13. Yeongsan Sect (5)
Yeongsan Sect (5)
13. Yeongsan Sect (5)
"Did you sleep well, Disciple? It must have been very cold and uncomfortable for you."
My master, who spoke kindly with an already gentle and sweet face, somehow reminded me of a kindergarten teacher from my past life.
"Not at all. I'm from Jilin, further north than this place."
"What a relief."
My master smiled brightly and clapped her hands.
"I realize this may seem rude so early in the morning, but I haven't heard a word since the entrance ceremony yesterday. I came here to receive instruction."
"You have, haven't you? Well... our Yeongsan Sect may be in decline now, but it is a sect that carries on the lineage of orthodox Daoism. Our founder, Reverend Hwangseong, was a disciple of Reverend Ilhak, the eleventh Sect Leader of the Maoshan Sect. When the Bloody Calamity caused by the Blood Cult ended and the Daoists of the Maoshan Sect departed for Wudang or Mount Hua, Reverend Hwangseong established a new sect here on Yeongsan."
My master began to explain the history of the Yeongsan Sect.
"Um, Master. I apologize for daring to interrupt you mid-sentence, but may I ask you just one thing first?"
I knew it was rude. But as I listened to my master's explanation, an unbearable frustration made me cut off her first lesson.
"What is it, Disciple?"
"Master, why do you and my senior sisters address me, the youngest disciple, so respectfully and treat me like a guest? Am I not a disciple of Yeongsan Sect now too?"
I finally asked this frustrating question. But my master merely tilted her head for a moment and replied with a soft smile.
"Ah, you have misunderstood, Disciple. We aren't treating you as a guest. Although you aren't yet a Daoist, you've become a trainee—someone eligible to become one soon."
My master's voice was gentle, her tone slow and kind, but I could not understand a single thing she meant.
"A trainee? What does that have to do with how you treat me? Are my senior sisters not trainees as well?"
"That's right. The other disciples are trainees, and so am I."
"What? You're a cultivator as well, Master? Not a Daoist?"
"There is currently no Daoist in this sect. Countless Daoist sects founded beneath Taishang Laojun exist throughout the Central Plains, but over the long years, each developed somewhat different customs. Disciple, when you hear 'female Daoist,' which sect first comes to mind?"
My master answered a question with a question. I had no idea what this was about, but this peculiar manner of speaking definitely made it sink in that this place was a Daoist sect.
"Mount Hua Sect?"
"Right? Mount Hua Sect is famed as a sect beautiful enough to make a flower its symbol. Plum blossoms brilliantly dyeing the mountain, the beautiful sword path of the Plum Blossom Sword Art. And the lovely female Daoists."
I had never seen a Mount Hua martial artist other than my late grandmother, yet somehow I understood. Even in my past life, the men and women outside a major corporation's headquarters were usually polished and well-groomed. They managed themselves carefully and had money to spare, so naturally they could afford to care for their appearance. This world was probably the same. Mount Hua Sect was the equivalent of a top corporation. My grandmother had been an outstanding martial artist but homely enough to be married off beyond the wall to Jilin. A powerful sect would naturally have many beautiful female disciples, but surely Yeongsan Sect, where every member was beautiful, had the higher proportion.
"But in the case of Wudang, which possesses a renown above even Mount Hua, no female Daoist comes to mind, does she? That is because Wudang, like our Yeongsan Sect, also does not recognize female Daoists."
In my past life, the Catholic Church had no female priests, but the Anglican Church did. Even if religions sprang from the same root and possess similar doctrines, I could now understand that rules differ by denomination. But the moment one question was resolved, an even larger question arose. As my master said, Wudang had no female Daoists. Therefore, it also had no female disciples. Then why was it that here, female Daoists were impossible, yet female disciples existed? Then what were the female disciples here trying to achieve?
"The year before last, our sect suffered a Bloody Calamity. An unorthodox group called the Giant Bear Association began running rampant and tormenting the common people. No neighboring sect stepped forward, so my master, my senior brothers, and their male disciples marched out to punish them. Their strength was insufficient, however, and every one of them passed away."
Her large eyes reddened. To Master, this was the story of losing the family she had spent decades with. But the moment I heard it, I became genuinely alarmed. There was a hostile unorthodox faction near Yeongsan Sect? An irreconcilable enemy that had wiped out all the men of the sect? This was a threat on an entirely different level from poverty. I was hardly qualified to judge anyone's strength, but even Son Yeong, the strongest of my senior sisters, was weaker than an escort guard, and astonishingly, even Master possessed only about five years of internal energy. I did not know how strong the sect's original fighting force had been, but if the Giant Bear Association had destroyed it, surely they would still be eyeing Yeongsan Sect, where only beautiful women remained. So why had they left the sect untouched for more than two years?
"The Giant Bear Association? What happened to them?"
"They received heaven's punishment. Perhaps emboldened by their victory in the battle against our sect, they quarreled with nearby bandits and were completely exterminated."
What? Wiped out by bandits? The pieces finally came together. Thanks to the Murong Clan, even the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds did not dare approach this region. In other words, the Giant Bear Association had been nothing more than local thugs so pathetic they were embarrassed to call themselves an unorthodox faction, the sort who could not even beat neighborhood bandits. They had supposedly been 'running rampant' as an unorthodox faction? All that meant was that a handful of thugs had formed a gang and given themselves a name. Naturally, none of the surrounding sects had bothered to intervene. For all their grand name, those 'great bears' had been nothing but badgers.
If they had been genuinely dangerous, the Murong Clan, only a few days away, would have sent martial artists. Yeongsan Sect, which had gone so far as to prepare a punitive expedition, could not have been unaware of that. But after years of being dismissed as a fifth-rate sect, Yeongsan Sect had finally found an opponent that looked easy and marched out to wash away its inferiority complex. The sect was so insignificant that its members had never even understood their own strength. Trusting only in the foolish fact that they had practiced swordsmanship for years, they picked a fight, got beaten instead, and were wiped out. I had truly joined a legendary sect, just not in the usual sense.
"Originally, all of Yeongsan Sect's affairs, great and small, were handled by the male Daoists. After the Bloody Calamity, only female disciples remained, and we were unable to perform any of them. We were never wealthy, but that is why our present financial crisis became so severe."
A Daoist sect without a Daoist. They needed to go down to the village and perform rites to earn a living, but they could not even do that. No wonder they had fallen this far.
"Originally, female disciples do the work of supporting the Daoists from behind. I was the same, but once everyone had passed on, I had to look after the children, and so, to my shame, I came to inherit the position of temporary sect leader."
Why had Yeongsan Sect accepted female disciples if they could never become Daoists? And why had it taught them only sword arts below even martial-hall level, like Son Yeong's Three Talents Sword? At last, I understood. The dead Daoist bastards had simply wanted maids. That was why they had somehow gathered only attractive women, given them the title of disciple, and taught them neither Daoism nor martial arts properly.
"Do you understand now, Disciple? In this sect, it would be unthinkable for a woman to speak casually to a man even if he were merely her martial nephew or grand-disciple. Men are destined to become Daoists and accomplish great things."
Looking at Master's innocent face as she spoke as though this were perfectly natural, I realized how thoroughly she had been indoctrinated with male superiority and female inferiority. People said that if small and midsized companies were hell, micro-enterprises were worse than anything one could imagine. I had clearly underestimated what a fifth-rate, impoverished sect could be like. While I stood dumbfounded, Master brought over a wooden box and handed it to me.
"This is the key to the library. I thought no one would ever enter that place again, and so I am glad to be able to give it to you like this, Disciple."
The sect library. A pathetic sect like this could hardly possess much, but it was still where its precious secret teachings had been preserved for future generations. Apparently, even Master, the sect leader, had been barred from entering simply because she was a woman. I felt a sigh rising but held it in. I was no feminist warrior charged with advancing women's rights, and I planned to laze around here for only three years before leaving. The sect was bizarre as hell, but thanks to these ridiculous rules, the next three years would probably be comfort itself. When I accepted the box and bowed in thanks, Master became visibly flustered.
"Then, what am I to learn from now on, and what am I to do?"
"Well... you may do anything you like, Disciple."
"Anything?"
"Yes. You said you wished to study Daoism, did you not? There should be Daoist texts left by our ancestral masters in the library. You may study those, or practice your family's martial arts here. Either is fine."
"Training is important, but as a member of the sect, should I not take on some of the sect's work?"
Even at the Baek Clan Estate, I, the eldest son, had to handle guest reception duties. Most sects were places where people lived, so there was no way a sect could operate if everyone trained in martial arts all day. Even the masters of the Beggars' Sect, who were stronger than my father, had to form teams and go begging daily.
"It's all right. We female disciples are here for the chores. Please devote yourself solely to training, Disciple."
Just how much had she been gaslit? My master, even now, still referred to herself as a female disciple though she was the sect leader.
"If you need anything, ask Jeong-hyang. She's the eldest disciple, and she'll make sure you're comfortable from now on. If you need something handled outside the sect, ask Son Yeong. Lee Eun-ha will take care of the household work—cleaning, laundry, cooking, and the like. She's a capable girl who can do anything from cooking to sewing. Cho-ryeong is still too young to help with much."
Come to think of it, Senior Sister Jeong-hyang had brought me wash water that morning. They had already divided up the duties involved in attending to me. In military terms, the chief disciple was the squad leader, yet she was personally waiting on me. I still could not get used to it.
"Then, Master. May I ask just one more thing?"
"Ask me anything. Though I may not look it, I am still your master."
My master spoke with a resolute face.
"I am truly sorry, but I still have not had the honor of learning your name, Master."
"Ah. Oh dear. I have failed as a master. It is Chae Yeong-ok. You needn't be so formal—just call me 'Master.' And now you know, don't you? From now on, when you greet me, you must never lower your head. That would make me, a female disciple of the Yeongsan Sect, commit a great sin."
"I will bear it in mind, Master."
Now, to top it all off, I was not even allowed to bow my head to my master. No matter how low a woman's rights were in this era, martial artists at least had somewhat less discrimination between men and women, and a female master was as good as a mother. Yeongsan Sect. What on earth were these bastards thinking when they established such rules?
"There is only one subject I can personally transmit to you, but I am not prepared yet, and you need time to grow accustomed to the sect. We will begin in a few days. Forgive me, Disciple, but I suffer badly during my period and would like to undress and rest. Could you ask Jeong-hyang about anything else for now?"
Ah... right. Master had said she was on her period. She could not even bring herself to dismiss me and instead asked for my permission. I left so she could rest comfortably, but habit made me bow as I said goodbye, and her expression tightened.
Seriously, what kind of a place is this?