Chapter 425: Chapter 425

Even after Wang Son left, Baek Suryong returned to his room, lost in thought.

"An alliance of unorthodox organizations..."

The Beggars' Gang saw it as a cause for concern, but his thoughts ran in a different direction entirely.

The more I think about it, the more tempting it sounds.

Orthodox sects always prioritized just causes and rarely acted immediately, even after making decisions. To put it bluntly, they were the type to waste time on mind games, bickering over trivial matters like which sect's territory sat closer to the meeting place. They wouldn't lift a finger until the fire was literally at their feet.

However, unorthodox sects are different.

Apart from special fanatical groups like the Blood Cult, most unorthodox sects operated on pure materialism. They moved faster than anyone for their own benefit and knew exactly when to swallow their pride before superior strength.

Of course, it wasn't all advantages. There was always a risk of being stabbed in the back.

I just have to prepare for the possibility of betrayal in advance.

First, I should contact the Valley of Evil.

He immediately wrote a letter to Blue Eyed Freak. After a brief greeting, he cut straight to the point, proposing a gathering of unorthodox organizations under the Valley of Evil's banner.

As he wrote, though, it became clear that the Valley of Evil alone wouldn't be enough to make this gathering happen. The host needed to be at least on the level of the Ten Great Villains for other unorthodox leaders to show real interest, but Blue Eyed Freak's reputation fell far short of the former Valley Leader, the Bloody Ripper.

"At least one more group needs to step up..."

His goal was simple—gather the major unorthodox sects and build a new force capable of keeping the Blood Cult in check. However, to summon the prideful masters of the unorthodox world, he needed either an offer too tempting to refuse or the influence of someone they couldn't easily dismiss.

What were those organizations Wang Son mentioned earlier? The Valley of Evil, the Mount Mo Sect, the Black Snake Alliance, the Viridian Forest... the Viridian Forest?

The answer was surprisingly easy.

Hearing the loud snores echoing from the next room, Baek Suryong suddenly remembered the young Viridian Forest bandit currently staying at the White Dragon Manor.

Moreover, Ya Suhyeok wasn't just any ordinary bandit, but the adopted son of one of the Ten Great Villains, the Viridian Scholar, Boss of the Yama Keep.

"I'll have to talk to him tomorrow."

The next day, as soon as the students' dawn training ended, Baek Suryong called Ya Suhyeok aside.

"Suhyeok, can we talk for a moment?"

"Yes?" Ya Suhyeok blinked nervously. He rarely got called out alone. "Why just me...?"

"I have a favor to ask of you."

Ya Suhyeok's face paled instantly. Despite his massive frame, he trembled violently. "Damn it! So it's come to this...!"

Baek Suryong's eyes widened. "What's with the sudden outburst?"

"NYAA!" The Silver Tiger clung to Ya Suhyeok's shoulder like sticky mochi and yawned widely, tired from training with the Five Young Azure Dragons at dawn.

Ya Suhyeok gently removed the Silver Tiger and said resignedly, "You called me for remedial studies, didn't you? I failed the basic etiquette test that Senior Dokgo gave yesterday. Wait, but why just me?!"

"...Is the situation that dire?"

This was news to Baek Suryong. He knew the Five Young Azure Dragons were learning basic etiquette from other students, but he never imagined they were struggling this badly.

At this rate, will they be allowed to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival? Could they really be disqualified for such a stupid reason? Not because their martial arts were lacking, but because they failed a theory class?

Baek Suryong asked with a small sliver of hope, "Are you the only one who failed?"

"Of course not. Senior Wonkang failed too, and Jicheon barely passed."

Baek Suryong pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply. His hopes were crushed, but at least it wasn't the worst-case scenario. "It's okay, I kind of expected that. I knew you and Wonkang would be neck and neck."

Ya Suhyeok retorted indignantly, "I did a little better than Senior Wonkang, you know."

"...Dog shit and cow shit are not the same, but they're all still shit, right? Anyway, we'll talk about that later." Baek Suryong sighed and got to the main point. "I want to talk about your adoptive father, the Viridian Scholar Ju Pyo."

"Huh? Oh, okay." Ya Suhyeok straightened up at the mention of his adoptive father. This was the first time Baek Suryong had brought up his family directly.

"He invited me to the Yama Keep last time. Is that invitation still valid?"

"That's a relief. Tell him I'll be visiting soon, and while you're at it, send this letter to him as well." Baek Suryong pulled out the letter he'd written the night before from his robes. "Be sure to tell him I'd like a reply as soon as possible."

Ya Suhyeok took the letter. It was quite thick, but he couldn't even begin to guess what was inside. "What's this about?" he asked curiously.

Baek Suryong shook his head. "It's complicated, but it's definitely not something that will harm the Viridian Forest. If you're worried, you can read the letter first and then decide whether to send it or not.

He had no intention of forcing his student to do something he didn't want to do. Although Ju Pyo, the Viridian Scholar, was a member of the Ten Great Villains and the bandit boss of the Yama Keep, the most powerful of the Seventy-Two Viridian Forest Keeps, to him, he was simply one of his students' parents.

In fact, that was why he hadn't paid the man any special attention until now, when he needed the Viridian Forest's cooperation.

Ya Suhyeok nodded. "...I'll send it."

He didn't ask any more questions or try to read the letter, simply tucked it into his pocket. It might have been different if it was someone else, but he was confident that Baek Suryong would never do anything to harm the Viridian Forest.

Baek Suryong smiled. "Thanks. Let me know when you receive a reply. You can go now."

"Okay." Ya Suhyeok stood up and headed for the door.

Baek Suryong shouted from behind him, "We'll talk about your etiquette studies after I get off work today. Bring Wonkang with you."

"Yeees..." Ya Suhyeok moaned, slumping his shoulders dejectedly as he left the room.

Baek Suryong chuckled and muttered to himself as he hurried to get ready for work, "With this, the groundwork on this side is more or less laid out... I should check on the other side too."

As soon as Baek Suryong arrived at the Azure Dragon Academy, he headed straight toward the male students' dormitory.

He spotted a man sweeping in front of the dormitory in the early morning light. Dressed in light clothes with his hair tied back carelessly, the man looked like a stereotypical bum, but his striking features made even that mundane sight look like something out of a painting.

This was the culprit who had recently caused the female students of the Azure Dragon Academy to constantly loiter around the male students' dormitory, breaking the hearts of countless young teenage boys. Get full chapters from novel{f}ire.net

"Dad!" he called out.

"Hm?" Baek Muheun's eyes widened. He leaned the broom against the wall and walked over, both pleased and surprised by the sudden visit. His son usually only came to see him during lunchtime or after work. "Why are you here at this hour? Did something happen?"

"I stopped by because I want to ask you about something. By the way, I see you have settled into the dormitory supervisor position very well, eh?" Baek Suryong teased with narrowed eyes.

Baek Muheun cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Ahem! What are you talking about? I'm just helping out for a bit. As you know, your grandfather is still unwell."

"He seemed perfectly fine when I saw him yesterday..."

"What do you know? You're an amateur, whereas I have more than thirty years of experience nursing the sick. That old man is far from fully recovered. Do you think someone his age would heal up as quickly as you?"

"...You're good at making excuses."

Originally, Mae Geuklyom also served as supervisor for the male students' dormitory, but Baek Muheun was helping out temporarily due to his injury.

"Anyway, what brings you here? You said there was something you wanted to ask me?"

"There's something I want to confirm. Dad, are you sure you graduated from the Azure Dragon Academy?"

"...O-Of course." Baek Muheun hesitated for a moment, looking slightly flustered, but he soon puffed out his chest confidently. "I just didn't receive my diploma. I definitely completed the entire fourth-year curriculum."

"Why did you elope with Mom before the graduation ceremony?"

"I thought your grandfather would try to prevent me from seeing Yakbing again after the graduation ceremony, so I made the first move."

"Good grief..." Baek Suryong sighed heavily. Is there another father in the world who would proudly admit to his son that he eloped with his wife?

Baek Muheun smiled gently. "Back then, I didn't want to be separated from Yakbing, even if it killed me, and she felt the same way. One day, we went to Silver Scale Lake together, and her lips were so pretty. So, without realizing it... ahem! I'll tell you these stories when you're older."

Baek Suryong stared dumbfounded at his father, who was averting his gaze in embarrassment. "I'm twenty-eight, you know."

"You're not even thirty yet."

"Says the man who eloped with my mother when he was a student..." Baek Suryong shook his head, then let out a chuckle. His father was still completely devoted to his wife, even though his hair was going gray. "Anyway, you just didn't get the diploma, right? Phew! I was worried for nothing."

"...Why are you suddenly talking about this?" Baek Muheun asked, puzzled.

Baek Suryong grinned. "Let's go pick up the diploma you didn't get back then."

"...Huh? You want to do that now? Why all of a sudden?"

Baek Suryong shrugged. "As a graduate of the Azure Dragon Academy, you should have a diploma. Given your personality, you wouldn't be able to ask for it yourself, would you?"

"Well..." Baek Muheun was at a loss for words. His son had a point.

Deep down, he had always taken pride in being an Azure Dragon Academy graduate, but he wasn't shameless enough to ask for a diploma now when he skipped the graduation ceremony.

"...You rascal. You're all grown up now." Baek Muheun regarded his son with misty eyes. Not only was it amazing that the small, frail child had grown up so much, he was also persuading his father to accept the diploma he'd failed to receive thirty years ago.

Just the thought alone was enough to bring him to tears.

"That's enough. What's the point of a diploma now? Don't worry about such trivial things..."

"I need you to have a diploma, Dad."

"You have to accompany me to the Heavenly Martial Festival. Surely you're not going to miss it, are you?" Baek Suryong pouted in disappointment.

Baek Muheun reflexively shook his head. "Since you're participating, of course I have to go watch it, but what does that have to do with me getting my diploma?"

"You need a diploma to participate in the Heavenly Martial Festival."

"...There wasn't a rule like that in the old days." Baek Muheun tilted his head in confusion.

Baek Suryong smirked inwardly. Although he had purposely mentioned the word "participate," his father never imagined it meant he would be competing in the graduates' tournament. His old man had just assumed he would be spectating.

He didn't bother to correct the misunderstanding. Getting the diploma first was more important.

"I heard the rules changed a bit this year. If we're going to make memories together at the Heavenly Martial Festival, we absolutely need that diploma." He grabbed his father's arm, his eyes blazing with determination. "I'll take care of getting the diploma, so you just watch from the sidelines, Dad."

In the end, a bewildered Baek Muheun found himself dragged away by his son.