Once the story was complete, no one spoke.

Everyone looked at Yoon Jong’s face with a serious expression, like they had fallen into trouble.

It was Baek Cheon that broke the long silence.

“So, that child….”

“Yes, Sasuk.”

“Discovered the treasure and lost martial arts books of the sect.”

“Yes.”

“And found a ledger which brought to light the affairs of the businesses under Mount Hua and helped confiscate back the businesses?”

“Right.”

“In addition, he even cured the illness of the Eunha Merchant Guild’s Elder Hwang?”

“Yes.”

“In return, Eunha offered to take care of Mount Hua’s finances… and Hua-Um.”

Yoon Jong nodded without saying a word.

Thinking back, it was strange. Hua-Um had a life that didn’t exist when they first left for their training.

Since they were away from Mount Hua for so long, he just assumed that Hua-Um had improved greatly during their time away, but that wasn’t it.

“… right.”

Baek Cheon opened his mouth but closed it again.

“I get it.”

“Yes, Sasuk. Then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Alright.”

As Yoon Jong left the room, Baek Cheon had a serious look on his face; and the others in the room also had sullen expressions.

“No, just what….”

Baek Sang opened his mouth, feeling frustrated and despondent.

“Then, doesn’t this mean that one child solved all of Mount Hua’s problems by himself?”

“…”

Shock and consternation could be heard in this disciple’s voice.

Baek Cheon couldn’t even respond.

The biggest problem with Mount Hua was neither their martial arts nor the small number of disciples. Mount Hua collapsed so quickly because they lacked the money to support themselves.

‘It wasn’t just that they didn’t have money.’

There was an enormous debt.

When he left for training, Baek Cheon’s greatest worry was returning after a year only to find the sect abandoned and destroyed.

But Chung Myung solved this issue.

“It’s understandable why the elders like him.”

Baek Sang laughed in self-derision at Baek Cheon’s words.

“Hearing elder Hyun Young yell at everyone about eating meat from that child’s money, I thought he was the child of a great merchant, and that he was giving Mount Hua a lot of money. but this…”

He was literally feeding Mount Hua.

Baek Cheon shook his head.

‘There’s no answer to solve this problem.’

If Baek Cheon was in Hyun Young’s position, he would have defended Chung Myung himself. That was how significant Chung Myung’s contribution was. He was a child that raised money like a god of fortune and solved all of Mount Hua’s financial woes, even the problems which persisted for decades with no resolution in sight.

It’s a good thing Hyun Young didn’t have children. If his child got into an argument with Chung Myung, his house would be a mess if he kept taking Chung Myung’s side.

He could always have another kid, but where in this world would he find another person like Chung Myung?

“… Sahyung, this…”

“Umm.”

Baek Cheon racked his mind, thinking heavily.

“If he had only solved one of the sect’s problems it would have ended with ‘he made a contribution’. But that child is intertwined with the Eunha Guild. As long as he has a connection with Eunha, which manages Mount Hua’s finances, and Mount Hua makes money from that relationship, Chung Myung’s position will continue to rise.”

At least for the foreseeable future.

“… but at some point, wouldn’t his importance settle as the sect grows?”

“Right. But will that moment come soon? As you know, this is all….”

Gold falling into a beggar’s lap.

It was good to see and good to touch. Even if it wasn’t used right away, wouldn’t you be happy just to possess it?

Chung Myung was the one who gave gold to the beggar known as Mount Hua. No matter how hard Baek Cheon tried, he couldn’t achieve anything like this.

‘I can see why the sect leader would meet with that child alone.’

Baek Cheon bit his lip.

When he returned from training, he thought that he would receive looks of adoration and approval from all the elders, but a guy who popped out of nowhere stole away the spotlight and received all of the elders’ expectations that should have belonged to Baek Cheon.

It was an issue that couldn’t be ignored.

“Is it really such a big deal?”

Baek Mun, who only listened to the conversation till then, spoke.

“The discovery of Mount Hua’s treasure was just a coincidence, and wasn’t it pure luck that he treated elder Hwang?”

“Sajae.”

“Sahyung, Mount Hua is a martial arts sect. It is unacceptable that the sect is giving preference to a child simply because he brought money into the sect. How can the others all encourage it and forget the values of Mount Hua?”

Baek Cheon slammed the table. And spoke.

“Sajae, you should choose your words very carefully. What you said is an insult to the elders and sasuks.”

“… that wasn’t my intention.”

“But you aren’t necessarily wrong.”

“Yes?”

Baek Chen calmly nodded his head.

“You are right. Mount Hua does seem unfamiliar now. No matter how much money is made, we must focus on our martial arts in order to truly restore the sect.”

“You’re right.”

“That’s true.”

Baek Cheon nodded at their responses.

“In the end, we have no choice but to get back to the basics. Now, the elders might be interested in him because of his contributions, but once they realize that the conference is approaching, there is no way that they’ll be able to pay attention to the third-class disciples.”

“Yes, sahyung. You’re right.”

“So, for now let’s focus on ourselves. We can fix that child’s attitude afterwards.”

Baek Sang glanced at Baek Cheon.

“But Sahyung.”

“What?”

“We aren’t going to be the only ones to participate in the conference. The third-class disciples will also be included in it.”

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that?”

“We can’t be the only ones working hard. Shouldn’t we also help prevent the third-class disciples from being humiliated?”

At that point, Baek Cheon looked with interest at Baek Sang.

“What do you think, Sajae?”

“If we’re only thinking about ourselves, then it would be fine for us to focus on our own training. However, as seniors to the third-class disciples, how can we forget to assist them? Even if it’s a bit troublesome, we should take care of our juniors. It might even help us out in the conference as well.”

Baek Cheon grinned.

“As expected, Sajae cares about everyone in Mount Hua more than anyone else.”

“I am embarrassed, Sahyung.”

“I think it’s a good idea. We must have gotten alienated from them since we were away for a year, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to sweat together for a while.”

“Yes, Sahyung. That sounds like a good plan.”

Baek Cheon and Baek Sang smiled at each other.

In the end, dignity comes from strength. A gentle person is respected, but respect only goes so far.

Even in a family, authority is necessary. If left as it is, a day will come when the third-class disciples run amok without regard for their seniors.

Before that, they had to be put in place.

Teach them why the sasuks were adults and why the third-class disciples must bow their heads.

“I hope that child, Chung Myung, has a talent for martial arts. Then, wouldn’t Mount Hua have one more capable person to lead the future generation?”

“The person who will lead the future generation is you, Sahyung.”

“I cannot lead forever. It would be for the best if there was a smart child who followed my commands.”

Baek Cheon smiled.

“It looked like he couldn’t even walk properly, is there any hope for that child to have talent in martial arts?”

Baek Mun said while shrugging his shoulders.

“Shouldn’t that be why we teach and lead the juniors? Though it might be a little daunting for Chung Myung.”

“I understand.”

The three of them smiled happily at one another.

‘I need to teach you to properly appreciate the dignity of your superiors.’

Baek Cheon’s cold eyes smirked as well.

“Are you sleeping?”

“Uh.”

“Ugh, I was dragged to Sasuk’s room because of you, and you’re lying down so comfortably?”

Yoon Jong’s face tensed up.

‘I shouldn’t bother….’

He had no intention of asking Chung Myung to be polite to him; he threw away such notions on the evening that Chung Myung joined the sect.

Nevertheless, he felt emotional after seeing the Baek disciples treat Baek Cheon with such respect.

‘That’s how sects are supposed to be.’

Seeing how Baek Cheon was revered, Yoon Jong felt like crying.

‘There was a time when I was treated like that.’

After a certain person arrived, everything changed. Bad habits are easy to learn but hard to correct…

“What are you thinking about, Sahyung?”

“… nothing.”

This one is the problem! This guy!

There was some respect shown for Yoon Jong in the past, but now Jo Gul treats him like some neighborhood brother!

Yoon Jong took a deep breath and looked at Jo Gul.

“Gul.”

“Yes.”

“Is it really a good thing that Chung Myung came to Mount Hua?”

“Don’t talk about strange things. Did something happen?”

‘Is that any way for a junior to speak to their senior?’

Ugh…

In the end, Yoon Jong decided to let go of everything and glanced at Chung Myung, who was lying on the bed, before opening his mouth.

“Senior asked me to tell him what he has been up to so far.”

“And so, did you decide to snitch?”

“… what’s the point of hiding it?”

“That’s true.”

They were going to find out eventually anyway.

“And the reaction?”

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

“… I guess it’s obvious.”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul sighed. Seeing Chung Myung still lying on the bed tapping his stomach, they couldn’t help it.

‘Crazy bastard.’

‘Good for nothing bastard.’

Anyway, Baek Cheon wasn’t their sahyung; he was their sasuk. How could Chung Myung even think about provoking someone so senior to them on their first meeting?

Baek Cheon wasn’t strict with the third-class disciples. However, if the relationship goes sour, there is no way to know what the future will hold.

“Well, it won’t be good.”

No one in the world can crush Chung Myung. Didn’t Yoon Jong and Jo Gul also get defeated by him?

Fortunately, they were able to make the most of their situation. However, if Baek Cheon tries his luck and decides to trample on Chung Myung, then the situation could erupt into an even bigger mess.

“Well, arrows are going to fall on us.”

“I know.”

Once again, Yoon Jong sighed and looked at Jo Gul.

“We should have assumed this would happen when we learned that the sasuks were returning.”

“Right.”

“Call the others and tell them to be careful of their behavior from tomorrow on. Even if it’s nothing special, if they find something to nitpick, I’m sure they won’t let us off easily.”

“Yes, I get it.”

Jo Gul readied himself to leave with that response, but then he stopped and glanced at Yoon Jong.

“But Sahyung.”

“Yes?”

“I am curious about something….”

“About what?”

“If Baek Cheon sasuk and Chung Myung fought, who would win?”

“… don’t think about such ridiculous things and do what you are told.”

“Tch.”

Jo Gul clicked his tongue and went out.

Left in Chung Myung’s room, Yoon Jong glanced at the owner of the room, who was still dreaming soundly.

‘Who would win?’

Was he asking because he really didn’t know?

“… sleep well. Troublemaker.”

Now, the peace in Mount Hua was finally shattered. In the future, there will be a lot of commotion.

Chung Myung continued to sleep peacefully; his face seemed absent of any care or concerns in the world. Looking down at him, Yoon Jong sighed before walking out of the room with a subtle smile.