Chapter 26
From the morning, the Taeeul Sect was noisy with the visit of strangers.
Dozens of people dressed in identical outfits cleaned the inside of the Taeeul Sect scriptures hall and prepared meals.
The smell of a whole boiled pig naturally woke the children, and even the external disciples who were entering the sect with heavy hearts found the source of the smell with expressions cleared of worry, led by the fragrant scent of meat piercing their noses.
“What on earth is this?”
At my mutter, Wang So-so, who was standing next to me, smiled cutely and spoke.
“My father packed these things, saying we need to eat heartily on the day of the exam.”
“ The Manor Master did?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder if this is imposing too much of a burden.”
“Hoho, I barely stopped him from catching a cow to throw a feast and entertaining the Inspection Envoys in the name of the Taeeul Sect.”
“……Tell him I am thankful.”
“Father said you should come to play at the Wang Clan sometime. He said he wants to treat you to a meal personally.”
“I will go sooner or later.”
All the personages of the Taeeul Sect gathered in the cafeteria.
In front of each person was a simple but hearty meat soup, and the children were already swallowing their saliva as if they could hardly endure it, looking at the Sect Leader.
“Let us eat with a grateful heart to the Manor Master who prepared such a wonderful meal.”
“““Thank you.”””
As soon as the Sect Leader’s words ended, the children shouted in unison, and Wang So-so simply nodded with a small smile.
The children did not know what to do when they didn’t see Gye Cheol-yeong acting arrogantly even after waiting for a while. Originally, listening to Gye Cheol-yeong’s bragging for a long time was their daily routine.
“Are you all not going to eat?”
At Wang So-so’s words, everyone hesitated but soon began to lift their spoons.
The atmosphere in the cafeteria flowed more harmoniously than ever.
While everyone was preparing for the exam after finishing the meal, people from the Rooster Dragon Merchant Group entered.
It was Gye Yeon-seok, Gye Cheol-yeong, and three distinctive people seen for the first time.
One man with a scholar’s air, one woman with a warrior’s air, and a middle-aged man exuding a strange atmosphere in the middle. They had a composition exactly similar to the Inspection Envoys.
“Hmph! It smells fishy inside the grounds, did you eat some cheap meat soup or something?”
When Gye Yeon-seok held his nose and spoke, Wang So-so tilted her head.
“That cannot be. Father specially caught Green Blue Pigs, a specialty of Zhejiang Province, so there should be no fishy taste?”
Green Blue Pig refers to pigs raised on Anji White Tea and Bamboo Salt Clear Wine produced in Zhejiang Province. No wonder the broth was rich without a single hint of fishiness.
“…….”
Eventually, the sparks from Gye Yeon-seok, who couldn’t say a word to Wang So-so, flew to me.
“Does meat soup go down your throat ahead of an important exam?”
“Eating expensive pig soup is certainly better and less heavy on the stomach than eating several cheap pigs.”
I pinched at the fact that whenever Gye Yeon-seok held a banquet, he bought a bunch of pigs that had given birth to many litters and were about to be culled.
“But will you be alright? Senior Brother Cheol-yeong might fail the exam; shouldn’t you go to a temple and offer prayers at a time like this?”
“Hmph! You must not have heard the rumors yet.”
“Rumors?”
“That person standing in the middle of those three over there is the famous Star Instructor, Teacher Jang Sa-gun.”
At Gye Yeon-seok’s gesture, the eyes of the surrounding children also turned toward Jang Sa-gun’s party.
“That person has never had a student fail a special admission screening even once. No matter what tricks you use, in the end, the Taeeul Sect will merely be a foil for our Cheol-yeong.”
Hearing Gye Yeon-seok’s words, the children dropped their heads one by one as if they were already dispirited.
“Seeing you talk like this, it seems you really intend to cut ties with the Taeeul Sect.”
“Hmph! There is no need to associate any longer with those who forsake a connection over a bowl of meat soup.”
I slowly scattered killing intent at his words.
“Think carefully. Although it is in name only, Senior Brother Cheol-yeong is a body that entered as a secular disciple. If he tries to leave as he pleases, he will have to pay the due price.”
Gye Yeon-seok’s face, exposed to the killing intent, turned white.
At that moment, the Star Instructor Jang Sa-gun stepped forward.
“Hoho, for a person who learned martial arts to threaten a civilian, it truly shows that you are uneducated. Is the teaching of the Taeeul Sect like that?”
I spoke without losing.
“Since you exchange what a gentleman learned for money to make a living, you should be called a merchant, not a gentleman.”
Jang Sa-gun’s face flushed hot. However, he soon regained his composure and continued speaking.
“Confucius also received tuition fees to secure grain when teaching disciples.”
“I heard that Senior Star Instructor receives a mansion as tuition fees?”
Jang Sa-gun’s face turned bright red.
As much as his reputation, hiring him cost an enormous amount of money.
Even if it was a transaction made under tacit agreement because supply and demand matched appropriately, there was nothing to be proud of from the position of a merchant impersonating a gentleman.
“Your tongue is extremely wicked. We shall see if your skills are the same by looking at the results.”
Just then, Kang Chae-seok shouted loudly into the hall.
“Stop the chitchat and everyone gather! The Inspection Envoys have arrived.”
It was a situation where the Sect Leader, the elders, and the Hall Masters of each hall had all gathered.
As the children gathered in one place, a small procession slowly entered.
“It is the Murim Alliance.”
When someone shouted, heads turned to the lead of the procession.
The person standing at the very front held the Murim Alliance flag, clearly showing that they were envoys of the Murim Alliance.
“Lee Ja-gon, the Inspection Envoy of the Murim Alliance, gives his greetings.”
“Greetings.”
When the person who identified himself as Lee Ja-gon greeted Sect Leader Hong Mun-gi, the envoys who came with him bowed in unison.
Excluding the escorts, the number of envoys was eleven in total.
Excluding Lee Ja-gon, there were five people with a scholar’s air and five with a warrior’s air.
“Thank you for coming a long way. I hope you will select excellent talents this time as well.”
“Selecting talents of the One Hundred Eight Peaks is a crucial matter for the Murim Alliance as well. We will do our best to ensure there are no problems with the exam.”
The ten envoys split up in unison and began to prepare for the exam.
The scholars untied the wooden packs they were carrying on their backs, took out exam papers densely written with characters, and began stacking them on the desks.
The junior brothers and sisters, taking an exam for the first time in their lives, already had poor complexions.
Gye Cheol-yeong, looking at something like a palm-sized book woven from small papers, smirked and spoke.
“Are you scared of the exam?”
“……Are you not scared, Senior Brother?”
“You are afraid because you bastards did not prepare properly. If you prepared properly like me, you wouldn’t be scared.”
Gye Cheol-yeong’s conversation partners were Geum Pyo, Eun-ho, and Dong-ryong. It was Dong-ryong, the youngest of the three brothers.
“If by chance you really don’t know, shall I pick out a few questions for you?”
“…….”
Dong-ryong showed an expression as if filled with anger at Gye Cheol-yeong, and Geum Pyo and Eun-ho, who were listening to the conversation together, quickly led Dong-ryong away to move seats.
While the scholars prepared for the first exam, the warriors met with the Hall Masters and shared conversations.
“Are you only testing on basic sword techniques and basic heart methods this time as well?”
At Kang Chae-seok’s question, a female warrior nodded.
“The martial arts exam of the One Hundred Eight Peaks is always the same. It is to look at the depth and utilization of basic martial arts. Although they will learn other martial arts at the Murim Academy. In any case, it is to see how solidly they have formed their roots.”
“Understood. Regarding basic martial arts and basic heart methods, we Hall Masters will tell you what needs to be looked at.”
At Kang Chae-seok’s words, the female warrior shook her head.
“We have already come having grasped everything about the martial arts of the Taeeul Sect through data at the Murim Alliance. Thank you for your concern.”
At the female warrior’s words, Kang Chae-seok looked quite flustered.
Even if it was basic martial arts, they couldn’t possibly know it better than those belonging to the sect.
If they had grasped everything through data alone, it meant the skills of the warriors who came as examiners were far superior to theirs.
“Groan…….”
Kang Chae-seok spoke no more and only watched those preparing for the exam.
Lee Ja-gon, observing the preparations of the examiners, opened his eyes wide upon seeing a figure in the hall.
The other party also bowed lightly when their eyes met Lee Ja-gon’s.
“Senior. What brings you here?”
People’s gazes began to focus on Lee Ja-gon and Jang Sa-gun.
“Junior, have you been well?”
“Of course. Thanks to the Senior teaching me thoroughly, am I not holding the position of Inspection Envoy Incense Master like this?”
“I knew you would become so.”
Listening quietly, it seemed Lee Ja-gon and Jang Sa-gun were close in the past.
“By chance, is there a student you gave teachings to in this exam?”
“Ah, right, I haven’t introduced him.”
Jang Sa-gun extended his hand to his right and spoke.
“It is a child named Gye Cheol-yong, a secular disciple of the Taeeul Sect and the legitimate son of the Rooster Dragon Merchant Group. I came like this because there is a great hidden dragon in Hefei, Anhui Province, other than the Twin Dragons of the Iron Sword Sect.”
Gye Cheol-yeong spread his shoulders wide, took a step forward, and offered a fist-and-palm salute.
“I am called Gye Cheol-yong of the Rooster Dragon Merchant Group.”
“He is a very strapping young man. I understand why Senior chose him.”
“Hohoho, you said you only proctored exams all this time, so how has only your eloquence improved?”
“Well. Actually, didn’t all the children Senior taught go to the Murim Academy? For us, it’s convenient since we can distinguish the gems a bit more easily.”
“Hahaha. Right, right. I understand. If you are not busy, let us have a drink after all the exams are over.”
“I wish I could do that.”
Since the distance between the children and the two people was not that far, the conversation between the two was heard clearly by us.
Wang So-so, who was listening to the story, raised her eyes and spoke.
“This makes no sense. I will tell my father immediately and raise an objection.”
Wang So-so’s feelings were the same as all of ours.
However, I stopped Wang So-so.
“Sit down, as they haven’t given any special privileges to the exam yet.”
“Elder brother, the fact that the examiner and the examinee have a personal friendship is itself unfair.”
At that moment, Sa-ryeon interrupted.
“Senior Brother.”
“Yes?”
“You should call him Senior Brother, not Elder brother?”
“Ah…… I’m sorry. Anyway, Senior Sister thinks it makes no sense too, right?”
“Yeah. But the Elder Brother must have a plan. Right?”
Sa-ryeon shot a glare at me with eyes that said she wouldn’t leave me be if I said ‘I don’t have one’ now.
“You both studied the books I gave you, right?”
“I read them diligently but…….”
“Yes. I memorized everything.”
Sa-ryeon looked lacking in confidence, while So-so was confident.
“You memorized everything? The amount wasn’t small?”
“All I could do in my room every day was read books. I can memorize that much.”
I nodded slightly.
“The other children shouldn’t be different, right?”
“Junior Sister So-so gave private tutoring to the children who didn’t understand.”
“Hoh. Then it is done.”
Despite my confident appearance, Sa-ryeon and So-so tilted their heads as if they didn’t know.
“The exam will begin. Examinees, please take your seats.”
As the disciples sat on small mats maintaining distance and matching rows and columns, the scholars walked around personally and placed the exam papers face down.
“The exam time is one shichen in total. Examinees, please do your best. Bear in mind that if by any chance you secretly look at another’s answer sheet or copy it, it is disqualification. We begin.”
When a scholar struck a small gong with a deng, the disciples turned over their exam papers in unison.
Gye Cheol-yeong began scanning the exam paper as if confident already.
On the other hand, the disciples stared blankly at the exam papers with dispirited looks, having expressions that said white is paper and black is ink.
‘Notice it!’
As one quarter of an hour passed, bewilderment began to dwell in Gye Cheol-yeong’s eyes as well. He had encountered a question he hadn’t expected.
On the contrary, the disciples who had been dispirited began to tilt their heads one by one.
Then slowly, but without resting, they began to write on the answer sheets.
“What is this?”
Below the training ground, Jang Sa-gun felt something strange and furrowed his brow.
He had seen the appearance of all disciples of the Taeeul Sect writing on the answer sheets without resting.
Only then did Gye Cheol-yeong realize that he alone was blocked by the questions.
“Ha…….”
As he let out a small sigh at the appearance of the other disciples, a scholar approached and whispered quietly.
“Examinee, if you do not want to be disqualified, focus on the exam quietly.”
“Ah…… Yes, yes.”
Gye Cheol-yeong lowered his head again, but he could not focus on the exam.
