Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Great Disciple Seong Chun-don
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Jong Ri-hyeok hadn't even shown his face in the guest quarters.
At some point, I had to let him know when the time was right.
About the Zhongli Clan's impending doom.
So Han Ibi had been deliberately wandering around outside.
In hopes of bumping into Jong Ri-hyeok, even if by chance...
And he'd succeeded once, purely by accident.
That guy was seriously... handsome.
But not like your typical wuxia protagonist. He reminded me more of some slender noble from a melodrama.
Like a Park Hae-shin or Lee Jong-seong vibe.
'This bastard would've been a total heartthrob even if he'd been born in modern times.'
But Jong Ri-hyeok didn't spare Jong Ri-mae a single glance.
No, it felt like he was deliberately avoiding him.
The moment he spotted me approaching from afar, he'd vanish like a ghost.
And if we ended up crossing paths unavoidably... he'd treat Han Ibi like he was invisible.
Not even acknowledging my existence.
It was enough to drive anyone mad.
But this unexpected chain reaction came from it.
Jong Ri-hyeok was, after all, the protagonist of this novel, Dream of the Ant Snake.
Which meant even in a backwater sect like Qingcheng, he was the ace.
And aces always command basic respect in any group.
So his influence in Qingcheng was absolute.
To his seniors, he was an object of envy and jealousy; to his juniors, an idol of admiration.
And to the female disciples? Pretty much an object of worship(?).
Handsome guys have always ruled, past or present.
As a result, the other young Qingcheng disciples started ignoring Han Ibi too.
It wasn't obvious at first.
They'd respond to greetings, more or less.
I started sensing the weird vibe a few days later.
That day, Han Ibi was in the dining hall, getting his rations.
It reminded him of army chow lines—not his favorite—but hey, gotta eat to live.
Qingcheng had one old lady who handled all the cooking, probably a local.
Han Ibi suddenly thought of Clear Stream Inn's Madam Jo Jin-suk and said cheerfully,
"Wow! This looks amazing. Your cooking skills are seriously top-notch."
The old lady replied, a bit surprised.
"Oh, no, no. Not at all."
"No, really. Thanks for the meal today too..."
Then a loud voice came from behind in line.
"Hey, greeting her's fine, but there are a lot of people waiting. Move it along."
Han Ibi glanced back. It was Qingcheng's 'Seong Chun-don'.
By seniority, he was the top disciple of the next generation.
He got as much admiration from the others as Jong Ri-hyeok did, but to Han Ibi, he was just an annoying prick.
Handsome enough to be manly, but missing that crucial 2%!
The cook flinched at the great disciple's tone and bowed obsequiously.
"Y-yes, young hero. Sorry. I'll get it ready quick."
Han Ibi felt a surge of anger shoot up his spine.
He was about to snap back—what's with the attitude?—when the old lady tugged his sleeve and winked.
Hold it in.
She was right.
Causing a scene like this would get him kicked out for sure.
Especially against the great disciple.
"Hey, you heard him. Move up front already."
Seong Chun-don narrowed his eyes sharply.
Han Ibi said,
"Yes, of course."
He took his tray with a haughty grace that grated on Han Ibi's nerves.
As he walked off with his bowl, the disciples all shrank back, stiffening.
They clearly dreaded him heading their way.
At this rate, even inviting someone to eat together was impossible.
Left with no choice, he ate alone in the dining hall.
His sharpened hearing picked up the whispers.
"Who's that guy? Looks like he pissed off the senior brother."
"Huh? You still don't know?"
"Yeah, I've been out for a few weeks."
"Heard he got dragged in injured during the Gu Cheon-se hunt."
"Dragged in?"
"Yeah. They brought him back all banged up, but even after he healed, no clue why he's still hanging around."
"Huh. And that face of his..."
"Weird, right? Tsk tsk. His brother's so handsome, too."
"Brother?"
"Jeez, you really know nothing. Rumor has it he's Jong Ri-hyeok senior brother's little brother."
"Jong senior brother's brother? Real brother?"
"Yeah, real one."
"Now that you mention it... I think I heard the Zhongli Clan has some wastrel trash of a younger brother. Explains the bad vibe."
"Right?"
"Guess physiognomy is a real thing."
He could barely tell if the rice was going down his throat or his nose.
Pure needles on his seat.
Ok Geun-tak, who was too busy to even show his face, was the only one who treated him normally.
'Why's everyone like this with me?'
At first, it might've been instinct, but now it was hardening into habit.
No need for long explanations, really.
Because...
'I'm being ostracized... Straight-up bullied right now.'
Yeah.
Total ignore. Total disdain.
He was a complete outsider in Qingcheng Sect.
And amid the murmurs came all sorts of ugly rumors... Most were true accounts of Jong Ri-mae's misdeeds, but some were pure fabrications.
Thanks to syncing with Jong Ri-mae and accessing his memories, Han Ibi knew for sure.
So who was behind these nasty rumors...?
'Has to be that bastard.'
Han Ibi couldn't help suspecting Jong Ri-hyeok deeply.
'Acting all saintly on the outside, bragging about being from the righteous Qingcheng Sect, but rotten to the core. What a protagonist fail... Scheming behind my back like this, pushing the bullying.'
Every time he spotted Jong Ri-hyeok from afar, Han Ibi ground his teeth.
And whenever they caught him doing it, the Qingcheng folks amped up the trash-talk about 'Jong Ri-mae' even more.
'That crap wasn't me—it was Jong Ri-mae!'
Injustice burned, but who would understand? He was wearing Jong Ri-mae's skin right now.
'Ugh... Wasting time.'
His body itched with restlessness. Nothing to do, no one to chat with.
Ok Geun-tak visited occasionally, but he was swamped... and the age gap made deep talks awkward.
Then one day.
Han Ibi was wandering the grounds aimlessly.
Bored out of his mind.
'Ahh... What the hell's that crazy goddess doing? Not dropping quests like she used to.'
Most disciples were busy training martial arts or studying scriptures till late evening.
As Han Ibi roamed Qingcheng, he suddenly recalled a place he'd seen through Song Myeong-cheon's body.
'Is it... still there?'
Yeah.
The spot where Bok Yeon-hwa got assaulted by Tak Bu-yong.
The place that flipped Song Myeong-cheon's life forever.
Han Ibi was searching for that isolated lodging.
'Hmm... Memories from someone else's body are fuzzy... Ah! Is that it?'
Amazingly, despite being directionally challenged, he found the outlying dorm.
The building looked familiar.
The difference now...?
'Jeez. No maintenance for ages—total wreck.'
Webs everywhere on the walls, broken doorframes galore.
Wood rotting black in multiple spots.
'Tsk tsk. Back then, it seemed in occasional use. Now it's a haunted shell. No wonder they call it a dust-clogged sect. Shows in the basics.'
Han Ibi fumed at how they'd just buried the incident.
He stood watching the lodging for a while.
As if it were his own tragedy.
A wave of regret and sorrow churned in his chest.
'Master... You doing okay?'
Drawn by emotion, Han Ibi stepped inside unthinkingly.
Overturned tables, chairs scattered haphazardly.
'This is where the Thick Trunk Brotherhood trio held their little party.'
And over there...
Han Ibi eyed a room in the corner.
His heart pounded with inexplicable tension.
That was the room.
Where Bok Yeon-hwa suffered her humiliation...
Unreasoning rage boiled up.
'Tak Bu-yong! You son of a bitch!'
Without thinking, he flung open the door.
But...
To his shock, people were inside.
Or rather, Qingcheng disciples.
Familiar faces stared back.
Qingcheng's great disciple, 'Seong Chun-don'.
Flanking him like shadows: his juniors 'Son Bu-yang' and 'Hyeon Jin-gi'.
They sat around a table, like they were in some modest tavern.
Then a familiar scent wafted into Han Ibi's nose.
Yeah. Booze.
They were clearly drinking in this remote spot.
Seong Chun-don said,
"What's the deal? Outsiders aren't supposed to wander here."
Han Ibi couldn't hide his surprise.
"Ah! S-sorry. I got lost..."
"Oh yeah? Then sit down and have a drink."
Straight-up casual talk, like to an underling.
Even though I'm a guest...
Han Ibi waved it off quickly.
"No thanks. I should head back to the guest quarters."
Seong Chun-don said,
"Come on, just for a bit."
Han Ibi hesitated, but refusing now felt awkward.
He dragged over a chair leaning against the wall and sat.
Son Bu-yang and Hyeon Jin-gi's faces twisted in clear displeasure.
Han Ibi thought,
'Booze, huh? Far as I know, Qingcheng bans alcohol except special cases... Aren't they all about that Pure Serenity Temple rep?'
Seong Chun-don said calmly,
"Have a sip."
He offered his gourd to Han Ibi.
Han Ibi hesitated again but couldn't ignore the gesture, so he took it.
Aromatic alcohol stung his nose.
Gulp gulp.
Two sips of baijiu.
The fiery liquid burned his tongue and throat.
'Damn. Tastes great in this situation! Should've taken another.'
Regretfully, he handed it back politely.
"Good stuff!"
Seong Chun-don smiled and replied,
"Yeah, prime brew. Don't get the wrong idea, though. Junior brother here picked it up from the market on his way back, just for fun."
Han Ibi said,
"Thanks."
"Good."
Seong Chun-don straightened from his slouch and stared Han Ibi down.
"Jong Ri-mae. Or should I say Zhongli Ruffian? Word's spreading all over the grounds..."
Han Ibi met his gaze squarely, clasping hands in an exaggerated fist salute.
"You flatter me."
Son Bu-yang scowled and spat,
"You punk. How dare you in front of senior brother—"
Then Seong Chun-don burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Nice, nice. More fun than I expected."
He suddenly stopped and said,
"Jong Ri-mae. Why'd you come to Qingcheng?"
"Ran into some Qingcheng folks by chance at the mountain lodge..."
"Fine. Then why were you at the Qingcheng Mountain lodge?"
(To be continued in the next chapter)