Chapter 11

Chapter 10. Goodness, the Huashan Sect is falling. (5)

"Where is the child?"

"He has been sent to the quarters and changed into new clothes. It seems we can proceed with the funeral rites."

"I see."

Yunyan’s gaze fell to the ground. Seeing this, Xianzhong smiled and spoke.

"You don’t seem to approve."

"It’s not that I don’t approve, but…"

Yunyan hesitated for a moment before sighing and speaking.

"While I cannot fully understand the profound intentions of the Sect Leader, I find it difficult to understand why you would accept this child. Now is the time when Huashan should reduce its numbers."

"Yes, indeed."

"The child didn’t bring any wealth like the others, and shows no special talent in martial arts."

"Hmm."

"Most importantly, I can’t sense any positive energy from him. He seems unsuitable for the Daoist sect. Why do you want to make him a disciple of Huashan?"

Xianzhong smiled softly.

"Is that so?"

"…Sect Leader."

Yunyan sighed deeply. Sometimes, Xianzhong can be so enigmatic.

'I can’t understand him.'

Despite serving Xianzhong for over a decade, Yunyan still couldn’t fathom his inner thoughts. Xianzhong was a man of great depth.

"Yunyan."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"Destiny often comes unexpectedly."

Xianzhong smiled.

"Perhaps this child could be the light of Huashan."

"…He is too young to be the light of Huashan."

"Perhaps."

Xianzhong’s face darkened slightly.

The current state of Huashan is precarious, barely holding on, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it were to fall at any moment.

Yunyan’s reluctance to admit Qingming was partly due to this reason.

How great would the loss be if the sect, which might fall tomorrow, were to cast him out onto the streets?

"I know the situation is difficult."

Xianzhong spoke gravely.

"But, Yunyan, plum blossoms bloom even in the snow. Plum blossoms that bloom in harsh cold emit a more profound fragrance than any other."

"…"

"If you don’t plant seeds in winter, the possibility of plum blossoms blooming in the snow will disappear, won’t it?"

"…Yes."

"Go on, then."

Yunyan closed the door quietly and stepped outside. He sighed and looked up.

Every time he spoke with Xianzhong, he felt a sense of clarity. But today, despite the conversation, he felt more stifled than relieved. Xianzhong’s words were still filled with profound meanings, but his heart was troubled by the current state of Huashan.

The current state of Huashan was beyond redemption.

Despite Xianzhong’s lifelong efforts, the situation had only worsened. If things continued, they wouldn’t make it through the year.

The thought of the proud and traditional Huashan being completely destroyed made his chest tighten and a sigh escape his lips.

'Where is Huashan heading?'

Yunyan closed his eyes quietly.

* * *

Qingming looked down at the clothes he was wearing, dazed.

The pure white martial robe caught his eye. The robe, with five plum blossoms embroidered on the right chest, gave him a strange feeling. It was as if his entire body was tingling…

"No, it really is itchy."

The material of the clothes was so poor that it felt like it was pricking his skin. If he hadn’t worn rags before coming here, he would have found it extremely uncomfortable. The month he spent as a beggar had helped him adapt.

"Tsk."

Qingming frowned.

"Quite a mess."

In the past, Huashan wasn’t as wealthy as Wudang or Shaolin, but it still had considerable wealth as one of the Nine Great Sects.

Of course, the Sect Leader’s principle that a Daoist should not be greedy for wealth meant that the money wasn’t spent freely, but it was enough to provide good clothes and food for the disciples.

But the state of the clothes…

"Where did they spend all that money?"

There should have been mountains of money in the treasury!

Even if the money in the treasury was gone, Huashan owned several inns and businesses in Huayin. Where did all that money go, and why are the children wearing such rags?

Even if they couldn’t properly teach martial arts, losing all the money was incomprehensible.

Qingming sighed deeply.

"Nothing is going right."

It’s frustrating. The more he thought about it, the more his head ached.

Expectations only lead to disappointment.

"At least I’ve entered the sect."

He has entered the sect. He has.

Although the worst disaster has occurred, with the great Plum Sword Master entering as the youngest disciple of Huashan, he has entered the sect.

It wasn’t the way Qingming wanted, but he had successfully entered Huashan.

Now, he had a mountain of problems to solve, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

No matter how difficult and challenging the task, it can be accomplished step by step. Most things in the world can be resolved with persistence and effort.

"But where am I exactly?"

There was a fundamental problem.

The hall Qingming had entered was once a guest hall. However, it had changed and now looked like a dormitory.

According to Qingming’s memory, Huashan didn’t have such a concept of dormitories. New disciples immediately formed master-disciple relationships and lived with their masters.

So, what was this place for?

'It’s strange to think it’s a temporary place before forming a master-disciple relationship.'

The basic facilities were well-equipped, clearly designed for people to live in.

'Am I the only one here?'

Qingming quietly stepped out of the room.

The narrow corridor had rooms on both sides, similar to the old guest hall.

Qingming opened the door of the adjacent room. Inside, clothes and various living tools were visible.

'Someone lives here.'

Qingming tilted his head.

Why would someone live in such a guest hall?

"Who’s there?"

Qingming turned his head.

'What?'

Not noticing someone approaching! Such a mistake.

'Oh, right. I don’t have any martial arts right now.'

On the way to Huashan, he had only focused on practicing the Six Harmonies Technique. As a result, his body was becoming incredibly strong, and the foundation he had built was growing vast, but realistically, the only internal energy he had was a tiny amount.

With such a minimal amount of internal energy, he couldn’t maintain the same senses as the old Qingming.

"Who are you, peeking into someone’s room? Are you a thief?"

The boy, who seemed to be around Qingming’s age, had a rough mouth.

Qingming’s peers were shouting as they came up the stairs.

"What’s going on?"

"Zhaogel! What’s wrong?"

Zhaogel, the boy who was called out, pointed at Qingming.

"He was peeking into my room."

"Who is he?"

"Looks like a new guy."

Qingming’s gaze shifted to the ceiling of the corridor.

'Why are they alive?'

Seeing these young brats pointing at him was infuriating. It seemed they were green disciples, and in terms of seniority, Qingming was their great-grandfather.

Of course, they didn’t know that.

But how could he understand these sect members acting like neighborhood bullies? He was pondering how to correct their behavior when a voice called out.

"What’s the commotion?"

"Ah!"

"Senior Uncle Yunjian!"

The children scattered to the sides at the sound of the voice. A man climbed the stairs and frowned.

His strict demeanor was evident in his face and movements. He seemed like someone who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if pricked with a needle.

Yunjian, who was called by the Daoist name Jian, scanned everyone with sharp eyes.

"Why are you causing a disturbance here when you should be practicing? Who said you could be lazy?"

"That, that’s not it… I came to get a change of clothes because my martial robe got dirty."

"Excuses!"

"Sorry."

The children froze in place, but they couldn’t stop glancing at Qingming.

"And you?"

"My name is Qingming."

"You’re the new disciple who just entered Baimei Hall today."

"Baimei Hall?"

"This is Baimei Hall. It’s the dormitory for the three major disciples of Huashan. Didn’t you know?"

"…A dormitory?"

The man frowned.

"Didn’t you know that when the sect elder asks a question, you should answer before asking for clarification?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry."

Elder. Elder.

…Damn.

He felt a sense of emptiness. The children he had to now respect as elders were the same ones who hadn’t even entered the sect when he was dominating Huashan.

'This is the path of non-attachment.'

To become a true Daoist, one must let go of all positions and dignity. He had never reached this level of enlightenment, yet he was now forced to experience it.

I’m going to ascend. Really.

"Come with me."

"Excuse me?"

"Practice is necessary, whether it’s early or late. A day’s difference won’t matter. Wasting time aimlessly is not what a practitioner should do."

Qingming agreed with this.

To change this terrible situation, he needed to become stronger as soon as possible. For that, he needed an environment and time to focus on practice.

The problem was that what they were going to teach him was basic martial arts, which he found useless.

'I should be the one teaching you.'

"Come down."

The man left, and the children followed. One of them glanced at Qingming.

It was the boy called Zhaogel.

"See you tonight."

"…"

"I’ll correct your behavior."

"…Sure, sure."

"If you run, you’ll get it worse."

"Okay, okay."

"Really!"

"What are you doing!"

Yunjian’s sharp voice made the boy jump.

"I, I’m coming, Senior Uncle!"

Watching the boy run ahead, Qingming sighed deeply.

"You should be kind to them."

They are the cute successors of the sect.

Of course, Qingming’s way of being kind might be a bit different from others. But still.

"That’s their problem."

Qingming smiled and went downstairs.