Chapter 217
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 217
Chapter Title: Trash
It was a face he recognized.
The man who had sparred with Un Mu-woong of the Un Clan.
And today, the same man who had looked at them with concern.
His group had even spoken to him.
Asking if he was okay.
"Dang Jin-san..."
Eun Hwa-ryang murmured softly, and the man chuckled as he nodded.
"That's right, juniors. I'm Dang Jin-san. Got a moment?"
"Training starts soon..."
Someone standing beside Eun Hwa-ryang hesitantly spoke up.
He looked utterly cowed.
It couldn't be helped.
Even though they were from the Wa Dragon Corps and their opponents were from the Fierce Dragon Corps, it meant nothing.
They were direct descendants of the Sichuan Tang Clan and mere errand boys from the New Eight Sects.
"Yeah, I know. But my long-forgotten instincts woke up today, you see."
The five of them looked at Dang Jin-san with strange gazes.
"I'm infamous in Chengdu as a total wastrel. Heh."
Everyone was dumbfounded by Dang Jin-san's self-admiring tone.
Was that something to brag about?
"So, skipping training once in a while is fine. Besides, you probably won't get any real instruction during junior training anyway."
Dang Jin-san was right about that.
Wa Dragon Corps training consisted of honing the signature techniques of their respective sects.
With only basic heart methods under their belts, there wasn't much they could do.
The instructors seemed aware of this and didn't interfere with them much.
It had been the same on the first day.
"So, follow me."
"Where to...?"
"You'll see when you get there."
Dang Jin-san took the lead, and the five cautiously followed.
Their steps were hesitant.
But Dang Jin-san said nothing about it, simply matching their pace.
They gradually moved away from the training grounds and arrived at the western wall of the Dragon Training Pavilion.
"It was definitely around here somewhere... Ah, found it!"
After rummaging for a while, Dang Jin-san moved something aside and revealed a small hole at the base of the wall.
It was just big enough for an adult to crawl through with difficulty.
A dog hole.
Such holes dotted the Dragon Training Pavilion here and there, and Dang Jin-san knew several of them like the back of his hand.
"Follow me."
Dang Jin-san crawled out first, emerging covered in dirt, and the five followed suit.
In broad daylight, no less.
"If we're gonna have a heart-to-heart, we need drinks first."
Leading the dirt-covered group, Dang Jin-san strode ahead.
Passersby on the main street glanced at them curiously, but Dang Jin-san paid them no mind.
Mok Hae-jin gazed at the empty training grounds.
"Hm..."
A soft sigh escaped his lips.
The group he was in charge of was Wa Dragon Corps Squad Twenty.
It was the fourth day of the first term, yet the grounds were deserted.
"What now."
He was flustered.
He had roughly gauged their states from observing the cadets, but he hadn't expected them to give up so soon.
There was even a disciple from the Iron Arm Clan.
He had received separate word from the sect about that child's circumstances.
It wasn't a pleasant directive, but since it came from his sect, he had planned to follow it for now.
"This is tricky."
It was a natural reaction for Mok Hae-jin, who had devoted his life solely to martial arts.
He had resolved to teach the Wa Dragon Corps cadets to the best of his ability.
Yet they had already given up.
Reporting to the Pavilion Lord wouldn't solve anything.
Mok Hae-jin stood with arms crossed, staring at the empty grounds.
Another instructor was in a similar predicament.
Ha Mu-baek.
His gaze shifted to Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven.
One person was missing.
"Dang Jin-san..."
Ha Mu-baek murmured softly.
Of all people, one of his cadets had ditched training.
"What to do about this..."
His eyes were filled with contemplation.
Squad Seven's cadets watched him nervously.
Dang Jin-san wasn't the only one who had skipped training.
Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran were absent too.
That might be why Ha Mu-baek hadn't exploded yet.
Dang Jin-san had brazenly instructed them:
If the instructor asks for me, say I went for self-study.
Ha Mu-baek, arms crossed, tapped his arm with his fingers.
If it were just Squad Seven's training, he wouldn't care.
But this was Fierce Dragon Corps-wide training.
Letting them off would encourage others to skip.
Think of yourselves as dead tomorrow.
Of course, that included his little sister Ha Seol-ran—no exceptions.
He had just made up with her over a drink.
But there was no helping it.
Public and private matters were separate.
"Here?"
Ha Seol-ran nodded at Yeon Ha-min's question.
After Dang Jin-san left, Yeon Ha-min had waited for training time on the grounds before suddenly moving.
She said she had to check it out herself.
Ha Seol-ran followed as if drawn in.
She couldn't forget the eyes of those five from earlier that morning.
She had worn that same look once.
The eyes of someone lost in despair, abandoning all and drifting with the flow.
Her brother and master didn't know.
When her Blocked Meridians Syndrome reached its peak.
Watching her master desperately try to treat her, she forced a bright smile.
But alone, her eyes had looked just like that.
She thought she had forgotten the reflection in the mirror, but seeing their eyes brought it all back.
Ha Seol-ran's company was a stroke of luck for Yeon Ha-min.
Ha Seol-ran had tracked Dang Jin-san's path after he vanished.
Yeon Ha-min was amazed by her sensory perception.
They arrived at the western wall before them now.
Both women's gazes dropped to the base.
The dog hole Dang Jin-san had used.
It lay exposed.
"He crawled out through that?"
Yeon Ha-min muttered, looking troubled.
In their training uniforms, they could manage, but neither felt eager.
"Let's cover our faces first."
Ha Seol-ran pulled cloths from her bosom.
Yeon Ha-min veiled her face too.
"And we can just vault the wall."
Yeon Ha-min looked at her at Ha Seol-ran's follow-up.
"No one's around right now."
She had sensed the surroundings.
An enviably subtle ability.
Ha Seol-ran leaped first, and Yeon Ha-min followed.
They left the Dragon Training Pavilion and arrived at a shabby tavern.
Inside, no conversations—just tilting cups.
"Oh?"
Dang Jin-san spotted Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran first.
Briefly surprised by their arrival, he chuckled and pointed to seats beside him.
Two fresh cups appeared.
Perhaps loosened by the drinks.
The five freely shared their stories.
They were much the same.
All orphans without connections, treated worse back home.
Unlucky enough, those sent to the Dragon Training Pavilion all had personality issues.
Dang Jin-san crossed his arms.
"So you're just gonna keep living like this?"
The five lowered their heads.
"Those guys and you all have one big misconception: this isn't your sect—it's the Dragon Training Pavilion."
No response.
"And all Dragon Training Pavilion cadets are equals. Not Fierce Dragon Corps, but things change."
"Let me check something. You five from Squad One—what's your standing in your sects? They sent you together, so you must have some pull."
Yeon Ha-min, who had been silent, asked.
"Byeon I-gyeom's the son of a major merchant who supports our sect."
Eun Hwa-ryang answered softly.
"I only came here because his father asked an elder from the Thunder Citadel..."
Yeon Ha-min's gaze shifted to the others.
All similar.
Sons of local magnates with sect ties, that sort.
One thing clear: no direct bloodlines like Dang Jin-san.
"What a joke."
Dang Jin-san muttered incredulously.
They acted like high-ranking sect brats.
"Still, talented enough for Wa Dragon Corps Squad One."
"Just as lacking in manners."
Ha Seol-ran quietly observed them.
"You gonna keep going like this?"
Yeon Ha-min asked the five with deep eyes.
"No other way."
Eun Hwa-ryang mumbled lowly.
Deep in that voice lay a flicker of longing.
If there were a way, I wouldn't stay like this.
Yeon Ha-min confirmed it.
She looked at the other four.
"Is there a way?"
Someone asked.
"What if there is?"
Yeon Ha-min countered.
The five heads lifted slightly.
"Know about the Summer Combat Festival?"
The five shook their heads at Dang Jin-san's question.
Instead, Eun Hwa-ryang asked back.
"But... why are you all bothering with us like this?"
That was the curiosity.
The only ones helping the ignored.
"You'll get it from the story. But first: it doesn't feel like someone else's problem. Reminds me of my pathetic days. Pisses me off."
The explanation began there.
Dang Jin-san and Yeon Ha-min taking turns.
When it ended, the five—no, six including Ha Seol-ran—stared at them in disbelief.
Hard to believe the Dang Jin-san before them had such a past.
Naturally so.
They had all seen his spar with Un Mu-woong.
"B-but our instructor is someone else..."
Dang Jin-san chuckled at Eun Hwa-ryang.
"I'll help. Looks like Ha-min's in too."
"But can we really match you seniors? Wa Dragon Corps Squad One are the talented ones."
"One-on-one? No."
Dang Jin-san judged coldly. Yeon Ha-min nodded.
They had been the same.
"Then..."
"Fight as a group. Formations."
The method they had used.
"Formations..."
"You'll learn in class. Sword, fist, body techniques, formations. All called Dragon something. Probably top-tier martial arts."
Dang Jin-san spoke as if he'd already checked.
"Issue is how much you pull off."
"What if we fail?"
Another asked, tinged with fear.
"Aim for the Winter Combat Festival."
"..."
Silence.
"Will our sects be okay with that?"
Eun Hwa-ryang ventured.
Dang Jin-san thought briefly.
"If you're outstanding, yes."
Layers of meaning there.
"And if not?"
"Same as now."
"..."
Quiet again.
Silence.
"And you won't know if you're outstanding without trying."
Yeon Ha-min said.
"Not trying means giving up even the slim chance you might be."
"If you're in, find us. This is all we can do."
Dang Jin-san stood.
Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran too.
After paying, they headed back to the Dragon Training Pavilion first.
As they crawled through Dang Jin-san's exit hole with grunts.
Yeon Ha-min glanced at Ha Seol-ran.
She nodded.
They vaulted the wall.
Dang Jin-san, struggling out, saw and pointed with trembling finger.
"Y-you... you two... that's why your clothes..."
Only now noticing their pristine uniforms.
"Who crawls the Dragon Training Pavilion wall expecting company..."
Dang Jin-san muttered in disbelief.
"No one was there."
Ha Seol-ran replied curtly and headed to the main grounds.
Dang Jin-san stared blankly at her back.
"Back?"
Ha Mu-baek greeted the three with a grin.
It was chilling.
As Dang Jin-san led them to their spots.
A sword and shield flew at them.
They barely caught them.
"You three run with those."
Ha Mu-baek's curt order.
A massive shield and heavy sword.
Dang Jin-san slung them on his back.
Then Ha Mu-baek's palm strike sealed their inner energy.
"Won't come undone."
True enough.
The Three Talents Heart Method didn't budge.
"Run."
At his command, the three started running.
Training cadets glanced over.
Running at steady pace.
Some thought: Maybe we can skip next time.
But an hour later, they erased the thought.
Of course.
They were still running.
Their eyes were glazed.
Yet the instructor ignored them.
His orders came only when they stopped.
Now they were walking.
Tried running, but bodies failed.
Two full hours carrying that weight nonstop.
Simple, but terrifying.
Training ended.
Fierce Dragon Corps cadets dismissed, but not the runners.
The three kept walking-running.
Ha Mu-baek watched coldly, arms crossed.
Punishment for ditching dragged on.
Even as cadets finished dinner at Devouring Dragon Pavilion and returned to dorms, they ran.
Some curiously peeked into the night.
Still running.
At haejeong—around 10 p.m.—Ha Mu-baek finally stopped them.
They collapsed.
"This was Fierce Dragon Corps-wide training, not Squad Seven. Don't know what meddling you did, but prepare accordingly if you skip."
With that, Ha Mu-baek vanished from the grounds.
"Huff huff huff... huge loss... huff huff huff."
Dang Jin-san gasped.
"...I'll still help them..."
Yeon Ha-min murmured amid her own ragged breaths.
Dang Jin-san couldn't fathom her interest in them.
Yeon Ha-min lay on the grounds, staring at the sky.
Dark night sky, her past flashing by.
Humiliations in the Yeon Clan.
Unpleasant stares.
For not being true Yeon blood.
And the degradations from her striking looks.
That projected onto the five.
Trash.
First thought of Yeon Clan folk and Wa Dragon Corps Squad One cadets.