Chapter 71
“Unorthodox Path… Ten Great Masters?”
“That’s right! The Ten Great Masters of the Unorthodox Path! The Green Forest General Fortress Lord, and the eccentric Jang Beon-pal with the nickname Green Forest Demon Emperor! Don’t you know?”
Jong Jin-do’s brow furrowed, feeling frustrated by So-ah’s indifferent reaction.
Fortunately, So-ah’s eyes widened as if he had just remembered.
“Aha! That old man. I’ve heard a lot about him from my grandfather.”
But the reason So-ah was surprised was because he had recalled a forgotten memory, not because he was afraid of Jang Beon-pal’s name.
“You don’t seem to know what kind of person Jang Beon-pal is… It’s widely rumored that he’s an eccentric among eccentrics. To go to the Twin Dragon Fortress where such a person stays, retrieve the goods of the Daemyeong Escort Agency, and transport them to Shaolin? It’s not an ordinary matter.”
“It’s not an ordinary matter. I’ll have to persuade the stubborn old man… well, if he boasts about his strength, I’ll have to respond.”
“Yes?!”
For a moment, Jong Jin-do thought his ears were broken.
‘This brat… does he have a heart of steel or something? If Jang Beon-pal boasts about his strength, he’ll have to respond? Crazy…’
It was truly absurd.
In the current Jianghu, who could be so carefree after hearing Jang Beon-pal’s name?
Jong Jin-do, shaking his head in disbelief.
So-ah opened his mouth again towards him.
“Brother Jong.”
“Yes…”
“How dangerous can it be?”
“You shouldn’t think like that…”
“No. Brother Jong’s thoughts are short.”
“What?”
“Look carefully. Who assigned that mission to the Human Division?”
“It’s the Head Instructor of the academy.”
At Jong Jin-do’s answer, So-ah curled up the corners of his mouth slightly.
“That’s right. The Head Instructor assigned the mission, right? But who is the Head Instructor?”
“Yes? The Head Instructor is of course… the head of the Namgung Family, and one of the Ten Great Masters of the Orthodox Path, the great hero Namgung Won, isn’t he?”
“Oh my, Brother Jong. I’m not asking because I don’t know that. So, whose father is that old man?”
“That’s… Namgung Mun…”
“That’s right. He’s Namgung Mun’s father. And Namgung Mun’s affiliation?”
“Aha!”
“The Head Instructor is crazy about his son, isn’t he? Since mission failure is reflected in the student evaluation, if it were a truly impossible task, he wouldn’t have assigned such a mission to the Human Division where his son is affiliated.”
“Come to think of it, that makes sense. If you get a good student evaluation and graduate as a top student, you become a high-ranking official.”
“So there’s no need to worry too much.”
Only then did Jong Jin-do recall that So-ah’s schemes were not ordinary.
‘As expected… I underestimated this brat. Come to think of it, there’s no one as stubborn as this brat, kekeke.’
But on the one hand, he was still skeptical.
It was because Jang Beon-pal’s eccentric character was widely known in the Jianghu.
“But you should still be prepared. Jang Beon-pal is a person who won’t even blink an eye even if you mention the Martial Alliance Leader’s name. If an unnecessary dispute arises, you could be in trouble…”
But even at Jong Jin-do’s warning, So-ah just snickered.
“Brother Jong.”
“Yes?”
“I’m particularly strong against thieves.”
“What do you mean by that…”
“There’s something like that.”
‘Ugh…’
Jong Jin-do, as if he was tired of talking any more, shut his mouth.
But it didn’t take long for him to understand the meaning of So-ah’s words, ‘I’m particularly strong against thieves’.
***
“Really?”
“It’s a lie, right? Huh?”
“Haha. Instructor Jin. That’s a bit… hard to believe.”
So-ah’s friends.
Myo-seon and the Tang siblings had also arrived at the academy a few days earlier than the convocation day.
So-ah, in a happy mood, called his friends to his residence and caught up.
In the midst of this, he added some embellishments to his heroic tales of the past, from the Great Desert Mad Wind Sand, the North Sea Ice Palace, to the Triad suppression operation.
But his friends did not easily believe So-ah’s words.
No, they couldn’t believe it.
“Wow! Myo-seon-ah. Do I look like someone who would lie? Tang Hwa-rin. I didn’t see you like that, but you don’t believe me? Leaving everything else aside, how can even Brother Il-gi not believe me? Huh?”
So-ah, as if he was wronged, tried to persuade his friends with an exaggerated reaction.
Eventually,
“Senior Brother’s words… are true.”
Moyong Hwa, who had been silent, opened her mouth and became a witness.
“See? Huh? Would my junior sister lie?”
So-ah was triumphant.
“Then you really wiped out the Great Desert, the Mad Wind Sand bandit group, by yourself?”
“You even went to the North Sea Ice Palace?”
“And you even ‘used’ the great man Bao Qingtian, who is known as the epitome of an incorruptible official?”
It was truly surprising, getting more and more out of hand, and absurd.
What on earth was the limit of this human named Jin So-ah?
Myo-seon and the Tang siblings could not close their gaping mouths.
“Why are you all so surprised? I’m disappointed. Have you forgotten what kind of person I am?”
“…”
“I’m Jin So-ah, Jin So-ah. It’s not surprising that I broke the heads of some thieves and cut off the necks of some gangster bastards with a guillotine, is it?”
“…”
His friends were still silent.
Not only because their surprise had not subsided, but also because his calm appearance, as if it were nothing, after telling such unbelievable tales of his exploits, was even more absurd.
“Alright! You guys seem to have lost your touch, so I guess I’ll have to find it for you. I wonder if you’ve heard of the returned hell instructor.”
At So-ah’s words, Myo-seon asked with questioning eyes.
“The returned hell instructor? What’s that?”
Although she pretended not to know, in fact, just by hearing the word ‘instructor,’ she had a rough idea of what So-ah was going to say.
Myo-seon’s question was just a part of her desperate hope that her ominous feeling was wrong.
“After you receive some hell training from me, you’ll finally realize, ah! So-ah was this kind of person! That human would not only rob the Mad Wind Sand, but also the Green Forest! and you’ll realize it.”
“No. I believe you! So-ah, you would surely do that.”
“Of course, of course. So-ah would do more than that.”
“Ahem. It’s just that it’s hard to believe, but I’ve never doubted Instructor Jin.”
But it was already too late.
No, in the first place, it was a mistake to have arrived at the academy early.
Since they had seen So-ah, the hell training was a fate they could not escape.
“That’s enough. If you’ve eaten enough, let’s slowly get up from our seats.”
“…”
“I, this instructor, will have to judge how much blood and sweat you guys have shed while I was gone.”
“So-ah…”
“Hey! You… don’t do that, really?”
“We even had a drink… just for today…”
Although his friends slowly backed down, it didn’t work on So-ah.
“From now on, we will run to the top of Manhwa Peak. The last one, be prepared. I’ll give you a special lesson all night.”
As soon as his words ended, his friends, junior sister, and junior brother opened the door of the residence and ran out like a flash.
The appearance of their figures was so fast that it even left afterimages.
***
A few days later.
A word without feet travels a thousand miles.
Moreover, a great heroic tale that was too good for the chatterbox Tang Hwa-rin to hear and keep to herself had entered her ears…
As expected, So-ah’s exploits quickly spread throughout the academy.
‘I knew he wasn’t an ordinary person, but…’
‘A demon has caught a demon with evil.’
‘Shouldn’t that human honestly be considered one of the 10 great masters?!’
‘Now I’m scared, so scared.’
‘I’m afraid he’ll appear in my dreams.’
The students of the Human Division, who had heard the rumors about So-ah as soon as they arrived at the academy on the convocation day, were on the verge of getting goosebumps.
As they say, out of sight, out of mind. Their fear and terror of So-ah had been somewhat diluted.
But hearing the terrifying heroic tales of So-ah and seeing that face smiling broadly in front of them now, it was only natural for them to get goosebumps.
“Wow. I missed you, kids.”
‘You must be so happy.’
‘A face that’s itching to torment us.’
‘Hell will unfold again!’
“Huh? Why is there no answer?”
‘Because I don’t want to answer.’
‘I don’t even want to mix words with him. With that human.’
‘My martial arts definitely improved because of Instructor Jin… but why do I feel like I want to beat him up more than I feel grateful?’
A series of silences.
So-ah’s eyebrows drew into an eight-character shape.
“One… two… three…”
“Have you been well!”
“I missed you, instructor!”
“Captain! Oh my captain!”
As So-ah counted, the students finally opened their mouths urgently.
‘I was almost screwed, really…’
They had experienced it before.
Whenever So-ah counted like that, a great trial would inevitably befall the students.
“Haha. Did you miss me that much, you guys?”
“Hahaha….”
“Yes… I missed you… of course.”
“I was going to visit the Moyong Family because I missed you, but I held back!”
So-ah showed a satisfied expression at the students’ pleasantries.
But soon, his eyes became serious, and his voice became solemn, and a heavy word flowed out.
“Now, only the official academy mission and the final student evaluation remain for us. If we pass the final gateway well, we will be given the honor of being the first graduates of the White Martial Academy and the qualification of an official of the Martial Alliance. Of course, those who fail will have to stay as students for another year.”
At that, a sense of determination appeared on the students’ faces.
‘A Martial Alliance official…’
‘I didn’t even think about it before…’
‘But now it’s different!’
So-ah smirked at their faces.
“Oh! A determined expression, I see?”
“Because I can’t give up.”
“Failure? There can be no such thing.”
“I will definitely become an official of the Martial Alliance!”
The students spat out their firm resolutions.
‘You brats. You’ve improved a lot in a year.’
So-ah felt a sense of profound change as he looked at the students.
When he first saw them, the students of the Human Division were in a state of despair.
There would not have been a single person who had decided to get good grades and become a Martial Alliance official.
But after meeting So-ah, they had changed.
Leaving aside Namgung Mun and So-ah’s friends who had joined late, even the division leader, Jang Byeong-il, and Han Baek had improved to the point where it was hard to believe they were the same person, and the other students had also achieved stamina and body remodeling and were aiming for the first-rate realm.
But So-ah did not show it.
Although he wanted to praise their hard work without reservation and boost their confidence right away, it was not yet time.
‘That’s right. I’ll save the carrot for right before the final evaluation, and for now, it’s time for the stick.’
So-ah, who had thought so, composed his expression and continued to speak.
“Your aspirations are good. But unfortunately, the mission assigned to us is said to be quite difficult. Of course, that difficult mission was personally assigned by the father of our division’s student, Namgung Mun.”
For a moment, the gazes of all the students turned to Namgung Mun.
‘Ah… no, why…’
Although Namgung Mun was dumbfounded, he blushed, feeling self-conscious.
Just then.
“Instructor! What on earth is the mission? If we’re with you, we can do anything, right?”
Han Baek opened his mouth and asked.
A face and voice full of confidence.
As he said, Han Baek was not afraid of anything if So-ah was with him.
“Have you heard of the Ten Great Masters of the Unorthodox Path, Jang Beon-pal? That old man has swallowed up the goods of the Daemyeong Escort Agency, and we have to retrieve them and transport them to the Shaolin Temple. Of course, it would be great if we could find a compromise.”
At those words, the students’ faces were colored with astonishment.
The Green Forest Demon Emperor, Jang Beon-pal!
Wasn’t he a person who was called the most eccentric in the Jianghu by himself and others, and a model of a true man who acted as he pleased without any regard for seniority or anything else?
He was such a great existence for mere students to face that it was hard to even imagine.
“If we… can’t find… a compromise?”
“Then there’s no choice.”
“What?”
“Respect for the elderly is only for a few times. If words don’t work.”
—Crack!
So-ah clenched his fist tightly.
For a moment, lightning flashed, but the students were more surprised by So-ah’s words than by his martial prowess.
“Hah… haha. Hey! You have to be moderate with your jokes. Haha… hahaha!”
“That’s right, that’s right. Our instructor is a funny person, right? He must be joking.”
“Of course! Is our instructor a moron… no, a fool? He’ll definitely find a compromise.”
The students’ reactions were extremely common-sensical.
But as always, So-ah,
“What are you guys talking about?”
“Yes?!”
“Did you learn to crush heads if words don’t work? Or did you not?”
“What do you mean by that…”
“Be prepared. You might die trying to catch an old man. In that case, it’s every man for himself, you brats!”
Breaking common sense was his specialty.
‘That’s right… I forgot again.’
‘That human is looking for a compromise? There’s no way.’
‘Damn it, should I just quit the Martial Alliance? Ugh!’