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Jin Dongryong sat on his legs with his back straight and his head bowed in deference. He could practically feel the beads of sweat running down the sides of his face and the fists of his hands shaking weakly from where he clenched them tightly in his lap.
It was a long journey from Jongnam, going through so many hardships that he could have written his own book chronicling his epic journey, but he had finally reached his destination: Hwasan.
This was an incredibly famous sect, full of people who went up every day in the hope of becoming another disciple, regardless of whether it was an outer disciple. There was a long line of people going up and down he joined, climbing the rocks with difficulty until they reached the top almost out of breath. It was even more difficult to face the disciple guarding the entrance and explain the reason for his arrival, after the guests in front of him they will take out to highlight his spectacular background.
Jin Dongryong only had his uniform as a (former) Jongnam disciple, a bag with his few belongings, and a wooden sword.
Although he had vaguely fantasized about being accepted, in the back of his mind he had resigned himself to being rejected after trying to beg for days, yet by some miracle he was welcomed into the sect with open arms.
It wasn't even the disciple who received him with a look that could almost be said to be pity before letting him pass who took it upon himself to receive him as his disciple. No. He wished things were that easy.
Before Jon Dongryong could even reach the Sect Leader's office to wait his turn again…
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign passed in front of him, looked at his face inspecting him closely, and took him to a private place.
The Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign !
Did he need to explain how special this situation was?
This was a man who had lived for almost two hundred years but still maintained the timeless appearance of a young man, and the disciple of the Righteous Sword of Hwa, who beheaded the heavenly demon a hundred years ago.
…Some even rumored that he could ascend as an immortal at any time.
Jin Dongryong felt justified in trembling under the weight of such a man's gaze.
“You said your name was Dongryong.”
Swallowing hard, Jin Dongryong mustered up the courage to respond. “Yes, Geomjon.”
“Good, Dongryong. From now on I will take you as my disciple.”
He quickly bowed. “I am very grateful.”
Jin Dongryong hadn't even told him the reason why he had come to the sect, they only exchanged greetings in their first meeting before being practically kidnapped, but he was not going to complain about being accepted as a disciple of the strongest swordsman in the world. An opportunity like this was once in a lifetime. He could cry with happiness if he didn't feel intimidated by the older man's aura.
“From now on you are a full disciple of Hwasan, so I will give you the corresponding uniform and a monastic name according to your generation,” Cheong Myeong smiled, showing his sharp fangs. “You will be part of the twenty-second generation of discipleship, corresponding to the character ‘Baek’. Your name will be Baek Cheon.”
Jin Dongryong gasped in a daze, staring at the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign with his eyes open and mouth forming a small circle.
Was he offering the same monastic name of the late Sect Leader Baek Cheon who saved the world?
Maybe he had fainted at some point on the way to Hwasan and what he was experiencing now was just a hallucination before he died.
How can he not be impressed?
Cheong Myeong was said to have hunted down like a demon anyone who incorrectly used the name of his beloved master. He had reached to decapitate people for that reason. People had started using '-jinin' next to the man's title, not even the name, to mention him. And now he was naming him Baek Cheon, of all names, as if he deserved it.
Was it that the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign was going crazy, so he had decided to get a disciple to bequeath the memories of his late master? If Baek Cheon didn't meet his standards, would he also be beheaded? It would have been better to get a normal name, because now he felt enormous tension just to exist and be named.
“It's a great name.”
Cheong Myeong gave him an amused look, as if he knew what kind of conflict his mind was in. “Don't feel pressured.”
How could he not feel pressured…?
“Yes, master.”
Cheong Myeong's eyes shone even brighter. A warm hand rested on his hair, stroking it carefully. Baek Cheon tried not to lean into the touch. Not even his own father had treated him with such care without first having proven his worth.
Just as Baek Cheon had relaxed enough, the door burst open, revealing two men. The walls of the building shook for a couple more seconds before stabilizing. The men at the door were wearing clothes that he didn't recognize as Hwasan's typical generational ones, but Baek Cheon had seen that uniform just a second ago on his own master.
So these must be the former Sect Leader Cheong Mun Jinin and the famous Cheong Jin Jinin.
It was Baek Cheon's first day in the sect, so why did he keep meeting so many extremely important people who it was said could only be glimpsed once in a lifetime...?
The men looked at Baek Cheon as if they had found a priceless treasure, smiling brightly with stars in the background, then turned to Cheong Myeong with spiteful grimaces.
“You bastard, how dare you hoard him for yourself!”
“Sahyeong, don't think you can get away with it just because you meet first!”
Cheong Myeong seemed to be having the time of his very long life.
“Cheon-ah, introduce yourself.”
Baek Cheon stood up nervously, bowing deeply towards the two historical figures. “Baek Cheon, disciple of Cheong Myeong, greet Elder Cheong Mun Jinin and Elder Cheong Jin Jinin.”
Although Cheong Mun and Cheong Jin didn’t seem appeased, their furious grimaces melted into something tender.
“Ah, our master is so cute…”
“I can't believe he’'s so small…”
Baek Cheon wondered if he should pretend to be deaf from now on.
The master this, the master that. Why did these old disciples keep calling Dongryong like he was, what? Was he really supposed to believe that Jin Dongryong, a completely normal disciple, was the reincarnation of the man who beheaded the Heavenly Demon? Ha! What a good joke.
Maybe it was just the look, the appearance. Yes, perhaps he was a distant blood relative who had not been properly recorded. It was a crazy theory, however, much more connected to reality than the previous one. Yes, let's leave it at that.
“Isn't it your fault for being late?” Cheong Myeong patted Baek Cheon on the head. “Now that the master has returned, I will first make him the strongest and then make him fulfill all the promises he left pending.”
“Do you still remember that…? Now he isn’t a rich Sect Leader, so be kind to his wallet.” Cheong Mun smiled. “Eh, our Cheong Myeong-ah would force you to train hard every day, but if you came with me, instead—”
“No, sahyeong!” Cheong Myeong jumped in front of Baek Cheon. “You can't blackmail my disciple! Did you hear? Mine!"
“These two are fans of heavy training, wouldn't you have a comfortable life with me?” Cheong Jin craned his head to see his master's round face once again. “Don't be unfair, sahyeong, we can also share custody. Let's live together again like in the old days..."
Baek Cheon wondered if it would be too late to ask for a normal teacher.