Chapter 7: What is a Star Instructor?


    I found it strange that Go Ju-Yeol, the Flying Eagle, would suddenly tell us about the remnants of the Blood Cult despite it being a secret.


    <em>Is he a loose-lipped person?</em>


    If that was true, then I would be relieved. However, it was impossible for someone like that to be the Second Captain of the Investigation Squad at the Murim Alliance.


    <em>That can only mean that hes revealing this information on purpose.</em>


    The murim is a ce where schemes and deceptions abound. The only way to survive in such a ce is to always be alert, and to carefully observe others words and bodynguage.


    Thus, that is exactly what I did.


    <em>From what I can see, hes on guard against us.</em>


    Go Ju-Yeols hands were ced lightly on top of his knees, which was a very convenient position to strike from. His eyes continually flickered around the room, as if he was nning his moves beforehand.


    <em>The cement of his feet is the most important.</em>


    This is a non-profit trantion. There are no ads.


    His feet were spaced slightly apart, an optimal position to quickly execute a movement or kicking technique.


    <em>Why is he suspecting us, and what is he suspecting us of?</em>


    Now that I think about it, he did have enough reason to be suspicious of us. Two vige martial arts instructors defeated and captured two experts from the evil sects. Furthermore, although we didnt have any solid proof, we concluded that they were teaching their disciples demonic arts.


    <em>I kind of expected it, buthe has probably also sensed that Dad is a first-ss expert, the same as himself. Then, the reason he talked about the Blood Sect can only be to test our reactions and confirm if we were also descendants of the Blood Cult.</em>


    My inference required a small leap of logic since both sides would then belong to the evil sects, but at least, the fact that Go Ju-Yeol was suspicious of us is unquestionable.


    CLINK.


    Go Ju-Yeol put down his teacup and smiled meaningfully, saying, This is good tea.


    Y arent you reading this at ?


    Im d it suits your tastes, Dad replied.


    Dad and Go Ju-Yeol conversed normally and smiled gently, but I could sense a subtle hint of coldness in their voices, in particr Go Ju-Yeols.


    The more I hear Master Baeks voice, the more I feel like Ive heard it somewhere before.


    Dad avoided Go Ju-Yeols gaze andughed, Haha. That must be because I have a verymon-sounding voice.


    Is that so


    Go Ju-Yeols tone was cordial, but to me, that question sounded like part of an interrogation.


    Still smiling warmly, Go Ju-Yeol continued, Are you sure we dont know each other from somewhere?


    This is a non-profit trantion. You should not be seeing ads.


    Haha, its probably just a coincidence.


    A bead of sweat appeared on Dads forehead. At the same time, Dads face scrunched up in a weird way.


    <em>Dad has been behaving very oddly ever since the Murim Alliance people arrived. He has never told me anything about his rtionship with them, so I can only make guesses based on general facts.</em>


    <em>In the first ce, why on earth would a first-ss expert hide their title, bury their past, and live quietly in a rural vige? Could it be because he is the enemy of all murim? Nah, thats too outrageous.</em>


    For a first-ss expert to end up as the enemy of the entire murim without getting killed was impossible. At worst, they could only be wanted criminals.


    <em>Well, it doesnt matter which one it is. The result is the same.</em>


    Pardon me for asking this, but would you mind telling me where you learned martial arts?


    I learned it in a small and rural school. You wont know of it even if I told you.


    Really? Haha.


    The tension in the room was rising. My palms were soaked in sweat. Any moment now, I was ready to engage Go Ju-Yeol in battle.


    <em>I still havent fully recovered from the exhaustion of fighting Goatee,  wees you.</em>


    <em>In my mind, I calcted all the possible ways Go Ju-Yeol could attack and thought up counter-measures.</em>


    <em><em>Go Ju-Yeol is not our only enemy; I have to also take the entire investigation squad into ount. We have to subdue him before they cane running back, and then take care of them.</em></em>


    <em>I lowered my head to hide the killing intent that was gathering in my eyes.</em>


    <em><em>If Dad truly is a wanted criminal, and he was discovered here Then I cannot allow a single person to leave this ce alive.</em></em>


    <em>One of the reasons I survived in the Blood Cult for so long was that I always nned for the worst, and included everything from the actual fight to the cleanup in those ns. Methods of erasing evidence and escaping from pursuit were always included.</em>


    <em>Ive definitely seen your face before Hmm? No way?</em>


    <em>Read this at , or else.</em>


    <em>Suddenly, Go Ju-Yeols eyes widened like a goldfish. As if something in his mind had finally clicked, he pped his palm on his thigh.</em>


    <em>I remember now!</em>


    <em>My heart raced in apprehension. I tensed my butt muscles, ready to spring to action at a moments notice.</em>


    <em>Thankfully, my worst fears did note to pass. Rather, the truth was somethingpletely out of my predictions</em>


    <em>No wonder I thought you looked familiar.</em>


    <em>Having found the answer to his feeling of familiarity, Go Ju-Yeol beamed. All of his muscles rxed, making his tension a moment ago seem like a hallucination.</em>


    <em>On the other hand, Dads face slowly darkened. Finally, he sighed, saying, How did you recognize me?</em>


    <em><em>Huh? This atmosphere???</em></em>


    <em>Go Ju-Yeols reply answered all of my questions. Like he was greeting an old friend, he waved his arms happily and shouted, How could I not? Youre the Handsome Prince!</em>


    <em><em>Handsome Prince!?!?</em>1</em>


    <em>When he heard his title being called, Dad blushed and said, Long time no see, Hyung-nim.</em>


    <em>This is a non-profit trantion. You should not be seeing ads.</em>


    <em></em>


    <em>Two middle-aged men sat opposite each other at a dining table, drinking wine.</em><em>


    Hahaha! Buddy, I havent seen you in years!


    Its been almost thirty years. I never imagined that Hyung-nim would end up joining the Murim Alliance Investigation Team.


    Why did you pretend not to know me?


    Err, I havent contacted you ever since I ran away from the academy all those years agoand I felt kind of guilty for that


    What? Guilty? Did you think so little of our friendship? Youre making me feel sad!


    Im sorry. Dad scratched the back of his head apologetically.


    I stood a short distance away from the two old men, staring nkly at Dad. For a long time, I couldnt close my dropped jaw. My brain was running on overdrive trying to process all this new information.


    <em>At the very least, this didnt end in a fight</em>


    Suddenly, Dad turned around and said to me, Son, this is my best friend from my school days in the Azure Dragon Academy. Would you mind greeting him again?


    This is a non-profit trantion. You should not be seeing ads.


    As expected of the Handsome Prince, even your son is super handsome! Hohoho!


    Hyung-nim, I am almost fifty years old. Please stop calling me by that nickname


    When he saw Dads awkward face, Go Ju-Yeol roared withughter, saying, Hahaha! Back when we were students at the Azure Dragon Academy, anyone who didnt know of the Handsome Prince would have immediately beenbeled a spy!


    <em>Yeah. Its a good thing this didnt end in a fight. Phew.</em>


    Relieved, I said to Go Ju-Yeol, Greetings once again. My name is Baek Su-Ryong.


    Why dont youe over and have a seat? Oh, and pour me some more wine!


    Read this at , or else.


    As the two old men talked, I learned that they were ssmates at the Azure Dragon Academy almost thirty years ago.


    Apparently, the Azure Dragon Academy was one of the Five Great Academies run by the Murim Alliance. The Five Great Academies were as follows:<ul><li>The Heavenly Martial Academy in Hubei Province.</li><li>The ck Tortoise Academy in Shaanxi Province.</li><li>The White Tiger Academy in Sichuan Province.</li><li>The Vermillion Phoenix Academy in Hunan Province.</li><li>The Azure Dragon Academy in Jiangxi Province.</li></ul>


    In the current era, every young martial artist of the orthodox sects dreamed of attending one of the Five Great Academies. However, even among these five, there were several that were known to be better than the others.


    <em>Back when I was in the Blood Cult, only the Heavenly Martial Academy existed. It seems that more simr academies have sprung up over the years.</em>


    While reminiscing his happy memories of his past school life, Go Ju-Yeol grinned and said to me, Did you know how many hearts your father broke while he was in school? Although hes still handsome now, he was so drop-dead gorgeous back then that he was actually given the nickname, Handsome Prince!


    You ought to read this at .


    Cough coughHyung-nim


    <em>Ive never seen Dad so embarrassed before Wait, hes almost fifty. Whats there to be ashamed of when youre already at that age?</em>


    Suddenly, I thought of something and asked, Did you hide your title from me because you were embarrassed about it?


    Hmph! That was just a silly nickname given by childish kids, not a real martial artists title.


    <em>Thats an excuse for sure. Dont think you can convince me otherwise when your face is as red as a beetroot.</em>


    Pfft As thest my worries melted away, I couldnt help but snigger, causing Dads face to turn even redder. To hide his embarrassment, he immediately gulped down a cup of wine.


    Just like that, the merry conversation continued until nightfall.


    At some point, the Investigation Squad had finished securing the prisoners and reported to Go Ju-Yeol, but Go Ju-Yeol made up some random excuse about needing more time to question the parties involved and stayed behind while they began preparations for returning to the Murim Alliance.


    This is a non-profit trantion. Ads? What ads?


    The truth was, after a few bottles of wine, both Dad and Go Ju-Yeol were wasted.


    Go Ju-Yeol stared nkly at the wine in his cup. Without looking up, he hesitantly asked, By the way Wheres Yak-Ping?


    <em>By Yak-Ping, does he mean Mae Yak-Ping? Isnt that my mothers name?</em>


    Dad smiled bitterly and replied, She passed away a long time ago.


    I see. Shes always been sickly, huh.


    Yeah.


    The room fell silent for a long time.


    Why arent you reading this at ?


    Finally, as if he wanted to lighten the gloomy atmosphere, Go Ju-Yeolughed, Hahaha! Anyway, sorry about just now. I definitely recognized your face, but for a moment, I just couldnt remember who you were. I even suspected you of being a wanted criminal!


    So he really was thinking about attacking us. If he had done that, I would have responded by using a killing technique. Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.


    I didnt know I was <em>that</em> close to getting my ass handed over to me.


    Hahaha! Im the one who hasnt tasted the sting of your de for years!


    Throughout the day, the topics that Dad and Go Ju-Yeol had talked about ranged from reminiscing about the past topletely random stuff. Unlike the exciting life of a murim warrior, Dads life in the vige was boring. The only important thing he did was earn enough money to feed us both.


    Are you making enough money with this martial arts academy? From the looks of it, you arent doing too well.


    I earn just enough to feed two men.


    <em>Hey hey! Thats a lie! Were in desperate straits, you know!</em>


    In this kind of rural vige, we couldnt possibly charge too much for sses. If we included the snack expenses for the kids, wed basically be breaking even. The only sses that we profited from are the ones for adults taught by Dad.


    Do you really have to stay here? With your strength, you should be able to secure a teaching position at the Azure Dragon Academy.


    At the words Azure Dragon Academy, Dad tensed up for a moment, then rxed and said, I like this ce.


    Buddy, were not young anymore. At our age, going hungry because we cant afford food is extremely unhealthy.


    <em>YOU ARE SO RIGHT. PLEASE REPEAT THAT LINE TO MY DAD A HUNDRED MORE TIMES!!!</em>


    Additionally, teachers these days earn a lot more than they used to. Havent you heard that if you manage to be a star instructor, youll earn so much money that you wouldnt know how to spend it?


    Please, Im not that good, Dad humbly insisted.


    Go Ju-Yuol thumped his chest confidently, saying, Since when has the Handsome Prince been weak? Besides, you might have gotten older, but I think the number of women who would kill to have you would still form a long, long line, you know?


    Seriously! Hyung-nim, youre too much Dad muttered awkwardly, tugging at his clothes.


    I, on the other hand, could not sit still anymore after hearing what Go Ju-Yeol had just suggested. Now that I think about it, I might have even heard something of the sort before, so how could I have forgotten about it


    I asked, My apologies for interrupting, but what is a Star Instructor, exactly?<hr><ol><li role="doc-endnote">


    Handsome Prince (): Literal trantion  Jade-Faced Gentleman. Jade-Faced means handsome.</li></ol></em>