Welcome back, Hwasan Geomhyeop. (4)
It had been a long time since so many people gathered in the residence of the Sect Leader of Hwasan. Not only were the people from Hwasan present, but Tang Gunak and Im Sobyeong, who had arrived yesterday, were also seated opposite the Sect Leader.
“First of all…”
Hyun Jong cleared his throat softly and continued speaking.
“I must offer my sincere apologies to both of you for the troubles you must have faced while Hwasan was absent. And as the Alliance Leader of Cheonumaeng, I also feel I must apologize for not fulfilling my role properly.”
“There is no need for such words, Alliance Leader.”
Tang Gunak shook his head.
“Who doesn’t know that just because Hwasan was absent doesn’t mean you were living comfortably? It’s just that we each had different roles to play.”
“Lord Tang…”
In the midst of the warm exchange of pleasantries, a slightly sarcastic voice interrupted.
“Well, it was a bit tough, of course.”
“…”
Im Sobyeong was looking at Hyun Jong with a flawlessly bright smile.
“As for us, we were trembling in fear of Sapaeryeon across the river, never knowing when they’d come. We had to keep an eye on the pesky Gupailbang who would occasionally show up around the Yangtze River and glare at us for no reason. And then there were those merchants who kept whining about how the tolls were too high, so we had to cater to their whims. And after painstakingly collecting what little money we could, we’d give it away to the common folk… It was a hard life, you know!”
“…”
“Of course, Hwasan must have had it tough too, just training in the outskirts. Yes! Who’s to say what was harder? Hahaha.”
“Hey! What’s with this guy!”
As Chung Myung tried to leap up with a glare, Baek Cheon firmly pressed down on his shoulder.
“Calm down, Chung Myung. If you start like this now, we won’t get anything done today.”
At that, Chung Myung groaned and snapped his head towards Hyun Yeong, asking.
“The ledger, is there nothing wrong with the ledger? Maybe there’s something missing? Something stashed away? There could be, right? There should be, shouldn’t there?”
His question momentarily caused confusion, making it unclear whether it would be better for there to be embezzlement or not.
Unfortunately for Chung Myung, Hyun Yeong’s answer wasn’t what he wanted.
“It’s clean.”
“Clean?”
“Yes, clean.”
Hyun Yeong nodded firmly to emphasize.
“Not a single coin is out of place.”
“Really?”
“I have checked everything. I’ve never seen such a perfect ledger in all my life.”
When Hyun Yeong looked back with an impressed expression, Im Sobyeong snapped open his fan with a triumphant smile on his face.
“Haha! I’m glad I could satisfy the Elder.”
But then.
“I knew it! You damned bandit!”
Chung Myung suddenly lunged at Im Sobyeong and grabbed him by the collar.
“Ack!”
Suddenly grabbed by the collar, Im Sobyeong’s eyes widened as if he had been struck by lightning.
“H-Hey! Have you gone deaf in the past few years? They said it’s clean and perfect! Perfect! Don’t you know what perfect means?”
“Yeah, I know what perfect means! That’s exactly why I’m doing this!”
“What?”
Im Sobyeong looked at him with a face that asked, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ Chung Myung, enraged, shouted back.
“A bandit wrote the ledger, and there isn’t a single mistake in it? Does that make any sense? Are you taking me for a fool?”
“…”
Im Sobyeong’s mouth gaped open.
“Spit it out, you bastard! How much did you pocket? No doubt you scraped it all together and stashed it away somewhere nice! Spit it out! Are you gonna cough it up or not?”
Chung Myung shook Im Sobyeong’s head back and forth. Im Sobyeong’s neatly combed hair was quickly tossed around and turned into a mess.
“Ch-Chung Myung, that man is-”
“I know! I know this guy’s a thief! Don’t worry, Sect Leader! I’ll shake out every last coin he’s hidden in his underwear!”
“N-No, he’s Nokrim King…”
“You still won’t confess, huh? Do you want to die, you bastard?”
Tears welled up in Im Sobyeong’s eyes.
They had spent countless nights making sure there were no mistakes, fearing people would suspect a bandit couldn’t be trusted to handle business honestly. But now, what had all that effort been for?
“Grab him!”
“Yes!”
As soon as Hyun Jong gave the order, the Five Swords, who had been waiting, rushed in and pulled Chung Myung away from Im Sobyeong. Even as he was being dragged away, Chung Myung kicked the air furiously.
“No! Let me go! I’m telling you, everyone’s being fooled right now!”
“They said the ledger is accurate!”
“This damned thief, how dare you mess with the Sect Leader!”
“…”
Ah, so that’s what this was about.
If only he’d said that from the beginning.
Baek Cheon, who had nearly let go of Chung Myung’s hand, caught himself at the last moment and regained his composure. Then, he grabbed Chung Myung firmly again and dragged him back.
“…We apologize, Nokrim King.”
“…”
“Are you alright?”
“…I’m fine.”
His eyes looked a bit damp, but neither Hyun Jong nor Tang Gunak bothered to point that out.
“In any case…”
Swoosh.
Im Sobyeong snapped open his fan. Normally a symbol of his confidence, the fan now seemed to be serving as a shield to cover his face, which was a bit of a pity.
“As you can see from the ledger, Maehwado [Plum Blossom Island] is generating substantial profits. With merchants recognizing that Maehwado guarantees safety, they all want to cross the Yangtze River through it, to the point where there aren’t enough boats available.”
“Oh, I see! These bastards must be skimming off money to buy more boats-! Mmph! Mmph!”
“…”
Im Sobyeong looked at Chung Myung with an expression of utter futility. At that moment, Hyun Jong spoke up.
“Nokrim King.”
“Yes, Sect Leader…”
“Let’s just ignore him.”
“…Understood.”
After clearing his throat, Im Sobyeong continued.
“As Hwasan Geomhyeop suggested, increasing the number of boats could solve the problem, but since our profits ultimately depend on controlling access to the Yangtze River, the situation at Maehwado could change dramatically at any moment, depending on what happens on the river.”
“Hmm. You make a valid point. I hadn’t expected that Surochae would still be blocking the Yangtze River like this.”
“Yes, Sect Leader. So, if we recklessly increase the number of boats, we could suffer losses. For now, it seems wiser to maintain the current situation.”
“You’ve truly worked hard.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
Im Sobyeong smiled slightly.
“As a proud member of Cheonumaeng, Nokrim must fulfill its role, don’t you think? Hahaha!”
“But where does this scoundrel think he can stick his spoon in again?! I’ll be dead and buried before I see that happen-! Mmph! Mmmmph!”
This time, even Tang Gunak stepped in to clamp Chung Myung’s mouth shut.
“Be quiet, just be quiet!”
“Keep your mouth shut.”
“If you say one more word, I’ll stick a needle in your forehead, Sahyeong!”
Hyun Jong, holding his face in his hands, once again apologized to Im Sobyeong.
“…I’m sorry.”
“They say a bandit’s life is worth less than a dog’s.”
“Isn’t it a slave’s?”
“…Whether a slave or a bandit.”
There is a difference. Quite a big one, actually.
But Hyun Jong tried to console Im Sobyeong, who seemed to be groaning under the metaphorical shackles of his social status.
If, as Im Sobyeong claimed, Nokrim had truly lived honestly over the past three years, the public’s perception of them might have changed significantly. Even if that perception hadn’t changed much, most would agree that Hwasan could keep Nokrim in check.
Thus, as Im Sobyeong suggested, it might be necessary to solidify Nokrim’s position, which is informally allied with Cheonumaeng, before any serious issues arise with Sapaeryeon.
‘Before things escalate with Sapaeryeon.’
Hyun Jong nodded quietly and turned his gaze to Tang Gunak.
“You must have faced many hardships as well, Lord Tang.”
“There wasn’t much hardship to speak of.”
Tang Gunak shook his head.
“There haven’t been any major issues among the disturbances on the Yangtze River. If there was a problem, it would be that the Tang clan, with its already limited manpower, had to manage such a vast area.”
Chung Myung grumbled as he pried Baek Cheon’s hand away from his mouth.
“Then you should have put those lazy bandits to work, right?”
“…It wasn’t that simple in reality. Who would welcome bandits coming down to catch the followers of the Evil Sects?”
“Anyway, I’m telling you, those bandits are useless.”
While Im Sobyeong was pondering the reason he had traveled all the way from the Yangtze to this far-off place, Tang Gunak continued speaking.
“But thanks to their efforts, the public sentiment in the Yangtze region has clearly shifted in favor of Cheonumaeng.”
Hyun Jong nodded deeply. He, too, knew how powerful public sentiment could be. Before Chung Myung has appeared, Hwasan was able to endure its dire circumstances until the end because there were at least a few who held Hwasan in high regard.
“However, we have now reached our limit, Alliance Leader.”
“Hmm.”
“We can manage while Sapaeryeon remains quiet, but when Sapaeryeon begins to act aggressively, the problem will undoubtedly escalate. We need support from Cheonumaeng.”
Though it was called Cheonumaeng, in reality, the only members in Central Plains were Hwasan and the Tang clan. This was essentially Tang Gunak officially requesting support from Hwasan.
“Indeed… If the Tang clan has been stationed at the Yangtze River for the past three years, the main clan in Sichuan must be in quite a state.”
“Regrettably, that is true.”
“I understand, Lord Tang. We at Hwasan will provide support as soon as possible-”
“Why bother?”
“Hm?”
All eyes turned to Chung Myung.
Baek Cheon, who was holding onto Chung Myung, subtly released his grip. By now, he could somewhat distinguish between when this guy was spouting nonsense and when he was saying something serious.
“Why don’t we just leave them be and pull out?”
Baek Cheon’s hand cautiously returned to Chung Myung’s shoulder.
Should I restrain him?
“…Did you say to pull out?”
“Yes.”
“From the Yangtze River?”
“Yes.”
Tang Gunak frowned as he looked at Chung Myung, who spoke nonchalantly.
“I know you’re not someone who speaks without thinking, but I just can’t understand what you mean by that.”
Baek Cheon widened his eyes in shock.
Excuse me, Lord…? You must be mistaken about something. You won’t find anyone in all of the Central Plains who speaks more thoughtlessly than this guy.
“For the past few years, the Tang clan has protected the common people, not only because it was our natural duty but also to foster a favorable opinion towards Cheonumaeng. But if we were to pull out now, wouldn’t all that effort be for nothing?”
“What, after all we’ve done, if they criticize us for taking a break, does that even make them human? They’re beasts!”
“…”
“When people help you, you should at least be grateful! It’s not like we saved someone from drowning only for them to demand our bags as well!”
“Well… that’s not wrong, but you know the world doesn’t work in such straightforward terms.”
“I’m just speaking the truth. Why should we protect that place? Originally, it was Wudang’s and Namgung’s responsibility to guard it.”
“Haven’t they closed their gates…?”
“What, is closing their gates some kind of privilege? Does that mean they don’t have to do anything if they close their gates?”
“…Hwasan is not really in a position to say that.”
Baek Cheon quickly nodded.
Right. That’s really not something we should be saying, is it? Right?
However, Chung Myung sneered sharply.
“Then go ahead and keep doing it.”
“Huh?”
“You’re asking Hwasan for support, right?”
“That’s… right?”
Anxiety crept over Tang Gunak’s face.
And indeed… Chung Myung was still Chung Myung.
“Even if a sword was at my throat, I wouldn’t go to the Yangtze River to fight in place of those Wudang bastards! So, the Tang clan should either pull out too or keep doing what you’re doing there!”
“…”
“Why are we doing what those damn Gupailbang bastards were supposed to be doing in the first place?”
“Still, Gulailbang and Cheonumaeng, while not official, are kind of an allies-”
“Al-li-eeeeeees?”
Chung Myung’s eyes rolled back in fury.
Seeing his eyes blazing like that, Tang Gunak involuntarily closed his own eyes tightly.
“I’d rather join up with the Evil Sects than ally with those Gupailbang bastards! Shaolin, Wudang, they can all go screw themselves!”
“Haha. Then, since we’re on the topic, how about an alliance with Nokrim-”
“Why don’t you just cough up the money you pocketed!”
“No! I didn’t pocket anything!”
Chung Myung raging, Im Sobyeong protesting, and Tang Gunak in deep contemplation – all of them created a scene of chaotic hell.
Amid this pandemonium, Hyun Jong smiled contentedly.
‘Yes, this is how it felt.’
Ah… I just want to go back to the remote mountains.
Please…
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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