Baek Suryong and Tang Soso's club inspections continued. This ti, it was the Assassination Arts Club's turn.
True to its na, a scene of carnage reminiscent of an assassin's training ground ca to life in the dimly lit underground clubroom.
"Ugh..."
"M-My legs..."
Truthfully, none of the AAC executives wanted this assassination training, but such trivial matters ant little to Baek Suryong.
"Tsk, tsk. Are you wobbling because you can't balance properly? Should we start over?"
"No, sir!"
Clad in black camouflage attire, all of the AAC executives planted their heads on the ground with their hands behind their backs. Each of them raised one leg high and swayed precariously as they fought desperately to maintain their balance.
There was a good reason for that. Caltrops covered the entire floor except for where their heads and feet rested. Their very lives depended on not falling over.
"Patience and self-control are an assassin's most important virtues. Today, I will initiate you into the true art of assassination."
Baek Suryong stood over the trembling students, his eyes gleaming nacingly as he tapped his shoulder with the Black Dragon Pointer.
The lantern's light flickered montarily.
Beside him, Tang Soso reviewed the AAC ledgers. "It's as I expected. The hidden weapons purchased with club funding are mostly low-quality goods. It's embarrassing to even call these things weapons. The camouflage clothes and masks are no better... Huh?" She opened the bottle labeled 'Tracking Incense' and sniffed it. "This isn't tracking incense, it's mushroom powder!"
The AAC President, whose head was still on the floor, cried out, "We were tricked into buying fake tracking incense! A wandering dicine peddler sold it to us for cheap..."
The AAC President grit his teeth, but how could he when Baek Suryong was tapping his palm with the Black Dragon Pointer?
"Why did you buy from a peddler in the first place?"
"That's..."
"It's obvious you wanted to cut costs and pocket the surplus," Tang Soso cut in cynically. As a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan, renowned for their expertise in hidden weapons and poison, she was strict about these matters. "I see you also enjoyed drinking and partying with the embezzled money."
She pointed to the liquor bottles stacked in one corner of the AAC club room. There were enough bottles to circle all the AAC executives.
Baek Suryong crouched before the AAC executives and clicked his tongue. "Impressive. You young punks are already learning how to embezzle money. Did you fabricate the activity details, too?"
"......" Sweating profusely, the AAC students averted their eyes from Baek Suryong, not daring to offer excuses. Either way, they had already endured their current awkward pose for thirty minutes.
Baek Suryong snorted. While many clubs had questionable spending practices, the AAC was particularly egregious. Most of the club funds went into the executives' pockets, and their activity report was riddled with lies. There was no room for leniency.
Over the past few years, it seems that corruption has beco the norm. How dare these phonies eat away at the academy's budget while claiming to research the art of assassination? Well, at least I've caught them now. The era of corruption ends today.
The ground shook with the impact.
"For the good of the club and the future of the Azure Dragon Academy, I will reform every single one of you, " Baek Suryong scolded harshly. "Any complaints about my teaching thod?"
""N-No, sir...""
The murim was a cruel world where martial arts were law and fa was power. Therefore, it was only natural no student at the AAC could stand against Baek Suryong, one of the Ten Supres.
"Club President. Get up."
"Yes, sir!" The AAC President jumped up at Baek Suryong's call.
"Take responsibility and cough up all the embezzled club funds."
"Understood!"
Tang Soso held out a docunt full of mysterious clauses. "Okay. Now, could you sign here?"
"......" The AAC President's face paled. These two devils...!
The Azure Dragon Hero and the Cold-Blooded Poisoner were the ultimate neses of all things corrupt.
Tang Soso tilted her head innocently. "Why? Don't you want to sign?"
"I-I'll do it," he stamred. "But could I just read the contents of that docunt first..."
Tang Soso imdiately narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why? Are you afraid I'll scam you like you scamd the school?"
"No..." Feeling like breaking into tears, the AAC President ekly signed the contract without reading it.
FWIP!
The docunt went into the bosom of a dangerously smiling Tang Soso.
"Why are you taking that...?" Baek Suryong asked, but suddenly frowned at the AAC President. "Hey. What do you think you're doing? Since you're done signing, get back into position. Now."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
An hour later, so other students found the AAC executives in a dazed state, with blunt objects half-embedded in their bodies.
He might not sh well with Tang Soso's personality, but he couldn't help but admire her abilities as a strategist.
Tang Soso left the AAC beaming with satisfaction. "We've finished the hardest part of the job. The AAC is the last of the corrupt clubs."
They had taken action with lightning speed, successfully raiding all the problematic clubs in less than a day. Tang Soso was excited and thrilled, and not simply because she could spend ti with Baek Suryong.
"I never liked the club presidents embezzling funds as they pleased, and I always wanted a chance to make them pay. The new Heavenly Martial Festival regulations that require club audits are perfect! Ohohoho!" she laughed maniacally.
"You..." Baek Suryong began, but his voice trailed off in a mix of hesitation and horror. He suspected he had been ensnared in Tang Soso's sche the whole ti, but since she had saved him a lot of trouble, he didn't really regret teaming up with her. "You, uh, seem very refreshed?"
"Of course!" Tang Soso's eyes sparkled as she whipped around to face Baek Suryong. "As a Student Council executive, I couldn't justify cracking down on the corrupt clubs without risking backlash from the Club Union."
She explained how the Azure Dragon Academy's club culture had deteriorated. Ranking last in the Heavenly Martial Festival for ten years affected activities and funding, creating a sense of overall apathy. Students lost motivation and turned clubs into their own personal playgrounds. Those who trained hard were treated like fools.
Baek Suryong listened intently, intrigued by this new information. "I didn't know about that."
"Things have changed a lot since you arrived, Mr. Baek, but so nasty places remain. Not to worry, though. We cleaned them all out today, " Tang Soso replied, grinning from ear to ear.
Baek Suryong furrowed his brow. "By the way, you took advantage of , didn't you?"
"Originally, I planned to collaborate with Mr. Namgung Su, but he's too much of a stickler for rules..."
Baek Suryong nodded in understanding.
"In the end, everything worked out for the best. I prefer your thods, Mr. Baek." Tang Soso pointed to the Black Dragon Pointer, implying that its presence halved the ti required to complete the task. "With the Azure Dragon Hero by my side, who would dare retaliate?"
Tang Soso smiled. No one could criticize her now because Baek Suryong had her back. As a mber of the Student Council, she couldn't ss with clubs carelessly, but she could condemn them under the guise of cooperating with Baek Suryong's club inspection.
"Haha..." Baek Suryong let out a hollow laugh.
I always knew she was smart, but I never imagined she could revise her entire plan within monts of seeing at Paparazzi...
"The remaining clubs have no major issues. We can take our ti," Tang Soso added, walking ahead while flipping through the Club Activity Report.
Baek Suryong observed her closely. Unlike before, he had beco curious about the other students besides those at the White Dragon Manor. "...Hey, can I ask you sothing?"
"You have a question for , Mr. Baek? Yes! Ask away!"
"Why did you enroll in the Azure Dragon Academy?"
"...Ah." Tang Soso blinked in surprise, then smiled bitterly. "That was my family's decision. They sent here as part of their jianghu networking efforts."
"What do you an?" Baek Suryong tilted his head in confusion, bracing himself ntally to hear a complicated backstory about extenuating family circumstances.
Tang Soso explained, "The main clan always enrolls at least one direct descendant in each of the Five Great Academies in order to build connections."
Although she was a direct descendant of the Tang Clan, she was not in line to beco the next successor. Furthermore, because her martial arts talent lagged slightly behind her siblings', she was sent to the lowest-ranking Azure Dragon Academy.
She continued, "To be honest, I wasn't eager to co here at first. I felt like the family didn't think I was important. However, it turned out to be fun." Her eyes curved into gentle crescents. "When I joined the Student Council, Bang Baekhyun was the President. He worked hard despite all the negativity, so I had a crush on him for a while. Ah, that's a secret."
Baek Suryong listened quietly as Tang Soso chatted away like an ordinary teenage girl. He had never seen her this relaxed before.
"After a year, I noticed that Dokgo Jun was the sa. The seniors encouraged us. My peers stood with . I enrolled in the Azure Dragon Academy to build connections, but now I want to beco its strength."
She nodded slowly, understanding finally dawning.
"......"
Tang Soso bead with pride. "I like being a student at the Azure Dragon Academy. If I hadn't co here, I wouldn't have tried this hard."
Baek Suryong felt remorseful. So this is the true nature of the Cold-Blooded Poisoner. Perhaps I've been avoiding this kid too much until now.
Indeed, direct conversation revealed new aspects of the students he wouldn't have otherwise seen.
"...That's why you're our miraculous encounter, Mr. Baek. That's why I like you so much..." As if realizing what she just blabbed, Tang Soso's face flashed, and she cleared her throat. "Ahem! Anyway, what I really want to tell you is this."
"What?"
"Right, you're correct." Baek Suryong smirked and nodded at her childish yet confident remark, then patted her on the head. "You're amazing."
Tang Soso froze like a statue. Baek Suryong often did this to the Five Young Azure Dragons, but for her, it only ever happened in her delusions.
"...I'm never washing my hair for the rest of my life!" she squealed.
Baek Suryong walked ahead, chuckling.
Tang Soso followed closely behind, making a fuss. "Will you praise like this again later?"
"...Shall we go see the rest of the clubs now?" Baek Suryong quickly changed the subject. Upon seeing Tang Soso's eyes flash eerily, his evaluation of her as 'an ordinary teenage girl' had to be put on hold. Still, he didn't find her totally unlikeable.
"Leave it to ! If it's for your performance review, sir, I'll even fabricate cris!"
"No, there's no need for that..."
Baek Suryong shook his head as Tang Soso marched ahead, burning with excessive motivation.
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