Chapter 47: Even If Things Go Wrong, Don’t Blame Me (Part 2)

After a long period of hardship, peace finally came to Mount Hua.

Thanks to Chung Myung's efforts, the financial problems that had plagued Mount Hua were resolved, and they now had a new martial arts hall to move forward into the future.

Just as winter gives way to spring, a spring-like vitality blossomed in Mount Hua, and the sound of everyone's happy laughter should have been endless… but…

Chung Myung: "Peace can freeze to death."

Chung Myung's face twisted in frustration.

The broom in his hand bent as if it would snap under the force of his grip.

Peace?

This place was a living hell.

Customer 1: "Huh? The bill? W-what's this…? Wait a moment! Jo Geol! Jo Geol! How much is this?"

Jo Geol: "Over there! I told you to fill that up!"

Customer 2: "Isn't everything supposed to be in harmony with the Tao? Isn't it natural that we're out of ingredients? Huh? A refund? Uh…."

The three great disciples of Mount Hua, dressed in pristine white robes, were sweating profusely as they dealt with the flood of customers.

'They're trying so hard.'

This place was Hwain.

It was good that they had managed to recover all of Hwain's businesses by finding the ledger. They had taken over more than ten businesses that were running well, so all that was left was to make money, right?

…That's what they thought, and that was the beginning of all their problems.

Even Chung Myung hadn't anticipated this, but these guys hadn't run a proper business in nearly a hundred years. In other words, they were complete novices who had never earned a single penny with their own hands, and now they suddenly had to manage over ten businesses.

The result?

As you can see.

Customer 3: "What! I told you we ran out of ingredients ages ago! Why haven't they arrived yet?"

Customer 4: "What the hell is the supply department doing?"

Customer 5: "What's that lunatic doing holding onto a customer? Hey! You!"

Chung Myung smiled warmly.

'They're having fun. They're really having fun.'

The disciples of Mount Hua, whose only experience in life was swinging swords, were now in Hwain, sweating buckets as they dealt with customers.

If the past elders of Mount Hua had seen this, they would have sternly reprimanded… no, they would have rolled on the floor laughing.

And Chung Myung was among those disciples.

Of course, the customers weren't happy either.

Customer 6: "What! Why is this tea so bitter!"

Customer 7: "I asked for green tea! Green tea! Do you even know what green tea is? Is this green tea?"

Customer 8: "Where else do you see a teahouse that just throws tea leaves into a teapot and calls it a day? Where's the owner?"

I've lived long enough to see hell.

Chung Myung sighed as he watched the chaos with a satisfied expression.

Chung Myung: "What a mess."

At least this place was better off.

The other great disciples who had been sent to different businesses were experiencing the depths of hell. No, the people who had to run businesses with those guys were the ones suffering.

The guy who tears silk while trying to sell it.

The guy who brings a pickaxe when asked for a hoe.

At least the guy who eats the meat meant for the customers while cooking is somewhat understandable. Of course, he deserves a beating.

The great disciples who were only dealing with customers could get by with physical labor, but the first-generation disciples were on the verge of losing their minds.

People who had spent their lives cultivating the Tao were now swept up in the storms of the secular world, and they weren't just disoriented—they were ready to throw away the tools in their hands.

Elder Disciple: "Hey, you! What are you doing? Hurry up and sweep!"

Young Disciple: "Ugh… Yes! I'm sweeping!"

Chung Myung's broom moved back and forth as he began sweeping the area in front of the teahouse.

'What's the point of sweeping? All the customers are leaving in disgust.'

Chung Myung saw customers storming out the door. Seeing their faces filled with displeasure, he felt like running after them and shouting,

'Beat those guys up!'

Of course, in the hierarchy of Mount Hua, he was the youngest, so he couldn't dare say such a thing.

After roughly sweeping the dust away with his broom, Chung Myung quietly slipped to the back. He spotted Jo Geol, who was busy carrying tea and snacks.

Chung Myung: "Senior."

No response.

Chung Myung: "Seniooor."

Still no response.

Chung Myung: "Hey. Hey, you. Hey!"

Deaf ears.

Chung Myung: "Jo Geol, you bastard!"

Jo Geol: "Yes! Third-generation disciple Jo Geol… What did you call me?"

Jo Geol glared at Chung Myung with wide eyes. Even though they were more like peers than master and disciple, they were still master and disciple. How could a senior tolerate such disrespect from a junior…?

Jo Geol: "What?"

Here he is.

Jo Geol glanced around and then slipped out of the teahouse to approach Chung Myung.

Chung Myung: "Senior."

Jo Geol: "So, what?"

Chung Myung: "Let's talk like humans for a moment. You're the youngest son of a well-known merchant family, right? The youngest son of a continental merchant family, or something like that?"

Jo Geol: "The continental merchant family can freeze to death. It's just a small merchant family."

Chung Myung: "But you at least have an eye for how things work, right? That's how it usually is. The youngest sons of successful families are usually spoiled brats, but they often hide incredible talents."

Jo Geol: "…What are you talking about?"

Jo Geol let out a deep sigh.

Anyway, every time he talked to this guy, he couldn't understand what he was saying.

Chung Myung: "So…"

Chung Myung subtly gestured toward the chaotic scene with his chin.

Chung Myung: "Why did this situation happen?"

Jo Geol: "Well…"

Jo Geol sighed.

Jo Geol: "The people who used to run this place…"

Chung Myung: "Yeah."

Jo Geol: "They must have had some charisma. When they left, many of the employees quit too."

Chung Myung: "Huh? Charisma?"

Scammers having charisma? This was like a corrupt official donating to a beggar's den.

Chung Myung: "Charisma? What kind of nonsense is that, senior?"

Jo Geol: "To be precise, it wasn't so much charisma as it was their thorough reliance on academic, regional, and family ties. Most of the employees were relatives or family members, so when they saw the writing on the wall, they all quit."

Ugh.

This is the downside of family-run businesses. That's why professional managers… No, that's not the point.

Chung Myung: "So it's an employee problem?"

Jo Geol: "That's the first issue."

Chung Myung: "Huh? There's more?"

Jo Geol frowned slightly and looked around. After confirming no one was listening, he lowered his voice.

Jo Geol: "As you can see, the biggest problem is that the elders of Mount Hua don't have the ability to run these businesses."

Chung Myung: "You need ability for that?"

Jo Geol: "People who cultivate the Tao or live by martial arts tend to think making a living is easy, but it's not as simple as it sounds. If it were that easy, everyone would be rich."

Chung Myung: "Well, that's true."

Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.

Chung Myung: "So Mount Hua doesn't have the ability to manage these businesses?"

Jo Geol: "This might sound a bit harsh, but it's like putting a pearl necklace on a pig. I didn't think it would be this bad…"

At that moment, a loud voice came from inside.

Elder Disciple: "What! I said we're out of pu-erh tea! What am I supposed to do with iron goddess tea?"

Young Disciple: "Isn't that the same thing?"

Elder Disciple: "I said pu-erh tea! Senior! I'm already at my wit's end, and now the wrong tea is here! What am I supposed to do?"

Young Disciple: "Why are you raising your voice? I've never had the chance to handle such expensive tea in my life! How would I know?"

Elder Disciple: "Who's ever drunk that stuff before!"

Chung Myung shook his head.

'These so-called Tao cultivators.'

They're throwing a fit over a single tea leaf being wrong.

Jo Geol: "See?"

Jo Geol clicked his tongue.

Jo Geol: "Running a business isn't that simple. You have to choose and buy every ingredient and item. If you carelessly pick good ingredients, the profit margin disappears. If you use cheap stuff, the customers leave. If you hire a manager to handle it, they'll skim off the top, and the workers end up with nothing."

Chung Myung: "…What if we start learning now?"

Jo Geol: "Would you teach martial arts to a forty-year-old man?"

Chung Myung: "No way."

Jo Geol shook his head.

Jo Geol: "Honestly, from what I can see, if things keep going like this, all these businesses will go under in less than six months. I don't know how Mount Hua was in the past, but the current Mount Hua doesn't have the ability to run these businesses. There's no solution."

Chung Myung: "But if we learn well, wouldn't it work out?"

Jo Geol looked at Chung Myung with hollow eyes.

Jo Geol: "Chung Myung, listen carefully. Do you know what the common feature of all the businesses we've taken over is?"

Chung Myung: "What?"

Jo Geol: "They're all businesses that buy and sell goods."

Chung Myung: "…Huh?"

Jo Geol: "Teahouses, taverns, silk shops, blacksmiths, etc. They all involve buying materials, making something, or selling them as-is. Do you know what the key to these businesses is?"

Chung Myung: "If I knew that, I'd be rich."

Jo Geol: "Almost everything depends on choosing and buying the right goods. But here's the thing. If a naive Taoist who knows nothing about the world comes with money to buy goods, what do you think the sellers will do?"

Chung Myung: "They'll rip him off."

Jo Geol: "If they just rip him off, that's one thing. They'll probably try to skin him alive."

Chung Myung: "…"

Jo Geol: "This is doomed. It was never going to work from the start."

Chung Myung turned his head and looked at the distant sky.

Then he smiled brightly.

'Sect Leader.'

This disciple finally understands the greatness of the Sect Leader. When the Sect Leader was here, these businesses ran like clockwork.

'Ah, screw it. Better to die than suffer!'

Chung Myung snorted.

Chung Myung: "So what's the solution?"

Jo Geol looked at Chung Myung with blank eyes.

Jo Geol: "Why are you asking me for a solution!"

Chung Myung: "What! You're the son of a merchant family, right? So you must have a solution!"

Jo Geol: "You lunatic! If you ask someone who just started picking herbs to cure a terminal illness, what do you expect them to say? If I had that kind of ability, would I be swinging a sword at Mount Hua? I'd have already taken over the family business and made a fortune. Even my father couldn't fix this."

Chung Myung: "…Is the situation that serious?"

Jo Geol: "There's no solution."

Jo Geol forced a bitter smile.

Jo Geol: "I even thought about contacting my family. But it's too far, and my family doesn't have the resources. To run businesses of this scale smoothly, you'd need a merchant who's knowledgeable about a wide range of goods. But Mount Hua doesn't have anyone like that."

There used to be someone.

Chung Mun.

But he's gone now.

Jo Geol smiled bitterly.

Jo Geol: "If only Lord Hwang were in good health, we wouldn't have to worry about this."

Chung Myung: "Lord Hwang?"

Jo Geol: "Yeah. Lord Hwang."

Chung Myung tilted his head.

Chung Myung: "Come to think of it, I've heard this Lord Hwang mentioned before. Who is he?"

Jo Geol: "A merchant."

Chung Myung: "A merchant?"

Jo Geol nodded.

Jo Geol: "He's a merchant based in Shaanxi. He deals not only with Qinghai but also with goods from Yunnan and the Western Regions."

Chung Myung: "What's his connection to Mount Hua?"

Jo Geol: "He's been a patron of Mount Hua for a long time. It's a well-known story. Thanks to him, Mount Hua didn't completely collapse."

Chung Myung: "…What did he see in Mount Hua?"

Jo Geol: "Who knows? I can't say for sure…"

Jo Geol shrugged.

Jo Geol: "I've heard he's supported many places, not just Mount Hua. Anyway, if he were here, we wouldn't have any problems. We could have gotten advice or help from him."

Chung Myung: "Then why don't we ask him for help?"

Jo Geol: "We can't. Lord Hwang has been bedridden for a year now. There are even rumors that he's unconscious."

Chung Myung: "Hmm."

Jo Geol: "So…"

At that moment,

Voice: "Chung Myung! Is Chung Myung here?"

Chung Myung raised his head at the sound of someone calling his name.

Chung Myung: "I'm here!"

A familiar face entered Chung Myung's line of sight.