Chapter 1101: If It's This Kind of Reciprocation, It Might Be Worth Accepting (Part 1)

"Ugh."

Hyun Young pulled back the blanket and sat up. Habitually turning his head to look out the window, he furrowed his brows slightly.

'Has the sun risen?'

He had overslept a bit today. Normally, he wouldn't allow himself to oversleep, but during the days his disciples went to Gangnam, he had stayed up day and night without a moment's rest. The accumulated fatigue seemed to hit him all at once.

"Ah, my bones."

He patted his shoulders. Despite mastering martial arts and keeping his body in shape, age was something he couldn't defeat. Pulling the blanket completely off, he sat cross-legged on the bed. Only after finishing his habitual breathing exercises did he get up from the bed and change into his clothes.

"Hmm."

Before stepping out, he closed his eyes for a moment. Mount Hua was achieving success after success. However, success brought increased vigilance.

Fortune always came with misfortune. If one became arrogant or intoxicated with success, there would inevitably be a price to pay.

'I have to be careful.'

These were aspects that young disciples easily overlooked. With even a year more of experience, he had to be the one to caution and guide them. Hyun Young smiled mischievously.

"Then, shall I try picking some pods today?"

Firmly deciding to become a ghost for a day for his disciples, Hyun Young decisively opened the door and went outside. However, his determination crumbled neatly before even taking a single step.

"What on earth is this?"

Standing at the entrance of the training ground, Hyun Young mumbled with a blank expression. Piles of luggage blocked his view, not only inside the training ground but also at the entrance and beyond. Something unknown had been piled up messily in layers.

"Do those Demonic Sect bastards intend to invade here? Should we evacuate?"

"No, that's not it..."

Baek Sang wiped the sweat from his forehead as he answered.

"People gathered here since the early morning, saying they're thankful for driving away the Demonic Sect..."

"This, all of this?"

"Yes."

"All of this?"

Hyun Young's pupils trembled as if an earthquake had occurred. Following the piled luggage with his gaze, he abruptly grabbed the back of his neck before even seeing the end of it.

"Oh my. My neck...!"

"Are you alright?"

"...Is this all?"

"Inside, there's no more space to pile things up, so the disciples are receiving and stacking items outside the training ground."

"What?"

Flames flickered in Hyun Young's eyes.

"Is this guy sane or not? You happily accepted this mess? Without even considering that these items are brought by commoners who struggle day by day to scrape together enough money to eat?"

Baek Sang raised his hands in terror.

"Oh, Elder. Do you think it's possible? Of course, I refused it, saying it was unnecessary. But what can I do when they give it to us so recklessly?"

"Recklessly?"

"It's nothing much, why won't you accept this either? They're saying it's the value of their lives, what can I possibly say? Even if I try to stop them, they just throw it and run away..."

"...Heh, hehe."

Hyun Young laughed as if there was no other choice.

It is not something new that gifts sent from all over the world have piled up in front of the Mount Hua Sect. Hyun Young had seen similar situations several times before. However, this was different from those occasions.

The gifts sent to Mount Hua before were sent by influential figures from the Shaanxi region to gain favor with Mount Hua. Even if you looked at it favorably, it was hard to say that they were sent with a pure heart. To put it bluntly, they were bribes.

But weren't the items piled up here completely different in meaning? Mount Hua was soon to leave this Yangtze River region and go to a distant Shaanxi. What would these locals gain by trying to please them?

In other words, all these things truly meant that the local commoners had given these items as a genuine expression of gratitude.

"Hehehe..."

Hyun Young, who let out a laugh that was hard to interpret, approached the piled-up goods as if enchanted and pulled out one of the items from the bottom.

Inside the tightly bound bundle, there were grains that couldn't be considered valuable. Hyunyoung silently looked at it, then lightly touched it with his fingertips.

"...This precious thing..."

While the rare gifts sent by influential figures might be expensive, they couldn't be considered 'precious' to Hyun Young. What meaning could it have when those who had leftover money sent it half-heartedly?

But this grain was different. The people living in the Yangtze River region had barely escaped from the Su Lo Chae's grasp. They were people for whom even plastering their mouths with grass every day was not an easy task. These people, who had finally escaped from the clutches of Su Lo Chae, brought this grain as a token of their gratitude, filled with the sincere sentiment of what they would eat during the winter.

How could this grain be considered less valuable than any treasure?

"There are many small items, but most of them are food."

"..."

"But there's too much, and storing it is not easy. We need to hire a suitable merchant to sell it..."

"What?"

Hyun Young turned his sharp gaze towards Baek Sang, and anger flashed in his eyes.

"What are you selling?"

"Well, the grain..."

"Are you crazy?"

Bloodlust appeared in Hyun Young's eyes.

"What is this? What kind of thing is this that you can judge it? Can this be exchanged for money? These people, who eat better than cows and are like parasites, just feed them! Why are you even considering judging this?"

"Well, Elder. While we can keep and eat the grains, things like the meat and vegetables that just came in will spoil soon..."

"Eat everything!"

When Hyun Young spat out fire from his mouth, Hyun Sang silently closed his mouth.

"Eat it all without leaving a single trace! Otherwise, you all know what will happen!"

Baek Sang's face turned crimson.

Of course, the disciples here were the main culprits of Hyun Young's stomachaches, eating six times or seven times the amount an ordinary person would. However, no matter how you looked at it, how could they possibly consume everything that could fill ten huge storage rooms in just a few days?

"Ah, no..."

"Noisy! Feed them starting from lunch today! Eat it all!"

"..."

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Tsk."

With a dissatisfied expression, Hyun Young looked at the piled-up gifts with a fresh gaze.

Indeed, it would be difficult for the young disciples to understand.

For some, righteousness might be a matter of choice, but for others, it was an earnest desire too dazzling to look at.

In the past, when the Mount Hua Sect was located in Baek Cheok Valley, Hyun Young could never even dream of becoming an operative [idk "협객행", maybe hero for the commoners?]. For some, even if they had the ability, it may have been a troublesome task to avoid, but for Hyun Young and his fellow martial brothers, being operatives was something brilliant.

What sustained them through the difficult life was the futile hope that someday, they too would fight for the suffering commoners as proud martial artists, making a name for the Mount Hua Sect.

With each passing day, as their hair grew whiter, as they realized that youth was not something that would stay forever, they gradually let go of that hope.

Hyun Young gently touched the grains he had carefully set down.

"...It's not wrong."

"Yes?"

"Never mind."

Hyun Young answered curtly and turned his head. He didn't want to show his face to the disciples right now.

After taking a moment to manage his expression, Hyun Young turned his gaze again and asked.

"So, are there still visitors outside?"

"Yes. The disciples are receiving the luggage right now."

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Baek Sang quickly stepped forward. Following him, after a while, they saw some individuals standing in line with something firmly tied on their backs.

As the large man arrived in front of the disciples after waiting, he puffed out a breath and abruptly extended what he held in his hands toward them.

"I don't know if the Taoists eat meat, but I couldn't think of anything, so I brought this."

"Thank you. We do eat meat."

"That's a relief."

The blunt man spoke and almost threw the bundle into the disciples' arms.

"...It seems like a lot."

"It's not that much!"

"Thank you."

The disciples received the goods with sweat dripping down their foreheads.

"Where do you live..."

"Never mind. You don't need to know that."

"...Ah, yes."

The man started walking away as if he had no lingering attachment but then turned back to glance at Mount Hua's disciples.

"Thank you."

Baek Sang, who had received the luggage, looked at the man with curious eyes.

"My grandmother lives here. If she had to evacuate, she wouldn't have withstood the harsh winds outside. She would have just died here without moving a muscle."

"..."

"Thanks to you, she survived. I'm grateful."

For a moment, Baek Sang stared blankly at him, then broke into a wry smile.

"I just did what needed to be done."

"Hmm."

The man nodded, turned his head, and walked away with a shuffling gait.

Hyun Young stared at the man's retreating figure, then shifted his gaze to the side. The package under the man's arm seemed to be damp, indicating it hadn't been long since the butchering.

"Baek Sang."

"Yes, Elder."

"Go and call more disciples. The weather is cold, and the line is too long. If they can't refuse, at least reduce the time they spend standing."

"Excuse me? Right now, Chung Myung is beating up the kids... No, he won't be sending the kids away because they're in the middle of training, right?"

"Just say I called them to come out. No, tell Chung Myung and all those who are training to come here, and tell them to receive the gifts first."

"But about the training..."

"Hurry up."

"Yes, Elder."

Baek Sang rushed inside. No matter how much of a troublemaker Chung Myung was, there was no case of him defying the orders of Sect Leader Jangmun and Elder Hyun Young, so there shouldn't be any problem.

Hyun Young silently observed the people in line. The shabby-looking middle-aged martial artist, the old man and woman with hunched backs, the child holding hands with the rough hands, each holding something in their hands, all gazed at the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect with admiring eyes.

"Well...."

As if about to say something, Hyun Young quickly closed his mouth. He was about to turn his head, but suddenly someone's voice grazed his ears.

"Isn't it a good sight?"

Turning behind, Hyun Young said bluntly.

"When did you arrive?"

"Just a moment ago."

Hyun Jong smiled and looked at him.

"Sect Leader seems to have some free time. Why else would he come all the way out here to see something?"

"No matter how busy you are, there are things you should see."

"Then lend a hand, will you?"

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

"The ones who should welcome them are not us. Isn't that right?"

To that remark, Hyun Young nodded without saying a word.

"Righteousness should not be expected and reciprocated. The moment you expect reciprocity, it becomes a trade, not true righteousness."

"...."

"But...."

Hyun Jong said.

"If it's this kind of reciprocation... Well, it might be worth accepting."

Hyun Young only pursed his lips. He couldn't bring himself to open his mouth; otherwise, some mournful words might come out.

At that moment, someone's voice cut through.

The disciples, who had come running from afar, panting,

"It's time!"

"Damn it! Finally, something to do!"

"I'll do it! Please let me do it!"

Hyun Young chuckled when he saw the disciples running excitedly, as if work was better than training, and Chung Myung trudging from behind with a swagger.

"Hurry up and move! You lazy things!"

In Hyun Young's bright voice, there was a vitality that had been hard to find for a while.