Chapter 14

Chapter 13. Bankruptcy, you bastards! (3)

"Execution."

"Yes! Master!"

"Massage a bit harder."

"Yes! I'll do my best."

The hands massaging his shoulders applied more force.

"What's your name?"

"Yoon Jong!"

"Are you the eldest disciple?"

"Yes! That's right!"

Chung Myung's head tilted slightly backward. Yoon Jong's face, now swollen and bruised, came into view.

"Still, as the eldest disciple, I'll treat you well."

"Thank you!"

"Massage."

"Yes!"

As Yoon Jong, the eldest disciple, began to massage and knead his shoulders enthusiastically, Chung Myung clicked his tongue and turned his head forward again.

He saw the other disciples bowing their heads in a line on the floor.

"People..."

As Chung Myung spoke, everyone flinched. The sight of the heads bowed on the floor, trembling, was quite a spectacle.

"...If you try to live decently, I'll help you, won't I? Disciples?"

"Yes!"

"We were shortsighted!"

Chung Myung sighed.

Who was Chung Myung?

He was none other than one of the three great swordsmen of the world, and the one recognized as the leader among them. Excluding the Heavenly Demon, he was unofficially the first in the world.

There was no need for inner strength to deal with these brats.

Even if his inner strength was weak, these brats, even if they came in three thousand instead of thirty, could not handle Chung Myung.

"I understand the initiation ceremony, but it should be done properly. There are things to do and not to do in the Daoist temple. How can you play so lowly when you want to become a Daoist?"

Everyone grumbled without answering.

'What is this old-fashioned nonsense?'

'It feels like I'm being scolded by my senior uncle.'

It didn't feel like talking to someone of the same age.

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he looked at the disciples.

'I have to deal with these brats?'

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

"Stand up."

The moment the words were spoken, the children sprang up like lightning.

"Even if Huashan is in decline, for the most innocent to be in such a state is unacceptable."

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

"We need to get our minds back in order!"

"..."

The children exchanged glances stealthily.

'What, did something crawl in here?'

'Who is that brat who hit me? He's going to die, really.'

'It's over. We have to live together now.'

The atmosphere was like a funeral.

It was understandable.

If they lived with their master, they might have a place to run, but the three major disciples had to live together in the Baimei Hall. It's like rabbits living in a place where a tiger, a bad-tempered one at that, has moved in. How could any rabbit sleep peacefully?

"Tsk."

Chung Myung glared and spoke.

"First."

"Yes!"

"Among you, who is the disciple most familiar with the situation in Huashan, Son!"

No one spoke, but their gazes clearly turned to one side.

"..."

Son Geol's eyes widened as he saw the gazes of the disciples focused on him.

"Son."

"..."

"Son!"

Son Geol's hand rose weakly.

'Just wait! You brats!'

After all the time they had spent together, to sell out his fellow disciples! How could they have no conscience!

Son Geol gritted his teeth and reluctantly stepped forward. He looked down at Chung Myung with a stiff neck. Seeing his chin up and his gaze down, Chung Myung frowned.

"Disciple Son."

"..."

"Yes."

"Even if you are a senior disciple, isn't your neck too stiff?"

"No, it's not."

Son Geol fumbled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's stiff from being slammed into the ceiling."

"..."

"..."

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and stood up.

"Follow me into the room."

"..."

"Yes."

"Other disciples, go to your rooms and rest for today. We'll start from tomorrow."

"Yes."

"Senior disciple, follow me."

Chung Myung snapped his fingers and went upstairs, and Son Geol followed like a cow being led to slaughter.

As soon as their figures disappeared, the remaining three major disciples crowded around Yoon Jong.

"Eldest disciple! Are you okay?"

"Do you look okay?"

"..."

"No."

Yoon Jong rubbed his bruised eyes. The sad part was that these bruised eyes would be fine by tomorrow.

'If there were any marks, the senior uncles would solve it.'

But out of pride, he couldn't go and complain, and even if he tried to show the marks, his inner strength would heal and restore his body. By tomorrow morning, everyone would be fine as if nothing had happened.

In other words,

'They only hit me this much, thinking about it.'

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it was.

"What do we do now?"

"What do you mean, what do we do?"

"Should we attack him while he's sleeping?"

"..."

Everyone became silent. The image of Chung Myung, who had just acted like a wild beast, came to mind.

'No, this can't be done.'

'If we fail, we'll die.'

Yoon Jong shivered. Thinking of Chung Myung, who had flipped the table and hit the chair legs, made him swallow hard.

"But."

Then someone said something no one had thought of.

"Why was Disciple Son taken?"

"..."

"..."

* * *

"Sit down comfortably."

"..."

"I'll stand."

"Don't worry, sit down. I won't hit you."

"It's not that."

Son Geol hesitated before speaking.

"My back is stiff from being slammed into the ceiling. It's more comfortable to stand."

"..."

Chung Myung cleared his throat.

"Then, so be it."

"Why did you call me...?"

"Let's speak informally, senior."

"..."

"Yes?"

"It feels a bit strange for a senior to use formal language with a junior. Speak freely."

"Yes."

"Speak freely, I said."

"Yes."

"..."

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

Well, it might get better over time. Not today, though.

"Why did you call me?"

"Oh, I have a few questions. I want you to answer as detailed as possible, to the best of your knowledge."

"Yes."

Chung Myung slowly spoke.

"So."

"Yes."

"Most of the children here are from merchant families?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Hmm."

Chung Myung tapped his cheek with his finger.

'Merchants.'

In the past, there were many children from merchant families who wanted to join Huashan. However, Huashan tried not to accept children from merchant families as disciples if possible.

Because merchants are lowly?

No.

Huashan, which would accept beggars if they had the right attitude, did not consider merchants lowly. The problem was that children from merchant families generally came to learn martial arts, not to become Huashan disciples.

What's the difference?

For children from families other than merchants, many came with the intention of dedicating their lives to Huashan. They would enter, practice, receive the Dao, and eventually become a senior member of Huashan, leading the sect.

However, those from merchant families remained lay disciples, learning only the allowed martial arts, and then returned to their families when they grew up.

While they still cooperated with Huashan and did not forget their identity as Huashan disciples in the secular world, they could not compare to those who stayed at the main temple. Although lay disciples provided financial support, it was ultimately the disciples at the main temple who led and protected Huashan.

'Most of them are from merchant families...'

This meant that even the three major disciples, who seemed numerous, would leave Huashan when they grew up.

'What a waste.'

Although he felt frustrated, he understood the headmaster's thoughts. Even if they would leave and be lay disciples, it was better to have them than to have no disciples at all. If the number of disciples decreased, Huashan would truly decline.

"But why did you come here?"

"What do you mean?"

"As a merchant, you must have had information, and you must have known that Huashan's situation was not good. Why did you come here?"

"Well, that's..."

Son Geol scratched his head.

"In fact, my family did not originally intend to send me to Huashan. However, with our family's financial power, there weren't many sects we could join. Although Huashan is in decline, it still has many lay disciples in the world. In the martial world, it might not matter, but in the merchant world, those connections are a great asset."

"Hmm."

According to Son Geol, the children from merchant families here were not particularly outstanding. It wasn't a bad thing. Merchants are ultimately judged by the money they have.

If they had more money, they wouldn't have joined the declining Huashan. They would have gone to a prestigious sect with more money.

'So, there's no money to be taken from the families of the three major disciples. They must have already received an appropriate amount of money when they joined, and if they still have financial problems, it means...'

His head ached.

He remembered how the former headmaster would hold his accounts at the end of the year and hold his head in his hands. At the time, he thought the senior was too obsessed with money as a Daoist, but now, thinking about it, it was a statement that deserved a beating.

People need money to live. Daoists don't live on dew alone.

"Hmm. Then..."

"Yes."

"Do you all plan to learn martial arts moderately and then return to your families?"

"Usually, that's the case."

"That's why the discipline is so chaotic."

There would be no affection for a place where they only came to hang a sign. So, they would do ridiculous initiation ceremonies and form cliques among the disciples, acting like bandits.

"I understand. Go, senior."

"Then..."

"Ah, and."

"Yes?"

"When does the daily routine start?"

"Jinshi (7 AM)."

"Tell the children to gather in front of the hall by Miaoshi (5 AM) tomorrow."

"Yes?"

"Miaoshi."

"..."

"Yes."

"And have the other disciples prepare what I'm about to say from now on."

"But we have to gather tomorrow morning, what do you want us to prepare?"

"Do you not want to?"

"How could I not want to? Just give me the task."

"Gr. I like your proactive attitude."

"..."

A moment later, Son Geol, who had heard Chung Myung's instructions, left the room with a subtle expression. Sadly, his room was right next to Chung Myung's, so he couldn't run far.

Hearing Son Geol's footsteps fade away, Chung Myung lay flat on the bed.

'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'

Whoever first said this must have been a very relaxed person.

When you have to travel a thousand miles, when do you take each step? Moreover, the path Chung Myung had to take was not just a thousand miles. It was a long and dangerous journey, much longer than ten thousand miles.

'But it starts with a single step.'

And that step would begin with these brats.