Star Instructor, Master Baek

Chapter 124: Defense Against the Unorthodox Arts (3)

TL: FoodieMonster007

Dokgo Jun instantly protested, “Suddenly being asked to work with the constables… Can we even get involved in government affairs?”

Although Dokgo Jun was a disheveled mess as a result of the beating he had received from Baek Suryong, he straightened his posture and greeted Cheong Cheon with the respectful manner one would expect from a member of a prestigious orthodox sect.

“Greetings Constable, I am Dokgo Jun, the President of the Azure Dragon Academy Student Council. Could I ask a few questions about what you just said?”

“Of course,” Cheong Cheon replied, his expression unreadable. His gaze, however, was sharp enough that even the students who had dismissed him as just another run-of-the-mill government official found themselves gulping nervously.

What kind of constable… has an aura more intimidating than most martial arts masters? Dokgo Jun too wondered, choosing his words carefully as he asked, “…As you know, we are murim martial artists. You may not like hearing this, but given your role in the government, it’s not appropriate for us to work with you, as that would violate the principle of non-interference.”

The principle of non-interference between the government and the murim was an ancient tradition, and the very reason the murim had been allowed to exist freely for so many generations.

“I’m concerned that there might be conflicts between the constables and the Azure Dragon Academy students.”

As martial artists were unruly by nature, many often disregarded the authorities and acted as they saw fit. In particular, among the proud, ardent young students of the Azure Dragon Academy, there were bound to be some who balked at the idea of following the orders of government officials.

Dokgo Jun couldn’t deny Baek Suryong’s criticism that they were like pampered garden flowers, sheltered from the real world. After all, he had spent his entire childhood training at his family’s estate, followed by rigorous training at the Azure Dragon Academy. Even during his travels, he rode in a carriage so heavily guarded by formidable escorts that no bandit would dare approach. As a result, he had never encountered a martial artist from an unorthodox sect.

It’s not that I’m uninterested in taking on unorthodox sect martial artists… but I can’t help but worry.

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Cheong Cheon’s proposed mission was simply to patrol the back alleys of the city. Any unorthodox cult members they encountered would probably be nothing more than low-level thugs with rudimentary martial arts skills, too weak to even pose a challenge to him.

I don’t see how this would benefit my training at all. Wouldn’t my time be better spent swinging a sword just one more time?

Of course, Dokgo Jun couldn’t say that out loud. Instead, he politely declined, “I’m not sure if we, as young and inexperienced students, could be of any real help to you, Constable. We’d be fortunate if we didn’t cause more problems.”

As the Student Council President, his words carried weight with the other students, who, seemingly swayed by his logic, began to nod in agreement.

“He’s right. We don’t need to patrol the back alleys…”

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to train us, Mr. Baek?”

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“I’m not comfortable hanging around with constables.”

“I had no idea this was a practical class. Maybe I should drop out…”

Except for the five students staying at White Dragon Manor, all the others reacted negatively to Cheong Cheon’s suggestion that they become honorary constables.

“These orthodox sect brats are seriously hopeless…” Baek Suryong muttered, before opening his mouth to persuade the students.

However, Cheong Cheon cut in before he could speak.

Meeting Dokgo Jun’s gaze, Cheong Cheon asked, “Is it okay if I call you Student Dokgo Jun?”

“Yes, feel free to do so.”

Cheong Cheon nodded curtly. “How much do you know about this city?”

“…Excuse me?” Dokgo Jun tilted his head, puzzled by the question.

Without waiting for a reply, Cheong Cheon asked again, “Nanchang is a big city, but would I be correct in saying that the only parts of it you are familiar with are the shopping districts and the entertainment areas around the Azure Dragon Academy?”

Dokgo Jun nodded. The vastness and prosperity of Nanchang provided him and his fellow students with little reason to venture beyond the safety of their comfort zone.

As the capital of Jiangxi Province, Nanchang thrived on fertile land that produced abundant rice, cotton, tobacco, and tea. With its wealth of natural resources, the city attracted merchants from across the Central Plains, transforming it into a bustling commercial hub. Such prosperous and strategically important cities were rare in the Central Plains, and it’s prominence was further underscored by the presence of the Jiangxi Branch of the Murim Alliance and the Azure Dragon Academy.

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“But where there is light, there is also shadow. Recently, there has been a spike in violent incidents and murders in Nanchang’s slums. Several murim sects have established themselves there, and their conflicts have led to constant unrest. Even several constables have been seriously injured after getting involved in one of these fights,” Cheong Cheon said monotonously, though his choice of words made him seem oddly charismatic.

“That’s terrible…” Dokgo Jun murmured under his breath.

Beside him, the Azure Dragon Twins, their expressions serious, asked Cheong Cheon in their usual split-sentence manner.

“Have you contacted…”

“…The Jiangxi Murim Alliance?”

Cheong Cheon, unfazed by their unusual habit, answered without hesitation, “We’ve requested assistance from the Jiangxi Murim Alliance several times, but their support has been repeatedly delayed.”

“Is there a…”

“…Reason for that?”

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“With so many critical issues going on in the murim, they probably don’t have the capability to deal with what they consider a minor complaint.”

It was a subtle jab at the Murim Alliance’s incompetence, and Dokgo Jun couldn’t help but clear his throat in discomfort. Until a few moments ago, he had dismissed these incidents as nothing more than petty squabbles between low-level thugs.

Cheong Cheon continued calmly, “We’ve warned the sects in the slums many times, but they wield the principle of non-interference like a sword, insisting that their territorial disputes belong to the domain of internal murim affairs.”

“……”

“The fear among the civilians in the slums is growing. These are people who struggle every day just to survive, and yet now they live in constant fear, never knowing when a stray blade might come their way.”

“……”

“Although we do our best to protect them, most constables aren’t well versed in martial arts. Unlike you guys, they not only started learning martial arts late in life, but they also haven’t had the chance to learn advanced techniques.”

Cheong Cheon paused, letting out a tired sigh. His face bore the exhaustion of someone who had seen too much.

After rubbing his eyes, he spoke again, “It is difficult for us to cope with this situation by ourselves, so I felt really grateful to Instructor Baek Suryong when he suggested that I ask you students for help.”

“We had no idea such terrible things were happening so close to us…” Dokgo Jun’s voice faded, guilt washing over him. After all, he had been the one to reject Cheong Cheon without fully understanding or considering the constable’s stance.

“If my earlier words were too forceful or unpleasant, I apologize. The truth is, I was prepared to head out alone if no other constables volunteered, but if the prodigies of the Azure Dragon Academy were to support me, it would be like gaining a thousand soldiers. That’s why, I will ask you this once again: Will you help me? I’ll never forget your kindness if you do.”

Cheong Cheon concluded his speech with a respectful gesture, his tone polite but not servile, then stepped aside.

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This dignified demeanor earned him considerable favor from the students.

Baek Suryong stepped forward to take Cheong Cheon’s place. With a serious expression, he addressed everyone, “Let me ask you one thing. If you choose to do nothing after hearing all this, can you still call yourselves martial artists of the Orthodox?”

“……” Overcome with shame, everyone lowered their heads. The story that Cheong Cheon shared, coupled with Baek Suryong’s sharp remarks, made the students who had been inclined to reject the proposal out of sheer inconvenience feel deeply ashamed.

One by one, they began to speak up.

“…We didn’t know there was such a story behind this.”

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“Can we help?”

“Please, let us help. We’ll drive out those despicable unorthodox sect bastards!”

Though young and self-centered, the Azure Dragon Academy students were also empathetic and easily swayed by their emotions. Moreover, Cheong Cheon’s story reignited their childhood dreams of becoming heroes of justice.

Even Dokgo Jun was no exception. As he listened to Cheong Cheon’s tale, the Student Council President, who had been deeply reflecting, clenched his fist and said, “…I apologize, I was short-sighted. If I only practice martial arts to become stronger and ignore the injustices around me, how would I be any different from those unorthodox thugs? I will help you, Constable, and so will the rest of the Student Council.”

“…Thank you.”

And so, with unanimous consent, it was confirmed that the Defense Against the Unorthodox Arts students would be assisting the constabulary.

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It was a satisfying conclusion, but Baek Suryong scratched his head sheepishly. I didn’t really do much, he thought. In the first class, he had only beaten up the students, and then left the rest of the work to Cheong Cheon. Still, he decided to be satisfied with the result, thinking that sometimes one needs days to just chill out and loll about.

“When did you become so good at giving speeches? You could be the teacher instead of me,” Baek Suryong remarked.

“That’s just nonsense,” Cheong Cheon chuckled, shaking his head. He wasn’t naturally eloquent, and his story had only worked because it was sincere. “You said the actual practical class starts in a few days?”

“Yeah. We need to prepare a few things on our side, so today, I’m just going to scout out the location.”

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“Want me to be your guide?”

“That would be great. We also have a lot of catching up to do.”

After class ended, Baek Suryong and Cheong Cheon changed into civilian clothes and went on a reconnaissance tour of the slums.

Observing how smoothly Cheong Cheon made his way around the area, Baek Suryong asked, “How many times have you come here to know your way around like this? I bet you could navigate these streets with your eyes closed.”

“I’ve been here often enough… since this is where I grew up.”

“This is the first time I’m hearing this.”

“There’s not much to tell, really. I lived here with my mother. We were poor.”

As they walked through the slums, they took in the surroundings and the people. The streets were filthy, and an unpleasant stench lingered in the air. The residents’ faces were all haggard, sickly, and weary from the hardships they’d endured.

As they passed a woman with a sickly complexion holding a child’s hand, Baek Suryong’s brief gaze seemed to startle her. Quickly pulling the child close to her, she hurried away as fast as she could.

“She must have thought we were thugs from the unorthodox sects,” Cheong Cheon remarked, as if he was accustomed to such occurrences. “Currently, the unorthodox sects active in this area are the Scarlet Tiger Gang, the Great Bear Gang, and the Iron Head Sect. Over the years, the names of the sects and their leaders have changed, but the things they do remain the same.”

Baek Suryong clicked his tongue. By murim standards, these thugs were merely second- or third-rate warriors, not even worthy of being called unorthodox sect martial artists.

“But to people who don’t know martial arts, even those scumbags seem like unparalleled masters,” Cheong Cheon added.

“That’s true.”

These thugs terrorized the slum dwellers, extorted merchants, and committed all kinds of crimes. Still, although the scale and might of these back alley gangsters may be insignificant relative to the great murim sects, to the people who suffered at their hands, could such evil truly be considered trivial?

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Cheong Cheon, having witnessed countless crimes while growing up in this place, certainly did not think so.

“As a child, I dreamed of becoming a constable so I could get rid of scum like them, but when I finally did, I found out that it’s not so easy.”

“Those cockroach-like bastards are tenacious. No matter how many you kill, more just crawl out.”

Cheong Cheon nodded. Baek Suryong was right. These lowly thugs were everywhere, and they were so numerous that even the Murim Alliance didn’t bother to pay them any attention. They were pests that could not be eradicated, and so the poorest civilians, who had no means of protection, ended up being the ones who suffered most under their tyranny.

“I want to make these streets… safe for people to walk through,” Cheong Cheon declared.

It wasn’t a grand ambition. All he wanted was a street where people could walk safely. Yet, achieving that modest goal was almost impossible…

“Seems worth doing. Especially if it’s just that.”

“…What?”

Baek Suryong looked around the slum, carefully observing the people, the streets, and the shabby signs of the unorthodox sects in the distance. He hadn’t proposed the idea of working with Cheong Cheon just on a whim. Although he wanted the students to gain real experience, he did have other reasons as well.

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“Cheong Cheon, let me ask you something. If you resolve the conflict here, would you get promoted to chief inspector?”

Cheong Cheon stopped in his tracks. “A promotion? I’m not really all that interested, but… if we succeed at cleaning up this mess, it’s definitely possible.”

The violence and murders caused by the plethora of third-rate unorthodox sects in the slums had plagued the city for decades, leading to a deterioration in public safety. Unfortunately, the Murim Alliance wasn’t willing to interfere, and the government lacked the ability and commitment to address the problem. However, if a constable managed to resolve it, a huge promotion was certainly in the cards.

“Is that so? Good to know.”

“You’re up to something again, aren’t you?” Cheong Cheon let out a long sigh, but when he saw Baek Suryong’s mischievous grin, he couldn’t help but laugh. It was troubling, but somehow reassuring at the same time. “What’s the plan?” he asked.

“Educate the kids, clean up the trash, and maybe even develop some business opportunities.”

“Business opportunities?”

Baek Suryong looked around. “The White Dragon Conglomerate has been looking to expand into new markets lately.”

As a major trade hub, Nanchang’s markets were already dominated by large trading companies, making it difficult for the up-and-coming White Dragon Conglomerate to expand. Therefore, their only opportunity lay in an untapped market. The slums, for example, were shabby and dirty now, but there was no guarantee that they would stay that way forever.

A few days ago, when Golden Dragon Chairman Geo Ilsan had heard about Baek Suryong’s ambitions, he had given him some advice.

“Mr. Baek, have you ever thought about developing a new district?”

“Is there really an undeveloped district in this city?”

“It has to be cleaned up first… but there’s one place that shows a lot of promise.”

Just as the Golden Dragon chairman had said, after seeing it with his own eyes, Baek Suryong realized that the slums had the potential to become a thriving new marketplace.

“And as a bonus, I’ll get you promoted.”

“Heh…”

Well, if Cheong Cheon becomes the chief inspector, I would also benefit greatly from his increased authority, Baek Suryong thought.

Playfully throwing an arm around Cheong Cheon’s shoulder, he said, “Let’s give it a shot. Starting with cleaning up the trash.”