Episode 37: A Sect Even Beggars Wouldn’t Pick Up! (Part 2)

Mount Hua hadn't changed. The wind blowing through the mountains was the same, and the ancient, elegant pavilions remained untouched. The only thing that had changed wasn't Mount Hua itself—it was the people.

Jo Geol: "Huff!"

Jo Geol stripped off his martial uniform. As he grabbed the discarded uniform, sweat dripped down in streams. After strength training since dawn, his entire body was drenched in sweat, and he couldn't endure it without changing his clothes.

Disciple A: "Ah, today's training was really tough."

Disciple B: "Do we really have to push ourselves this hard from dawn? Seriously."

Jo Geol forced a bitter smile as he listened to the complaints. Around him, his fellow disciples were also wringing out their soaked uniforms. Together, they washed their bodies in the icy stream and cleaned their sweat-drenched uniforms.

Jo Geol changed into the fresh clothes he had prepared and neatly packed the washed uniforms.

Jo Geol: "Let's head back up."

Disciple C: "Yes, Senior Brother."

The disciples of Mount Hua picked up their washed uniforms and began ascending the mountain. Watching them from behind, Jo Geol couldn't help but think about how much had changed.

Jo Geol (thought): 'Things have really changed a lot.'

In the past, such a scene would have been unimaginable. The disciples of Mount Hua were part of the sect, but they weren't particularly passionate about martial training. Even the senior disciples like Yoon Jong and Jo Geol were no different.

But now, everyone was voluntarily training from dawn. Though they complained endlessly, none of them rebelled against it.

What could this scene be called?

Jo Geol (thought): 'It really feels like a martial sect now.'

Jo Geol chuckled to himself.

It was only now, looking at the three great disciples of Mount Hua, that he felt they truly resembled martial artists. Did that mean Mount Hua hadn't been a martial sect until now?

Yoon Jong: "Why are you laughing like that?"

Jo Geol turned his head slightly at the voice. Senior Brother Yoon Jong was looking at him while performing light-footed techniques.

Jo Geol: "Ah, Senior Brother... It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I was just thinking that everyone finally looks like proper martial artists now."

Yoon Jong: "Is that so?"

Jo Geol: "It's a bit of a strange thought, though."

Yoon Jong: "No, I was thinking the same thing."

Jo Geol: "Haha..."

Jo Geol couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Until recently, Jo Geol had never imagined himself sweating through training at Mount Hua. He had always completed the training assigned by the White Plum Pavilion, but it was more about fulfilling a quota than putting in real effort.

His goal had been to pass the time and then return home. No, it wasn't just him—it had been the goal of everyone else too.

So how could there have been any passion?

But lately, he felt something was changing. Not only that, but the expressions in the eyes of his fellow disciples had also changed significantly.

Jo Geol (thought): 'It's all because of that guy.'

Jo Geol's face twisted slightly as he thought of Chung Myung.

Chung Myung was changing Mount Hua. Right now, it might just be a small breeze, but whether this breeze would remain a gentle wind or turn into a massive typhoon that would shake all of Mount Hua was something no one could predict yet.

But in the future, the effects would undoubtedly show.

As Jo Geol ran up the mountain and entered the gates of Mount Hua, he straightened his shoulders. A sense of pride swelled in his chest.

But that pride was quickly shattered.

Worker A: "Hey! You can't grab that!"

Worker B: "Move! Move! Push all the materials inside first, then we'll start! Are you deaf?"

Worker C: "You! If that breaks, you won't get paid for a month! It was hard enough getting all this up here, what are you doing?"

Jo Geol stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him. It was chaotic and disorganized beyond belief.

Jo Geol (thought): "..."

His gaze shifted from left to right.

Jo Geol (thought): 'Who are these people?'

Strangers he had never seen before were bustling around the gates. They were all holding unfamiliar tools and materials.

Worker D: "Over there. No, not there! That way!"

At least there was one familiar face. Un Am was standing among the crowd, urgently giving instructions.

Jo Geol: "...Senior Brother?"

Yoon Jong, noticing Jo Geol's gaze, walked toward Un Am with a blank expression.

Yoon Jong: "Senior Uncle."

Un Am: "Hm? Yoon Jong, is that you?"

Yoon Jong: "What's going on here?"

Un Am: "Ah."

Un Am smiled brightly.

Normally, he wouldn't have bothered explaining to a mere third-generation disciple like Yoon Jong, but Un Am was in a very good mood today. So, he didn't mind explaining.

Un Am: "They're workers."

Yoon Jong: "Workers?"

Un Am: "Yes. As you know, many of the pavilions are quite old, aren't they?"

Yoon Jong: "That's true."

"Old" was an understatement.

They were so dilapidated that even a strong wind could cause something to break or collapse. The areas where the disciples lived and trained had been barely maintained, but most of the pavilions had been left to decay due to a lack of manpower.

Un Am: "We're planning to do a major renovation this time. We'll even rebuild the gates."

Yoon Jong: "Huh?"

Un Am: "Don't just stand there. Go help carry the materials. The workers went through a lot to bring everything up here. We can cut down trees nearby for most of the wood, but some materials aren't available locally."

Yoon Jong: "Huh?"

Un Am: "Hurry up and move! Quickly!"

Jo Geol stared blankly at Un Am, who was smiling and shouting.

Perhaps change was coming faster than he had thought.

Jo Geol: "What's going on?"

Jo Geol looked at the dining table with bewildered eyes.

After carrying the materials, he was starving, but when he saw the food laid out on the table, his hunger was overshadowed by sheer disbelief.

Disciple D: "What is this?"

Disciple E: "...Am I dreaming?"

Disciple F: "No matter how I look at it, this seems to be that thing called 'meat,' right?"

The reactions of the other senior disciples were similar. Their eyes were fixed on the table.

Something extraordinary had happened on the dining table.

Meat had been served.

Disciple G: "How can such an outrageous thing happen?"

Disciple H: "The corpse of a living being, killed and butchered, is now on the sacred table of a Taoist sect!"

Disciple I: "What a windfall!"

Jo Geol: "..."

Jo Geol let out a hollow laugh.

Mount Hua didn't strictly prohibit the consumption of meat.

While the Quanzhen tradition, from which Mount Hua descended, advocated vegetarianism and forbade meat, Mount Hua had changed significantly over the generations. They encouraged vegetarianism but didn't outright forbid meat.

However, not forbidding it didn't mean they served meat on the dining table.

Even after years of joining Mount Hua, this was the first time Jo Geol had seen meat served on the sect's dining table.

Disciple J: "Is it okay to eat this?"

Disciple K: "It seems like it's been served for us to eat, right?"

Everyone glanced at Yoon Jong, gauging his reaction. With the elders absent, Yoon Jong was the decision-maker.

Yoon Jong: "Let's eat for now. It'll get cold."

Disciples: "Yes."

Jo Geol sat down at the table but suddenly felt a sharp gaze. He looked up to see all the senior disciples staring at him... no, more accurately, at Yoon Jong sitting next to him.

Realizing their intent, Yoon Jong picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of meat. The moment the meat entered Yoon Jong's mouth—

Disciples: Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

Chopsticks flew toward the dishes from all directions!

Some even used their martial techniques to snatch the meat. Jo Geol almost laughed at the sight, but his body was more honest than his mind. His chopsticks also shot toward the dishes like lightning.

Disciple L (thought): 'If I'm late, I won't get any!'

Disciple M (thought): 'Move! That's my meat!'

Disciple N (thought): 'Meat! Meat!'

Yoon Jong closed his eyes tightly as pieces of meat flew in all directions.

Yoon Jong (thought): Mount Hua.

His Mount Hua was changing in a strange way.

Disciple O: "Well, you live long enough, and you'll see everything."

Disciple P: "That's true."

Disciple Q: "First, they suddenly start renovations, then meat appears on the table. And today, we even received two new sets of uniforms."

Disciple R: "That's right."

Yoon Jong narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought. Jo Geol, noticing his expression, asked,

Jo Geol: "What are you thinking about?"

Yoon Jong: "That money is a wonderful thing."

Jo Geol: "Haha."

Jo Geol couldn't help but laugh.

It felt strange hearing such words from Yoon Jong, of all people.

But then again, the same could be said for everything else.

Jo Geol: "Even though we've come into some money, I never expected the elders to make changes so quickly."

Yoon Jong: "Did you think they enjoyed seeing their disciples struggle in poverty? They just didn't have a choice before."

That was true.

It wasn't that meat was forbidden by the sect's rules. It was just too expensive.

Yoon Jong: "We couldn't do things because we lacked money. Now that we have it, we're doing them. What's so strange about that?"

Jo Geol nodded.

Jo Geol: "...Did you see how Senior Uncle Un Am couldn't stop smiling?"

That's right.

He did.

Jo Geol swore he had never seen Un Am smile so brightly before. He had even wondered if Un Am knew how to smile.

And now, that man was grinning from ear to ear!

One thing was certain: Mount Hua was now on the path of change.

Jo Geol: "Senior Brother."

Yoon Jong: "Hm?"

Jo Geol: "What do you think will happen now?"

It was a vague question, but Yoon Jong understood what Jo Geol meant.

Yoon Jong: "You already know, don't you? Mount Hua is changing rapidly."

Jo Geol: "Yes."

Yoon Jong: "So, we need to be prepared."

Jo Geol: "Prepared..."

Yoon Jong: "It's not just about money. Did you see that chest?"

Jo Geol: "Yes. There were secret manuals inside."

The scene of the sect leader mentioning martial techniques and then collapsing was still vivid in his mind.

Yoon Jong: "Mount Hua is changing. And it will continue to change. We can't avoid it. So, we must strengthen our resolve and work hard. Then, we might see something different from what we expected."

Jo Geol nodded.

Jo Geol (thought): 'Is this all because of that guy?'

Jo Geol couldn't shake the suspicion that all of this had started with Chung Myung's recent antics. Just thinking about his blatant acting made Jo Geol's brow furrow.

Jo Geol: "What did he do?"

Yoon Jong: "How should I know?"

Though the subject wasn't specified, it was clear who Yoon Jong was referring to.

Yoon Jong: "What's certain is that he's not someone we can predict. We need to stay sharp. With half-hearted resolve, we might get swept away by the storm he's creating."

Jo Geol: "Don't worry, Senior Brother. It's me, Jo Geol."

Yoon Jong: "Right. That's true."

Yoon Jong laughed and headed toward the White Plum Pavilion. As Jo Geol quietly followed, a different thought lingered in his mind.

Jo Geol (thought): 'He's someone we can't predict.'

Jo Geol's thoughts were slightly different.

Perhaps Chung Myung was someone even the elders and the sect leader couldn't handle. Maybe.

Jo Geol: "By the way."

Yoon Jong: "Hm?"

Jo Geol: "Where is that guy? I haven't seen him since morning."

Yoon Jong: "Didn't you hear? The sect leader summoned him today. He's probably at the sect leader's residence by now."

Jo Geol: "The sect leader? Why would the sect leader summon him again?"

Yoon Jong: "How should I know?"

Yoon Jong shrugged, and Jo Geol let out a low sigh.

Jo Geol (thought): 'This is really driving me crazy.'