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Ever since Chung Myung arrived at Mount Hua, he had found himself adjusting to the changes in the infrastructure and reacquainting himself with the Sect members who now lived in it.
They were all part of his family, from the kind elders who watched over the children, to the indulgent first-class disciples who tried to be a little stricter, the slightly stubborn second-class disciples and the innocent third-class disciples. In turn, they all welcomed Chung Myung with varying degrees of acceptance, yet being a united front against those outside their Sect.
And weren't the people from outside the problem? At first he didn't notice much of a problem, since Chung Myung wasn't the type of person to discriminate based on the secondary gender of warriors -that would be stupid, you could end up dead for underestimating your opponent - but after all the instincts were strongly ingrained in all of them, and the now alpha Chung Myung realized that he might have become especially overprotective.
Perhaps it was because his Mount Hua was trampled on by others for so long, or a consequence of losing your entire family once in the past, rather than the result of his alpha instincts. However, anyone else would disagree. Isn't it more natural to be overprotective with your sect composed only of omegas when you are the only alpha?
When there was an important meeting that required the Leader of the Sect as well as other elders, Chung Myung would meddle as if it were a matter of course. Of course, it could be argued that Hyun Jong had a weak temper like a candle fluttering in front of the window flange when set to argue alongside leaders of big sects like Shaolin, besides that it turned out to be improper after all to leave an alpha alone with an omega -even if it was a notion that didn't apply to cultivators-, Was Chung Myung supposed to leave those helpless omegas alone in a room full of hyenas ready to sink their greedy fangs into their beloved Leader of the Sect?
And that stupid brat Zhongnan, how dare he try to intimidate his Baek Cheon Sasuk with his alpha hormones to the point of causing him pain just because Jin Geumryong had an innate advantage over him? Chung Myung was going to smash every last one of his bones in front of the members of both sects and the merchants that Guild Leader Eunha brought with him so that he doesn't dare to use dirty tricks on his sect members behind his back again.
Hmmph! Anyway, the next time they meet, Chung Myung will have trained them so well that they will never bend to the will of any alpha, beta or omega again.
"I'm sorry, Sajil, but the disciples are coming into heat, so we thought it would be best to accommodate you in a different room to avoid future awkward encounters."
Baek Sang led Chung Myung to a new building, small and somewhat neglected, but which the second-class disciples had worked hard to fix for their move. It's not like the disciples or the elders don't trust Chung Myung to keep his hands to himself from the children, but the reaction of the secondary genders to the hormones of the same gender was different from that of different secondary genders. It was for the good of both parties.
Hyun Jong looked pityingly at Chung Myung in what seemed to him to be marginalization, while Hyun Young did his best to create a dwelling full of luxuries as if to accommodate the king in his new chambers. Chung Myung nodded every time he saw a new item arrive at his new home, which included strangely too many nest-building materials, probably the elders weren't quite sure how to accommodate a young alpha since the Sect somehow managed to only recruit omegas in this age. Fortunately, Chung Myung had been an omega in his past life, so the materials to build his own nest came in handy, even if he himself was already looking for some a little more expensive.
Baek Cheon left the last box inside the room, briefly leaning on the table as he let out a breath of relief. After their tyrant Sajil forced them to train to exhaustion, the elder Hyun Young encouraged them to help him move all his stuff around like slaves. He could see Baek Sang's hands shaking as he tried not to drop a box in the bedroom.
Despite himself, Baek Cheon also felt a bit guilty. "Chung Myung-ah, this arrangement is just to make you sleep more comfortably. At any time of the day we can see each other."
"If another alpha joins later, you might have a roommate", Baek Sang added, almost immediately regretting it. If another alpha came to their Sect, they had better be a quiet one or that thug would be sure to establish his dominance by force.
Chung Myung sighed, thinking to himself 'did I also exude these hormones in my past life without realizing it?'
As if they had their hearts on their sleeves, the subtle aroma of hormones accompanied the young omegas trying to calm him down in a vain effort. Chung Myung was quite happy to have his own space, even if he would miss the company. Anyway, now that he was an alpha, the omegas' heat had become too cloying.
"Sasuk shouldn't worry. The omegas should have their own space to spend their heat. If some alpha were to get close to you, instead..." Chung Myung's face darkened with each word, unconsciously unleashing a bit of his killing intent. He quickly restrained his aura, reminding himself that these omegas weren't used to strong hormones so he should hold back before beginning their workouts.
Unexpectedly, a warm hand landed on his head, caressing his hair. It was Hyun Jong. "We know, Chung Myung-ah."
Baek Cheon and Baek Sang were smiling, looking at each other with warmth. For some reason, the hormones that were violent and aggressive in nature did not faze his fellow disciples, but instead made them feel safe. Chung Myung realized that these soft idiots had fully accepted him into their pack, despite not having arrived that long and not knowing much about him.
Now, how was he supposed to scare them with their hormones to don't submit to outsider alphas if they just felt more comfortable?
"Who cares that they're omegas!? Those bastards from the midlands, so focused on the superiority of alphas, they have no idea!"
Baek Cheon unconsciously recoiled from the huge fist that crashed into the table, spilling some of the wine onto the table.
“Come on, the kids have no idea", Chung Myung chimed in calmly.
The beast clan leader calmed down a bit, putting the cup back to his mouth.
"Paaah! The Plum Blossom Sword Saint was the strongest swordsman in the world, and he was an omega!"
The Mount Hua disciples gaped, looking with sparkling eyes at the speaker. They soaked up each word like sponges, blushing under the shower of praise that followed.
"Isn't a sect made up mostly of omegas better? Not a single alpha in history has been as strong as him!"
Chung Myung nodded, puffing out his chest.
'Why are you proud, if you are an alpha?', thought the disciples. Being proud of your own Sect was no small thing, yet it seemed as if they were congratulating him?
"Especially if you are omegas from Mount Hua, straighten your back with pride!"
Chung Myung let out a couple of happy giggles, gloating.
"Soso."
"Leave it to me, Chung Myung Sahyung!"
Tang Soso stepped forward to take care of Jo Gul's battered body before taking him to the specialized doctors of shaolin. To Yoon Jong, Chung Myung said: 'since Sahyung is idle here, I should go and collect my reward."
Yoon Jong sighed. Ever since he had given up the competition in Shaolin, Chung Myung had forced him to go around as the gofer instead of going himself. Actually, the alpha had acted even more strangely than usual, nearly pacing in circles in front of his seat like a caged lion. Chung Myung's gaze went from glaring at the Sect Leaders who took a seat next to Hyun Jong to the upcoming enemies of the young disciples.
Alphas! Alphas, alphas and more alphas! Really, there was no more variety? Of course, there were betas and omegas as well, but Chung Myung ignored them because he was too focused on keeping an eye on those mischievous hooligans to misstep with any of his pack members. He came so close to jumping on Jin Geumryong's neck, and barely held back from that bald Shaolin monk when he injured his puppies in front of him.
Hye Yeon, his behavior was not typical of an alpha, but as such, Chung Myung saw it for what it was: he was bullying his pack!
The members of the Mount Hua Sect chatted amicably, casting a few wary glances towards Chung Myung who had unleashed his raging hormones. Nearby audience members were intimidated by this fraction of mildly subdued anger, backing down from their spot and even moving out. Even the Sect Leaders, who were further away, noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere, but before they could comment on it, the Mount Hua Sect was already retreating towards their private rooms.
"Well done, Chung Myung-ah."
It was strange how even though his Sahyung's alpha hormones made him feel so safe and warm in his past life, now he could be so happy and comforted by the complete acceptance and welcome of the Omega essence.
No, maybe he was just acting out all this time.
The truth was that Chung Myung loved his Sect too much to be anything but protective in the face of danger and satisfied under their affection.
'Aigoo, Sahyung, was this what you were trying to tell me?'
In the past, his Sahyung liked to say that the secondary gender was not as important as the union between members of the Sect and the underlying feelings. Truth be told, an alpha wouldn't lose control over an omega if previous temptation didn't pave the way. As well as how omegas wouldn't be intimidated by alphas if there wasn't a prior reason to fear them in particular.
—So don't think too much about what they say about your secondary gender.
In the past, his Sahyung was filled with unnecessary thoughts about Chung Myung's sensitivity to other people's criticism. Despite the fact that he himself did not believe that he gave any sign of discomfort, his Sahyung insisted on giving him these boring lectures on equality and respect. When he wanted to cheer up his Sect members, he found himself remembering this kind of memorandum that they didn't get the chance to inherit; another piece in the legacy that had been lost.
Chung Myung gave Hye Yeon a critical look. Well, this kind of learning -running away from home to learn from other sect- wasn't the norm, but Chung Myung has never bothered with traditional arrangements.
Furthermore, although he was an alpha, his temperament was like that of a cuddly puppy that did not know the horrors of the world. In a way, it made him feel confident that he wouldn't do anything suspicious. On the other hand, was he simply going to accept an alpha much stronger than all of his purely omega sect members?
The look of the disciples around him told him the answer: yes.
"Sasuk, just because he's an alpha or an omega—"
"I know, Chung Myung-ah. That's not the problem."
Chung Myung softened, snorting under his breath just to indicate his disagreement. His pack liked to help all kinds of stray pups, even if they were just a person who needed help.
Despite wanting to warn them, 'the world is not so good, you shouldn't show kindness so carelessly'… He knew that this was the most precious part of Mount Hua's legacy that had remained as lively to this day as it was a century ago.
"Aigoo, what will I do with you?"