Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 286

Hyun Young’s eyes widened. “What?” he asked, staring at the person before him.

“You come to see me first thing in the morning, and *this* is what you say?”

Baek Sang looked at Hyun Young, who seemed bewildered. He stated firmly, “I wish to join Jaegyeonggak, Elder.”

“Must it be in this situation?” Hyun Young asked.

“I know this might be a weird time to say this,” Baek Sang replied. “But I really want to join Jaegyeonggak. It’s what I want most, so I wanted to ask right away.”

“Heh,” Hyun Young chuckled, looking at Baek Sang with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

‘This isn’t bad,’ he thought.

It was about time they recruited someone from the Baekja disciples to join Jaegyeonggak, the department that handles all of Hwasan’s money.

The Baekja and Cheongja disciples were training hard. Hyun Young knew this wasn’t the best time to ask someone to join Jaegyeonggak. But Hwasan was growing quickly, and more and more money was coming in.

It was becoming difficult for the current Jaegyeonggak members to manage Hwasan’s finances alone.

But it was a good thing when someone volunteered like this.

“But why do you suddenly want to join Jaegyeonggak?” Hyun Young asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it…” Baek Sang began.

“Yes,” Hyun Young replied.

“I can’t beat my fellow disciples in martial arts,” Baek Sang admitted.

“You’re too young to be thinking like that,” Hyun Young said.

Baek Sang shook his head firmly. “No, Elder! I know myself well. Even if we’re evenly matched now, they’ll surpass me someday.”

Hyun Young’s face twisted slightly. “So, since you don’t see a future in martial arts, you’re trying to join Jaegyeonggak because it looks easier?”

“No!” Baek Sang exclaimed.

“Hm?” Hyun Young was surprised by Baek Sang’s firm tone. The anger he felt started to fade, and he decided to listen more.

“Elder!” Baek Sang continued. “I’m their senior brother and granduncle. Even if I lack martial talent, I don’t want to fall behind!”

“Hoo?” Hyun Young’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“So, after thinking a lot, I realized something!”

“What’s that?” Hyun Young asked.

“The real power of Hwasan comes from Jaegyeonggak!”

“Oh?”

Baek Sang’s eyes shone with eagerness, like a child seeing a mountain of candy. “Why is Hwasan regaining its former glory? Martial arts? Maybe. Talent? Perhaps. But more important than that, Hwasan has money!”

“Right! Right! You get it!” Hyun Young agreed.

“Money! To control money is to control power!” Baek Sang declared. “I’d rather count money until my fingers wear out than run around until my feet sweat. Please accept me, Elder! No, Jaegyeonggak Lord!”

Hyun Young smiled, satisfied. ‘So materialistic and cunning, he’s perfect for Jaegyeonggak,’ he thought.

‘Actually, I had my eye on Jogyeol,’ he mused. That guy was from a merchant family, so he seemed perfect for Jaegyeonggak. But Chung Myung influenced him, and he started using his body before his head. He couldn’t become a great Jaegyeonggak Lord like that.

But after hearing Baek Sang’s words, Hyun Young had no doubt that this guy was the talent to take over Jaegyeonggak in the future.

“Impressive. Did you come up with that idea on your own?” Hyun Young asked.

“…Not really…” Baek Sang admitted.

“Then?”

Baek Sang scratched his head. “I came up with it while talking to Chung Myung last night.”

“Really? You talked to Chung Myung?” A warm smile appeared on Hyun Young’s face.

‘As expected of Chung Myung,’ he thought. Sending such talent to Jaegyeonggak on his own. He must have seen this guy’s talent and slowly guided him towards Jaegyeonggak.

How else could he have made up his mind so suddenly and come to see him?

“Is your heart truly set on this?” Hyun Young asked.

“Yes, Elder!”

Hyun Young nodded. “Then I’ll talk to the Sect Leader and accept you into Jaegyeonggak. But if you become a member, you won’t be able to train as much as you do now. Won’t you regret it?”

“I’ll do both,” Baek Sang declared.

“Do both?”

“Yes!” Baek Sang continued firmly. “Even if I’m part of Jaegyeonggak, I won’t forget my duty as a martial artist. It won’t be easy, but I’ll balance myself as a martial artist and a member of Jaegyeonggak as much as possible.”

“Hmm.” Hyun Young nodded.

“It won’t be easy, but if you have the will, you can do anything. But I won’t make exceptions for you because of your training. Keep that in mind,” Hyun Young warned.

“Of course,” Baek Sang replied.

“Alright, I understand.” Hyun Young smiled faintly.

People were joining, and money was flowing in. Jaegyeonggak was having its best time since he became the Jaegyeonggak Lord.

In this situation, he couldn’t just sit back and watch the money come in, could he?

“Then sit to the side for a moment,” Hyun Young instructed.

“Yes?”

“You weren’t supposed to see this, but now that things have turned out this way, you should know what Jaegyeonggak does,” Hyun Young explained.

Baek Sang nodded, thinking, ‘He’s going to show me the work of Jaegyeonggak.’ He didn’t know what that work was, but it must be important, so he had to remember it well.

As Baek Sang moved aside, Hyun Young raised his voice. “Come in.”

The door creaked open, and Wilibsan, the Lord of Hwayoung, entered.

“I heard you were looking for me, Elder,” Wilibsan said.

Hyun Young gave him a kind smile. “Welcome.”

“T-Thank you for the warm welcome,” Wilibsan replied, sitting down with a worried look.

At first, the welcome had been pleasing, but as he spent more time with Hyun Young, he felt uneasy.

“What brings you here?” Wilibsan asked.

Hyun Young smiled. “Listen here, Lord of Hwayoung.”

“Yes, Elder,” Wilibsan responded.

“You came here as the Lord of Hwasan’s Sogga, right?”

“Yes, but what about it?”

“Is Sogga part of Hwasan or not?”

Wilibsan tilted his head, unsure of the question’s intention. He hesitated before answering. “Hwayoung is part of Hwasan…”

“Ahem!”

“But I think Sogga and Bonsan are separate. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be called a branch instead of Sogga?”

“That’s right! You get it,” Hyun Young said.

Relief washed over Wilibsan’s face as he managed to give the answer Hyun Young wanted. “But why are you asking?”

Hyun Young smiled. “Listen here, Lord of Hwayoung.”

He looked kind, but his eyes shone brightly. “Don’t you want to make some money?”

“…Yes?”

Hyun Young made a circle with his thumb and forefinger and shook it slightly. “Money.”

“…”

It was the moment when Wilibsan realized something was going wrong.

The day of the main competition arrived quickly.

The silence of the past two days was broken as people flocked in as soon as the sun rose, creating a sea of faces.

“The main competition starts today!”

“Until now, it was just a warm-up! From now on, the real World Martial Arts Competition begins!”

“That’s right! Can those who only watched the preliminaries say they saw the martial arts competition? This is the real deal!”

The people were already excited. Why wouldn’t they be? The true World Martial Arts Competition was starting today.

Prestigious groups from all over the world sent their best students. When they all gathered, there were over a thousand people.

How many of them would become famous masters? Maybe only about ten percent.

The main competition was about to start. It was a place where the best ten percent would compete to be the best.

It was clear that those who won and became famous here would be important people in the future.

Because of this, even more people came to Shaolin than for the early rounds.

“Wow, look how many people!” one of the disciples said, pushing through the crowd. “It’s packed!”

“Too many,” another agreed, wiping sweat from his face.

“Hey, what’s happening over there?” A third disciple pointed to the back. “Looks like stalls… are they selling things?”

“Of course!” said one of the older disciples. “With this many people, they’ll need food and drinks. Chung Myung, look! Sweets over there!”

“Sweets?” Chung Myung’s head snapped around so fast his neck almost cracked. “Where? Show me!” His eyes darted left and right, searching for the promised treats.

Behind the large crowd, sellers had set up a market with food and other things to buy.

“What’s going on over there?”

“Hmm? It looks very crowded in that spot.”

Hyun Jong looked at the scene and chuckled.

“Hahaha. So many people have come.”

“Looking at the market makes me hungry. Sect Leader, would you like something to eat?”

“No. I need to go to the platform soon, so I don’t have time to eat.”

He smiled and looked at the market. Then, he tilted his head as if he noticed something.

“But it doesn’t look like they’re selling anything special there. Why are so many people gathered?”

Hyun Sang heard Hyun Jong and squinted his eyes, looking at the large stall.

“Red and blue… Odds? Hmm… It looks like they are taking bets.”

“Bets? You mean gambling?”

“That’s what it looks like.”

Hyun Jong’s jaw dropped.

“Ga, gambling, you say?”

In Shaolin?

They’re gambling in this sacred Shaolin Temple?

“Hahahahaha. Did Shaolin allow this? No, even if Shaolin did, how could someone be so bold as to do this… It’s unbelievable.”

“Haha. That’s right. I thought only our students caused trouble.”

“That’s right. Surely it’s not just us… Huh…?”

Hyun Jong tilted his head.

The merchant behind the stall was attracting people with a large sign. His face looked strangely…

“Familiar?”

“Haha. I thought so too. Doesn’t he look just like Wi Lip-san, the Lord of Hwayoung?”

“He really does look like him…”

They looked so alike, you could think they were twins. Wait… could it really be him?

“…L, Lord of Hwayoung?”

Hyun Jong mumbled, stunned.

“No, why is Wi Lip-san there…?”

Just then.

Wi Lip-san snapped open the fan in his hand, hiding part of his face. He shouted loudly.

“Come on! Place your bets before we begin! Before we begin! No more bets once the martial arts competition starts! Those who bet, take your tickets from the side! Tickets without the stamp will not be exchanged, so don’t lose them!”

Tickets? Stamp? Exchange?

“Be, bet?”

Hyun Jong mumbled, dazed.

“What in the world is he doing?”

“…He’s opening a gambling place, I guess.”

“So, the owner of that stall is Wi Lip-san, the Lord of Hwayoung?”

“……”

“A, ah, is that crazy guy…?”

The one running a gambling place in sacred Shaolin is from Hwasan?

Hyun Jong’s eyes started to twitch.

His face turned red, then pale.

Then, he came back to his senses and frantically looked around for someone.

“Where, where is that rascal?”

Lord of Hwayoung?

No!

The Wi Lip-san he knew wasn’t capable of doing something so crazy on his own.

Someone else must have told him to do it!

“Chung Myung! Where is that Chung Myung!”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung was hiding among the other disciples and poked his head out. Hyun Jong charged at him like a lightning bolt.

“You rascal! What have you done!”

“Me? What do you mean?”

“That! Did you tell them to open that gambling place?”

“Gambling place?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened. He looked at Wi Lip-san and smacked his lips.

“Wow. The Lord of Hwayoung is amazing. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“……It wasn’t you?”

“No. It wasn’t me?”

Hyun Jong saw that Chung Myung was really clueless and became very confused.

It wasn’t Chung Myung?

Then who on earth…

“Ahem!”

Just then, someone cleared his throat behind him. Hyun Jong trembled as if struck by lightning and slowly turned his head.

It was Hyun Young.

His beloved junior brother, the Head of the Treasury of Hwasan, Hyun Young, was grinning from ear to ear, his face shining with greed.

Hyun Jong mumbled, sounding like he was about to die.

“…Was it you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Was it you?”

“I said, what do you mean?”

Hyun Young shrugged.

“That was just something Wi Lip-san, the Lord of Hwayoung, did on his own. Even though I’m an elder in Hwasan, I can’t control what the lower houses do, can I?”

“…Ga, gambling? In Shaolin?”

Then, Hyun Young quietly looked around. He sneakily walked up to Hyun Jong, put his arm around his shoulder, and pulled him closer.

“We agreed to give them half.”

“……”

“The monks are greedier than I thought. The people who opened the market stalls all got their spots by agreeing to give half of their earnings. And there was no rule against gambling. I checked beforehand. Hehehe.”

“……”

“Hehehe. Don’t worry, Sect Leader. We can make a fortune! A fortune…”

“You! You crazy guy!”

Hyun Jong had been shaking for a while. He kicked Hyun Young in the backside, sending him flying. Then, with a face full of anger, he shouted.

“I told Chung Myung not to cause trouble, but now an elder of the sect is causing it instead?! Is this something an elder of a sect should be doing!”

“Shhh! Lower your voice.”

Hyun Young had been sent flying, but he quickly returned to his spot as if nothing had happened.

He whispered with a sinister face.

“Hwayoung did it, Hwayoung did. Hwasan knows nothing.”

Hyun Jong grabbed the back of his neck, his blood pressure rising so high he almost passed out.

This damned sect!

Now even the elders are doing crazy things!

“You, you rascal. Don’t you know about decorum!”

“What decorum does Hwasan have? And when have we ever gained anything from keeping up appearances? We’re making money, money!”

“Gu, guuuuh…”

“And!”

Hyun Young grinned and patted Chung Myung on the head.

“Don’t worry. This rascal will save Hwasan’s reputation. Isn’t that right, Chung Myung?”

“Yes. But can I bet too?”

“Of course, of course. You’ll bet on yourself to win, right?”

“Of course.”

“Good! Let’s make a lot of money! Hahahahaha!”

“Hee hee hee!”

Hyun Jong watched the two of them laugh in a similar way and squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I should just quit being the Sect Leader. This sect is hopeless!’

Hwasan’s finances were getting better every day, but Hyun Jong’s life was getting harder.