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.”

“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.

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

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

“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.

“How many young masters are there besides me?”

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

“It keeps changing?”

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

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.

“…Approximately how many are there?”

“Currently, there are about forty.”

Lee Hwasu’s eyes widened in shock at Sidong’s response.

Forty! That many young masters had been captured here? Even though the martial sects across the vast land of Zhongyuan were limited, that was still a staggering number. The thought that there might be others he knew—besides Tang Seoran—made him swallow dryly. He hesitated before asking, “Are there young masters from Wudang or Kunlun here too?”

Sidong, who had been answering diligently until now, didn’t respond. Instead, he simply smiled. When Lee Hwasu looked at him questioningly, Sidong gestured toward the meal, silently urging him to eat first.

Without pressing further, Lee Hwasu picked up his chopsticks and began eating the rice and side dishes.

“Does the food suit your taste?”

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

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

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.

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.”

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.”

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

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

“Oh dear, how shocking,” Sidong said, clutching his chest and sighing deeply. “I know. You didn’t come here willingly. None of the young masters did. But most have adapted and are doing well here. Look at Young Master Tang Seoran—he’s favored by the Leader and thriving….”

“I’m different from Young Master Tang Seoran! He… he…!” Lee Hwasu’s face flushed red as he recalled Tang Seoran’s coquettish behavior in Ju Ryongjin’s arms. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wrap his head around it. His fists clenched and unclenched as he muttered under his breath.

“Surely… Young Master Tang Seoran didn’t do it willingly. He must have been threatened or brainwashed… something must have happened for him to end up like that… How could the ‘One Laugh, One Kill’ Tang Seoran be with someone like Ju Ryongjin….”

As Lee Hwasu wrestled with his confusion, Sidong casually offered the chopsticks again. “What I’m saying is, since you’re here, it wouldn’t hurt to get on the Leader’s good side. If you stubbornly oppose him, you might end up thrown into the Firefly Abyss. Ah! Just so you know, there’s a monster in that pond, so don’t even think about dipping your feet in or swimming.”

“A monster?”

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

“Ma-Maengkkong…?”

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

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!”

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

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

“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.”

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

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….”

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

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.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚જ⁀➴

After hastily finishing his meal, Lee Hwasu felt uncomfortably bloated. He pounded his chest a few times before standing up, deciding that a walk might help with digestion—and give him a chance to explore his surroundings.

The area around his dwelling was a dense grove of fruit trees. Coincidentally, they were all plum trees, making him wonder if someone had deliberately placed him there. At the forest’s edge, a sheer cliff dropped off into an abyss, its dizzying height offering no foothold. It was a natural fortress—one that couldn’t be scaled with ordinary lightness skill.

“Is the only way out of here that bridge?”

Lee Hwasu crossed the bridge leading to Heavenly Dragon Hall, his hands clasped behind his back. The arched bridge stopped at a pavilion perched on a rocky island. Though small, the pavilion—with its blue tiles and red lacquer—held a certain charm. Below, colorful lotus flowers bloomed across Firefly Abyss, making it seem like a world of lotuses adrift in mist.

Unknowingly, Lee Hwasu found himself standing there, lost in thought, until movement on the water caught his eye. A boat was drifting gently from the far side of the pond. The pond was vast enough for boating, but he couldn’t fathom the appeal of leisurely drifting in waters where crocodiles swam.

Thinking it must be Ju Ryongjin aboard, Lee Hwasu turned to leave—only to pause. There were several figures on the boat. Not only was Tang Seoran clinging to Ju Ryongjin, but a group of young men, their hair loose and their attire casual, lounged around, drinking and playing instruments.

Thinking there might be a familiar face among them, Lee Hwasu stared intently in that direction. Noticing him, Ju Ryongjin steered the boat closer.

Lee Hwasu had no desire to talk to that man, but he remained where he was, wanting to get a closer look at the faces of the young men aboard. Soon, the boat approached the pavilion.

Upon closer inspection, his suspicion was confirmed. Among the passengers were disciples from the Taoist-affiliated Wudang Sect and Kunlun Sect. Even if they weren’t particularly notable figures, he had seen them before—either from afar or up close.

But one figure stood out as particularly unexpected.

Towering at nine feet tall, with a burly build and a jagged scar running from his right forehead across his face to his left cheek—there was no mistaking him. If the wanted posters were accurate, this was undoubtedly Jang Taeju, the Blood Wind Chaos, the infamous leader of the Green Forest Eighteen Strongholds.

How had he ended up here?

Lee Hwasu rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Meanwhile, Ju Ryongjin, seated with Tang Seoran on his right and Jang Taeju on his left, turned to him and spoke.

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

Lee Hwasu replied with a hardened expression.

“I never asked for a ride.”

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

Talking to Ju Ryongjin would only sour his mood without yielding anything in return. Deciding to put an end to the pointless argument, Lee Hwasu turned away and strode toward the bridge, deliberately ignoring him.

Behind him, Tang Seoran’s voice called out.

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m a nobleman too, you know?”

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

“Who are you calling a courtesan?”

“Didn’t you say that yourself?”

“That was because you…! Ugh…!”

Just as Tang Seoran seemed ready to lash out, Ju Ryongjin must have covered his mouth again. A muffled nasal sound followed, and then silence.

The persistent moaning that came after made Lee Hwasu shudder. Goosebumps crawled up his back, and a wave of nausea surged through him. Clenching his teeth, he covered his ears and bolted, desperate to escape the unsettling sounds.

“They’re all crazy, completely crazy!”

Lee Hwasu didn’t get far before his legs gave out, sending him collapsing into the bushes. Lying there, he retched, vomiting up everything he had eaten that morning.

Having survived on Maengkkong pills for so long, his stomach had grown sensitive, struggling to digest real food. On top of that, he couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that something had been mixed into his meal. It was far too convenient that Sidong had fed him while spouting nonsense.

If food were truly scarce, he wouldn’t have so casually asked what he wanted to eat.

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

It had only been a day since he entered Heavenly God Palace, yet it felt like a year had passed. If he stayed here too long, he feared he might end up just as twisted as the others.

A surge of unease gripped him, and Lee Hwasu forced himself to stand, pushing up from the bushes. His eyes darted around, searching for something—anything—to hold onto.

His cherished sword had been lost during the fight with Ju Ryongjin. Though it wasn’t a proper weapon, he reached for a nearby plum tree and snapped off a sturdy branch, gripping it tightly. Just having something in his hand, even a mere piece of wood, made him feel a little steadier.

“Stay calm, stay calm.”

To calm his chaotic mind, Lee Hwasu began practicing his sword technique. As he moved through the forms of the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Technique, a sequence as familiar to him as breathing, a fragile sense of normalcy returned.

Closing his eyes, he envisioned himself behind Plum Blossom Pavilion, where he had always trained. Without that illusion, he wasn’t sure he could endure the reality of being trapped in a place that felt no different from Ju Ryongjin’s harem.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚જ⁀➴

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.