Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 471: I'm Just Curious

The Black Snake Alliance Chairman slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, he felt dizzy because his body had not yet adapted to the complete loss of his inner qi, but his vision returned after he blinked a few times.
"...I guess this isn't the afterlife."
If he were in the afterlife, the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom would not be glaring at him with such an indescribable expression.
"SO JIGWANG, YOU BASTARD!"
"...!" The Black Snake Alliance Chairman panicked, but he couldn't move freely yet.
Consequently, the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom pounced on him, checked his pulse, and examined him from head to toe. Although everyone saw him flinch in fear of getting slapped, they all pretended not to notice.
"...How are you feeling?" Baek Suryong asked tiredly. Having performed a qi transfer immediately after a major battle, his already pale complexion was even paler than the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's.
"It feels a bit awkward, and it hurts," the Black Snake Alliance Chairman replied, staring down at his strangely unfamiliar body. He still ached as if needles were pricking his acupoints, but it was nothing compared to being saved from the brink of death.
Baek Suryong smiled bitterly. "As you know, I couldn't heal your qi center."
He had succeeded in extracting all the Asura Blood Heaven Blade's qi from the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's body. However, there was nothing he could do about the shattered qi center.
The pain of a destroyed qi center was difficult to endure, even for inner arts novices, much less one of the Ten Supremes and the world's greatest bladesman. Therefore, he thought the Black Snake Alliance Chairman must be devastated, but to his surprise, the old man seemed pretty calm.
"That would be expecting too much. I owe you my life. I will definitely repay your kindness."
"You'll have to be patient. There's a long waiting list."
"...Hm?" The Black Snake Alliance Chairman tilted his head in confusion.
Baek Suryong let out a weak chuckle. "It was a silly joke. I just felt like spouting nonsense. Also, please take this back."
He tried to return the Black Snake Alliance Chairman's beloved weapon, Crimson Moon.
However, the Black Snake Alliance Chairman shook his head firmly and refused to take it back, even though his eyes betrayed his regret. "I no longer possess the qualifications to carry Crimson Moon. There's no way I can wield a legendary weapon with this crippled body."
VWOOOM!
Crimson Moon cried out as if it understood what was being said.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman chuckled. "You rascal! Get along well with your new master. There's another legendary weapon by your side, so you won't be lonely."
The Divine Azure Dragon Sword trembled in response. [I do not like that dao.]
Baek Suryong was bewildered. [What's there not to like?]
[First of all, isn't the color ominous?]
Baek Suryong shook his head at the Divine Azure Dragon Sword's averse reaction to Crimson Moon.
Why is she so overly immersed in her new identity as a sword...
In the end, though, he accepted the blade. He tried to reject it for a while, but after the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom also tried to push it on him, remarking that the Chairman no longer had any use for it, he caved in.
"...I will keep it safe and pass it to someone worthy."
"Bow Phantom, please help me up." The Black Snake Alliance Chairman stood up with the help of the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom. "My apologies for making you wait for me," he addressed the Viridian Scholar and Blue Eyed Freak, who were waiting for the conversation to end.
Everyone naturally focused their attention on him. Despite losing all his inner qi, the dignity of an absolute master still radiated from the Black Snake Alliance Chairman.
"Many have perished or sustained grievous injuries today. Even the survivors can only be described as lucky."
""......""
The atmosphere grew oppressive in an instant. The Phantom King was dead, and the Black Snake Alliance Chairman had lost his inner arts. The Viridian Scholar and the Blue-Eyed Freak were also badly injured and would need at least fifteen days to recover. The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom was relatively unharmed, but she was drained.
The most seriously injured person, however, was Baek Suryong. His self-inflicted sword wound would likely leave him with a permanent scar on his back and chest.
Nevertheless, Baek Suryong covered his wounds with a robe Jang Geol had brought and said casually, "Soon, the Murim Alliance and the Beggars' Gang will swarm here. We caused such a commotion that it would be weird if they didn't notice anything."
The intense battle had devastated Mount Heng, one of the Five Sacred Mountains. The tremors could probably be felt from far away.
Blue Eyed Freak frowned. "It'll be a real headache if we run into those orthodox bastards in this state."
Even so, the unorthodox leaders did not leave immediately. There was still work to be finished.
The Viridian Scholar glanced down the mountain. "We don't have much time, so let's conclude this meeting quickly."
Everyone nodded, sharing the same thought.
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman made eye contact with each of them. "I believe we must set aside our individual interests and form an alliance immediately to face the imminent threat of the Blood Cult. What do you think?"
The unorthodox leaders agreed unanimously. Having experienced the Blood Cult's power firsthand while fighting their apostles, they had by now realized that the enemy was too powerful to be taken lightly.
"The Black Snake Alliance will gladly stand at the forefront of the war."
"The Viridian Forest will plan routes and manage communication channels."
"The Valley of Evil is always ready to fight."
Nodding solemnly, the leaders all shifted their gaze to Baek Suryong. Although they did not say it aloud, they were thinking the same thing: Now that the Black Snake Alliance Chairman had lost his martial arts, Baek Suryong was the only person who could become their focal point.
Baek Suryong sighed, "...Understood. I will take on the role of
temporary
Chairman of the Unorthodox Alliance."
And so, the Unorthodox Alliance was formed.
Martial artists from all over, whether from the Murim Alliance or the Beggars' Gang, started flocking to Mount Heng after getting wind of a battle that shook the heavens and earth.
The unorthodox martial artists panicked. They had to leave before the orthodox busybodies showed up. They decided to perform only the minimum treatment necessary to stabilize their injuries and leave in a hurry.
"My god... It's a miracle you're alive!"
"We should get a palanquin. Hyung, please just lie down and let us carry you!"
"...Stop making a fuss."
Baek Suryong gazed blankly in the direction where the apostles had disappeared while Jang Geol and Gu Gil slathered wound-healing medicine on him and bandaged him up.
"Are you going to chase them?" the Black Snake Alliance Chairman, who was bandaged up next to him, asked. After being meticulously mummified by the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom, he could barely even wiggle an inch.
"I don't know where they went." Baek Suryong chuckled and shook his head, then stared in the general direction of the Azure Dragon Academy. "...I need to go back to school soon, too. If I delay any longer, more than a few people there are going to hunt me down. Anyway, what do you intend to do now, Chairman?"
"Well... I should step down from my position first."
The Black Snake Alliance Chairman appointed the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom as the new Chairwoman. While the shock of this decision might last a while, the backlash would not be too significant since she was also one of the Ten Supremes.
"I can't use inner arts anymore, but my body is still in good shape, so I'm thinking of training the younger generation of bladesmen."
An idea popped into Baek Suryong's head. "There's a very talented bladesman among my students, and unlike me, he focuses only on blade techniques."
"Oho?" So Jigwang's eyes lit up with interest. When it came to anything related to blades, he simply couldn't help but get excited.
"He's quite promising, so may I send him to the Black Snake Alliance for training later?"
So Jigwang's eyes sparkled like an eager little boy's. "Of course. He's a prodigy worthy of your praise, eh? I'm already looking forward to meeting him."
Baek Suryong chuckled and subtly suggested, "If you like the kid, please pass on the Ultimate Blade Technique to him as well."
"...What? Hahaha! You are trying to steal everything I have, aren't you?!" So Jigwang laughed heartily,
Fortunately, he doesn't seem upset by that suggestion. Well, I literally just praised his life's work, after all.
By suggesting that So Jigwang pass on his martial arts, Baek Suryong was essentially admitting that Ultimate Blade Technique no inferior to the Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
The Ultimate Blade Technique would also help Wonkang control the killing intent of the Asura Blood Heaven Blade.
So Jigwang nodded readily, anticipation burning in his eyes. "I will be waiting."
While they were talking, the emergency treatment was completed. The two men got dressed and stood up.
Finally, it was time for them to go their separate ways.
"Then, let us meet again."
Baek Suryong and the Viridian Scholar's party left Mount Heng, and the Blue-Eyed Freak accompanied them.
So Jigwang watched the departing group for a moment, then turned to the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom. "Shall we go too, Bow Phantom?"
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom turned her back to him, leaned forward, and bent her knees slightly. "Okay. Get on."
"Uh..."
"Surely you don't intend to walk with your body in that condition? Or will you run after me? I even purposely waited until everyone left so that you could preserve your dignity. Now stop complaining and get on."
"Ugh." So Jigwang had no choice but to admit that her words made sense. He quietly climbed onto her back. "...Then I will impose on you."
"It's not like it's the first time I'm piggybacking you. Why so shy?"
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom was as tall as most men, ensuring that So Jigwang's legs wouldn't drag on the ground. Still, he couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. "Ahem! Bow Phantom."
"What?"
"Do you remember this?"
He took the blue tassel that had fallen off Crimson Moon's handle out of his pocket and showed it to her. He had received it from the Soul Hunting Bow Phantom over twenty years ago. Even while fighting the Third Apostle, he had managed to protect this precious memory.
"What's this? A tassel? Why are you showing it to me?"
"...You're too much."
The Soul Hunting Bow Phantom chuckled. Of course she remembered the tassel. After all, it was the first gift she had ever given to a man. "When did you detach that from Crimson Moon?"
"...It fell off during the battle, perhaps for this very moment." So Jigwang fiddled with the tassel for a moment, then giggled and put it back into his pocket.
WHOOSH!
Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the pair soared skyward and vanished into the distance.
The First Apostle gazed blankly at the Fourth Apostle, who had returned covered in wounds. "How are your injuries?"
The Fourth Apostle answered in sign language.
"I just need to rest for a few days."
The First Apostle stared at the wound on his old friend's chest. "A few days will not be enough..."
He knew how sturdy the Fourth Apostle's body and enhanced defensive qi were. Few martial arts in the world could injure him. However, although faint, he sensed a trace of the Unlimited Sword's qi lingering on that wound.
"...Number Three ed that he met a very suspicious individual at the gathering of unorthodox leaders."
"......" The Fourth Apostle fell silent.
Knowing he was a man of few words, the First Apostle continued without waiting for a reply. "He said that since you fought him personally, you should be able to figure out his identity."
The Third Apostle, who had exhausted most of his energy fighting the Black Snake Alliance Chairman, was now resting after meeting the First Apostle.
For some reason, though, his muttered words, 'my heart was grazed,' were burned into the First Apostle's mind.
"Do you know who he is?"
"......" Again, the Fourth Apostle did not answer. The memory of the battle surfaced in his mind.
"I'm sorry. I need you to endure the pain for a little longer."
He clearly remembered the chilling sensation as the Divine Azure Dragon Sword pierced his chest and made contact with his heart. At that moment, the opponent's emotions had flooded in through the divine sword, accompanied by a burning pain in his heart.
Master...
Among the countless hateful memories related to that person, unfamiliar scenes began to come to mind one by one.
"Do you resent me?"1
He saw the trembling eyes, the deep sigh that reeked of alcohol, and his instructor's pained expression as he threw them out of the training hall.
"...Step aside. I don't want to kill you with my own hands."2
Baek Suryong landed without a sound, his crimson eyes glinting in the silvery moonlight. "So this is what siding with the Cult reduced you to. Repenting like a sinner before an altar of rice bowls. Pathetic. You think remorse will cleanse your folly?”
He had been plagued by confusing flashbacks all the way back to the Blood Cult. Even worse, the sequence of the memories was jumbled and out of chronological order.
"You injured your vocal cords? Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Back then, he hadn't learned sign language yet, so he answered with crooked writing on the ground:
It won't affect my training.
"...Still, you should have told me! If you had told me sooner, I could have somehow...!"
At the time, he couldn't understand why his instructor was so angry.
I'm sorry. I don't understand why you're angry.
The expression on his old master's face at that moment... remained strongly etched in his memory.
"...I need to know everything about you, or I can't teach you properly. Whether you perish or become strong under my tutelage depends on you as well. From now on, tell me everything. Understood?"
In retrospect, the training seemed a bit less arduous that day compared to usual.
Other memories also surfaced. For example, he remembered the sight of his master getting slapped by the Demonic Strategist for their mistake, and the wound healing medicine that appeared in their bedrooms after a particularly cruel training session.
Why couldn't I remember all that until now?
"Hey, Number Four. Are you listening to me?"
The First Apostle's voice brought him back to reality.
The Fourth Apostle slowly shook his head.
"I don't know. He's an unknown master."
"......"
The Fourth Apostle blinked innocently, even though he had just lied.
Of course he knew who he had just fought. The Azure Dragon Hero Baek Suryong was famous.
However, while fighting, the young man had clearly used the Eighteen Strikes of the Viridian Forest, the Unlimited Sword, and even the White Ice Divine Art.
There was only one person who knew all of those martial arts, so it could only mean one thing.
Still, he lied, and it wasn't because he planned to let the man off the hook. He was just curious, and he felt that if he told the First Apostle the truth, he would never be able to resolve this curiosity.
"...Is that so? If you find out later, let me know."
"Okay."
The Fourth Apostle stepped outside the meeting hall and applied pressure to the wound on his chest. A faint pain rippled through him, but it could not extinguish the burning curiosity stirring within him for the first time in decades.
What kind of person is our old master now?
The next day, the Fourth Apostle of the Blood Cult disappeared without a trace.