Book 2 Chapter 30

Sooner or later, something has to happen

Before Bi Ryuyeon met Mo Yong-hui,

Together with Jang Hong and Hyo Ryong, we checked the dormitory assignments on the notice board in the hall.

I was checking it out.

You're checking out a name on a bulletin board.

Hyo-ryong and Jang Hong's questions bordered on screaming.

"Eh, so you're the top candidate for special selection?"

Hyorong and Jang Hong were both stunned, pushing their pupil magnification to the limit. It was obvious that they couldn't believe their eyes. No way, no how, no how.

"Uh, how did you know?"

As if she was surprised that the two of them realized it without even talking about it, she replied. The two exchanged a look of disbelief, resenting the insensitive woman for casually stating what they believed to be a lie as fact. Their expressions were almost tearful.

"Sure. Keep your eyes open to see who your housemate is!"

"Both eyes are still open. Who the hell are you?"

All she knew was the three letters of his name, written next to her own.

"You really don't know?"

"I haven't checked it out yet. I'm not a fortune teller, so how am I supposed to know about someone I haven't even met yet?"

"Phew, do you have to see it to know it? People don't just see with their eyes, they also hear with their ears."

Jang Hong sighed. He tapped his finger on the name written alongside Bi Ryuyeon's on the front row of the announcement list. It was an unspoken demonstration for him to look at it again and make sure. But even after a second and third look, the result didn't change.

"Mo Yonghui of the Seven Absolute Divine Swords, you're the top contender for the Ascension Martial Festival. In other words, you're the winner."

Chilishen Sword Mo Yonghui!

At the tender age of twenty, he had already earned the title of Divine Sword. The second son of Mo Yong Sega, the greatest of the Eight Great Sega, he was a prodigy whose talent and genius had attracted the attention of the mighty from an early age. Even though he could have easily passed the special examination with the power of the Eight Great Segas, he chose to participate in the Ascension Festival. This is one of the accounts of his triumphant entrance into the Heavenly Martial Academy, where he defeated all the masters and won the competition as the top contestant.

It was praiseworthy and an accomplishment that she was able to enter the Academy of Heaven and Earth as a senior on her own strength and ability, without relying on her strong and powerful background. Even children as young as three years old knew about the famous figure, but now she was saying that she didn't know him.

"Uh, yeah?"

Unlike the horse, he didn't seem too surprised. Hyo-ryong sighed, thinking it was just a dull nerve. This was worse than his own, and he was tired of it.

"Oh no, the only people who get to share a room with the winner of the Ascension Festival are the top scorers on the special screening test."

With a long, exaggerated gesture, Jang Hong spoke again to Bi Ryuyeon.

"That's right!"

"What?"

"This body is the top scorer on that special screening test, or whatever it is."

Jang Hong's eyes widened twice as much as they normally did, his eyes now wishing for one thing and one thing only. Staring into Jang Hong's eyes, which contained an intense desire, Bi Ryuyeon was able to accurately read his desire.

"Are you asking me to deny reality?"

"I was merely skeptical for a moment of this appalling reality of lies being told as truth."

Bi Ryuyeon smiled.

"How can there be any hesitation in stating the obvious, this body wins."

Although he had only known Bi Ryuyeon for a short time, he had been with him for a while and had observed his behavior, but he never wanted to admit that Bi Ryuyeon had beaten countless later exponents in the Special Examination, the ultimate test of authenticity and authority. He didn't want to despair about the future of the Heavenly Martial Academy and the Powerhouse Sect just yet. But it seemed that his hopes were unlikely to be fulfilled.

"You're really the winner of the special screening test?"

"Yes."

Even so, Bi Ryuyeon only nodded, as if to say, "Yes, I do." At such a sight, Hyorong and Jang Hong were inwardly dismayed. If it were anybody else, they would have kept their heads up high, showing off everywhere with a good head on their shoulders. However, Jang Hong and Hyorong's stares of disbelief quickly turned to envy, especially since Jang Hong hadn't changed much, but the change in Hyorong was noticeable.

Hyorong and Jang Hong, as well as some of the newer officers around her, looked at her with envy, as if they were extremely jealous of her situation. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but she decided not to let it bother her. She really wanted to, but she couldn't understand why anyone would stare at her like that, like there was something to admire about something so trivial and insignificant. So she tried not to pay much attention to the celebrity who had been confirmed as her housemate. But then something went wrong, and she realized that if she didn't care, she couldn't care. Trouble began to brew from their first meeting.

It was all well and good for Mo Yonghui, who was considered to be one of Jianghu's best equipment, to keep himself to himself and maintain extreme cleanliness. Who could blame him for wanting to keep things clean? The human need for cleanliness was something to be praised, but not to be resented. But now, Mo Yonghui's desire to keep clean was about to become the object of Bi Ryuyeon's resentment and irritation.

The problem wasn't the nature of the behavior, but the extent of it. She could tolerate it if she was the only one with an incurable disorder and was trying too hard to stay clean. But she desperately wished she hadn't dragged herself into it. But she could feel the unspoken pressure her housemate was putting on her to be clean and tidy and organized, and she couldn't stand it. She didn't want to be forcibly infected by her housemate's illness.

This enviable man, Mo Yonghui, was actually a bit of a picky eater when I shared a room with him. He was a perfectionist of sorts, determined not to tolerate a single speck of dust, and he kept the room clean as if it were a pure white sheet of paper, with his potted plants all over the place. His ruler-like perfection bored Bi Ryuyeon to tears. He had a strange and amazing knack for boring people with cleanliness. It was as if he could not tolerate a single speck of dust in a corner or a crevice of a railing, a single crookedness or bending of any object, almost to the point of pathology.

He had transformed the room into a colorless, sterile space that was completely his own; within his realm, Bi Ryuyeon was just another piece of filth. He seemed to have put up a barrier, as if he was very reluctant to allow any uncleanness to come near him.

Being around him seemed to lead to one of two things. Either she would be infected with his dysentery, or she would suffocate under the effects of his dysentery, or……. Either way, it was the last thing she wanted. I didn't like the idea of him being so unapproachable, and I didn't like the idea of him pretending to be clean just for himself. There was everything I didn't like about him. The thought of having to share a room with this guy for twelve months out of the year made her feel uncomfortable and bleak.

So she began to think that she should do something about her bright and hopeful future. She doesn't have a concrete plan yet, but she doesn't like to get involved with other people, so she decided to do something about it. For now, I decided to take it slow and wait and see. For now, she could handle the new stimulus. After all, if Bi Ryuyeon was determined to plot for her own future, Mo Yong-hui's life, which had been a solid one, would not be so smooth.

Ryuyeon is under a fierce mental attack from Mo Yonghui's excessive cleaning, and she receives visitors: Hyo-ryong, Jang Hong, and a plainclothes young man she has never seen before. Their arrival was a breath of fresh air for Ryuyeon, who had grown weary of Mo Yonghui's excessive perfectionism.

To her surprise, she received not one, not two, but three visitors. One was a stranger to Bi Ryuyeon, a young man who hadn't even taken off his boy's tunic yet. The other, a young man in no clothes, had come in behind Hyorong and Jang Hong as if he were an appendix. Bi Ryuyeon pointed her index finger at the boy and asked.

"Who is this, I've never seen you before?"

Bi Ryuyeon's gaze shifted to the young man standing behind them, a well-groomed young man with a timid, almost friendly face.

"Ah, let me introduce you, this is Junho Yun, who is sharing a room with us this time. You're from the volcanic Nakan Peak, right?"

The young man's cheeks flushed as he said the word cooperative.

"What an ungracious title. I'm Yoon Jun-ho of the Volcano faction."

"Alas, the volcanic faction! I know that place. Nice to meet you. I'm Bi Ryuyeon."

I greeted him with the same casual greeting that brought to mind the obvious question, "Is there anyone in the world who doesn't know a volcanologist? The young man's first impression must not have been too bad. He knew about the Hua Shan Sect, which was a dark spot in the martial arts world. He hadn't known about it before, but among the sixteen disciples of the Zhu Jia Clan was the tomboyish Hua Muyong, a disciple of the Huashan Sect. Before that, my knowledge of the famous nine schools and one room was almost a blank slate.

This young man was from the same special selection program as Bi Ryuyeon, and had been brought in by the Plum Blossom Sword Sect's Zhong Hak-yan, who was a longtime member of the Volcano Sect. From the way he couldn't even make eye contact with Bi Ryuyeon, he seemed to be a timid and introverted person.

Looking at Yun Junho, Bi Ryuyeon's gaze was a little different. The timid-looking man, who didn't look like a martial artist at all, was now sending a hot gaze of envy towards a person, and the object of his envy and admiration was Mo Yonghui, the cleaning maniac. He couldn't understand what Mo Yonghui, who was still diligently cleaning every corner of the room without leaving a single speck of dust, was looking at with eyes full of admiration and envy.

"What are you staring at?"

"Yes?"

Yun Junho, who had been staring at Mo Yonghui in stunned silence, suddenly came to his senses and replied in a surprised tone. He was so distracted that he didn't even realize what she had said. Seeing his confusion, she took the trouble to ask him more questions.

"Are you looking at me like that? I'm going to get a hole in my head."

At his words, Yoon Junho blushed and hung his head low. Ugh, do you have any suspicious hobbies? Blushing at such an insignificant question…….

"Ugh, you don't like it?"

"What? What the hell are you talking about? I'm a perfectly normal person. Please don't take this the wrong way."

But with a misleading reddening of the face, he blurted out an excuse.

"Then why were you looking at me like that?"

"Because that's my idol."

Yun Junho spoke in a voice as small as a mosquito's crawl. His voice was so small that if Bi Ryuyeon's hearing hadn't been trained in martial arts, she might not have heard it. Bi Ryuyeon tilted her head and sent him a look that said, "You're very strange.

"There's something about that gargoyle of a cleaner that I idolize, even though his cleaning and organizational skills are nothing short of amazing."

This time, Yoon Junho stared at Bi Ryuyeon like he was looking at a strange creature.

"Mo Yonghui is an idol to many powerful late-stage exponents our age. Didn't you know?"

To gauge the truth of his words, she looked at Hyo-ryong. To her surprise, Hyo-ryong nodded. Was this a gesture to honor and surprise his friend? If so, it was an ungrateful gesture.

"That's right. In terms of the Seven Deadly Divine Swords, he's the envy of many late-stage exponents our age. It's even been said that he's the top prospective Heavenly Master in the future. There are even packs of dogs that follow him, especially the women's organization and brotherhood, Chiljue, whose actions and activities are unparalleled. It's not just amazing, it's frightening. At one point, he was said to observe their daily routine from the time they woke up to the time they went to bed. If you make a disrespectful remark like yours in front of them, you will not be safe. Be careful."

Hyo-Ryong's explanation only got more amazing the more I listened.

"Really?"

"Of course. There was a case not too long ago where a late twentysomething exponent had his left arm slashed off by a young lady in a tavern after she made a remark that seemed to belittle him, and she happened to be a member of the Order. He's been a one-armed swordsman ever since. It's quite a story."

"Wow, that's great."

When Hyo-ryong finished his details, Bi Ryuyeon looked at Mo Yong-hui with new eyes. But that didn't change her attitude.

"Well, sure, he's a little on the handsome side, he's a little on the martial arts side, and he's a little on the smart side, but that's not enough to make him an idol, you know?"

Hyo-ryong smiled softly at Bi Ryuyeon's words.

"Of course, as you put it, he's a little short of being an idol, but the general consensus of the world is that he's extremely handsome, his martial prowess is hard to measure, and his wisdom is said to surpass that of ten thousand books, so he deserves to be an idol because he doesn't have a score like you do, and he's got a great family, so he's a first-class groom. He's qualified to set many women's hearts aflutter, as he's already doing right now."

"Yeah, you think you look that great, because I don't look that great at all."

Bi Ryuyeon spoke her mind. I shook my head in disbelief. I kept wondering what was so great about that cleaning freak over there.

"That's the difference between perspectives: the viewer's evaluation of an object changes according to their own standards and levels. Even an inanimate object, a piece of stone, can be seen to take on many different shapes depending on the direction of view, a mere shift in the position of the gaze, so why not humans, each with their own individuality, personality, and level of sophistication."

"Hmmmm……."

Finally, Bi Ryuyeon gave me a look of acceptance. Of course, she hadn't put her stamp of approval on Mo Yonghui's idol qualifications, but she decided to put aside any further arguments. Suddenly, Bi Ryuyeon asked Hyo Ryong.

"So you did too?"

I was wondering if you were in the same category as the subpar kids who idolized Mo Yong-hui.

Hyorong shook his head.

"If you're asking if I'm one of his many followers, you're wrong. I'm more like his competitor."

Hyo-ryong said with a smile. But his response was something that a normal person might find excessive. And if he were a member of the Seventh Day Sect, he would have been labeled a madman. Yun Jun and Jang Hong looked at him in surprise at his answer, for they knew from their brief encounter that he was not a man to be trifled with so lightly.

"At his age, a swordsman who has reached the level of perfection in his swordplay can do anything.

Jang Hong thought back to Hyorong, who had used a silver-white sword shield to block the terrifying storm of sword fragments during the destruction of the Sword Forest not too long ago. In his eyes, Hyorong was an outstanding master who could rival Mo Yonghui. It was just that his origins were obscure.

The ambiguity of their origins was one of the biggest problems plaguing Jang Hong at the moment. No matter how much he looked, he still hadn't gotten a clue. It was something he had never forgotten. But I was still avoiding the worst case scenario. Because if the worst case scenario came to pass, she would have to lose these two delightful new friends forever. With his own hands……. For the first time in a long time, his brilliantly colored hair stood on end. Damn, he hated that feeling.

Bi Ryuyeon raised her head again and looked at Yun Jun-ho.

"So you're one of his followers, I guess."

Junho Yoon nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's an honor to meet you."

With a gleam of joy in his eyes, Yoon Junho looked at Bi Ryuyeon with pity.

"To hell with honor. If you're a man, you've got to have the ambition to surpass him. If you idolize him and look down on him, you'll never surpass him, even if you're reborn five times, and then you'll always be beneath him. Don't let that silly janitorial freak bind you, it's a waste of time."

His words were poignant.

"Ha… but I'm not very talented……."

He seemed to be so innocent of the world that he lamented his talent even though he had just entered the Chunmu Academy, which had the highest level of competition and quality that anyone could hope for.

"Idiot, nothing is impossible with hard work and grit, and you're talented. Believe me, this body is telling you, so don't give up. Okay?"

"Yes……."

Yoon Jun-ho answered with a crawling sound as he bowed his head deeply. Still, there was no pride, courage, or ambition in his voice. There was no grit. It was unusual for Bi Ryuyeon to not beat his opponent down to the point of no return.

But even as she was being asked questions about herself, she was silently and indifferently continuing to clean. Even though she spoke in a low voice, and even though she spoke loudly as if she wanted to be seen or heard, there was no reaction that she expected.

Mo Yonghui was consistent in his attitude that he was not worthy to be dealt with. It was clear that they didn't care about anything other than themselves and their surroundings.

"Okay, enough of the boring stuff, let's go get some dinner, shall we?"

As the day wore on and dinner time approached, Jang Hong suggested that they all go to the dormitory cafeteria to eat together. At the Tianmu Academy, students had to do their own laundry and cleaning, but meals were free. Of course, there was also a regular cafeteria in the building, but the decisive difference between the two was that there was a charge and this one was free, so the private cafeteria wasn't something you could frequent unless you were from a wealthy family or a disciple of a major sect.

Disciples of the Taoist and Buddhist schools, as well as those of the minor sects, were usually served in the free dormitory cafeteria. This was also an institution that was heavily funded by the Heavenly Martial Academy, so the taste and quality of the food didn't suffer too much, but it still had carefully selected ingredients and skilled chefs to live up to its name. After everyone nodded in agreement to Jang Hong's proposal, Jang Hong looked at Mo Yonghui. Mo Yonghui was still focused on cleaning. Fearful bastard!

"Hey, why don't you come with me?"

I asked because it's not polite to leave the people next to you and go eat by yourself. But the answer was unexpected. Mo Yonghui, the seemingly untouchable king of the heavens and earth, nodded his head in affirmation. The group was surprised that he, who was famous for being the best equipment in the world, had accepted their proposal. Yun Junho, from the Volcano Sect, was visibly moved, his rabbit eyes widening. It was impossible for him not to be touched by the idea of eating at the same table as his idol.

With that, Bi Ryuyeon, Jang Hong, Hyo-ryong, Yun Jun-ho, and Mo Yong-hui excused themselves to eat and headed to the communal dining hall, which was about ten doors away from the dormitory. While Gumhongguan was an all-male dormitory, the cafeteria was shared by six coed dormitories. It was a place where people from all walks of life gathered, but it was also a place where unexpected events could happen.

<Continued from "Reliability" Volume 3