Book 21 Chapter 11

Interlude leisure, Yoon Jun-ho's testimony

—The suspicion remains hazy.

"I feel like I'm being hated for some reason. Hyung, did you do something wrong to Instructor Ok?"

Hyoryong asked Jang Hong, who was dejected as soon as the briefing ended.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I was wondering why the cold wind was blowing so fiercely. You're always gruff and cold, but it wasn't usually this bad."

After his brother's death, it was already a known fact among a few acquaintances that Hyoryong was from Macheon Pavilion. Everyone knew but chose to look away.

"Something wrong… That's certainly it."

Jang Hong replied in a dejected voice, looking pitiful.

"What on earth did you do wrong? I might be able to help, you know?"

The curiosity that had been sparked didn't seem to die down easily.

"You don't need to know. It's all karma."

Jang Hong sighed deeply and lowered his head. In his posture, Hyoryong felt a mid-forties melancholy but didn't express it.

'What is he hiding?'

It was certainly odd that the master of such thorough emotional control was so flustered. However, it seemed Jang Hong would never answer if he pressed further.

'There's definitely something. And what about that specific number? Ah! Perhaps Jun-ho knows something?'

Hyoryong recalled how Yoon Jun-ho had also been fidgety when Jang Hong was questioned. He thought that this naive friend, who was clumsy at lying and concealing, would reveal the truth more easily. Fearing that Yoon Jun-ho might run away, Hyoryong approached him like the wind, using advanced movement techniques.

"Hey, Jun-ho. Do you have any idea?"

Hyoryong, who had approached in an instant, whispered in a quiet voice.

"Well, I do have some thoughts, but…"

Yoon Jun-ho trailed off as he answered.

'He does!'

His guess was right. When talking to Yoon Jun-ho, he could tell the truth just by looking at his face. He was such an innocent friend that even if he wanted to hide something, it would all show on his face. He usually worried about how this naive friend would navigate this harsh world, but at times like this, there was no one more approachable.

'The world is indeed harsh, my friend! Forgive me!'

He decided to interrogate Yoon Jun-ho without mercy.

"You have some thoughts."

Hyoryong approached him directly with a conclusive tone.

"It's not certain, but… I think it's because of what happened yesterday. Yesterday in the hallway… Hyung bumped into her."

Hyoryong's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Bumped into her? No, does that even make sense? Even if Hyung couldn't see her due to the corner, there's no way that terrifying 'Blood Rakshasa' Instructor wouldn't sense another person's presence?"

It was unthinkable for someone like Blood Rakshasa, who could not miss the presence of others from twenty to thirty paces away, even if they were ordinary people or novices.

"But it's true…"

Deterred by Hyoryong's strong words, Yoon Jun-ho protested in a voice as small as a mosquito.

"This guy, you're frustrating. Tell me in detail."

Hyoryong beat his chest and urged him to speak. It seemed faster to hear the whole situation.

"W-well, you see…"

It happened around yesterday evening.

According to Yoon Jun-ho's testimony, who was present at the scene, the defendant Jang Hong was moving with a terrified expression, concealing his presence as much as possible. He was desperate, as if it were a shame he couldn't meld into the wall.

His stealth skills were truly remarkable. Even Yoon Jun-ho, who was looking at Jang Hong with his own eyes, doubted whether he was actually there or if he was seeing a phantom of Jang Hong. Even though Macheon Pavilion was practically enemy territory, Jang Hong's obsessive behavior seemed a bit excessive even to the timid Yoon Jun-ho.

"Hyung, um… it's a bit awkward to say, but do you have to move so stealthily?"

Yoon Jun-ho, blushing, asked in a low voice, perhaps feeling embarrassed even though he wasn't the one doing it.

"Of course, of course."

Jang Hong replied in the quietest voice possible. He didn't seem to think it was excessive at all.

"Lower your voice. Have you already forgotten where we are? This is enemy territory! A place teeming with enemies like maggots in dung! How can you walk down such a terrifying corridor with peace of mind?"

But it seemed a bit extreme. It wasn't mere caution; it was like a special agent infiltrating an enemy fortress on a secret mission.

"What if you bump into someone while moving so silently…"

Yoon Jun-ho still seemed worried.

"Hahaha, you're joking! There's no way I'd make such a mistake…"

*Thump! Squish!*

'Huh? Squish? I feel like I've felt this sensation before…'

While Jang Hong was contemplating an unknown sense of déjà vu, Yoon Jun-ho was trembling in the face of cold reality.

"Uh, Hyung…"

Yoon Jun-ho, whose face had turned pale, pointed to Jang Hong's head with trembling fingers. Yoon Jun-ho writhed and only showed confusion, unable to say another word. His mind had gone completely blank.

"Huh?"

Jang Hong's face, which had been looking up from something incredibly soft and bouncy, suddenly turned dark.

A pair of chilling, murderous eyes, glinting with cold rage, stared at him as if to devour him. A familiar face. It was Ok Yu-gyeong, the Blood Jade Fairy, known among the students as the Blood Rakshasa herself.

"Hieeeek! No, uh… this is, you see…!"

Jang Hong, startled as if he had seen an arrow flying towards him, quickly leaped backward and retreated. But it was too late.

*Bang!*

With a loud noise, Jang Hong was hit in the abdomen with sword energy and rolled on the floor.

"Kuherk!"

With a clanging sound, a sword was immediately drawn.

"You insolent fool!"

Two of Ok Yu-gyeong's loyal followers, who were accompanying her, angrily drew their swords. One of them was Seok Ryuha, Jin Hong's Sword Maiden.

"Hiek!"

Jang Hong screamed and covered his face with his arms. Yoon Jun-ho also closed his eyes, thinking it was the end. However, the sword never fell. Jang Hong, unable to suppress his curiosity, moved his crossed arms and looked ahead.

It was Ok Yu-gyeong who blocked the two girls' swords. Seok Ryuha and the other who had rushed forward had to suppress their anger internally, unable to unleash the desired sword fight.

'Tell me when you wish!'

Their burning eyes seemed to say that.

Ok Yu-gyeong's eyes, fixed on Jang Hong's unsightly face, were filled with suspicion and disbelief.

"…Hong-sik?"

Hearing the name that slipped from her lips unconsciously, Jang Hong stopped moving abruptly. He was frozen. Then, suddenly, Jang Hong burst into a vacant laugh.

"Ahahahaha! W-what are you saying? H-Hong-sik? It's a cool name, but you've mistaken me for someone else. Yes! You've mistaken me. I'm not Hong-sik, I'm Hong."

However, Jang Hong's reply was insufficient to dispel Ok Yu-gyeong's suspicion, who was in shock.

"What is your surname?"

Her tone was filled with a strong will to confirm. The stronger that will became, the more perplexed Jang Hong seemed.

"What do you intend to do knowing the surname of a mere commoner like me? Hehehe."

Jang Hong let out a foolish laugh.

"Hyung, are you alright?"

Yoon Jun-ho, convinced that he must have hit his head hard when he fell, asked with a worried voice.

'Shh, shh!'

Jang Hong, startled, glared at Yoon Jun-ho, signaling him to be quiet, but it was too late.

"Hmm, is this person's surname Jang?"

Ok Yu-gyeong asked with a very intrigued expression.

"Y-yes."

The innocent Yoon Jun-ho answered honestly.

"You know each other?"

"Yes, we are classmates."

At those words, the woman's eyes widened again.

"Classmates? You seem quite young. What grade are you in?"

Ok Yu-gyeong asked in a voice still filled with shock.

"I'm in my third year at Cheonmu Academy."

"So, are you over twenty?"

"Y-yes."

In fact, Yoon Jun-ho looked much younger than his age. Due to his timid personality, he looked even younger, making it not strange if he seemed like a teenager.

"Ho, classmates with people in their early twenties… That's quite a promotion in itself."

The woman's lips twisted as she looked at Jang Hong. It was clearly a sneer.

"No, that's, well…"

Whether his legs had given out or he was still not in his right mind, Jang Hong waved his hands, not even thinking of getting up from the floor. Ok Yu-gyeong just stared at him with a cold gaze.

Under that gaze, Jang Hong's body shrank further and further. Meanwhile, the Blood Jade Fairy Ok Yu-gyeong's complexion turned redder and redder with raging anger. Immense killing intent emanated from her entire body.

"You really, you really…"

It seemed she couldn't even speak properly due to boundless rage. Jang Hong's complexion turned paler and paler. What appeared on his face was clearly fear.

"You really had the audacity to face me with that face."

*Clang!*

Ok Yu-gyeong's sword-drawing technique was as fast as lightning.

"Hieeeek!"

Jang Hong, despite his terror, raised his sword and blocked that swift single strike.

"You dare block it?"

Dark, thick killing intent emanated from the white sword aimed at Jang Hong's Adam's apple.

"Slash!"

Ok Yu-gyeong, seemingly having lost her reason, swung her sword indiscriminately. Jang Hong hastily threw himself to the side from the terrifying strike that raged like a storm.

"Hieeeek!"

The killing intent imbued in that sword was undoubtedly clear.

"It's dangerous, Hyung!"

Yoon Jun-ho, who was watching, exclaimed in great alarm. Indeed, she was a martial instructor of Macheon Pavilion. Her sword was incredibly fierce. At this rate, Jang Hong's life would be as precarious as a candle in a typhoon.

"So, my story…"

Jang Hong desperately tried to communicate while dodging the sword techniques. However, Ok Yu-gyeong seemed unwilling to converse.

*Screeeeeech!*

Terrifying sword techniques poured down incessantly, assaulting Jang Hong's entire body.

"No, wait! The whole story here is…"

Jang Hong, his life hanging by a thread, frantically waved his hand, trying to make an excuse.

"No questions, no answers!"

Ok Yu-gyeong was not ready to listen at all. The sword light flashed.

"Die! Right now!"

Her sword tip drew seven red trails as it flew towards Jang Hong.

"Desperate Killing Technique: Blood Wind Orchid!"

Upon seeing that sword technique, Seok Ryuha exclaimed with a mix of doubt. Was that man really that formidable to warrant using a technique as high-level as Blood Wind Orchid? He certainly didn't look like it. However, Seok Ryuha soon had to acknowledge the fact in shock. She didn't know how, but that clumsy old man had managed to dodge all seven red orchid petals of Blood Wind Orchid.

"How can this be… Blood Wind Orchid failed to inflict even a scratch…!"

Even if she had witnessed it directly, it was hard to believe. If she had only heard about it, she would have dismissed it as a lie. But reality was reality. The fact that he had dodged Blood Wind Orchid was an undeniable truth.

'What in the world is this man's true identity?'

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Jang Hong, who had barely escaped with his life, gasped for breath.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Ok Yu-gyeong also seemed exhausted by his evasive maneuvers, which were as slippery as a loach.

"Just a moment!"

At that moment, Yoon Jun-ho squeezed between the two.

"Move aside. This does not concern you."

"No, it does. I am his friend."

"Friend? You're his friend?"

Her face showed great surprise. Ok Yu-gyeong looked back and forth between Yoon Jun-ho and Jang Hong several times. Her face was still full of disbelief.

"Are you really his friend?"

"Yes. Therefore, I need to know why you, Instructor, are using your killing techniques."

This was an attitude that could never be imagined from his usual timid self.

"Are you that curious about the reason? Then I will tell you!"

Ok Yu-gyeong pointed a finger at Jang Hong's brow and shouted.

"This man is a traitor!"

Yoon Jun-ho's eyes widened in shock.

"A traitor? That's impossible… it's impossible."

"I understand you don't want to believe it. However, the fact that he is a traitor remains unchanged."

Ok Yu-gyeong's words were firm.

"Hyung, it's not true, is it? A traitor…"

Jang Hong was not like that. Yoon Jun-ho hoped Jang Hong would deny it himself. But he couldn't.

"…"

Suddenly, all expression vanished from Jang Hong's face. All the previous bewilderment and fear were gone. It was a blank expression as if he were wearing a mask, but perhaps it was more like the mask of 'expression' had fallen off, revealing his true face.

Jang Hong's blank expression was not just an indifferent face; it was an expression that reduced everything to nothingness. Looking at that face, Yoon Jun-ho felt a sense of emptiness and lost his words.

*Chaarang!*

Was Ok Yu-gyeong the same? She adjusted her stance and put her sword back in its scabbard.

"My mood is ruined for today. The continuation of the story will be postponed."

Her voice was cold, her eyes were cold. They were eyes that absolutely did not allow forgiveness.

"We'll see for now. But you should be careful from now on, student Jang Hong!"

With a final remark filled with hostility, Ok Yu-gyeong left the spot. Jang Hong and Yoon Jun-ho, who were left behind, remained silent for a while.

"What kind of woman is she…"

Yoon Jun-ho muttered, watching her retreating figure.

"Stop it."

Jang Hong opened his mouth.

"…"

Yoon Jun-ho was startled by the words that suddenly came from Jang Hong's mouth, which seemed like it would remain silent forever.

"Don't speak ill of her."

His face was etched with fatigue, but he looked much more alive than before.

"Hyung."

"It's all my fault."

In this situation, it was clearly the other party's fault. It was wrong to swing a sword like that just for bumping into someone on the street. However, considering the conversation they had exchanged and the fact that Jang Hong himself said so, there seemed to be some hidden circumstances.

"Please don't ask any more."

Yoon Jun-ho couldn't ask any questions. Jang Hong fell into a deep silence again. Agony flickered in his eyes.

"And then they parted ways?"

Hyoryong, who had been listening blankly to Yoon Jun-ho's account, asked again.

"Yes, that's right."

"You're lucky to be alive, Hyung."

There were people who had lost an arm just for carelessly touching a high-ranking female martial artist's wrist. Seen in that light, whether intentional or not, for causing such an insulting disturbance and surviving was fortunate.

"I know, right? I really thought I was going to die."

Just thinking about it made Yoon Jun-ho's heart shrink to the size of a quail's egg.

"Well, I can't believe such a ridiculous thing happened…"

In that case, Ok Yu-gyeong's attitude was understandable. However, that alone wasn't enough; something unclear remained like sediment. This was true not only for Yoon Jun-ho's testimony but also for the strange numbers presented at the briefing.

"I understand that cold attitude, but it's not like the usual Instructor Ok. It's as if you two knew each other from before."

What was surprising was that Jang Hong was still alive despite having done such a thing to that Blood Rakshasa.

'Suspicious, suspicious.'

Hyoryong's instincts whispered that. The suspicion had not yet completely cleared.

The suspicion remained hazy.