Multiverse , Leveling Up in the World I Created

Chapter 429: 429 Return to the Volcano 15

At Cheongmyeong’s words, the dining hall fell silent for a moment, as if time had stopped.

"This bastard, apologize right now!"

"Ahaha... We’re sorry, senior disciples. He hasn’t been at Mount Hua long, so he doesn’t know anything."

Yoon Jong and Jogeol broke the silence, urgently grabbing Cheongmyeong, covering his mouth to stop him from doing anything unnecessary, and bowing their heads in apology instead.

"Is that so? Even so, it seems he needs to be taught proper etiquette between fellow disciples."

"I will take responsibility and..."

Grrrr...

At that moment, when Cheongmyeong tried to shake them off by force, the 3rd-generation disciples clung to him even more to restrain him.

Knowing that letting him continue would cause a huge commotion, they used all their strength to subdue him.

"Hold him tight!"

"Damn, what strength..."

"Calm down, Cheongmyeong! They are our senior disciples!"

Seeing the 3rd-generation disciples like that, the 2nd-generation disciples were also flustered and said no more.

But there was one person watching the scene intently in an ’Ikari Gendo’ pose, and that was Baekcheon.

Baekcheon was a prideful person, but as the senior disciple of the 2nd-generation, he had a strong sense of responsibility to rebuild Mount Hua.

There was no way he would overlook such an irregularity.

After the noisy meal ended, Baekcheon called Yoon Jong, the senior disciple of the 3rd-generation, aside.

Presumably, he was asking in detail about Cheongmyeong.

After that, as in the original, the 2nd-generation disciples began to harass the 3rd-generation disciples at every turn.

They would make them clean just for taking a short break during training, tell them to straighten their knees and walk at a right angle, and even bring up old rules about needing permission to get a drink of water.

Seeing this, it seemed they were determined to make a point.

’It looks like Baekcheon is trying to firmly establish the hierarchy between the 2nd and 3rd-generation disciples this time.’

But what was interesting was that since this started, Baekmigwan, the dormitory for the 3rd-generation disciples, was always in an uproar.

Clatter, bang!

"Let go of this! Before I blow it all away!"

"Calm down, Cheongmyeong! The Hwajong Meeting is almost here. If you cause trouble at a time like this, you could be expelled!"

"Right, the 2nd-generation disciples are the pillars of Mount Hua! If you cause an incident now, even the Sect Leader won’t stay quiet."

"I’m just going to hit them once!"

From the sounds of it, it seemed all the 3rd-generation disciples were trying to stop Cheongmyeong from going on a rampage.

Once again, the 3rd-generation disciples were suffering because of Cheongmyeong.

But the situation was different from the original.

If Cheongmyeong caused a major incident now, he really could be expelled.

Because I had taken his opportunities, Cheongmyeong hadn’t yet achieved any significant merit.

The improvement of Mount Hua’s circumstances and barely maintaining their dignity at the Hwajong Meeting were all attributed to my efforts.

In such a situation, if Cheongmyeong caused trouble, there wouldn’t be much justification to protect him.

’I wonder if he’ll really get expelled at this rate.’

But I had no justification to intervene directly either.

The 2nd-generation disciples were doing everything in the name of educating the 3rd-generation disciples, and although I was a teacher, I was ultimately an outsider, so it was awkward for me to interfere.

So I decided to watch the situation for the time being.

After dinner, as usual, I went to the back mountain with Yui-seol to train in the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

We now trained at a different location.

I didn’t mind running into Cheongmyeong, but Yui-seol felt uncomfortable around him.

She didn’t say anything, but I had a feeling it was because she thought he was stealing her late-night snacks.

So I had no choice but to move our training spot.

After that, I didn’t run into Cheongmyeong for a while.

But today, he somehow found out our location and came looking for us.

As a result, Yui-seol’s expression was far from pleased.

Thinking about it, it was quite an interesting change.

In the original, Yui-seol sought out Cheongmyeong to learn how to bloom plum blossoms.

But now the situation was completely reversed.

She had already bloomed plum blossoms for some time, so she had no interest in Cheongmyeong.

"Huh? Cheongmyeong, how did you know to come here? I chose this place because I thought it would be hard to find."

"Ahaha, Mount Hua is in the palm of my... I mean, I heard the sounds of training and came to check."

"Since the Hwajong Meeting is coming up, I deliberately avoided you so as not to interfere with your training, but did you think of late-night snacks again?"

"That’s part of it, but I also have something to ask you."

"Really? What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if Mount Hua provides any elixirs? The Hwajong Meeting is soon, but unlike other sects, there’s no support, so..."

Cheongmyeong seemed to find it odd that Mount Hua wasn’t providing elixirs even though its circumstances had improved.

Having interacted with disciples from other sects before, he seemed to know that Mount Hua’s disciples were lacking in internal energy compared to others.

So he seemed to be trying to address that point.

"Well, that’s a matter of Mount Hua’s circumstances, so it’s not really my place to say... Why don’t you ask the senior disciples?"

"When I ask the 1st-generation senior disciples, they avoid answering. That’s why I came to ask you."

"Hmm... I suppose it’s not easy to talk about this with the disciples."

After thinking for a moment, I spoke.

"It’s better to tell you now than to let you hold onto false hope. To put it simply, Mount Hua currently lacks not only the method to make elixirs but even the foundation to produce them."

Cheongmyeong looked shocked when I told him the reality.

"Th, that can’t be... I’m not asking for Jasodan, but I know Mount Hua has elixirs like Maehwa Dan and Seolmae Dan!"

"I don’t know where you heard that, but they’re gone now. Everyone knows Mount Hua’s disciples lack internal energy. Even though the situation has improved, the fact that they haven’t been made for a long time means they don’t exist."

"Then... what about Yoo Sajeo’s high level of internal energy?"

Cheongmyeong was curious about the source of Yui-seol’s internal energy.

As a skilled martial artist, he seemed to be able to gauge her level.

"That’s thanks to our Jin Manor’s elixirs. Yiseol is a member of our manor, after all."

"I, I see... Then, would you be able to sell or supply elixirs to Mount Hua from the Jin Manor?"

Hearing that, I looked at Cheongmyeong with cold eyes and spoke firmly.

"That’s nonsense! Would you readily give away elixirs that are barely enough to feed your own disciples to another sect?!"

"...I suppose not."

"Good, you understand."

Cheongmyeong must have known that already.

But frustrated by Mount Hua’s situation, he seemed to have spoken out, so I didn’t say anything more.

"Since it’s snack time, let’s talk while we eat."

I brought out the pig trotter set I had prepared earlier and started sharing it.

"This is another new dish. Just how many dishes do you know? And it’s delicious too, are you planning to become a head chef..."

"I’m not planning to be a chef. I just make things when I’m bored. More importantly, you seem to be having a hard time with the 2nd-generation disciples. Are you managing okay?"

Cheongmyeong, knowing Yui-seol’s appetite, talked while eating.

"Mumble mumble... Don’t even mention it. They’ve been so naggy lately. I’m only putting up with it because of the senior disciples. If not, I’d—!"

"Would?"

"Ahaha... not ’would’! I mean ’fight’! I mean I should strive even harder for Mount Hua."

From what I heard, it seemed Yoon Jong and Jogeol had managed to persuade Cheongmyeong somehow, just like in the original.

Seeing this, I thought they were the ones keeping the peace at Mount Hua.

"By the way, I haven’t mentioned this, but we’ll probably be returning to the manor after this Hwajong Meeting is over."

"Then, when will you come back?"

"Unless something special happens, probably not. What I needed to do for Mount Hua is almost done."

"You mean returning Mount Hua’s martial arts to Mount Hua."

"Right."

Cheongmyeong thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Since you’re leaving, let me ask one more thing. I’ve wanted to ask this for a while, but how strong are you, Master Jin? When I practice martial arts, I can usually get a sense of how strong a person is, but with you, I feel nothing at all. It’s like your whole body is empty."

This guy suddenly started asking sharp questions.

"That’s because you’re still far below me, so you can’t read my energy. Besides, I’m hiding my fangs. Isn’t that a basic skill for a martial artist?"

When I said that, Cheongmyeong tilted his head and spoke.

"Is that so? Hmm... Was it because my internal energy was still lacking?"

As Cheongmyeong pondered that, I felt a little stung.

In a world where the ability to sense and read energy existed, it seemed I needed to adjust my [Stealth] ability appropriately to reveal a certain level of energy, rather than maintaining it all the time, to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

While we were talking, I sensed someone else approaching us.

"Cheongmyeong, did you call someone else?"

"No. I didn’t call anyone, why do you... Oh, someone really is coming?"

Cheongmyeong seemed a bit surprised that I had sensed someone approaching faster than he did.

"Ah, I finally found you. What are you doing here every night... Hah... A late-night snack..."

The person who came to find us was none other than Baekcheon.

Baekcheon sighed when he saw the pig trotter set laid out.

"Would you like to join us for a bite?"

When I asked, Baekcheon came over and sat down.

"I wondered why there was a chicken coop behind the lodging, and when I asked the senior disciple, he told me to just pretend I didn’t see it. Now I know why."

"We’re not Taoists, so without hobbies like this, we wouldn’t survive."

At that, Yui-seol nodded in agreement.

"Well, I understand since Master Jin and Yoo Sajeo aren’t formal disciples of Mount Hua. But why is a 3rd-generation disciple here?"

Baekcheon frowned and pointed at Cheongmyeong, who was busy eating pig trotters.

So I winked at Cheongmyeong as if to say ’play along’ and spoke.

"He came out to train late at night in preparation for the Hwajong Meeting. Isn’t that admirable? So I’m sharing some late-night snacks with him."

Cheongmyeong also nodded in agreement.

"I see. I can understand that to some extent, since the Hwajong Meeting is approaching. However, Mount Hua has rules and order. It is clearly forbidden for a 3rd-generation disciple to be outside at this hour. This is a clear violation of Mount Hua’s discipline."

"That’s a fair point. But weren’t you the one who came out late at night to ask for a sparring session?"

"Th, that’s different..."

Baekcheon couldn’t continue and his face turned red.

Cheongmyeong couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

"Pfft... Ahem... Sorry."

Baekcheon frowned and glared at Cheongmyeong.

"So why did you come looking for us?"

When I asked, Baekcheon pointed at Cheongmyeong and spoke.

"The reason I came all the way here is because of this guy. I heard that someone who looked like a 3rd-generation disciple of Mount Hua was drinking and causing a disturbance in Huayin, so I called all the 3rd-generation disciples to question them. But none of them had done it. Their alibis were clear and their testimonies matched. So I came looking for the remaining one."

There was no need to think about it; this was clearly Cheongmyeong’s doing.

He loved alcohol, and he had always done this even before the Demonic Cult Massacre.

But the question was, how did he get the money to buy the alcohol and snacks?

Cheongmyeong had arrived at Mount Hua with nothing, so he couldn’t have had any money.

’How did he get the money? He’s too proud to steal... Wait, did he extort money from his senior disciples?’

That was the only explanation I could think of.

If that was true, given the circumstances, he had most likely gotten the money from his senior disciples on the condition that he wouldn’t cause trouble for a while.

We all looked at Cheongmyeong.

The silence continued, but the gaze clearly asked, "Is that true?"

But Cheongmyeong calmly tore into his pig trotter and spoke.

"It wasn’t me. Could it be that the senior disciple mistook a 2nd-generation disciple for a 3rd-generation one?"

Cheongmyeong said this so calmly that Baekcheon was rather flustered.

"Th, that’s impossible! According to the witness, a young person was drinking and causing a scene so unsightly that they couldn’t help but watch. Then they saw a plum blossom pattern hidden under the outer robe and recognized them as a Mount Hua disciple. They said they couldn’t believe such a young practitioner was acting like that, so they immediately reported it to Mount Hua. It must be a 3rd-generation disciple. The 2nd-generation disciples are all past the age of twenty."

"But there are some senior disciples who look young, aren’t there? Besides, all the 3rd-generation disciples are busy thanks to the senior disciples, so they don’t even have time to go to Huayin. You know that better than anyone, don’t you, Senior? And why are you so certain it’s a Mount Hua disciple? Couldn’t it be a plot by another sect? Like Jongnam, for example."

"Th, that’s..."

Baekcheon couldn’t respond to Cheongmyeong’s logical rebuttal.

He had never expected Cheongmyeong to come back with such arguments.

’Wow... impressive.’

I was equally dumbfounded.

This was the first time I had seen someone lie so calmly without batting an eye, besides myself.

I almost wondered if this guy also had a ’Con Artist’ ability.