Star Instructor, Master Baek-Chapter 321: Benefactor!

TL: FoodieMonster007

Moyong Jun fought to lift his eyelids, a hazy face swimming into view before him. He blinked several times, and slowly, his vision sharpened.

"Are you awake?" Ryu Seol asked.

"…!!" Moyong Jun's eyes flew wide open. His head still felt fuzzy, and he mumbled in confusion, "So, you ended up dying too? Don't tell me it was because of that injury I gave you…"

"What the fuck are talking about, you idiot!?" Ryu Seol shouted, but managed to stop herself from punching a patient. Instead, she pinched his side, hard.

Moyong Jun yelped, "Argh!"

"Since you're well enough to scream, you must be feeling much better," Ryu Seol laughed in relief as she watched Moyong Jun twist around in pain.

Only then did Moyong Jun finally come to his senses, though his eyes were still glazed over. Pressing his side, he groaned, "What in the world happened? How am I still alive? My qi deviation was definitely irreversible…huh?"

Moyong Jun's voice trailed off as he checked out his body's condition. His internal injuries had been stabilized, and the berserk qi that had been rampaging inside him was calm. The symptoms of qi deviation were completely gone.

"…How did you pull this off?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't know. He saved you, so go ask him." Ryu Seol nodded and glanced to the side.

There, Moyong Jun spotted Baek Suryong sitting cross-legged in meditation.

"Chief Instructor?"

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"Hoo…" Baek Suryong paused his mediation and opened his eyes, giving the couple a small nod. His already pale face was even whiter now, reflecting the severity of his internal injures.

"Ha… haha… I actually survived," Moyong Jun stuttered, feeling pure happiness for a moment. However, it wasn't long before his face clouded over.

Regret, guilt, and shame hit him all at once.

It would've been better if I died.

Still, he had to thank the person who saved him first. Getting up shakily, Moyong Jun bowed deeply to Baek Suryong. "I'm not sure if I deserve to call you this… but thank you for saving me, Chief Instructor."

"Why look so down if you're thankful?" Baek Suryong asked tiredly.

In truth, he wanted to collapse and fall asleep right there. After all, he had just fought a crazily powered-up Poison Demon, then immediately used up the rest of his energy correcting Moyong Jun's chaotic qi flow.

Nonetheless, he couldn't rest just yet. He had to first sort things out with the guy.

"…I'm glad I'm alive, but honestly, I can't just be happy about it," Moyong Jun muttered.

Baek Suryong rolled his eyes. "Why not?"

"I betrayed the Murim Alliance. That's something that can never be forgiven."

Ryu Seol nodded firmly. "…That's right. This guy needs to pay for what he did."

They were both totally serious about stuff like this. Although they could have hidden the truth if they could get Baek Suryong and Namgung Su to agree to keep quiet, neither of them seemed to want to do so.

Well, asking them to cover it up would be going too far.

It would be an insult to Ryu Seol's and Moyong Jun's pride as martial artists, and Baek Suryong didn't want to go there.

"What's your plan?" he asked.

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"I'm going to confess everything and accept whatever punishment is fair," Moyong Jun replied.

He figured that he wouldn't get away without a serious punishment, like having his qi center destroyed and the tendons in his arms and legs severed. Even though he was suffering from qi deviation, he had still worked with the Poison Demon to kill the Beggars' Gang Chief.

If the Chief really died, I doubt I would have been able to continue living with myself, anyway…

The attempted murder of one of the leaders of the Nine Sects One Gang was a serious crime. Even if the Murim Alliance let him off, the Beggars' Gang wouldn't.

However, there was something Moyong Jun didn't know.

"I'll ask the Chief to go easy on you," Baek Suryong said.

"…Excuse me?"

Baek Suryong shrugged. "I treated that old guy a few days ago too. He can't really say no to a request from the person who saved his life, right?"

Persuading people is one of my specialties, after all. I could probably talk him around by altering the story a bit and insisting that Moyong Jun had been fallen into qi deviation after being blackmailed by the Blood Cult.

Moyong Jun stared at him blankly. "Why… would you go this far for me?"

Because you're a victim of the faulty martial arts I made, and because you share blood with Master Sword Saint.

Baek Suryong wasn't going to say that though. Instead, he simply smiled and brushed it off, saying, "You remind me of one of my old students."

"…I see."

For a while, there was silence. All three of them were badly hurt and totally wiped out.

Baek Suryong was also close to his limit. He'd only treated his internal injuries enough to keep them from getting worse, and he had plenty of cuts and bruises as well. Plus, his clothes were so tattered that it would have been more modest if he just took off his shirt.

"…There are a lot of things I want to ask you about, but let's just go back for now. I'm tired."

"Me too."

"Sure."

The three of them walked down the mountain together. By now, the long night was over, and the sun was creeping over the horizon.

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Ryu Seol asked Baek Suryong carefully, "So, Junior… Are you like the Divine Physician's secret disciple or something?"

Baek Suryong blinked in confusion. "Why are you talking about the Divine Physician all of a sudden?"

Ryu Seol grinned. She was already calling Baek Suryong 'junior' again, but he hadn't gone back to using polite language. She didn't really mind such things, though.

She explained her train of thought, "Well, think about it. Saving people isn't really your thing, right? Yet you saved the Beggars' Gang Chief who got poisoned, and you even saved this guy who fell into qi deviation. Also, the Poison Demon's poison didn't seem to bother you at all. Just be honest."

"That's…" Baak Suryong hesitated.

Come to think of it, considering what I've done, it's obvious that she would get the wrong idea.

The truth was, he couldn't be as far away from the Divine Physician's disciple as possible. He had never even met the guy, for heaven's sake!

Whether it was poison or qi deviation, since they were both connected to the Blood Cult in the end, it was easy for me to deal with them. Still, I can't use that as an excuse.

Baek Suryong shrugged… when he was suddenly struck by the annoying feeling he'd forgotten something.

He screeched to a halt.

"…Right. Namgung Su. I totally forgot about him!"

"Took you long enough to remember."

The bushes rustled and Namgung Su stepped out. He looked tired and battered too, but he was definitely better off than the other three.

"How's your condition?"

"I managed to expel all the poison. You should worry more about yourself than me," Namgung Su said, shaking his head. Baek Suryong's clothes were so ragged that he could scarcely bear to look at him.

Baek Suryong grinned sleepily and shuffled over to Namgung Su. "Good timing. You still have some energy left, don't you?"

"…Why?"

"I need a favor. I'm too tired right now. I'll probably pass out the second I get back to the Murim Alliance."

"Just get to the point."

Baek Suryong smirked and told Namgung Su what he needed.

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After listening, Namgung Su sighed and nodded. "Fine. I'll go."

He turned around and went somewhere else, while the remaining three continued to the Murim Alliance.

They got back to the Murim Alliance just as dawn broke, and of course, the Murim Alliance instantly went crazy.

BANG!

Later that morning, someone threw a door open so hard it sounded like it might break.

The Heavenly Justice Commander stormed into a guest room and looked around wildly. He quickly found his target, Baek Suryong, buried under the blankets, snoozing peacefully.

"Azure Dragon Hero! Hey! Wake up!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"…What now?" Baek Suryong slowly turned his head towards the Heavenly Justice Commander, barely conscious. His eyes were half-lidded, and his clothes were a mess.

"Is it true you left the Alliance last night without making a report?"

"…Huh?"

"A report came in late last night about a big clash of qi in the mountains outside of Wuhan. Funny how that coincides with the time you were out without permission. Are you going to keep playing dumb?"

"So what?"

"I know that you did not return to the Alliance until dawn. I'm going to report this to the disciplinary board. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Despite his question, the Heavenly Justice Commander's sharp eyes quickly noticed that Baek Suryong wasn't in normal form. He didn't need any more proof of the man's guilt than that.

There's someone out there who could hurt a master this badly? Who could that be…? Eh, time enough to figure it out during questioning.

"…My head's killing me, so keep it down, okay? I haven't even slept two hours since I got back," Baek Suryong mumbled from under the covers, showing no sign of getting out from under his blankets.

"Ha! So you admit it now." Looking carefully, the Heavenly Justice Commander noticed the handcuffs on Baek Suryong were gone. "You even took off your restraints. Did the Elimination Corps Commander give you the key? Then she's responsible too."

"It was kind of awkward to fight with them on…"

"You…! Can't you at least be serious?"

The Heavenly Justice Commander really didn't like the Azure Dragon Hero Baek Suryong, and the reason was simple. It was because he was a strong candidate for the next chairman. That alone me him a rival.

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Even though he's just a rookie who got a little famous, he's already aiming to be the next chairman.

According to rumors, when the Azure Dragon Academy and the Murim Alliance joined forces, Baek Suryong had demanded the position of vice chairman. From that day on, the Heavenly Justice Commander had considered him a rival and had been trying to keep him in check.

But this time it's over. As of today, you're done being Chief Instructor.

A victory smile spread across the Heavenly Justice Commander's lips. He had pulled all the strings and used all his influence to sway this disciplinary committee. What's more, the Azure Dragon Hero had not only destroyed the front gate of the Murim Alliance, he had also broken bail and went out on his own last night.

With most of the captains on my side, not even the Chairman can protect him anymore.

"Get up. You haven't forgotten that the disciplinary committee is today, right?" he demanded eagerly.

"…This early in the morning?"

"You caused so much trouble that people decided they couldn't wait. They've all gathered."

"……" Baek Suryong curled up in bed. Is he that happy that he got some dirt on me?

"By the way, where's the Lightning Dragon Hero, who's supposed to be watching over you?"

"He went out to meet someone."

"Young Master Namgung said that he would stake his clan's honor on this, so the Namgung Clan needs to formally take responsibility for this too, huh. Well, the Namgung Clan's honor really isn't what it used to be, though."

"Watch what you say."

"…!!" The Heavenly Justice Commander immediately shut his mouth, flinching at the faint hint of killing intent radiating from Baek Suryong.

Baek Suryong slowly got out of bed and stretched lazily. "Yaaaawn. So noisy. Fine, I'll go. Where do I need to be?"

"You'd better be ready to face the consequences… Just follow me."

They left the room and walked towards the Murim Alliance's Grand Arena.

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Normally, a disciplinary committee would be held in the Law Enforcement Hall, but the Heavenly Justice Commander had deliberately chosen the Grand Arena to make a bigger show of it.

"Everyone, take your seats! The Disciplinary Committee is about to begin!"

Pushed by the Heavenly Justice Commander, the Divine Sword Commander and the Righteous Corps Commander, who had arrived a day early, were already seated.

One was an old man with a fancy sword at his waist, and the other was a middle-aged man with a spear on his back.

"That must be the Azure Dragon Hero."

"He doesn't look too bad."

"I heard he was out fighting somewhere last night too, hoho. So young."

"The Heavenly Justice Commander looks angry."

"Jin Gwang has been pushing for the Chief Instructor's dismissal. What do you think?"

"If he committed a serious crime, then isn't that only natural?"

On the other side sat the acting chairman of the Murim Alliance, Ryu Seol. She didn't look good, thanks to the internal injuries and the fatigue from last night, and Moyong Jun was nowhere to be seen.

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Besides the commanders, about twenty captains and more than a few hundred regular warriors had gathered to watch.

Everything was ready.

The Heavenly Justice Commander brought the Azure Dragon Hero onto the open-air stage and stood next to him.

"We will now begin the disciplinary committee for Murim Alliance Chief Instructor Baek Suryong!" he announced loudly.

Normally, the representative of the Murim Alliance Chairman, Ryu Seol, should have made this announcement, but for some reason, she had given all the power to the Heavenly Justice Commander.

"Before we start the disciplinary committee, there's something we need to take care of first."

Normally there would be a show of discussion, but he had already convinced most of the captains to push for the Chief Instructor's dismissal.

"This isn't just about the Azure Dragon Hero breaking the front gate. The Murim Alliance gave him the privilege of having a guarantor, yet he left the Alliance without permission last night…"

He continued with a long list of accusations and complaints from the center of the platform, when suddenly, a weird smell started drifting in on the breeze.

"Bleargh!"

"Ugh, what's that smell?"

People automatically covered their noses and turned towards the direction of the stink.

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"They're here," Baek Suryong mumbled, pinching his nose.

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Moments later, the Beggars' Gang Chief appeared, leaning on the Little Beggar for support, along with six elders and dozens of beggars.

Startled, the Heavenly Justice Commander rushed over to greet the Chief. "Dragon Head, what brings you here without any warning?"

The Beggars' Gang Chief was sometimes also referred to as the Dragon Head. It was a term of major respect, comparing the Beggars' Gang to a dragon.

Looking exhausted, the Chief said, "I've come to see my benefactor."

"Your benefactor?"

"Yes. I heard that the person who saved me from a fatal poisoning and defeated the evil Blood Cult Elder was here. I wanted to come and pay my respects myself."

The Heavenly Justice Commander's eyes opened wide, and everyone else was equally shocked.

What poison? The Blood Cult? Benefactor?

"W-What do you mean, exactly…?"

"Ah, there he is." The Chief slipped past the Heavenly Justice Commander and bowed to Baek Suryong. "I owe you my life, Azure Dragon Hero. The Beggars' Gang will never forget your kindness."

""The Beggars' Gang will never forget your kindness!""

Following their Chief, the Little Beggar and the Beggars' Gang Elders also bowed in gratitude.

The Murim Alliance leaders were stunned speechless.

Baek Suryong stepped forward, returning the greeting with a serious look. "You're too kind. I only did what I had to do."

When he saw Namgung Su standing behind the beggars, he grinned mischievously, suppressing his laughter. Thinking about how the clean freak Namgung Su must have felt tagging along with the smelly beggars, he couldn't help but want to burst into laughter.

While everyone else was still reeling from shock, the Heavenly Justice Commander stood there, white as a sheet, muttering to himself, "H-He's the Beggars' Gang's benefactor…? How… Why…?"

Translator's Note: See you next week!