Chapter 47

## Chapter 47. Next, it's your turn!

"Oh, our Il-o hyung! What on earth happened here!"

"......My head hurts, so stop shaking me......"

Mingil-o, covered in ointments and bandages, lay straight on the bed, while Aekyeon-ho, with a face that looked like he was about to cry, shook Mingil-o's body vigorously.

"To think you'd turn into a corpse while I was just going to the restroom! Hyung! Hyungnim! I'll definitely avenge you!"

"......Baek hyung. Is this guy really trying to make me angrier?"

"That's what you get for teasing him about going to the restroom so often."

"......"

"Oh, our Il-o hyung! If you die like this without getting married......"

"......Stop it, you brat! I'm going to die of anger because of you!"

Finally, Mingil-o, who had been choked up, jumped up and swung his arm, and just as Aekyeon-ho was about to run away, causing a commotion,

"Can't you both behave! Don't you see the blood seeping through the bandages!"

"Sorry......"

"Yes......"

Only after being scolded by the doctor did the two of them calm down.

I clicked my tongue at the childish behavior of the two.

"For grown men, this is......"

Mingil-o, who had lain back down, lifted his head and looked at me. He sighed deeply and said,

"......I'm ashamed that you helped me so much."

"It's fine. Who would have thought the Thousand Thunder Sword Technique would come out there?"

"I thought I could give that unlucky guy a good beating...... But I ended up losing miserably."

"He probably doesn't think that way."

I chuckled and patted Mingil-o's shoulder.

Though I felt sorry for Mingil-o, he was someone who didn't even cross Nan Gong Shou's mind.

For him to have been flustered by such an opponent and even use the family's secret technique, the Thousand Thunder Sword Technique, his pride must have been severely damaged.

"He's probably grinding his teeth right now. Once we're hired, both of us will have a tough time."

Mingil-o grinned at my words. It seemed he had changed a bit from hanging out with us.

"I'm prepared for it."

As the two of us exchanged grins, Aekyeon-ho joined in with a cheap villain's smile.

"Hehehe...... I'm in the same boat."

"Are you saying you don't need to go to the restroom anymore?"

"......I'll go a little later."

Just as Aekyeon-ho cleared his throat and shifted his buttocks, a loud cheer from the students outside the building echoed.

Since the practical exam sparring hadn't ended yet, it seemed a candidate had just put up a great fight against an instructor.

Mingil-o looked at me and asked,

"Hyungnim, it's almost your turn. Aren't you going to check it out?"

"They'll call me when it's time."

I replied indifferently.

Unless my opponent was Nan Gong Shou, it didn't matter much who I faced.

'Unless it's the Deputy Head or Mai Jilian...... But it doesn't seem like Lao Junxiang would do that. It's probably that guy.'

I had a rough idea of who my opponent would be.

Given that he had been glaring at me throughout the sparring, he probably knew as well.

Creak.

At that moment, the door to the clinic opened, and a familiar face walked in.

It was Zhuge Xiaoying, holding a large book in her arms and looking around the room.

"Oh."

She quickly spotted me and approached with quick steps, asking,

"Is the patient feeling better?"

"He's fine. What about your sparring?"

I asked with a puzzled look, and Zhuge Xiaoying smiled and replied,

"I just finished, so I came right over."

Wait a minute. If she just finished......

"Students were cheering like crazy just now...... Was it your sparring, Zhuge?"

"Ah, that. I guess I was a bit lucky."

Zhuge Xiaoying seemed embarrassed, pushing her hair behind her ear and avoiding my gaze.

I had heard she had just turned twenty after graduating from the Heavenly Martial Academy, but she looked like a young student.

However, what caught my eye wasn't Zhuge Xiaoying's face.

'I want to see how she fights.'

No matter how good one's observational skills are, you can't fully understand someone's martial arts just by looking at their appearance.

Zhuge Xiaoying, being from a prestigious family, had a well-centered stance and solid fundamentals, but it was hard to guess what martial arts she had learned and what weapons she used.

'Does she only handle the判官笔 (pan guan bi)?'

At that moment, the large book she was holding caught my attention.

Given its monstrous thickness and the tough-looking leather cover, it seemed heavier and more durable than most weapons.

'Could she be using the book as a blunt weapon?'

Feeling my gaze, Zhuge Xiaoying hugged the book tighter with both arms and asked with a wary look,

"Why are you staring at it so intently?"

"Checking if there's any blood on the edges......"

"......What?"

"Nothing. So, you came to visit the patient?"

"That's part of it......"

At that moment, I didn't realize how clueless Zhuge Xiaoying was.

How could she smile so innocently and ask such a thing?

"I was curious about our bet."

"......Bet?"

"What bet?"

Zhuge Xiaoying's sudden appearance had made Mingil-o and Aekyeon-ho, who had been holding their breath, turn their heads to look at me simultaneously.

I felt cold sweat run down my back, something that hadn't happened even when facing Nan Gong Shou.

"Bet? What are you talking about......"

While outwardly pretending not to know, I sent a mental message to Zhuge Xiaoying.

[Hey, miss. Let's talk about this later......]

But before my mental message could reach her, Zhuge Xiaoying, with wide eyes, quickly and kindly explained,

"We bet that Mingil-o would knock down Nan Gong Shou within fifty moves! Have you already forgotten?"

"......"

An awkward silence filled the clinic, and after a moment, Mingil-o looked at me with a betrayed expression.

"Hyungnim...... So you helped me because of that bet?"

"Wh-what? It was just a coincidence......"

Mingil-o turned away from me with a hurt look, and Aekyeon-ho added salt to the wound.

"Wow, how could you. So when Il-o hyung was fighting for his life, you were betting on it?"

"To be honest, I didn't bet my life on it."

"Wow, you still haven't repented......"

"......"

I had nothing to say and closed my mouth, while the two of them gleefully tore into me.

Seeing my expression sour, Zhuge Xiaoying asked timidly,

"Did I...... make a mistake? I, I'm sorry. I often hear that I lose my sense when I get absorbed in something......"

As Zhuge Xiaoying hunched her shoulders, the two who had been criticizing me, Aekyeon-ho and Mingil-o, were flustered and shook their heads simultaneously.

"No, no!"

"You did nothing wrong! If anyone is to blame, it's all Su Long hyung's fault!"

......I can't believe I call these guys my brothers.

Anyway, because Zhuge Xiaoying had hunched her shoulders, the two of them, who had been teasing me, couldn't continue their taunts.

"I'll be more careful next time. But, about that bet......"

Even while saying she would be careful, she still insisted on finishing her point.

That was Zhuge Xiaoying.

I sighed deeply and said,

"Alright. Since I didn't knock down Nan Gong Shou within fifty moves, I lost the bet......"

"I lost."

"......Huh?"

I looked at Zhuge Xiaoying, who had spoken.

She met my gaze and continued,

"The last move Nan Gong Shou used. I think it shouldn't have been used in this sparring, which is meant to test the skills of new instructor candidates. It almost caused serious injury to the candidate."

Zhuge Xiaoying turned her head to look at Mingil-o.

Her expression darkened as she saw the numerous injuries on his body.

"If Nan Gong Shou hadn't used the Thousand Thunder Sword Technique at that moment, Mingil-o would have definitely fallen backward. If I didn't know that, it would be one thing, but I can't claim I won the bet knowing that."

"Hmm......"

Honestly, I didn't quite understand her argument.

Whatever Nan Gong Shou did was his own business, and the fact that Mingil-o didn't fall was undeniable.

Zhuge Xiaoying could have claimed she won.

But she didn't.

'She has her own principles, I guess.'

In any case, I had no reason to refuse.

Moreover, the prize for the bet was......

"I lost, so I'll grant you one wish, as per the bet. Anything within my power!"

"Hmm."

Zhuge Xiaoying's eyes shone with excitement as she said,

"Yes! Whenever you think of it, just let me know!"

"Thanks. I didn't come here just to say that......"

"To say that, and also to ask something."

Zhuge Xiaoying, still holding the book tightly, fidgeted with her fingers and asked me,

"I know you applied for the external martial arts instructor position. Are you also well-versed in martial history?"

"Martial history?"

"Just now, when you compared the sword techniques of the Murong family and the Kunlun Sect, you seemed very knowledgeable about both their histories......"

"Well, I know the basics. I've had a bit of interest in it for a long time."

As a martial arts instructor for the Blood Sect, I had studied the techniques and histories of the Nine Great Sects and Five Major Families, which I would eventually have to destroy.

Hearing my words, Zhuge Xiaoying looked pleased.

"Of course! These days, everyone just focuses on learning martial arts and doesn't care about their origins or history. The martial history classes I taught at the Heavenly Martial Academy were often canceled due to lack of students. No one listens unless they're really interested or need the credits...... Does that make sense? I want to tell them, 'There is no enlightenment for a martial artist who forgets history!'"

I nodded, taken aback by her rapid and passionate speech.

"Uh...... Yeah, sure."

"Someone who shares my interest in martial history! I'm so happy! I didn't expect it......"

She was so excited that her face was flushed.

If I were a woman, I would have grabbed her hands and jumped up and down.

"Will we have another chance to talk? Next time, we can have a deeper conversation......"

I couldn't bring myself to tell her it would be a hassle, given her eager expression.

"Sure. If we both get hired as new instructors, we will."

"Then I don't have to worry."

Zhuge Xiaoying sighed in relief.

She seemed to want to talk more but blushed when she glanced at Mingil-o and Aekyeon-ho.

"I got carried away again. There's a patient here...... I'll be going now."

"Take care."

"Yes! See you next time."

Zhuge Xiaoying bowed like a student to a teacher and turned to leave the clinic.

Her light and cheerful steps made me smile involuntarily.

"Is it because she just graduated?"

She seemed more like a student who was teaching rather than an instructor.

As I chuckled and shook my head, eerie voices came from beside me.

"Hyungnim."

"Hyungnim......"

The two, who hadn't said a word while Zhuge Xiaoying was there, now spoke up eagerly.

"Why did you do it alone! Let us get to know her too!"

"How did you become friends with such a beautiful miss......"

"While I was in the restroom and Il-o hyung was getting beaten up? Did you make a move then?"

"Someone who's destined to succeed will succeed. We used to drink together as three men, but now you're alone......"

"From now on, let's include her in our drinking sessions!"

......These guys are hopeless.

I clicked my tongue and pushed away the clingy guys.

"Baek Sulong candidate! Are you here?"

Just as Zhuge Xiaoying left and the clinic door closed, it opened again, and one of the ordinary martial artists from the Azure Dragon Academy walked in.

He sighed when he saw me.

"There you are. Get ready quickly! It's your turn next!"