"Senior Brother."
"Yes! Master!"
"Give it a good rub."
"Yes! I will do my best."
The hands that were massaging his shoulders pressed down with strength.
"What’s your name?"
"It’s Yoon Jong!"
"Are you the Senior Brother?"
"Yes! That’s correct!"
Cheong Myung slightly tilted his head back.
The sight of Yoon Jong’s face, bruised and swollen, entered his view.
"Still, since you are the Senior Brother, I will treat you well."
"Thank you!"
"Rub harder."
"Yes!"
As Yoon Jong diligently began to massage and knead, Cheong Myung clicked his tongue and turned his head back to the front.
His gaze fell upon the Senior Brothers lined up with their heads pressed against the floor.
"People…."
As Cheong Myung opened his mouth, everyone flinched.
The sight of those with their heads down trembling was indeed a rare spectacle.
"…If you want to live quietly, you should be helped. Isn’t that right, Senior Brothers?"
"That’s right!"
"We were short-sighted!"
Cheong Myung let out a sigh.
Who was Cheong Myung? He was one of the Three Great Sword Masters of the world.
Recognized as the top among the Three Great Sword Masters, aside from the Heavenly Demon, he was practically the unofficial number one in the world.
There was no need for any special skills to deal with these little brats.
No matter how weak his skills were, even if three thousand of these kids came, they could not handle Cheong Myung.
"I understand until the initiation ceremony. But even the initiation ceremony should be done properly. There are things to do in the Taoist temple and things not to do. Do you think those who want to become Taoists should play so lowly?"
Everyone groaned in response, without answering.
'What’s with this old-fashioned attitude?'
'I feel like I’m being scolded by a teacher.'
It didn’t feel like he was talking to peers.
Cheong Myung clicked his tongue at the sight of those Senior Brothers.
'How did I end up having to wrestle with these guys?'
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
"Get up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the kids shot up like lightning.
"No matter how much Hwasan is falling apart, the kids who should be the purest here are like this."
Cheong Myung clicked his tongue.
"I need to get their mental state back on track!"
"…."
The kids exchanged glances, sneaking looks at each other.
'What the heck is this guy doing here?'
'Who’s the one who said to beat him up? He’s really going to die.'
'It’s over.
We have to live together now.'
The atmosphere was reminiscent of a funeral.
It was understandable.
If they were living with their master, they might have somewhere to run, but the Three Great Disciples had to live in the Baekmaeguan.
How could a rabbit sleep peacefully when a tiger, especially a bad-tempered one, came to live where they gathered?
"Tsk."
Cheong Myung glared once and then spoke.
"First."
"Yes!"
"Here, who knows the situation within Hwasan the best? Raise your hand!"
No one opened their mouth.
However, their gazes clearly turned to one side.
"…."
Seeing the eyes of the Senior Brothers focused on him, Jo Geol widened his eyes.
"Hand."
"…."
"Raise your hand!"
Jo Geol’s hand weakly lifted up.
'Just wait! You guys!'
After all the years they had shared, how could he betray his Senior Brothers? They had no conscience!
Grinding his teeth, Jo Geol reluctantly stepped forward.
He held his head high and looked down at Cheong Myung.
Seeing the jutting jaw and the downward gaze, Cheong Myung frowned.
"Jo Geol, Senior Brother."
"…Yes."
"Even though you are a Senior Brother, isn’t your head held too stiffly?"
"That’s not it."
Jo Geol hurriedly raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck.
"When I got slammed earlier, something went wrong, and my neck won’t bend."
"…."
"…."
Cheong Myung clicked his tongue softly and stood up.
"Come into the room."
"…Yes."
"Other Senior Brothers, for today, go to the room and rest. Whatever you need to do, you can do it starting tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Senior Brother, follow me."
As Cheong Myung waved his finger to go up, Jo Geol followed behind like a butcher being led to slaughter.
As soon as the two disappeared, the remaining Three Great Disciples rushed toward Yoon Jong.
"Senior Brother! Are you okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
"…No."
Yoon Jong rubbed his swollen eyes.
The sad thing was that even though his eyes were like this now, they would be fine by tomorrow.
'If it shows, the teacher will solve it for me.'
He couldn’t bring himself to run and tell on them; besides, even if he tried to show it, his skills would heal and restore his body on their own.
By tomorrow morning, everyone would be fine as if they had never been hit.
In other words, 'That means they only hit me this much.'
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
"What do we do now?"
"What do you mean, what do we do?"
"Should we ambush him while he’s sleeping?"
"…Do you want to do it?"
"…."
Everyone fell silent, like they had swallowed honey.
The image of Cheong Myung, who had just rampaged like a wild beast, flashed in their minds.
'No way.
This can’t happen.'
'If we mess up, we’ll die.'
Yoon Jong trembled.
Just thinking about Cheong Myung, who had been slamming the chair legs and rolling his eyes, made him swallow dryly.
"But."
At that moment, someone brought up a question no one had thought of.
"Why was Jo Geol summoned?"
"…."
"…."
"Sit comfortably."
"…I will stand."
"Don’t worry and sit down. I won’t hit you."
"That’s not it."
Jo Geol hesitated slightly before speaking.
"After getting slammed into the ceiling, something went wrong, and my waist won’t bend. Standing is more comfortable."
"…."
Cheong Myung cleared his throat.
"Then do as you wish."
"Why did you call me…?"
"Let’s speak comfortably, Senior Brother."
"…Yes?"
"It’s a bit strange for a Senior Brother to speak formally to a disciple. Speak comfortably."
"Yes."
"Speak comfortably, I said?"
"Yes."
"…."
Cheong Myung smacked his lips.
Well, it would get better with time.
Today was not the only day.
"But why did you call me?"
"Oh. I have a few questions to ask. First, please answer as detailed as you can to the best of your knowledge."
"Yes."
Cheong Myung slowly opened his mouth.
"So, most of the kids here are from merchant families, right?"
"Yes, that’s correct."
"Hmm."
Cheong Myung tapped his cheek with his finger.
'Merchants, huh.'
In the past, there had been many children from merchant families wanting to join Hwasan.
However, Hwasan generally did not accept disciples from merchant families if they could avoid it.
Was it because merchants were lowly? Not really.
As long as they had the right attitude, Hwasan would not look down on merchants.
The problem was that the children of merchants usually came not to become disciples of Hwasan but to learn martial arts.
What’s the difference, you ask? Other than merchants, most other newcomers came with the intention of burying their bones in Hwasan.
They would enter, train, receive teachings, and eventually become the backbone of Hwasan, leading it forward.
But those from merchant families would remain as disciples of the secular world, learning only what was permitted and then returning to their families once they grew up.
While they wouldn’t forget their status as disciples of Hwasan in the secular world and would cooperate with the sect, they could never compare to those who remained in the main sect.
The disciples who went down as secular disciples provided some financial help, but ultimately, it was the disciples in the main sect who would lead and protect Hwasan.
'If most of them are from merchant families…'
That meant even the Three Great Disciples, who seemed numerous, would all leave Hwasan once they grew up.
'What a pretty facade it is.'
His anger flared, but he could also understand the thoughts of the sect leader.
No matter how many would leave, it was better to have some disciples than none at all.
If the number of disciples decreased, Hwasan would truly face extinction.
"But why did the Senior Brothers come here?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you’re from merchant families, you must have had some information, so you should know that the situation in Hwasan isn’t good. Why did you come all the way here?"
"Oh, that’s…."
Jo Geol scratched his head.
"Actually, our family didn’t originally intend to send me to Hwasan. However, there aren’t many sects where we could enter with our family’s financial power. Even though Hwasan is declining, it still has many secular families in the world. While it may not be much in the martial world, in the merchant world, those connections are a great strength."
"Hmm."
If Jo Geol’s words were true, it meant that the children of merchant families here were not particularly noteworthy.
Not in a bad way.
A merchant’s value is ultimately determined by the money they possess.
If they had a lot of money, they wouldn’t have joined the declining Hwasan.
They would have gone to a prestigious sect for a higher price.
'So that means the families of the Three Great Disciples don’t have any money to spare.
They probably took what they could when they entered, and even with that, their living conditions are terrible.'
His head throbbed.
He recalled how the previous sect leader would hold the ledger at the end of the year, deep in thought.
Back then, he had told the sect leader that he was too obsessed with money, but looking back now, that was a statement that could have earned him a beating.
To live, one needs money.
Even a Taoist cannot survive on dew alone.
"Hmm. So…"
"Yes."
"Are you all planning to learn martial arts moderately and then return to your families?"
"Usually, that’s the case."
"And that’s why the discipline is in such disarray."
There’s no affection for a place where people come just to hang a sign.
So, they end up doing ridiculous initiation ceremonies and acting like rascals among the Senior Brothers.
"I understand for now. You can go, Senior Brother."
"Then…."
"Oh, and."
"Yes?"
"When does the daily schedule start here?"
"We wake up at the start of the hour of the pig (7 AM)."
"Have the kids prepare everything by the start of the hour of the rat (5 AM) tomorrow and gather in front."
"Yes?"
"At the start of the hour of the rat."
"…Yes."
"And have the Senior Brothers prepare what I’m about to say from now on."
"We need to gather in the morning, so what do you want us to prepare now?"
"Don’t you want to?"
"Of course not. Just leave it to me."
"Ah, I like your proactive attitude."
A little later, after hearing Cheong Myung’s instructions, Jo Geol left the room with a peculiar expression.
Sadly, his room was right next to Cheong Myung’s, so he couldn’t run far away.
Hearing Jo Geol’s footsteps fade away, Cheong Myung flopped down on the bed.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'
I don’t know who first said this, but they were quite a comforting person.
To think that one would take a single step when embarking on a journey of a thousand miles.
Moreover, the path Cheong Myung had to take was not just a thousand miles.
It was a long and treacherous road that would require him to travel ten thousand miles and more.
'But it all starts with a single step.'
And that first step would begin with these brats.