Book 10 Chapter 1

Ryu-yeon Bi is hospitalized!

Rumor!

Something that is transmitted through the human mouth and ears, sometimes snowballing and other times disappearing into dust without a sound.

It can make a footless horse go a thousand leagues, and sometimes it is a test of people's imagination, with absurd beginnings and endings that baffle them. Sometimes it becomes the blade of a terrifying grim reaper, cutting off its owner's tongue or pulling it out like a radish.

But there can be no disputing the fact that it is pleasing to the ear and provides frequent refreshment. If it weren't for rumor, the former powerhouse's liquor would taste half as good, and the sales of many alcoholic beverages would plummet by a fifth. Rumor is the liquor industry's greatest ally. It had the secret power to make people's ears tingle with excitement.

At the moment, there was a great uproar in the Heavenly Martial Hall over a rumor that had caused six out of nine male students to cheer, two out of nine to go into a frenzy, and the remaining one out of nine to commit attempted murder.

Speculation, conjecture, and hypothesis abounded, and the story kept getting bigger and bigger, with the truth buried in the dust. It was one of the most intriguing things to happen in recent memory, so it was no wonder that everyone's attention was focused on it. It was a rumor about a man.

"I'm sure Mr. Sojae has heard the rumors."

Long Tianming, who was standing at one side of the Gunwoong Falconer's residence, looked at the Gunwoong Falconer, Iron Jade Jade Maharishi. She was sitting at a tea table, sipping tea from a blue-violet teacup. She was still slender and beautiful.

The last time Yong Tianming came here was about a year ago, and when the Maharishi heard of his visit, he was very puzzled.

"Did I really care this much about him?

It was rare for him to visit unless something particularly urgent came up. After all, the two of them and the two groups they led were rivals, so it was rare for them to have such an impromptu meeting of the minds. Furthermore, due to certain memories from the past, the Maharishi had always been cold in his dealings with Long Tianming. Naturally, their relationship had grown estranged, but it was the searing rumors about him that had brought Long Tianming here to the Warlord's Hall.

"It's a rumor that stings my ears day in and day out, here and there, everywhere, and I'm sure it's enough to make even a deaf man understand."

Her words in response were never fine. It felt like they were densely packed with thorns. He wondered if he was talking to a ferocious alpha male cat.

"So what do you think, Sojae?"

The question lacked a clear object. Yong Tianming didn't specify exactly what she wanted to know. At the end of the question, an unexpected outburst suddenly came out of her mouth.

"I can only assume that the rude bastard who threw it in the trash has now met his match and received the punishment he so richly deserves. It's so natural and refreshing that you've done something so right and honorable that it's an example to others, and I'm honestly tempted to wrap it up in a gift and go thank you."

Long Tianming was caught in the midst of the Maharishi's uncontrollable outburst of emotion. His question had triggered an outburst of her own emotions that had overwhelmed him in an instant. In fact, she was seriously considering sending a gift to Binggum Nosa to thank him for doing justice, not in an empty gesture, but in an exquisite way. The rumor had been a breath of fresh air in her tightly clenched stomach. When she heard the news, she felt a surge of intense pleasure, like a decade-long constipation cured in an instant. She would be remiss if she didn't show a little gratitude, which was a testament to how excited she was about the news.

For example, ever since she heard the rumor that Bi Ryuyeon had been rushed to the ICU after having an affair with Binggum, her appetite had been revived, her food intake had doubled from the previous week, and her rough, dull skin had returned to a radiant glow. It was impossible to count the number of good things that had happened to her when she heard the news.

"Bi Ryuyeon!

She stared at her wrists as if they were tainted with dirt, her face impassive. The humiliation of the day still lingered like a grudge, tormenting her mind.

"Bi Ryuyeon… you no-oh-oh, you've been so high up in the sky, and now you've finally met a master!

She still couldn't get the rude stranger who'd called her "fat" out of her mind. Her corn quivered with latent anger. But that anger quickly turned to amusement. It dawned on her what state he was currently in.

"…What I'm wondering is why he went up against the Binggum workers and got himself into such a mess."

After watching Maharishi's behavior for a while, Long Tianming spoke again, a question still lingering in his mind. Even if Bi Ryuyeon was an ignorant, rampaging thunderbolt, she still wouldn't dare to defy one of the Five Great Swordsmen of the Heavenly Realm, the Ice Sword Guan Xue.

What the heck was going on between them?

"You don't know what you're talking about, Dragon Confucius! You don't know the subject, and that's why you're in the ICU. You don't know the subject, and that's why you're in the ICU. You don't know the fountain, and that's why you don't know how high in the sky……. You're like a fire moth jumping into a fire with an oiled shirt."

Still, there was a chill in her tone, and if it had been anyone other than the Celestial Dragon Long Tianming, the chill would have sent a shiver down her spine.

"I didn't realize Sojae hated you that much."

Her anger was more than fierce, it was relentless, and that came as a surprise to him.

"You dullard!

Maha Ling couldn't help but chuckle to herself at Yong Tianming's thoughtless words. But she didn't let the word 'dumb' come out of her mouth; she had enough sense to recognize that.

"I'm surprised the Sojae hasn't eaten him yet."

Tired of her rushing momentum, Long Tianming said. It was his sincerity, and instead of getting angry, she gave him a cold smile.

"I'd rather not."

"Aren't you paying too much attention to him?"

At that moment, Maharishi's axe-eyes glared at him.

"Excuse me?"

To this day, the humiliation she suffered at the hands of Bi Ryuyeon is still stuck in the back of her mind like a stubborn hair. The humiliation of that time grew in front of her eyes without her even trying, as if it were etched on her retina. It was an affectionate thing for the medicine department to appear in her dreams every night, day after day, scene after scene. Because of Bi Ryuyeon, Maha-ryung was now critically ill, on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

If she could, she wanted to completely erase its existence from this world. If she could do that, she would be able to sleep with her legs stretched out and not be plagued by nightmares. ……. Moreover, the insults she had received could be folded into her coffin and buried with her. ……. It was a pity, but at least with this piece of good news, she was able to calm herself down a bit.

"I'm just glad he's still breathing and not dead, or maybe that's better, because it means I still have a chance to put the finishing touches on his life."

It was a venomous, icy word that spewed out of him.

Crispy!

The teacup in her hand crumbled to dust. The hot tea did not run down her hand, as its contents had already been evaporated by her anger. She gritted her teeth, still unable to cut the minutes. Just thinking about it made her anger rise to her head.

"…If a woman bears a grudge, there will be frost for five months?

The frightening reaction of the maharishi reminded Long Tianming that he would have to be more careful in his dealings with women for the sake of his reputation. As a Shaolin disciple full of compassion and fire, he did not forget to pay his respects to Bi Ryuyeon. It seemed that he would not have another chance to return the insult that he and the Shaolin Divine Sword of the Green Jade Goddess had received.

"I'd rather he stay in the ICU and never wake up.

He had been insulted by Bi Ryuyeon himself, but he could not argue that his anger was the blood of a bird's foot compared to the venom exuded by the Maha Spirit. It seemed to be true that women are both weak and strong, gentle and cruel, good and evil. He wondered if it would be better to have a grudge with a ghost than a grudge with a woman like this.

Where there is light, there is shadow, and where there is yin, there is yang.

While it's undeniable that the rumors had the majority of the population rejoicing, they weren't the only ones rejoicing, celebrating, and cheering. There were several who were in disbelief of his injury.

"No matter how much I want to believe it, it's still not happening!

Those who were not included in the general public were the members of the masterminds. When others cheered, they were filled with anxiety. The fear of not knowing when Bi Ryuyeon would jump out of her seat like Kangxi. Suddenly, they agreed to come together, not to grunt alone, but to put their heads together and exchange ideas. For some reason, it didn't seem credible that the brash, reckless, space-maniacal Bi Ryuyeon would be so easily defeated, even though she was a Bing sword. They were currently suffering from the disease of suspicion, unable to trust any situation involving Bi Ryuyeon at face value, which Bi Ryuyeon had been training them to do.

"Is it real?"

Of the sixteen members of the master class, Namgung-sang was the first to raise questions. Though his martial arts skills had been on the rise lately, he still hadn't gotten the memo.

"Well……."

Hyunwoon returned his words with a response that was neither here nor there.

"Honestly, it's hard to believe that the most feared man in the world, the treacherous Big Brother, could be so easily defeated and put in intensive care, even if he was an ice-blade Nosferatu. We're already suspicious of anything he does, and we've been through too much to just trust him blindly. Where have we been beaten by him before?"

That was Shen Yun's honest sentiment. The Infinite Suspicion Disease of Bi Ryuyeon was the bastard child of their defensive instincts.

"Did the two of you really have an affair?"

Namgung San San asked. Her suspicions were justified, as this would never happen under normal circumstances.

"Absolutely, and Na Yerin Sojae and Jin Xueyi have already proven that, and I don't know for what reason-it's probably not a very good reason-but there's no doubt that they had an affair."

The spirits had confirmed Nangongshan's suspicions. But that wasn't the end of the mystery; they'd been seeing it all along, even if they hadn't wanted to. The monstrous divine power of their godbrother, Bi Ryuyeon…….

Namgungsang, who had been sitting still, spoke in a cautious tone.

"But would that monstrous execution, even if it had been carried out by an ice-blade master, have been so uneventful, and would the great brother have survived unharmed and unscathed in front of the Iron Scaffold, which boasted a reputation for horror?"

Namgungsang would never forget what happened that day. Neither would the others. Everyone's faces quickly turned grave. Just thinking about that day still sent shivers down the spines of the cast members.

"That's right, that damned big brother couldn't have gotten away with it, he's got to be up to something again, and it stinks."

The old man, who had fallen victim to Bi Ryuyeon's loving touch many times before, strongly agreed with the Southern Palace Chief. His survival instincts, honed by life as a beggar, were fiercely stimulating his mind and nerves.

"Then again, I'd better not look too happy about it, or I'll look like I'm jumping up and down with joy… although I'm not happy about it, because if I'm caught by the big brother……."

It would be a disaster of such horrific proportions that they shuddered to think of it. Their faces were turning pale at the mere thought of it.

The old man slammed the table with a flourish.

"Fool me once, fool me twice!"

In fact, I've been fooled more than a dozen times.

"Never let your guard down against the Big Brother. He's a monster! Let's not be guilty of measuring him by mere mortal standards. How many times have we fallen for his evil twists?"

Their experience had taught them that, no matter what, judging by appearances is a recipe for disaster. What they saw and heard with their own eyes and ears was the ultimate truth, and they should never let their guard down, no matter what, especially when it came to matters related to the Virgins.

'If your big brother offers you candy, never take it. Don't read the surface, read the other side of the story!

That was the greatest lesson they had ever learned from her, but alas, they had never been able to successfully apply it to the real world. It was for this reason that they were sitting around now, engaged in a serious discussion, trying to determine the truth of the situation and decide what course of action they should take in the future. Even if Bi Ryuyeon was lying in a hospital bed with bandages all around her, they were afraid of the repercussions that would come back to haunt them if they showed too much joy. So they couldn't allow themselves to be swept up in the wave of joy that was sweeping through the Heavenly Martial Academy, for they were too afraid of the repercussions that such an action would cause.

"umm……."

"ugh……."

"khhhhhhh……."

Guan Qianxu, a rare sword master who holds the position of General Laborer of the Heavenly Martial Academy, repeatedly grasped and released the iron doorknob. It was as if the doorknob was on fire, and he could not easily grasp it. A sword master with a reputation throughout the heavens was clearly nervous right now.

Quack!

With renewed determination, he gripped the doorknob with all his might. But as if it were a ten-thousand-strong iron wall, the wooden door of the Apothecary would not open. Of course, it wasn't that the door was actually ten thousand pounds strong; even if it were, the difficulty of the workmanship made that impossible, and it wasn't that it had dozens of padlocks. Despite the fact that it was an ordinary, ubiquitous door, Binggum found himself struggling to open it, as if it were the gates of hell.

"ugh……."

Once again, a low groan escaped his mouth. His steps didn't come easily. It was as if the soles of his feet were glued together. Still, he was expending a great deal of energy in his indecision. Should he go in as he was, or should he turn around and pretend this whole thing never happened, because it's not too late……. He hadn't yet tied the knot in his heart. After hesitating for a long time, Bing Ke finally seemed to have made up his mind, and with a resolute expression on his face, he tugged on the door of the medicinal hall.

Yay!

With a sharp sound, the door to the apothecary opened, sending a thick medicinal odor wafting through the air. Binggum quickly stepped inside.

Tongue!

The door slammed shut so effortlessly, unlike the one I'd struggled to open.

Thin fingers, pearly white and delicate, moved toward a point, paused, and then hovered, refusing to move any further.

"umm……."

Where the owner of the island corn now stood was in front of the medicinal hall where Bi Ryuyeon was undergoing intensive treatment. Her hand was very hesitant to grasp the doorknob, just as someone had done earlier. The door to the medicine hall today seemed to be endowed with a special ability to make people think. Earlier, it had been a cold man with a face reminiscent of a block of ice, and now it was a woman with a ravishing beauty that dwarfed even the brilliance of the sunlight. To be visited by such a woman would be a great favor in itself.

"Why am I here now?

For Na Yerin, that was the question more than anything else.

She was now standing in the doorway of the Apothecary, hesitating whether or not to enter, but the question that preceded it was a legitimate and compelling reason for her to be here, in this place, at this time. To her cold reason, there was no reason, no duty, no responsibility for her to be here. But here she stood nonetheless, and that was the reason that troubled her.

No amount of explanation could convince her own reason. The rumor of Bi Ryuyeon's unfortunate admission to the intensive care unit of the School of Medicine after she had been slapped by the Bing Sword Master had spread throughout the academy with the ferocity and unrestrained speed of a wildfire in dry winter. Everyone who had heard the rumor agreed that she had been punished as she deserved. There were even several people who gathered at the bar in threes and fours to celebrate, a testament to Bi Ryuyeon's accomplishments and excellent relationships.

To put Na Yerin's current position in perspective, having unintentionally tangled with Bi Ryuyeon on several occasions, she, like Zhu Jiaodan, could not easily believe his slander. Strangely enough, despite the fact that this was very natural and she couldn't grasp any impossibility, she felt a great sense of foreignness, in other words, it didn't feel real. Maybe that's why she's standing here now. Desperately searching for a reason to convince herself that she was right…….

Na Yerin asked herself the question again in her mind.

"Do I really need to do this? Why am I here now? What am I here to see? What do I want to know? What does my heart really want? Do I have the answers to these questions in my mind right now?

Her mind was unable to answer any of her many questions. The only thing she was sure of was that she was standing here, in this place, right now. There were too many uncertainties to determine her next move.

"Shall we go back?"

After what seemed like a lifetime of waiting and agonizing, she muttered.

'Yes, this is the best option!' Na Yerin thought to herself. She never did manage to grab the doorknob. The door to the Medicine Pavilion was only one character (about 3.3 centimeters) away, but she couldn't reach it, as if an immense barrier stood in her way.

"Yes!

She made up her mind at last. She turned on her heel and walked away, intent on leaving the place she had so unwillingly come to. But she could not walk forward. Her feet wouldn't leave the ground. Luckily, it wasn't for some absurd reason, like suddenly wanting to see Bi Ryuyeon unbearably. It was a physical impediment, not a psychological one. It was as if the sun had suddenly set and night had fallen.

The reason she couldn't turn around and walk away was because of the gigantic shadow of a man in front of her, whose presence was blocking her path, right in front of her nose.

The man with the reddish color that reminded me of a blazing flame! He was Yindo. When he and Na Yerin stood side by side, it was like a 'misogynist and a beast'. He was looking down on Na Yerin because he was so much taller than her, but his usual ferocious eyes were not shining.

"What are you doing here?"

It was Yaldo who spoke first, puzzled; as far as he knew, Na Yerin had no reason to be here at all. Na Yerin did not answer his question. For now, her mind was as cold as a puddle of icy water. She froze in silence. This was an unexpected turn of events, even for her.

'Oh my God, I was so caught off guard……. No way!

Na Yerin couldn't believe she had been so completely defenseless for a moment. Under normal circumstances, this would never have happened, even if the opponent was one of the Five Great Immortals. And this was clearly her own mistake.

"……."

"Huh?"

At Na Yerin's sudden silence, Yaldo tilted his head. She looked very confused and embarrassed.

'To be caught off guard so easily… to not even react and allow someone to invade my space… even if it's just a salt-of-the-earth Nosa, how could I have been so mentally defenseless?'

Na Yerin was stunned. This had never happened before. Even with her super-high Yeomdo, she had never been able to feel a person's energy this close to her. No matter how savagely an opponent was killing her Qi, she could definitely feel it, but this was different. She had allowed her back to be taken without feeling anything. It was fortunate that the opponent was Yidou, but if it were an enemy, she would already be dead to this world. Giving up her back to a stranger was like saying, "Please kill me." It was an unforgivable mistake.

It was clear that a small, microscopic crack had formed in the solid crystal of ice that existed in her mind.

"Are you telling me I've forgotten how to be unattended?

More and more, her heart grew cold.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good."

This was definitely not his normal, casual behavior. Any other man would have gotten a slap on the wrist for his lack of manners. Or he would have spent the rest of the day in the rehearsal hall, sweating by the bucketful. But he couldn't behave like that in front of Na Yerin, and the man who had been known to his students as the "fiery dog chaeban" was transformed into a mild-mannered neighbor or a kindly teacher. Na Yerin, suddenly aware of his presence, hastened to greet him.

"Mr. Nosa, how have you been?"

A sheepish grin spread across his face as he greeted her. His behavior was becoming increasingly suspicious. It was dangerous to let his guard down. His patience, normally as dry as the bottom of a small well in a drought, had suddenly sprung to life like a hot spring. As proof, he was asking the same question of his beloved mistress for the third time. It was, to him, the height of sophistication.

"What brings you here?"

"Me……."

Na Yerin was very reluctant to answer, for she had just returned from a visit to Bi Ryuyeon and was not in the mood to talk about it. Hesitantly, she looked at Yan'er's left hand, which held a large basket.

Ordinary swordsmen and thieves would hold their dao or sword in their right hand, so it was rare for them to hold things in their right hand except for special occasions, so Yaldo held the items he brought with him in his left hand.

As Na Yerin carefully examined the basket's contents, its identity was soon revealed. Her eyes widened in disbelief: the contents were so out of place in the Yeomdo. There were fresh fruits that were recently in season, an assortment of jars and Chinese sweets, a whole roasted chicken and bottles of liquor next to them, and a variety of other food items piled on top of each other. He must have brought it as condolences for Bi Ryuyeon's illness. That fact made her even more puzzled.

"Wasn't the condition serious enough to require intensive care?

If the conditions had been that bad, the only meals available would have been porridge and tastes. But now, the Yeomdo has brought with it colorful and rich foods that even the average person can't afford to eat.

"Me……."

But her thoughts and suspicions were shattered by a single word from Yidou. He broke into a hearty laugh.

"Oooh, you've come to see Ryuyeon for some reason, I'm surprised!"

Na Yerin paused for a moment, and her normally perceptive eyes grew as long as a dragon's beard. His behavior was becoming more and more out of character, and he took the opportunity to sneakily call his master by his first name.

"Then what are you waiting for, why don't you go in? Come on, let's go in, you must be awake by now."

"Can a critically ill person, even if they've just woken up, eat something that's so hard on their stomach?"

It was normal for a patient with such severe injuries to consume tang pills as a meal, but she could not fully resolve her suspicions. His behavior had been too abrupt for that. Having made his own assumptions about Na Yerin's purpose - assumptions that weren't entirely wrong - he actively pushed her into the pharmacopoeia. There was no room for her to resist and refuse.

His actions were clearly not guidance, but Na Yerin was powerless to resist, so she was swept up in his embrace and forced to take an unwilling step into the pharmacopoeia.