Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 397: Back Then...

The Ninth Elder had no difficulty recognizing the face of the man who had suddenly intruded on the fight. It was a face hard to forget once you had seen his portrait, and he had also made sure to memorize it in case it proved helpful in eliminating the Azure Dragon Hero.
"You are... the Handsome Prince, Baek Muheun? How are you here?"
Baek Muheun sighed deeply. "I really wish people would stop calling me by that alias. Have you ever thought how embarrassing it is to be called a prince at nearly fifty?"
The Ninth Elder snorted. He had no intention of complying with Baek Muheun's request. His eyes glinted cunningly as they darted between him and Mae Geuklyom, who was suffering from severe internal injuries.
"...The Sword Addict and the Handsome Prince appearing before me at the same time. Is today my lucky day or what?" he chuckled.
Secretly, however, he extended his senses and quickly checked if there were any other martial artists around. Fortunately, he couldn't sense any other presences.
There are no other reinforcements.
He smirked maliciously. Mae Geuklyom's internal injuries were grievous. Even if the old man could gather the strength to swing his sword again, it would be nowhere near as threatening as before. The Handsome Prince's martial arts were also vastly inferior to Mae Geuklyom's. He wasn't a threat at all.
Still, the two swords on Baek Muheun's waist did bother him slightly.
Did the Handsome Prince learn dual swordsmanship? This wasn't in our information.
The Ninth Elder narrowed his eyes for a moment, but soon concluded that it wasn't particularly concerning. Although Baek Muheun was stronger than the mentioned, if the intensity of his initial attack was anything to go by, it was nothing he had to worry about. The man had only enjoyed the advantage of a surprise attack and had failed to put a single scratch on his skin.
Losing so many of our assassins sucks, but I'll be able to make up for it by killing these two.
He grinned evilly. "I wonder what expression the Azure Dragon Hero will make when I show him your heads. No, it might be better to kill one and take the other back alive."
Mae Geuklyom's eyes flashed with wrath. "Preposterous. The only head that will fall to the ground here is yours."
The old swordsman raised his sword again. His body was exhausted and his internal injuries were severe, but his sword remained unwavering and firm.
He sent a telepathic message to his son-in-law behind him. [I will face him head-on and draw his attention. You wait for an opening to deliver a critical blow.]
[Will you be alright, Father-in-law? How about you let me take the lead...]
[Shut up! Just do as I say!] Mae Geuklyom snapped, then rushed into battle as if he didn't want to argue anymore.
"Good grief, so stubborn..." Baek Muheun sighed softly. Nevertheless, he dashed forward, matching his pace with Mae Geuklyom's.
The Ninth Elder sneered, "Hmph! Senile old fool! It seems you still haven't come to your senses."
He swung his demonic qi-wrapped arms in succession, sending waves of powerful palm techniques surging towards the pair.
"Hah...!" Mae Geuklyom grunted with effort, concentrating intently on every swing of his sword. He avoided most of his opponent's attacks, deflected them, and counterattacked. In the process, his beard and the front of his robe were completely stained red, but he didn't care.
He simply swung his sword over and over again, without even thinking of wiping away the flowing blood.
"...I'll admit, your desperate struggle is quite something, damn geezer."
Still reeling from the fear of having his defenses pierced by Mae Geuklyom's sharp sword, the Ninth Elder kept his distance, making full use of his overwhelming inner arts advantage by using only long-range attacks. This also gave him the leisure to take on the two swordsmen at the same time.
Swords and palms collided fiercely. Although the sharpness of Mae Geuklyom's attacks had decreased a lot, once in a while, the old swordmaster mixed in a truly powerful strike, making the Ninth Elder's blood run cold and keeping him on his toes.
Furthermore, it seemed that Baek Muheun's initial surprise attack was no fluke after all, as his coordination with Mae Geuklyom was utterly flawless.
In the end, Mae Geuklyom, with Baek Muheun's help, broke through the Ninth Elder's palm waves and closed the distance, disregarding all attempts at defending to attack with all his might.
Baek Muheun immediately panicked. "Father-in-law!"
CHWAAK!
Fortunately, after evading an attack so narrowly that Baek Muheun nearly freaked out, Mae Geuklyom finally managed to wound the Ninth Elder's palm.
"Crazy geezer...!" the Ninth Elder swore as he hastily pulled back his bleeding right hand.
He had not only suffered a loss, however. In exchange for enduring a cut to his hand, Mae Geuklyom's torso was now wide open.
The Ninth Elder's eyes shone viciously, and he clenched his uninjured left hand into a fist. "Stop struggling and fucking die!"
WHOOOOOSH!
A single fist containing enough internal qi to turn a boulder into dust flew straight at Mae Geuklyom's exposed heart.
Mae Geuklyom grinned triumphantly, as if this was part of his plan all along. He sent a telepathic message to Baek Muheun. [Wait.]
The opening that the Ninth Elder was exploiting was, in fact, bait. The moment that fist touched his chest, he planned to drop his sword and grab the fiend's arm with both hands.
Baek Muheun. If you are still the boy I knew, you will surely grasp my intention.
In his current condition, there was no way he could hold back the Ninth Elder for long, so he decided to trust in his partner. If it was Baek Muheun, that boy would definitely be able to seize that moment and behead the enemy.
If I can drag a Blood Cult master along with me to hell, it's a pretty good deal.
Mae Geuklyom looked at the fist that had almost reached his chest and calculated the moment to let go of his sword.
[Now...!]
A strong hand tugged at the nape of his neck.
WHOOSH!
To Mae Geuklyom's shock, Baek Muheun completely betrayed his expectations. Instead of striking at the moment he took the enemy's attack, he grabbed his father-in-law's collar and pulled him away.
At the same time, the Ninth Elder also leaped back, a shiver running down his spine as it hit him that Mae Geuklyom had been trying to commit double suicide with him.
"You fool! What is this!" Mae Geuklyom roared, grabbing his son-in-law's collar and shaking him.
Baek Muheun shrugged. "I didn't listen to you when I was a student, so why would I listen meekly now?"
"Have you lost your mind?! That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill a demonic master!"
Mae Geuklyom was so furious that his hair billowed wildly from his intense aura. He was injured, exhausted, and didn't know how many more times he could swing his sword. The only path to victory he could conceive was to sacrifice himself to create an opportunity for Baek Muheun.
"You threw that opportunity away...!"
"Father-in-law!" Baek Muheun interjected firmly, his voice low yet powerful. He fully understood why Mae Geuklyom was so angry, but that didn't mean he agreed with the old man's methods. "I know you're worried I'll die too, after Yakbing."
"Nonsense...!" Mae Geuklyom spat, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his true feelings.
Baek Muheun was right. He did not want to lose his son-in-law after his daughter. If someone had to die, it had to be him.
He sighed exasperatedly, "...That man is no mere assassin, but a high-ranking Blood Cultist. He's not an opponent that can be defeated without sacrifice."
"I know. He's probably an elder. Suryong told me that one of the elders of the Blood Cult is always assigned to manage Deathshroud. He said since it was a massively annoying chore, no one wants to do it, so they usually give the position to the weakest elder..."
"How does that rascal know such a thing?"
"He's a child with many secrets, isn't he?" Baek Muheun smirked faintly, brushing the shocking revelation off as if it were no big deal.
"......" The Ninth Elder's killing intent surged, perhaps because he heard the words 'annoying chore' and 'weakest', but no one paid him any notice.
Baek Muheun continued conversing casually with Mae Geuklyom.
"Anyway, you should know that Suryong sent me here to back you up, right?"
"...Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."
Baek Muheun grinned confidently. "Do you think my son would do such a thing if he thought I couldn't beat this guy?"
Mae Geuklyom remembered this smile. He had seen it many times long ago.
"Have you forgotten, Father-in-law? I am Baek Muheun."
"Have you forgotten, Mr. Mae? I am Baek Muheun."
Am I seeing things because I lost too much blood?
Again, the face of the past Baek Muheun overlapped with the present.
He recalled his first meeting with the scoundrel. Back then, he had detained an irritatingly haughty boy after he caused a big commotion at the entrance ceremony.
"Greetings, Mr. Mae Geuklyom. I'm Baek Muheun, a freshman. I heard that your swordsmanship is the most outstanding in the Azure Dragon Academy."
"...So?"
"Would it be possible for you to teach me?"
At first, he hadn't particularly liked Baek Muheun's smug expression and lackadaisical attitude, because he knew that most such students were all talk and no substance.
"Of course. Come find me after class tomorrow."
"Thank you!"
Thinking the punk would give up on his own after a few days of harsh training, he had readily agreed to give him supplementary classes.
Contrary to his attitude, however, Baek Muheun turned out to be more serious about martial arts than any other child. Furthermore, he was dazzlingly talented, and in his third year, he miraculously became the dark horse of the Heavenly Martial Festival's Dragon and Phoenix Tournament by reaching the semifinals.
Of course, separate from that...
"Baek Muheun! You again!"
"Mr. Mae's here! Run!"
"You rascal! Surrender at once and accept your punishment!"
"This is so unfair! I even wore a mask and changed my voice! Why do you always assume any troublemaker is Baek Muheun?!"
"The very fact that you're saying such a thing is proof that you are Baek Muheun!"
Baek Muheun was a real problem child who truly deserved the title of number one delinquent.
I didn't really dislike the brat, though.
"Father-in-law?"
"......" Mae Geuklyom sighed softly and forced himself out of his reminiscence. The Baek Muheun in front of him was no longer a teenage boy. He was a middle-aged man in his prime who had every right to be concerned about a tired old geezer.
Baek Muheun insisted firmly, "Please rest for a moment."
"...Alright." Mae Geuklyom loosened his grip on his son-in-law's collar. "If you dare die in front of me, I'll go to hell and kill you a second time."
Baek Muheun rolled his eyes in disbelief.
Is that supposed to be a threat or encouragement?
Regardless, he stepped forward with his characteristic leisurely swagger.
"You're going to face me alone?" Livid at being ignored, the Ninth Elder glowered at Baek Muheun and released even more power, shrouding his body in a demonic qi armor. "After I chop your limbs off, I will drag you before the Azure Dragon Hero and make you beg for your life!"
He was a proud elder of the Blood Cult, yet his opponent had insulted him even while knowing that fact.
He glanced at the second sword at Baek Muheun's waist, his eyes glowing crimson. "Draw that too. You won't have a chance to do so again."
Baek Muheun smirked and shook his head. "Nah, I'm not used to this one yet. I'll draw it only if I need to."
The Ninth Elder finally blew a fuse from his opponent's constant cocky attitude. "You son of a bitch!" he roared, charging forward like an unstoppable typhoon.
However, Baek Muheun rode those violent winds as if they were a gentle breeze.
"Whoopsie!" he giggled, evading the charge with a simple sidestep.
The Ninth Elder launched into a rapid flurry of palm and fist techniques, but all of his blows were blocked and parried with minimal movement, as if Baek Muheun could read his thoughts.
No matter how hard he attacked, he couldn't touch the slippery eel. Frustrated, he felt as if he were meaninglessly stretching his hands to catch a leaf fluttering in a turbulent wind... no, it was as if the martial artist named Baek Muheun was the wind itself.
"Whew..." Mae Geuklyom gaped in shock.
The details of the Heavenly Martial Festival from thirty-odd years ago finally came back to him. He recalled the reason why Baek Muheun had defeated students who were said to be stronger than himself over and over again.
No matter who his opponent is, he's a genius who always commands the flow of battle.
Thirty years ago, Baek Muheun's unique talent had taken even the renowned masters of the murim by storm.
If this scoundrel hadn't turned his back on the jianghu and eloped with my daughter...
Mae Geuklyom briefly imagined the wave that boy could have caused.
CRACK...
Suddenly, a crack appeared on Baek Muheun's sword. Even though he was optimizing his counters as much as possible, ultimately, it was just an ordinary sword.
Baek Muheun glanced at his old sword. "Sigh, what a pity. I've used this sword for a long time..."
The Ninth Elder, on the other hand, was ecstatic. Even if Baek Muheun deflected all his attacks with his strange footwork and swordplay, he had the overwhelming advantage of sheer power.
Victory is mine!
"Did you think such a petty trick would work forever? I'll tear you to shreds and kill you!" he bellowed.
Baek Muheun sighed heavily. "I was trying to win without using it... Damn it, I really wanted to boast to my son..."
He abandoned his lingering attachment to the old sword. Tossing it aside, he drew the spare sword at his waist.
SHING!
He had never learned a dual sword technique, contrary to what the Ninth Elder had assumed. His son had just lent him a spare sword.
Glancing at the Divine Azure Dragon Sword, he said politely, "Please take good care of me."
[Of course. I will lend you as much strength as you need.]
A divine energy flowed from the sword, weakening the Ninth Elder's demonic qi.
"What...?!"
Everything happened in an instant.
Baek Muheun unleashed his unique martial art, the Revolving Tempest Sword. Glowing with clear blue qi, the Divine Azure Dragon Sword appeared to multiply dozens of times as it danced around the Ninth Elder's wild attacks and plunged into the eye of the storm.
CHWACHWACHWACHWACHWA!
To the Ninth Elder's shock and dismay, dozens of strands of sword qi unraveled like threads and shredded his qi armor, then lashed him all over and cut his skin apart, transforming him into a bloodied mess in the blink of an eye.
No, this isn't sword qi! No sword qi this thin can pierce my demonic qi armor!
"Keuaaaaaak! You... Enhanced qi...!" A cry of horror burst from the Ninth Elder's mouth. Although still faint and thin, it was clearly enhanced qi.
Losing his cool, he swung his palms around wildly, but Baek Muheun avoided all of it and completely shredded the Ninth Elder's protective enhanced qi.
If that wasn't bad enough, Mae Geuklyom suddenly chimed in, "I think I've rested enough. I'll lend you a hand now."
Having recovered his stamina, the old swordmaster rejoined the battlefield, killing intent practically spilling out from his eyes.
The fight after that was one-sided.
"S-Stop...!" the Ninth Elder shrieked, his face now colored with fear and despair.
Unfortunately for him, the moment the Revolving Tempest Sword destroyed his qi armor, the outcome was decided.
PUUK!
Mae Geuklyom's full-powered single sword strike pierced his heart.
CHWAAAAK!
At the same time, the Divine Azure Dragon Sword sliced through his neck.
THUD! SQUELCH!
The Ninth Elder's head fell onto the ground, rolled over, and came to rest at Baek Muheun's feet.
Mae Geuklyom and Baek Muheun gasped for air, their breathing ragged. The last part of the battle had seemed easy, but in truth, neither of them was in good condition.
"Huff, huff... so this is why everyone risks their lives to get a good sword. Are you okay, Father-in-law?"
"...Don't talk to me." Mae Geuklyom lay down on the floor. He literally didn't have the strength to move anymore.
"Let me see your wounds." Baek Muheun approached and examined him. He skillfully applied a medicinal salve to stop the bleeding and wrapped bandages on his wounds.
Mae Geuklyom furrowed his brows.
The way he treats wounds... why does it seem so familiar?
"I've done as much first aid as I can... Can you walk?" Baek Muheun asked.
"...Not yet, give me some time..."
"I understand. Just this once, I'll carry you."
Baek Muheun forcibly piggybacked his reluctant father-in-law. He had thought the old man would be heavy as he had a muscular build, but he was much lighter than he thought.
"Shall I get you some energy restoratives?"
"...Shut up." Perhaps embarrassed to be carried by his son-in-law, Mae Geuklyom changed the subject. "Looking back now, it's a pity."
"What is?"
"The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament you participated in. If you hadn't withdrawn halfway, you would have surely won."
"Why are you talking about something from so long ago...?" Baek Muheun shook his head, and then suddenly smirked mischievously. "Father-in-law. I'll only say this once, so... actually, no, it's nothing. Forget it."
"Don't leave me hanging, you bastard!"
"Can you promise me you won't get angry?"
"What crime did you commit back then that I don't know of?" Mae Geuklyom sighed. "It's been so many years, I doubt even I can get angry about it now."
Baek Muheun confessed a secret he had kept for thirty years, "The real reason I withdrew from the semifinals of the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament... was because I had a massive hangover that caused a stomachache."
"...YOU WORTHLESS SCOUNDREL!"
"Keuk! Father-in-law! Don't choke me! Ugh, how can a dying old man be so strong...!"
On their way back to safety, a single large shadow projected on the wall stumbled as though intoxicated.
Translator's Note:
This chapter took me 4 hours to finish because all the action had to be translated manually, I don't know if I have the energy to do another one... Need more comments as motivation...