Mount Hua Has Gained a Fortune
"Good heavens, what a cursed mountain path."
Yu Jong-san let out a groan of his own accord.
The terrain of Mount Hua was so steep and rugged that even the people living in Hwameum would click their tongues at it. They could climb it only because they had escorts to help them through the mountains; an ordinary man would not even dare to dream of reaching the summit.
And now, having to climb that savage mountain again in less than a week made both his body and his heart ache with discomfort.
"Grrrrrgh."
"Shopkeeper Yu, do try to hang in there."
"I'm already hanging in there!"
There was irritation in Yu Jong-san’s voice. The escorts were pushing him along, but this steep path was no easy thing to climb. They had to ascend a cliff so sheer that no human could possibly pass through it, clinging to a rotten old rope. No wonder Mount Hua could never develop properly like this.
If I get my money back, I'll never have to set foot in this hellhole again.
By now, he was sick of the sight of Mount Hua.
After finally dragging themselves up the cliff, they reached a slightly flatter stretch of ground. Taehwa Pavilion’s owner, Gong Mun-yeon, glanced back casually, confirmed that everyone had made it up, and then spoke.
"Let's rest here for a moment."
"Oh, good. Pavilion Owner Gong, that was a wise call. My legs are shaking so badly…"
"Shopkeeper Yu, you really ought to exercise more."
"Hohoho. I’m not a man who usually gets told he lacks stamina, but no matter how many times I climb this damned mountain, I never get used to it."
"That’s why it’s one of the Five Great Mountains, isn’t it?"
Yu Jong-san shook his head vigorously and sat down on a rock.
"Still, Pavilion Owner Gong."
As if looking for the right opening, Bang Yeom, the owner of Hwameum’s Dariu, stepped up to Gong Mun-yeon.
"What is it?"
"Why on earth did the Sect Leader suddenly call us all the way here to Mount Hua?"
The people massaging their legs all fixed their eyes on Gong Mun-yeon.
"Maybe they’ve gathered the money?"
Gong Mun-yeon smiled softly.
"Impossible. One hundred thousand nyang is not a small sum."
He said it flatly.
"But if they borrowed it somehow…"
"There isn’t a single soul in the world foolish enough to lend one hundred thousand nyang to a dying Mount Hua. If they were that kindhearted, they wouldn’t have become rich in the first place."
"True enough…"
Yu Jong-san shrugged.
"Then what do you think, Pavilion Owner Gong? Why did the Sect Leader call us?"
"Perhaps he means to beg."
"Beg?"
Gong Mun-yeon turned his head and looked up toward the summit of Mount Hua, where the Mount Hua Sect stood.
"There’s no way to raise the money, and when the repayment date comes, begging that he has no money won’t do him any good. So maybe he summoned us early to think of some other method."
"Hmm."
Yu Jong-san clicked his tongue.
"So you mean a man who can’t even repay his debts is ordering us around like this? Hah. I’ve lived long enough, but this is the first time I’ve seen a debtor with such a stiff neck."
"They may be in trouble because of money, but he is still the Sect Leader of the great Mount Hua. Please choose your words with a bit more care."
"Pavilion Owner Gong, your heart is too soft. You really still want to think well of someone who borrowed money and hasn’t repaid it for decades?"
Gong Mun-yeon gave a slightly awkward smile.
"Let’s at least keep up appearances. In any case, Mount Hua will vanish from the world soon enough. It would be too cruel to make their final moments miserable as well, wouldn’t it?"
"The whole world will know how generous your heart is, Pavilion Owner Gong."
"As expected, you really are a man of character."
"Not at all."
Gong Mun-yeon clasped his hands and returned the courtesy.
Watching him, Yu Jong-san clicked his tongue inwardly.
What a shameless bastard.
He was planning to seize the buildings and throw them out anyway, so what did he mean by "appearances"? He should be the one thankful the victims were still treating him politely.
Still…
Yu Jong-san raised his head and looked toward the summit.
There’s no way we’ll get cheated out of the money.
He had always wondered whether those buildings could even be sold for their true value. Gong Mun-yeon had spoken confidently, but when money was involved, wasn't it only sensible for a merchant to worry first?
But now Yu Jong-san no longer worried.
Looking at the fact that someone from Southern Edge came here, it must mean they’re definitely interested.
Everyone in the world knew that Mount Hua and Southern Edge had been mortal enemies in the past.
That grudge had become a faded story now that Mount Hua had been forgotten and Southern Edge had risen like the morning sun, but resentment built over hundreds of years did not vanish so easily.
More importantly, the people now leading Southern Edge were those who remembered the days when Mount Hua had once pressed them down. If that hatred still remained, they surely would not allow Mount Hua’s buildings to stand in the world, there to testify to history.
Pavilion Owner Gong must be planning to sell the buildings to Southern Edge too.
Yu Jong-san felt warm all over.
One hundred thousand nyang.
Of that sum, the amount he was supposed to receive was an astonishing five thousand nyang.
What an enormous amount five thousand nyang was. One silver coin could feed an ordinary family for a month and still leave change. But this was not even silver—five thousand gold coins!
With that kind of money, he would never need to do business again. Spend it moderately, spend it carelessly, and it would still be enough to support generation after generation.
At last, the long tug-of-war was nearing its end. Thinking of the money he would finally receive, Yu Jong-san’s heart began to flutter.
I wonder what kind of face the Sect Leader will make.
Just imagining that solemn expression twisting into frustration made him smile despite himself. There was a faint bitterness in it too, but Yu Jong-san quietly suppressed the pity that tried to rise up. In front of money, there were no family members, and no friends.
"All right, let’s keep moving."
"Yes."
Everyone looked exhausted, but no one suggested taking a little longer to rest. The money-crazed dead resumed their climb up Mount Hua.
"Every time I see it, I still think this place is strange."
Someone muttered jokingly.
"It’s just a bunch of half-collapsed buildings, after all."
There was an edge of unease in his tone.
The buildings and walls were all on the verge of collapse. Even the main gate had a door hanging loose, practically torn off its hinges.
At a glance, it looked like the remains of a sect that was on the verge of ruin—or already past it. And yet, there was something strangely compelling about it, something that drew the eye no matter how much one tried to look away.
The weight of Mount Hua, which had guarded Shaanxi for centuries.
No one said it aloud, but everyone shared the same feeling.
And yet they ignored it.
They had come to cut the throat of that Mount Hua. If they did not accept the Sect Leader’s proposal today, Mount Hua would not survive even seven more days.
The lineage of Mount Hua, which had protected Hwameum for hundreds of years, would finally be severed.
"Ahem."
"Hrk-khm!"
Perhaps because they understood how heavy that was, everyone kept clearing their throats in silence.
They had no intention of pretending money did not matter, but for those born in Hwameum, Mount Hua carried a meaning that was far greater than mere value. Having to cut the throat of such a place with their own hands made them hesitate.
"Let’s go inside."
Only Gong Mun-yeon remained composed. As he took the lead and stepped forward, the others hesitated, then followed after him with awkward expressions.
"You’ve come."
As soon as they entered through the main gate, Unam came out to greet them.
"Unam Daoist. It’s been a while."
"I am still not worthy of being called a Daoist. Please just call me Unam."
"Then I shall call you Daoist. Would that be all right?"
Unam smiled without a word.
"The Sect Leader is waiting. This way, please."
"Hmm."
Gong Mun-yeon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He looks calm.
The last time he had come here, the Un-generation disciples had barred their way with deathly pale faces. But now there was not the slightest trace of that old urgency in Unam’s demeanor.
Even if the Sect Leader had called them and they had known roughly when to expect them, shouldn’t there still have been some measure of tension, some visible discomfort?
Gong Mun-yeon stared at Unam’s back for a moment longer before beginning to walk after him.
I don’t know. Perhaps this is the true face of Mount Hua.
Perhaps they had accepted that everything was ending and simply let go. In that case, this might not be the worried, money-clutching face of a desperate man, but the true face of Mount Hua’s Daoist priests.
I’ve become too suspicious.
Perhaps it was because the moment they had all been waiting for had finally arrived. Ordinary people tended to relax when they reached their goal, but Gong Mun-yeon was the kind of man who became even more alert in times like this.
He followed Unam in silence until they reached the Sect Leader’s residence. There, Mount Hua’s Sect Leader, Hyun Jong, was already waiting for them.
"We greet the Sect Leader."
As Gong Mun-yeon gave a respectful salute first, the others behind him bowed all at once.
It seemed they had properly taken to heart his earlier words to keep at least their manners on the way out.
"Welcome. You’ve had a hard climb on such a rough road."
Mount Hua’s Sect Leader, Hyun Jong, greeted them all with a gentle smile.
"I’m sorry to have taken time away from your busy schedules. Though I know it is only proper to descend and greet guests personally, I hope you will understand this old Daoist’s failure to do so."
"Not at all. We may be busy, but surely not busier than the Sect Leader. Of course we should come here ourselves."
Gong Mun-yeon returned Hyun Jong’s words with a smile of his own.
"Still, may I ask what this is about…?"
"Haha. There’s no need to rush, is there? You must have been tired from climbing the mountain. Perhaps a cup of tea first…"
"Sect Leader."
Gong Mun-yeon cut him off with a polite but firm tone.
"Tea and conversation are fine things. But we are humble merchants. Rather than leisure, we would prefer to discuss the matter at hand first."
"Mm."
"Merchants are the sort of people who, once they’ve taken on a problem, can’t even eat a meal without indigestion or drink tea without choking. Please understand our shallow hearts."
"No, no. I was only thinking of my own convenience."
Hyun Jong gave a hearty laugh, then quietly looked over the merchants.
"Then let’s get straight to the point, without wasting time."
"Thank you."
Gong Mun-yeon smiled lightly.
"The reason I gathered you all here today is to convey Mount Hua’s position."
"Mount Hua’s position, you say?"
Hyun Jong glanced at Gong Mun-yeon carefully.
From that small movement, Gong Mun-yeon was already able to guess what would come next.
"I inquired in every direction, but I could not find anyone willing to lend money to Mount Hua. In other words, it seems we will not be able to repay the debt by the due date, no matter what measures we take."
"Mm…"
At Hyun Jong’s words, Gong Mun-yeon frowned.
"Sect Leader, we have given you enough time. We are merchants who must also earn our living. We cannot keep extending the deadline forever."
"That is precisely why I am speaking."
Hyun Jong met everyone’s eyes before continuing.
"I know well that it can no longer be delayed. But repaying the full one hundred thousand nyang by the deadline is impossible for Mount Hua. So I ask you this."
Hyun Jong lowered his body and clasped his hands.
"We cannot repay all of it, but we can repay part of it. So if anyone here can personally extend the repayment deadline, I ask you to help Mount Hua."
Everyone stared blankly, stunned by the fact that the Sect Leader himself had bowed his head.
The atmosphere was beginning to drift in an odd direction.