Book 20 Chapter 22

비류연 對 공식일취!

-Don't let fate drag you down

The man was wearing a pure white robe that was completely out of place in a dingy, filthy prison. Bi Ryuyeon, who had been crouching, opened her eyes and looked at the man.

"That's why the name……."

As she twirled her fingers in a confused manner, he realized that he was being ignored.

"It's nothing."

"Ah, the octet!"

Ryuyeon Bi clapped her hands together.

"…It's Chinese New Year!"

Baek Moo-young replied, trying to suppress his anger.

"Well, I'm a little later than I thought for that Lunar New Year meeting."

"Late? I don't think I ever made an appointment to meet with you."

"If I had to guess, I would have come sooner."

"So you know what I came here to do?"

Then Bi Ryuyeon said, "Here," and held out her handcuffed arms.

"What is this?"

Baek Moo-young replied with a puzzled expression.

"I thought you were here to set me free?"

Why ask for the obvious, said Turo's Bi Ryuyeon.

"What would you do if I came to you with the news that your death sentence had been finalized?"

Baek asked.

"Foot, is that what you call a threat?"

The courage to call such a flimsy threat a threat is virtually unimaginable, said Turo Viryoyeon.

"No, it's just simple grumpiness. You're not even afraid, are you?"

Bi Ryuyeon shrugged her shoulders.

"You have no reason to be afraid, so why should I be?"

"That's it……."

When asked, I couldn't really answer the question.

"A man who has become the master of his own destiny is not afraid… If it's a destiny of his own making, he knows what's going to happen to him. For example, I'm going to be released today. What do you want to bet?"

There was no doubt in her mind.

"No, I won't bet on it."

Baek declined his offer.

"Where does this ridiculous confidence come from?

Baek Moo-young sighed and said, "I don't usually see him around.

"You seem to firmly believe that's your destiny, don't you?"

"Sure. Didn't you just realize the obvious: You're worse than you're rumored to be."

"It's like you're saying this all happened under your watch."

Baek Moo-young said in a blunt tone. Among the many types of people he had met so far, there was no one of Bi Ryuyeon's race, and that unfamiliarity made him even more uncomfortable.

"Of course, I'm the master of my own destiny, and the only thing I have in store for those who are dragged along by fate is defeat."

Her answer was blunt.

"How is that possible?"

"Oh, that's a business secret."

Bi Ryuyeon replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, yeah?"

Baek sighed and pulled a key from his pocket.

"It's too bad I have no choice but to do as you say."

Bam!

The interlocking keys have been turned.

The handcuffs fell to the ground with a clink of chains.

"Ahhh, now that's a bit of an oddity."

Bi Ryuyeon said, stretching out.

"Follow me."

"Where are we going?"

"You said you knew?"

"I'm just asking to make sure."

"Guan Zhu's office, the elders are waiting for you."

Baek Moo-young replied in a blunt tone.

"Old people, not one?"

"Follow me."

Smart!

"Come in!"

"My lord, I have brought him as you commanded."

A total of five people were waiting for him in his office.

"Uh, I didn't know you were here, how are you?"

Since she was familiar with Qin Xiaoling, Bi Ryuyeon smiled and greeted him first.

"It's been a while."

Qin Xiaoling nodded slightly.

"But I don't think I've ever seen you before, have you?"

Bi Ryuyeon said, pointing toward Yoo Eun-sung.

"You've heard of him, I'm sure. He's a swordsman from the Jiaqiang Sect, called the Jiaqiang First Sword, Yu Eun-sung, Yu Dai-hyeop."

"Aha! That's right… I've never heard of that."

Bi Ryuyeon shrugged.

'Well, there's all those guys…….'

As if he could hear Yue Yun's uncomfortable thoughts, the Namgung Sang standing in the corner pursed his lips in embarrassment. Whether he was or not, Bi Ryuyeon shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Zhang Wuyang returned with the children, accompanied by an escort arranged by Mazinger.

His gaze was met by Gong Zhen Gongliu.

"Uh, I haven't seen my grandfather in a long time."

After all, Bi Ryuyeon has no fear, so she waved happily at Gumzon.

"Boom, he's at……!

As soon as she saw him, she frowned deeply. It was obvious that she didn't want to be seen. Dong Ma's greeting was dry. Bi Ryuyeon didn't feel like greeting him more enthusiastically either, so she shook his hand a couple of times and then stopped. When the greeting was over, Maginot opened his mouth.

"Well, good work. Moo-young, you're free to leave."

"That's……."

Baek trailed off.

"Why but, what's the catch?"

"Oh, no, I'm not, I'm going to back off."

Baek himself wanted to see what was going on, but he was denied before he could say anything.

"Bye-bye! An-na-na-ng!"

As she waves and greets him, he feels like she's laughing at him for being so ugly.

"No! This is unacceptable!"

Gumzon's response was firm.

"Are you sure you can't?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked.

"No! No way!"

The answer was the same.

"You're going to regret this, aren't you?"

She shook her head, not sure why she was bothering. It was more of a sigh than a threat.

"Are you threatening me now, because I barely let you examine me?"

I was adamant that I could not appoint someone who had caused such a stir to be a proctor for the Ascension Test.

"No way, I'm sympathizing."

Bi Ryuyeon smiled broadly. She didn't mind being dropped by the proctor, but losing the extra income was a major problem.

"What, what, this guy is……!"

I felt like I was going to end up in a vase if I did it wrong.

"Do you mind if I have a private conversation with that old man over there?"

Ryuyeon Bi asked Mazinga.

"Ha, Grandpa?!"

Bi Ryuyeon asked, unperturbed by Swordzon's politeness.

"It doesn't matter."

Mazinga replied. With a slight bow of his head in gratitude, Bi Ryuyeon walked toward the swordsman. The closer he got, the closer he got, his long bangs ruffling, the closer he got, the more harsh his expression of politeness became.

"What's wrong with him, Yu Dai-hyeop?"

"Well, I can tell you don't like it."

"I can't believe a man of Gumzon's stature would show that level of emotion to a single student……."

"I know. It's all so weird."

The fact that Gumzon was only reluctant to take on one student was in itself a very unusual and special case.

"I don't want to go out of the room, but can we talk in that corner?"

Covering her mouth with her palm, she whispered in a low voice, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

"Why does Nobu have to do that? Nobu has nothing to hide, so say it here. I don't mind if you say it out loud."

Gumzon, who turned his head stiffly away as if he didn't want to make eye contact, replied in a blunt voice.

"Here? Really? Are you sure about that? You'll regret it."

"Regrets? Now that's something I can't have."

Bi Ryuyeon leaned in and whispered in Swordzon's ear in a low voice.

"Even though it's about your cute grandson?"

Gong Gongliquan glared at Bi Ryuyeon with a pair of strange eyes. Bi Ryuyeon was not frightened at all.

"Ah, now you're looking at me. It's not polite to look someone in the eye when you're talking to them, even if you're a high and mighty man, nay, especially if you're a high and mighty man, shouldn't you be setting an example for others?"

Bi Ryuyeon spat out her venomous words with a smirk on her face. But Swordzone had no time for such trivialities now.

"Yeah, I don't know how you're going to get the……."

Even so, none of the messages that were supposed to come had arrived. It must have been a long time since he arrived in Nanchang. Even if he couldn't come to see her in person, he would still send her a letter of greeting.

'Seo, I don't believe this vile bastard kidnapped that child…….'

The old man was right to think so.

'If you lift a finger against that child,…… then today you will experience firsthand how terrifying the Sword of Swordzone is!'

The old man's delusions were already reaching dangerous levels. He could already hear his grandson's desperate screams for help ringing in his ears. Everyone in the room was stunned by the sudden burst of sword life.

"What the heck were they talking about?

What kind of tale could she possibly have told to arouse his ire? The arrows of blame were pointed at the sole suspect, Bi Ryuyeon, but the truth was that Bi Ryuyeon hadn't even spoken a single word.

'This is the one…….'

No matter how you looked at it, the current state of the sword king was like a 'no-answer dance'. However, even if he left it alone, it was unlikely that the delusions would stop, which was an embarrassment even for Bi Ryuyeon.

By this time, Gong Zongliquan was already consoling the soul of his grandson, who had died a terrible death, in his mind, and he was shedding tears of blood in front of his grave, firmly vowing revenge.

"Watch from the heavens, Zheng Hui. See how this halfling repays your enemies!'

Toward his grandson, who had become a star, the old man whispered in his mind.

"Look, I don't know what you're misunderstanding, but……."

She didn't make it to the end.

"Take it, enemy of the grandson!"

It was a surprise that no one saw coming.

Shhhhh!

With a shout of desperate rage, Swordzon's sword sliced through Bi Ryuyeon's body with blinding speed.

"Huh!"

It's no wonder people were stunned by this sudden turn of events. He was a sword master who was considered to be 'almost' on par with the Sword Saint Mo Yongzheng. The infinite variations of the Jizhon Sword Method emanating from his sword were almost unstoppable. Though he despised the word 'almost'.

Boom!

A long, diagonal crack ran down one of the walls of Meng Zhu's office. The sword energy had cut through the entire wall.

"Ju, are you dead?"

As a mercurial, that was the most logical deduction. But…….

"Wow, I love this chair, it's so fluffy, and if it's rosewood and buffalo hide, it's going to cost a fortune."

It was Meng Ju-suk whose voice sounded less tense. Before she knew it, she was sitting in Meng's chair, spinning it around as if it belonged to her.

"Before I knew it……."

"Ew, blood, blood?"

"Gee, it's real?"

"Uh, how about……."

Gumzon's own eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Booths.

A few stray strands of Bi Ryuyeon's severed hair fell in the air.

"Chet, you didn't completely avoid it.

Bi Ryuyeon grumbled to herself. If someone from the Kang family had heard her complaint now, they would have been horrified. To anyone else, this would have been a matter of a few hairs. He had been given a piece of Sword Zong with clear murderous intent.

"I have a question," she said, raising her hand.

"Look, I'd like to know why, because I'm in a life-threatening situation."

"You're going to take the clock off! You're going to… you're going to……."

Overcome with emotion, Gumzon could say no more.

"So who's the kid?"

Bi Ryuyeon sighed and asked.

"Do you not know, my grandson, the child you kidnapped with your own hands, tortured with your own hands, and then killed with your own hands in all sorts of horrible ways, do you not know how to be polite?"

The men were horrified at what sounded like a vomit of polite blood.

"How could he have done such a horrible thing, no matter how swollen his liver was?

It was like asking for death. But something wasn't quite right.

"But what is 'such and such'?

I was thinking the same thing.

"I haven't said a word yet, and all you're doing is talking about 'this and that' and nothing specific, and I've been in detention for a while, so how can I possibly have done a lot of 'this and that'?"

Bi Ryuyeon protested, pointedly.

'That too.

Apparently convinced, they nodded again. Before I knew it, the Oval Office had turned into an arena of revenge.

"And who do you mean by dead?"

"Shut up! I won't listen to anything you say!"

"You're like a stuck-up old man.

No matter what he did, it was like reading to a cow's ears to this mentally deaf old man. His words seemed to be twisted, distorted, and reinterpreted in the old man's delusions. At times like this, even silence becomes distorted in his mind. She didn't want to go through the trouble of teasing someone who wasn't ready to talk. Instead, she gestured toward a spot.

With a quick glance to the left and right, Namgungsang pointed a finger to his chin and gaped.

"What? Me?

The darting eyes and gaping mouth said so. Bi Ryuyeon nodded her head vigorously once. Then, after glancing from side to side once, she jerked her head slightly toward the South Palace statue.

"Yeah, you! Who else is here but you?

That's what I meant.

Namgung Sang's shoulders sagged as if the wind had been knocked out of them.

"Eh!

It was a sigh.

Poof!

Yoo Eun-sung, who was next to him, patted him on the back twice.

"I think he's asking you to come, but why don't you go?

That's what I meant.

'Ehyo, I don't want to go.

Once again, Namgungsang shook his head emphatically.

Not many people would want to go to such a terrifyingly alive place. Then Bi Ryuyeon raised a finger again, wordlessly. A moment later, she raised a second.

'One, two, three, four…….'

Or,

"I'll take one hit, or I'll take two.

Whichever way you interpret it, he had to go. Namgungsang was forced to take a step he didn't want to take. The people standing behind him waved wordlessly.

It meant "have a safe trip" or "good luck" or something like that.

"See, I can have a conversation without words, but why can't this old man have a conversation with words?

For her, it was a mystery.

"You called for me, Highness?"

Namgungsang, standing next to Bi Ryuyeon, asked preliminarily.

"Yes, I called you, why are you eight?"

Seeing Namgungsang's chewed-up expression, Bi Ryuyeon spoke up.

"That's the look on anyone's face when they encounter such a sparse life."

Still holding his sword, Swordzon was scattering his flesh, and even though it was directed toward Bi Ryuyeon, the Southern Palace was not immune to the aftermath.

"If there's this much flesh, what's the concentration of flesh towards the metatype?

The more skilled a player is, the better he is at concentrating his life into a single point. However, the opponent was not an ordinary master, but a supreme master, called a sword master. Even a mere remnant of life force, or 'aftermath', would cause his body to shrink spontaneously, so how powerful would his life force be against Bi Ryuyeon? He didn't dare to imagine.

'I can't believe he's that good…….'

Bi Ryuyeon was not fazed by Swordzon's show of force.

"I mean, what kind of human being is he, that he would be intimidated by something like that?

It was the Namgung statue that seemed to have the most amazing attitude, whether it was Bi Ryuyeon's indecisive or super-consistent attitude.

"I need you to tell that deaf old man how things are. He won't even try to hear me, and I don't think he'd believe me if I told him, so you'll be my mouth for him."

"Okay, but……."

"Why?"

"Here, it's really hard to move."

The weight of the flesh on my back made it hard to keep my steps steady.

"What have you learned, and do you want me to put together another list of special exercises?"

At his brother's kind words about the priest, Namgungsang was stunned.

"Oh, no, I'll go, I'll go, I'll go."

He was already losing his footing. He was more afraid of the special training than he was of the sword.

"That's what you're supposed to do… lazy."

Bi Ryuyeon muttered to herself, channeling her life force.

Soon afterward, Namgungsang exited the chamber and brought in a man who had been waiting for him, and when he saw him, his eyes widened.

"Hey, Zehui, how can you……."

"Ha, Grandpa……."

Politeness did not dare to raise its head.

"Phew, I barely got away with it."

Majinga said, sweating.

"Well, that's good. Gumzon was convinced."

Jin said.

"Well, I doubt he was convinced… but he had no choice but to be convinced, and I'm sure he was frustrated."

"Didn't the family bridle almost ruin your grandson's life? I just wish he'd stop being so self-conscious about it……."

"You're right. It's easy to get caught up in such unhealthy competitiveness, and it narrows your vision. But……."

Qin Xiaoling knew the back story.

"But it's going to be hard……."

The older we get, the less willing we are to change our thinking. They don't want to admit they're wrong. Qin Xiaoling was well aware that there are too many people who close their ears and cover their eyes when they are not blind or deaf. In retrospect, it seems that "he" was truly amazing.

"Well, by the way, we've identified the culprit but failed to capture him, so we're in trouble."

Mazinger clicked his tongue and lamented in a rueful tone.

"Is there still something that troubles you, my lord?"

Yoo Eun-sung asked with a puzzled expression.

"Things have become very ambiguous, and I'm sure you understand."

Mazinger looked at Bi Ryuyeon and asked.

"Roughly."

Ryuyeon Bi replied.

"Pfft, that's an embarrassment. You've completely failed to clear your name."

His only condition for release was to bring the culprit back alive, which he failed to do.

"It's more of a pain in the ass than you think, isn't it?"

"In fact, that's what got us in trouble."

"Does this mean that witnesses are not enough?"

"Exactly. We can't arrest him on the basis of a few witnesses here, or it'll become a diplomatic issue. We don't have much of a relationship with Machen Gak anyway, and we can't afford to put more distance between us."

As a marginalizer, I had my share of pain points as a marginalizer.

"Where is that lion now?"

"I paged her today, hoping to get a sneak peek, and she said she had a seizure and couldn't get around."

"You're a sneak."

Bi Ryuyeon said flatly.

"Who doesn't know that, but I can't do anything about it."

"What a shame."

At this point, Eunseong had had enough.

"That's right. Considering Yun Yizheng's involvement in the Qinglong Silver Pavilion's destruction, we might be able to get more information if we interrogate him……."

Mazinga's words did not continue. His words were interrupted by a tremendous surge of life that froze everything in its path.

Parrrrr!

The swords of Qin Shaolin and Yue Yun trembled as if to warn their masters. The epicenter of this terrible life was Bi Ryuyeon.

"Did you just- what did you say?"

It was a voice that could have come from the lowest levels of hell, a voice so thick with life that even the oldest Marginals, who had seen it all before, couldn't help but shudder.

"Hmm, are you saying that Feng Ma was also Yoon Yi Jung's handmaiden?"

"No, before that."

"Then I'll send you a copy of the Qinglong Silver Pavilion's extinct paper map to ……."

As the colors became more vibrant, I could almost see them.

"…I guess I don't need to hear the answer."

Why is he so angry? Mazinger didn't understand for a moment, but he wasn't in the mood for words.

"How dare they… take my compound interest……."

A ring of hatred leaked from the mouth of Bi Ryuyeon, who had always been criticized for her smirking and overly calm demeanor.

"Seriously, you had money deposited there?"

Bi Ryuyeon nodded in silence.

"You mean my entire fortune?"

Bi Ryuyeon remained silent and shook her head.

"No way, splitting funds to spread risk is common sense, common sense, common sense! I've got it in three different places……."

"Well, that's a relief."

How much was in there to make him so angry? As a margin trader, I can't imagine the amount.

"What the heck did you put in there but?"

"And money, but that's for another day."

"So?"

"Damn, I was losing my pension on that interest……."

"Pensions? To whom?"

"……."

At that point, she shut up.

"Plus, my magical compounding returns were blown away."

"Compound interest? Is it really that important?"

Compound interest refers to the practice of applying interest to the principal amount of money, and then applying the interest back to the principal amount.

"Of course it matters. The deposit rate at the Qinglong Silver Market is eighty pennies a day! Imagine depositing a hundred yuan. After one year, it will be one hundred and eighty, after two years, one hundred and thirty-nine, after three years, one hundred and sixty-four, after four years, one hundred and ninety-three, and if I add two months to that, it will break the two hundred mark! In other words, if I keep burying it, my principal will double every four years."

"Is that, is that what it is?"

"That's right."

"I can see why you're so angry; you've lost not only the present, but also the future value of what you were supposed to gain."

"That's right, you're quick to recognize that," I said, "because most powerhouses have muscles in their heads and are pretty much clueless about this stuff."

"When you lead an organization, you get to know it, even if you don't like it."

"As time goes by, my losses snowball instead of the profits that should be snowballing!"

That was the crux of his anger.

"Don't worry too much. The Zhongyang Marking Bureau is stepping up to the plate to rebuild the Qinglong Silver Pavilion. Considering the debt we owe them, we at the Heavenly Martial Academy will help them rebuild it to the best of our ability."

Bi Ryuyeon replied with a surprised expression.

"You mean the Sino-Yankee Marking Bureau, though I haven't heard anything about that yet?"

"It was a recent decision. It's only been a few days, and it's no great offense if you didn't hear anything about it while you were in the house."

"I see, the Zhongyang Meteorological Bureau is……."

She paused for a moment to think.

"You don't know who's behind this yet, do you?"

"I see. I'm sure, but I have no proof."

Majinga said in a wistful tone.

"Gee, if only I had caught him then……."

Namgungsang bit his lip in frustration.

"That was not your mistake. Technically, it was my fault. It was the unfortunate result of my student's inexperience. I recognize that as his teacher, I bear some responsibility for this. So I will take responsibility for this."

"Gene Sojae, that was actually because of that stupid Unbi guy. Yulan just got in the way."

It was the kind of thing that would have made Yoo Unbee cringe.

"Then we're all to blame."

Hearing Qin Xiaoling's lament, Yoo Eun-sung's heart sank because she used the word "we".

"Humph, so what are you going to do about Gene Sojae?"

After coughing a couple of times for facial expression, Yoo Eun-sung asked.

"I'm going to go after him, and I'm going to bring him back, and I think that's the real responsible thing to do."

"Well, that means you're going to ……."

"Yes, it doesn't matter if you're short."

Qin Shaolin replied without hesitation.

"No, Gene Sojae, you can't say that!"

Yoo Eun-sung threw her hands up in the air.

"No, I'm going, no matter what you say, I'm going. The disciple's inexperience is my inexperience in not teaching him properly, and I, who was there and didn't make up for that inexperience, must take responsibility for it."

"But even if you're Jin Sojae, the so-called Amish Goddess, it's a risky proposition to enter the Temple of Heaven in a single bound."

"I never said I was going to break in, I said I was going to visit."

Yoo didn't back down.

"Same thing, because a visit is going to be a fight. Good. If Gene Sojae is going, I'll be there, too."

In fact, it was a molten star that wanted to say, I want to be with you for the rest of my life, but it had to remain a dream. A dream in a fog, not knowing if it would come true or not.

"You don't have to go all the way to……."

"No, because technically, he's just as much to blame for what happened as I am, so shouldn't we share the blame?"

"But it's just as dangerous to go with two people."

Mazinger pointed out.

"The potential of the Heavenly Pavilion is vast, and no one knows what toxic realms are hidden within. Even I, the head of the Celestial Academy, have only been able to glean superficial information about it. And even then, it was barely enough."

"Then why don't we do it this way?"

The gazes of Qin Xiaoling, Yue Eunsung, and Mazin Family turned to one place. It was Bi Ryuyeon.

"Do you have any tricks up your sleeve, and if so, let me hear them."

Yoo Eun-sung urged, and instead of answering him, Bi Ryuyeon looked in the direction of Mazinger.

"Why is he looking at me?

At first, he seemed so lighthearted, but the more I looked at him, the more I realized he was a mystery.

"My lord, the envoys will be leaving for the Heavenly Pavilion soon, right?"

asked.

"Huh? That's right, right after the entrance exam."

"They're going to have a supervising laborer."

"It's a very dangerous place to send children, the Temple of Heaven, especially this year."

So much so, that even Hong, who was unwilling to go even if he had to die, was almost ready to send him away-though he would insist that it was not him.

"How many people is that?"

"Labor and management? I'd say about five or six. I'd like to send more than that, but they wouldn't like it. We wouldn't want a dozen bushido masters running around either."

"Is everything settled?"

"No, sir. I've already asked Elder Ice Sword Guan and Elder Salty Guo, but the others are still undecided. I need to be more careful this time."

It wasn't an easy hire, which is why he still doesn't sleep well at night.

"That's been giving me a lot of trouble lately. Can't you see the bags under these eyes?"

"Well, I don't know, I've got a lot of skin, so I can't really tell."

Mazinka looked hurt by Biyou's honesty. It seemed to bother him. Either it was an unexpectedly sensitive area, or it was better to change the subject quickly.

"Well, that's good, because I can get two of them right here, right now."

"What's that… ah!"

Mazinger clapped his hands as if he understood.

"That's what they did!"

Mazinger was impressed, and ashamed of himself for letting such a simple and effective solution slip through his fingers.

"Something like that."

Bi Ryuyeon nodded, thinking that she would definitely charge a consultation fee for this case and a problem-solving fee later.

"Looks like it's decided."

Qin understood.

"Well, is that so?"

Eunseong didn't understand.