Chapter 72: A Bit of a Scratch (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72: A Bit of a Scratch (1)
Yung Pung returned to my room not long after.
The situation hadn't improved much, but I told the two girls to go ahead and eat breakfast anyway. Wi Seol-Ah didn't seem entirely satisfied with the arrangement, but the promise of food was enough to convince her.
I needed to eat as well… but I decided to wait. Considering how early Yung Pung had dropped by, whatever he wanted to discuss was probably urgent.
Even after returning, Yung Pung still seemed a bit uncomfortable with everything. Who would have thought the future representative of the Mount Hua Sect would be so easily bothered by this sort of thing…?
Is it because his seniors beat him up so often?
To me, it just seemed like brotherly affection, but Yung Pung might see it differently.
I spoke to him as his gaze wandered aimlessly. "Master Yung Pung, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"Oh." Yung Pung snapped to attention and smiled. Or perhaps he was just feeling less awkward now. "It's nothing major. The Sect Leader was looking for you."
"The Lord…? This early?"
Celestial Plum Blossom is looking for me?
I briefly wondered why, then remembered the thing inside me. "Should I go to him now?"
"He said you could come whenever you are free."
So it wasn't an immediate summons. Thankfully, it seemed I could eat before getting tangled up in something troublesome. "Have you eaten yet?" I asked Yung Pung, who was already bustling about so early.
I was fairly sure I knew the answer, given that he was already neatly dressed in his uniform. "Oh, I was on my way to do some morning training after breakfast."
"...This early? That's commendable."
"Huh…? Don't most people train this early in the morning?"
What is he talking about?
I had no response for Yung Pung's innocent question. Taoists started their mornings earlier than most. They were said to need the energy that lingered right after daybreak, so they had to rise between 5 and 7 am.
…Meanwhile, I usually woke up after the sun was already high in the sky. Today was an exception because I'd had trouble sleeping last night.
[Just say it was because of the breathing you heard next to you.]
…
…Ahem.
Namgung Bi-ah hadn't moved at all after falling asleep. She just lay there calmly, breathing lightly, but that was enough to keep me awake all night. Thanks to that, I'd barely gotten any rest.
…I suppose I can enjoy the fresh morning air because of it.
The morning breeze always felt refreshing. But I didn't want to experience it too often… waking up so early was difficult, after all.
For some reason, Yung Pung's eyes lit up after I spoke.
Why is he looking at me like that?
As if reading my mind, Yung Pung said, "Young Master, I think it's fate that we ran into each other right now."
"...How is it fate when you came to me because you had a message?"
"So, how about we train together?"
…It was like talking to a brick wall. Just like during our journey to Mount Hua, Yung Pung, for some reason, always wanted to train with me. Whether he was a training maniac or had some other motive, he asked me every single day.
"...No, I'll pas—"
I had to eat, and I preferred to train alone, so I was about to reject him again. But then I grew curious about how the disciples of Mount Hua trained. He asked me every day; did that mean our methods were different? I also thought there was no way he'd do anything absurdly strenuous this early.
"Hmm… If you don't mind waiting for me to eat breakfast first…"
"Yayyy!"
And so, I accepted his offer to train. I thought, There's no way it'll kill me. I'll just treat it as a slightly more intense morning session.
I would realize much later that curiosity killed the cat.
…Then again, I had a feeling something like this would happen. So why did I subject myself to it again…?
Fuck my life…
* * *
Less than two hours into the training,
“…Ughh… Pant…”
I was on the ground, moaning in pain. I was filthy with sweat, and an ache echoed through every bone, reverberating in my head.
Fuck…
I could barely breathe…
Yung Pung, who had started at the same time, was still going as if this were nothing. He'd even mentioned he planned to climb the mountain afterward with sandbags strapped to his wrists and ankles…
Isn't this guy insane?
I hadn't slacked off since my resurrection. I trained whenever I found free time, so I thought I was being fairly diligent. But 'fairly' was an understatement; my efforts were simply incomparable to this. I saw other third-generation disciples training nearby, but Yung Pung trained harder than any of them.
"Young Master, are you alright?" Yung Pung approached, worried because I was collapsed on the ground. Though beads of sweat dotted his forehead, his expression looked almost refreshed.
"Young Master…"
"Hmm?"
"...Are you alright?"
"...Pardon?"
From Yung Pung's perspective, that question must have seemed absurd.
Was my body really this weak?
It was probably because I hadn't been pushing myself to the limit. I felt I needed to intensify my training. It was shameful that I was still living somewhat lazily, even after my regression. Though half-fainted from exhaustion, I at least gained something from this: a wake-up call.
…Though I won't be training this much.
I forced my aching body up. It wasn't easy, and I had to use a bit of Qi, but I managed to stand.
[Will you be fine?]
As I wiped the sweat from my face, Elder Shin asked.
What do you mean?
[Is it okay for you to recklessly use your body like that, with the thing inside you?]
Elder Shin was referring to the potential collision of Qi inside my body—my destructive flame Qi, Mount Hua's Qi, and the mysterious entity within me—which could cause severe damage.
I really have a bunch of shit in my body, don't I?
The owner of the body didn't even seem to care that two things were living here rent-free… On top of that, I'd been told they could explode at any moment. I could only laugh.
However,
I'm still fine.
I understood Elder Shin's concern, but I was okay. It wasn't due to a careless 'it would have exploded by now' mindset. I had anticipated this possibility and even had an idea of how to resolve it. It wasn't a cure, but more of a solution or a preventative measure.
…I really didn'tt want to do this.
Even if my hunch was correct, I still needed to consider it carefully. I had to.
I pushed back my sweat-drenched hair and asked Yung Pung, "Will you leave after more training?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. I'm only about halfway done."
"What…?"
"What a shame… It seems you're not feeling well today?"
"...I did have a hard time falling asleep last night."
"Oh! Then it makes sense you'd feel tired so suddenly!"
It wasn't the lack of sleep that tired me, but I was thankful for the excuse. I shook my head at Yung Pung's absurd words. As a martial artist, I should learn from him, but I felt strangely reluctant.
[It's because you still don't know the beauty of training yet. Tsk tsk… Your pain would go away if you just ran another lap… I can't believe you're giving up without even trying.]
…Are the people of Mount Hua the abnormal ones, or am I the odd one out?
At this point, I honestly didn't know.
I washed off the sweat with water and changed my clothes. Peeking inside my room, I saw Namgung Bi-ah napping, apparently still sleep-deprived. Wi Seol-Ah was sleeping beside her, and the two looked so peaceful they could have been sisters.
I felt a twinge of resentment seeing them sleep so comfortably while I could barely walk. So I went over and pinched both their noses.
"Mmph!"
"...?"
Wi Seol-Ah shot up immediately, unable to breathe, while Namgung Bi-ah drowsily opened her eyes but didn't rise.
She didn't even wake up properly?
Wi Seol-Ah's hair, which Hongwa had neatly done, was now a mess from sleep. "You'll turn into a pig if you sleep right after eating, you know?" I said.
“…Oomph… Hmm?”
Wi Seol-Ah was still half-asleep, so I just patted her head and stood up. Namgung Bi-ah was already asleep again, as if she'd never woken.
"Young Master…"
"Hmm?"
"Where are you going?"
"The Sect Leader is calling for me."
"Will it take long?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure, but I don't think it'll take too long."
"Will you come back before bedtime…?"
"I probably will, considering I do need to sleep." Sleeping on the streets was not an option. I'd had enough of that in my previous life.
"Then it's all good! Have a safe trip!" With a smile, Wi Seol-Ah lay down next to Namgung Bi-ah again. I let her be, since Hongwa would likely come to fetch her for work soon.
I hauled my aching body toward the Sect Leader's residence. I noticed Mount Hua disciples glancing at me along the way, staring as if I were some rare animal, but I ignored them as long as they held no ill intent.
When I arrived at his door, I heard Celestial Plum Blossom say, 'Come in.'
I haven't even announced myself yet… His hearing is impressive.
I entered carefully. The scent of green plum tea filled the air, just like last time. And there were snacks today.
"You told me you didn't have any last time. Did you buy some?"
"Right, I went down to the market yesterday because I had nothing. Don't they look tasty?"
They did look sweet and delicious… but I'd outgrown my sweet tooth, so I simply smiled.
"Why did you call for me?" I asked, getting straight to the point as soon as I sat down.
Celestial Plum Blossom let out a hollow laugh. "I was hoping you'd enjoy some tea first… I swear, all you people from Gu are always in a hurry…"
"Oh." I could once again see the Second Elder in him. Everything was fine except for his unfortunate resemblance to that fiery old bear… It was insane.
I was thirsty anyway, so I ate a yakgwa from the plate and washed it down with tea.
Celestial Plum Blossom spoke again, noticing my somewhat dissatisfied expression. "It's not much, but do you remember the hut we visited yesterday?"
"Yes… The place where the Plum Blossom Sword is recuperating, right?" There was no way I'd forget the place where the sword was being treated by the Immortal Healer.
Celestial Plum Blossom handed me a letter. "Could you go there and deliver this to Tae?"
"Me?"
It was sudden. This seemed like an internal matter, hard to discuss with outsiders. So why entrust it to me when there were so many third-generation disciples of Mount Hua? For example, someone like Yung Pung, Yung Pung, or Yung Pung.
I failed to control my expression, revealing my confusion.
Celestial Plum Blossom laughed when he saw it. "It seems you're confused why I'm asking you."
"Honestly, yes. Something like this seems like an internal affair."
"...Most people in the Mount Hua Sect don't know where the Plum Blossom Sword is."
I was stunned.
They don't know?
"And not many know that she is ill, either."
"Then why was I, an outsider, allowed to learn such an important secret…?"
"…"
If most people didn't know, that likely included Yung Pung, the other third-generation disciples, the second-generation, and even the first-generation elders.
So why was I, who just arrived out of the blue to return a treasure, informed of such a critical matter? Did Celestial Plum Blossom think this through?
But Celestial Plum Blossom struggled to answer my question. He even seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Was I mistaken…?
I asked, just in case. "Did you… perhaps forget that I'm an outsider?"
"...Ahem! Of course not!"
His reaction confirmed it. …He really forgot something that important?
Celestial Plum Blossom's forced cough made me even more certain. I'd thought he had some grand plan when he took me to the Immortal Healer, but he'd actually gone there without one.
Mount Hua Sect… is their future really going to be okay?
[…Oh God, help us all…]
Even Elder Shin was seeking divine intervention.
"Even so, for an outsider like me to handle this instead of the Leader—"
"Yakgwa."
"Huh?"
"You ate the yakgwa."
"What are you…?"
Wondering what he meant, I looked around and saw an empty spot on the plate where a yakgwa had been. I'd eaten it.
…Is he really going to make me do this over a piece of yakgwa?
I wanted to believe it wasn't true, but I was rendered speechless by Celestial Plum Blossom's embarrassed avoidance of eye contact. The heroic image I'd held of him crumbled to dust.
I spoke to him. "My Lord…"
"...Yes."
"Now I understand why you're friends with the Second Elder…"
"...Ahem."
Celestial Plum Blossom turned his head away, seemingly embarrassed by the comparison.