Chapter 16

Chapter 15. Bankruptcy, you scoundrels! (5)

"Hmm?"

Yunjian, who had risen, frowned as he saw the bright light coming through the window.

'These brats.'

The rules of Huashan are quite strict.

In the past, when the master-disciple relationship was passed down, the disciple had to wake up earlier than the master, wake the master, greet them, and prepare breakfast.

Although such a master-disciple relationship no longer continues in this era, those who enter Baimei Hall are required to take turns waking up Yunjian, the head of Baimei Hall, and greeting him.

But today, no one came to greet him.

"Ah. These brats."

They've become lazy after I let them off for a while.

Yunjian frowned and got up from his seat.

The fact that no one came to greet him didn't mean only those who were supposed to greet him were asleep. If anyone was awake, they would have woken the greeting group. This meant all the children in Baimei Hall were still asleep.

'Come to think of it.'

He remembered that a new child had entered Baimei Hall yesterday.

"These brats again..."

Yunjian frowned slightly.

He already knew that the children did strange things like initiation ceremonies. As a teacher, he should stop them, but children in group living need a sense of camaraderie.

Zhaoge, that guy, always goes overboard, but with Yunzhong around, things would be sorted out before they got too serious.

However, the fact that the greeting group didn't come on time might mean that yesterday's welcome ceremony was a bit too intense.

Yunjian narrowed his brows and quickly changed into his robes. He put on his sword, fastened his belt, and hurriedly opened the door and went outside.

'I need to give them a good scolding first.'

Yunjian's firm steps headed towards Baimei Hall.

Just as he was about to turn the corner, thinking he would shout to wake the sleeping children, he stopped abruptly, taking a deep breath and unable to let out the shout.

'What is this?'

He rubbed his eyes. A bizarre scene unfolded before him.

'Is this... hell?'

For a moment, he had a strange thought, but then he snapped back to reality.

This is Huashan! So, whatever is happening in front of him is happening in Huashan.

But he couldn't understand why such a scene was unfolding.

It couldn't be an illusion, right?

After rubbing his eyes again, Yunjian blinked and looked at the scene again, but it didn't change at all.

"Uh..."

Not knowing how to react, Yunjian let out an awkward groan. A despairing moan reached his ears.

"Ugh... Ugh!"

"Oh... I'm dying. Oh."

"Mom... Take me home."

Yunjian stared blankly at the moaning children.

"..."

Are these really the children I know?

Children are like that. Sometimes their ignorance causes trouble, and sometimes their wickedness causes disappointment.

But children who retain their innocence have a vibrant energy that warms the heart of those who see them.

However, there was no trace of such energy in the children before him.

'What happened to these kids?'

Where did the fresh, clean children he knew go, and why are there only ragged, dirty children rolling around?

Yunjian looked around in shock.

"Ugh..."

"I'm dying... Really dying."

As Yunjian carefully examined the children sprawled on the ground, he blinked.

'They seem to be my disciples, right?'

Although they were... no, quite a bit worse off, those blackened figures were definitely Yunjian's disciples and the young disciples living in Baimei Hall.

'What did they do?'

What could have happened to make the children, who were fresh and clean just yesterday, look like this in just one day?

Around the ragged children, wooden swords and bags were scattered.

What are those?

Yunjian knew what he had to do. If guessing had its limits, there was no need to rack his brain. After all, there were over a hundred mouths here that could answer his questions.

"Wh-What is this?"

As soon as he spoke, the children, who had been groaning on the ground, all looked up at him.

The children, who had been half-dead, suddenly regained some life in their eyes!

"Uncle Master!"

"Uncle Master!"

"Great Master!"

The last one sounded a bit strange, but it was clear that the children were welcoming him enthusiastically. Some of them even looked like they were about to cry.

"Kuh... Uncle Master!"

"Why did you come so late! Why!"

"I missed you, Uncle Master!"

What should I say?

It felt strangely satisfying to see the children, who usually just watched him, welcome him so enthusiastically. An inexplicable sense of emotion welled up in him.

But Yunjian quickly shook his head to regain his composure.

'No, no.'

This isn't the time to be moved.

Look at the state of the children. They looked as if they had been in a war, covered in dirt and sweat. Seeing their pitifully trembling limbs made Yunjian's stomach churn.

"What happened here?"

The children, who had been about to grab him and cry, were now hesitant and silent when asked. They only glanced at the back.

'Are they looking for a cue?'

Yunjian's gaze followed the children's. There, Zhaoge was sitting with his mouth wide open.

"Zhaoge?"

"No. Behind him."

"Behind him?"

Yunjian's gaze moved further back.

"Is that...?"

Yunjian's eyes, which seemed unable to get any wider, somehow managed to expand even more.

'The new kid?'

Wasn't his name Qingming? What is he doing now?

Yunjian tilted his head. Qingming was doing something strange. He had a wooden sword on his shoulder, and several large bags were hanging from it.

"What are those bags?"

"Sandbags."

"Why sandbags?"

Although he asked, he already had a feeling he knew.

Look.

Among the ragged children, one was particularly thin and was bending and straightening his body while carrying sandbags larger than his head.

"Ugh..."

Yunjian felt his own body tense up and start to sweat just watching.

He was about to fall over, trembling, but somehow managed to maintain his balance and stand up.

Thud. Thud.

Sweat dripped from his chin. His whole body was so drenched in sweat that it was almost steaming.

'Is he going to die?'

Seeing his beet-red face, bulging veins, and a face twisted like a demon from hell, Yunjian felt his own body tense up.

There is no more solid expression of 'hard work' than this. Qingming, who had straightened his body, groaned and bent down again.

'He's going to die, man!'

It's not because Yunjian is a kind person. In fact, he is someone who advocates strict training. Steel becomes stronger when hammered, and people become stronger through training. He would have applauded if his disciples were doing hard training.

But even for Yunjian, the training Qingming was enduring seemed to have crossed the line.

'No, then the reason these kids look like ragged beggars...?'

Did they do this training together?

"Uncle Master! Save us."

"We're going to die."

Looking at the children, their bodies drenched in sweat, it felt as if they had just put on wet clothes without drying them. The thought of all that sweat made him shudder.

'So they weren't sleeping?'

They've been training since dawn?

"Since when have you been doing this?"

"Since the first hour of the night."

They've been doing this for over an hour?

"Why?"

It was a natural question, but no one answered. They just had a desperate look on their faces, as if saying, "If we tell you, we'll die."

'No way?'

No, it can't be. That's ridiculous.

The children here are the third-generation disciples of Huashan. Even if Huashan isn't what it used to be, they are still people who practice martial arts. Among the third-generation disciples, there are many who have been practicing for over five years. They are far superior to those who haven't practiced martial arts.

So, are you saying that these kids couldn't handle one small child?

'Wait a minute.'

Among the third-generation disciples, Zhaoge, who is known for his high status and good skills, is lying on the ground, barely breathing.

'What about Yunzhong?'

Yunjian's eyes quickly searched for the eldest disciple, Yunzhong.

"Wow..."

A shape that looked like Yunzhong was sprawled on the ground.

'Why is he like that?'

While Zhaoge at least maintained a human appearance, Yunzhong looked almost inhuman. Seeing him face down on the ground, with only his buttocks slightly raised, gasping for breath, made Yunjian feel like tears might well up in his eyes.

"Th-"

Yunjian opened his mouth but closed it again.

'No, training is good, but...'

Now he knew what they had been doing. It was clear from looking at Qingming. The children had been doing strength training since dawn.

Although Huashan, known for its speed and elegance, also emphasizes basic strength training, as all martial arts start with the body.

'But what kind of training could turn perfectly fine children into this state in just one hour?'

Yunjian raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Glancing around, he saw the children looking at him with bright, hopeful eyes, believing that he would solve this situation.

'Don't give me that look in that state.'

It really made him feel uncomfortable.

"Kuh..."

Yunjian cleared his throat to calm himself and turned his gaze to Qingming. He needed to understand what was happening before deciding how to react.

"Bring that child over."

At that moment, Yunjian firmly etched the name 'Qingming' into his mind.

And he didn't realize that this name would become the most important name in his life.