Chapter 272
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 272
Chapter Title: Is She Crazy?
Ignoring her opponent's utterly bewildered reaction, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon stared straight into Ha Mu-baek's face, her own cheeks flushed bright red.
Her gaze was so piercing it felt like it could bore right through his skull.
"Wh-what is it?"
Ha Mu-baek stammered in a way that was completely unlike him.
He couldn't help it.
This was the first time in his life he'd ever encountered something like this.
No matter how he looked at her, she was a woman he'd never seen before.
He might have caught a brief glimpse of her during Fierce Dragon Corps training, but this was their first real face-to-face encounter.
And from the bloodline, he could guess she was connected to the Saha League Leader.
Yet here she was, reacting to him like this out of the blue.
If she'd been furious at him for putting her through hell during Fierce Dragon Corps training, that would have made sense.
But this? This looked just like a woman reuniting with the lover she'd been longing for.
A total stranger acting like this toward him?
Ha Mu-baek could confidently say it was a first.
That's why he was baffled. Flustered.
He hadn't seen it coming at all.
"I, uh, well, that is..."
When Ha Mu-baek asked, she bowed her head deeply and trailed off, unable to continue.
Was this really the same person who'd just shouted that she wanted to meet him?
In the meantime, Ha Mu-baek gradually regained his composure.
He might have been momentarily rattled by the unprecedented situation, but Ha Mu-baek was still Ha Mu-baek.
He'd faced death countless times.
This bizarre scenario was a first, though.
"What are you after, sneaking into the Dragon Training Pavilion from the Saha League? Even using the Seven Colors Soul Seal in the process."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon didn't bat an eye at Ha Mu-baek's cold question. Instead, she snapped her head up.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
"Y-you... you really saw right through it! As expected of Instructor Ha Mu-baek!!"
It was a cry of pure admiration.
The Seven Colors Soul Seal.
A treasure among treasures.
Sealing away a peak expert's inner energy—was that any ordinary feat?
People might have heard the rumors, but virtually no one had ever laid eyes on the real thing.
Yet Ha Mu-baek had spotted it right away.
As expected of the world's greatest.
A furrow creased Ha Mu-baek's brow.
Their conversation wasn't connecting at all.
"What's your relationship to Gong Ya Jang-cheon?"
Even so, he pressed on with another question.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon's mouth fell open wide at that.
It was unmistakably a grin.
"Even after I hid my identity so thoroughly... you knew that too? As expected..."
Her admiration and emotion kept pouring out.
For a moment, Ha Mu-baek thought:
'Is she crazy?'
Finally noticing Ha Mu-baek's eyes slowly turning icy, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon snapped out of it.
"He's my grandfather."
She gave a proper answer just before his patience ran out.
At last, they could have a real conversation.
Ha Mu-baek nodded slightly.
He'd already suspected as much from the bloodline.
But granddaughter? That was a bit unexpected.
He knew how much Gong Ya Jang-cheon doted on his grandchildren.
No way he'd ever send his granddaughter here.
"You ran away from home."
His conclusion was spot on.
Seemed like it wasn't as serious as he'd feared.
He'd been on guard, thinking the Saha League had sent a spy with some ulterior motive.
If it was just a runaway...
Still, why run away just to join the Fierce Dragon Corps?
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon turned her head slightly and twisted her fingers together.
"I-I'm Gong Ya Hwi-yeon. And I really, really wanted to meet you."
A repeat of what she'd said earlier.
So...
This little miss had run away from the Saha League and infiltrated the Fierce Dragon Corps just to meet him?
"Me?"
Ha Mu-baek asked.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon nodded.
He was dumbfounded.
"Why?"
Ha Mu-baek asked again.
"Well, I... um..."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon hemmed and hawed.
Frustrated with her own behavior, she squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.
Then she answered boldly.
"I wanted to meet the world's greatest warrior."
But her answer was so absurd it left him speechless.
She wanted to meet him because he was the world's greatest?
"Who? Me? The world's greatest?"
When Ha Mu-baek asked again, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon nodded once more.
"Who fed you that nonsense?"
Ha Mu-baek had never once thought of himself as the world's greatest.
The vast world was full of unknowns.
Who knew what hidden geniuses lurked out there?
"My... grandfather..."
Ha Mu-baek frowned.
"The world thinks So Hwi-woong is the greatest for slaying the Blood Cult Leader and Demonic Cult Leader. But that's not the truth. The real world's greatest is Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon rattled off everything her grandfather had told her.
'That old man...'
Ha Mu-baek pictured Gong Ya Jang-cheon's face.
He might know the truth of that day.
He hadn't been at the final battleground.
But at his level, he could have sensed the fight.
He'd been nearby, tangling with Blood Cult and Demonic Cult experts.
"And while So Hwi-woong might be worth testing against, even Grandfather says he wouldn't stand a chance against you..."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon added more.
'Sigh.'
Ha Mu-baek sighed inwardly.
Gong Ya Jang-cheon, supreme lord of the unorthodox sects.
Not exactly on friendly terms with the righteous, but a man who revered true strength.
That's why he'd so readily acknowledged Ha Mu-baek's power.
But to blab about it to his granddaughter...
"That's why I had to meet you. The world's greatest, as acknowledged by my grandfather. You became my hero."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon whispered, her face rosy.
It was truly ridiculous.
"The Saha League must be in an uproar."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon averted her gaze.
She clearly knew the fallout from her actions.
'So that's why.'
On his way to the Namgung Clan, he'd sensed unorthodox martial artists several times.
The Hao Clan was acting unusual too.
All because of this girl.
'Hyeon-gwang. If that monk finds out...'
His head throbbed.
Hyeon-gwang, abbot of Shaolin.
Not a monk—an old monster.
A merciless demon to Blood Cult and Demonic Cult, all in the name of Buddha.
And insanely strong.
One of the few warriors Ha Mu-baek truly admired.
That monk hated not just Demonic Cult and Blood Cult, but unorthodox sects too.
Demonic, Blood, Unorthodox.
All objects of his loathing.
The reason was simple.
They sowed chaos in the world.
All the same—targets for elimination.
And now.
The supreme unorthodox lord's granddaughter was in the Dragon Training Pavilion.
That old monster would charge down from Mount Song in an instant.
"So, what now?"
"Huh?"
"You met me."
"Uh..."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon was at a loss for words.
True.
Her sole purpose in crashing the Fierce Dragon Corps? Accomplished.
She'd met the world's greatest she'd longed for.
But...
She hadn't thought beyond that.
"Well..."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon paused, lost in thought, then spoke.
"There are some guys I need to get revenge on. I should take care of that first."
"Wa Dragon Corps Squad One?"
At Ha Mu-baek's question, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon nodded.
No need to ask how he knew about the revenge.
She took it for granted that he knew everything.
Ha Mu-baek was the world's greatest, after all.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon accepted it all based on that alone.
"They insulted me. They should pay the price."
Her voice trembled with anger as she spoke.
"Hold on."
A memory suddenly surfaced in Ha Mu-baek's mind.
'Heh heh. You have no idea how beautiful my granddaughter is. In a few years, she'll be one of the Five Flowers of the Martial World.'
Gong Ya Jang-cheon boasting like always.
And the Five Flowers of the Martial World people gossiped about.
Among them, the Evil Lotus Flower.
Had to be the Gong Ya Hwi-yeon standing before him.
He hadn't heard she had two granddaughters.
But in this hideous disguise?
"Looks like you didn't just sneak out with one or two treasures."
"Th-this is mine!"
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon cried, covering her face.
She'd altered her face and sealed her inner energy.
Not even the Saha League—or her grandfather—could track this.
Knowing Gong Ya Jang-cheon, he was probably tearing the world apart to find her.
'This is dangerous...'
The thought hit him.
That monk wouldn't sit idly by while unorthodox warriors scoured the land.
Especially not in Wuchang, home to the Dragon Training Pavilion full of righteous juniors; Luoyang, headquarters of the Righteous Heaven Alliance; or Mount Song, the monk's turf.
For that monk, no place was off-limits to unorthodox filth.
Reality was, unorthodox were everywhere.
But that monk refused to accept it.
"Do you even realize how insane your stunt is?"
At Ha Mu-baek's question, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon blinked her eyes wide.
"Go home."
Ha Mu-baek said lowly.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon shook her head stubbornly.
She'd run away and joined the Fierce Dragon Corps to meet him.
But she had no intention of leaving right after.
She wanted to bask in her hero's presence longer.
At that moment.
A presence approached where Ha Mu-baek and Gong Ya Hwi-yeon stood.
Hidden Dragon Corps cadets.
Ha Mu-baek glanced at Gong Ya Hwi-yeon with a helpless look and repeated himself.
"I said go home. Now."
With that, Ha Mu-baek vanished.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon moved swiftly after he was gone.
She'd sensed the Hidden Dragon Corps cadets drawing near.
Wa Dragon Corps Squad Twenty's Summer Combat Festival was going smoothly.
They'd scattered for reconnaissance, regrouped to share intel.
Stealthy movement.
Ambush and pounce—the strategy was working perfectly.
Only Wa Dragon Corps Squad One was nowhere to be seen, no matter which way they went.
Shadows were growing longer.
It was afternoon now.
Wa Dragon Corps Squad Twenty lay in patient ambush.
At that same time.
Wa Dragon Corps Squad One was on the move, hunting Squad Twenty.
"Think those losers got eliminated already?"
Hwa Bo-myeong muttered as he walked.
It was a plausible guess.
No way trash like that could last this long.
Even their own group of five had struggled plenty.
If not for the Iron Armor Corps training, they might've been out too.
Who'd have thought that idiot Cheol Ryeong's stunt would pay off?
"Heh. Probably."
A smirk tugged at Byeok I-gyeom's lips.
They'd barely survived this grueling ordeal—those losers must've dropped ages ago.
What delusions were they entertaining?
Byeok I-gyeom and Tak Mu-jeon's grins turned sleazy.
The other three followed suit with lecherous smiles.
"We should scout some decent brothels for the second half."
"Huh?"
Cheol Ryeong tilted his head at Byeok I-gyeom's words. Brothels out of nowhere?
Wasn't this different from what they'd been plotting?
"Gotta show our little servants what a real brothel's like. Heh heh heh heh."
A sleazy, lustful laugh.
Now the other four got it.
Their five soon-to-be servants.
Including Yeon Ha-min.
Dragging her to a brothel too?
They could already imagine the haughty Yeon Ha-min's reaction to them reveling there.
The anticipation was delicious.
"Fucking idiots. They don't even fight themselves. Betting on beating trash like that."
Cheol Ryeong spat bitterly.
He still couldn't get over losing to Dang Jin-san.
Calling in his mother hadn't helped a bit.
So he'd thrown himself into training instead.
And now here they were, thanks to it.
The referee grimaced inwardly at their talk.
His face was impassive, but inside he was sighing dozens of times over.
'Ugh. These are the righteous next generation? The future of the Eight New Sects is doomed.'
He was a Hidden Dragon Corps instructor.
Screeech!
Suddenly, the air ripped with a shrill sound.
Thwack!
An arrow slammed into Cheol Ryeong's shoulder—blunt tip, no penetration.
Not a vital spot, so no death ruling.
The five whipped toward the arrow's origin.
A Fierce Dragon Corps female cadet stood there, bow in hand, eyeing them.
"That bitch?"
Recognition hit instantly.
Impossible to forget that face.
Not in a good way.
A repulsive, ugly woman who soured your mood just looking at her.
They'd bumped into her at the Devouring Dragon Pavilion.
And showered her with abuse.
Had that clueless wench held a grudge and come for payback?
With a sneak attack like this?
Wa Dragon Corps Squad One scanned the surroundings warily.
No sign of others.
Fierce Dragon Corps shields were a pain, but this looked like her solo.
"Guess her buddies all got eliminated."
Cheol Ryeong growled, killing intent dripping from his eyes.
Then.
The ugly bitch nocked another arrow.
"Scatter and grab her!"
At Byeok I-gyeom's command, they unleashed lightness skills and fanned out swiftly.
Impressive.
On another level from the other cadets.
Screeech!
Thud.
Another arrow flew, but harmlessly into the dirt.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon glanced back, then turned and bolted.
Wa Dragon Corps Squad One chased full throttle.
'Come on, follow me. That's why I shot weak, without any inner energy.'