"Did your Patriarch do that?"
Instead of answering, Ak Yeonho touched his face awkwardly, feeling exposed without his mask. A sharp pain flared when his finger brushed against his split lip. He smiled weakly. "I got drunk and fell on my way here."
Baek Suryong's face clouded over. Not even a child would believe that lie. Although Ak Yeonho smelled of alcohol, his face showed no signs of intoxication. He must have forced down several drinks just to give himself an excuse.
Still, he decided to play along for now.
Ak Bi nodded and immediately left his quarters.
"Tsk! You can't even hold your liquor," he said, clicking his tongue. Reaching into his bag, he took out a medicinal paste that Baek Muheun had given him before he left the White Dragon Manor and tossed it to Ak Yeonho. "If your lip is split, you should put medicine on it. You just left it like that?"
"It's nothing serious..."
"What do you mean it's nothing? You're the one who cares most about your face. Don't you remember picking out clothes and a scent pouch for me before the instructor interview and saying that appearance is also a weapon?"
Ak Yeonho chuckled at the fond memory. "That's right, I did. It hasn't been that long, but it feels like years have passed, doesn't it?"
"A lot has happened in that time."
They had known each other since before joining the Azure Dragon Academy. After meeting by chance at an inn, they had agreed to be sworn brothers. Upon discovering they were now colleagues, they continued their friendship, protecting Gongson Su from assassins, supporting each other during the Namgung Clan's instructor training, playing and fighting together at the Azure Dragon Festival.
"Look at this. You can still see traces of the bald spot you gave me during the cavalry battle."
"Since it's disappearing, want me to make you a new one?"
They rejoiced together when good things happened. When times were tough, they comforted each other with a drink in silence. However, neither of them had ever truly shared their deepest secrets.
They were cheerful and sly on the outside, but rarely revealed their true feelings. In that sense, they were similar. Perhaps they had become friends because they instinctively recognized that they were the same kind of person.
"Since you're here, let's share a drink. I still have plenty of the stuff I confiscated from the kids."
"You should've said so earlier. I just put medicinal paste on my lips..."
"Alcohol swallowed with the taste of medicine and blood is always the most delicious." Baek Suryong grinned and took out the alcohol he had confiscated from the students. After they sat at the table and exchanged a few cups, he asked again, "So, did your Patriarch do that to you?"
Ak Yeonho felt inwardly relieved. These were the words he had wanted to say but couldn't.
"...I told you, I fell down."
Baek Suryong frowned briefly before shrugging. "Is that so? Then I guess I'll have to fall down accidentally while walking past the Ak Clan's residence. I'll flail my arms and legs to keep my balance. If I'm unlucky, I might accidentally slap someone nearby."
Although he sounded like he was joking, his eyes were serious. If Ak Yeonho gave even the slightest nod, Baek Suryong would do exactly as he said.
Ironically, that was why Ak Yeonho had to shake his head. "Hyung-nim," he said, looking at his friend seriously. "I'm really okay."
If the Azure Dragon Hero and the Spear King clashed, the outcome would inevitably affect the entire murim. The relationship between the Azure Dragon Academy and the Ak Clan would sour. If one of them were seriously injured or killed, the situation would become irreversible. He did not want that to happen because of him.
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"Do not disappoint me again."
The memory of the Patriarch's arrogant gaze still made him shudder.
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"Yeonho, I'm sorry."
When he recalled Ak Jinheon's powerless voice as he blamed himself, his resolve not to act rashly grew stronger. Unlike him, his stepfather, Ak Jinheon, was born into the Ak Clan and could never escape them.
He smiled thinly. "To be honest, I'm seen as a nuisance, but I've also gained a lot from the Ak Clan. I've learned one of the jianghu's best martial arts, enjoyed good food, wore nice clothes, and wherever I went, I was never treated poorly just because I had the Ak surname."
Yes, forcing myself to think this way is what allowed me to endure everything all this time.
"Yeonho." Baek Suryong watched Ak Yeonho force a smile with a complicated expression. The Ak Clan's actions reminded him of his previous life. Once an orphan who suffered at the hands of the Blood Cult, he later went on to torment his former trainees himself.
Perhaps that's why the alcohol tastes so bitter.
The thought of Number Four, who might be watching from somewhere, made the wine hard to swallow.
Sighing, he advised, "Don't think too hard. Sometimes, the simplest solution is..."
"That's enough, Baek Suryong," a man's voice interrupted.
Baek Suryong and Ak Yeonho simultaneously turned to look at the speaker. Namgung Su stood in the doorway, staring at them. He wore simple clothes and his hair was still damp, proving that he had just washed up. Although he looked more relaxed than usual, he still exuded an air of neatness and tidiness.
"Why are instructors, who are supposed to set an example for students, having a drinking party this late at night?" he snapped, frowning in disapproval. Despite his obvious irritation, though, he didn't clear away the drinks. Rather, he glowered at Baek Suryong. "A clash between two of the Ten Supremes would create huge ripples in the murim. If it turned into a life-or-death battle and one of you died, things would spiral out of control. Were you planning on attacking the Ak Patriarch without considering that? Have you considered what would happen to your students in the aftermath?"
"How pitiful. If you had learned the proper way to drink, you could truly appreciate the aroma and flavor."
Of course, Baek Suryong had considered this as well, but he wasn't about to back down so easily. "So, my little brother comes back all banged up, and I'm just supposed to sit back and do nothing? Besides, I can just make up some random excuse."
"If violence is your go-to solution, what makes you any better than those unorthodox bastards?"
"Aren't you quite the righteous hero? I wonder, if Mimi went home one day beaten black and blue, would you still fuss over such trivial details?"
"Have you said all you want to say?"
Baek Suryong and Namgung Su glared at each other, growling as if sparks were flying between them.
Ak Yeonho, the person who had been beaten up, looked baffled as he tried to mediate. "Hey, I'm the one who got hit, so why are you hyung-nims fighting? Now, now, let's stop this boring talk. It's been a while, Namgung-hyung, so why don't you have a drink with us?"
Namgung Su hesitated, but after seeing Ak Yeonho's earnest expression and the wound on his lip, he finally sat down. "Let's make this quick."
This was the first time the three of them had drunk together.