Star Instructor, Master Baek

TL: FoodieMonster007

Bathed in the glow of the crescent moon, Baek Muheun sat alone in a pavilion, swirling the wine in his cup. The sound of the clear liquor sloshing around felt oddly soothing.

"Hoo…" Sighing deeply, he took a sip, a trace of melancholy flickering across his face. If there were women around, they would probably be swooning, convinced that he had stepped right out of a painting. Tonight, however, he was alone.

At least, until now.

An old man with white hair approached from the opposite side of the pavilion, clicking his tongue in disapproval. "Tsk tsk. It's a lovely moonlit night. Why are you ruining it with all this gloominess?"

Baek Muheun stared at the old man, puzzled. "You're still up, Father-in-law? I thought you said you were tired and went to bed early."

"I couldn't sleep. Anyway, what are you doing up at this hour?"

"As you can see, I'm enjoying a drink. I don't usually sleep this early."

"Even at your age, you live as you please."

"Well, I don't have a wife to nag me for staying up late, do I?"

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"……"

"……"

An awkward silence settled between the two men. Mae Geuklyom picked up the bottle in front of Baek Muheun and poured himself a cup.

Baek Muheun watched him, surprised. "…I thought you didn't drink."

"These days, I drink occasionally. I even made a drinking buddy recently."

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"You've changed a lot, Father-in-law."

"……"

"……"

Once again, the conversation stalled, and silence hung in the air. Although Baek Muheun and Mae Geuklyom had managed to resolve decades of misunderstandings and somewhat reconcile with each other, it was nevertheless not easy to keep a conversation going.

Still, they eventually managed to find some common ground.

"What do you usually do on Yakbing's death anniversary?"

"Back in the day, I used to go sightseeing with my son. Yakbing's final wish was that we go on vacation together on her death anniversary instead of visiting her grave or holding a vigil."

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"…That's just like her. She said something similar to me when she was young."

"What about you, Father-in-law?"

"I wander around the academy. The paths she walked, the cafeteria where she ate, the classrooms where she studied. Even after thirty years, traces of her remain."

"……"

"……"

"Well, I was planning to tour the academy tomorrow myself. Could you show me around? A lot has changed."

"…Alright." Mae Geuklyom hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Like it or not, they were now the only two who remembered Mae Yakbing.1

Again, the conversation paused, but this time, finding a new topic wasn't difficult.

"By the way… about Suryong."

"He takes after me, so he has a lot of issues with women, right? Sigh, but what can we do? The ladies just won't leave handsome men like us alone."

Mae Geuklyom stared at his son-in-law incredulously. "Stop spouting nonsense. What I want to know is, when did he start learning martial arts?"

Although Baek Suryong was not yet thirty years old and was still young enough to be called a prodigy in the murim, he had already reached the transcendental realm.

Grinning awkwardly, Baek Muheun replied, "Haha, the kid takes after me. He's a natural when it comes to martial arts."

"I know that the current Ten Supremes, or those who are close to that level, mostly achieved transcendence before the age of thirty, so that's not what I find odd."

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Mae Geuklyom paused briefly, his eyes turning cold, before continuing, "What's weird is that when Suryong first arrived at the Azure Dragon Academy, he wasn't even first-rate, and he looked a bit sickly. However, in just a few months, he's surpassed the peak realm and reached transcendence. Even if we searched the entire history of the murim, you won't find many instances of such rapid growth. Isn't it only natural to suspect that something fishy is going on here?"

After decades of observing students at the Azure Dragon Academy, Mae Geuklyom had developed the ability to judge someone's martial prowess simply by examining the calluses on their hands. Baek Suryong's growth rate simply wasn't normal.

"……" Baek Muheun fell silent, not knowing how to answer the question.

"I'll take your silence as an admission that you do know something about it," Mae Geuklyom said.

"Well…" Baek Muheun hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "It seems… he had an incredibly lucky encounter."

Baek Muheun smiled bitterly as he recalled the diary his son had written before losing his memory. It was packed with stories so unbelievable that he could scarcely believe they were real.

At first, I thought he had gone crazy. He said he was a Blood Cult martial arts instructor in his previous life!

After reading the entire diary though, everything clicked. He finally understood why his son, who had died and returned to life, suddenly acted like a totally different person.

Mae Geuklyom's expression grew stern. "Perhaps… is there a problem with that lucky encounter? After all, to gain immense power without effort, there is always a price to pay."

Having had similar doubts himself, Baek Muheun immediately understood his father-in-law's concerns. Sometimes, the killing intent that Baek Suryong exuded seemed too intense and brutal for someone from the orthodox sects. However, he felt sure that this wasn't caused by demonic arts.

Baek Suryong's personality had simply gotten worse after recalling his past life as a thug.

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"He hasn't learned demonic arts, if that's what you're worried about," Baek Muheun declared confidently.

Mae Geuklyom sighed in relief. "I see. Well, if it's nothing particularly problematic, then I won't dig any deeper. You don't seem to want to go into any more detail anyway."

"…Thank you." Baek Muheun looked up at the moon in a daze.

Mae Geuklyom frowned. "Why are you so gloomy, anyway? Drinking alone like that, anyone would think you're an old man who's tired of living."

Baek Muheun's face flushed with embarrassment. Mae Geuklyom was indirectly telling him to share his worries. Scratching his chin, he mumbled, "Seeing how well my son is doing without me makes me a little upset."

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"Huh?"

"…I'm also kind of bothered by the fact that I haven't done anything for him so far, and I don't think I'll be able to do anything for him in the future."

Over the past few months, Baek Muheun's martial skills had improved tremendously, yet when he reunited with his son, he found that Baek Suryong had surpassed him by a mile. Even the young man's frail constitution, which they had assumed was a congenital disease, seemed to be completely cured.

If we fight seriously now… I'm not sure if I can even last thirty exchanges.

Baek Muheun had also worried that his son would be lonely, but now he realized that Baek Suryong was surrounded by good people, including his grandfather, his friends, and his students. He didn't need him anymore.

He was proud of his son, yet a small part of him felt resentful toward the little bird who had flown out of the nest. With no one else he could say this to, he found himself complaining to his father-in-law.

"He doesn't need a parent to take care of him anymore. Although he's always had a sharp personality, he used to be cute in his own way… These days, however, he's become as cunning as an old fox, and I don't know what's going on in his mind. I can't help but wonder if he's even happy to see me after all this time."

"Tsk tsk, you foolish man." Clicking his tongue, Mae Geuklyom filled Baek Muheun's cup to the brim.

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Baek Muheun's eyes widened in surprise. It was the first time Mae Geuklyom had done that.

"He doesn't need his parents? What a joke. Parents are like an old house, a place where children can always come back and find comfort," Mae Geuklyom continued, pouring himself another cup of wine.

"Father-in-law…"

"So what if he's ridiculously strong? What makes you think that the strongest person in the world doesn't need family? No matter how powerful someone becomes, they're still human. They have feelings, face struggles they can't overcome on their own. Someday, that punk may reach a point where he wants to lean on you. When that day comes, will you meet him with that sullen look on your face?"

The old master's words, carrying the weight of a lifetime of experience, struck a deep chord in Baek Muheun's disillusioned heart. Feeling humbled and ashamed by his father-in-law's heartfelt scolding and advice, he bowed his head.

"…I was short-sighted. Now I feel bad for not visiting sooner."

"Enough with the cheesy talk. Let's drink."

"Father-in-law, may I pour you a drink?"

"You? Pouring me a drink? Is the sun going to rise in the west?"

"Thirty years ago, if I'd dared to suggest this, you would've broken my legs, wouldn't you?"

Mae Geuklyom snorted. "Hmph, I still have the strength to do that."

Baek Muheun broke out giggling, when suddenly, he remembered that there was something he needed to confirm with Mae Geuklyom. Putting on a serious expression, he said, "Father-in-law, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Noticing the serious look on his son-in-law's face, Mae Geuklyom straightened up, guessing that he was about to be asked for advice again.

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Baek Muheun pointed to his bruised eye and, with an aggrieved expression, he asked, "About this… did you hit me on purpose?"

"Baek Muheun. You… created this atmosphere just to ask me about such a trivial thing?"

"Trivial? You gave your super ultra handsome son-in-law a black eye! What if you left a scar on my pretty face?"

Grabbing the wine bottle, Mae Geuklyom swung it at his son-in-law's good eye. "…You really are hopeless. Should I give you another black eye? It'll make your face symmetrical again!"

Barely dodging the attack, Baek Muheun shouted, "I knew it!"

The two men bickered for a while, then looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Hohoho!"

…Of course, that was only after Baek Muheun's other eye had turned black as well.

"Ah, the bottle's empty."

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"Don't worry, I brought a lot more wine."

"…I suppose you're not the type who would be satisfied with just one bottle. I'll have a few more cups and then head back to bed."

Despite what Mae Geuklyom said, however, a few cups quickly turned into several bottles as the two men shared drinks and talked late into the night.

Slowly, the long-standing awkwardness between them began to fade. While it was impossible for their relationship to mend overnight, especially given their rocky past, there was no doubt that it was beginning to improve.

"I'll come visit again to see my son and share a drink with you, Father-in-law."

Mae Geuklyom scoffed. "Hmph. Do as you please."

"…You know, Yakbing once told me something."

"What?"

Baek Muheun smirked. "She said her father scoffs when he's embarrassed."

"Cough! You…!"

BOOM!

Suddenly, a powerful surge of energy erupted in the middle of the White Dragon Manor, causing both men to stand up simultaneously and sprint toward the source of the disturbance.

Following their qi senses, they threw open the door to Baek Suryong's room, only to find him hovering a foot off the ground, his eyes closed in meditation. Contrary to his calm appearance, however, an immense energy storm swirled around him like a coiling dragon, smashing everything in its path.

"Suryong!"

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"What on earth is this…?"

The students of the White Dragon Manor, sensing the wild energy, also quickly woke up and gathered outside the room.

"Mr. Baek!"

"What's going on?"

"Why all of a sudden…"

Mae Geuklyom calmed the anxious students, saying, "Stay back. I think he's in the middle of a revelation."

"Huh? A revelation…"

"You mean he's going to have another breakthrough?"

"Damn it! When will I ever get to beat him up if he just keeps getting stronger?!"

While everyone looked at Baek Suryong, relieved yet dumbfounded, Baek Muheun murmured in disbelief, "Suryong… Just how much stronger do you want to get, you damned punk?!"

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1. Baek Suryong was too young when Mae Yakbing died, so no one will suspect anything if he doesn't remember her. ↩