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.”1b89e8b3dcea77a2

“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.86ba7521bae49ef4

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“You must have been teased for your beautiful appearance, being mistaken for a girl,” Sidong guessed.c9207e02b8b7706b

Lee Hwasu paused while scooping rice and raised an eyebrow. “How did you know that?”8b491e2b41f18ea1

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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.67273f77374b6022

“How many young masters are there besides me?”45aa7c2eb8fd26d9

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“The number keeps changing, so I’m not sure.”cc121de9604d1df8

“It keeps changing?”72d20c42ffbf4335

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“Yes. Some die, and new ones come in.”9e95c301680146f7

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.ef2ddfb1ffc1a829

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“…Approximately how many are there?”569adda24a9be9ba

“Currently, there are about forty.”e119daf65606335a

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Lee Hwasu’s d1c3eabc73 eyes widened d2682bf383 in shock 7c0b951bd4 at Sidong’s e34a3de370 response.eb38941200c6aabb

Forty! That many 6f379fbb8a young masters 84915dc8a2 had been 073bf10920 captured here? Even though the martial 2ebb76eb5c sects across the vast 042d164479 land of Zhongyuan were 32863ff310 limited, that was still 1b1be56920 a staggering number. The thought that there d1a33f3c1d might be others he 3d9b02d5d4 knew—besides Tang Seoran—made him 86ed421a5c swallow dryly. He hesitated a47562b34d before asking, dfdfd7cd6d “Are there 5e43f80dff young masters 252cba89ab from Wudang a80688fb8e or Kunlun eae7907afd here too?”4f1540176a040019

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Sidong, who had c0f54e81e9 been answering diligently 73922469cb until now, didn’t b346bb4190 respond. Instead, he simply 3e070590ad smiled. When Lee Hwasu looked b602c7f74f at him questioningly, Sidong 0b2d6b0815 gestured toward the meal, 37059d1942 silently urging him to 4a3d5032eb eat first.b17d23a65f773ca4

Without pressing further, b73678449c Lee Hwasu picked 06095db92d up his chopsticks be17107824 and began eating bc6b2bf8a8 the rice and 7ac5f32d51 side dishes.dc380bb8daddddb2

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“Does the food suit your taste?”22929b01c69214dc

“Yes, it’s delicious. There’s nothing to complain about.”49efac41bc6a3e40

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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.”28dc5c2cc759c01c

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.4ce711d98a12e42c

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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.”8e184b9c33173c85

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.”865b3c7373deeeaf

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“Yes, yes. I understand it wasn’t your intention.”94a0074250d00950

Lee Hwasu slammed his fist on the table. “He dragged me here by force!”8db72dd16bf9cda5

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“Oh dear, how shocking,” fc364fbfd9 Sidong said, clutching his f0d7e77b96 chest and sighing deeply. “I know. You didn’t come da4e3ffc5c here willingly. None of the young 11a220ec1b masters did. But most have adapted d4faa78627 and are doing well 1d7238cd6b here. Look at ed40861389 Young Master f725b8c667 Tang Seoran—he’s 5c4786ce0a favored by cb812e955e the Leader 960df76904 and thriving….”b83efb5fbd20ef50

“I’m different from 29e3ea6c80 Young Master Tang a2ee15e6fe Seoran! He… he…!” Lee Hwasu’s 531dc7a8a2 face flushed red as bbe14af809 he recalled Tang Seoran’s 09303276d6 coquettish behavior in Ju 00182b853a Ryongjin’s arms. No matter how 696813c8d2 hard he tried, 5c639b1580 he couldn’t wrap 62793a74c8 his head around d59d6054f6 it. His fists clenched and eb57e5d228 unclenched as he muttered 6915aa2604 under his breath.a32316be11f89fc5

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“Surely… Young Master 17208a27ff Tang Seoran didn’t da67904fc6 do it willingly. He must have been 8990755ed7 threatened or brainwashed… something 754ac2ff1f must have happened for 977f57890e him to end up 5f94fabcc1 like that… How could f78b7c656e the ‘One Laugh, One 9181e7e127 Kill’ Tang Seoran be e5e75d8e78 with someone like Ju 61346ca637 Ryongjin….”a3bc535d1866406f

As Lee Hwasu wrestled fadacaf0e7 with his confusion, Sidong 1081527e73 casually offered the chopsticks 094c74625d again. “What I’m saying is, 2980dd3cc3 since you’re here, it 2f884354bf wouldn’t hurt to get 09d19351ee on the Leader’s good 2aa15dea3c side. If you stubbornly bc6b4854b1 oppose him, you 5e9785c5c2 might end up e6f0e925b7 thrown into the 712598bd69 Firefly Abyss. Ah! Just so 6b0afeec2c you know, 62b0d945b0 there’s a 4a6810eda2 monster in 647dd21ed8 that pond, fa056db4e8 so don’t 82936e05f2 even think fa6cf51985 about dipping 825f2e7b2d your feet d1926781ae in or 112221a085 swimming.”ca258c7a4c1f8918

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“A monster?”38fbecc7d439dc41

“It’s an alligator the Leader keeps as a pet, named Maengkkong.”ee82d977a99b0f8b

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“Ma-Maengkkong…?”8a8cfe211e409f94

“That creature has developed a taste for humans and sometimes crawls into the garden, so be careful.”a954ad62c168a0b1

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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!”b245f1910a9eb394

“Oh no, if you refuse the meal, the chef will be kicked out of the Heavenly No-Gate…!”335a8755dcd71c33

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At Sidong’s lament, Lee Hwasu raised an eyebrow. “What?”de223fdeaa5ae067

“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.”e19766f7074b10b7

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Lee Hwasu was quite taken aback. “Well, sometimes you just lose your appetite and leave food, that’s all…!”6af078eb60952fbe

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….”4d932221a78d6810

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“Fine, I’ll eat. Is that what you want?”bd968bf3da892671

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.”ce21a5206b20b509

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⋆. 𐙚 ˚જ⁀➴ef2428865061c531

After hastily finishing his 63b9cea00b meal, Lee Hwasu felt 31b427eb01 uncomfortably bloated. He pounded 70e282609f his chest c43ffef17b a few ce7ddb0e89 times before 1aae30db7b standing up, 34a788a6dc deciding that e32b522818 a walk d88cb6bd98 might help f20070ca06 with digestion—and c440eaebbc give him 45a5868c4b a chance fc822862e5 to explore e284da84df his surroundings.ec767300280cce55

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The area around his 2cde7316d0 dwelling was a dense 3687234a61 grove of fruit trees. Coincidentally, they 97cd59cf49 were all 84f174aded plum trees, d7858e0576 making him ab9db2f211 wonder if bd550fee7f someone had ff062b99e7 deliberately placed 53dfdfc6c6 him there. At the forest’s f468fc1c8c edge, a sheer 2740fa5407 cliff dropped off 11afbd8984 into an abyss, 992c13f910 its dizzying height 18b5fb9bbe offering no foothold. It was a 5eeee1c7dc natural fortress—one that 286862672f couldn’t be scaled 606dc6db4f with ordinary lightness fee87d8bf1 skill.31c78d001dd9faec

“Is the only way 953b113032 out of here that 65a36db66e bridge?”0b84c71356454cb2

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Lee Hwasu e70dbc5f4c crossed the 9e5af7c52a bridge leading bbf2556e04 to Heavenly a5f2ea6371 Dragon Hall, b1fa6ea12f his hands 2b6deb13fc clasped behind 9c13e96593 his back. The arched 611572e374 bridge stopped 22a6201d78 at a 2e7e461273 pavilion perched 1c8049442b on a 92d5176fc1 rocky island. Though small, fc8f0fbee9 the pavilion—with ec480070f2 its blue f78b0e4d36 tiles and 877c5d6257 red lacquer—held 5b87724d9b a certain a821d419b6 charm. Below, colorful lotus 6e4418a360 flowers bloomed across 4d780e9fdb Firefly Abyss, making a3f14b2d2f it seem like a43c9491f1 a world of 77921006a3 lotuses adrift in 4878b4bc01 mist.76042fc5e3e41194

Unknowingly, Lee 0eacf47142 Hwasu found 700cf31fb8 himself standing df23a8bd66 there, lost 30054a3e5b in thought, 34b4a8b5c2 until movement 1036557ebe on the c770cc249d water caught ca6971ee5b his eye. A boat 0dfd0254d7 was drifting 2e3a7d8a63 gently from f28fed3716 the far ff276349c7 side of f54d15fb54 the pond. The pond was c9c79ca950 vast enough for c467ca891f boating, but he fd17007e06 couldn’t fathom the 6f7381121c appeal of leisurely 017c3c7c5c drifting in waters d31cfb3890 where crocodiles swam.f49ce57a742e8880

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Thinking it must 5773611e5c be Ju Ryongjin ced0fc4a6c aboard, Lee Hwasu 1280420c90 turned to leave—only 316254871c to pause. There were several figures 39fdb6b921 on the boat. Not only was bf8469f483 Tang Seoran clinging ce63289fdf to Ju Ryongjin, 232192b548 but a group 3841ac136b of young men, 740e682033 their hair loose 14a7ff5b5c and their attire 4cb8d56c8f casual, lounged around, ed33898eca drinking and playing 53c94b2c70 instruments.c3f80d0b2e1dd43c

Thinking there might cdd0501e3b be a familiar 0e0f784fb6 face among them, 4bcf30439a Lee Hwasu stared 3407cea947 intently in that 704f17766f direction. Noticing him, Ju Ryongjin 8389aac9db steered the boat closer.1ce2545936f8916e

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Lee Hwasu cd7e3c9053 had no 040be36049 desire to fbc9c20019 talk to a2535ccb5f that man, 9ce8838bfb but he 277e6a4258 remained where 62a1929256 he was, 6bcc2f0043 wanting to 57a0de5b41 get a 6420c6c696 closer look ded538a425 at the eb420bb286 faces of 09fff61f69 the young 6640e6753a men aboard. Soon, the boat 2f32be70ed approached the pavilion.d7f4061e227ee1ef

Upon closer inspection, 9bc978d105 his suspicion was 7fbe0d5920 confirmed. Among the f9dea8cf0e passengers were d4203881d9 disciples from 0ab34a7678 the Taoist-affiliated 679ae4341c Wudang Sect e6df5eacf2 and Kunlun 4c298e3c17 Sect. Even if they weren’t 7c62aef21b particularly notable figures, he 752700bc8c had seen them before—either ca1cced459 from afar or up bf3d9a630a close.7e8fe5895e6c4554

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But one figure db87e9d0e9 stood out as c98f2440e8 particularly unexpected.f810c1f74dedd9de

Towering at 5282d4d48e nine feet bbecd5d829 tall, with bc1e597a41 a burly 8736a0c4a3 build and f15174b82e a jagged c291dd868f scar running d1dcd70417 from his eb6560c996 right forehead c42df3c37e across his 414e0eae6f face to 32efa079da his left d80dda997e cheek—there was 62d74924f7 no mistaking 20fce2893a him. If the 3c1fac177b wanted posters 0309d3cbdb were accurate, edff46e836 this was c126c0a224 undoubtedly Jang 2f83622808 Taeju, the 3215b5e418 Blood Wind a2b1aa7251 Chaos, the bc5479b1eb infamous leader 000ca4ad45 of the d47c4cc6fc Green Forest 29007361f5 Eighteen Strongholds.cff8e962a3c41a06

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How had he 1bc3cc789d ended up here?6f77e1060b3df11c

Lee Hwasu a196b0b26f rubbed his dfafa15687 eyes in a7cf9a8f2a disbelief. Meanwhile, Ju Ryongjin, 05e64e7ede seated with Tang 644e5bb400 Seoran on his fa3e2e5e24 right and Jang 911b7b46db Taeju on his 11ce7c1594 left, turned to fa33a7af5f him and spoke.11d1d4d83da8f1ff

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“Sorry, but we’re full, so we can’t give you a ride.”0c937922f662bfca

Lee Hwasu 1eba4ca641 replied with 426fefb4a5 a hardened 132da89b19 expression.de574495a6209c2f

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“I never asked for a ride.”3ce25861d32857ad

“You were looking this way so earnestly, I thought you were asking for one.”710e540c430d16b9

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Talking to ea9d1edc2d Ju Ryongjin 3ce25ad379 would only 38ee90621b sour his 7241b85875 mood without 605fb95949 yielding anything 7141e463f5 in return. Deciding to put an 22c1082fdc end to the pointless e9a2b75c08 argument, Lee Hwasu turned 516f69020c away and strode toward 5a180157ef the bridge, deliberately ignoring f1d46313b1 him.4b2b9bb682a96296

Behind him, Tang Seoran’s 6248b67931 voice called out.6b731a7276d8a125

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“How about we split the boat and throw him to the crocodiles for daring to ignore the leader?”aee0d28500e9e608

At Tang Seoran’s words, Ju Ryongjin chuckled and said,87fc9219c713b8c2

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“Leave him be. I brought him here because he’s useful, so why kill him?”132051ff6a05dad0

“Hmph, wasn’t it because you were captivated by his looks?”f93abb0f6e949400

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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.”77b3590f4968c058

“I’m a nobleman too, you know?”d7f75fe72af6094f

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“For my taste, someone like you is just right.”76b955eebded30d4

“Who are you calling a courtesan?”5ddd34baac98890b

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“Didn’t you say that yourself?”07e0cd8e5ffee1e2

“That was because you…! Ugh…!”a567b17f41c3fa9a

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Just as Tang ecea92b90c Seoran seemed ready a2dc240024 to lash out, 613c9640b0 Ju Ryongjin must f4ee78684b have covered his 8b8cbddfe7 mouth again. A muffled 260354d3ee nasal sound 7c9817ea14 followed, and e46bde8184 then silence.081eefadfddb32eb

The persistent 85609b9153 moaning that 043e125017 came after a19e61ad47 made Lee 718118dd82 Hwasu shudder. Goosebumps crawled 9b7ea72e37 up his 5afe81f31a back, and ff87514d90 a wave 7419e1921b of nausea 0d8c1bca8c surged through c91148ec9c him. Clenching his teeth, he 5e87116961 covered his ears and 884575536e bolted, desperate to escape b8d4ba05a6 the unsettling sounds.d9a8e43d39adf550

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“They’re all crazy, completely crazy!”9793b018b9e23a47

Lee Hwasu didn’t get 72cc28acde far before his legs f8aee77eec gave out, sending him d24cbdf768 collapsing into the bushes. Lying there, he 58cebd1ede retched, vomiting up e241441a56 everything he had dde356b115 eaten that morning.0ca43289b60343e7

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Having survived on 891f4f515f Maengkkong pills for c528e308d2 so long, his 10d8cc044c stomach had grown 77338467ee sensitive, struggling to 7980303253 digest real food. On top a12181e4f0 of that, 4edb93cdfc he couldn’t 8870b5f094 shake the ff998351d2 nagging suspicion ffadb40313 that something 08636f56c1 had been e4c86c503d mixed into feb0864055 his meal. It was far too 5cc889524a convenient that Sidong had 5d57c9d502 fed him while spouting deb12deb0b nonsense.ce5b591ad8d1b5fd

If food were truly 7666b1d4e7 scarce, he wouldn’t have 4eca85bea9 so casually asked what b5f6096908 he wanted to eat.97b4cb2a4f685b86

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“I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”e3dee295dafd6456

It had only 774e3d287d been a day 85927738c9 since he entered 5b2c5183a6 Heavenly God Palace, da39595c17 yet it felt 0dfc638ece like a year 9cf7a58316 had passed. If he stayed 266fd93d4e here too long, b209e8e9a1 he feared he f9ff7a2015 might end up 90e5d24407 just as twisted 20b45e9111 as the others.2f218efdcf815242

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A surge e5e23b70b9 of unease 9670b0c296 gripped him, 4f4a871820 and Lee f331bdd249 Hwasu forced e41843701b himself to 00137e1da7 stand, pushing 6084cf43eb up from 3c5af3cac7 the bushes. His eyes d7761d0a7d darted around, 8bd4a383a7 searching for 5d3f0d736f something—anything—to hold d5f8d2f3fb onto.dc0cc60685b4b8c1

His cherished sword had b2814f8877 been lost during the 69b428cc17 fight with Ju Ryongjin. Though it wasn’t a c280a46390 proper weapon, he reached 6d46f30e64 for a nearby plum 900559f3ce tree and snapped off ba53587d9f a sturdy branch, gripping 8e4b469c91 it tightly. Just having something in 66dca2cdb5 his hand, even a 3b35b65613 mere piece of wood, 67d75eb85c made him feel a b7ce98b41e little steadier.79d9e9cdcb1e2988

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“Stay calm, stay calm.”7880667ded2b1baf

To calm his ddc1939c1c chaotic mind, Lee 48625e8614 Hwasu began practicing 91dc5dc41d his sword technique. As he 5600f35f19 moved through 29d6509a3f the forms 031075c2eb of the 8e7c37ca7d Twenty-Four Hands 9c7401e10e Plum Blossom 187d7b7007 Sword Technique, ff1533ba2f a sequence 97eae46c13 as familiar 4c44161d04 to him 54357ba12d as breathing, b35275948d a fragile 4962fa0034 sense of a3313f5ceb normalcy returned.789f1a39faa714fe

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Closing his f39e4c7c84 eyes, he 5c627ac98b envisioned himself e39ebf32fc behind Plum 41ae1ac44f Blossom Pavilion, a30cff0a0b where he fdeb1d956f had always 064a317e2c trained. Without that illusion, he ebafa3631b wasn’t sure he could 4683f057c8 endure the reality of 56f200af64 being trapped in a e863bf5031 place that felt no ae84c46f41 different from Ju Ryongjin’s 6b7d5d45e5 harem.600baedf149cc93f

⋆. 𐙚 ˚જ⁀➴891d59e2ac6c716a

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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.72068956ab4e80fa