TL: FoodieMonster007

Geo Sangwoong rejected Baek Suryong’s proposal and left, but Yasu Hyeok stayed behind.

Baek Suryong turned to him. “Yasu Hyeok, what are you going to do?”

“……” Stunned by his defeat at the hands of Hyonwon Kang, Yasu Hyeok slowly lifted his upper body and met Hyonwon Kang’s eyes.

“What are you staring at?” Hyonwon Kang snapped, scowling.

Yasu Hyeok flinched involuntarily, then realizing what he had just done, bit his lip hard, swearing in frustration, “Fuck…”

He had never lost to someone his age before, nor had he ever felt intimidated by them. Facing someone who had completely overpowered him was new territory. To make matters worse, Hyonwon Kang wasn’t an honor student at Azure Dragon Academy, he was a mere delinquent.

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“Fuck? Swearing in front of your senior?” Hyonwon Kang taunted, squatting in front of Yasu Hyeok, his demeanor and expression reminiscent of a street thug extorting money. “Seems you still don’t get it. Hey, freshman, do you know who I…”

THWACK!

Clutching his head, Hyonwon Kang stared at Baek Suryong resentfully. “Why do you keep hitting me? I’m just trying to discipline the newbie…”

“Discipline? You? A mere student?”

Hyonwon Kang hastily explained, “If you don’t set these kids straight now, they’ll walk all over you later. Don’t you see that defiant look in his eyes? We need to crush it now…”

“Mind your own business, dumbass,” Baek Suryong scolded, smacking Hyonwon Kang’s head repeatedly with the Black Dragon Pointer.

“Ouch, what the hell?!”

“Got complaints? Then dodge it, if you can!”

While none of Yasu Hyeok’s attacks had landed on Hyonwon Kang, Baek Suryong’s pointer hit his head again and again with unerring accuracy.

“Ouch! Stop! Stop!” Hyonwon Kang screamed, lifting both hands above his head in surrender.

Only then did Baek Suryong lower the pointer, muttering, “Not a delinquent, my ass. You’re a delinquent to the core. If I catch you bullying your juniors again, you’re dead meat.”

“Understood…” Hyonwon Kang replied meekly.

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Suddenly, Yasu Hyeok, having watched the whole scene, interjected awkwardly, clearly unused to asking for favors, “Excuse me, I’ll take your class. Please teach me martial arts too.”

Baek Suryong chuckled and handed Yasu Hyeok an enrollment form. “Good choice. Sign your name or stamp your personal seal here.”

Yasu Hyeok hastily scrawled his signature and returned the form. “Can you please submit this for me? There’s somewhere I need to go right now.”

“Where?”

Instead of answering, Yasu Hyeok looked in the direction Geo Sangwoong had left, his eyes ablaze. “I have a debt to repay.”

“You’re going after Geo Sangwoong?”

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“Yes.”

At Yasu Hyeok’s determined reply, Baek Suryong clicked his tongue and moved to block the boy’s path. “If you’re thinking of fighting him again, forget it. He went easy on you before.”

“I know,” Yasu Hyeok squeezed out, gritting his teeth in frustration. At first, he had thought that he and Geo Sangwoong were equals, but when Geo Sangwoong clashed with Baek Suryong, he had immediately understood that Geo Sangwoong had been holding back against him all along. This truth made Yasu Hyeok angry, but he wasn’t reckless enough to challenge this senior again right away.“Let me through. I won’t fight him. I can’t win yet.”

“Hmm…” Baek Suryong studied Yasu Hyeok’s eyes, confirming that he wasn’t lying, before stepping aside. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but don’t be late for class.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

With a stoic expression, Yasu Hyeok walked out of the inn.

Baek Suryong watched him leave, then turned to Hyonwon Kang.

Accustomed to being hit, Hyonwon Kang instinctively covered his head, asking warily, “Why are you looking at me like that? Planning to hit me again?”

Baek Suryong laughed, “No, it’s nothing. Anyway, we successfully secured one student, and the other seems to need more time, so let’s leave him be for now.”

“Geo Sangwoong is a lost cause. He doesn’t seem interested in learning martial arts.”

“Want to bet?”

Hyonwon Kang hesitated. He knew Baek Suryong was the type to win any bet, even against ghosts. “…No,” he finally said, shaking his head.

Baek Suryong clicked his tongue in disappointment. “Coward. Right, let’s go meet the next brat.”

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The two left the inn, checking the list Tang Soso had given Baek Suryong.

“Let’s see…”

Baek Suryong’s gaze stopped at a name: Yeo Min. She was a second year, the only female student in the Azure Dragon Academy’s Remedial Class, and had yet to return to the school as she had decided not to stay in the dorms starting this year.

“She’s a live-in worker at the Golden Dragon Inn…”

The two headed straight to the Golden Dragon Inn, the largest inn in the city, boasting seven floors.

“Do you know Yeo Min?” Baek Suryong asked Hyonwon Kang.

Hyonwon Kang shook his head. “I’ve never met her. Never saw her in the Remedial Class either.”

Even though the Remedial Class students frequently played hooky, Yeo Min had the worst attendance record among them.

Baek Suryong concluded, reviewing Yeo Min’s profile.

Hyonwon Kang hesitated for a moment, then added, “About that girl… I’ve heard some rumors.”

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“What rumors?” Baek Suryong asked.

Hyonwon Kang scratched his neck awkwardly. “They say she’ll do anything for money.”

“……” Baek Suryong looked back at the word “kleptomania” in Yeo Min’s profile.

“Welcome, customer!”

By evening, the Golden Dragon Inn was bustling with guests. The largest inn in Nanchang, it had seven floors, each catering to different classes of customers. The first and second floors were accessible to anyone with money. The third and fourth required proof of identity. The fifth and sixth were reserved for local officials, nobles, and renowned martial artists. The seventh floor was by invitation only.

As they approached the inn, Hyonwon Kang’s face lit up with excitement, introducing, “This inn has over thirty chefs and more than a hundred waiters. They’re also famous for their beautiful singers and dancers. I once made it to the third floor, and the drinks there were fucking amazing…”

“Do you enjoy getting hit?”SMACK!

Using the sound of Hyonwon Kang’s head being struck as background music, Baek Suryong entered the inn and began to climb the stairs. Soon, they were stopped on the fifth floor.

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“Sorry, you can’t go any higher.” The martial artist who blocked their way spoke politely but firmly, his hand resting on his weapon as if ready to use force if necessary.

Baek Suryong smiled and stepped forward. “We’re not here to drink. We’re here to see one of our students working here.”

“…A student?” The martial artist frowned.

“Yeo Min, a second year at the Azure Dragon Academy,” Baek Suryong explained.

At Yeo Min’s name, the martial artist’s expression changed slightly. After a brief telepathic conversation, he nodded and led them through a workers’ passage, a low-ceilinged corridor, to a room filled with the scent of incense.

“You’re here to see me?” Yeo Min asked, expecting them. At twenty-two, she was older than the fourth-year Geo Sangwoong, and her physical maturity was evident, with her curvaceous figure accentuated by a revealing red dress, elegantly styled hair, and heavy makeup. Her skirt had a high slit on the side, emphasizing her long, shapely legs.

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Seeing her attire, Baek Suryong narrowed his eyes. “Working at an inn… Right…”

“Gulp… Ahem!” Hyonwon Kang coughed and quickly turned away, face flushing in embarrassment.

Sensing their thoughts, Yeo Min folded her arms and smirked. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m a dancer. What, did you think I was selling my body? Teehee.”

The Golden Dragon Inn frequently hosted performances by dancers, singers, and entertainers, and Yeo Min in particular was a highly skilled dancer who performed on the upper floors, entrancing the crowds with her martial arts-enhanced movements.

Lighting a tobacco pipe, Yeo Min puffed a cloud of smoke, filling the room with a dreamy haze. “Anyway, what do you want? I only have five minutes, so make it quick.”

Baek Suryong stepped forward. “Do you know who I am?”

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“Baek Suryong, the new Remedial Class teacher, right? You’re not exactly a well-known martial artist, but I hear you’ve stirred up quite the commotion at the academy.”

“Good, then this will be quick.” Baek Suryong handed her a class enrollment form.

RIIIIP!

Yeo Min grabbed the form, tore it to shreds, and casually tossed the pieces aside. “I don’t care,” she said.

Grinning, Baek Suryong calmly pulled out another form. “No problem, I brought plenty.”

“Give them all to me. I’ll tear them all up.”

“Why do you work as a dancer? Do you enjoy it?” Baek Suryong asked.

“It pays well,” Yeo Min answered without hesitation, making a circle with her fingers and smiling coldly. “I’m only attending the Azure Dragon Academy because a diploma will help me secure a well-paying job. An inn, a trading company, or an escort agency, it doesn’t matter. Do I seem materialistic?”

It was a line she had said many times, as Baek Suryong wasn’t the first teacher to visit her. Many had tried, giving long speeches before leaving in frustration.

However, Baek Suryong’s response caught her completely off guard.

“There’s nothing wrong with being materialistic. If gold is what you desire, then the answer is simple. I’ll pay you,” he said.

“…What?” Yeo Min was shocked speechless.

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Baek Suryong’s eyes gleamed with opportunity. He knew that not everyone had the same reasons for learning martial arts, and if Yeo Min’s goal was money, then money he would give her.

“I don’t know how much you make working as a dancer, but I’ll pay you more to go back to school. However, I have one condition.”

Baek Suryong’s gaze shifted to Yeo Min’s long legs. While Hyonwon Kang was staring at the same place out of lust, Baek Suryong was carefully observing her bone structure, joints, and muscles.

“Win the Movement Arts Contest in this year’s Heavenly Martial Festival,” he declared.