Journey Outside. (1)
“Chung Myung-aaaaaaaah!”
Paaaaaat!
Chung Myung leaped over the wall like a bolt of lightning and dashed down Hwasan. Judging by the intensity of the screams heard behind him, if he got caught, he’d be stuck in the Repentance Chamber [참회동] for at least three days.
“Hey, aren’t you going to stop right there?! You punk! I’m really not going to let you off today! Not stopping? Are you not going to stop? Hey, you little!”
“If I stop, you’re going to hit me!”
“Hasn’t it occurred to you, that if you don’t stop, you’ll get beaten even more?”
“That’s something to worry about later.”
“Stop! Stop right there! We will just talk it out!”
“Lies!”
“If I catch you, I’m really going to break your legs!”
Chung Myung didn’t even look back and ran even faster.
“Phew.”
Having come down the mountain, Chung Myung rubbed his face vigorously with both hands.
“The nagging is relentless.”
Seriously, what on earth did he do that was so huge to cause such a fuss?
Visitors who climb Hwasan make offerings, and the Taoists living on the mountain live off those offerings, don’t they? So, strictly speaking, visitors to Hwasan are basically coming to hand money over to Chung Myung.
“I just skipped that annoying middle step and took it directly – how can they give me such a hard time for that? They’re so narrow-minded.”
Of course, using that money to buy alcohol was a bit… well, just a tiny bit of a problem. And getting caught hiding the leftover liquor in the Ancestral Hall [조사전(祖師殿)] was also a bit of a problem.
But depending on how you look at it, you could say that he treated the ancestors – who only ever eat hermit’s food [선식(仙食)*] – to some fine liquor for once, couldn’t you?
“In any case, they just won’t listen.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
Now that it’s come to this, if he goes back up, it’ll be hard to even see a scrap of meat, let alone any alcohol, for a while. He’ll surely be stuck in the Repentance Chamber, chewing on those foul-smelling fasting pills [벽곡단]…
Chung Myung reached into his robe and pulled out a luxurious-looking silk pouch.
Previously, when a visitor, who seemed quite advanced in years, tried to harass a young woman traveling alone, Chung Myung gently talked him out of it. Moved to tears, the man handed him this pouch.
Ahhh. Indeed, true Taoists are recognized and supported by the people themselves.
“Since it’s come to this, I might as well have my fun before going back. It’s better to take the beating later.”
Chung Myung whistled as he headed towards the tavern.
“That won’t do.”
“…Huh?”
“I cannot sell you any liquor to you, Dojang.”
“Why not?”
Chung Myung’s eyes grew wide.
“The elders of Hwasan came and made a special request. They said not to sell liquor or even food to Hwasan’s Chung generation – especially to Chung Myung Dojang.”
“Ah, no, this isn’t for me. I was going to bring it to my Master….”
“That’s not allowed either. They said that from now on, they won’t ever send the Chung generation on any errands, so we must not give you anything.”
“T-That’s cruel……”
They’d really go this far? Good heavens, how can people be so vicious! Even the most notorious savages would have trembled at the sight and run away.
“Ugh. Really?”
“Yes. So it’s absolutely impossible.”
Groaning under this ironclad defense, Chung Myung changed his approach and subtly leaned closer to the owner.
“Heh heh, don’t be like that.”
“Hmm?”
Chung Myung took out a silver coin from his pouch, placed it on the owner’s palm, and clasped the man’s hands firmly with both of his.
“I wonder how business has been for you these days. Go ahead and pocket this, and I’ll just take a few bottles of cheap liquor and maybe a couple of dumplings.”
“Hey!”
However, Chung Myung’s ‘warm’ touch was swatted by the owner’s resolute refusal.
“Don’t even try such a ridiculous trick. If we take a few pennies from you and anger Hwasan’s elders, we won’t be able to do business in Hwaeum ever again.”
“Ah, no…….”
“It’s not just me. I can assure you that no tavern in Hwaeum will sell liquor or food to the Chung generation. Especially not to you, Dojang!”
Chung Myung stepped back, looking hurt.
“After all the business I’ve brought you until now, how can you be so heartless…”
“There’s nothing we can do, even if you see it that way. Chung Mun Dojang also insisted on it.”
It seems a demon has come and gone already. A demon.
“Really, you should’ve been moderate.”
“Hey, what did I even do?!”
The owner’s face twisted all of a sudden.
Does he really have to spell it out? Some brat still wet behind the ears comes down from the mountain whenever he’s bored and drinks himself silly. The fact that those elders have put up with him so far shows how truly saintly they are.
“Anyway, it’s not possible. If anyone sees us talking like this, who knows what kind of thunderous punishment might fall? Off you go now. Shoo! Away!”
“Shoo? I’m not some bird, you know.”
“Oh, enough. Please leave!”
Pushed along by a firm hand on his back, Chung Myung was finally shoved outside.
Bang!
Chung Myung stood there blankly, staring at the tightly shut door of the tavern, then began trembling with anger.
“Hmph! Do they think there’s nowhere else for me to go?”
Chung Myung spun around. There had to be more than five taverns in Hwaeum that he singlehandedly kept in business, and surely one of them would be on his side…
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“…None of them.”
The moment Chung Myung looked their way, the tavern owners, startled, hurriedly slammed their doors shut.
A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
“They wouldn’t even treat a bandit this coldly! You damned people!”
A wave of betrayal washed over him. After all the money he’d poured into their businesses!
No, wait. This isn’t their fault. It’s all because of those Hwasan’s bastards.
So treacherous, so very treacherous! He’d always had such good relationships with the tavern owners in Hwaeum, and they had gone and driven a wedge between them! What a wicked thing to do!
They call themselves Taoists, yet they destroy harmony among people. Where is Hwasan headed if they carry on like this?
“Ugh.”
But there was no one to hear his lament.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
After going through all that trouble to bring the money, he couldn’t even spend it. He was planning to splurge on food and drinks with this money today, and on top of that, sneak a few bottles back to Hwasan to hide and enjoy later…
What makes money – money? It’s because you can spend it. Turn that around, and it means if you can’t spend it, it’s not really money. Which means these heavy coins in his pouch right now are nothing but useless lumps of metal.
Chung Myung’s shoulders slumped.
“…Should I just go back?”
No, that was impossible. If he went back, there would definitely be nagging from hell waiting for him. Having to endure all of that without even a single drink would be worse than hell. But what was he supposed to do…
“Hmm?”
Right at that moment, Chung Myung’s eyes lit up. Over there at the entrance to Hwaeum, a few people in familiar robes were walking in.
Spotting who they were, Chung Myung broke into a sly grin and scampered over.
“Aigoo, Sasuks!”
“Huh?”
“Eeek!”
“W-Wait, isn’t that Chung Myung?”
The Baek disciples of Hwasan, who had been walking along while chatting, shrank back when they saw Chung Myung walking up to them with a beaming smile.
“Wow! You’ve just arrived?”
“Y-Yes……”
“Hahaha. It’s such a joy to see my Sasuks here in Hwaeum.”
Their faces filled with apprehension. If you think about it, they practically saw each other every day anyway, so what was there to be so suddenly delighted about? He clearly had some kind of ulterior motive.
“I-I see. But for what… reason…?”
Sasuks, like rabbits, were trembling facing their tiger-like Sajil.
“No, it’s nothing special. I mean, we may not say it often, but we’re all one family, right? Practically relatives, you could say.”
“…R-Right.”
It was a sight that wouldn’t normally be possible. Even though the people here were the youngest among the Baek generation – far younger than their older peers – they were still older than Chung Mun.
In other words, they were at least ten years older than the average Chung disciple.
Ten years is by no means a small gap for someone who’s still young. No matter how outstanding one’s talent may be, crossing that ten-year gap often requires decades of rigorous training.
That’s why, among younger martial artists, even a single year difference can be a massive gap that seems insurmountable.
They thought so, too – until a few of the Baek generation, enraged by Chung Myung’s antics, took their frustration out on Chung Mun one day.
Of course, Chung Myung’s misdeeds should rightly be blamed on Chung Myung himself, but he was so young that even speaking directly to him felt beneath their dignity.
So, a handful of the youngest among the Baek disciples called over Chung Mun, the great disciple of the Chung generation, to scold him and gave him a bit of a beating.
In their eyes, it was a matter of maintaining discipline. They themselves had once gone through something similar at the hands of the Un generation.
But the price they paid was nothing short of disastrous.
Chung Myung, who usually paid no heed to anyone’s words and just laughed off even harsh reprimands, completely snapped after that incident. Like a rabid dog, he started beating up any Baek disciple he laid eyes on.
That day, the Baek generation learned that there exists someone who doesn’t merely “soar high” in talent, but can flip the heavens and earth – and, on a whim, turn a person’s world upside down.
Eventually, the Sect Leader stepped in to calm the situation by locking Chung Myung up in the Repentance Chamber for a month. After that, most of the Baek generation avoided even meeting Chung Myung’s gaze.
Especially…
“Well now. There’s a face I know all too well.”
“…”
Particularly in the case of Baek Oe [백외(白巍)], who had the misfortune of provoking Chung Mun and ended up having his face chewed on by Chung Myung, there was nothing more to say.
“How have you been?”
“O-Of course. I’ve been… just fine…”
Cold sweat broke out on Baek Oe’s forehead. He never imagined he’d run into this mad dog here.
How many miserable days had he endured since that dreadful choice he made on that day?
He still remembered it clearly. That demon’s face, rushing at him without warning and shouting, ‘Did you hit our Sahyeong?’ as he drove a fist right into Baek Oe’s face.
That wasn’t the end of it. Afterwards, whenever that bastard was bored, he would come looking for him.
There were days when Baek Oe woke up to a club smacking him in the face. Days when he went out for early morning training and got kicked in the back of the head, passing out on the spot.
If that wasn’t bad enough, one time he was doing his business in the privy when that bastard attacked him, and he fainted without even getting his pants back up. That was how people found him.
Eventually, a few of his Sahyeongs tried to step in and teach Chung Myung a lesson, but in the end, they were the ones who got taught a lesson instead.
If it had been seniors from a higher generation causing trouble, they could have expressed their concerns to someone about it. If Chung Myung had at least been older, maybe they could have raised a complaint. But how could they whine that they’d been beaten up by some little whelp the size of a mouse?
To make matters worse, word of the trouble even reached the Sect Leader, who personally locked Chung Myung in the Repentance Chamber – yet the harassment continued.
If Chung Mun hadn’t found out about it and caught Chung Myung for a whipping, Baek Oe would probably be crippled for life by now.
Facing that brat right in front of him brought all those ghastly memories rushing back.
“Hey, why are you trembling like that? It’s all in the past.”
“H-Haha…….”
“You laughing?”
“…”
Chung Myung shot Baek Oe a strange look. Baek Oe’s lips quivered.
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*선식(仙食) – literally “immortal’s food,” referring to a frugal, ascetic diet often associated with monks, Taoists, or hermits.
The side stories are here! Previously exclusive to the published novel, side stories where posted on naver. All that is available will be posted here after I translate it.
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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