TL: FoodieMonster007
As soon as Yayul Hwang sat down, he asked, "Don't you have any alcohol? I'm not really a fan of tea."
Namgung Su, who had tagged along, immediately frowned at the Chairman's poor attitude.
On the other hand, Baek Suryong calmly replied, "We have some that we confiscated from the students. Most of it is cheap rice wine, though. Would you still like some?"
"As long as it gets me drunk, the type and quality of alcohol doesn't matter."
Baek Suryong nodded, exited the room for a while, then returned with a bottle of alcohol and two cups.
Yayul Hwang tilted his head. "Why are there only two cups? There are three of us here."
Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?
"Drinking is strictly prohibited within the academy," Namgung Su said.
"So the Namgung Clan's Third Young Master is a stickler for the rules, eh?" Yayul Hwang chuckled, filling both his and Baek Suryong's cups to the brim before emptying his cup in one gulp.Baek Suryong also emptied his cup.
Without missing a beat, Yayul Hwang refilled their cups as he continued, "What do you think about what I said earlier?"
"I strongly oppose the idea of having Azure Dragon Academy students participate in war," Namgung Su replied.
Yayul Hwang stared at Namgung Su so intently that his eyes seemed to be breathing fire. "…Why?"
"Because they're still young and inexperienced."
"At their age, they should already be able to pull their own weight. As for experience? That can come later. After all, aren't they all martial artists who will eventually enter the jianghu and stain their swords with blood? How long do you think they can remain innocent students?"
A faint, white haze subtly rose from Yayul Hwang's body, but Namgung Su met his gaze unwaveringly.
"Until the day they graduate, they are my students," Namgung Su said firmly.
northbladetldotcom welcomes you.
Not all duels were about clashing weapons. Although neither Yayul Hwang nor Namgung Su raised their voices, their words became sharper with each exchange.
"It sounds like you want to turn your students into cowards."
"Why do you say that?"
"If you keep coddling them, when the time comes to fight, they'll just tremble and hide behind the adults."
"That's better than sending them onto the battlefield to become cannon fodder."
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
"…Are all the instructors at the Azure Dragon Academy this insolent?"
"For the most part, yes."
While the two argued, Baek Suryong silently observed Yayul Hwang's every movement.
Among all the people I've met, he has the most flawless physique. It's like seeing Master Maeng again.
It was astonishing that Yayul Hwang had achieved such a body without training in the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest. Indeed, the title of Fist King wasn't given to just anyone.
His personality is as straightforward and aggressive as the rumors say, but… at the very least, he isn't a hypocrite like the Blue Sky Sword King. That actually makes him easier to deal with.
Yayul Hwang wasn't an eloquent man. He had probably never persuaded anyone with words in his life, not that there was ever any need for him to do so.
For that reason, it was painfully obvious to Baek Suryong that there was no pretense or hypocrisy in his words when he declared that he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his allies for his goals.
"Tsk, to think the Namgung Clan's Third Young Master was just another uptight orthodox goody two shoes."
"…Is that really something the Murim Alliance Chairman, the leader of the Orthodox, should be saying?"
Yayul Hwang looked away from Namgung Su, who was staring at him in disbelief, and instead grinned at Baek Suryong. "Hey, you've been silently staring at me for a while. Are you done analyzing me?"
"…I can tell that you're a straightforward person, and some of what you've said makes sense as well."
northbladetldotcom welcomes you.
Yayul Hwang's tiger-like eyes flashed. "Then what about you? Are you also against sending your students to war, like Mr. Namgung Su here?"
"…No."
"Baek Suryong!" Namgung Su shouted, glaring at Baek Suryong.
Even Yayul Hwang looked surprised. "Judging by the way you humiliated me earlier, I thought you hated me."
"I was indeed genuinely annoyed when you interrupted my exam, but this and that are separate matters." Baek Suryong took a sip of wine as if his throat had gone dry. "Realistically, keeping a force as strong as the Azure Dragon Academy out of the war would be a waste. The Blood Cult is simply too powerful."
Baek Suryong knew better than anyone in the Murim Alliance just how dangerous the Blood Cult was. It wasn't difficult to predict what would happen if they were underestimated.
"It's impossible to win a war without shedding blood. Therefore, our goal should be to shed as little as possible, and the best way to do that is by uniting our strengths to end it as quickly as possible."
Why aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?
Yayul Hwang's face lit up. "Yes! That's exactly what I've been saying!"
"The students are not ready for war. Sending them to battle will only lead to meaningless sacrifices. Don't you see that?" Namgung Su argued, his voice as cold as ice.
Baek Suryong calmly met his fellow instructor's gaze. "That's why we should start preparing them for that now, alongside their training for the Heavenly Martial Festival."
"Are you messing with me…?" Namgung Su bellowed.
"Do I sound like I'm joking?" Baek Suryong snapped back, his expression dead serious.
Y aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?
Namgung Su glared at him for a moment, then abruptly stood up. "I don't think there's any reason for me to stay here any longer."
BANG!
Baek Suryong quietly stared the door that Namgung Su had slammed shut behind him.
He must not want to experience what happened to the Namgung Clan again, but… Baek Suryong sighed. He might not get it now, but he'll eventually come to understand that there's no way the Azure Dragon Academy can avoid the flames of war.
Yayul Hwang, on the other hand, was genuinely pleased. It had been a long time since he'd met someone who took the Blood Cult's threat as seriously as he did. A broad grin spread across his face.
"Hahaha! As expected of the man who cut down a Blood Cult Elder! With a junior like you around, I believe we'll be able to wipe out those Blood Cult bastards for good this time. When Noh Goonsang arrives, make sure to tell him the same thing. Do you have any idea how…"
Read this at northbladetldotcom, or else.
"That said, I do oppose the Azure Dragon Academy following the Murim Alliance's orders, and Principal Noh shares the same opinion," Baek Suryong cut in.
The Murim Alliance Chairman's laughter abruptly eased. Instead, a storm of fury swirled within his fierce eyes. "Are you mocking me? Didn't you just say that we needed to unite our strengths?"
"Yes, and I meant everything I said."
CRASH!
Yayul Hwang smashed the table in half, his eyes now those of a ravenous beast. "Explain yourself. As you know, I'm not a very patient man."
Baek Suryong paused. He needed to choose his next words carefully. Thankfully, from the moment he heard that the Murim Alliance Chairman would be visiting the Azure Dragon Academy, he had spent a long time thinking about this.
I can't afford to make an enemy of the Murim Alliance Chairman.
There was no way he could win a war against the Blood Cult without the Murim Alliance's strength.
Previously, the Blood Cult spies within the Alliance had made it too dangerous to approach them, but now that he was speaking directly to the Chairman, he could push his own agenda.
I will use the Murim Alliance to crush the Blood Cult.
To do that, he first had to clearly define the relationship between the Azure Dragon Academy and the Murim Alliance.
"The Azure Dragon Academy seeks an equal alliance with the Murim Alliance," he finally said.
"An equal alliance…? Now that's an interesting proposal."
Yayul Hwang grinned and grabbed the bottle of rice wine that had fallen to the floor, lifting it to his lips. Alcohol trickled down his thick neck as he emptied the bottle in one go, then set it down with a thud.
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
"In your eyes, I probably look like a war-crazed maniac who's trying to force children onto the battlefield," he added wistfully.
Baek Suryong neither confirmed nor denied it.
Yayul Hwang chuckled. "Fifty years ago, I was only twelve years old."
Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. Fifty years ago was when the orthodox sects had united to bring down the Blood Cult.
"At that time, the Blood Cult was weakened by internal strife. A Murim Alliance spy discovered this, and the Alliance judged that this was finally the opportunity to destroy them."
Y aren′t you reading this at northbladetldotcom?
This was not an easy story for Baek Suryong to listen to, but he remained silent and paid attention to Yayul Hwang's words.
"At the time, the Murim Alliance had many allies, including the Nine Sects One Gang, the Five Great Clans, as well as countless medium and small sects and martial families. Despite agreeing to join forces and strike down the Blood Cult, however, even starting the war was difficult."
"Why?"
"Because equal allies will always be full of petty disputes. The sects argued about everything, from how the troops should be organized, to which units would include their sect's elites, to how the spoils of war would be divided after victory…"
Yayul Hwang's eyes wavered with deep-seated anger as he recounted the past.
"Even after we somehow finished our preparations and marched out, the problems didn't stop. Martial artists from sects that were normally at odds frequently got into fights, and they even bickered over rations for the sake of pride."
Baek Suryong rolled his eyes. "So? You guys still won the war, didn't you?"
Yayul Hwang let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah, we won… after losing half our forces against a Blood Cult that was already on the verge of collapse."
"……"
Back then, Yayul Hwang's master, the Divine Fist of Taechon,1 had joined the war under the Murim Alliance, bringing along his disciples. However, by the time the war ended, the only survivor of the school was its youngest disciple—Yayul Hwang.
Read this at northbladetldotcom, or else.
"While my master and senior brothers were risking their lives fighting the Blood Cult's last-ditch retaliation, the unit that was supposed to be our reinforcements never showed up. Later, I found out that they had assumed the battle was over and were busy looting."
"……"
"I survived only because I was assigned to the rear, being the youngest. At the time, I wished I had died with them, but in the end, that experience is what led me to become the Murim Alliance Chairman."
After the war, the boy named Yayul Hwang devoted himself entirely to the Murim Alliance. Decades passed, and around the same time he became its chairman, the Blood Cult started to resurface.
Finally, the time had come for his revenge.
"Now that you've heard my story, you should understand why I don't trust alliances. I refuse to repeat the mistakes of the past. To destroy the Blood Cult, we need to operate as a single, unified force."
Baek Suryong shook his head. "The Azure Dragon Academy will not cause the kind of problems you're concerned about. I will swear that on my name."
"Do you think the other Five Great Academies will be the same?"
"Well…" Baek Suryong hesitated.
"The Five Great Academies are strategic strongholds, each equipped to train large numbers of martial artists simultaneously. On top of that, they have numerous highly skilled instructors, like yourself. When the war begins, they will be the most crucial organizations."
Baek Suryong sighed inwardly. His ultimate goal is to bring all Five Great Academies under the Murim Alliance's command structure.
However, over the past fifty years, the academies' prestige had grown to rival that of major sects. In particular, the Heavenly Martial Academy's influence had reached the point where it could challenge the Murim Alliance's dominance.
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
"This is why the alliance must bring the Azure Dragon Academy under its banner. Setting a precedent is important," Yayul Hwang insisted.
Baek Suryong nodded. "…I understand your point."
Through this deep conversation, he had come to fully grasp Yayul Hwang's stance, and in doing so, he also realized that the man was not merely selfish. His reasoning had merit.
Still, that did not mean that he supported integrating the Azure Dragon Academy into the Murim Alliance's command structure.
Instead…
"I've thought about it, and there's a simple way to resolve this conflict of interests."
"How?" Yayul Hwang stared at Baek Suryong with suspicion.
Baek Suryong met Yayul Hwang's gaze confidently. "Give me a position in the Murim Alliance."
"…What?"
"In the end, your goal is to win the war against the Blood Cult, isn't it?"
"That's right. So?"
Baek Suryong grinned brazenly. "I will see to it that the Murim Alliance wins. In return, give me a suitable position."
Taechon is a county in the northernmost part of Goryeo/Joseon, near the border with China (present day North Korea). Put that together with the last name Yayul, the Murim Alliance Chairman is likely a descendant of the Khitans, which makes him… a foreign immigrant? Lol. ↩
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter