Kang-hyuk walked through the s.p.a.ce slowly, appreciating the various vegetation it was filled with. His gaze then fell upon what he had come for.

He carefully plucked out each seedling, and not long after, there were dozens of seedlings in front of him.

'I should make a move uh...right now.'

Kang-hyuk raised his hands.

The seedlings lightly swayed in response to the movement of energy. He was using Heogong-seopmul (1).

"Heogong-seopmul is always the best when needing to move a lot of things at once. Hahaha!"

***

Baek-gap and Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g had evenly sprinkled the Qi Returning Stone powder over the soil just as Kang-hyuk had instructed.

"Hey, Baek-gap Hyung-nim," Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g carefully spoke up.

"...?"

"You were right about what you said."

"What did I say?"

"That I didn't need to be so surprised at the Moon Orchids."

"…..ah, that?"

"Do you think we'll be surprised one more time?"

"Probably…"

"...?"

"It would be more than whatever one could imagine."

Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g tilted his head.

Kang-hyuk emerged, resounding the sound of footsteps.

"These are seedlings, you can move them over there."

"Alright."

They immediately began moving the seedlings to where Kang-hyuk had instructed them to.

"Huh?"

Baek-gap tilted his head. Whilst he felt a certain familiarity from the seedlings, he was unable to remember where he had seen them. And so, he simply performed his task, moving them to the newly prepared plot.

There were three different types of seedlings, with twenty seeds each.

They planted the seedlings under Kang-hyuk's guidance, and soon enough, the new plot was finished.

At that moment, Byeok Ae-rin appeared, carrying some Yu-gwa (2) and tea.

"You came at a good time!"

Byeok Ae-rin smiled faintly at Kang-hyuk's words. She then spread out a piece of cloth, placing the foodstuffs she had brought with her on top of it.

She then noticed the seedlings that Baek-gap and Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g planted.

"Oh my! Aren't those the seedlings of the Thousand Year Red Rose? Are you going to grow them here?"

Kang-hyuk nodded in agreement.

"I'm also planning to grow the White Ten Flower and the Tranquil Smile of Yellow Nectar Flower."

"They will most definitely bloom beautifully. Ah, if the Thousand Year Red Rose blooms, could you give me three flowers?"

"Sure, no problem."

Baek-gap flopped down onto the ground after listening to their conversation.

"What's wrong with you?"

Baek-gap feigned a smile at Kang-hyuk's query. He then realized why the seedlings seemed so familiar. It was because he had seen them in drawings.

He hadn't been able to recognize them because he had never seen them in reality.

"Oh...oh my word! They're the Thousand Year Red Rose, and the White Ten Flower, as well as the Tranquil Smile of Yellow Nectar Flower!"

"What about it? Is there an issue with that?"

Cheon Hae-gw.a.n.g, who had been standing in the background, responded to Byeok Ae-rin's question.

"What kind of plants are they though? Are they Sacred Herbs?"

Kang-hyuk clicked his tongue in slight disappointment.

"Tsk tsk, you still have a lot to learn, don't you?"

"I apologize."

"It's fine, it's fine. It's not a crime to enquire about something you are unaware of."

Pointing at the seedlings, Kang-hyuk then began to explain.

"First of all, they are all types of Sacred Herbs. That Thousand Year Red Rose seedling over there. The flower it blooms is a red rose like any other rose, but its thorns are golden-coloured, and it also has the properties needed for the beautification of skin."

"I see."

Kang-hyuk then went on to explain the properties of the next Sacred Herb.

"This one is known as the White Ten Flower. It blooms ten white flowers while once every ten years, it produces a white coloured berry. When eaten, the berry increases a person's cultivation by ten years, and also strengthens the body."

"That's incredible!"

"The Tranquil Smile of Yellow Nectar seedling next to it blooms a yellow coloured flower. Whilst the flower looks like any other yellow flower, there's a yellow-coloured nectar inside it. Also, that nectar can be made into a wonderful liquor."

Kang-hyuk continued.

"What these three Sacred Herbs have in common is that they will only grow in soil that has an abundance of Qi circulating through it."

"Ah. So that's why you told us to sprinkle the Qi Returning Stone powder onto the soil."

"Exactly."

Baek-gap sighed as he listened.

Whilst Kang-hyuk's explanation was correct, he hadn't gone into full detail of the true value of the herbs.

Applying the juice of the crushed petals of the Thousand Year Red Rose would give one's skin the appearance of white jade. This was why it was commonly nicknamed: 'The Flower of Beauty.' The women of Moorim searched for the flower all over the land, but owing to its rarity, it was hardly ever found or seen.

The fruit of the White Ten flower did indeed strengthen the body, but more than that, it was known to be a panacea that could cure any kind of ailment. It was a priceless treasure that couldn't even be acquired with money.

Liquor made from the nectar of the Tranquil Smile of Yellow Nectar Flower was an exquisite delicacy that could only be enjoyed by a quaint few. The average rate for a bottle of the liquor was one hundred thousand coins.

'I'll have to tell him this later.'

On the other hand, Kang-hyuk was grinning, incredibly pleased at the sight of the newly planted Sacred Herb seedlings.

He was proud of his creation.

'Maybe I could create a pond and grow plants that thrive on Water-Qi over there.'

As Byeok Ae-rin watched Kang-hyuk devise his next plan for Yeongyowon, she felt that something was a bit off about him.

The Kang-hyuk she had known over the years hardly ever smiled.

When he did smile, it had been a smile that was mixed with murderous intent. She could count the number of times she had seen him genuinely smiling as he was now, on one of her hands.

'My lord, are you only now feeling happiness?'

Happiness.

This word echoed throughout Byeok Ae-rin's heart.

She had heard that the reason Kang-hyuk had become a teacher was because it was his brother's dream.

But as Byeok Ae-rin observed him, she felt that beyond it being his brother's dream, he seemed to be truly happy with his new occupation.

Kang-hyuk's happiness equated to her happiness.

She had vowed to devote her life to serving the man who had saved and completely changed her life.

Therefore, she wished that Kang-hyuk would continue to smile and find genuine happiness in his teaching pursuits.

This was why she had decided against using her usual, more extreme methods in dealing with Oh-Tae. She was aware that in doing so, she would cause Kang-hyuk to be displeased.

***

Night had fallen.

Byeok Ae-rin was standing on the roof of a building, with the moon shining brightly across the sky.

The roof she was standing on was on a building of the Hwacheon Clan.

Owing to the low roof of the building, she was likely to be spotted by the guards of the Clan, but they were unable to see her.

This was due to the fact that she was cloaked by an invisibility technique.

"Hmm…'

She seemed to be looking towards a particular direction.

The place she was gazing upon was Museongjeon, which was the residence of the Clan Leader.

'Well...let's go ahead and visit Mu-jin.'

Byeok Ae-rin had worked with Kang-hyuk for many years. They had worked together so closely, that at one point, even rumours of them being lovers had circulated.

"Hah!"

She burst out laughing at the thought.

However, there had been a time when she felt as though she was deep in love with Kang-hyuk.

But as time went on, she realized that her feelings of 'love', were in actuality, longing.

She was a little concerned by this.

Despite her best efforts, rather than being by Kang-hyuk's side, she would always be looking at him from behind.

When she was the head of Jimilgak, her role was to be Kang-hyuk's 'eyes and ears'. This also included frequently accompanying him. Therefore, she tried to understand him a little better.

Through her pain-staking efforts, she managed to understand his character a little more, and what Kang-hyuk really wanted.

She knew that he disliked bothersome situations.

Despite Oh-Tae having attempted to slander him, as he was a fellow colleague, and didn't seem to be evil at his core, Kang-hyuk wanted to publicly avoid maligning him.

Shim-gu's investigation had revealed that he was strict to the extent that his nickname was 'The Grim Reaper'. However, it was also found that he wasn't one to ever go beyond the limits and abuse his position.

Whilst he had sent an entire cla.s.sroom of students to the infirmary with his disciplinary actions, the situation hadn't risen to the point to become one in which he 'had to take responsibility'.

He was also found to be extremely adept and affectionate as a teacher.

This type of teaching method was extremely necessary for first-year students. It was only through such an education method that the conceit that most of them arrived with would vanish, and they would realize that the world didn't revolve around them.

Would Kang-hyuk really risk inconveniencing the education of the students in such a way?

'So you want to be a good teacher that is there for the students.'

Byeok Ae-rin looked up at the sky.

The situation had become a little vague for her.

She too had been a student of Hwacheon Academy. However, as the daughter of a lowly warrior family, she didn't have a particularly enjoyable academic life there.

"Academy…."

She could feel a deep resonance with the word 'Academy'.

If Oh-Tae had behaved the way he did with Kang-hyuk outside of the Academy, within Moorim, he would have already been a dead man, regardless of his true character.

She raised her body up in flight.

Her destination was the residence of the Clan Leader.

***

Mu-jin sighed and turned his head.

His desk was filled with scrolls. They were doc.u.ments from all parts of the country. If he attempted to view all of them, it would take him up until past midnight to do so.

"It would be great if I could have a gla.s.s of alcohol…."

He immediately suppressed the desire as it rose up.

It had been a while since he had last drunk any alcohol. He couldn't drink alone in the fear that he would act wantonly, and that he didn't have anyone to drink with.

Moreover, his position as the leader wasn't one where alcohol could be freely consumed. There were many things to consider before doing so.

"Hmmm…."

He felt lonely.

Those who had been through the battles of life with him had all retired, leaving him as the only one left in an active position as the Clan Leader.

He wasn't alone physically. His office was crowded with the thousands of people that streamed in and out on a daily basis. He had personal guards stationed around him at all times, not to mention the Jimilgak guards that were ever-present, invisibly protecting him. And yet, he was still lonely.

He missed the fierce battles of the old days, despite being aware that those days would never return.

Closing his eyes, he pressed his fingers into the centre of his forehead.

"Ah…."

The real reason behind why he missed those days so much, was because of the company of Kang-hyuk and his fellow colleagues.

At that moment, a sudden squeak could be heard from the window as it blew open.

Taken aback, Mu-jin looked towards the window. It was unnatural for the window to have opened from wind.

"Mmmhh!"

Soon, he heard a woman's voice, along with the silhouette of a bottle of liquor and two gla.s.ses. The holder of the bottle and gla.s.ses however, was still unseen.

"No matter what, this place is too high…"

The beautiful yet grumbling woman, was none other than Byeok Ae-rin, who was under the youthful guise of Ju-Ansul.

The guards almost appeared in an instant, standing in front of Mu-jin as protection.

"Who are you?!"

They were unable to recognize Byeok Ae-rin in her youthful appearance.

A burst of energy suddenly shot out of her body, causing the guards to stagger backwards.

"Elder Byeok Ae-rin."

Mu-jin slowly walked in front of the guards, stopping the energy that was heading towards them.

"You could have just informed them with words."

"I was just testing what level they were at."

Mu-jin sighed.

"It's Elder Byeok Ae-rin. Go back to your positions."

"...!"

The eyes of the guards rolled back and forth at the sound of the name. If they were told that their skills had diminished, they knew that they would have to endure h.e.l.lish training.

The experience of that training was said to be so painful that it felt like an incredibly slow death, and it was considered that it would be easier to just actually die.

But to their relief, Byeok Ae-rin simply smiled as she spoke, "You heard the Clan Leader, didn't you? Go back to your positions."

The guards hurriedly scurried back to their positions, and soon, within the vast s.p.a.ce that was the Clan Leader's office, there was only Mu-jin and Byeok Ae-rin left.

"There's a door provided for entry, why did you have to come in through the window?"

"Gu Orabeoni told me that when he came to meet you, you escaped through the window. So in case you'd try and escape again, I came in through the window instead."

"….Ahem. Ahem ahem."

Mu-jin coughed, then spoke.

"Please think about your age before you overdo it. You're so old that if you happened to fall whilst trying to climb up into the window, who knows what part of you would break….your bones aren't as strong anymore."

"You're really too much!"

"Ah, anyway, why are you here Elder Byeok?"

(1) Heogong-seopmul= An energy technique that moves items without having to physically transport them.

(2) Yu-gwa= a traditional Korean dessert consisting of glutinous rice that is pounded and then mixed with honey, water, and cheongju (rice wine). The mixture is shaped into desired pieces that are fried and then coated in honey, sesame seeds, pine nuts, cinnamon, or puffed rice.