Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 860

Macheol looked around the busy dock. He asked the person next to him, “Is this the line for ship reservations?”

“Yes,” the person replied. “They said it was here. But look at that big man over there…”

The big man, who was shouting at some workers, suddenly turned and saw Macheol. He walked over, his footsteps heavy on the wooden planks. In a voice as loud as thunder, he said, “Is there a problem here?” Then, looking around like he was searching for someone, he roared like a tiger, “Mok-oh! Mok-oh! Where are you, you useless fool!”

“Ah! Big Brother! I’m coming!”

Even before the words finished, a man came running from behind a stack of crates.

*What’s going on?* Macheol wondered, watching the man approach.

The man had a long, jagged scar across his face, making him look terrifying. He ran in fear and stopped in front of the huge man, bowing quickly.

“I, I just went to the toilet for a moment…”

“Wham!”

Macheol’s eyes widened. *That was a real punch!* The big man’s fist struck Mok-oh’s head. Mok-oh was instantly slammed into the ground, clutching his head and rolling around.

“Kraaah!”

Did the ground just shake a little when he got hit?

“Get up, you useless fool!”

“Yes! Yes, Big Brother!”

The scarred man jumped up from his spot.

His somewhat long face seemed a little shorter, but that wasn’t important…

“I told you to guide them, and you left your post?”

“I really just went to the toilet for a moment! I swear, Big Brother!”

“If there’s one more disturbance, I’ll skin you alive and eat your skin! Understand?”

“Yes! Yes! That will never happen!”

“You useless!”

The large man glared menacingly, then turned his gaze sharply to Macheol.

The moment his eyes met those fierce eyes, Macheol’s mouth went dry and sweat poured from his entire body. Since he was the one who caused the disturbance, something terrible was bound to happen.

But the large man’s actions once again defied Macheol’s expectations.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“…”

“We should’ve shown you the way sooner, but that useless fellow left his post… We’ll take care of it right away.”

The large man began to bow, contorting his massive frame. Macheol nodded blankly.

“T, thank you.”

“However.”

“Yes?”

At that moment, the man straightened his back.

“Whatever the reason, you must not fight or cause a disturbance on Plum Blossom Island. It seems like this is your first time here, so I’ll let it slide this once, but please be careful in the future.”

“Yes? Ah… Yes! Yes! Of course! Yes!”

Can’t cause a disturbance.

How could he cause a disturbance with those muscles? He just saw him slam a man’s head into the ground.

“This is where those who want to charter a merchant ship line up. Merchant ship reservations are received in the pavilion at the back, so please go there.”

“Yes? T, this isn’t the place?”

No, that’s not the important thing, is it?

“Then, all the people here are loading cargo today…”

Macheol’s eyes widened.

There were so many merchants here, it was amazing. And this wasn’t even all of them!

‘T, that’s right. When you think about it, that’s only natural.’

That’s why there’s an inn and a warehouse back there, isn’t it?

“Yes. If you go over there and make a reservation, we’ll set a date for you to charter a merchant ship.”

“T, thank you.”

Unlike his scary appearance and body, his voice was incredibly gentle.

Which made it even scarier.

“Yes, then.”

The man turned sharply and shouted.

“Stop staring and load the cargo! You lot who do nothing! If the merchant ship is delayed today, don’t even think about eating dinner tonight! Understand?”

“Yes!”

“If you understand, then hurry up and carry it!”

Macheol, flustered, was watching the scene when he heard people talking around him.

“The foreman is in a good mood today. To let this slide.”

“Indeed. His expression looks very good today, doesn’t it?”

“Haha. I thought I was seeing Buddha himself. Something good must have happened.”

That? Good expression?

Are these people blind?

“W, is it always like this?”

The merchant who had been arguing with Macheol was just as bewildered, his eyes wide as he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Ah, no, that man…”

“Ah, the foreman? He’s always like that.”

“…”

“He may look like a demon on the outside, but he’s incredibly kind to merchants. In fact, everyone on Plum Blossom Island is like that.”

“…You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

“That’s not it.”

“Yes?”

The merchants chuckled.

“In the early days of Plum Blossom Island, those who treated merchants badly were beaten to a pulp by the island lord on a rainy day.”

“Ugh. I still remember it. I saw it from the side back then, and it was the first time I’d ever seen someone get beaten that badly. What was it? ‘This is how you beat people, as taught by the master!’ or something?”

“Haha. The island lord is really good at joking. He learned how to beat people from a master. Haha!”

Hey, you guys. Is this something to laugh about?

“I, is it okay to beat people like that?”

“Why not? The people who got beaten were still the lucky ones.”

“Yes?”

The merchant grinned and gestured with his chin towards the mountain in the back.

“Do you see that mountain over there?”

“…Yes. I have eyes.”

“Some guys who laid their hands on the merchants’ goods were buried in that mountain.”

Macheol’s eyes popped out.

“B, buried?”

“That’s right. I heard it clearly back then. The island lord smiled brightly and said, ‘Beat these bastards until they’re barely breathing, then bury them alive.'”

“…”

“And then he apologized to the merchants a hundred times over and compensated them ten times the value of the goods.”

“He could have just returned the goods, but he’s such a generous man.”

“Of course. The island lord is a gentleman. A true gentleman!”

Are these people all crazy?

Do they even know what they’re saying? They buried a person and call him a gentleman? A gentleman?

“Th, the island lord sounds like a very scary person?”

“Did this man hear something? I said he’s a gentleman! A born scholar!”

Macheol gave up trying to understand them.

And, in fact, he didn’t care if he was a gentleman or a member of a criminal gang that buried people.

But what he heard next made him forget everything else.

“If you want to know about reservations, why don’t you go see for yourself?”

“Excuse me?”

“You said you wanted to make a reservation, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“The Island Lord handles reservations. Go and see him.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Just be careful what you say. The Island Lord is polite, but his helpers are not.”

“Heh heh! Mess up, and it’s *snip-snap*, head off!”

“Things will get better after that, I’m sure! Haha!”

Ma Cheol frowned.

*Everyone on Plum Blossom Island is strange,* he thought. *Even the workers and shop owners act weird.*

“Wow… It’s huge.”

“So big…”

“They say Plum Blossom Island is rich, taking money from all over.”

The building in front of them was amazing. Everyone stared, mouths open.

The wall seemed to go on forever.

They had traveled far and seen many places, but they had almost never seen a building this large.

“It looks even bigger than the biggest merchant building we know.”

“R-really?”

“Look at all the people.”

The entrance to the building was swarming with people. The only difference was that, unlike the docks, no one here was carrying luggage.

“See? It was smart to leave the cart and find a place to stay first.”

“We should have listened to you from the start!”

The other merchants looked annoyed, giving Ma Cheol angry looks. Ma Cheol sighed.

*Now they complain,* he thought. *They were all quiet before. Merchants! Always blaming someone else!*

“Let’s go inside for now.”

“Yes.”

Passing through the main gate, they entered a large hall. Following the guidance of the person in front, they stepped inside to a rather unfamiliar sight.

Inside, the hall was huge, bigger than ten rich houses put together. Desks were in straight lines, and people sat at them, writing and writing without stopping.

“Where’s that paper?”

“The book! The delivery book from yesterday! Who moved it?”

“Today is payment day, remember?”

“Ugh, I’m going mad! The numbers are wrong! Who messed up?”

It was like a war zone.

‘Are those all ledgers?’

He couldn’t even fathom how many goods were being traded that required so many people to be involved in writing ledgers. Even the largest merchant guilds in the Central Plains wouldn’t use this many people for ledger work.

And this many people wouldn’t be working so frantically either.

“This way. Please line up here.”

Passing through that area and further inside, they saw people waiting in line, at the end of which was a large desk.

“Oh⋯⋯.”

A large screen painted with the Ten Symbols of Longevity was unfolded behind the desk, and a man sitting between the desk and the screen was greeting guests with a gentle smile.

“⋯⋯It feels quite grand.”

“Doesn’t it?”

The pure white scholar’s robes and the large hat he wore. If there was a flaw, it was that his eyes seemed a bit narrow, but thanks to the gentle smile on his lips, even that gave off a warm feeling.

And even the feather fan in his hand⋯⋯.

“He looks like a wise advisor from old stories.”

“Y-yes, exactly! That’s the feeling.”

Looking at everyone working here, it felt like a place from history books.

“But… didn’t they say the Island Lord of Plum Blossom Island was a bandit?”

Huh?

“So, are all these people bandits too?”

Huh?

Ma Cheol blinked and looked around again.

*Wait a minute…*

Something was off.

They wore clean white robes like scholars and wrote in books seriously. But if you looked at their faces, they looked more like tough guys from the streets, not scholars.

*No… Did they all get those scars in fights?*

You could see scars on their wrists under their sleeves, on their necks above their collars, and even big knife scars on their faces. It made you shiver to look at them.

*What is this place?*

Why are these tough guys writing books? Why aren’t they causing trouble in the streets?

“This way.”

As he was distractedly looking around in confusion, their turn quickly arrived.

“Yes!”

As they went forward as guided, the Island Lord in Zhuge Liang-like attire greeted them with a bright smile.

“Welcome. I heard you are from the Dabok Merchant Guild.”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. This is our first time here, so we’re trying to reserve a merchant ship⋯⋯.”

“You’ve come to the right place. I am Im So-byeong, the Island Lord of Plum Blossom Island.”

“Ah⋯⋯. Yes! I am Ma Cheol, the manager of the Dabok Merchant Guild.”

“Since this is your first visit, I have personally welcomed you. I truly welcome you to Plum Blossom Island. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could have a good relationship with each other? I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Ah, yes! Rather, we should be the ones asking for your favor! We look forward to working with you.”

“Haha. You’re too kind.”

Im So-byeong smiled as brightly as could be.

From that clear smile, without a hint of darkness, it was impossible to find any sinister or dangerous aspects.

‘Could it be a misunderstanding?’

This person buried someone alive?

How could a scholar who couldn’t even catch a rabbit commit such a heinous act?

‘Surely there’s some misunderstanding⋯⋯.’

That’s when it happened.

A person hurriedly ran into the building and whispered something into Im So-byeong’s ear. Im So-byeong, who had been listening to the words with a smiling face, raised the corners of his lips even further.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, Island Lord.”

“If they did something wrong, they must pay. Beat them until evening. When night comes, throw them in the river for the fish to eat.”

“But he’s a good swimmer, won’t he get away?”

“Tsk, tsk. Do I have to explain everything?”

Suddenly, Im So-byeong’s smile disappeared, and his face became cold.

“Cut the strong cords in his arms and legs. Tie his hands and feet with heavy chains. Just to be sure, break his core. And put heavy stones on his feet so he sinks. Oh, and sprinkle salt on the cuts. He did something very bad, he shouldn’t have an easy time dying.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do it neatly. Very neatly.”

“Yes, Island Lord!”

“Anyway, since they’re born as thieves, they’ll cause trouble if you don’t pay attention even a little. Make sure they know what happens if they touch things carelessly. Have everyone watch closely.”

“I will do so.”

Im So-byeong waved his hand to dismiss the man, clicked his tongue, and then looked at Ma Cheol with a bright smile again.

“Oh my, excuse me. Where were we in our conversation?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Manager?”

“Please… don’t hurt us.”

“What did you say?”

Ma Cheol knew then. They had come to a very dangerous place.