tl: foodiemonster007

    today, as usual, the area in front of white dragon manor buzzed with martial artists holding numbered tickets. they gathered in groups of two and three, chatting and waiting for their turn.

    "damn , i rushed here from guangdong to meet the famous azure dragon hero, and they tell me to grab a numbered ticket and wait?" a man with a gruff face grumbled.

    "your number looks pretty far down the list. wouldn''t it be better to wait at an inn?" another man asked.

    the gruff man folded his arms and stared at the wall of the white dragon manor. "i''m too restless to wait in an inn. right now, i''m thinking of climbing over the wall."

    the people instantly tried to dissuade him.

    "if you really want to meet the azure dragon hero, don''t be reckless. many people have tried to climb over that wall and ended up getting clobbered and thrown out by the students."

    "what? you think i''d lose to a bunch of academy brats?"

    "oh my! if you''re so confident, then by all means, go ahead. we''ll enjoy the show."

    "you sure are brave. hurry up and climb. let''s see how it ends for you!"

    "you assholes...!" the gruff man was furious, but he eventually gave up on the idea. the eager reactions of the people around him made him uneasy.

    if i climb over the wall and get beaten up by kids, it''ll be a total disgrace.

    just as the gruff but timid man suppressed his anger...

    "huh? is that guy cutting in line?" someone exclaimed.

    everyone turned to stare at a man walking toward the main gate of white dragon manor alone, without a student guide.

    "hey!" the gruff man strode briskly toward the line-cutter. he was confident that he''d caught him red-handed, but the moment the man near the gate turned around and met his gaze, he flinched.

    "can i help you?" the line-cutter asked.

    "w-well..."

    the line-cutter had a neat appearance and an expressionless face. even the way he turned was precise, giving off a stoic impression. the moment the gruff man heard his voice, he felt strangely intimidated.

    "d-do you have a numbered ticket...?" he stammered hesitantly.

    "i''m here on government business," the line-cutter replied plainly.

    pressed by the line-cutter''s aura, the gruff man immediately felt the need to confess to a crime he never committed. he even remembered being caned as a child for stealing alcohol.

    "o-oh, you''re an official. sorry to bother you. hahaha."

    "......"

    the gruff man quietly retreated, grinning awkwardly.

    when he returned to his spot, the people around him burst into laughter.

    "he went out with such bravado, but he came back speechless."

    "didn''t you say you wanted to climb over the wall? you never had the guts to do it, did you?"

    "ahem!" the gruff man cleared his throat and explained frantically, "didn''t you all hear what he said? he''s an official, and he''s here on government business. you know the rule of non-interference, right?"

    the most common excuse used by martial artists who caused enough trouble to need government intervention was the rule of non-interference between the murim and the government.

    it was also the phrase that the man who had just entered the white dragon manor despised the most.

    anyway, the other martial artists started whispering to each other, speculating about the man''s identity.

    "a government official? is he a constable?"

    "judging from his clothes, i think so..."

    "he seems too skilled in martial arts to be a mere constable. why would such a master work for the government...?"

    suddenly, someone slapped their knee and shouted, "hell judge cheong cheon!"

    "what? that name sounds like it belongs to some unorthodox sect leader."

    "he''s one of this city''s oddballs. he may be a constable, but he''s actually a peak expert. he''s famous for being absolutely incorruptible, and he''s especially harsh on crimes committed by martial artists. that''s how he earned the alias, hell judge!"

    some people raised their eyebrows at the exaggerated story.

    "he dares to arrest martial artists? isn''t that against the rule of non-interference?"

    "that''s the problem!"

    "hmm..." baek suryong folded his arms and fell into deep thought.

    "i was hoping to borrow the rehabilitation sect," cheong cheon suggested.

    baek suryong agreed instantly, "the rehabilitation sect boys? that sounds good. you plan to use them to crack down on the martial artists who are disturbing the city''s peace, right?"

    since the rehabilitation sect began as a group of petty gangsters, this was a good opportunity for them to change their image. besides, as cheong cheon himself hailed from the slums, he knew how to deal with them. baek suryong had no reason to refuse.

    "take them and use them however you wish. they''ve become quite capable."

    "that''s a relief."

    "is that everything you wanted to discuss?"

    "one more thing. have you heard about the murim alliance chairman''s plans to visit the azure dragon academy?"

    "yes."

    baek suryong received regular updates from the beggars'' gang and the rogues'' guild. the murim alliance chairman''s visit to azure dragon academy would be announced soon, and he was planning a grand parade with over a hundred escorts.

    "fortunately, he''ll only come after the final exams, so he won''t disrupt the teaching schedule."

    cheong cheon frowned. "i guess you haven''t heard the whole story. people are saying that the murim alliance chairman wants to make the azure dragon academy a subsidiary of the murim alliance, similar to a militia."

    "what?" baek suryong narrowed his eyes. he had never heard this before. straightening up, he asked, "tell me more."

    "the murim alliance chairman is preparing for war against the blood cult. a formal request for cooperation was sent to the government. i found out about it today and came to tell you right away."

    "......"

    "the chairman''s official reason for visiting is to inspect the murim alliance jiangxi branch and the azure dragon academy, but his real target is likely the azure dragon academy."

    baek suryong''s gaze turned icy. the five great academies, including the azure dragon academy, were not subsidiaries of the murim alliance, but partner organizations. they had no obligation to obey the murim alliance.

    but now, using war as a justification, the murim alliance chairman wants to take full control of the academy? that would give him authority over the lives of the students!

    he''ll be able to interfere with their training and even use them as cannon fodder.

    people said that the current murim alliance chairman would stop at nothing to wipe out the blood cult, but baek suryong never imagined that he was this crazy.

    "does he think he can do whatever he wants?" baek suryong whispered, feeling a wave of anger rise inside him.

    while i agree we must prepare for war with the blood cult, how dare he try to drag my students into it?

    he was relieved that he heard about this early. it would have caught him off guard otherwise.

    meeting cheong cheon''s gaze, baek suryong said sincerely, "thanks for telling me. because of you, i can prepare myself for the meeting with him."

    "i can try to help you if you want. i''m not sure how much i can do about murim matters, though..."

    "i need some time to think about it first."

    cheong cheon nodded and got up to leave. they were both too busy for a longer discussion, but before he departed, he had one last question.

    "are you going to confront the murim alliance chairman?"

    "that depends on his attitude," baek suryong replied with a smirk.

    anyone else who said that would sound arrogant, but strangely, cheong cheon did not feel that way about baek suryong. as he made his way back to the constabulary, he finally realized why.

    he wields massive commercial influence in the city, has government backing, powerful connections, supreme martial arts, and a stellar reputation...

    cheong cheon made a mental list of baek suryong''s assets. first, there was himself, the chief inspector cheong cheon, head of the local constabulary.

    second, there was the white dragon conglomerate, which was currently expanding rapidly with the help of the golden dragon trading company, one of the ten great companies.

    third, there was baek suryong''s former student, prime minister gongson su, who could dispatch tens of thousands of troops with a single word.

    fourth, there was the rehabilitation sect, once a petty gang, but now a true martial sect.

    "he probably has more connections that i don''t even know about."

    even if the murim alliance chairman arrived, baek suryong had no reason to yield.

    "haha. it looks like the azure dragon hero holds more authority than the murim alliance chairman in this city."

    smiling faintly, cheong cheon returned to the constabulary with a spring in his steps.

    translator''s note: there will only be 4-5 chapters this weekend because of spring festival prep and my birthday celebrations on sunday.