“Uh, don’t you know Mount Hua sect from Shaanxi?”
“No.”
“You’ve never even heard of it?”
“I told you, no.”
“W-well, we even won the World Martial Arts Tournament, you know?”
“What? What tournament? What’s that?”
“Th-This can’t be.”
Baek Cheon’s hand trembled.
That’s strange. Merchants who stop by Mount Hua or people met in Hwa-Um village all said Mount Hua’s fame is shaking the murim world these days—so why doesn’t he know? Is this guy uninterested in the world?
“Do you perhaps not know what the murim world is?”
“I’m not an idiot; why would I not know that?”
“Then, do you know Shaolin? Wudang?”
At that, Seok Han-Bin looked at Baek Cheon with a face of incredulity.
“Of course I know. Shaolin and Wudang. Who doesn’t know that?”
“Then Mount Hua? Mount Hua?”
“Bankrupt?”
“Not bankrupt, Mount Hua!”
Baek Cheon shouted back, but the disciples in the back nodded as if convinced.
“It did go bankrupt once.”
“Yeah. It was totally ruined.”
“It’s only been doing well for a short while.”
“You guys shut up… please.”
Baek Cheon tore at his hair in disbelief. But Seok Han-Bin remained utterly indifferent.
“I told you I’ve never heard of it. What nonsense is this?”
“Why, why don’t you know? It’s one thing to know Wudang but not Mount Hua! Does that make sense? Then the Southern Edge Sect? Do you know Southern Edge Sect…”
“Sasuk, please stop…”
“This is embarrassing.”
“Why are you ganging up on the kid like this?”
“I’m feeling a bit ashamed now.”
The shame always fell on them.
“…Fine. Let’s say such a place exists.”
After Baek Cheon’s long-winded explanation, Seok Han-Bin nodded. It was more out of annoyance than understanding, but Baek Cheon decided to be satisfied for now.
“Alright. Thanks for acknowledging it.”
“I still don’t really believe it, though.”
“…”
Baek Cheon wiped the moisture from his eyes.
“Calm down, sasuk.”
“Why wouldn’t he know? Isn’t it normal to know?”
“Actually, not knowing is the normal case.”
No matter how Mount Hua has been gaining renown lately, every sect is based on the region where its headquarter sits.
How would commoners in Shandong know of a sect in Shaanxi on the other side of the Central Plains, especially one that only recently rose to fame?
If they had at least been fellow martial artists, they might pay attention to shifts in the martial world, but for commoners like Seok Han-Bin, it was less useful than hearing that the neighbor’s dog had puppies.
“So? What business do the revered masters of that great sect have with someone like me?”
“Uh, well…”
Baek Cheon turned his head to look at Chung Myung. It was now Chung Myung’s turn to step forward.
Chung Myung nodded as if he understood and stepped forward.
“You.”
When Chung Myung suddenly popped forward, Seok Han-Bin flinched slightly. He had some backbone from the alleys; others looked easier, but this one felt uncomfortable somehow.
“Your name is Seok Han-Bin?”
“How do you know that…”
“Is that right?”
Seok Han-Bin furrowed his brow. He didn’t know the intention behind the question, but one thing became clear: they had come knowing exactly who he was.
“Did loan sharks send you?”
“I told you it’s Mount Hua sect!”
Baek Cheon snapped and intervened, and the disciples turned to him with sour looks.
“Someone take sasuk and gag him.”
“No! You guys should be ashamed too! Hey! Mount Hua! How can you not know Mount Hua! You know Southern Edge… ugh!”
As Baek Cheon was pulled aside, Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
“Sorry. He doesn’t usually do that; he loses his mind every now and then.”
“…”
One more thing was certain: these people were not entirely sane.
“I don’t know about loan sharks or whatever. The important thing is whether you’re Seok Han-Bin.”
“Why does that matter?”
“Hmm. Right, maybe that’s not particularly important either.”
“Huh?”
“I should have asked it this way. What’s important is whether you are…”
Chung Myung crooked the corner of his mouth slightly.
“…Yu Han-Bin, probably.”
In that instant, Seok Han-Bin’s face stiffened. He seemed to realize it himself and soon relaxed his expression, but none of those present failed to notice the change.
“What are you talking about? Yu Han-Bin? I’m a Seok.”
“No. You’d be a Yu, probably. The Yu family of Shandong.”
“The Yu family of Shandong? Where’s that?”
Seok Han-Bin quickly tried to protest, but the men before him were no longer listening.
“This kid is a descendant of the Yu family of Shandong?”
“What, did you come all the way here because of that thing mentioned last time?”
“Does that make sense? What connection would the Yu family of Shandong have with Chung Myung?”
“Then could it actually be true?”
Everyone looked at Chung Myung in surprise, but he kept his eyes on Seok Han-Bin.
“Don’t worry. We didn’t come with malice.”
“…What did you say?”
“Yu Ja-kyung.”
“…”
“That’s the name of your great-great-grandfather or ancestor. He was a Sect leader of Mount Hua.”
“Ah.”
At Chung Myung’s words, Hae Yeon nodded in understanding. So the tie could not be said to be non-existent.
“So that’s why.”
Hae Yeon looked to Mount Hua’s disciples to confirm the fact.
But none of Mount Hua’s disciples showed any memory; they all wore expressions of bewilderment like, ‘Huh? That happened? I’ve never heard of it.’ They exchanged glances and quickly huddled together, whispering.
“Sasuk, have you ever heard of this? Among the former Sect leaders, was there one with the Yu surname using the character ‘Ja-kyung’?”
“W-well. Of course I’ve heard of it.”
“How many generations back is that?”
“…The weather’s a bit chilly today.”
Hae Yeon squeezed his eyes shut. He had to learn by now that expecting anything from these guys only led to deeper disappointment.
Despite the other disciples’ nonsense, Chung Myung did not take his eyes off Seok Han-Bin.
“So Mount Hua and the Yu family of Shandong are not unrelated. We came this far because we heard there might still be descendants of the Yu family left.”
Chung Myung looked at Seok Han-Bin, as if urging him to say something.
But instead of answering, Seok Han-Bin let out a low scoff.
“So what?”
“…Huh?”
“Of course I don’t know if I’m of the Yu family of Shandong or whatever, but even if I were a descendant…”
Seok Han-Bin looked at Chung Myung with a cold, mocking gaze.
“What does it matter to me if some ancestor I don’t even know was your Sect leader?”
“Huh?”
“Why? Did you think I’d cry with gratitude if you came saying something about the Yoo family of Shandong?”
Seok Han-Bin snorted with derisive laughter.
“I don’t know what you planned to do by finding a descendant of that Yu family, but I’m not that kind of person, so stop daydreaming and go home.”
“…”
“Even if I were a descendant, it wouldn’t be something to welcome.”
Seok Han-Bin jumped up from his seat and walked out without another word.
“Hey!”
Tang Soso started to grab Seok Han-Bin but stopped and shook her head. She realized she had neither the justification nor the authority to hold him.
Tang Soso watched the door Seok Han-Bin had gone through with an expression full of regret.
“Are you worried because it’s late and he’s going out alone?”
“No. It’s not that… I’m worried he’ll go somewhere and scam someone again.”
“…”
This one can also be terrifyingly cold sometimes.
“Besides.”
Yoon Jong, shaking his head, touched his chin and asked Chung Myung.
“First, let’s confirm. Is it true that one of our former Sect leaders had ties to the Yu family of Shandong?”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung nodded as if it were nothing to hide. If properly researched, Mount Hua would have records, so there was nothing to conceal.
“That child being of the Yu family of Shandong… no, there’s no need to ask.”
They had seen his reaction with their own eyes. Seok Han-Bin tried to put on an attitude, but he couldn’t completely hide his embarrassment.
“The Yu family of Shandong…”
Yoon Jong made a subtly peculiar expression and asked.
“Chung Myung, I’m asking just in case… no, right?”
“If you’re going to talk nonsense, just lie down and sleep.”
“Yeah. I thought so.”
Still, the idea that Chung Myung was from the Yu family of Shandong was too far-fetched. If that were true, he wouldn’t have just watched his family fall into ruin like that.
“So what are you planning to do now?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, what’s the exact reason you came all this way to find that kid?”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“It’s not so much a reason as wanting to confirm whether descendants of the Yu family really remain.”
“Hmm.”
Yoon Jong quietly studied Chung Myung’s expression.
It seemed to mean he hadn’t decided what to do yet.
“I should ask again. So what now?”
“Well.”
Chung Myung was inwardly conflicted as well.
He had intended only to confirm whether the line continued, but seeing this kid—practically an orphan—living like this twisted his gut.
Above all, the biggest problem was…
“Ha, why does he look like that?”
“Huh? Why pick on his face all of a sudden? He looked fine to me.”
“Exactly.”
“Ugh. I should keep my mouth shut.”
Chung Myung sighed deeply. After seeing undeniable proof that sahyung’s blood continued before him, he couldn’t just walk away so easily.
What choice did he have?
“First, we need to do something about that kid.”
“Hmm. Take him to Mount Hua?”
“Huh? Take him?”
At Chung Myung’s words, Baek Cheon asked in puzzlement.
“Aren’t you worried about that child’s safety living alone? If you take him to Mount Hua and accept him as a disciple, that problem’s solved.”
“Oh, right?”
“He seems to have potential in martial aptitude, right?”
“His physique isn’t bad. He’s a bit small for his age, but that’s not really an issue.”
“He talks back sharply—there’s some spirit there.”
“He scams adults sometimes—he’s clever.”
Mount Hua’s disciples spoke matter-of-factly. The only one taken aback by this was Hae Yeon.
“Ah, Amitabha. Benefactors, taking him as a disciple? How could you accept a child like that as a disciple? Didn’t you see his behavior during the day?”
“Ah, that? That’s fine.”
“…Excuse me?”
Mount Hua’s disciples all nodded in unison.
“There’s no cure like the cane.”
“First beat him; if he doesn’t listen, beat him again; if he still doesn’t listen, keep beating him until he does.”
“Just a little beating. Compared to old Jo Gul, that’s nothing.”
“No, why am I being mentioned here again?”
“…”
Hae Yeon was left speechless.
But somehow, he was convinced. After all, compared to Mount Hua, even bandits might look better…
“What should we do? Should we grab him and drag him to Mount Hua?”
When Baek Cheon asked, Chung Myung made a pondering sound and then shook his head.
“We can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“He seems to be the only remaining descendant; you can’t turn the last one into a taoist priest.”
“Ah.”
Baek Cheon, realizing it, agreed but then tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Wait. No, Mount Hua doesn’t forbid disciples from marrying.”
“That doesn’t help.”
“It doesn’t? It’s about the continuation of the family line.”
“Sasuk. Mount Hua was destroyed; if Mount Hua disciples are just living in some corner farming, can you really say Mount Hua’s lineage continues?”
“…That’s not it.”
Chung Myung nodded with an exasperated expression.
“In any case, even if a scion of a noble family becomes a Taoist and has children, that doesn’t necessarily continue the family line. Above all, we can’t make that decision for him.”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
Unless he wants it himself. You can’t drag someone who doesn’t want it and make him a Taoist—especially in this case.
“Then what do you propose?”
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung rubbed his lip and suddenly twisted it sharply.
Seeing his twisted lips, Mount Hua’s disciples unconsciously hunched their shoulders.
“Well, the conclusion is obvious.”
“Huh?”
“Whether he becomes a Taoist, a scion of a noble family, or rises to an official post—that’s a question for later.”
“…”
“For now…”
Chung Myung ground his teeth.
“First, let’s make a proper human being out of him.”
Sahyung would probably wish for that fervently too.
Not true? Oh dear, the person who died a hundred years ago can’t hear anyway. Ha ha ha ha.
But unfortunately, the objection didn’t come from the heavens but right beside them.
“‘Make a human being.’ That’s a good phrase. However…”
“Huh?”
“That also requires at least enough money to buy breakfast for tomorrow, doesn’t it?”
“…”
Hearing Hae Yeon’s words, Baek Cheon took out his empty purse again and shook it with a sorrowful expression.
Chung Myung covered his face with his hands.
“I can’t do this. Really.”
There wasn’t just one person to mold into a proper human being.