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Chapter 29: An Unexpected Dinner Invitation
The boy who was splattered with blood after slapping the injured student raised his head, glared at me and snarled, “Hey! Did you just call me the Crazy Demon?”
His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled like a lion’s mane, and his canines showing as he growled like a wounded animal, as if he were threatening to bite me if I got in his way.
“How dare you mention that nickname in front of me? Huh?” He strode toward me while making sure to use the bloodied student as a stepping stone.
“…Hyung-nim.” Myeong Il-Oh tugged at my sleeve, a warning for me not to get involved in an unnecessary conflict.
However, I didn’t budge. On the contrary, the corners of my mouth turned up in a wide grin. Yeah, I’d rather deal with the bad boys than the goodie two shoes.
This boy possessed a sharp killing intent and battle instinct that was rare within the polite, no-nonsense orthodox sect. He honestly showed his feelings regardless of whether the other person was older, stronger, or more senior than him.
Damn, I’ve taught so many kids like him that I’m suddenly hit by a wave of nostalgia. For the first time since reincarnating, I’ve found a kid that seems fun to teach.
The delinquent sauntered in front of me, shot me a death glare and said, “I’ve never seen you in school before… But heh, aren’t you hella good-looking? Before I smash your face to a pulp, answer this: Did you pick a fight with me because you knew who I was?”
My skin prickled from his audacity. I smirked and opened my mouth to reply, but before I could say anything, I was interrupted by two new arrivals.
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SWISH. SWOOSH.
“Student Hyon-Won Kang.”
“What the fuck do you want?”
It was the sullen-looking twins from earlier, and thanks to them, I finally heard the delinquent boy’s name.
Wait, Hyon-Won Kang? No wonder he resembles Master Hyon-Won Hu, the Crazy Demon (狂魔), so much… They must be related!
The Crazy Demon Hyon-Won Hu was one of the four masters who escaped from the Blood Cult with me. Before he was captured, he was once the greatest blademaster in the history of the Hyon-Won Clan. However, he became so obsessed with martial arts that he defied his family’s expectations and went on a Hundred Duels Campaign, earning the title of “Crazy Demon” from his brutal treatment of his foes. His violent crimes eventually made him a public enemy of the murim, and he ended up getting captured by the Blood Cult while on the run.
“All I wanted was to see the absolute peak of martial arts. I don’t regret my actions, and if I could go back in time, I would make the same choice. Still… I do feel sorry about what I did to my family. I’ve caused them a great deal of trouble.”
“Hmph, what’s so great about the Hyon-Won Clan? It’s not like they’ll ever let you return there.”
“Shut up, you fucking bandit.”
“Huhuhu, why don’t you be my subordinate instead? You’re fierce and mean-looking, perfect for being a debt collector. If we work together, the Great Viridian Forest Gang will…”
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“When I get out of here, the first thing I’m gonna do is rip your damned mouth off.”
…Every time I recall those two, they’re fighting over something or another.
Anyway, back to the kid named Hyon-Won Kang. He was so similar to Master Crazy Demon that I wondered if he was his reincarnation. It wasn’t just his face that resembled him; even the way he carried himself and his body frame were almost identical.
I heard that Master Crazy Demon never had any children, though. Is he the descendant of Master’s sibling? I recalled the old stories that Master Crazy Demon had told me about his past.
Meanwhile, Hyon-Won Kang frowned in annoyance at the twins’ interruption and growled, “What are you doing? Didn’t you hear what that bastard said? He called me the Crazy Demon. Don’t you guys know who the Crazy Demon is?”
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“……”
“……”
The twins shot me a look that said, “Did you really say that?”
I shrugged and replied, “I never said anything of the sort.”
“What?” Hyon-Won Kang glared at me incredulously.
The twins looked back at Hyon-Won Kang expressionlessly.
“You heard him.”
“All bystanders, please step back.”
“Ahh, seriously…” Hyon-Won Kang gritted his teeth and took a step forward.
At the same time, the twins drew their weapons.
A baton and a rope? Those are weapons used by prison wardens, not martial artists!
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The twins pointed their weapons at Hyon-Won Kang.
“If you come any closer to us,” One twin started.
“We’ll subdue you,” the other twin finished.
Do these two have a habit of speaking in tandem?
“Kuhaha, is that what you want, a fight?” Rather than backing down, Hyon-Won Kang raised his dao and pointed it at the twins, his killing intent leaking through his bared teeth. “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d believe me. It’s always like this, people like you only learn to stay out of my way after they’ve been thrashed.”
The twins’ faces hardened as Hyon-Won Kang revealed his true colors.
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“It doesn’t matter,”
“Whether you’re telling the truth or not.”
“Neither us nor the Student Council,”
“Will tolerate any more disturbances.”
Hyon-Won Kang snorted standoffishly and drew his dao. Moonlight reflected off the aquamarine colored blade as he flourished it several times before pointing it at the twins.
“What kind of idiot can’t even finish a full sentence by themselves? Bring it on.” He smirked.
““……””
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, the crowd took several steps back and cleared out a space for the three students to brawl it out. When that was done, the three immediately began their fight.
Oh? All three of them are pretty good. The twins’ coordination is surprisingly sophisticated, as if they can read each other’s minds. They always move at the same time to apply pressure on Hyon-Won Kang, and whenever he counterattacks, one would defend against the blow while the other takes advantage of the gaps in his technique.
Beside me, Ak Yeon-Ho muttered in amazement, “The twins complement each other perfectly.”
The twins were constantly weaving around Hyon-Won Kang, but they never got in each other’s way even once. For the delinquent, it must have felt like he was facing one enemy, then two, then one, then two, over and over again.
“Those two have practiced so hard that they can tell what the other is thinking just by exchanging glances,” Myeong Il-Oh murmured in admiration.
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Being able to impress those two was a testament to the twins’ ability to fight as a pair. However, they didn’t really arouse my interest.
“The delinquent kid is much more amazing.”
Hyon-Won Kang was staggering around as if he were drunk (he was), but he was somehow still dodging or parrying all the most dangerous attacks. He twisted his body in breathtaking stunts, swung his sword in exaggeratedly large motions to shake off his opponent, and taunted, “Is this all you have? Looks like this year’s Student Council isn’t worth much after all.”
““……””
The twins’ offensive intensified. The baton grazed Hyon-Won Kang’s shoulder, while the rope wrapped around Hyon-Won Kang’s ankles like a snake’s tongue.
Meanwhile, as time wore on, more and more onlookers, including students from the Azure Dragon Academy, showed up to watch the brawl.
CHITTER CHATTER.
“Is it Hyon-Won Kang again?”
“He picks fights wherever he goes…”
“I wonder why he hasn’t been expelled yet.”
Although those words are filled with contempt and hatred, I can sense the fear hidden beneath the tough remarks. They are instinctively afraid of Hyon-Won Kang.
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That said, Hyon-Won Kang’s current skills were not that impressive, even though he was one of the most talented martial artists among the students that I’ve met so far.
“Weird…” I scratched my head in confusion as I observed Hyon-Won Kang’s blade technique.
Why is he using such a crappy blade technique? Even if they’re inferior to Master Crazy Demon’s own creations, the Hyon-Won Clan’s martial arts is still one of the murim’s finest. Yet, that blade technique Hyon-Won Kang is using right now is too lousy to be passed down in a prestigious martial arts clan.
“Is that the original Hyon-Won Clan martial art?”
“About that…” Ak Yeon-Ho hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “I’ll tell you later.”
Looks like something happened to the Hyon-Won Clan that I don’t know about. Since I couldn’t find out the answer right now, I focused on watching Hyon-Won Kang fight.
“Kuhuhu, I’m slowly getting the gist of your attacks,” Hyon-Won Kang said.
Despite practicing an inferior martial art, Hyon-Won Kang’s talent was outstanding. At first, he had struggled with the twins’ combination techniques, but now, he was overwhelming them.
SWOOSH! CLANG! CRASH!
““Ugh…””
Every time Hyon-Won Kang spotted a gap in the twins’ defense, his eyes sharpened and his dao struck like lightning.
CLANG! BANG!
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
Just like that, the battle was over. Disarmed, the frustrated twins retreated backward, their hands bleeding.
Hyon-Won Kang rested his dao on his shoulder, strode toward them, and taunted, “Would you rather get down on your knees now, or would you rather get beaten up and then get on your knees?”
The twins wordlessly clenched their fists, showing their willingness to fight to the death. At the same time, the other disciplinary committee members, who had been watching from the sidelines, surrounded Hyon-Won Kang and pointed their weapons at him.
“Student Hyon-Won Kang, this is your last warning.”
“Don’t get yourself into more trouble than you’re already in.”
“This is the last time we’ll look the other way.”
“Ha. If strength doesn’t work, then use numbers, huh?” Surrounded as he was, Hyon-Won Kang didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down. He gulped down the remaining liquor in the flask, then threw the empty flask to the ground and wiped the liquor on his mouth with the back of his hand. The corners of his mouth turned up, as if he was enjoying the situation.
“Kuku. Alright, try me,” Hyon-Won Kang continued, releasing a fierce killing aura.
However, the disciplinary committee members, including the twins, did not fall back.
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A second brawl was imminent.
Ak Yeon-Ho suggested, “Hyung-nim, shouldn’t we stop them?”
“No, we can’t. It would affect our practical exam results…” Myeong Il-Oh objected.
I folded my arms and did not respond to either of their opinions. “Let’s wait and see,” I said.
I wanted to see Hyon-Won Kang’s limits. I wanted to know if that was all he had, or if he was hiding something more. Why does someone with such talent have the eyes of a loser? I wonder what Master Crazy Demon would say if he saw his descendant now?
Well, although I would never know the exact answer, I could at least predict that it would be something really nasty. Master Crazy Demon wasn’t called “crazy” for nothing.
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“Kuku, bring it on! Some of you had better be ready to get slashed!”
“…So crude.”
“…We’ll suppress you.”
The two sides prepared to engage, when suddenly, a husky voice interjected, “That’s enough from you, scoundrel of the Hyon-Won Clan.”
Hyon-Won Kang’s face immediately contorted into an ugly grimace as he glared at the person who had called his name. “Peng Sa-Hyuk…” he muttered through clenched teeth.
A large-built young man squeezed through the crowd of onlookers and smirked. “Don’t you think that you’ve done enough? You’re already sober, aren’t you? Return to your dorm, take a bath and go to sleep.”
“…Fuck off and stay out of my business.”
“Do I look like I’m asking you for a favor?” Peng Sa-Hyuk grinned, then drew a huge dao from behind his back.
If you′re seeing this, you are at the wrong place.
SHIIING.
Although Hyon-Won Kang was quite tall, the newcomer wasn’t any shorter than him. Not only that, he was also a lot more muscular.
“If you don’t want to stain what little is left of your clan’s honor, then you should do as I say.”
“……” Hyon-Won Kang gritted his teeth and stared daggers at Peng Sa-Hyuk.
Meanwhile, I turned toward Myeong Il-Oh and asked, “Peng Sa-Hyuk?”
“…Have you heard of the Hebei Peng Clan, Hyung-nim?”
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The Hebei Peng Clan was one of the so-called Five Great Clans, which meant that they were one of the largest and most powerful families in the orthodox sect murim.
If I remember right, the Hebei Peng Clan and the Hyon-Won Clan are rivals, each priding themselves on being the world’s best at Dao techniques. However, if a few words from the Hebei Peng Clan’s heir is enough to rein in Hyon-Won Kang, then that can only mean that…
Myeong Il-Oh lowered his voice and continued, “Peng Sa-Hyuk is also the President of the Club Union, which, along with the Student Council President Dok-Go Jun, makes him the ultimate authority among the students.”
“Hyon-Won Kang doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would give in to authority…” I muttered.
As if he’d heard me, Ak Yeon-Ho bitterly replied, “There’s a bit of unpleasant history between the two clans.”
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“I can’t wait to hear all the stories you have to tell later when we get back.”
As we chatted among ourselves, Hyon-Won Kang sheathed his dao and turned to leave, saying, “Damn it, I’m all out of booze, and even the lingering taste is gone.”
“Well done protecting your clan’s reputation, even if it is insignificant.”
“……” With one last glare at Peng Sa-Hyuk, Hyon-Won Kang strode through the crowd, who quickly made way for him.
The twins tried to restrain him, but Peng Sa-Hyuk stopped them. “Leave him alone. I’ll talk to the Student Council President.”
““……””
After Hyon-Won Kang had disappeared into the crowd, Peng Sa-Hyuk turned toward us, smiled broadly and greeted, “I was wondering who you three were…but you seem to be the new teacher candidates. Your good looks really stand out, so you left a strong impression on me. By the way, I am Peng Sa-Hyuk, the President of the Club Union.”
Peng Sa-Hyuk had a gentle smile that didn’t match his bear-like bulk. For a moment, I sensed something distasteful about his smile, but I hid my instant dislike of him and smiled back, saying, “I’m Baek Su-Ryong.”
“…Ak Yeon-Ho.”
“And I’m Myeong Il-Oh!”
Peng Sa-Hyuk quickly scanned us with cold eyes and chuckled, “I apologize for what happened today. We’ve shown you prospective instructors an embarrassing sight.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a festival, and stuff like that is inevitable when people get drunk.”
“Haha, although I appreciate your generosity and understanding, I still can’t help but feel ashamed…” Peng Sa-Hyuk locked gazes with us and politely asked, “As a way of apologizing, I’d like to treat you guys to dinner. What do you think?”