Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Thanks to the appearance of the Beggars' Gang and the subsequent report from them and Ryu Seol about the Blood Cult's infiltration, the disciplinary hearing was canceled, and the Five Commanders hastily convened a meeting to decide the punishment for the traitor Moyong Jun.

As the Murim Alliance Chief Instructor, Baek Suryong should have participated, but he cited poor health and instead returned to his room.

"Ugh… Can't you go a little easier?" he groaned.

He hadn't lied about his condition. It wasn't just the internal injuries he had sustained during the battle with the Poison Demon, he felt like all the fatigue he had accumulated over time had burst out at once.

In fact, he was so tired, he had unthinkingly nodded when Namgung Su offered to give him a chiropractic massage.

That…might have been a mistake.

"Shut up. It gets less effective when you open your mouth," Namgung Su replied, standing on the bed and towering over Baek Suryong, who was lying face down.

TAP! TAP TAP TAP!

"Ow! Ouch!" Grimacing with every step, Baek Suryong turned his head and glared at his nemesis. "Are you making this more painful on purpose? You are, aren't you?"

"I'm following my family's chiropractic massage secret manual strictly," Namgung Su stated expressionlessly, continuing with the massage.

Baek Suryong pouted. As painful as it was, the effect was undeniable. Soon, his stiffened muscles loosened, his blood circulation improved, and his qi flow became much smoother.

When the massage no longer felt particularly painful, he pleaded, "Hoo… I'm feeling somewhat better now, so get off…"

"I'm only done with one side. Flipping you over now."

THUMP!

Namgung Su kicked the edge of the bed with his foot, and Baek Suryong's body flipped over swiftly like a pancake.

The chiropractic massage continued.

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STOMP STOMP STOMP!

"Uggggh…!"

About fifteen minutes later, Baek Suryong lay sprawled on the bed, looking like a wrung-out dishcloth. Although it sucked, the fact that the chiropractic massage hurt so much was proof that his body was really in bad shape.

"Looks like I really overdid it this time. I'll have to rest here for a few days without moving," he moaned wearily.

"…A golden opportunity to repay my debt!" Namgung Su muttered under his breath.

Baek Suryong's eyes widened. "Repay what?"

"I'll make you a nutritious meal from my family's secret recipe book for dinner," Namgung Su said, his eyes shining with fervor at the opportunity to repay his debt to Baek Suryong.

"…Why does your family have so many secret manuals?"

"Because we're the Namgung Clan," Namgung Su replied matter-of-factly, a hint of pride showing beneath his expressionless face. "I'll go check if I have the necessary ingredients for the dish…"

He stood up and left the room in a hurry.

"What did I do for him to bear such a grudge against me?" Baek Suryong muttered, glaring at the door Namgung Su had just exited through.

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KNOCK KNOCK!

"May I come in?" a familiar voice asked.

It's the Beggars' Gang Chief.

Baek Suryong hastily grabbed his outer robe and put it on, then called out, "Please, come in."

The Chief opened the door and hobbled into the room, using the Beggars' Gang's sacred Dog Beating Staff as a cane. Although he was a short and raggedy old man, he didn't give off the impression that he was small or weak at all.

Baek Suryong got up from bed to greet him.

"I heard your internal injuries were severe. How is your body?" the Chief asked.

Baek Suryong replied, "I think I'll be fine after resting for a few days. How are you doing, Chief?"

"Me? I'm just a little tired. The antidote the Lightning Dragon Hero brought worked very well."

The previous night, Namgung Su had searched the belongings of the deceased Poison Demon's disciples, found an antidote, and visited the Beggars' Gang at Baek Suryong's request. Since the Chief was already in the recovery phase, after taking the antidote, he regained consciousness quickly.

The Chief took out a pill, about the size of two finger joints, from deep within his clothes and offered it to Baek Suryong. "Take this. It's internal injury medicine from the Beggars' Gang secret manual."

Baek Suryong hesitated, his sensitive nose instantly twitching. Holy shit, is that…cow dung I smell?

The Chief grinned mischievously. "Don't be prejudiced just because it's medicine made by beggars. I can guarantee its effects surpass any internal injury medicine from the Nine Sects."

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"Haha. Of course not. I was just wondering if it's okay for me to accept it when you're the one who needs it more… But thank you, I'll accept it gratefully," Baek Suryong laughed awkwardly and accepted the pill.

I'm definitely not going to eat this right away.

He had eaten things picked up off the ground to survive in his past life, but he wasn't going to do that anymore this time around. The Murim Alliance had plenty of internal injury medicine.

I know! I'll save it for when I need it more later!

Rationalizing it like that, he shoved the pill into his pocket.

Unfortunately…

"By the way, I ran into the Lightning Dragon Hero on my way here, and he seemed very happy when I mentioned the internal injury medicine," the Chief chirped happily.

Baek Suryong's heart sank. "Don't tell me…"

The Chief stroked his beard and smiled, pleased. "You have a very good friend. He even said that the effects of the medicine might be enhanced if it were served as part of a nutritious meal, so I gave him another pill, and he ran straight for the kitchen. Keep the one I just gave you for emergencies."

"…Fuck."

Oops, the curse slipped out unintentionally.

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The Chief's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

"Uh, fuck those Blood Cult bastards, I mean. Just the thought that I ended up like this because of them made me so angry that I couldn't help swearing…"

"Aah, yes, indeed! I understand your feelings! I understand them a hundred times over! Those bastards deserve death!"

Venting his pent up rage, the Chief poured out a stream of coarse curses towards the Blood Cult for a while.

Baek Suryong chimed in agreement, then asked, "By the way, what happened with Moyong Jun?"

He knew that the Chief had attended the meeting with the Five Commanders. Since the Chief was the most direct victim of the incident, he undoubtedly had significant influence over the outcome.

The Chief replied, "We decided against destroying his qi center and cutting the tendons and meridians in his limbs. When I said I didn't want that kind of punishment for him, everyone seemed quite surprised."

Baek Suryong breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the worst had been avoided.

I should visit Moyong Jun later.

He offered the Chief a clasped hands salute. "Thank you for your leniency."

"Hoho, my benefactor requested it, after all. Besides, they said he wasn't in his right mind due to qi deviation, so we can't exactly hold him entirely responsible."

The Chief was a rare kind of good person. While clear about debts and grudges, he also knew how to show mercy depending on the other party's situation.

"Anyway, the meeting seemed like it would drag on, so I slipped out alone. I wanted to talk with you rather than see the same tired old faces all the time. May I sit for a bit?"

"Ah, my apologies," Baek Suryong said, only now realizing that he had kept the old man standing. "Please sit here. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Have you ever seen a beggar refuse free food? If you have snacks, bring some too."

The two sat facing each other across the table.

The Chief chuckled and sipped the tea that Baek Suryong brought. "The rumors about you were so widespread, I really wanted to meet you at least once. I didn't expect that we would meet like this, though, hoho."

The leader of the world's largest murim sect regarded the young man before him, wisdom evident in his eyes. Although he wasn't a master ranked among the Ten Supremes, he prided himself on the fact that his eye for judging people was in no way inferior to theirs.

I've seen all Ten Supremes of this era with my own two eyes. None among them were as unique and unconventional as the Azure Dragon Hero. Throughout the history of murim, how many masters have grown so strong and built fame so rapidly?

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After observing Baek Suryong for a moment, the Chief soon murmured admiringly, "Rumors are usually prone to exaggeration… but that doesn't seem to apply to you."

Baek Suryong briefly pondered how to reply. Since no one else was around, responding artificially felt awkward, so he decided to be honest.

The Chief has probably already grasped my personality anyway, so there's no point pretending I'm someone I'm not.

He grinned mischievously. "I hear that often."

"Hohoho!" the Chief laughed heartily. "Just as I heard, you are overflowing with self-confidence. As expected, the modesty you showed earlier was all an act."

"Well, earlier there were… quite a few eyes watching, weren't there? And I was really embarrassed because you praised me so much."

The Chief regarded Baek Suryong with interest. "That's unexpected. I heard from the Lightning Dragon Hero that you've reached such an extreme level of mastery in the Thick Skin Divine Art that you can no longer feel shame…"

Baek Suryong cursed Namgung Su inwardly even as he scrambled to clear up the misunderstanding, "Ahem! I don't know what Namgung Su told you, but I'm not that shameless of a person. Also, I didn't save you because I wanted a reward, Chief. So, uh, about that Honorary Beggar title from the Beggars' Gang… I don't think I really deserve such a honor…"

Before he knew it, the Beggars' Gang had conferred upon him the title of Honorary Beggar, but deep down, he wished the Chief would rescind it.

Just how badly will those damn students tease me about that when I return to the academy?

Just imagining it was dreadful. That Wonkang bastard especially would probably tease him for a month even if his head got repeatedly cracked open as punishment.

The Chief, however, seemed to take even Baek Suryong's reluctance as modesty. Smiling warmly, he shook his head. "I can't do that. The Beggars' Gang never takes favors lightly. From now on, you are a brother to the Beggars' Gang."

"……"

"Also, though I couldn't say it earlier…" Suddenly, the Chief's face turned serious. Simultaneously, his somewhat vague aura sharpened, and the air in the room grew heavy.

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Wow, the atmosphere changed in an instant. He's not the leader of one of the Nine Sects One Gang for nothing, Baek Suryong marveled inwardly.

"…I heard you were the one who identified the Blood Cult rat among us," he whispered.

"Did you hear that from the Little Beggar?"

The Chief nodded. Back when he visited the Wuhan Branch, Baek Suryong had discovered a Beggars' Gang member practicing Blood Cult martial arts and quietly relayed that fact to the Little Beggar.

Since it was an internal Beggars' Gang matter, though, the Chief had refrained from mentioning it when others were present.

"How can you act so recklessly without any proof that he's really the Azure Dragon Hero?"

The suspect was the Elder who had vehemently opposed Baek Suryong meeting the Chief.

"What did you do with the rat?" he asked, curious.

"We took care of him according to the Gang's rules," the Chief answered nonchalantly.

Baek Suryong shuddered. So he beat the spy to death with the Dog Beating Staff used for beating dogs.

From the start, since the Beggars' Gang mostly consisted of orphans with unclear origins, it was easy for the Blood Cult to plant spies within their ranks.

The Chief smiled at Baek Suryong's reaction. Even so, to think there was a traitor among the Elders. No wonder I was discovered so easily while secretly searching for traitors in the Murim Alliance.

He couldn't help but admire the Azure Dragon Hero's sharp senses and keen insight.

"The Namgung Clan, the Murim Alliance, and even my Beggars' Gang. How are you so good at catching these Blood Cult bastards?" he asked.

Baek Suryong hesitated for a moment. There was no way he could answer honestly, so his mind raced as he thought up an excuse.

I don't think he's suspicious of me, just purely curious.

In the end, he said, "Um, how should I put it? After fighting the Blood Cult a few times, I seem to have developed an instinct for such things."

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"Instinct, hmm…? That's right, for a peerless master, there's nothing more reliable than that. It seems that you possess an exceptional qi sense for detecting evil and demonic arts. That's truly a great fortune for the orthodox sects," the Chief chuckled. Considering the Azure Dragon Hero's actions so far, this reason seemed only natural.

Phew! He doesn't suspect anything!

The Chief continued, "Azure Dragon Hero. The incidents in the Namgung Clan and the Murim Alliance are likely just the tip of the iceberg. Since there was a traitor in the Beggars' Gang too, we can't guarantee that the other Nine Great Sects don't have them either."

"……"

"That's not all. There are traces suspected to be the Blood Cult's work scattered throughout the murim. Sects and prestigious families suddenly annihilated, unorthodox sects whose masters changed overnight, martial artists who disappeared and then reappeared one day much stronger… There are so many suspicious cases. Too many for even the Beggars' Gang to grasp fully."

After the war with the Blood Cult ended fifty years ago, the Beggars' Gang meticulously searched the world over to root out their remnants, but they had little success. Far from locating the Blood Cult's main headquarters, they had at best only managed to weed out spies hidden in some sects.

"And yet you've already foiled the Blood Cult's plans twice. No, including saving me, that's thrice already."

"I was lucky."

The Chief shook his head and looked at Baek Suryong. "When the same thing repeats three times, one doesn't call it luck, but fate."

"……" Baek Suryong knew that wasn't true, but he said nothing. He had only accomplished what he did because he understood the Blood Cult's martial arts and nature better than anyone else. The Chief, unaware of this fact, could only attribute the reason for the coincidences to fate.

The old man's expression became even more serious. "Be careful. Those mad cultists will no longer sit by and watch as their plans fall apart. You will become their prime target."

Baek Suryong nodded. "I am prepared for it."

Through various overlapping coincidences and incidents, his fame had risen beyond imagination. There was no longer any chance the Blood Cult would leave him alone.

The same was true for him, however.

The real war starts now.

The Blood Cult would begin to move in earnest. Whether sending assassins, setting traps, or devising schemes, they would try to eliminate him using any means necessary.

I'll counter every single thing.

If assassins came, he would kill every last one. If they set traps, he would defiantly make fools of them. If they used schemes, he would counter with even more cunning schemes.

Baek Suryong planned to smash all of it, and by doing so, he believed he could eventually obtain information about the location of the Blood Cult's headquarters.

"…Seeing the look in your eyes, it seems my worry was needless. Think of it as an old man's nagging."

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"Not at all. Thank you for your concern."

"If you have anything you're curious about, feel free to ask me. I will tell you everything I know."

Baek Suryong blinked in surprise. A promise from the head of the murim's largest information organization was in itself no different from a miraculous encounter.

"Well, there is something…" Baek Suryong hesitated for a moment as he recalled the words spoken by all the Blood Cult Elders he had faced so far.

"The First Apostle told me to annihilate the Namgung Clan and bring him the Soulless that the Yin Yang Demon Lord created…"

The Apostles. A rank that originally didn't exist in the Blood Cult, but now, they were beings who treated even the Elders like minions.

"I don't know why you're so hostile to our Cult, but I'm sure even the Apostles would change their minds when they see you, a candidate with such remarkable gifts… You could fulfill our Cult's long-cherished wish…"

To stand above the Elders required not only superior martial arts but also justification.

Who on earth could they be?

Baek Suryong had thought many times about who the Apostles might be, but whether it was the many Blood Cult masters he knew of, or the successors of the Eight Great Families, none among them seemed powerful enough to become an Apostle.

…Until suddenly, he arrived at one hypothesis.

A past he wanted to turn away from but absolutely could not ignore.

His former trainees.

What if… those kids are still alive…?

"What is it that makes you hesitate so?" the Chief asked, puzzled by Baek Suryong's long pause.

"……" Baek Suryong's pupils trembled, and he bit his lip hard.

He was afraid to face the truth, but this wasn't something he could avoid forever.

He forced open lips that didn't want to move.

"…C-Can you tell me everything you know about the Blood Cult's Apostles?" he stuttered.

Damn it.

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His voice had trembled despite his best attempt to control his rampaging emotions, but… it couldn't be helped.