"What do you think?"
"… Surprisingly, there is no significant reaction."
"Really?" Baek Cheon glanced at Baek Sang, gauging his expression.
"Yes. He seems quite angry, but he is not resisting. He isn't even saying anything that could cause trouble."
"Hmm, is that so?" Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes slightly. 'This is a bit different from what I expected.' Isn't he at an age full of youthful vigor? I thought he would flare up at the slightest provocation.
That was the situation Baek Cheon ultimately aimed for.
Hwasan is a prestigious sect.
Among the things most condemned in this prestigious sect, there are two main offenses.
One is the demonic path, and the other is rebellion against authority.
Both of these are absolutely intolerable under any circumstances.
The former relates to Hwasan's identity, which claims to uphold righteousness, while the latter would overturn Hwasan's history and system.
Baek Cheon had planned to provoke the three great disciples just enough to make them flare up, then tie it back to rebellion so they would never dare to resist again.
However, surprisingly, the three great disciples were enduring the pressure from the second great disciples quite well.
"Isn't the pressure too weak?"
"This is the limit. If we push further, it could cause problems for us during the process of distinguishing right from wrong."
"Hmm."
Baek Cheon let out a low hum, clearly displeased. 'So he isn't just a hot-headed fool?' Thinking of Cheong Myung, who he saw in the restaurant, he felt that he would have already lost control and charged in.
Yet, not only is he holding himself back, but the other three great disciples are also keeping their composure. 'Or is this the work of Yoon Jong?' Regardless of the reason, it was clear that things were not unfolding as Baek Cheon had thought.
"What about the other three great disciples?"
"Other than the fact that they seem to be practicing some strange techniques, not much else…" Baek Cheon lightly tapped his cheek with his finger.
"I see."
"Hyung, we can't keep dragging this out. We don't know when the disciples will show signs of displeasure, and the Hwa Jong meeting is not far off. We need to start preparing for the Hwa Jong meeting."
"I know."
Baek Cheon nodded lightly.
"I've simmered it enough; now it's time to serve the porridge."
"And then?" Baek Sang asked, and Baek Cheon smiled slightly as he began to speak.
"As you know, the Cheong Ja disciples were originally all good kids."
"That's true. Before we left the closed door, they were all innocent children. I never thought they would change so much in just a year…"
"That's all because they got involved with bad company. Do we really need to punish all the Cheong Ja disciples? The problem lies with Cheong Myung alone."
"That's a valid point."
Baek Sang fully agreed with Baek Cheon's words.
The three great disciples and their representative, Yoon Jong, were not difficult kids to handle.
While there were a few who stood out, those could be dealt with easily by Baek Sang without needing Baek Cheon's intervention.
The problem was Cheong Myung.
As the saying goes, "One who associates with ink turns black."
The once well-behaved three great disciples became strange after mingling with Cheong Myung.
At least the three great disciples they had known respected their elders and understood that the words of their masters were more important than those of their peers.
What had changed the three great disciples was none other than Cheong Myung.
This meant that if they could just break Cheong Myung's pride, the other three great disciples would naturally return to being obedient like before.
"So what do you plan to do?"
"Hyung."
"Yes, Hyung."
Baek Cheon smiled brightly.
"Is there really a need for any special methods? What we are doing now is simply upholding Hwasan's laws, isn't it?"
"Of course. Hyung."
"There is no room for personal feelings to interfere. Cheong Myung is also my precious disciple, isn't he? He may be a bit arrogant, but if we handle him well, he could become a good material. So we are just correcting the wrong path he has taken while he is still young."
Baek Cheon wore a subtle smile.
"However, the method is the problem. I would prefer not to use rough methods, but time is running short, so we have no choice. The best way to discipline a child is through conversation, but sometimes a little punishment is necessary, isn't it?"
Baek Sang nodded, looking pleased.
"One day, they will understand the deep meaning behind Hyung's actions."
"That will happen. It may hurt a little now."
The two exchanged smiles.
Creeeak.
The door of the Baek Mae Hall opened slightly.
Peeking out, a small head emerged.
The person, who cautiously looked around, frowned slightly.
'No one is here?' Like a night visitor sneaking in through the darkness, Cheong Myung heightened his senses and scanned the surroundings.
There was nothing and no one.
Cheong Myung let out a low sigh and stepped outside.
"Ugh."
What is this nonsense? Stumbling out of the Baek Mae Hall, he looked up at the sky with a face drained of all spirit.
"Senior Jang Mun, are you watching?"
Senior Jang Mun, whom he cherished and adored the most…
- What? Ah, please don't get annoyed from here, just listen to the rest and then get angry! A person should have some patience! The Hwasan sect leader, of all people!
Cheong Myung's face twisted in frustration.
"Anyway, I'm a kid who hasn't even matured yet, and I'm avoiding this. Does this even make sense?" He spoke with a full sense of grievance, but unfortunately, he received no response from the Jang Mun.
"And that's not all! The young lady is nagging me about what I might be missing, and that guy who looks like a gigolo is bringing up some unheard-of rules and pestering me. Ugh, I'd rather die than endure this!"
If he could, he really wanted to flip everything upside down.
Seeing these kids causing such a ruckus, he felt like he wanted to smack the Jang Mun for not doing anything.
Watching the disciples who were born after he led Hwasan and swept through the world, he felt like he was reaching enlightenment.
If he were to run to Shaolin now, they would immediately accept him as a disciple, claiming that a great sage had arrived.
Truly.
"Ha! What sin did I commit in my past life… I must have committed many sins."
Honestly, he felt guilty about this.
Thinking about how much trouble he had caused Senior Jang Mun and the other leaders during his time as the second great disciple, he couldn't even complain about his current hardships.
"Why did I do that?" Moisture welled up in Cheong Myung's eyes.
He should have just kept it moderate.
It felt like all the karma from his past life was coming back to him.
The feeling of having to coax and comfort these unruly children was unbearable.
Ah, this is why Senior Jang Mun never got married in his past life.
He must have been afraid of having a child like me.
"I'm sorry, Senior Jang Mun. I thought you couldn't get married because of your looks…"
Letting out deep sighs, Cheong Myung trudged out of the mountain gate.
In the past, there would have been guards at this hour, but now, Hwasan had no one standing watch during times when there were no visitors.
The reason was simple.
Until recently, Hwasan was a place where even beggars would throw coins and leave.
There was no need for guards.
The one who turned Hwasan into a livable place was Cheong Myung.
Yet these ungrateful kids! After the old man worked hard to make it livable, they couldn't even show gratitude!
If he could, he wanted to beat them all up, but…
"Ugh. I can't do that."
Strangely, these days, Yoon Jong's face kept overlapping with Senior Jang Mun's face.
Comparing Yoon Jong's rugged face to the mountain bandit-like face of Senior Jang Mun was a huge insult to Yoon Jong, but it wasn't about the face; it was about the expressions that were becoming similar.
Every time Cheong Myung caused trouble, Yoon Jong would make a face that looked rotten and decayed…
'It's strangely guilt-inducing.' It felt like Senior Jang Mun had come back to life and was groaning, making it hard to ignore.
"Tsk."
Cheong Myung clicked his tongue.
"I'll hold on until that Hwa Jong meeting or whatever is over."
He felt the urge to turn the Jong Nam kids upside down as well.
No matter how much he disliked those Baek Ja kids, they couldn't be compared to Jong Nam.
The Baek Ja kids were ones he wanted to kick, but the Jong Nam kids were ones he wanted to strangle.
As Yoon Jong said, it was best to endure until the Hwa Jong meeting passed.
That was true, but…
"Ugh. At this rate, I might lose my temper and cause an accident."
Until the Hwa Jong meeting ended, avoiding the Baek Ja kids as much as possible was the best strategy.
Cheong Myung began to climb the mountain via a different path than usual.
'I will never go to Yeonhwa Peak again.' A person can be fooled twice, but not three times.
If you fall for the same trick three times, are you even human?
Cheong Myung turned his head to look at Nak An Peak.
"Oh dear. My fate. Now I can't even train as I wish."
I'd rather die than endure this.
Even at this moment, other sects must have old monsters who have trained for nearly a hundred years, growing stronger without rest.
To close that gap, Cheong Myung had no time to rest.
Being strong among the same disciples meant nothing.
For Hwasan to rise again as a great sect, no, to surpass that and recreate its former glory, and even to make a name as the greatest sword sect in the world, the presence of a master who could suppress those old monsters was essential.
And no matter how much he looked, the only person who could fulfill that role in Hwasan was Cheong Myung.
Well, who knows? Maybe in fifty years? A hundred years? If he aimed for the greatest sword sect in the world then, perhaps he could nurture the other disciples or Yoon Jong to make it work.
Even if he lacked manners, Baek Cheon had talent, so if he could manage the misaligned foundation well, there might be a possibility.
But the problem was that Cheong Myung's temperament was not good enough to wait patiently for that period.
"Fifty years? I'd rather freeze to death."
Before that, I would explode from frustration.
Trudging up Nak An Peak, Cheong Myung slowly drew his sword.
Then he glanced around.
'No one is here?' That incident or whatever it was had been following Cheong Myung like a leech since that day.
At least when he moved with the other Cheong Ja disciples, it seemed to hold back, but whenever Cheong Myung was alone, it would somehow appear and annoy him, wanting to chat for a bit.
If he could sense its presence, he could avoid it in advance, but strangely, even with Cheong Myung's keen senses, it was hard to detect Yu Yi Seol's presence.
'Not even a ghost.'
Sometimes, there were people whose presence was faint, but Yu Yi Seol was so faint that even Cheong Myung was surprised.
Moreover, since Cheong Myung was used to sensing people through energy rather than sight or sound, it was especially difficult…
"Cheong Myung."
"Ahhh!"
See? Just like that.
Cheong Myung nearly jumped up in shock, stepping back.
He saw Yu Yi Seol awkwardly reaching out toward him.
"No! Seriously! Can you at least make some noise when you show up?"
Cheong Myung shouted in frustration, and Yu Yi Seol frowned slightly.