If You Get Hit, You’re Supposed to Move Aside! (5)
Yoon Jong blinked at the five Honwon Dan laid out before them.
"This is…"
Slowly, he lifted his head to look at the Sect Leader.
Hyun Jong was gazing at them with an expression of utter benevolence.
"Take them."
"Th-these, sir?"
Yoon Jong looked back and forth between Hyun Jong and the Honwon Dan.
"You mean, for us?"
Hyun Jong was about to nod with utmost solemnity and answer yes, but before he could, Hyun Young beside him tossed out a remark.
"Then who else would eat them?"
Yoon Jong looked at Hyun Young with even wider eyes.
"Shouldn't the elders take them first? At the very least, the elders should…"
"Hah, what nonsense."
Hyun Young cut him off firmly.
"What good would it do us old men, just waiting around for the day we die, to eat something like this? If we took them, it'd just be a waste."
Seeing everyone's bewildered faces, he gave a snort of laughter and went on.
"These Honwon Dan were brought back by you lot, so naturally you should be the ones to eat them. And even if it had been us who retrieved them instead of you, it would still be you who ought to take them."
"Elder…"
"There's no need to drag this out. What's the big deal about this? Even if all five of you eat them, there'll still be fifteen left! That's plenty for research. No, it's more than enough, really. So don't you dare feel burdened."
Then Hyun Jong quietly backed him up.
"Gathering Purple Wood Grass in Yunnan will not be easy. If you take these Honwon Dan before you depart, it will surely help you greatly."
Hyun Young turned slightly and glared at Hyun Jong, but Hyun Jong simply smiled his saintly, harmless smile and ignored the look entirely.
From the way he's talking, you'd think he meant to give them to us from the start.
Shut up for a second, will you? I have some dignity too, damn it!
The two men exchanged their thoughts with their eyes, then both coughed awkwardly at the same time.
"So. You're saying we can just eat these?"
At that moment, Chung Myung, who had been silent until now, casually reached out and picked up a Honwon Dan.
"Gasp!"
"Hey, you bastard! Gently, gently!"
"No, no, no! It’ll break! It’ll break!"
"Hey!"
The sudden uproar made Chung Myung flinch.
"What the hell, are you people chewing me out just because I picked up some medicine?"
"Do you have any idea what kind of medicine that is?"
"You could sell your own body and still couldn't afford it, you punk!"
Chung Myung's eyes stung a little.
How little food did this damn beggar sect grow up eating…
No, seriously, at least have some common sense!
People are born before medicine, not the other way around!
"Tch."
All of this was happening because the sect didn't have enough spiritual elixirs.
Then we need to get the ingredients for Honwon Dan by any means necessary.
This wasn't just for Mount Hua of this generation. It was something necessary for Mount Hua's future as well.
Anyway.
"We just eat it, right?"
"…"
"Why aren't you answering, Sect Leader?"
"Th…"
Hyun Jong's eyes grew wet.
It wasn't that he begrudged Chung Myung and the others taking the Honwon Dan. Even if their attempt to restore the pill-refining method failed and these became the last twenty pills remaining, he understood perfectly well that, first and foremost, they had to be given to those brats.
Only, if he were honest…
What if we can’t get more?
Spiritual elixirs weren't only used to increase internal energy. They could also be used as miraculous medicine for qi deviation or severe internal injuries that human effort couldn't fix.
Rather than spending them so carelessly, wouldn't it be better to squirrel them away and feed them to the children later if they got hurt?
The harsh life of leading Mount Hua for decades simply wouldn't let him shed his unease. If Hyun Young heard that, he would likely sneer that Hyun Jong had only accumulated beggar habits, but what could he do if that was the truth?
Mount Hua would face even more hardships in the future, and the children would get injured more often. If they kept these safely tucked away, they could be used well every time that happened…
"Eat them!"
But Hyun Young was utterly merciless.
"If you hoard good things, they turn to shit. Don't worry about it and just eat them."
"Th…"
"Am I wrong, Sect Leader?"
"…Right. That's how it should be. Yes. Eat them."
Take over as Sect Leader yourself, why don't you!
Chung Myung, who had no interest in the subtle emotions passing between the two elders, nodded to himself and then quickly moved to put the Honwon Dan into his mouth.
"Ack!"
"Oi! Careful!"
"Hey, hey, hey! It'll break! It’ll break!"
"Damn it!"
At the furious reactions, Chung Myung recoiled.
"What the hell, you yell at me just for touching one little elixir!"
"Do you know what kind of elixir that is?"
"You couldn't buy that even if you sold yourself, you idiot!"
His eyes suddenly felt sore.
This damn beggar sect. Just how little did they have to eat growing up…
No, even so!
People come first, elixirs come after!
What, was medicine supposed to give birth to people now?
"Ugh."
It was all because the sect lacked spirit pills.
So I need to bring back the ingredients for Honwon Dan no matter what.
This wasn't just for the present Mount Hua. It was absolutely necessary for the Mount Hua of the future, too.
In any case!
"We just eat them, right?"
"…"
"Why no answer? Sect Leader?"
"W-well…"
Hyun Jong's eyes filled with tears.
It wasn't that he hated the thought of Chung Myung and the others eating the Honwon Dan. Even if the effort to restore the pill-refining method failed and these became the last twenty pills left, he understood perfectly well that, for now, they needed to be given to those boys.
Only, the problem was…
What if we can't get more later?
Spiritual elixirs weren't only used to raise internal power. They could also serve as miraculous medicine for qi deviation or grave internal injuries no human means could cure.
Rather than using them all up now, wouldn't it be better to stash them away and feed them to the children only if they were injured later?
The difficult life of leading Mount Hua for decades had made it impossible for him to shake his anxiety. Hyun Young would probably scold him for nothing but miserly habits if he heard that, but what could he do if that was the truth?
Mount Hua would face even more things in the years ahead, and the children would get hurt more often. If he kept these hidden away, they would come in handy every time something like that happened…
"Eat them!"
But Hyun Young knew no mercy.
"If you save them too much, they'll go to waste. Don't think about it and just eat them."
"Th…"
"Aren't I right, Sect Leader?"
"…Yes. Of course. That's right. Eat them."
You be the Sect Leader, then! You!
Chung Myung, who couldn't care less about the strange emotional exchange between the two, gave a little nod to himself.
And just as he was about to stuff the Honwon Dan into his mouth in one swift motion—
Baek Cheon, who had been listening quietly until now, rose to his feet and bowed respectfully to the Sect Leader and the elder.
"This disciple, Baek Cheon, will never forget the grace shown by the Sect Leader and the elder."
"Grace? What grace."
Hyun Young smiled with obvious satisfaction at the sight. No matter what, that boy really was well-mannered.
Still, Hyun Young liked Chung Myung far more than the well-mannered Baek Cheon—the brat who had sold off every scrap of manners before even entering Mount Hua.
Look at him.
Even while the others were still hesitating, Chung Myung was practically drooling over the Honwon Dan, wasn't he?
Yes, yes. My precious child I could never bear to have even a speck of dust fall into his eye.
He needs to eat it. Grow stronger and stronger, then go bring back even bigger things!
"We won't forget the grace of the sect."
The others, excluding Chung Myung, quickly followed Baek Cheon's lead and bowed as well. Hyun Young, annoyed by the formality, motioned to Hyun Jong with his eyes.
"…Rise."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"The way you repay us is by quickly taking those Honwon Dan and easing our worries."
"We will do as you say."
Baek Cheon picked up one of the Honwon Dan with a slightly tense expression.
This…
The pill even greater than Shaolin's Great Return Pill. A spiritual elixir so extraordinary that if even one were released into the martial world, it could ignite a bloodbath. And now he was actually going to eat one.
Is this all thanks to that bastard?
Baek Cheon gave a faint, bitter smile.
If Chung Myung hadn't come to Mount Hua, what kind of life would he be living now? At this point, he could hardly imagine it.
Don't think about it.
Now was not the time for pointless thoughts. What mattered was fully absorbing this elixir and making it his own.
With a slightly tense face, Baek Cheon sat cross-legged and brought the Honwon Dan to his lips.
Shrrrrk.
The moment it entered his mouth, the Honwon Dan melted instantly and slid down his throat of its own accord. A cool freshness spread through his body, like drinking a mouthful of crystal-clear spring water deep in the mountains.
But only for an instant.
What had dripped down one drop at a time became a stream, and then a roaring waterfall, surging through Baek Cheon's entire body.
The overwhelming weight of it made him tremble.
So this is Honwon Dan…!
Power flooded in like a burst dam.
It was hard to believe that just eating one small elixir could make so much energy swell inside him.
Focus!
Baek Cheon brushed aside all stray thoughts in an instant. Then he guided the surging power of the Honwon Dan through his body and began the great circulation.
Kwaaaaaa—!
It felt as though a flood had broken loose inside his body. The rushing force of the Honwon Dan violently washed away the impurities lodged within him and expanded his meridians.
Though Baek Cheon had begun guiding it, the energy of the Honwon Dan soon slipped beyond his control and started roaming freely through his body.
Yet rather than alarm, Baek Cheon felt an indescribable exhilaration.
It was as if his whole body were packed full of energy.
The sheer intensity of the sensation, something he might never feel again, made him feel like his mind would fly apart.
The energy widened his main channels and began opening each tiny capillary in turn. Blocked acupoints were forced open and cleaned until they were reborn as though new.
It felt as though even the faintest tips of his fingers had become vividly clear to him. Every sense in his body was newly sharpened.
This is the power of a spiritual elixir!
Only now did he understand why martial artists risked their lives to get their hands on even a single elixir. No matter how much one trained, no matter how hard one tried, there were things that human effort simply could not accomplish.
And the power of the Honwon Dan was accomplishing those things as if they were nothing.
However—
Any more would be too much.
Even now, the power of the Honwon Dan still overflowed within him, but with Baek Cheon's current strength, he couldn't absorb all of it and make it his own.
As a rule, one had to trap the energy of a spiritual elixir within the body and slowly dissolve it over time. Baek Cheon did not reach for greed any further and instead carefully gathered the power.
He knew that excessive greed was always the shortest path to ruin.
The energy that had been swirling through his entire body began, under Baek Cheon's guidance, to flow into his dantian.
Once he confirmed that all of the Honwon Dan's energy had settled into one corner of his dantian, Baek Cheon slowly finished the great circulation and opened his eyes.
"Mm!"
Then he shuddered all over.
He felt as though strength overflowed through his entire body like never before.
It was the sensation that, if he set his mind to it, he could do anything. The surging vitality created an astonishing sense of uplift.
"Sect Leader! I…"
Baek Cheon was trembling with emotion, about to say something when—
"Sect Lea…"
Huh?
He tilted his head and looked at Hyun Jong.
Huh?
Something was odd about Hyun Jong.
He wasn't keeping his mouth shut in his usual solemn way, nor smiling kindly as he always did. Unlike himself, his jaw hung open, and he was staring at something with dazed eyes.
Where?
And that gaze was strange, too.
Slightly upward.
Not just a little above a standing person, but higher than that. Why on earth was he looking at a place like that in this room?
Realizing that Hyun Young was looking the same way, Baek Cheon followed their gaze with a blank expression and turned his head.
And then…
"W-what the hell! What is that?"
For once, he stumbled back in alarm, scrambling away in panic.
At the end of their gazes was, of course, Chung Myung. But that wasn't something that could be described with a simple "there he was."
Why not?
Because their gazes were pointed upward.
Why is that person floating in midair?
Baek Cheon's face went rigid with shock.
Chung Myung, still sitting cross-legged, was literally floating in the air. Even Hyun Jong and Hyun Young couldn't tear their eyes away from the bizarre sight.
I've heard people say that when an expert reaches a high realm and channels their energy, they can rise into the air…
But since he'd never once seen it with his own eyes, he'd always thought it was just the sort of thing storytellers made up. And yet here it was, right before his eyes.
Of course, it wasn't as though this happened solely because Chung Myung had reached some lofty realm. It was more likely a temporary phenomenon caused by absorbing such a staggering amount of Honwon Dan energy.
But whatever the reason, the fact remained that what was unfolding before them was astonishing beyond belief.
"Huh? What's that?"
"…My heavens."
One by one, the disciples who had opened their eyes were also unable to hide their shock.
But the surprise was still not over.
Gooooooo—!
Suddenly, multicolored radiance burst from Chung Myung's body.
"F-five energies returning to their source?"
"N-no. It seems a little different…?"
Hyun Jong's eyes widened.
It was a phenomenon that matched none of the knowledge they knew. Only one thing was certain.
Something incredible is happening.
Gooooooo—!
At that moment, the air around them began to be sucked toward Chung Myung.
Rumble rumble rumble!
At the same time, the entire hall they stood in began to shake violently.
"H-hik?"
"I-it's collapsing?"
"Get out! Get out of here now!"
At Hyun Young's shout, everyone started running for the exit.
Baek Cheon yelled before he even realized it.
"That damn lunatic can't even finish cultivating normally? I'm really going to lose my mind!"
It was a sentiment that spoke for everyone present.