Chapter Text
Plum blossom.
It is a beautiful, fragile flower that blooms with a deep fragrance. Some may argue that it is the herald of spring. Plums that withstand the long winter will eventually bloom with the gentlest scent, spreading miles away with the wind. There is no one in this mountain who is unfamiliar with its scent.
As such, it is a natural occurrence for the sweet smell of plum tea to fill the residence of the sect leader. It was brewed into perfection with precise timing and graceful hand movements. Anyone who sees it will nod their head and call it the movement of a master.
The person who brews them is none other than Cheong Mun, the current sect leader of the Great Mount Hua Sect. And currently, Cheong Mun has a massive headache.
It's because of the man in front of him.
Cheong Myeong, Plum Blossom Sword Saint. One of the three best swordsmen in the world.
His Saje. And also...
"What did you say?"
"I want to take all of them as my disciples."
"All?"
"Yeah."
The biggest troublemaker in Mount Hua.
"..."
"Sahyung?"
"...Someone, anyone. Please drag this idiot out of here. Please."
"Yes, sect leader."
"Oh come on! Wait a minute! Sahyung! Listen to people!"
"What is there to listen to, you brat!"
Mount Hua isn't the only thing that's high. Their sect leader's blood pressure is high, too.
—
"Cheong Myeong-ah. You are old enough to have a disciple now."
"Ah dwon wanna," Cheong Myeong gave a muffled reply, which was promptly met with a scolding to swallow his food properly. His bloated cheeks were littered with mooncake crumbs, a sight not befitting of an elder from a prestigious sect but everyone in Mount Hua is used to it.
"Still, it's a shame if you don't pass down your martial arts to future generations. Can't you just teach them the basics? The kids admire you a lot; they'll feel motivated."
"Oh, my sahyung, why do I have to teach little chicks at this age? No, they're not even chicks; they're egg-like things. Kids nowadays don't know hard work! They'll die if I roll them down the cliff."
"Who told you to roll children down cliffs, you stupid bastard?!"
"They have to roll properly to be strong! If you hit a dog hard enough, they'll learn how to do a headstand. I just have to hit them properly for them to be a swordsman!"
It was such wonderful logic. The person who said that with no doubt is wonderful too. Wonderfully crooked.
Cheong Mun stares into the sky with glistening eyes. He failed in raising this child. Is his ancestor crying?
'I'm sorry.'
"Let's talk about this some other time."
Must not. That guy must not get a disciple at all cost.
As a sect leader of Mount Hua and a human being with conscience, the Great Wise Sword Cheong Mun can never subject innocent children to such abhorrent misery (?).
The topic of raising disciples was soon buried and never mentioned again.
—
That was barely a year ago.
But now, a guy like that suddenly declared that he's going to accept not one, not two, but five disciples.
"Does that make sense? What are you trying to do to those poor children?!"
"What, of course I'm going to teach them! Why are you always suspicious of me?"
"The guy who said that he wouldn't accept a disciple even if he died! Who wouldn't be suspicious? Who!"
Cheong Myeong flinched in embarrassment at the blatant show of distrust.
But what can he do? It's a hole he dug on his own. Cheong Myeong scratched his cheek and bowed his head silently.
"Ah... well. Can't I?"
The sad tone of his voice and his slumped posture look like a disappointed child.
'Making an expression like that with that sort of personality is a scam, you bastard.'
People who lay eyes on him for the first time would think he's a marginalized and pitiful taoist.
Unfortunately, Cheong Mun isn't immune to this either.
Although his senses were dulled from years of dealing with Cheong Myeong, Cheong Mun was particularly weak against the sad sight of the boy he regarded as his own son.
How could a parent win against their child?
"Ha..."
Cheong Mun sighed.
"... Okay, why don't we hear the whole story first? I'll decide after hearing it."
"Yes, sect leader. So..."
It all started six months ago, when a letter of invitation came to Mount Hua.