Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1145

“Did you see it yesterday?”

“See what?”

“You know, that… the manor where the people from the Heavenly Union Alliance are staying.”

“Ah, that. Why bring that up now? It’s been the talk of the town in Gugiang for a long time.”

The listener laughed a little, but without much humor. As he said, the manor where Hwasan lived had become quite famous in Gugiang.

“You won’t believe this,” said the first man, leaning closer. “It seems Mr. Jang is sick again.”

“Again?” asked the second man, raising his eyebrows.

“What do you mean, ‘again’?” the first man replied. “I told him a long time ago, ‘Mr. Jang, you need more workers!’ But he wouldn’t listen.”

“Wouldn’t listen?” The second man chuckled. “Oh, he hired people, alright. But they couldn’t even last three days before they ran away!”

“That’s true enough,” the first man admitted.

“Oh dear. The poor man’s bedridden again. But he’s making a lot of money quickly, though.”

“Hush, is money the issue? A man needs to live first.”

“Heh heh heh. I wish I could earn that much, even if it meant dying for it,” the second man said with a sigh.

The Mr. Jang they were talking about was the owner of the largest food supplier in Gugiang. When Hwasan settled in the manor and asked him to supply their food, it brought him both good luck and bad luck.

“Seriously, what on earth are they eating so much of?” the first man wondered.

“Aren’t they martial artists who use their bodies a lot? Their eating habits must be different from normal people.”

“Even so, it’s enough food to feed all of Gugiang and still have leftovers! And it’s not like there are that many people there…”

“Who knows? How would we know how martial artists from the fighting world live?”

They didn’t need to do anything special to attract attention. The huge amount of meat and grain going into the manor made Hwasan’s residence a spectacle in Gugiang.

“And Mr. Yu is sick too, it seems.”

“Why Mr. Yu? He’s not involved with the food supplies, is he?”

“Hey, you always say things you don’t understand. What does Mr. Yu do? He cuts grass, doesn’t he?”

“That’s right.”

“They say the manor is full of beasts from Yunnan, and those beasts eat a lot of grass.”

“Ah, so that’s why Mr. Yu was hiring so many workers the other day… Wait a minute? He hired at least twenty back then. And he’s sick?”

“Twenty? It’s been over thirty for a while now. Half of them are bedridden. They’re cutting grass day and night, and soon the mountains around Gugiang will be completely bare.”

“Heh… Heh heh. Goodness,” the first man said, shaking his head. The more he heard, the stranger it seemed.

“They eat so well, but why do the people you see when you pass by look like that? I thought the Beggars’ Sect had joined the Heavenly Union Alliance.”

“Heh heh heh. That’s right, that’s right. I heard they train even harder than they eat.”

The speaker shook his head.

“I thought those great martial arts groups were like noble cranes in the sky, so high up that we couldn’t even look at them. But after seeing them train, I’m not even jealous anymore.”

“Jealous? I’d run away even if they offered me free entry. That’s no life for a human to live.”

“Indeed.”

The great martial arts groups tried to be friendly with normal people. But it was still hard for people to feel close to them. It was difficult to get rid of the fear of those who carried swords, even when things were peaceful.

Even if people knew in their minds that they were good, wouldn’t everyone be afraid of being cut down with a single sword stroke at any moment?

But now, the Heavenly Union Alliance was closing the gap with normal people in a way that no one had expected.

“I heard they hired a lot of cooks this time too?”

“You won’t believe it. They hired thirty new cooks just this time. And besides that, they hired people to manage the manor and people to take care of the beasts.”

“Heh heh. Goodness.”

“It’s a relief. How fortunate. Many people were half-starving because they couldn’t go out to catch fish while those bandits were causing trouble. Now, those people are all going to that manor to work and get paid. Thanks to that, Gugiang can breathe a little easier.”

“But… is the Heavenly Union Alliance that rich? I heard the food, the hay, and the wages for the people cost a fortune.”

“Tsk tsk. You,” the second man said, clicking his tongue.

“Huh?”

“The Heavenly Union Alliance is obviously rich. How could they not be with all those important sects gathered together?”

“That’s true, but…”

“And it’s not as expensive as you think.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

The speaker chuckled.

“Hey, you. Let’s be honest, hasn’t the Heavenly Union Alliance done a lot for us? They saved Gugiang from ruin. Didn’t they also stop those evil members of the Demonic Sect from heading north?”

“Why are you stating the obvious? Who in Gugiang doesn’t feel grateful to the Heavenly Union Alliance? And that’s not all. Didn’t they also rescue people from the Yangtze River region who had nowhere to go because of the bandits and the Four Evil Sects?”

“That’s right, that’s right. So, if they take their full wages and sell their goods for full price, what kind of people would they be?”

“So?”

“The workers are all saying they’ll only take half their wages, and Mr. Jang and Mr. Yu aren’t making any profit beyond the wages for the workers.”

“Heh heh. Really? They’re thoughtful people. So, is Hwasan pleased?”

“Pleased? They’re in an uproar.”

“Why are they in an uproar again?”

“The Sect Leader of Hwasan, the Reverend Hyun Jong, is said to have been furious, demanding to know why they weren’t taking the proper amount of money. He told them to take their full wages and make a proper profit.”

“Heh… He is indeed the Sect Leader of Hwasan.”

“That’s what I’m saying. So, the people working there grabbed onto the Sect Leader’s pant legs and begged.”

“What, what did they say?”

“They probably said that if they took their full wages and made a profit, the other people in Gugiang would beat them to death. Which isn’t wrong, is it? I wouldn’t have stood still myself.”

“Ha ha ha ha. That’s quite a funny situation. To have to beg not to take money.”

“The Sect Leader said it was absolutely not allowed, but in the end, he couldn’t force the people to do something they didn’t want to do. The workers said they would not work if they got paid too much. Hwasan needed workers quickly. So, what could he do? Even a great person like him couldn’t change their minds.”

“If we think positively, our people of Gugiang defeated a great person?”

“You could say that.”

The two men looked at each other and chuckled.

As Hwasan and the Heavenly Union Alliance began to live in the Yangtze River region, the dying city started to come back to life. With not just one, but several great sects living there, even small crimes and accidents disappeared like melting snow, which was an added bonus.

“But, did you bring up this obvious story just to say that?”

“Oh dear. I went off track. So, did you see it or not?”

“What is it that you keep asking if I saw? Did something happen at the manor?”

“No, for the past few days, a strange light has been coming from the manor every night. Didn’t you really see it?”

“I’m the type who goes to bed as soon as the sun goes down…”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Make sure to see it tonight. I’ve been watching for the past few days, and as the night gets darker, a dazzling purple light suddenly flashes from the manor. Honestly, when that light bursts out, a thick fragrance that doesn’t seem to be from this world comes with it… I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

“Really?”

“Do you think I’d waste good food on nonsense? You can see for yourself tonight, can’t you?”

“That’s right. If it’s true, it’s truly amazing. What on earth is happening at that manor? Purple light and fragrance…”

The man tilted his head slightly and then clapped his hands.

“Could it be that… the Hwasan folks are becoming immortal?”

“Come on, man! No matter how great the people there are, how easy do you think it is to become immortal?”

“No, no. Let’s be honest, who in the world can become immortal? Immortality is something that only those who deserve to become gods can achieve, isn’t it?”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“Think about it. Would that Wudang Sect Leader become immortal? Would that damned Shaolin Abbot reach enlightenment?”

“……”

“Isn’t the Reverend Hyun Jong of Hwasan the only one in the world who can be called a god? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he became immortal tomorrow…”

“Ah, no. It’s true that the Reverend Hyun Jong is a great Taoist, but… that’s a different story…”

“What? Are you looking down on the Reverend Hyun Jong right now?”

The moment those words came out, everyone passing by turned to look at them.

“Who?”

“Which idiot dared to look down on the Reverend Hyun Jong?”

“Which crazy person dared to do that in Gugiang!”

As soon as the angry looks came their way, several strong men rolled up their sleeves and approached. Seeing this, the man screamed in terror.

“No! That’s not it! It’s a misunderstanding! How could that be! The Reverend Hyun Jong of Hwasan is the most wonderful person in the world! Yes! Yes!”

His desperate screams to avoid being beaten echoed through the streets, while Hyun Jong, whom they were praising, was actually close to collapsing.

“Ugh…”

Plop!

Hyun Jong collapsed to the floor.

“I’m going to die…”

“Sect Leader! Are you alright?”

“Ugh…”

Groans came from Hyun Jong’s mouth, his face pale. Beside him, Hyun Sang and Hyun Young were already lying down, exhausted.

“Why did I… what riches and glory did I want…”

“H-Here’s water, Sect Leader!”

“Ugh…”

Groans continued to escape from Hyun Jong’s mouth.

‘Why did I needlessly increase my inner strength?’

That damned Chung Myung kept feeding me elixirs to nourish my body, so I thought he at least cared about his elders. But he’s using it all up here, every last bit!

“That Sect Leader… it’s been five days already.”

“……It’ll be done soon.”

Hyun Jong nodded and stared at the door, from which white steam was constantly escaping.

At that moment.

Flash!

A dazzling purple light burst out from the tightly closed door.

“It’s done!”

Even before the loud voice from inside could quiet down, someone kicked open the door and came out.

Bang!

“Kuh!”

Hyun Jong stared blankly at Chung Myung, who had kicked open the door. Chung Myung had a large bundle on his back that looked bigger than he was, and he was breathing out purple steam from his mouth.

“I’m getting better at this after doing it a few times! I thought all Violet Origin Pills were the same.”

“Ugh. Chung Myung-ah. Is it all done?”

At those words, Chung Myung tapped the bundle on his back.

“It’s perfect! This Violet Origin Pill will be much more effective than before. Hee hee!”

“……That’s a relief then.”

‘I made those old guys work hard for five days and nights, it better be effective… you damned Chung Myung.’

“Heh heh heh heh. Let’s see if they can complain after eating this. They’re all dead, those guys!”

Chung Myung chuckled and quickly ran away.

“Ch-Chung Myung…”

Hyun Jong, who was staring blankly at Chung Myung’s back as he ran off, weakly lowered his hand. Then, he slowly turned his head to look at the elders.

“……Everyone, you’ve worked hard.”

“……Damn it.”

“……”

A faint curse echoed along with the subtle fragrance of the Violet Origin Pill.