Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 604

“Here is the money,” Song Taeak said, handing over a thick bundle.

“Hmm, generous of you,” Chung Myung replied.

“Thank you…” Song Taeak said firmly.

Chung Myung subtly pulled at the bundle of bills, then looked at Song Taeak with a strange expression. Chung Myung looked up and met Song Taeak’s eyes.

“Let go,” Chung Myung said.

“Ah, I said let go.”

“Heh,” Song Taeak made a small, dry laugh.

The strength drained from Song Taeak’s hand. As the bundle of bills slipped away, he felt like his soul was slipping away with it.

‘How did I even gather this money?’

With this one deal, all his extra money was gone. To get the money, he had to sell his brewery and land quickly to other merchants for much less money than they were worth.

Because he had to sell so quickly, he couldn’t get the full price. He felt sick inside because he only got a little less than what his things were really worth. It was painful to see all that money, barely scraped together, disappear in an instant.

Song Taeak squeezed his eyes shut, groaning as if he’d been cut.

‘No. This is an investment.’

Those who are afraid to spend money will never make big money.

What’s important is what you can earn with the money you’re investing now. If he could be the only seller of Yunnan tea in Hubei and Beijing, he could earn much more than he was spending now.

‘There won’t be much profit left! But if I can get permission to sell tea to the high officials in Beijing, I don’t care about profit!’

So, in the end, it’s a profitable business….

It’s a profitable business, but….

“Why do you look like that?” Chung Myung asked bluntly.

Song Taeak forced a smile.

“I- I’m happy! Really happy,” Song Taeak said a bit too loudly, trying to convince himself.

“You don’t look very happy?” Chung Myung asked.

“W-What do you mean? Look! See? I’m so happy I could cry…,” Song Taeak said, his voice shaky as he pointed to his eyes.

Chung Myung chuckled when he saw the tears in Song Taeak’s eyes.

“What, even tears? Haha. You really seem happy,” Chung Myung said.

Yeah. Happy.

Wouldn’t you be happy if you were me, you rotten bastard?

Song Taeak held back his anger.

‘It’s either all or nothing anyway.’

You can’t make money without investment, and you can’t grow without taking risks.

The gamble he took wasn’t just buying the rights to sell tea with money.

Switching his business partner from the Wudang Sect to Mount Hua was the gamble he made with his fate on the line.

‘If this move fails, the Geumseon Merchant Group will go bankrupt.’

But what if it succeeds?

At least he would gain great power in the business world above Hubei. Mount Hua was in Shanxi, and all the merchant groups that worked with them were in the west of the Central Plains.

Being the only merchant group in this area who strongly supports Mount Hua would bring both big risks and big chances.

However….

“Hee hee hee hee! How much is all this?” Chung Myung asked.

Looking at Chung Myung happily stuffing the bundle of bills into his arms, Song Taeak couldn’t help but wonder if he was doing the right thing.

“Hehe. Let’s do well,” Chung Myung said.

“Kkeueung. Please take good care of me,” Song Taeak said.

Song Taeak firmly grasped Chung Myung’s outstretched hand.

It was too late to go back. Now that he was committed, he had to work with this person.

“But…” Song Taeak said.

Song Taeak glanced over at the courtyard.

Song Taeak glanced over at the courtyard. It was huge, built for moving lots of goods. Now, white sacks were piled high in the center, like small, snowy mountains under the open sky.

“Yes?” Chung Myung asked.

“…What are you going to use all those for?” Song Taeak asked, puzzled.

Chung Myung had asked him to prepare ten percent of the payment in goods instead of money. Even though it was only ten percent, the value of those goods was almost a million nyang – a huge amount of money, like a king’s ransom.

Even if all the Mount Hua disciples were here, it wouldn’t be easy to carry all those sacks to Shanxi….

“Ah, those?” Chung Myung asked, shrugging.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all prepared for everyone’s benefit,” Chung Myung said.

“…What do you mean by that?” Song Taeak asked.

“Well,” Chung Myung said.

A small smile appeared on Chung Myung’s lips.

“If you’re going to do it, do it right,” Chung Myung said.

Seeing that smile, Song Taeak felt a strange worry.

Wuhan, in Hubei Province, was where the Geumseon Merchant Group was located and was the biggest city in Hubei. Because of this, it was also influenced by the Wudang Sect, the biggest sect in Hubei.

Now, a group of people appeared on the main street of Wuhan, Hubei Province.

“Huh?” People passing by the main street looked at the people who had suddenly appeared.

“Who are those people?” someone asked.

Since it was a main street with many people, a group appearing wasn’t strange.

But they couldn’t look away because the hundred or so people were all wearing the same clothes, and the colors were different from anything seen in Wuhan.

“Black martial robes with a plum blossom pattern,” someone observed.

“It’s Mount Hua!” someone shouted.

“Mount Hua! It’s the Mount Hua Sect! They’re Mount Hua’s martial artists!”

In the past, no one would have known Mount Hua unless they were knowledgeable, but now everyone could recognize the Mount Hua Sect by their robes and the plum blossom pattern.

This shows why reputation is important.

“Is that the Mount Hua Sect that defeated the Daebyeolchae?” someone asked.

“That’s right! It’s that Mount Hua Sect!”

“But why are they here?”

The people of Wuhan liked the Mount Hua Sect.

They didn’t need many reasons. Mount Hua had defeated the bandits in the nearby mountains, so who wouldn’t like them?

Even if those bandits were just regular bandits, they would be grateful, but Mount Hua had defeated the famous Daebyeolchae, not just any bandits.

So, everyone looked at the Mount Hua Sect with respect and thanks.

“Look at them, Mount Hua! They really look different!” someone said.

“Yeah, not like the Wudang people, huh?” another added.

“Haha, that’s right. Wudang is the most powerful sect, but Mount Hua is becoming very strong,” someone commented.

“Hey! You can’t compare Wudang to Mount Hua!” someone argued.

“Huh? That’s not what I mean. Has Wudang done anything important lately?”

“…That’s not really true, but…” the first person admitted.

“Things change. Wudang is the best Taoist and sword sect now, but who knows what will happen in ten years if things stay like this!”

“Tsk tsk. Still, Mount Hua can’t compare to…”

People had different opinions.

But since this was Wuhan, close to Wudang, this reaction was surprising.

Blood is thicker than water, and everyone supports their local area.

The fact that Mount Hua, a Taoist sect from far away Shanxi, was being compared to Wudang in Wuhan showed how much Mount Hua’s reputation had grown.

“But… what is that?” someone asked.

“I don’t know? They all seem to be carrying several sacks,” another replied.

“It looks quite heavy, whatever it is?”

The crowd was curious as they watched the Mount Hua disciples, who had been walking easily despite carrying heavy sacks, start piling the sacks in the middle of the main street.

“Oh?” someone exclaimed.

“…There’s a lot of something?”

“What are they trying to do with that?”

The crowd watched with curiosity.

But….

The Mount Hua disciples put down the sacks, turned around, and started to leave.

“Huh?” someone said, confused.

The people were dumbfounded.

Only the piles of sacks were left in the place where the Mount Hua disciples had been.

“…Why did they just leave?” someone wondered.

“What, what are they going to do with that?”

Everyone was wondering what was happening when…

“Th, there! They’re coming back!” someone shouted.

“Heok? What else are they carrying?”

People watched from a distance as the Mount Hua disciples reappeared. They were amazed. The disciples were carrying sacks that looked as big as the ones they had taken away earlier.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The Mount Hua disciples stacked the sacks on top of each other. The pile grew bigger and bigger.

Uh…

Uhh…

The people watching stared. Their eyes grew wider. The stacked sacks now looked like a small hill.

“Are they finished?”

“Looks like it?”

The Mount Hua disciples put the last sacks down. They stood around them, no longer walking back and forth.

It all happened without a word.

The strange sight made people stop and gather around. They wanted to know what was happening.

‘What are they trying to do?’

‘What are those sacks?’

‘I’m dying to know.’

The crowd looked at the sacks and then at the Mount Hua disciples.

“What is all this?”

“What are you trying to do here?”

The Mount Hua disciples didn’t explain. Some people became impatient and started to shout.

But the Mount Hua disciples stayed silent, guarding the sacks.

The frustration grew.

“Ahem!”

A figure stepped out from the Mount Hua disciples. Everyone looked at him.

“Ahem, ahem!”

A young man cleared his throat loudly. He still looked young. Everyone stared at him.

“So.”

The man looked at the crowd. He opened his mouth, then quickly turned his head.

“Where do I even start?”

“Why are you asking us!”

“Just tell us already!”

“Wow, you’re impatient!”

Cheong-myeong made a face. He was annoyed by the comment and raised his voice.

“Ahem! Can everyone hear me?”

The Mount Hua disciples saw Cheong-myeong shouting. They blushed and looked down.

“Just… please just do it.”

“Why are we always embarrassed?”

This was their respected disciple, a source of shame wherever he went.

Cheong-myeong didn’t care about the others. He grinned and spoke to the crowd.

“You all know who we are, right?”

“You’re the Mount Hua Sect!”

“Thank you for defeating the bandits at the Bandit Camp!”

“We are very grateful!”

Cheong-myeong chuckled at the cheers.

“Ah, it was nothing. Heh heh heh.”

“Just hurry up! It’s embarrassing!”

“Dong-ryong, can’t you be quiet?”

Cheong-myeong glared at the voice. Then, he turned back to the crowd with a bright smile.

“Yes. We are disciples of the Mount Hua Sect. We defeated the bandits of the Bandit Camp in the Daebyeol Mountains. We handed them over to the authorities. You don’t have to worry about bandits on Daebyeol Mountain anymore!”

“Oh!”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

They had heard the news, but they hadn’t seen it themselves. Now that Cheong-myeong said it, they were sure it was true.

“But what are those sacks?”

“Ah, I was just about to explain that.”

Cheong-myeong grinned and pointed at the sacks.

“When we cleared out the Bandit Camp, we found that the bandits had been stealing everything from the people of Hobuk for so long. Their warehouse was full of treasure!”

“Th-then?”

“Yes. That’s the treasure we brought from the Bandit Camp.”

The crowd’s eyes widened.

Some people began to understand what they were planning to do.

“We could keep it all for ourselves. But this treasure was stolen from the people of Hobuk as they traveled through Daebyeol Mountain, right?”

“Th-that’s right.”

“So!”

Thump!

Cheong-myeong stomped his foot down hard.

“The Sect Leader of Mount Hua said we shouldn’t take this treasure back to Mount Hua! The bandits stole these things from their owners. We should return them!”

Cheong-myeong turned his head. Baek-cheon and Yoon-jong untied the sacks and gently tossed them down.

Whoosh!

Grain poured out of the sacks onto the ground.

The crowd stared at the grain. Their eyes trembled.

“So, from now on!”

Cheong-myeong pointed to the grain.

“We will give this grain to everyone in Muhan!”

Rustle!

The Mount Hua disciples took out measuring boxes and small sacks. They had prepared them in advance.

The crowd couldn’t believe it. They looked at the grain and then at Cheong-myeong.

“I-is that really true?”

“Have you only ever been tricked?”

“N-no, but I’ve never heard of anything like this before.”

“Well.”

Cheong-myeong clicked his tongue.

“I don’t know how other sects do things. But this is how Mount Hua always does it.”

…

“So don’t just stand there! Come over here! Bring everyone else! We’ll start giving it out now!”

Whoooosh!

The Mount Hua disciples emptied the grain sacks onto mats. They used measuring boxes to fill the small sacks.

“Giving it out now!”

“Here you go!”

“Please take one!”

The Mount Hua disciples gave sacks of grain to the people. The people were unsure at first.

“Th-thank you!”

“I-is it really okay to take this!”

Cheong-myeong shouted as the people bowed their heads.

“Don’t thank us! This was yours to begin with!”

…

“Hurry up and get everyone else! Everyone in Muhan should get a sack today!”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“Good heavens! This is true kindness!”

It’s always hard to start.

Once a few people started getting grain, the others rushed to the Mount Hua disciples.

“M-me too, please give me some!”

“Me too!”

“Ah, please line up! There’s plenty for everyone!”

“We’ll give it to everyone, so please don’t rush! You’ll get hurt.”

The Mount Hua disciples smiled and gave grain to the rushing crowd.

People began to praise Mount Hua.

“Now I know why people talk about the Mount Hua Sect.”

“I’m grateful they risked their lives to defeat the bandits. And now they are helping us like this.”

“I will tell everyone about Mount Hua’s kindness! Thank you so much!”

The crowd kept coming, and the Mount Hua disciples kept giving out grain.

Cheong-myeong watched with a smile. Then, he chuckled.

‘Is there any better bribe?’

It’s not just giving to powerful people that’s a bribe. If you get what you want by sharing wealth, isn’t that a bribe?

The grain was piled up like a mountain. But it was nothing compared to Mount Hua’s wealth. It was a small amount compared to what they had sold off.

‘If I can use that to mess with the Mudang bastards, it’s worth it.’

What will that Mudang bastard say when he hears this news?

“Heh heh heh heh.”

Cheong-myeong laughed.

“Mommy. That uncle is weird……”

“Shhh. Come here. Don’t go near him.”

Cheong-myeong had cheated a little. But he spread the name of Mount Hua far and wide in Muhan with the sacks of grain.