Chapter 609: Is There a Better Environment Than This?

“We have a visitor?”

“Who is it?”

Wiji Cheon and Hyonwon Kang looked at Baek Suryong curiously, but he only smiled mysteriously. Refusing to name the visitor, he urged them to go find out for themselves.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing a familiar face.

“Gramps!”

“Elder!”

Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon’s eyes widened at the sight of Gongson Su. Both rushed to greet him at once.

“Hoho! It’s been a while,” Gongson Su chuckled heartily, patting the shoulders of the two boys who had bounded over like puppies wagging their tails.

“When did you get here? Did you watch the Heavenly Martial Festival matches? Where’s Yeong-noona?”

“Are you coming back to the academy next year? I sent you a letter last time!”

“You rascals! Speak slowly. You’ll run out of breath at this rate.”

The two of them smiled sheepishly and took a step back.

Free of the barrage finally, Gongson Su approached Baek Suryong. The wrinkles around his eyes curved softly as he greeted, “Long time no see, Mr. Baek.”

“You look healthy. Life in the Imperial Palace suits you well.”

“Of course. There aren’t any martial arts instructors in the Imperial Palace who would dare treat the Prime Minister harshly.”

“Do you miss those days sometimes?”

“I still have nightmares about them now and then.”

The two of them bantered as if they had parted only yesterday.

Baek Suryong smiled warmly. Gongson Su was a student of special significance to him. Their relationship had begun when he started tutoring for money, but ultimately, it was this old man who taught him the true meaning of teaching.

“Please, have a seat. I’ll bring some tea,” he said.

Gongson Su chuckled. “Wow! To think I get to enjoy the luxury of drinking tea personally brewed by one of the Ten Supremes!”

The four of them gathered around the table and chatted for a long time.

Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon did most of the talking. They recounted everything that had happened at a breathless pace. They spoke about how hard they had trained, the people they had met, the enemies they had fought, and their many adventures. There was so much to tell that one night wasn’t quite enough.

Gongson Su listened attentively, chiming in from time to time. A pleased smile settled on his face. “You’ve both grown so much. You’re no longer rough gemstones, but polished jewels that shine on their own.”

“...Does that mean my skin has gotten better?”

“Hahahaha! You haven’t changed a bit, Senior Wonkang!”

Once the laughter died down, Gongson Su shared his news. He planned to retire from the Imperial Palace next year, or the year after at the latest, and then return to the academy. Meanwhile, Gongson Yeong was diligently preparing to apply for a new instructor position at the Azure Dragon Academy.

“Speaking of which, where’s Gongson Yeong?”

“Yeong will be here soon. I sent her off to meet someone.”

“Is it someone I might know?”

Gongson Su smiled slyly. “There’s a promising talent at the Azure Dragon Academy I have my eye on. His name is Mok Hyungwoo. I told Yeong to go claim him before anyone else does.”

“Senior Hyungwoo?”

“Senior Mok Hyungwoo?”

Hyonwon Kang and Wiji Cheon’s eyes widened in surprise.

Baek Suryong nodded as though he had been expecting this. “He’s an outstanding student. He’ll certainly do well if you take him.”

“I feel even more reassured now thanks to the Azure Dragon Hero’s guarantee!”

As the conversation continued, Gongson Su remembered something from earlier that day and furrowed his brow slightly.

“By the way, I met a strange man in the audience. He had a peculiar aura, somewhat similar to yours, Mr. Baek. When I asked if he was an alumnus of the Azure Dragon Academy, however, he flew into a rage.”

“Pardon?” Baek Suryong tilted his head in confusion, but suddenly, his face darkened. “Don’t tell me... By any chance, his appearance... No, never mind.”

He shook his head. If the Blood Cult Apostles were here, they would be in disguise. Besides, if they had found out about his relationship with Gongson Su, they would wear a completely different mask tomorrow.

An Apostle with an aura similar to mine...?

The face of the student whom Number 27 had influenced the most immediately surfaced in his mind. If Gongson Su had met Number One, then the old man had made it here safely by sheer luck.

Baek Suryong warned, “Elder, if you happen to meet that man again, leave the area immediately.”

“Leave? Is the man I met some public enemy of the murim?” Gongson Su asked jokingly.

“......” Baek Suryong said nothing, answering instead with somber, silent eyes. His faintly trembling pupils seemed to beg the old man not to ask anything further.

Gongson Su held his teacher’s gaze a moment longer, then nodded and smoothly changed the subject. “...It seems there are complicated circumstances. I understand. Anyway, you’ve changed a great deal yourself.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. I don’t really see it, but... Do you see it too, Elder?”

Gongson Su grinned. “Before, how should I put it, you were flexible most of the time, but there were also moments when you were chillingly sharp. I’m only admitting this now, but I once quietly investigated whether you truly came from the orthodox sects.”

Baek Suryong scratched his cheek and laughed in embarrassment. “What about now?”

“You seem to have softened considerably. Your expressions are far more varied than they used to be as well.”

Baek Suryong shook his head, conceding the first point but not the second. “I’m not Namgung Su. I had plenty of expressions before, and I smiled all the time, didn’t I?”

“I’m not talking about artificial, forced smiles. I mean the natural ones.”

Baek Suryong was left speechless for a moment. Eventually, he laughed in resignation. “Since when have you been so good at reading people?”

“Hoho, have you forgotten who I am? My work revolves around dealing with the country’s most cunning conmen who fabricate every type of lie imaginable to deceive the state.” Gongson Su stopped laughing and stared at Baek Suryong like he could see straight through him. “So, if you need help, just say the word.”

“Pardon?” Baek Suryong was stunned by the unexpected offer. Although there were countless masters whose martial arts surpassed Gongson Su’s, very few had spent decades observing the world from a position second only to the Emperor’s. The Prime Minister’s knack for reading people was impeccable.

“I’m saying this because every now and then, you have the look of an old man who has accepted the day of his death.”

“...Well, I’ve been feeling tired lately, so I was thinking of getting some restorative medicine,” Baek Suryong muttered, sidestepping the question.

“Is that so? I see.” Gongson Su nodded, and did not press him. He turned instead to the two boys, who had been blinking blankly through a conversation they couldn’t join. “I hear the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament starts tomorrow. Are you confident about winning it?”

Wiji Cheon fidgeted with his fingers. “I-I’m not confident about winning, but I’ll do my best.”