Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 672

The first light of dawn touched the peaks of Mount Hua.

Those who had stayed overnight in Hwayeom began to climb Mount Hua as soon as the sun rose. The path was crowded with people, their faces bright with excitement.

‘Today is the day.’

‘Today, finally!’

They had come all the way to this distant Shaanxi to witness the founding of the Heavenly Union with their own eyes.

Of course, some were clearly there simply to make their presence known at Mount Hua, but many more sensed that the Heavenly Union’s inauguration would cause a great upheaval in the martial world.

Like today, many people climbed the mountain yesterday. But today was different. Among them were people who were not from the martial world.

Huang Mun-yak chuckled from the palanquin carried by hired porters. He gazed at the narrow mountain path. Huang Jong-i, walking beside the palanquin, said,

“It seems even harder to climb with so many people.”

“So many people willing to climb this difficult path, doesn’t that show the current status of Mount Hua?”

Clear emotion filled Huang Mun-yak’s face.

Huang Mun-yak remembered his first climb up this path. Back then, the stones had been lonely under his feet, no other travelers in sight. Now, the path was a river of people…

‘Saying it was a big change wasn’t enough,’ Huang Mun-yak thought. ‘It was like the earth had shaken and everything had shifted.’

“It’s changed so much.”

“Wasn’t it just because you saw this coming, Father? I still don’t understand. What did you see in Mount Hua back then?”

“Haha. That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Yes?”

Huang Mun-yak burst into hearty laughter at Huang Jong-i’s questioning face.

“It’s true that I had expectations for Mount Hua, but I never imagined it would change this much.”

“Ah…”

Huang Mun-yak shook his head, still smiling.

“An ordinary merchant invests in money and goods, but to become a great merchant, you must invest not in what you see, but in the future and in value.”

“Yes, Father. That is so.”

“In that sense, I’m probably not a proper great merchant. If I had known Mount Hua would become this great, I would have invested my entire fortune. Tsk tsk. To not properly recognize the value of a jewel right before my eyes.”

Huang Jong-i smiled wryly at Huang Mun-yak’s words.

Thanks to investing in Mount Hua, Huang Mun-yak and the Eunha Merchant Guild had made enormous profits. But that was nothing compared to the trade lines created through Mount Hua.

What mattered was not the money that fell into their hands immediately, but the future they had gained, a future that would generate profits for decades to come. That was a value beyond calculation.

It was the most successful challenge and achievement in the history of the Eunha Merchant Guild. But even so, Huang Mun-yak seemed to have regrets.

“Still, it’s fortunate.”

“Because we made money?”

“No. Because Mount Hua is doing well.”

Huang Mun-yak looked at Huang Jong-i with a surprised expression.

“Those are not the words of a merchant.”

“Perhaps not.”

Huang Jong-i gave a bitter smile.

“I may not be as good as you, Father, but I have lived as a merchant for quite a long time.”

His gaze turned towards the mountain.

“In that process, I have met countless people and traded with countless people. Sometimes we chased money, sometimes we chased connections, and sometimes we just went where the wind took us.”

“Hmm.”

Huang Mun-yak nodded.

Certainly, Huang Jong-i was not young. In terms of age, it wouldn’t be strange if Huang Mun-yak retired right now and he became the head of the guild.

“But it’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

“Even though it’s been several years, we don’t often get the chance to meet the Mount Hua people who stay in the mountains and keep to themselves.”

“That’s right. They are Taoists, after all.”

“But strangely, I feel at ease when I see the Mount Hua people.”

Huang Jong-i smiled quietly.

“It’s not because I’m looking at detached Taoists. I’ve met other Taoists several times. But in my opinion, the Mount Hua people are different.”

“In what way?”

“Well, it’s hard to put into words. Sometimes they seem just naive, sometimes they are recklessly absurd, and sometimes they are hopelessly upright…”

Huang Jong-i trailed off, then shook his head as if he couldn’t find the right expression.

“It might be something a merchant shouldn’t say, but I just like the Mount Hua people. That’s why I feel so good about Mount Hua’s rising status, Father.”

Huang Mun-yak, who had been listening seriously, laughed heartily.

“A great merchant. Yes, that’s a great merchant.”

“Yes?”

Huang Mun-yak looked at Huang Jong-i with affectionate eyes.

“Did you say that a great merchant is someone who knows how to invest in the future?”

“Yes. That’s what you said.”

“But that alone is not enough.”

Huang Mun-yak continued with a smile.

“There’s a saying in the merchant world. The one who gains money becomes a merchant, but the one who gains hearts becomes a great merchant.”

“Ah…”

“If you truly want to surpass me, never forget that heart you have now. If you treat them with honesty, they will treat you with honesty. A deal made with honesty, not just for money, is what makes a truly great merchant.”

“I will keep that in mind, Father.”

Huang Mun-yak nodded with a smile at the neat reply.

‘He will do well.’

He knew it too. He was getting old.

He wanted to keep watching Mount Hua spread out into the world, but now it was difficult for him to keep pace with Mount Hua.

Generations eventually flow and change.

It was time for him to gradually entrust the guild to Huang Jong-i.

Even if he was still unreliable, even if he had lingering attachments, he had to know when to step down and trust him. Hadn’t Mount Hua taught him that?

‘I’m curious too.’

What kind of future they would create. What Mount Hua and the Eunha Merchant Guild would look like in the future.

“Let’s hurry. We need to arrive before it’s too late. It’s the day Mount Hua rises to the position of leader of the Heavenly Union; we can’t have the Eunha Merchant Guild being late, can we?”

“Yes, Father!”

Huang Jong-i answered loudly and quickened his pace.

“Hmm.”

Huang Mun-yak, having arrived at the mountain gate, nodded repeatedly.

“You’ve prepared well.”

“We didn’t do much. The Sichuan Tang Family renovated and decorated the buildings.”

“Everyone just does what they can.”

As soon as they entered the mountain gate, they saw a wide training ground, and behind and to the left and right, buildings came into view. The buildings were no longer old and broken. They were now grand and impressive, like palaces.

A large platform had been newly built in front of the buildings. And to the left and right of it, seats were prepared for important guests.

Huang Mun-yak gestured and slowly got out of the palanquin.

“You should ride the palanquin up to there…”

“Nonsense. Where do you think you are, riding a palanquin around here? A merchant is finished the moment they forget their manners and duty.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Still, Mount Hua has given this old man a seat of honor, so how can I not be pleased? Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

As he approached the prepared seat with a satisfied smile, a familiar face greeted him.

“Welcome, Guild Leader!”

“Elder. It’s been a while.”

Huang Mun-yak shook Hyun Young’s hand.

Hyun Young, the head of Mount Hua’s Treasury Pavilion, and Huang Mun-yak, the head of the Eunha Merchant Guild, had shared many conversations and made countless transactions.

“Congratulations on founding the Union. This Huang is truly delighted to see Mount Hua changing day by day.”

“It’s all thanks to the Guild Leader’s help to Mount Hua. This is absolutely not empty praise. Everyone in Mount Hua is always grateful to the Guild Leader.”

“Haha. I think we should exclude one person.”

“Um, well, that’s true…”

Clearly, as soon as Chung Myung heard this, he would shout at the top of his lungs, ‘They should be grateful to us! Who made them money!’

‘Well, it’s not wrong.’

Huang Mun-yak chuckled, as if he could hear that voice in his ear.

To him, Chung Myung was an invaluable benefactor, a lucky charm that had rolled in on its own. Frankly, even if Chung Myung suddenly grabbed his beard and started pulling it out, Huang Mun-yak was confident he would just laugh it off.

“Where is the Sect Leader?”

“He is preparing for the ceremony, so it is difficult to see him now. Please come this way, Guild Leader. We have prepared a good seat for you.”

“That’s too much… I know my place. It would be enough if you gave me even the lowest seat.”

“Absolutely not! How can we have the Guild Leader sitting in the lowest seat! This way! Please come this way!”

Hyun Young forcibly dragged Huang Mun-yak along.

Even though Hyun Young was not someone who had formally learned martial arts, he was still a martial artist. An old Huang Mun-yak, who had not learned any martial arts at all, could not overcome his strength.

Hyun Young dragged Huang Mun-yak to the front seat of the seats prepared next to the platform. Huang Mun-yak was horrified.

“Elder! This is…”

The seats for the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were prepared next to and behind him. Sitting in the same seat as them was horrifying enough, but the front seat among them!

It was truly too high of a seat.

Feeling suffocated, Huang Mun-yak grabbed Hyun Young and pleaded.

“Elder, please let me go to the back seat.”

“Absolutely not! How can we prepare a seat for a distinguished guest in such a place?”

“I, I’m uncomfortable. I’m old now, so if I sit in a place like this, my heart will race and I won’t be able to handle it.”

“Heh…”

“The back! The back is enough! If you care about me, please do that for me.”

“Ugh. I understand. Ah, the Sect Leader will be angry.”

“I, I’ll talk to him separately, so please.”

“Yes. Please do so.”

Huang Mun-yak, who had been guided to the back with a face full of sweat, slumped into a chair with a deflated sound.

He clutched his chest and took several deep breaths before finally calming down and letting out a deep sigh. And without realizing it, he laughed.

‘Mount Hua…’

People can’t help but change. In the end, a sect is also made up of people, so it’s the same.

In the past, when he first climbed Mount Hua, he was clearly a great guest. But now, could he be such an important guest to Mount Hua?

He was a merchant, and he knew the ways of the world well enough.

Even if the current Mount Hua had guided him not to the front seat but to the lower seat, he would not have been dissatisfied in the slightest.

But the front seat, and the very front at that.

‘Are they naive, or is it something else…’

Huang Jong-i’s words as he climbed here came to mind again.

“Naive yet reckless… Hopelessly upright…”

A smile finally appeared on Huang Mun-yak’s face.

‘So they’re just good people.’

He was able to realize once again how fortunate he was to have a relationship with Mount Hua.

The leaders of the martial world were filling his front seat.

Everyone had gathered to celebrate the founding of the Heavenly Union. Whatever their true intentions, they couldn’t help but fill this seat.

The fact that they could call these people and have them sit in this seat clearly showed the power of the Heavenly Union now.

And.

‘Even this many people.’

The people who filled the left and right sides of the training ground below the platform without a gap.

A strange emotion surged in Huang Mun-yak’s heart as he looked at all the scenery.

Quite a bit of time had passed since he sat down, but just looking at the surrounding scenery made the time not feel boring.

And after a while.

“It’s starting!”

“They’re coming!”

Following the paths secured in advance on the left and right, the members of the Heavenly Union finally revealed themselves with dignity.