Chapter 227
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 227
Chapter Title: Prepare the Horses
The group headed to the Wa Dragon Dormitory first.
They were dropping off the twenty squads from the Wa Dragon Corps.
"The guys at the Wa Dragon Dormitory won't pick fights or anything, right?"
At Dang Jin-san's question, Eun Hwa-ryang nodded as the representative.
"Yes. They just treat us like we don't exist."
"Good. That's all we need. Go wash up and rest."
Dang Jin-san patted Eun Hwa-ryang's shoulder. With that, they entered the Wa Dragon Dormitory, and the group headed to the Graceful Dragon Dormitory.
They were dropping off Yeon Ha-min and Ha Seol-ran.
At that moment.
"Huh?"
It was Namgung Ji-hu and Namgung Ji-yu.
"Hey~. Heard you took care of them real good?"
Namgung Ji-hu grinned at Dang Jin-san.
"Not me. Her."
Dang Jin-san pointed at Yeon Ha-min.
"You smashed him?"
Namgung Ji-yu asked Yeon Ha-min.
The meaning was obvious.
Yeon Ha-min shook her head slightly.
"I was about to, but the corps leader showed up."
"Too bad. That guy's eyes always creeped me out..."
Namgung Ji-yu said sincerely.
Hidden Dragon Corps and Wa Dragon Corps.
They crossed paths often at the academy.
Even though they were second-years and first-years.
Namgung Ji-yu couldn't possibly miss the sticky gazes Cheol Ryeong kept throwing her way every time.
She just lacked the pretext to act.
"You did well."
Namgung Ji-yu nodded.
"Punishment?"
Namgung Ji-hu's question.
"Ten days facing the wall."
"Hm. It was outside the Dragon Training Pavilion, so no helping it..."
Namgung Ji-hu said regretfully.
Namgung Ji-hu's squad had fought Dang Jin-san's squad before too.
But since it happened inside the Dragon Training Pavilion, it passed without punishment under the pretext of sparring.
"Ten days will fly by. Anything we can help with?"
At Namgung Ji-hu's question, Yeon Ha-min replied.
"When you have time, spar with the Wa Dragon Corps twenty squads' kids."
There was no reason to refuse the offer to help.
Gaining experience against various opponents would be good.
"Sure, no problem."
And so, the noisy day came to an end.
Chirp chirp chirp.
Early morning.
Birdsong came from outside the window.
Yeon Ha-min opened her eyes at the sound.
Ha Seol-ran, sharing the room, opened her eyes too.
"Time to go, right?"
Ha Seol-ran's question.
Yeon Ha-min sat up from the bed and nodded.
They changed clothes, packed up, and washed simply.
Then they left the room.
Ha Seol-ran was at her side.
She seemed intent on going to the Wall-Gazing Hall with its facing-wall cells together.
Wall-Gazing Hall.
A place true to its name.
Filled entirely with facing-wall cells.
Those who received disciplinary action came here to face the wall and leave.
About a month after the first semester opened, a few had passed through.
Now, all the cells were empty.
Today, three people would occupy them.
On the way from Graceful Dragon Dormitory to Wall-Gazing Hall.
They ran into Dang Jin-san's group coming from Fierce Dragon Dormitory.
As expected, all seven from Fierce Dragon Corps Squad Seven, plus Ju Wu-myeong.
They smiled at each other.
Just as they moved to continue.
"Grinning like idiots. Happy about it?"
A sudden question flew in.
It was Ha Mu-baek.
He had appeared before those heading for punishment early in the morning.
The seven pairs of eyes turned to Ha Mu-baek.
"Yeon Ha-min."
"Yes."
She answered his call briefly.
"You did good yesterday. Pretty impressive."
A smile formed on Yeon Ha-min's lips at his words.
Ha Mu-baek's gaze shifted to Dang Jin-san.
"Eh, you did well."
Another brief praise.
A smile appeared on Dang Jin-san's face too.
Fling.
Ha Mu-baek tossed something toward the two.
"What's this?"
It looked like a pill neatly wrapped in paper.
"Don't think of facing the wall as punishment. Think of it as training. Cultivate your inner power for ten days and come out."
Dang Jin-san and Yeon Ha-min stared quietly at the papers in their hands.
Then, with anxious faces, they looked at Ha Mu-baek.
"This isn't that, right?"
"It is."
Dang Jin-san's face twisted immediately.
Ha Mu-baek chuckled at the sight.
"'It's great, but no way to explain it,' huh?"
What he'd said to the Wa Dragon Corps twenty squads' cadets.
As Ha Mu-baek brought it up, Dang Jin-san averted his gaze slyly.
"You know by now to seal the acupoints and eat it, right? So work hard. Of course, not eating it is your choice."
With that, Ha Mu-baek strode away briskly.
The cadets stared blankly at his retreating figure.
"Maybe I should've volunteered for facing the wall..."
Dan Mok Un-roe muttered.
Thinking about it, wasn't it the perfect environment to focus solely on inner power cultivation for ten days?
Dang Jin-san looked at Dan Mok Un-roe in disbelief.
"You're obsessed with training, totally obsessed. Here, you eat this then?"
Dang Jin-san asked jokingly.
Dan Mok Un-roe nodded eagerly.
Immeasurable Pill.
He'd already experienced its effects firsthand.
"Nah, this is mine. Seal the acupoints like the instructor said, and it'll be fine."
Dang Jin-san quickly wrapped up his pill protectively.
Baek Ri-pyeong asked as if something occurred to him.
"But do you know the acupoint that numbs the taste? I don't."
Valid point. Dang Jin-san flinched.
He didn't know.
He didn't know the taste-numbing acupoint either.
He only learned it existed from Ha Seol-ran.
Dang Jin-san and Yeon Ha-min's gazes turned to Ha Seol-ran.
"Uh, well... My master sealed it for me, and since it was before I seriously learned martial arts, I don't remember exactly where. Somewhere under both jaws, I think..."
Dang Jin-san's face paled.
To eat this horrific thing straight again.
"M-maybe ask the elder..."
Dang Jin-san said urgently.
But.
"Too late for that."
Indeed.
The time to enter the facing-wall cells was approaching.
Trudge trudge.
Dang Jin-san walked with a dazed expression.
Yeon Ha-min remained expressionless.
Arriving at the Wall-Gazing Hall, Cheol Ryeong was just getting there too.
He was alone.
Cheol Ryeong glared at Yeon Ha-min.
"If you act cocky like that, you're dead."
With that, he entered the Wall-Gazing Hall first.
"Guess I really have to smash him."
Yeon Ha-min muttered chilling words casually.
At her words, cold sweat beaded on the backs of the male cadets with her, for no reason.
A prickling sensation somewhere.
Even though it was aimed at Cheol Ryeong, not them.
Yeon Ha-min and Dang Jin-san followed into the Wall-Gazing Hall.
Entering their assigned facing-wall cells.
It was cramped.
Tiny.
Just enough space to sit cross-legged facing the wall ahead.
Not only staring at the wall, but being stuck motionless in the tight space seemed punishment enough.
No wonder it wasn't just called discipline.
It was named a facing-wall cell, but really a penal chamber.
But hadn't Ha Mu-baek said it?
Think of it as training, not facing the wall.
What did the location matter for inner power cultivation?
Yeon Ha-min put the pill in her mouth and sat cross-legged.
She had experience.
Horrific.
At least it wasn't the ones given to the Wa Dragon Corps cadets, small mercy.
She chewed and swallowed the pill firmly, then entered meditation.
Both Dang Jin-san and Yeon Ha-min quickly adapted to the facing-wall cell routine.
There wasn't much to adapt to.
Meditate in trance, eat the wall-gazing pill when time came, sleep when time came.
It was a closed-door seclusion perfect for focused inner power training.
However.
Cheol Ryeong was different.
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."
Flames of rage in his eyes, he kept muttering furious words.
Even after several warnings from the supervising instructor.
His legs hurt, his back hurt, the beaten spots hurt.
Cramped and suffocating.
Felt like walls closing in.
Just one day in, and he was going mad.
'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Driving me crazy. Those fucking bitches. Fuck.'
His mind filled only with resentment and curses.
Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang.
A small village between the Taihang Mountains and the North China Plain.
Located at the southern end of Hebei, surrounded by Shandong, Henan, and Shanxi Provinces, it was a key transportation hub.
Recognizing this, the Iron Flag Agency settled here, turning the small village of Shijiazhuang into a large city.
Not far from the north, easy to procure quality warhorses; Taihang Mountains and North China Plain nearby.
An excellent location.
Thanks to it, the Iron Flag Agency's power grew daily.
Eventually, it rivaled the Hebei Pang Clan for dominance in Hebei and became one of the New Eight Gates.
The Iron Flag Agency Leader, master of this giant faction.
He was now taking the full brunt of his suddenly visiting younger sister's outburst.
"Big brother! Is this acceptable?! Ryeong, our Ryeong suffered like that!!"
Gu So-so, Cheol Ryeong's mother, unleashed her frenzy.
Iron Flag Agency Leader Gu Tan-gil examined the letter she brought.
As he read, anger slowly rose on his face.
"To dare treat an Iron Flag Agency disciple like this..."
Not because it was an Iron Flag disciple.
Because it was his nephew.
His most cherished younger sister's son.
His conduct with women had stirred rumors, so he'd sent him to the Dragon Training Pavilion temporarily.
To suffer such a tragedy there.
He couldn't let it stand.
"So-so."
"Yes, big brother."
"Let's go. Order the horses prepared."
At Gu Tan-gil's words, Gu So-so moved quickly.
The Iron Flag Agency suddenly bustled.
The leader going out personally meant much preparation.
Yet, insisting on leaving immediately, preparations were minimal.
And.
The Iron Flag Agency gates opened, and a group of riders kicked up a massive dust cloud, galloping at full speed.
Destination: Hubei Province, Wuchang.
The Dragon Training Pavilion.
From Shijiazhuang at full gallop on quality horses, four to five days.
Sacrificing the horses, three to four days.
Ten days of facing the wall meant arriving as fast as possible.
To free the child from unjust punishment even a day sooner.
Iron Armor Iron Cavalry Army.
The elite who made the Iron Flag Agency what it was.
Ten of them followed Gu Tan-gil and Gu So-so.
Prioritizing speed, no iron armor.
Still, their aura was fearsome.
Ignoring all in their path, they raised huge dust clouds straight for Wuchang.
"We've arrived."
As evening turned to night.
Nam Hwi entered Wuchang's gates and looked around calmly.
They were here, he'd heard.
He secured a suitable inn first.
The first floor bustled with all sorts of guests.
'Namgung Clan's eldest son and daughter at the Dragon Training Pavilion.'
Even thinking again, it was absurd.
What clan sends its heirs to the Dragon Training Pavilion?
He'd heard it was to set an example as one of the Five Great Clans.
Nam Hwi knew better.
An excuse.
Once they became clan head, they'd outlived their usefulness—discard them.
Not discarding meant they'd be Namgung Clan heirs, too valuable.
That kind of people.
Pathetic to recall blindly trusting and following them in the past.
But Nam Hwi—Namgung Hwi—had no choice.
A low-ranking outer court warrior no one recognized.
Namgung name only; a distant branch, uncertain when split off.
He prided himself on sword talent, but no one acknowledged it.
Thus, only Great Chain Heart Method, Great Chain Sword Method, Great Chain Divine Method available.
Still trained diligently; by chance, caught young master's eye.
The young master saw his unrecognized talent at once, praised greatly.
So, he vowed full loyalty.
Thus, followed the young master's excursion.
Aimed at resolving his sole worry, but then thought just a pleasure trip.
Escorted young master and his two wives alone across the land.
And.
That day.
Namgung Hwi poured liquor into his mouth.
Thoughts stopped there.
He tried not to recall the heartbreaking, rage-inducing events.
Luckily survived, tempered his mind wielding sword with remaining left hand.
Even seeing Namgung Clan, his heart barely wavered.
Yet arriving in Wuchang, it started shaking bit by bit.
This wouldn't do.
Steeling himself, Namgung Hwi headed to the third-floor room.