Chapter 171: The Namgung Clan (3)

‘I expected to be reprimanded.’

Unexpectedly, what returned was Namgung Chan’s hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! Did he really say that?”

Namgung Musan looked puzzled at his father’s hearty laughter.

“Father, this is no laughing matter.”

“No laughing matter, you say.”

“He ignored his father’s call. It’s both a personal act of filial impiety and a challenge to the authority of the head of the family.”

“Haha. He’s still just a child.”

Namgung Chan stopped laughing and pointed out something else.

“He used to be so vague and dull. Now he finally speaks his mind, he seems more like a man.”

“…That’s true, but.”

“Now I can believe what you said. It seems he has indeed changed.”

Namgung Il-jun’s rejection at the door seemed to have piqued Namgung Chan’s interest even more.

“He’s determined, so he’ll be useful wherever he goes.”

“He certainly showed remarkable eloquence.”

Namgung Il-jun recalled how his nephew had firmly stood his ground without yielding an inch.

“He maintained his composure and responded clearly. He’s no ordinary person.”

“Haha. Then the problem lies in his martial arts…”

Namgung Il-jun spoke earnestly under Namgung Chan’s gaze.

“He’s definitely above his peers.”

“He wandered for a long time. He started learning martial arts at a very late age.”

“Even so, he has reached a considerable level.”

“Then that’s settled.”

Namgung Chan spoke with satisfaction and turned his head.

“How does the head of the family plan to resolve this matter?”

His tone was that of a mentor, indicating that he was giving guidance not as a father but as the head of the family.

Namgung Musan composed himself and spoke firmly.

“It’s simple. I’ll keep calling him until he responds.”

“Haha. It’s not a bad method. But the timing isn’t right.”

“The timing…”

Namgung Musan remembered the matter of the Blood Tear Stone requested by the Murim Alliance and changed his approach.

“It might be okay to use a more forceful method.”

Seeing his insistence on a hardline approach, Namgung Chan subtly offered a clue.

“Elder Il-jun, the head of the family wants Yun-ho. Is there another way?”

Namgung Il-jun, who had straightened his posture in response to the official tone, answered cautiously.

“He’s so stubborn that ordinary methods won’t work.”

“But the head of the Namgung Clan’s orders cannot be ignored. Is there no other way?”

“Well… there’s someone he relies on greatly. This person is quite capable…”

As Namgung Chan listened, he nodded in understanding.

“So it was a person who changed him?”

Then we just need to change that person too.

Muttering to himself, Namgung Musan exclaimed in realization.

“If we recruit that person.”

“I think you’ve got the idea. So what will you do?”

“He’s an instructor at Shinmu Academy, but only a temporary one. I’ll put in a word through a superior.”

Namgung Il-jun protested.

“Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim is quite stubborn. He is protecting Cho Un-hwi, the temporary instructor. It won’t be easy…”

“Even if I request it?”

“Well…”

Namgung Il-jun closed his eyes tightly.

“There is a rule that the Murim factions cannot interfere in Shinmu Academy’s affairs. It could lead to gossip in some form.”

“How troublesome.”

We can’t tarnish the family’s reputation just to bring back one child.

As he muttered to himself, Namgung Chan, who had been watching, chuckled.

“If the stone doesn’t listen, just change it.”

But it’s not fitting for the head of the family to get into a scuffle with a mere instructor.

“Think about why the head of the family is meeting these less capable people here.”

“To use them as stones?”

“Haha.”

Namgung Chan smiled enigmatically instead of answering.

“The head of the family must be dignified and cautious even when choosing stones.”

Namgung Chan, who had withdrawn his mentoring tone, smiled faintly.

“Handle this matter well.”

***

“Why the sudden summons?”

In the midst of the recent chaos, with the Namgung Clan’s Sword Saint and the head of the family visiting, it had been an incredibly busy time.

Receiving a sudden summons in such a situation was naturally confusing.

*Bang.*

“I heard you called for me.”

Opening the familiar door to Myo Gwang’s office, Jang Cheol-sim realized something was off.

‘Why is the Inspection Department here?’

He thought the matter with Seo Ok-rang had been resolved.

But they weren’t the only ones.

Along with the Inspection Department, there were also recently joined instructors.

As the senior instructor responsible for the Murim Excursion in Suzhou, he was supposed to be aware of all major and minor matters.

But he had heard nothing about this meeting.

‘Who orchestrated this?’

As he pondered the strange situation, Jang Cheol-sim’s eyes sparked when he saw someone sitting among the Inspection Department and the instructors.

“Haha. You’ve finally arrived.”

The person was none other than Senior Instructor Eo Jeong-geun.

A man known for his political maneuvering and ability to sow discord.

Jang Cheol-sim had always kept his distance from him, treating him like a stranger, but now he was sitting there smugly, waiting.

“Instructor Eo, is this your doing?”

“Who knows?”

“You must know that this is a clear violation of rules and order.”

Though he tried to intimidate him, Eo Jeong-geun’s expression remained calm.

“Surely, as a senior instructor, I wouldn’t break the rules.”

“When the Murim Excursion begins, all decisions are made by the responsible instructor. Do you not remember this simple rule?”

“Who knows. Whether it’s a mistake or a rightful exercise of authority remains to be seen.”

At his gesture, the members of the Inspection Department stood up.

“Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim, there has been a complaint filed against you.”

Jang Cheol-sim’s eyes twitched with anger.

***

“What is this?”

Returning to Myojinmun, Cho Un-hwi looked at the tightly closed gate and tilted his head.

The once bustling Myojinmun, filled with people due to the White Cat’s Wandering, was now desolate.

What caught his attention even more were the guards surrounding Myojinmun.

“Who are these people?”

Dressed in blue martial robes, they stood with their swords drawn, casting threatening glances around.

As he lingered, three blue-robed martial artists approached.

“Stop. Who are you?”

Noticing the blue character embroidered on their shoulders, Cho Un-hwi recognized them.

‘Azure Sky Hundred Sword Squad?’

He remembered who they were but couldn’t understand why they were surrounding Myojinmun.

‘This is no time to be standing around.’

Seeing the martial artists place their hands on their sword hilts, Cho Un-hwi tapped his shoulder epaulet.

“What’s going on? I’m an instructor.”

Seeing the worn epaulet of Shinmu Academy, the blue-robed martial artist asked threateningly.

“Who are you? Don’t you know that instructors are temporarily banned from entering?”

“I’ve been away for a while.”

“State your name. If you’re on the roster, you may enter.”

“I’m Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi.”

“Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi.”

As the martial artists maintained their vigilance, one of them flipped through the roster.

“Cho Un-hwi… Cho Un-hwi… Here you are.”

“Is that so?”

Finally, the martial artists removed their hands from their swords and stepped aside.

“Apologies. You may enter.”

“What happened here for it to be so tense?”

He had heard about the Namgung Clan’s visit.

But even for the Namgung Clan, it was unusual to act like the masters of another sect, so he asked.

The response was unexpected.

“You’ve been away for a while, so you wouldn’t know. There have been some incidents recently.”

“Incidents?”

“It’s related to Shinmu Academy, so we don’t know the details. We’re just handling things as requested.”

Seeing the martial artist unwilling to talk further, Cho Un-hwi tilted his head.

“What on earth is going on?”

***

The strangeness continued inside.

He knew that the teams on the Murim Excursion had temporarily taken shelter due to the appearance of demonic practitioners, but there were too many new faces.

“Where is everyone?”

Even the students were unfamiliar faces.

It felt like Myojinmun was the same, but the people had changed.

“Should I report in first?”

He intended to report his return and find out what was going on.

***

“Are you Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi? I’ve heard about you.”

In Jang Cheol-sim’s office, which he often occupied overnight, sat a man with a rat-like mustache.

His thin jawline made him look particularly sly.

“Is this what you call a report?”

*Flick.*

His actions were as annoying as a rat.

‘Should I punch him?’

But he couldn’t act rashly without understanding the situation, so he asked reluctantly.

“And who might you be?”

“Who am I? Who am I?”

The rat-faced middle-aged man squinted his eyes.

“You have no respect for a senior instructor.”

“That’s just how I am.”

“Haha. It seems you lack both respect and the dignity of an instructor.”

If he knew, he should have let it go.

Unfortunately, the man took the opportunity to tear up the return report and the mission report.

*Rip. Rip.*

He tore them slowly, as if to irritate him, and then scattered the pieces in his face.

‘This bastard.’

He almost punched him but stopped himself.

His patience saved a life today.

Unaware of this, the rat-faced man twisted his mustache and put his feet on the desk, smiling slyly.

“I am Senior Instructor Eo Jeong-geun.”

“Senior Instructor, huh.”

Shinmu Academy. They have no eye for people.

“As a senior instructor, I do not approve your return.”

Do you know what that means?

Seeing his thin, ugly smile, Cho Un-hwi replied, “No?”

“It means you cannot resume your duties because your return is not officially approved.”

The rat-faced man added, “You are suspended from your duties. Step down from your position.”

Step down from his position?

‘I wanted to earn money while doing nothing, but not like this.’

There was more.

“At the same time, you are under house arrest in the annex until the investigation is over.”

***

“Inspector!”

As soon as Eo Jeong-geun shouted, the door opened, and inspectors with ropes entered.

“We will seal your internal energy temporarily.”

Even his internal energy?

For a martial artist, internal energy is like blood and life.

Sealing it meant they were going to the extreme.

‘These bastards.’

The situation was so extreme that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“If you resist, you’ll regret it.”

*Clang.*

One of the inspectors placed a sword under his neck, mistaking his reaction for resistance.

“Haha. I’m just a bit surprised.”

“Why is a surprised person laughing?”

“Is it wrong to laugh when you’re surprised and depressed?”

When he didn’t back down, an inspector quickly struck his pressure points.

*Tap. Tap tap.*

After striking his pressure points several times to seal his internal energy, the inspector stepped back.

Finally feeling relieved, Eo Jeong-geun smiled slyly.

“Lock him up. Make sure he can’t come out until the investigation is over.”

***

He was taken to the annex, to the cat’s quarters.

There, he saw familiar faces.

But they didn’t look overworked as he had expected.

Instead, they seemed burdened by something else.

‘Is it a sense of helplessness?’

He hadn’t expected this.

“Ahem.”

As he made his presence known, a woman sitting gloomily in the corner brightened up.

“Instructor Cho!”

Yeo Mae-hong rushed over.