Chapter 33: You Bastard? Are You from Zhongnan Sect? (Part 3)

"Senior Brother! Great Senior Brother!"

"Why are you making such a fuss?"

"Have you heard the news?"

Yun Jong chuckled lightly.

"What news are you talking about?"

"Hasn't the rumor spread far and wide by now? Haven't you heard?"

"I have ears, so of course, I've heard."

Yun Jong responded calmly, but Jo Gul only grew more agitated.

"The merchants from Hwain who were pressuring Mount Hua for debt repayment—it turns out they were actually former agents of Mount Hua! Their businesses were all owned by Mount Hua too."

"So I've heard."

"Now, Hwain is in chaos. The government soldiers have occupied Hwain and are confiscating all their assets."

"I've heard that too."

"Ah, Great Senior Brother! How can you be so calm about this? Ugh! This is why I shouldn't talk to people who are destined to become Taoist masters!"

Jo Gul pounded his chest in frustration.

"Is it really such a big deal?"

"Of course, it's a big deal! A huge deal! Do you have any idea how much money they'll seize if they confiscate all the assets of those who've flocked there? Forget their personal wealth—just taking over their businesses would ensure Mount Hua never has to worry about finances for generations."

"Is it really that much…?"

Yun Jong's expression turned slightly serious as he looked at Jo Gul with newfound interest.

Yun Jong was someone destined to become a Taoist master, and his upbringing was far removed from the world of commerce. Naturally, his perspective on the situation was vastly different from Jo Gul's, who came from a merchant family.

"It seems like a bigger deal than I thought."

"Ah, Senior Brother! You'll have to lead Mount Hua someday. If you don't develop a sense for money, it'll be a disaster."

"Hmm. I'll keep that in mind."

Yun Jong had heard the rumors, but he hadn't considered them to be such a monumental event. He had thought it would just relieve Mount Hua of its debt burden, but it seemed to be a much bigger deal than he had anticipated.

As he pondered, a new question arose.

"But how did this suddenly happen? Why did the Sect Leader endure such humiliation until now?"

"Well, that's…"

"Hmm?"

Jo Gul's face twisted into a complicated expression.

"They say they found the account books this time."

"Account books?"

"Yes. The account books related to Mount Hua's businesses. They say they discovered them a few days ago, which allowed them to crack down on those bastards…"

Jo Gul trailed off vaguely. Yun Jong could now understand why Jo Gul's expression had been so uneasy.

"A few days ago, you say?"

"Yes."

"The account books were discovered a few days ago. And those account books were clearly in the form of ledgers, right?"

"That's right."

Yun Jong let out a hollow laugh.

"Isn't it a strange coincidence that we saw ledgers being discovered just a few days ago? Isn't that right?"

"…That's right."

Jo Gul and Yun Jong exchanged uneasy glances, unable to continue the conversation.

'That chest.'

'There were definitely ledgers inside.'

It was too much of a coincidence. Moreover, the Sect Leader's reaction upon opening the chest had been far too dramatic.

"I want to say it's impossible, but…"

"I feel the same way."

The expressions on Jo Gul and Yun Jong's faces darkened further.

"And that guy's reaction before was a bit…"

"It was way too obvious."

– Aigoooo! What is this? Why is there a rock hereeeee?

– No, wait! It's not a rock! Who would bury something like this here? How strange! Hahahaha. Really strange.

– Should I dig it up? Is it okay if I dig it up? Hahaha. Haha. Who would've thought something like this was buried here? How strange. It's not even treasureeeee.

Yun Jong clenched his eyes shut.

'Even if you're trying to deceive me, you should at least put some effort into it. Damn it.'

He couldn't forget that awkward voice. Even a three-year-old would have thought, 'This guy is up to something suspicious.'

And then that chest appeared after such a pitiful act…

"So, it's true?"

"It must be."

Jo Gul and Yun Jong's faces grew serious.

"Where on earth did he find something like that?"

"…The more I learn about him, the less I understand."

"Ugh."

Yun Jong shook his head.

There were too many suspicious points. Even without paying close attention, it felt like suspicious details were tumbling out with every step.

Yet, the reason Yun Jong didn't view Chung Myung with too much suspicion was that his sincerity toward Mount Hua was undeniable.

This incident was no different. After all, wasn't it thanks to Chung Myung finding those account books that Mount Hua reaped such a huge benefit?

"Anyway…"

At that moment…

"Great Senior Brother!"

A loud voice called from outside the room.

"What is it?"

"Have you seen Chung Myung?"

"Why are you looking for Chung Myung?"

"The Sect Leader is looking for him, but we can't find him anywhere. He's not in his room either."

"…Huh?"

Yun Jong, who had been about to respond casually, froze. His expression quickly darkened.

"He's gone?"

"Yes. He's nowhere to be found."

"No way!"

Yun Jong shot up from his seat and hurriedly ran toward Chung Myung's room.

He burst through the door and flung open Chung Myung's wardrobe.

"Senior Brother! What's wrong?"

Jo Gul, who had followed Yun Jong in a panic, shouted.

"…It's gone."

"Huh?"

"It's not here."

Yun Jong pointed to the empty wardrobe. Inside, only Chung Myung's training clothes remained.

"Huh? He took off his robe? Where could he have gone…?"

At that moment, Jo Gul's eyes widened like lanterns.

Taking off his training clothes meant he had changed into something else. But his casual clothes were still lying next to his training attire. The only clothes missing were…

"No way."

The night clothes and mask Jo Gul had gotten for him not long ago.

Yun Jong's face twisted in frustration.

"What kind of trouble is he trying to cause now…"

"…."

The two of them couldn't tell whether Chung Myung was truly a blessing or a curse for Mount Hua.

❀ ❀ ❀

"Sigh…"

Jo Gwangmyeong stared blankly at the cart. It was filled with a portion of the wealth he had accumulated over the years.

The cart was so full it looked like it might collapse at any moment.

To an outsider, the amount of wealth would be astonishing, but Jo Gwangmyeong's heart was filled with despair as he looked at it.

"In just one day…"

It was a disaster beyond imagination.

After rushing down from Mount Hua, what they found was their business premises already occupied by government soldiers. Armed soldiers surrounded the area, and they had been issued an eviction notice.

When they protested, the only response they received was a harsh rebuke: if it weren't for the Sect Leader's mercy, they would have been dragged to the government office.

'What kind of nonsense is this?'

That meant the account books were real.

But Jo Gwangmyeong couldn't help feeling wronged. Who could have imagined that the Plum Blossom Workshop, which his family had operated for generations, actually belonged to Mount Hua? He had simply inherited it from his ancestors.

And now, in just one day, he had lost the workshop and been driven out of Hwain. Was there anything more unjust in this world?

The expressions of the others were equally grim.

As he watched the carts slowly filling up, Jo Gwangmyeong felt his spirit crumbling.

"…What on earth is happening?"

"I wish I knew."

Sighs could be heard from all around.

They were being driven out of Hwain immediately, but their families were allowed to stay a little longer. Now, they had no choice but to leave Hwain, leaving their families to deal with the aftermath.

"Do we really have to leave like this?"

"What else can we do?"

"We should at least protest…"

"Protest?"

Jin Yisan, from the Hwayeong Inn, glared at Jo Gwangmyeong with murderous eyes.

"Didn't you see what happened to the owner of Chopyeong when he tried to protest? He was dragged off to the government office! We're swindlers, swindlers! If the Sect Leader hadn't shown mercy, we wouldn't be leaving like this—we'd be in prison! So what exactly are you planning to argue about?"

Jo Gwangmyeong's shoulders slumped.

"Damn it!"

Jin Yisan turned away irritably.

"Let's go!"

"Already?"

"Didn't you hear? If we don't leave within an hour, they'll throw us in prison! Plans and strategies can wait—we need to get out of Hwain first!"

In the end, Jo Gwangmyeong nodded weakly. The others, with dark expressions, followed him as he led the way.

After traveling by cart for a while, they finally managed to leave Hwain. They stopped the carts under the shade of some trees and gathered together.

"…This should be far enough."

"The soldiers who were following us seem to have turned back. We should be safe now."

"Safe, you say…"

"What do we do now?"

Now that the immediate danger had passed, other concerns began to surface.

Jo Gwangmyeong glanced at Gong Munyeon, who had been silent the entire time. Seeing him like this only added to Jo Gwangmyeong's frustration.

"Gong Ruju!"

His voice came out sharper than intended.

"What do we do now?"

As Jo Gwangmyeong opened the floodgates, the others also began to vent their frustrations at Gong Munyeon.

"Say something!"

"Didn't you say we could trust you? What's going on now?"

"We trusted you, and now we're being treated like swindlers! How are you going to take responsibility for this?"

Gong Munyeon slowly raised his head.

"…."

Everyone fell silent when they saw his eyes. The usually gentle and composed Gong Munyeon now had a fierce, almost murderous glint in his eyes.

"Are you blaming me now?"

"…."

The others instinctively stepped back under his intimidating gaze.

"N-no, that's not what we meant…"

"We're just saying we need a plan. A plan…"

As everyone hesitated, Gong Munyeon's imposing presence grew even stronger.

"Pathetic fools."

"…."

"…."

Gong Munyeon coldly rebuked them.

"Didn't we start this to stand against Mount Hua? Can any of you honestly say you're innocent? You all knew what was happening, didn't you?"

There was no response.

Some of them, still capable of feeling shame, lowered their heads with dark expressions, but most did not.

Gong Munyeon eased his tone slightly.

"There's no need to panic. We're just taking shelter from the storm for now. This isn't the end."

"…What do you plan to do?"

"Do you really think those account books are genuine?"

"…."

"They're obviously forged."

"But the government office…"

"If they've colluded with the magistrate, forging a few account books is nothing! They must have agreed to split the profits with him!"

"Ah!"

The merchants' eyes widened.

"Then?"

"First, we'll go to Luoyang. Once we reach Luoyang, we can make our move. If they're using power to oppress us, we'll counter with even greater power! We'll make sure that corrupt magistrate and Mount Hua's Sect Leader pay for this!"

"Oh!"

"That's right! How could account books from a hundred years ago suddenly appear? It's ridiculous!"

"We need to expose their scheme!"

The merchants' voices grew louder.

But in their minds, they were thinking something else.

Whether the account books were real or fake didn't matter. As Gong Munyeon said, if they could use the power of authority, they could turn even genuine account books into forgeries.

In that case, getting their assets back would be a trivial matter.

Noticing the change in their reactions, Gong Munyeon sneered.

"So, there's no need to worry. I'll handle everything. Just trust me and follow my lead."

"We trust you, Ruju!"

"We've always trusted you! Of course."

'Pathetic fools.'

Gong Munyeon frowned slightly.

They were nothing but insects, but he still needed them for now. It was better to have people who could raise their voices together than to act alone. Once he led them to Luoyang, he could turn the situation around. He had a powerful backer who could provide the necessary support…

"You're all talking nonsense."

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice cut through the air.

Gong Munyeon's head snapped around.