"Let's head inside first."

I spoke to my dumbfounded companions, and they snapped back to their senses and began to follow me.

As we started moving, the gazes of those working while walking down the hallway began to gather on us one by one.

They looked as if they were displeased by the visit of strangers.

Some among them even stepped forward to stop us.

"This is where the representative officers' office is located. Outsiders are..."

'Hah, look at this.'

"What."

The member of the White Path Council who was speaking saw my contorted face, smacked his lips, and turned away.

Seong Moran snorted.

"This is ridiculous."

Her feelings were not much different from mine.

The further we went inside, the more the people working began to look our way one by one.

There were unwelcoming gazes, of course, but also personnel showing their discomfort and those muttering curses under their breath.

It felt as if we had dropped right into the middle of enemy territory.

"They've redecorated this place in earnest."

Looking around at Jang Ujae's words, the areas originally used as storage rooms had been lavishly decorated.

They were filled with drawers and desks, which in turn were full of documents.

Their space looked much more like an officers' office than our office, where we had just haphazardly stacked paperwork.

'There's no way the academy covered the costs, so did the White Path Council pay for it?'

While I was having thoughts akin to escaping reality, a group of people was walking out of the representative office.

Acting as if they were the leaders of this place, they skimmed through reports and documents handed to them from all directions at a glance and immediately passed them on.

Those who had exited the representative office also took a few steps before looking around, perhaps sensing that the atmosphere had turned strange.

"Why aren't you all working and instead..."

"Brother Jeonggi. What is the meaning of this?"

At Namgung Seonhwa's words, Zhuge Jeonggi looked at us and sighed.

He then looked at me instead of Namgung Seonhwa, who had asked the question.

"You really came."

"It's not like I've come to a place I shouldn't be."

"Leaving your seat empty for so long during the academic schedule... I didn't know you were this shameless of a person."

"..."

'What is this bastard talking about?'

The position of representative had not changed yet.

Because this absence was, after all, caused by me working hard to clean up the shit the Orthodox Council had taken.

Even so, what was the reason for the Five Great Noble Clans, including Zhuge Jeonggi, making such a move?

'Just what are they relying on?'

Beside Zhuge Jeonggi, Namgung Gipyo whispered something into his ear, and Zhuge Jeonggi nodded before looking at me.

"If you don't mind, would you like a cup of tea?"

It was an attitude like a host welcoming a guest.

It was clearly a misplaced dynamic, but since it seemed so profoundly petty, I decided to hear them out for now.

"Do you have Junshan Yinzhen? It's been suiting my tastes lately."

Zhuge Jeonggi and Namgung Gipyo's faces stiffened.

Why?

Did they blow this much money on the facilities but fail to prepare tea for guests?

* * *

TRICKLE.

As steaming hot water was poured into the teacup, the flower buds began to unfold one by one.

From the moment the petals unfurled in their respective distinct colors, they began to dye the clear water with their hues.

While I was momentarily mesmerized by the bizarre and fascinating sight, Zhuge Jeonggi smiled.

"It's called the Seven-Color Flower."

"Seven-Color Flower?"

"They say the high-ranking officials in Beijing mostly drink this these days."

He slightly raised his head.

"... I heard they stopped seeking out Junshan Yinzhen or Longjing tea once any random dog or cow started drinking them."

Well, to be sure, after seeing this fascinating tea, one would likely lose interest in Longjing tea or Junshan Yinzhen, where the only spectacle is dried leaves unfolding.

Zhuge Jeonggi brought the teacup to his lips with an elegant gesture.

"When ordinary people luckily get to taste something special once, they think they have ascended to a special position themselves, but in reality, it's mostly a case of them being able to taste it because that good is no longer special."

"What is it you want to say?"

He gave a gentle smile.

"I was merely talking about how the world works."

Zhuge Jeonggi brought the Seven-Color Flower to his mouth again, held the tea in his mouth for a moment, and closed his eyes as if savoring the aroma.

Was there a specific way to drink the Seven-Color Flower?

I deliberately did not touch the Seven-Color Flower.

Zhuge Jeonggi soon swallowed the tea and opened his eyes.

"You must have been a bit flustered."

"Does the Zhuge Clan teach the word 'a bit' differently?"

I returned from a brief trip only to find a stranger occupying my house and acting as the master.

Could anyone look at this and call it being 'a bit' flustered?

"Shouldn't you have no right to complain even if I smashed your head in?"

Despite my rather aggressive words, Zhuge Jeonggi let out a soft chuckle.

"As expected, one's roots do not change even if their position does."

Zhuge Jeonggi was trying to provoke me.

However, it was such an amateurish attack that I could only let out a scoff.

"You must not have known that this rootless bastard has a shitty temper?"

"I am aware. I heard you left Ak Jupyeong crippled?"

"Because I happen to have no mercy for actions that cross the line."

Zhuge Jeonggi stroked his chin with his finger as if it were no big deal.

"To be sure, our friend Jupyeong did make a bit of a mistake."

"Usually, driving someone to the brink of death isn't called a 'mistake'."

"Haha!"

Zhuge Jeonggi burst into laughter as if he couldn't hold it back and shook his head.

Strangely enough, his laughter was incredibly grating.

It felt different from when I was used to receiving such treatment and would piss off the other party by acting shamelessly.

"What's so funny?"

"Isn't it amusing for someone who got plenty of blood on his hands to pass the standard exam to say such a thing?"

For some reason, I felt my head turning cold.

Zhuge Jeonggi raised an eyebrow and added.

"Looking back at the standard exam process, you killed five times as many people as the others."

It seemed he was trying to poke at my guilt, but what a shame.

"I do not forgive those who gun for my life or my position."

'Because I'm not as soft as you think I am.'

Zhuge Jeonggi nodded as if forcing himself to understand.

"Of course, you must. That is only natural as a martial artist. However..."

Zhuge Jeonggi stared at me with cold eyes, the smile wiped from his lips.

"How many more people will you kill to protect that position in the future?"

"..."

"The more you covet that position, the more people will die. The higher you climb, the more people like Ak Jupyeong will continue to block your path."

I leaned forward slightly.

"What is the underlying meaning of those words?"

I stared at him with eyes that could not get any colder.

"Are you saying the White Path Council will stand in my way?"

Having thrown out heavy words meant to weigh down my shoulders, Zhuge Jeonggi shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"I merely wanted to ask if you had that kind of resolve."

I took a look around.

"I'd say this current stunt of yours has crossed the line for that."

"It's nothing much. For the White Path Council, maintaining formalities is only natural, even for a temporarily used space."

Zhuge Jeonggi emphasized the word 'temporarily', appearing to take a step back.

"Now that the academy representative has returned, we should gradually wrap up what we were working on."

However, his subsequent words were full of meaningful intent.

"... That is, of course, if the current representative maintains his position."

"You're worrying over nothing."

Thinking I had nothing more to say, I stood up from my seat.

Zhuge Jeonggi's head moved to follow me.

"Oh my, are you just leaving?"

"Is there anything more to discuss?"

Zhuge Jeonggi pointed at the tea I hadn't touched.

"It is precious. You should at least have a taste."

"..."

I tossed the Seven-Color Flower back in one gulp.

Perhaps my method of drinking was wrong, for only a thick bitterness remained on the tip of my tongue.

* * *

The representative office, with its doors closed, felt as if an even heavier silence hung over it due to the commotion in the hallway.

The people were crushed by an inexplicable sense of defeat and couldn't easily open their mouths.

'Just what is their intention?'

Namgung Seonhwa couldn't easily understand the current situation.

Even though Jin Sowoon had stepped away for a short while, that alone shouldn't have been grounds to steal the representative seat.

It was obvious that organizing a temporary officers' council to handle academic schedules in the representative's absence—just as they claimed—was nothing but an empty justification.

'Unless they have something to rely on...'

Her thoughts reaching that point, Namgung Seonhwa looked at Jin Sowoon and asked.

"Young Master Jin. What did you discuss with Brother Jeong... no, the White Path Council Head?"

What they needed to know right away was their intention.

Just what they were scheming.

She was curious to know just what made them so confident as to stir up trouble and act as the representative delegation in earnest.

Because they wouldn't go to such lengths simply to fill Jin Sowoon's vacant seat.

"We didn't talk about much. I just got treated to a cup of fascinating tea."

Jin Sowoon replied calmly while looking at his documents.

"Tea?"

"Yes. The Seven-Color Flower, I think it was called? It was quite bitter."

"..."

Jin Sowoon's expression was strange as he answered like it was nothing.

He was clearly suppressing immense emotions.

And Namgung Seonhwa had seen that exact look on someone else in the past.

None other than her grandfather.

It was similar to the appearance of the Azure Emperor Divine Sword, who had stumbled due to dark schemes and plots despite possessing absolute power and justification.

'This is dangerous...'

From what she heard later, her grandfather had been prepared to see bloodshed within the clan.

It was then that Jin Sowoon appeared.

Had he not completed the Cangqiong Unwi Sword Technique with Jin Sowoon's help, it was obvious that the Namgung Clan would have been split in two through some pretext or another.

'This time, I have to help.'

Having crossed the line between life and death together with him, Namgung Seonhwa knew just how ruthless of a person Jin Sowoon could be.

And she couldn't even imagine what would happen if he truly grew furious.

She knew better than anyone how hard Jin Sowoon had struggled to reach this position.

She didn't think such a Jin Sowoon would fall for the White Path Council's dark schemes and ruin everything.

However, she didn't want to see him suffer, either.

'Because his agitation is exactly what the White Path Council wants.'

For the next three days, Namgung Seonhwa mobilized all the connections she knew to investigate what the White Path Council was scheming.

And she was able to hear a decisive piece of information from a disciple of the Namgung Clan's lay sect.

["Zhuge Jeonggi made a proposal to the drill instructors. He asked them to allow a competition with Jin Sowoon's... side."]

["He said that if they hosted an academic schedule and more people gathered to them, they should be recognized as the representative delegation."]

["You absolutely must not tell Young Master Gipyo that I told you this."]

The drill instructors possessed independent voting rights within the academy.

It was somewhat expected that the vested interests would recruit the drill instructors and instructors to shake up Jin Sowoon.

'But why now, of all times?'

The only thing the drill instructors and instructors could do was set the stage.

Ultimately, the choice would be decided by the academy students, and the current situation was far from advantageous for the White Path Council.

Because Jin Sowoon had already brought about a shift in the academy's atmosphere by resolving the matter in Sichuan.

One of the things Namgung Seonhwa learned during her investigation was that the Orthodox Council had lost a lot of trust due to the incident in Sichuan, and as a backlash, support for Jin Sowoon had risen.

As such, it should have been a situation with absolutely no advantage for the White Path Council...

"No. Isn't it exactly because of this situation that they had no choice but to make a move?"

Seong Moran, who had been listening to Namgung Seonhwa's story, spoke up.

"Because if things keep going like this, Young Master Jin's position will become solidified. Perhaps this was the last chance for the White Path Council?"

"... That does make sense."

Even so, a question remained.

Because the White Path Council making a move like this was no different from them having some ultimate trump card.

Just what was it that made them so confident to stir up such a matter?

As if to amplify Namgung Seonhwa's anxiety, another incident erupted consecutively.

"My instructor received a notice to suspend his lessons."

Visiting the academy representative's office, Moyong Jaehwa said this with an expression that couldn't hide his panic.

Jin Sowoon set down the document he was reviewing on his desk.

"What do you mean? Who issued a notice to suspend the lessons?"

"They called themselves the new representative officers..."

Since there was currently no separate archery class in the academy, private tutoring just for Moyong Jaehwa had been ongoing.

If Yeo Samtong of the Gwigung Sect were to return, Moyong Jaehwa would no longer have anywhere to learn archery.