Chapter 11: Reversal of Relations (1)
Chapter 10 – Reversal of Relations (1)
Slap!
His vision flashed and the world spun.
His struck cheek swelled up and turned bright red.
The shock was greater than the pain.
Yun Jong-seung caressed his burning cheek and stammered.
“La, Lady Baekli Hyang…?”
Baekli Hyang crossed her arms and spoke with a face as cold as ice.
“Say that again. What did you say?”
“I, I mean, I just… Namgung Cheon’s memory hasn’t fully returned yet… and we spent a lot of money today, so let’s stop here…”
“And? Are you telling us to go easy on that pushover? Anyone would think we squandered your money.”
“T-That’s not it, but…”
Yun Jong-seung bit his lip hard.
Indeed, that was exactly the case.
It was true that his money had been squandered.
But he could not tell them the truth.
That he had been stripped of all his funds by the official pushover of Dragon Heaven Academy?
He could never say that, even if he died.
However, continuing to bully Namgung Cheon like this was also a burden.
Namgung Cheon had certainly become a completely different person.
The martial prowess he had shown during their last duel and on the way to the academy was by no means something that could be ignored.
His instinct was telling him.
If he kept messing with Namgung Cheon, he would pay a heavy price.
Yes, he had to stop here.
Before things became irreversible.
Yun Jong-seung swallowed his dry saliva and spoke with as much conviction as he could muster.
“Namgung Cheon seems to have… changed somewhat. Still, isn’t he from the Namgung Clan? There’s nothing wrong with being careful…”
Slap!
Yun Jong-seung staggered and collapsed from the slap that flew at him again.
Damn it!
Out of sudden anger, he glared at Baekli Hyang, but soon lowered his gaze.
She was Baekli Hyang, a child of one of the Seven Great Clans of the Jianghu.
She was not someone of a status he could treat according to his temper.
Baekli Hyang spoke in a chilly voice.
“Still the Namgung Clan? Ha! How long ago was that Namgung Clan? The very fact that the Namgung Clan is still lingering in a corner of the Martial World is a disgrace to the Jianghu! You know that?”
“B-But if Namgung Cheon tries to commit suicide again, it could become a problem…”
Baekli Hyang narrowed her eyes and stared intently at Yun Jong-seung.
“Come to think of it, it seems the Mount Huang Yun Clan is still walking on eggshells around the Namgung Clan. Is that an unavoidable instinct of being born lowly? I can’t believe you still know nothing but how to lick the soles of the Namgung Clan’s feet.”
“Lady! You go too far!”
As the angered Yun Jong-seung sprang to his feet, Song Won-gyo, who was standing beside him, suddenly kicked out.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
Crash!
Song Won-gyo stared coldly at Yun Jong-seung, who was tumbling on the floor.
“Who do you think you’re raising your voice at right now? Are you crazy?”
“Brother Song…! How can even you do this to me, Brother Song?”
“Who do you think you are? Ah, Namgung Cheon’s servant?”
“Brother Song!”
“Shut up, you bastard. Do you think I wouldn’t know? I heard you escorted Namgung Cheon in a luxurious carriage when coming to the academy.”
“……!”
“Go ahead and babble. Why are you suddenly groveling to that guy?”
“T-That’s…”
“Why? Did you suddenly develop some pathetic sympathy? If you try to show sympathy, your life might get ruined, you bastard.”
“It’s not that! Just…”
“Just what?”
After hesitating for a moment, Yun Jong-seung let out a long sigh.
At this rate, he did not have the confidence to persuade them.
In the end, he confessed everything truthfully.
What had happened during the duel when he visited the Namgung Clan.
However, he did not mention what had happened on the way to the academy.
For he could not bring himself to say that even the family’s warriors had been beaten up by Namgung Cheon.
After hearing the general situation, Song Won-gyo burst into a dumbfounded laugh.
“This guy is a complete idiot.”
“Brother Song! You go too fa—!”
Thud!
“Urgh!”
“This bastard still hasn’t snapped out of it. Who do you think you’re shouting in front of? Huh?”
“Even so…!”
“You still have the energy to talk back?”
Thump! Thump! Thud!
“Argh…!”
Song Won-gyo kicked him mercilessly, madness even erupting from his eyes.
Yun Jong-seung, who was being unilaterally beaten, eventually clung to Song Won-gyo’s leg and begged for mercy.
“I-I was wrong. Please forgive me!”
Tears even streamed down from the pain throbbing through all his joints.
“Whew, do you know your place now? From now on, you are not of our kind. Don’t go around pretending to know us, you pushover bastard.”
“Brother Song…”
“Shut up. You are the official pushover of Dragon Heaven Academy from now on. Got it?”
“H-How can…!”
Despair washed over Yun Jong-seung’s face.
Song Won-gyo sneered, curling up one corner of his mouth.
“Namgung Cheon passed the exam today, didn’t he? What else can we do? We already made a promise in front of the students. Now, you have no choice but to take over that pushover spot.”
Baekli Hyang, who was standing beside him, cast a pathetic look at Yun Jong-seung and snorted.
“They say birds of a feather flock together. I guess pushovers click well with other pushovers.”
“……!”
As Yun Jong-seung clenched his teeth and glared at Baekli Hyang, Song Won-gyo stepped forward again.
“What are you glaring at? You still haven’t learned your lesson.”
Thump! Thump! Crack!
“Aaagh!”
Yun Jong-seung curled up his body and took the one-sided beating.
The joints across his entire body throbbed, and his leg bone, which had barely healed, swelled up again.
After showering him with kicks for a long time, Song Won-gyo said, panting continuously.
“Pathetic bastard. Get down.”
When Yun Jong-seung groaned weakly and faceplanted onto the floor, Song Won-gyo smirked and turned to Baekli Hyang.
“Lady, you must be tired in many ways today, so please sit comfortably.”
“I’ll pass. I don’t want to dirty myself.”
“Ah, my mistake. It is too shabby for the lady to sit on. Then I shall use it.”
Song Won-gyo sat down heavily on the back of the prostrate Yun Jong-seung.
“Ugh…!”
Yun Jong-seung clenched his teeth hard.
It was resentful and humiliating, but there was nothing he could do here.
His family’s influence was not as powerful as theirs, nor was his own strength superior.
“But are we really going to leave Namgung Cheon alone like this?”
“How could that be? We must teach him a lesson.”
When Song Won-gyo replied while crossing his legs, Baekli Hyang asked again.
“How?”
“This time, I intend to trample him so he can never stand again. Today ended on a rather unsettling note, but it is not over yet.”
“Are you planning to use force?”
“That is correct. First, I plan to beat him to death. When he loses his strength, I will stuff about ten live earthworms into his mouth and force him to eat them. Won’t that restore his energy?”
“You are mischievous. However, using force should be a last resort. And true suffering is not physical pain. What is truly unbearable is tormenting here.”
Baekli Hyang pointed at her own head with a slender white finger.
Song Won-gyo let out a low groan and asked.
“Do you have an idea?”
“I will give it a try this time. Although I cannot be like my father, the Great Killing Star, I am confident I can make it so he cannot even set foot in the current Jianghu.”
“Are you going to banish him from the Martial World forever?”
“I plan to make it so that not only Namgung Cheon, but the entire Namgung Clan won’t even be able to lift their heads.”
“Ho, I look forward to it.”
“Just watch.”
Baekli Hyang wore a faint smile.
It was truly an ecstatic smile, to the point that anyone watching would feel dizzy.
But Song Won-gyo knew.
That when she wore such a smile, it was when she was thinking of something truly wicked.
* * *
Namgung Cheon, who was half-awake, scratched the back of his head and asked in irritation.
“What are you doing?”
Yun Jong-seung, who was kneeling at his feet, forced his voice out with difficulty.
“I want to know the way to get stronger.”
“Did you come in the middle of the night and make all this fuss just to ask that?”
“Yes. I want to become strong like you, too.”
Namgung Cheon frowned slightly, then grabbed the chin of the bowing Yun Jong-seung and lifted it.
“Did you get beaten up?”
“None of your business.”
Yun Jong-seung turned his head away and replied flatly.
“Look at your pride.”
“More importantly, tell me. How did you get strong?”
“Why should I?”
“P-Please! I beg of you!”
Yun Jong-seung shouted as he placed both hands on the floor.
But Namgung Cheon was cold.
“You just have to suffer like hell. Get lost.”
Well, the truth was the truth.
However, Yun Jong-seung did not back down easily.
“No! I can’t go like this!”
“Crazy bastard. Then stay in front of the door like that all night.”
As Namgung Cheon turned around, Yun Jong-seung suddenly grabbed the hem of his pants and wailed.
“No! I can’t go like this! Tell me! The way to get strong! What is it? A fortuitous encounter? Or a spiritual medicine? It’s not that, is it? There’s something else, right? How on earth did you get so strong overnight?”
“Let go of this.”
“I can’t! At this rate… at this rate, I will live a life worse than hell! This is all because of you! Do you know? Because you suddenly acted differently from usual, those guys did this to me…”
Namgung Cheon let out a shallow sigh.
This guy certainly had a knack for asking for a beating.
Thud!
“Urgh!”
Crash!
Yun Jong-seung, who was sent flying by the kick, tumbled carelessly.
Namgung Cheon walked over with an expressionless face, grabbed him by the hair, and pulled him up.
“Worse than hell? The bastard who knows that walked around doing those things? It’s fine for me to suffer it, but not you? You really have a character issue.”
“I-I’m sorry. I’m sorry. So… tell me. Please.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Don’t be like that, please… I want to become strong like you, too. Otherwise, I will become a pushover like you and…”
Sigh, it had been a long time since he had seen someone so incapable of learning a lesson.
At this point, it almost seemed like he enjoyed being beaten.
Thud!
Crash!
Yun Jong-seung was sent flying again by the fist Namgung Cheon swung.
“Argh…!”
Namgung Cheon walked slowly toward Yun Jong-seung, who could not even steady his body properly.
“Since you want it so badly, I’ll tell you.”
“Wh-What is it?”
Namgung Cheon squatted in front of Yun Jong-seung with a face like the Grim Reaper.
“Once you hit rock bottom, relationships become clear. You should experience that hell too. Then you will definitely get stronger.”
Namgung Cheon stood up, turned around sharply, and entered his room.
Slam!
Even after the door slammed shut, Yun Jong-seung could not leave the spot for a long time.
* * *
The next day.
When Namgung Cheon entered the Hoyeon Pavilion, no one picked a fight with him.
On the contrary, a few students even greeted him as if they were glad to see him.
Could the atmosphere change like this overnight?
Instead, the students giggled while glancing at a completely different place, which was the seat where Yun Jong-seung was sitting.
Yun Jong-seung sat in a corner of the hall.
His face was swollen and bruised as if he had been beaten just a moment ago, and his lips were torn and bleeding.
Furthermore, his entire body was soaking wet as if he had been drenched in filth, and a terrible stench pricked the noses of those nearby.
‘Making a new pushover has already begun.’
In any case, kids these days are fast.
Especially when it comes to adapting to bad deeds.
Scanning the students, there was not a single person who stepped forward to help Yun Jong-seung.
Of course, there were those who did not even glance at him or kept out of it, but the majority of the students joined in making him a pushover, showering him with criticism and ridicule.
Looking at them, the orthodox sect bastards play even dirtier.
In their own minds, they always babble about justice this and that, but as one could see, what they did was a spectacle.
Specifically, they put a tiring amount of effort into this kind of malice.
Just then, Song Won-gyo saw Namgung Cheon and approached him with a bright smile.
“Namgung Cheon, welcome. Did you sleep well last night? By the way, it seems your hometown friend has wet himself. The smell is so terrible. Why don’t you wash him?”
“Why should I?”
“Huh? Well, that’s… because you’re from the same hometown?”
Song Won-gyo stammered, looking slightly flustered.
Namgung Cheon glanced at Baekli Hyang standing to the side and smirked.
“Then do you guys wash each other just because you’re from the same hometown?”
“Wh-What are you talking about! Of course not!”
“If not, whatever.”
As Namgung Cheon replied flatly, Song Won-gyo panted with a face turned bright red.
Baekli Hyang, who had just been watching, approached with a refreshing smile.
“Young Master Namgung, this is interesting. By the way, thanks to you, I ate well yesterday. More importantly, I heard you’ve gotten quite strong?”
Why was she suddenly speaking formally?
Moreover, why is she talking so incoherently?