Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1454

Dust motes danced in the single shaft of sunlight piercing the gloom of the vault. Han I-myeong paced before the heavy iron door, his fingers raking through his already messy hair. The air smelled of dust and old stone, and the silence was broken only by Han I-myeong’s frustrated muttering.

“Let’s see…” He sighed, running a hand over his face. “What treasures do we actually *have* in this vault right now?”

He turned to the Steward, who stood nervously clutching a scroll. “Steward! The rice… how many sacks of rice do we currently possess?”

The Steward stammered, his eyes wide. “W-well, Chief Steward, I don’t have the ledger with me at this moment…”

“Then shouldn’t we send someone to the Northern Sea to get it? It’s important to know these things!” Han I-myeong exclaimed, his voice rising.

“Absolutely not!” The Steward’s voice was surprisingly firm.

Han I-myeong blinked, surprised. “Huh? Why not?”

The Steward leaned closer, lowering his voice as if afraid the very walls might hear. “Chief Steward, if word gets out that I, the Steward, don’t know our sect’s wealth off the top of my head… people will talk. They’ll say I’m incompetent! I’d rather face a thousand angry bandits than that kind of shame!” He puffed out his chest, then immediately deflated, looking worried again.

Han I-myeong stared at him for a moment, then sighed again, rubbing his temples. “Right… reputation. Ugh… Let’s see then, the night-shining pearls…” He trailed off, tearing at his hair once more.

Seol So-baek, who had been leaning against a stack of wooden crates, shook his head slowly, a wave of pity washing over him. *‘Still,’* he thought, *‘compared to what Namgung Do-wi is dealing with, this is almost peaceful.’*

The real battlefield was elsewhere.

“Aren’t there thirty-seven taverns?”

“Shouldn’t it be thirty-eight?”

“Didn’t one close down last month?”

“We opened two more this month.”

“……I’m going mad.”

Namgung Do-wi muttered, his face looked tired. His hollow, sunken eyes hinted at the extreme hardship he was enduring.

In truth, he was the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan, and he had focused solely on martial arts, with little interest in matters of wealth. Just taking over as acting Family Head and trying to manage the Namgung Clan had been overwhelming enough. There was no way he could know the intricate details of how the family’s wealth was managed.

“Th-this… I’ll somehow manage this, so Young Lord should…”

“No, Uncle. This is also the Young Lord’s duty. I cannot shirk it.”

“Then at least be of some help.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

Namgung Do-wi was staring blankly at Namgung-myeong when a sneering voice suddenly pierced his ears.

“Hahaha. It seems the esteemed Namgung Clan doesn’t even know how much wealth their family possesses.”

Namgung Do-wi gritted his teeth and turned sharply to the side. Im So-byeong was fluttering his fan in a taunting manner, a sly smile on his face.

“How can the Family Head be so incompetent? Or is that why you’re just the Young Lord? Haha, at this rate, you’ll be the Young Lord for life.”

“You….”

Flames ignited in Namgung Do-wi’s eyes.

“Ah, the Green Forest, being a sect that lives by robbing, must have already figured everything out? That’s why you’re snooping around other sects like this, isn’t it?”

“Heh heh. What do you take me for? I know every grain of rice in the Green Forest’s treasury! The ledger is already complete.”

“……Impressive.”

He was filled with the desire to retort, but he had no choice but to shut his mouth in the face of the claim that it was already finished.

The Green Forest was constantly receiving grain from the seventy-two camps spread throughout the land. To grasp that much wealth in real-time was impossible without truly exceptional ability.

“……Are you cheating or something?”

“Hahaha. A typical display of a fool. Unable to comprehend the extraordinary, you resort to ridicule. That’s exactly how it is. How can there be trust with such a lack of faith?”

“Ugh….”

“In my opinion, the Young Lord needs to put in a bit more effort. Tsk, tsk.”

Just as Namgung Do-wi, his temper flaring, was grinding his teeth, Tang Gunak, who was passing by, casually tossed out a remark.

“The Green Forest has no choice but to be like that. The ones guarding the Green Forest’s treasury are all bandits and robbers; if they don’t keep track, not a single grain of rice will be left, and everything will disappear.”

Im So-byeong clamped his mouth shut, looking like a mute who had swallowed honey. Namgung Do-wi seized the opportunity and nodded his head emphatically.

“Ah, I see. Now I understand. You must be having a lot of trouble.”

Namgung Do-wi grinned, and Im So-byeong’s face twisted hideously. This time, the arrow turned and flew toward the innocent Dang Clan.

“Ah, is that so? Then the Dang Clan, who trust each other so firmly, must have naturally finished compiling their ledger, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Huh? Already?”

Tang Gunak smiled faintly.

“The assets in Sichuan were either burned to the ground or looted. There isn’t much to record.”

“……I’m sorry.”

“……Hang in there.”

Im So-byeong and Namgung Do-wi simultaneously lowered their heads with solemn expressions. Tang Gunak shook his head.

‘Still, it’s a relief.’

Cheong-myeong had given the instructions casually, but in truth, this was a more sensitive issue than he had thought. Publicly revealing the details of a sect’s assets was not an easy task for any sect.

Therefore, even though this was the Cheonwu Alliance and they were supposed to trust each other implicitly, he had expected them to be somewhat cautious and conceal some things. But surprisingly, everyone was actively revealing their sect’s assets.

The reason was probably trust…

“Haha? Is that all, Namgung Clan? You’re not as impressive as the rumors suggest!”

“This is only thirty percent of our assets!”

“We haven’t even included the assets of the mountain fortresses besides the Green Forest’s main camp yet!”

“Ha! They’re just bandit dens; how much could they possibly have?”

“Is this bloke looking down on bandits? You lot really have that much money? I wasn’t going to reveal this, but we also have a business in Anhui, you know? The most successful gambling den in Anhui is ours, that’s what I’m saying!”

“What? That gambling den was yours? I thought it belonged to the Mount Hua Sect! You crazy heretics opened a gambling den in the middle of Anhui? Do you have a death wish?”

Uh…

…Well, at least they’re being honest.

Meanwhile, Hyeon-yeong was also scolding Baek Sang for the ledger compilation. Cheong-myeong, who was quietly watching the scene, chuckled.

Mount Hua could have waited until they arrived at Hwaeum and brought out the ledger, but Elder Hyeon-yeong was thorough in this regard as well. Well, that was why Cheong-myeong was able to pull off something like this.

“You seem to be quite free, aren’t you?”

“Me? As you know, the Beast Palace doesn’t have much in the way of assets.”

“But you made quite a bit of money with the tea trade, didn’t you?”

“Do you think I’m the one who manages that?”

Maeng So’s muscles twitched. It was always a bizarre yet wondrous sight. Cheong-myeong laughed awkwardly.

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s right. The underlings will take care of it. And… Hmm, I don’t know. Even if I did have assets, I wonder if I could even bring them here.”

“Ugh.”

Cheong-myeong let out a groan. Then, he subtly examined Maeng So’s expression and cautiously broached the subject, uncharacteristically.

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“The Beast Palace. Those blokes went to Jeomchang.”

Cheong-myeong couldn’t help but be cautious. The Southern Edge Alliance had descended upon the edge of Yunnan, where the Beast Palace was also located. The situation was such that everyone was avoiding mentioning it, but there was no guarantee that those blokes wouldn’t attack the Beast Palace as well.

“You’re worrying about nothing. Didn’t you see it too?”

“That’s true, but…”

The only reason Cheong-myeong wasn’t actively moving to help the Nammah Beast Palace was this:

“Behind the Beast Palace lies a vast jungle. No matter how great those blokes are, it’s difficult to track people within that jungle. If they’re determined to escape, they can escape as much as they want.”

Cheong-myeong slowly nodded his head.

“But if it were that easy, you wouldn’t have been worried when the Demonic Sect blokes invaded.”

“The situation is different.”

Maeng So shook his head.

“The Demonic Sect was determined to kill us all. But those Southern Edge Alliance blokes are different, aren’t they? There’s no reason for them to break through that harsh jungle just to kill those who aren’t even a threat. They’re not reckless like you.”

“……Are you insulting me right now?”

“Did it sound like that? Haha.”

Maeng So laughed in a booming voice and then slapped Cheong-myeong on the back with a thud.

“Ack!”

“Huh?”

Maeng So clicked his tongue as he watched Cheong-myeong collapse.

“It seems your body has become quite weak. Staggering from just this much.”

“……Could you please consider your own strength a little?”

“I hit you gently.”

“……If you had hit me hard, I would have met the King of Hell?”

Cheong-myeong grumbled as he got up. Maeng So smiled gently.

“Anyway, you don’t have to worry. Our palace members aren’t that foolish. If they see Jeomchang being attacked and burned and still wait there, they have no excuse even if they die.”

“You’re too cold.”

“That’s only natural. You’re just overly worried.”

Cheong-myeong sighed deeply.

“I’m grateful that you say so, even if it’s just words.”

“I’m not saying it to ease your mind. Having experienced it myself, that Jang Il-so bloke is no ordinary person.”

“If we can’t stop that bloke now, the Beast Palace will eventually be trampled by them as well. We can’t create a bigger crisis just to avoid the immediate danger.”

Cheong-myeong nodded his head. Maeng So was a thoughtful person. If he said this much, it was safe to assume that the Beast Palace wouldn’t suffer much damage.

“Anyway, I feel a bit ashamed that things have turned out this way. It seems like only we and Hainan can’t help with money…”

“Pardon? Hainan?”

“Hmm? Ah… Now that I think about it, I didn’t properly convey it.”

“That’s understandable. The Dang Family Head started causing trouble as soon as they joined. Is Hainan coming here?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why aren’t they coming right away?”

At those words, Maeng So wore a bitter smile.

“He said he’s coming after holding the funeral for the Sect Leader.”

“Ah…”

Cheong-myeong’s expression darkened for a moment. So it had ended up that way after all.

“When did he pass away?”

“He was a remarkable man. He stubbornly held on until he crossed the Yangtze River.”

Cheong-myeong quietly nodded his head. It seemed that the moment the safety of his disciples was secured, the thread he had barely been holding onto had snapped.

“I see.”

Cheong-myeong looked towards the western sky. They didn’t have a great connection. But the image he had shown in the process of escaping from Jiangnan was more than enough to earn his respect.

“Since the destination is unclear, he said he’ll build a false tomb near the Yangtze River and hold the funeral for three days.”

“A false tomb?”

“It’s a pledge to return to Hainan someday.”

A pledge to return. Cheong-myeong repeated those words in his mind and closed his eyes tightly. That would be the case. Just like they had done.

Maeng So, who had been subtly looking down at Cheong-myeong, asked.

“Do you feel burdened?”

“It would be a lie if I said no, but…”

Cheong-myeong opened his eyes and chuckled.

“Well, I don’t know. I still think that listening to people is my priority. I’m not as great a person as everyone thinks I am.”

Maeng So quietly stared at Cheong-myeong, as if waiting for his next words.

“But now that things have turned out this way, I wonder if a part of me has been hoping for this to happen all along.”

“You must have felt frustrated.”

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Huh?”

“I have to repay them.”

Maeng So instantly clamped his mouth shut. A chilling light flickered in Cheong-myeong’s eyes. That cold gaze was fixed to the south.

Sichuan. The place where Pae Mun, Jang Il-so, would be.

“There have been many times when I thought I had to bring someone down.”

“Hmm.”

“But this is the second time I’ve felt that I absolutely, without fail, have to kill someone.”

“……What happened the first time?”

“He died. No, I killed him.”

Maeng So frowned. It was a statement that was difficult to understand at first glance. I killed him. But he decided not to pry any further. The chill emanating from Cheong-myeong made him unable to ask again.

The image of a man was drawn in Cheong-myeong’s eyes. The moment he recalled the sneering, crimson lips, the corners of Cheong-myeong’s lips also twisted upwards.

“So I have to let him know. What kind of deed he has committed.”

From Cheong-myeong’s waist, the Plum Blossom Sword of Assassination emitted a long sword’s cry.