Chapter v16c4

It was a purely instinctive reaction. What was that just now? Bi Ryu-yeon thought, bewildered. The wind whipped against him, and his junior was now much farther away. He had almost caught him, but he had let go.

But it was an unavoidable choice. He had no intention of letting No-hak die, but his instincts had forced him to pull back at the last moment.

Something had passed between them. It had no form, but it carried a sharp, blade-like Qi. It would have been fatal if he had been struck.

He trusted his senses and acted accordingly. If he had time, he would have glanced up to observe the members of Group 1 hanging above. Someone was clearly unhappy with No-hak’s survival. Perhaps his secret mission to monitor them had yielded some results. He hadn’t received a report yet, but he had a feeling.

Even as these thoughts crossed his mind, his eyes remained fixed on No-hak, sharp as a hawk’s, and his feet never stopped moving. He needed No-hak alive. He had questions that needed answers.

It seemed impossible to close the distance with the Earth-Skimming Flight technique. No-hak was falling too fast, and the sudden attack had thrown him off balance.

“I won’t let him die!”

He had to take care of his own.

With a flick of his wrist, he shot out a strand of shimmering, silver thread towards No-hak. It was his Thunder Spirit Thread, imbued with Qi and manipulated to bind, not cut.

‘Got him!’

He felt the connection through the thread.

He let out a sigh of relief and shot out another thread from his left hand, securing it to a nearby tree. Then, he focused his Qi on the pressure points on his feet to slow his descent. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

He came to a stop, his right shoulder bearing the full weight of No-hak’s body. If he wasn’t careful, he could dislocate his shoulder. He twisted his body, using his core strength, and swung his right arm like a windmill, using the momentum of the fall to spin No-hak around.

He had used the force of the fall to throw No-hak upwards. It was a risky move, but it was more efficient than trying to resist the fall directly.

It required a precise understanding of the force, speed, and direction of the fall. If he had been a moment slower, he would have been dragged down with No-hak.

No-hak’s body stopped momentarily, suspended in midair as the upward force and the downward force balanced each other out. Bi Ryu-yeon seized the opportunity and caught him. No-hak’s body, now subject to gravity again, weighed heavily on him, but he was prepared and managed to support him.

And so, No-hak was granted a reprieve from immediate death, though his future remained uncertain.

“S-Senior Brother!”

No-hak exclaimed, his voice filled with gratitude. He had been convinced that Bi Ryu-yeon would kill him one day, but he had never imagined that his would-be murderer would risk his own life to save him. Bi Ryu-yeon smiled at him and whispered in his ear.

“I’m glad you’re safe. But… who did you call a ‘damn bastard’? We’ll have a little chat later!”

No-hak didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So he chose the easiest option. He fainted.

“Hey, wake up! Do you want me to carry you all the way back up?”

But No-hak remained unconscious.

“You’re in for it when we get back!”

Bi Ryu-yeon gritted his teeth and started climbing back up the cliff.

Hyo-ryong watched in amazement as Bi Ryu-yeon returned, carrying the unconscious No-hak on his back. He had not only saved No-hak from certain death with an incredible display of skill, but he had also carried him back up the cliff.

Bi Ryu-yeon’s face was covered in sweat, his clothes soaked.

“Ryu-yeon, you’re… reckless.”

“Reckless?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked, his face puzzled. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Reckless? That was the opposite of his beliefs.

“Look, Ryong-ryong, ‘reckless’ means doing something beyond your capabilities, driven by irrational emotions. That’s not me. And besides…”

“Besides?”

“I don’t just exploit my disciples.”

“Huh? Disciples?”

“It’s a long story.”

Bi Ryu-yeon said dismissively.

Hyo-ryong was always frustrated by his friend’s cryptic remarks. It wasn’t a conversation if the other person didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Then what was that just now? You’re saying it wasn’t reckless?”

“Of course not! It’s getting tiring to repeat myself. I just did what I had to do. I did it because I knew I could. It wasn’t reckless. I’m not injured, and this little nuisance is safe! Do I look like the type to commit suicide?”

No-hak was still unconscious. His senior brother had carried him up the cliff, sweating and struggling, and he was just lying there, sleeping peacefully… It was infuriating.

“Hey, wake up!”

Slap, slap!

Bi Ryu-yeon slapped No-hak’s face. It sounded painful.

“H-Hey… he’s your senior…”

Hyo-ryong, unaware of the events that had transpired in the shadows, was horrified.

Slap, slap!

But Bi Ryu-yeon didn’t stop.

“Ugh… hmm…”

No-hak groaned, but he didn’t wake up. What a useless disciple. He had fainted from a few slaps… Had he been too lenient with his training? Bi Ryu-yeon briefly regretted his soft-heartedness.

“Should I just throw him off the cliff?”

He was starting to get annoyed.

“I need to train him harder…”

He thought to himself. The Vermilion Bird Squad was in for a rough time. They were lucky they didn’t know what was coming.

As he was planning their special training regimen, Na Yerin approached him from behind.

“Ryu-yeon…”

“Oh, Yerin! What’s wrong? You look pale.”

“…”

She didn’t answer. She just stood there, her face clouded with worry. There was a heavy, oppressive aura around her. She avoided his gaze.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I don’t know!”

She snapped, her voice cold. Even Hyo-ryong shivered. She was different.

“Are you… angry?”

She seemed angry. But why? Bi Ryu-yeon was clueless.

“Wow, she’s angry! Right?”

He said, fanning the flames.

“N-No, I’m not! I’m not angry!”

She shouted, her voice betraying her agitation.

“See! You’re angry!”

He said, grinning.

“No, I’m not! Absolutely not!”

She turned away, her face flushed. She was definitely angry. But why?

She didn’t understand herself. She wanted to tell him that she was glad he was safe, that she was relieved he wasn’t hurt…

But she was more angry that he had scared her with his reckless – though he would deny it – actions.

She turned away, her face sullen.

“I don’t care! I don’t care if you die! Goodbye!”

She said, and walked away.

“Yikes, she’s really mad!”

Bi Ryu-yeon said, shrinking back.

“Hmm, that’s strange. Ryong-ryong, do you understand?”

“No, I don’t.”

Hyo-ryong shook his head. Bi Ryu-yeon had chosen the wrong person to ask. Hyo-ryong was clueless.

“That’s weird…”

He was baffled by her unusual behavior. He watched her go, a faint smile playing on his lips.

And then, a commotion erupted a short distance away. It was coming from Group 1.

The instigator was, surprisingly, Namgung Sang, who was known for his gentle nature.

“You murderer! Why did you cut the rope?! Tell me!”

He shouted, lunging at Oh Chu, the Fifth Demon, who had cut No-hak’s lifeline. But Oh Chu wasn’t going down without a fight. He dodged and weaved, but Namgung Sang was relentless. He read Oh Chu’s every move and grabbed him by the collar.

“You little…!”

Oh Chu’s face was red with anger. He couldn’t believe he had been caught by this weakling.

“Now, tell me why you did it. If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer, you’ll regret it.”

Namgung Sang’s eyes were blazing with fury. Even Oh Chu, with his fiery temper, felt intimidated.

“Well? I’m waiting!”

Namgung Sang growled.

“It was an unavoidable choice.”

It wasn’t Oh Chu who answered, but Chu Myeong, his senior brother.

“What? You’re saying it was unavoidable to cut a man’s lifeline?”

“Yes. It was a clear-cut case. He made a mistake, and he endangered the entire group. His carelessness almost got us all killed.”

Chu Myeong’s voice was firm, his conviction unwavering.

“His mistake?”

“Yes. He couldn’t prove his innocence. We made the most logical decision. Are you accusing us of attempted murder?”

You damn right I am! Namgung Sang wanted to shout. But he couldn’t say it in front of so many people. He had no proof. It was just a theory. It would be dismissed as a conspiracy theory. He would be accused of trying to sow discord within the group.

“So you’re saying it wasn’t intentional?”

He asked, unwilling to back down.

“It’s good to have an active imagination, but you’re being ridiculous.”

Chu Myeong sneered. He was calling him a child. Namgung Sang gritted his teeth.

“Do you have any proof that we did it? In this case, the victim’s testimony is unreliable, given his emotional state. Are there any other witnesses?”

“W-Well…”

There were no witnesses. And they were discrediting No-hak’s testimony. Anything No-hak said would be dismissed as the ramblings of a traumatized man.

“So you’re saying we should have all died because of one man’s mistake?”

“W-Well…”

Namgung Sang was speechless. He had no counterargument.

“You’re giving up already? Tsk, tsk, tsk…”

Bi Ryu-yeon watched from a distance, shaking his head. His junior was too emotional, too irrational. He wouldn’t be able to convince anyone, except for the gullible.

“We knew we would be disqualified if we cut the rope. But we had no choice. We couldn’t risk the lives of the entire group for one man. Are you saying we should have sacrificed ourselves for him? Are you criticizing us for not choosing a pointless death?”

“W-Well…”

Namgung Sang’s momentum had fizzled out. He was losing the argument.

It was true. Both Group 1 and Group 7 had received the lowest possible score for this trial. Namgung Sang couldn’t argue with that.

“I guess that’s settled then! Let’s go!”

Chu Myeong turned and walked away. Three of the Seven Demons followed him. Namgung Sang glared at their retreating figures, but he didn’t stop them.

He had lost.

“You can’t win if you act impulsively without any preparation! You can’t defeat others if you can’t control yourself. You fool!”

Bi Ryu-yeon said, watching from a distance. He had seen everything, but he hadn’t intervened. His juniors needed a serious attitude adjustment.

“But I have to repay my debt.”

He couldn’t let this go.

“I’ll find out what they’re up to!”