Return of the Mount Hua Sect
Chapter 862: Even If I Don't Know Where You Are, I Know Where You Belong (2)

“Ohh.”

“Oh my, merchant lord. Don’t be like this; we will carry it.”

“No. The path is too steep. We need the help of at least one more person.”

“Aren’t we normally the people who work?”

“Hahaha. This man. Do I just play around?”

“That isn’t what I am saying, right?”

“It is fine. I feel better this way, so just let me handle it.”

“… if that is the case…”

The porter looked at Hwang Jongi with eyes still clouded with anxiety. But Hwang Jongi had no intention of putting down his pouch and continued walking silently.

‘It is steep.’

He had climbed this mountain several times already, but each time, he gasped anew. The high mountains and rugged cliffs seemed to deny human entry.

The first time he climbed the mountain, he had literally cursed at it. But after climbing it several times, even though it was just as hard, he was happy.

Because there were people he was happy to see at the peak.

But now, Hwang Jongi’s heart was heavier than when he first climbed the mountain.

‘Mount Hua….’

He stared blankly at the peak hidden by the clouds.

Today, it felt even farther away.

“Kuak…”

“We have arrived.”

The workers who reached the top were panting, wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

The number of times they climbed must have been more than a few dozen, but this mountain never got easier, no matter how many times they climbed it.

“Now, now. Let us finish this and take it easy.”

“Yes.”

The workers unpacked their loads from their backs and carefully placed them in front of the gate.

Hwang Jongi silently watched them move their loads.

People could not live without eating just because they were confined to a place. No, because they were confined to a place they needed more food. If they hadn’t been confined, they could have gotten food by going up and down the vast mountains, but if they couldn’t leave the sect, they would have to depend entirely on outside sources for food.

That was why the Eunha merchant union brought food to Mount Hua disciples once a month.

“Phew.”

Hwang Jongi also put down the pouch on his back.

“Thank you for your hard work, lord.”

“You didn’t have to come this far; thank you so much.”

Compared to the amount of baggage he had brought, the pouch he was carrying was nothing special. However, the porters were thrilled by the fact that the famous leader of Eunha was carrying baggage with them and climbed the mountain with them.

After putting down the luggage, Hwang Jongi stood in front of the mountain sect gate without a word.

The gate that was always wide open to receive guests was firmly shut as if it had never been that way.

The signboard that was always clean was now covered in dust.

After watching the scene for a while, Hwang Jongi lightly rubbed the gate. The accumulated white dust had smeared on his fingertips.

“Helper Yu.”

“Yes, lord.”

“Did the people who were moving the baggage ever encounter the disciples of Mount Hua?”

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

“… right.”

Hwang Jongi’s lips held a bitter smile.

-“No, it isn’t like we committed a crime and closed the gate. We are just telling people not to come here because it is annoying, so it’s not like we cannot come out, right?”

“… even though you said that.”

He just got annoyed.

“Have you always stored your luggage here?”

“Yes. Since no one climbs the mountain, we leave it in front of the gate so that it is easy to carry in.”

“Right.”

“If there are any items they need, they leave a letter at the Gate when someone comes. Then, we will deliver them on the next visit.”

Hwang Jongi nodded.

Everyone knew this.

‘There are a lot of medicinal herbs and wooden swords.’

Both were troublesome things.

The need for medicinal herbs meant that there were a lot of people getting hurt, and ordering wooden swords indicated that they didn’t want to waste time carving them in this mountain full of trees.

Just by the fact that so many of those two items were being brought into Mount Hua, Hwang Jongi could guess what was going on inside.

“Phew.”

Taking a step back, Hwang Jongi looked at Mount Hua’s sect and the wall next to it.

A Closed Gate was a funny thing.

It was impossible to cut off the world and the sect with this small wall. If you put your mind to it, anyone could cross this wall and meet those inside.

But it was impossible.

What completed the Closed Gate wasn’t that low wall, but respect for the sect that declared the Closed Gate. Crossing that wall would mean an act of ignoring the will of Mount Hua.

That was why even Hwang Jongi, the best merchant in the world, couldn’t cross the wall.

“Maybe…”

“Yes, merchant lord.”

“Do you have a cloth to wipe this off?”

“A cloth? T… that, I didn’t bring anything like that. I do have a cloth to use when carrying the bundle.”

“Give it.”

“Yes.”

Everyone’s faces were filled with doubt, but no one questioned Hwang Jongi’s words. He was too high of a person to ask about the reasons for his actions one by one.

“Here it is, lord.”

A laborer came forward with a cloth and held it out. Hwang Jongi accepted it and nodded.

“Thank you.”

He then folded the cloth neatly and began to clean the Gate of Mount Hua. The Gate, covered in dust, gradually revealed its original color as it was cleaned.

“Lord. We will do it. Please give it to me.”

“No.”

Hwang Jongi shook his head.

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

“Oh my, merchant lord. Such a noble…”

“I am not so noble.”

Hwang Jongi smiled broadly and said.

“And nowhere in the world does someone clean a friend’s house. This is just for my own comfort, so please let me.”

“… yes, merchant lord.”

Only then did the people step back.

Hwang Jongi, who had cleaned the main Gate of Mount Hua, then brought the luggage, climbed to the top, and even cleaned the signboard. Sweat formed on his forehead.

After a while, Hwang Jongi came down from his perch and wiped his forehead and looked up at the cleaned signboard.

The workers who came up behind him took a deep breath and looked at Hwang Jongi’s back with a sad expression.

“Young master… no, merchant Lord.”

“Hmm?”

The title of merchant lord still didn’t sit well in his mouth. That’s understandable. How many years had it been since Hwang Jongi was called the young master?“

After Hwang Mun-Yak passed away silently, Hwang Jongi, who took over the Eunha merchants, ran the merchant group very well. It was so great that he, who was watching, was impressed.

But, there were times when Hwang Jongi looked so lonely.

‘It must be so.’

How could he not be lonely when he lost his most trusted father and those he trusted the most after Mount Hua locked themselves into seclusion?

“Should we call them once?”

“Forget it.”

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

“But merchant lord. This isn’t just your own issue.”

“That is why it is worse.”

“Uh?”

Hwang Jongi sighed.

Actually, the current situation of Eunha wasn’t so smooth. Thanks to Hwang Jongi’s excellent management, there were no major problems on the surface. However, the business that had been expanding vigorously until Hwang Mun-Yak’s death had recently hit a halt.

No, even if Hwang Mun-Yak was alive, it would have been the same. It was a confusing time for all.

“Has there been no contact from the Ghost Clan yet?”

“Yes. Teaching the disciples is their priority…”

The one who took the biggest hit was none other than the Eunha Merchant Union. Even though the treaty was put in place, it applied only to the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families. Who would dare move expensive items into the South of the river, which is ruled by the Evil Faction?

Especially since it was the Ghost Clan, which could be considered a friend of Mount Hua, they had to be even more cautious. In the end, Eunha only transported goods to places other than the South of the River. Recently, however, the Ghost Clan wasn’t so cooperative with them.

The number of messengers sent alternately gradually decreased, so these days, they were short on manpower and couldn’t request more people either.

“I think it is a bit too much.”

“… too much. To them, we are just merchants. Weren’t we just trading from the start?”

“But…”

“If it wasn’t for Mount Hua, we wouldn’t have been able to use them as messengers. We are just going back to our place, so don’t blame them.”

“… Yes.”

Hwang Jongi opened his mouth.

“No answer from the North Sea yet?”

“Yes. They said they would send more when they were ready… but since we delivered the supplies to Mount Hua last year, we haven’t heard from them now.”

“Hmm.”

“Maybe we can send a person there…?”

“Leave it alone. Their hostility towards the Central Plains hasn’t vanished yet. If we rush them, we might be the ones in trouble.”

“… but the one who went to Yunnan to get the tea is also having trouble with the Yunnan people and isn’t able to receive the tea. The three largest sources of funding for the merchant union are all blocked. Merchant Lord, even though we are running it with the money we have earned now, in…”

“I know.”

Hwang Jongi sighed.

At one time, he thought that the existence of Mount Hua gave wings to the merchant union. He had enough ability, but he was unlucky and couldn’t go far until he met a good friend who could walk with him.

But as things turned out this way, he realized that what he thought was his ability was nothing more than the halo of Mount Hua.

‘Father was right.’

He could understand why Hwang Mun-Yak respected and was careful with Mount Hua. Hwang Mun-Yak had seen depths that his son couldn’t.

After experiencing all this, his thoughts about Mount Hua deepened.

Was it because he knew how much benefit Mount Hua provided him?

No.

The fact was he didn’t truly understand the value of Mount Hua, as told by Hwang Mun-Yak. How humbly Mount Hua had treated Eunha until then.

Even though it gave him so much benefit, they never once looked down on them and always held their heads high. As colleagues and friends, they treated him with a smile.

“They say people only realize the worth of others when they are lost.”

“… Merchant Lord.”

Hwang Jongi, who had been silently staring at the gate, shook his head.

“Let us head back. The Taoist said he wouldn’t be in for more than three years, so he will probably open the gate and come out soon. If we don’t want to get scolded for pushing the sect too hard, we cannot afford to rest.”

“… Yes.”

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

Even as he said that Hwang Jongi kept looking back.

‘Taoist.’

He kept missing it.

The sight of Chung Myung suddenly barging in, kicking the gate open, and yelling at him to bring out alcohol.

In the past, he felt it was rude, but now he knew. He acted like that because he thought of them as friends who had nothing to fear from each other.

‘It wasn’t rude; it was just a lack of formality.’

Now, he fully understood the smile Hwang Mun-Yak would make whenever Chung Myung visited. It was only after he carried all this on his shoulders.

“Look here, helper.”

“Yes, merchant lord.”

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

“Uh? Didn’t you already prepare more than ten bottles to give to the Taoists when Mount Hua lifted the Gate? They are all rare and exquisite alcohols from the Central Plains…”

“That is the alcohol the Taoist drinks.”

“… then this time…?”

Before answering, Hwang Jongi turned towards the gate, which was now a little far away.

“It is the alcohol that I, sitting in front of him, will drink.”

“….”

“Please.”

“I will do so, merchant lord.”

Hwang Jongi slowly nodded.

‘Taoist.’

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

Hwang Jongi knew. Chung Myung, in the past, filled their shortcomings. And now it was time for them to fill Chung Myung’s empty space.

‘Please come out after completing the grand plan. I will prepare plenty of congratulatory drinks.’

Hwang Jongi, who had been staring at the tightly closed Gate for a long time, forced his body, still feeling regretful, to turn around and start down the mountain.