The elderly man who introduced himself as Kang Taegong vanished like a ghost.
I guess it’s safe to assume that he was probably some sort of sage or immortal, and judging by his clean exit, it seems he didn’t approach us with any ill intentions.
“What a strange person.”
“Indeed.”
After exchanging remarks about him, we chuckled in disbelief and decided it was time to hurry on our way.
Since we had checked the graves of the Dokgo clan, it was truly time to leave for Chang’an.
*
“Thanks for the hospitality. We’re off for the night.”
As I waved my hand while saying this, Elder Eom Baekhyun brushed his hand away in annoyance, hinting for us to leave quickly.
His characteristic tsundere move was as evident as ever.
Seeing him act all aloof while clearly feeling a bit sad made him quite the insincere person.
Having left our hometown of Sangam to align with the school calendar of Cheonmu Academy, we immediately headed north and boarded a cruise ship to head to Sacheon.
Using waterways is definitely much faster than just walking.
After spending a day on the boat and then jumping off, I utilized light movement skills to run as quickly as possible.
After about two weeks, we arrived in Chang’an.
I thought we were hurrying, but it was only the day before school started when we finally got there, making me realize just how far the distance from Sacheon to Chang’an really is.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah. It has been.”
As soon as we arrived in Chang’an, the first thing we did was meet Baek Yujin, the leader of the White Lotus Sect.
She wasn’t returning to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains with Cheonma, but rather waiting for us in Chang’an.
“It’s not quite appropriate to discuss things here; let’s head to Myoseondong for now.”
As she spoke, she pulled out a scroll from her sleeve.
We were currently in a regular inn, but unless someone broke into the room, it was unlikely that anyone would steal the scroll.
After simply locking the door, we entered the painting, and the familiar scenery of Myoseondong came into view.
“Ah! You all have returned!”
It was Wolhyang, looking as cute as ever after so long.
Perhaps she had been home and not out, as she was sitting on the floor eating watermelon when she greeted us with a smile.
“Did you finish what you absolutely had to do?”
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Nodding, I glanced at the piece of watermelon she was holding and asked, “Why watermelon when summer is over?”
“I took some from the food storage that we harvested early. I was thirsty after working in the fields.”
She offered me a slice of watermelon.
“…I’ll gladly take it.”
Of course, I accepted without hesitation.
“Everyone, eat together.”
Thus, an unexpected watermelon party began, but not forgetting our purpose for being here, Dokgorin spoke up while munching on watermelon.
“Baek Yujin, you’ve kept your promise, so now it’s our turn.”
“Um, this isn’t exactly the time to discuss this over watermelon, is it?”
As Yujin said this, she spat out the watermelon seeds towards the yard like a machine gun, while Dokgorin frowned.
“How rude! I’m trying to talk here.”
“And how annoying it is while I’m eating watermelon.”
Having spent two years working hard together in Myoseondong, I thought they would have become close, but they still showed signs of being slightly out of sync.
“What should we do? At this rate, they might start fighting.”
Wolhyang, caught in the middle, tugged on my sleeve with a flustered expression, but having grown used to this pattern, I responded with a calm face.
“At the end of the day, there’s nothing we can do, so let’s just eat watermelon.”
“Eh?!”
I blocked Wolhyang’s shocked mouth with a fresh piece of watermelon and kept an eye on the brewing storm between the two.
“I’ve wanted to say this for a while now, but you’re so laid-back in everything! If you’ve been around longer than others, act your age!”
“If you acknowledge my age, then treat me like an adult! Don’t you think it’s quite rude after I trained you for two years as your mentor?”
“Yes! Being older must be nice for you! Granny!”
“Who are you calling granny?! You bratty kid have a terrible mouth!”
Eventually, their voices escalated until both stood up angrily.
“Come to the open area! I’ll show you a lesson!”
“Do you think anyone will be scared by your words?!”
“Awaawaawaawa.”
As they both moved to fight, Wolhyang looked incredibly panicked.
She tugged on my sleeve again.
“What if one of them dies?!”
“Well, that’s a win-win. It’s what Baek Yujin wished for.”
“What?!”
“Since she’s the one wishing for death, let’s just let it be.”
Honestly, I was a little curious.
Would Dokgorin, the ‘walking Chernobyl’ who completed the Nine Heavens Sword and the Spirit Heart Technique, win, or would he be beaten by Baek Yujin, the founder of the White Lotus Sect and presumed spiritual practitioner, known as the ‘Speedster’?
I decided to sit in the front row with Wolhyang, the best view to observe the duel of their lives.
*
In the end,
Dokgorin was overwhelmingly defeated.
No, the fight didn’t even really happen.
Before Dokgorin could do anything, Baek Yujin moved with incredible speed and deflected all nine swords floating around with her partially drawn sword, then mercilessly battered the defenseless Dokgorin with punches.
“How trivial to get all worked up over something so simple.”
Saying this, Baek Yujin brushed her hands off.
“Ugh, so frustrating….”
On the other hand, Dokgorin, who failed to react to her speed, muttered while lying flat on the ground.
“…That was unnecessary worry.”
“Indeed.”
If they had at least pretended to fight, it would have been fine, but seeing Dokgorin just get beaten up like that made it hard for me to comfort him.
After returning to the main hall, Baek Yujin picked up watermelon and said,
“We should probably extend our promise a bit longer. At this rate, I don’t think that guy can kill me even if he dies and comes back.”
“…What?”
“Why so surprised? Although I promised to have him kill me, I never said when.”
Oh.
Now that I think about it, she’s right.
“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to keep being his teacher until it takes him ten or twenty years to reach a level where he can kill me.”
After all, my time is endless.
As Baek Yujin casually laid out a plan that would leave Dokgorin in horror, I thought to myself, ‘Looks like it’s going to be a long, tough road for you, Rin.’
I glanced at Dokgorin with a sympathetic expression, unaware of this developing situation.
*
The next day after spending a day in Myoseondong.
We left Myoseondong to head to Cheonmu Academy, which started its second semester as scheduled.
Of course, this time Wolhyang had also accepted my proposal to come along.
“Is it okay for me, an immortal, to wander around outside like this?”
“Of course. Just make sure to deal with those conspicuous rabbit ears.”
“Should I cut them off?”
“Eek!”
When Baek Yujin made a cutting gesture with her fingers, Wolhyang was startled and hid behind me.
The sight of her trembling was truly pitiable.
“I’m just joking. There’s no way I’d do that to you, my friend.”
Laughing heartily, Baek Yujin then pulled out a ring from her sleeve.
“If you wear this, others won’t see your rabbit ears.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t lie about something like this.”
As she put the ring on, Wolhyang’s rabbit ears disappeared as if by magic.
Seeing Wolhyang, who was looking into a mirror and gasped in surprise, quickly pat her head, she found that her rabbit ears had not reappeared.
“What do you think? Amazing, right? It’s one of the items used for disguises at the White Lotus Sect. It’s much more economical and convenient than the common disguise techniques.”
“How is it made?”
“That’s a trade secret.”
Baek Yujin firmly blocked my question, but then added, “Well, if I think you need it later, I’ll give you one as a gift,” which soothed my wounded ego from her firm rejection.
“Anyway, it’s time to head out. At this rate, you’ll be late on the first day!”
After hearing what Baek Yujin said, I realized it was time to go.
“Let’s hurry! Rin! We’ll be late!”
As I said this and pulled at her right hand, Dokgorin nodded with an expression that seemed happy.
“Okay.”
*
Thanks to the long summer break for various reasons, Cheonmu Academy opened its doors after about four months.
Perhaps that’s why the faces of the students heading to the academy seemed bright.
They must be excited to reunite with friends they hadn’t seen during the break.
Of course, unlike Namgoong Ruby, who aimed to make 100 friends, we didn’t have any particularly excited friends, but still, I liked the fact we were returning to routine.
‘Now I don’t have to worry about my life being in danger.’
Just that fact alone seemed to lift my spirits.
At that moment.
“Hey! Chilbok! Rin!”
As if summoned by mentioning him, Namgoong Ruby suddenly ambushed me from behind while throwing her arm around my shoulder.
“Oof, get off, you’re heavy.”
“Hehe~ No way~”
Refusing to let go, she clung to me even tighter as Dokgorin seemed to despise it.
This felt so nostalgic, witnessing such a scene after so long.
As I happily watched the two of them, someone suddenly snatched my arm.
Gulp!
‘What’s this sensation?’
When I turned in shock, I was greeted by Samajak tightly hugging my left arm.
“It’s been a while! Chilbok! Did you miss me?”
“Uh, yeah. It’s been a while.”
Dokgorin’s tone suddenly lowered as she watched the scene.
“Chil. Bok. Huh?”
“Wait! This is outside of my control!”
I hurriedly tried to pull my arm away, but Samajak had such incredible strength that she wouldn’t let go easily.
“Hehe, looks like Chilbok likes big breasts.”
And for some reason, Namgoong Ruby looked at me with the same sunkissed eyes as Dokgorin.
Why are you acting like this?! We have no relationship at all?!
As I internally screamed that thought, it suddenly happened.
“You still have that foolish look on your face, huh?”
Dang Sosu, who seemed to have just arrived, looked at me with a bemused expression.
“Help me!”
I quickly reached out to her for help, but she pretended not to hear and walked away.
“You traitor!!”
I shouted at her retreating back, but Dang Sosu didn’t look back as she walked away.
Meanwhile, Dokgorin and Namgoong Ruby were slowly closing in their trap around me.
“Wait, you two calm down. Why are you approaching me with such scary faces?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Looks like guys really have no idea.”
In the end, I was completely surrounded by three female lions and let out a desperate scream.
“Kyaaaah!”
*
“Spider Fist Hero!”
“Heavenly Independent Fairy!”
After going through an ordeal, I entered the classroom with a tired body, accompanied by a sulking Dokgorin, when suddenly everyone in our class rushed over shouting.
“?!”
What’s going on? What’s happening?
Startled, I inadvertently took a step back, but the cloud of classmates swarming me closed in even faster.
“I was at the Spirit Gate demonstration that day too!”
“You both are amazing! When did you get so strong?!”
“Thanks to you, I’m alive!”
I was completely overwhelmed by the avalanche of praise coming from all directions.
What in the world is this ‘Spider Fist Hero’? ‘Heavenly Independent Fairy’? Is that some new nickname just given to us?
Seeing as we put on such a show, it’s ridiculous that we only gained a single character addition, but I was genuinely a bit happy that Dokgorin’s original nickname of ‘Heavenly Independent Demoness’ had changed to ‘Heavenly Independent Fairy.’
‘That means our fates have completely changed.’
Just as I was flustered in the midst of my classmates’ excitement,
“Alright! Everyone sit down!”
The classroom door opened as our homeroom teacher, Soyucheon, entered.
“I know you’re all excited on the first day back, but I’d appreciate it if you could focus a bit. I have some people I need to introduce.”
“People to introduce?”
“Could it be some recommended new students?”
As soon as Soyucheon spoke, the students in our class began to whisper among themselves.
I also wondered the same thing.
‘Was it really possible to enroll at this time, not even at the start of a term?’
Was the recommended student system that powerful?
“Come on in.”
Soyucheon said this, and two individuals who seemed to have been waiting in the hallway outside stepped into the classroom.
“Hello~ I am Baek Yujin, and I’ve become the homeroom teacher for this class starting today~”
“I’m, um, Wolhyang, the recommended new student! Nice to meet you all.”
“Whaaaaaat?!”
Suddenly seeing two people appear as both teacher and student, I had a bad feeling that our lives in the academy wouldn’t be easy at all.
-Extra of the Deer-Faced Martial Arts Ends-
