Which Will It Be—Ghost or Monster? (4)
“Hiiiiiik!”
“Hiiik!”
Those waiting below the training grounds recoiled in alarm at the sight of Baek Cheon and the other disciples coming down from practice.
“W-what happened to your face?”
“Did someone hit you?”
It made sense that Baek Cheon looked pale. Of course, the sight of Mount Hua’s handsomest face suddenly looking more than ten years older was shocking enough—but still, they were used to seeing him get wrecked in one way or another.
What truly stunned them was Un Geom and Unam’s half-rotted faces.
“A-are you all right, Sasuk?”
“Sasukjo! Good heavens, what in the world happened…?”
Unam turned around with a mournful expression. Tears of grievance welled in his eyes as he looked back at the place they had just come from.
So I told you I wasn’t doing it…!
I said no! Huh? I said I was going to back out on my own!
What kind of Daoist—no, what kind of person—insists on dragging you back by the scruff of the neck and tormenting you when you’ve already said you don’t want to do it?
“Just what did you go through to end up looking like you’ve been through the same thing as the Sect Leaders bef— Ah….”
The disciples who had been rambling finally let out exclamations as understanding dawned on them. Then, looking at the two of them with sympathy, they nodded gravely. That only made Unam feel even worse.
“D-don’t w—orry… I’m fin— nyagh!”
“Sasukjooooo!”
“Sasuuuuuuk!”
The Baek and Cheong generation disciples rushed toward Un Geom, who was swaying as if about to collapse. It was such a pitiful scene that it looked as though they were all about to burst into tears.
Yoon Jong’s heart warmed at the sight of their sincere concern. The faces of the Baek and Cheong generation disciples crowding around Un Geom were filled with unmistakable devotion.
What a wonderful thing. Truly wonderful, but…
“Um….”
“Ah, get out of the way!”
“No, wait….”
“Move it, you punk!”
As his martial brothers shoved past him one after another and sprinted toward Un Geom, Yoon Jong’s vision went hazy.
I’m hurt too… I’m hurt too.
Was he not even human over here?
Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, and Jo Gul stood there like sacks of barley left behind after the harvest, then turned to one another with gloomy faces.
It was hard to complain when they were just taking care of an injured senior…
“Are you all right, Sasuk?”
“……Yes. And you?”
“Yes, I’m… yes. I can manage.”
No one was looking after them, so the three of them had no choice but to tend to one another. Amid all the exchanged concern, friendship was supposed to be blooming… except it was nonsense, because their joints felt like they were being stabbed to death.
“Hngh. But….”
“Hm?”
Yoon Jong said, sounding oddly amazed.
“Doing this myself is no joke. It feels like all my organs got twisted around and every bone in my body shattered.”
“……It did, yes.”
“The Sect Leader and elders who endured this pain for more than a month are incredible. I’m honestly in awe all over again.”
“Quite so. I’m feeling respect for them anew as well.”
But for some reason, Jo Gul looked sour.
“I’m not so sure.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“Before thinking the Sect Leader and the elders are amazing, I’m freshly horrified by the fact that Chung Myung even thought to do this to their bodies.”
“……”
“……”
Ah. Well, yes. Fair enough. Come to think of it, that really was insane.
There’s such a thing as going too far with elder abuse.
Is he even human?
This was practically torture. According to Elder Hyun Young, the circulation exercises they were doing had been made considerably milder compared to what Chung Myung had done, so just how awful had the original pain been?
“What a damnable bastard.”
As Baek Cheon kept marveling anew at Chung Myung’s character—or lack thereof—Dang Soso, Baek Sang, and Gwak Hoe approached.
“Oh….”
Baek Cheon brightened and looked at them.
Apparently not everyone was treating them like stray bundles of barley left in a field. Come to think of it, these three were the ones closest to them among the disciples, aside from the Five Swords.
He spoke with a moved expression.
“Thank you for your concern. But we’re fine, so—”
“No, skip that.”
“……Hm?”
Dang Soso cut him off at once. Then Baek Sang, as if he had been waiting for this, asked,
“How is it, Sasuk? What about Jaha Divine Skill? Is it amazing? Hm? How effective is it?”
“……”
Uh… so you weren’t worried about us?
Huh? You guys?
“Don’t just stand there keeping your mouths shut—say something! How was it?”
“W-well, it’s only the first day I’ve learned it, so even if I wanted to explain….”
Unable to answer properly, Yoon Jong responded in a reluctant voice. Gwak Hoe immediately scowled.
“You won’t tell us?”
“N-no, that’s not it. We really only learned it today, so we don’t know yet. Besides, today was just the basics—”
“Hmph! Don’t get full of yourself, Sa-hyung!”
“……”
“Sure, Sa-hyung may have learned Jaha Divine Skill first and gotten ahead, but I’ll catch up somehow! Don’t think this is over just because of today!”
“That’s right! You special-class people! I’m absolutely not losing!”
“Just because we failed this time doesn’t mean it’s over! I’ll pass again somehow, no matter what it takes, and learn it too!”
“Right!”
Dang Soso and Gwak Hoe glared and growled like tiny puppies.
You guys… why are you doing this to us…?
Then Dang Soso swept her gaze around and asked in a grumpy tone,
“But where’s Sago? I came to see Sago.”
“Yu I-seol said she’d keep training a little longer.”
At Baek Cheon’s answer, a huge wave of emotion flashed across her face.
“Ah! As expected of our Sago, working so hard…!”
“……”
Could people… could they really discriminate between people like this?
Was that really all right?
“What are you looking at?”
“……Nothing.”
“Hmph!”
Then, all at once, they turned on their heels and sprinted ahead in competition with each other.
“Sasukjoooo! Move! I’m the physician!”
“I’ll help too, Soso!”
As the two of them whooshed off toward Un Geom, silence fell.
Watching Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who stood dumbstruck as if drenched by a bucket of water, Baek Cheon shook his head.
“Tsk tsk. To think there’s so little brotherly affection among martial siblings. Isn’t that right, Baek Sang?”
“……”
“Baek Sang?”
But even Baek Sang, whom he had trusted, looked a little too sour when he looked at Baek Cheon.
“Sa-hyung.”
“Hm?”
“Congratulations on learning Jaha Divine Skill.”
“Ha ha. No need to make a big deal of it….”
“In my opinion, for the sake of Mount Hua’s future, Sa-hyung should train with all your strength.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Of course.”
At Baek Cheon’s answer, Baek Sang nodded heavily.
“If you’re going to devote yourself to training, then you won’t have any reason to spend money for a while.”
“…Huh? What?”
“Starting this month, your stipend will be cut in half, so please be aware. This is the feeling of this younger brother who wants you to avoid any distractions and focus fully on training.”
“Baek Sang?”
“Then.”
With that, Baek Sang swept away as though a chill wind had passed.
“……Baek Sang?”
Baek Cheon stood frozen with one hand outstretched to empty air. Looking at him, Yoon Jong and Jo Gul said with sympathy,
“Tsk tsk tsk. Brotherly affection….”
“There’s just so little of it.”
“……”
And once again, the three of them were left alone.
They had somehow become Mount Hua’s common enemy.
* * *
The strongest force driving training forward wasn’t duty, but enjoyment. Once a person truly felt their skills improving by leaps and bounds, they could no longer stop training of their own accord.
Thanks to that, Hyun Jong and the elders had all caught fire.
They were no longer young, but when they could feel themselves improving day by day, it was impossible to stop.
Of course, they all had duties of their own, so they couldn’t devote an entire day to training. Even so, they cut down on sleep, squeezed out whatever little spare time they had, and spent it circulating qi and learning sword forms.
And before long….
“Whaaaaaaaiiiiiiii!”
Hyun Young was spewing flames from his mouth.
“Why have you only gotten this far! Huh? I distinctly told you yesterday not to even think about sleeping and to keep circulating your qi!”
Jo Gul, his eyes sunken and hollow, slowly raised a hand.
“What?”
“……If people don’t sleep, they die, Elder.”
“Nonsense! It’s not that you die if you don’t sleep—it’s that once you’re dead, you can sleep as much as you want! Want me to prove it?”
“……No.”
The ones seated in lotus position before Hyun Young suddenly came to a fresh realization.
Chung Myung really is better.
No, wait, that’s a little….
No. He might actually be better.
Hyun Young shouted again, clearly dissatisfied.
“Do I have to go around changing your damn diapers at my age? You could at least handle things yourselves!”
“……”
“Aghhh! We already don’t have enough time, and now I’m losing my own training time to teach you lot!”
Baek Cheon stared at Hyun Young with dazed eyes.
Baek Sang looked like he was ready to die.
The head of the Finance Hall had spent the whole time swinging a sword instead of flicking his abacus, and the others were all about half-dead from it. And because he was the sort of person who always checked the work he’d done, there was no way to just coast by and do things sloppily, which meant the workload kept growing.
“Stop yapping and get your waist to this level by tomorrow, no matter what! Do you understand?”
“……”
“Why aren’t you answering!”
Elder….
This isn’t something you can just make happen because you want it to….
No one could express their grievance, or swallow it, and so they all just stood there at a loss. At that moment, Hyun Jong stepped forward with a hearty laugh.
“Hyun Young.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Don’t push them too hard. It’s not something that can be done by scolding them so much.”
“……Yes. I’m just a little impatient….”
“Even if you don’t yell and berate them, our children will all work hard. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
“Good. If you work hard, you should be able to make it up this mountain within three days.”
“……”
Huh? Three days? You just gave us one extra day?
“If you work hard. If you work hard.”
“……”
Sect Leader?
Does that mean anyone who can’t make it to the mountain within three days will be regarded as someone who didn’t work hard? Huh?
“Heh heh heh. You can all do it. I believe in you.”
“……”
Whether they were being bullied outright or wrapped in the guise of gentle encouragement, the conclusion was the same.
Determined to somehow escape this hellish situation, Baek Cheon cautiously raised his hand.
“Um… Sect Leader.”
“Yes, go on.”
“That… it’s absolutely not that we don’t want to receive instruction from the Sect Leader and the elders, but if you’re all so busy, wouldn’t it be better to just hand the work to Chung Myung…?”
“Chung Myung?”
“Yes.”
“You mean that one?”
At Hyun Jong’s slight tilt of the chin, everyone seated in lotus position turned their heads at once.
Crack.
“Agh, damn it! This is insane!”
Click, click, click!
“Why is my neck turning too!”
“……”
Everyone silently watched the bizarre scene unfolding behind them, then smiled faintly and turned their heads back into place.
“I was short-sighted, Sect Leader.”
“Good. So you understand.”
Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh.
By now, he no longer wanted to care what that monstrous brat was doing. Fine, let him do whatever he wanted. He always had anyway.
“Now then, let’s begin again. As I said, you must never be in a rush. Inner peace must settle in the heart before Divine Skill can remain steady. But if you work hard, you’ll get there quickly.”
“……”
It was no different from saying they should look left and right at the same time.
The disciples’ faces slowly darkened.
I’m really going to die….
I shouldn’t have said I wanted to learn it.
Mom….
“Now, begin!”
“Yes!”
The seated disciples began to contemplate their inner selves and circulate qi. Hyun Sang and Hyun Young stood beside them, watching in case any problems arose.
A smile touched Hyun Jong’s lips.
Good children.
They knew better than anyone that this was by no means an easy process, because they had already gone through it themselves. Yet even if they complained out loud, they never once treated training carelessly.
Because of children like these, Mount Hua was becoming stronger.
And….
Step. Step.
Hyun Jong walked toward the cliff behind them and looked down at Mount Hua spread below, especially the great training field.
“Taaaat!”
“Haaah!”
The disciples of Mount Hua were sweating profusely as they devoted themselves to training.
They’re good children too….
“I’ll kill you, Yoon Jooooong!”
“Jo Gul! Jo Gul! We grab Jo Gul first! Jo Gul!”
“I’ve never liked Baek Cheon Sa-hyung to begin with! Look at that polished little pretty-boy face of his!”
“Whoa, that’s crossing the line.”
“I’m not losing! Absolutely not! I’ll learn it too, Jaha Divine Skill!”
“Aaaaaagh!”
At the sounds reaching his ears, the corner of Hyun Jong’s eye twitched.
“Hmm….”
Well, as long as they work hard, that’s enough.
The ones ahead gave their all, and those following them strove with the ones ahead as their goal. The ideal Mount Hua Chung Myung had once spoken of was right here now.
“How good.”
After a span that was long if one thought it long, short if one thought it short, Mount Hua had finally come this far.
And it’ll keep stretching farther still.
If they carried forward what their ancestors had left them and never let go of that purpose themselves, Mount Hua could rise above the past and become an even greater sect.
Perfect…
CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRAAAAACK!
“Aaaagh! Damn it! I’m going crazy! Seriously! Why won’t it work, you bastaaaard!”
Hyun Jong deliberately turned his back on the direction of the shouting. And so he removed the only ugly thing left in Mount Hua from his sight.
Ancestors, please watch over Mount Hua.
“Aaaaaaaagh! I’m pissed off!”
Or else….
Somehow deal with that brat too.
In the end, a deep, heavy sigh leaked out of him.
Those who went forward. Those who followed. And those who forged new paths.
A cool breeze came and cooled the sweat shed by all of them.
Days of training continued, and continued again, each person carrying their own ideal in their heart…
And before anyone knew it, the season had turned, and cold winds had come to Mount Hua at last.