Shim-gu had further questions.

"So, what on earth am I meant to do? If I just praise them and stop comparing them to others, is that enough?"

"In addition to that, you should be like a steady fence to your children."

"But how am I meant to discipline them? They'll most probably just walk all over me."

"Don't you know a fence has thorns on it? When they cross the line, you can simply stick one of your thorns out."

"Ah!"

"You can just let them grow and roll around within your fence. And, following the rate of their growth, you can increase the size of your fence."

"But how do I know how much should I increase the fence size?"

"I'm not telling you to widen the fence thoughtlessly. When your sons stop wanting to jump over the fence, and instead wish to protect the fence, that will be the day that you can stop widening it."

"When will that be?"

"You'll know that when it comes. How would I know?"

"...what?"

"I've already said this much, do you want me to personally feed you as well?"

After this, whilst Shim-gu initially found it awkward, he followed Kang-hyuk's advice, and the results were astonishing. Their achievements grew at a rapid rate, and along with it, their personalities, which had been a little rough around the edges, began to smoothen out.

Many years later, Shim-gu had asked Kang-hyuk.

"Clan Leader, how did you have such good advice on the proper raising of children despite being unmarried, and not having any children?"

Kang-hyuk had grinned at his question.

"Well, that's because I looked into the subject."

"Sorry?"

"Training all of you was one way, and I also read a book that was in the Clan Library: 'The Battle of Educating Children'."

"…you were interested in such a book?"

"I read it with the thought that I too would one day become a parent, and so it would be better to study the subject in advance."

"What? St-study?"

"Do you become a parent by simply birthing a child? If you really want to play the role of a parent, don't you have to study it well?"

"...."

"Studying is a never-ending process throughout life."

"I see. So, do you have any fair maidens in mind to be your wife?"

*Pok!*

"Argh! That hurt!"

"I hit you so that it would hurt."

"Why on earth did you hit me this time?"

Kang-hyuk simply sighed.

"I know right? Why would I have to hit you?"

"Huh?"

Leaving the conversation unfinished, Kang-hyuk silently went back to Museongjeon, the Clan Leader's residence while Shim-gu stared blankly at his back.

Time had flowed by since then.

Kang-hyuk had retired, becoming the retired Clan Leader. Shim-gu's wife had pa.s.sed away from old age, and so he had retired to the outskirts of Nakyang.

Yet Kang-hyuk still remained unmarried.

As Shim-gu played with the morning glory vines, he muttered under his breath.

"Why has elder Hyung-nim remained unmarried till now?"

"I didn't know you were so curious about my marriage."

"Huh?!"

Shim-gu jumped up to his feet, and turned around at the sound of a familiar voice. By the gate of the residence stood Kang-hyuk.

"El-elder Hyung-nim!"

"Call me Seonsaengnim. I'm a horticulture teacher right now."

"Yes, Seonsaengnim."

Kang-hyuk clicked his tongue after scrutinizing Shim-gu's outer appearance.

"Byeonyeongsul and the Hidden Qi stone…tsk tsk."

It was of course, Kang-hyuk.

Despite Shim-gu having changed his outer appearance with the Byeonyeongsul technique and having worn an earring embedded with the Hidden Qi stone, Kang-hyuk recognized him with a single glance.

"Aren't you wearing the employee uniform?"

"I'm working in the cleaning department."

"The cleaning department?"

"Yes."

"It can't be that the reason for that is so you could catch a spy?"

Shim-gu recoiled slightly at Kang-hyuk's intense gaze, and simply confessed.

In his experience, if one tried to hide something, a more severe beating would be received, and so, he decided to confess everything to avoid this.

"Tr-truthfully, it was because I wanted to be beside you. That's why I was in the cleaning department…"

"So, while you were hiding your ident.i.ty, you happened to find a spy?"

"Exactly."

Kang-hyuk stroked his chin.

"Well, it's like catching a rat on the back of an ox, but it's still praiseworthy. You did well."

"Thank you."

"So…do you intend to keep working as a cleaner?"

Shim-gu looked at Kang-hyuk nervously, and nodded.

He knew that if Kang-hyuk said that he could no longer work, there would be no other option, and he would have to leave.

"I'm asking just in case, but do you want to remain by my side in the hopes of experiencing an electrifying blood-spilling battle like the old days?"

"What do you mean?"

Kang-hyuk sighed at Shim-gu's question, then spoke.

"I'm tired of all of that, and I'd like to live my life peacefully for now."

Shim-gu scratched his head.

"I'm not a blood-crazed pervert, so why would I have such thoughts?"

"I guess that's true."

"And I'm tired as well."

Kang-hyuk looked at Shim-gu. Shim-gu then continued.

"And elder Hyung-nim- I mean Seonsaengnim, seeing as we spent our days of warfare together, now I just wish to spend our days of peace together as well. Is this really...not possible?"

Kang-hyuk could feel the sincerity in Shim-gu's words.

"Well, I suppose there's no reason why it can't be."

Shim-gu's face lit up.

"Also, I'm uncomfortable with the idea that there are rats lurking around within the school I work at."

Kang-hyuk had said so whilst recalling his conversation with Mu-jin, in which Mu-jin had said that there were 'rats' with their eyes out for the Academy.

Having Shim-gu at the Academy would mean that his workload in removing the said rats would be reduced by at least half.

'If a talented man like Shim-gu who used to simply play around and eat insists on working, we can't just let him play and eat, he'll have to do some work! Indeed!'

Unaware of Kang-hyuk's thought processes, Shim-gu immediately prostrated.

"Th-thank you!"

Kang-hyuk turned around after having received Shim-gu's grat.i.tude, in preparation of leaving to Yeongyowon.

"Ah! Did you say you worked in the cleaning department?"

"Ye-yes, I did."

"Now that you're here, you can leave after cleaning my residence."

"Sorry?"

"I guess I'll see you later!"

Kang-hyuk left for Yeongyowon after having dispatched the work of cleaning his residence to Shim-gu.

Watching Kang-hyuk's figure disappearing off into the distance, Shim-gu turned to look at the morning glory vines.

"I know that elder Hyung-nim's a little stubborn, but I'm already eighty, isn't it a little too much to tell me to clean?"

"...."

"But I should be relieved that he didn't kick me out altogether…."

***

Kang-hyuk had arrived at Yeongyowon. As he looked over the plants, he checked if there were any that looked wilted.

But fortunately, all of the plants seemed normal.

"Should I give all of you some water now?"

A smile spread across Kang-hyuk's face.

"It's been a while since I've used that."

He took out the silver key to his warehouse. After opening the warehouse, he removed a small green earthenware vessel from within it.

Whilst the vessel was small, it had a distinct name engraved into it.

Aquatic Green Artefact.

He had received the object from the old man named To-ong, who cultivated sacred herbs.

If sacred herbs were given water that had been stored in that vessel, even if the plant was close to death, it would immediately revive.

Kang-hyuk filled the vessel with water from a nearby stream.

The water in the Aquatic Green Artefact glimmered with a green light.

As the green light flowed into the soil with the water, the plants instantaneously perked up.

"As I expected, it has an excellent effect!"

After having looked over the plants that the students had cultivated, Kang-hyuk then turned his eyes to the plants that he had raised.

"Hyung-nim, is this your practice plot, Yeongyowon?"

After having pulled out the gra.s.s that was growing around his plants, Kang-hyuk turned around.

There stood a familiar figure.

"You're here?"

It was none other than Mu-jin, the current Clan Leader.

"Yes, Hyung-nim. I came after receiving a message from the Princ.i.p.al. I heard that Shim-gu Hyung-nim caught a rat?"

"It seems that he did."

"So, what are we going to do?"

Kang-hyuk grinned at Mu-jin's question.

"We obviously have to go. Where is he being held?"

"He's in an underground prison that's connected to the Princ.i.p.al's office."

"Underground prison, you say…"

As Kang-hyuk disappeared almost tracelessly, Mu-jin smacked his lips.

"Hmph! When will I be able to reach Hyung-nim's cultivation…ouch!"

Before he had the opportunity to finish his sentence, he felt a pain in the back of his head. Kang-hyuk hit him at the back of his head!

"Ththat hurts!"

"I hit you because it would hurt!"

"Hyung-nim…"

"Tsk tsk, you would be able to achieve a higher cultivation if you devoted yourself even more, what's the point in grumbling? Stop being silly, we need to get going!"

"…Yes."

***

The Hwacheon Academy was a place for providing education.

But, as it was a school within Moorim, it had everything it was officially meant to have, and more.

For example, the Academy's prison.

It was a place needed for incarcerating, and interrogating people who had committed various crimes, and those who had approached the Academy with dark intentions.

Those people were secretly arrested by the Princ.i.p.al's personal guards, and were sent to the jail for questioning.

Eun Myeong-myeong was in his office, waiting for someone. It was because he wasn't going down into the prison alone, there were a few people that were coming with him.

Those people were the Clan Leader, Mu-jin, and the school administrator, Shi Gong-bak.

"Princ.i.p.al, the Clan Leader has arrived."

Eun Myeong-myeong immediately shouted back in response to Shi Gong-bak.

"Hurry and accompany him in!"

"Yes."

*Deureureuk*

The door opened, with Shi Gong-bak and Mu-jin entering the office not long after.

"Greetings to you, Clan Leader!"

Eun Myeong-myeong immediately bowed.

"So, you caught a spy?"

"It was Shim Jangro-nim that made the effort."

"It's something to be grateful for. Where is Shim Jangro-nim?"

"He said he was busy with something so…."

"He can't come? It's fine. Let's go."

Shi Gong-bak spoke up.

"I'll escort you."

He pushed a large wardrobe within the office, and then opened a hidden door that was behind it.

The door had a direct connection to the pa.s.sage that led to the prison, and this pa.s.sage had to be within the Princ.i.p.al's office so that he could conveniently enter and leave the prison.

Another reason for the entrance to the prison being within the office was because the entrance had to be hidden, owing to the fact that they were still within a school.

Travelling through the pa.s.sage, they headed towards the underground prison.

"Salute-!"

As they arrived at the entrance to the prison, the warriors, who were guarding the entrance, prostrated themselves.

Shi Gong-bak waved his hand, as the warriors began to operate a piece of machinery.

*Deureureuk Deureureuk*

With the sound of the operating machinery, the heavy iron gate began to rise upwards.

The gate stopped just above the height of the tallest among the group, Shi Gong-bak, and the group entered the prison afterwards.

The atmosphere differed completely from that of the clean and peaceful school. It was of course, no doubt a prison.

There had been no considerations for the comfort of the prisoners, it was completely open to the effects of the natural environment. The prisoners would only avoid being frozen to death or dying from being too hot.

As they went deeper underground, the atmosphere became damper. The warriors, who were looking over this area, lowered their heads and bowed. One of the warriors then approached them.

"I will escort you. He's on the lowest floor."

The lowest floor was even deeper underground within the underground prison.

They went down a floor.

There were three men hanging there with their necks chained, with only their lower bodies covered with a sc.r.a.p of cloth.

Amongst the three men was So Woo-jae.

He looked at Eun Myeong-myeong, Mu-jin, and the rest of the group with eyes filled with fear.

It was because he could perceive that he was about to experience unfathomable pain once more.

After having already experienced a bout of torture, his body drooped in weakness, but he wasn't covered in blood.

The Hwacheon Clan avoided using inhumane methods of torture by adopting the Split Bones Technique as its official method of torture.

It was doubtful whether torture in and of itself was humane, but a fortunate side to the Hwacheon Clan's method of torture was that at the very least it didn't shed any blood.

The man on the left of So Woo-jae was Hae-sak, and to the right of him was a man with a familiar looking face.

"Who's that guy?"

Shi Gong-bak responded to Eun Myeong-myeong's query.

"His name is Woo Cheon-baek, and he's a cleaner that works in the library. He was lured to work for the Secret Blood Scented Rat group to deliver information on the Academy for half a month's worth of gold."

"How dare you betray the Clan?!"

Woo Cheon-baek shook his head in response to Eun Myeong-myeong's anger.