He tilted his face to the sky and said coldly, "Immortal cultivation? Hmph! What’s so great about it? All that training and self-denial—you give up love, family, everything, just to chase so so-called supre Dao. What’s the point? Our village is the real paradise! Anyway, Seo Sowoo, if you dare go off and beco an immortal, don’t you ever tell anyone you know !"
Seo Sowoo pouted and muttered to Aunt Seo, "Mom, you see that? Brother Im just bullies people. Taejin’s from an immortal sect too, right? And Rumi’s gonna be a cultivator soday. How co he never says anything about them?"
Im Beomhyeon turned around, pretending to raise his hand for another smack.
Seo Sowoo braced to dodge, but Im Beomhyeon calmly lowered his hands.
"If you’re aiming for the One Flower Sect and want to follow their path, I won’t stop you. Or if it’s the Bukseowon Jade Academy, the Namjahae Pearl Seabed, Dongwondo Topaz Islands, or Sehwagul Ruby Gate—I won’t interfere either. But judging by their standards for accepting disciples, I don’t think you’ve got a shot."
Seo Sowoo looked dazed. When Im Beomhyeon stopped talking, he scratched his ear and asked again, "Brother Im, what were those places you just listed? I’ve never heard of them. Are their disciple requirents really that strict?"
Im Beomhyeon had been planning to go roast duck, but seeing that others were now gathering with interest, he sighed and sat back down to explain.
"Their standards are very strict. Generally speaking, girls must be under seven while boys must under eight to even be considered. If soone has exceptional talent, the age limit might stretch a bit—but even then, girls can’t be older than fourteen, and boys can’t be older than sixteen."
Seo Sowoo drooped his head in defeat. "Well, that’s that—I’ve got no chance." Even without considering talent, he was already over the age limit.
Im Beomhyeon chuckled as he patted Seo Sowoo on the shoulder, looking much more cheerful now.
"There’s one more powerful sect, just as good as those four, and they even accept people under thirty. Their standards for aptitude aren’t as strict either—as long as you’re willing to work hard, it’s not impossible to get in."
That imdiately perked Seo Sowoo right up—not to ntion Bok Taejin was also highly intrigued.
What Im Beomhyeon had said earlier matched what Bok Taejin rembered. Those four na were indeed the most powerful immortal sects under the empire. But was there really another sect on par with them?
"But the hardship they put you through is real. You’ll have to endure both extre cold and blistering heat. In sumr, they make you train next to blazing fire pits under the sun, and in winter, you have to dive into frozen lakes at night. That’s just the basic initiation."
"You’re talking about the Empire’s Sevenfold Fang Brigade?" Second Uncle asked thoughtfully. "With them, yeah, if you can endure the hardship, you can get in—but they have other rules too."
"What rules? Those can be worked around. It’s aptitude and age that are the real obstacles," Im Beomhyeon waved his hand dismissively. "Anyway, forget it. With Seo Sowoo’s qualifications, it’s hard to get into even an average sect. Only Bok Taejin’s One Flower Sect or the Sevenfold Fang Brigade might take him. But well... heh, One Flower’s out of the picture now, and he probably can’t get into the Sevenfold Fang Brigade either. I’m off to roast a duck."
He left right after saying that, and the crowd that had gathered to hear his stories gradually dispersed.
Yoon Areum was still cuddled up in Second Uncle’s arms.
She didn’t care about what Im Beomhyeon had just said—her eyes kept wandering all around, not focusing on a single thing.
Suddenly, she noticed the glowing lanterns hanging on the ancestral hall’s outer wall. Her eyes lit up with joy as she pointed and exclaid, "Second Uncle, those are so pretty!"
Bok Taejin followed the direction she was pointing and smiled, struck by a thought. "Yeah, those lanterns really are beautiful. I think they stay lit all the way until dawn?"
Second Uncle squinted and looked for a mont. "These lanterns’ve been around here since a long ti! Ever since the ancestral hall was built. I rember the elders saying there’s sothing called ’Dusklight Pearls’ inside ’em. Our ancestors said not to touch the lanterns, or they’d stop glowing. We’ve never dared take one down to see what’s inside."
The glowing dot on Bok Taejin’s forehead gave a small exclamation and inford him, "Dusklight Pearls are a five-star spiritual plant species. They can only grow in fully sealed environnts. When deprived of light, they start to glow. This village actually has Dusklight Pearls?"
"Maybe because Hwayang Village has so sort of connection to the One Flower Sect?" Bok Taejin said this without much confidence.
But what Im Beomhyeon once said floated into his mind again.
After all, Dusklight Pearls were closely tied to the forr glory of Hwayang Village.
The delicious aroma of roast duck was slowly spreading.
Yoon Areum squird in Second Uncle’s arms, clearly wanting to get down and beg for duck at.
So Second Uncle brought her to find Im Beomhyeon, with Bok Taejin following behind.
At that mont, Im Beomhyeon had just finished roasting two ducks. They’d even cooled off a bit—still hot, but ready to eat.
The villagers had prepped them earlier in the day, stuffing the duck bellies with chestnuts and spices. After a thorough marination, they’d roasted them slowly, resulting in an incredibly mouth-watering aroma.
Even Bok Taejin couldn’t help feeling tempted.
Yoon Areum had a suspicious crystal glimr at the corner of her lips.
Second Uncle didn’t hesitate to grab one of the ducks, split it in half, keeping one for himself and giving the other to Yoon Areum.
He sat down on a thick log like a bench, then patted the space beside him for Yoon Areum to sit too.
The little girl didn’t hesitate at all. She imdiately dug out the chestnuts from inside the duck and started eating them first.
Im Beomhyeon quickly shielded the one remaining duck he had and turned his back toward the two of them.
Bok Taejin could only give a wry smile. He gave up on the idea of Im Beomhyeon sharing. He was considering whether to go find so other villager who had roasted duck and maybe beg for a taste—or just roast sothing himself.
However, at that ti, Im Beomhyeon suddenly with face full of reluctance tore off a duck leg and handed it toward him.
Bok Taejin froze.
Im Beomhyeon was already holding the duck leg at his mouth, muttering, "You’re not gonna eat it? I’ll just eat it myself then!"
How could Bok Taejin let that happen? He imdiately reached to snatch half of the duck for himself.
Im Beomhyeon pretended to block him but ultimately let him take it.
Not far away, Aunt Seo shook her head and sighed. "It’s one thing that Taejin is still young, but how co Beomhyeon’s already an adult and still acts like that? Doesn’t he think at all about where Rumi’s going to sleep tonight or what she’s going to wear?"
Seo Sowoo chuckled, "That’s why you guys still treat him like a kid. He doesn’t even complain about it! All those things—looks like it’ll be up to you to handle, Mom."
Aunt Seo thought about it and said helplessly, "I’d like to make a couple outfits for Rumi, but I don’t think we have any children’s clothes that would fit her size. Making sothing from fabric might take too long."
"Just make it new from fabric anyway," Seo Sowoo said while nodding toward Second Uncle with a grin.
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