A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss (1)
"S-sahyung."
"......"
"What in the world is this? No matter how much this is meant to honor our hard work......"
Even at the voice calling to him, Baek Cheon could not say a word. He was just as stunned as the others.
Before their eyes, a feast had been laid out.
By the standards of the mortal world, it might have fallen a little short of what one would call a grand banquet, but by Mount Hua’s standards, it was no different from something an emperor would eat.
First of all, that.
That! That one!
"......Isn't that meat?"
"Good heavens."
Baek Cheon rubbed his eyes.
What lay before him was clearly food made from the flesh of a living beast, killed and served up as evidence of sin.
How could such a cruel thing happen in a place of pure cultivation?
"Where would the money come from?"
Exactly!
It wasn't like anyone had stolen it, so where on earth would Mount Hua get the money to buy meat?
"J-just a moment, sahyung. Now that I look at it, the inside of the dining hall has changed a bit too. I thought it felt strange because it had been so long since we came here, but doesn't everything seem polished and clean?"
"......Now that you mention it."
Baek Cheon looked around. The entire hall had not been rebuilt, but it was plainly renovated. The holes that had been everywhere and the places that looked ready to crumble had all been fixed.
"New halls have been built, the dining hall's been repaired, and now there’s meat on the table!"
"......"
"I have no idea what happened to Mount Hua while we were gone. Unless the God of Wealth himself descended here......"
Baek Cheon gave a hollow laugh.
The God of Wealth? Mount Hua was a land abandoned by the god of riches.
If there were one sect in the world that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Beggars' Sect in arguing over who was the poorest under heaven, it would be Mount Hua.
No, even the Beggars' Sect probably wasn't poorer than Mount Hua. After all, the Beggars' Sect was a gathering of beggars; the sect itself was not poor.
But Mount Hua?
What word could possibly sound more out of place?
Baek Cheon lifted his head slightly and looked at Un Geom.
"Uncle-master. These dishes are?"
"The Head of the Treasury prepared them to commend you all. Eat plenty."
No, why are you saying that so casually?
What happened to the uncle-master who used to say that after thirty years of eating nothing but grass, he was starting to feel like one with the rabbits instead of the sword?
What was even stranger in all this was the reaction of the third-generation disciples.
The third-generation disciples who had joined them to celebrate the second-generation disciples' return did not seem all that surprised, even with meat laid out in front of them.
They merely stared at the table with bored expressions.
Baek Cheon strained his ears and listened in on their conversation.
"I'm getting sick of meat too. Can't we have something different? Like fish."
"What kind of lunatic goes looking for fish on a mountain? You want me to smack you with a fish head?"
What the hell are these lunatics even saying?
What? Sick of meat?
With the situation utterly beyond his comprehension, Baek Cheon opened his mouth, growing impatient.
"No, I—"
"Kuh-huh-hmm!"
"E-hem! Hm! Hm-hm-hmm!"
"......"
No, he had been about to speak.
Glancing to the side, Baek Cheon met the blade-like glares of his fellow disciples and closed his mouth again.
Let's eat first and talk later.
You can afford meat, so of course you'd go around eating it. We've spent a whole year living off fasting pills.
Pinned down by the looks and pressure of his sect brothers, Baek Cheon cleared his throat and spoke.
"If the Sect Leader and the elders are not coming, would it be all right if we begin eating first?"
"Hm? Ah, I was being thoughtless. Go on and eat."
"Yes, then."
Un Geom picked up his chopsticks with practiced ease and put a piece of meat into his mouth. At that signal, the disciples began moving their chopsticks like madmen.
Patapatapapat!
Food flew into the air.
But there was no need to worry. Before the pieces of meat could even hit the floor, chopsticks shot out and snatched them away.
Baek Cheon shut his eyes tight at the pandemonium before him.
It might have seemed excessive, but in truth it was only natural. Mount Hua was the poorest sect under heaven, and Mount Hua’s disciples were the poorest people under heaven.
What they had been eating here all this time, if one were generous, was a little grain meal, pine needles, and a few nuts. If one were less generous, it was the cheapest diet in the world.
Besides, hadn't they spent this whole training period living on fasting pills for a year?
People like Baek Cheon, who at least had some financial breathing room thanks to their families, could buy food with money sent from home, but those who lacked that support had already gone years without so much as smelling meat.
Of course they were losing their minds.
And in the middle of all that, Baek Cheon noticed the third-generation disciples eating leisurely.
Watching their calm faces, he finally realized that this kind of food had become nothing special at Mount Hua anymore.
"Uncle-master."
Un Geom, who had been eating more out of obligation than anything else, turned his head toward Baek Cheon.
"Why? Does the food not suit your taste?"
"That's not it...... It's just that this disciple cannot make sense of the situation. What in the world happened to Mount Hua while we were away?"
"I see. I hadn't considered your position."
Un Geom chuckled softly.
"It's too long a story to tell now. You'll come to understand it little by little. Just know that a treasure rolled into Mount Hua."
"A treasure?"
It was then.
Bang!
The door was flung open with force. The second-generation disciples, who had been eating, jerked upright, ready to rise to their feet. Anyone who could throw a door open like that would surely be an elder......
Huh?
Was there an elder who looked that young?
No way!
To everyone's shock, the one who burst through the door was a tiny child. Chung Myung, who had gone along with the Sect Leader, walked in trembling with anger.
"There's a seat here."
When Jo Gul raised a hand slightly, Chung Myung dipped his head at Un Geom, then stomped toward the seat with heavy steps. Those seated nearby subtly pulled their chairs aside to make room for him.
Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes at the sight.
The kids are considering that brat?
Well, that would make sense if everyone here were polite and kind.
But the third-generation disciples Baek Cheon knew might be diligent and quick-witted, yet they were hardly the sort to be described as gentle.
For them to act so naturally could mean only one thing.
That little brat has somehow taken control of the third-generation disciples?
It was unbelievable.
And yet there were too many signs to ignore. The seat the kids had left open happened to be the center seat, and on either side of it sat Yoon Jong and Jo Gul.
Yoon Jong was the senior-most of the third-generation disciples, while Jo Gul was the strongest among them.
He’s got the figurehead and the real power seated on either side of him?
But by what means had that little kid managed to subdue them all? And moreover......
Why isn't Uncle-master Un Geom saying anything?
What that brat had done just now, kicking open the door and barging in, was terribly rude. One might excuse such behavior if he had thought there were no second-generation disciples or Un Geom inside, but once a discourtesy had been committed, proper apology was the decent thing to do.
Given how much Un Geom valued etiquette, he should have said something by now. But instead, he was calmly eating as if it had nothing to do with him at all.
The more I look, the less I understand.
Baek Cheon shook his head. His eyes caught sight of Chung Myung talking to the surrounding children.
"Why are you angry again?"
"They want me to go to Eunha Merchant Guild."
"......There again?"
"Exactly. I'm not some delivery pigeon, for crying out loud!"
At Chung Myung's complaint, Yoon Jong gave a faint laugh.
"You liked it at first."
"That was only the first couple of times. Ugh."
Chung Myung scratched his head roughly.
"Still, at least I only have to deliver it to the branch in Hwaeum. If they’d told me to go all the way to Xi'an, I swear I would've flopped over and refused to get up."
Watching Yoon Jong comfort Chung Myung while Jo Gul snickered and jabbed at him, Baek Cheon came to a firm conclusion.
That brat has swallowed the entire third generation whole.
He had no idea how Chung Myung had done it, but it was clear enough that Chung Myung had become the dominant force controlling the third-generation disciples.
In more ways than one.
Baek Cheon smiled faintly.
Yoon Jong, the eldest disciple of the third generation, was the type who treated his superiors with utmost respect. Even if Baek Cheon had not kept him in line, he would have bowed his head of his own accord.
But no matter how he looked at him, that Chung Myung brat did not seem like the kind of person with such a disposition.
I suppose I'll need to set aside some time to speak with him.
It would let him clear up a number of questions, too.
"Great disciple."
"Hm?"
"Aren't you eating?"
"Ah, right. I should."
Baek Cheon picked up his chopsticks. But after lowering them again almost immediately, he looked around.
"Where is Yu Sago?"
"......Who knows? She was here just a moment ago."
At the mention of Yu Sago, the second-generation disciples glanced around.
"She was here until we got to the dining hall."
"Looks like she slipped off somewhere again."
Apparently this happened often enough that everyone answered without much concern. But Baek Cheon still frowned, clearly displeased.
"Shouldn't we look for her? It's a rare chance for the sect brothers to relax together. Someone missing will spoil the fun."
"There’s no one who can find Yu Sago, though. If she doesn't want to be found, nobody can find her."
"It'll just be a waste of time, sahyung."
Baek Cheon's brow furrowed slightly.
"Mm."
Seeing the discomfort in his expression, the others eventually rose to their feet with low sighs.
Yu I-seol was such an oddity that unless she chose to reveal herself, she was not easy to find. But if Baek Cheon had already gone this far into stiffening his face, they had to at least pretend to look.
Sahyung really does favor Yu Sago too much.
For someone who was fair in other matters, he seemed to lose his composure whenever Yu I-seol was involved.
Well, that's understandable.
It wasn't as though it was some impossible thing to grasp. It was just a little annoying.
Just as several of the second-generation disciples were about to rise from their seats, the closed door slowly opened.
Everyone turned their eyes that way.
Through the sunlight pouring in from the doorway, a woman walked into the hall. Her steps were so small and quiet that not even the sound of her feet could be heard.
"Sago."
Baek Cheon raised his voice.
Yu I-seol, who had come in, glanced around the room as if searching for someone.
Baek Cheon smiled warmly and raised a hand.
"Sago, this way......"
Yu I-seol started walking again. But the direction she chose was not toward Baek Cheon.
Tap. Tap.
With quick, tiny steps, Yu I-seol walked to one side and then stopped at the place she had been aiming for. She stared intently at the person seated there.
The corner of Baek Cheon's eye twitched.
Yu I-seol asked the man she had been staring at,
"Can I sit?"
The second-generation disciples flapped in shock. The men, especially, looked so astonished their eyes seemed ready to pop out of their heads.
Yu Sago spoke to a man?
No. When was the last time anyone heard Yu Sago speak at all?
But the shock was not over yet.
The man Yu I-seol had spoken to, Chung Myung, wore all his irritation on his face and waved a hand as if shooing away a fly.
"Nope."
"......Then let me talk for a moment."
Chung Myung said firmly,
"No. I have no intention of talking to you. Go back."
Has that brat lost his mind?
The second-generation disciples' faces twisted with shock.