The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 187 Scholar Juyul (10) - Unity of Knowledge and Action "True knowledge is that which comes together with practice." *** "Hey, Zhang Oh. You look quite energetic these days? Did you pick up some spiritual medicine somewhere?" "Huh?" At the words from a fellow Hao Sect member one day, Zhang Oh made a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about all of a sudden?" "Well, you used to go around every day complaining how hard things were. Your eyes were always yellowish and worn down with fatigue. But lately your complexion looks good and you don't make any groaning sounds, so I'm asking." "You really say all sorts of strange things." Zhang Oh, who had been about to casually brush off his colleague's words, suddenly reflected on his own condition. And he thought. 'Huh? That's right?' When waking up in the morning, his eyes open immediately. Conversely, when sleeping, he falls asleep immediately without tossing and turning. Even when running, he seems to get less out of breath, and his shoulders and back that used to frequently ache and throb are now quiet. Each individual change was minor enough to dismiss as just his mood or having a good physical condition for the day, so he hadn't noticed immediately, but looking back like this, he truly felt it. The problem was that he didn't know the reason. Unlike what his colleague said, he had never taken any spiritual medicine. To say it was because his work decreased, lately at the academy he wasn't just attending classes but also helping with meal preparation, cleaning, and various other chores, so the amount he moved had actually increased. Then the reason would be─ "If you have something good, don't monopolize it and let's share it. We're already dying from investigating those Black Blood Sect bastards these days." The thought that was about to continue vaguely was forcibly cut off by his colleague's words. Zhang Oh joked around. "There's nothing like that, you fool. But is the Black Blood Sect side that difficult?" "Yeah, their activity has decreased compared to before, but instead their temperament has become nastier. It's like wild colts that want to rampage are being forcibly held down and suppressed." While the Black Blood Sect couldn't be said to have a high reputation throughout the entire martial world, in Mao Province they were a faction that was quickly counted from the top. Once they started moving, the aftermath could never be small, so Zhang Oh's face naturally had to harden as well. 'Come to think of it, it seems there was bad blood between Instructor Zhang and the Black Blood Sect...' Zhang Oh thought that he hoped nothing would happen. *** Things had become ridiculous. Black Blood Sect leader Dokgo Gang couldn't help but think so. "...So you're saying Lady of Trampling Fire wasn't hiding to face us or engaging in a war of nerves, but was just staying at some academy on the outskirts of the city? And while that woman was leisurely playing immortal games, we were doing pointless things with our nerves on edge inside the city? Hah, hahaha." A hollow laugh escaped from Dokgo Gang's mouth. Even though their superior who usually didn't laugh much was bursting into laughter, the Black Blood Sect disciples who were his subordinates and students didn't dare put smiles on their faces. No, instead they were busy desperately reading the mood while breaking out in cold sweat. Because even the most oblivious person could tell that what was coming from Dokgo Gang's mouth now was laughter that wasn't truly laughter. "I've really become like an idiot. That Lady of Trampling Fire woman isn't even paying attention to this side and is acting as if she's completely forgotten about the Black Blood Sect, which means I was playing both drum and janggu in a clown show by myself. And you bastards just realized this now." "We are deeply sorry, Sect Leader!" In fact, from the disciples' perspective, it wasn't that they had nothing to say. Originally, Lady of Trampling Fire was famous for having very high pride and generous spending habits, always seeking the finest goods in any city whether for clothing, food, or lodging. How could anyone imagine that such a person would entrust herself to a shabby academy on the outskirts of the city where even luxury goods were lacking? Rather, if they had openly deployed the Black Blood Sect disciples, they would have easily discovered Zhang Hualing's location due to sheer numbers, but operating only small reconnaissance teams to prevent being picked off individually had backfired this time. However, hierarchical relationships sometimes reverse even right and wrong. Facing a sect leader who was only smiling with his mouth while murderous intent flowed from his eyes, there was no disciple who dared protest that it was because of him that things turned out this way. "Tch." After looking down at the bowing disciples with displeasure, Dokgo Gang fell into thought for a moment. Being humiliated was truly infuriating, but in fact the circumstances they had belatedly grasped weren't that bad in themselves. He didn't know the specific reasons, but Zhang Hualing was attending the academy and had personally stepped forward to save a child from the academy - in other words, couldn't this become her weakness? 'Of course that woman full of venom wouldn't simply kneel just because one hostage was taken... but at least it could be used as bait to lure her to a desired location.' Even if that didn't work, it didn't matter. After all, securing a few kids from the academy wouldn't require much effort. "Secure the students attending the academy. Especially that girl called Soyeon that Zhang Hualing personally went to rescue - make sure to capture her." *** Dawn before the rooster crowed. Zhang Hualing opened her eyes from her bed. "Mm." As she half-raised her body, the shabby blanket covering her upper body flowed downward. With her black eyes still holding a drowsy air, Zhang Hualing looked at the scenery of the room where she had been lying. It was a scene closer to desolation than simplicity. There were no bedding or furniture made from rosewood or redwood. There was no silk blanket embroidered with golden thread, no incense burner producing the finest fragrances, no full-length mirror said to be more precious than gold of the same weight. All that existed was just an empty, desolate room and Zhang Hualing's belongings placed in the corner. If someone had offered such accommodation to the Zhang Hualing of the past, she would have been greatly angered, asking if they dared to look down on her, but Zhang Hualing's face now was quite indifferent. After all, this house itself was something she had built with her own hands, so what meaning would there be in getting angry at it? "You want to stay at the academy and serve me? Oh my, you're saying something that could cause trouble. Perhaps if you were a guest stopping by for one night, but this academy isn't spacious enough to accept permanent boarders. Moreover, it's inappropriate for a woman in her prime to stay in the same place as men, even if it's a teacher-student relationship." After the day Zhang Hualing recognized Juyul as her teacher from the depths of her heart and requested his teachings. The relationship between her and Juyul underwent some changes. Zhang Hualing no longer engaged in disrespectful words and actions toward Juyul, and Juyul also began using a comfortable tone like when dealing with children, rather than the semi-formal tone he used when teaching other adults. Seeing this, other adult class students also one by one encouraged Juyul to speak more casually, so Juyul's tone had become closer to casual speech rather than the previous semi-formal tone. Furthermore, Zhang Hualing wanted not just to receive lessons from Juyul but to live in the same building as him and help operate the academy, but Juyul showed reluctance about this. Thus the compromise reached was to build a new house right next to Juyul's academy. With Zhang Hualing's funds, building a luxurious mansion wouldn't have been difficult, but she chose to build the house with her own hands without even calling a carpenter. Of course, it wasn't an easy task. The materials themselves could be obtained without difficulty since there was a mountain nearby, whether wood or stone, but processing them into a house was a separate matter. Zhang Hualing, who had thought it would be enough to roughly cut wood properly and stack it neatly, had to experience all sorts of problems like moisture, insects, warping, and ground erosion, and only after Juyul, unable to bear watching, offered a few words of advice from the side could she create a space that was barely livable. "...Well, in the days when I didn't even have a roof, I would have envied even this." How desperately she had wished for a place to shelter from the wind for a while, even just a corner of a roughly woven thatched house, when she was shivering in the cold wind on those freezing days. How much she had envied the people huddled together harmoniously under proper roofs while she was caught in the relentlessly falling rain. Zhang Hualing had enjoyed the most expensive and luxurious things possible as compensation for those painful times, but her heart actually felt more comfortable in this quiet space than when she was in VIP rooms of the finest accommodations. As Zhang Hualing, having tidied herself by going back and forth around the waterfall near the house, approached the academy, she saw Juyul chopping firewood with an axe. She bowed toward Juyul and spoke. "Teacher. I offer my morning greetings." "Yes, Langlang. Was your night uneventful as well?" (E/N: Some kind of nickname but my understanding of chinese is not enough to guess how it became like that) "Yes." Langlang. At the term of address Juyul used for her, Zhang Hualing felt her face grow warm and the corners of her mouth twitch inwardly. It was truly fortunate that she didn't have to show her face to her teacher because she was bowing her head. Rather than being a pet name used only by Juyul himself, it was closer to a nickname created when children who had heard her title Lady of Trampling Fire from somewhere rolled their short tongues around and it had somehow become common usage throughout the academy, and while people thought Zhang Hualing would find this unpleasant, she said nothing. Because she knew. That contrary to people's perception, the real originator of that nickname was Juyul. "So you're telling me now to tend a vegetable garden? To me, Lady of Trampling Fire Zhang Hualing?" "I don't know if it's Lady of Trampling Fire or Lady of Whatever, but yes, I am telling you to tend the vegetable garden." (E/N: I guess 'Lady of Whatever' and Langlang are same phonetic?) ...Well, the circumstances weren't very pleasant, but anyway, it was true that Juyul had said it first, so wasn't this a pet name that Juyul had given to Zhang Hualing? "The days are gradually getting colder now, so there will be many students with cold hands and feet and weak bodies. While we can't serve luxurious meat soup, we should be able to serve broth made from miscellaneous bones for lunch." "If you just say the word, Teacher, I would slaughter even ten cattle and bring them." "Giving has meaning only when done with one's own resources. If I empty my disciple's purse and then take credit with that money, how could that be called honorable? So I will gratefully accept only the sentiment." "I am sorry." Operating the academy wasn't something that could be done just by gathering students and talking with one's mouth. All sorts of miscellaneous tasks were needed such as cleaning, advance preparation, preparing snacks, and cleanup, and originally Juyul had been handling these alone, but recently some of his disciples had voluntarily stepped forward to help their teacher. Of course, the one who approached this most enthusiastically was Zhang Hualing, who had even built her house nearby. If martial artists saw Lady of Trampling Fire sweeping fallen leaves with a broom and crouching by the kitchen stove lighting fires, they would be unable to contain their shock with mouths agape, but Zhang Hualing didn't consider this humiliating. No, rather, her heart was more peaceful than when she had enjoyed all kinds of luxurious and extravagant living in the martial world. Here, she didn't need to burn with hatred and anger toward others. She didn't need to protect her reputation with violence and intimidation against those who tried to harass her, doubt her strength, or sought fame for subduing her, nor did she need to struggle to keep her spine straight under gazes mixed with envy, awe, hostility, and fear. Most importantly, here she was not alone. When Zhang Hualing did wrong, there was someone to scold her for doing wrong, and when she did well, there was someone to acknowledge her efforts as good. For Zhang Hualing, who had to live a life close to solitary struggle for most of her lifetime, the sense of stability that the existence of her teacher Juyul provided was something that could hardly be described in words. "Oh my, I'm sorry for being late. Teacher. And Instructor Zhang." When the dimness of dawn disappeared and the day was fully brightening. A young man with a truly common name and appearance, Zhang Oh, stepped into the courtyard and offered his greetings. Juyul welcomed this warmly, but Zhang Hualing's expression was quite displeased. It wasn't right for an outsider to interfere in the time between just her and her teacher, and no, maybe that played a part too but anyway that wasn't the core issue - it was sullenness arising from knowing that Zhang Oh's identity was that of a Hao Sect member. Honestly, Juyul was the strange one - when a martial artist from another organization openly said he wanted to do some spying next to you, it was natural to view that with wariness and suspicion. Zhang Oh also knew this fact, so while he offered bright greetings on the surface, he was breaking out in cold sweat behind his head. When the three of them had finished various miscellaneous tasks and were just waiting for the students to arrive. Juyul suddenly opened his mouth. "If you have something you want to say, speak up. Words kept inside will eventually make your heart ache." Juyul's words were directed toward Zhang Oh, who at first waved his hands saying it was nothing, but when his teacher urged an answer with a silent gaze, he soon glanced at Zhang Hualing's reaction before opening his mouth. "The thing is... the atmosphere of the Black Blood Sect has been unsettling lately. They have built bad blood with Instructor Zhang and their power is massive so we can't be careless, but since they haven't shown any specific actions immediately, from our side we have nothing to say other than 'please be careful.'" Zhang Hualing's complexion darkened instantly. While she resented Zhang Oh for revealing her karma before her teacher, at the same time it was the result of Juyul himself pressing Zhang Oh, so she couldn't say anything about it and could only feel her insides burning. In the end, Zhang Hualing bowed her head with a trembling voice. "This is all due to my karma. I, the person involved, will personally resolve it, so please do not worry." "Hmm. Well. I'm not that knowledgeable about the martial world's situation, but I do know that those called unorthodox sects are the type who don't discriminate between means and methods to achieve their goals. They say your skills, Langlang, are quickly counted from the top even within the martial world, so if they truly bear grudges against you, wouldn't they target your surroundings rather than you yourself?" "That is..." Zhang Hualing's complexion turned pale. If it were a frontal fight, she wasn't afraid of the Black Blood Sect at all, but if their blades were directed at the academy's disciples, this would be unbearable. Until now, because Zhang Hualing had been roaming freely alone without forming alliances, it was hard to realize, but originally martial world grudges affected not just the parties involved but also their surroundings, and thus once entangled, it was a yoke that was difficult to escape from. Zhang Hualing trembled with her head bowed. She was afraid of Juyul getting angry at her, but what was even more frightening was him despising her or casting her out entirely. "It's alright." But why was it that Juyul's voice reaching her ears contained neither anger nor urgency? No, if it wasn't her imagination, it seemed to even contain a kind of excitement. "A true scholar is not one who merely reads books and talks with their mouth, but one who must move their body and practice, so this too will be a truly good opportunity." The two disciples, unable to fathom their teacher's meaning, could only make bewildered faces.