Oh, There…. (4)

“How is it?”

“He’s still out of it, it seems?”

“…….”

Baek Cheon sighed gloomily.

“Oh, how bad?”

“It seems pretty serious.”

“So, in what way?”

Jo Gul shrugged his shoulders and continued.

“Well, it’s something you have to see and feel. For example, yesterday he was guzzling booze on the eaves.”

“That’s always been a thing, isn’t it?”

“The liquor kept flowing out of the bottle. It was running all over the floor.”

Baek Cheon’s face went pale.

The guy obsessed with booze spilling it on the floor? The one who used to raid bandit warehouses and give liquor to commoners while saying, ‘Alcohol isn’t to blame; what’s the harm if commoners drink?’ and who used to keep spirits separate?

“…What on earth am I supposed to compare this to?”

It was so absurd that he couldn’t even come up with an appropriate comparison.

“Is that it?”

“That’s not the serious part, sasuk.”

“Huh?”

“Yesterday during sparring, that jerk hit Chung Myung’s head open.”

Thunk.

Baek Cheon dropped the spoon he was holding.

“You shouldn’t be surprised yet. The important thing is that Jo Gul didn’t bludgeon Chung Myung’s head; Chung Myung took that hit and just walked away.”

“Uh…?”

“He seemed not to even realize he’d been hit.”

Of course. Otherwise Jo Gul wouldn’t be standing here on both feet. What happened before when Baek Cheon executed that incredible thrust and nicked Chung Myung’s side?

‘Did I lie sick for three days then? Four days?’

That petty guy held a grudge and beat Baek Cheon senseless, didn’t he? And now? His head was split open and he just let it go?

“Did he really fall deathly ill or something?”

If not, it’s beyond understanding…

“Right now about half the disciples stop by Jade Heaven Hall after training.”

“Why Jade Heaven Hall?”

“They’re praying to the ancestors to please keep him alive. The atmosphere is extremely ominous.”

“…….”

Baek Cheon blankly nodded.

Did he want to tell them to stop making a fuss? Of course not. Baek Cheon planned to drop by the Jade Heaven Hall and pray once this conversation ended.

“Why on earth is he like that?”

“Who knows.”

Yoon Jong sighed heavily.

“No, there must be some reason, right?”

“…Perhaps believing there’s a reason is just our prejudice that still thinks of Chung Myung as somewhat human. A mountain is a mountain and water is water. Chung Myung is just Chung Myung, isn’t that the Tao?”

“What kind of nonsense is that! Why are you looking for the Tao here?”

“…You look for the Tao in a Taoist sect, of course.”

“Don’t talk rubbish and step aside. sahyung.”

“…….”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul put their heads together and began to worry. Of course, their seriousness wasn’t because Chung Myung’s condition was strange.

It was because whenever that guy slipped into that state, they were certain he’d cause some incident.

“What could it be?”

“…Could it be that a liquor warehouse was robbed?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why? It’s well known he stashes liquor in warehouses here and there. If one of those got raided, he’d definitely act like this, wouldn’t he?”

“Actually, I and the kids have raided some of them before; there were more than just a couple. That wouldn’t be enough to make him like this.”

“…….”

Baek Cheon looked at Jo Gul with a blank face and tilted his head.

“You mean you, with your abilities, found and stole what Chung Myung hid? You really did that yourselves?”

“Well… actually the monk helped too.”

“…….”

Baek Cheon squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Monk Hae Yeon. How far are you going?’

A Shaolin monk stealing liquor.

If they told Beop Jeong, who in the Shaolin has been praying for Hae Yeon’s return, wouldn’t he clutch his head and keel over? Then they wouldn’t have to bother scheming to embarrass him; one blow might do it.

“I told you to keep that as a secret. He’s a very sensitive fellow, isn’t he?”

“A sensitive person stealing liquor?”

“If you rob a good person’s store it’s theft, but if you rob a bad guy’s store you become a righteous thief. In that sense isn’t it the right thing?”

“Uh…?”

Now that he said it….

“No, that’s not the important part. Anyway, you mean it’s not that, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then what on earth is it?”

“Exactly. Ugh.”

Yu Yiseol, who had been watching Jo Gul and Baek Cheon clutch their heads, finally spoke.

“Why are you worrying?”

“Huh? Of course, because we have to find out.”

“Sago knows too. He knows what that bastard does when he gets like this. We can’t just wait for it to happen, can we?”

“It’s not that.”

“Huh?”

“You can just ask him. Go there and ask him yourself.”

“…….”

“Idiots.”

“…….”

“No. No.”

“…….”

“What worry? I’m the kind of person who has no worries as long as it’s not you lot. Okay?”

“…….”

“So stop thinking useless thoughts and if you have time like this, at least train. Can you think of anything else in that idle state? I couldn’t even sleep.”

The usual biting sarcasm, the usual snapping remarks. So it wasn’t particularly special.

The location wasn’t odd either. Some might think being on a roof is strange, but not them. This guy treats the roof like his home.

So having a drinking spread on the roof and being tipsily downing drinks up there was not particularly strange.

Right. Except the drinking companion wasn’t human.

“Kyaaaaah!”

A weasel holding a cup twice the size of its forepaw drained the liquor in one gulp, shook the cup, and set it atop its head.

“What am I even looking at?”

“Is the world really ending?”

“Well, living long enough, you see a weasel drink and put the cup on its head.”

Maybe all of this is just a huge nightmare.

But no matter how much he pinched his cheek, nothing changed. What can you do? If I were mad I could get treatment, but if the world is mad you just have to live with it.

‘Anyway, he doesn’t seem sane, right?’

‘Is that something to say?’

‘Honestly isn’t it ambiguous? Drinking with a beast isn’t something a person should do, but that guy isn’t the kind to be fazed by that.’

‘It’s not the issue of treating animals like people. The problem is that he shares his liquor with the beast.’

‘Ah.’

He was certainly mad.

The normal Chung Myung would have gone crazy saying he’d skin the Baek Ah and make a scarf the moment it dipped a forepaw into the cup.

‘Say something.’

‘What are you going to say to a madman?’

‘You always said that before, didn’t you?’

‘Ah.’

Baek Cheon nodded, as if he’d reached an enlightenment.

“Um… hey, Chung Myung.”

“Hm?”

“Right. You have no worries, correct?”

“…Tell me honestly what you consider a worry?”

“No. No. There’s no need to hear it.”

Even if he heard it, it’d probably be curses.

“Instead, let’s make one promise. You won’t suddenly overturn Mount Hua, burst out of the sect, or go somewhere and crack someone’s skull… none of that, right?”

“What do you take me for, sasuk?”

“You.”

“…….”

A slightly awkward silence passed between the two.

“Anyway, it’s a promise then.”

“Yeah, I said I got it.”

“Then I’ll trust you and go. Really.”

“Go! Please just go!”

“…I really believe you.”

Baek Cheon and the disciples, still unsure, glanced at Chung Myung and finally slunk away.

“Tch. Ridiculous…”

Watching them leave, Chung Myung clicked his tongue and drained his cup.

‘Looks like it showed a bit.’

They’ve gotten a bit sharper lately. I had only been a tad more awkward than usual to hide my true feelings, and they noticed.

“But that was only until a moment ago.”

Yes, I’ll admit it. I was concerned, it’s true. But now it’s settled.

“Why should I have to clean up after that?”

He’s right. It’s not Chung Myung’s fault, is it? Yet they expect him to investigate just because he’s related by blood to Chung Mun?

It’s laughable. It’s four generations removed. By kinship it’s more than sixth cousins. Even if it were Chung Mun alive and not Chung Myung, he’d be distant enough to excuse himself with ‘he’s a bit awkward….’

Moreover, Chung Mun left the family and became a monk. Unless he changed his mind right before dying and returned to secular life, they’re complete strangers now.

And yet they want me to take uncertain information and go all the way to Shandong to look into such matters?

“Say something sensible.”

Chung Myung snorted as he downed another cup.

Am I heartless? Far from it.

What would Chung Mun say if he knew? ‘It’s unfortunate, but I’ve already severed ties with the family. Circumstances changing won’t reattach a broken bond. Don’t worry.’ Yes. He’d definitely say that.

And if Chung Jin heard this? ‘Goodness, what busybodies. Can’t even handle his own sect, running around like a crazed lunatic—why bother with other people’s business? If you have nothing else to do, go teach the kids. Why make work for yourself? Why?’ …Ugh, that’s actually angering.

“I should’ve beaten that bastard more.”

It’s an eternal regret that I couldn’t fix that guy’s manners before he died.

Anyway, the two people he trusted most in life… or rather, past life(?)—their opinions agree.

To be honest, there was temptation, but after conversing with the two spirits dwelling within him, Chung Myung could finally reach a conclusion.

“Yeah. I’m not going. Absolutely not going.”

A serene peace settled over Chung Myung’s face as he found inner peace.

• No matter how much you turn your head and look away, how could there be no tenderness?

Bang!

“…….”

“I’m going to go to Shandong for a bit.”

“…….”

“I’ll be back soon, really. It’s a really simple matter.”

Carrying a pack bigger than his own body, Chung Myung declared boldly.

“Don’t tell anyone else; if you do it’ll get complicated. Just sasuk should know.”

A clear smile spread across Baek Cheon’s mouth.

“Got it?”

Yeah. It’s been a very long time.

Since the last time I thought I wanted to kill someone.