CMW | Chapter 2.1

Yoon Sidong’s name was surprisingly Yoon Sidong (尹是動). Although the meaning was different, it was still an interesting coincidence. Seeing Lee Hwasu’s curious expression, Sidong pouted and said, “I don’t like being teased because of my name.”bb84812873857b1f

“I have no intention of doing that. I was teased a lot for trivial things when I was young too,” Lee Hwasu said as he picked up his chopsticks after receiving his meal, making Sidong giggle.80699998addb21b4

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“You must have been teased for your beautiful appearance, being mistaken for a girl,” Sidong guessed.bd1e22ad59e130c9

Lee Hwasu paused while scooping rice and raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that?”77eccddefa938f25

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“Isn’t it obvious just by looking? Among the young masters brought here by the Leader of the Demonic Cult, you are the most beautiful,” Sidong said with a smile, causing Lee Hwasu to put down his chopsticks.9e31726f1bf310db

“How many young masters are there besides me?”b246387d66f82042

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“The number keeps changing, so I’m not sure.”0f84638aed437836

“It keeps changing?”c2886ffeb9591ba8

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“Yes. Some die, and new ones come in.”eba616c7ff238166

Sidong mentioned death so casually that Lee Hwasu scrutinized him anew. Despite the shocked gaze, Sidong didn’t seem to notice any problem and kept smiling. Lee Hwasu reminded himself that Sidong, despite his ordinary appearance, was a follower serving closely under the Demonic Cult.1ad3d4b22ab61db1

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“…Approximately how many are there?”5ebf582b44701868

“Currently, there are about forty.”23edecb7b44d2dd0

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Lee Hwasu’s eyes widened 2109e9a7bc in shock at Sidong’s 63090fe831 response.92a1de06d8095d01

Forty! That many young masters 0e85319972 had been captured here? Even though the a6c06a3824 martial sects across 38a1590f50 the vast land 4a78ac3da8 of Zhongyuan were f620403b49 limited, that was 3287e8ca5f still a staggering 180c0c323e number. The thought 6d34adf5ed that there bb4f06f6b3 might be 8661204a22 others he 200b5f10d0 knew—besides Tang 25cb272361 Seoran—made him cad68f78b5 swallow dryly. He hesitated before 2bf1d6b45c asking, “Are there 3223f09509 young masters from 6205aba059 Wudang or Kunlun 1e6801f688 here too?”683e6c4e3ef25ae1

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Sidong, who a9b0a1b8ad had been 8bfb16cbe2 answering diligently b0166f3e9a until now, 839ef83fa9 didn’t respond. Instead, he simply smiled. When Lee Hwasu looked 11b016bc20 at him questioningly, Sidong c1963e71c9 gestured toward the meal, ed6e2aadbc silently urging him to c010a4505f eat first.44cedf2cd6975a99

Without pressing further, 6074187b92 Lee Hwasu picked edb2e74dfc up his chopsticks 8317df815c and began eating 25d7e2146c the rice and a9bdeeac36 side dishes.891afc8a9e4178e2

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“Does the food suit your taste?”9081e192434d54e9

“Yes, it’s delicious. There’s nothing to complain about.”235dab7f4947f0e3

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“Please eat a lot and regain your energy. You’ll need a lot of strength to serve the Leader in the future.”9b965d5d709752a9

Lee Hwasu was so startled that he dropped his chopsticks. They clattered against the table and fell to the floor, but Sidong caught them like lightning. It wasn’t the movement of an ordinary person.bc11109f85a9e286

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Sidong wiped the chopsticks clean with a handkerchief and handed them back to Lee Hwasu. “If there’s any food you like, please let me know. I don’t know what you enjoyed eating at Mount Hua, but I can prepare most things for you.”cf1daebcbb7d2bfd

Lee Hwasu couldn’t bring himself to take the chopsticks. Instead, his eyelashes trembled. “I didn’t come here to serve someone like Ju Ryongjin.”8603afc53f217615

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“Yes, yes. I understand it wasn’t your intention.”21e928befde323b6

Lee Hwasu slammed his fist on the table. “He dragged me here by force!”3e81dbe963e18200

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“Oh dear, how f05534a3a3 shocking,” Sidong said, 359a56bb3c clutching his chest e5830a9af3 and sighing deeply. “I know. You didn’t come 5cfc37c3f6 here willingly. None of the 9ff1ffb401 young masters did. But most 1824b11c2f have adapted 68cfff45c4 and are 505d28d27c doing well d3afd38971 here. Look at Young Master 30612c1b80 Tang Seoran—he’s favored by 20800370b2 the Leader and thriving….”6e6ae33d5cd1b9cd

“I’m different 1c91b2f153 from Young adccd63363 Master Tang 890e72c407 Seoran! He… he…!” Lee d29e1b7dfa Hwasu’s face flushed 8bb26964a8 red as he 15c41b511d recalled Tang Seoran’s b59cf0bc63 coquettish behavior in 2b1fbd3d46 Ju Ryongjin’s arms. No matter 07897f40ea how hard 78d07a3074 he tried, 09db94525f he couldn’t 178b125f81 wrap his e466ce97a9 head around d61e70e210 it. His fists clenched c435ba4a39 and unclenched as dd2e24859e he muttered under aa78a98dcf his breath.398813e34034171f

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“Surely… Young Master Tang e1ae57520c Seoran didn’t do it 4636c9237e willingly. He must have been 7a98c726fe threatened or brainwashed… something 872a5ae8fa must have happened for 06d3f28dc7 him to end up 8aa0fdc687 like that… How could a99834fb8a the ‘One Laugh, One b90e1255d9 Kill’ Tang Seoran be 4aa6032b5e with someone like Ju 562d27b8c8 Ryongjin….”374b78267b43357b

As Lee 1dafcb4351 Hwasu wrestled a1e48697d9 with his bf402146e5 confusion, Sidong 17650b479d casually offered d4548ef113 the chopsticks 34b409c2df again. “What I’m saying eae7c3e87a is, since you’re 7d5d839a5b here, it wouldn’t ba69809441 hurt to get cb4c630ac1 on the Leader’s eed07a2571 good side. If you 95592b717a stubbornly oppose 904414d2e8 him, you cfa9a7a1c1 might end a05aaa1d99 up thrown d6c03bb554 into the ab81b5322c Firefly Abyss. Ah! Just so you 46f54db6c5 know, there’s a be207770ea monster in that b87db03a9c pond, so don’t f48d1c309e even think about c94b366146 dipping your feet 95b5b254c6 in or swimming.”7a7fd7eb4d81f359

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“A monster?”66621c834d4ef37e

“It’s an alligator the Leader keeps as a pet, named Maengkkong.”00e6ca9759f6ae03

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“Ma-Maengkkong…?”c90f0f4c898ab6e5

“That creature has developed a taste for humans and sometimes crawls into the garden, so be careful.”fa96680d2efd8e9e

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The more Lee Hwasu listened, the more absurd the stories became. He slapped away the chopsticks Sidong offered and said, “I’ve lost my appetite. Leave!”b38d5ce07d8a44ce

“Oh no, if you refuse the meal, the chef will be kicked out of the Heavenly No-Gate…!”5897be197fa4ac62

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At Sidong’s lament, Lee Hwasu raised an eyebrow. “What?”38d2abee12912a2e

“If you refuse the meal, whose fault would it be but the chef’s? He’s not a martial artist, so if he’s thrown out into the snow, he won’t survive.”604578cad47bb30e

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Lee Hwasu was quite taken aback. “Well, sometimes you just lose your appetite and leave food, that’s all…!”9ae1f94a62eb6b27

Despite his protest, Sidong shook his head. “This is Snow Mountain, and food supply isn’t easy. Even though it seems abundant because it’s where the Leader resides, food is precious. When snowstorms hit, those like me often go without food for days, so if you leave your meal like this….”a2c930baf66ed339

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“Fine, I’ll eat. Is that what you want?”59a17289441e3b36

Lee Hwasu angrily snatched the chopsticks and began shoveling rice and side dishes into his mouth. Watching him with satisfaction, Sidong poured tea and added, “Eat slowly, or you’ll get indigestion.”13d50228b8ac8cdd

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⋆. 𐙚 ˚જ⁀➴816f757ee16e4f45

After hastily finishing 17c3c524da his meal, Lee 1a86b4cdf9 Hwasu felt uncomfortably c5281a2357 bloated. He pounded 48551062d9 his chest 40cba0ffef a few 325d90fe34 times before f8713ee73b standing up, d5e16b1e76 deciding that f22f3e4aa0 a walk beba5774d2 might help 138638dc89 with digestion—and 7041e2f67a give him 5ad35518b5 a chance fd2432f153 to explore 8bd56a3997 his surroundings.dd2d98130fcf263c

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The area around his 2cfc4c77ce dwelling was a dense c25f6c8c7e grove of fruit trees. Coincidentally, they were all a5baf6fd6a plum trees, making him aee1637d69 wonder if someone had 0451f47802 deliberately placed him there. At the forest’s faddc037ad edge, a sheer d4e17d6f5f cliff dropped off 62acbbc394 into an abyss, 87c9bdbc9b its dizzying height 8212cb27a6 offering no foothold. It was a natural 1c153e28d6 fortress—one that couldn’t be 478972cb83 scaled with ordinary lightness 37017da0eb skill.290b76e12538eaf1

“Is the 67f5186ac4 only way ec59ade431 out of b8a6e99b17 here that ecdf5be484 bridge?”4a6326febcc7b394

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Lee Hwasu crossed 77b22ab454 the bridge leading 26ee4a649a to Heavenly Dragon 36777b3440 Hall, his hands b58c62bb87 clasped behind his 148f3b1980 back. The arched bridge stopped 3634a5e090 at a pavilion perched e1b759dbe9 on a rocky island. Though small, 358e58e5c9 the pavilion—with 9381db75f4 its blue 27e6585471 tiles and adadb6bfcf red lacquer—held 5288b8f72a a certain cbcfcc9521 charm. Below, colorful lotus flowers 0d48a0eada bloomed across Firefly Abyss, b90ec29b58 making it seem like 8cf98cda75 a world of lotuses 1567c6331a adrift in mist.286f4094f930d000

Unknowingly, Lee Hwasu found e72d4c0e27 himself standing there, lost ff5e3b69c0 in thought, until movement 1d4d031a51 on the water caught f3f4f9adeb his eye. A boat a1d9171256 was drifting bb83ccad4f gently from 8e978cd94f the far 06ce1301f2 side of 65f10c006b the pond. The pond was vast f08979d181 enough for boating, but 1e873366ad he couldn’t fathom the 6f2517e762 appeal of leisurely drifting 3e684e6cf0 in waters where crocodiles ce5d89a756 swam.e2dafa06e90f7bd2

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Thinking it must aba16c70ff be Ju Ryongjin 042dfbb549 aboard, Lee Hwasu 1831f1e858 turned to leave—only b98d8fe3e7 to pause. There were several ef55c9ec33 figures on the 39f179f92f boat. Not only was 089adc6e68 Tang Seoran clinging a77fab9f2a to Ju Ryongjin, 3c09c7f9f5 but a group d9bed2b005 of young men, 39198a06d6 their hair loose 1628f02e22 and their attire d632057682 casual, lounged around, a5c640e2aa drinking and playing 764f19b516 instruments.2b873053278c71ed

Thinking there might be 95e4fe8eea a familiar face among 480a3f8e86 them, Lee Hwasu stared 6fb8ebb312 intently in that direction. Noticing him, 4b2c9f2c8c Ju Ryongjin f9bbfacf23 steered the 3e371cff38 boat closer.d541899b32321d79

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Lee Hwasu had b0842938aa no desire to b694313787 talk to that 8cf1ce0c63 man, but he 476e451f72 remained where he 0e55ce014e was, wanting to addbb5a837 get a closer 20bd0e1bd6 look at the 50f30fb937 faces of the edae41ff22 young men aboard. Soon, the boat 7cf0c354f9 approached the pavilion.12655e8400046133

Upon closer inspection, his f5afb647cb suspicion was confirmed. Among the passengers 8cd5ad35ce were disciples from 38000b50bb the Taoist-affiliated Wudang a7159fb3c3 Sect and Kunlun 830228b5ae Sect. Even if they weren’t cf859be0c0 particularly notable figures, he 4077212a86 had seen them before—either 08c62e8a98 from afar or up 9a289ece44 close.ae7a5bc31b0ef8dd

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But one figure stood ed0c5b4aa2 out as particularly unexpected.b20f35dcd23c8ddd

Towering at nine feet 7559ef086d tall, with a burly 8bc306f911 build and a jagged 6e1d52ab2b scar running from his 708f4fb85a right forehead across his 8cd97b1b01 face to his left b92640744f cheek—there was no mistaking 171835a9b3 him. If the 1ec78eb8df wanted posters 4ed9d8dbfa were accurate, ec79c229f6 this was abbf4d82ad undoubtedly Jang c8479fdb1b Taeju, the 55ca5452e0 Blood Wind 4d3521179f Chaos, the 8889f66124 infamous leader da9b6bbc22 of the ff21154ce3 Green Forest e325f39416 Eighteen Strongholds.ccdfeec652c24ce1

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How had 0883a1a877 he ended 9cd632a2ec up here?8da9df28a59d3142

Lee Hwasu rubbed 26354ff852 his eyes in 30541ac4ea disbelief. Meanwhile, Ju 750fed9d24 Ryongjin, seated b08c315443 with Tang fde32ea96c Seoran on 7f7fa74d5b his right bf17d2309c and Jang 87f9c656d2 Taeju on ec36944d61 his left, 6e2f40f6b3 turned to d36c438eeb him and 44bd365fc8 spoke.e4c0b5382a5d78ad

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“Sorry, but we’re full, so we can’t give you a ride.”972eb94a31329068

Lee Hwasu c5e080b357 replied with 903d0d08dd a hardened 9a9d915c25 expression.38c48c1cf7ba3365

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“I never asked for a ride.”56a7d7ffc1800f32

“You were looking this way so earnestly, I thought you were asking for one.”2f3ad9da1ac07d43

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Talking to Ju f7bdff333a Ryongjin would only 4d09bbb813 sour his mood 688f818e5f without yielding anything 62749fa526 in return. Deciding to 36131aff1d put an 3089670f52 end to 25f99d14fe the pointless b1f1f89734 argument, Lee 65def906a2 Hwasu turned e7ee6b8fac away and 7ea2288346 strode toward 289b19d0f0 the bridge, d396771381 deliberately ignoring 922bb17542 him.0d4f66d572603acc

Behind him, a8486edca5 Tang Seoran’s 3cfed3d153 voice called 1f5e9b86c5 out.0eb48d20775fa764

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“How about we split the boat and throw him to the crocodiles for daring to ignore the leader?”48a9b276a9dfb547

At Tang Seoran’s words, Ju Ryongjin chuckled and said,d7abad31ea56fe29

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“Leave him be. I brought him here because he’s useful, so why kill him?”f38919d224dc9840

“Hmph, wasn’t it because you were captivated by his looks?”638555a46feedf04

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“If it’s about looks, you’re the best, so what are you talking about? That kind of nobleman isn’t my type.”1d14a1f6abfa0943

“I’m a nobleman too, you know?”2b2019fd4127e3c4

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“For my taste, someone like you is just right.”11cc4a62ba8fae2b

“Who are you calling a courtesan?”895b3ca813f5970e

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“Didn’t you say that yourself?”6c5ea604245881d7

“That was because you…! Ugh…!”3a4ba25ded4bfe04

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Just as Tang ef8dfa3477 Seoran seemed ready de5d0fadec to lash out, 284577cd73 Ju Ryongjin must 3a0090aaa6 have covered his 17ba6bd19e mouth again. A muffled nasal e79ac2abee sound followed, and 0fa4ec7c25 then silence.d9355c1da7bb10a2

The persistent moaning 86ec0234b3 that came after f5f7d6b8e2 made Lee Hwasu 8e699b3927 shudder. Goosebumps crawled up his 2f84ae70af back, and a wave d4db0a1b81 of nausea surged through 3b1f297631 him. Clenching his de13c8c616 teeth, he a56692db70 covered his b2e1954ac8 ears and 9a5b5cd7c8 bolted, desperate 6f89b2e5b7 to escape 97b5fa528f the unsettling 6a270deec3 sounds.0c20f3f3387ff233

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“They’re all crazy, completely crazy!”9d24a2336800acc0

Lee Hwasu didn’t get 902dd84086 far before his legs 40d27360fa gave out, sending him 6e81db8282 collapsing into the bushes. Lying there, 46cc387727 he retched, d44fdfa15b vomiting up a0bdb9e3a7 everything he 35b240a087 had eaten b3d0d5d755 that morning.6a7b0dcc1ab1c44e

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Having survived on Maengkkong 8201b20dfc pills for so long, d53edfcf89 his stomach had grown a38b73fab3 sensitive, struggling to digest 2922213944 real food. On top of that, a7937ca095 he couldn’t shake the 227b57b550 nagging suspicion that something 61b41166ba had been mixed into 36644b3782 his meal. It was far 61fa973fa7 too convenient that 088e68630e Sidong had fed e4d8e4f2c4 him while spouting 12abc0fda1 nonsense.15b31f324fc3be7a

If food were effe3c97a2 truly scarce, he c929d0388e wouldn’t have so 5f28cb9db6 casually asked what d98119b069 he wanted to 15314de831 eat.d7767b062d7e6421

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“I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”4ca50d8472b05585

It had only 455cd6c876 been a day 5570ac4da3 since he entered 5396b8a13f Heavenly God Palace, 7c6a0184ad yet it felt b5c3b20978 like a year 8397f915e7 had passed. If he stayed 695e1ee02f here too long, 490d43f4b0 he feared he 8d7046290c might end up 280f7add15 just as twisted 38570d684a as the others.a4758b2219bb04eb

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A surge of eaf15fb5de unease gripped him, e1bc627792 and Lee Hwasu fa13a413db forced himself to 34f719a2fa stand, pushing up df1588c516 from the bushes. His eyes 9e1881ba5b darted around, 27240bb4d5 searching for 0588fae6cb something—anything—to hold fc3134bd3e onto.7e3c71236c4e30fc

His cherished e90960e9dd sword had 396f0568d2 been lost 9bb9bea381 during the b415c046e2 fight with 23a8d0ef93 Ju Ryongjin. Though it 9431f76e63 wasn’t a 5f42a2a29e proper weapon, c2d1e5c77b he reached 40094d236d for a eeb388a4f1 nearby plum 70cb9b3b98 tree and 52ab4643f0 snapped off ba33040407 a sturdy a6be40eb0f branch, gripping bcca15b3fc it tightly. Just having 7f1e964edc something in 6f5436b3ef his hand, 63ad40a0bf even a 41e7bed092 mere piece e1a19db43b of wood, 18d96f01ff made him 7010e34e52 feel a 1b3a34fcc6 little steadier.530b9bfff8fbe169

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“Stay calm, stay calm.”497a8189b9f559cc

To calm 1e30ce86ef his chaotic a7a5d3836c mind, Lee 8fb5db37d4 Hwasu began e99fdaf046 practicing his ea8b40d436 sword technique. As he 3600787a32 moved through 9824b85737 the forms 3bc3dd6816 of the e06cd42f9b Twenty-Four Hands e97c57b4ed Plum Blossom 354a640bcb Sword Technique, 4352d25799 a sequence 4fd370455e as familiar 449d0ad600 to him d6ce6522de as breathing, 61e28782d7 a fragile bad9a71eb5 sense of dcf4a257cc normalcy returned.b2de89a966f784bf

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Closing his eyes, 492513dd74 he envisioned himself f42b34c232 behind Plum Blossom 51261ae96e Pavilion, where he 76cb6742cf had always trained. Without that aa80578060 illusion, he 3cef3665e9 wasn’t sure 398235fd52 he could 4e6865243e endure the 51209d5a2b reality of 86812a03df being trapped 01020e68eb in a a1399db808 place that 0206267217 felt no e25c183dfd different from 1b0d63aaaf Ju Ryongjin’s 9503562bba harem.16de16dd8b28c500

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Lee Hwasu swung the plum branch until he was drenched in sweat and collapsed from exhaustion. It wasn’t until the short day turned into a late night that he stopped his training and dropped the plum branch. Then, dragging his tired body, he went inside his quarters and collapsed onto the bed without even washing.844d0255f3358e7a