Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 863

Hwang Jongi breathed out, the air thin and cold high on the mountain.

“Guild Leader, please! You don’t have to do that,” one of the workers said, his voice full of worry. “We can carry them.”

Hwang Jongi smiled gently. “Nonsense. This path is so steep, we should all help each other as much as we can.”

“Wait, aren’t *we* supposed to be doing the work?” another worker joked, but his eyes still showed concern.

Hwang Jongi chuckled. “Haha, my friend. Do you think I’m just someone who sits around doing nothing?”

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” the worker quickly replied, embarrassed.

“It’s alright,” Hwang Jongi reassured him. “I feel better helping, so just let me carry it.”

“…If that’s what you wish,” the worker mumbled, still looking a little uneasy.

Hwang Jongi just nodded and continued walking up the steep path, his pack firmly on his back. He didn’t plan on putting it down.

‘It’s steep.’

He had climbed it several times already, but this mountain always made him gasp. The towering peaks and rugged cliffs seemed to block anyone from climbing it.

The first time he climbed this mountain, curses just came out of his mouth. But after climbing it a few times, even though it was just as hard, he felt happy.

Because there were people he liked at the top.

But now, Hwang Jongi’s heart was heavier than it had been on his first climb.

‘Hwasan…’

He looked silently at the peak hidden in the clouds.

Today, it felt very far away.

“Kkeung.”

“We’ve arrived.”

The workers who reached the top wiped the sweat from their faces, breathing hard.

Even though they had climbed it many times, this mountain never felt easy, no matter how often they came.

“Alright, alright. Let’s finish and then rest.”

“Yes.”

The workers took the packs off their backs and carefully put them in front of the mountain gate.

Hwang Jongi watched them silently as they moved the luggage.

Just because they were staying away from the world didn’t mean they didn’t need food. In fact, closing the gates meant they needed *more* food. If they hadn’t closed the gates, they could have found food in the mountains, but if they couldn’t leave, they had to depend on others for food.

That’s why the Eunha Merchant Guild brought food to Hwasan’s disciples once a month.

“Hoo.”

Hwang Jongi also put down the bundle he was carrying.

“You’ve worked hard, Guild Leader.”

“You really didn’t have to do this, thank you so much.”

Compared to all the luggage, the bundle he carried wasn’t much. But the workers were touched that the guild leader of the famous Eunha Merchant Guild had carried luggage with them up the mountain.

Hwang Jongi, after putting down his luggage, stood silently in front of Hwasan’s mountain gate.

The gate, which had always been open to welcome people, was now closed tight, as if it had never been open.

Dust had gathered on the signboard, which was always clean.

After looking at it for a while, Hwang Jongi rubbed the mountain gate lightly. The white dust came off on his fingers.

“Steward Yu.”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

“Has anyone who carried the luggage ever seen the disciples of Hwasan?”

“No. As far as I know, no one has ever seen them.”

“…I see.”

A sad smile appeared on Hwang Jongi’s face.

– It’s not like we closed the gates because we did something wrong. We closed them because it was annoying to have so many visitors. But we can still leave if we want, right?

“…You said it like that.”

It was just cruel.

“Do you usually leave the luggage here?”

“Yes. Since not many people climb the mountain, we leave the luggage in front of the gate so they can easily take it in.”

“I see.”

“If they need anything, they hang a letter on the gate when someone comes. Then, we bring the items on the next visit.”

Hwang Jongi nodded.

He knew all the details.

‘A lot of medicine and wooden swords went in.’

Both were worrying.

The fact that they needed a lot of medicine meant many people were getting hurt. Ordering wooden swords meant they didn’t even want to spend time making them from the trees on the mountain.

Just by those two items going into Hwasan in large amounts, he could guess what was happening inside.

“Hoo.”

Hwang Jongi took a step back and looked at Hwasan’s mountain gate and the wall beside it.

Staying away from the world was strange.

It was impossible to cut off the world with this small wall. If someone really wanted to, they could cross it and meet those inside.

But he couldn’t do that.

What made it truly closed off was respecting the sect’s decision to stay away. Crossing that wall meant ignoring Hwasan’s wishes.

That’s why even Hwang Jongi of the Eunha Merchant Guild couldn’t cross that wall.

“Perhaps…”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

“Do you have a cloth to wipe with?”

“A cloth? Well… I didn’t bring anything like that. There’s a cloth I use when carrying the luggage, though.”

“Bring it here.”

“Yes.”

Everyone looked curious, but no one questioned Hwang Jongi. He was too important to ask why he was doing things.

“Here it is, Guild Leader.”

One of the workers quickly brought the cloth and gave it to Hwang Jongi, who nodded.

“Thank you.”

Then, he carefully folded the cloth and began to wipe the gate of Hwasan. The gate, covered in white dust, slowly showed its original color.

“G, Guild Leader. We’ll do it. Give it to us.”

“No.”

Hwang Jongi shook his head.

“This is something I have to do, so don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, Guild Leader. Such a great person doing this kind of work…”

“I’m not a great person.”

Hwang Jongi said with a gentle smile.

“And no one would ask someone else to clean their friend’s house. I’m just doing it to feel better, so please let me.”

“…Yes. Guild Leader.”

Only then did the workers step back.

Hwang Jongi, after cleaning Hwasan’s gate, brought the luggage and climbed on top of it, then wiped the signboard clean as well. Soon, sweat was dripping from his face.

After a while, Hwang Jongi came down from the luggage, wiped his face, and looked up at the now clean signboard.

The chief manager, who had followed him up, caught his breath and looked at Hwang Jongi’s back with a sad look.

“Young Guild Leader… No, Guild Leader.”

“Hmm?”

The title of Guild Leader still felt new. How many years had he called Hwang Jongi by the name of Young Guild Leader?

After Hwang Mun-yak passed away, Hwang Jongi, who had taken over the Eunha Merchant Guild, managed the guild very well. He was impressed by how well he did.

But sometimes, Hwang Jongi’s back looked too lonely.

‘I guess so.’

He had lost his father, who he depended on, and those he trusted had closed their doors and stayed away from the world, so how could he not be lonely?

“Should we try calling out to them?”

“Stop it.”

He said it out of pity, but Hwang Jongi shook his head.

“But Guild Leader. This isn’t just a personal matter.”

“That’s why it’s even more impossible.”

“Yes?”

Hwang Jongi sighed softly.

In fact, the Eunha Merchant Guild wasn’t doing very well right now. Thanks to Hwang Jongi’s good management, there were no big problems on the surface, but the business that had been growing quickly until Hwang Mun-yak’s death had recently slowed down.

No, even if Hwang Mun-yak were alive, it would be the same. It was a difficult time for everyone.

“Is there still no contact from the Youryeongmun?”

“Yes. They said teaching their disciples was most important…”

The biggest problem was the Eunha Escort Service. Even though the Jiangnan Inviolability Treaty only applied to the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, who would be brave enough to travel around Jiangnan, which was controlled by the Four Evil Sects, with expensive goods?

Especially since they were the Youryeongmun, who were friends of Hwasan, they had to be careful. In the end, the Eunha Escort Service only transported goods to other places except for Jiangnan, but recently, the Youryeongmun hadn’t been helping much.

The number of escorts they sent was getting smaller, so they didn’t have enough people and couldn’t take requests.

“I think it’s too much.”

“…There’s no need to think it’s too much. To them, we’re just merchants. It was just a business relationship from the start, right?”

“But…”

“If it weren’t for Hwasan, we wouldn’t have been able to hire them as escorts. They’re finding their place, so don’t be upset with them.”

“…Yes.”

Hwang Jongi spoke again.

“Is there still no news from Bukhae?”

“Yes. They said they would contact us when they were ready… It’s been a year since they last sent goods to Hwasan.”

“Hmm.”

“Why don’t you try sending someone…?”

“Leave it be. They still don’t like people from the Central Plains. We could make things worse if we rush them.”

“…But the escort service that went to Yunnan to get tea also had problems with the people there and couldn’t get the tea. All three of the guild’s biggest sources of money are blocked. Guild Leader. We’re using the money we’ve saved up now, but…”

“I know.”

Hwang Jongi sighed.

There was a time when he thought Hwasan had helped the Eunha Merchant Guild grow. He was good at what he did but didn’t have any luck, but he had met a good friend who helped him.

But now that things were like this, he realized that what he thought was his skill was just because of Hwasan.

‘Father’s words were right.’

He knew why Hwang Mun-yak respected and was so careful with Hwasan. Hwang Mun-yak had seen things that his son couldn’t see.

After seeing all of this, he thought about Hwasan even more.

Was it because he knew how much Hwasan helped him?

No.

The fact that he didn’t really know how much Hwasan had done for him showed Hwang Jongi how kindly Hwasan had treated the Eunha Merchant Guild.

Even though they made so much money, they never looked down on people. They treated them as friends, with kindness and smiles.

“People only know how much something is worth when they lose it.”

“…Guild Leader.”

Hwang Jongi, who had been looking silently at Hwasan’s mountain gate, shook his head.

“Let’s go back. The Taoist said he would open the door in three years, so he’ll be out soon. If we don’t want to be told we’re working too hard, do we have time to rest?”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s go. We have to do as much as we can.”

Even as he said that, Hwang Jongi kept looking back.

‘Taoist.’

He missed him a lot.

He missed Chung Myung, who would suddenly come in, kick open the door, and ask for alcohol.

At that time, he thought it was rude… but now he knew. He did that because he saw them as friends with nothing to hide.

‘It wasn’t rude, it was just open.’

Now he understood the smile that Hwang Mun-yak had when Chung Myung came to visit. Only after going through all of this did he understand.

“Hey, Chief Manager.”

“Yes. Guild Leader.”

“Get me a few more bottles of alcohol. Good ones.”

“Yes? You’ve already prepared more than ten bottles to give to the Taoist when Hwasan opens the gates, haven’t you? They’re all rare liquors…”

“That’s the alcohol for the Taoist to drink.”

“…Then this time…?”

Before answering, Hwang Jongi looked back at the mountain gate, which was now further away.

“It’s the alcohol for me to drink in front of it.”

“…”

“Please.”

“I will, Guild Leader.”

Hwang Jongi nodded slowly.

‘Taoist.’

The empty space was huge, but Hwang Jongi didn’t want to rush Chung Myung.

Hwang Jongi knew that Chung Myung had filled their needs in the past. And now, it was their turn to fill Chung Myung’s empty space.

‘Please come out successful. I’ll get as much congratulatory alcohol as you want.’

Hwang Jongi, who had been staring at the closed mountain gate for a long time, finally turned and began to walk down the mountain.