2
6
4.
“therefore…….”
Because he couldn’t easily believe the story he heard.
“I am being bullied by a child named Yelu Ke?”
“yes!”
Ak Ju-pyeong poured out his sorrow like someone who had been unjustly framed and punished.
“This scoundrel keeps attacking at all hours. Moreover, the school building hasn’t been taking any particular measures since the last incident.”
“Isn’t Yelu Ke the child you unilaterally tormented?”
“That is true. However, since that incident, I haven’t bothered him even once…! Yet this crazy bastard is tormenting me all the time.”
At first, because of his unusual face, I thought Jin So-un had done him some harm.
however.
“I mean, it’s not Jin So-un, it’s Yelu Ke…”
“That fellow Yelu Ke is exactly the same as Chen Xiaoyun. He is just a guy of humble origins who got lucky enough to enter the academy and is running around causing trouble without knowing his place.”
Akbyeongbi’s nod stopped abruptly.
“What?”
Ak Ju-pyeong mistakenly thought that Ak Byeong-bi was angry because he was taking his side, so he was excited and kept chattering away.
From what I’ve heard, it seems Jin So-un and that guy Yelu Ke are unusually close. They spar privately, and I heard that even the disciples of Taeeulmun, Jin So-un’s ancestral sect, look after Yelu Ke.
“…….”
“Everything has gone to hell since that bastard Jin So-un took the position of the academy’s representative. It seems the current head, Buk Won-pyeong, and Jin So-un have a secret relationship… and because of that, the academy’s instructors and leaders don’t seem to be taking action properly.”
Soon, Ak Ju-pyeong, who had been wearing a look of utter injustice, began to see eyes sparkle.
Therefore, punishment by my uncle, who belongs to the Inspection Bureau, is necessary.
As Ak Byeong-bi looked at him, the events of a few days ago came to mind. “When something that is not obvious is perceived as obvious, people become arrogant. Even in the Ak family, aren’t there plenty of scoundrels who take such privileges for granted?” He had dismissed it as jealous remarks from Jin So-un, who knew little about the Ak family, but to think that the nephew he held in such high regard was the very embodiment of Jin So-un’s sarcasm right before his eyes.
“Condemnation…….”
The reason the academy does not take issue with the matter of Yelü Ke is likely because of the evil deeds that Yue Zhuping has already accumulated over the years.
Moreover, three
Since the head of the clan himself had witnessed the scene where he was dragged to the academy and bowed his head, the instructors and schoolmasters must have decided that they could not intervene in the affairs of the two.
However, this scoundrel in front of me cannot distinguish between right and wrong and is trapped in a narrow-minded perspective and way of thinking, feeling wronged that the whole world is oppressing him.
“That is right! Uncle! Punishment is necessary.”
Moreover, without even being able to grasp what thoughts were going on in front of him, he firmly believed that a path of flowers would open up for him in the future. ‘How did the Ak family end up like this?’ Ak Byeong-bi had cared for Ak Ju-pyeong, thinking of him as if he were her own child.
How much I wept when I saw Ak Ju-pyeong, who was born the year after I lost my wife and children.
Leaving aside their emotional relationship, Ak Ju-pyeong is an important figure even within the Ak family.
He is not the eldest grandson, but he is the eldest son of the second eldest brother.
Although he would not inherit the Ak family, it was clear that he would take on important responsibilities related to the family and work for the family.
To think that a child destined to rise to such a crucial position has such a narrow mind…
Akbyeongbi felt a great sense of disappointment.
Whether he knew it or not, Ak Ju-pyeong patted his chest with an innocent face.
I sent a letter to my family in advance.
“A letter?”
“Yes. I am asking you to send personnel to punish Yelu Ke and Chen Xiaoyun’s faction. If you step forward, Uncle, I will take care of the aftermath.”
Ak Byeong-bi squeezed and swallowed the rage that had risen from his chest to the top of his head, closing his eyes tightly. ‘Yes, this is what ordinary children look like. Aren’t the rising stars of the Jianghu, raised with such pampering, supposed to be immature…?’ However.
As Ak Byeong-bi tried to slowly calm his anger, the faces of Il-myeong, Dang Seo-hui, and Jin So-un—who had shared joys and sorrows with him for the past few days—flashed through his mind. “Nothing gnaws away at a person’s character and turns them into a frog in a well as much as a sense of entitlement. How long can a family last if it is filled with such scoundrels?” Bang!
With the hand of Ak Byeong-bi, the table is split in half, and all sorts of documents and writing implements scatter in all directions.
The moment Ak Byeong-bi opened his eyes wide, Ak Ju-pyeong’s face, unable to hide his smile while filled with anticipation, came into his field of vision.
“You bastard…….”
A child I have known since I was very young.
The child whom he cherished more than anyone else, to the point of handing him the first spear and personally teaching him how to stab.
“You bastard…….”
Right now, he looked like a demon that would gnaw at the family and make it rot away.
As if mocking this sense of despair.
“Shall I get it ready right away, Uncle?”
Ak Ju-pyeong wearing a triumphant expression, as if riding on the back of a tiger.
The moment I was about to punch him in the face with a tightly clenched fist.
“Master! A guest has arrived!”
I stopped abruptly at the sound coming from outside.
“customer?”
To think you went out of your way to report this even though you knew Ak Ju-pyeong was already here…
Ak Byeong-bi calmed his anger and asked back.
“anyone?”
I am Jin So-un, the representative of the academy.
“Jin So-un?”
“Th-that guy?”
At the mere mention of the three letters of the name, Ak Ju-pyeong’s face somehow turned pale.
His triumphant smile turned into a crumpled grimace, and eventually, his legs began to tremble nervously.
Ak Byeong-bi, who had been watching the scene, gave an order toward the outside.
Let them in.
“S-Uncle?”
Then, Ak Ju-pyeong’s eyes widen as if they are about to pop out.
“It is not that we belong to different graduating classes, but that we are classmates who entered at the same time; yet how can there be such a vast difference in our caliber?” Ak Byeong-bi barely managed to swallow the sigh that threatened to escape.
In the previous generation, Akbuksan did not receive much attention due to geniuses such as Yong So-ah and Il-myeong.
and.
“J-Jin So-un…… Eek……!”
I felt that this generation would not be much different. ‘It looks like we will have to wait a long time for Big Brother’s wish to come true.’ The Young Master’s desire to shake the world in the name of the Ak family seemed far off to be realized in the current generation. #If one were to name the places the members of the Murim Alliance least want to go, it would undoubtedly be the Inspection Pavilion and the Execution Pavilion.
Unless you have been assigned there, being taken to the Inspection Office means that the chances of returning unharmed are significantly low.
But now I found myself here of my own accord. And it was none other than three
“To the Party, you see.” Seeing people being dragged to the Inspection Office under false accusations, some people mocked them, saying they were unlucky because they had committed a great sin in their previous life.
In that sense, I suppose I must have committed quite a grave sin in my past life.
Well, since I was close with those Sojeongdae guys, I suppose you could call that a sin, if you will.
Anyway, they’re useless bastards.
Fortunately, my destination is the office, not the interrogation room.
The person guiding me was an impressive individual with a solemn and rigid expression, befitting a member of the Three Parties.
Anyway, like boss, like subordinate.
“I heard that the Master of the Three Halls uses the interrogation room as his office. I’m not going to be dragged into the interrogation room, am I? Hahaha!”
I cracked a joke, but I was met with a cold glare.
Damn it, I’m so scared I can’t even open my mouth.
The party member who lightly ignored my words stopped in front of the office.
“Master, I have brought him.”
Let it in.
A man with a cold demeanor nodded, and I opened the door and stepped inside with an awkward expression.
The stares following me until the door closes are very uncomfortable.
What’s up with that? Is he doing that on purpose?
As I entered the office, shaking off the uneasy feeling.
“Huh?”
An unexpected sight caught my eye.
Smashed table and scattered papers.
and.……
Ak Ju-pyeong, with his brows deeply furrowed.
When did that bastard get here again?
As if reading my gaze, Ak Byeong-bi adds a comment.
“I called you here specifically because it seems your visit is related to this child. If you are uncomfortable, would you like to speak separately?”
I shook my head.
“It’s fine. If I tell the Master, it’ll reach Ak Ju-pyeong’s ears anyway.”
Then sit down.
“……
I don’t know why the table is broken, but wouldn’t it be alright if I sat at the table anyway?
“Hmm… is that so?”
Ak Byeong-bi got up as if nothing had happened and moved to the long conference table, and Ak Ju-pyeong and I sat facing each other with Ak Byeong-bi in the middle.
“Right. What brings you here?”
“It looks like Ak Ju-pyeong came for the same reason…….”
“Do not call my name carelessly!”
Akjupyeong growling, baring his fangs.
Why are you so prickly?
Hmm, but if they don’t want to, I shouldn’t go out of my way to invite them.
Because I am a chivalrous hero who never does things others dislike.
I pointed at the guy with the tip of my chin and said again.
Have you heard that there is some trouble between this bastard and Yelu Ke?
bang!
“Jin So-un!!”
Ak Ju-pyeong stares at me with blazing eyes.
“Why, didn’t you tell me not to call you by your name?”
“How dare you… do you know who I am!”
Tsk. Who is it?
“what?”
“I asked who he is. He’s Ak Ju-pyeong from the Ak family, a student at the academy… what else is it?”
Ak Ju-pyeong, who had been muttering to himself, looked at Ak Byeong-bi indignantly.
“Uncle!”
It is a situation where Ak Byeong-bi would likely be quite angry, but for some reason, no emotion is revealed on his face.
Instead, he looks at me and nods.
Representative Jin, let’s keep talking.
“……!”
Ak Ju-pyeong glared with wide eyes, then immediately slumped down onto the ground.
I roughly pointed at the guy with my chin and continued speaking.
“Anyway, I heard this bastard told his parents. Hey, isn’t it unnecessary for the adults to get involved in a kids’ fight and turn it into a total mess?”
Ak Byeong-bi glanced at Ak Ju-pyeong once, then looked at me again and spoke.
“I heard that this guy was bullied quite severely, too. I heard that Yelu Ke was ambushed at all hours.”
“I have already spoken to them about that matter. From now on, I will only apply for official duels.”
“This can be seen as similar to the incident you were indignant about. As a consequence of that, you left a disability on Ak Ju-pyeong.”
I made a bewildered expression.
Wait, how can you compare that to a gang assault? Honestly, that’s ridiculous.
“Why are you bringing that up? Back then, didn’t this bastard even drag his friends along and beat them up as a group? On the other hand, that fellow Yelu Ke had a bad temper and no friends, so he fought back alone. They are completely different situations.”
Is that so?
That is the way it is.
“Is there nothing for you to step up to?”
“If the Akga clan or the clan head does not step forward, what reason is there for me to do so?”
Ak Byeong-bi, who had been nodding his head, immediately agreed.
“Understood. I will convey the message to the main family separately. The Ak family will not get involved.”
Oh! This easy?
Setting aside other conditions, he readily accepted, making his worry about turning into a bitter rivalry with Ak Byeong-bi, with whom he had managed to have such a good relationship, seem pointless.
Of course, Akjupyeong, who had been listening silently, seemed displeased with our deal.
“What is it that our Akga is afraid of that we would make a deal with a guy like that……!”
However, no sooner had Ak Ju-pyeong finished his vitriol than Ak Byeong-bi’s fist slammed against the table.
Crunch!
A long conference table is shattered in one blow.
So that’s why the guest table broke earlier.
“Shut up!”
“S-Uncle…!”
Ak Ju-pyeong looked at Ak Byeong-bi with a look that said he still couldn’t understand.
However, Ak Byeong-bi’s face was extremely cold.
“If you dare to defile the Akga with that gaping mouth of yours again… I will personally rip your mouth apart.”
“Uh, uh…….”
Ak Ju-pyeong wore an expression as if he were about to burst into tears, as if he could not understand the current situation at all.
However, the evil disease did not stop.
“Let me ask you a question. Was it because Yelu Ke was not only of a wretched background but also of low martial arts skill?”
It is a very obvious thing.
In the Jianghu, where martial arts are mastered and ranks are determined by strength, children who grew up witnessing those rules exploit them more viciously than anyone else.
“Although you are left with a slight disability, you received excellent treatment, so there shouldn’t be much difference in your skills compared to before. Even so, the fact that you have come looking for me like this means you were outmatched in skill, isn’t it?”
His voice gradually gets louder.
“Didn’t you think of improving your skills to face him directly? Didn’t you think of making that bastard Yelu Ke run away just by looking into your eyes!”
When Ak Ju-pyeong did not answer, Ak Byeong-bi’s eyes glared even more fiercely.
“How dare you utter the name of the Ak family after doing that!”
At his uncle’s urging, Ak Ju-pyeong clenched his teeth until they broke.
“Is being born into a good family and having good parents the greatest achievement of your life, you bastard! You don’t know how to do anything else!!!”
In the end, Ak Ju-pyeong bowed his head low.
Tears dripped from the corners of his eyes and spread across his knees.
“If Yelu Ke had been from the Nine Great Sects… no, even if he had been from Baekpalbong, would you have acted the same way?”
I put the brakes on Ak Byeong-bi’s words, which seemed to have gone too far.
You’re being too harsh on the child.
“Oh, Master, please don’t be so harsh. When have you ever seen cowardly fellows take on someone stronger than themselves?”
“!”
Ak Ju-pyeong, who had been hanging his head low, suddenly lifts his head and glares at me.
The face covered in tears and snot is truly hideous.
Despite my attempts to dissuade him, Akbyeongbi showed no intention of stopping.
“Is your entry into the academy entirely due to your own abilities? If you benefited from your family’s connections, you should at least not bring shame upon them!”
“Hiccup…….”
“Get lost! I can’t stand the sight of you!”
Ak Ju-pyeong, his shoulders slumped at Ak Byeong-bi’s order to leave, trudged out of the office.
Ak Byeong-bi was fuming, seemingly unable to let go of his anger even after Ak Ju-pyeong had left.
To think that he is only at that level despite growing up in such a good environment.
Akbyeongbi, who had been angry for quite some time, let out a long sigh and stared at me blankly.
“I envy your sect elders. They must be so lucky to have a disciple like you.”
It didn’t seem like they thought so.
Because every time I send a letter, they tell me to please live quietly.
As I scratched my cheek, Akbyeongbi shook his head.
“I suppose he can’t fully express it in words.”
Is that so?
That’s true.
Akbyeongbi muttered to himself.
“If you are of our family…”
He soon closed his mouth.
No, I’m talking nonsense.
I was curious about the backstory, but I didn’t ask any more questions.
Because Ak Byeong-bi had the look of someone who had seen it all. As promised, Ak Byeong-bi did not step forward from the Ak family.
Whether Yelu Ke understood my story or not, he no longer launched surprise attacks on Yue Zhuping.
I felt a little relieved that a guy like a wild lynx could at least understand what I was saying.
Instead, I did hear stories that Ak Ju-pyeong was constantly running away from Yelu Ke because he visited every day to challenge him to a duel…
Well, still, isn’t this a huge step forward?
Besides, from Ak Ju-pyeong’s perspective, it is only natural that he would not want people to see him, a descendant of the Ak family, avoiding the duel challenged by Yelu Ke.
Nevertheless, because he persistently chased after him and challenged him to a duel, I even heard the news that Ak Ju-pyeong had eventually applied for closed-door training.
Anyway, seriously, both my older and younger brothers have a real knack for making people sick of them.
Around the time news reached that Ak Ju-pyeong was entering the closed-off training cave.
I received a summons from Zhuge Xiaoming.
Finally, it was time to receive the settlement statement for the delegation’s work.
A giggle escapes my lips at the incredibly welcome news I’ve heard after such a long time. ‘What should I dig up this time?’ I didn’t have a moment to rest as I rummaged through the library in my head.
