His intention behind the visit was to use the pendant to at least partially hide his energetic traces from Kang-hyuk, as the Hidden Qi Stone that had been used to make the pendant was of the highest quality.
"Seonsaengnim, there's something I've been curious about all this time."
"What is it?"
"It's about that pig from earlier."
"The owner of Hyangwooru?"
"Yeah. Why did you ask me to act and not step in yourself? Are you trying to hide your ident.i.ty as the Retired Leader?"
Kang-hyuk shook his head.
"It's not that I'm trying to hide my ident.i.ty, but instead..."
"...?"
"If it was revealed, it would be a little bothersome, don't you think?"
"Ah, I see."
Shim-gu nodded.
He realized that if Kang-hyuk's true ident.i.ty was publicly revealed, the effect it would bring would be quite dramatic.
"You can go now."
"Ah, I have something to give you."
Shim-gu's hand was wrapped around something. It was a piece of paper.
"What is this?"
"Just read it."
Kang-hyuk took the paper and scanned through the information written.
Within a few moments, a strong energy emanated from Kang-hyuk's hand, burning the paper into charred bits. He dusted the ash off his hands and then spoke, "It's only right that I finish what I started today."
***
"d.a.m.n it! d.a.m.n it! d.a.m.n it!"
The location was Hyangwooru.
The owner gritted his teeth at the pain throbbing through his b.u.t.tocks.
He felt displeased and angered in every way.
The severe beating he had received from Shim-gu, the Hwacheon Academy teacher Kang-hyuk who had tried to intimidate him, the fact that he had to give Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g his salary, which was something he hadn't wanted to do, and the undoubted fact that he was the one who saved him.
"Arghhhh!"
He hurled the bottle of ointment, that was beside his bed, into the air.
"Bo-boss!"
The maids that had been applying ointment on his injuries, cried out. He then slapped the cheek of the maid that was closest to him.
"Who do you think you're screaming at!"
"I'm sorry! Pleplease forgive me!"
"Everyone else, get out right now!"
The other maids immediately dashed out of the room, fearful of the owner's wrath.
He then addressed the remaining maid standing in front of him.
"You!"
"Yes, O-owner."
"Undress!"
"Sorry?"
"As an ex-Gisaeng, what's the hesitation for? I want you to give my worn out body some healing."
The maid bit her lip nervously.
She had been a Gisaeng at Hyangwooru, but as her face had become scarred, she had to begin working as a maid.
Due to her previous work, she wasn't embarra.s.sed about exposing her bare body, but her hesitation was because she knew what the owner's true intentions were.
It had started around three years earlier.
He would call a maid into his room whenever he was in a bad mood. The next day, that maid would have disappeared.
However, occasionally, terrifying rumours got out about what had actually gone on.
The owner lifted his hand and slapped the maid's cheek one more time.
"If you don't undress yourself, I'm going to have to undress you instead!"
"Pleplease don't do this!"
"How dare a mere liberal arts teacher try and lecture me! I'll make it so that he's immediately expelled!"
He hurriedly began to tug at the maid's clothes roughly and forcefully.
"Eeek!"
All of a sudden, a strange groaning sound came out of the maid's mouth as she collapsed on the spot.
"...?"
Then, the figure of a man came out from behind her. The owner's eyes widened in surprise.
"But how — you, you…..Kang-hyuk?"
The man was none other the Retired Leader, and Hwacheon Academy teacher, Kang-hyuk.
"You'll make it so that I'm expelled? Tsk tsk, I had a feeling that this would happen. I don't even see a speck of remorse in your eyes."
"How are you here?"
"I came in through the door. Thanks to you, there was no one guarding it."
"You, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d…."
He was unable to finish speaking, with Kang-hyuk's fist lodged into his abdomen.
"Wait a minute."
He picked up the collapsed maid, and then walked out of the room. Due to the owner's violent outburst, no one was standing outside the room. He gently laid the maid down in the corridor outside, entering the room once more.
The Owner gulped.
"I don't know who you are…..but my personal guards will….."
"Ah! Are you referring to those fellows that are on the roof?"
"...!"
A drop of red fluid fell down right in front of the owner. The colour of his face began to change.
"Unfortunately, they won't be coming."
"You...y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
"I think it's going to be too noisy for this place, so we'll have to relocate. Do you mind?"
Kang-hyuk grabbed the owner's back, and the flew out through the window.
A decent amount time had pa.s.sed since then. The owner, having regained his consciousness, was wondering why he was in the middle of a forest.
"Where, where is this place?"
Kang-hyuk coolly replied, "It's where you're going to die."
"What?"
"Didn't I tell you that I would kill you if you swindled anyone again?"
"Wh-what are you talking about!?"
Kang-hyuk grinned at the owner's frightened bellow.
"Do you recall what the Retired Leader's name was?"
"O-of course! Kang…"
"And...what's my name?"
The owner's face completely paled. He had finally realized what he had thought was a simple case of two different people with the same name.
"Bu-but, that person, his age…."
"I obviously know he's ninety eight. You think I don't know my own age?"
"S-so, you were hiding your own ident.i.ty?"
Kang-hyuk didn't respond. His expression said all that was needed to be confirmed.
Beads of sweat dripped down the Owner's back in trembling fear.
The gaze of the man standing in front of him had the same gaze of the Retired Leader he had encountered four years earlier.
"Ssave me! Please! I won't do anything wrong anymore!"
He dropped down to his knees and began to beg. However, Kang-hyuk looked at him in an icy manner
"Why did I even give you a chance in the first place? If I just killed you back then, there wouldn't have been so many innocent victims."
"...?"
"You've done many things that are quite disappointing in my eyes. But this time though, it'll be different. This time, I'm going to give you the chance to start your life anew."
Kang-hyuk wryly smiled.
He didn't exactly know why he had given Oh-Tae so many chances as well, but he felt that it was most likely due to the reason that his actions hadn't put anyone's life at risk. Adding to that, he was a colleague and so, he didn't want to be too extreme with him.
Kang-hyuk looked down at the owner, who was still kneeled on the ground.
"This is what's going to happen. I…."
He raised his leg, and stepped on the owner's head.
"I guess...this is a type of hope as well."
***
It was early in the morning.
"You've done well."
Kang-hyuk patted Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g's shoulders.
They had gone to Yeongyowon to check on the progress of the flower seeds the students had sowed.
Kang-hyuk had thought that Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g might find it hard to wake up so early in the morning, but he had awoken at the precise time Kang-hyuk had stated.
He was pleased with Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g's devotedness in his work.
"By the way, could you check on the students' presence in Yeongyowon every morning and evening, starting from tomorrow?"
Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g immediately bowed.
"I'll perform every task you give me to the best of my ability."
"Well then, I bestow this task upon you."
"Thank you."
Byeok Ae-rin emerged from the kitchen, smiling upon seeing Kang-hyuk and Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g.
"You're back?"
"Yes. Ah! Judging by the aroma, it looks like today's breakfast is Scorched Rice Soup!"
"You're correct. By the way, did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"About Hyangwooru."
Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g's ears perked up from the mere mention of Hyangwooru.
"Hyangwooru?"
"Yesterday, Elder Shim-gu stormed in and created a scene. I heard that after that, the owner fled last night."
"He fled?"
"Yes. After an investigation took place, it turned out that he was receiving bribes. Not only did he exploit rightful salaries, he had also accepted bribes from all over."
"Oh? Really?"
"I think he fled because he was afraid of being beaten by Elder Shim-gu after the discovery."
"I see."
Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g looked a little perplexed.
'So he fled in the end, huh.'
Byeok Ae-rin was already aware of Kang-hyuk leaving last night. She was purposely sharing the news to inform Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g.
She then dusted off her ap.r.o.n.
"Anyway, please start eating before the food gets cold. By the way Seonsaengnim, is it okay if I leave for a while tonight? I have something I need to do."
"Do as you please."
"Thank you."
Kang-hyuk could guess why Byeok Ae-rin needed to go out, and felt a little uneasy.
He looked up at the sky, but soon remembered that he had no time to be lost in thought.
He had things to do, which he had already delayed for a while.
***
After eating a hearty breakfast, Kang-hyuk soon made a move. As he had a few objects that needed picking up, he headed for the Northern Mountains.
'Having to come here every time is a bit bothersome.'
He soon arrived at his personal warehouse, and had entered with his energetic activation.
As always, the interior glittered with golden light that reflected off the Ymyeong-ju crystals.
However, Kang-hyuk seemed completely oblivious to its beauty.
"Right, let's go find the things I need."
After travelling through a pa.s.sageway, he opened a door. Positioned behind the door was a storeroom of all kinds of objects.
Kang-hyuk was gazing at two doors that were within the room.
One of the doors was of a red colour, whilst the other was of a blue color. He stepped in the direction of the blue door.
As he pushed the door open, cold air, that had been trapped inside the room, gushed out.
The room behind the blue door contained objects that were of a yin nature, whilst its adjacent room behind the red door contained objects of a yang nature.
Kang-hyuk then entered the room.
The walls of the room were formed from frost, and the floor was made of ice.
The room had become this way due to the concentration of yin objects stored within it.
Among the objects were rare artifacts such as the Summer Ice Sword, the Sorrowful Frost Gun, and the Icy Jade Ring.
The icy air within the room would have caused anyone else to freeze, but Kang-hyuk experienced it as an extremely refreshing breeze.
He seemed to be focusing on a particular corner of the room that was filled to the brim with white rocks of all shapes and sizes.
"Ah! It's there!"
Kang-hyuk headed over to where the white rocks were. He picked up five rocks that were the size of a fist, and then placed them into a drawstring bag.
If anyone else had seen his vast collection of white rocks, they would have fallen over in surprise. This was because the white rocks were actually Ice Crystals, the very same Ice Crystals that hung off Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g's sword.
Their configuration was more similar to an elixir than an object, but due to their overly cool nature, Kang-hyuk had kept them in his storage.
Ice Crystals were one of the greatest treasures of the North Sea Ice Palace.
They were usually un.o.btainable by most, but Kang-hyuk had somehow chanced upon them in an unimaginable way.
He had unearthed them in circ.u.mstances where he had almost lost his life five times on a mission for the North Sea Ice Palace.
Despite their status as a great treasure, he had decided to present the Ice Crystals to the North Sea Ice Palace as he felt that he had no real need for them.
However, the Princess adamantly refused to accept them, and told Kang-hyuk to take them back with him.
"You can only come across the Ice Crystals when it is willed by the heavens, and they belong to the person that first touches them. Therefore, we cannot accept them."
He had no choice but to take them back with him, and thereafter kept them in storage for many years.
"I thought that it would be useless to keep them, but I guess they've come in handy for now."
His current intention was to use them for his students' horticultural practice.
A silver glint between the rocks suddenly caught Kang-hyuk's eye. It was a key.
"Ah! So it was here all this time!"
Kang-hyuk's face lit up at the appearance of the silver key.
