Book 23 Chapter 4

"Here, take this and use it!"

"Shin-geom? Shin-bong? Shin-mookdagi?"

"You look like you have something to say? Good, I'll be generous. If you have something to say, say it now. This opportunity doesn't come every day."

The master, who had recovered the True Biraedo, asked his noticeably gloomy disciple. Biryu-yeon was trying to regain his composure. If he continued to show a moment of weakness in front of his damned master, he would be held accountable for it forever. However, it wasn't as easy as he thought.

"It's fine that you took the True Biraedo. I can't help it. But at least give me a spare one!"

Biryu-yeon demanded in a firm voice. Originally, the Birae-mun had a Biraedo used for practice. It wasn't as good as the original, but it was sufficiently usable. Honestly, he wasn't in a position to be picky right now. Having something, even if it's slightly inferior, was much better than having nothing at all.

"That's not allowed either."

The master was acting as if he would die if he said 'yes' today.

"Why is that not allowed either?"

Biryu-yeon asked, as if challenging him.

"Didn't I teach you before? It's not good to rely too much on weapons."

The master said in a scolding tone.

"I don't rely on it."

Biryu-yeon replied in a sharp voice. He felt incredibly wronged.

"Yes, then there's no problem, right? That's a relief."

It was not a relief at all.

"That's that, and this is this!"

Biryu-yeon shouted. He couldn't help but raise his voice.

How could the two be the same? Not relying on it and not needing it were completely different things. He was clearly pretending not to know. The master pointed at the 'Hyeoncheon-eunrin' placed to Biryu-yeon's right and said,

"Besides, you have that black umbrella, don't you? That should be enough."

As expected, the master had a sixth sense. However, he couldn't just answer 'yes'.

"It's not enough!"

Biryu-yeon replied curtly. However, it didn't seem to be very effective against the master.

"Then what do you think I'll say?"

The master asked in a testing voice.

"Sigh, not enough? Then you'd say, 'We'll just make it enough!' That's what you'd say, eight or nine times out of ten."

Biryu-yeon replied with a small sigh. Sometimes, knowing too much was also tiring.

"You know very well. But tell me anytime. If it's not enough, I'll sell it off immediately. Why would you keep something you don't need? It looks like it would fetch a good price if sold."

His eyes, flashing with desire, focused on the Hyeoncheon-eunrin. Biryu-yeon, who had personally crafted it and put a lot of effort into its creation, couldn't help but flinch.

"Heh heh, you don't need to be so wary. Do you think I, your master, wouldn't give you a replacement?"

It seemed like he wanted to say, "Don't see me as such a stingy person."

"Really?"

The master nodded heartily.

"Yes, of course."

Then, he picked up 'that' thing next to him and presented it to Biryu-yeon.

"Here! Take this!"

Biryu-yeon exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Th-this is…"

"Heh heh, how is it? Grateful, aren't you?"

The master said with a bright smile.

"There's no way!"

An angered Biryu-yeon shouted back. The thing the master had offered was something Biryu-yeon had personally watched being made, and the words 'Takedown Awakening Mental Staff' were inscribed on its body. It was unreasonable for Biryu-yeon not to get angry when he was handed a hastily made club for beating people to use in battle.

"Y-you want me to use this?"

Biryu-yeon asked incredulously, looking at the rough and crude iron club with obvious signs of hasty construction placed before him.

"Yes."

The master replied without hesitation.

"You're joking, right?"

"Hmph, joking? It's the absolute truth. And what's wrong with this staff? A true master doesn't discriminate against tools."

While the words were true, it felt a bit too much. It looked intentional no matter how he looked at it.

"Is this revenge, by any chance?"

The quick-witted Biryu-yeon asked cautiously. Refusing this would mean he couldn't even be considered a master.

"Huh? Revenge? What revenge are you talking about?"

The old master put his arms on his chest and feigned ignorance, as if he knew nothing.

'As expected, it's definitely revenge!'

Seeing his attitude, his certainty only grew stronger. However, he had no means to resist right now.

"You don't like it?"

The master asked.

"Of course, I don't like it. But I have no choice but to use it, right? Even if I really, really, really hate it?!"

"It's good that you know that."

As expected, the master had an incredible personality. Biryu-yeon was reminded of who he learned from every time this happened.

'Damn it!'

A curse naturally slipped out.

"That's a wise decision."

The master replied, humming contentedly. Watching his gleeful expression, Biryu-yeon clenched his fists inwardly and ground his teeth. He understood why the idiom 'woshin-sangdam' (enduring humiliation for future revenge) was created. It was his eternal regret that his current capabilities were insufficient to wipe that gleeful expression off his face.

"Sigh, fine, fine. So you're getting revenge, huh? You must be having a lot of fun tormenting your disciple! I can't help it. If you tell me to do it, I'll do it. Then at least teach me the technique you showed me earlier."

"Huh? What technique?"

"The technique where the black bead and the white bead spun around earlier. You said you still had the secret manual, didn't you?"

"I did."

"Then teach me that at least. Since my Biraedo was taken, I should at least learn that. There's a saying, 'a chicken instead of a pheasant,' right? If you don't want to teach me, at least give me the secret manual so I can teach myself."

"Secret manual? I don't have it with me now."

It was the last straw.

"Why don't you have it? Did you sell it off?"

It was entirely possible.

"No, I gave it to some guy a long time ago. Along with a pair of swords."

"Swords?"

"Ah, it was originally a technique that used one sword and one saber. It was bundled with the original secret manual. Well, it was useless to me, so why would I keep it? I just gave it away."

"You didn't give it for free, did you?"

"Heh heh, what strange talk. Would I, who possesses a heart as vast as the boundless sky and a generosity as wide as the ocean beyond the land, cling to such trivial things? Of course, I gave it for free."

Biryu-yeon's eyes widened at his words.

"Lies! Hah, was that person a peerless beauty? How could a stingy, penny-pinching master give away something that sells for a high price for free…"

Biryu-yeon still couldn't believe it. This was one of the most surprising things he had learned today.

"She wasn't a beauty. But she was a pretty one. She was often mistaken for a woman. It's fortunate I found her on the street, otherwise, she might have been sold to a brothel. She was a foolish person."

As if remembering an old memory, the master poured himself another drink and downed it.

"Was she perhaps a disciple?"

The master shook his head.

"No, that person wasn't a disciple. She wanted to be my disciple, but our fates didn't align."

The master's drunken eyes seemed to be looking at a time other than the present.

"Still, you must have taught her something, even indirectly, right? You wouldn't have just thrown a book at a complete novice and told them to teach themselves, would you? Then you might remember something. Please teach me at least what you remember."

Biryu-yeon was being quite persistent today. The master seemed to be hiding something.

"I don't know anything other than this technique."

The master said dismissively, waving his hand as if annoyed.

"Why don't you know?"

Biryu-yeon shouted with a suffocating feeling.

"Because I'm not interested in weak techniques."

The master said nonchalantly, pouring and swallowing a glass of Moon Dew. It was truly arrogant speech, but coming from this old man, it felt natural.

"Keeu! Fine, fine. Then teach me that technique at least. The one that creates the black bead and the white bead."

"This? No!"

"No, why? Why not again? This is really too much!"

Biryu-yeon, indignant, couldn't hold back and let out a loud shout.

"It's too early for you! That's why. Do you have a complaint?"

Of course, he had many complaints, but he wasn't the type to keep quiet when he did.

"…So, what you're saying is…"

Then, the master put down his self-brewed drink and grinned.

"You're just realizing that now? There's nothing, absolutely noth-ing, I can give you, my disciple! So, try your best! Humans are born bare-handed, and they return bare-handed. And speaking of which, I had some trouble finding you, my disciple. Even if we set aside the tear-jerking travelogue of an old master searching for his runaway disciple, wouldn't it be a great disappointment to me if you didn't suffer?"

In other words, this suffering was already planned.

"Kugh!"

He had hoped for the best, but it was as he feared. He had deliberately shown him a technique he wouldn't teach, knowing he would choose the second-best option if the best wasn't available! Even though the teachings of the sect stated that one should return more than what they received with interest, it was truly too much.

'This damn slippery old man! Just you wait! I will definitely get revenge!'

Biryu-yeon vowed to himself again and again, vowing not to forget today's humiliation and to repay it with interest.

"Sigh, can I go now?"

Biryu-yeon said in a dejected voice, depressed by the confiscation of his Biraedo. In truth, he had no desire to stay there for long; it felt like a part of his body had been taken away, and the longer he stayed, the more resentful and wronged he felt, to the point of going crazy. In that case, it might be a personal release, but what benefit would it bring him? He wanted to escape this suffocating place as soon as possible and enjoy freedom under the open sky. But perhaps he had read his mind? The master said curtly,

"No."

"Why?"

Biryu-yeon retorted.

"Because there's something to do."

The master's answer was very unfriendly. After all, if the master were friendly, that would be even more terrifying.

"What do you mean, something to do? Do you only feel satisfied by making your only disciple work their fingers to the bone when you come all the way here? Look at this vast Dongting Lake and have a broader heart. Expand your narrow mind, expand it."

The master's reaction was swift.

"Do you want to be hit?"

He asked, raising his fist slightly. It seemed he wasn't pleased with his disciple discussing the breadth of his heart.

"Sigh~ Just state your business briefly."

Biryu-yeon said with a deep sigh. This was why he hated entering this room.

"Hey, you're in a hurry. Try to be a bit calmer."

"Who do you think I take after, Master? It's all the influence of my environment, the environment."

It was a disciple who seemed to have made it his creed never to admit fault.

"It's nothing much… I have to go somewhere with you tomorrow."

"Where is that?"

Biryu-yeon, who didn't want to go anywhere with his master, reluctantly asked.

"The auction house!"

"The auction house?"

The master nodded lightly.

"I have something to put up for auction."

Actually, there were two. And in the hundreds.

"……?"

"I acquired these on the way to Dongting Lake. For some reason, that place is frequently attacked by others. I'm even starting to suspect they enjoy being attacked."

"That place is a bit like that. But does it fetch a good price?"

The master nodded and said.

"It's excellent quality. Even from my perspective, it's made with very high-quality materials and it's custom-made. It will definitely sell for a very high price. I'm quite looking forward to it."

The master said with confidence.

"What kind of item is it?"

Biryu-yeon, now curious, asked about the identity of the item for sale. The master replied.

"A boat. I'm putting up two boats for sale."

Biryu-yeon blinked and said.

"You too?"

"What do you mean, me too?"

This time, the master retorted.

"Ah, it's nothing. But what kind of boat is it?"

Biryu-yeon hastily changed the subject.

"Ah, it's the Heukryongseon, a black boat. I accepted it when it bothered me on the way here."

Truly a master-like action. Biryu-yeon deliberately ignored the fact that he was in no position to talk.

"Heh heh… Where is it from?"

"From what I hear, it's from the Janggang Surochae."

"…Janggang Surochae?"

"Why are you asking?"

"No, come to think of it, I've had some connections with them recently."

It was a name he had been hearing often lately.

"Don't tell me… Come to think of it, another boat was registered in the auction item list. Was it yours?"

Tsk, Biryu-yeon inwardly grumbled his displeasure.

"Ah, now that you mention it, it seems I also put a boat up for auction."

Biryu-yeon said, as if just remembering, casting a wistful gaze into the distance.

"Whose boat is that?"

"It's from Janggang Surochae."

Biryu-yeon replied.

"…What's the name of that boat?"

"Let me see… It had a very grand name… Ah, that's right. It was named Haesin (Sea God). I just remembered now."

"Sea God… What do people who play in rivers know about the sea? It's certainly an arrogant name."

"When those guys, the Janggang Ship-Yongsa or whatever, suddenly ambushed me, I confiscated the boat they were riding as compensation for their failed ambush. It was quite a high-quality item."

"That's great. Then we can sell that together. So, let's meet at the auction house tomorrow. Farewell."

Then the master added briefly.

"Don't run away."

"I'm not running!"

Biryu-yeon shouted back.

* * *

Rumble!

The door to the private room, which had been firmly closed, opened, and Biryu-yeon walked out. He had entered in Yeonbi's form and emerged in his original form.

Boom~

His expression was somewhat dazed, unlike his usual self. His face looked as if he had been possessed by a ghost. His steps down the hallway were wobbly and zig-zagged.

Thump!

"Ouch!"

After taking three more steps, Thump!

"Ouch!"

He, who could dodge the tip of a flying sword by a hair's breadth, couldn't control his body in the wide hallway, where he could spread his arms, and kept bumping into things. However, he didn't seem to feel the pain. This pain and humiliation were nothing compared to the master's knuckle rap, which he couldn't avoid even if he wanted to.

At some point, Biryu-yeon was standing outside the annex. He stood on two feet, gazing at the moon hanging in the night sky. The cold night air jolted his dazed mind. Only then could he feel the weight transmitted through his right hand. As he looked at it blankly, there was a single iron club, which the master had given him instead of ten Biraedos, held there. It was an unprecedented act of tyranny and embezzlement. He raised his head and looked at the moon in the night sky. The crescent moon hanging there looked like a smirk on his master's lips.

"Damn it, I'm cleaned out!"

Now his capital was completely depleted. Even the Biraedo, which was like another self, had been taken away.

'Negotiation? Ridiculous.'

Negotiation was a nice word, but after going in to negotiate, he had lost everything. He had barely survived by being dragged around, losing his initiative to his master, and by a small whim.

All that remained was his life. That was all.

It was truly a humiliating day.