Episode 363

“Abbot!”

A Shaolin Elder looked at his Abbot with a stiff face.

“What is it?”

“… wouldn’t it be better to bring Hae Yeon back?”

The Abbot silently brought the teacup to his lips. The scent of the grain flowing from the tea tickled his nose.

“Returning. Right, that wouldn’t be bad.”

“How can you be so carefree? Hae Yeon is such a talented person who should lead Shaolin one day. Such a child isn’t ready for the world, but then he goes off to Mount Hua…!”

“Then, what do I say to bring him back?”

“… Uh?”

The Abbot smiled and looked at the elder,

“Shouldn’t it be said that there where we are, the Buddha doesn’t exist?”

“That…”

The elder went silent, and the Abbot softly said,

“Buddha is everywhere and not at the same time. Buddha isn’t found just within sutras. Wherever people live, Buddha exists there. Isn’t this a core tenant of Shaolin belief?”

This wasn’t something that could be refused. The elder sighed and said,

“Right.”

“It was Shaolin who taught Hae Yeon that path. Then how can we say that Shaolin will deny its own teaching?”

“… but Abbot.”

The Abbot shook his head,

“So obsessive.”

“…”

And he lightly changed his way of talking.

“Hae Yeon is not a child that anyone can teach. The blessed one is self-reliant, not needing any instruction. The Bodhidharma created his own dharma, it can happen.”

“… even in Mount Hua?”

“Right. Mount Hua.”

The Abbot’s eyes lit up.

“Do not ignore Mount Hua. Mount Hua is a place where achievements accumulate quickly. Regardless of how you feel, we need to admit that Mount Hua is a wonderful sect.”

The elder sighed and nodded his head.

“Do not worry too much. Mount Hua’s teachings will not let them touch Hae Yeon. In the end, martial arts and enlightenment don’t come without hard work.”

“… I didn’t understand the deep meaning which Abbot knows.”

“Haha.”

The Abbot smiled.

‘I am curious.’

What will Hae Yeon look like after meeting Chung Myung and interacting with each other?

The Abbot seemed to be a bit excited too.

‘By now, they will be moving to a higher place by comparing each other’s martial arts.’

It was a clear fact that Chung Myung was a great warrior.

“Amitabha.”

The Abbot quietly chanted.

‘Come back more mature.’

More.

“Uhahahahah! Drink! Drink!”

“Now Huayoung Gate is a huge success! Hundreds of warriors came in just today!”

“Just how much is this? Oh my!”

Hae Yeon closed his eyes tightly.

‘This is wrong.’

Something he had never imagined was happening right before his eyes.

The disciples of Mount Hua and Huayoung Gate, regardless of their seniority, were drinking together in a disorganized crowd.

‘What is this…’

What was happening right in front of Hae Yeon, who had been taught self-control under the rules of Shaolin, was shocked.

‘Are all the other sects like this?’

This could not be…

As far as he knew, he heard that not only Wudang but other places with strong traditions, like Southern Edge and the Five Great Families, stuck to their rules.

He could see second and third-class disciples, as well as the disciples from the sub-sect, all ready to have a festival together in one place, this could not be seen anywhere else in the world.

“Amitabha. Amitabha.”

His heart was pounding, and his breathing was hard to control. Hae Yeon tried his best to calm his racing heart.

“Kuak! Take a drink!”

“Sahyung! You need to have one cup!”

“Ahh, Leader! Congratulations!”

But no matter how much he tried to chant, his heart couldn’t be calmed.

‘Is this natural for such people?’

It was a scene that Hae Yeon, who had lived all his life in Shaolin, couldn’t understand. Then someone called Hae Yeon loudly from behind.

“What are you doing!”

“Uh?”

“Take a glass!”

“…”

As soon as he saw Chung Myung approaching with a glass of alcohol, Hae Yeon blinked his eyes.

“I am a Buddhist monk!”

“So?”

“I-I can’t drink!”

“What? All the ones I knew used to drink.”

“Uh? Who?”

Chung Myung smiled.

‘Who? Your ancestors.’

Although their relationship had soured now, there was a time when Mount Hua and Shaolin didn’t hate each other.

Of course, Shaolin felt like they were being burdened by the speed of Mount Hua. However, there was a common enemy in Wudang, and Mount Hua had never been hostile to Shaolin as first taking down Wudang was both their priorities.

Perhaps, the story would be a little different if a little time had passed with the Demonic Sect coming into the picture, but that didn’t happen.

Well…

-Come on, just one sip, disciple

-Is it alright for a monk to drink?

-Huh. It is strange to hear that from a man draining his bottle.

-Because Mount Hua allows us to drink.

-Is there any way we cannot do what our disciples do? One glass!

-Woah!

Even the monks would drink.

Of course, because the rules were strict, those who didn’t have good confidence in their skills wouldn’t dare. It was a characteristic of Shaolin that their disciples were skilled enough to do anything.

“Well, just grab a glass.”

“No. This is wrong.”

“Tch tch. Stop acting.”

“… uh?”

Chung Myung looked straight at him and said,

“Didn’t you come down from Shaolin by yourself to find something within the life of others?”

“That is right.”

“Look.”

Chung Myung pointed to the side.

Everyone was drunk and giving or taking drinks.

“This is the life you came looking for.”

“…”

“Your life cannot change by just watching it pass you by. There is meaning in diving into it yourself. You came here because you wanted to know a way that wasn’t in the teachings of the Shaolin, right? But you want to just watch from the side?”

Chung Myung poured a drink into the glass and handed it to Hae Yeon.

“Drink it.”

“I…”

“I don’t know what the dharma tells you, but what you want to know is here.”

Hae Yeon looked at the cup which Chung Myung held.

And then nodded as he took it with both hands.

‘I…’

Rules were important. But sometimes, there were more important things than even them.

If he didn’t lose himself in the alcohol, wasn’t it just like a cup of tea?

Hae Yeon brought the drink to his lips in a rather slow motion and closed his eyes as he emptied it.

Gulp gulp.

“… ahem?”

Hae Yeon opened his eyes as he looked at the glass. And slightly looked back.

“How is it? Feeling hot?”

“… no… it is sweet.”

“Eh?”

Hae Yeon tilted his head and continued,

“Just like honey.”

“…”

Chung Myung looked at him with blank eyes and checked the bottle of alcohol he was holding in his hand.

‘This is a white wine.’

Among alcoholic beverages, this was famous for being the most alcoholic.

And for a first-time drinker to say that it was sweet? What?

“It isn’t too strong?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“… have another glass.”

Chung Myung filled his glass back up, and Hae Yeon titled his head and drained it again.

“Kuak!”

“What do you think?”

“It is amazing. Something cool on my throat, sweet on my tongue, and hot in my stomach. Don’t you feel the urge to bathe in a bottle of this?”

“…”

“Hae Yeon’s eyes were fixed on the bottle Chung Myung was holding.

“This isn’t in my teachings. I think I know what it means. If I hadn’t tried this drink, I wouldn’t have known that there was such a thing out in the world, right? What you see and hear never does justice, and what you reach for yourself gives you joy!”

“… do you think it is noble to say that you are good at drinking?”

Chung Myung, who lost his thoughts, grinned.

Wouldn’t this be a terrifying thing for Shaolin? In recent history, the most self-disciplined Shaolin disciple was Hae Yeon.

“Don’t utter nonsense and take another one. Thanks to you, things became easy.”

“Thank you, generous man. Please, I will accept this too.”

“Hehehe. Does this monk know how to handle alcohol? This is so good.”

As Chung Myung and Hae Yeon began to give and take, the disciples of Mount Hua, who were watching them, began to gather around.

The first to step forward was Jo Gul.

“Monk! Monk! Do you remember me?”

After checking Jo Gul’s face, Hae Yeon looked a bit apologetic,

“Of course, Disciple Jo Gul.”

“Haha! Of course! Then have a drink!”

As Hae Yeon drained the drink Jo Gul offered, another bottle popped out in front of him.

“Ah!”

“Take this.”

“Disciple Yu Yiseol!”

Hae Yeon’s eyes lit up when Yu Yiseol came forward.

How deeply her sword had left an impression on him. Her sword, which cut his chest, was firmly held in his mind.

“I will give you one glass too.”

Hae Yeon took the bottle and poured it into the glass. Yu Yiseol stared at the glass, which was poured for her, and drank without a word.

And soon, the empty, clean glass was placed on the table.

“Next time, I will win.”

“I will always look forward to it.”

In addition, many people came to Hae Yeon and offered him drinks without hesitation. To them, Hae Yeon was a strange person and someone they wanted to get to know better.

Hae Yeon’s face began to heat up.

His face, which was usually red with shyness, was now the rosy read of intoxication.

“Kuak! Our monk is drunk!”

“Drink drink! Drunk!”

“Yah. It has been a long time since I have seen someone drink so well other than Chung Myung.”

“Now, get another drink!”

“Drinks flowing in! Drink! Drink!”

“Do not remove the alcohol with your qi! If you throw away the alcohol that we need to spend money on, you will be punished!”

The disciples of Mount Hua giggled and gave Hae Yeon a drink. And Hae Yeon was ignorant and enjoyed them all.

Baek Cheon, who was watching the situation from behind, glanced at Chung Myung, who suddenly moved back.

“Shouldn’t we stop him?”

“Why?”

“… because it will be a huge deal?”

Chung Myung had a wicked smile.

“Leave it. Normally kids get to know each other when having a drink. Isn’t it important to see each other in their true colors to build a friendship?”

“…”

Baek Cheon shook his head.

And the situation he feared came to pass before even one mealtime finished.

“Hehehe! I feel good!”

“…”

Hae Yeon, who had his top half lifted, was so drunk that his face was completely red, and he staggered from side to side.

“Oh my! Our monk does well!”

“One more! One more drink!”

And the disciples of Mount Hua, who were also drunk, were still giving Hae Yeon drinks and happily surrounding the guy.

At this, Baek Cheon bit his lips.

‘Where would one think of this scene where Shaolin and Mount Hua were having fun together?’

A place where two mountain sects strengthen their friendship!

If there were a pig being roasted in the back, all common sense would be revealed.

“Chung Myung, we might have to stop… Chung Myung?”

Baek Cheon turned his head to find Chung Myung missing.

“…”

Chung Myung was putting a bottle of alcohol in the mouth of Wei Lishan.

Next to him, Hyun Young giggled.

“…”

Chung Myung, who was holding the bottle, giggled constantly, and Wei Lishan fell back after emptying it.

Baek Cheon smiled at this.

‘I don’t know anything anymore.’

Do whatever you want to.

“Give me a drink too.”

Even Baek Cheon, who decided to let go of his last string, rushed to where everyone was.

The drinking part, which started with Hae Yeon being welcomed, was more radical and unexpected, but the enjoyable night continued.

If the Abbot had seen this, he would have started to foam from his mouth, but fortunately or maybe unluckily, he had no way of knowing all this as he was on the distant Mount Song.

Unfortunately so…