“Uhahahah! Sasuk! Take this cup!”
“You, come here!”
The drinking table was wide open.
Normally, they would eat and drink in the mess, with moderation, even when partying. But today was just one hell of a day, so they lit bonfires all over the training hall and spread alcohol bottles and food on the floor.
The disciples, who were awkward about this at first, seemed to have gotten drunk before they could realize it and were now sitting around drinking alcohol with big smiles.
“Are they bandits?”
Hong Dae-Kwang, who was watching this scene, laughed in shock.
They drank from bottles, and they cooked their meat over a bonfire. In fact, the only thing that made this comment strange was the wide halls, tall walls, the clothes they were wearing, and the fact that this party was being held deep in the mountains.
“Huh? Why is he covering his lips?”
It couldn’t even be called a mess anymore.
The drunks were making a lot of noise and having fun, making Hong Dae-Kwang shake his head. Yet, he continued to smile.
‘It is a unique place.’
To others, it may look like a mess of a place. However, Hong Dae-Kwang really liked this look. To the side of these people talking, the bonfires lit up the area, but not too much. Just enough to make the view a little better.
Such an appearance could usually only be seen within the small branches of the Beggars Union; beggars sharing rice together with others. No, in fact, it was hard to see that even in such places.
However, Mount Hua naturally maintained a family-like atmosphere even though there were so many people around.
“Sahyung! What are you doing? Your glass is lying there!”
“Oh my! Our monk, too, should get a glass!”
“Amitabha. This monk shouldn’t…”
“Come on! Now now!”
“Kuak. Then one drink…”
This spotless atmosphere drew people in.
Suddenly, not only Hae Yeon, but even the other Beggars Union members he had led here were exchanging drinks with the disciples from Mount Hua.
Hong Dae-Kwang also desperately wanted to join them and put down his worries. But in this atmosphere where everyone was happy, one was suffering…
“How dare you!”
“Hands up!”
“Try having a drink! I will pierce your stomach to get it out.”
“…”
Chung Myung’s hand, which was about to stealthily pick up a bottle, was withdrawn at the shouting from Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, and Tang Soso.
“No…”
Chung Myung looked like this was unfair.
“Everyone else is getting to play and eat, so why am I the…”
“Did you finally lose it?”
“Huh! Look at him trying to look all pitiful.”
“See that, who has a hole in their body? Who here is as wounded as Sahyung?!”
Even Baek Cheon and Jo Gul could be pushed back by force, but Tang Soso, who was wearing her infirmary robes, raised her hand…
“…No. Everyone should go and have a drink… uh? We should go and have some fun. Why are you all clinging onto me like bugs? Can’t people rest…”
“Do not speak nonsense. If you leave, you will be back in the same position and die from drinking.”
“Alcohol is forbidden! Do not even dream of it.”
Baek Cheon and Tang Soso threatened him with wide eyes, while Chung Myung looked at the sky with sad eyes.
Now even his drinking was being monitored,
“Huhuh, Chung Myung is here.”
As if reading the mind of Chung Myung, Hyung Young, who was walking around the training hall, put his hands behind his back and approached them with a smile.
At this point, Chung Myung quickly opened his mouth with teary eyes,
“E-Elder! These three people…”
“Baek Cheon.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“If even a single drop of alcohol enters the mouth of this guy, it will be your fault.”
“That will not happen.”
“Tch, tch. You should move your body moderately, too, eh.”
Hyun Young just turned back and moved away, leaving Chung Myung feeling betrayed and shocked.
“… did you need medicine?”
“Ugh! Elder!”
“Big mouth!”
Chung Myung sighed at this.
‘These kids are being too much.’
In the past, things that would stealthily avoid his gaze whenever he blinked were now poking at him with their fingers.
But what could he do?
The person who had raised them like this was Chung Myung.
It was a time when he glanced around to soothe his sorrow…
“But…”
Yoon Jong looked around and said,
“I feel a bit uncomfortable, can we really put everything down and drink?”
“What?”
“The matter with the Ten Thousand People’s Clan hasn’t been sorted yet.”
Hearing Yoon Jong’s words, Chung Myung (fake) cleared his throat, “Ahem,” like he wanted to speak.
“You are wrong.”
But Baek Cheon was the first one to speak.
“Even in the secular military, it is usual to give soldiers alcohol and meat to boost their morale after a huge battle. Whether the result was victory or defeat.”
“Ah…”
“In the end, it is the people who wage war. Everyone suppressed the feeling, but most of them were in danger for the first time in their lives. And for the first time, their swords were also stained with blood. Wouldn’t it be weird if they weren’t agitated?”
“Yes.”
Yoon Jong nodded as if he understood.
“Of course, alcohol will not wash everything away, but it can alleviate a little bit of their anxiety. Sect Leader must want that, too, right? Chung Myung?”
“Uh… right?”
Sasuk.
You are doing so great.
But should I really be complimenting a sasuk?
Even if people cut people, nothing more could happen. It was an unavoidable situation, and of course, it was necessary, but it could bring a lifetime of pain for those who were not used to it.
Actually, haven’t most people in Kangho suffered from the shock of their first kill?
There were those who would never speak and those who killed themselves inside.
Looking at the disciples eating and drinking, Chung Myung quietly said, “And it isn’t good for people to be anxious. If you are not going to fight with them right away, then we need to loosen up for a bit.”
“I think the same.”
In that sense, Hyun Jong made the right choice. A person who never experienced a proper battle.
Hyun Jong, Un Geom, the rest of the disciples, and even Baek Cheon were doing better than Chung Myung had expected.
“Actually, it is enough for everyone to have fun. Didn’t we actually defeat those bastards?”
Everyone nodded at the words of Baek Cheon, but then another voice added,
“It isn’t just that.”
While everyone looked back, Hong Dae-Kwang smiled as he approached, sitting down with them.
“The only people who don’t realize how great the achievements of Mount Hua are… are the people from Mount Hua. You should stay strong and have pride in yourselves.”
The faces of Mount Hua’s disciples began to lighten up a little. Hearing it through the mouth of an outsider was a lot more realistic.
The Ten Thousand People Clan.
A few years ago, would Mount Hua have ever imagined putting their names against such people? If it were the Mount Hua of the past, they would have abandoned their sect and run away at once.
But now they have risen to a level where they could repel three units of an invading clan, all on their own.
The dark lands were turning into a blue sea.
“Of course.”
Hong Dae-Kwang put a little strength into his voice,
“The Ten Thousand People Clan’s Lord Jang Il-So will not stop at this.”
“…”
“He is the one who has groomed his people for killing. He is someone obsessed with profit and fame and is someone who always pays back suffering. Which means…”
Hong Dae-Kwang looked back at everyone and continued,
“It means that Mount Hua will have to continue its fight against them.”
Those were words that would burden anyone who lived in Kangho; however, the disciples of Mount Hua were shockingly calm.
Hong Dae-Kwang tilted his head at their response.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Of?”
“… Eh?”
Jo Gul smiled,
“This is what Kangho is like. A place where being strong means constantly having enemies. There are forces that don’t like Shaolin, so we cannot possibly get along with everyone.”
“Oh?”
Hong Dae-Kwang looked at Jo Gul, impressed. And Baek Cheon, who was listening from the sides, added,
“That is right. The name they hold, Ten Thousand People Clan, is actually burdensome. But as long as Mount Hua is a martial arts sect and we expand our influence, they are opponents we will eventually collide with. We don’t have to look down on them, but we don’t have to be afraid of them either.”
Hong Dae-Kwang felt overwhelmed by his words and burst into laughter.
As expected, the spirit of a hero?
‘There are really talented people on Mount Hua.’
At times he wondered, when the day came for these disciples to grow up and lead Mount Hua, what kind of a sect would they become?
“Such good words. Fine, then I will get a drink.”
Jo Gul tipped his bottle into a glass for Hong Dae-Kwang, and Baek Cheon put his glass to the side.
“Chung Myung… don’t dream, huh?”
Baek Cheon looked around, frowning, and hurriedly turned around…
‘W-where did Chung Myung go to?’
“…shit!”
“No, is he a ghost? He was here just a moment ago!”
“Sasuk! A few bottles of alcohol are gone too!”
“Ughhh!”
Baek Cheon shook his head,
“Yah, no! He is my responsibility! Find him! Hurry up and find him!”
“… if it is your responsibility, then why are we finding him?”
“Would you like to get hit today?”
Hong Dae-Kwang smiled, looking at Baek Cheon fighting with his own sajil over trivial wordplay.
‘The spirit of a hero? My ass.’
It seems like he mistook them for a moment.
“Kuak!”
Chung Myung sneaked out of the training hall and climbed to the top of Lotus peak.
“Ahhh. So fucking steep.”
What happened here?
Grumbling for a moment, Chung Myung trudged and approached the cliff. It was already dark, but in the eyes of Chung Myung, the scenery of the steep cliff and Mount Hua below was clearly visible.
“Tch.”
Chung Myung took a step back and sat on the floor, and took out two bottles from his sleeve.
He sneaked out and managed to find the best spot.
As much as he wanted to be together, talk and have fun. Today was the day he didn’t want to drink there because he had someone else to drink with.
“Have one glass.”
Pour.
Chung Myung filled the glass which had been put down and quietly said,
“Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I poured a glass for you, Sahyung.”
It wasn’t something that often happened because his sect leader would nag him all day long, so the two rarely drank.
Pour.
And he filled his own glass.
Normally, he liked drinking from the bottle, but today, he wanted to create the feeling of being heard1 .
Chung Myung drank from his glass and poured into it again.
“Kuaah!”
The alcohol went down his throat.
“Sahyung.”
Chung Myung put down his drink and smiled as he looked at the atmosphere of Mount Hua from above, on the peak.
No one could hear him now. But this was fine. His Sect Leader Sahyung was a person from Mount Hua, and looking down at it made him feel like the man was sitting right next to him.
“The kids sure have grown up a lot.”
Chung Myung smiled,
“I was very concerned, but I guess I was being too negative. Everyone did a lot better than I thought.”
Sect leader Hyun Jong and the elders.
The Un disciples, the Baek and Chung disciples too.
They had grown so much from the first time Chung Myung had climbed Mount Hua.
“But you see, it feels strange? I guess that is why sahyung nagged me to take in disciples. Seeing the kids grow up like this, what should I say… I feel rather proud?”
Chung Myung, who was talking to himself, laughed to himself.
“Ah, I know. It isn’t the time to get sentimental yet. There is still a long way to go. I know that…”
Gulp.
Chung Myung drained another drink from his glass, downing it all in one big gulp.
“It was just so. There is such a thing, you see. If Sahyung were here now, he would be really happy to see this. There would have been laughing and talks about our descendants doing well. And I keep thinking that.”
There was no one to rejoice with. No one to share his complex and daunting feelings.
“Do not get me wrong, I am having fun. I am not doing this because I am lonely. There are people here who cannot be left alone, but I continue to look for you.”
Just…
Chung Myung, who looked at the dark sky in silence, reached out and grabbed his glass,
“One drink.”
Chung Myung splashed alcohol in the direction of Mount Hua and began to refill his glass. There was a moment of silence before he continued,
“In the past.”
His eyes looked a little dark.
“I asked you why you were so frustrated, and I am sorry for that. When I tried, it wasn’t as simple as I thought. I thought Sahyung was a headache for me, right? Haha. Isn’t it funny?”
He never thought he would take a role he hated. Chung Myung laid flat on the floor.
He drank from the bottle of alcohol and wiped his lips.
“Even Sahyung knew that I would go running at the Ten Thousand People Clan, right?”
But in the past, he would have continued to run without looking back.
But the current Chung Myung was no longer the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
“Seriously, this is how it is. I guess the reason I was able to do those things was because of Sahyung… but I don’t want to… I cannot play as I used to. I just cannot.”
Chung Myung continued to look at the sky. But not as sad as before, rather he had pride in his face.
“Sahyung, Mount Hua is a little different from when Sahyung was here, but…”
Looking up, he asked,
“It is pretty fine now, too, right?”
He wished for an answer that couldn’t be heard.
“Please compliment the kids. Everyone is working so hard right now, and they were barely able to pay me back for my teachings, but well? I am quite surprised, you see.”
So…
So…
Chung Myung closed his eyes.
-You are doing good, Kid.
“Those words.”
And he laughed at the voice he thought of.
In words, in words.
He got up and grabbed the bottle as he headed to the end of the peak, and standing there, he looked down at Mount Hua and tilted his bottle.
“Share it with the sajaes, there might be no alcohol in that world. Oh, I will not give the other bottle. That is for me.”
Someday…
I will come for a drink with you.
The alcohol rained down on Mount Hua.
And thus, along with the strong smell of alcohol, the scent of plum blossoms filled Mount Hua, slowly spreading wide into the unreachable sky.
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