Book 8 Chapter 11

The two of them!

-Inquire about the past at Mudang Mountain

The sky was getting darker and darker as dark clouds rolled in.

The birds, bees, and butterflies stopped flying and rested their wings.

It was about to rain.

"You mean you can't even tell me?"

Baek Moo-young was wearing a serious face right now. Of course, it wasn't that his face wasn't usually serious. Even on a normal day, Baek's face was serious enough to be tiresome.

"I'm sorry!"

Qingfeng hung his head in apology. It was times like this that he was most sorry.

"You can't even tell me, your best friend, the one who, along with you, is one of the two pillars of the Guzheng Council? Why?"

The disappointment in Baek Moo-young's tone was evident, and his words were becoming increasingly heated. The usually cool and collected man seemed to be losing his cool today.

"How many times have I asked you to do this?"

"I'm sorry!"

"This is the twelfth time already. Do I still have to keep begging you, this me, and no one else?"

"I'm sorry!"

Cheong-Heon kept repeating that he was sorry. He was truly sorry.

"I didn't ask you why you did that last scaffolding thing, because you're my best friend, and because we're friends, I could have walked into a death trap without asking you why, and if it hadn't worked out so well, it could have been the worst thing that could have happened!"

"……."

There was nothing to argue with, because they were all right. Even Qing Shui himself was grateful for the iron scaffold. He felt like he'd gotten a glimpse into the friendship of his seemingly cold friend. Of course, he hadn't been able to do much more than watch the ridiculous scene, but his faith in his friend had deepened, making it even harder to refuse his non-threatening request.

Again, Bai Muyoung began to persecute Cheng Huan, his tongue tightening the encirclement.

"But now that that's done, I'm going to have to listen!"

Qingfeng stared at Bai Muyoung in silence with quiet eyes. A brilliance flashed in Bai Muyoung's eyes. He could sense determination.

Cheonghun was determined.

"What the hell happened on Mt. Wudang back then?"

Flash!

Lightning flashed across Baek Muyoung's back.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

The light was followed by a sound, then a rumble of thunder. It thundered, and drops of water fell into the darkened sky.

It was a fall rain.

Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo! Shoot!

Rain falls. The rain clouds hid the sun, and the land was dark, dark as night even though it was day. The rain was wild, as if it had been thrown down by a grumbling molecule in the sky, and it was wild enough to make all the dry land muddy.

It was only after a long silence, with only the sound of the fall rain echoing in his ears, that Cheonghyeon managed to speak.

"…I'm sorry, I can't break my word."

Qinghui's heart was very troubled. He felt like he was betraying his friend.

"Is it a fact, or even a truth, that reflects badly on the Tianmu Academy and our Guzheng Society?"

Flash!

Again, light leaked through the cracks in the window panes and the door. There was a rush of light, a momentary glow.

"I have no choice but to apologize again!"

"Is that all you can do is apologize, is that all you have to say?"

"I'm sorry!"

Finally, Baek reached the end of his patience and exploded.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

There was no sign of Baek Moo-young's usual cold, calculating demeanor, which he had been known for.

"Boom!"

The sound of the door slamming behind him was as loud as thunder, and Baek Mu-young was so upset that he forgot to tell Cheong-Heon the crucial information he'd brought with him about the Chinese New Year and the Gungwoong meeting.

"Sorry!"

Qingfeng muttered quietly to himself. Self-hatred rumbled in his chest. Self-hatred bubbled in his chest. Even after thinking it over, he felt like an idiot.

Although there was pressure around me at the time, I didn't want to promise such an important thing, but I couldn't talk about it casually after learning such a huge thing that could overturn the Heavenly Martial Academy once and for all.

'Why did they make that promise back then?

Regret washed over me.

"I have to make you a promise."

He was the first to speak up. It was he, and no one else, who demanded a promise from the man who was now the master of the training camp. The suspicious aura emanating from his entire body was the culmination of a will that dared not take no for an answer.

"What… what promise do you mean?"

I didn't say it, I didn't ask for it, it just came out. Is this how a good citizen who is being robbed feels?

"All the others have promised me. Nay, I swear by the pride of a warrior against the heavens, can you do it?"

When she said that everyone else was doing everything and she was the only one left, it made her feel like she was marginalized and disconnected from the world.

"Do I have to?"

"Of course!"

The attitude was that there was no room for trade.

"What oath?"

I had a pretty good idea, I was just surprised that it was Yeomdo.

"I swear to you that I will not reveal to anyone what you have seen and heard!"

"That… is?"

"What, you mean you can't?"

My cheeks tingled from Yeomdo stare.

"No… me……."

Qingfeng was left speechless as the Yeomdo rushed at him with great force. His tongue would not move as he intended. He was in a very difficult position. Only when he realized that this was the meaning of the Four-Sided Chant was he able to comprehend the deeper meaning of this ancient Chinese phrase.

"Are you saying that you don't feel anything when you watch that sad scene?"

A finger pointed to a spot, as if to say, "Look, look, look.

There, Hyolong was clutching his brother's chilling corpse and weeping bitterly. Qing Shui's heart grew bitter as he watched.

He had been a dorm mate for over a month. There was a subtle emotional exchange, especially after a week of special training.

Because of that… for some reason, I didn't see him as an enemy. Despite being suspicious enough, I didn't feel strangely so, and I almost subconsciously said, "Yes, I will. But I couldn't.

"I'm sorry."

There was still a tense battle between angler Yeomdo and walleye bluefish blueprints.

Surprisingly, the meat had a pulpit. He decided to abandon step one, which was to force an unconditional oath, and move on to step two of his plan, which he was told by Bi Ryuyeon. For now, they reverted back to the previous iteration.

"I swear!"

Yeomdo pushed him with a stern tone. Qingfeng was thinking to himself.

'This is me…….'

'I'm screaming…….'

"I swear!"

'I'm screaming…….'

"I swear!"

"…do you want to give in to it and swear by it!

Qinghui's resolve was as hard as an iron wall. Then Yan Dao said.

"Don't you swear? Then you're the bottom of the class for this training camp. You're flunking out!"

For a moment, Cheng Heng almost shouted out loud, "I swear! If the matter had been any less important, he wouldn't have had to think about it. Forgetting what his resolve had been just moments before, he would have raised his hand and sworn to the heavens. As an honors student, a drop in his GPA was unacceptable, and maintaining it was important to him. But the matter was important enough that he was willing to risk it.

"But… as much as I want to cry and as much as I resent it… I can't."

This fish had a lot of heart. It seemed to still have some strength left. Yondo stopped pulling for a moment and untied the line. One step forward, two steps back.

"Really?"

"Yes, no concessions."

"Wow, is that so? You're a master of words! I admire your unyielding demeanor! You are indeed a trustworthy person."

Suddenly, Yin's demeanor and voice changed one hundred and eighty degrees. It was enough to make Qing Shui feel dumbfounded. As he looked at Qing Shui, his eyes became extremely serious. However, there was no sense of coercion from earlier.

"Finally, you know about this."

It was a very subtle, stealthy tone.

"Yes?"

Cheung Hoon was dumbfounded.

"But you mustn't tell anyone, this is a secret."

"Well… then……."

Yeomdo nodded thoughtfully.

"That's right! This is a secret operation from on high, and you must never let Hyo-Ryong or anyone else besides us know that you have even the faintest hint of his identity, do you understand?"

At this point, Cheonghyeon couldn't help but be convinced that it was a double disinformation operation. It was too easy to fall after all the hard work he had put in. As soon as Cheonghyeon moved on to the second phase of the operation, he became disillusioned when he fell unexpectedly easily.

"Yes, of course."

"I believe in you!"

Yidou patted Qinghe's shoulder intimately.

"Leave it to me!"

Unaware that he had been tricked, Qingfeng replied vigorously.

"Phew… sorry, buddy!"

Just thinking about that day and Baek Moo-young made me sigh. Lately, I've felt like I've lost myself. Maybe it's because I saw something I shouldn't have… Or maybe it's because of him…….

"Bi Ryuyeon!

The more he thought about it, the more inscrutable he became. He felt like his fate was being swept up in the wheel of his destiny.

"Hello. It's been a while."

Bi Ryuyeon greeted her as she entered the Asociation's office. Lim Sung-jin greeted him happily. Nowadays, they were taking classes together at the Black Sword Academy.

"Ah! Ryuyeon, you're here, good to see you."

The reason why Ryuyeon Bi is here today is because she was called by Sungjin Lim.

"How are you having fun?"

Lim asked with a grim expression.

"Did you do anything fun?"

Ryu-yeon hadn't realized the intention behind Lim's words.

"You've been hanging out with two celestials all the time lately, haven't you, and I'm about to die of envy."

Lim Sung-jin's eyes were truly filled with envy. He was referring to the fact that Bi Ryuyeon had recently become Eunseulan's bodyguard.

"Please excuse me, but what did you do to deserve that……."

Ryu-yeon Bi waved her hand away, seemingly unconcerned, but Sung-jin Lim wasn't having it.

"Don't tell me you don't realize how much you're the envy of the members of the Associazione. There's a lot of people in the newspapers who want to tear you into a thousand pieces. That's how much they envy you."

"For some reason, I'm not at all happy to hear that."

"Don't forget that you're a member of the Assassin's Society, and send us some information about the quadrupedal silver alder Assassin! We're always hungry for fresh information. Especially things like her triad figures, which are classified as top secret, please!"

Lim's eyes were blazing with a fierce passion.

"For free?"

Bi Ryuyeon said in a subtle tone. For a moment, Lim Sung-jin was dumbfounded, but then he regained his composure. Now he had noticed. What was wrong with this guy!

"Hahaha, no way, nothing is free in this world, don't worry about that, just fish for good information!"

"Let me think about it."

Instead of being firm, she left some wiggle room. She didn't want to have to backtrack later. She instinctively knew what diplomacy was.

"But was this really what you called me for?"

Ryu-yeon asked, saying that she was here for something very important.

"Oh, that's not true. I'm calling you because I have something important to tell you. I have some urgent information."

"What is it?"

Biryu Yeon-do sticks his head forward. Lim decided to cut to the chase.

"Has anything dangerous happened to you lately?"

"I don't know… other than the occasional memorization flying behind my back as I walk down the street, or the doorway I enter being rigged with an organ, or cursed scrolls filling my scrollbox, or the carcass of an animal hanging outside my window."

Bi Ryuyeon replied with a smile. But the listener couldn't force a smile. Lim Sung-jin's complexion was stern.

"Isn't that… a little harsh?"

"It's no big deal," I said, "you're still a child, trying to damage someone's psyche with something like that. How could you possibly damage someone's psyche in such a timid and weak way?"

What kind of level of sophistication is it to attribute this to low-level, weak-minded people?

"Well, it must be the work of a bunch of guys who can only love women in their fantasies, judging by their childish behavior."

The men of the Bingfeng Movie Guard were the prime suspects for most crimes. But even if they were suspects, there were too many to count.

"I'm even more surprised that you're still in your right mind after all this time! I'm sure there are people who have been caught doing things, and how did you deal with them? I don't think……."

I was inwardly worried about how overzealous Bi Ryuyeon was.

Ryuyeon Bi said.

"It's fine."

"Really?"

"Sure! How could I be so hard on my alumni… well… they're so lucky to get off with a hole in one of their asses, or a broken leg, or a dislocated shoulder… that's what they get for failing to commit a complete crime."

"……."

The next words of Bi Ryuyeon's went a long way toward silencing her and crushing her lungs. She didn't want to imagine what the final fate of a criminal who had failed to commit a complete crime was. The palm of her right hand felt damp.

As if suddenly remembering something, Bi Ryuyeon slammed her palm into her fist.

"Oh, by the way, I did see something pretty funny two days ago. It was really interesting……."

It's still a mystery to me today that such a thing is possible. It's a mystery of the universe.

"What happened, but?"

Lim suddenly became curious.

"Oh, it's nothing, it was just a trick, have you ever seen flesh dance?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked with a giddy curiosity.

Lim was dumbfounded. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"I haven't seen it."

"It's a shame you didn't get to see those amazing flesh tricks. You should try them sometime. It's a wonder of the human body, the way the flesh moves freely, as if it were a living creature. It's really a miracle."

She could have been thrown out of court, but she slipped through the cracks like a loach.

"And it was for something so trivial?"

asked.

"Sure, there's that. But it's not everything."

And there was actually one more. That's what brought her here in the first place.

"Do you know that your Lord Gu Zheng and Lord Gun Woong have departed from this closing ceremony?"

"Who are they?"

"What!"

Lim's eyes widened. He had called her caring, but she didn't seem to have any thoughts or worries. Does she really not know what it's like to be looked at at the Lunar New Year and Gungwoong?

"Ryuyeon, do you honestly not realize that you are being targeted by both the Guzheng Society and the Gunwung Society?"

It was a story that had already been told.

"I don't know!"

Ryu-yeon Bi's firm words struck a nerve.

Right now, both Gu Jeong-ho and Gun Woong-ho are desperate to find out what happened to Bi Ryuyeon, but they don't even know it…….

"Are they really that great?"

"Are you sure you're not really, really, fake and still don't know about them?"

Nod!

Without a trace of remorse, Bi Ryuyeon nodded. Lim Sung-jin was stunned.

"I don't feel the need to be interested in other people's identities, but they must be really great."

"Of course! Not only are they amazing, but they're two of the most famous people in the Academy of Heaven! It's rather strange that you don't know them."

"I don't know."

Her words were unwavering. Even if she was considered a weirdo (and she already was), she didn't care.

"How can you not know them even though it's been over a year since you entered? Even though they were closed for half a thousand days when you entered?"

Ryuyeon Bi answered that question for us.

"I'm not really interested in people who are weaker than me."

Lim's face crumpled as he listened. His heart was already racing with shock. He didn't have a headache, but his bones were aching.

"Don't say such things in front of people, even if they're empty words. Almost all the members of the Heavenly Martial Academy belong to these two organizations, and they'll be quite loud when they hear that their leader has been insulted by another, for they'd rather die than have their pride bruised."

"That's when you die."

Bi Ryuyeon said in a nonchalant tone.

This was the mindset that Bi Ryuyeon took for granted, that he could not die, so he would wipe out all those who were hostile to him without a second thought. It was also the spirit of Bi Ryuyeon that had been passed down from his master's master's master's master's master's master.

"Don't even think about getting into trouble with them, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case, just in case. I have sent for you to warn you of this."

Apparently, the movements of the Guzheng Society and the Gungwoong Society against Bi Ryuyeon Yeon, which had fallen into the Asauger Society's information network, were unusual, and this worried Lim Sung-jin. His behavior was not cute, but rather arrogant, and he couldn't help but hate him. The more he looked at him, the more curious he became.

"What could possibly go wrong if you don't even know?"

Still, Bi Ryuyeon was nonchalant. It was almost the height of indifference. Seeing her like this made him feel like everything he had been working on was for nothing. Where was the source of her endless leisure?

"But I'm feeling a little uneasy, and you know how people have that inexplicable feeling……."

"If you see something like that, you buy it, you suffer, it's called suffering buying, and you worry about it."

He was still the kind of guy who wouldn't care if something went wrong.

"It's not going to happen… I'm overreacting.

Lim tried to masturbate to that thought.

But no matter how much he listened to Bi Ryuyeon's discredited rhetoric, the anxiety didn't go away. Rather, it sank quietly into the depths of his heart. Still, the anxiety clung to him as if it were a part of him and wouldn't go away.

"That's never going to happen, not unless the heavens decide to act!

He wanted to believe that.

"Be careful, if things go wrong, I'll buy you an incense stick in front of your plaque, but don't worry about the aftermath."

"Well… what are the chances of meeting any of those tall people with splints on their necks, and I'm not going to bump into them on the street."

"Be especially careful not to bump into me on the side of the road, for if you do, your life is not assured."

It wasn't a joke at all.

"What kind of coincidence is that?"

She just laughed it off.

It's not going to happen, he told himself. But the world is a strange place, especially when it comes to the way things work.

While drinking tea with the thought, 'How nice it would be if this were alcohol,' Lim suddenly slapped his palm.

"Oh, by the way, did I tell him that Gunung Hoju is a woman?"

Lim realized that there was something he had forgotten to tell her, but it had been a while since she had left.

"Well, I guess it's all good……."

I'll let you know the next time I see you, and you can relax. If anything happens here, it will be self-inflicted. Im sincerely thought so. But…….

There are many times in the world when things don't go your way. When this happens, reality usually has consequences that people don't expect. When this happens, the person on the receiving end doesn't know why it happened, and they can't answer, because it just happened.

In other words, it's just a coincidence that happened and requires no explanation. You can't even argue that it's a coincidence, because the heavens are sometimes a very coercive bunch. Sometimes the heavens are completely silent, sometimes they're placenta, and sometimes they're just not communicating at all. There is only one course of action to take when faced with such a situation: a brute force attack to overcome the heavens' inhibitions and aggression.

In a way, it's just like what happened to Bi Ryuyeon this time! He didn't mean to do it at all, it just happened to happen to him.

And I had no desire to be caught in the middle of it, to be harmed by its imposition and mischief, which is one of the main characteristics of the heavens, which are inhabited by the Higher Ones up there, by their customary slight whims. How dare they try to cause damage and loss to anyone!

Bi Ryuyeon could never forgive him, even if he was in heaven.

But this time it wasn't the sky, it was a woman. Of course, the heavens, the gods of fate, could not be accused of intervening in this affair on their own terms.

I've been through quite a few things in my life, but this was the most ridiculous and coincidental thing that ever happened to me. It was a good experience for me to realize that anything can happen in life.

It took less than a second for the unlikely coincidence to happen. In the short time it took for her to walk out the door of the sorority house and into her dorm room, the event had defied astronomical odds.