Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

“When did you figure it out?” Yeo Min snapped, hunching over like a bristling hedgehog and glaring daggers at Baek Suryong.

Baek Suryong replied softly, “I’ve known for a while. You’ve been secretly taking pills twice a day, morning and night.”

Yeo Min frowned, but remained silent.

Baek Suryong watched her reaction calmly. She had been careful, but inside the White Dragon Manor, there was no hiding anything from his sharp eyes. Concerned, he asked again, “Are you sick? Or do you have some kind of unusual constitution? From what I’ve seen during your training, though, you don’t seem to be seriously ill.”

“I’m…” Yeo Min hesitated.

Everyone had something they’d rather keep hidden, and normally Baek Suryong wasn’t one to pry. However, this involved a student’s health, and he couldn’t just let it go.

Come to think of it, I’ve never had a real conversation with her.

Unlike the boys, he hadn’t had long talks with Yeo Min, not because she was a woman, but because she always kept her distance and avoided such moments.

“I know this isn’t the best time, but if I don’t ask now, I might not get another chance,” he pressed.

“……”

“If it’s a secret, I’ll keep it. Just tell me. Maybe I can help. You know I specialize in treating qi deviation and rehabilitating delinquents…”

“It’s none of your concern, Mr. Baek.” Yeo Min cut him off, shaking her head firmly and forcing a strained and obviously fake smile. “We’re just in a contractual relationship, right? Isn’t it awkward when an employer gets too curious about his employee’s private life?”

“……” Baek Suryong fell silent. Unlike the other students, Yeo Min was only learning martial arts for money, just like she had danced at the Golden Dragon Inn for a living.

Is her obsession with money connected to the medicine?

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Baek Suryong’s gaze was once again drawn to the few strands of white hair peeking through Yeo Min’s otherwise black locks, but the desperate look in her eyes made him hesitate to ask her about it.

Yeo Min pleaded, “Just like we agreed, I’ll enter the Heavenly Martial Festival’s movement arts competition. I’m not confident about winning, but since you’re paying me, I’ll definitely do my best. You promised me a big bonus if I get first place, right? So nothing else really matters, does it?”

“……” After a brief pause, Baek Suryong nodded. “Okay. Nothing else matters.”

For a moment, Yeo Min’s expression hardened, but she quickly returned to her usual self. “Phew. That’s a relief. I was worried you’d keep pestering me for answers.”

“Do I seem like that kind of person to you?”

“You just proved that you’re not, right?” Yeo Min giggled, sticking her tongue out playfully, before standing up.

Baek Suryong shot her a puzzled look. “Where are you going?”

“I saw a stream nearby just now, so I’m going to wash up. After two days of running, I must smell awful… Wait, don’t tell me you’re planning to sneak a peek?”

“I’m not interested in kids.”

“You’re not that much older than me!” Yeo Min pouted, then vanished in a flash using her movement arts.

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Baek Suryong watched her disappear into the distance, then lay down on the ground, resting his head on his arms. A sea of stars shimmered brilliantly in the night sky, as if threatening to rain down and drown him at any moment.

“A contractual relationship, huh? For something like that, she sure seemed sincere about trying to save her fellow student. Seriously, why does it seem like everyone who comes to the White Dragon Manor has a story to tell?”

Sighing softly, Baek Suryong closed his eyes.

Two days later.

“We’ll catch up within the hour,” Baek Suryong announced, glancing back at his students. “How’s everyone holding up?”

“I’m fine.”

“Ready to fight.”

“I can keep going as long as needed.”

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After four days of relentless pursuit, the students’ cheeks were hollow and their bodies pushed to the limit. They had climbed mountain after mountain, using movement arts all the while. Several times, they had come close to fainting, and even now they were waging a constant war against their own fatigue.

I was sure that at least half of them would drop out, Baek Suryong mused. He hadn’t gone easy on the students at all. Rescuing Wiji Cheon was his priority, and he couldn’t risk slowing down even if it meant he had to abandon them. Still, the four had kept up, sometimes encouraging each other through gritted teeth, sometimes lending a hand and pulling a straggler along.

Their resolve has definitely strengthened.

In martial arts, it’s not how long one trains that matters. What matters is how hard one concentrates, and the past four days had pushed his students to their limits, forcing them to give everything they had.

They’ve done well.

Baek Suryong thought about praising them, but decided to save it for after they had saved Wiji Cheon. Instead, he gave his next instruction in a matter-of-fact tone, “We’ll slow down a bit so we don’t tip off the enemy. Be ready to fight at any moment.”

“Understood.”

Soon, the Scarlet Tiger Boss came into view, carrying Wiji Cheon over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

“Gotcha,” Baek Suryong murmured in a low, chilling voice as he signaled for everyone to quietly close the distance, staying far enough back to avoid detection.

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“Remember the plan? Stick to it.”

The students all nodded without a word, their eyes as sharp as their teacher’s. Instead of rushing forward, they relaxed their muscles and circulated their qi in preparation for the upcoming battle. If the Scarlet Tiger Boss used Wiji Cheon as a hostage, it could complicate things, so they had carefully planned their strategy beforehand.

“Begin!” Baek Suryong commanded.

Hyonwon Kang, Geo Sangwoong, and Ya Suhyeok immediately split off in three directions, dashing forward, while Yeo Min leapt into the trees after exchanging a glance with Baek Suryong. Her light, agile form flitted through the branches, quickly reaching a higher vantage point.

“STOP RIGHT THERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Hyonwon Kang roared, his voice echoing through the mountains.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss widened his eyes at the sight of Hyonwon Kang blocking his path. “Oho? What do we have here?”

Hyonwon Kang stormed forward, his face twisted in fury like a demon on the warpath.

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Twisting his head around, Wiji Cheon called out, “S-Senior!”

“Cheon! Are you okay?” Hyonwon Kang asked worriedly.

He wasn’t alone. From both sides, Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok appeared, their auras flaring as they moved in to surround the Scarlet Tiger Boss.

“We came to get you, junior,” Geo Sangwoong said.

“You talked big, but here you are, getting yourself kidnapped,” Ya Suhyeok added with a smirk.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss stopped in his tracks, tilting his head. “I knew someone would come eventually, but I didn’t think kids like you would be the first to arrive.”

Hyonwon Kang drew his blade, pointing it directly at the Scarlet Tiger Boss, his voice brimming with killing intent as he bellowed, “Hey, if you don’t want to die, put our junior down, now!”

“Alright, alright. I was just about to take a break anyway,” the Scarlet Tiger Boss chuckled, then casually dropped Wiji Cheon like discarding trash.

Wiji Cheon, his acupoints sealed, fell to the ground helplessly. Turning his head, the only part of him still able to move, he screamed, “R-Run! You can’t beat him with just the three of you!”

“…Junior, give us some credit. We’re not that bad.”

“Shut up, little punk. The three of us are more than enough.”

The trio tightened their circle, closing in.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss watched them lazily, a sly grin on his face. “Is this really all you’ve got? Or are there more surprises…?”

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Before he could finish, Hyonwon Kang charged at him, yelling, “Die!”

“URAAGH!”

“HAAAP!”

From both sides, Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok attacked simultaneously.

Watching their synchronized movements, the Scarlet Tiger Boss muttered to himself, “For your age, you’re not bad. Unfortunately… you kids won’t live long enough to get any better.”

His grin broadened, and his fingernails morphed into blood-red claws as he slashed at the oncoming Hyonwon Kang. Just then, a torrent of hidden weapons rained down from above. It was Yeo Min, who had been hiding in the trees.

“Ha! I knew it! You sneaky little brats!” the Scarlet Tiger Boss laughed, swatting Yeo Min’s hidden weapons away with his right hand and deflecting Hyonwon Kang’s dao with his left.

Siezing the moment, Geo Sangwoong and Ya Suhyeok closed in from the sides, their powerful punches whistling through the air.

Seeing the huge fists filling up his vision, the Scarlet Tiger Boss leaned back, dodging the attacks with ease, all the while still grinning smugly. “Impressive!” he praised.

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However, there was one ambusher he failed to notice.

“Is this funny to you? Because I’m not laughing,” a voice said from right behind him.

Startled, the Scarlet Tiger Boss whirled around, slashing the ground with his crimson claws. Deep gouges formed in the earth, but Baek Suryong had already closed the distance.

Their eyes met, and Baek Suryong smiled icily. “I’m not letting you off easy.”

“…Fuck.”

SPLAT!

As Moon Shadow traced a silver arc through the air, it drew a red line from the Scarlet Tiger Boss’s left shoulder to his right abdomen.

An instant later, blood gushed from the wound like a fountain.

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“Urgh…” the Scarlet Tiger Boss groaned, staggering.

“It’s not over yet,” Baek Suryong added, stepping forward. Sheathing Moon Shadow, he instead drew the Black Dragon Pointer and swiftly struck the Scarlet Tiger Boss’s acupoints, sealing them.

The Scarlet Tiger Boss convulsed violently, his body trembling as though struck by lightning, before collapsing to his knees.

Baek Suryong turned to Wiji Cheon.

“Mr. Baek…” Wiji Cheon whimpered weakly.

“Hold still for a moment.” Unsealing Wiji Cheon’s acupoints, Baek Suryong helped him sit up and checked his condition. “You don’t seem badly hurt. How are you feeling?”

“……” Wiji Cheon opened his mouth to reply, but just then, a scream rang out from behind Baek Suryong.

“Mr. Baek! Behind you! He’s not down yet!” Hyonwon Kang shouted.

“Kekeke…” Giggling, the Scarlet Tiger Boss, who should have been incapacitated, slowly rose to his feet. His wound had stopped bleeding, and his flesh was healing quickly. His wild hair turned pure white in an instant, and the whites of his eyes became dyed completely black.

“So you’re the teacher the boy talked about? You’re strong. Really strong,” he laughed, his voice twisted and eerie as the dark energy emanating from him intensified.

Baek Suryong clicked his tongue in disdain. He wasn’t really shocked. After all, no normal human could run nonstop for four days while carrying another person.

“The current murim is in an era of peace? What a joke. Demonic arts are everywhere these days,” he grumbled. Handing Wiji Cheon over to his students, he ordered, “Take Cheon and fall back.”

The Scarlet Tiger Boss, now fully transformed into a white-haired demon, grinned widely. “Before we fight, let me tell you something. I poisoned your student earlier.”

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Baek Suryong froze. “…What?”

The Scarlet Tiger Boss cackled, his laughter filled with malice. “There’s no antidote. Only the Demon Doctor in the Valley of Evil can cure him.”

Baek Suryong’s eyes flicked to Wiji Cheon, whose pale face confirmed the truth of those words.

“Kekeke… Kuhahaha!” Seeing Baek Suryong and his students digest the revelation, the Scarlet Tiger Boss continued to gloat, his voice dark and sinister.

Finally, Baek Suryong whispered softly, “You’re saying there’s no antidote? You’re sure?”

“That’s right. Even if you kill me, you won’t find one. If you want to save him, you’ll have to go to the Valley of Evil.”

“……”

“So, hand him over to me. I’ll turn him into the fourth Blight and return him to you in ten years,” the Scarlet Tiger Boss offered, his madness and disturbing fixation on Wiji Cheon sending shivers down the students’ spines.

Baek Suryong, however, was unaffected. “I see. I guess I’ll just have to kill you and hunt down the Demon Doctor myself, then.”

“Kekeke… Huh?” When the meaning of Baek Suryong’s words finally hit him, the Scarlet Tiger Boss’s laughter faltered. To confirm what he thought he’d just heard, he looked into Baek Suryong’s eyes…

What the fuck…?!

The moment he saw those chillingly clear, crimson eyes, he felt every muscle in his body tense in fear.

“You filthy scum… How dare you lay a hand on my student?” Baek Suryong whispered.

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