****
I walked with quick steps while studying Cheong-hwa's mood.
It wasn't easy to start a conversation after seeing such a scary side of him just a moment ago, but I decided to muster my courage.
"Excuse me, Jinin."
"What is it?"
Cheong-hwa's voice had returned to its usual calm state.
It was to the point where I wondered if him getting angry earlier was my imagination.
"Should I call Jinin 'Master' now?"
"Not yet. As you heard earlier, you are a temporary disciple and cannot be assigned a master."
"I see."
"Instead, you will live your daily life with me. Because I am the one who recommended you as a temporary disciple. You will probably see my disciples as well."
Hmm.
I shouldn't even dream of running away for the time being.
As we walked, I felt the gazes of the surrounding people.
They seemed to be wondering who I was to be following Jinin Cheong-hwa.
"Ah. This is just a personal curiosity, but you know that formless Qi pressure you used on Sagong-hyeon."
"What about it?"
"Did you really do it to me with the same intensity?"
"Of course not. I just said it because you seemed to be getting looked down on too much."
"So you also lie, Jinin."
"Any truth becomes a lie the moment it is spoken out loud. The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao. Discussing the Dao with words means it is no longer the Dao. There is only one truth in this world, which is the Dao."
As expected of a Daoist, he was an expert at slipping away.
Cheong-hwa glanced at me and smiled.
"Do you have anything else you're curious about?"
I thought about it.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning.
"Do you perhaps have some money?"
"Hmm?"
Cheong-hwa's eyes showed bewilderment, as if he didn't expect to receive such a question.
"Ah, it's nothing else. You know that bank note Jinin gave me. I want to exchange it for cash right now. I thought it would be nice if you could exchange it for me if you have the money."
"You truly always exceed my expectations. In my entire life, I have never been asked if I have money."
"Because you are a Jinin. Who would ask a Jinin if they have money."
"And you accomplished that difficult feat."
"Thank you."
Cheong-hwa let out a hollow laugh.
Still, I wanted to exchange the Wuhan Bank's bank note.
Of course, even if it was the Wuhan Bank, I didn't have to go all the way to Wuhan.
There would be a branch in Gyunhyeon as well.
"As for money, they will give it to me if I ask Gokjeongak. If I say it's money needed for educating disciples, they usually give it. But why do you specifically need money? There is nowhere to spend it within our sect. Wouldn't it be more convenient to just keep the bank note?"
"Because I like money. I like physical currency more than bank notes."
"Those are disqualifying words as a disciple of the Wudang Sect. A Daoist does not covet money."
"Will you disqualify me?"
"No. That is something I can gradually teach you."
I tried to dig into a gap, but as expected, Cheong-hwa's defense was solid.
"Then it actually worked out well. The place we are going to right now is Gokjeongak, so we can get it there."
"Why Gokjeongak? Weren't we going to Jinin's residence?"
"Have you forgotten? Did you not receive a punishment to serve at Gokjeongak?"
"Ah."
I received that as a lay disciple, so I thought they would immediately start training me if I was a main mountain disciple.
Since I was of crowning age, it was already late even if I started now.
"Why, do you want to learn martial arts right away?"
Cheong-hwa smiled as if he had seen through my mind.
"You probably want to learn profound martial arts right now, but your body is not ready yet. First, you must build up basic physical and mental strength. Until then, I will not teach you a single oral tradition."
He hadn't seen through me.
I didn't have the slightest desire to learn profound martial arts.
However, since he said he would exchange the money, I had to go to Gokjeongak anyway.
"If you perhaps thought you could escape the punishment because you are a main mountain disciple, you are gravely mistaken. Actually, you must set an even greater example because you are a main mountain disciple."
He told me not to call him Master, yet he immediately lectured me as if he had become one.
I let it go in one ear and out the other.
I didn't know about martial arts, but there was no reason for me to listen to advice regarding life or attitude.
Because I was someone who had at least achieved mastery in one field.
I had pride in that.
Not knowing my feelings, Cheong-hwa gave a long speech about the attitudes I had to possess as a main mountain disciple of the Wudang Sect.
That only stopped after we arrived at Gokjeongak.
Nothing remained in my head.
"I think my ears are bleeding."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing."
He couldn't understand a joke.
As expected, Daoists are no fun.
Cheong-hwa went straight into Gokjeongak and received the money.
When he asked for it for a disciple's education, they really gave it to him immediately.
As a merchant, I couldn't understand handing over money so easily like that.
Shouldn't there at least be documentary evidence like a plan on how the money would be spent, what needed to be bought, and what the prices of those items were?
Of course, it didn't matter at all once the money entered my pocket.
But Cheong-hwa put the money into his own embrace, not my open knapsack.
"I will hold onto this for a while."
"Pardon?"
What kind of bullshit is this.
I opened my mouth just like my knapsack right now.
"I feel like you would try to run away again if I gave you this hundred nyang."
I flinched.
Because in truth, I had been continuously looking for an opportunity to run away somehow.
"No way."
"You are lying again."
I played innocent.
Of course, it didn't work in front of the lie detector.
However, this time, I couldn't back down.
Because the justification was on my side.
"No, isn't that my money."
"Who said I was taking it? I said I will hold onto it for a while."
"That is absolute nonsense. The present value of currency is much higher than its future value. Why do people borrow money and receive interest?"
"Are you asking me for interest?"
"I don't need anything like that. Just give me my money. I can exercise my rights over my money."
"Originally, a main mountain disciple should not have any personal property. Have you ever seen a Daoist walking around spending money?"
"I've seen it a lot, though?"
"That is either the sect's public funds, or a corrupt Daoist. One of the two."
I was about to burst with frustration.
For now, I had to get that hundred nyang back somehow.
To me, that hundred nyang wasn't just a hundred nyang, but talent.
Seeing how agile movement truly became mine, the efficacy of the Martial Talent Shop was real.
"What do I have to do for you to give it to me?"
I eventually took a step back as a desperate measure.
Only then did Cheong-hwa smile again.
"I will give it to you once you finish all your service at Gokjeongak."
"I haven't heard a time limit for the service."
"It's until the Pavilion Master of Gokjeongak says you are done."
"Where is there such a vague contract! A contract must always clearly state the exact year, month, day, and time, and the contents must be feasible and possess validity!"
"I don't know well about such difficult words."
At Cheong-hwa's expression, who consistently played dumb, I almost raised my fist.
But even if I swung my fist a hundred times, it would never reach Cheong-hwa's body.
"……Haa. I understand."
"Good thinking."
Cheong-hwa smiled brightly.
At that smile, I trembled my fists again.
Right. Let's think positively.
The time for me to earn money has just been delayed for a moment.
A merchant must know how to endure.
"Let's go meet the Pavilion Master of Gokjeongak first."
"The Pavilion Master of Gokjeongak?"
"Since you will be working at Gokjeongak, you should see him at least once."
"Yes. I understand."
I followed Cheong-hwa to the Pavilion Master's office.
Inside the Pavilion Master's office, there was a man resting his feet crookedly on the desk.
"Sahyung Cheong-su. If you work in that posture and get caught by Sect Leader Sahyung, you will be severely punished."
"Hmph. I was already sent to Gokjeongak because I got on his bad side, so how much worse could the punishment get here."
The person in front seemed to be a Sahyung to Cheong-hwa.
Therefore, he didn't even think about correcting that posture.
"Who is the kid next to you?"
"Ah. He's the friend I mentioned back then. That there is a friend among the lay disciples who received a punishment and has to serve at Gokjeongak."
"Ah, him?"
The person called Cheong-su glanced at my face as if brushing past it and then looked at Cheong-hwa again.
"Is he really someone you need to introduce to me? You said he's a lay disciple."
"Ah, he has become a main mountain disciple now. Although it is temporary."
"A main mountain disciple? Him?"
Cheong-su's eyes turned toward me again as if it were unexpected.
Cheong-su's eyes scanned me up and down.
That gaze contained a strange magical power that made me feel like my whole body was stripped naked.
"He doesn't look like he has any particular martial bones. And he's old."
"I recommended him. This friend has talent."
"Well, if it's regarding martial arts, you would be more right than me."
Cheong-su yawned and withdrew his interest from me.
Only then did the feeling of being stripped naked disappear.
It seemed he had just probed my body using inner energy.
Cheong-hwa patted my shoulder and said.
"Sahyung Cheong-su is a good person, so he won't make things hard for you."
"I understand."
Cheong-hwa greeted Cheong-su politely and left.
Cheong-su stared at me blankly.
Still, since he was certified by Cheong-hwa as a good person, I felt relieved.
Of course, that thought shattered as soon as Cheong-su opened his mouth.
"This damn bastard."
"Pardon?"
"What kind of trickery did you pull for a mere lay disciple to become a main mountain disciple?"
Ah. It was that kind of thing.
A person could be a good older brother to someone, and a bad younger brother to someone else.
There is no such thing as a person who is good to everyone.
Cheong-su was a good Sahyung to Cheong-hwa, but it seemed he wasn't destined to be entangled with me in a good way.
"Then kick me out."
Once I made my judgment, my words came out bluntly as well.
"Hmph. It must be a matter already approved by Sect Leader Sahyung, so how could I kick you out? You must have spoken knowing that, so you are shrewd."
"It's not like that."
"Making excuses. Follow me! I will tell you what you have to do."
Cheong-su took his feet off the desk, then pushed his chair back and stood up.
I followed Cheong-su.
In the room Cheong-su guided me to, there were countless bamboo tubes and a complete map of the Wudang Sect drawn.
Looking closely at the bamboo tubes, the names of the pavilions were written on them.
The bamboo tubes were categorized by the respective pavilions written on them.
"You don't look clever, but I hate repeating myself, so understand it in one go. The place you will be in charge of is Samcheonggwan. You just have to deliver the bamboo tubes that say Samcheonggwan."
"Samcheonggwan?"
I was appalled.
Samcheonggwan was located at the top of Mount Wudang, so it was the farthest place from Gokjeongak.
I raised a reasonable objection.
"I haven't learned light footwork, so wouldn't the delivery just be slow?"
"You stupid bastard. You take care of that yourself."
"Until what time do I have to work?"
"From the Hour of the Rabbit to the Hour of the Rooster."
So he was saying from the crack of dawn until right before the sun goes down.
He sure expressed working someone like a dog in a luxurious way.
"What happens if I intentionally slack off?"
"You'll be kicked out of Wudang."
My eyes shot open.
Suddenly, a tremendous opportunity had arrived.
Cheong-su didn't like me, and since he was a Sahyung to Cheong-hwa, it seemed he would have a say in the matter.
However, the words that followed shattered my dreams into pieces.
"Instead, unlike a lay disciple, a main mountain disciple must cripple their own dantian and leave. How could someone who has been excommunicated from Wudang use what they learned in Wudang."
"I haven't learned anything, though?"
"Even if it's just the Three Talents Mental Method, if you learned it in Wudang, it belongs to Wudang."
What a bunch of daylight robbers.
I ground my teeth, but there was nothing I could do.
No matter how much I was going to be a merchant, having my dantian shattered would be incredibly difficult in many ways.
The dantian is ultimately one of the acupoints as well.
If an acupoint is shattered, not only would physical stamina become insufficient, but it was bound to cause abnormalities in the body.
I didn't want to live my second life suffering from illness.
"Start working from now."
Cheong-su sneered at me once, as I was out of my wits, and slammed the door shut.
"Crazy bastards."
I hurled an insult at the entirety of Wudang once, and packed all the bamboo tubes with Samcheonggwan written on them into a bundle.
However, there were so many that I felt like I absolutely couldn't take them all at once.
It was an amount that required me to go in and out several times.
To be fair, Samcheonggwan was the place where the Sect Leader and elders lived.
Naturally, it was a place where messengers would frequently come and go.
But I couldn't understand why I had to do it.
I strongly suspected that Cheong-su just handed it off to me because he hated me.
I let out deep sighs and left the room carrying the bundle on my back.
Carrying a bundle up an already steep mountain made sweat pour down my face.
Still, I gritted my teeth and summoned my spite.
Working at Gokjeongak was only going to be for a moment.
How many shichen had I walked?
An absurd scenery that even the spite I summoned couldn't handle appeared right in front of me.
Right now, in front of me was a cliff that looked to be fifty zhang high.
It was a truly near-vertical slope without any ridges or protrusions.
The top of this cliff was exactly Samcheonggwan.
"Truly, truly, truly crazy bastards."
A curse popped out without me realizing it.
I couldn't understand at all how on earth I was supposed to climb this, and why they built a building up there.
My thighs felt like they were going to snap, and my shoulders felt like they would collapse.
Salty sweat flowed down, stinging even my eyes.
"Just you wait."
When I become a great merchant again, I will sell the goods entering Wudang at the highest price possible.
I grabbed a stone on the rock wall while grinding my teeth.
Now, I had to climb this rock wall.