739 - I Am This Murim’s Crazy B*tch

Of course, no matter how much sympathy or pride one might feel for Mandalo, favoritism is something that shouldn't exist. As the saying goes, every finger hurts when bitten, but there are certainly fingers that hurt less. In many anecdotes and tales, there are stories of cutting off a ring finger or little finger to offer or consume as a sign of resolution. The thumb, index, and middle fingers are superior to the other fingers, a fact proven by history, folklore, and the left-hand law. With the academy's schedule continuing, I don't know what the future holds, but I don't want to show any special care for anyone just yet. So, Qing should just keep her thoughts to herself. Upon further reflection, it’s said that people's true nature reveals itself in difficult and challenging times, and there might not have been an opportunity to become a better person. But then, what is this? What's with the atmosphere? "Thank you! Instructor!" "Thank you for your teachings! Instructor!" “Instructor! May I ask which path between 'Chukchuck-Chakcheok' and 'Chakcheok-Chukchuck' is more streamlined?” Just for reference, 'Buweongbangbong' denotes a moderate sword, 'Sweaeg-Saksoe' denotes a swift sword, and 'Cheokchakcheok' denotes a flexible sword with its corresponding strengths, expressed very comprehensibly. Anyway, the atmosphere in the academy is somehow hot. Of course, the academic environment was quite good before. All those who were selected for their earnest desire to learn, rather than being dragged here by force, showed no negligence and worked hard. "Thank you!!" "Truly! I will strive!!" Haven’t their voices grown louder? Suddenly, it’s as if there's maximum discipline, with passionate students, but why such zeal after returning from an outing? Yet, the next day: "Instructor!! How are you!! Did you have!! a good meal!!?" "Thank you!! for today!!" And the day after that, too. "Instructor!! Good!! morning!!" "I'll see!! you tomorrow!!" The next day, and the day after, they showed no signs of slackening their discipline. You'd think if others heard it, they'd believe I was running a strict regime on them, given how vigorous these promising martial artists' voices have become. Is it just their voices? The once familiar, friendly jabs like "Hey, you punk" are now replaced with respectful terms addressing each other as elder or younger brother. During breaks, they no longer drop themselves down complaining but sit cross-legged, meditating to ease their fatigue leisurely. Who am I? A disciple of the swordsmanship hall. Even just recently... One might say, even further: "Instructor, have you arrived!" "Have you dined!" Qing couldn't hide her astonishment. It was a surprise late-night check, something what one might call, 'Just adhere to the basics, then you won't be bothered; let's just stick to the basics' kind of surprise dormitory visit. Truth be told, there's nothing as difficult as sticking to the basics in this world. And so, when Qing burst open a room exuberantly, with the intent to enforce the basics, there emerged the irrevocable bachelor smell mixed with the sweaty scent of hastily gathered laundry — a truly inexpressible manly aroma filling the space. But why, though? Qing sniffed around with curiosity. Leaving aside the unavoidable aspects of a men's space, Hm, it’s quite clean? The room was tidy, and unlike before, they were not lounging with their tops off, startled and scrambling to cover themselves. Of course, exceptions exist in all times. As soon as the door opened, there were rows of underwear strung across several horizontal lines strung up like a hometown Christmas or festival flags; perhaps nowhere else to dry undergarments, it seemed. Ah, Chang-yo Hong, always wearing that thick leopard coat, who knew you were so... And indeed, the women’s living quarters are always the biggest mess... Nonetheless, the swordsmanship hall is brimmed with discipline. I thought it might be the remnants of their outing, just a couple of days of this and then back to normal, but it maintains incessantly, intriguingly, what’s going on? Have they collectively lost their minds? After deep contemplation, Qing came to a conclusion about this desirable scenario. It's all thanks to the new Mandalo. Qing, a proud intellectual who attended university back home and majored in 'Psychology of Cultivating Life-Changing Habits,’ is a master of psychology. And with lifelong observations and analyses naturally conducted, she became a harmonizing deity smoothly blending into any group. From such an authority on human understanding, well, it’s that they have become sophisticated. People within a group naturally avoid foolish acts, opting instead for noble behavior, as determined by their roles. That's akin to the reasoning during class. In order to be loved by teachers and achieve individual successes? Everyone already knows. Inquire whenever encountering something unknown, actively participate in class, and focus diligently on studies. As seen in numerous media, this method creates the image of the ultimate, valorous student. Yet, the vast majority shun such actions, as it is deemed uncouth. The attempt only results in criticisms like, ‘ass-kissing the teacher,’ overly dramatic, annoying brat. Military life entirely dismisses such diligent attitudes, causing everyone to slacken as much as possible. Even the work environment isn’t any different. A passionate coworker often gets saddled with ridicule, labeled a corporate tool, or told they won't make it like that in society. Of course, some rational groups exist, where exhibiting expected, classic charm isn't uncouth and is deeply encouraged. Likely because Mandalo has persisted earnestly, such an environment gradually took root even in my swordsmanship hall. Oddly enough, the initial Mandalo was tremendously unlikeable. No matter how eccentric the new Mandalo, or Shindalo, has been, she's definitely better than the previous Mandalo. Thanks to this phenomenon known as the "Fairy Effect," there hasn't been much backlash. Of course, this sort of atmosphere usually depends on the leadership skills of the group leader. Qing had heard that effective leadership is crucial for this kind of impact. Hmm? So, what does this mean? It’s thanks to me? Is it possible that the Heavenly Flower(天華), the transcendent art, has once again made a significant contribution to orthodox martial arts? Heavenly Sword Flower, are you telling me even the instructor is the mightiest? On a separate note, Qing's workload has become a bit, no, much more strenuous due to endless requests, no, consultations. The reason being the praises for Ximen Qing, the instructor, from Mandalo. "Because Instructor Ximen has sternly admonished and genuinely cared for me, this lacking disciple, how could I not renew my mindset?" "Instructor Ximen has shown me the righteous path of life, akin to guiding a petty person onto the broad avenue; I've engraved the grace of such a teacher deeply within my heart. Each word, each phrase, flows with the fragrance of noble elegance — it truly moved me, and tears of warmth flowed on my face." "Ah, are you speaking of the foremost beauty under heaven? Sword Flower? Ice Flower? What are you talking about? Who else but Instructor Ximen could possibly discuss the finest of beauties under heaven? Oh, Brother Jang, of course, there are renowned beauties in the martial world, and everyone has different tastes, so one might say someone is more beautiful on the outside, but who possesses comparable cultivation, character, demeanor, and noble martial arts? Who, if not Instructor Ximen, could measure up?” "Brother Yu, you seem gloomy these days. Oh, dear, I must have missed noticing this. Although I'm still young and inexperienced, perhaps you might consider consulting Instructor Ximen?" "With Instructor Ximen…” "If it’s Instructor Ximen…" "Indeed, it must be the grace of Instructor Ximen." Mandalo, who, ten times a day, ended with praises for Ximen Qing, drove many to curiosity about what consultations they had, making everyone want to request one for themselves. Qing had been resting, using an injury as an excuse, leaving Namgung Shinjae to handle the instruction. Just when she thought she could enjoy recuperation, she found herself overwhelmed by a wave of trainees seeking advice. Yet, avoiding them under the pretense of resting only tightened her sense of unnecessary responsibility. "Instructor Ximen, I have something I'd like to consult about, if it's alright with you..." "This instructor doesn't mind, but given the waiting list, if you don't mind waiting for a few days, I'll write you a number." "What? A number? Number twenty, huh? But what kind of writing is this—gasp, oh gosh." To prevent ticket forgery, she wrote in complex characters, and the disciple's eyes trembled while looking at the note marked "Twenty-Two(貳拾貳)." The trainee could recognize the writing. What vigorous yet orderly script, perfectly matching, as if cut and pasted, its mastery evident—possibly a seasoned artisan's touch, mastering her unique style? What the—apparently, Ximen Qing’s writing is also unparalleled! The script itself is a treasure to behold repeatedly; how she could lightly give something so precious away for a consultation—not that he cares much about the consultation now. Now, the disciple pondered about wanting to take advantage of the consultation, to find something worth consulting about. Even before the consultation, the satisfaction was soaring. This meant Qing's evening peace was gravely compromised too. --- Do you know the law of preserving bastards? This refers to the inexplicable phenomenon where the number of bastards within a group remains constant. Suppose your boss, colleague, or subordinate is an absolute nuisance calling for resignation at every opportunity. If this nuisance were to vanish due to some reason (resignation, firing, or someone finally snapping and stabbing them in reality), you'd naturally be delighted. However, only briefly, as someone else who seemed decent until then would succeed in taking the ‘bastard throne’ and step into those shoes, performing new nonsense. Thus, once a nuisance departs in a company, a new one inevitably rises to fill the gap, maintaining the same number of bastards. Apparently, this is scientifically proven. Upon observing ants, it turns out about thirty percent just loaf around. If you remove all the idle ants? Amazingly, thirty percent of working ants then assume it’s finally their turn and begin slacking off. Humans exhibit similar behavior—when a bastard’s spot opens, another bastard realizes it's time they get to take over the duties of being a bastard. Of course, some claim there aren't any bastards in their workplace. If so, it's worth examining oneself and perhaps having honest conversations with coworkers. Even the swordsmanship hall isn't free from the law of bastards. With Mandalo declaring, "I’m done being a bastard" and becoming a young person armed with inhuman sincerity and etiquette, the bastard position in the swordsmanship hall was left vacant. And a new bastard did appear. However, astonishingly, three new ones replaced one, creating a horrendous exchange ratio. These bastards were three people whose skills had suddenly improved after the outing. During the recent outing, crammed in the scorching heat of a tiny room, they had stripped off and sweated it out with the men. As underlings for the Blood Cult infiltration squad, used for menial labor due to lacking abilities and intelligence—their bad karma was so low that they accidentally passed.