The Coldest Punishment
It was cold.
It was damnably cold.
“Number 423! Meal’s over!”
Clang.
The only time each day my restraints were unlocked was during the single meal break.
Right after the meal, the shackles snapped back around my wrists, and I was hung from the ceiling again.
Mumyeong’s voice echoed coldly in my mind.[That host of mine can’t even manage his emotions… the future looks pitch black.]
“Hurts… it hurts…”
[You’ll have to suffer a bit more, Host.]
My wrists throbbed painfully as if they might slip free any second.
My arms hung limp below me.
I had no idea how many days I’d been trapped in this damp, filthy underground stone cell, suspended from the ceiling like a criminal.
“Moyong Bi… you holding up okay?”
Across the corridor, separated by iron bars, Moyong Ryu hung in the exact same position, his face puffed out like a steamed bun.
“That swollen face… I think I saw something similar just a little while ago.”
Moyong Ryu grinned at the swollen balloon of a face.
“Yeah, this time your ugly younger brother’s face couldn’t take a beating.”
Snicker.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
Moyong Ryu added another jab.
“You were in the middle of a fight from the start, yet your face is swollen just like mine. How is that possible?”
“Shut up.”
Having never even learned proper martial forms, I had zero chance of beating Moyong Ryu’s bald head.
We’d both been laid flat together—beaten senseless—until the overseers of Cheonsubaekryeonsa finally arrived.
“Our younger brother, when they used that chair to slam onto the young master’s head, I was honestly shocked.”
“Quiet.”
I was already regretting everything to the point of death. I really had gone crazy.
Both of us hung there, faces swollen, trading words—such a pathetic sight it made me want to die.
Our eyes met.
Haha.
Hahaha…
We both laughed at the absurdity.
The sound spread quietly through the cell.
“Take care of yourself, little brother.”
“Don’t start playing big-brother act. Annoying.”
Moyong Ryu frowned.
“Even to the end, you’re a pain in the ass. More than some common courtesan, even.”
“Our pathetic older brother. When you’re making my head ache like this, could you stop moving that nonstop mouth?”
“Huh? You just called me older brother?”
…
That was how the three of us hung endlessly from the ceiling, locked in that stone prison for days.
Days was just a guess—the sunlight was blocked, so I had no way of knowing how much time had passed.
“You crazy disciples! No… you’re all real lunatics.”
Pahwanggun stood in the middle of the corridor, staring at Moyong Ryu and me hanging side by side.
“This humble disciple has no shame.”
This time my lips were less swollen, so my speech came out clear.
Pahwanggun pressed his temples, eyes squeezed shut.
“I’ve never seen trash like you three in my life. After passing the promotion exam, you immediately started a brawl and the entire squad ended up in this prison?”
Moyong Ryu’s lips—swollen like abalone—twitched in protest.
“Jin Muje is still here, so the squad isn’t gone.”
Pahwanggun shot Moyong Ryu a glare.
“You’re seriously underestimating yourselves.”
Clang.
“Number 424! Locked up!”
Across from me, Jin Muje’s cell door opened and he was hung from the ceiling.
…
Our three were lined up across the corridor, all suspended from the ceiling.
“The squad reunion is here to celebrate. You damned disciples!”
Pahwanggun pounded his chest and left.
“Hey… why are you here?”
I asked Jin Muje dangling in mid-air, utterly bewildered.
“Don’t ask questions, idiot.”
Jin Muje gritted his teeth in reply.
“That Taoist bastard’s out there again, beating up some random person. I’ve been wondering— are you really the Wudang Sect? The second you get angry you throw punches?”
His complaint made me roll my eyes.
“I’ll kill you! Do you know what I’ve gone through because of you?!”
“Because of me?”
Jin Muje looked visibly startled.
“Ah, no!”
“Because of me?”
“Shut your mouth!”
“No, what kind of stunt did you pull that got you dragged in here?”
Jin Muje’s words stumbled.
“Shut up! Your nonsense is ruining my precious training time! I have a task to complete…!”
“Why so much noise over there?! Should I put gags in all your mouths?!”
The guard’s roar cut the three of us off.
…How is it that none of us three is a normal person?
Moyong Ryu, still half-asleep, muttered.
Time passed.
One by one, my shackles were unlocked and I was dragged away.
First came Jin Muje, then Moyong Ryu.
Once dragged out, I knew I wouldn’t be coming back.
My hands hurt so badly I thought, Anywhere would be fine—just let me go somewhere and get dragged along.
But I stayed right where I was.
What is this…?
I wasn’t sure how many more days had passed.
Every now and then in the dim light, Pahwanggun’s concerned face appeared beside the overseer, then vanished.
……
Mumyeong tried to say something, but I couldn’t remember the words.
Time dragged on.
A loud noise woke me.
The iron bars in front of me had been opened.
“Still alive?”
Pahwanggun looked at me, hanging pitifully, and spoke calmly.
My parched lips moved.
“Hanging like this… my height seems to have increased by a full inch.”
“Sounds like you’re alive, talking nonsense.”
Puff.
With a flick of his wrist, the shackles around my wrists were sliced open.
I crashed to the floor with a loud bang.
Legs had no strength in them.
Pat, pat, pat.
Pahwanggun’s fingers stimulated the blood points all over my body.
Blood flow surged wildly, and my body began to recover.
“There was a meeting about the incident.”
…
“Moyong Ryu got so angry when he heard the Hwangbo Se-ga young master was mocking you that he started a brawl… and then you even slammed the chair down on the young master’s head from behind.”
“Yes.”
Pahwanggun leaned against the prison wall, arms crossed.
“After that, Moyong Ryu’s group retreated, and you, watching from the side, took the chair and brought it down on the young master’s head.”
…Yes.
“Useless fool.”
I lowered my head; I had no words.
Pahwanggun looked down at me.
“Next time, hit harder. If I’d held back, you’d have retaliated, right?”
“What?”
“You didn’t do well, but that doesn’t mean you should be ashamed.”
His blunt words made the situation feel unreal.
“I won’t raise a man without integrity as my own. When the world tightens and everything loses meaning, having even one person who upholds righteousness is the greatest blessing.”
…
“And I believe that’s harder and more valuable than dating every one of the Central Plains’ Five Great Beauties. This is something any man who’s lived through life would understand. I may not be proud of my disciples, but I won’t be ashamed either.”
I had nothing to say.
Pahwanggun cleared his throat.
“That said, while you were tied up, there was a lot of discussion about the punishment for this incident. As the squad leader I tried to block as much as possible… but since this is the first event after the promotion exam, the upper authorities want to use you three as a warning, so nothing could be done.”
“It’s fine. I expected this.”
Pahwanggun hesitated.
“Along with news that’s neither good nor bad, there are good and bad news. Which one do you want first?”
It’s better to be hit first.
“Bad news first.”
…Alright.
He sighed. “Then I’ll give you the neither good nor bad news first. Before that, though, there’s the reward for passing the promotion exam. You probably didn’t hear it while locked in the prison.”
“Reward…?”
Pahwanggun nodded.
“Cheonsubaekryeonsa has a regulation: for every promotion exam or trial passed, students receive one of three rewards to encourage their growth.”
He held up three fingers.
“First: the Shaolin Soul Pill that helps internal energy breakthrough. Second: a martial skill suitable for the level of the passage, taught directly to the recipient. Third: a request can be made at the famous blacksmith of Cheonsubaekryeonsa for a weapon or armor of your choice.”
“So… pill, martial skill, or weapon. One of the three.”
Pahwanggun nodded.
“This time, choose carefully. After this reward, the punishment will be applied immediately. The executioner waiting outside your cell right now is for the punishment.”
…I see…
“Alright, then I’ll tell you the bad news.”
Pahwanggun’s face turned gloomy.
“The final punishment will only be applied to you—only Moyong Bi. Not Jin Muje or Moyong Ryu.”
“Only me?”
Pahwanggun pulled two sheets of paper from his pocket.
“And these are the upper authorities’ explanation for why the punishment is only on you.”
I took the paper.
Discipline applicant, Jin Muje of Pahwanggun’s squad, agrees to bear joint responsibility for any future accidents by providing Wudang Sect guarantees. Therefore, during his confinement in the seclusion room and Ha-mu-gwan, all squad interactions and solo training are prohibited. Case closed.
…Discipline applicant Moyong Ryu also agrees to bear joint responsibility for the Moyong Family elders’ guarantees and responsibilities. Therefore, during his confinement in the seclusion room and Ha-mu-gwan, all squad interactions and solo training are prohibited. Case closed.
…
It was a reality so cold it was almost cruel.
If forgotten for even a moment, it reminded me that the space I was living in was a ruthless, vivid world where nothing could change.
Noticing my expression, Pahwanggun let out a short sigh.
“In conclusion, the only one to receive punishment for this incident is Moyong Bi—you, because there is no external guarantor to take responsibility.”
My lips went dry.
I licked them.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ve been through this kind of thing before.”
“There’s more detail on your sentence. Read it.”
Rustle.
Another sheet was attached.
I turned the page and read.
…Discipline applicant Moyong Bi has no external guarantor for his identity and responsibilities, but strong requests for leniency were made by Moyong Ryu and Jin Muje, who are in the same squad, and they expressed willingness to bear joint responsibility as squad members. After coordinating, the final punishment is announced.
…What…?
I felt like I’d had ice water poured over my head.
My hands trembled as I read the next lines.
…Moyong Ryu receives twenty lashes, Jin Muje receives forty lashes. For Moyong Bi, three punitive trials are added to end the case. Additionally, the total allowed failures during these three punitive trials is ‘once only’. Exceeding that will permanently strip the student of promotion qualifications to higher halls.
My hands shook.
I couldn’t even look at the punishment written behind it.
Lashes? Why?
No, I knew the reason.
And I wished it had all been a lie.
“P-Pahwanggun-nim!”
“I can’t help it. The lashes have already been fully executed yesterday. Don’t worry. Though they may look weak on the outside, they’ve been trained since they were suckling, so they can handle a few lashes.”
I was dragged out painfully, but… Pahwanggun trailed off.
I opened my mouth, then closed it.
What could I say here?
I was bewildered.
I blinked.
“No, I mean… no…”
This was the first time in my life my hair had turned completely white.
“Why you bastards…!”