Chapter 181: Did You Get Drunk?
The journey from Gamri Prefecture to Mount Wudang was too much for children to handle. So, the group decided to rent a carriage for travel.
First, they gave appropriate compensation to the innkeeper who had lent them the inn, then returned to the village to meet each child’s parents one by one and explained the situation.
Upon hearing the name 'Wudang Sect,' everyone clapped and nodded without a second of hesitation.
Though they were glad no trouble arose, separating the children from their parents left the group with a strangely unpleasant aftertaste.
The process of renting the carriage and meeting the parents was handled smoothly under Lee Seowon’s lead.
Once a decision was made, it was the Chief Steward’s role to see it through.
Thus, the carriage, filled with the children and the herbal decoctions personally brewed by the Divine Physician, rolled leisurely along the mountain path.
After repeatedly saying that there was nothing to worry about if it was the Wudang Sect, the Divine Physician quietly left. His destination seemed undecided, but surely, it would be somewhere in need of healing.
Because the children were still not fully recovered, the carriage moved as slowly as possible.
Everyone except the children and Lee Seowon were martial artists with a decent level of training, so they ran leisurely beside the carriage.
While Hyeon-un and Jin Seong-un remained quiet, lost in thought about the children—
Baek Sang and Baek Seol nudged each other with their elbows, seemingly urging the other to speak.
Eventually, when Baek Sang shot a stern senior gaze, Baek Seol wilted and looked toward Seo Yu-gyeom.
"What are you staring at?"
"..."
Baek Seol parted her lips, then cautiously asked,
"I happened to overhear earlier... but did you really reach the Peak Master Level?"
The 'happened to overhear' she mentioned, as always, referred to the incident where Seo Yu-gyeom had crushed Seomun Ak with his sheer level.
Seo Yu-gyeom grinned like he had been waiting for this question. He didn’t answer directly, but the grin alone was enough.
Baek Sang and Baek Seol’s eyes widened. They were peers of Seo Yu-gyeom. In truth, even reaching the middle stage of Master Level was enough to be counted among the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes in this era.
In fact, Tang So-yeon of the Tang Clan had been dubbed the Poison Phoenix when she reached the mid-Master Level.
"H-How?"
"The flow guided me."
That was all Seo Yu-gyeom offered.
He couldn't very well say that he nearly got his head ripped off by a veteran user of Ice Arts and, in a twist of fate, used that opponent as a human spiritual medicine to break through.
His vague wording created a mysterious air.
Baek Sang and Baek Seol burst into simultaneous awe, eyes gleaming with admiration and competitive spirit.
Farther behind, Seomun Ak, who had been running along, found the situation deeply unpleasant.
So he said:
"I’m not far behind."
Baek Sang, Baek Seol, Seo Yu-gyeom, and even Jin Seong-un all looked at Seomun Ak briefly, then turned their heads away.
Seomun Ak cleared his throat awkwardly. It would’ve been less embarrassing if someone had at least contradicted him.
As they continued on for quite a while—
Lee Seowon poked his head out of the carriage and cautiously glanced at Hyeon-un.
Lee Seowon found Hyeon-un intimidating. In truth, it was stranger how Jin Seong-un could treat someone at the level of a Wudang Elder so casually.
"Child, if you have something to say, speak."
Bothered by the glance, Hyeon-un turned and addressed him.
With his flowing white beard fluttering in the breeze and his profoundly mystical tone, Hyeon-un had an air of a Taoist master, which made Lee Seowon hesitate.
Then Hyeon-un continued,
"You wish to ask about martial arts, don’t you?"
"How did you know?"
"What else would you have to say to me? It seems you haven’t trained long in martial arts."
Lee Seowon nodded slightly and voiced his concern.
He understood martial arts theory perfectly. He had formed a dantian quickly and had been diligently accumulating internal energy ever since that day.
"Let me see."
Hyeon-un gently grasped Lee Seowon’s wrist and infused his qi. Matching the carriage’s pace perfectly while using his energy with such delicacy left Lee Seowon quietly impressed.
After examining him briefly, Hyeon-un furrowed his brows and said,
"Your internal energy is plentiful for your training time. The purity is also comparable to most sects’ internal arts."
"But my body can’t even swing a sword properly. Why is that...?"
"That is strange. From what you’ve said, your insight is definitely above average. Your body isn’t bad either. It may be a bit feeble compared to seasoned martial artists, but not to the extent that you shouldn’t be able to wield a sword."
Replaying what Lee Seowon had said, Hyeon-un suddenly asked,
"You said you could see the Black Path guy’s sword technique?"
"Yes. Not only could I see it, but I could clearly picture how to respond."
"Yet your body didn’t move at all?"
"...Yes."
Lee Seowon looked bitter.
He was furious at how the Black Path scum had abused the children. And yet, one swing of the enemy’s blade had left him frozen. How could his pride not be hurt?
After all, he was a man.
"That is the strangest part."
Saying that, Hyeon-un suddenly leapt onto the carriage and began inspecting Lee Seowon’s body.
He lifted his limbs, kneaded his shoulders and legs, and even tugged at his cheek for no particular reason.
"Good insight, good instincts. Being able to see and even come up with a counter to the Black Path’s blade is something only someone at Baek Seol’s level could manage."
Apparently curious, Baek Seol peeked into the carriage and asked,
"Elder, doesn’t that make him amazing? He saw something that only comes at higher levels."
"The problem is that he only saw it—his body didn’t move an inch. Every human has a survival instinct. He should have at least flailed or rolled."
"Maybe he was overwhelmed by the enemy’s aura?"
Everyone nodded at Baek Seol’s theory. Lee Seowon was indeed a bit timid.
But Hyeon-un firmly disagreed.
"Then his mind should’ve gone blank too."
"Ah."
They hadn’t considered that.
Now that they heard it, it certainly did seem strange.
Lee Seowon’s scalp tingled. He felt like something was on the verge of surfacing, but it just wouldn’t, leaving him frustrated.
"When we arrive at the Wudang Sect, consult with the Head of Martial Studies. Among all martial scholars I know, he’s one of the best."
A martial scholar was literally a scholar of martial arts.
Advancing martial arts was not solely the domain of martial artists. In fact, in this era, many considered martial scholars’ roles even more crucial.
At that, Lee Seowon’s face lit up. He was someone who valued all fields of study.
From Neo-Confucianism, Yangming studies, classics, history, astronomy, to even Taoism, Buddhism, and medicine—he had dabbled in them all.
He hadn’t been particularly interested in martial studies before, but ever since learning martial arts, he had grown curious.
Thus, with Lee Seowon’s hopeful anticipation, Baek Sang and Baek Seol’s competitive spirit, Seo Yu-gyeom’s pride, and Seomun Ak’s dissatisfaction—all bundled together, the carriage finally arrived at a village by late afternoon.
Because of the children, they couldn’t push ahead too hard, so the group decided to stop and rest in the village.
Seeing armed martial artists escorting a bunch of children, the villagers watched them with deep suspicion.
Small villages were typically wary of outsiders, so this was only natural.
"Renting an inn seems unlikely..."
Jin Seong-un trailed off. With so many children, even securing a single inn wouldn’t be easy.
While everyone looked a bit lost, Lee Seowon confidently stepped up. This was the Chief Steward’s specialty.
"I’ll go speak to the village head. Please wait here for a moment."
Baek Sang and Baek Seol said they would accompany him, just in case, though they left their black carriage behind to ease the villagers’ suspicions.
Roughly a da-kyung later—
The three returned with confident strides. Baek Sang and Baek Seol at Lee Seowon’s sides looked at him with eyes full of admiration.
Lee Seowon spoke with natural composure.
"There was an old manor house that hadn’t been used for a while, so I rented the whole place. A few inns will deliver ingredients by evening."
It was a cleanly handled task.
Everyone nodded in satisfaction, and then Seo Yu-gyeom asked,
"Why not just have them bring cooked food?"
"Because I’ve become someone who can’t eat anything but Chef Seo’s cooking."
"Seriously."
Though Seo Yu-gyeom sounded exasperated, the twitch of his lips suggested he wasn’t too annoyed.
With that, the group headed for the manor.
Because it truly hadn’t been used in ages, the manor needed cleaning before it could house the children.
Jin Seong-un and Seomun Ak took charge of the cleaning, Baek Sang and Baek Seol fetched water from a nearby well, and Seo Yu-gyeom inspected the kitchen hearth.
Even as he cleaned, Jin Seong-un kept sneaking glances at the children. Strangely enough, ever since Choe Jeong-myeong had arrived, the children’s seizures had nearly vanished.
Even the minor symptoms that did arise quickly subsided after drinking the herbal decoction brewed by the Divine Physician.
Choe Jeong-myeong, like a little neighborhood leader, led the children in a swarm around the manor.
With everyone busy working and no one left to play with them, the children eventually headed to Hyeon-un, who was sitting in meditation.
"Jangro-nim."
"..."
Eyes closed, Hyeon-un didn’t budge.
The instincts of a master were a terrifying thing. He sensed that answering here would invite a great deal of trouble.
But Choe Jeong-myeong was no ordinary child. He was now a bonafide junior of the Wudang Sect.
Undeterred by the silence, he pressed on.
"Jangro-nim, will they also learn martial arts when we get to Wudang? Then since I got there first, I’ll be their Senior Brother, right?"
"..."
"But what about those two? They’re taller than me. Is that okay?"
Hyeon-un, who had been patient until now, couldn’t help but interject when the concept of seniority was linked to height.
"...Seniority isn’t determined by height."
"But Jangro-nim, Baek Sang Sasuk is much taller than the other Sasuk-nims."
"What does that have to do with anything, Jeong-myeong."
Hyeon-un regretted looking into the children's sparkling eyes. It was already too late.
From then on, the calls of "Jangro-nim, Jangro-nim" continued—and continued incessantly.
Choe Jeong-myeong, who had recently lost a front tooth while eating rice cakes, had a slightly whistling lisp, which only made Hyeon-un’s ears and mind more chaotic.
Hyeon-un, one of the Seven Masters of Wudang, the White Cloud Sword, who had never faltered in the face of any demonic cultivator’s presence, finally succumbed to the relentless curiosity and mental pressure of the children.
He sprang to his feet and urgently scanned the surroundings. He needed someone to dump these kids on.
Seo Yu-gyeom, Seomun Ak, and even Jin Seong-un were already subtly avoiding his gaze.
Unbothered, Hyeon-un pointed at Baek Sang and Seomun Ak in turn.
"You and you, go spar."
"Huh?"
"Ahem. At your age, it’s only proper to train every chance you get."
Anyone could tell he just wanted to draw the children's attention elsewhere with a sparring match.
Baek Sang and Seomun Ak looked baffled, then met each other’s eyes.
"..."
"..."
They both knew what was happening but had no choice.
As usual for boys their age.
Their eyes lit up with competitive fire as they stared at one another.
As always, Seomun Ak spoke first.
"Tsk, but we’re on our way to Wudang. Shouldn’t we avoid getting hurt?"
"Heh, I’ll hold back enough, so there’s no need to worry."
"I was talking about you. Do I look like the same Seomun Ak as before?"
Baek Sang gently drew his Taiji Sword and smiled warmly, like a kind senior looking down at a promising junior.
That benevolent smile irked Seomun Ak enough that he grinned and wrapped Fist Qi around his knuckles.
Baek Sang also refused to lose—at least not to Seomun Ak—and layered Sword Qi over his Taiji Sword.
‘Huh, it’s clearer than I expected.’
‘When did Seomun get to this level? I should’ve stayed at the inn...'
Both were surprised by the other’s aura, but did their best not to show it.
"Ho, not bad."
"Seomun So-hyeop also seems improved. I’m sincerely glad."
"You’re really gonna get hurt."
"I’ll go easy on you."
Thus continued the exchange of bravado between the two.
Just as the children began to lose interest from the delayed fight—
They heard multiple footsteps outside.
Everyone assumed it was the inn delivering ingredients for dinner.
The door burst open, and constables with clubs stormed in.
"What the?"
Seomun Ak, still wrapped in Fist Qi, stared at them.
Behind the constables, the villagers were packed together. One of them shouted,
"It’s them! These martial artists look like the kidnappers the Daehyeop is looking for!"
Daehyeop? Kidnappers?
Everyone tilted their heads in confusion.
But the constables were nervous.
None of those inside the manor looked like an easy target.
Especially Hyeon-un’s aura was overwhelmingly unapproachable.
Oblivious or indifferent to that, the villagers continued shouting.
"S-Swords! They’ve got swords! What are they trying to do to the kids?!"
Baek Sang quickly sheathed his sword.
As the commotion escalated,
"Everyone stand back!"
A loud and spirited young voice rang through the crowd.
The villagers parted, and a young man stepped forward.
"We don’t know what kind of tricks these demon cultists might pull. I’ll handle this personally."
Sword in hand, the man marched in confidently.
He looked every bit the dashing Taoist. While Baek Sang gave a similar impression, this newcomer had a slightly different aura.
Where Baek Sang resembled a righteous, upright young master of the orthodox sects, this man looked like a finely crafted porcelain piece—with a touch of cheekiness in his features.
A Plum Blossom Headband adorned his forehead. The man slowly scanned the manor before narrowing his eyes.
"Huh? Baek Sang Dojang? Baek Seol Sojeo too. What’s going on here? Seomun So-hyeop..."
His gaze finally landed on the old man watching him with a dour expression.
The young man's eyes went wide.
"Wait, Jangro-nim, did you kidnap the kids?"
"..."
Baek Sang and Baek Seol both grimaced, while Seomun Ak shook his head.
Finally, Hyeon-un replied with a sigh.
"Hwamyeong, are you drunk?"
It wasn’t the kind of question you asked a Taoist, who was supposed to avoid alcohol. But the young man scratched his cheek awkwardly and admitted it.
"Well, maybe a little."
"Aren’t you on a Murim Alliance mission?"
"Yes, I am."
He cheerfully confessed to drinking during an official mission.
This man was Hwamyeong (Hwa Myeong), the second disciple of Mount Hua Sect.
He was the youngest Plum Blossom Sword Master to ever bloom a flower from his blade, currently a Captain of the Murim Alliance, and one of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, known as Dragon Seizer (Chwiryong).