Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 679

“Congratulations, Chung Myung Dojo.”

“Do Woonchan! You came!” Chung Myung started to step forward, ready to grab Do Woonchan’s hand, but then stopped.

Was this a walking corpse? It was Do Woonchan, but he looked terrible. Dark shadows were under his eyes, his skin was dry, and he was so pale he looked like he might cough up blood.

“Did someone beat you up?” Chung Myung asked, surprised.

“No,” Do Woonchan croaked.

“Are you sick?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then why do you look like… that?” Chung Myung tilted his head, confused. This was Do Woonchan, the Lord of the Ghostly Undermoon, but he was nothing like Chung Myung remembered.

He hadn’t even shown his face during the founding of the Heavenly Union, and only arrived at Mount Hua after the founding ceremony was completely finished.

And in such a near-death state, at that.

“Are things not going well for you these days?”

A rare look of guilt flickered across Chung Myung’s face.

He had entrusted the Ghostly Undermoon with work and hadn’t paid attention to them for a while because he was busy. It was because he trusted that Hwang Mun-Yak or Hwang Jongui would take care of it well enough…

“Not going well, you say?”

“Hmm?”

But then, a strange light filled Do Woonchan’s face. It wasn’t just happiness; it was something more intense, almost greedy. It was almost miraculous that he could wear such a gentle expression with the dark shadows hanging down to his chin, his parched skin, and his pale complexion that looked as if he would cough up blood and die at any moment.

“It’s going too well, that’s the problem, too well… I’ve come to fully understand what Chung Myung Dojo meant when he said that a sect needs money to develop. Once money started piling up in the Ghostly Undermoon, life completely changed.”

“That’s right, isn’t it? But why…?”

Why does your face look like that? As if you haven’t had a bite to eat.

“As I said, it’s a problem because it’s going too well. In the beginning, everyone was amiable because they were making a lot of money while doing a moderate amount of work.”

“But the work started to increase like a landslide.”

“Ah. A landslide.”

“Yes… There’s no other way to express it other than a landslide. So the work increased and increased like crazy…”

A bluish fear clouded Do Woonchan’s face. He looked like someone watching the work increase right before his eyes.

“We mobilized all the disciples, and even carrying the packages day and night wasn’t enough, so all the elders were dragged out, and even that wasn’t enough, so now even I have to leave the main sect and carry things…”

Chung Myung was unusually quite taken aback.

“You’re the Sect Lord, aren’t you?”

“Sect Lord, my foot.”

Do Woonchan sighed deeply, as if the ground was sinking beneath him.

“So… I tried to participate in the founding ceremony no matter what, but suddenly an urgent delivery came up… I finished the delivery from Beijing to Sichuan and arrived here now with all the strength I had left.”

“From where?”

“Sichuan…”

“So… you went from Beijing to Sichuan, and then came all the way here?”

“Not exactly. Before that, I started from Hainan. I went from Hainan to Beijing, then from Beijing to Hainan, then from there to Sichuan, and then back here…”

“Hiiiiiik!”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened in shock.

No, is he crazy?

“You’re doing that much?”

“Express delivery requires a very expensive fee. If it’s not a long distance, there’s no reason to use us.”

“Ah, that’s right. I know, but…”

Chung Myung examined Do Woonchan’s condition once more.

Now that he looked closely, it wasn’t just that his face was a little worn. He had lost so much weight compared to before that his cheekbones looked prominent.

“I didn’t know you were suffering so much.”

Chung Myung felt a pang of guilt. He hadn’t meant for things to become *this* hard for Do Woonchan, even if it was because of success.

“How about reducing the work a bit…?”

“Yes?”

“I’ll try to reduce the workload a bit. I’ll talk to them nicely…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Yes?”

At that moment, a sharp blue light flashed in Do Woonchan’s eyes.

“Reduce the work? Then won’t the money decrease, the money!”

“…”

“The Ghostly Undermoon’s warehouse is so full right now that we need to expand it! No, we need to build a new warehouse! Money! Money is pouring in like a landslide!”

“Earlier, you said the work was coming in like a landslide.”

“Work is a landslide! Money is also a landslide!”

Do Woonchan’s eyes gleamed.

The noble warrior he had seen before was nowhere to be found. Now, he was the very image of a merchant who had gone mad for money.

“People only know after they’ve earned it, Keee! This is what happens when you have money! This!”

“…”

“Kyaa! We should have been working all along! You have to acknowledge the Dojo’s insight! Coming here cost me money! I could have made two more deliveries! You owe me for this lost time!”

Chung Myung smiled faintly as he looked at him, who had gone mad for money.

‘I don’t know anymore, now.’

These days, it seemed like his surroundings were going even crazier than him. Everyone was not in their right minds.

“Dojo!”

At that moment, Do Woonchan suddenly rolled his eyes and rushed towards Chung Myung.

Chung Myung flinched and hurriedly stepped back, but Do Woonchan didn’t give him a chance to retreat and grabbed his shoulder tightly.

“Let’s expand!”

“Yes?”

“I’ll take on more disciples! I’ll increase the number of people who can deliver, so let’s expand the business a bit more! If we can deliver not only to Beijing but also to Nanjing and the outer regions, the money we earn will increase even more!”

“Ah, no, wait a minute! You said you were going to gather money by doing this moderately and then revive the Ghostly Undermoon again…”

“Revive? This is revival! Where is there a revival better than this! The guys who used to go crazy even if only dried anchovies were on the table are now saying they’re sick of meat, revival? Revival, you say?”

Ca, calm down, you old man.

“We’re growing the business! Let’s go for life, Dojo!”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I’ve brought a lot of gifts, so please make sure to check them!”

“…”

As Chung Myung lost his words and couldn’t even open his mouth, one of the disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, who had been watching from a slight distance, approached and said to Do Woonchan.

“Sect Lord. You’ll need to see the Sect Leader, so I’ll escort you.”

“Would you? Dojo, then I’ll go see the Sect Leader and come back later.”

“Yes. After the guests leave, we’re planning to have a drink among ourselves, so please join us then.”

“Kkeueung. Then the time will be delayed even more. Can’t do that… Then I can’t make another trip.”

“…”

“But since it’s what Chung Myung Dojo said, I’ll specially bear the loss. But please hurry.”

“Yes.”

“Definitely!”

“…”

“Then.”

Do Woonchan hurried away, urging the Azure Cloud Sect disciple. Chung Myung, watching his receding figure, blankly turned his gaze to the sky.

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong, who had approached unnoticed, put their hands on Chung Myung’s shoulders and comforted him.

“You really pushed yourself, Chung Myung. We all saw it.”

“No.”

“Yeah, you never stopped working. You deserve a rest.”

“Hehehehe.”

Yeah, well.

Then that’s a relief. It’s a relief…

Chung Myung quietly surveyed the situation in the hall.

It seemed that the situation was roughly being sorted out now. The atmosphere was heating up as those who were tipsy raised their voices, but there were also one or two people who were starting to leave.

In about an hour, all the guests who had come would leave, and then the founding ceremony of the Heavenly Union would truly end.

He felt a mixture of emotions.

In any case, it was a situation where he could finally take a breather.

“Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve worked hard.”

Chung Myung glanced at Baek Cheon instead of answering. It was just a casual remark, but his voice was more serious than usual.

“What’s with the suddenness?”

“Yes, it’s sudden. But that’s the same as you not hearing the words you should have heard all along, wouldn’t you say?”

“…”

“Everyone in Mount Hua knows how hard you’ve been working. They’re just too shy to say it, but I hope you know that everyone is grateful.”

“Wow, Sasuk, are you feeling okay? Did you hit your head?”

“This bastard.”

Baek Cheon, who had been speaking quite seriously, suddenly contorted his face.

“Anyway, even when I give you a compliment!”

“Compliments only mean something when they’re given by someone who deserves to give them!”

“Kkeueueung.”

Baek Cheon sighed deeply with a resigned look on his face.

“Anyway, let’s finish this well. After everyone goes back, let’s drink until we’re completely wasted.”

“Wow. Dongryong is generous, isn’t he?”

“Don’t call me Dongryong, you bastard!”

Chung Myung wriggled out of the way of Baek Cheon, who was lunging at him, and chuckled.

He hadn’t exactly achieved anything great, but the thought that he had overcome one hurdle made his heart naturally soften and relax.

“Anyway, at least one thing is good now.”

“What is?”

At Baek Cheon’s question, Chung Myung grinned and said.

“Now, no matter who we meet, they won’t be able to ignore Mount Hua, right?”

“That’s probably true.”

“For now, that’s enough.”

He nodded his head as if he felt relieved just thinking about it.

“I had a hard time holding back from wanting to punch them in the face all this time.”

“You’ve ever held back?”

“…”

Chung Myung contorted his face at Baek Cheon’s reaction, as if he was hearing such nonsense for the first time.

“Do you want me to properly show you what it’s like when I don’t hold back?”

“Calm down.”

Baek Cheon waved his hand with a slightly frightened look. Chung Myung chuckled.

“Now, from now on…”

It was right then.

“Huh?”

Chung Myung, who was about to speak, suddenly closed his mouth and tilted his head. He felt a slight unease.

‘What is it?’

He narrowed his eyes and cast his gaze over there.

‘Towards the main gate?’

The places close to where he was standing were still bustling. But the area where those with stalls near the main gate had become strangely quiet.

‘Are they terrified?’

Their faces looked as if they had seen a ghost. He could see a few people looking worried.

He couldn’t tell exactly because everyone was turning their faces towards the main gate, but judging from the faces he could see, they seemed to be clearly terrified of something.

Those gathered here were people who could wield a sword in the Jianghu.

Moreover, even the renowned figures of the Nine Great Sects and the elders of the Five Great Families were here in Mount Hua. It was a situation where conflict couldn’t possibly arise.

But what on earth were they afraid of?

“Wo… Wo, they’re here…”

At that moment, a groan-like sound that someone made clearly pierced Chung Myung’s ears.

One of those who was trembling, with his gaze fixed on the main gate, opened his mouth with a face as if he had seen a ghost.

“M, Ma…”

A voice filled with terror… No, it was a voice filled with bewilderment, as if he couldn’t possibly believe what was happening now.

The voice, filled with numerous emotions, trembled for a long time before echoing out as if exploding in an instant.

“The Myriad Man House is here! The Myriad Man House is coming!”

Those words instantly filled Mount Hua with silence. The joyful music seemed to stop suddenly, leaving only an unsettling silence.

Those who had been drinking, unaware of the situation, were startled as if cold water had been poured on them and turned their gazes like rays of light.

“What did you say?”

It was a name that should never be heard in this place.

However, those who had confirmed the situation at the main gate only confirmed that their ears had not deceived them. Those who had been filling the area near the main gate were retreating backwards as if they had seen a ghost. Their eyes were wide with fear, their mouths open in silent screams.

Then, a group of figures appeared at the gate, their faces grim, their movements deliberate. They walked slowly, but with a sense of unstoppable force.

“Myriad Man House.”

A voice that someone groaned echoed softly in the silent Mount Hua.