps? I'd make an exception for you and overlook you entering here today."
As he spoke, he slyly reached toward her chest.
Yeon Ha-min slapped his hand away and stepped back, covering her chest.
"Tch. Even your tantrums are cute."
His voice dripped with lust.
Before long, he had stood and positioned himself in front of her.
He reached out again. This time for her rear. Yeon Ha-min couldn't swat it away in time. His hand had moved cunningly along her uniform like molten gold.
To suffer such humiliation in the instructors' Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
"Oh? Nice and firm. Wonder what the top feels like?"
The trash instructor was groping away.
"Heh heh heh. Go easy. My turn next."
Someone called out to him.
Absurd. An instructor harassing a cadet like this, nearly assaulting her, while the others watched and enjoyed.
She never imagined something like this could happen.
Back in her clan, plenty leered at her with lust, but none dared lay a hand on her openly.
Now he brazenly went for her chest again.
"You filthy...!"
Finally snapping to, Yeon Ha-min swung her palm at his cheek.
Thwack.
But it was effortlessly caught.
"What? Filthy?"
He looked shocked to hear such words from a Fierce Dragon Corps cadet.
"How dare a pathetic bug from trash Fierce Dragon Corps spout such nonsense at this instructor? And try to strike me? You should feel honored I even look at you."
He glared fiercely at Yeon Ha-min. Meanwhile, his other hand kept groping her rear.
He had grabbed her wrist with the hand meant for her chest.
"Get your filthy hand off me!"
Her other hand flew at his face but was caught just as easily.
The instructor restrained both her hands with one of his.
"Heh heh. Fitting for trash. Swinging at me with such pitiful skill? Your ass is firm, though. As punishment, let's see about that chest."
The hand kneading her rear now moved toward her upper body.
Ptoo!
Yeon Ha-min spat at him, but the instructor dodged lightly. Mockery lit his eyes.
Her own eyes trembled finely.
Filled with shame and humiliation.
She poured all her strength into shaking off the dog, but he didn't budge.
She tried to draw on the new internal energy seed, but the one in her dan tian wouldn't stir. She had no idea how to use it.
That was why she had come here—to ask how to use the internal energy seed.
"You worthless cur!"
Thud!
A furious shout and the sound of impact rang out.
The instructor who had been toying with Yeon Ha-min was suddenly flying through the air.