Chapter 1240: Who Came? (Part 5)

Slosh, slosh, slosh.

A glass was filled with liquor.

An intoxicated voice reached the ears of Yugong, who was staring at the cup that might overflow at any moment.

"Aren't you drinking?"

"⋯⋯."

Yugong lifted his head, and instead of responding to the smiling Chung Myung, he brought the filled cup to his lips and downed it in one gulp.

"Oh. Good drinker, huh? Nice."

A burning sensation, as if his throat were on fire, could be felt. But Yugong didn't bat an eyelash and drained the cup of its contents.

Thud.

Then, he cleanly placed the emptied cup down.

"Well, let's have another drink."

Chung Myung poured liquor into the cup with a laugh. Yugong, simply watching Chung Myung pouring, didn't say anything.

There were so many things he wanted to ask.

So many things he wanted to say.

But by now, he had long become a person who spoke not what he wanted to say, but what he had to say.

Lifting the cup full of liquor lightly, Yugong pretended to glance around before opening his mouth.

"I was surprised."

"Hmm?"

When Chung Myung slightly tilted his head, Yugong smiled slightly.

"I don't know if you know, but generally, we people from Southern Island don't have favorable feelings towards mainlanders."

"Oh?"

"Of course, to others, it might sound a bit strange. Southern Island is undeniably a prominent member of the Ten Great Sects, but the years we've spent being treated as lowly islanders haven't been erased, despite its high reputation."

Chung Myung silently looked at Yugong.

"And... with the signing of the Gangnam Non-Aggression Treaty, those sentiments have become even stronger."

Yugong chuckled.

"Even if they didn't say it out loud, everyone must have been thinking about it in their hearts. If we were not islanders but mainlanders, and if we were a sect isolated by the Gangnam Non-Aggression Treaty other than Southern Island, I wonder if we would have been so thoroughly ignored. But then..."

Yugong glanced at the scattered figures around.

"It seems that those who harbor unfavorable feelings towards mainlanders, while drinking and mingling with the strangers who arrived today, have all collapsed like that."

"...."

"While Mount Hwa has a secular-seeming nature as a martial arts sect, it boasts a longer Taoist history than that shaman. Seeing such magic, I can say that's not a wrong statement."

Yugong's eyes scrutinized Chung Myung as if searching for something.

"Actually... Perhaps that's not it. If it's not too impolite, may I ask one thing? Is it Mount Hua's Taoist practices that are exceptional? Or is it the personality of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword that is remarkable?" [idk this part, basically he's asking how CM got Southern Island disciples to loosen up.]

Hearing that, Chung Myung chuckled. And Yugong tried to match that laughter with a smile as much as possible.

Until the next words were heard.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Stop talking nonsense and drink quickly. Three cups. You've had one now."

"⋯⋯."

"Drink."

Yugong cleared his throat and, coughing slightly, brought the cup in his hand to his lips.

And just like the previous cup, he downed the filled cup of liquor in one go.

"If I catch you using your inner strength, I'll make you pay for the expensive alcohol, so know that."

"⋯⋯."

"Now, another drink."

Chung Myung, chuckling, poured alcohol into the empty cup again. The color drained from Yugong's face as he watched the rising alcohol.

Not wanting to be overwhelmed by the momentum, he forced himself to gulp it down, but originally, Southern Island's liquor was not to be downed in these large cups; it was a careful drink from a small cup of a unique liquor that should be savored.

No matter how much he was a martial artist, it was quite burdensome to gulp down such a strong drink while unable to use inner strength.

"Do you want an answer?"

"⋯⋯Yes?"

"Then drink. Three cups, and after that, I'll treat you as an equal."

"⋯⋯."

Upon hearing those words, Yugong stiffened his face slightly, looking at Chung Myung, and began drinking the third cup.

"Oh. You're a good drinker, huh?"

Gulp! Gulp!

Suppressing the sensation of burning in his throat, Yugong forcefully pushed the liquor down, and with a thud, he forcefully separated the cup from his lips.

"Keuh!"

A scream-like exclamation escaped his lips.

With each opening of his mouth, a strong alcohol scent flowed out, and his stomach felt as if it had swallowed lava. The blood throughout his body rushed faster, feeling twice as fast.

"Good."

Chung Myung chuckled and poured liquor into his own cup. Then, with a terrifying speed, he grabbed the cup and gulped it down.

"Kreuugh!"

Taq!

The cup, more like a bowl, made a clear sound as it was placed on the floor.

Chung Myung, wiping his lips with his sleeve, looked at Yugong, who was struggling with the rapidly approaching intoxication.

"So."

"Yes?"

"What did you want to ask?"

"That... um..."

Yugong momentarily hesitated and stumbled over his words. Watching this, Chung Myung chuckled.

"You probably won't remember. Just ask whatever comes out of your mouth, as you're going to spit out whatever you don't care about."

Yugong's face turned red.

Whether it was because of the alcohol or the unavoidable embarrassment.

"Still, I'll give you an answer. I didn't do anything special."

Chung Myung turned his head to look at the scattered individuals.

"I just told them to bring me some liquor, and I just drank. The rest of these guys just helped themselves and ended up like that."

"⋯⋯."

Yugong sighed.

"Even though disciples of Southern Island have a simple side and even take pride in it, they're not foolish enough to behave like that in front of strangers who arrived today. At first glance, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword must have done something."

"Yet, has this gentleman been deceived? I did nothing. That's why."

"Uh-huh. That could be the case."

Yugong nodded quietly.

"However, upon closer inspection, that's more impressive. That even if you haven't done anything, the atmosphere around you has naturally changed⋯⋯."

"Hey."

At Chung Myung's voice interrupting his words, Yugong slightly furrowed his brow.

"I emptied my glass. Another one?"

"I... I think I've had enough."

"Why? Is there something you can't say when you're drunk?"

"..."

"Drink up."

Chung Myung poured more alcohol into Yugong's glass. Yugong looked at Chung Myung and the glass alternately with a complicated expression. Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders when the glass was filled.

"Oh, well. Don't misunderstand. I hate forcing people who don't want to drink. Why force someone who doesn't want to drink precious alcohol? I'm running out of my own to drink, anyway."

"Then..."

"Not drinking is your freedom. But if you're not going to drink, step aside. I'm here to drink, not to chat."

"..."

"What will you do? Do you want a drink, or do you want a conversation?"

At Chung Myung's words, Yugong sighed deeply and grasped the glass. Then, this time, he started drinking the alcohol slowly without rushing. Watching him, Chung Myung smiled slyly.

"Still, we can communicate somewhat."

"Ugh."

Yugong put the glass down. His hand, putting down the glass, was slightly trembling. His face was flushing, and it seemed like he might catch fire at any moment.

"Hey. I told you not to use your inner energy. What a waste of alcohol."

Chung Myung clucked his tongue and, licking his lips with his tongue, started to drink the alcohol in his glass, pouring it down forcefully. When a sip of alcohol whirled in him, Chung Myung continued the conversation.

"Am I impressive?"

Chung Myung smirked.

"You don't understand. I really didn't do anything?"

"..."

"But, you see, that's not something impressive that I did. It's the opposite."

"Really?"

Chung Myung pointed to those who fell with his chin.

"How do they look?"

"...They look disgraceful."

It was an honest feeling. At least that doesn't seem like the appearance of someone who should be seen by the one receiving guests.

Although he had no right to criticize them as someone who was leaving the Southern Island Sect, couldn't he express an opinion?

"Is that so?"

Chung Myung chuckled and poured more alcohol into his own glass. Then, he gave the opposite evaluation to Yugong.

"They look impressive to me."

"..."

Yugong closed his mouth. It wasn't just because he was drunk, but also because it was difficult to understand Chung Myung's words.

"As you said, even if they are young and simple, they wouldn't be such thoughtless guys to get drunk and fall over in front of people who visited Southern Island for the first time."

Yugong stared at him with opened eyes.

"But why does it feel like that? Did I scratch them so skillfully?"

"..."

"No, really. I didn't do anything special. I just went along with the flow that everyone was already following. They were already enduring, pressing themselves to the limit in a situation where they didn't know when something might happen. They were persevering under the pressure that tomorrow could be the last day they live and breathe."

Chung Myung's eyes softened as he looked at those who had collapsed from drinking. The sight of the fallen ones overlapped with scenes he was familiar with.

After finishing a battle and returning, they alcohol excessively, collapsing as if fainting into sleep.

It was a sight of those who felt guilt and relief at not dying alongside those who had perished today desperately drowning their consciousness with alcohol. And it was the fear that tomorrow, they would have to go back to the battlefield once again.

Yeah. It was truly painful.

However, at that time, they were at least people who could fully take responsibility for themselves. But the people here now are still too young compared to those he knew from the past.

So.

"Making it this far is already amazing."

"⋯⋯."

"What breaks the resilience and crumbles it into pieces isn't something grand, but rather a small sense of relief. It's not the relief of not having to endure any longer; it's the trivial relief that, at least for a few moments tonight, maybe several hours, things might be safe."

"⋯⋯."

"All I gave them was that."

As if intending to say something, Yugong parted his lips but soon lowered his head. A sound resembling a moan escaped from Yugong's lips as he kept his head down in silence.

"⋯⋯It wasn't about enduring."

"Hmm?"

"I had nowhere else to go. Nowhere in the world."

Chung Myung raised his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

"⋯⋯Yeah, that."

I know.

I know it painfully.

"So just leave it alone. There are times when a person should let go, even if they know it's not the right thing to do. Tomorrow, when you wake up, you'll regret it with a pounding headache, but sometimes that regret can be the strength to endure tomorrow."

Yugong's gaze fell on the face of the collapsed Guo Hansuo. His face, which had always been as stiff as a rock recently, looked somewhat relaxed for the first time in a while.

Perhaps Chung Myung's words might be right.

What they needed might not be a clear answer or a goal, but simply the freedom to sleep without thinking for just one day.

However...They might be able to do that, but he...

"Drink."

Chung Myung abruptly presented a glass of alcohol in front of Yugong.

"..."

As Yugong stared intently at the glass, Chung Myung spoke with a deep voice.

"Regardless of your position, whatever your circumstances may be."

"⋯⋯."

"Whether you become allies or enemies starting tomorrow, it's the same as everyone else who has endured until now."

"⋯⋯."

"I also have a position, so I can't say everything I want when tomorrow morning comes. So let me say it now."

Chung Myung wore a faint smile on his lips. Then he spoke with a somewhat softer tone, looking at Yugong.

"You did well, little friend."

"⋯⋯."

Yugong's shoulders trembled slightly.

It was a terribly impertinent thing to say. And terribly arrogant.

But strangely, Yugong didn't feel bad at all. No, rather...

"Drink. And pass out. There's no need to worry about the aftermath; that can wait until tomorrow."

Yugong stared at Cheong Myung with blank eyes.

"Not drinking?"

"⋯⋯."

His trembling hands picked up the glass. With both hands holding the glass, Yugong slowly, very slowly began to drink the alcohol in the glass.

"Good."

Chung Myung slowly poured himself a drink into his own glass. Then, as if competing with Yugong, he brought the drink to his lips.

All the previous drinks were for those people, but only this one was entirely for him.

'Everyone.'

The image of Hundred Thousand Mountain flashed in Chung Myung's mind.

'Don't get too attached to it. I'll go there someday too.'

The strong liquor went down his throat.

The memories of the past, which had been creeping up slowly, were washed away by the liquor that Chung Myung forcefully swallowed, sinking deep into the recesses.

However, the smell of alcohol remained, lingering around Chung Myung.

Just like those days of the distant past.