Chapter 1820 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect
※ This side story is one of the extra
chapters included in Volume 2 of the published edition.
“Cheong
Myeong-aaaaaaaaaaah!”
Swoosh!
Like a
streak of lightning, Cheong Myeong leaped over the wall and dashed down Mount
Hua. Judging by the intensity of the shouting behind him, getting caught would
mean at least three days in the Repentance Hall.
“Stop right
there! You rascal! I’m really not going to let this slide today! Not stopping?
You won’t stop? Hey, you little punk!”
“You’re just
going to hit me if I stop!”
“Have you
not considered that running away will only get you beaten even more?”
“That’s
future me’s problem!”
“Stop! Just
stop! I’ll talk to you nicely, I swear!”
“Liar!”
“If I catch
you, I’ll really break your legs this time!”
Without even
glancing back, Cheong Myeong picked up speed.
“Whew.”
Reaching the
foot of the mountain, Cheong Myeong rubbed his face with both hands.
“Seriously,
such nagging.”
What was the
big deal, really?
Visitors who
climbed Mount Hua offered donations, and the Taoists of the sect lived off
those donations. In a way, those visitors were practically giving money to Cheong
Myeong.
“Skipping
the unnecessary middle steps and taking it directly— so how can they treat people like
this! They’re being so absurd!”
Of course,
using that money to buy alcohol…. well, maybe that was a tiny bit of a problem.
And getting
caught hiding the leftover booze in the Ancestral Hall… yeah, that was also
slightly problematic.
But looking
at it another way, hadn’t he simply treated the elders—who only ever ate
ascetic food—to some fine liquor?
“Seriously,
they just don’t get it.”
Cheong
Myeong clicked his tongue.
At this
rate, if he returned to Mount Hua, he wouldn’t even get to see a scrap of meat,
let alone alcohol. He’d probably be stuck in the Repentance Hall, gnawing on
nothing but bland fasting pills.
He reached
into his robe and pulled out an elegant silk pouch.
Not long
ago, an old man had been harassing a young woman traveling alone. Cheong Myeong
had kindly talked him out of it, earning himself this pouch filled with
gratitude.
Aah, see? A
true Taoist is naturally recognized and rewarded by the people.
Since things
had already turned out this way, he might as well enjoy himself before heading
back. It was always better to take a beating later rather than sooner.
“Since it’s
like this, I should have fun before going back. It’s better to get beaten up later.
“
Whistling, Cheong
Myeong made his way to a tavern.
“You’re not
allowed.”
“…What?”
“I can’t
sell you alcohol, Dojang.”
“Why not?”
Cheong
Myeong’s eyes widened.
“The elders
of Mount Hua personally came and ordered us not to sell alcohol or even food to
Mount Hua’s Cheong generation disciple—especially you, Cheong Myeong Dojang.”
“N- no, you
misunderstand. This isn’t for me. It’s for my master—”
“That’s not
allowed either. The elders made it clear that none of the Cheong generation disciples
will be running errands anymore, so we are not to give you anything.”
“T-This is
outrageous…!”
This was too
much! How could people be so cruel? If those vicious devils had seen this
sight, they would have been shocked by such mercilessness!
“Are you
really serious?”
“Yes.
Absolutely no exceptions.”
Groaning in
frustration, Cheong Myeong subtly shifted his approach.
“Hehe, come
on now.”
“Huh?”
He pulled
out a silver coin from his pouch and gently placed it in the owner’s palm,
clasping the man’s hands over it.
“How’s
business these days? You should hold on to this. And I’ll just take a couple of
bottles of cheap liquor and maybe a few dumplings…”
“Hey!”
But before
his ‘warm’ (bribing lmao) touch could take effect, the firm-handed merchant
shook him off.
“Don’t even
think about it! If the elders of Mount Hua find out, I won’t be able to do
business in Huayin ever again!”
“Wait, no—”
“I guarantee
you, not a single tavern in Huayin will sell to Mount Hua disciples. Especially
not to you!”
Cheong
Myeong took a step back, wounded by the rejection.
“But… I’ve
spent so much money here!”
“That doesn’t
matter. Even Master Cheong Mun gave strict orders about this.”
“A demon
must have passed through town.”
“Maybe you
should’ve behaved yourself a little better.”
“What?! What
did I even do?!”
The tavern
owner’s face twisted in disbelief.
Did this
brat seriously not know? A punk who frequently sneaked down the mountain to
drink himself silly… the fact that the elders tolerated him at all was a
testament to their patience.
“In any
case, I can’t sell you anything. If someone sees you here, who knows what kind
of trouble I’ll get into? Now, shoo! Shoo!”
“‘Shoo’?!
What am I, a bird?”
“Come on,
just leave already!”
With a firm
shove, the tavern owner pushed him out.
Bang!
The door
slammed shut in his face. Staring blankly at it, Cheong Myeong began trembling.
“Hmph! Do
you think this is the only tavern around?”
With a huff,
he turned on his heel. There were at least five other taverns in Huayin where
he’d been a loyal customer. Surely, one of them would welcome him…
Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“…None.”
The moment
he turned his gaze toward them, the other tavern owners panicked and slammed their
doors shut.
A hollow
laugh escaped him.
“Even
bandits wouldn’t be treated this harshly! You bastards!”
A wave of
betrayal washed over him. All the money he had spent at these places, and this
was how they repaid him?!
No, wait.
This wasn’t their fault.
This was all
because of those damn elders at Mount Hua!
So Wicked,
Truly Wicked! How could they do this after all the good relationships he had
built with the tavern owners in Huayin? Driving a wedge between people like
this—what an evil act!
For Taoists,
who were supposed to promote harmony, to break human connections like this…
what would become of Mount Hua’s future?
“Ugh…”
But there
was no one to hear his lament.
“What should
I do?”
He had money
but nowhere to spend it. His plan was to splurge today—eat, drink to his heart’s
content, stash away a few bottles of fine liquor inside Mount Hua, and enjoy
them later.
What made
money valuable? Its ability to be spent. In other words, money that couldn’t be
used wasn’t really money at all. The heavy weight in his pouch was nothing more
than useless chunks of metal.
Cheong
Myeong slumped his shoulders.
“…Should I
just go back?”
No, that was
unacceptable. If he went back now, he’d be greeted with nothing but hellish
nagging. Enduring all that without even a single drink? That was worse than
hell itself. But what could he do…?
“Huh?”
At that
moment, Cheong Myeong’s eyes sparkled. He spotted familiar robes approaching
the entrance of Huayin.
After
quickly confirming who they were, he grinned and trotted over.
“Oh my, Sasuks!”
“Huh?”
“Eek!”
“C-Cheong
Myeong…?”
The Baek
generation disciples of Mount Hua, who had been walking together chatting
cheerfully, shrank back in fear as Cheong Myeong approached with a wide
smile.
“Wow! You’ve
just arrived?”
“Y-yes…”
“Hahaha, I
can’t tell you how happy I am to see my dear sasuks here in Huayin.”
Their faces
began to twist with unease. It wasn’t like they didn’t see each other
often—frankly, they saw each other almost daily. So why the sudden, exaggerated
joy? He was definitely up to something.
“S-so… is
there something you need?”
The
rabbit-like sasuks(?) trembled as they saw the tiger-like sajil(?).
[tl note:
the question mark is indeed in
the original text, it’s not me who’s questioning the meaning lmao]
“Oh, it’s nothing
much. I was just thinking… we may not always say it, but we’re family, aren’t
we? Like one big happy family.”
“….I
suppose.”
Normally,
this kind of situation would be impossible.
Even though
these Baek generation disciples were among the youngest in their rank, they
were still older than Cheong Mun, who was a higher-level Cheong generation
disciple. That meant there was at least a ten-year age gap between them and Cheong
Myeong.
A ten-year
difference in age was no small gap. No matter how talented one might be, it
would take decades of training to overcome such a disparity.
That’s why,
in the world of martial arts, moving up even a single rank was like an
insurmountable wall.
Of course,
they thought so too. That is, until one day, when some of Baek generation
disciples, who were angry at Cheong Myeong’s misdeeds, beat up Cheong Mun.
Of course, Cheong
Myeong’s misbehavior should have been dealt with directly. However, because he
was younger, it felt beneath them to scold him.
So instead,
the youngest of the Baek generation disciples summoned Cheong Mun, the great
disciple of Cheong generation, and scolded him, even giving him a few beatings,
intending to set an example.
They had
done this with the best of intentions—after all, they had endured similar discipline
from their seniors in the Un generation disciples.
But the
consequences were beyond disastrous.
Cheong
Myeong, who usually laughed off scoldings, ignored warnings, and seemed
indifferent to being mistreated, suddenly lost his mind.
He began
attacking every Baek generation disciple he saw, like a rabid dog.
That day,
they learned a painful truth: some people weren’t just talented, they were
freaks who could overturn heaven and earth—people who didn’t just excel but
terrorized others on a whim.
In the end,
the sect leader himself had to step in and lock Cheong Myeong in the Repentance
Hall for a month before things finally settled down.
Since then,
most Baek generation disciples avoided making eye contact with Cheong Myeong
altogether.
Especially…
“Oh! There’s
someone I know well.”
“……”
There was no
need to mention the case of Baek Wei [백외, (白猬)], who
had mistakenly provoked Cheong Mun and had his face bitten off by Cheong Myeong.
“How have
you been?”
“O-oh, I’ve
been well…”
Sweat poured
down Baek Wei’s forehead. To think he’d run into this mad dog here.
The trauma
of that fateful day still haunted him.
He could
still remember it vividly—how the face of that devil had suddenly rushed at
him, shouting, ‘Did you hit my sahyung?!’ before smashing a fist into his face.
And that was
just the beginning.
From that day
on, Cheong Myeong would appear out of nowhere and attack him.
Once, Baek
Wei had been fast asleep when a wooden club crashed onto his face. Another
time, he was kicked in the back of the head while heading out for dawn
training.
One of the
worst moments? He had been using the latrine when Cheong Myeong ambushed him,
knocking him unconscious. He was found the next morning, pants down, sprawled
on the ground.
His sahyungs
tried to step in and discipline Cheong Myeong, but they ended up getting beaten
instead.
If a senior
disciple bullied them, they could at least cry about it, and if Cheongmyeong
were older, they might have been able to complain. But getting beaten up by a rat-sized
brat and whining about it? That was simply not an option.
Even when
the sect leader finally intervened and locked Cheong Myeong up in Repentance
Hall, the torment never stopped.
If it weren’t
for Cheong Mun finally stepping in and beating some sense into him, Baek Wei
might have suffered permanent injuries.
Now,
standing face-to-face with this monster, all those horrible memories
resurfaced.
“Come on,
why are you trembling? That was all in the past.”
“Ha. Haha…”
“Are you
laughing?”
“……”
Cheong
Myeong’s eyes narrowed. Baek Wei’s lips trembled.
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