Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Even Taoists Can Date vs They Can't
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The year turned, and I became five years old.
"Alright, starting today, you're going to run with a wooden block hanging from you."
"Didn't that get shot down last year?"
"You're a year older now, so one should be fine."
"That's bullshit, Little Uncle."
Sigh. Why not just follow the training curriculum that Uihyeon laid out for me? Should I just tattle that he's pushing me too hard again?
There were quite a few things that had changed now that I was a year older.
For one, I'd mostly graduated from lisping. I still slipped up on pronunciation sometimes, but this was nothing!
"The little punk can say anything. If you keep whining, I'll make it two blocks."
Uiseong pressed down on my crown with pokes, threatening me with the number of wooden blocks.
"Tch, the wooden sword's already gotten way heavier."
As my frame had grown overall, the new wooden sword I'd received was heavier than the one I'd used at four.
Thanks to the steady qi circulation and breathing exercises, my internal energy had grown considerably compared to last year too.
"Is that running or walking? Run faster!"
"I'm running!"
Someone, please scold Uiseong... He's going to wear me out again!
"How much time has passed?"
"Not even a gak yet."
"Liar! It's been a shichen!"
"I said not even a gak. Kid, are you jumping through time and space by yourself? And you look lively, so it seems manageable?"
I clamped my mouth shut and ran like hell, not wanting to end up running with two wooden blocks.
After safely finishing the morning stamina training, which had ramped up in difficulty, I headed to the room where lunch was laid out.
I quickly scanned the side dishes on the table with sharp eyes. Unfortunately, today was a no-meat day.
"All veggies. I'm not a rabbit."
"Tsk, you have to eat a variety to grow tall."
Uihyeon pulled back the greens I'd shoved away and said that.
"Ooh, thanks to picky eating, I see a future where you're short and stubby, arms stretched out but not reaching the opponent."
I glared at Uiseong, who was mimicking a fortune teller in an exaggerated voice, then crammed some greens into my mouth.
Chewing on the bitter grass, I asked,
"Am I small compared to kids my age?"
"Who knows? Aren't you bigger than the average five-year-old at this point?"
"Then am I way stronger than kids my age? Except when I was sick, I never skipped stamina training."
Eat your rice first, Uihyeon said as he placed some side dish on my spoon. Uiseong, fiddling with his chopsticks, replied.
"You'll meet kids your age soon, so spar with them and find out."
"Now that you mention it, it's really not far off."
I blinked as I alternated glances between the two, who nodded while exchanging remarks.
What was this about meeting kids my age? The entrance exam was still a year away?
"What? What's going on? Are you taking me down to Hwasim?"
Even after five years at Mount Hua, I'd never been down to Hwasim Town, so I secretly got excited.
But my hopes shattered at Uiseong's firm head shake.
"Nope."
"Then what!"
I nearly slammed my spoon down... but caught Uihyeon's piercing glare and quietly gripped it again.
Uiseong smirked, then finally revealed the answer just before I burst from curiosity and frustration.
"The Dragon-Tiger Assembly."
"The Dragon-Tiger Assembly?"
"Yeah. It's the gathering between Mount Hua and Wudang, fellow members of the Nine Great Sects."
Chen (Dragon) and Yin (Tiger)—so a dragon-tiger gathering. But why Wudang out of everywhere else?
"Aren't there other Nine Great Sects like Zhongnan, located in Shaanxi just like us?"
"Zhongnan? Biyeon, listen well. Even among the Nine Great Sects, there's a hierarchy. Zhongnan isn't in our league."
I clicked my tongue at Uiseong, who sounded just like a Mount Hua side character trash-talking Zhongnan in a wuxia novel.
That attitude always led to some genius popping up in Zhongnan, making Mount Hua eat spicy.
And guys with loose mouths like that usually got their rice stolen first by that genius, probably.
Wondering if it was just Uiseong's opinion, I glanced sideways to see Uihyeon nodding with a gentle smile.
"You're stating the obvious, Seong."
As expected.
Mount Hua and Zhongnan, on bad terms, was a proper wuxia cliché. Or rather, Mount Hua unilaterally looking down, and Zhongnan grinding their teeth at Mount Hua?
Usually, when it came to the world's top sword sects, Wudang and Mount Hua were in the top two.
Of course, with Shaolin's thousand-year legacy still strong, neither dared claim to be the supreme sect.
Well, if someone asked, 'What's Shaanxi's representative sect?' and they named our rival who always trashed us instead of ours, I'd want to beat the answerer and that sect to dust.
Whoa, I'm from Mount Hua, so why do I get Zhongnan?
Fellow Nine Great Sects, same Shaanxi Taoist sword schools.
Mount Hua's fast sword and illusion sword, contrasting Zhongnan's heavy sword.
Similar locations, and their unique arts were like spear and shield.
And these power struggles and grudges only deepen over time.
Just like Uiseong doing to me now—growing up hearing sect elders trash the rivals, passing it down to the next generation.
How could Zhongnan not trash Mount Hua after being looked down on like that?
If only the sects weren't so close geographically. Even if the elders got along in 'friendly rivalry,' the juniors would be at each other's throats.
The only thing that could shake off the bad blood between these two was probably the Demonic Cult rampaging into Shaanxi?
Anyway, enough on Zhongnan—back to the Dragon-Tiger Assembly.
"Have we always exchanged with Wudang?"
"Every four years."
"I'm five, why don't I remember?"
"Because the last one was at Wudang. Next Dragon-Tiger Assembly, you can tag along to Mount Wudang."
Come to think of it, four years ago, Uihyeon, Uiseong, some elders, and even the Sect Leader had been away for days.
But why bring up kids my age? Did they have a kid raised in the sect like me?
Spotting the question in my eyes, Uiseong provided the answer.
"Wudang took in new disciples this year. They're dragging along the little taoist initiates to show them Mount Hua, so you won't be bored, kid."
As far as I knew, Mount Hua was set to select the 28th generation disciples next year.
So at the next Dragon-Tiger Assembly, we third-generation disciples might even spar?
"What if they don't wanna play?"
"Who said play? You wanted to know if you're stronger than your peers, right? Then fight! Fistfight like a martial artist! Brawl!"
"You're teaching the kid good stuff. Real good."
Uihyeon smacked the back of Uiseong's ranting head.
He grumbled at Uiseong, who was rubbing his stinging occiput nonstop.
"They're learning martial arts since initiation. I'm just learning to thrust—how do I win?"
"Hey, it's fine. Don't chicken out. They haven't mastered basic功 like you anyway."
"Then I get hit first?"
"Nah? You strike first. You're not an official Mount Hua disciple anyway, so no responsibility on our side."
...Excuse me, if not yours, that means it's on mine.
"Mount Hua bullying secular kids in a mere children's scrap—oh, that paints a nice picture?"
...Don't use me for Mount Hua's image makeover.
Uihyeon smacked Uiseong's head again and earnestly warned me.
"Just in case, but don't listen to this immature guy and fight Wudang disciples. Got it? No fighting—make some friends to exchange with."
No matter how I thought about it, they wouldn't wanna play. Not that I planned to hoho it up friendly with the little brats either.
Yeah, conclusion: fighting it is. Kids bond through fights, right?
Oh, measure my combat power and build Wudang connections—one stone, two birds.
As expected of my guardians, Uihyeon easily read my mind and lightly warned again.
"Tsk, I said no fighting."
"Aw, I won't fight. You think I'm a kid?"
No fighting—just challenge to a duel. We probably can't do proper spars yet anyway.
* * *
I really felt the Dragon-Tiger Assembly was near when I saw the sect grounds getting cleaner by the day.
Junk that cluttered and ruined the view everywhere had vanished. The training grounds, once littered with large and small pebbles, were now neatly smoothed with fine sand.
Third-generation disciples were sweeping with brooms everywhere, or hauling junk under the directions of first- and second-generation disciples—a common sight.
'That's my future.'
I gazed wistfully at the scene where core disciples, outer disciples, and secular disciples all equally did chores without distinction.
Generational turnover every fifteen years meant even if you passed the entrance exam and became third-generation, you'd be stuck as the sect's youngest doing grunt work for the next fifteen years.
If I'd been born a duke's treasured youngest daughter in a martial clan, I'd never touch a broom my whole life, waited on by maids.
Stuffing myself with elixirs from childhood to build internal energy. Surrounded by handsome young masters forming a reverse harem.
But before I could even date once, I was forced into being a taoist. Damn it.
'But in wuxia novels, Taoist sect protagonists all date anyway—does it not matter?'
Wandering leisurely amid the bustling crowd felt odd.
This peace and consideration ends next year.
As I strolled aimlessly, a familiar face caught my eye. Unlike the too-busy third-generation disciples, this person could spare time for me.
Perfect, I was bored! I dashed straight toward them.