Tranquil Manor Instructor, Baek Yi-gang (1)

Yi-gang realized the weight of the responsibility he had taken on.

As soon as he arrived in Henan Province, the prominent figures of orthodox Murim came to find him.

“Absolutely, you must win!” the Shaolin Abbot said with determination.

Even the Beggars’ Gang Leader had come to Mount Song. With his rough hands, he grabbed both of Yi-gang’s hands.

“That rascal Noh Shik, I knew he was trouble. He has talent, but he’s always scheming. Beat him up. Treat him like a stray dog—only then will he come to his senses.”

The Gang Leader earnestly advised Yi-gang to give Noh Shik a proper beating.

Next, the Priestess of Putuo grabbed Yi-gang’s hands tightly.

“If Hee-yeon acts unruly, borrow my name. That will make her listen. Feel free to discipline him as well.”

She had a life-and-death rivalry with the Crimson Moon Demoness.

Since her disciple and the disciple of the Crimson Moon Demoness were competing this time, it was essentially an opportunity for revenge.

“If you lose…”

The Priestess of Putuo’s expression darkened, causing Yi-gang to step aside.

But before he could move far, he bumped into something—thud.

Turning around, he saw the Nine Spear King, So Jin-gong, and Baek Ryu-san standing there.

“Take this.”

The Nine Spear King handed over a small jar, light enough to be carried in one hand.

The mouth of the jar seemed to be sealed with oiled paper.

“This is a salve called True Medicine Ointment. It was developed during the war and is excellent for treating external injuries.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“When you’re dealing with five youngsters, you’ll use a lot of this salve. If you run out before the day of the duel, let me know. I’ll give you another.”

“…”

“He’s my son, but that brat So Woon has quite the resilience. You can be rough with him.”

Yi-gang was at a loss for words.

These were all masters with names that resonated across the world, yet they resembled parents earnestly asking a teacher to discipline their children properly.

Yi-gang glanced at the people surrounding him.

The grandmasters had encircled Yi-gang.

The Divine Monk shouted loudly, “Tell Jeong Myung to follow your words as if they were mine!”

And the other martial artists chimed in one by one.

“Yi-gang, though Ha-jun is your brother, it’s been a long time since you’ve spent time together. If he doesn’t listen, tell him he’ll lose his position as the Young Clan Head!”

“If Noh Shik tries to scheme again, feel free to beat him up. I’d even lend you a dog beating staff. I’ll craft you a good stick myself.”

“Turn So Woon into a real man!”

“If Hee-yeon doesn’t listen, tell her the guqin will be destroyed!”

Countless requests to strictly discipline children or disciples.

Yi-gang had no choice but to nod in response to their fervent requests.

“With all of you insisting like this, I have no other option.”

“Hurrah!”

As Yi-gang lightly raised his hand, the excited martial artists quieted down as if on cue.

“I will ensure they are trained thoroughly and will not lose under any circumstances. As their supervisor and instructor.”

At this, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.

“Woohoo! We trust you, Yi-gang!”

“You must obey Yi-gang’s words as if they were your master’s or your parents’!”

Yi-gang let out an awkward laugh, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

“That’s about how it went.”

Yi-gang finished his explanation with a blank expression.

In front of him, five successors were standing with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

“Your masters and parents earnestly requested this. To discipline you strictly.”

Yi-gang had naturally shifted to a casual tone of speech.

As soon as he arrived at Tranquil Manor, he had gathered the successors and relayed the story.

The sight of Yi-gang calmly and matter-of-factly recounting the masters’ requests in a composed tone was almost uncanny.

Noh Shik stammered as he asked, “Wait a second, then who said that?”

“What?” Yi-gang coldly responded.

Noh Shik pressed further, his face tense, “‘You must follow Yi-gang’s words as if they were your master’s or parents’!’ That part!”

“I’m not sure. Could’ve been anyone. Was it the Divine Monk?”

“No, we weren’t even there at the time. And they said that?”

“…Yeah.”

Yi-gang thought to himself.

Maybe he had pushed it a little too far.

But there was no way to backtrack now.

“They must have expected me to pass that message on to you.”

“What does that even…”

It was such a flimsy excuse, especially considering there was no such thing as video letters in the Central Plains.

But Yi-gang ignored Noh Shik’s bewildered expression.

Na Hee-yeon, a disciple of the Sword Pavilion Master, turned pale as she asked, “Did my master really say she’d destroy the guqin if I didn’t listen?”

Yi-gang pondered whether this was another overreach, but eventually, he just nodded.

Na Hee-yeon reluctantly accepted it with a troubled expression.

“Well, considering the opponent, I guess that makes sense…”

Though the Sword Pavilion Master appeared gentle, she seemed terrifying when it came to matters involving the Crimson Moon Demoness.

Yi-gang decided it was time to dispel any lingering doubts.

“This is the True Medicine Ointment I received from the Nine Spear King.”

He placed the jar of True Medicine Ointment on the table.

Then, he pulled out a reasonably long stick made of black bamboo.

“And this is the disciplinary rod lent by the Beggars’ Gang Leader. Noh Shik, he said you’d recognize it.”

“Wha-what?!”

Noh Shik was visibly shaken.

Compared to his own Black Bamboo Staff, this rod didn’t even have metal reinforcements; it was just an ordinary bamboo stick. However, the tip was inexplicably stained a dark crimson.

“It’s… it’s real!”

Aside from Noh Shik and Na Hee-yeon, the other three didn’t seem particularly defiant.

Jeong Myung, true to his monastic demeanor, remained calm, while So Woon looked slightly intimidated.

Baek Ha-jun, on the other hand, appeared almost pleased for some reason.

“Among you five, I know there are those I’m not closely acquainted with, and I understand that outside of here, you’re expected to maintain mutual respect.”

Ha-jun and So Woon were Yi-gang’s younger blood brother and sworn brother, respectively, but the other three were different.

“But for now, I am the eldest here and will act as your supervisor and instructor until the day you face the unorthodox sects’ participants. Until then, I will not be one of you successors but your instructor. If you have any complaints, step forward.”

Though he was never known for being overly gentle, Yi-gang’s tone was colder than usual.

No one stepped forward.

It wasn’t that they didn’t have complaints, but it was important to set the tone early on.

“Fine. There will be plenty of complaints in the future. Let’s deal with them then.”

“…”

“There’s only one month left until the duel. That’s not a long time, so we will focus on rigorous sparring, physical endurance, and mental discipline.”

Even obtaining this one month had been a significant achievement.

“‘Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ Noh Shik, as a Beggars’ Gang member, do you have any information about the opponents?”

Noh Shik hesitantly stepped forward.

“I don’t know everything, but…”

“Explain what you know.”

“The most famous and strongest among them is Flawless Blade Ghost Seomun Cheong, the child of the Unorthodox Union Leader. He’s a Supreme Peak blade practitioner. He suffered severe burns, though, so I’m not sure if he’s still as skilled as before.”

Seomun Cheong seemed to have narrowly survived his burns.

If the visible disfigurements were all, it wouldn’t be an issue, but the invisible injuries might be more significant.

“And then there’s the Crimson Moon Demoness’s disciple, Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang. She’s formidable. What’s terrifying about her is that no one knows what weapon she’ll use. She’s wielded more than a dozen different types of weapons in Jianghu. You could say her true skills have never been fully revealed.”

“That wench’s weapon is a chain sickle,” Na Hee-yeon interjected.

Was she taking her master’s grudge as her own? Having stayed at Southern Sea Putuo Temple, she seemed to know about Blood Rakshasi Wi Hyang.

“She’s not an ordinary opponent. That’s how it is with strange weapons like hers.”

“Oh, have you ever fought her?”

“…”

Na Hee-yeon tightly shut her mouth.

Yi-gang gave Noh Shik a look, signaling him to move on to the next topic.

“The warriors from the Heilongjiang region unusually use shields. The Black Dragon King Jeon Yuk also uses both a shield and a spear.”

At the mention of spears, So Woon showed interest.

“He’s already famous as a Supreme Peak master, so his disciple would likely use similar martial arts. I don’t know their name since it hasn’t been revealed.”

Noh Shik’s expression turned a little unsure.

The individuals mentioned afterward were ones even a Beggars’ Gang member like Noh Shik lacked information about.

“Five Poison Divine Lord, or rather Five Poison Demonic Lord’s Five Poisons Valley, belongs to a sect from outside the Great Wall. Though they are closely tied with the Tang Clan, they can’t exactly be called orthodox. That’s why they’ve sided with the Unorthodox Union this time as well. Naturally, their martial arts aren’t exactly honorable.”

“That seems to be the case.”

“Though their concealed weapon techniques don’t match the Tang Clan’s, their poison arts are unparalleled in the world. It’s said they produce poison practitioners. With Green-Faced Willow Demon’s complexion said to be bluish-green, he must be one of them.”

How strong could a poison practitioner be?

Tang Eun-seol’s complexion wasn’t bluish-green, so was Green Faced Willow Demon’s skill level higher than hers?

If his skill was as high as suggested, he wouldn’t be an easy opponent.

“Gal Dong-tak… I’m not sure about him. Although the Green Forest Tyrant King Gal Sa-hyeok is one of the Ten Grandmasters, his reputation isn’t that great. So perhaps Gal Dong-tak isn’t much different.”

“I see.”

No, that wasn’t true.

In Yi-gang’s assessment, none of the five could confidently claim victory against Gal Dong-tak.

“In my opinion…”

Yi-gang decided to confront them with reality.

“Your chances of winning are two out of ten.”

“…!”

The reactions were varied.

Noh Shik seemed indifferent, Ha-jun’s face hardened, and Na Hee-yeon appeared insulted.

“My goal is to raise that chance to five out of ten within the month.”

“What…?”

“Shut your mouth.”

Na Hee-yeon glared at Yi-gang.

Yi-gang ignored her and held the black bamboo staff as if it were a sword.

“First, I need to assess your skills. We’ll spar one by one. Who wants to go first?”

Na Hee-yeon looked utterly incredulous.

Was he really planning to spar against all five of them one after another with that toy-like bamboo rod?

“Ha-jun, you’re first. Step forward.”

Baek Ha-jun came out eagerly.

Without hesitation, he unsheathed his real sword, exuding fierce energy.

“Hah.”

Baek Ha-jun, as if genuinely aiming to strike down Yi-gang, even layered his sword with Sword Qi.

Yi-gang silently fixed his gaze on his younger brother.

“Haap!”

With a loud shout, Baek Ha-jun launched his attack, and the sparring began.

Na Hee-yeon sat on the porch, utterly dumbfounded.

Her lips parted and closed repeatedly, betraying her mix of frustration and indignation.

Wasn’t wielding a bamboo rod supposed to mean that only the bamboo rod would be used?

Yet, Yi-gang had suddenly drawn the sword at his waist to block Na Hee-yeon’s strike.

In the gap that emerged in that moment, she was struck squarely.

‘Crazy bastard…’

Right in the face!

No matter how ruthless the martial world was, striking a female martial artist’s face was considered taboo.

If anyone had seen this, they might have criticized Yi-gang.

When complaints were raised, Yi-gang casually responded, “Didn’t I say this would be practical sparring?”

At the suggestion that unorthodox martial artists wouldn’t attack fairly or politely, even Na Hee-yeon was left speechless.

In the end, Yi-gang defeated all five of them.

Throughout the matches, Yi-gang rarely even drew his sword.

Though Yi-gang had been reevaluated after the Paper Flower Abyss skirmish, his actual skill far surpassed expectations.

It was no exaggeration to say he truly deserved the title of instructor.

“Pfft… Young Miss.”

“What is it?”

Noh Shik, suppressing his laughter, handed something to Na Hee-yeon.

It was a boiled egg.

“Your eye… it’s looking like a chestnut right now.”

“Don’t pretend we’re close.”

Na Hee-yeon rubbed the area around her bruised eye with the egg.

Noh Shik, chuckling, winced as his bruised ribs began to ache, causing him to tremble.

Meanwhile, Yi-gang, the man responsible for this situation, didn’t laugh.

‘Two out of ten.’

Even though he had predicted their chances of winning to be two out of ten, even that felt precarious.

Since Yi-gang had taken on the role of supervisor, he decided to give it his all.

Moreover, the Absolute masters had each offered Yi-gang a reward.

They promised to compensate Yi-gang if their disciples achieved victory.

‘I should probably learn more about the opposing side.’

The phrase “know yourself and know your enemy.”

With their own side now understood, it was time to analyze the opposing side.

But how?

Tranquil Manor was divided into a left courtyard and a right courtyard.

Of course, it wasn’t possible to just walk over to the right courtyard and observe their training.

As Yi-gang pondered, his eyes sparkled with an idea.

“…Noh Shik.”

“Yes?”

Noh Shik jumped to his feet.

Having been disciplined once, he seemed more obedient now.

“Can you help me with something?”

“…Uh, sure.”

Scratching his head, Noh Shik hesitantly nodded.