Moyong Jaehwa's class wasn't the only one to receive a notice to suspend lessons.

The White Tiger Sword Array class for the passing group, as well as the theoretical class on the Five Elements qi including ice arts and fire arts.

Every class Jin Sowoon had created received a suspension notice.

And from a representative delegation that hadn't even been officially launched yet, at that.

"This is crossing the line by far! Of course, I know this kind of threat is nothing to Young Master Jin, but...!"

At Seong Moran's words, even the usually calm Eunho couldn't hide his agitation.

"Eldest Senior Brother. We need to formally protest this."

"..."

However, Jin Sowoon simply placed his hands quietly on the table, covering his mouth with both hands.

Those who had been worked up felt an unprovoked chill at his gaze.

'Is Eldest Senior Brother doing it again...?'

'Is Young Master Jin doing it again...?'

Perhaps because half his face was covered.

Even looking at Jin Sowoon's face, Namgung Seonhwa couldn't quite grasp his intentions.

Just then, Nam Hwaseong jumped to his feet.

"Fuck! This is utter nonsense! Just say the word, Representative Jin! So you don't have to step in yourself, I'll go and break the legs of those White Path Council bastards!"

Looking up at the huffing and puffing Nam Hwaseong, Jin Sowoon opened his mouth for the first time.

"The spy should stay quiet."

"F-Fucking hell, I'm not a spy!"

Jin Sowoon, who usually threw around the word 'spy' like a silly joke, spat it out with a detached expression this time.

Feeling a sense of unease, Namgung Seonhwa calmed the others' agitation.

"Hold on... We need to think about this a bit more calmly. For them to go this far means they have something to rely on."

At Namgung Seonhwa's words, the agitated people began to regain their reason one by one.

"Sister Seonhwa is right. Anyway, if it comes down to the participation ratio of the academy students, we have the advantage."

Jang Ujae nodded at Hong Saryeon's words.

"That is true, of course, but according to Lady Namgung, they have already finished talking with the drill instructors. They likely borrowed the power of their families."

"..."

"The best thing would be to disband them, but if that's not possible, we need to mobilize more personnel for the event than they do. That way, even if the drill instructors step in, they will lose their justification."

The fluctuation in the number of people who had started supporting Jin Sowoon wasn't that large.

"Should we say it's roughly a little over half..."

What Eunho predicted was the number of academy students participating in the event that everyone in this representative delegation expected.

"It would be great if the Orthodox Council members who went to Sichuan this time would step up."

"The personnel from the lay sects will probably step up, but I'm worried whether the central figures of the Orthodox Council will."

"Representative Jin... what are your thoughts?"

At Jang Ujae's words, the people's expectant gazes began to gather on Jin Sowoon.

* * *

I had no choice but to admit it.

I didn't want to admit it, but I had to.

This feeling of my nose tickling for no reason.

'Hmm... The fragrance still lingers.'

I didn't know. That the tea was so fragrant.

The Seven-Color Flower was definitely a delicious tea.

I could understand why the high-ranking officials of Beijing sought out the Seven-Color Flower instead of Junshan Yinzhen or Longjing tea.

When I first swallowed the tea, I thought it was just bitter, but the subtle fragrance of the Seven-Color Flower lingered in my mouth all day long.

The taste of the Seven-Color Flower was so superb that I kept thinking about it the next day, and the day after that.

If it were up to me, I wanted to visit Zhuge Jeonggi again and get more of the Seven-Color Flower, but anyway, weren't they the ones making enemies with our representative delegation right now?

With so many eyes watching around, I couldn't possibly just go over there.

I had asked the head maid if it was possible to get the Seven-Color Flower just in case, but the head maid vehemently refused, saying it was absolutely out of the question.

Something about ten blossoms of the Seven-Color Flower equating to a normal family's food expenses for a month.

It wasn't that I didn't have money, but I wasn't out of my mind enough to spend money on something like that.

'How can I drink the Seven-Color Flower without paying my own money?'

While I was pondering that.

"Young Master Jin! You aren't having any bad thoughts, are you?"

I snapped back to reality and looked around, only to see everyone looking at me with worried expressions. What's this?

'What is going on?'

And only then did I remember.

Ah, they said Zhuge Jeonggi had issued suspension notices for the classes I created.

Why was that guy doing useless things and bothering people?

Well, he did try to instill a sense of guilt in me during our previous encounter, but is that something that can be instilled just by trying?

To put it bluntly, weeds can't even grow in a desert where the drought continues day after day.

And it's only natural for a flamboyant flower to freeze to death before a midwinter avalanche.

Why would I feel any guilt for striking back at the people who attacked me?

They really took me for an easy mark, didn't they?

As expected, are guys who grew up pampered within the Five Great Noble Clans all the same?

To reassure the representative delegation, who must have been flustered by the sudden situation, I looked at them one by one in turn.

"Do not worry. I will never be shaken by such a shallow provocation."

"..."

Huh? But the eyes looking at me were somewhat suspicious.

Especially the gaze of that guy Eunho, who had been with me since childhood, was tinged with bewilderment.

What is this atmosphere?

"Eunho. Why are you staring like that?"

At my question, Eunho's expression changed even more strangely.

"Eldest Senior Brother, um... do we look like we're worrying about you?"

"Huh?"

Well then you should be worrying about me, who else would you be worrying about...

Just then, Nam Hwaseong interjected.

"Look! That guy clearly doesn't know how dangerous and crazy he himself is! I knew it from the moment he casually brought back the Young Cult Master of the Blood Cult's head...!"

What the hell is that guy talking about now?

I was about to shoot back a word at Nam Hwaseong's bullshit...

The representative officers surrounding me all nodded in agreement at his words.

Seriously, what is with this atmosphere?

This time, Seong Moran opened her mouth.

"Young Master Jin, um... no matter how angry you are, taking the heads of the entire temporary officers' council is something you preferably shouldn't..."

No, what the heck are these people saying right now?

I finally realized the cause of this strange atmosphere.

They weren't worried that I would fall into danger because of the schemes of Zhuge Jeonggi and the White Path Council.

'They're rather worried that I might take overly drastic measures?'

Man, I didn't know if I should be thankful they believed in me, or dumbfounded that they saw me as a cold-blooded madman. Tsk.

I brought it up to reassure the officers in a 'different sense.'

"Ahem, do not worry. Taking heads is quite a bothersome task in itself. Besides, those guys have backing, so cleaning up the aftermath would be tedious..."

"..."

Hmm, I was just joking, but why did everyone's faces seem to turn even paler?

Anyway, after soothing the hearts of the officers as their representative, I recalled Zhuge Jeonggi's appearance.

He pretended to be brimming with leisure, but that seemed to be nothing more than a defense mechanism, puffing himself up to hide his impatience.

What on earth was the cause that made him so anxious to snatch the representative position?

'Perhaps it has been completed in the Zhuge Clan?'

If so, it was somewhat understandable why he was moving so aggressively right now.

An incident capable of shaking the world was about to occur.

He must think that snatching a single academy representative seat was nothing in comparison.

While I was pondering various things, a resolute look settled on Namgung Seonhwa's expression.

"I will look into it a little more for now."

Unlike the other officers, her face seemed to reveal genuine worry for me.

Man, this made me feel awkwardly embarrassed for no reason.

"It's alri..."

BAM!

Before I could even say anything, Namgung Seonhwa swiftly darted out.

"I'm fine, though..."

In truth, I had already roughly outlined how to deal with Zhuge Jeonggi and the fake representative delegation from the start.

Still, her willingness to rush around busily to help me was gratifying.

Then, a good idea suddenly popped into my head.

THUMP.

"Eldest Senior Brother?"

Did I slam the table too hard?

My palm was stinging.

"I will go meet Zhuge Jeonggi for a moment."

"W-What are you going to do when you meet him? You aren't planning to smash his head in, are you? If you do that right now..."

What exactly did people think of me?

"I need to have a little chat with him."

No one would think I was going to drink the Seven-Color Flower, right?

* * *

"L-Lady Namgung... didn't I tell you clearly? You put me in a difficult position by doing this..."

The man kept looking around incessantly, carefully checking to see if there were any people nearby.

If he was caught being with Namgung Seonhwa, there was no telling when he might be kicked out of the White Path Council.

"That's why I'm asking. What on earth did Zhuge Jeonggi confidently prepare? What did he prepare to come out this blatantly?"

"I don't know that either."

The man tried to wrap up the conversation and quickly run away, but Namgung Seonhwa blocked his path and persistently began to ask.

"Is Brother Gipyo scary while I am not?"

"..."

"You do know the fact that the hierarchy between the Namgung Clan's direct and branch lines is being settled, right?"

"... Haa."

After looking around, the man lowered his voice as much as possible and began to speak.

"I heard that something new has been prepared in the Zhuge Clan."

"Something new?"

"Yes. And at the same time, the array masters installing the absolute array..."

While Namgung Seonhwa was completely focused on the man's words.

The man cut off his words and stared behind Namgung Seonhwa, looking startled.

"What are you doing?"

"... U-Uh, t-this is..."

A powerful wave of qi narrowly passed Namgung Seonhwa and struck the man's chest.

URGH.

"BLEUGH!"

The man, ambushed unawares, vomited blood.

"What is this!"

Namgung Seonhwa flung her hand out as if to retaliate immediately, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her opponent.

"Brother... Gipyo."

Standing there with a gaze that looked sharper than usual was Namgung Gipyo.

* * *

'Ah... why...'

I visited the fake representative delegation, but the Seven-Color Flower did not come out this time.

Zhuge Jeonggi clearly had a tendency to show off... Did he completely run out of the Seven-Color Flower?

"What brings you here today?"

"What brings me here?"

Looking up from staring blankly at the Junshan Yinzhen, I saw Zhuge Jeonggi making a triumphant expression.

What should I say?

Would he give it to me if I said I came to drink the Seven-Color Flower?

"... Hmm. What brings me here... Why do you think I came?"

Zhuge Jeonggi, who was rubbing his finger on the table in circles, shifted his gaze to me.

"I don't know. If you came because of the class suspension notice, I doubt there was any need for you to do so."

Zhuge Jeonggi definitely seemed to fall a little short compared to Zhuge Cheongi.

He deliberately pointed at me with his chin and continued speaking.

"Because if you maintain your representative position, the notice we sent will have no effect at all."

But why did Zhuge Cheongi waste away locked in the Golden Jade Prison in my past life, while Zhuge Jeonggi rode high in the Murim Alliance with the family's support?

"Are you that confident?"

At my question, Zhuge Jeonggi pointed around once and spoke.

"If I wasn't, would I have spent this much money?"

Looking at the representative officers' office that Zhuge Jeonggi had decorated, the furniture and finishes were definitely all of high-quality materials.

In particular, the chair he seemed to use for work looked ordinary, but upon focusing one's eye power, it was clearly a masterpiece that had meticulous attention paid even to the unseen parts.

Oho, it's nice?

"The chair is quite unique..."

"Hehe. Did you see it? That chair is a special one used only by those of the upper third rank (三) or higher even in Beijing. It is commonly called a masterpiece (名品)."

Wow, it really is nice?

"... What do you plan to do with these facilities once the fake representative delegation is disbanded?"

A laugh escaped from Zhuge Jeonggi's lips.

"I don't know. I haven't thought about something like that."

It would ache my heart if all those items were disposed of after the fake representative delegation disbanded.

How much was all this worth?

Waste was like an enemy that must be guarded against.

Diligence and frugality were matters related to character and morality.

And my character was fairly good, you see.

"If the fake representative delegation is disbanded, how about you just leave the facilities behind? You won't have anywhere to take them and use them anyway."

"..."

Zhuge Jeonggi's face stiffened rigidly for the first time.

"Are you trusting the Mount Heng Sect? That will not happen. Once you see what our White Path Council has prepared..."

"If you are that confident, why don't you promise to leave them behind?"

At my suggestion, Zhuge Jeonggi leaned back and tried to put on an imposing air.

"Haha! Are you confident in inviting a famous figure, perhaps? Unfortunately, you will not be able to receive help from the Namgung Clan..."

Anyway, this bastard is all talk.

I deliberately cut off his words.

"So are you going to leave them behind, or are you going to take them with you in an ugly manner?"

"..."

Having his words cut off a couple of times, Zhuge Jeonggi also revealed an unpleasant expression.

Still, it couldn't be helped.

I quite liked the facilities and the Seven-Color Flower here, you see.

I swept my gaze over the surroundings again with a plain look.

"Of course, it would be great if you left all the consumables inside the facility as well."

Then I added as if doing him a favor.

"Ah, since it has come to this, I will publicly announce that the White Path Council donated them."

"... Do as you please."

Watching Zhuge Jeonggi trembling while trying to sneer with the corners of his mouth, I nodded pleasantly.

"Ah, right! And why is it Junshan Yinzhen instead of the Seven-Color Flower today? You didn't run out of the Seven-Color Flower, did you?"

Zhuge Jeonggi's face crumpled like paper.

But what can you do? I originally visited to drink the Seven-Color Flower in the first place.

* * *

"What are you doing!"

At Namgung Seonhwa's words, Namgung Gipyo sneered.

"There was a rat, so I disposed of it."

"..."

"You are doing things unlike yourself as well. To think you'd act as a spy. Did that guy make you do it?"

"A spy! You speak too harshly, Brother."

TSK.

Namgung Gipyo clicked his tongue in displeasure.

"I heard the story. You were stirring up the academy for a while, right? And for that guy Jin Sowoon, no less?"

"I was merely acting for the rightful academy representative delegation."

"Furthermore, you even tried to sell out Grandfather for that guy's sake."

"... What are you saying right now!"

"Do you like him enough to betray the family?"

"..."

Namgung Seonhwa bit her lip tightly.

"The Namgung Clan has traditionally operated within the White Path Council as a member of the Five Great Noble Clans. Not only the personnel of the Namgung Clan, but also the personnel of the affiliated lay sects all belong to the White Path Council."

Namgung Gipyo glared at Namgung Seonhwa as if to pierce through her.

"And yet, a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan betrays the White Path Council and sells out her family for her man... Are you not even ashamed!"

Namgung Seonhwa also knew very well what people were saying behind her back.

The reason she didn't respond despite that was because she knew it could never be the truth.

Joining the White Path Council was not mandatory. And the things the White Path Council did were not all righteous, either.

You could clearly tell just by looking at the recent events of them trying to drag down the rightful representative, Jin Sowoon.

Nevertheless, the words that gouged her heart right to her face were hurtful to her.

Even knowing that being with Jin Sowoon was the right thing, a sliver of guilt for betraying the others strangled her at the same time.

Namgung Gipyo exquisitely dug right into that very weakness of Namgung Seonhwa.

"Shameless bitch."

As if her paralysis acupoint had been struck, Namgung Seonhwa couldn't budge even an inch at Namgung Gipyo's abusive language.

Only immense shame flushed her face red.

SMACK.

At that moment, with a dull sound, Namgung Gipyo fell over with a bizarre expression.

"W-Which bastard is it!"

Namgung Gipyo struggled and quickly tried to get up.

However.

SMACK.

With another dull sound, Namgung Gipyo grabbed his face and screamed.

"KUAAGH!"

A calm set of footsteps rang out through his screams.

"This guy is completely insane. He has no filter when speaking to Lady Seonhwa."

The one who appeared with an ill-mannered voice was none other than Jin Sowoon.