Chapter 181: The Inferno in Suzhou (3)

As the wall of flames drew closer, the people fleeing from Suzhou quickened their pace.

A massive wall of fire, much larger than the city walls, was approaching with billowing black smoke.

Initially, people complained about the sudden evacuation, but fear soon silenced them, and they focused solely on getting as far away from the city as possible.

—–

—–

—–

Despite the movement of tens of thousands of people, the march was eerily silent.

It was a solemn and tragic march.

*Thud.*

“Help, help me!”

Occasionally, the voices of stragglers could be heard, but they were drowned out by the silence of those who continued to march.

It was a solemn and dreadful march that finally stopped after half a day and a half when the moon rose high in the sky.

***

Even from a distance, the wall of flames was pushing back the darkness of the night with its overwhelming presence.

“Is our hometown really disappearing?”

“We’ve lived here for three generations.”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

Exhausted and sitting down, people watched the flames with desolate eyes, seeing not just the fire but the despair beyond it.

In the midst of this dreadful atmosphere, Cho Un-hwi, who had settled among the refugees, grumbled.

“It’s a complete mess.”

“They had to abandon their homes overnight.”

People who had lived in one place for years, even up to a hundred years, had to flee, leaving everything behind.

Yeo Mae-hong whispered.

“Who are these people, the Heavenly Destruction Society?”

“Can’t you tell? They’re a bunch of crazy bastards.”

“They’re definitely insane. I’ve heard of cults and demonic practitioners gaining power in Jianghu, but I’ve never heard of anything this brutal.”

Trying to burn down an entire city is madness.

Turning both the authorities and the martial arts world into enemies is something even the demonic sect wouldn’t do.

Baek Ri Seol, who had been listening, chimed in.

“Instructor, have you heard of the Heavenly Destruction Society?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Because you’re all-knowing and perfect, Instructor.”

Cho Un-hwi’s lips curled up as he pretended to be annoyed.

“I guess I am.”

“You’re capable, smart, and know everything. Please tell us.”

“Really?”

Write that exactly in the instructor evaluation later.

“The Heavenly Destruction Society. Despite their grandiose claims of bringing down the heavens, they seem to be quite meticulous.”

“They’re not just simple fanatics?”

“If they were just crazy, it would be easier. But they’re worse.”

Cho Un-hwi pointed with his finger.

“Doesn’t it seem strategic for people who are burning down a city?”

“Strategic?”

“If they were truly insane, they wouldn’t care if people died or not.”

But the situation is a bit different.

“It feels like they’re maximizing fear and forcing us to make choices.”

Namgung Yun-ho asked.

“So, turning the Namgung Clan into enemies was also part of a plan?”

“They must have a reason.”

Jegal Tan seemed skeptical.

“Instructor, this incident is a huge deal that will cause public outrage beyond the martial arts world. Aren’t you overestimating the delusions of madmen?”

Cho Un-hwi wagged his finger.

“Tut tut. Jegal, don’t try to understand everything logically.”

“But.”

“……”

“The world is vast and full of crazies. If you only deal within your limits, you’ll get blindsided by something unexpected.”

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

As he sternly admonished, the sound of bickering came from the side.

“Oh, impressive. As expected of an older man…”

“Seo disciple, stay away from the instructor.”

Ignoring the tired voices, Cho Un-hwi continued.

“This is the time to be more prepared.”

“Instructor Cho, what do you mean by prepared?”

*Sigh.*

Looking at the refugees steeped in grief, Cho Un-hwi added.

“If it were me, I’d have set a trap here.”

There’s plenty to use.

The conversation didn’t continue.

“Instructor, the senior instructor has arrived!”

Eon Ho-seung ran over to announce the arrival of the rear guard.

***

As soon as he joined, Jang Cheol-sim gathered the Euncheon Hall instructors.

“You’re all safe.”

The rear guard, who arrived last, included experienced Euncheon Hall instructors.

And Wang Woo, Mo Yong-ju, Baek Ri Seon-ho, and members of the Inspection Department.

They all looked tired, but Jang Cheol-sim explained why he had called them without delay.

“Those with experience might have noticed, but the situation is not good.”

“Senior Instructor, we’ve reached a place safe from the flames, but is there another problem?”

At a young Euncheon Hall instructor’s question, Jang Cheol-sim looked at the veteran instructors.

*Nod.*

The experienced ones couldn’t hide their concern as they looked at the refugees.

Knowing the reason, Jang Cheol-sim explained.

“In the rush to leave, they couldn’t bring much.”

It was an emergency evacuation.

“First, there will be a shortage of food. With the harvest approaching, they couldn’t bring much grain.”

“If necessary, we can use dried food.”

At the young instructor’s response, Jang Cheol-sim narrowed his eyes.

“How much jerky and dried food do you think people who live day-to-day have?”

Dried food is expensive.

Even the common jerky given to instructors is a luxury for farmers and lower-class people.

Realizing his mistake, the instructor immediately apologized.

“I was thoughtless. I’m sorry.”

“They can last a while. The problem is that it won’t be long.”

Mo Yong-ju added.

“The bigger issue is that some didn’t bring any food. What will the hungry do?”

“That…”

“They’ll try to get food from those nearby. But who will easily give up their food when they barely have enough for themselves?”

“……”

By now, everyone understood the situation.

The young instructor’s face visibly hardened as he realized the danger.

“…Are you saying they’ll resort to looting?”

“Most likely.”

This was why Jang Cheol-sim had called them all here.

“I called you urgently for this reason.”

A typical martial artist wouldn’t need to involve themselves in the affairs of commoners.

But Shinmu Academy is a place that aims to uphold righteousness and train the next generation of the righteous sects.

“How can we call ourselves protectors of the cradle of righteous warriors if we ignore confirmed injustices?”

Jang Cheol-sim raised his finger.

“For the next four days. The Namgung Clan and merchants have promised support in four days.”

That means.

“Until then, we must manage the situation to prevent the worst from happening.”

With that, Jang Cheol-sim firmly declared.

“As a senior instructor, I issue a new directive.”

– No matter what, maintain order with the disciples.

At Jang Cheol-sim’s words.

“Yes!”

The instructors straightened their backs and responded in unison.

***

“Instructor Cho, did you anticipate this?”

Yeo Mae-hong asked curiously.

She was probably surprised that Senior Instructor Jang Cheol-sim had also sensed the impending disaster.

“Well, to some extent.”

“They’re already moving. There haven’t been many opportunities to earn merits on this Murim Excursion…”

As she said, the Euncheon Hall instructors were busily spreading out to start the new directive.

They were likely going to relay the new orders to the disciples.

“Shall we go too? If we don’t hurry, they’ll take all the credit.”

Seeing her enthusiasm, Cho Un-hwi clasped his hands and smiled.

“We’ll see about that.”

***

The first night.

The Euncheon Hall disciples proved to be quite useful.

Though they didn’t know how to count money and lacked common sense, their martial skills were decent.

“We subdued four ruffians who were causing trouble.”

“We caught twelve thieves trying to steal at night, Senior Instructor.”

“We’re patrolling and maintaining order.”

“The situation is under control.”

Those who tried to cause trouble or steal in the chaos were no match for the disciples.

“Their martial skills are decent.”

No matter how tough the local ruffians were, they couldn’t match the disciples trained in martial arts.

Some knew martial arts, but they turned away under the stern gaze of the instructors.

Thanks to that, the first day passed without incident.

“Instructor Cho, will it be okay? At this rate, we won’t have a chance to earn merits.”

“Don’t worry. The opportunity will come.”

The second day seemed to pass smoothly as well.

But on the second night, trouble finally arose.

“What’s this? This guy stole my stuff! Evidence? My word is the evidence!”

At the ruffian’s shout, the disciples reached for their swords.

Then the other ruffians joined in.

“Is martial arts all that matters? Can you bully innocent people like this?”

With the ruffian’s claim, shouts of agreement came from all around.

“Yeah! Are you judges or something?”

“Is it all about strength?”

“Yeah! Kill them! Kill them!”

The ruffians’ aggressive behavior confused the disciples.

– Uphold justice.

When the simple concept of justice became difficult to discern, the disciples wavered.

Moreover, the ruffians noticed that the young disciples lacked worldly experience.

“These guys can’t hurt us.”

“Yeah. Martial artists can’t attack unarmed people.”

“Ha, it’s simpler than I thought.”

“Bookworms. Haha.”

The ruffians, having found the disciples’ weakness, caused more trouble on the second night.

“What do we do?”

“If those ruffians target us.”

“This doesn’t look good.”

Despair deepened among the refugees as the reality and uncertain future loomed over them.

***

The morning of the third day.

“This isn’t working.”

The instructors managed to prevent major incidents by running around, but order was already breaking down.

“Whew. As expected.”

Jang Cheol-sim looked troubled.

“It’s not easy. We can’t tell the disciples to harm civilians.”

“Senior Instructor, how about this?”

Several instructors offered suggestions, but none were suitable.

“What do we do…”

As they pondered.

Suddenly.

A hand, which they never expected to raise, went up.

“If I solve this, do I get extra credit?”

“…Sigh. Temporary Instructor Cho Un-hwi.”

“If I get extra credit, I’ll handle it.”

At his words, the Euncheon Hall instructors chuckled.

“Temporary Instructor, do you think we’re struggling because we lack ideas?”

“We can’t just start a fight and tarnish the Academy’s reputation.”

“You can’t act like a wild boar as you did before!”

The proud Euncheon Hall instructors protested, but Cho Un-hwi just whistled.

Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Jang Cheol-sim’s eyes twinkled as he asked.

“Are you confident?”

“Of course.”

“Remember, you must not tarnish the Academy’s name. And you must not oppress the innocent with force.”

This was the most challenging part.

Even if they were from the dark path, they couldn’t accuse them without evidence.

“That’s not difficult.”

Yet Cho Un-hwi smiled.

“If I can’t handle that, how can I call myself an instructor?”

The faces of the Euncheon Hall instructors turned grim with wounded pride.