Chapter 154: Taking on New Students (2)

The acrid smoke.

The stench of burning corpses.

In a world of ashes where all living things had disappeared.

Cho Un-hwi opened his eyes.

‘It’s been a while since I had this dream.’

It wasn’t difficult to realize.

If it weren’t a dream, his viewpoint wouldn’t be so high.

Lowering his gaze to his hands, he saw blackened hands and cracked hands like old wood.

All stained with blood.

[tsk. This is ridiculous.]

A deep voice flowed from his throat.

It was much lower and deeper than his current voice.

‘It’s definitely my memory.’

When was this?

He tried to guess the time by looking at the ash falling like snow and the burning fire beyond the thick smoke, but it wasn’t easy.

The world he saw in his previous life was mostly like this.

‘Wait. My left hand is blackened.’

He recalled the time when he injured his left arm and learned the external sword technique.

A vague memory seemed to surface.

But he still couldn’t determine the time or date.

Until he heard the voice.

[So, are you going to take it or not?]

‘It’s her voice!’

The sweet voice of the one he dreamed of made him want to turn his head.

But for some reason, he was just staring at the ash-filled air with his back turned, making it difficult.

‘Damn it. Look at her, not the sky!’

Not this gloomy sky!

Can’t I control this body?

Being a dream, it would be nice if it allowed such convenience.

As he blamed the sky, the voice echoed again.

[Get lost, woman.]

Damn it. The body is fine, but can’t you do something about the tone?

‘You’ll get hated by her!’

Maybe his wish was granted.

The gaze that had been staring at the hazy air shifted slightly over his shoulder.

There, a woman with ash piled on her shoulders stood.

‘It’s her. It’s her.’

He realized the moment he saw her.

But seeing her face wasn’t easy.

With just a glance, he could only see the tip of her chin shaded below.

[You won’t regret this, right?]

With those words, Cho Un-hwi’s memories rapidly unfolded.

In an instant, fragments of the past surfaced, bringing vibrant colors to life.

‘Ah, was it the day I first held her hand?’

He remembered everything.

Whenever he closed his eyes, the memories of that time were vivid.

He even recalled the next words.

‘It’s the last of the food.’

[It’s the last of the food.]

‘If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it on my own.’

[If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it alone.]

I got one word wrong.

But what he saw was as he remembered.

A cold dumpling.

Even that was dirty with ash, sitting on her dainty palm.

The conversation continued.

[Then. I’ll eat it alone. Ahh-.]

As the dumpling was taken away, his voice echoed.

[Woman.]

It was a very arrogant and fierce voice.

[I am the leader of the Blood Sect and the ruler who subdued the Ten Thousand Mountains.]

The growling voice turned into a shout.

[At my command, ten thousand followers move!]

[With a word, ten thousand lives are erased!!]

*Whoosh!*

He waved his hand roughly and shouted again.

[When I stomp, it reaches the sky!]

[When I draw my sword, even the most powerful can’t stand before me!!]

[I am the greatest in the world! No, the greatest in history!!!]

*Whoosh.*

The force in his voice scattered the ash falling like snow.

The air resonated, the sky trembled, and even the blazing fire dimmed in the face of his voice.

An overwhelming presence that made the mountains and rivers tremble with just his voice.

Yet Cho Un-hwi thought.

‘Oh dear.’

If he could move his body, he would have covered his face in shame.

As expected, the voice continued as he remembered.

[So. Do you have the dumpling now?]

The voice softened for the first time at her words.

[Dumpling?]

Instead of being frightened, she faced him with unwavering eyes.

For the first time, he was flustered.

[I am the lord of the demonic path. The gold piled in my warehouse could fill a river. With a word, I can command all kinds of delicacies…]

[So. Do you have the dumpling now?]

Her sharp voice weakened his momentum for the first time.

[…No.]

With a smaller voice, she pressed on.

[Listen, Blood Sect Leader.]

[…Speak.]

[I was going to speak anyway.]

Why do I need your permission?

Her retort made him stammer.

[The Jianghu is already ruined. There are hardly any survivors left.]

[…That’s true.]

[There’s no one to trust.]

[Yes.]

The world had already fallen to the Heavenly Destruction Society.

In the chaos, all the loyalists were dead, leaving only traitors behind.

Those who spoke of loyalty and principles were all gone.

Now, the world was filled with people who only cared about profit.

She spoke.

[I’ve fought to kill you, but now I want to apologize.]

[Apologize? To me?]

[At least you showed your intent to kill me openly.]

I think it’s better than those who hide behind smiles and deceive.

[Is that so?]

[This is a token of my apology.]

[Half a dumpling? Ha!]

[If you don’t want it, I won’t offer it.]

With those words, she took a breath and continued.

[After this last meal, I’m going to fight them.]

[You plan to fight alone?]

[Do what you want. Join the Heavenly Destruction Society or not.]

Who knows?

They might give you a position since you’re a leader.

[Shut up, woman.]

At that time, she and he agreed on one thing.

[Do you think I’d cooperate with those who live by deceit?]

I’d rather chew on a rotten dumpling than feast with deceivers.

When he expressed his thoughts, she smiled.

[It was worth apologizing.]

Her skin, still radiant despite the scars, stood out in the ash.

I’m sorry.

With her apology, she took a step back.

[Wait.]

He grabbed her wrist.

Her sharp voice rang out.

[What are you doing?]

[That… You should leave the token of your apology.]

[Haha. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t eat anything but delicacies?]

[……]

Feeling awkward, he stared at his toes.

[Here.]

A half-dumpling was offered in his sight.

[It’s a bit old, though.]

[It doesn’t matter.]

He replied gruffly and brought the dumpling to his mouth.

‘It tastes just as I remember.’

It was stale and mixed with ash, but.

For the first time, he felt the feeling called ‘hunger.’

It couldn’t compare to the delicacies he had grown tired of.

For some reason, he cherished the diminishing dumpling, breaking it into small pieces at the end.

‘Was it the first time food tasted good?’

He remembered saying.

[It’s delicious.]

[It can’t compare to delicacies, though.]

[It’s better than anything. So.]

In an embarrassed voice, he asked her.

[Even a tiny piece…]

Or even a small crumb.

[…Can you give me a little more?]

When he showed his fingers, she laughed.

[You have a cute side, too.]

Cute? Me?

[Here! I’ll be generous and give you half.]

Even as her stomach growled, she gave him half of her portion with a bright smile.

He stammered again.

[As I said, my warehouse is filled with gold, and I can command all kinds of delicacies…]

[Give it back. I’ll eat it.]

[…But sometimes, such rare treats are nice.]

He sulked and grumbled as she playfully avoided his hand.

[Where is this dumpling from?]

[It’s from Hongmi Inn in Kaifeng. They’re famous for noodles, but their dumplings are good too.]

[They’re good. When I become the ruler of the world, I’ll buy all of Kaifeng. So…]

[I can’t give you more. This is really the last. Do you have no conscience?]

[……]

Before he knew it, the world of falling ash was no longer gloomy.

The ash falling from the sky looked like gray snow.

‘It’s a pretty good world.’

For the first time, he thought it was beautiful.

***

“Oh. Was it a dream?”

In the blurry vision, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view.

As he regained consciousness, his body was filled with vitality, but he didn’t get up, savoring the remnants of the dream.

But the memory of the dream faded quickly.

Feeling regret, he muttered.

“Cat fortune-telling. It’s quite mystical.”

It made him recall the best memories.

“Is this the meaning of great fortune?”

Maybe it was a prophetic dream.

“A prophetic dream!”

It must be a prophetic dream that I’ll meet my fiancée.

Whispering, he rolled around on the bed until the remnants of the dream faded.

***

Thanks to the good dream, he felt like good things would happen all day.

And they did.

“I’m sorry. I failed again.”

“Sorry, my lord.”

The assassins couldn’t find his fiancée, but there was good news.

“For some reason, more students are coming to Suzhou.”

It’s unfortunate that we’re short-handed, but it increases the chances of finding my fiancée, so it’s good news.

“It’s not just students. For some reason, many prominent figures are coming here. It’s harder to move freely.”

That’s bad news.

But let’s trust the cat fortune-telling.

“There will be hardships, but no problem.”

I am a man blessed by the cat deity.

Everything will lead to a good outcome.

***

‘…Or so I thought.’

For some reason, nothing went right all day.

Unlike usual, he got caught by instructors from Euncheon Hall while eating.

He went to see Yeo Mae-hong and ran into Mo Yong Seon-ya, who scolded him for slacking off.

“It seems the effect has worn off.”

The cat fortune’s life span is short.

Intending to get another fortune, he wandered around and got caught in a crowd of cats fleeing from Baek Ri Seol.

Tattered, he finally reached the cat fortune-telling, only to face the worst situation.

“There you are.”

He ran into Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim, who was just coming out from getting his fortune told.

Distracted by the ‘career’ and ‘colleague’ fortunes in his hand, he was quickly grabbed by the scruff of his neck.

As a result.

“……”

Across from him, Jang Cheol-sim, with fingers interlaced on the table, glared at him with a terrifying look.

‘Gulp.’

Is this what it means to kill with a gaze?

It was a frightening look.

After a long silence, he spoke.

“Where were you hiding during this busy time?”

As he remained silent, Jang Cheol-sim’s eyes narrowed.

“There’s no use keeping quiet.”

“……”

“There’s no use pretending. Your colleagues have confessed everything.”

“!”

That can’t be.

I clearly asked them to make something up.

Unless the principles of the Jianghu have fallen.

“You have good colleagues.”

Though it didn’t seem to help this time.

Jang Cheol-sim, with a fierce look, bared his teeth and smiled.