A Sect Even Beggars Wouldn’t Pick Up On the Way (3)
"…Are you all right?"
"Yes. Cough! I’m fine."
"You’re really all right?"
"I’m reeeally fine. Cough! Cough!"
"You don’t look fine at all…."
Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with half his face twisted in concern. The boy sitting before him was a pitiful sight. He was skin and bones, his face drained white.
How sick do you have to be to look like that?
At a glance, he looked as though he were one step away from starving to death. Anyone who didn’t know better would probably spit on the ground and curse Mount Hua for not feeding its disciples even a bowl of rice gruel.
He didn’t look like this when he first arrived.
Hyun Jong turned with a strange expression and asked Unam, "What did the Medicine Hall say?"
"They said his vital energy has been damaged."
"His vital energy?"
"Yes. They said it was harmed by excessive training and that he needs rest to recover."
"Oh!"
Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with eyes full of emotion.
"You rascal. You trained yourself until you damaged your vital energy? Why would you do something so foolish?"
That’s not it.
Training? As if.
Since coming to Mount Hua, Chung Myung hadn’t even had the chance to train properly. So what the hell was this about training?
Of course, the Medicine Hall probably had no choice but to say something like that. It was true that his vital energy was damaged, and true that his body was in bad shape. How were they supposed to imagine that a newly arrived disciple had burned out his innate qi by forcibly drawing it out? Even if Hua Tuo himself were sitting in the Medicine Hall, he couldn’t have given a better answer.
An absurd misunderstanding had arisen, but this was exactly the time to be honest.
"I’m sorry, Sect Leader. I only wanted to learn Mount Hua’s martial arts as quickly as possible, so I…."
"Oh, how admirable. How admirable indeed."
The Sect Leader kept nodding, clearly delighted with Chung Myung.
Chung Myung wasn’t lying. His feelings were genuine, after all.
"Eat too hastily, and you’ll choke. What good can you do if you damage your body?"
"I’ll be more careful, Elder Brother."
"Yes, yes."
Hyun Jong smiled warmly.
The boy before him was nothing less than Mount Hua’s good fortune. A blessing that had rolled straight into their hands. How could he not find him lovable?
"So. Do you like tea?"
"Not really."
Chung Myung shrugged.
Well, unless it’s alcohol.
To Chung Myung’s palate, tea was far too bland. Unlike liquor, which bit at the throat with a sharp kick, tea was nothing but grass-flavored water.
The senior brother of the Sect Leader had once said Chung Myung was hopeless as a Taoist, and in this matter, maybe he was right. But what could he do about the way his tongue worked?
Is there some rule that says the Sect Leader of Mount Hua has to enjoy tea?
Even the former Sect Leader had been deeply versed in tea ceremony. And from Chung Myung’s point of view, the current Sect Leader’s skill in pouring tea was no ordinary thing either.
Hyun Jong carefully set a cup before Chung Myung. Chung Myung took it in both hands.
"That’s a shame if you don’t like it, but this poor Taoist brewed it with care, so at least taste it."
"Yes, sir."
Without pausing to appreciate the aroma or anything else, Chung Myung simply tipped it back and drained it in one swallow.
"…."
Tea was meant to be savored for its fragrance more than its taste, but to Chung Myung it seemed to mean little more than hot water.
Hyun Jong watched him with a mournful look, and the moment Chung Myung set the cup down, he asked, "Well?"
"It’s tea."
"…."
A faint note of disappointment crossed Hyun Jong’s stern face, but Chung Myung only answered with the honesty befitting a Taoist.
"Ahem. I see."
Hyun Jong cleared his throat to dispel the awkwardness, then softened his expression again.
"The reason I called you here again was to thank you for this matter. Thanks to you, Mount Hua was able to escape its crisis. You truly did well."
"I didn’t do much."
"How can you say you did nothing? If not for you, we’d be living on the streets by now."
"I just happened to pass by there, and I just happened to trip over the box."
"Heh. Just happened, you say."
Hyun Jong slowly shook his head.
"There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. Everything is merely the result of connections being tied together."
Chung Myung quietly nodded.
Hyun Jong might have said it casually, but his words had hit the mark with unsettling precision.
He gets sharp like that sometimes.
"Isn’t that right? Unam?"
"It is, Sect Leader. And even if all of this had truly been coincidence, the merit that brought about that coincidence is still no small thing. Moreover, he did not grow greedy for the wealth and reported it to the Sect Leader. How could such merit be considered small?"
"That’s right, yes."
Hyun Jong stroked his beard repeatedly, looking pleased.
"So."
Then he looked at Chung Myung with warm eyes.
"It is only natural to reward one who has earned merit. Mount Hua intends to give you a reward, which is why I called you here."
"A reward, you say?"
"Yes. Is there something you want?"
Chung Myung fell into thought.
Something he wanted?
"It would be a lie to say I feel no regret after letting that much wealth go. If you need money, I can give you a suitable amount."
"Money is fine."
"Hmm?"
Hyun Jong’s eyes widened slightly.
"You say you don’t need money?"
"Yes. Mount Hua already feeds me and gives me clothes, so what would I do with money? It’s not like there’s anything to spend it on up in these mountains."
"Hohoho. Yes, yes, that’s true."
Hyun Jong smiled.
A man suited for the Dao.
No matter how little there was to buy, it was not easy to abandon greed for wealth. It was true he had no need to spend money now, but who could say he would never need it in the future?
The boy didn’t seem the type to fail to grasp that, and yet he still refused money. He was practicing non-desire. A vessel fit to contain the Dao.
But Chung Myung’s inner thoughts were entirely different from Hyun Jong’s warm interpretation.
How much are we even talking about?
The Sect Leader’s secret treasury. No, by now it was Chung Myung’s secret treasury, not Mount Hua’s Sect Leader’s, and it was piled so high with wealth that if Hyun Jong saw it, he would probably roll his eyes back and faint.
Chung Myung was already Hwaum County’s richest man.
He didn’t need a miserly little reward from a poor Sect Leader.
"Then what would you like? Given your rank, I could even teach you martial arts you’re not yet ready to learn."
"Martial arts are fine too."
"…What? That’s fine as well?"
"Yes."
"Do you lack ambition for martial arts?"
Chung Myung shook his head again.
"No, that’s not it. This disciple doesn’t know everything, but I think Mount Hua’s predecessors must have had reasons for deciding which arts to teach according to generation."
Hyun Jong’s eyes went round.
"Really?"
"Yes. Just now, Sect Leader, you said that if you eat too hastily, you’ll choke."
"I did."
"I think martial arts are the same. I’ll learn what suits my level and keep moving forward steadily, even if it’s slow."
"Yes. Correct. What you say is truly right."
Hyun Jong kept nodding.
The more they talked, the more he liked the boy. Such a young child, and yet he already understood what the Dao was, what the natural order was.
Where on earth did such a prodigy come from?
Hyun Jong could not hide his delight, but of course Chung Myung’s thoughts were entirely different.
I should be the one giving you martial arts, you idiot!
He had already been sweating over how he should hand over the other techniques besides the one he had just given them.
If he had passed everything on at once, things would have been easier. But human hearts were strange. If you gave someone a golden Buddha and a silver Buddha at the same time, they would undervalue the silver one.
If you gave the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art and Chilmaegeom together, who would bother learning Chilmaegeom? As Hyun Jong said, eat too fast and you choke.
I can’t believe I have to think through even things like this.
Senior Brother Sect Leader. I’m sorry.
Sorry for pretending not to hear your nagging when you spoke and letting it go in one ear and out the other. I should have known back then how much of a hellish struggle you were going through.
Now that he could look at Mount Hua from the perspective of a Sect Leader, even if only halfway, Chung Myung could begin to understand how difficult it must have been for the former Sect Leader, Chung Mun. And how much of that hardship Chung Myung himself had likely taken upon his own shoulders.
I should’ve listened.
It was hard to atone to the dead Chung Mun, but Chung Myung silently resolved to at least treat the living Sect Leader better.
"It’s certainly a good thing that you have no greed, but it makes things a little difficult for me. Well then, is there nothing you really need?"
Something I need.
What could Chung Myung possibly ask for from Mount Hua, a sect with only its name left?
After thinking for a moment, Chung Myung opened his mouth.
First, if he could secure some degree of personal freedom, his range of movement would widen. More than anything else, that was urgent.
"Sect Leader. This disciple does not neglect training."
"Just looking at you, I can tell."
"…."
After a small cough, Chung Myung went on.
"But I think there are limits to learning only martial arts within this pure and clean mountain hall. Every so often, I’d like to see the wider world. Please allow me to go down to Hwaum whenever I wish."
Hyun Jong’s brow furrowed slightly.
"I understand your intention. But that would go against Mount Hua’s rules. Your merit is certainly sufficient, but I worry it may cause complaints from others over fairness. Let us think on that for a little while."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Is there anything else?"
While thinking, Chung Myung’s eyes suddenly lit up.
"Sect Leader!"
"Hmm?"
"As you can see, this disciple’s body isn’t in great shape."
"Yes. I have eyes; I can tell."
"The Medicine Hall says my vital energy has been damaged."
"Yes. I heard as much."
"So, I was wondering if you could grant me some spiritual elixirs?"
"…Spiritual elixirs?"
"Yes. Mount Hua’s elixirs. Ordinary sects usually have at least one such thing, don’t they?"
Hyun Jong burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha. Yes. You need elixirs. Yes, elixirs are good. What better thing is there for replenishing the body?"
"Yes! Exactly!"
"Hohoho. Yes, elixirs. Yes. Given the merit you’ve earned, you’re certainly worthy of receiving some. Yes. Hmm…. Yes…."
Hyun Jong glanced at Chung Myung. Then, in a deliberately gentle voice, he said, "You said you’d like to go down to Hwaum every so often?"
"…Yes?"
"Of course it goes against the rules, but considering the merit you’ve earned, I can grant a request of that size. Unam, listen carefully."
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
"In the name of Mount Hua’s Sect Leader, I hereby permit that whenever Mount Hua’s disciple Chung Myung goes down to Hwaum in the future, he need not seek anyone else’s permission."
"Yes!"
"However, Chung Myung must not leave Hwaum, and he must remember that he cannot evade responsibility for anything he does there. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand. But…."
Chung Myung tilted his head.
"What about the elixirs?"
"Also, when you go down to Hwaum, it must not interfere with your training."
"…."
"Hohoho. Good. Then you may go now."
"N-no, Sect Leader. The elixirs…."
"I have high hopes for you. Continue your diligent practice without rest."
"…Yessir."
"Good."
"Take care, Sect Leader."
After Chung Myung bowed and trudged out, Hyun Jong smiled broadly.
I don’t even have elixirs for myself, you brat!
Better to suffer than die.
Better to suffer.