If it’s such a reward… Well, it’s worth accepting. (1)

“Mmm.”

Hyun Young threw off the blanket and sat up. Instinctively turning to glance out the window, he furrowed his brows slightly.

‘Is the sun up?’

Today, he overslept a little.

Normally, oversleeping was out of the question. However, during the past few days when his disciples went to Gangnam and they stayed up night and day without a moment’s rest, accumulated fatigue seemed to have caught up with him all at once.

“Oh, my bones.”

He tapped his shoulders. Despite mastering martial arts and maintaining his physique, age was something he couldn’t defeat.

Completely removing the blanket, he adjusted his sitting posture. After finishing his customary breathing exercises, he got up to change into his attire.

“Hmm.”

Before stepping out the door, he closed his eyes briefly.

Hwasan was succeeding repeatedly. However, that’s precisely why he needed to be more vigilant.

Fortune [복(福)] always comes hand in hand with misfortune [화(禍)]. Getting too arrogant or complacent after even a bit of success would surely come at a price.

‘I must be careful.’

These were the aspects easily overlooked by young disciples. Being a generation older, he needed to be cautious and guide them first.

Hyun Young’s lips curved into a slightly mischievous smile.

“Shall we try catching the little fox’s tail today?”

Hyun Young, who had firmly decided to become a ghost for his disciples, opened the door decisively and went outside.

However, his resolution crumbled miserably before even a single mealtime had passed.

“What in the world is all this…”

Hyun Young muttered blankly, standing at the entrance to the training grounds.

Piles of baggage obstructed his view. Not only inside the training grounds but also at the entrance and beyond, something unidentifiable was stacked messily, layer upon layer.

“Did the Demonic Cult come barging in here? Seeking refuge or what?”

“Oh, no. It’s not that…”

Baek Sang replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“Since early morning, people have gathered here, thanking us for defeating the Demonic Cult…”

“T-This?”

“Yes.”

“All of this?”

Hyun Young’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck the area.

As he raised his head along the stacked load, before he could see its end, he grabbed the back of his neck.

“Ouch. My neck…!”

“Are you alright?”

“Is this all of it?”

“There’s no more room inside, so right now, our disciples are receiving items outside the training grounds and stacking them.”

“What?”

Fire sparked in Hyun Young’s eyes.

“Are you guys people with brains or not? Accepting that happily? Receiving without a thought, items brought by struggling commoners who scrape money just to survive daily hardships?”

Baek Sang exclaimed, horrified, extending his hand.

“Oh, Elder, how could that be? Naturally, I refused. But when they insist and insist, how can I refuse what’s given so adamantly?”

“Insist?”

“Nothing much, they ask why I won’t accept it. Saying it’s worth their lives, what can I possibly say? Even if I resist, they swiftly throw it and flee…”

“Heh, heh, heh.”

Hyun Young chuckled as if finding it absurd.

Gifts sent from various places piling up in front of Hwasan were not something new. Hyun Young had seen it several times before. But this case was different.

The presents brought to Hwasan previously were sent by influential people from all over Shaanxi seeking Hwasan’s favor. Even if viewed in a positive light, it was hard to consider them sent with pure intentions – if anything, it could be called bribery.

However, weren’t the items piled up here completely different in their significance?

Hwasan would soon leave this region and head towards Shaanxi. What would these locals gain by trying to win their favor?

In other words, did all these things truly signify goods given by the local commoners as a pure gesture of gratitude?

“Hehehe…”

Hyun Young, releasing an almost incomprehensible laugh, approached the piled-up luggage as if entranced, and untied one at the bottom.

Inside the neatly bundled bag, there was grain tightly packed, nothing particularly valuable. Hyun Young gazed at it quietly before gently brushing it with his fingertips.

“This precious things…”

Gifts sent by influential figures might hold significant value, but to Hyun Young, they couldn’t be considered ‘precious’. How could items sent by those with surplus wealth trying to make an impression hold any real meaning?

But this grain was different.

The people living in the basin of the river had barely escaped the clutches of poverty. Their lives were a struggle, barely managing to put food on the table each day. It was these people who, with heartfelt gratitude, had brought grain they needed for their own survival in winter.

Could anything be deemed less worthy than such a precious offering?

“There are many small items, but most of it is food.”

“…”

“But it’s hard to store so much. We need to find a suitable merchant to sell…”

“What, you?”

Hyun Young’s anger simmered in his eyes as he turned sharply towards Baek Sang.

“Sell what?”

“T-the grain…”

“Is this scoundrel out of his mind?!”

Fury reddened Hyun Young’s eyes.

“What is this! How dare you even consider evaluating what kind of item this is! Can it be exchanged for money? These freeloaders here, eating like they’re the lord of the land, they just need to eat it all! Why even think about selling this?”

“Well, Elder. Grain can be stored for later, but the fresh meat and vegetables that just arrived might spoil soon…”

“Eat it all!”

As flames erupted from Hyun Young’s mouth, Baek Sang subtly closed his lips.

“Eat it all without leaving a speck! Otherwise, you’ll all pay for it dearly!”

Baek Sang’s face turned a shade darker.

Certainly, those present here were the main culprits, eating up to six times the regular portion of an average person, causing Hyun Young’s stomach to turn. But even if that was the case, how could they possibly consume what would fill ten large barns in just a few days?

“Oh, no…”

“Noisy! Start feeding them from lunch today! Devour every last bit!”

“…”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes, yes…”

“Tsk.”

Hyun Young clicked his tongue with disapproving expression and looked at the piled-up gifts with new eyes.

Indeed… It would be difficult for the young disciples to comprehend.

For some, righteousness was a matter of choice, but for others, it was an overwhelming desire too blinding to behold.

When Hwasan was stuck on the end of the pole that reached one hundred zhang*, Hyun Young never even dreamed of representing the righteous. While for some, it might have been something attainable yet bothersome, for the Elders like Hyun Young, the righteousness was simply a dazzling aspiration.

The futile hope that sustained them amidst their arduous lives was the belief that one day, they, too, would fight for the suffering commoners as proud warriors of Hwasan, making their sect’s name known far and wide.

With every strand of white that crept into his revered head and with every realization that youth was not eternal, he gradually relinquished such hopes.

Hyun Young carefully set down the grain he had been handling.

“…I wasn’t mistaken.”

“Yes?”

“No.”

Hyun Young replied curtly, turning his head. He didn’t want his disciples to see his face right now.

After taking a moment to compose his expression, Hyun Young turned back and asked again.

“So, are there still visitors outside?”

“Yes. Our disciples are currently receiving the goods.”

“Let’s go see.”

“Yes!”

The elder quickly stepped forward. Following him, after a while, a group of people appeared, carrying various items in a hurry.

Upon waiting, a large man arrived in front of the disciples, exhaling heavily and abruptly presenting what he held in his hands.

“I’m not sure if monks eat meat, but since I couldn’t think of anything particular, I brought these.”

“Thank you. We do eat meat.”

“That’s a relief.”

The man, speaking bluntly, almost tossed the bag into the disciple’s arms.

“It looks like quite a lot.”

“Doesn’t amount to much, really!”

“T-Thank you.”

The disciples, who accepted it, wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Where do you reside…”

“Nevermind. You don’t need to know.”

“Ah, I see.”

Without any lingering attachment, the man turned abruptly without saying anything further and glanced at Hwasan’s disciple.

“Thank you.”

Chung Sang, holding the baggage, gazed at the man with a questioning look.

“My grandmother was here. If she had to evacuate, she wouldn’t have withstood the fierce winds outside and would have just died helplessly here.”

“…”

“Thanks to you, she survived. I’m grateful.”

Chung Sang, who had been staring blankly at him for a moment, soon broke into a warm smile.

“We just did what we had to do.”

“Hmm.”

After nodding, the man briskly turned around and walked away.

Hyun Young, after looking at the man’s departing figure for a moment, averted his gaze. Underneath the bag containing the recently butchered meat, moisture had seeped in.

“Baek Sang.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Go and call more disciples. It’s too cold out here, and the line is too long. If we can’t refuse, at least reduce the time they spend standing.”

“Yes? But right now, Chung Myung is beating up the… No, he probably won’t let them leave since they’re in the middle of training.”

“Tell them I’ve called for them and ask them to come. No, tell them, including Chung Myung, to bring all those undergoing training and receive the baggage.”

“But their training…”

“Hurry.”

“Yes, Elder.”

Baek Sang hurried inside. Despite Chung Myung’s attitude, he wouldn’t defy Sect Leader’s and Elder Hyun Young’s orders, so there shouldn’t be any issues.

Hyun Young silently observed those in line. A man with disheveled hair, the elderly with bent backs, and an elderly woman holding a hand of a child, each holding something in their hands, were all looking at the disciples of Hwasan with admiring gazes.

“Tha…”

As if about to say something, Hyun Young closed his mouth again. As he attempted to turn his head, a voice brushed past his ears.

“Isn’t it a good sight?”

Glancing slightly backward, Hyun Young spoke bluntly.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just a moment ago.”

Hyun Jong was smiling at him.

“Sect Leader has some spare time. Do you have something to see that brought you here?”

“Even if one is busy, there are things that must be seen.”

“Then, are you here to help out?”

At Hyun Young’s words, Hyun Jong quietly laughed.

“We’re not the ones who should welcome them, right?”

At this statement, Hyun Young nodded in silence.

“Expecting something in return for a righteous deed shouldn’t be the case. The moment you expect a reward, it’s no longer righteousness – it turns into a transaction.”

“But…”

Hyun Jong said,

“If it’s such a reward… Well, it’s worth accepting.”

Hyun Young pursed his lips. He felt hesitant to speak, fearing an inappropriate sound escaping his mouth.

Suddenly, disciples were seen running in the distance.

“It’s work!”

“Darn it! I can do the work!”

“I’ll do it! Please let me do it!”

Seeing the disciples eagerly rushing forward as if preferring work over training and Chung Myung trudging behind, Hyun Young couldn’t help but laugh.

“Move quickly! You lazy bunch!”

Hyun Young’s resounding laughter was filled with vitality that had been difficult to find for a while.