Mount Hua Has Found a Treasure (3)
"Sect Leader!"
"Sect Leader! Please open your eyes."
Hyun Jong gasped and opened his eyes wide.
Was I dreaming?
He sat up at once, only to find the chest still sitting right in front of him. Fortunately, it had not been a dream.
"U-Un Geom!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
"Call the children. Move that chest to the Sect Leader’s quarters immediately! And order the Un generation to guard the area around my chambers as if their lives depend on it!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
"No, wait! I’ll move it myself! Right now!"
Hyun Jong took a deep breath and forced his excitement down.
Nothing was certain yet. If he wanted to understand the situation properly, he had to call Finance Elder Hyun Young and confirm whether the items were truly genuine.
But still.
How could they not be genuine!
If those things weren’t the real thing, why had they been buried in Yeonhwabong? And buried together with such a vast fortune at that?
No, no. I can’t think like that. Everything has to be confirmed first.
Hope and anxiety were clashing violently inside him. Had his heart ever been this stirred in the last several decades?
"Un Geom!"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Escort me. We’re taking the items down the mountain first!"
"Understood!"
The moment Hyun Jong sprang to his feet, Chung Myung came into view.
"Chung Myung!"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"You’ve worked hard. We’ll talk about the details later!"
"Yes."
Chung Myung quietly stepped back, and Hyun Jong hurriedly lifted the chest whole. Before leaving, he gave Chung Myung one final order.
"Take the children and go back to Baekmae Hall."
"Will do."
"Then!"
At once, Hyun Jong unleashed his lightness skill and began descending the mountain. Un Geom hurried after him. The children left on Yeonhwabong stared blankly at the scene.
"What in the world is going on?"
"......Yeah, seriously?"
Among the bewildered children, Chung Myung wore a satisfied smile.
This should be enough for now.
The wealth and manuals inside the chest were only a portion of what had been hidden in the secret cave.
Why only give them part of it?
Because those things belonged to Mount Hua, not to Chung Myung... no, wait!
Stuffing yourself too fast will give you an upset stomach.
If you took a starving man and fed him greasy meat broth in the name of nourishment, his body wouldn’t be able to handle it. Proof of that was right here: even with only this much, Sect Leader Hyun Jong was nearly losing his soul.
Giving them too much at once wasn’t always a good thing.
In Chung Myung’s judgment, the current Mount Hua simply didn’t have the capacity to absorb everything in the secret cave. Telling a patient with a serious illness to start running immediately was ridiculous. They had to start with walking again first.
Of course, to Chung Myung, it was walking; to those people, it would be anything but.
At that moment, Yoon Jong approached him cautiously.
"Junior Brother."
"Hm?"
"Since Hall Leader-nim told us to go back, shouldn’t we return to Baekmae Hall for now?"
Chung Myung nodded.
"Yeah."
"But Junior Brother, what happened to you? Why do you look like that?"
"Hnnngh. A few things happened."
Chung Myung waved a hand dismissively.
Like I’d tell you and you’d understand.
Because he had forced out his innate true qi, his condition had been deteriorating by the minute.
I should’ve held back a little more.
It couldn’t be helped. In the past, his sensitivity to true qi had been almost perfect, but now he simply hadn’t recovered to that level. And this body was different from his body in the past in many ways.
Trying to draw out the delicate power of innate true qi for the first time in a new body and use it at just the right amount? If he could do that, he wouldn’t have been called the Plum Blossom Sword Saint—he’d have been called a god of martial arts.
"You look like you’re about to die."
"I’m not dying."
"Really?"
"...Do you want me to?"
Without answering, Yoon Jong turned his gaze slightly away.
Huh?
He clammed up? Did this bastard actually want him dead? The way he was avoiding eye contact was suspicious as hell.
"I’m not dying, so don’t get your hopes up."
"What hope? What are you talking about? Cough."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
Seriously, I’m going to need at least a month or two of bed rest.
Innate qi didn’t recover that easily. Even with careful rest and recovery, it would take at least two months before his body returned to normal. If not, he’d better get his hands on some elixir or something.
"But how did you find that thing just now? Seeing how shocked Sect Leader was, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary item."
"If you live kindly, the Heavenly Lord watches over you. So live kindly."
"......"
If Chung Myung was the kind of person who could be blessed by heaven, then the rest of the world should already have ascended by now. But no one could bring themselves to say that out loud.
Chung Myung tilted his head slightly and looked down at Hyun Jong, who was rushing down Yeonhwabong.
If I’ve given him this much, he should manage the rest on his own.
He wasn’t an idiot.
"Come on, let’s head down."
"Right. But... where are you going?"
"Why?"
"Aren’t we supposed to go down this way?"
Yoon Jong pointed below them.
"Why are you asking something so obvious?"
"Then why are you going uphill?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue as if disappointed and looked at Yoon Jong.
"Senior Brother."
"...Huh?"
"If you want to become a master, your thinking has to be flexible. Don’t assume there’s only one way down. Going over the summit and descending from there is just one of many methods."
What the hell kind of bullshit is that, you lunatic!
"Now then. The Sect Leader is the Sect Leader, and we have our own work to do. The bottom ten finishers today get no dinner. Run!"
Before anyone could even voice a complaint, Yoon Jong was already sprinting toward the summit. The other children, horrified, scrambled after him.
That demon bastard!
What are the ghosts doing? Why aren’t they taking him away already?
Watching the children race full-speed back up Yeonhwabong, Chung Myung grinned and turned away.
That’s the first gift, then.
What should he prepare next?
There was still plenty left in the secret cave. The fortune he had put in the chest wasn’t even a tenth of the wealth hidden there.
Chung Myung glanced up at the sky. Sect Leader-sahyung seemed to be staring at him with a twisted expression.
"Eh. Surely you don’t think I’d eat it all alone."
Moderation. Moderation, right? Yes. Moderation.
"Heheh."
Chung Myung chuckled and followed after the children.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"It’s genuine."
It felt as though his heart had plummeted into the abyss.
It was the answer that should have come, the answer he had already expected, and yet the shock had not lessened at all.
Hyun Jong could barely hide his trembling as he asked again, "Are you certain?"
"Yes. Absolutely. The ledger is definitely authentic, and we also secured the deed that was buried under the wealth. Sect Leader!"
"Huhh! Huhhh!"
He knew he should say something, but no words came out. All he could do was let out ragged, breathless sounds.
"H-how could something like this happen..."
"Enough! Enough, Sect Leader!"
"Heh... hahaha."
Even as he tried to hold it in, laughter kept leaking out of him.
The world was full of unexpected turns, but could things like this really be discovered by such an absurd coincidence, at such a perfect time?
If they had found it even a week later?
The thought alone was unbearable.
The Heavenly Lord has watched over us.
No, not the Heavenly Lord. It had to be the previous generations of Mount Hua, watching over them from the immortal realm, who had helped him.
Though the two weren’t really so different.
Hyun Jong squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t hide the turbulence in his heart.
"Then we can prove the contents of the ledger?"
"These are documents issued by the state. Of course we can prove it! We could go reclaim Taehwa Pavilion and all the other businesses in Hwameum right this instant."
"Good. Truly, very good."
It was nothing short of miraculous.
Was this not Mount Hua, who had been on the verge of ending up homeless on the streets in a week’s time? But with these deeds and this ledger, they could not only protect Mount Hua’s halls but also reclaim every single one of those businesses in Hwameum.
It was a jackpot beyond jackpot.
Finance Elder Hyun Young let out a hearty laugh.
"Though I highly doubt it, even if all of this were counterfeit, we’ve still escaped the immediate crisis. The wealth inside that chest is worth at least well over one hundred thousand nyang. It’s more than enough to repay every penny those people are demanding from us, and still have plenty left over."
"That’s a relief. Truly, a relief."
"With this money, we can solve Mount Hua’s financial troubles in one stroke. And if we can confiscate their businesses as well, we won’t need to worry about money ever again."
Every word that came out of his mouth sounded better than the last. To Hyun Jong, Hyun Young’s voice sounded like the purest jade music in the world.
"And that’s not all."
Martial Hall Leader Hyun Sang smiled softly as he spoke.
"The Chilmaegeom also appears to be genuine. We’ll need to study it a bit more, but from what we’ve confirmed so far, there are no special errors. And it carries the swift, changing movement and the righteous spirit unique to Mount Hua’s martial arts."
"Ohhh."
"And the fact that the manual for Nakhwageom appeared as well is equally encouraging. Nakhwageom may not be on the same lofty level as Chilmaegeom, but it can perfectly fill the stage before learning Chilmaegeom. It will serve as the middle step in moving from Jin Yukhapgeom to Chilmaegeom."
"I-I see."
"As for Jukyeopsu, Amhyangpyo, and Chilseongbo, they also seem to be genuine."
Hyun Jong felt completely dazed.
He deliberately kept his words to a minimum. If he spoke too much here, he felt as though he’d only reveal how unsightly he really was.
"The fact that the lost Chilseongbo has resurfaced alone is an unimaginable gain. Chilseongbo is the footwork foundation of all Mount Hua martial arts, is it not? If we teach it to the children, they’ll be able to move toward a higher level without disrupting the martial arts they’ve already learned."
"The same goes for us, doesn’t it?"
"Of course, Sect Leader-sahyung."
"It is Mount Hua’s great fortune. A great fortune indeed."
Just then, Hyun Sang, who had been watching the Sect Leader’s mood, seemed to open his mouth as if to say something, only to close it again.
Hyun Jong did not miss the hesitation.
"Is there some problem?"
"No, not at all. It was merely a needless concern."
"With the martial arts, perhaps?"
"Absolutely not. These martial arts are genuine. I can swear on my head that they are."
"Then that’s a relief."
Once the Sect Leader nodded, Hyun Sang smoothed things over with a smile as well.
"You said it was one of the third-generation disciples who found this?"
"That’s right. The child named Chung Myung, who entered the mountain not long ago."
"We should reward him."
"Yes, we should. Thanks to that child, Mount Hua... "
"That’s not what I mean, Sect Leader."
Finance Elder Hyun Young cut off Hyun Jong’s words.
"He’s only just entered the sect. How much attachment could he possibly have to Mount Hua yet?"
"...That’s true."
"Even if he didn’t fully understand the value of this ledger and the manuals, there’s no way he couldn’t have recognized the value of the wealth. If it were me, the moment I opened that chest I would’ve grabbed it and run without looking back. If not that, I’d have buried it and hidden it away."
The words were a little crude, which only meant how excited Hyun Young was. But not a single word of it was wrong.
"I suppose so. I didn’t think that far."
"He’s admirable. Admirable and then some. Even someone determined to bury their bones in Mount Hua would have their heart shaken by such wealth. If I had seen that fortune myself, I wonder whether I could have told Sect Leader about it at once..."
"I’ll remember that line."
"...Se-Sect Leader?"
Confusion flickered across Hyun Young’s face. Seeing that expression, Hyun Jong burst out laughing.
"That’s right. Very admirable indeed. Yes, Mount Hua has found itself a treasure."
Hyun Jong smiled in deep satisfaction.
It had all been a chain of coincidences on top of coincidences, but because Chung Myung had been brought into the sect, they had been able to discover this chest. Who would have thought that simply changing one’s mind and taking in a single child would end up saving Mount Hua?
"Hyun Young."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"The claim that this ledger is beyond doubt... that’s true, isn’t it?"
"You may stake my head on it."
"I see. Then there are people we must summon."
A heavy presence surged from Hyun Jong’s eyes.
Now it was time to sentence those who had repaid Mount Hua’s kindness with betrayal.
"Bring every person involved here to Mount Hua."
The Sect Leader of Mount Hua, Hyun Jong, straightened his shoulders.