Book 9 Chapter 5

Unsanctioned Overnight Stay (無斷外泊)

- A Twist of Fate

The moon waned as the night deepened.

It was long past the curfew for the students at Cheonmu Academy's dormitory, Geomhon Hall.

A child of the new era sleeps early and wakes early!

After another fruitful day, all the students had retired to their slumber.

Sleep is a noble act that accumulates the strength to face a vibrant tomorrow through a limited state of deep rest, yet there was one man who, having cast aside this noble act, lay awake with wide-open eyes.

As the night grew darker and the stars shone brighter, this man, Bi Ryuyeon, seemed to have no intention of sleeping.

"Hmm! The moon is so bright."

The moon, viewed through the window, appeared remarkably bright and comforting. A gentle moonlight draped the night.

"Benevolent moon and jewel-like stars! What else can rival their romance but that!"

Without it, it would undoubtedly be an insult to the moon, the stars, and this beautiful night. What was needed and what had to be done was already decided.

"Unsanctioned Overnight Stay (無斷外泊)! And drinking, singing, and dancing (飮酒歌舞)!"

Bi Ryuyeon's eyes flashed, gleaming wickedly. Far from being tired, he seemed to have an excess of energy he couldn't contain. The problem, however, was his complete lack of intention to invest this surplus energy into self-development or peace in the martial world.

"The shadows of midnight call to me. The darkness of night veils my reason, and the gentle moonlight seduces me."

"Unsanctioned" signifies the courage (勇氣) to commit an act that breaks the law. And when the word "overnight stay" is attached, it represents the shrewd wisdom and progressive action to escape the suffocating prison we call a dormitory.

An unsanctioned overnight stay could be considered the romance of young male students of his age. It is a noble act of seeking freedom through individual will, breaking away from rigid norms. Even illegality and rule-breaking can be packaged.

At this very moment, Bi Ryuyeon intended to put his courageous plan into action, borrowing the power of the moon, stars, wind, and clouds. Though not known to the world, according to highly confidential information, this excellent combination of courage and wisdom had been executed more than once. And it was always a perfect crime, without a single mistake.

If it's not a perfect crime, I won't commit it!

That was one of Bi Ryuyeon's steadfast beliefs.

Gang Hayun, the Iron-Blooded Heartless Sword, known as a merciless ogre to the dormitory students and an embodiment of rules and discipline, had not yet gone to bed. The sleeping hours for students and the dorm supervisor were distinctly different. Since he had to patrol the entire dormitory for any infractions even after the lights were out, Gang Hayun's sleeping time was naturally later than that of the students.

Moreover, Gang Hayun was on duty that night and was in the duty room with his colleague, Jeong Hoyu of the Qingcheng Sect.

"Since that investigator arrived, the academy has become a bit more lively, don't you think?"

"Ho ho ho, but she was certainly beautiful. Wasn't she? The more I look at her, her shapely hips…"

"Master Jeong!"

Gang Hayun raised his voice slightly at Jeong Hoyu's crude remark.

Did he really want to flaunt his immaturity like that?

Jeong Hoyu, who came from the secular branch of Qingcheng, had a very easy-going nature, making him incompatible with Gang Hayun. However, since he had to share duty with him that day, he had no choice but to pass the time with idle chatter.

There is no duty more tedious than a silent watch. Duty, overnight stay, and work are battles against oneself, and against the psychological clock inherent within one's inner self.

Jeong Hoyu was particularly weak in the fight against himself. Therefore, he could never stop talking. He knew from experience that the moment he stopped his tongue, his internal clock would also stop. However, as a comrade in the battle against boredom, Gang Hayun was not a very good partner. Thus, Jeong Hoyu's mouth had to move twice as much as usual.

"I'm bored. I wish just one student would cause trouble right about now! Like an unsanctioned overnight stay, for example."

Jeong Hoyu was smiling. He might have genuinely meant it. Fighting such incidents would make the time pass much faster than fighting boredom. He remained a person completely devoid of tension.

"Overnight duty is not a game, Dorm Supervisor Jeong! And there is no one in our academy who would do such a despicable thing. We only have students who always adhere to the rules."

"But you never know, do you?"

"I told you there isn't. If there isn't, there isn't."

The Iron-Blooded Dorm Supervisor Gang Hayun's tone was still firm.

"Ho ho ho! I know. Still, I just mentioned it as a possibility, a one-in-a-million chance. It's just a light joke. I don't think any student would dare to commit such a bold act, evading our sharp and intelligent senses. We're not just pretending to use our thousand-mile hearing technique for fun. So, it's just a light joke. Truly, Iron-Saber, you're impossible to talk to. Ho ho ho ho!"

Jeong Hoyu chuckled politely.

Gang Hayun was commonly known as "Iron" among his fellow masters.

As Gang Hayun said, they weren't just spending the night idly joking around. Their ears and senses were always open in all directions, allowing them to observe every movement around them while sitting still.

If there was anyone harboring the lofty dream of an unsanctioned overnight stay, they would have to get past the eyes of these two peak masters. It was a challenge worth undertaking for those willing to stake their lives. However, recently, there were few who dared to try, and even fewer who succeeded.

Of course, as with everything, there were exceptions.

While these two were having such a leisurely conversation, Bi Ryuyeon had already slipped beyond their range of senses.

It seemed that even the thousand-mile hearing technique these two boasted about failed to detect Bi Ryuyeon's presence.

To carry out an unsanctioned overnight stay, one first needs about fifteen minutes of warm-up exercises and deep breathing. During this time, one must steel their resolve, inwardly wishing for "absolute success." If caught by a dorm supervisor, it is a critical penalty, so one must never be discovered.

The most important things are stealth and speed. And it is convenient to know the usual movements of the dorm supervisors when attempting it.

Of course, when executing it, not a single breath should escape. Next to stealth comes boldness. One must not falter in their resolve during the process. A faltering mind can quickly lead to a faltering body. Even the slightest mistake can lead to immediate failure here, so extreme caution is necessary.

And the conclusion is important in all things. That is, one must return on time the next day without being late for class. One should not give the masters any excuses to find fault.

It was, therefore, a difficult task to attempt an unsanctioned overnight stay while evading the gaze of peak masters, with many obstacles and challenges. However, Bi Ryuyeon, who had even been in and out of Baekhyang Hall, found this to be as easy as pie.

Cheonmu Academy's ironclad security was almost perfect. At least, no one slept during their duty hours.

However, it was inherently impossible to guard the vast Cheonmu Academy with such a small number of personnel.

Though patrol guards regularly patrolled the ramparts, the extended patrol times due to the small number of personnel created gaps. These loopholes were supplemented by a network of mechanical devices placed in all directions. Once curfew passed, death traps were laid throughout Cheonmu Academy. This played the most crucial role in making Cheonmu Academy a perfect, impenetrable fortress.

However, all of this was useless to Bi Ryuyeon. Bi Ryuyeon, with a single move, rendered the efforts of the craftsmen who painstakingly created the mechanical devices and meticulously placed them to inflict the most fatal damage at every moment, into nothingness.

With just five leaps, Bi Ryuyeon cleared all obstacles, effortlessly leaping over the final hurdle, an eight-zhang high wall, with his sixth leap. Experience is truly invaluable; he had done this so many times that he could perform it without any hesitation. The initial tension was now less than a sparrow's eyelash.

There was no need to use Wall-Clinging Technique (壁虎功: also known as the gecko martial art, a type of martial art that allows one to climb walls without any support).

That night, the moon and stars in the sky could have seen Bi Ryuyeon leisurely scaling the walls of Cheonmu Academy without any obstruction, but they wouldn't have told anyone.

"It's always so bright here! Good! Good! The stars on the ground welcome me, drunk on wine!"

It wasn't just the moon that was brightly shining. The various lanterns hung in the Wine Street (酒街), stretching along the main road, lit up in a myriad of colors, resembling a cluster of stars descended to earth. Moreover, these terrestrial stars could even provide wine to people, making it a double benefit.

"Come to think of it, last time I came with Yeomdo…"

Last time, during an unsanctioned overnight stay disguised as a regular night outing, Yeomdo was an accomplice. It was indeed convenient in many ways to be with Yeomdo, a fellow martial artist. He saved money on drinks and reduced the risk of being discovered…

'I wish he had come with me today too… To refuse like that…'

Bi Ryuyeon regretted that point.

"I'm busy. Extremely busy. These days, I wish I had two bodies, I draw my sword several times a day. If I split myself in half, perhaps I'd get two bodies. This excessive workload is all because of you, my detestable master."

"What? Why are you attacking me out of the blue?"

Confused, Bi Ryuyeon retorted. It was natural to feel wronged when being attacked personally to this extent.

"If my master hadn't dumped those juvenile delinquents from the Vermilion Bird Clan on me, I wouldn't be suffering from this excessive workload."

"……?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw a mountain of documents piled on his desk. The sheer volume was enough to make one dizzy.

"Therefore, I can't entertain you today. I have to submit a comprehensive report on those Vermilion Bird Clan members by tomorrow. Just you wait tomorrow, you rascals. How dare you make me suffer like this?"

Grind! Grind!

Enmity towards the perpetrators who imposed such a heavy paperwork burden on him erupted from his entire body. Since he couldn't vent his anger on the ultimate culprit, his arrows of anger focused on the secondary culprits.

Bi Ryuyeon had a feeling that tomorrow would be grim for the Vermilion Bird Clan. Of course, he conveniently overlooked the fact that he was the root cause of that grimness.

"Still, it's a shame!"

It felt empty at his side without the benefactor who was always there.

"Today, I'll play thoroughly by myself!"

In place of his diligent, older disciple, the young master decided to play to his heart's content.