Book 21 Chapter 11

An Interlude, The Testimony of Junho Yoon

-Dubious, still cloudy

"I feel like I'm being hated for some reason. Brother Zhang, have you done anything wrong to Instructor Jade?"

As soon as the briefing was over, Hyo-ryong turned to Jang Hong, who was looking downcast.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering why you were so cold, because I've always been blunt and cold, but not like that."

After his brother's death, it was already a well-known fact to some of his acquaintances that Hyo-ryong was a native of Machengak. Everyone knew, but they looked the other way.

"Wrong… that's for sure."

Jang Hong replied in a deadpan voice. It was almost pitiful to see.

"What on earth did you do wrong, and maybe I can help?"

Once the fire of curiosity was ignited, it was hard to extinguish.

"It doesn't matter. It's all karma."

Jang Hong let out a deep sigh and lowered his head. He felt the lamentation of a fortysomething, but he didn't dare to voice it.

"What the heck are they hiding?

It was odd, to be sure, for such a master of emotional control to be so flustered. But if I probed further, Jang Hong would never answer.

"There's something, but what's that specific number? Oh, and does Junho know anything?"

I remembered how Yoon Jun-ho had fidgeted a lot when Jang Hong received the Heel Moon. It seemed like it would be easier for the innocent fellow, who was always bad at lying and covering up, to reveal the truth. Hyo-ryong was afraid that Yoon Jun-ho might run away, so he approached him like a breeze, even using advanced unshin techniques.

"Come on, Junho, don't you have any idea?"

Hyo-Ryong approached in a flash and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Well, it's not like there aren't any……."

Yoon interrupts him.

"There it is!

My guess was right. When talking to Yoon Jun-ho, I could tell the truth by looking at his face. Even if he has something to hide, he shows it all on his face. Normally, I'm worried about how he's going to make it in this harsh world, but at times like this, he's so easygoing.

"It's a tough world out there, my friend, forgive me!

He decided to interrogate Yoon relentlessly.

"You're onto something."

Hyo-ryong approached with a straightforward tone.

"I'm not sure… but I think it's because of what happened yesterday… in the hallway… Zhang bumped into him."

Hyo-Ryong's eyes widened in disbelief as he listened.

"Bumped into? No, I don't see how that's possible. Even if you couldn't see Zhang because of the corner, there's no way the dreaded Nachal Officer wouldn't recognize the signs of someone else."

It was a tale for the common man or the sewer, but not for the masters like the Blood Nachal, who could not miss a trace outside of thirty pages.

"But it's true……."

Intimidated by Hyo-ryong's bastion, Yoon Jun-ho pleaded in a voice as small as a mosquito's.

"Dude, that's frustrating. Let's talk about this."

Hyo-ryong beat his chest, urging him on. It would be faster to hear the whole story.

"Well, that's because……."

That was sometime yesterday evening.

According to the testimony of Yoon Jun-ho, who was present at the scene, the defendant Jang Hong was moving around with a terrified face and hiding his movements as much as possible. He was desperate, as if he couldn't penetrate the wall.

His stealth was truly remarkable. Even Yun Junho, who was looking at Jang Hong with his own two eyes, wondered if he was really here, or if he was hallucinating Jang Hong. No matter how much of an enemy the Heavenly Pavilion was, Jang Hong's obsessive behavior was a bit too much even for the timid Yun Zunhao.

"Brother Zhang, you know… I don't want to say this, but do you really have to move like that?"

Yoon Jun-ho blushed and asked if it was embarrassing to be a non-participant.

"Sure, sure."

In as low a voice as possible, Jang Hong replied. He didn't seem to think it was excessive at all.

"Keep your voice down. Have you forgotten where you are? This is enemy territory, enemy territory, where they crawl like maggots in a shithole. How can you walk in peace through these dreadful halls?"

But it seemed a bit extreme. It wasn't just caution, it was like a special agent infiltrating an enemy stronghold on a secret mission.

"And if you happen to bump into someone while you're doing that……."

Junho Yoon was still worried.

"Hahaha, what a joke, there's no way I'd make that mistake……."

Thump!

'Huh? That feels like something I've felt before…….'

While Jang Hong was pondering the unknown, Yun Junho was shivering at the cold reality.

"Okay, Brother Zhang……."

A contemplative Yun Jun pointed a shaky finger at the top of Jang Hong's head. Yun Jun's body twitched this way and that, but he could no longer speak. His mind had turned into a pure white blank slate.

"Huh?"

Raising his gaze from something so soft and bouncy, Jang Hong's face instantly turned grim.

A pair of living eyes, glowing with cold fury, stared back at him as if they would consume him. A familiar face. It was none other than Yue Jing herself, the blood jade adept known as Blood Nachal among the students.

"Heeheeheehee! No, I… this is because……!"

Jang Hong scrambled backwards as if he'd seen an arrow coming, and quickly darted away. But it was too late.

Boom!

With a loud crack, Jang Hong hit the ground with a tension in his abdomen.

"Koo-hoo!"

With a snap, the sword was drawn.

"Rude bastard!"

Two of Jade Yue's loyal followers drew their swords in anger, one of them the crimson swordswoman Pomegranate.

"Heehee!"

Jang Hong screamed and wrapped his arms around his face. Yun Junho squeezed his eyes shut, thinking it was over. But in the end, the sword didn't fall. Unable to contain his curiosity, Jang Hong removed his crossed arms and looked ahead.

It was Jade Yujing who blocked the two girls' swords. Seok-ryu-ha and the other girl, who lunged at her, couldn't even get the blow they were hoping for, and were forced to cut their minutes short.

"Just give the order!

Their fiery eyes said so.

Jade Yujing's eyes were fixed on Jang Hong's ugly face like nails, filled with suspicion and disbelief.

"…Hongsik?"

Hearing the name unconsciously flow from her mouth, Jang Hong stopped moving. Frozen in place, he suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Ho, Hong Shik? That's a cool name, but you've got the wrong person, Am, you've got the wrong person. I'm not Hong Shik, I'm a guy named Hong."

However, Jang Hong's answer was not enough to allay the suspicions of a stunned Okuyukyung.

"What's your last name?"

He sounded determined to find out, and the more determined he was, the more troubled Jang Hong seemed to become.

"I don't know what you're going to do with my last name, hehehe."

Jang Hong let out a silly laugh.

"Brother Zhang, are you okay?"

Yoon Joon-ho, who was convinced that he must have suffered a severe head injury while rolling on the floor, asked in a worried voice.

"Shh, shh!

Jang Hong freaked out and glared at Yun Junho to be quiet, but the damage was done.

"Hmmm, is his last name Mr. Zhang?"

Ok asked, looking very excited.

"Well, yes."

The naive Yoon answered honestly.

"I take it you two know each other?"

"Yes, it's a motive."

At that, the woman's eyes widened again.

"A classmate? You seem a little young. What grade are you in?"

Ok Yoo-kyung asked, still sounding alarmed.

"I'm in my third year at Tianmu Academy."

"So you're over twenty?"

"Well, yes."

In fact, Yoon Jun-ho looked much younger. His timid personality made him look even younger, so much so that it wouldn't be strange if he was a teenager.

"Wow, I'm in my early twenties… that's pretty impressive."

The woman looking at Jang Hong twisted her mouth, her sneer evident.

"No, it means……."

Jang Hong clapped his hands together, not sure if his legs were free or if he was still out of it. Yue Jing could only stare at him with a cold gaze.

Under that gaze, Jang Hong's body shrank further and further. On the other hand, Blood Jade Adept Jade Yujing's complexion turned redder and redder with rage. A tremendous amount of life force poured out of her entire body.

"Well, well, well……."

His boundless rage made it difficult for him to speak. Jang Hong's complexion grew more and more pale, and the expression on his face was unmistakable: fear.

"Well, you stuck your nose in my face."

CHANG!

Jade Yu's foot sword technique was as fast as a flash of light.

"Heehee!"

Jang Hong was stunned, but he raised his sword to block the swift saber.

"How dare you?"

Black, dark flesh sprouted from the pure white sword at Jang Hong's uvula.

"True!"

Jade Yujing swung her sword indiscriminately, as if she had lost all sense of reason. Jang Hong was sent flying by the stormy, terrifying blow.

"Heehee!"

What was on that sword was unquestionably murder.

"Up, it's dangerous, Brother Zhang!"

Yun Junho, who was watching, cried out in astonishment. This was indeed a Martial Master of the Heavenly Palace. Her sword was ferocious. At this rate, Jang Hong's life was as precarious as a candle before a typhoon.

"That's why I'm talking about……."

Jang Hong desperately tried to talk to her, dodging the sword grass, but she was in no mood for conversation.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

A terrifying stream of flesh washed over Jang Hong's entire body.

"No, wait, there's a self-fulfilling prophecy here……."

Fearing for his life, Jang Hong threw up his hands in panic and tried to come up with an excuse.

"No questions asked!"

Yue Jing was not prepared to hear it at all. The sword light flashed.

"Die, now!"

The tip of her sword flew toward Jang Hong in a seven-stranded red trajectory.

"Spleenwort Bloodwort!"

Upon seeing the sword herb, Shi Yuha let out an exclamation mixed with questions. Was this man really so great that he needed to use such a powerful herb? It certainly didn't look like it, but Pomegranate was soon forced to admit it in disbelief. No matter what he had done, that stupid fellow had managed to evade all seven of the Bloodstorm Red Eggs.

"I can't believe it… the Blood Feng Lan couldn't even wound……!"

If I had seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it; if I had heard it in words, I would have dismissed it as a lie, but reality is reality. It was an unalterable fact that he had escaped the bloodbath.

"Who the hell is that guy?

"Heh heh heh heh!"

Barely alive, Jang Hong breathed heavily.

"Hmph!"

Even Ok Yoo-kyung seemed to have grown tired of his evasive skills.

"Wait!"

That's when Yoon Junho stepped in between them.

"Get out of the way. This has nothing to do with you."

"No, it's a relationship. I'm his friend."

"A friend? He's a friend?"

It was a very unexpected face. Ok Yukyung looked back and forth between Yun Junho and Jang Hong's faces several times. She was still filled with disbelief.

"Are you really a friend of the author?"

"Yes, that's why I need to know why you're spreading the grass."

It's an attitude you'd never expect from his normally timid self.

"Do you want to know why, and if so, I'll teach you!"

Okuyukyung pointed her finger at Jang Hong's brow and exclaimed.

"The author is a traitor!"

Yun Junho's eyes widened in horror.

"A traitor, that can't be… that can't be."

"I understand that you don't want to believe it. But it doesn't change the fact that the author is a traitor."

Ok was adamant.

"Brother Zhang, you're a traitor, aren't you……."

It wasn't Jang Hong. Yun Jun-ho hoped that Jang Hong would deny it with his own words, but he couldn't.

"……."

All expression suddenly vanished from Jang Hong's face. All the embarrassment and fear were gone from his face. It was as if he was wearing a mask, but it was also as if the mask of 'expression' had fallen off and his bare face was exposed.

Jang Hong's expression wasn't just indifferent, it was a look that turned everything into nothingness. Looking at it, Yun Junho was left speechless.

Boom!

She steadied herself and sheathed her sword.

"The mood has been broken today. We'll save the story for another time."

Cold voice, cold eyes. Eyes that never forgave.

"We'll see, but you'd better be careful in the future, Jang Hong Hak.seng!"

With those last words, which were tinged with hostility, Okuyukyung left the room. Jang Hong and Yun Junho remained silent for a while.

"What kind of woman is……."

Yoon muttered to himself as he looked behind him.

"Enough."

Jang Hong opened his mouth.

"……?"

The words that came out of Jang Hong's mouth after what seemed like an eternity of silence startled Yun Jun-ho.

"Don't speak ill of her."

His face was tired, but he looked much more alive than he had a few moments before.

"Long form."

"It's all my fault."

This was their fault, no matter how you look at it. It was certainly wrong to swing a sword at someone just because they bumped into each other on the street. However, the conversation between the two of them, and the fact that Jang Hong, the other party, spoke like that, seemed to indicate that there was something else going on.

"Don't ask me any more questions."

Yun Jun was unable to ask any questions. Jang Hong fell into a deep silence again, anguish flickering in his eyes.

"And then you broke up?"

Hyo-ryong, who had been listening to Yoon Jun-ho's account of his sighting, asked.

"Yes, I did."

"You're brave, Brother Zhang."

Some people have had their arms chopped off for touching the wrong wrist of a female student, and in that case, they were lucky to have survived such a humiliating embarrassment, whether intentional or not.

"I know, I really thought I was going to die."

Just thinking about it made Yoon's liver shrink to the size of a bean.

"Gee, I had no idea there was such a thing as……."

Ok Yoo-kyung's attitude, then, was completely understandable, but there was something about it that was not quite right. It was not only Yoon Joon-ho's testimony, but also the strange numbers presented at the briefing.

"I can understand your cold demeanor, but there's something about you that doesn't seem like your usual Jade Instructor. It's like you've always known each other."

He was rather surprised that Jang Hong was still alive after what he'd done to that Blood Nachal.

"Suspicious, suspicious.

That's what his instincts were whispering. His suspicions weren't entirely clear yet.

The suspicions were still cloudy.