HDCLSSRS Ch 26

Chapter 26: Mount Hua or Namgung? (4)

 

In the afternoon, someone came looking for him at the guest quarters.

It was Kang Woong.

“Young Master Seong! I’ve been looking all over for you. So you were here. I thought you’d already left.”

He was glad to see that Seong Muyeon was no longer tied to a tree. However, there was something gloomy about his expression, prompting Seong Muyeon to ask,

“Master Kang, what’s the matter?”

“…They say you’re leaving for Namgung?”

“Pardon?”

“Why? Is Mount Hua not to your liking? Did Master Baek harass you? You haven’t even been here that long! If you stay just a little longer, I’m sure you’ll come to like it here. Please don’t go!”

Kang Woong pleaded as if he were about to clutch onto the hem of his pants.

“Wait, who told you that?”

“Master Baek said so. That you’d be leaving soon…”

“Me?”

He explained to the boy that he still had time before making a decision. Upon hearing that, the boy’s face flushed red.

“I must’ve spoken out of turn…”

“It’s alright. But did Master Baek Ryeoil really say that?”

“Yes, that’s why I was certain you were leaving.”

Seong Muyeon was dumbfounded. No wonder he was so cold when he kicked him out of the guest quarters—it was as if he actually wanted him to leave for Namgung.

“What, does he think I enjoy sticking around here?!”

Seong Muyeon kicked at the air in frustration. Kang Woong blinked wide-eyed and flinched at the outburst.

Still not over his indignation, Seong Muyeon flung open Namgung Cheonchu’s door.

“Young Lord! If I go to Namgung, what will you give me in return? Let’s hear the conditions!”

Namgung Cheonchu’s face lit up at those words. He sat Seong Muyeon down and began listing all the wonders of living with the Namgung family.

“It’s incomparable to Mount Hua. After living in a rural place like Hwaeum-hyeon, once you go to Habi, your eyes will be opened.”

“…Mount Hua has good air, though.”

Kang Woong muttered under his breath from behind. Having followed Seong Muyeon in confusion, he now stood awkwardly in Namgung Cheonchu’s room, unsure of what to do.

Namgung Cheonchu gave him a brief glance before continuing, unconcerned.

“And the sights? There are so many! Since it’s a big city, anything you want can be provided in an instant.”

“Mount Hua has beautiful scenery too…”

Kang Woong murmured again. At last, Namgung Cheonchu responded with a low retort.

“But one misstep, and you’re dead.”

“…”

It didn’t seem like Kang Woong was going to back down.

“There are so many thugs in the city! What if you run into demonic cultivators on the street?”

“As long as the Namgung family guards Habi, it is safe.”

“In Mount Hua, such people wouldn’t even be able to set foot in!”

“Of course. They’d fall to their deaths just trying to climb these rugged mountains.”

“Mount Hua has… Mount Hua has…!”

Kang Woong trembled. But unable to think of anything else to say, he fell silent.

Namgung Cheonchu smiled victoriously.

“What’s going on here?”

Just then, Ma Jincheon appeared. Seong Muyeon rushed over to him with a relieved expression.

“Master Ma! Are you going to give me a tour of Mount Hua?”

Ma Jincheon laughed heartily.

“No, not me. This rascal is.”

He reached behind the wall and dragged someone out by the scruff of their neck. A towering figure emerged, clearly displeased—it was Baek Ryeoil. His expression looked as though he wouldn’t calm down unless he bit someone’s head off.

“Ugh, why me.”

“Then should I do it? The third-generation disciples have only just arrived and don’t know where anything is. And the second-generation disciples are all too busy training their own students. You’re the only one in Mount Hua with nothing better to do.”

“…Tch.”

Baek Ryeoil glanced at Seong Muyeon, then straightened up.

“There’s not much to see, but if you insist, I’ll show you around.”

“Do it properly!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

After sternly warning him multiple times, Ma Jincheon left, taking Kang Woong with him. Kang Woong kept looking back, reluctant to leave.

“Follow me.”

Seong Muyeon, Namgung Cheonchu, and a few others from the Namgung family followed Baek Ryeoil.

Seong Muyeon glared at the back of Baek Ryeoil’s head as he trudged ahead.

It really did seem like he had tried to drive him out. Ever since then, he hadn’t spared him a single glance.

‘Sure, I’m freeloading off Mount Hua, but does that mean he can toss me aside like some luggage?’

His insides burned at the way Baek Ryeoil acted as if nothing had happened.

Baek Ryeoil led them all over Mount Hua.

“This is the Central Hall.”

“This is the dining hall.”

“This is the archive.”

Seong Muyeon’s jaw dropped.

‘My god. This is the dullest tour I’ve ever been on.’

Their guide had fish-like, vacant eyes the entire time. He delivered his explanations quickly and curtly, then moved on before they had any time to actually look around.

Eventually, the young martial artists from Namgung couldn’t take it anymore and started dropping out of the group one by one. In the end, only Seong Muyeon and Namgung Cheonchu were left.

“This is the training ground, but outsiders aren’t allowed to enter.”

Baek Ryeoil stopped in front of a door after leading them on a long walk.

Then why did he bring them all the way here? Seong Muyeon was about to protest when Namgung Cheonchu murmured first,

“Hmm, nothing much to Mount Hua after all.”

“What did you just say?”

Baek Ryeoil growled. But Namgung Cheonchu didn’t even spare him a glance as he turned to Seong Muyeon.

“Young Master Seong, did you know? An-hwi is filled with dazzling sights. There are entertainment houses, and every evening in the marketplace, street performers put on shows.”

“I see.”

“And on the Hwehwa River, they hold festivals. The lion mask dance performed over the water is a sight to behold.”

“Really?”

Baek Ryeoil wedged himself between the two.

“Oh, I almost forgot. The view from the summit of Wondae Peak is a masterpiece.”

He pointed a finger upward. Seong Muyeon followed the direction of his fingertip. Up… even higher.

Only after craning his neck all the way back did he see what Baek Ryeoil was pointing at—the top of a sheer cliff. Faint outlines of stone monuments could just barely be made out.

Seong Muyeon stepped back a few paces in hesitation.

“I-I’ll stop here, thanks.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Before he could resist, Baek Ryeoil hoisted him over his shoulder.

“Master Baek! Not this again! I said I didn’t want to see it!”

“Young Lord Namgung should be able to climb up on his own, right?”

Baek Ryeoil ignored his protests completely. Leaving Namgung Cheonchu behind in a daze, he shot up into the air.

As the ground rapidly shrank beneath him, Seong Muyeon widened his eyes in terror. Baek Ryeoil dashed up the cliffside as if it were flat land. Seong Muyeon’s stomach twisted, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

If he fell from here, not even a trace of his body would remain. In desperation, he clung to Baek Ryeoil’s clothes like a lifeline.

“Please, save me!”

“You won’t die.”

Without so much as a change in breath, Baek Ryeoil landed smoothly at the summit of Wondae Peak.

“Ugh…”

Even though his feet were on solid ground again, Seong Muyeon’s legs were trembling so badly he couldn’t stand properly. The earth spun before his eyes. Never mind the scenery—doing that again would be the death of him.

Baek Ryeoil grabbed both his shoulders and set him upright.

“Now, look.”

Only then did Seong Muyeon lift his head. The first thing he felt was the fierce mountain wind whipping through his hair and robes.

Then, the expansive vista of the rocky mountain unfolded before him.

“…Wow.”

The sheer terror he’d felt moments earlier melted away, replaced by awe at the breathtaking view. The proud march of drifting clouds, the crisp, clean air—none of it was to be missed.

“Not bad, right?”

“It’s not just ‘not bad’… It’s beautiful.”

He felt like he could look at it all day without getting tired of it.

At some point, his eyes met Baek Ryeoil’s, who was staring at him quietly. Feeling embarrassed, Seong Muyeon pouted his lips.

“You should’ve shown me this earlier.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to see it.”

Baek Ryeoil sat down on the cliff’s edge, his legs dangling over.

“Sit.”

He patted the spot next to him.

The cliff was so high that Seong Muyeon felt dizzy just looking down. Far below, he could see the top of Namgung Cheonchu’s head, pacing about in indecision.

“If I fall…”

“Then I’ll catch you.”

“…”

Seong Muyeon cautiously sat down beside him—but he made sure not to let his legs hang over the edge.

The noonday sun blazed hot overhead.

“Master Baek, what would you like me to do? I could stay at Mount Hua, or I could go to Namgung.”

“Why ask me? It has nothing to do with me.”

Seong Muyeon narrowed his eyes.

“I heard everything, you know? If you want me to follow Namgung, then fine. Sorry for being such a bother until now.”

Baek Ryeoil frowned.

“What are you talking about? What did I do?”

“You told Master Kang that I was going with Namgung, didn’t you? What, you think I’ve been clinging to this place out of joy? Seriously. I can’t believe this.”

“Then just go.”

“Yeah! I will!”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence fell between them. The two sat side by side, gazing wordlessly at the distant mountains.