Are You a Southern Edge Sect Bastard? (3)
"Sahyung! Great Sahyung!"
"Why are you making such a fuss?"
"Did you hear?"
Yoon Jong let out a small snort of laughter.
"Hear what?"
"The rumor's already spread everywhere! You didn't hear?"
"If I have ears, it's not like I couldn't hear it."
As Yoon Jong answered so calmly, Jo Gul only grew more excited.
"It turns out the merchants in Hwameum who'd been pestering Mount Hua for debt repayments were actually former agents of Mount Hua. Their businesses were all Mount Hua's too."
"So I heard."
"There's chaos in Hwameum right now. The government soldiers have occupied it and are confiscating all their property."
"I heard that too."
"Aigoo, Great Sahyung! Why are you so calm about this? Hah! This is why I shouldn't talk to people who are going to become Daoists!"
Jo Gul thumped his chest in frustration.
"Is it really that amazing?"
"Of course it is! Do you know how much money that is if they seize everything those people brought with them? Forget their personal assets for a second—if Mount Hua can just take over their businesses, it'll be able to eat for generations without ever worrying about money."
"That much?"
Only then did Yoon Jong look at Jo Gul with fresh eyes, as if realizing the matter was more serious than he'd thought.
He'd always been someone destined to become a Daoist, and by nature he was far removed from the world of commerce. It seemed that the way he viewed events and the way Jo Gul, who came from a merchant family, viewed them were completely different.
"I see. So it was a much bigger deal than I thought."
"Aigoo, Sahyung. If you're going to lead Mount Hua someday, you'll be in trouble if you don't even have a sense for money."
"Mm. I'll keep that in mind."
He had heard the rumors, but he hadn't realized they were that enormous a matter. He'd only thought they might avoid having to deal with debt collection, yet it seemed the situation was far more significant than he'd expected.
And that gave rise to a new question.
"But how did something like this suddenly happen? Why did Sect Leader endure that humiliation until now?"
"W-well..."
"Hm?"
Jo Gul's face turned oddly complicated.
"They said they found the ledger this time."
"The ledger?"
"Yes. The ledger connected to Mount Hua's businesses. They said they found it a few days ago, which is how they were able to go after those bastards..."
Jo Gul trailed off vaguely. And Yoon Jong could tell why Jo Gul looked so uncomfortable.
"A few days ago, you said."
"Yes."
"A ledger was found a few days ago. And that ledger would obviously have been in the form of a book, right?"
"I suppose so."
Yoon Jong gave a hollow laugh.
"Strangely enough, I think we saw a book being found a few days ago. Am I wrong?"
"...You're not."
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong exchanged uneasy looks, unable to continue.
That chest.
There was definitely a book in it.
It was too coincidental to call an accident. On top of that, wasn't the Sect Leader's reaction when he checked the contents of that chest far too memorable?
"I'd like to call it a coincidence, but..."
"I feel the same."
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong's expressions darkened further.
"And that fellow's reaction earlier was a little..."
"He was obviously way too suspicious."
- Ohhh nooo! What is this? Why is there a rock in hereeee?!
- No, wait! It's not a rock! Who buried something like this here? That's weird, huh? Hahahaha. How strange indeed.
- Should I dig it up? I should be fine digging it up, right? Hahaha. Haha. To think something like this was buried here. What a strange thinggggg. It can't be treasure or anything, can it?
Yoon Jong squeezed his eyes shut.
If you want to fool someone, at least make it believable. Damn it.
He couldn't forget that awkward voice. Any three-year-old child would have immediately thought,
That guy is clearly plotting something weird.
And then there'd been that chest after the godawful performance...
"So it really was?"
"It must have been, right?"
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong's expressions turned grave.
"Where on earth did he even find something like that?"
"The more I know about him, the less I understand him."
"Tsk."
Yoon Jong shook his head.
There were just too many suspicious points. Even without trying to scrutinize every little thing, it felt as if suspicious details came rolling out every time Chung Myung took a step.
And yet the reason Yoon Jong didn't regard Chung Myung as a major threat was because his sincerity toward Mount Hua was undeniable.
This incident was the same. In the end, Mount Hua had benefited greatly because Chung Myung had found those ledgers, hadn't it?
"Anyway..."
Just then—
"Great Sahyung!"
A loud voice rang out from outside the room.
"What is it?"
"Have you seen Chung Myung by any chance?"
"Why?"
"The Sect Leader is looking for him, but we can't find him anywhere. He's not even in his room."
"...Hm?"
Yoon Jong, who'd been about to answer casually, suddenly froze. Soon enough, his complexion began to darken horribly.
"He's gone?"
"Yes. Nowhere at all."
"Th-then surely not!"
Yoon Jong shot to his feet. Then he bolted toward Chung Myung's room in a panic.
He kicked the door open and yanked aside Chung Myung's wardrobe.
"Sahyung! What are you doing?"
Jo Gul, who had arrived a beat later after hurrying after Yoon Jong, shouted from inside the room.
"...It's gone."
"Pardon?"
"It's not there."
Yoon Jong pointed at the empty wardrobe. Chung Myung's training robe was still inside.
"Huh? He even took off his robe, so where did he go..."
Then Jo Gul's eyes went as round as saucers.
Taking off his robe meant he'd put on different clothes. But his regular clothes were still lying next to the robe. Which meant the missing clothing was...
"Th-there's no way."
The night clothes Jo Gul had recently procured for him, and the face covering.
Yoon Jong's face twisted mercilessly.
"What kind of trouble is he going to cause now..."
"..."
The two of them truly couldn't tell whether Chung Myung was Mount Hua's great fortune or its disaster.
* * *
"...Huh."
Jo Geomyeong stared blankly at the cart. It was loaded with a portion of the wealth he'd amassed so far.
The cart was packed to the point of seeming ready to collapse.
If a stranger saw it, they'd be shocked by the amount, but Jo Geomyeong's heart was in utter ruins at the sight of it.
"Overnight..."
It was a bolt from the blue.
What they'd seen in their rush down from Mount Hua was their business holdings already occupied by government soldiers. Armed officials surrounded the properties, and they had been ordered out.
When they protested, the only response they received was a rebuke: if not for a plea from Mount Hua's Sect Leader, they'd all have been dragged off to the magistrate's office.
What in the world is this?
Then the ledger had really been genuine after all.
But Jo Geomyeong couldn't help feeling wronged. Who could have imagined that the Maehwa Workshop, which their family had operated for generations, belonged to Mount Hua? Since it had already been run by their ancestors, they'd naturally inherited it.
And yet, to have the workshop snatched away and be driven out of Hwameum in a single day—where in the world was there an injustice more outrageous than this?
The others looked just as grim.
As cart after cart gathered before them, Jo Geomyeong felt as if the sky itself was caving in.
"...What on earth is going on?"
"Indeed."
Sighs rose from here and there.
They were being forced out of Hwameum at once, but their household members had been permitted to remain a little longer. At this point, whether it ended in rice or in death, they'd have to leave the aftermath to their families and abandon Hwameum.
"Are we truly supposed to leave like this?"
"Then what can we do?"
"At least let us protest..."
"Protest?"
Jin I-san of Hwayeong Inn shot Jo Geomyeong a murderous glare.
"Did you not just see how the owner of Chopyeong was dragged off to the magistrate's office for protesting? We're fraudsters, fraudsters! If the Sect Leader hadn't shown mercy, we'd be the ones locked up in prison right now instead of leaving like this! And what exactly do you think you're going to argue about?"
Jo Geomyeong's shoulders sagged.
"Damn it!"
Jin I-san turned on his heel irritably.
"Let's go!"
"Alr-ready?"
"Didn't you hear that if we don't leave within an hour, we'll be locked up? Enough with plans and nonsense—first we need to get out of Hwameum!"
In the end, Jo Geomyeong nodded weakly. Those watching them followed behind the dejected Jo Geomyeong with equally dark faces.
After riding their carts for a long while, they finally made it out of Hwameum. They stopped briefly in the shade of a tree and, dragging their feet, climbed down to gather around.
"...This should be far enough."
"The government soldiers who'd been watching from behind seem to have gone back. I think we can relax now."
"Relax, he says."
"What are we supposed to do now?"
Once the urgent crisis was behind them, other things began to come into view.
Jo Geomyeong quietly turned his head and looked at Gong Mun-yeon. Seeing him, who hadn't said a single word since earlier, only made his already bursting insides feel raw and ruined.
"Master Gong!"
The words burst out sharply.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
As soon as Jo Geomyeong opened fire, the others began condemning Gong Mun-yeon as well.
"Say something!"
"Didn't you say we could just trust you, Master Gong? What in the world is this?"
"We trusted Master Gong and now we're about to become fraudsters ourselves. How do you plan to take responsibility for this?"
Gong Mun-yeon slowly lifted his head.
"..."
When they saw his eyes, everyone shut their mouths. Gong Mun-yeon's gentle gaze, always so soft and virtuous, was now gleaming with killing intent.
"Are you blaming me right now?"
"..."
Overwhelmed by his momentum, the others unconsciously stepped back.
"N-no, that's not what we meant..."
"We're saying we need a plan. A plan..."
As everyone flinched, Gong Mun-yeon, who had dominated the group, only intensified his presence further.
"What a pathetic lot."
"..."
"..."
Gong Mun-yeon's voice fell like ice.
"We didn't begin this just to make an enemy of Mount Hua! Is there any one of you here who can say, hand on heart, that you've done nothing shameful? I'm sure you all knew this in the back of your minds, didn't you?"
No one answered.
Some who still knew shame lowered their heads with dark expressions, but most could not.
Gong Mun-yeon slightly eased his pressure and continued.
"There's no need to make such a fuss. Right now we're only taking shelter from the rain. This won't end like this, absolutely not."
"...What do you plan to do?"
"Do you really think that ledger could be genuine?"
"..."
"It's obviously a forged ledger."
"B-but the magistrate office..."
"If they had colluded with the district magistrate, forging the authenticity of a measly ledger would be nothing at all! They probably agreed to split the wealth with him!"
"Ah!"
The merchants lifted their heads abruptly.
"Then?"
"For now, let's go to Luoyang. Once we get to Luoyang, there will be ways to act. If those bastards want to crush people with power, then we'll answer them with even greater power! I'll make sure that sinister magistrate and Mount Hua's Sect Leader are punished!"
"Ooooh!"
"That's it! There's no way a ledger from a hundred years ago would just suddenly turn up like that!"
"We have to expose those swindlers' tricks!"
The merchants' voices grew louder.
But in their heads, they were thinking something else entirely.
Whether that ledger was real or fake didn't matter. As Gong Mun-yeon said, if they could use the force of power, even a real ledger could be made into a fake one.
In that case, getting their property back wouldn't be such a big deal.
Seeing their changed reaction, Gong Mun-yeon let out a quiet snort.
"So you needn't worry. I'll handle everything, so just trust me and follow."
"We'll trust Master Gong!"
"We trusted you from the very beginning! Of course."
Pathetic fools.
Gong Mun-yeon narrowed his eyes slightly.
They were vermin, no more than that, but he still needed them for now. It was more advantageous to have people raising their voices alongside him than to stand alone. As long as he led these fools to Luoyang, he could turn the situation around. He had a backer who could lend him real strength...
"You're talking shit."
Then a strange voice cut in.
Gong Mun-yeon's head snapped around.