Good upbringing
Lang Jung did not know if he was good at raising children, but he knew very well that his children were smart and did not get into trouble, especially Beol, because he was a gentle child. Even though he changed, he would never do anything bad, because a person does not change in a day and a night. So surely, he would not do anything dangerous because he was still Lang Beol, the innocent child.
Jung thought this… until he was summoned because one of his children had put four students in the infirmary, and they were in bad condition.
Lang Jung was shocked after hearing this and thought that it was definitely Liu, because Lang Beol was weak and kind-hearted. It was impossible for him to do this to his classmates.
When he entered the headmaster's room, he was thinking that he should punish Liu to make him learn that this was wrong and not do it again,
not because he was stronger than his classmates and hit them.
But after two minutes, his angry face turned completely shocked when the headmaster said:
"Lang Beol hit his four classmates and they went to the infirmary. The problem is not only that—he was expelled from class because he mocked the Fourth Emperor. And when I asked him why he hit his classmates, he said 'Because I wanted to. Is there a law that prevents me from wanting to hit my classmates?'"
Jung: "….."
The person they were talking about was currently being punished along with Ming Kyon and Ryoung Shin. The three of them were sitting next to each other in the discipline room. It was not the same as the "discipline and explanation room," because this one punished students physically, not mentally.
Each one of them had the awareness book that the teacher had been explaining in front of them.
They were all silent, and the reason appeared:
Blue eyes like the color of the clear sky, with hair of the same color. His eyes made everyone tense from the gloomy, quiet atmosphere.
Finally, Parki Wang spoke:
"Ryoung Shin, read the page titled 'The Wrong Help.'"
Shin opened the book nervously and held it after finding the page.
"Ahem, ahem… If you want to help someone, make sure he is truly the victim. One day, 'Romin,' the Sword Prince, helped his trouble-making friend and fell into trouble with him…"
"Alright, that's enough."
Parki Wang was sitting on a chair as if he were an emperor punishing servants. His sharp eyes were terrifying.
"What do you learn from this lesson?"
"That I should not help my classmate if he is wrong no matter what."
Beol: "….."
"This bastard abandoned me just because he's scared of his teacher."
He lowered his voice and whispered "Traitor," but everyone in the room heard him.
Parki Wang looked at him, then looked at Ming Kyon.
"Ming Kyon, open the same page and continue."
After being told, Ming Kyon opened it and began to read.
But while he was reading, Beol looked at Parki Wang and remembered something.
Once, before he returned in time, when he was 14 years old, he was cleaning the garden and someone poured cold water on him in winter. Parki Wang was there, but when Beol looked at him, he looked away and left without any concern.
Beol felt shocked despite the cold water and harsh wind; in that moment, he couldn't feel anything and his breathing became difficult—
A feeling as if he wanted to cry but couldn't.
At that time he became sick and could only lie in bed and think how pathetic he was and cry.
Whenever he remembered this, he never understood why Parki didn't help him even though he always talked about helping others.
There was only one thing he knew:
When Parki found out he was useless and couldn't reach the higher stages, he didn't care whether he lived or died.
When Beol thought about this, he smiled and looked at him, thinking that his face was extremely funny when he found out he was the White-Dead Shadow.
His thoughts were interrupted by Parki Wang asking him to open the same page and continue.
Beol held the book and searched for the page, and after three minutes still couldn't find it.
Parki Wang looked at him for a moment, then stood up, walked toward him, and took the book.
"I don't think the problem is with the one who wrote the title."
Beol: "….."
Shin tried to hold back his laugh, and even Kyon smiled mockingly.
Beol didn't care much and began to read:
"No person can… hit his classmates no matter what, and whoever does this will be punished?… Wait, this is a lie. How can I be punished? I am from the second grade and they are from the first grade, so I am only taking care of them, and this hitting is because I'm worried about them."
Beol's face turned angry as if he were the victim.
Shin and Kyon looked at him and remembered what happened:
After the teacher kicked Beol out of the room, Kyon asked to leave for the bathroom, but since he always fought with students, Parki Wang ordered Shin to go with him.
On the way they saw Beol with four students known for bullying. So Shin went to help him, and Kyon joined because they were in the same team.
Leong Hyun had also told them to look after Beol.
When the bullies were about to leave, Beol stopped them and in the blink of an eye beat the four until they were begging him to stop.
Shin and Kyon tried to stop him but he ignored them and tried to continue hitting them.
Parki Wang was the one who stopped him.
And now, they were punished with him because they only tried to help him and never touched the students.
Parki Wang was about to speak, but a student interrupted:
"Teacher, Mr. Lang Jung is here."
When Beol heard his father's name, he smiled happily as if he was about to be released from prison.
But on the contrary, his father was nervous:
"How could Beol do something like this? Something must have happened. Could it be that his core turned purple or became blue?"
When Jung saw his son, he quickly approached him:
"Are you okay?"
"No, I'm hungry. I want to go home."
Beol looked exhausted, but he was actually perfectly fine—he just didn't want his father to ask how he beat students stronger than him because he had no answer.
And indeed, his father didn't pressure him and took him home.
In his room, he sat on the bed and began checking his body.
Because he didn't use aura energy to hit them—he used only his physical strength—his body was in a lot of pain.
He thought he should train his physical endurance, but now he had something more important to do.
Then he looked at a map on the table.
After returning home, his older brother's maid brought the scroll he requested.
Beol changed his clothes.
He had asked Leong Hyun to bring Shin and Kyon to the house to help him prepare the things he would take to the dormitory, and he agreed.
Beol picked up the scroll and opened it.
"Yes, it looks clearer like this."
The maid entered and told him he had guests.
Beol smiled and told her to let them in.
Two minutes later, Shin and Kyon entered.
It was the happiest day for the maid—Beol never had friends, and this was the first time.
Although she was sad that he would leave, she was happy he finally had friends.
She left to prepare pastries and tea for them.
Kyon looked at Beol angrily and asked:
"What do you need help with?"
"You are very rude."
Beol smiled mockingly.
"What's wrong with helping your friend? Look at Shin, he seems happy to help his friend."
Shin was surprised and protested:
"I came with Kyon only because the teacher asked. And since when do you call me without—"
"Alright, alright. Now instead of arguing with me, help me put my things in the bag. Kyon, you will put the clothes. Shin, you will put the books."
Shin was shocked by Beol's audacity, even though they had only known each other for a few days, yet he acted like they had known each other for years.
When he looked at Kyon, he was surprised—Kyon had already started putting Beol's clothes in the bag.
He thought Kyon would refuse to help.
Beol looked at him:
"What? What are you doing? Start!"
"Ah, okay."
Shin gave up and started putting the books in the bag.
All the books were about swords and sword arts, but he saw a book titled:
"The Life of the Black-Blood Emperor."
"What?? Someone dares to write a book about the Black-Blood Emperor, the strongest man in the world? Aren't they afraid their entire empire will be wiped out?"
Beol smiled mockingly:
"Why? Afraid? No one has heard anything about this emperor for five years. Maybe he thought he wouldn't care or even know about the book."
Shin was shocked—he had heard that the demonic emperor disappeared five years ago and no one knew where he went.
Beol looked at the book and thought about how he had read it twenty times when he was young because he couldn't advance to the higher stages. Anyway, he had enough time to learn about the strongest person in this world.
Kyon, who finally finished packing the clothes, spoke:
"Maybe that is because he will advance in sword level to a stage no one can ever reach no matter what. He may need five or ten years to finish it, and after that he will be the first in history to reach that stage—the Stage of Destruction."
Beol knew this, but what made him think the emperor had died was that he didn't appear even after fifteen years.
He could be dead… or maybe he needed more than twenty years to reach that stage.
Kyon interrupted his thoughts, picking up the book and reading the title:
"Anyway, it's better if he isn't alive."
Shin was shocked by Kyon's words.
Beol noticed his surprise.
"What? Do you want him to come back with that power? He can already destroy an emperor in two hours. What, do you want him to destroy one in half an hour?"
Of course, no one in the world wanted him to appear again—especially the country's emperor and the other five empires.
Who would want someone who could kill and destroy without being punished?
Anyway, Beol didn't have to worry—he knew that this crazy man would not appear even after fifteen years.
After Shin finished packing the books, he sighed and thought that he should make Beol teach him the Seven-Rings Sword technique.
But then he noticed an old scroll.
He looked at it curiously; it contained some areas of the ancient empire.
Shin was shocked:
"Wait, isn't this the Ancient Empire's scroll?"
Beol looked at him with a smile—he fell right into the trap!
"Ah yes, my brother gave me this scroll because I was interested in the shape of the Ancient Empire."
Kyon approached to look at it, and behind him, Beol smiled wickedly—but his face looked stupid instead of sinister.
Even though Kyon sensed the smile, he ignored it—he was too curious about the scroll.
It was written in the ancient language, so they couldn't read it.
Beol had to intervene:
"Oh, isn't that the ancient language?"
Kyon looked at him and confirmed.
Shin thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and spoke quickly:
"Ah right! Isn't Cho Zen able to read the ancient language?!"
Beol smiled—finally, someone mentioned this person.
That was all he wanted, and now the first step had succeeded.