So even a day like this really comes after all. (4)
“…Kill me.”
“You cannot die just yet, Guild Master.”
“Just kill me……”
“I keep telling you, you cannot die right now.”
Clear tears streamed down Hwang Jong-ui’s cheeks.
“Why…. Why in the world are they doing this to me?”
“There is no use asking me that.”
“Ugh.”
With a dark shadow hanging all the way down to his chin, Hwang Jong-ui stared listlessly outside. He could see the members of the Eunha Merchant Guild racing frantically back and forth.
“The bedding! Has all the bedding been prepared?”
“We have the correct quantity. But some of the items do not match.”
“What? What nonsense are you talking about! I clearly told you to make sure they were all the same! If we prepare different things and people start accusing us of discrimination, the entire alliance meeting will be ruined!”
“What are we supposed to do when the goods simply are not available?”
“Then replace them with something we can secure enough of, even if it means lowering the quality! It is a hundred times better to be accused of inadequate preparations than of treating the sects differently!”
“Y-Yes, Sir!”
“Then get moving! What are you standing around for!”
Hwang Jong-ui, who had been listening blankly to the voices coming from outside the window, wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
“Chief Administrator.”
“Yes?”
“As you know, haven’t I worked very hard all this time?”
“That cannot be denied. You worked yourself ragged until your face was half its former size.”
It was the Eunha Merchant Guild that had taken responsibility for supplying that vast number of people amid the war and found ways for countless refugees to make a living. By the time the war ended, Hwang Jong-ui’s weight had fallen by thirty percent, while the ample reserves the Eunha Merchant Guild had built up had dwindled to a quarter of what they once were.
Of course, he had no regrets. He had only done what naturally had to be done. But…
“Then…. Then they could at least let me rest a little now! Why start up some alliance meeting or whatever the moment we return!”
“That is simply how life…”
“Fine, the alliance meeting is all well and good! But why does our merchant guild have to handle all the preparations for an alliance meeting Hwasan is organizing! Does that make any sense? Does it? Does it?”
The Chief Administrator stared at Hwang Jong-ui with a sullen look.
“No, what I am asking is, why are you complaining to me about it?”
“…”
“If you have that many grievances, why not climb the mountain yourself? If climbing is truly too difficult, shall I prepare a palanquin for you?”
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat loudly, Hwang Jong-ui glared at the Chief Administrator with an awkward expression.
“Chief Administrator, you… seem to have grown somewhat more aggressive lately. Or should I say… more cynical? In any case, you seem to have changed a little.”
“If even you can change, Guild Master, why should I not be allowed to?”
“W-Well, that is true.”
“At least when you work hard, Guild Master, your fortune grows and your reputation rises. I work myself half to death, yet my salary remains exactly the same, does it not? Tsk. If I have to work while listening to this sort of whining, I might as well quit…”
“I-I will raise your salary, so please do not do that.”
If even the Chief Administrator quit now, Hwang Jong-ui truly would be reduced to skin and bones.
“Then stop complaining and get back to work. It will all be over in a few days anyway.”
“Ugh.”
“Guild Master.”
At that moment, the Chief Administrator’s expression stiffened slightly as he spoke in a serious voice.
“Do not forget what the previous Guild Master said. People readily forget gratitude and take what they have for granted. They are especially prone to undervaluing what someone else provides for them.”
Hwang Jong-ui swallowed dryly and muttered.
“So I shouldn’t take the position I stand in today for granted and should always be grateful. Is that what you mean?”
“Yes, precisely.”
Hwang Jong-ui slowly nodded.
“That is right. That is how it should be.”
Everything they had now was ultimately something Hwasan had achieved. No matter how much the Eunha Merchant Guild had contributed its share, had Hwasan not stood at the forefront, shedding blood and fighting, the Eunha Merchant Guild of today would not exist.
Hwang Jong-ui’s father, Hwang Mun-yak, had been wary that the Eunha Merchant Guild might one day come to take all of this for granted. At this moment, the Chief Administrator was subtly prodding Hwang Jong-ui’s attitude by invoking those old words of Hwang Mun-yak.
“How shameful. I have shown you an unbecoming side of myself.”
“Complaining is not necessarily a bad thing. People even curse the Emperor behind his back, after all. But it would be a problem if those complaints turned into genuine discontent, would it not?”
“Indeed.”
Hwang Jong-ui straightened his posture.
He was the head of the Eunha Merchant Guild. Naturally, those beneath him watched and learned from the attitude he displayed towards Hwasan. The thought that the guild members who would carry supplies up to Hwasan and speak with its disciples were watching him behave this way struck him awake and sent a chill down his spine.
“I need to get hold of myself first.”
This was why his late father had been so remarkable. Had he not foreseen what path Hwang Jong-ui would walk and what mistakes he would make, and warned him against them in advance?
‘If I am to follow in my late father’s footsteps, I must work harder.’
As Hwang Jong-ui steeled himself and composed his thoughts, a pained groan suddenly escaped him.
“Chief Administrator.”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
“I certainly understand what you are saying… but a thought has occurred to me.”
“What sort of thought?”
Hwang Jong-ui answered, his expression growing slightly stiff.
“I have my late father’s words, so I can keep myself from taking all of this for granted. But… will the Sect Leaders coming here truly think the same way I do?”
The Chief Administrator immediately shook his head.
“There is no chance of that.”
“Indeed, there is not.”
Hwang Jong-ui turned his gaze towards the soaring peaks of Hwasan. After silently staring at the peaks obscured by the high clouds, he soon let out a heavy groan.
“Do your utmost with the preparations.”
“I will.”
Hwang Jong-ui gazed at the Chief Administrator as he withdrew politely, then let out a deep sigh.
‘Somehow… it doesn’t seem like this is going to be an event that ends quietly.’
❀ ❀ ❀
“Uh…”
Jo Geol tilted his head as he watched the long procession of porters climbing the mountain with heavy loads on their backs.
“Sahyeong.”
“Hmm?”
“Didn’t they say they had invited only the Sect Leaders of each sect?”
“They limited the number of attendants, so that is more or less the case, isn’t it?”
Jo Geol frowned at Yoon Jong’s answer.
“Then why is there so much to prepare? Even if they each bring one person, there will only be five or six hundred at most.”
“…Do you think five hundred is some trifling number?”
“No, I know five hundred is a lot. But… it is not enough to require this many supplies.”
“Is that so?”
Yoon Jong tilted his head slightly. Now that he heard it, Jo Geol seemed to have a point.
“What in the world are you two talking about?”
Tang Soso, however, stared at the two of them with an incredulous expression.
“These are not ordinary people coming here. They are the representatives of their respective sects!”
“Does that make a difference?”
“Oh, you two are unbelievably dense!”
Tang Soso clutched her head. Even in her frustration, however, she kindly explained it to them.
“Now, listen. Suppose we went to Shaolin, and they gave us some weeds for breakfast, barley rice for lunch, then put us in some cramped little room and fed us more weeds for dinner. How would you feel?”
“Should we go hunting instead?”
“The greens Shaolin served were fairly edible, though. Maybe it was because their cooks were skilled?”
Tang Soso snorted.
“Oh, really? Then what if the Sect Leader were treated that way?”
“Good grief. Sect Leadeeeer! Have those bald bastards lost their minds? You’ve already been looking so much older lately, and now they’re feeding you weeds three times a day!”
“I’m setting fire to the Scripture Repository today. Don’t try to stop me.”
“You see?”
Tang Soso nodded as she watched her Sahyeongs get far too immersed in the scenario.
“No matter how much Taoists value frugality as a virtue, we cannot treat the Sect Leaders carelessly. We have to pay close attention to every single thing – the bedding, the furniture, the food.”
“…..I suppose you’re right.”
Once they put themselves in the other position, it made perfect sense.
“Besides, this is not something that ends with simply treating them reasonably well.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Tang Soso spoke with a grave expression.
“Think about it. Where do you suppose the Sect Leaders coming here used to gather in the past?”
“Well…”
There was no need to think about it.
“Shaolin, I suppose?”
“That’s right. Shaolin never formally proposed an alliance meeting like this one, but from time to time, they still summoned the Sect Leaders together just as we are doing now. My father was called there several times as well.”
“But what does that have to do with anything?”
“Ah, this is so frustrating. I’m saying that the Sect Leaders who experienced Shaolin back then will compare every little thing. With every cup of tea, every dish, every bed we provide, they’ll say, ‘Shaolin did this,’ and ‘Shaolin did that.’ So what do you think will happen if our preparations fall short of Shaolin’s?”
“…They’ll say Hwasan still has a long way to go?”
“Yes. That’s exactly it, exactly!”
“Ugh. We can’t let that happen.”
“Then stop standing around wasting time and go help with something. They’ll need every pair of hands they can get.”
“All right. Let’s go, Geol.”
“Yes, Sahyeong.”
Jo Geol and Yoon Jong hurried over and took the porters’ loads from them. Watching them, Tang Soso let out a sigh and turned her head.
“…..Though the real problem is something else entirely.”
Her gaze fell upon Chung Myung, who was surrounded by the Grand Elders.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Do not cause any trouble.”
“I told you, I understand.”
“I have said this time and again, but you absolutely must not cause trouble. Mind your words and behavior, and do not go grabbing someone and beating them just because something rubs you the wrong way.”
“Ah, seriously, my ears are going to grow calluses at this rate!”
“I am saying it because I cannot rest easy! Because I cannot!”
“Then you should not have invited me at all!”
“And who was it who said he would grab someone and beat them up if we did not invite him!”
“Ahhh. I understand, I understand!”
“Baek Cheon. You say something to him as well.”
“Do not worry, Retired Sect Leader. I will remain right by his side throughout the entire alliance meeting.”
“…I do not know why that makes me even more uneasy.”
Hyun Jong squeezed his eyes shut.
It had to be done. It was undoubtedly something that had to be done.
Now that the war was over, they had to discuss a new order. The longer they delayed, the more people would suffer needless harm amid the unrest that refused to subside.
So this was undoubtedly the right thing to do, but…
“I always wondered why the eyes of cattle being dragged to the slaughterhouse looked so sorrowful.”
“At least they are being dragged there. Are we not walking in on our own two feet?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Enough, both of you. And you, you’ve grown old and become nothing but a bundle of needless worry, grumbling all day long.”
Hyun Yeong sharply rebuked the two of them.
“Chung Myung will surely handle everything just fine. Have you ever seen anything he set out to do actually go wrong?”
Hyun Jong’s vision blurred with tears.
“….Why are you the only one who has not seen it? Why only you?”
“Why are you crying? Have you no dignity!”
Hyun Jong wiped the corners of his eyes. They said the one trying to stop a quarrel was often more infuriating than the one who started it, and at this point, he almost hated that man more.
“You fool! We told all those busy Sect Leaders to drop everything and rush to Shaanxi at once! How could they possibly have anything pleasant to say about that!”
“Ah, come now. I am telling you, you are worrying for nothing.”
“In any case, make absolutely certain that you do not cause any trouble this time….”
“They are coming.”
“W-Where? Where?”
Hyun Jong craned his neck towards the mountain gate. His eyes widened, and he swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“Hmm.”
A group of people appeared beyond Hwasan’s front gate. Hyun Jong’s shoulders shrank ever so slightly.
Perhaps because they were the leaders of their respective sects, they carried a considerable air of authority despite making no particular effort to announce their presence.
A bead of sweat ran down Hyun Jong’s forehead.
The group passed through the gate without hesitation, then immediately came to a halt. With solemn expressions, they slowly surveyed the scenery of Hwasan.
The man at their head spoke in a weighty voice.
“Then, where is the person who invited us?”
Just as Hyun Jong was about to step forward without even thinking, Hyun Yeong suddenly seized his shoulder.
“Uh, why?”
“Stay where you are. Do not make a spectacle of yourself.”
“Huh?”
Meanwhile, Un Am slowly walked forward to stand before them.
“Welcome. I am Un Am, the Sect Leader of Hwasan. First, allow me to express my deepest gratitude for making the long journey here.”
The Sect Leaders’ eyes flashed sharply as they looked at Un Am standing before them. It was as though they meant to judge whether Un Am was even worthy of dealing with them.
Just as Hyun Jong, unable to contain his unease, was about to step forward again.
“Oh my, Sect Leader!”
“Huh?”
The dozen or so Sect Leaders who had been previously scrutinizing him suddenly hurried forward, surrounding Un Am as they competed to greet him.
“It is an unparalleled honor to meet the renowned Sect Leader of Hwasan in person.”
“To think you would personally come out to welcome us… This humble one is truly moved!”
“What ‘long journey’? Of course we had to come! We are simply overwhelmed with gratitude that you invited us!”
At that incomprehensible sight, Hyun Jong’s eyes widened before he even realized it.
Huh? Why are they… reacting so favorably?
A different kind of bewilderment, distinct from anything he had felt before, swept over Hyun Jong.
Special Spinoff Chapter 48 >>>
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