CLS-Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Jo Hyeon—that gentleman isn’t exactly an easy opponent to deal with either.

Even looking at the future, Jo Hyeon was pretty much the only person who could make Wei Yan-ho eat crow.

Huh? Family?

Let’s leave that out. The truth is, no matter how accomplished someone is, they can’t talk back to their father. Even if you’re the greatest martial artist under heaven, you might still get a beating from your father if he’s alive—that’s just human nature.

Huh? Has Wei Yan-ho been beaten before too?

…Let’s just skip that part.

Anyway, Jo Hyeon meeting Wei Yan-ho wasn’t exactly a pleasant affair for either of them. Jo Hyeon in particular had no choice but to be utterly flustered.

Why?

This is funny even to me when I think about it, but someone of Jo Hyeon’s caliber—a Divine Strategist—doesn’t need to think about dealing with unreasonable people.

Think about it. The people he deals with are either influential figures from various factions or regional overlords. Usually, anyone too strange doesn’t make it to that level—they get weeded out.

So where would Jo Hyeon have encountered someone like Wei Yan-ho?

Me?

Well, I’m a beggar.

Since I experience all kinds of human specimens, I have some immunity to them. But even I was exasperated by Wei Yan-ho… So how bewildered must Jo Hyeon have been?

That’s where the problem starts.

When you encounter someone you can’t understand or handle, you should just wash your hands of them and go your own way to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, people who pride themselves on being smart always think they can figure out their opponent.

Wouldn’t someone like Jo Hyeon be especially prone to this?

That’s how you sink into the quagmire.

Gradually, you know. Yes, gradually.

***

“What’s wrong with you?”

Jo Hyeon was at a loss for words.

“What’s wrong with you?” Really? Was he asking because he genuinely didn’t know?

He wanted to shout right then and there, but that wouldn’t do. Not only was his dignity at stake, but openly scolding an instructor in front of students would seriously damage the instructor’s reputation. Since Jo Hyeon hadn’t yet given up on this class, he wanted to avoid such a situation.

“…Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“Would you like to come eat with me?”

“Mm, I’m not really that hungry right now…”

Do you think I’m asking you to eat because I’M hungry, you damn fool! Don’t people need to have at least some basic awareness?!

His insides were already churning. But it was still manageable. Then Jo Hyeon heard the murmuring behind him, and he felt as if someone had forcibly opened his mouth, shoved their arm down his throat, and was stirring around inside his stomach.

“The Military Strategist is asking the instructor to go eat with him?”

“Isn’t this the same person who refused the refreshments the Manor Lord prepared when he came to give a congratulatory speech before, saying he was too busy?”

“…The instructor’s influence really is amazing.”

No!

That’s not it, you fools! It’s not like that!

Jo Hyeon had to seriously contemplate whether humans could actually breathe fire from their mouths when truly enraged.

“Can’t we eat next time?”

“…We need to eat now.”

Wei Yan-ho looked Jo Hyeon up and down and sighed.

“I’ve heard there are people who can’t eat alone, but needing to eat with others at that age is a bit sad.”

That’s not it!

That’s not it at all!

Jo Hyeon quietly closed his eyes.

When had he ever been subjected to such treatment in his life?

‘Why didn’t I notice until now?’

When Gong Mu-jin warned him, he should have caught on. When the martial artists’ children who had followed Wei Yan-ho wouldn’t even go near him, he should have figured it out.

“…Even if we don’t necessarily need to eat, won’t you come with me now to have a conversation?”

“I don’t really have anything to talk about.”

“I do! I do! I have something to say!”

Wei Yan-ho replied in a somewhat bewildered tone.

“If you have something to say, you could just say so. Why are you getting angry?”

“Grrrr.”

Jo Hyeon clenched his fists. He wanted to pound his chest in frustration, but with so many eyes watching, he couldn’t show his exasperation. Gripping his hidden hands inside his wide sleeves until his nails dug in was the maximum expression he could manage.

“Ah, aren’t you coming?”

“I’ll come. When an elder speaks like this, not following would be against proper etiquette—that’s what my father taught me.”

Very well taught indeed.

Wei Jeong-han did at least teach the child proper manners.

But didn’t your father teach you that it’s rude to speak while pulling a blanket over your head when an adult is talking to you?

Whether he has good manners or not.

When Wei Yan-ho showed no signs of getting up from his seat, continuing to fidget around, Jo Hyeon urged him on.

“What are you doing?”

“…It seems to have gotten quite cold.”

“Huh?”

“It’s hard to get out from under the blanket.”

Crack.

Jo Hyeon was startled by the sound coming from his own mouth.

‘Calm down.’

Wasn’t he the one who was called the embodiment of patience—the man who calmly finished his tea even upon hearing that a thousand Demonic Cult members were attacking their headquarters? Yet here he was, being swept up by this child’s behavior—it was incomprehensible.

‘There’s something about him.’

That expression, those actions, and every single word he spoke had something that grated on people’s nerves.

Something powerful enough to cleanly shatter his unshakeable mind, honed through years of cultivation.

“The place where we’ll enjoy refreshments will be kept warm, so please get up quickly.”

“But it’s cold on the way there.”

“…Should we move you blanket and all?”

“Come on, I’m human too. How could I go looking like that?”

Oh no.

So you do know you’re human.

I thought you didn’t know. I was briefly mistaken.

“Then get up!”

“I was just about to get up. You keep getting angry from earlier. What did I do wrong?”

“Grrrr.”

Jo Hyeon looked up at the distant sky.

Why is this damned weather so clear!

The weather that he had thought pleasant just moments ago, with warm sunlight streaming through the window, now felt incredibly irritating. This is why humans are said to be fickle.

Wei Yan-ho fidgeted around and got up, putting on his shoes.

Usually, Jo Hyeon didn’t particularly like people who hurried their actions. A gentleman should never be hasty.

No matter how much they might be martial artists, if you do each movement quickly, the time to complete those movements becomes shorter, and that leads to mistakes—this was Jo Hyeon’s theory.

But as of today, Jo Hyeon’s theory was discarded.

‘Did he boil and eat a slug?’

Thanks to Wei Yan-ho, Jo Hyeon was able to re-evaluate how grateful he should be for the people around him who moved like lightning. At least they didn’t give him a stroke from frustration.

“Follow me.”

“Yes.”

Following Jo Hyeon who was walking ahead, Wei Yan-ho stretched greatly.

“Yaaawn.”

Seeing Wei Yan-ho like this, all the students let out shocked remarks.

“He’s really going.”

“So the instructor guaranteed by the Military Strategist must be real.”

“But why isn’t he teaching classes?”

“There must be a deeper meaning. Maybe he’s been observing us this whole time.”

“…But doesn’t the Military Strategist look kind of pissed off? Or am I mistaken?”

“He’s someone called both a Divine Strategist and a Paragon Among Men. They say no one has ever seen him angry.”

“He did look angry though.”

“That just shows how close they are to each other.”

Jo Hyeon gritted his teeth.

‘We’ve known each other for less than seven weeks, you fools!’

This is how rumors began spreading that the new instructor and Jo Hyeon were very close friends. Completely contrary to Jo Hyeon’s intentions.

Wei Yan-ho felt wronged.

His sharp intuition naturally made him aware that Jo Hyeon was currently in a very uncomfortable mood. Wasn’t this the same Wei Yan-ho who had spent five years in a cave, thinking every day about how to get on someone’s good side to get beaten just one less time?

Of course, Baek Mu-han had dismissed Wei Yan-ho’s efforts, saying, “The secret to getting beaten one less time is for you to just keep your mouth shut.”

Based on Wei Yan-ho’s intuition, this Transcendent Sage grandfather was very angry.

Like the saying goes, “Once bitten by a snake, you fear even rope”—since they were both Transcendent Sages, when Jo Hyeon got angry, it felt like the same oppressive feeling as when Baek Mu-han got angry.

The problem was that no matter how much he thought about it, he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“…Listen here, Young Master Wei.”

“Yes.”

Jo Hyeon drank the boiling hot tea in one gulp.

“Wow.”

Wei Yan-ho clapped his hands at the sight.

“That’s amazing. You could make good money performing Qigong demonstrations right now.”

“…”

Jo Hyeon’s hands trembled.

Normally in such cases, shouldn’t the reaction be something like “Are you that frustrated?” or “To drink such hot tea in one gulp—your internal energy is no ordinary thing”?

Though it was unbecoming of an adult, he had intended to show off his profound internal energy to intimidate him slightly… What was this about qigong demonstrations?

‘I’d rather die than suffer this.’

After once again confirming that normal approaches don’t work on Wei Yan-ho, Jo Hyeon spoke directly to the point.

“Listen here, young man.”

“Yes. I’m listening.”

“So, well…”

“But… aren’t we going to eat?”

Jo Hyeon almost got up right then and there to slap Wei Yan-ho across the face.

The only reason he didn’t carry out that thought was largely thanks to the Demonic Cult. If his patience hadn’t been pushed to the extreme through countless experiences in the last great war, he would have definitely slapped Wei Yan-ho right then.

‘Endure it.’

Not only would it be problematic for an adult to hit a young child, but even if half of what he’d heard was true, he probably wouldn’t be able to win in a fight against Wei Yan-ho.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t thinking about food?”

“Now that I’m here, I’m getting hungry.”

“Your whims change as often as porridge boils! How can a gentleman be like this!”

“That’s just how people are.”

“Grrrr.”

Jo Hyeon shouted toward the outside.

“Hey! Bring some food here! Bring some dishes!”

“Yes, Military Strategist.”

Perhaps recognizing the sharpness in Jo Hyeon’s voice, the responding voice was filled with urgency.

“The food will be out soon, so now please have a conversation with me.”

“That’s why you brought me here. I’m ready.”

Why…

Why does that completely innocent statement feel so infuriating! Why!

“Didn’t you promise me that you would provide the best education?”

“Yes. That’s true.”

“So didn’t I grant all your requests accordingly? I eliminated all unnecessary interference, prepared a training ground as you wanted, and gathered only the finest talent through examination!”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Then why on earth aren’t you teaching classes! Why!”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes widened.

That expression looked so genuinely aggrieved that Jo Hyeon momentarily wondered if he had misunderstood something.

‘Am I wrong?’

But his thoughts were mercilessly shattered by the words that followed.

“I am providing the best class though?”

“…What?”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“There’s no better class than self-study. As I understand it, even Dharma, who could be called the founder of Central Plains martial learning, reached his level through solitary wall-gazing meditation. No one can argue that self-study is the best form of education. If you disagree, you can go argue with Shaolin.”

For the first time in his life, Jo Hyeon was struck speechless.