#9: This Really Shouldn’t Be Happening. (4) — Return Of The Mount Hua Sect: Special Side Story

“What is this?”

“Why are we already here?”

“Did I just dream this?”

The disciples of Mount Hua couldn’t help but be bewildered by the sight before them.

“Is this really Henan?”

“I think so, sasuk.”

“No, since when did Henan get this close? Wasn’t it almost at the eastern edge?”

“We definitely are, but…”

It was strange. They hadn’t hurried nor quickened their pace, yet somehow they had arrived in Henan.

“What on earth…”

“Wait, hold on. We need to think differently. Maybe it’s not that we came quickly, perhaps this is how it normally is?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“This time we weren’t hauling that horrifically heavy cart over ice, climbing snow mountains, or breaking through suffocating, damp jungles, right?”

“Ah…”

Everyone nodded as if convinced.

Come to think of it, they had traversed places merchants said were so bad they wouldn’t go there even for money—places those merchants claimed they’d visit the underworld before going there—and yet they treated it as routine.

For those disciples of Mount Hua, traveling on a well-maintained official road was, to exaggerate slightly, no different from being pampered in a luxurious eight-horse carriage.

“Now that you mention it, it was comfortable.”

“We even slept at inns.”

“This is the first time I woke up without a sore back.”

“And we even bought meals. Not just roasted venison scraps.”

“True.”

If someone had overheard them, they might have wondered, ‘Why keep repeating such obvious things?’ But for Mount Hua’s disciples, an inn was where Chung Myung supplied liquor for himself—not a place to sleep or eat.

They slept on the road and foraged their own food. Having lived entirely by their own means, this journey was bound to bewilder them.

“They say good things fly by like an arrow, while bad things drag on slowly.”

“…That saying is spot on.”

The Mount Hua disciples sighed deeply.

“Let’s think positively. Since we arrived sooner than expected, we might have more time to rest here.”

“Indeed.”

“No one at Mount Hua can match sasuk’s wisdom.”

“Hah.”

The Mount Hua disciples—even Yu Yiseol—threw a thumbs-up toward Baek Cheon. Why not? Their leader Baek Cheon’s words were essentially a declaration that they wouldn’t be set to other tasks.

“But first, we have to accomplish why we came here.”

Baek Cheon turned his head to look at Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung, what should we do now?”

“It’s nothing special.”

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.

“We only need to find one person.”

“Hm. A person, huh.”

Baek Cheon nodded with a face that said, ‘That’s nothing.’

“The name is… what was it? Seok Han-Bin?”

“Seok Han-Bin.”

“Not sure. It might even be a made up name.”

“Mm. Yeah, that happens. And?”

“‘And’ what?”

“Huh?”

“That’s it.”

“…Huh?”

Baek Cheon’s head slowly turned. In his line of sight was Chung Myung’s face, eyes bright and attentive.

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“The end?”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon’s pupils trembled.

“Nothing else? Like where he lives?”

“What kind of stupid question is that. I said Henan, didn’t I? That’s why we came here.”

“Ugh…”

Baek Cheon clutched at his chest.

“Hey, you lunatic! What do you think Henan is?! It’s the largest city in Shandong Province. There are enormous numbers of people—how are you going to find someone with only a name? And you said that name might even be fake!”

Chung Myung calmly nodded.

“That’s right.”

“But does it make any sense to try to find someone with just that?”

“So?”

“What? ‘So’? This is how difficult—”

“So I fed you expensive meals and lodged you well.”

“Ah…”

The life drained from the disciples’ faces.

They say you fatten livestock before slaughter… no wonder the meals had been rich.

“Whether it’s easy or hard isn’t the point. The important thing is whether we should do it or not.”

“…”

“Now think carefully. Did I drag you here? I said I would do it alone and you forced yourselves to follow.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

“Then you owe it to the cost of following me. Why else would I drag these baggage lumps all the way here without protest?”

Chung Myung gestured with his chin toward the city spread out before them.

“Find him.”

“…”

“At once.”

The Mount Hua disciples’ spirits left their bodies.

“No, does this even make sense? We might as well go to Luoyang and find the Yi family.”

“I fully agree with that sentiment, but…”

Yoon Jong smiled faintly.

“So what can you do about it?”

“…”

“Just shut up and search.”

“Graaah.”

Jo Gul scratched his head vigorously.

“Ah. Right, right. The Beggars’ Union! Can’t we ask the Beggars’ Union? If it’s their people, they could probably find info like this easily, couldn’t they?”

Upon hearing that, Baek Cheon wore an incredibly pleased expression.

“At last you can use your brain.”

“A tremendous improvement.”

“I’m surprised.”

“These people…”

“But walk before you run, think carefully. Why would the Beggars’ Union help us?”

“What? But aren’t we on good terms with the Beggars’ Union?”

“No. It’s not that we’re on good terms with the Beggars’ Union as a whole, but that we’re on good terms with Branch Leader from Hwa-Um village. To be precise, we have a friendship only with Branch Leader Hong Dae-Kwang.”

Jo Gul tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“How is that different?”

“Uh…”

Where do I even begin explaining this?

“So, the Beggars’ Union is huge, right?”

“Yes. I’ve heard the phrase ‘one hundred thousand Beggars’ Union members’ before.”

“It’s an exaggeration, but it’s true the Beggars’ Union is incomparable in size to other sects. Moreover, their stick-disciples are spread throughout the land.”

“Exactly. There’s no place without beggars.”

Baek Cheon nodded.

“Right. Therefore the Beggars’ Union has characteristics other sects don’t.”

“What are those?”

“Members of the same stick-disciples aren’t friendly with each other.”

“Ah…”

“Worse, it’s not just dislike—frequent power struggles happen between them.”

“What? Within one sect? What nonsense is that? Among sahyung sajaes?”

“It’s not that simple… To put it plainly, the ‘Seven-something’ in Luoyang and the ‘Seven-something’ in Anhui might never see each other’s faces in their whole lives, and that’s not strange.”

“Uh…?”

Jo Gul’s expression became complicated; it sounded absurd, yet it made sense—beggars wouldn’t travel long distances just to see each other.

“Other sects, even if large, aren’t that vast, so members have some acquaintance. But when membership runs into tens of thousands, friendship becomes meaningless.”

“So sasuk means the Beggars’ Union members here only share the name; they aren’t the same Beggars’ Union people we know.”

“Exactly. Now you understand.”

“I get that, but I still don’t understand. Are we on bad terms with the Beggars’ Union?”

“No. Not particularly bad.”

“Then just request their help. The Beggars’ Union doesn’t have to like you to take a job—pay them some money and it’s done.”

“That’s right. That would be true if we weren’t on slightly awkward terms with the Nine Great Sects.”

“Gah. Yes, I understand.”

In short, asking won’t mean the Beggars’ Union will readily handle Mount Hua’s affairs for us.

Shandong is close to Henan. Even beggars here would be mindful of Shaolin, so it’s unlikely they’d act without caution.

“So we really have to search all over Henan.”

“But you know… it might not be as hard as you think.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“I heard he’s a child living alone without parents. No matter how large Henan is, how many such kids would there be? Usually they form groups or stay in beggar dens.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“Since it’s an unusual case, we might find him quicker than expected.”

Jo Gul let out a hollow laugh.

“Why didn’t that brat Chung Myung tell us such important info from the start?”

“Well…”

“Honestly. The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is. That’s far more important than a name that might be fake. Orphans living alone aren’t common.”

“Uh… Jo Gul.”

“Did that bastard deliberately withhold it just to mess with us until we pried it out?”

At that moment, Yoon Jong, who had been silent, quietly spoke.

“A child living alone as an orphan might seem odd to outsiders, but…”

“Yes?”

“To those involved it’s not particularly strange. It’s not that he didn’t tell us—it’s that he probably assumed we’d figure it out.”

“…”

Jo Gul flinched and looked at Yoon Jong, Yu Yiseol, and Hae Yeon. They hadn’t exactly signaled, but…

“Haha. Oh, I see. I mean… no, what I was trying to say was… well, you know…”

Thud.

At that moment, Tang Soso and Baek Cheon put hands on Jo Gul’s shoulder.

“You have a long tongue.”

“Now’s the time to prostrate yourself, sahyung.”

“I’ve committed a capital sin.”

Jo Gul immediately flattened himself on the ground. Seeing that, Hae Yeon shook his head.

“There’s no need for that. What’s there to be ashamed of or pitying about being an orphan? Everyone suffers their own trials in life. I was born an orphan but was fortunately taken in by Shaolin.”

“Oh my…”

“What a sad story.”

“At least he’s an orphan.”

“Ah, Amitabha?”

Hae Yeon tilted his head in embarrassment at the pitying looks directed at him. How had being a Shaolin monk come to be treated like this?

“Anyway, if that’s true, it shouldn’t be too hard to make inquiries.”

“It’s definitely much better than before.”

“Right. Let’s split into pairs to search. Soso will go with the fourth sister, and I’ll move with the monk.”

“Yes, sasuk.”

Hearing Baek Cheon’s orders, Mount Hua’s disciples scattered to make inquiries.

“No matter how you look at it. In this vast city…”

“…You seem to be complaining more these days?”

“Isn’t that right, sahyung?”

Jo Gul muttered as if incredulous.

“Even if it’s unusual, are people that attentive to others? Most wouldn’t even know if there was an orphan next door. The world is harsh, after all.”

“How does someone who’s only lived at Mount Hua know so much about how the world works?”

“Come on. Do you have to experience it to know it?”

“What, are you some sage with a thousand miles of view? Are you Zhuge Liang?”

“Ugh. sahyung!”

Jo Gul slapped his chest in frustration.

“Anyway, you’re so narrow-minded!”

“What, you?”

“This is impossible from the start. If the person could be found by randomly asking anyone, then what would be difficult in this world?”

“Still, for now…”

“No, words won’t do. You have to experience it to understand. Watch this!”

Jo Gul whirled around, grabbed a passerby, and asked.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something for a moment?”

“…What is it?”

“Ah, don’t worry. We’re Taoists. We’re not bad people.”

The woman, hurriedly walking by, flinched at being stopped but relaxed when she saw Jo Gul’s robes. Taoist attire is definitely helpful at times like this.

“What’s the matter?”

“Do you happen to know a child named Seok Han-Bin?”

“Yes?”

“He’s a child living alone without parents—haven’t you heard of him?”

Jo Gul spun around and said to Yoon Jong, ‘See?’

“You see? He doesn’t know.”

“You can’t find out just by asking once…”

“I know.”

“Yes. Of course you don’t know… Huh?”

Jo Gul turned his head dumbfounded.

“You’re talking about Han-Bin who lives alone without parents, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”