Chapter 77

Chapter 76. Moss Does Not Grow on a Rolling Stone! (1)

"Se, Senior Brother."

"……."

"What's going on here? Even if it's to commend our efforts…."

Despite the voice calling him, Baekcheon couldn't say a word. He was just as surprised.

Before them lay a sumptuous feast.

While it might be a bit lacking to call it a sumptuous feast by worldly standards, by Huashan standards, it was almost as good as the food an emperor would eat.

First, that.

That! That!

"…Is that meat?"

"Huh."

Baekcheon rubbed his eyes.

What lay before him was undoubtedly a dish made from the flesh of a living animal, a testament to the sin of killing.

How could such a cruel act take place in a pure temple?

"Where did the money come from?"

That's what I mean!

If it wasn't stolen, where did Huashan get the money to have meat?

"Wait a moment, Senior Brother. I also noticed that the dining hall has changed. It's been so long since I've been here, I thought it felt awkward, but isn't everything shiny and clean?"

"……Now that you mention it."

Baekcheon looked around. The hall hadn't been completely rebuilt, but it clearly had been renovated. Holes that used to be everywhere and places that looked like they would fall apart had all been fixed.

"New halls have been built, the dining hall has been renovated, and now there's meat on the table!"

"……."

"I have no idea what happened to Huashan while we were away. Unless a god of wealth descended here."

Baekcheon laughed bitterly.

A god of wealth? Huashan is a land forsaken by the god of wealth.

If there's one sect that can rival the Beggar Sect as the poorest in the world, it's Huashan.

No, the Beggar Sect might not be poorer than Huashan. The Beggar Sect is just a group of beggars; the sect itself isn't poor.

Wealth in Huashan?

How could anything be more out of place?

Baekcheon slightly raised his head to look at Yunjian.

"Junior Uncle, this food?"

"These are the dishes prepared by the Chief of the Zijing Hall to commend you. Eat up."

Why are you saying it so casually?

Where's the Senior Uncle who said he felt like he had become one with a rabbit after eating only grass for thirty years?

What was even stranger was the reaction of the third-generation disciples.

The third-generation disciples, who were present to celebrate the first-generation disciples, didn't seem particularly surprised to see meat on their plates.

They just looked at the table indifferently.

Baekcheon subtly listened to the conversation of the third-generation disciples.

"The meat is getting boring. Is there anything new? Like fish?"

"You must be crazy to look for fish in the mountains. Do you want to get hit in the head with a fish's head?"

What are you talking about, you crazy people?

What? The meat is boring?

Baekcheon, frustrated by his inability to understand the situation, opened his mouth.

"Um……"

"Ahem!"

"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!"

"……."

He was about to speak.

But when Baekcheon slightly turned his head, he was met with the sharp gazes of his senior brothers and closed his mouth.

'Let's eat first.'

'You have money, so you can eat meat. We've been eating Bieguo Pills for a year.'

Baekcheon, intimidated by the gazes and aura of his senior brothers, cleared his throat and spoke.

"If the Sect Leader and the elders aren't coming, can we start eating?"

"Hmm? Ah, I was inconsiderate. Please, go ahead."

"Alright, then."

Yunjian cleverly picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of meat in his mouth. Taking that as a signal, the senior brothers began to use their chopsticks frantically.

Plop, plop, plop, plop!

Food flew into the air.

But there was no need to worry. Before the flying meat hit the ground, chopsticks flew in to catch it.

Baekcheon closed his eyes tightly at the chaos.

It might seem excessive, but it was actually quite natural. Huashan was the poorest sect in the world, and its disciples were the poorest people.

The food they had eaten here was mostly a little grain powder, pine needles, and a few nuts. At best, it could be called a vegetarian diet, and at worst, the cheapest menu in the world.

Moreover, thanks to this training, they had been eating only Bieguo Pills for a year.

Of course, their eyes would be wide.

In the midst of this, Baekcheon noticed the third-generation disciples eating calmly.

Looking at their composed faces, he realized that this food was no longer special in Huashan.

"Junior Uncle."

Yunjian, who had been eating half-heartedly, turned to look at Baekcheon.

"Why? Does the food not suit your taste?"

"It's not that… I just can't understand what's happening. What exactly happened to Huashan while we were away?"

"I see. I didn't consider your perspective."

Yunjian chuckled.

"It's a long story. You'll find out eventually. Just know that a stroke of luck has come to Huashan."

"A stroke of luck?"

At that moment.

Bang!

The door burst open. The first-generation disciples, who were eating, flinched and tried to stand up. If someone could open the door so boldly, it must be an elder…

'Huh?'

'Is there an elder that young?'

'There can't be!'

Surprisingly, the person who burst in was a young child. Qingming, who had gone with the Sect Leader, trembled as he entered.

"There's a seat here."

Zhaoge slightly raised his hand, and Qingming bowed slightly to Yunjian before heading to the seat. The people nearby subtly moved their seats to make it easier for Qingming to pass.

Baekcheon narrowed his eyes at the scene.

'Are the children being considerate of that child?'

Of course, they could be. If they were all polite and kind.

But the third-generation disciples Baekcheon knew were diligent and perceptive, but not particularly kind.

The fact that they were naturally doing this meant only one thing.

'Has that little brat taken control of the third-generation disciples?'

It's hard to believe.

But there was too much evidence to make it believable. The fact that the seat they left empty was in the center, and that Yunzhong and Zhaoge were sitting on either side of it.

Yunzhong is the eldest of the third-generation disciples, and Zhaoge is the strongest.

'Is he flanked by the nominal and actual leaders?'

But how did that little child manage to control them? Moreover…

'Why isn't Junior Uncle Yunjian saying anything?'

The behavior of the person who burst in earlier was quite rude. They might have thought no one was inside, but if they made a mistake, they should apologize properly.

If it were Junior Uncle Yunjian, who usually values etiquette, he would have said something. But he was calmly eating with his chopsticks as if it didn't concern him.

'The more I look, the less I understand.'

Baekcheon shook his head. He saw Qingming talking to the children around him.

"Why are you angry again?"

"I just came back from the Galaxy Merchant Group."

"…Again?"

"Like I'm a messenger pigeon or something!"

Yunzhong chuckled at Qingming's complaint.

"You seemed to like it at first."

"That was only a few times. Ugh."

Qingming scratched his head.

"At least I only had to deliver the message to the branch in Huayin. If they had asked me to go to Xianyang, I would have really collapsed."

Seeing Yunzhong comforting Qingming and Zhaoge poking him, Baekcheon was convinced.

'That brat has taken over the third-generation disciples.'

He didn't know how, but Qingming had become the de facto leader of the third-generation disciples.

'In many ways.'

Baekcheon smiled subtly.

Yunzhong, the eldest of the third-generation disciples, had a tendency to respect his superiors. He would bow his head without needing to be told.

But Qingming didn't seem to have that kind of disposition.

'I need to test him.'

To clear up his many questions.

"Eldest Senior Brother."

"Hmm?"

"Aren't you eating?"

"Ah, I will."

Baekcheon picked up his chopsticks. But he soon put them down and looked around.

"Where is Yu Simae?"

"…I'm not sure. She was here a moment ago."

The first-generation disciples looked around at the mention of Yu Simae.

"She was here until we came to the dining hall."

"She must have gone somewhere else."

Since this happened quite often, they didn't seem to care. But Baekcheon frowned, clearly displeased.

"Shouldn't we look for her? This is a rare gathering for the senior brothers. It's not fun if someone is missing."

"Who can find her? If she doesn't want to come, no one can find her."

"It would just be a waste of effort, Senior Brother."

Baekcheon narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm."

Noticing his discomfort, the others sighed and stood up.

Yu Yixue was a peculiar person. If she didn't want to be found, it was hard to find her. But since Baekcheon was so serious, they had to at least pretend to look.

'Senior Brother is too partial to Yu Simae.'

He often lost his composure when it came to Yu Yixue, even though he was usually fair.

'Well, I can understand that.'

It was a bit annoying, but understandable.

Just as some of the first-generation disciples were about to stand up, the closed door slowly opened.

Everyone's attention turned to it.

A woman walked in, her steps so light that they couldn't be heard.

"Simae."

Baekcheon raised his voice.

Yu Yixue looked around, as if searching for someone.

Baekcheon smiled and raised his hand.

"Simae, this way…"

Yu Yixue started walking, but not towards Baekcheon.

Thud, thud.

She walked to one side and stopped, looking at the person sitting in front of her.

Baekcheon's eyes twitched.

Yu Yixue asked the man she was looking at.

"Can I sit down?"

The first-generation disciples were stunned. The men, in particular, looked like their eyes would pop out.

'Yu Simae is talking to a man?'

'When was the last time we heard her speak?'

But the shock didn't end there.

Yu Yixue's target, Qingming, scowled and waved his hand like he was shooing away a fly.

"No."

"…Then can we talk for a moment?"

Qingming said firmly.

"No. I don't want to talk. Go away."

Is he crazy?

The faces of the first-generation disciples were filled with shock.