Chapter 76 The Rolling Person Does Not Gather Moss! (1)

"Brother, brother."

"......"

"What is the meaning of this? No matter how much you commend our hard work..."

Even when called, Baekcheon could not utter a word.

He was just as shocked as they were.

In front of them lay a feast.

From the perspective of the mundane world, it might seem a bit lacking to be called a feast, but from the perspective of Hwasan, it was no different from what an emperor would eat.

"Look at that. That! That!"

"Isn't that meat?"

"Ah."

Baekcheon rubbed his eyes.

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

How could such a cruel act occur in a pure place?

"Where did the money come from?"

"That's what I'm saying! It's not like we stole it, so how could Hwasan have money for meat?"

"Wait a moment, brother. Now that I think about it, the restaurant has changed a bit. It’s been so long since I came here that I thought it felt strange, but doesn’t it seem unusually clean?"

"...... Now that you mention it."

Baekcheon looked around.

The entire building wasn't newly built, but it certainly seemed to have been renovated.

The holes that were once everywhere and the places that looked like they would fall apart had all been fixed.

"New buildings have appeared, the restaurant has been repaired, and now meat is being served on the table!"

"......"

"I really have no idea what happened to Hwasan while we were gone. Unless a god of wealth descended from somewhere."

Baekcheon let out a hollow laugh.

A god of wealth? Hwasan was a land abandoned by the god of wealth.

If there was one sect in the world that could compete with the number one beggar sect, it would be Hwasan.

No, even Gaebang wouldn't be poorer than Hwasan.

Gaebang was just a gathering of beggars; it wasn't that Gaebang itself was poor.

Wealth and Hwasan? What a mismatched phrase that was.

Baekcheon subtly raised his head to look at Ungeom.

"Master, what about this food?"

"It is food prepared by the Jeonggyeonggakju to commend you. Eat well."

"Why do you say it so casually? The master who said that after thirty years of eating grass, he felt like he was becoming one with a rabbit, where did he go?"

What was even stranger was the reaction of the three great disciples.

The three great disciples, who had joined this gathering to congratulate the first great disciple, showed no particular surprise even with meat placed before them.

They merely stared blankly at the table.

Baekcheon leaned in slightly to eavesdrop on the conversation of the three great disciples.

"I'm tired of meat now; isn't there something different? Like fish or something?"

"Are you crazy? Looking for fish in the mountains? Do you want to be hit with a fish head?"

What on earth were they saying? Tired of meat? Unable to comprehend the situation, Baekcheon felt frustrated and opened his mouth.

"No..."

"Cough, cough!"

"Ugh, cough! Cough! Cough!"

"......"

No, he was about to speak.

Turning his head slightly, Baekcheon shut his mouth at the sharp gazes of his brothers.

'Let’s eat a bit first.'

'You have plenty of money, so you can eat meat.

We’ve only been eating wall grass for a year.'

Under the pressure of his brothers' eyes and demeanor, Baekcheon cleared his throat and spoke.

"If the master or the elders are not coming, may we start eating first?"

"Mm? Ah, I was being inconsiderate. Go ahead."

"Yes, then."

Ungeom, quick to catch on, picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of meat in his mouth.

That was the signal, and the brothers began to wildly move their chopsticks.

Pah pah pah pah pah!

Food flew into the air.

But there was no need to worry.

Before the meat that flew into the air could fall to the ground, chopsticks swooped in to catch it.

Baekcheon squeezed his eyes shut at the chaotic scene.

It might seem excessive, but it was actually quite natural.

Hwasan was the poorest sect in the world, and the disciples of Hwasan were the poorest of the poor.

The food they had eaten here until now consisted of little more than grain powder, pine needles, and a few nuts.

To put it nicely, it was a simple meal; to put it harshly, it was the cheapest diet in the world.

Moreover, thanks to this training, they had not eaten anything but wall grass for a year, right?

Those like Baekcheon, who had some financial leeway in their family, could buy food with the money sent from home, but those who could not had not even caught a whiff of meat for several years.

It was only natural for their eyes to go wild.

In the midst of this, Baekcheon noticed the three great disciples leisurely eating.

Seeing them so calm made it clear that this food had become something ordinary in Hwasan.

"Master."

Ungeom, who had been eating absentmindedly, turned to look at Baekcheon.

"Why? Is the food not to your taste?"

"That's not it... I just can't understand the current situation. What on earth happened to Hwasan while we were gone?"

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

Ungeom chuckled softly.

"It's too long a story to tell now. You'll find out gradually. Just know that a stroke of good fortune has rolled into Hwasan."

"Good fortune?"

At that moment, bang! The door swung open forcefully.

The first great disciple, who had been eating, flinched and tried to stand up.

Whoever could enter so boldly through the door must be of elder rank...

'Huh? Was there such a young elder?'

'That can't be!'

To everyone's surprise, the one who entered was a young child.

Cheongmyeong, who had followed the sect leader, trembled as he walked in.

"There's a seat here."

Jogeol raised his hand slightly, and Cheongmyeong bowed his head slightly toward Ungeom and hurried to his seat.

Those sitting nearby subtly pulled their seats back to let Cheongmyeong pass.

Baekcheon squinted at the scene.

'The children are being considerate of that kid?'

Of course, that could happen if everyone was polite and kind.

But the three great disciples Baekcheon knew were diligent and quick-witted, yet they did not seem to fit the description of being kind.

For them to act so naturally in such a manner meant only one thing.

'That little brat has taken control of the three great disciples?'

It was hard to believe.

But there were too many pieces of evidence that made it hard not to believe.

The seat the children had left was precisely in the center, and on either side of that seat sat Yunjong and Jogeol.

Yunjong was the first great disciple, and Jogeol was the strongest among the three great disciples.

'Does that mean he has the powerful and the influential on either side?'

But how on earth did that little child manage to control them? Moreover...

'Why is Master Ungeom saying nothing?'

The act of barging in through the door just now was quite rude.

It could be excused if he thought the first great disciple or Ungeom was not inside, but if he committed such a rudeness, it would be proper to apologize.

Given that Ungeom valued etiquette, he should have said something.

But he was calmly eating as if it had nothing to do with him.

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

Baekcheon shook his head.

In his eyes, Cheongmyeong was seen chatting with the surrounding children.

"Why are you so angry again?"

"They told me to go to the Galaxy Sect."

"...... There again."

"Exactly. I'm not some messenger!"

At Cheongmyeong's complaint, Yunjong chuckled.

"You liked it at first."

"That was only once or twice. Ugh."

Cheongmyeong scratched his head.

"At least it's good that I only have to relay it to the branch in Hwaeum; if they told me to go all the way to Seoan, I would have really collapsed."

Seeing Yunjong comforting Cheongmyeong and Jogeol poking fun at him, Baekcheon was convinced.

'That brat has completely devoured the three great disciples.'

He didn't know what method he used, but it was certain that Cheongmyeong had become the real power controlling the three great disciples.

'In many ways.'

Baekcheon smiled subtly.

The first great disciple, Yunjong, had a tendency to respect his seniors.

He would naturally bow his head without needing Baekcheon to press him down.

But no matter how he looked at it, that kid Cheongmyeong did not seem to have such a tendency.

'I need to find an opportunity to catch him.'

To clear up various curiosities as well.

"First great disciple."

"Mm?"

"Are you not eating?"

"Ah, I should eat."

Baekcheon picked up his chopsticks.

But soon he put them down again and looked around.

"Where is Yu sister?"

"...... I wonder? She was here just a moment ago."

At the mention of Yu sister, the first great disciples looked around.

"She was here until we came to the restaurant."

"Seems like she slipped away again."

Since this had happened quite often, everyone answered nonchalantly.

But Baekcheon frowned as if he found it quite unsatisfactory.

"Shouldn't we look for her? This is a rare gathering for the brothers. If someone is missing, it takes away from the joy."

"But no one can find Yu sister. If she doesn't want to come, no one can find her."

"It would just be a waste of effort, brother."

Baekcheon narrowed his brows slightly.

"Mm."

Those who had been observing his discomfort eventually sighed softly and stood up.

Yu Iseol was peculiar, making it hard to find her unless she revealed herself.

But since Baekcheon had such a stern expression, they had to at least pretend to look for her.

'Brother is too fond of Yu sister.'

A person who is fair in other matters seems to lose their composure when it comes to Yu Iseol.

'Well.'

It was not something hard to understand.

It was just a bit bothersome.

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

Everyone's gaze turned that way.

Through the sunlight pouring in through the open door, a woman walked in.

Her footsteps were so light that not even a sound could be heard.

"Sister."

Baekcheon raised his voice.

Yu Iseol, who had entered, looked around as if searching for someone.

Baekcheon smiled and raised his hand.

"Sister, over here..."

Yu Iseol began to walk again.

But the direction was not toward Baekcheon.

Pat pat.

With small steps, Yu Iseol walked to her intended destination and stopped.

She then stared intently at the person sitting in front of her.

Baekcheon's eyes twitched slightly.

Yu Iseol, who had been staring, asked the man, "Can I sit?"

The first great disciples were flustered.

Especially the men, who looked as if their eyes would pop out in shock.

'Yu sister spoke to a man?'

'No. When was the last time I heard Yu sister speak?'

But the astonishment did not end there.

The man Yu Iseol spoke to, Cheongmyeong, waved his hand as if swatting away a fly, his face filled with irritation.

"No."

"...... Then can we talk for a moment?"

Cheongmyeong said firmly.

"No. I don't feel like talking. Go back."

Is he out of his mind? The faces of the first great disciples turned pale with shock.