Chapter 34
‘What… what on earth is going on?’
Ho Yo-beom stood with his mouth agape, jaw practically on the floor, his eyes rolling frantically.
Friends he had known for ages had all died in a single night.
And the man who had killed two of them stood right before his eyes.
Sa Bigang.
An instructor from Yongcheon Hall, wasn’t he?
No, that wasn’t important.
What was more shocking was what had happened between Dan Gu-gi and the three sects.
And the fact that Dan Gu-gi himself was the one who had annihilated the two sects earlier!
He felt utterly pathetic for having been completely unaware of such circumstances all this time.
Could he still call himself their friend after this?
While Ho Yo-beom staggered and barely managed to steady himself, Sa Bigang was searching through the belongings of the deceased Dan Gu-gi.
He found sixteen Devil Fire devices in his possession.
‘Four were used, I see. Obviously one was used by accident, then the rest for testing purposes. That means the remaining two were used when annihilating the two families earlier.’
Well, this was better than expected.
After collecting the Devil Fire, Sa Bigang found something else in the belongings.
A medicine bottle containing undulating dark gray liquid.
Tears of Hella.
A lethal poison that could turn a human body hard as stone with just a single drop.
And a bottle containing jade-colored liquid.
Akan Potion.
A precious medicine that maximizes the body’s mana capacity.
‘One Tears of Hella, five Akan Potions. Not bad at all.’
Having collected all the items, Sa Bigang slowly approached the stunned Ho Yo-beom.
“As you can see, the situation turned out this way. I’ll ask you to handle the cleanup.”
Ho Yo-beom looked at Sa Bigang.
“Who… are you?”
“I told you. An instructor from Yongcheon Hall.”
“Is that really true? But why would an instructor from Yongcheon Hall…?”
“Are you asking why I interfered in this matter? I told you that too. I came to retrieve my belongings.”
“Those belongings being…?”
“The things I just collected. Any other questions?”
“When did you know about their relationship?”
“Hmm. Well, I happened to find out somehow. It’s complicated to explain.”
Sa Bigang gave a vague answer.
After all, they wouldn’t believe him even if he said he had returned from the future.
“Do you think I did something wrong, Hall Master Ho?”
“No… I don’t know anything anymore. I have no idea what’s what.”
He really didn’t know.
One friend had committed an unforgivable sin, while another had annihilated two sects and taken the lives of innocent people.
Moreover, if the same explosion that happened back then had occurred here, he wouldn’t even be standing here now.
But to point out this man’s wrongdoing?
That was too much.
Sa Bigang looked at the dejected Ho Yo-beom with a bitter smile.
“I understand. Your head must be complicated. Take your time and think it through calmly. I know well what kind of person Hall Master Ho is.”
Sa Bigang started walking away, then stopped just before leaving the arena and turned back.
“If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could handle the cleanup here too.”
Ho Yo-beom couldn’t even think of stopping him.
His head was too complicated, just as the man had said.
Right now, just maintaining his sanity was overwhelming enough.
A long time after Sa Bigang had left, his thoughts gradually began to organize.
The first thought that came to mind was guilt.
“Ahhh, Gu-gi! Why didn’t you say even a word to me?”
Eventually, Ho Yo-beom, overwhelmed by loss, collapsed to his knees with a thud.
Tears flowed endlessly.
Looking back, even when Dan Gu-gi had been desperately searching for his daughter, he had never extended a helping hand.
He had only encouraged him in his heart.
But then again, even if Dan Gu-gi had confided his burning inner turmoil to him, what could he have done?
No, come to think of it, Dan Gu-gi had spoken to him about it.
He had simply forgotten completely.
Of course, he hadn’t brought it up directly.
One day, Dan Gu-gi had visited him and suddenly asked with a smile.
“What would you do if the remaining three sects of Angang committed unforgivable acts?”
Back then, he had given a truly foolish answer.
“It would depend on who revealed it.”
“What if it were their servants?”
“Then I would beat that servant to death.”
“Why?”
“I trust my friends. I would never believe the slanderous words of a mere servant wagging his tongue. And think about it. Would the Baek Family, Jin Family, and Geumjeong do such things? Such a thing would be absolutely impossible.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Seeing Dan Gu-gi reply with a bitter smile, he had asked.
“What would you do?”
“I would also beat that servant to death.”
Dan Gu-gi’s expression when he gave that answer was somehow different.
He could sense something like the hatred of an abyss.
However, he thought it was just his imagination.
And he thought the intent of that question was merely to test his friendship.
But it wasn’t.
He had been talking about his own situation for the first time then.
If he had engaged in deeper conversation at that time…
Could he have prevented this tragedy?
Regret is always too late, no matter how fast.
‘Dan Gu-gi… forgive your pathetic friend!’
Eventually, Ho Yo-beom prostrated himself on the spot and wept bitterly, shedding hot tears.
***
“Haaah.”
Mae Seol-lan let out a long sigh and climbed onto the roof of the carriage, flopping down spread-eagle.
‘Where the hell did this guy go?’
The more she thought about it, the more furious she became.
The moment a pillar of fire shot up from the middle of the village, Sa Bigang, who had been beside her, vanished without a trace.
It was around that time that the students, who had been trying to sleep, came running to the side of the carriage and started chattering while looking at the distant pillar of fire.
“Good heavens, what is all that?”
“What’s happening? Where is that place?”
“Let’s go see!”
As they say, there’s nothing more entertaining than watching a fire.
Yeom Ja-ryang and the other students shouted excitedly.
Eventually, Mae Seol-lan quickly stepped forward to stop them.
“Everyone stay at your posts! No one is allowed to leave without permission.”
“Instructor, don’t we have the right to know?”
“That’s right. We’re curious.”
Mae Seol-lan frowned delicately.
“Your safety takes priority over your right to know. Keep quiet and listen. Everyone return to your positions.”
Even after that, the students whined and threw tantrums like children.
Eventually, Mae Seol-lan had to raise her voice before they grudgingly returned to their positions, grumbling.
But the students weren’t the type to obediently follow orders.
Yeom Ja-ryang and a considerable number of other students seized every opportunity to scheme about sneaking down to the village behind the instructor’s back.
Because of this, Mae Seol-lan spent the night with her eyes wide open, monitoring them.
Finally, when dawn broke and the tired students fell asleep, Mae Seol-lan was able to climb onto the carriage roof and lie down.
‘What the hell am I doing here?’
Another sigh escaped her.
Then.
“Is there some trouble you’re having?”
A voice suddenly spoke.
Mae Seol-lan opened her eyes wide and sat up abruptly.
“You…!”
Before she knew it, Sa Bigang was standing tall on the carriage, looking down at Mae Seol-lan with a grin.
Mae Seol-lan twisted her eyebrows and shouted.
“Where on earth have you been all this time?”
“It seemed like there was some commotion in the village, so I went to check it out.”
“Even so, how could you just leave like that without saying a word?”
“Mm, I’m sorry about that. It was such an urgent situation.”
“You also abandoned the students, isn’t that too much? Can this be settled with just an apology?”
“With the excellent Instructor Mae here, what was there to worry about?”
“Are you calling that an excuse right now! At the very least, you should have told me where you were going!”
“Hmm. Are you perhaps… angry?”
At Sa Bigang’s words, Mae Seol-lan flinched.
‘Oh no…! I got carried away without realizing it….’
She had gotten too emotional.
In this ambiguous relationship, getting angry could lead to nothing working out.
Hadn’t the atmosphere been flowing positively until yesterday?
If she pressed him coldly like this now, Sa Bigang might view her differently.
She couldn’t let him forget that sweet atmosphere from last night.
“Angry, I’m not… angry….”
“Hmm, you seem quite angry though?”
“That, that’s….”
“It seems like you have a lot of complaints about me….”
“That’s not the issue, I was worried. Do you know how worried I was that Instructor Sa might have gone somewhere and gotten hurt? If Instructor Sa wasn’t here, I would have to take responsibility for all these students alone…, and I really don’t have confidence in that….”
Mae Seol-lan even seemed to choke up with emotion.
Of course, her inner feelings were surging for a different reason.
‘Damn it! Why am I… with this bastard…!’
She had never experienced failure when it came to seducing men.
When things didn’t proceed according to plan, she became secretly anxious.
Meanwhile, Sa Bigang grabbed Mae Seol-lan’s hand with a seemingly moved expression.
“You’re the first person to worry about me like this. Miss Mae, your feelings are truly beautiful.”
“So please don’t make me worry like this again.”
“I understand. I promise.”
“Really… I don’t know…!”
Mae Seol-lan blushed and slightly averted her gaze.
Sa Bigang looked down at Mae Seol-lan with a pleased expression.
“Miss Mae.”
“Yes?”
“Do you happen to like me?”
‘What? All of a sudden…!’
When Mae Seol-lan was flustered by the unexpected surprise question, Sa Bigang smiled gently.
“Having feelings for someone is never a shameful emotion. Especially for someone like me with such manly and handsome looks, I think anyone could develop such feelings.”
‘What? This bastard…? There’s a limit to jumping to conclusions… What’s with him?’
“However, we have the status of instructors. I’ve been thinking a lot these past few days. What should I do about Miss Mae’s romantic feelings toward me? Of course, I could just close my eyes for one night and go with the flow, but still, aren’t we instructors who should set an example for the students?”
“Uh… what…?”
“At least I am. If I were to share love with Miss Mae during the journey as you earnestly wish….”
“So what are you talking about!”
Mae Seol-lan shouted loudly.
Sa Bigang, who had flinched, looked at her with wide eyes.
“Why are you shouting?”
“Because I don’t understand what Instructor Sa is saying. What do you mean? Sharing love?”
“Well, when a man and woman share love… how should I put it, returning to nature and the harmony of yin and yang….”
“You’re completely mistaken. Do I want that? Earnestly?”
“Wasn’t that the case?”
Mae Seol-lan was so dumbfounded she couldn’t even laugh.
‘That’s what you earnestly wanted!’
He had definitely been panting like a dog in heat until yesterday afternoon, and now what’s this about?
Strangely, this man makes her excited.
Of course, in a very bad way.
‘I absolutely can’t show him that I’m being led around!’
She had tried to be gentle with him, but he had completely misunderstood.
She couldn’t let him think she was a fish already caught.
‘What? I want to share love? How absurd!’
Mae Seol-lan replied firmly.
“Absolutely not! Instructor Sa is not the type of man I like. You’re really misunderstanding things.”
“Is that really true? You’re saying I’m not your ideal type?”
“Of course!”
“That’s strange. In that world, everyone went crazy whenever they saw me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“Anyway, I’m not harboring any romantic feelings toward Instructor Sa at all, so please be aware of that!”
Mae Seol-lan regretted it the moment she finished shouting.
‘Damn it, I shouldn’t have said that last part.’
She should have held back a little more.
This way, wasn’t it like she had not only dropped her nose in perfectly cooked rice but also overturned the table herself?
“Hahaha! Then that’s really fortunate. I thought Miss Mae kept trying to seduce me, so I misunderstood.”
“I was trying to seduce you?”
“Well, if that’s not the case, then fine.”
Sa Bigang grinned and waved his hand.
‘Somehow that look is even more infuriating!’
Though she was boiling inside, Mae Seol-lan tried to regain her composure.
She couldn’t get caught up in the other party’s way of speaking any further.
Since things had turned out this way, she needed to change tactics.
She had tried to approach him as a gentle and soft woman.
Most men couldn’t help but be weak to that type of woman.
But since the situation had become twisted like this, she needed to modify her plan slightly.
She had to approach him as what they call a bad girl type.
The type of woman who seems cold on the outside but caring on the inside.
‘It’s not really my style, but given how things turned out, I have no choice.’
Mae Seol-lan let out a light sigh and said curtly.
“Anyway, since you must have had a hard time all night, get some rest.”
***
It was only at noon that Sa Bigang finished preparing to depart with the students.
“We came all this way and we’re leaving without even seeing the Four Great Sects?”
“What exactly did we come here for?”
Student complaints popped up from here and there.
But it couldn’t be helped.
There were no sects left worth touring.
Changcheon Gate was still standing, but they weren’t in the mood to warmly receive outsiders.
Given the situation, the backlash fell on Sa Bigang.
Groundless stories about Sa Bigang circulated among the students.
The story was that when the explosion occurred last night, Sa Bigang had run away alone to save himself, abandoning the students.
Of course, the source of that rumor was Yeon U-gyeong and Gok Bo-ok’s group, but the students who hadn’t seen Sa Bigang all night were in a half-believing mood.
Regardless, Sa Bigang led the students toward their next destination.
But it was when they were almost out of the village.
A group dressed in red martial uniforms came chasing after them, shouting.
“Stop!”
When Dan Li-jeong, who was leading the way, stopped the carriage, what appeared to be the leader of the group slowly approached.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense.
The students watched nervously.
That was understandable, since this village had already been hit by misfortune three times, hadn’t it?
They were inwardly anxious about getting caught in the crossfire.
The martial artist who appeared to be the leader asked one of the students.
“Is there someone named ‘Sa Bigang’ here?”
“Y-yes, there is.”
“Who is he?”
“That’s me. What business do you have?”
Sa Bigang, who had gotten off the six-horse carriage, walked over with a frown.
Min Yu-hyang and Baek Mi-ryeong whispered to each other.
“Could the instructor have caused some trouble?”
“It must be that. He was nowhere to be seen last night, wasn’t he? I knew this would happen.”
But then.
The martial artists all took the cupped hands salute position in unison and bowed their heads respectfully, shouting.
“The disciples of Changcheon Gate pay our respects to our esteemed benefactor!”
Their voices were so loud that birds in the nearby forest fluttered up into the sky.
