HDCLSSRS Ch 82

Chapter 82 Aung (2)

“Huh Sasuk always complained that his quarters were too cramped and didn’t suit him, so I simply made them a bit more spacious. Is that a problem?”

“Are you saying you tore down the entire wall of his quarters just for that?!”

‘Eek!’

Seong Muyeon couldn’t believe his ears.

“And then, I accidentally broke the vase that Seop Sasuk* cherished so dearly. It was purely by accident, I assure you.”

“……”

“And when I tried to clean up Wi Sasuk’s study, his disciples suddenly tried to attack me, so I hit them a few times in self-defense. Is that a crime? What was I supposed to do when they threatened me first?”

“……”

From what Seong Muyeon could gather, it sounded like Baek Ryeoil had beaten up everyone who tried to stop him from wrecking someone else’s study.

It wasn’t just Seong Muyeon who was speechless—the entire gathering, including Sang-geol who had been questioning Baek Ryeoil, fell silent. Even Ma Jincheon had buried his face in his palm and said nothing.

Then, as if he had suddenly remembered that this was a formal inquiry to hold someone accountable, Sang-geol shouted in a furious voice.

“Silence that insolent tongue! How dare you wag that shameless mouth!”

“But Sasuk, you were the one who told me to report everything in full.”

“You…! You…!”

Sang-geol’s face puffed up as if it were about to burst. Baek Ryeoil, however, showed no sign of remorse. In fact, he looked completely indifferent, as if he had done absolutely nothing wrong and had merely stumbled into the situation as a bystander. That attitude only served to infuriate everyone further.

Exercising extreme patience, Sang-geol took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After a brief pause, he spoke in a more composed but stern voice.

“Baek Ryeoil, you are hereby sentenced to three days of wall-facing meditation in the Hall of Atonement!”

“Sure, whatever.”

“After that, you shall be assigned all the chores in Mount Hwa for seven days!”

“Sure, whatever.”

Baek Ryeoil shrugged as if none of it mattered.

“Take this brat to the Hall of Atonement immediately!”

The temple enforcers surrounded him, but perhaps due to past experiences, none dared to lay a hand on him recklessly. Baek Ryeoil calmly walked into the cave-like opening in the wall of his own accord.

And then—

Thud!

The heavy stone door slammed shut.

“Wang Dojang, am I dreaming right now?”

Seong Muyeon murmured blankly. The entire situation seemed so surreal, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Wang Ho-jun replied.

“Don’t even ask. He’s actually a lot calmer now. Back in the day, he once destroyed an entire pavilion.”

“A whole pavilion?”

“Because Sasuk Jo insulted his master.”

“For that reason alone?”

“Afterward, he even set it on fire. Burned the whole thing to ashes.”

“……”

Seong Muyeon was well aware of Baek Ryeoil’s fiery temperament, but he hadn’t expected it to be this extreme. In the original story, he seemed to have matured a little with age. At the very least, he didn’t go around smashing up other people’s homes just because he was angry…

Once the matter was settled, the crowd began to disperse. Even Ma Jincheon wandered off somewhere before anyone could stop him.

Seong Muyeon wanted to hear Baek Ryeoil’s side of the story too, but the entrance to the Hall of Atonement was firmly sealed. With no other choice, he had to turn back. Baek Ryeoil would be stuck inside that sunless cave for three whole days without taking a single step outside.

“Master…”

Kang Ung kept glancing back worriedly, clearly concerned for his teacher. But he, too, was helpless and hung his shoulders low in defeat.

That night, Ma Jincheon, with dark circles under his eyes, came to visit Seong Muyeon.

“Oh dear, Ma Dojang, you must be terribly stressed because of Baek Dojang. Please, have a seat first.”

Feeling sorry for him, Seong Muyeon sat him at the table and served warm tea and snacks. Ever since returning from Hanam, disciples often brought gifts, so the pantry of Chwijungjae was always well stocked—thankfully.

However, Ma Jincheon could barely sip his tea and didn’t touch the snacks at all. It was clear he hadn’t been eating properly. He looked as though he had aged several years in just a few short days.

“Grandmaster…”

Kang Ung looked on the verge of tears. The entire third generation seemed to be a complete wreck.

After staring blankly into his teacup for a long while, Ma Jincheon finally rubbed his brow slowly.

“I apologize. That rascal Ryeoil caused another incident, and my head’s just been spinning.”

“It’s alright. Please don’t worry about it. May I ask what happened, though?”

When Seong Muyeon asked, Ma Jincheon gave a weak smile and slowly explained.

To summarize:

The Sasuks who were beaten up by Baek Ryeoil today were the very ones who had accompanied Ma Jincheon on his trip to Hanam. Apparently, before the incident at the dining hall, they had realized that if they had just followed Ma Jincheon’s suggestion and left the area earlier, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. That realization made them feel guilty. Unfortunately, Baek Ryeoil found out about this—and immediately set out for revenge.

After hearing the explanation, Seong Muyeon tilted his head.

“…I don’t quite understand. The one who caused the incident was a cultist, so why take it out on the Sasuks?”

“If everyone could behave rationally, the world wouldn’t be such a mess, would it? Especially Ryeoil… when it comes to matters involving me, he tends to overreact. He must have thought that if those kids had trusted my words and left sooner, they would’ve been safe.”

“Ah.”

Seong Muyeon nodded. He recalled how Baek Ryeoil had recklessly charged ahead whenever he sensed Ma Jincheon was being disrespected.

“I should’ve handled it more firmly.”

Ma Jincheon had a gentle nature and wasn’t good at saying harsh things, which sometimes caused disciples to disregard him.

After venting a little, Ma Jincheon seemed to feel a bit better. He finally drank some tea and nibbled at a few of the snacks.

Just as Seong Muyeon suspected that he hadn’t come just to grumble, Ma Jincheon hesitantly spoke up again.

“Would it be alright if I asked a favor of you, Young Master? I apologize for constantly asking things of you… but I couldn’t think of anyone else, so I came to you again without shame.”

“Please don’t say such things. What is it you need?”

Ma Jincheon hesitated, then finally said,

“Would you be willing to bring Ryeoil some food?”

During wall-facing meditation, no food other than water was permitted. It was both a punishment and a form of ascetic training.

“No one from Mount Hwa is allowed to approach. Helping a punished disciple could result in harsher penalties… but considering this happened because of me…”

Someone like Baek Ryeoil wouldn’t suffer much from fasting for three days, but Ma Jincheon was still worried. Understandably so—he had raised Baek Ryeoil like his own child after he lost his parents at a young age.

Seong Muyeon gladly accepted.

“It’s not a difficult request.”

He leapt up with enthusiasm, thinking he only had to deliver the food. But he was mistaken.

“Thank you. I’ve really been relying on you a lot these days. That’s why—I’ve actually prepared something.”

Ma Jincheon began pulling things out from his bundle.

Ingredients.

Flour, meat, vegetables, and so on…

“Wait. You mean I have to cook it myself?!”

Ma Jincheon gave an embarrassed smile.

“I couldn’t sneak food out of the kitchen. It had to be done this way.”

“……”

Seong Muyeon was at a loss for words. Now he was curious where the ingredients had even come from—but decided not to ask. There are things in life one’s better off not knowing.

“Please sit and rest, Young Master! I’ll get the food ready quickly.”

Ma Jincheon waved off Seong Muyeon’s attempt to help and boldly entered the kitchen. It was the first time it was being used for anything other than boiling bathwater—despite how thoroughly Seong Muyeon had cleaned it.

“……”

“……”

Left behind in silence, Seong Muyeon and Kang Ung simply stared at each other.

“I didn’t know… Grandmaster could cook.”

“Yeah… me neither.”

Ma Jincheon looked confident. Judging by how often Baek Ryeoil had ended up in the Hall of Atonement, he must’ve been used to this sort of thing.

However…

Crash! Bang! Boom! Screech! Thud!

The noises coming from the kitchen were alarming. Even young Kang Ung began to doubt whether this could truly be called cooking.

Clatter! Bang! Crash-boom-bang!

“This can’t be right. This just can’t be!”

Unable to take it anymore, Seong Muyeon pushed open the kitchen door—and his jaw dropped at the sight inside.

“What… what is all this.”

The kitchen looked like a battlefield. Half-chopped ingredients were strewn across the floor, and white powder covered everything. Ma Jincheon appeared to be in a brawl with the stove itself, his entire upper half dusted so heavily he looked almost completely gray-haired.

Meeting Seong Muyeon’s gaze, Ma Jincheon gave a sheepish smile. His face was also covered in flour.

“Truth is… I’ve never actually cooked before…”

Footnotes:

• Sasuk (사숙, 師叔): A term referring to a master’s junior fellow disciple (i.e., your master’s martial younger brother). Used in martial arts sects.