Chapter 1822. Side Story – Journey Outside (3)

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"Think about it, Sahyung. If we had joined the greatest sect under heaven from the start, we wouldn't have been able to enjoy the satisfaction of raising the sect to that status with our own strength, would we?"

"...."

"In a way, it's actually fortunate that our predecessors failed to completely defeat Mount Hua. Thanks to that, we get to enjoy the glory in our generation."

"Hmm."

Only then did Jin Seokrim pick up the wine cup he had set down earlier. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't entirely wrong.

"Mount Hua is not an easy opponent."

"Of course, Sahyung. Mount Hua is definitely a difficult adversary. To put it bluntly, even just Cheong Mun, who has recently come to be called the Hidden Sword of Tao [장도검(藏道劍)], has gained considerable fame, hasn't he?"

The leisurely movement of the wine cup halted slightly once again. Cheong Mun. Those two syllables made Jin Seokrim's mood sour once more. Yang Gwanjeong quickly continued speaking.

"But once the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is over, that reputation will be completely overturned. Using the excuse of the 'Tao' to sway people may seem impressive now, but once visible results emerge, it will no longer be possible. If Sahyung steps forward personally, the so-called Hidden Sword of Tao will plummet in an instant."

"Your tongue is coated with honey. That's not good."

"Haha, my apologies. I only intended to speak honestly."

Though he said that, Jin Seokrim did not seem particularly displeased. He took a leisurely sip of his drink.

That was precisely his goal. If he could make a name for himself at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, not only would the evaluations of himself and Cheong Mun change, but also the perceptions of Mount Hua and Zhongnan.

If that happened, he would become the first disciple of Zhongnan to completely dominate a disciple of Mount Hua. It was something that no one in his generation had achieved before.

"I will make sure that happens."

Jin Seokrim smiled slightly as he said those words.

"That's a load of bullshit."

"Hmm?" 

Jin Seokrim turned his head in the direction of the voice.

'Did I mishear?'

No, he was certain he heard it. But it wasn't necessarily directed at him. The tavern was filled with noisy chatter from many people drinking together.

It could have just been a conversation among themselves that happened to coincide perfectly with the moment he finished speaking.

Yes, that must be it. Otherwise, who would dare to respond like that to the words of Zhongnan disciples here in Xi'an?

Just as Jin Seokrim was about to turn his head back—

"Hm?"

"What's the matter, Sahyung?"

"Over there."

"...Pardon?"

Jin Seokrim gestured with his chin. Following his gaze, the others narrowed their eyes.

"Mount Hua...."

"When did he get here?"

In a corner of the tavern, on the opposite side of their table, a disciple of Mount Hua sat alone, occupying an entire table while devouring food. Judging by the three or four bottles of liquor rolling around beside him, he had clearly settled in for a full drinking session.

"Do you think he heard us?"

"Hmm."

Unless someone was deliberately eavesdropping, their words wouldn't have been loud enough to be overheard. And even if he did hear, it wouldn't really matter. They weren't saying anything that needed to be hidden. However…

"Look at him."

"Yes?"

"Doesn't he look quite young?"

At those words, Yang Gwanjeong narrowed his eyes and examined the boy stuffing his cheeks full of food.

"Indeed, he does."

"Is he from the Myeong Generation?"

"That's strange. I heard that Mount Hua forbids disciples below the Baek Generation from leaving for Xi'an."

"Well, a sect's rules can always change."

Jin Seokrim smirked as he added.

"But… he certainly doesn't seem like a proper Taoist. Look at him, drinking like that in broad daylight."

At those words, Yang Gwanjeong and the other disciples burst into laughter.

It was indeed an odd sight. A Taoist should at least maintain a dignified appearance in public, but this boy showed no such awareness.

Mount Hua might be known for its relatively free-spirited nature among Taoist sects, but it was still a Taoist sect. Compared to secular factions, it certainly had its own strict discipline.

"Every sect has troublemakers. It looks like this one has sneaked out against his sect's orders."

"That's quite unfortunate."

Yang Gwanjeong sneered.

"What do you think, Sahyung?"

"Hm?"

"After all, we are neighboring sects. Our sect leaders meet frequently and maintain interactions. If a disciple is being unruly, shouldn't we, as an uncle, properly guide them?"

"Guide him, huh…"

Jin Seokrim glanced at the young Taoist before shaking his head.

"Leave him be."

"Then… what?"

Jin Seokrim crossed his arms.

"If he were just a little older, I might have given him a lesson. But what's the point in dealing with a brat? It would only cause unnecessary rumors."

"Ah, I see. That makes sense."

"I'm also someone who has an important competition ahead. I don't want to get caught up in trivial matters and disappoint our elders."

Yang Gwanjeong nodded. He had a point. Jin Seokrim had to be cautious about every little thing right now.

Of course, disciplining that boy wouldn't cause any real trouble, but their elders would certainly have something to say about it.

"He's a lucky one."

"Let him enjoy himself. Soon enough, his own sect elders will teach him a lesson he won't forget."

Jin Seokrim smirked once more.

"But one thing is clear now."

"And what is that?"

"Mount Hua, and that Cheong Mun fellow, aren't all that impressive. I heard Cheong Mun is supposed to be wise, broad-minded, and revered by his fellow disciples like a father figure. But if he can't even keep a mere child in line and lets him run wild here, can he really be such a great leader?"

"Indeed, you make a good point."

"Rumors in this world are always exaggerated. Thinking about it that way, I'm actually grateful. That kid told me the truth."

"Is that so? Hahaha!"

The people sitting around the table burst into laughter.

"This won't do. After such a kind act, we should at least send a bottle of liquor. Hey! Server!"

"Yes, yes! Coming right away!"

The young server, upon being called, hurriedly ran toward them. At that moment—

"Ugh!"

The boy stepped on spilled liquor on the floor, lost his balance, and dropped the tray he was holding as he fell toward their table.

Crash!

The food on the tray scattered everywhere. The disciples of Zhongnan quickly pulled back, their faces twisting in displeasure. However, their expressions soon shifted from irritation to shock.

"Sa, Sahyung..."

Splattered across Jin Seokrim's pristine white robe were numerous red stains from the spilled food.

It wasn't that he failed to dodge the flying food—there was no way someone of Jin Seokrim's skill would be unable to avoid it.

The problem was that, as he was focused on dodging the food, he didn't notice the boy's foot hitting the table leg, which caused food from a nearby plate to jump up and land on him.

Yang Gwanjeong broke into a cold sweat. Every disciple of Zhongnan knew this—Jin Seokrim was obsessed with cleanliness. More precisely, he was fixated on keeping his white clothes spotless.

Jin Seokrim slowly stood up. Then, with an ice-cold gaze, he stared down at the fallen server boy.

"This..."

"I-I'm sorry!"

Realizing his mistake, the boy turned pale and quickly jumped to his feet.

"I-I made such a mess. I'll do something to—"

Panicked, the boy instinctively grabbed a cloth and started wiping Jin Seokrim's robe. But as the damp cloth spread moisture across the fabric, Jin Seokrim's face twisted with anger.

Thud!

"Agh!"

Jin Seokrim kicked the boy away, biting his lip in frustration.

"Call the owner."

"I-I'm so sorry! Sir! I'll compensate for it somehow—"

"Shut your mouth and call the owner! How could someone like you take responsibility for this?"

"But if I get fired—! Please, just this once…"

The boy, now desperate, grabbed onto Jin Seokrim's pants with his dirty hands. Disgusted, Jin Seokrim recoiled and moved to kick him away again.

And then—

"Geez, you're making such a big fuss. You even look downright unlucky."

Jin Seokrim's foot, raised in midair, froze in place.

Slowly lowering his foot, he turned his head toward the voice.

"…What did you just say?"

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

The man who had spoken didn't answer. Instead, he tilted back his bottle, chugged down his drink, then pulled the bottle from his lips with a loud pop.

"Keeuuuhh."

Setting the bottle down with a firm thud, he picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks, tossed it into his mouth, chewed lazily, and spoke.

"I just came here to enjoy a drink, so why don't you stop ruining the mood?"

"…What?"

Jin Seokrim's face hardened.

By now, even the other guests, sensing the tension, were cautiously getting up from their seats. But Jin Seokrim didn't even register their movements.

"Are you a disciple of Mount Hua?"

"Do I look like Shaolin? Use your eyes."

Jin Seokrim smirked.

"So, I take it that a Mount Hua brat is picking a fight with me?"

"Huh? Does that count as me picking a fight?"

"Are you saying it's not?"

Leaning back comfortably in his chair, Cheong Myeong sneered.

"Think whatever you want."

"What....?"

"And what if I am picking a fight?"

Jin Seokrim looked at him in disbelief. What was this tiny rat even thinking, acting so cocky?

"Hah… Hahaha."

Though he laughed, his expression slowly drained of emotion.

"Did Mount Hua never teach you proper manners?"

"Huh?"

"Or do you think you can act like this because you have Mount Hua behind you? You assume I won't do anything to you?"

"Behind me?"

Cheong Myeong casually glanced over his shoulder.

"There's nothing there, though?"

"..."

"You keep babbling about backing and support. People really do think everyone's as weak as they are."

Jin Seokrim's eyes twitched in irritation. At this point, words were pointless.

"If you talk so big, then you should have the courage to fight me."

Cheong Myeong stood up as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Haha, a fight? Well, I do love a good—"

Just as he was about to rise fully, he suddenly paused.

Something seemed to dawn on him, and after fidgeting uncomfortably for a moment, he let out a groan and sat back down.

"What's wrong? Getting scared now?"

Cheong Myeong let out a long sigh, deep enough to shake the earth.

"I mean… the situation is what it is, you know? With all the trouble I've already caused, I'll have to listen to a week's worth of nagging when I get back… If I stir up even more trouble here, I might as well go deaf to avoid the scolding."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Forget it. No point explaining. I'll let it slide today, so just leave. Consider yourself lucky."

With that, he turned away as if he had already lost interest and casually resumed eating.

[Tl note: guhh, 3 chapter in one sitting... my bacckkk. I've been sitting for more than 5 hours lmao]