Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 242

Big trouble arrived at the Treasury.

Someone yelled, “This is madness! We have to establish a merchant guild in Sichuan!”

Another voice cried out, “What? You’re saying a sword made by the famous Sichuan Tang Clan is on its way? What in the world are we supposed to do with it? Just stack them in the warehouse?”

A third person shouted, running past, “And the rice from the region of Yunnan! Who is in charge of that shipment?”

The Treasury, usually a place of quiet counting and careful records, had exploded into pandemonium. It was like a beehive someone had just kicked. Each new demand, each new problem, was big enough to cause serious trouble for any group, but they were all arriving at once, crashing down like thunderbolts.

Hyun Young watched the scene with a satisfied smile. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Those fellows, really.”

“What’s the big deal that you’re all making such a fuss about?”

Woon Bang replied, “Sect Leader, isn’t it a big deal! I’ve never seen anything like this since I joined the Treasury.”

“Indeed, you haven’t.”

The corners of Hyun Young’s lips curled up further and further, almost reaching his ears.

“That’s because our Chung Myung wasn’t in Mount Hua back then, was he?”

Woon Bang thought, ‘Our Chung Myung, you say?’ I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Sect Leader use that tone before…

“There’s no need to be surprised. Ahem, no need to be surprised at all. There will be many more surprising things happening in the future, so why are you making such a fuss already!” Hyun Young said.

Woon Bang was speechless, looking at Hyun Young’s overly happy face, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. It wasn’t right as a disciple to break that happiness.

Just then, the door to the Treasury burst open, and a disciple came in carrying a large basket.

“Sect Leader! I’ve brought them!”

“Oh!” Hyun Young jumped up and rushed over, snatching the basket away.

He pulled back the cloth covering the basket, revealing a large, wriggling eel, ginseng, and a tied-up chicken peeking its head out.

Woon Bang asked, “What is that, Sect Leader?”

Hyun Young replied, “The kid must be exhausted from traveling all the way to Yunnan, so we need to feed him Dragon-Phoenix Soup to help him regain his strength!”

“Eel doesn’t go into Dragon-Phoenix Soup,” Woon Bang pointed out.

Hyun Young asked, “What? Then why is it Dragon-Phoenix Soup?”

Woon Bang coughed softly, putting his fist to his mouth. This wasn’t the important thing right now.

“Anyway, even if Mount Hua doesn’t forbid eating meat, we are still a Taoist sect, so keeping those living creatures…” Woon Bang said.

Hyun Young waved his hand dismissively. “It’s alright. It’s alright. It’s a worthy death. They’ll be happy too.”

Woon Bang thought, ‘Shouldn’t we hear what the eel has to say about that? Is that really alright?’

Hyun Young, completely ignoring Woon Bang’s worries, muttered as if he felt sorry.

“Poor thing. Didn’t he come back with his face half its size? We need to feed Chung Myung well and raise him well for Mount Hua to grow.”

Woon Bang commented, “He looked quite plump to me.”

Hyun Young cleared his throat. “Ahem! I wouldn’t even do that for my own grandchildren!”

Woon Bang sighed, ‘There’s no reasoning with him.’

“Anyway, you all handle these matters. I’m going to go and stew these fellows,” Hyun Young said.

“U-Us?”

“Of course!” Hyun Young turned around without hesitation and headed towards the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear.

Woon Bang, staring blankly at his retreating figure, sighed softly. Then, he smiled quietly.

‘Is he really that happy?’

When he thought of the old Hyun Young, all he could remember was a sighing figure.

Spending all day flipping through ledgers, sighing, worrying again, and then sighing again was Hyun Young’s daily routine. His brow was always deeply furrowed, and his eyes were hollow.

A man weighed down by the burden of having to feed Mount Hua, which could collapse at any moment.

That was the Hyun Young that Woon Bang remembered.

Seeing that man so gleeful now made Woon Bang feel good, setting aside the work.

‘He’s really changed a lot.’

It felt like a different group altogether in just two years. When was the last time he had looked at Hyun Young and smiled so happily?

“Tsk. This is why.”

He knew that Hyun Young favored Chung Myung. More than anyone else, including himself, who had served Hyun Young since he first entered Mount Hua.

But even so, the reason he couldn’t bring himself to dislike Chung Myung was because he knew that the child was constantly doing something for the sake of everyone in Mount Hua, without a moment’s rest.

“Vice-Head. What do we do?”

“Are we really going to handle it all ourselves?”

Woon Bang frowned at the disciples who were asking in a fluster. “Don’t make such a fuss.”

“But…”

“Can we afford to make a fuss? Do you know what state the Medical Hall is in right now?”

“Ah…” The disciples nodded as if they understood when the Medical Hall was mentioned. Then, they looked towards the Medical Hall with pitiful eyes.

“Two *geun* (a local measurement) of Human-Shaped Purple Ginseng, fifteen *nyang* (another local measurement)!”

“Two *geun*, fifteen *nyang*!”

The ginseng began to be cut with meticulous hands. It was a careful, deliberate touch, as if not allowing even an inch of error.

“Two *geun*, fifteen *nyang*, sir!”

“Bring it here!”

“Yes!” A member of the Medical Hall carefully carried the cut ginseng and hurried over.

“Here it is.”

The Head of the Medical Hall, Woon Gak, swallowed dryly and took the Human-Shaped Purple Ginseng. Then, he carefully placed it on the scale.

The moment the needle of the scale slightly passed two *geun* and fifteen *nyang*, Woon Gak’s eyes rolled back.

“I told you to cut two *geun* and fifteen *nyang*! You cut sixteen *nyang*, you fool?! Are your eyes full of knots?!”

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

“You fool, do you even know what this is for! If the Honwon Pill… no! If the Jaso Pill is made incorrectly because of you, will you take responsibility for it? You frustrating idiot!”

The Medical Hall member quickly bowed, his face pale as the anger exploded. “I’m so sorry! I messed up badly!”

“How can a martial artist not even measure that properly?”

“M-My scale definitely showed two *geun* and fifteen *nyang*!”

“What?” Woon Gak glared.

Tang Soso watched the Medical Hall members carefully. She frowned, noticing something odd about the scales they were using.

But the voice that came from behind him made the strength in his eyes fade.

“It seems the scales are all too old and don’t match each other,” Tang Soso said, wearing the Mount Hua uniform, as she placed coins on this scale and that scale.

“It seems the problem is that the scales don’t match, Hall Master. You should either use only one scale or replace all the scales.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“Yes. The most important thing is the ratio, but if you use scales with different measurements like this, the ratio will be different.”

“Hmm. But using only one scale would take too long.”

The Head of the Medical Hall turned his head sharply.

“Go to Hwaeum immediately and buy new scales! Immediately! The money will be provided by the Treasury Department.”

“Yes! Then, one scale⋯⋯.”

“One? What do you mean one! Replace them all! All of them, leaving none behind! But make sure to select only accurate scales to buy!”

“Yes!”

The youngest apothecary member, barely more than a boy, flinched as if Un-gak had roared in his ear. He scrambled to his feet and fled from the room to find new scales, his heart hammering.

Un-gak, his face red with urgency, turned to the rest of the team. “Everyone, listen closely!” His voice was sharp and loud, cutting through the air.

“Yes, Chief!” The apothecary members replied instantly, their voices tight with nerves. They stood straighter, eyes wide, beads of sweat already forming on their foreheads in the cool room. The weight of Un-gak’s words settled heavily in the air.

“The fate of Hwasan depends on this! If anyone is even slightly negligent, I will lock them in the Plum Blossom Cave – a dark, silent place deep under the mountain, where no sound can reach them for three long years! Do you understand?”

“Yes, Chief!”

Un-gak raised his sleeve and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

‘Ugh… This isn’t easy.’

Of course, making the Honwon Pill wasn’t really that hard. The Medicine King had explained everything so well, and it didn’t need any special magic. As long as the amounts were right and the Medicine King’s secrets were followed, it should be fine.

The problem was the pressure.

Elixir pills were very delicate, and even a tiny difference in the amounts could make them much less effective.

‘I went all the way to Yunnan to get the Violet Wood Grass. I can’t mess this up!’

Un-gak sighed deeply.

‘Still, it’s lucky that child is here.’

Hwasan had almost lost the knowledge of how to make elixir pills. They hadn’t made any in almost a hundred years.

He had learned the theory while leading the medical hall, but this was his first time making one himself.

If Tang Soso hadn’t arrived, he would probably be making lots of mistakes right now.

‘I can’t tell her everything, but…’

Listening to Tang Soso’s advice for the first steps was a big help.

Just making the Honwon Pill was hard enough… and there was another problem.

“Ahem. Is anyone inside?”

“⋯⋯”

The door opened, and Hyun Jong and Hyun Sang walked in.

“We greet the Sect Leader!”

The apothecary members all bowed. Hyun Jong smiled kindly.

“Yes. Everyone must be busy. I hope I’m not bothering you.”

Un-gak stared at Hyun Jong, surprised.

Sect Leader. This is the sixth time today.

Why not just bring a chair and sit here? Why do you keep coming back?

“Ahem. You’re working hard. It’s not that, but…”

Hyun Jong looked around, then glanced down.

“Everyone is busy, but… is there a bit too much dust on the floor? Just for the medicine, you see.”

“⋯⋯Yes?”

“I’m just worried that something might get mixed in when you’re making the elixir pill. And if you open the window so wide, bugs might come in.”

“Ah… Yes.”

“Ahem. And um… If you leave the ingredients out like that, they’ll dry out and the weight will change. I’m worried that it might not work as well because of that…”

Un-gak closed his mouth.

This is the sixth time today.

He comes to encourage them but ends up nagging, so they have to clean while working, and then clean again.

“Sect Leader…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I… I will take care of it.”

“Ahem! I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job. It’s just that I’m old and I worry a lot, that’s all.”

Hyun Jong looked a little embarrassed. Un-gak sighed.

He’d rather be yelled at or hit. It was driving him crazy that Hyun Jong kept popping in ten times a day with that worried look.

“So, how long will it take to finish making the… no, the Jasodan?”

“Ten days.”

“T-That long?”

Hyun Jong flinched. His face seemed to say, ‘I can’t wait that long!’

Hyun Jong’s face showed exactly what he was thinking, even without words. Un-gak couldn’t help but sigh.

“Sect Leader, most elixir pills need forty-nine days of alchemy and forty-nine days of drying. Luckily, Jasodan is easier to make, so it takes less time.”

“I-Is that so?”

Hyun Jong’s face turned red.

“We need a master of internal energy to help make the elixir pill, so you’ll need to check it yourself sometimes. So please… Please!”

“Ahem. W-Well, I was just wondering if I could help…”

“I’ll ask you if we need help!”

“O-Okay.”

Hyun Jong looked around, cleared his throat, and turned to leave.

“Alright. Everyone, work hard.”

“Farewell, Sect Leader!”

Hyun Jong left, looking regretful. As the door closed, one of the apothecary members spoke awkwardly.

“It seems his expectations are high.”

“That’s right. I guess he would be…”

It was a big deal, so it’s understandable that Hyun Jong was acting like this.

But understanding didn’t mean he wasn’t interfering. They had a big job to do, and they couldn’t have anything distracting them, not even a little bit.

“Everyone, focus again. We can’t fail!”

“Yes, Chief!”

“It’s something that can’t fail for Hwasan’s future, but…”

Un-gak trailed off.

“Think about it. Chung Myung went all the way to Yunnan to make this elixir pill.”

“Yes!”

“⋯⋯But if we fail, that guy will have to go to Yunnan again.”

“⋯⋯”

The room suddenly felt cold.

“Do you think he’ll go quietly? That Chung Myung?”

“⋯⋯No.”

The apothecary members imagined Chung Myung, rolling his eyes and causing trouble.

They shivered.

‘We have to succeed! We have to succeed, even if we die!’

Everyone stared at the ingredients with wide eyes.

Un-gak’s eyes narrowed.

‘I’m betting everything on this!’

A hot heat filled the medical hall.