Chapter 21: The Third Student (1)

The past few days had been peaceful.

Chung-hyeon was beaming, and even the instructors who had once mocked and belittled Cho Un-hwi were now looking at him with newfound respect.

“Let’s grab a drink sometime. I know a great place.”

Some even invited him to join them for drinks.

It was a far cry from the days when he was ostracized and ridiculed, thanks to Yeom-gwang’s constant interference.

But Cho Un-hwi couldn’t bring himself to celebrate.

“Instructor!”

Baek Ri-seol, her face beaming with joy, waved at him excitedly.

“Baek Ri-seol of Dongcheon Hall has returned!”

She had recovered from her ordeal and was back in the training ground, her energy levels higher than ever.

She was like a wild foal in springtime, full of boundless energy.

It was good that she had bounced back so quickly.

“Instructor! How should I execute this form?”

“I think this would be better.”

“What do you think? Is this right?”

Her confidence had returned, and her progress was remarkable.

It was understandable.

Her mindset was completely different now that she had awakened to her true potential.

He had even offered her some guidance.

“Seol-ah, do you know the name of this technique?”

“I’m not sure. The manual I received was missing its cover and most of the pages were blank. Does the name really matter?”

“Of course. The name of a technique often reflects its essence, its underlying intent.”

“Like how the Tai Chi Sword Technique embodies the principles of Tai Chi, and the Plum Blossom Sword Technique mimics the falling petals of a plum blossom.”

“Exactly.”

The name of a technique was its foundation, its guiding principle.

Knowing the name and its meaning made a world of difference.

Cho Un-hwi had seen the completed form of this technique in the past, or perhaps in the future, and he didn’t want to see such a powerful technique lost to time.

“This technique is called the Phoenix Flame Heaven Dance.”

“Not the White Crane Sword Technique?”

He had once told her to imagine a graceful crane as she practiced the fourth and fifth forms.

She had remembered.

‘Well, I just made that up to prevent Ryeong-ryong from getting her hands on the complete manual.’

But now that Baek Ri-seol had awakened to her true potential, he had to tell her the truth.

“It’s better to imagine a more powerful and majestic creature than a crane.”

“A more powerful creature?”

“The legendary phoenix.”

The mythical bird of fire and rebirth.

“I’m telling you this because this technique isn’t just a sword technique it’s a sword dance, a continuous flow of movements.”

He also taught her the corresponding internal energy cultivation technique.

Baek Ri-seol’s eyes widened as she read the carefully written instructions.

“Wait a minute… the Phoenix Flame Dance… could it be…?!”

Cho Un-hwi nodded.

“You’re right.”

It was the technique of the Flame Goddess Jang Ok-bin, a legendary female martial artist who had lived a hundred years ago.

“This is our little secret, okay?”

So, train hard.

Be a good little money tree.

…That was his plan, just a week ago.

“Instructor!”

He sighed as he watched her practice, her movements becoming more refined and elegant with each passing day.

‘She’s already reached the third level of mastery.’

She was learning at an astonishing pace, mastering an ancient and powerful technique with ease.

She truly was a prodigy, worthy of the Crimson Witch’s attention.

The problem was, her rapid progress meant that he had to keep a close eye on her.

She was talented, but she was also a late bloomer, and he couldn’t risk her injuring herself due to her lack of experience.

This created a new problem.

“How am I supposed to search for her if I’m stuck here all day?”

He was running out of time.

He had to find her.

***

“Instructor.”

Namgung Yun-ho approached him as he was preparing to leave for the day.

“Are you leaving?”

“What? You got a problem with that?”

Namgung Yun-ho flinched at his sharp tone.

“No, it’s just…”

Cho Un-hwi sighed.

“You’re doing well.”

“…What?”

“Don’t compare yourself to Baek Ri-seol. She’s different. She learns differently. I have a plan, so don’t worry.”

Namgung Yun-ho’s face brightened.

“Thank you for the advice. That wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about, but I feel much better now.”

“What did you want to talk about?”

“Do you remember my friend from Euncheon Hall?”

He vaguely remembered Namgung Yun-ho mentioning a friend who was causing him trouble.

“Yeah, what about him?”

He had forgotten about it.

He wasn’t interested in students from Euncheon Hall. They wouldn’t help him with his quota.

But then, Namgung Yun-ho said something unexpected.

“He might be transferring to Dongcheon Hall.”

“What? From Euncheon Hall to Dongcheon Hall? Don’t students usually get promoted to higher-level halls?”

He had never heard of a student being demoted to a lower-level hall.

Except for Namgung Yun-ho, of course.

But even then, the Shinmu Academy’s philosophy was to nurture all students, regardless of their talent.

There must have been special circumstances.

“There’s… a reason.”

“Well, I’m not going to turn away a student who doesn’t require much effort.”

He needed to find two more students anyway.

He wasn’t going to be picky.

Namgung Yun-ho smiled.

“That’s great news.”

“But if he causes me any trouble, I’ll kick him out.”

“He understands that.”

“Good. Let’s talk about this later. I’m leaving.”

“A student who doesn’t require much effort… is that so?”

As Cho Un-hwi walked away, he felt a chill run down his spine.

“I have a question.”

He turned to see Baek Ri-seol standing there, her expression cold and her eyes narrowed.

“Miss Baek?”

“Where is he going?”

Her voice was flat and emotionless. She was like a different person.

Namgung Yun-ho, who had grown accustomed to Baek Ri-seol’s mood swings, chuckled awkwardly.

“He’s probably heading to the mess hall.”

“The mess hall?”

“He usually spends his evenings there.”

“But he just had dinner…”

“It’s a habit. He doesn’t always eat there, but he likes to sit by the entrance and watch people.”

Baek Ri-seol’s eyes narrowed further.

“Hmm… and then?”

“Well, I’ve heard that he likes to wander around the academy before and after work, exploring dark and secluded places.”

“I see.”

She looked like a cat who had been denied its favorite treats, her eyes filled with suspicion and distrust.

‘What’s gotten into her?’

He had no idea.

***

Meanwhile, as Namgung Yun-ho had predicted, Cho Un-hwi was loitering by the entrance of the mess hall.

He sighed as the dinner service ended.

Another day, another failure.

“She’s not here.”

Sigh.

Nothing was going his way.

“Well, I guess it’s to be expected.”

She was a warrior who had fought alongside him against the Heavenly Destruction Society.

She wouldn’t be a student in Dongcheon Hall, a place for those with limited potential.

“I should have asked her more about her past.”

He regretted not learning more about her.

Of course, there had been a reason.

They had met as enemies, so he hadn’t been interested in her background.

He had assumed he would kill her and forget about her.

But then, the Heavenly Destruction Society had risen to power, and everything had changed.

Yesterday’s enemies became today’s allies, and today’s allies became tomorrow’s enemies.

There had been no time for idle chatter as they fought side by side, their swords stained with blood.

They had only needed to stand shoulder to shoulder, their gazes fixed on the enemy, their swords raised in unison.

“…Bullshit!”

He kicked a pebble in frustration and tugged at his hair.

“I should have at least learned her name!”

He knew her name.

But she had changed it to avoid the Heavenly Destruction Society.

He knew why she had changed it, but he hadn’t asked for her real name.

They had trusted each other implicitly, and they had always addressed each other with nicknames.

He had thought it was cool and mysterious, communicating with just their eyes.

It had made them feel special.

“Special? What a joke! There’s nothing special about this!”

Damn you, past self!

Didn’t they say that if you want to achieve enlightenment, you have to kill the Buddha if you meet the Buddha, and kill Confucius if you meet Confucius?

He was willing to kill his past self a thousand times over if it meant finding her.

But he couldn’t kill his past self.

And he couldn’t find her.

“All I know is that she’s around my age, and she’s beautiful…”

He didn’t even know her real name.

Or her exact age.

All he remembered was that she was younger than him, and he had always teased her about it.

And if her appearance had changed over the years, he might not even recognize her.

“No, that’s not true. We spent years fighting side by side…”

He drew her face in the dirt with a stick, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“I’ll recognize her. I’ll recognize her even if she’s standing in a crowd. I’m sure of it.”

The drawing was a mess.

But he was determined to find her.

That was why he had abandoned his search for her when he first woke up in this life.

He had known that he wouldn’t be able to find her until he had settled his affairs and joined the Shinmu Academy.

“She was here. I know it.”

He just had to find her.

He pushed aside his impure thoughts and muttered, “I haven’t checked all the students yet. She’s here somewhere.”

He had secretly observed and memorized the faces of ninety percent of the students.

He had almost finished his search, but it was getting harder to find new students to observe.

The reclusive students rarely left their rooms, and they avoided the training grounds.

It was frustrating.

“I’ll just have to wait until the next group training session.”

Even the most reclusive students were required to attend the biannual group training session.

He was trying to calm himself down when he sensed someone approaching.

“Oh, Instructor Cho.”

It was Mo Yong-Seon-ya.

She was still wearing her instructor’s uniform, and she seemed surprised to see him.

“Instructor Mo? I thought you were with Instructor Yeo.”

“She was suddenly summoned by Chief Instructor Yeom.”

Yeom-gwang?

He had been trying to get close to Yeo Mae-hong for a while now.

‘What’s he up to?’

Mo Yong-Seon-ya seemed to read his mind.

“Don’t worry, it’s not what you think. There was an incident, and all the senior instructors were summoned.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

She chuckled.

“Anyway, my plans fell through, so this is perfect. Would you like to have dinner with me? We could have some drinks too.”

“I was just about to…”

“My treat.”

“…have dinner.”

She smiled.

“Perfect. I actually had a favor to ask you.”