Chapter 664. Tightening (4)

“What do you mean? Did you hear another weird rumor about us?” Yi Myeong-Hwan cocked an eyebrow and asked.

Gong Yeong-Gil's expression while looking at his friend was awkward, to say the least. “Well, uh... I know it's all nonsense, but...”

“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point, will ya? What's up?”

“Well, the rumors about you guys haven't been nice, you see...?”

“What kinda rumors?”

Gong Yeong-Gil frowned as if he was in a dilemma. He tried to gauge Yi Myeong-Hwan's mood first, then sighed softly. “Well, uh... What I'm about to say is just a rumor, okay? It's not what I think. Don't get those two mixed up, okay?”

“Just say it, will ya? Why are you cosplaying as a timid mouse with that huge body of yours?”

“It's just that, you know... The rumor going around is just really absurd, you see? People are busy saying that demonic arts made you all go mad, and you guys go around murdering people at night.”

“Eh?” Yi Myeon-Hwan's eyes opened super-wide at this absurd claim. “We... go around murdering people at night?”

“Yeah.”

“What the hell?” Yi Myeong-Hwan yelled in anger. “What bullsh*t is that? It's not like we have a reason to loiter near suburbs, now do we?”

“Yeah, that's right. I think everyone also knows that. But, uh... The rumors are still doing the rounds, so I wondered if something really was going on with you guys. That's all.”

“Gimme a f*cking break...” Yi Myeong-Hwan grunted in irritation.

There wasn't much he could do about rumors being manufactured like this. Humans loved to gossip, after all. And when the massive topic comparatively lacked meat on its bones, people would go out of their way to add lots of spice before spreading it around for all to enjoy!

Even so, shouldn't they have added the spice in moderation?

Gong Yeong-Gil casually shrugged his shoulders. “They are probably envious of you.”

“Envious?”

“Yup. I mean, imagine how many folks are green with envy at you guys learning directly from the Assembly Master. But then, you guys went ahead and created that much chaos, so they must be dying of jealousy by now. That's how it is, so don't get too worked up about it, dude.”

“...Tsk.” Yi Myeong-Hwan's expression remained crumpled despite Gong Yeong-Gil's words of solace. “Hah... I guess there are waaay too many jealous idiots who don't approve of us.”

“Who knows? I don't have the spare energy to worry about crap like that, anyway. Trying to stick to the schedule alone is already killing me, you know?”

“Schedule?”

Gong Yeong-Gil groaned loudly, then nodded away. “Yup. Sir Vator set up a training schedule for us while he's not here, you see? He said some stuff about not allowing us to slack off or something. I gotta tell you, though. Dude! This schedule is bullsh*t! It's obviously designed to kill people!”

“...Huh. I guess Sir Vator can be surprisingly detailed, too.” Yi Myeong-Hwan muttered quietly while sneakily scanning his friend from head to toe.

'Well... He seems to have changed a bit.'

Something about Gong Yeong-Gil felt weightier than before. Not only in his personality or appearance, no, but even the aura he emitted seemed to have gotten heavier and more substantial.

The best description would be... Gong Yeong-Gil had gotten stronger. Which made sense when Yi Myeong-Hwan thought about it. Vator was also a powerful expert the likes of which the Assembly had never witnessed before. Receiving the guidance of such an expert would obviously improve one's strength.

Yi Myeong-Hwan suddenly realized that Assembly's talent pool had been filled up somewhat now.

Gong Yeong-Gil scratched the back of his head. “In any case... Dude, don't pay attention to every little crap you hear, okay? Those idiots can't be bothered to put in real effort to become stronger, so they resort to gossiping and stuff. Since that's all they are good for.”

“...But the problem is with their numbers, now isn't it? There are too many of them.”

“Nah, dude. They might have the numbers advantage, but what can they realistically do to you?”

“Hmm...” Yi Myeong-Hwan slowly nodded away.

There was not much he could do to change this situation. Even if he or other Demon Flames actively stepped up and explained, Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't foresee things improving at all. After all, the idiots spreading the rumors around only wanted to screw the Demon Flames over. No one with a functioning brain would believe the nonsense about the Demon Flames murdering people at night.

If people wanted to insult you, they would find a way to insult you no matter what. There was no stopping that.

“Okay, got it. Thanks for telling me,” said Yi Myeong-Hwan.

“No need to thank me. I figured you'd want to know, that's all. And no need to lose sleep about this, too. It'll get sorted out pretty soon, anyway!”

“Sorted out? How?” Yi Myeong-Hwan tilted his head in confusion.

A strange smirk crept up on Gong Yeong-Gil's mouth. “I mean... If we beat the living sh*t out of you guys, all the insults will be directed in our way, right? So, you only have to relax and wait for us.”

“Hah...” Yi Myeong-Hwan chuckled in dismay, then stared at his friend as the corners of his lips curled up. “Aren't you a confident boy? You better not cry and ask for mommy after we beat you up.”

“It won't take long. Our training is so crazy that we often worry about dying from how intense it is, you see? So, just sit tight and wait for us. And relax if you want. Let your guard down and all that. Just don't say I didn't warn you earlier, okay?” Gong Yeong-Gil cheerily waved his hand and walked away from his friend.

Yi Myeong-Hwan narrowed his eyes as he took another look at Gong Yeong-Gil's training suit.

'How heavy is that?'

If all those protruding things were lead pieces, just how much would they weigh in total? Yi Myeong-Hwan had a feeling that simply being strong wouldn't be enough to endure that weight. Besides, this training regime was cooked up by none other than Vator. There must be some other uses someone like Yi Myeong-Hwan couldn't even fathom. Vator was a lot smarter than he looked, after all!

Now that he knew people were busy chasing him down, Yi Myeong-Hwan realized he didn't have the time to feel down like this. He needed to tell the rest of the Demon Flames about what was going on here, and then... Focus even more on their training!

At the end of the day, Yi Myeong-Hwan was a martial artist. And he hated losing more than death itself!

***

“Indeed, it is turning into a bit of a problem,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

“I told you, didn't I?” Wiggins tutted softly.

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned while looking through the office's window.

'This isn't good...'

The Lee Jung-Geol incident had been finally dealt with. It was still too early to say everything was taken care of, but all the urgent fires still had been dealt with. As for the rest, only time would sort them out.

They had managed to dig out and cut off the Martial Assembly's worst festering wounds. Unfortunately, even before the wounds could heal, other parts began festering next.

'This isn't something I can do anything about...'

Lee Hyeon-Su scratched his head in frustration.

He couldn't help but get freshly reminded of how bad Kang Jin-Ho was at treating people equally. That story also applied to Kang Jin-Ho's personal guards. Kang Jin-Ho personally taught his martial arts to those who managed to pass his inhumane test. His actions had created a group of unwavering loyal warriors who would never get shaken up by external temptations.

Their usefulness was proven beyond doubt to everyone during the Lee Jung-Geol Uprising. Everyone who was there got the shock of their life, didn't they? People all assumed Kang Jin-Ho's faction would win in the end, but no one had guessed that the Demon Flames would take the center stage during the uprising. It hadn't been that long since they started receiving Kang Jin-Ho's guidance, after all!

Even Lee Hyeon-Su was caught off-guard by that development.

Kang Jin-Ho used that incident to demonstrate to everyone that his choices had been correct. Unfortunately, where there was light, darkness was bound to exist. Those who didn't get chosen could only stew in their ever-growing sense of deprivation.

For now, the friction remained negligible. However, the younger generation of the Martial Assembly would eventually fracture into different camps if this state of things persisted. Kind of like how things were between Lee Jung-Geol's faction and Kang Jin-Ho's followers.

At least those youngsters chosen by Vator or Wiggins still had hope. However, there were still so many young martial artists in the Assembly. The number chosen by the three men was merely a drop in the proverbial bucket. Simply put... The rest were basically left abandoned. Nothing had changed for them.

“We need to find a solution to this...” Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at Wiggins with eyes asking for the veteran's assistance.

However, Wiggins responded with a casual shoulder shrug. “I don't see how I can be of help this time.”

“If the Assembly Master was with us, I would've discussed this situation with him. But he's not here, and I don't have many people to ask for advice... other than you, Mister Wiggins.”

“Even if my lord was here, you still wouldn't have received a clear-cut solution. This is how the world at large operates, Mister Lee. Only a handful of elites can lead our world. Those with abilities lead those without abilities... People accepted that concept in the past, but not anymore in the current era.”

“Mm...”

“You can summarize the issue like this. Those without talent or capabilities wish to be treated as equals to the elites. Rather than an organizational problem, you could say it's a human nature problem. How can anyone resolve such an issue? Even if my lord puts in extra effort... Could he make a bunch of people as strong as the Demon Flames when they can't even control themselves after mastering demonic arts?”

“That doesn't mean this situation can be left alone, Mister Wiggins.”

“That's true...” Wiggins picked up the teacup and leisurely savored the aroma. The black tea airlifted straight from Britain seemed to satisfy his high standards as a gentle smile didn't want to leave his lips. “Which means... You just have to give them what they want, yes?”

“When you say what they want...”

“Tell me, Mister Lee. What do you think these people's desires are?”

Lee Hyeon-Su furrowed his brow slightly. “Is it... equal treatment?”

“Of course not. That's a rather thoughtless reply. It's even managed to disappoint me a little, Mister Lee.”

“...My apologies.”

“Think about why martial artists learning under me or Sir Vator have stopped antagonizing my lord's pupils. What the majority of these youngsters require is... hope.”

Lee Hyeon-Su attentively listened to Wiggins. Although he could be a fair and reasonable administrator, he didn't quite cut the mustard as a full-fledged martial artist. And that prevented him from fully deciphering the mindset of the younger-generation martial artists. As such, advice from Wiggins, who was both a top administrator and a martial artist, could prove valuable to Lee Hyeon-Su.

“What do they desire the most? It's for their strength to improve. However, that can't be achieved overnight. So, shouldn't they be given the hope of

'I'll also get as strong as them with enough effort!'

Mister Lee, this thing called hope can be a rather effective painkiller. It can help you forget about the bitterness of life and reality.”

“But Mister Wiggins? I thought it's not a good idea to rely too heavily on painkillers?”

“That's a naive notion. If the end result is the same, isn't it better to eliminate any unnecessary pain?”

“...”

“If that aspect worries you, then don't just give them hope. Give them a chance to produce the result they want. Yes, offer them a method that will produce the result they crave for... As long as they put in the required effort. Then, those who wish for hope will get what they want. And those who wanted results... Well, they will get theirs, too. Wouldn't that be a win-win for everyone?”

“I see. Then, that method is...?”

Wiggins smirked strangely. “Figuring that out is your job, Mister Lee.”

“...Urgh.” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply.

He had a distinct feeling that Wiggins had already thought of the method before bringing this topic up. However, this Englishman had a penchant for withholding crucial bits of info until the end. It was as if he wanted to train his disciple, Lee Hyeon-Su, by always pushing him to think about the solution without anyone's help.

What a nice way to educate someone, then. Unfortunately, Lee Hyeon-Su was too old to be educated this way and still feel glad about it.

“Besides, there isn't much point in discussing this topic among ourselves,” said Wiggins.

“Pardon?”

Wiggins put the teacup down and leaned against the couch. “I'm guessing here, but my lord probably has already considered what to do about this situation. He strongly feels responsible, you see? If he wasn't the Assembly Master, he wouldn't have cared. But now he is, he will surely think of a way. Maybe, this trip to China is a part of his plan, too.”

“...That sounds a bit far-fetched, Mister Wiggins.”

“Fufufu. It seems you still don't know much about my lord, then. My lord's sense of responsibility can be a little too excessive at times. He's the type to complete a task he's in charge of, regardless of what it takes. The moment he decided to accept the Assembly Master position... I can guarantee you that my lord's attention is now solely focused on ensuring the continued wealth and prosperity of the Martial Assembly.”

“...?” Lee Hyeon-Su couldn't help but tilt his head. What did that have to do with Kang Jin-Ho going on a vacation to China? “Well, if that is true, I can relax a little, but...”

Wiggins cackled loudly. “Why would he even bother to go to China if not for that reason? It's not like he has a woman stashed in that place or something, anyway.”

“Well...”

Wiggins stiffened a little after noticing Lee Hyeon-Su's strange expression. “Mm? Does my lord have a woman waiting for him there?”

“...”

“...Seriously?” Wiggins grimaced. And when Lee Hyeon-Su wordlessly stared into the distance outside the window, the Englishman coughed to clear his throat and glanced in the Westerly direction, where China should be. “Well, that is... Mm... How should I put it...”

Wiggins grimaced even more as if the bitter aftertaste didn't want to leave him alone. However, his expression suddenly brightened.

“No, that can't be it. We shouldn't doubt my lord. Besides, what does it matter if there's a woman involved? It's not like my lord went to China to do sundry chores for his woman, now is it? So, we don't need to worry about this. There must be a deeper meaning behind his actions.”

“...” Lee Hyeon-Su decided to not say anything.

'Yup, I better keep my mouth shut.'

Lee Hyeon-Su was constantly being kept in the loop on Kang Jin-Ho's activities through Zhang Dajing. And for the sake of the Assembly's peace and Kang Jin-Ho's honor... He decided to bury this secret deep in his heart.

A good subordinate was supposed to know when to hide his boss's embarrassing conduct, after all!