Chapter v9c4

**Standards of Common Sense**

Eun Seol-ran, having observed the friendly(?) bickering between the two, opened her mouth.

“Yes?”

“Who is he calling fat?”

Eun Seol-ran asked Na Yerin, feeling puzzled. She got the impression that Na Yerin had known Maha Ryeong for a long time.

“Well? Maybe they are referring to Maha Ryeong, the clan leader?”

In fact, Na Yerin was also acquainted with Maha Ryeong. It would indeed be stranger if there was no friendship between the daughter of the Heavenly Academy’s master and the daughter of the Martial Alliance leader.

They had grown apart but had been close like sisters in their childhood. However, their relationship was not so good that they had built up much affection. Maha Ryeong always seemed to dislike her for some reason. It seemed like she might have felt a sense of inferiority. Being chubby back then, it must have been quite distressing for her to be compared to herself.

‘She always looked at me with a strange mix of dissatisfaction, longing, and hatred!’

But since entering the sect for serious martial arts training, she had not seen her face.

‘When we were children… Indeed, she was much chubbier than now.’

However, that was a story from more than 10 years ago. Being fat as a child doesn’t mean one will be fat as an adult, there’s no such rule in this world.

“Oh my? There must be something wrong with my eyes!”

Suddenly, Eun Seol-ran made a fuss in an exaggerated manner.

“What’s wrong?”

“In my eyes, that young lady doesn’t look fat at all. So I must be a fatty too. What should I do now! Sob, sob, alas!”

Eun Seol-ran pretended to weep bitterly on purpose.

Na Yerin remained silent without saying a word. She was dumbfounded. She felt tricked again. And right now, her concern was not Eun Seol-ran’s fake crying.

‘Was there a time over 10 years ago when Bi Ryu and sister Haryeong met? Otherwise, how could he dare to call a person of Haryeong’s status fat?

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find the answer. Of course, Bi Ryu-yeon had not met Maha Ryeong.

The situation was at a stalemate with no progress to be seen. Eun Seol-ran seemed very interested in this situation, not losing any attention.

“That person is quite the fool.”

“Right. Such a hopeless fool.”

Na Yerin agreed enthusiastically. Mo Yong-hwi seemed to share the same opinion without objection. It was a moment when everyone’s opinion was unified.

As they said, Bi Ryu-yeon was a fool.

Ordinary people should sincerely bow deeply enough to bend their spine when dealing with someone from a good family, with a good background, high status, and education. Isn’t that the way it should be? Because that’s what everyone does as if it’s normal. It’s easy to understand because it’s easily observed around us.

Those kinds of people are not rare. They seem ready to kowtow to those with higher status, money, power, and honor, like eager organ donors. Their spirit of sacrifice is so touching and tearful that it’s hard to watch.

When meeting a high-status individual, people reflexively act like that. They clasp their hands and bow deeply, showing an abject smile. Of course, rubbing their palms hard enough to erase fingerprints can also be expected to have a good effect.

This damned world is made so bitterly. Most people also act according to these rules. But Bi Ryu-yeon, who fancies himself a rebel, seems to hate such things.

Bi Ryu-yeon never groveled before those with higher status or more power. He completely ignored them. He didn’t want to bend his beliefs because of someone else’s background.

That’s why he could slap Maha Ryeong’s cheek without hesitation. He had no desire to move his body in a direction his heart didn’t wish for. So, he was indeed a top-class fool.

Sticking to one’s beliefs comes with a significant price. It’s never a smooth path in any era. Yet, Bi Ryu-yeon was willing to walk that path.

People were shocked for the same reasons. They were outraged because Bi Ryu-yeon acted against the fixed conventions of the world and did as he pleased. How infuriating it must be to see someone doing without hesitation what they themselves could not do!

They would never understand Bi Ryu-yeon in the future. Of course, they don’t want to understand him since their bases of thought are entirely different.

Therefore, people have never been able to properly assess Bi Ryu-yeon. Trying to measure him with the yardstick of common sense always ends in failure. To gauge his capacity, one would need not an ordinary but a very special yardstick, tailored just for him; otherwise, even if repeated a hundred times, the same answer would never emerge.

An opponent whose existing standards do not apply!

Thus, they could never acknowledge the existence of Bi Ryu-yeon, even if the sky were to split in half.

How foolish and shameless it is to ignore the authority and power derived from school connections, regional ties, blood relations, and backgrounds! Only Biryu could act in such a way without any shame in being called the ultimate fool.

Bi Ryu-yeon never regretted his actions. He was always responsible for his actions and safety. He was prepared to face any fierce retaliation.

“It is not because he learned how to do it, but because he has lived that way all along. Can’t we just end it now? The standoff has been too long.” It was the honest wish of the people around them that the confrontation, which had already lasted over half an hour, come to an end. How long do they intend to continue this wasteful stubborn fight?

‘Will the confrontation between those two ever really end?’

Neither side showed any sign of yielding yet. Both were in a situation like ‘riding a tiger’ , where it was too late to get off the fiercely running tiger. As such, despite the time passing, their tense confrontation showed no signs of ending. By now, even the onlookers would have gotten bored. However, the extraordinary tension flowing between the two made it impossible to feel bored.

Bi Ryu-Yeon still had a smile on his lips, but the tension was even more palpable than when he was frowning. The smile did not leave his lips, but Bi Ryu-Yeon’s hands still held onto MaHa Ryeong’s wrist like the talons of a hawk, showing no intention of letting go until she said ‘Please. Let go’ as he had instructed.

“How about you stop being so stubborn, miss obstinate?” Bi Ryu-Yeon asked Maha Ryeong for her intention. However, Maha Ryeong was not one to answer such a thing.

“Why are you silent? You may not move your body freely, but there should be no trouble moving your mouth, right?”

“’Who would submit to you willingly?”

Crunch! Her teeth ground together with a harsh sound.

“Who said anything about submission? I was just asking for a simple apology. It’s something everybody does, especially those who have done wrong.”

“To me, it’s the same.”

How can they not communicate at all!

The negotiation broke down once again. As is the case with any negotiation, the more it breaks down, the deeper the emotional rift becomes.

‘Who would give you the satisfaction of saying such things!’

The flame of will in her eyes shone intensely.

To offer such words would be too much for Maha Ryeong’s pride, and her status was not easy either.

On any ordinary day, she would have already used her martial skills to easily escape from her opponent’s grasp. But this time, it was impossible. It was as if she was bound by invisible threads, unable to exert her true power. She couldn’t believe she had been subdued in an instant by an unknown young upstart, a moment of inattention. The blow to her pride from this series of events was fatally immense.

Is this what it feels like when ten years of study come to naught? For ten years, she had been devoted to martial arts with a consistent heart, having reached a certain state. She was confident, but now she faced the infinite despair of a warrior who, having thought she could level mountains and split the earth, realizes she couldn’t even kill a single ant she encountered upon descending from the mountain.

‘What was the point of my devoting myself to training, cutting myself off from the world for the last 500 days, if it was to suffer such a terrible humiliation by such a youngster? Am I dreaming right now?’

Yet the numb cheek that had suffered a more devastating blow than the still painful body harshly made her aware of reality.

It felt like all universal means were blocked. Like a castaway princess thrown mercilessly into the vast ocean.

‘I never imagined that being powerless would make me feel this helpless…’

Continuing the standoff would only tarnish her own face.

‘So, do I have no choice but to apologize? Or should I break a taboo?’

She bit her lower lip. Whether she apologizes and he lets go of her hand or not, either choice would severely damage her pride.

The dilemma required a sacrifice from her either way. The criterion for her choice at this moment was the least sacrifice. Of course, neither decision was easy.

‘If only that day had never happened…’

‘If only that secret had never been revealed…’

If it were called a bad relationship, it would have been the most terrible kind.

when the two first met!

That night, Bi Ryu-Yeon gave her a horrible night that she didn’t want to think about ever again.

“Looking back now, that tavern was the starting point of all the events.”