"Let's get this straight," Baek Sun-Ho said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Kwak.
His knuckles cracked in irritation.
"You're saying I passed the trial, but I'm not the official Dustcloud Sect candidate?"
Elder Ho-Dong shifted in his seat.
Krrrk.
The wooden chair creaked under his weight.
"Of course not! You passed, but… we have traditions!"
Yeon So-Ri crossed her arms.
Shff.
Her sleeves swished sharply against her sides.
"Which tradition is that, Elder? The one where the most qualified person is passed over because his spiritual rooster isn't pure-blooded enough?"
Ho-Dong coughed, red-faced.
Guk-guk-guk!
"Watch your tone, girl."
Baek Sun-Ho raised a hand calmly.
"So who is the sect's official candidate, then?"
Footsteps approached from the side hall.
Tak… tak… tak…
They were hesitant, nervous, and slightly damp-sounding.
A tall, gangly teen stepped forward—Bo Gwang, the Elder's cousin's wife's second nephew's favorite nephew.
He waved limply.
"I brought the Elder pickled radishes last week."
Baek Sun-Ho looked to the heavens.
Wheee...
The breeze danced through the rafters above, almost mocking him.
"Radishes. I'm losing to radishes."
Yeon So-Ri leaned closer.
"We can fix this."
"How?"
She grinned and patted her satchel.
Ting.
A metal edge glinted as a scroll clasp nudged into view.
"We force a vote."
---
Two Hours Later – Dustcloud Sect Assembly Hall
The roof moaned under the weight of the breeze.
Creeeaaak…
One of the voting elders snored through it without flinching.
Hoooh-puh!
Yeon So-Ri marched forward and slapped a stack of documents onto the rickety table.
THUMP.
"Per Sect Rule 8.7, Clause 3: 'Any sect member who completes a qualifying trial may request a vote to determine official candidacy.'"
Bo Gwang blinked blankly.
"What rulebook?"
Yeon So-Ri opened her satchel and retrieved a thick, handwritten scroll.
Ffft.
"The one I rewrote and re-copied by hand last winter. Approved by Elder Ho-Dong's signature while he was drunk. Legally binding."
Baek Sun-Ho gave her a slow thumbs-up from behind.
Ting!
It might've sparkled if he weren't covered in dust.
> Cunning. Loyal. Useful.
She's not a side character. She's my general.
---
The Vote
The elders mumbled among themselves. Someone dropped a rice snack.
Plop.
They began to vote aloud.
"Bo Gwang."
"Baek Sun-Ho."
"Whoever stops the squirrels from stealing my incense."
"That's me," Sun-Ho said, deadpan.
"Sun-Ho, then."
The vote ended in a tie. 3–3.
Elder Ho-Dong smirked.
Heh-heh-heh.
His robe rustled as he leaned back in triumph.
"And in the case of a tie, the sect master's vote counts for two. That means—"
Yeon So-Ri raised one finger.
Swip.
A scroll snapped open like a sword from its sheath.
"Actually," she said, turning the scroll toward the room, "the current acting sect master abdicated last month after flooding the archives with chili oil. You signed the release."
She held up a smudged document.
Smak.
Red ink. Slanted signature. Unmistakable.
"You can't just throw that in my face now!" Ho-Dong shouted.
Stomp!
"I'm throwing it in everyone's face."
Baek Sun-Ho leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
"So what happens when the acting master position is empty?"
Yeon So-Ri's voice was crisp.
"Then the vote falls to the highest-ranked active cultivator in the sect."
She pointed at Baek Sun-Ho.
"Him."
The elders hesitated. Even the squirrels outside went quiet.
Wheee...
The wind slipped through the slats in the walls like a whisper of fate.
Baek Sun-Ho stepped forward.
Krrrrk.
The wooden floor protested under his weight.
"I vote for me."
---
Later That Night
Petals drifted down like snow under the plum trees.
Plap. Plap.
Baek Sun-Ho sat beside Yeon So-Ri, eyes on the moon.
"You rewrote the entire sect rulebook just to spite the elders?"
"I was bored," she said, cracking another seed in her mouth.
Crunch.
"And they kept changing rules to avoid cleaning. Now I have three binding signatures, a stamp, and the sect legal seal in my sock drawer."
Baek Sun-Ho laughed under his breath.
Hff.
"Yeon So-Ri, you're dangerous."
Crack.
"You have no idea."
A long silence followed. The wind curled around them.
Whrrr...
For the first time in centuries, Baek Sun-Ho didn't feel the past chaining him down.
Far to the north, inside a silver-roofed sect, an old man in crimson robes pressed his hand against a glowing crystal.
Bzzzzt.
The stone throbbed with red light.
Kwak.
His fingers curled into a fist.
"He's returned…"
---
[End of Chapter 3]