Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

"Mmm…" Groaning, Namgung Su laboriously opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, his head throbbed so painfully that he felt as if it might burst, and nausea churned in his stomach, threatening to erupt. This was the aftereffect of the poison.

Suddenly, the events right before he lost consciousness flashed before his eyes. The Erudite Sage ambushing him with a poisoned dagger. The bell and the ghouls at his command. Unleashing his lightning qi in a desperate attempt to stun the ghouls. Then, using the last of his strength to suppress the poison before collapsing.

What happened after that? The new instructors…

Enduring the pain, Namgung Su tried to force himself up.

"You're awake?" a familiar voice asked.

Namgung Su blinked, and his blurred vision gradually became clearer, revealing the speaker's face.

"Baek Suryong…"

Relief washed over him at the sight of his colleague's trademark cocky grin. If Baek Suryong was here, then the immediate crisis was probably over.

All strength seemed to drain from his body, and he let out a weak laugh, "You're late. I'm giving you demerit points for that."

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"Since you're cracking jokes, you must be alright," Baek Suryong chuckled, extending a hand.

Normally, Namgung Su would have refused the assistance, but this time, he grasped Baek Suryong's hand and pulled himself to his feet.

"Mr. Namgung, are you alright?"

"We were so worried!"

"Because of us, you…"

Several instructors approached, their faces etched with concern. Some worked to pile up the ghoul corpses, while others kept watch over the perimeter.

"Where's the Erudite Sage?" Namgung Su asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

Baek Suryong gestured toward the Erudite Sage, who was tied to a tree. His face and clothes were streaked with blood, and his lips remained tightly sealed in defiance.

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"We caught him and tied him up. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any amount of threats or torture is going to make him talk, and we don't exactly have time to slowly pry information out of him right now."

"I see…" Namgung Su looked toward the Namgung Estate.

KEUAAAAK!

AAAAAAH!

Flames were still licking the buildings, screams and cries filled the air, and the wind carried the metallic stench of blood.

Gritting his teeth, Namgung Su turned back to Baek Suryong. "We need to escape from here right now. If we go to the Murim Alliance's Anhui Branch and ask for help…" he began, trying his best to keep his voice steady.

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"Stop. Why are you saying that when you know it too?" Baek Suryong interrupted.

"…Know what?"

Baek Suryong stared at Namgung Su, who had an unusually dazed look on his face. "That by the time the Murim Alliance sends reinforcements, the result will have already been decided."

Namgung Su fell silent. Even if he could fool the other instructors, he knew that he couldn't deceive Baek Suryong. After a pause, he muttered, "…Regardless, we have to get the new instructors out of here. I can't let those who have nothing to do with the Namgung Clan die."

The atmosphere turned solemn.

As Baek Suryong had pointed out, Namgung Su was already aware of the futility of seeking external aid. Requesting help from the Murim Alliance was just a pretext to evacuate the instructors, to spare them the guilt and shame of fleeing.

"Mr. Namgung Su…"

"We'll fight alongside you!"

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"Only one person needs to go to the Murim Alliance."

Unfortunately, most of the new instructors saw through Namgung Su's intentions, and rather than accepting his fabricated plan, they voiced their determination to stay and fight.

The attackers were, after all, none other than the Blood Cult. As martial artists of the orthodox sects, they were obligated to fight against evil.

Baek Suryong sighed. Since they don't know about the complex history between the Blue Sky Sword King and the Yin Yang Demon Lord, they must think it's just the Blood Cult's usual vile antics.

Namgung Su surveyed the new instructors. "Your strength won't be of much help in this situation. You should escape from here," he said coldly. Then, turning back to Baek Suryong, he added, "This is perfect. Baek Suryong, from now on, you'll be in charge of leading the instructors out of this place."

"…What about you?"

"I am a son of the Namgung Clan. I have a duty to protect my family," Namgung Su declared resolutely.

Despite being a concubine's son and enduring subtle discrimination since childhood, he wouldn't be who he was today without the Namgung Clan's support. He rarely let it show, but his pride in his lineage was just as strong as any of his relatives'.

I'm also worried about Mimi. I know she's with the main family's experts, but…

From the beginning, he had intended to escort the instructors to safety and then return to the estate, and that decision had not changed.

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Meeting Baek Suryong's gaze, he said firmly, "Thank you for coming to help. I'll entrust the rest to you."

Namgung Su turned away without hesitation, his back ramrod straight despite the lingering effects of the poison.

Baek Suryong sighed, "Can you even fight in that condition?"

"…I can still move," Namgung Su replied as if nothing was amiss, even though his body had just been ravaged by a deadly poison and he really ought to seek medical attention immediately.

What a stubborn fool, Baek Suryong thought, calling out, "Wait!"

The Dark Heaven Goddess's words echoed in his mind.

"Soon, a great calamity will befall the Namgung Clan. When that happens, you will have to make a choice, and your decision will ultimately determine whether the event becomes a great disaster or a blessing for the world."

He didn't know how, but Baek Suryong understood that this was the moment he had to make that choice.

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After all, only he knew how the Blue Sky Sword King had imprisoned and massacred the Blood Cult refugees in the secret cavern beneath the Namgung Clan Ancestral Shrine. Only he alone understood the true extent of the Yin Yang Demon Lord's rage and hatred in his final moments.

The Blue Sky Sword King and the Namgung Clan must pay for their sins, but…

Baek Suryong's eyes trailed after Namgung Su's departing figure. In his mind, he saw the faces of the servants who had taken care of him, and the innocent smile on the face of Namgung Su's younger sister.

Must they all be sacrificed for the Blood Cult's revenge? Is that truly fair? Only those who deserve to die should die. There's no need for everyone to perish.

…What choice should I make? Which path would result in a blessing, and which in disaster? I need to make a decision I won't regret.

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"What is it? If you have something to say, say it quickly," Namgung Su nagged, his voice weary.

Baek Suryong grinned and made his choice. "I know a way to save the Namgung Clan," he declared.

Everyone, including the Erudite Sage, stared at Baek Suryong in surprise.

"You really… have a way? How?" Namgung Su asked, his expression incredulous.

"Rather than a long explanation, I think it's better if I just show you a demonstration."

Baek Suryong raised the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute, which he had reclaimed from the Erudite Sage, to his lips.

TRULULU!

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He was no talented musician, so he simply infused qi into his breath and played a couple of random notes.

GRRRR…

A moment later, ghouls began to emerge from the surrounding darkness, one by one. They were all martial artists of the Namgung Clan who had lost their reason.

Baek Suryong stopped playing the flute. "If you infuse your breath with inner qi and play this flute, you'll be able to summon these ghouls and imprint your qi signature on them. After that, they'll obey your commands."

"…Is it like the bell that the Erudite Sage kept ringing?" Namgung Su asked, his eyes widening in shock. As he had been unconscious, this was his first time witnessing Baek Suryong commanding the ghouls.

"Yes, just much, much more powerful," Baek Suryong replied, then handed the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute to Namgung Su. "Use this to restore order in the Namgung Estate. If you can calm down the rampaging martial artists, the Namgung Clan's remaining strength should be more than enough to repel the Blood Cultists."

Namgung Su received the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute with a dazed expression. "Where did you get this… no, before that, do you know why my family members turned into ghouls?"

"It'll take a while to explain, so let's first focus on solving the immediate problem. We can talk about the details later. "

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"…Alright, I understand." Namgung Su nodded. As he put the flute into his pocket, however, he hesitated. "Why are you entrusting this to me when you can do it yourself?"

Baek Suryong could have used the flute to save the Namgung Clan and become their benefactor, so why did he give him the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute instead? There had to be a reason.

"There's somewhere I need to go right now," Baek Suryong replied, gazing at the sky.

RUMBLE!

Dark storm clouds blanketed the Namgung Estate.

This was no natural phenomenon. The dark clouds, originating from a peak near Mount Tianzhu's summit, were steadily advancing towards the Namgung Clan.

That exceptionally dark mountain peak in the distance… Something related to the Blood Cult is there.

Baek Suryong felt certain that the phenomenon that caused the storm clouds was related to this calamity, but if he wanted to investigate, then he didn't have time to run around the entire Namgung Estate blowing the flute.

Well, there was actually one more reason.

No matter how much gratitude they have for me, I can't become the patriarch of the Namgung Clan, but if it's Namgung Su…

Of course, he didn't say this second reason out loud.

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Patting Namgung Su's shoulder, Baek Suryong encouraged, "Let's meet again when this is all over."

"Good luck."

The two men exchanged a brief nod. No further words were necessary.

"You all too. Let's all meet again alive." Baek Suryong grinned at the other instructors, then untied the Erudite Sage and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of rice. "You're coming with me. I'll be asking you various questions along the way, and honestly, it would be best for you to cooperate obediently."

"Kukuku… You fool, do you really think you alone can change the situation?" the Erudite Sage cackled, seemingly driven to madness.

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Ignoring the Erudite Sage laughing like a madman over his shoulder, Baek Suryong activated his movement arts and vanished into the darkness.

Namgung Su watched Baek Suryong's retreating form for a moment, then carefully grasped the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute. "…Thank you. I will definitely repay this debt."

Turning back, he found the new instructors staring at him with fervent anticipation.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. He felt a twinge of embarrassment at contradicting himself after refusing their help, but the situation had changed.

"I intend to return to the Namgung Estate, but my physical condition is… less than ideal. Of course, I won't force anyone to come with me, only volunteers."

As if they had been waiting for those very words, the instructors broke into bright smiles.

"The Vermilion Phoenix Academy will escort Mr. Namgung Su!" Sama Yeong announced cheerfully.

Not to be outdone, Tang Baekho thumped his chest. "Count the White Tiger Academy in as well!"

They had witnessed Namgung Su put himself in danger for them, even though he was poisoned. Any orthodox martial artist would be deeply moved by such selflessness.

"Thank you. The Azure Dragon Academy…" Namgung Su's voice trailed off as he looked the Azure Dragon instructors.

They were already prepared and raring to go.

"Why are you even bothering to ask?"

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"Hurry up and let's go!"

"We were going to follow you whether you wanted us to or not anyway."

"Prepare yourselves, Blood Cult bastards! The Azure Dragon Academy is coming for you!"

Just like that, the Azure Dragon Academy took the lead in the charge, with the Vermilion Phoenix Academy and the White Tiger Academy flanking Namgung Su.

Namgung Su kept the Demonic Soul Summoning Flute close to his lips, ready to play it at a moment's notice. Although his face remained pale, a faint smile played on his lips.

"…Let's go."

Soon after, the sound of a flute echoed throughout the Namgung Estate, turning the tide of the chaotic battle.