Chapter 20
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Kids Grow Up by Fighting Anyway
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Rough hands pulled me away from the fox-eyed kid.
I let go willingly after giving my bloodied fist one last swing.
“What the hell is all this commotion!”
The oldest kid among those gathered here—looking about ten years old—surveyed the trashed room and bellowed.
His sharp gaze swept over his junior brothers one by one before finally landing on me as I straightened my messy hair.
“Aren’t you from Mount Hua? Why are you fighting with a Wudang disciple here?”
“S-Senior Brother… It’s that…”
“Ask him. Ask him what he did to me at the communal baths. Doesn’t he know damn well himself?”
I cut off Baek Geon’s stammering, tear-streaked face and jabbed a finger at the fox-eyed kid with a curt retort.
As soon as I finished, the Wudang senior brother’s face hardened menacingly.
Guess blood runs thicker than water, I thought, clicking my tongue—only to nearly bite my own tongue at the roar that followed.
“Now you’re picking fights with disciples from other sects? Are you out of your mind?”
The ten-year-old’s scolding had some real bite. The fox-eyed kid, pinching his bloody nose, wailed in a nasally voice full of grievance.
“Senior Brother, he’s not even an official Mount Hua disciple!”
“If the elders hear what you said to me today, it’ll be a big problem for someone in your position.”
At my words, the Wudang senior brother hauled the fox-eyed kid to his feet by force and shoved him in front of me, pressing him to apologize.
“Baek Yoon, apologize. Now.”
“I got beaten up one-sidedly, Senior Brother! Can’t you see my nosebleed?”
“With relations between our sects on the line, you think that matters? And you’re not even officially initiated yet—you got your ass handed to you by a kid way younger than you. Be ashamed of that, not bragging about it at the top of your lungs!”
The Wudang senior brother rebuked the blood-smeared fox-eyed kid in a cold tone.
“Sorry.”
Outmatched in the staring contest, the fox-eyed kid spat out an apology that barely qualified as one.
I’d beaten him exactly as much as needed to extract that apology, so it didn’t really bother me.
Even with an outsider like me present, the lecturing continued.
“I warned you not to say things to others that you wouldn’t dare say to my face. Calling someone an orphan over and over? How do you think that makes the orphan feel, you little shit? And what’s this mess on the floor?”
“He made me go to the infirmary to get medicine, then stepped on it saying I got the wrong stuff.”
When I pointed at Baek Geon and spilled the beans, the Wudang senior brother’s face took on a subtle shade. He wasn’t exactly fond of Baek Geon either, even if not openly.
“Ahem. Well. You got your apology, so how about we call it even? He started it, but you did mess up his face pretty good.”
I was sure now from his slippery pivot that he wasn’t on Baek Geon’s side either.
‘No wonder the kid’s cowering all day.’
How could anyone stand tall in a place with zero allies?
Sigh. Serves him right for getting in through the back door. I’d never end up like that.
“If the adults find out, it’ll blow up bigger, so let’s handle it among ourselves.”
I nodded readily at the Wudang senior brother’s mediation.
“Sure, I don’t want to make a big deal out of—”
“Senior Brother! Master and the martial uncles are here!”
Before I could finish, the door burst open, and a horde of Wudang second-generation disciples poured in.
“What the…?”
“Isn’t that a Mount Hua kid? What’s a Mount Hua brat doing here?”
“What? You’re letting this slide? The kid got pummeled like this!”
Under the withering stares aimed at the obviously thrashed fox-eyed kid and the wrecked dorm, I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
And as the Wudang senior brother had feared, the kids’ squabble soon escalated into the adults’ fight.
“It’s just kids playing around! If you’re gonna make a fuss over every little scratch, why not just have your disciples hike down the mountain together? How do you plan to send them out into the world if you baby them like this?”
“Playing around? Is beating people senseless how Mount Hua plays?”
“Oh yeah? Teach your disciple some manners first! Your brat called our kid an orphan and ran his mouth! He deserved the beating!”
In the end, even the elders from each sect were summoned to sort out the mess, deciding that each sect would mete out punishment at their discretion.
Mount Hua’s penalty for me: Kneeling with arms raised for two shichen.
“Didn’t I tell you not to fight?”
I pouted and shot back as Uihyeon’s heavy knuckle popped onto my crown.
“Martial Uncle, some people only wise up after a good thrashing. And that’s exactly the case for the one I thrashed.”
“Yeah, Senior Brother. Didn’t you hear what he said to our little guy? The kid’s got a yellow streak a mile wide.”
Uiseong chimed in from the side, then affectionately ruffled my hair.
“And he beat a guy four years older than him. A win’s a win.”
Right—a win’s a win! Dragon-Tiger Assembly, Mount Hua’s first victory!
* * *
“Um… you okay…?”
I paused mid-stretch of my aching arms at the timid voice from behind and turned.
Sure enough, Baek Geon. Guilt swirled in his big eyes.
“Sorry… this is all because of me…”
Was I the only one not getting this conversation? As I stared at him blankly, Baek Geon hurriedly added,
“If I’d at least tried to stop Senior Brother Baek Yoon from saying that to you…”
He still would’ve gotten beat. I went in there planning to thrash the guy from the start, didn’t I?
“Anyway, Senior Brother Baek Yoon’s confined to the dorms until the Dragon-Tiger Assembly ends. You won’t run into him till the last day.”
That was some sweet relief amid the frustration Baek Geon was dumping. I nodded and kept walking.
“If you’re sorry, come here.”
When I beckoned in front of a water jar taller than me, Baek Geon scurried over.
I’d originally planned to ride him like a horse to scoop the water, but he looked too scrawny to hold my weight, so I changed plans.
I gripped the ladle and handed it to him firmly.
“I’ll lift you, so fill this with water.”
“No, I can lift you…”
“You’re shorter than me.”
“…….”
I tensed my dantian and hoisted him up in a horse-riding stance.
He was heavier than expected, and I groaned—then a clear “Got it!” rang from above.
I bent my knees and set Baek Geon safely down. Rubbing my shoulders, I grumbled.
“Damn, even grabbing a plum takes real effort.”
As I let out a puff of breath, a small chuckle came from beside me.
“You don’t sound five at all.”
“And you don’t look seven.”
At my retort, Baek Geon’s shoulders slumped. Whatever—I eyed the two jars, deep in thought.
Which one was I told not to touch?
Up till now, whenever I wanted plum syrup, I’d dragged Do-un or Uiseong to the jars, so I never bothered memorizing which was which.
Now I’d forgotten which jar held the syrup since I hadn’t paid attention.
Oh well, just taste both.
I opened both lids and dipped my pinky in each liquid.
‘Huh? They taste the same?’
Must both be plum syrup. One was probably set aside to age, that’s why the “don’t touch” warning.
I closed the left jar’s lid and scooped from the right, mixing it into the pre-drawn water. It turned a deep brown.
Did I overdo it? I tilted my head, then figured more’s better and handed the ladle to Baek Geon.
“Here, you first.”
Special guest privilege. Baek Geon took the ladle gingerly, sipped a few times, and cocked his head.
“Kinda bitter…”
“Some people say plum syrup’s bitter.”
At my nonchalant tone, Baek Geon took another big swig.
He downed half the ladle in seconds, then slumped against the water jar, staring blankly into space as he muttered.
“But I’m jealous of you… You can stand up for yourself so boldly…”
“What’s with the sudden ghost story vibe?”
“I’m an orphan, yeah. And a backdoor kid, too.”
What, he’s getting all confessional after some plum syrup? As I blinked in confusion, Baek Geon kept spilling his guts.
“My great-grandfather’s a Wudang elder. Oh, Supreme Elder now. The plague took my grandparents and parents, so he brought me up the mountain. Then he had me take the Core Disciple exam.”
Blushing hard, Baek Geon grinned goofily and wiped tears from his eyes.
“I know it. I wasn’t good enough to pass. Without him, I wouldn’t have set foot in Wudang.”
Ah, ouch. Even I’d resent a parachute kid like that.
The senior brother called him an orphan too. Makes sense why they give him the cold shoulder.
Can’t outright shun him—guilt—and can’t embrace him either—annoying parachute.
“…So where’s that booze smell coming from?”
Sniffing the faint alcoholic whiff tickling my nose, I pinpointed the source: the ladle in Baek Geon’s hand.
I snatched it quick, took a swig—and grimaced. Damn, plum wine?
Primordial Heavenly Venerable, no wonder the backstory confession felt like drunken rambling.
I stared blankly at Baek Geon, now burying his face in my lap and bawling his eyes out.
One Wudang third-gen beatdown: 1 point. Getting another drunk: 2 points.
…I was so dead when the Sect Leader and Uihyeon Martial Uncle found out.