Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 488: What's the Problem?

Namgung Su lifted his head and stared at Baek Suryong icily. "What do you think you're doing?"

He thought Baek Suryong had left early since he'd walked out of the office without a word. Why had he returned an hour later to ramble about the Shandong Ak Clan, a topic that held no interest for him?

While Ak Bi was praised as an outstanding patriarch who would elevate the Shandong Ak Clan beyond the Five Great Clans to become the world's greatest clan, this coexisted with criticism that he was an ambitious and ruthless tyrant who would stop at nothing to expand his family's power.

"I didn't know this before, but apparently, it's quite common for murim clans to adopt children. I heard that the Shandong Ak Clan, in particular, has adopted many kids to expand their numbers since the Spear King became Patriarch."

"Do you think I, a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan, wouldn't know something like that?" Namgung Su asked, exasperated.

Baek Suryong shrugged. "Then did you also know that Ak Yeonho is an adopted son?"

"......" Namgung Su fell silent, but his slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed his unease. He hadn't known about that.

Baek Suryong smirked knowingly. "It seems he grew up very conscious of his family's approval. That's why he reacted so sensitively earlier."

He recalled the story he'd heard from Myeong Il'oh before returning to the office and sorted through which parts he could and couldn't tell Namgung Su.

"Yeonho was adopted into the Ak Clan when he was seven. At the time, the Ak Clan adopted many orphans who showed martial arts talent..." Myeong Il'oh bit his lip as if the memory angered him. "They held an annual evaluation. If the children didn't meet their standards, they would annul the adoption and either make them servants or train them as low-ranking warriors.""How could they...!" Jaegal Soyeong shouted, her face flushing with anger.

On the contrary, Baek Suryong shrugged nonchalantly. "So?"

"According to Yeonho, he was lucky to have received the Ak surname."

Baek Suryong nodded in understanding. As it turned out, the seemingly carefree young master of the Ak Clan, who appeared to have lived without a single worry his whole life, was actually hiding a complicated past.

I see. How smart of the Ak Clan. By keeping the disowned children as servants or low-ranking warriors, they managed to avoid public outcry despite annulling their adoptions. Since most of them remained in the clan, no bad rumors spread either.Jaegal Soyeon raged on, "That's so cowardly!"

Baek Suryong's crimson Blood Demon Eyes glinted harshly.

After a long pause, he let out a low sigh.

Myong Il'oh continued his story. The fates of the adopted children were decided every year for five grueling years. Ak Yeonho passed all of his tests and officially became a member of the Ak Clan , but due to 'personal reasons' he couldn't disclose, he was unable to step into the jianghu until he turned twenty-six.

"...Some loafer he is," Baek Suryong sighed. "That punk must've been constantly busy just trying to read the room since he was a kid."

From Myeong Il'oh's story, he could guess what kind of environment Ak Yeonho had lived in. Children who passed the final test were taken in by relatives of the Ak Clan. The man who took in Ak Yeonho was Ak Jinheon, a cousin of the Spear King Ak Bi. While Ak Bi brought in many children to expand the clan, he never adopted any of them himself.

"His relationship with his adoptive father didn't seem particularly bad, but they did seem a bit distant."

"Maybe that's why Yeonho's so intimidated by the Ak Clan Patriarch."

"Actually, the Spear King rejected that idea at first. He only agreed after Yeonho mentioned that he was close friends with you, Hyung-nim."

"......"

"Even then, he would only check on us briefly once every three or four days, so it wasn't really instruction. Most of our conversations were about you, Hyung-nim. He asked questions like what kind of martial arts the Azure Dragon Hero uses, what your real personality's like, and what your family's like."

Baek Suryong observed Myeong Il'oh as he spoke. All throughout his story about his training with the Spear King Ak Bi, his friend's expression remained stiff. This was not the look of someone reminiscing about a benefactor who had mentored them.

"To be honest, he was a little... no, he was very different from the person I'd imagined."

Myeong Il'oh launched into a detailed introduction of the Spear King Ak Bi, the Patriarch of the Shandong Ak Clan, one of the Ten Supremes, and the undisputed best spearman in the world.

"Really? I thought you were super bothered about it, seeing as how you've been scowling this whole time.".

Baek Suryong listened closely to the story, but Myeong Il'oh didn't know much more. He hadn't asked for more details because Ak Yeonho seemed uncomfortable.

"...Ahem, so what I'm saying is, Yeonho has his own circumstances. Don't be too harsh on him," Baek Suryong concluded after sharing Ak Yeonho's family situation with Namgung Su.

Namgung Su frowned. "I told you, I'm not interested in Mr. Ak's personal history."

"......" Namgung Su fell silent. As an illegitimate son, he could somewhat empathize with Ak Yeonho, the adopted son.

Of course, his position had changed significantly since the Blood Cult's raid, but both of them had experienced circumstances that inevitably led to them developing inferiority complexes. He clenched his fists unconsciously.

After a long pause, he let out a low sigh. "Since when did you start being so nosy?"

"......"

"I thought you didn't care what others did, but lately, you've been meddling in everything."

Baek Suryong grinned slyly. "You need to get your facts straight. I don't stick my nose in just anywhere." He folded his arms and added brazenly, "I only meddle in the affairs of people important to me. You and Yeonho getting on each other's bad sides won't help the Azure Dragon Academy win the Heavenly Martial Festival."

"...That's what people call unnecessary meddling." Shaking his head, Namgung Su organized his desk and stood up. "I'll be leaving early today."

"Already?"

"I can't concentrate because someone keeps distracting me."

Baek Suryong wanted to retort, but Namgung Su was serious. Gathering some of his work documents, he stormed out of his office.

SLAM!

"What the... He really left?" Baek Suryong stared dumbfounded at the door Namgung Su had closed. He thought the man might come back, but that didn't happen. "Well, I prefer working alone anyway."

However, after working alone for a while, he too packed up earlier than usual.

[I can't believe you're leaving work before the stars are out! I get to see the setting sun for once!] the Divine Azure Dragon Sword chimed in, trembling with emotion."There's no need to be so touched," Baek Suryong laughed awkwardly.

The atmosphere was completely different from when he usually left for home. Many students were still on campus, and most of them were talking about the same topic.

"Did you guys see the poster for the school trip?!

I heard they're inviting masters from the Shandong Ak Clan this time."

"I'm more excited that it's a joint trip with the Vermilion Phoenix Academy! They were the runners-up at last year's Heavenly Martial Festival!"

Baek Suryong could feel the excitement building up for the school trip, which was just a few days away.

"But will it be okay? Rumor has it that Vermilion Phoenix Academy students are super arrogant. What if they look down on us?"

Occasionally, he saw timid students intimidated by the Vermilion Phoenix Academy's fame, but they were a minority.

"So what if they were last year's runners-up? Our goal this year is to win!"

"If they look down on us, do you think the Five Young Azure Dragons will just stand by?"

"Hahaha! That's true, too!"

Though it was half in jest, most students were now openly discussing the possibility of the Azure Dragon Academy winning the Heavenly Martial Festival. Compared to the start of the academic year, this was quite the astonishing change.

Baek Suryong crossed the academy grounds amid the excited atmosphere.

Come to think of it, I wonder how Sama Yeong's doing.He recalled the ambitious woman who had tried to recruit him into the Vermilion Phoenix Academy. He would probably see her again during the school trip.

Unfortunately, the joint training with the White Tiger Academy fell through due to conflicting schedules, but at least he would have the chance to witness the Vermilion Phoenix Academy's strength firsthand.

As he walked along, lost in thought, he suddenly sensed a familiar presence. On the roof of the male students' dormitory, Ak Yeonho was sitting with his shoulders slumped.

"Look at this guy moping around in a place like that." Clicking his tongue, Baek Suryong lightly kicked off the ground.

WHOOSH!

He scaled the building wall with ease and landed gracefully next to Ak Yeonho. "You said you left early because you weren't feeling well. Were you faking it?"

"Hyung-nim..." Ak Yeonho stared at Baek Suryong listlessly.

THWACK!

Baek Suryong smacked the back of Ak Yeonho's head with his palm.

"Ow! Why'd you suddenly hit me?" Ak Yeonho wailed.

Baek Suryong sneered. "Because I don't like the sight of you looking like a sick chicken."

He plopped down next to Ak Yeonho, lay flat on his back, and gazed at the slowly drifting clouds dappling the orange sunset sky. "I hear you're an adopted son," he remarked idly.

"...Did you hear that from Il'oh? No, more importantly, why are you bringing up someone's painful past so casually while lying down?!" Ak Yeonho exclaimed indignantly.

Baek Suryong snorted. "A grown man calling something like that his 'painful past.' You don't know how blessed you are. You were an orphan adopted by a wealthy family. You got to learn martial arts, wear nice clothes, and eat delicious food. Weren't there plenty of kids who didn't get a surname and ended up becoming servants, unlike you?"

"Wow, listen to you talk so flippantly! It's not even your story..." Ak Yeonho grumbled in disbelief before finally chuckling. He knew this was Baek Suryong's own way of comforting him by downplaying a serious matter. "I'm sorry. I was just a bit distraught. I know I was being ridiculously selfish."

"As long as you know."

"I plan to formally apologize to Mr. Namgung Su tomorrow."

"Yeah. That guy pretends not to care, but he's secretly bothered by it."

"There's no way I'll get fired, right?"

"Hmm, I wonder? You've gotten on the bad side of a Star Instructor, so it's possible."

"That's a relief. If that were the case, you should've been fired long ago, Hyung-nim. Since you're still here, I should be fine, too."

Baek Suryong glared daggers at Ak Yeonho. "...This punk?"

Ak Yeonho giggled, then lay down on the roof and gazed up at the sky as well. From the tone of his voice, Baek Suryong realized that Ak Yeonho was hiding something more. It was probably related to the 'personal reasons' he hadn't even told Myeong Il'oh. Because of that, he didn't press the issue. Instead, he changed the subject. "Hey, Yeonho."

"Yes?"

"About your family's patriarch... should I give him a good thrashing?"

"Are you crazy?" Ak Yeonho shot up in alarm at Baek Suryong's suggestion of beating up the Shandong Ak Clan's Patriarch as if he were some neighborhood delinquent.

However, Baek Suryong was still looking at the sky with a relaxed face, which made him seem even more serious. "What's the problem? I'm probably stronger than the Spear King. I might as well shed this label of being the weakest of the Ten Supremes."

"......" Ak Yeonho's jaw dropped in shock, but he eventually burst out laughing. "Puhahaha!"

After getting so close to Baek Suryong, he'd forgotten just what kind of person the man was. Baek Suryong was a peerless master equal to the Patriarch he so feared, yet he was also a quirky new instructor at the Azure Dragon Academy who never flaunted his status.

The moment he remembered this, the shadow cast by the Patriarch in his heart diminished.

He shook his head with a gentle smile. "Thanks, Hyung-nim, but I don't think that'll be necessary."

Baek Suryong nodded and dropped the matter. "Shall we head down now?"

"Yes!"

The two men leaped off the dormitory roof.

"I'm going to the office for a bit," Ak Yeonho said, heading back to finish his work.

Baek Suryong clicked his tongue as he watched his energetic colleague run off. "Tsk, tsk. He should rest today. What's he doing working overtime?"

[Are you one to talk? You pot calling the kettle black...] the Divine Azure Dragon Sword exclaimed.All the way home, Baek Suryong endured the Divine Azure Dragon Sword's nagging. Since he'd left work early, he decided to have dinner with his students for once. He even swung by the market to pick up a few groceries before returning to the White Dragon Manor.

Upon hearing a boisterous noise from beyond the manor wall, however, he tilted his head in confusion. "Did they bring friends over? It's so noisy."

As he neared the source of the noise, his expression hardened. Before he knew it, he was using his movement arts.

WHOOOOSH!

Baek Suryong leaped over the wall like a raging gale, his martial arts uniform fluttering as he landed.

"Senior! Over here!"

"Pass it to me!"

"You're insane! Meatbun-hyung's skill is no joke!"

"Block him somehow!"

THUMP!

Witnessing the unbelievable sight, Baek Suryong dropped the bags he was holding. In the middle of the White Dragon Manor's training ground, Number Four was playing cuju1 with the Five Young Azure Dragons.

Cuju: I think I mentioned this before, but Cuju (or Kemari in Japanese) is a game similar to football/soccer, except you never let the ball touch the ground.↩