Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1456

Chung Myung grunted, “Hmm.”

He rolled his eyes, scanning the ledgers again and again. After checking the money records from each group many times, Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed sharply, becoming thin lines.

“Heeeuuuum,” he sighed loudly.

He looked up from the ledger at the leaders of each group. Their faces became uneasy. Tang Gunak shifted his weight, Im So-byeong avoided eye contact, and Namgung Dowi nervously adjusted his robes. They all wondered what Chung Myung would say next.

‘What fault is he trying to find now?’ one of them wondered.

‘Who suggested making that human a commander?’ another thought.

‘Wasn’t me?’

It was strange.

In fact, giving Chung Myung the position of commander wasn’t really that significant. It was true that Chung Myung was already being treated that way in many respects.

But just adding the title of ‘Commander,’ which was just a title, made that gaze strangely uncomfortable.

“Is this all?” Chung Myung asked.

Silence.

“Really?”

“Ahem,” Tang Gunak cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“The Tang family has given everything they have…”

“Ah, the Tang family is fine. I know it all burned down.”

Tang Gunak looked at the distant sky with a subtly wounded face.

“Hey, Green Forest King (leader of bandits),” Chung Myung said.

“Yes?”

“Is this all?”

“Haha… How much money could bandits possibly have? Even if we scrape together everything in the mountain fortress…”

“What about Plum Blossom Island (an island where they earned money)?”

“Oh, Commander! You managed the money we earned from Plum Blossom Island so thoroughly! We might deceive ghosts, but never the ledgers going to Mount Hua (Chung Myung’s sect)…”

“That’s the money you earned there, not the Green Forest’s property.”

“Yes?” Im So-byeong tilted his head as if wondering what that meant. Then Chung Myung gestured at him with his chin.

“You hired kids on Plum Blossom Island and gave them stipends, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious? If we use them and don’t pay them, we’ll be dragged to the government office. You know how much we fear the government office.”

“And you took that back as extra money and pocketed it on the side, right?”

“…Yes?”

“Where did that go?”

Im So-byeong’s mouth slowly opened. Fear flickered in his eyes as if he were seeing a ghost. How could he possibly know that…

“Anyway, these Demonic Sect (enemy group) bastards are always up to tricks. Are you going to spit it out, or are you going to die?”

“Hehe. Actually, I wasn’t going to eat it myself, I was going to offer it to you, Commander…”

“Stop talking nonsense and write it all down.”

“…Yes.” Im So-byeong grumbled and stepped back. Chung Myung, who had carefully reviewed the ledger again, confirmed.

“So, there’s nothing missing now, right?”

“I’ve written everything down for sure.”

“Hmm.” Finally, Chung Myung closed the ledger and tapped it on his palm, saying.

“You guys have been eating well.”

The faces of the sect leaders twisted horribly. That damn Taoist bastard…

“Anyway, well, this is enough to try something.”

At that moment, Seol So-baek cautiously raised his hand.

“But…”

“Why?”

“Do, Dojo. I’m just curious, how much are you planning to take from there…”

Everyone’s ears perked up. They couldn’t say it because they were being mindful, but it was actually one of the things they were most curious about.

‘Thirty percent?’

‘Surely not forty percent? That guy’s got blood flowing through him, right?’

‘Even a demon wouldn’t go over fifty percent! That’s just telling us to go bankrupt.’

Everyone waited with their own expectations for Chung Myung’s mouth to open. But the answer that came out of his mouth was a little, just a little, different from their expectations.

“I don’t know.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know. I’ll know when I do it, how would I know? How can I predict how much money will be needed from now on when I don’t know how long the war will last or what will happen in the future? That’s something only the attacking side can predict, and even Zhuge Liang wouldn’t know how much it would cost from the defending side.”

“I think Zhuge Liang would know…”

“Kaaak!” Chung Myung hissed, and Seol So-baek flinched and shrank his neck.

“Ahem, anyway, well… I’ve roughly grasped the assets, so I’ll use them well while watching the situation.”

“…Yes.”

“Ah, and I think things that are difficult to use right away should be converted into money or grain appropriately.”

At those words, everyone turned to look at one person. Placed in everyone’s gaze, Namgung Dowi’s cheeks trembled as if convulsing.

“U, us?”

“No, no. Well, I’m not specifically talking about Namgung, but things like taverns or land, or pavilions that are difficult to use as money right away. That buildings and land, I mean.”

“B, but right now, isn’t our sect the only one here with that buildings and land!”

“Ah? Is that how it is?”

Veins bulged on Namgung Dowi’s forehead.

“Do, Dojo. That won’t do!”

“Huh? Why?”

“No, it’s not that I’m reluctant to sell the pavilions or taverns! Don’t you know the situation in the Central Plains right now? In a situation where you don’t know where will become a dangerous situation, who would buy a pavilion or a tavern? I may be ignorant of commerce, but I know that much.”

“Hoo. So?”

“If you sell these things now, you’ll never get the proper price! It would be fortunate to get half the price!”

“Ah, is that so?” Chung Myung nodded as if he understood. The moment Namgung Dowi’s face brightened at his seemingly convinced appearance, Chung Myung’s nonchalant voice was heard.

“Well, that’s none of my business. It’s not my money.”

Namgung Dowi’s shoulders slumped to his knees.

“Mo, money isn’t about the price, it’s about using it at the right time.”

“No, no, but there’s a limit to that…”

“But this bastard is too full of himself that he can’t even put strength in his neck because I’m treating him like a family head. Is this the time to be talking about money? Even if you guys are crazy about money, you need to consider the time and place!”

The sight in front of Namgung Dowi’s eyes blurred with moisture. Yes, that’s not wrong. But is it right to hear those words through that human’s mouth?

At that moment, Tang Gunak gently placed his hand on Namgung Dowi’s shoulder.

“Cheer up…”

“…Was it the family head who suggested putting that person in the commander’s position?”

“We, weren’t you in favor too?”

“Namgung will not forget this.”

Dahn Goon-ahk felt a chill run down his back. Namgoong Dowi’s eyes were sharp and cold, like ice. “Don’t be so serious, you crazy man,” Dahn Goon-ahk said, trying to sound brave.

“Will we lose everything too?” Namgoong Dowi asked, his voice tight.

Dahn Goon-ahk sneered. “Looks like you already lost everything anyway.”

“What did you say, you little brat?” Namgoong Dowi growled, stepping closer.

Oh Geom watched Namgoong Dowi and Dahn Goon-ahk argue. Dust swirled around his worn shoes as he stood there. He felt empty, like a cup that had been drained.

“Just as I expected.”

Baek Cheon rubbed his tired eyes. *This is a mess,* he thought. *How did things get so bad?* Yoon Jong agreed with a nod.

“Even the sect leaders can’t help.”

“I told you, we shouldn’t have given him that title.”

“They took everything. Even their underwear.”

“Hey, Sago. He’s become so much nicer. He’s almost like a saint these days, you know? Surely he leaves you your underwear now, right?”

“So So-ya. Don’t say such scary things.”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“That’s why it’s scary.”

Jo Gul joked with Dahn So-so, chuckling. Yoon Jong watched Jo Gul carefully. He only saw happiness on his face. Yoon Jong turned to Baek Cheon. They exchanged a worried look.

Baek Cheon shook his head slightly, and Yoon Jong nodded.

Clunk!

Chung Myung put the ledger down on the cart.

“Well, thank you for helping with the investigation.”

“Ugh.”

“What…”

People groaned. Chung Myung looked at the crowd. These were the people who would lead the Heavenly Union. He would have to lead them from now on.

“It won’t be easy.”

“We made mistakes, and the Sae Pai Union gained too much. The Nine Sects will see this as a chance. They will try to attack us because we are weak.”

Dahn Goon-ahk nodded, looking worried. The Dahn family had given the Nine Sects a reason to attack. He was ready to give up everything and become a soldier.

“We just have to do our best.”

Chung Myung didn’t seem excited. The sect leaders looked uneasy.

“Hwasan Sword Saint.”

“Yes?”

“It’s good to say we should do well, but we didn’t agree to follow you just to hear that. Do you have a real plan?”

Chung Myung shrugged like he didn’t care.

“Of course, I have a plan.”

“What is it?”

“I’m getting things ready. But first, we need to protect our home.”

“Home?”

“I told you, we’ll use the money from selling the useless things to build strong defenses. We need a place for everyone to live, including people from Anhui and Bukhae, right?”

Dahn Goon-ahk’s eyes twitched. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“That’s what we should do anyway. But it’s unexpected to hear you say we should defend.”

“Defend? Me?”

Dahn Goon-ahk looked confused. What was he talking about?

“I’m tired of defending. I’m tired of chasing those guys.”

“…Then why?”

“People who don’t know war…”

Dahn Goon-ahk frowned. Then, Im So-byung spoke.

“The most important thing in attacking is supply.”

“…Supply?”

“Even the best fighter can’t fight without food. So, the most important thing before attacking is supply, the supply line, and the base where the supply starts.”

Im So-byung closed his fan and hit his hand with it.

“It’s important to protect the base where the supply begins. Is that what you mean?”

“…Why is he wasting his brain being a bandit leader?”

“My father was a bandit leader, what do you want me to do…”

Chung Myung nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. The Heavenly Union’s power is spread out. We need to gather it in one place.”

Im So-byung raised his hand.

“What?”

“I agree with you, but is it enough? You can use the Dahn family and the people here to build quickly, but you need more people to supply everything. Can the Eunha Merchant Guild do that?”

“Of course not. They’re just merchants in Shaanxi, even if they are one of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds.”

“Then what’s the plan?”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“That’s the first thing we’re going to do.”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung smiled strangely. Then, he changed the subject.

“The Nine Sects and the Sae Pai Union must be happy. They must think the Heavenly Union’s good cause is ruined because we’re helping our own people.”

“Hmm.”

Dahn Goon-ahk groaned softly. Chung Myung spoke calmly.

“The Heavenly Union grew because of our good cause. But now we don’t have that cause anymore. So, the Heavenly Union will stop growing.”

“…That’s not wrong.”

“No. It’s completely wrong.”

“Hmm?”

Chung Myung grinned.

“So, the problem is that we’re helping our own people. And people will criticize us for that.”

“That’s right.”

“Then we need to do the opposite of what they expect.”

Everyone looked confused. Chung Myung chuckled.

“Let’s show them how badly we treat our own people. And how unreliable it is to be under the Heavenly Union.”

“That…”

It was hard to understand, but they just needed to ask.

“How?”

“Before that, we need to check something.”

Chung Myung looked at Oh Geom.

Chung Myung grinned and looked at the sect leaders.

“Since I’m the commander, you have to follow my orders, right?”

“…Hwa… Hwasan Sword Saint?”

“No matter what the order is, right?”

“Ah, great, great. Ehehehe! This is really convenient. I should have done this sooner! Hahahaha!”

Chung Myung’s eyes gleamed with madness. The sect leaders looked at each other, worried.

It felt like they had made a terrible mistake.