Chapter 241: Old Rat. (1)

Dragon Hall (神龍官).

After the Blood Calamity of the Blood Demon, it is an educational institution of the orthodox sects created to train sword corps that deal with monsters.

The characteristics and causes of occurrence of all currently recorded monsters.

From methods to counter them to their weaknesses.

And even methods of dealing with them according to the situation.

Countless records exist within Dragon Hall.

Not only are all internal records of this information open to the trainees,

but instructors even existed to educate them on it.

Judging by the explanation alone, it’s quite a good place….

‘No, it’s not actually bad…’

Regardless, the current Central Plains face situations dealing with monsters more often than martial artists,

so it’s true that providing education for it isn’t bad, but

‘The problem is whether I have to go there.’

After all, it’s better to train martial arts and receive guidance within one’s own family or sect,

and amusingly, those who couldn’t do so couldn’t even go to Dragon Hall in the first place.

‘Because it’s a place they hog all to themselves.’

This means you can’t go unless you have a strong background.

In the first place, you can’t go without a recommendation letter issued by Dragon Hall.

Even with a recommendation letter, you can’t be admitted if you don’t meet certain standards, referred to as guidelines.

This means that

it was a place only accessible to the blood relatives of well-prepared prestigious families or renowned sects.

‘After all… if they’re from prestigious families or renowned sects, they can handle monster-fighting methods or training at home.’

Furthermore, Dragon Hall wasn’t the only educational institution for sword corps.

There were about two or so just in Shanxi,

and there are various institutions across regions that conduct training with the permission of the Martial Alliance.

Knowing these circumstances, the reason why many blood relatives and descendants still make the effort to seek out Dragon Hall is none other than this:

‘…It’s for prestige and networking, what else.’

It’s an obvious story.

The most important things in life are said to be:

blood ties, regional ties, and school ties.

Historically, prestigious families were places that notoriously valued those three things.

Being a graduate of Dragon Hall, the foremost educational institution,

along with networking and a bit of politicking that gets tangled up there.

It’s a place where countless, infuriating objectives converge.

It’s so important that

even my father, who doesn’t really care about such things, sent all his own blood relatives there.

‘If it were me, I’d remember Gu Huibi causing trouble there and wouldn’t send my subsequent children, but…’

My father, however, didn’t seem to care about that and sent them all.

Fine, I get it.

After all, if you’re born into a prestigious family, you can’t just refuse to go.

Especially if you’re slated to be the young master.

‘…Originally, I should have run away.’

Even in the early stages of my regression, I had planned to run away with the intention of entering Dragon Hall,

but somehow, it became impossible.

It’s all my karma, so there’s nothing I can do about it, but

‘Since it’s come to this, I guess I’ll have to bring back that thing buried in the basement there.’

It was only discovered after the Heavenly Demon appeared, so

I suppose it wouldn’t hurt if I took some, right?

I know this isn’t allowed, but

it was just self-rationalization.

“…Why… are you like this?”

Perhaps noticing I was troubled,

Namgung Bi-ah, who had been leaning on me, opened her eyes and asked cautiously.

“It’s nothing. Just a bothersome matter came to mind.”

What should I do?

Dragon Hall is a place where one must be stuck for at least a year, or up to two years.

For later disciples, it could be considered a vacation of sorts,

and a place for encounters among noble bloodlines, but

from my perspective, it was just a waste of time.

‘How much help can the knowledge learned there really be?’

It would be great if I could just grab what I need and escape.

Of course.

‘It’s not like there’s no way.’

There wasn’t absolutely no way.

It’s just that it’s a bit, no, quite a lot of a hassle.

‘Tsk.’

Putting that aside,

that wasn’t the only thing I’d been wondering about.

‘Why so soon?’

It was the question about the admission period for Dragon Hall.

It’s not like the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, which is held annually.

Dragon Hall has its admission periods set at specific intervals,

and as far as I know, there was still some time left.

‘At least until winter…’

Ah.

As I was thinking, I looked at Namgung Bi-ah leaning beside me.

I recalled the reason why things were proceeding like this.

“Is it because of the engagement ceremony?”

The engagement ceremony that was supposed to take place at the Namgung Family in Anhui immediately after the battles on the front lines concluded.

It seemed I had reached this conclusion by considering that timeframe.

They must have decided it couldn’t be postponed any longer at the main family’s end.

“…Mm.”

I had to wear a somewhat strange expression as I looked at Namgung Bi-ah.

It’s not that I’m reluctant about the engagement with Namgung Bi-ah now.

It’s too late for that,

and she had changed too much.

“…Come to think of it.”

Isn’t she going to Dragon Hall?

Such a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

In my past life, Namgung Bi-ah didn’t seem to go to Dragon Hall?

That makes sense, because if someone like Namgung Bi-ah were at Dragon Hall,

it couldn’t possibly go unnoticed by those around her.

Whether it was her appearance

or her own skills.

There should have been talk, yet

‘Considering her age, the time has long passed.’

Namgung Bi-ah turned twenty this year.

Which means she was old enough to have entered during the previous Dragon Hall admission period.

‘Did the Namgung Family postpone it?’

Rather than postpone, it would be more accurate to say they never sent her at all.

After all, Namgung Bi-ah never went all the way in my past life either.

Looking back now, this is quite a peculiar story.

It’s strange how the existence of Namgung Bi-ah only became known later,

and the story of Namgung Bi-ah deliberately destroying her own family.

At the time, I didn’t pay much attention.

A sane person wouldn’t join the Demonic Cult,

and usually, when a martial artist from an orthodox sect defects to the Demonic Cult,

they mostly end up wiping out their own family.

It’s just surprising that it was one of the Four Great Families.

‘What must she have gone through?’

The woman leaning on my shoulder with her eyes closed.

What on earth did she experience in her past life

to kill all her blood relatives and live like a madwoman?

Now, I’ve become curious about such things.

‘Even though I wasn’t even a tiny bit curious in my past life.’

Despite the situation forcing me to stick with her, whether I liked it or not,

surprisingly, I never wondered about the life the Sword Master’s Heir lived.

Perhaps it was because my own life was crap, and I didn’t want to be curious about someone else living another crap life.

I looked at Namgung Bi-ah, then scanned the moon hanging in the night sky.

It wasn’t a full moon, nor a crescent moon.

The moon, still filling up, shone brightly enough not to be disappointing.

‘What kind of life did you live?’

That I didn’t ask you this back then,

I regret it a little now.

After gazing at the moon for a moment like that,

I let out a cough.

‘Here I go again, being sentimental.’

It was pathetic sentimentality.

Sentimentality isn’t anything else;

it’s thinking about memories that should be buried, unnecessarily.

“You should get up too…. Huh?”

I was about to try and wake Namgung Bi-ah,

but Namgung Bi-ah, who had been dozing with her head on my shoulder, had suddenly gotten up and was looking forward.

“…What, what are you doing?”

“…”

I called out to Namgung Bi-ah, taken aback, but

she was only looking straight ahead.

Ssssuuuu….

From there, I could feel a killing intent gradually rising from Namgung Bi-ah.

Fzzt.

“…Ngh!?”

As if to prove it, with a faint surge of inner energy,

Biyeonseom, who had been silently beside me, barely breathing, flinched and trembled.

“What are you suddenly doing…!”

I tried to ask again, but

it seemed she couldn’t hear me properly.

Namgung Bi-ah instantly drew her sword and swung it forward.

Kwaduduk!

“Ngggh!”

The sword energy, fully imbued with inner energy, swept forward,

and the compressed internal energy sliced through the densely packed trees.

One slash.

With just a single sword strike, dozens of trees were cut down, creating an open space.

This showed how much Namgung Bi-ah had grown in the past, but

“Hey! What are you doing out here in the middle of the night!”

I couldn’t understand why Namgung Bi-ah was doing this.

I checked to see if there were any monsters around, but

there was no presence detected by my senses.

In the first place, it wouldn’t make sense for me to detect a monster’s presence later than Namgung Bi-ah.

Perhaps Namgung Bi-ah had a nightmare?

Thinking that, I looked at her,

but she didn’t shift her gaze to me, continuing to look forward as she gave her answer.

“…A smell.”

“What?”

“There was a smell…”

A smell?

At Namgung Bi-ah’s words, I sniffed the air, but

“What smell? I don’t smell anything.”

If anything, perhaps the scent of grass and earth from the forest?

It was a forest teeming with monsters, but paradoxically, the scent of grass at night was rather fragrant.

“…”

Namgung Bi-ah didn’t answer.

She was still looking forward, then suddenly tilted her head.

“…A mistake… perhaps?”

“What the hell?”

She suddenly gets up and splits all the trees,

and calls it a mistake?

As I stared at her, dumbfounded,

Namgung Bi-ah returned to her expressionless face and plopped back down in her original spot.

Tak tak.

Then, she tapped my side with her hand as if telling me to sit next to her again.

“…Seriously, I’m speechless.”

I let out a hollow laugh watching that.

As I sat back down,

Namgung Bi-ah, as if nothing had happened, rested her face on my shoulder again and closed her eyes.

The atmosphere blended back into the quiet night, but

Dudududu….

Biyeonseom, who had witnessed Namgung Bi-ah’s actions firsthand just moments ago, was trembling, clearly startled.

It seemed more like fear than surprise, but…

‘She’ll handle it herself.’

I didn’t need to worry about that.

‘And.’

I scanned the direction Namgung Bi-ah had swung her sword.

Even though Namgung Bi-ah might seem clumsy and scatterbrained,

…well, she actually is clumsy and scatterbrained, but

she possessed quite a sensitive and sharp sense when it came to things like this.

This means her instincts and senses as a martial artist were quite exceptional.

Was it truly a mistake?

Even though my current senses are far superior to Namgung Bi-ah’s,

Kku-uk.

Leaving Namgung Bi-ah with her eyes closed and Biyeonseom trembling behind,

I amplified the internal energy wrapped around my body.

Subtly, so it wouldn’t be noticeable.

Ttuk.

The energy spreading out from my body through the lower dantian became like a breeze, flowing outwards.

Controlling the faint energy that would surely scatter if I missed even a bit,

I looked past the fallen trees towards a more distant location.

******************

Tuduk.

In the dark night.

Someone unknown was moving swiftly through the forest, stepping on branches.

Despite moving his feet relentlessly, the assassin’s mind was incredibly complex.

‘How perplexing.’

The sword strike unleashed by the girl.

Recalling that fierce yet refined sword energy, sweat naturally beaded on my spine.

‘…The inner energy was definitely that of the Namgung family, but.’

At first, I was surprised by the girl’s appearance, but

soon after, I was twice surprised by her judgment and senses in drawing her sword after noticing my presence.

Perhaps it was because I had widened the distance considerably?

The assassin stopped moving and changed his line of thought.

‘Truly strange.’

I was more confident than anyone else when it came to hiding my presence and blending into my surroundings.

Over time,

the reason I was able to overcome numerous crises and carry out various deeds

and the reason I could sit as an elder of the family thanks to those deeds

was all due to this skill backing me up, yet

‘To almost be detected by a mere young girl.’

I felt both empty and flustered.

It’s truly astonishing for someone her age to have overcome the barrier and become a peak martial artist, but

this is a different story.

My presence should definitely not have been detected, but

for some reason, the girl seemed to have sensed my presence.

‘Rather than sensing it…’

It felt like something different.

But the result is the same.

‘This Hidden Dark Tiger Ghost (隱暗虎鬼)… detected by a mere twenty-year-old martial artist.’

I felt unease rather than surprise.

‘It was the First Young Master’s request, so I personally stepped forward…’

Given the current situation, the current family head’s blood relatives are very reluctant to ask anyone for favors.

Making a request means

giving someone a reason to owe you in the future,

and furthermore, the period to repay the favor would be when the First Young Master ascends to the position of young master or family head.

‘To think he would ask me, of all people.’

As I primarily engaged in covert operations,

I was like a stain on the Hwangbo Family, known as an orthodox sect.

At a time when they were gradually erasing their background, for the First Young Master to approach me personally and ask for a favor

meant that if I fulfilled it, he would clear away those aspects.

That’s why I agreed to such a trivial request.

‘I thought merely intimidating a later disciple wouldn’t be that difficult, but’

It wasn’t like killing them.

Just a bit of harassment to shut them up and break their spirit.

Moreover, since it was on the front lines, it would be easy to handle the matter without revealing my identity.

‘There was an unexpected problem.’

I had only come for a brief check rather than proceeding immediately, but

‘The woman who sensed my presence is a problem, but….’

The biggest problem was the guy called Jin Ryong, mentioned by the First Young Master.

When I heard the First Young Master and his escort were defeated, I wondered how great a guy he was, but

‘…I can’t tell.’

What, and how much, he possessed.

I couldn’t grasp it.

Compared to the woman, whom I immediately recognized as a powerful martial artist who had overcome the barrier,

I couldn’t tell anything about the guy called Jin Ryong just by looking.

“…That’s impossible?”

There are two possibilities in cases like this.

Either he’s skilled enough to hide and manipulate his inner energy so I can’t detect it,

or his cultivation level is higher than mine.

The assassin let out a hollow laugh at the thought that crossed his mind.

Because it was such an absurd notion.

“Ha. I must be getting senile in my old age.”

The first possibility was obvious: a mere infant wouldn’t have the ability to hide his presence well enough to evade my senses;

and the second was even more impossible.

‘Perhaps my mind is a bit foggy since it’s been so long since I’ve been out on a job.’

After all, it’s been years since I’ve taken action like this.

It’s possible for my rusty body to experience a momentary delusion.

“…For now, I’ll return and find a more suitable time…”

“Where are you planning to return?”

“To the barracks, of course…!”

A voice came from behind.

The assassin’s eyes widened, and he swung his arm without hesitation.

It was a movement as fast as the wind, imbued with inner energy, but

Kwak!

Before he could achieve his goal, his arm was caught by someone else’s hand.

Huuk!

Furthermore, the inner energy wrapped around his arm failed to function and scattered into the air, creating a gust of wind.

“How could you….”

The assassin looked at the one who had grabbed his arm and began to sweat coldly.

Yet the person himself had a nonchalant expression.

“You’re not some old geezer out for a stroll in the moonlight, are you?”

Tududuk.

I felt increasing pressure on my caught arm.

‘…This brat…!’

The pressure I felt was far stronger than expected.

The young man’s dark eyes, looking at the flustered assassin caught in an unexpected situation,

gradually turned red.

The color was so deep and vibrant it was almost frightening.

A fierce aura contorted his lips, which curled up slightly.

The assassin realized something was wrong upon facing this, but

the young man continued to ask in the same voice.

“What business does an old rat from the Hwangbo Family have with me?”

Along with the question, blazing flames erupted around us.