Chapter 1143: Did You Bring It? (Part 2)

[Reminder that "Danju-nim" means "President" (CEO) and refers to Hwang Jongui]

As Hwang Jongui entered the room, he was greeted by a familiar sight, one he had seen many times before in the halls of Mount Hua.

In the center sat Hyun Jong, surrounded by elders of the Mount Hua Sect. It was indeed a common scene at Mount Hua.

However...

'Who is that...?'

Hwang Jongui blinked at the sight of a massive figure sprawled against the wall like a wet cloth.

'Where have I seen him before... Ah!'

Recognizing the identity of the giant figure as the Beast Palace Lord, whom he had encountered during the opening ceremony of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, Hwang Jongui trembled. What on earth had happened for all that energy to have been drained from a figure who resembled a steel tower? The difference between a normal person slouching and someone like him slouching was barely visible.

Moreover, if Hwang Jongui remembered correctly, the Beast Palace Lord, despite his appearance, had been a remarkably polite person during the previous encounter.

'How difficult must it have been...'

The reality of the situation hit Hwang Jongui again. If one tangled with the Chung Myung Dojang and Mount Hua, there was no escape from hell, Beast Palace Lord or not.

'So would I.'

What? Did he miss Mount Hua?

Come to think of it, was there ever a time as peaceful as the past few months when Mount Hua had left Shaanxi? They say one realizes the normalcy of being drunk when addicted to alcohol, but what was he thinking when he missed Mount Hua?

"Oh, Danju-nim!"

Upon seeing Hwang Jongui entering the room, the head of the demons...No, Sect Leader Hyun Jong of Mount Hua stood up with a smile on his face.

"Without hesitation, Hyun Jong approached and firmly grasped Hwang Jongui's hands, wearing a bright smile."

"Danju-nim. How long has it been since we last met? I'm truly glad to meet Danju-nim in this distant place."

"Yes. Well... yes. Sect Leader, it's a pleasure to see you too..."

Even though a person of Hyun Jong's status expressing joy should naturally evoke gratitude, strangely, Hwang Jongui couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling.

'No, it's not Sect Leader's fault.'

While holding Hyun Jong's hand, Hwang Jongui quickly scanned the surroundings. He needed to find the cause of all these events.

The root of all evil was smiling, as always, as if it all had nothing to do with him.

"Think you're a bit late."

Though such words were absolutely not to be said to someone who had traveled from the distant Shaanxi in a month, Hwang Jongui wasn't offended. He had already experienced too much to be swayed by such comments.

"Have you been well?"

"What trouble could there be here? Of course, I've been well."

"Sigh."

"Sigh."

At Chung Myung's nonchalant response, sighs emanated from all directions. Hwang Jongui, understanding the reason behind these reactions, simply shook his head.

"I guess..."

While trying to joke about Chung Myung's calm demeanor, Hwang Jongui suddenly smirked.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you like that?"

Hwang Jongui, after a brief hesitation, approached Chung Myung.

"Hey, can you stand up for a moment?"

"Huh?"

Even though Chung Myung tilted his head, he did as he was told. As Hwang Jongui approached, Chung Myung subtly stepped back.

"I don't have such preferences..." [aiyo?...that was out of pocket lmao]

"You're quite tall now, aren't you?"

"Oh, really?"

At those words, Chung Myung's eyes widened.

Hwang Jongui, looking up and down at Chung Myung, nodded as if it were correct, even upon a second glance.

"Indeed."

"Oh?"

Approaching Hwang Jongui, Chung Myung stood next to him and compared their heights by drawing an imaginary line over their heads. Voices of agreement flowed from the surroundings.

"Yeah, he's taller now."

"...Is he still growing?"

"Ugh! It seems the heavens haven't abandoned me! I thought I wouldn't grow anymore!"

This guy's body was smaller compared to his past, so it was a bit uncomfortable, but fortunately there seemed to be potential for more growth.

"Oh, right. Did you bring it?"

"Who would refuse such words and not bring it? Of course, I brought it."

"Heh, as expected, there's no one I can trust but you, Danju-nim."

"...It would be good if some sincerity were mixed into those words."

"Hehe. I always speak perfectly sincerely. So, where is it?"

"You seem happier about the item than about me."

"Ah, no way. Is that even possible? I just want to check, to check."

At that, Hwang Jongui chuckled.

"I placed it in front of the door because it's something difficult to bring inside."

"Oh!"

Before the sentence could finish, Chung Myung, with sparkling eyes, rushed toward the door and swung it wide open.

Those who wondered why this guy reacted like this, stared curiously at the item placed in front of the door.

"A pot?"

"What is that?"

The item in front of the door was a solid and sturdy pot. Those who saw it were puzzled. Among those in the room, only members of the Mount Hua Sect knew the identity of the item.

"It's a cold steel pot."

"Cold steel pot? Did you say cold steel?"

"It's a pot made of millennium cold steel. Come to think of it, we stored it in the Eunha Guild."

At this, the eyes of those who were not from the Mount Hua Sect widened.

No, why on earth did they make a pot with such precious millennium cold steel? It's not like money was rotting away or anything.

 "No, this is crazy!"

In particular, Tang Gunak rushed out furiously and touched the cauldron. Then, with a lost expression, he mumbled.

"It's really millennium cold steel... No, last time, the Mount Hua guys had all their weapons made with cold steel... Is there a cold steel deposit in the Mount Hua Sect? Now they're making pots..."

Looking at Tang Gunak, who was mesmerized, Hyun Jong whispered to Chung Myung.

"You didn't tell the Tang Family about this?"

"Come to think of it, I don't think I ever told them. There was no reason to mention it."

"Indeed."

"But why are you so late?"

In response to Chung Myung's question, Hwang Jongui smiled wryly.

"Is that an ordinary item? If the Mount Hua Sect carried it around, there'd be no problem. But if we encountered bandits while moving it, wouldn't it be a big problem? It took some time to arrange the escorting warriors."

"Ah... I didn't think of that. If I knew, I would have sent some idle bandits to bring it."

"...."

Hwang Jongui gave up thinking. The things happening in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had long gone beyond his scope of thought.

"Anyway, thank you for your hard work."

"Hmm."

At that moment, Meng So, who had risen from his seat with a creak, looked at the pot outside the door and burst into laughter.

"Why is that brought here?"

"Because it has its uses."

"Uses?"

"The kids seem a bit weak these days."

"And why is that?!"

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.

"You get illness, you get medicine. Since I've given them illness, now I have to give them medicine."

"....That's not a saying for this situation."

"Ah, no way. I probably know the world of the Central Plains better than the lord. Shouldn't this saying be used in such situations?"

The massive head of the Beast Palace bowed down. Everyone felt sorry for him, but no one dared to defend him. It was already a truth that everyone knew that mixing words with Chung Myung only resulted in a sore mouth.

"But medicine?"

"I had the ingredients, but I forgot to bring the pot. Now that the pot is here, we should feed the kids some medicine."

At that, Hyun Jong admired Chung Myung.

Not that, recently, the members of the sect seemed to be having a hard time, so he had been thinking for a while that he should try to intervene again.

"Well, it's a good idea."

When Hyun Jong nodded, Meng So, who seemed bewildered, urgently asked as he stood up from his seat.

"Wait a minute! Who are you giving what?"

"To the kids, medicine."

"Who to?"

"The kids. Lord, it seems like you've lost your mind too. You can't understand what I'm saying?"

Meng So looked at Chung Myung with a face of disbelief.

"...Are you talking about the Moun Hua Sect's disciples when you say 'kids'?"

"No, I'll give it to everyone here."

At that, Meng So's gaze wavered.

"Even to the Beast Palace?"

"Of course. We brought the most important ingredients from the Beast Palace and the Ice Palace. We can't leave them out. People should have a conscience."

Meng So's mouth tightly closed. After closing his mouth as if pondering for a while, he eventually opened it with a heavy voice.

"...It doesn't make sense."

"What?"

"The value of ingredients and the completed medicine is incomparable. No matter how much we brought the ingredients, no one would think it's a fair deal to receive the medicine in return."

"...."

"However, are you planning to give it without any compensation?"

That was too much.

It was true that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had publicly announced that they would treat the sects and their affiliated factions without discrimination, but no one truly believed that it was possible.

Even Meng So, one of the key figures in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, had not genuinely hoped for such a thing. But now, did Chung Myung really intend to do such an unbelievable thing?

In response to Meng So's bewildered voice, Chung Myung chuckled.

"No compensation? What are you talking about?"

"....Huh?"

A sinister smile appeared on Chung Myung's face.

"If you raise a cow, you have to feed it well to make it work well, and if you ride a horse, you have to feed it carrots to make it go as you command, right?"

"...."

"If that's the case for mere animals, shouldn't people be fed even better to work like cattle or horses?"

"...."

"These days, these kids are already complaining a lot because it's hard. Let's see if they complain even if I shove an elixir into their mouths. If they even have a little conscience, they should roll without complaints. Heeheeheeeheehee!"

Meng So's body trembled. Seeing his expression, Chung Myung nodded as if understanding.

"Don't worry. I'll give one pill each to the Sect Leaders and Elders too."

"Us too?"

"These days, dealing with these kids is tough for you, so how will you handle the kids running wild after taking the elixir? Especially since you're getting older and your energy is less."

"...."

"Even the elders have to eat well to handle lively kids, right? I thought about everything. Thought about everything."

...Such good words. How could the generous offer of giving away such valuable medicine be a bad thing?

However, everyone here was keenly aware that those words could be bad words depending on the situation and who said them.

"Eat well and grow well. If we give them one pill they won't be able to complain for a few months at least!"

As Chung Myung's eyes gleamed more and more, Meng So quietly pull out his buttocks.

"I-I don't think I have to eat...."

"Eat."

"No, it's really okay...."

"Eat."

"...Yes."

A pleased and proud smile spread across Chung Myung's lips as he looked at the pot placed outside the door.

"After feeding the Self-Cultivation Pill, maybe it'll be easier to act a bit more than now? It was already frustrating, and this came at just the right time. Heeheeeheeheehee."

Upon hearing those words, the complexion of everyone turned deathly pale.

Dark, dark clouds were gathering toward the manor where the Heavenly Comrade Alliance stayed.