"Senior Brother."
"Yes! Junior Brother!"
"Rub my shoulders harder."
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
The hands massaging his shoulders applied more pressure.
"What's your name?"
"Yun Jong!"
"You're the head senior brother?"
"Yes! That's right!"
Chung Myung tilted his head slightly backward. His eyes fell on Yun Jong's face, which was swollen like a ripe tomato.
"Since you're the head senior brother, I'll treat you with some respect."
"Thank you!"
"Keep rubbing."
"Yes!"
As Yun Jong, the head senior brother, diligently massaged and kneaded his shoulders, Chung Myung clicked his tongue and turned his head forward again.
His gaze fell on the row of senior brothers with their heads pressed to the floor.
"If people..."
As Chung Myung began to speak, everyone flinched. The sight of these guys, heads bowed to the ground, trembling was quite a spectacle.
"...try to live peacefully, shouldn't you help them? Right, Senior Brothers?"
"Yes!"
"We were shortsighted!"
Chung Myung let out a sigh.
Who was Chung Myung?
He was one of the Three Great Sword Masters of the world. Not just that, he was recognized as the top among them, and if not for the Heavenly Demon, he was practically the unofficial number one in the world.
Dealing with these brats didn't even require internal energy.
No matter how weak his internal energy was now, even if three thousand of these brats ganged up on him, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"I can understand the initiation. But even an initiation should be done decently. There are things you do in a sect and things you don't. How can you call yourselves Taoists if you act so lowly?"
No one answered, only groaning in response.
'Why do I sound so much like an old man?'
'This feels like getting scolded by the senior instructors.'
It didn't feel like he was talking to peers.
Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he looked at the senior brothers.
'To think I had to wrestle with these brats.'
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
"Stand up."
The moment the words left his mouth, the kids shot up like lightning.
"Even if Hwasan is falling apart, how can the youngest disciples, who should be the purest, be like this?"
Chung Myung clicked his tongue again.
"We need to fix your mental state first!"
"..."
The kids exchanged furtive glances.
'How did this monster even get in here?'
'Who's the idiot who brought this guy in? I'm dead, seriously.'
'We're doomed. We have to live with him now.'
The atmosphere was like a funeral home.
And for good reason.
If they lived with their masters, they might have somewhere to run, but the third-generation disciples had to live together in Baekmaegwan. It's like a bunch of rabbits living together, and then a tiger—a mean one at that—moves in. How could the rabbits sleep peacefully?
"Tsk."
Chung Myung glared and then spoke.
"First."
"Yes!"
"The senior brother here who knows the most about Hwasan's current situation, raise your hand!"
No one spoke.
But their gazes clearly turned toward one person.
"..."
Seeing the senior brothers' eyes on him, Jo Geol's eyes widened.
"Raise your hand."
"..."
"Raise it!"
Jo Geol's hand weakly went up.
'Just you wait, you brats!'
After all the time we've spent together, you're selling me out like this? You heartless bastards!
Grinding his teeth, Jo Geol reluctantly stepped forward.
He held his head stiffly high, looking down at Chung Myung. Seeing his raised chin and condescending gaze, Chung Myung frowned.
"Senior Brother Jo Geol."
"...Yes."
"Even if you're a senior brother, isn't your neck a bit too stiff?"
"It's not that."
Jo Geol hurriedly raised his hand to rub the back of his neck.
"When I got slammed earlier, something went wrong, and now I can't bend my neck."
"..."
"..."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue softly and stood up.
"Follow me to my room."
"...Yes."
"The rest of you, go to your rooms and rest for today. Whatever happens, we'll start fresh tomorrow."
"Yes."
"Senior Brother, come with me."
As Chung Myung gestured and walked upstairs, Jo Geol followed like a lamb to the slaughter.
The moment they disappeared, the remaining third-generation disciples swarmed around Yun Jong.
"Head Senior Brother! Are you okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
"...No."
Yun Jong touched his swollen eyes. The sad part was that by tomorrow, even these swollen eyes would be back to normal.
'If there were any visible injuries, the senior instructors would've stepped in.'
But tattling was beneath his pride, and the internal energy he'd cultivated would heal his body on its own. By tomorrow morning, everyone would be fine, as if nothing had happened.
In other words...
'He must've thought about that and only hit us this much.'
The more he thought about it, the scarier Chung Myung seemed.
"What do we do now?"
"What do you mean, what do we do?"
"Should we ambush him while he's sleeping?"
"...You want to do it?"
"..."
Everyone fell silent. The image of Chung Myung rampaging like a wild beast flashed through their minds.
'No. This is a bad idea.'
'We might die if we mess up.'
Yun Jong shuddered. Remembering how Chung Myung had flipped his eyes and smashed a chair leg made him swallow dryly.
"But..."
Then someone brought up something no one had thought of.
"Why did Senior Brother Jo Geol get taken away?"
"..."
"..."
❀ ❀ ❀
"Sit comfortably."
"...I'll stand."
"Don't worry, sit. I won't hit you."
"It's not that."
Jo Geol hesitated, then spoke.
"When I got slammed into the ceiling, something went wrong, and now I can't bend my back. Standing is more comfortable."
"..."
Chung Myung coughed awkwardly.
"Fine, suit yourself."
"Why did you call me here...?"
"Let's speak comfortably, Senior Brother."
"...Huh?"
"Isn't it weird for a senior brother to use honorifics with a junior? Speak comfortably."
"Yes."
"I said speak comfortably."
"Yes."
"..."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
Well, it'll get better with time. Today's just the beginning.
"So, why did you call me here?"
"Ah. There are a few things I want to ask. Answer as thoroughly as you can."
"Yes."
Chung Myung slowly began.
"So..."
"Yes."
"Most of the kids here are from merchant families, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Hmm."
Chung Myung tapped his cheek with a finger.
'Merchants.'
In the past, many children from merchant families had sought to join Hwasan. But Hwasan had tried to avoid accepting them.
Because merchants were lowly?
No.
Hwasan would accept even beggars if they had the right mindset. The problem was that children from merchant families usually came to learn martial arts, not to become disciples of Hwasan.
What's the difference?
Non-merchant disciples often joined with the intention of dedicating their lives to Hwasan. They trained, received their titles, and eventually became key figures leading the sect.
But those from merchant families remained as lay disciples, learning only the permitted martial arts before returning to their families as adults.
While they maintained their identity as Hwasan disciples and cooperated with the sect in the secular world, they couldn't compare to the disciples who stayed at the main sect. Though lay disciples provided significant financial support, it was the main sect disciples who truly led and protected Hwasan.
'If most of them are from merchant families...'
It meant that even the seemingly numerous third-generation disciples would eventually leave Hwasan.
'All flash, no substance.'
Though it made him furious, Chung Myung understood the sect leader's reasoning. Even if they were lay disciples who would leave, it was better to fill the sect with them than to have no disciples at all. If the number of disciples kept dwindling, Hwasan's lineage would truly be cut off.
"But why did you senior brothers come here?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you're from merchant families, you must've had some information. You knew Hwasan's situation wasn't good. Why did you come?"
"Ah, that's..."
Jo Geol scratched his head.
"Actually, my family didn't originally plan to send me to Hwasan. But with our financial situation, there weren't many sects I could join. Even though Hwasan is declining, it still has many connections in the secular world. In the martial world, it might not mean much, but in the merchant world, those connections are valuable."
"Hmm."
If Jo Geol was to be believed, the children from merchant families here weren't exactly top-tier. Not in a bad way. A merchant's value was ultimately determined by their wealth.
If these kids were wealthy, they wouldn't have joined a declining sect like Hwasan. They would've paid their way into a prestigious sect.
'So their families don't have much money to spare. They must've paid just enough to join, and even with that, Hwasan's finances are a mess.'
His head throbbed.
He remembered how his senior brother, the sect leader, would clutch the account books at the end of the year, pulling his hair out. Back then, Chung Myung had scolded him for being too obsessed with money, but now he realized he deserved a punch for that.
People need money to live. Even Taoists don't survive on dew alone.
"Hmm. So..."
"Yes."
"They all plan to learn some martial arts and then return to their families?"
"Usually, yes."
"That's why the discipline is such a mess."
If they're just here to hang a signboard, they won't have any attachment to the place. That's why they pull these ridiculous initiations and act like delinquents.
"Alright, I get it. You can go now, Senior Brother."
"Then..."
"Ah, and one more thing."
"Yes?"
"What time does the daily schedule start here?"
"We wake at Chen hour (7 a.m.)."
"Tell the kids to be ready and assembled by Mao hour (5 a.m.) tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"Mao hour."
"...Yes."
"And have the senior brothers prepare what I'm about to tell you."
"We have to gather tomorrow morning. What can we prepare in that time?"
"You don't want to?"
"Of course not. Just leave it to me."
"Hmm. I like your proactive attitude."
"..."
A short while later, Jo Geol left the room with a complicated expression after hearing Chung Myung's instructions. Sadly, his room was right next to Chung Myung's, so he couldn't even run far.
Hearing Jo Geol's retreating footsteps, Chung Myung flopped onto his bed.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'
He didn't know who first said this, but they must've been a very carefree person.
Who thinks about taking one step at a time when they have to travel a thousand miles? Especially when the path ahead is not just a thousand miles but tens of thousands, rugged and treacherous.
'But it still starts with a single step.'
And that first step would begin with these brats.