He had arrived at the gates of the Academy. The gatekeeper, seeing him approach, began to walk towards him.
"Welcome to the Academy. How can I help you?"
Kang-hyuk pulled out a paper, giving details of his ident.i.ty. The guard carefully looked though the paper. Having confirmed his ident.i.ty, the Guard then bowed his head.
"Ah, so you have just been hired as a teacher! Please wait for a moment."
The gatekeeper called a warrior over to guide Kang-hyuk. Whilst following the warrior, Kang-hyuk began to energetically look into the warrior's level of cultivation.
'Ah…so he's a First-cla.s.s Warrior.'
Soon, they had reached the building which was the closest in distance from the entrance gate.
The building — Cheongpungwan, was the one he had entered yesterday for the second part of the test. The rooms within it included a meeting room, a reference library for the teachers of the Academy, and a medical dispensary.
It also contained the Princ.i.p.al's Office on its uppermost floor, the eighth floor.
Kang-hyuk followed the lead of the warrior, and they soon reached the eighth floor. The warrior then spoke to a man standing in front of the Office.
"He's the person you spoke of."
The man then entered the Office to confirm Kang-hyuk's entry with the Princ.i.p.al. He was invited in.
The door opened again and Kang-hyuk entered the room.
"Come inside."
Kang-hyuk saw the welcoming face of the Princ.i.p.al.
"Congratulations to you once again."
"Thank you."
As he was giving his thanks, Kang-hyuk thought of Mu-jin.
Judging from the princ.i.p.al, Eun Myeong-myeong's att.i.tude and speech towards him, it was clear that Mu-jin hadn't revealed Kang-hyuk's true ident.i.ty to him.
Kang-hyuk didn't have an intention to tightly conceal his ident.i.ty under all costs, however, he also didn't have the intention to openly reveal it either.
But, Mu-jin keeping his ident.i.ty concealed was in actuality what Kang-hyuk preferred for now.
It would be strange if the school's Princ.i.p.al was trembling in nervousness in front of a newly-appointed teacher that appeared to be in his 20s.
In the past, he had told a warrior not to tremble or be fearful of him, but the warrior bravely protested.
"Leader! It's impossible! I don't know whether you are aware of this or not but there is not a person within Moorim that wouldn't tremble in front of you if they knew your ident.i.ty."
Kang-hyuk then began to think about what level of speech he would use to speak to Eun Myeong-myeong.
He most definitely couldn't speak informally, and if he spoke normally with no honorifics, he could be at risk of sounding rude. He could speak formally, but he was still holding onto the last bit of pride he had.
In the end, he decided to speak normally, with some formal honorifics mixed in.
It was a slightly unusual way of speaking, but it would enable Kang-hyuk to have a conversation without feeling awkward.
"You were truly impressive yesterday. Your ability to have borrowed those precious items is also quite remarkable."
"You praise me excessively."
He behaved modestly.
"Are you from the same martial group as the leader?"
"Indeed, I am."
"Are you also a graduate of Hwacheon Academy?"
"No, I've been living in a mountain valley for most of my life."
"If you're the Leader's disciple, I'm sure your abilities must have been outstanding. Why didn't you attend the Academy?"
"It's a little embarra.s.sing for me to say this but it's because I'm not too fond of socializing with people. However, I came to Nakyang and took the appointment test upon the Leader's encouragement to get out a bit more."
This was of course, a white lie.
During his time serving as the Clan Leader for over five decades, he had to deceive countless people to the extent that it was now impossible to tell that he was lying.
Eun Myeong-myeong nodded at Kang-hyuk's explanation.
"You made the right choice. It's not good to hold onto your bad habits. This is a good place to come to be able to meet and socialize with all kinds of teachers. My advice to you is that you should use this opportunity well. "
"I'll keep that in mind."
"As you know, your subject is Horticulture. I hope you will fulfill your duties well."
"I will try my best."
"Here, take this. It's a new ident.i.ty tag for you."
Eun Myeong-myeong handed a silver ident.i.ty tag to Kang-hyuk. His new t.i.tle had been engraved on the tag.
The Hwacheon Clan's Affiliate, Hwacheon Academy's teacher, Kang-hyuk.
This was how Kang-hyuk started working as a Horticulture teacher at the Hwacheon Academy.
The goal of Hwacheon Academy was to educate its students in a way that would bring about a harmonious and prosperous Moorim.
This was why they didn't solely focus on martial cultivation as they had also included subjects of liberal arts in their curriculum.
These subjects included the tea ceremony, music, calligraphy, painting and the game of Go.
Included in it was the newly established subject that he would be teaching- Horticulture.
Mu-jin had elaborated the reason as to why the subject had been established.
"Think about it! Isn't it the n.o.blest hobby to cultivate plants? By cultivating plants and flowers on your land, you can display your true inner character through them in a greatly refined way."
Kang-hyuk headed towards the official residence for teachers, the Myeongwolsa.
Both the students and teachers were required to live within the Academy. The Myeongwolsa not only housed the teacher's residences but also their offices.
The teacher's residences were a row of houses that looked small but would easily be able to house two or three people. Each house had a nameplate attached to its door.
Two residences from him, behind the last residence, was a forest which had an impressive atmosphere.
"Welcome! I was awaiting your arrival."
A young man entered the s.p.a.cious courtyard in Kang-hyuk's residence. He quickly bowed his head.
"Who are you?"
"Oh my! I am but a mere servant! You can simply call me Baek-gap."
"A servant? You look too dangerous to be a servant!"
Kang-hyuk was suspicious of Baek-gap's supposed ident.i.ty as a servant. He was able to sense that his martial ability was that of a peak warrior.
Baek-gap quickly spoke upon seeing Kang-hyuk's suspicious gaze.
"To be honest, I'm from Jimilgak. The Leader has sent me here."
The warriors of the Jimilgak not only served as the close guard of the Clan Leader, but they were also his invisible hands and feet.
Kang-hyuk guessed that Baek-gap was sent by Mu-jin to keep an eye on him.
Baek-gap looked as though he was around twenty-five. To be a warrior of peak cultivation at such a tender age was quite a remarkable feat.
-Then you must know who I am, right? [*This communication is happening telepathically as Kang-hyuk and Baek-gap's cultivation is at a peak level.]
-I don't know. But feeling your life energy, it looks like you've lived quite comfortably and….
-And?
- ....
Kang-hyuk knew why Baek-gap was unable to say anything else. It was due to the fact that Baek-gap had his own task to fulfill.
'He'll probably be watching my movements and reporting them.'
But Kang-hyuk didn't really care. It was because he was acutely aware that the position of Clan Leader was the one that had to be aware of all happenings.
-Anyway, did you say your name was Baek-gap?
-Yes! That's my name.
-I don't care who you're loyal to, but I hope you'll behave."
-Of course.
As Kang-hyuk turned to enter his new home, Baek-gap quickly spoke up.
"Ah!- The Leader sent a message…"
"A message?"
"His message is that… the Hwacheon Academy is in the same vein as the Hwacheon Clan, so don't hesitate to use force."
Kang-hyuk liked Mu-jin's message.
"Okay, I understand. I'll be leaving, and it'll be around half an hour till I come back."
"Could I ask where you're leaving to?"
"All my belongings are at the inn. I need to move them here."
"Ah, so it's for that! I've already moved them here."
"Already? You're rather fast, aren't you?"
Baek-gap bowed his head at Kang-hyuk's exclamation.
"I apologize for doing it without your permission, but I thought that it would be a quicker move in for you. Also, I thought that you might encounter an uncomfortable situation when you needed to leave."
Baek-gap was most likely aware of Kang-hyuk's situation due to his post of being a Jimilgak warrior.
When one was leaving the inn, people usually came to thank the person with gifts.
"Well, thank you for your considerate actions. I'll go to the bookstore instead."
"What are you going to do there?"
"Seeing as my official position is of a Horticulture teacher, I thought I'd better go and do some more studying on the subject."
He had somehow become a teacher despite his inexperience. However, he didn't have the intention of teaching his students without having any foundational knowledge himself.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"There's no need. Don't worry, I'll come back before it gets too late."
"I understand."
Kang-hyuk decided to explore his new home before he left for the bookstore. He felt that it had a rather cozy ambience.
From the bedroom, to the kitchen and the various storage s.p.a.ces, the house was well furnished and equipped with everything one would require for day-to-day living.
The residence of the teacher also doubled as their office, so the house also had a separate quarter for an office s.p.a.ce with a large library.
Kang-hyuk unfastened his sword from his waist and placed it on the sword-pedestal in front of a drawer next to his bed.
He felt that this place was rather peaceful for Moorim.
In addition, his subject was gardening, so he thought that it was unlikely he'd be needing his sword anytime soon.
'Anyway, it's not as though I really need a sword.'
***
A fresh spring breeze blew through the streets of the Jungcheon area of Nakyang.
Kang-hyuk was standing there.
The upper-cla.s.s lived in Sangcheon in the east-side of the city whilst the lower-cla.s.s lived in Hacheon, the west-side of the city. Jungcheon was located in between these two areas, and was also a centre for commerce.
Kang-hyuk smiled, feeling nostalgic from the cheerful, bustling atmosphere of Jungcheon.
"Hmm…I should probably start off with satiating my hunger."
He stepped into a nearby restaurant.
The restaurant had an old signboard which stated its name- 'Ilmibanjeom'. It had been open for many decades since Kang-hyuk's first visit to Nakyang.
"Welcome!"
The owner quickly ushered him in, and handed him a menu. He quickly ordered noodles with meat-filled dumplings. Whilst he was waiting, he dazedly looked out the window towards the streets.
There seemed to be an unusually large amount of young boys and girls out on the streets.
'Are they the new students for the Academy?'
Bang.
Kang-hyuk turned his head at the sound of a bowl being slammed on the table.
"Enjoy your food!"
The food had arrived faster than he had expected. Kang-hyuk had just picked up a large portion of noodles with his chopstick and opened his mouth _ only to suddenly pause.
"What did you say? This b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"
Kang-hyuk looked out of the window with a sharp sound suddenly penetrating his ears. Two boys were in a stand-off in the middle of the street.
"Tsk, tsk, didn't I tell you I would easily get through this time?"
The owner of the restaurant clicked his tongue upon seeing the situation.
"What's going on?"
The owner answered Kang-hyuk with a displeased expression.
"This is a daily occurrence whenever there are new students of Hwacheon Academy coming in. It's a quarrel between two young lads that can't control their excessive vigour."
Clang-!
Kang-hyuk felt that it couldn't be as simple of a matter as that, seeing as their swords were now unsheathed.
'The first boy's cultivation seems to be at second cla.s.s level, and the other boy is slightly higher than second cla.s.s. Hmm… sensing their energy, they seem to be from the Jaegalga and Namgoong families respectively. Sadly, they don't have as high of a level of Qi energy as the boy from the Dang Family I encountered before.'
A whistle blew from a distance and a group of soldiers came rushing towards the scene. They were soldiers of the Hwacheon Clan that had been notified of the issue.
The boys' 'petty quarrel' was soon brought to an end by the soldiers.
Students that were caught fighting in the streets would usually receive a severe punishment if they were caught.
However, due to the fact that both boys were from well-known families, Kang-hyuk predicted it was unlikely that they would receive a severe punishment.
'No matter what situation one is in, one should learn to behave in an appropriate manner and to have control of your emotions. They even took out their swords! Children of a n.o.ble family-eh! Tsk tsk.'
Kang-hyuk turned his head back, his curiosity having been exhausted, and focused his attention on his noodles once more.
And then.
Bang-!
A sudden fury raged through Kang-hyuk in that moment, and he banged his fist on the table.
"d.a.m.n it-!"
"Wh-what happened sir?"
Kang-hyuk replied with fury in his voice.
"The noodles have gotten soggy."
"...."
***
Kang-hyuk was now in a terrible mood, mainly due to the soggy noodles.
He loved noodles, but one of the things that wound him up the most was soggy noodles.
It was most likely due to the fact that on the night of his brother's death, the man that saved him fed him a meal of soggy noodles.
He had to ask the restaurant owner for a fresh bowl of noodles, causing him to spend twice as much money than he expected.
However, he realized that it was no one's fault but his own for having been engrossed in the drama between the two young boys.
After he finished his meal, he walked towards the bookstore.
