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As time passed, the Leader of the Sect became increasingly strange and unpredictable. One day he might patiently listen to what others had to say, and the next day he might decide to apply a punishment that was supposed to be just 'thought work'.
That was how Chung Myung came out of his Leader of the Sect's private property, holding a small pot that could fit in the palm of his hand and only fertile soil could be seen in it. According to his Sahyung's words, he had already taken care of planting a small seed, which he would have to take care of every day without fail with the help of the guide that the Leader of the Sect made him write on the spur of the moment, not trusting Chung Myung's memory.
—First, give it a name.
Chung Myung remembered the words as he looked at the blank label on the pot.
Was he supposed to treat this little sprout as a disciple and even name it? It's not even like the plant is going to fight for him or bear some delicious fruit. It was just a delicate flower that was stupidly difficult to care for and just had to look pretty.
—Hoh, so you can't even take care of a little flower?
His Sahyung's blank stare when she tried to reject his order was terrifying, more than the usual annoyance or even disappointment. It seemed to be the face of someone about to give up on something. Chung Myung feared that 'something' was 'someone'.
With a thin brush, Chung Myung traced the character: 'Baek'. It was a plain white orchid anyway, so the name might as well be a bit generic.
The care list was a bit specific to the finicky flower. Fortunately, in front of his house there was a large garden with plum trees blocking the sunlight in parts. Placing the plant on the bench of the pavilion under the shade of the trees should be sufficient, the only problem would be not to forget that it exists until his next watering.
With a sigh, Chung Myung made sure the ground was moist, rethinking the actions that had led him to this point in his life. No, rather, what has his Sahyung been doing to think of these strange forms of punishment?
—You can't just abandon it until you need to water it. You must, at the very least, spend time with that flower for half a stick of incense, talk to it about your day or hum a song, but do it!
"Should I speak to the land?" He muttered, a little grumpy and a little resigned. "Hey, Baek-ah, now I'm going to take care of you. Don't blame me if I forget to water you and you wither, you should also do your part by holding out until I come back."
The pot was silent. A gust of air brushed through his hair gently, enveloping him in the warm autumn breeze.
"I have a lot of work to do, but are you just going to look pretty? I wish I could at least age you in a good wine."
For some reason, it was easy to talk to the plant, complaining in a low voice about the inconvenience of doing this and that for a plant he didn't want.
"But you know what? I'm going to show my Sahyung that I can do this, even if he didn't seem to trust me. You will grow healthy and strong, with more flowers than other orchids, prettier than these plum trees that nobody cares for", at some point his thumb began to gently brush the edge of the pot. "'Cause I will take care of you personally."
Nodding to himself, Chung Myung was about to get up when he remembered something. It seemed that he must also be nourishing it with his spiritual energy. He was embarrassed to think that he was about to neglect the plant after his big speech, but name it anyway as if the flower could understand what he was saying!
After returning from a mission, Chung Myung went to report to his Sahyung. More like wanting to see him after a week away from home.
"Maybe you can do less property damage next time, but better than usual."
Chung Myung didn't expect him to be congratulated for his effort in holding back by beating those bastards, but he guessed his Sahyung must not have realized how close he came to causing trouble amonsg Sects. Maybe it would be good if he didn't know.
"But you still took a long time. Are you still taking care of your flower?"
Chung Myung's eyes widened before he could control his reaction. Dragging his feet like a scolded child, he pretended to be in control of the situation.
"Of course I did, Sahyung. Didn't I get back just in time to water it again?"
"Oh, and you haven't forgotten to talk to it or feed it with your spiritual energy?"
"Of course not! If you'll excuse me, I have a plant to take care of that won't judge me."
That stupid seed better not have dried up while he was away! He didn't even know where his Sahyung got the seed from, could he get a replacement if it didn't work or would he find out because it was special somehow? Since he had to feed it with his spiritual energy it must be special somehow...
The pot under the shade still seemed to be the same as when he received it. Chung Myung approached with the watering can in hand, beginning to babble as he began to do.
"I almost forgot about you, don't tell my Sahyung. Not that you can anyway. But we agreed that you should wait until I get back, you can't rot until then!"
As if to make up for the time he was away, he also fed the seed with his spiritual energy. Twice as usual just in case as he missed a few days.
"I don't know what to do with you, when are you supposed to germinate?"
With a sigh, Chung Myung sat cross-legged next to the small bench that the flower pot was sitting on, as if it were 'your majesty, the flower pot'. Absently, he began to brush aside the red petals that had fallen on the small area of fertile soil.
"It's not even like you have much to do, just grow while I do all the work. Then why don't you—"
A small, almost tiny green dot peeked out of the dirt. Putting his face close to the pot, Chung Myung stared in amazement at the small sign of life. It wasn't dead! It vas alive! Chung Myung took personal care of this small seed and now it was slowly creeping up. A deep feeling of contentment settled in his chest, filling him with warmth as he poured another glass of wine.
Of course, you have to celebrate the good times with a good bottle of liquor.
"Sasuk spends more and more time here. Why don't you come out with us for a drink?"
Chung Myung looked up from the mooncakes he was served along with alcohol in his private pavilion. Lately he had started spending more time here since the little leaves started to sprout from the stem. Watching his accomplishments filled him with satisfaction, so combining it with hobbies he already liked was an even greater joy.
"I'm enjoying the view here. What's the use of drinking alcohol in front of a bunch of sweaty guys?" Chung Myung spoke calmly, like a Taoist who had attained enlightenment. “Besides, what is a little disciple like you doing talking about drinking with his seniors?”
Myung Do, suddenly self conscious, wiped the sweat from his forehead. In the first place, it was Chung Myung who incited his Sajil to try harder than necessary because he considered them too weak, but now he was even throwing pointless criticism for something like sweating. And then he wanted to try to scold them for drinking when he was the one who consumed the most alcohol despite the scolding of the Leader of the Sect...
It was really suspicious.
"Sasuk, are you hiding something from us? Something you don't want to share..." The cunning look in his eyes immediately put Chung Myung on his guard.
"Get out of here, brat!"
But it was too late, Myung Do noticed Chung Myung's aborted move to cover the small pot next to him. So innocuous that the young disciple almost missed it.
"Aha! Sasuk tries to cultivate his own alcohol!"
"Who taught you to speak like that to your elders!?" He claimed by hitting the top of Myung Do's head. The boy didn't even see the moment when Chung Myung stood up. "Note correctly, it is a small flower."
Then, contrary to his usual gestures, he carefully moved the pot, placing it on the table so that Myung Do could see it properly. The sprout had grown much larger than before, now it was as tall as Chung Myung's palm, full of tender, soft and delicate leaves, gently trembling in the autumn breeze.
"A flower?" Myung Do inquired. "Why is Sasuk taking care of a flower?"
Surely, this flower must contain some kind of high-ranking secret to advance his senior's cultivation. A special type of plant that would yield a special ingredient to make a powerful pill that would grow healthy under the careful guidance of the strongest warrior in their Sect. Or perhaps it was after all a treasure that he had stolen from someone else.
"The Sect Leader asked me to take care of this flower specifically. It is a very important flower," he said, swearing to himself that not a word was a lie. Separately, at least. "And now it's blooming, but you shouldn't tell the Leader of the Sect. I'll show it to him when it's bloomed!"
Myung Do nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice. Now he was convinced that his Sasuk had entrusted him with a truly important secret task for his Sect. Eyes sparkling, he thought to himself proudly, 'as expected of Sasuk'.
"Sasuk, you can be sure I won't say a word! If you need help with anything, leave it to me!"
Chung Myung nodded like an indulgent teacher, but inwardly he flatly rejected the proposal. As if he was going to let these barbarians touch his precious sprout that he had worked so hard to care for. If even Chung Myung had trouble taking care of it, what could they do?
In the weeks that followed, Myung Do brought books on caring for spirit plants, and various different types of garden tools began to fill Chung Myung's yard. Myung Do's daesahyung soon learned of an 'edited' version of the story: Chung Myung Sasuk became interested in gardening. Suddenly interested, the disciples of the Myung generation came over to build a shed for gardening tools as an excuse to take a look at the prized garden of their Sasuk.
Chung Myung sighed.
He couldn't even have a bit of peace in his private garden anymore!
Carrying the cradled plant in his arms, Chung Myung closed the door behind him with a firm thump. Anyway, the temperature had started to drop, so he was going to bring Baek-ah inside his house sooner or later.
"Hyung-nim, did you hear? Apparently there's an all you can eat free sale in Sichuan!"
Chung Myung hummed absently, flipping through a care guide for plants. Soon it would be time to move Baek-ah to a bigger pot, even if the previous pot was filled with good memories. The flowers grow quickly as if they were children.
"Hyung-nim, you're not listening to me..."
"I'm listening to you, but Sichuan is far away."
"Too far...? We can come and go in two days."
Chung Myung shook his head silently. Two days was a long time. The small white bulbs could bloom at any time, now was a critical stage for the proper development of Baek-ah in which it had to be carefully fed with Chung Myung's spiritual energy every day.
And Tang Bo wanted him gone for a couple of days!?
"I get it now, Hyung-nim has replaced me for this flower," he sighed. Taking a seat next to Chung Myung, and away from the plant that was immediately removed from his vicinity, Tang Bo said: "Okay, show me, what's so special about this flower?"
Chung Myung looked at Tang Bo in disappointment.
"Someone like you wouldn't understand," he replied like some kind of wise teacher disappointed in his neighbor's children who had been raised by monkeys. "I personally took care of this flower since it was a seed, so of course, it is better than any other flower in the world."
"Eh, Hyung-nim took care of this flower?"
Suddenly, Tang Bo stared at the vivid green leaves in fascination. It seemed better cared for than the poisonous weeds in his clan garden. It was pretty impressive for someone like Chung Myung, who would rather go around causing trouble than stay home to care for a flower with no apparent purpose.
"Is it some kind of spiritual herb?" he asked carefully, not recognizing the species. On the outside, it looked just like an orchid, but perhaps it was his lack of knowledge.
Chung Myung refused to admit that his flower was less special than those ugly herbs that only had a little more spiritual energy to make one more pill out of the bunch.
"It is a very rare and special flower, there is no other like it in the world."
The stems seemed to sway happily under the praise, and Chung Myung couldn't resist gently stroking the tips of their leaves with his forefinger.
Tang Bo nodded contemplatively. "I know a thing or two about caring for spirit herbs, I can offer my advice."
Of course, that was an understatement. That same day Chung Myung received an extensive lecture that may or may not be full of highly classified family secrets, but still not a word would leave this room. Tang Bo puffed out his chest like a peacock puffs out its feathers, strutting with his knowledge that finally earned him an impressed look from his hyung-nim.
Actually, Tang Bo didn't think he had ever seen him so focused on the knowledge someone else possessed before, since Chung Myung didn't have many interests beyond the martial arts in which he was already a master more talented than many others.
Indulgently, Tang Bo thought to himself that it didn't matter whether Chung Myung guarded a spiritual treasure or an orchid. After all, a flower that made lonely Chung Myung so happy was already special enough. Maybe it would be nice if he started to get interested in gardening, after all, Tang Bo's knowledge of the matter was quite complete.
Chung Myung thought to himself that there was one stem he hoped to see flourish more than the others. Among the white bulbs, there was one especially plump with twice as many petals as the other shoots. Since it was a bit chubby, when Chung Myung caressed the leaves it swayed almost imperceptibly towards him, as if it wanted to reach out for his hand and caress him with its petals. Chung Myung's heart turned soft at this sight, gently murmuring words of praise for the flower.
"You've grown up well. Keep up your part of the bargain," he nodded with satisfaction, taking the watering can in his hand. "It's been six months, and you're almost a flower."
He was like a proud father looking after his precious daughter, baring his teeth at anyone who came near with covetous eyes. The young disciples had been kicked out of his garden long ago, and even his elders were forbidden to go near it at the risk of catching Chung Myung in a bad mood.
The Sect Leader had wondered about the curious change in personality of Chung Myung, who normally wouldn't mind hosting guests. However, nothing of importance came out of their talks, it seemed that even though he was hiding something, all the matters he could think of that might bother him had been unfounded assumptions.
Chung Myung began to inject his spiritual energy as usual, nibbling on a meat dumpling with crumbs on his cheeks. The bud staggered toward him in the gust of air from the window, leaning on his hand. Chung Myung wiped the crumbs from his face, about to push the stem to hold it straight when he felt a small movement inside the flower.
Frozen in place, horror washed over him as the movement took place again, as if a butterfly was pushing out of its chrysalis. But said chrysalis was the petals of Chung Myung's precious treasure.
What kind of seedy bug dared to invade his cute little flower!?
Torn between opening the petals to remove the bug and not harming the flower, Chung Myung hardened his heart to gently separate the tips of the petals. It was difficult with his big rough hands to handle such a delicate operation without damaging the silk petals -more difficult than it has been to handle high level martial techniques-, but somehow he managed to pull it off.
Inside, he looked at a spot of turquoise that must have belonged to the shell of the parasite. With a vengeance, he grabbed the little animal from its shell, pulling it out of the flower with a critical look. How weird. The shell gently unraveled, ending with Chung Myung clutching several turquoise threads between his fingers. From the other end, hung a little fairy who looked at him with surprised eyes. It looked pretty pitiful.
Chung Myung sighed, lowering the fairy onto the palm of his hand. It was so small that it couldn't be said to measure half his hand, not a quarter. It was more like an eighth. It was similar in every way to a small human, although its proportions were strange, with a big round head and a small body. His body was already covered with white petals that looked like some kind of tunic.
'Sahyung, oh, Sahyung, what kind of flower did you give me to take care of?'
The faerie appropriately sat on his palm like a court scholar, resting his hands in his lap. The pale eyes looked at him curiously, full of affection despite being treated roughly just moments ago. The small fingers of his hand absently stroked the thumb that was larger than his body, like the leaves that leaned toward his touch.
This fairy was definitely a part of his orchid. Chung Myung had raised it carefully, knew it better than anyone, and could recognize it in any form.
"Baek-ah", he muttered, poking his cheek with his other hand.
Pale eyes flicker in his direction. His voice, high pitched but unmistakably masculine, rose to reach him: "You are... Chung Myung-ah?"
Chung Myung quickly went over their past conversations, realizing that despite having spoken to the flower so many times since it was a seed, he never introduced himself. It was more likely that someone else had said his name and then he responded. Chung Myung nodded, carefully studying the fairy in the palm of his hand.
"Chung Myung-ah, what are the plum blossoms?"
While he was just a cocoon, and even before that, while he was growing like a pampered plant, he heard all kinds of stories coming from his caretaker. About plum blossoms, the special food of such and such a place, sneaking around for alcohol, martial arts techniques, his Leader of the Sect Sahyung, his Sajae and Sajil, and even people from outside. All of those were things that Baek-ah had never witnessed himself, but had heard him boast about indirectly.
The hand that Baek-ah was on was raised, showing him the sight of the thousands of red flowers in his garden that filled the sky. This was the garden that the fairy had grown up in despite not being able to see it, the scenery outside the pavilion that Chung Myung toasted as he spoke. Some petals fell slowly dancing with the view, like a rain. Others covered the floor in a carpet of red and white.
Baek-ah stood on his hand, raising his head to the sky and stretching out his arms to hold one of the petals that swayed near him. Chung Myung's hand moved gently, helping him catch the petal, then cradling Baek-ah's body, which rolled onto his palm as he was struck.
"They are pretty," he exclaimed in amazement, holding the petal that covered his body. For a moment, Chung Myung looked worriedly at the little fairy who could get lost among the fallen flowers and be stepped on without a second thought. The fairy yawned, covering his mouth with his sleeve. It was so adorable that right then and there Chung Myung decided that he would also take this little fairy with him everywhere.
"Let's go inside."
With one hand cradling the little fairy, and the other carrying the pot, Chung Myung kicked the door open. Worries swirled in his head, with too many questions and an impending visit to the Leader of the Sect.
Chung Mun was equally puzzled by the little fairy. He blinked several times to show his bewilderment, but kept up his façade of a calm smile as he greeted the little being.
Baek-ah put his hands together respectfully in front of him, greeting the Leader of the Sect as if he were a model disciple. The contrasting sight of the good-looking, neatly dressed, and well-mannered fairy held by the hand of a bandit was contrasting. Oh no, he wasn't a bandit, he was the famous swordsman from his Sect.
"Baek Cheon greets the Leader of the Mount Hua Sect."
Chung Myung absently stroked Baek Cheon's little head, ruffling his carefully arranged hair. He gazed adoringly at the fairy, as if he would bite anyone who dared to lay a finger on him.
'What have I done?' Chung Mun wondered. He just got a spirit plant that was hard to kill by the irresponsible Chung Myung, but somehow he ended up cultivating a fairy.
Could he just take away the responsibility of caring for the poor fairy who knew no better than to entrust his fragile life to Chung Myung? It would be unfair to his Sajae and Baek Cheon. He could only let it happen while he prayed to the heavens and his ancestors.
“Looks like we have a new member in our Sect,” Chung Mun kindly welcomed him. "Though it seems that it will take a bit of time to get a uniform of the appropriate size. Please be patient."
Baek Cheon tilted his head. “This disciple thanks the Sect Leader for his consideration."
"It's fine, you don't need to be so formal."
The words would be warm if they didn't come from Chung Myung instead of Chung Mun.
To his Sajae, he said, "I'm afraid I'm not informed about the diet or habits of fairies, so you'll have to find out together."
He wasn't even sure if it was a fairy or not, but Chung Myung reported it as such and Baek Cheon didn't disagree, so he just decided to temporarily assume it as the truth.
"This one appreciates the Sect Leader's concern", Baek Cheon said as he was transported into the folds of Chung Myung's robe, clinging to the edge like a baby in its blanket.
Near Baek Cheon, Chung Myung's heart was heard loud like a calming melody that lured him to sleep enticingly. Still, he stayed awake as he watched the exchange between the Leader of the Sect and Chung Myung. He had heard many things while it was just an outbreak, among them was a person that Chung Myung would not stop talking about. Now that Baek Cheon had the opportunity to meet and become familiar with him, he did not want to pass up the opportunity.
"...Then I will head to Sichuan to order a sword for Baek Cheon."
Chung Mun's eyebrow twitched. "Surely I hope you don't expect them to make a sword appropriate to Baek Cheon's size."
"Of course, I'll teach him myself!"
Chung Myung had thought it through carefully. His Sahyung liked to lecture him on the Tao at random times, and if he put the fragments together with some vague sense of coherence, he could simply assume that anyone who can use a sword and spiritual energy could use Mount Hua's techniques. Obviously, under Chung Myung's guidance, not anyone else's.
Obviously, the important part was the 'tao' and all that he left out, but Chung Myung brushed it off. As long as Baek Cheon could think for himself, he would learn it sooner or later.
Though whether the petals on his sword would be the same size as Chung Myung's, or a miniturized version was a mystery.
Later, while preparing to travel to Sichuan, Chung Myung noticed a problem. Whereas, before he didn't want to leave his orchid because he was afraid it would wither, now he just didn't know if another fairy would grow from it at any moment.
Should he take it with him? But the plants should not move from place...
Dark-faced, Chung Myung thought to himself: this self-proclaimed younger brother of his would come any minute, then he could use him as a messenger boy to make a sword.
A good quality sword, as it would be a grass breeze, perhaps made of Eternal Metal.
Oh! He could leave the plant with his Sahyu, he was responsible to the degree of obsessive compulsiveness, he would never forget to water the plant or feed it, and no one would dare touch his things without permission.
It was the perfect plan!
Baek Cheon waved his small hand towards the orchid as they said goodbye, sadly thinking that he would not see the birth of his little brothers.
On the chest of Baek Cheon's robe, the plum blossom was embroidered above his heart.