Return of the Mount Hua Sect

The second son of a merchant family.

A man who should have pursued a merchant’s path, not that of a swordsman, judging by his background.

Jo Gul inhaled deeply.

Despite leaving behind the life of a merchant, his understanding of trade was far from superficial. Living in an environment surrounded by it, his knowledge was unparalleled among the disciples of Mount Hua who had journeyed to the North Sea. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that his expertise exceeded all others.

There was no way he wasn’t sure how important the position they were in was.

He sat down with a firm thought of ensuring the deal would favor Mount Hua.

But…

After entering the meeting to discuss the transaction details, Jo Gul couldn’t help but have doubts in his mind.

‘Did I really have to come in here?’

“NOOOOO!”

Chung Myung screamed, his eyes furrowed in a frown.

“You seem to lack understanding. But that won’t solve the problem, you know! The North Sea doesn’t have anything to sell at the moment, so how do you expect to make money?”

“B-but Taoist… doesn’t one season just fly by? If mining is so easy, shouldn’t the North Sea have become richer than before?”

“Well then, mine a lot from now on and get rich!”

“That’s easier said than…”

Chung Myung glared at the sweating Han Yi-Myung.

“Mister! No, Commander!”

“Uh?”

“Then, when will the Ice Palace get rich?”

“…”

Han Yi-Myung couldn’t answer, so I went silent.

“He is saying such things because it will never happen! Isn’t the Ice Palace just poor all this while!?”

“W-what could we even do in that…”

“Commander.”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung spoke with a stern face.

“Of course, it isn’t the responsibility of the commander. It is an unavoidable problem in the North Sea.”

“Right.”

This was exactly what Han Yi-Myung intended to convey.

Both the Ice Palace and the North Sea were facing trouble.

Overcoming this cold was not an easy task, and enduring it was even more difficult.

Why did the people of the North Sea not want to mine the ice crystals? Limited manpower was the reason.

“But there is another way, though. We can send warriors into the mines.”

“T-taoist.”

Han Yi-Myung was shocked upon hearing that.

“Although the Ice Palace is said to be responsible for the livelihood of the North Sea, its foundation lies in martial arts. If we relocate those who study martial arts from the sect to a different location, the foundation will crumble.”

“Ah, I see. That’s possible.”

Chung Myung simply nodded, his expression indifferent.

“But, commander, I have a question.”

“When do you intend to appoint the next commander?”

“… What are you trying to say?”

“What will you do when the commander dies, and the Palace Lord has to rule the entire North Sea on his own?”

Han Yi-Myung’s eyes trembled at those words.

“At that time, the Ice Palace was a place where the pride of a warrior must be protected. Are you going to tell him not to lose the soul of a warrior and just survive?”

“…”

Han Yi-Myung clenched his fist.

For him, Seol So-Baek was not someone who could be defined in a single word. The Palace Lord he should serve, the one who earned his complete loyalty… above all, his beloved son.

It was not a blood relation. But it was this child whom he had been nurturing since his breastfeeding days. Rather, it was even more heartbreaking that they did not share blood.

“Are you considering allowing the Palace Lord to live in poverty? Do you want to say you had no choice?”

“That…”

Han Yi-Myung bit his lip.

“It cannot be…”

“Right!”

He clapped his hands as if confirming Chung Myung’s words. Watching him pull Han Yi-Myung to his side, Jo Gul smiled.

‘What kind of negotiation is this?’

This was the first time he had witnessed such negotiations.

Originally, in a transaction between the sects, there was a competition to not lose even a single coin. While saying all sorts of nice things to avoid hurting the pride of others, it was essential to sharpen the knives to get what you want.

But what was…

Chung Myung raised his voice again.

“What do you want to pass on to future generations?”

“…”

“Good martial arts? Honor? Pride of being from the Ice Palace?”

He smiled openly.

“Nice. Very nice. But what is the use of all that if you can’t even do it? It would be a good thing for future generations to have pride in themselves and pursue honor. But you can’t ask your descendants to starve for that!”

“…”

“Even if I’m struggling now, my children shouldn’t go hungry! Isn’t that the duty of an ancestor?”

Han Yi-Myung nodded calmly.

“There is nothing wrong with the words of the Taoist.”

“Which is why!”

Kwang!

Chung Myung shattered the table and struck it.

“Set your pride aside for a moment.”

“…”

“Warriors should possess pride. And the warriors have tasks to fulfill. Correct, I understand that as well. However….”

Chung Myung’s gaze was exceptionally solemn.

“A father has no pride.”

Han Yi-Myung shut his eyes.

‘How would the previous lord have responded?’

Maybe he wouldn’t acquiesce to this. Because he was someone who prioritized the pride of the Ice Palace above all else.

The same applied to Han Yi-Myung. If this had been offered to him a few years ago, he would have likely rejected it without hesitation.

But now he understood.

Pride and self-esteem can sometimes hold no significance at all.

Didn’t he realize this while raising Seol So-Baek by himself?

“Taoist.”

Han Yi-Myung glanced at Chung Myung and spoke,

“However, I have a question to ask.”

“Of course, go ahead.”

“I am well aware that the Taoist seeks to benefit from the Ice Palace. I understand that, as someone in need of favors, I have no right to question this.”

Han Yi-Myung let out a sigh.

“However, I am also the commander of the Ice Palace. As the Taoist mentioned, it is my duty to ensure the excellence of the Ice Palace and take responsibility for the young palace lord who governs it. Therefore, I must ask this question without any hesitation.”

His gaze, fixed upon Chung Myung, held an intensity that could not be dismissed.

“Will these deals truly benefit the Ice Palace?”

Chung Myung responded with a smile,

“I only have one guiding principle.”

“…”

“I shed blood for those who bring me harm and show grace to those who do me favors.”

Chung Myung’s face, as he confirmed his stance, exuded an air of reliability.

“I don’t need a relationship created out of the ambiguous line of cause. I need a genuine relationship where two parties care about each other and offer support. A friendship where one can set everything aside and rush to the other person’s aid if they are in danger.”

“…”

“If the North Sea encounters a dangerous situation, Mount Hua will come running.”

Han Yi-Myung nodded.

“Then what about the North Sea?”

“I don’t think it is for me to decide. It depends on the choice of the Palace Lord.”

“Ah, right.”

“But…”

Han Yi-Myung smiled slightly, nodded, and extended his hand.

“It will never happen that I block the choices the palace lord makes. What excuse can I even have to stop him from helping a close friend?”

Chung Myung smiled and clasped his hand.

“That is a good thought.”

The two held hands and looked straight into each other’s faces. After exchanging firm glances for a while, the two sat down again.

“Hmm,”

Han Yi-Myung let out a slight groan as if he was a bit worried.

“The problem now is to convince the warriors to work well. They have too much pride…”

“Ah, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung grinned as if he could handle this problem and looked at Han Yi-Myung, who wasn’t sure.

“From now on, I will teach you how to handle people.”

“…”

“It is a warrior’s pride and shit, and it is a problem because they care about such things. So, first, we will head up and beat the shit out…”

When Chung Myung’s special class began, Jo Gul smiled.

‘This is the end.’

Dark clouds would begin to gather over the North Sea Ice Palace, too.

“Uh!”

After kicking open the door, Chung Myung’s face was bathed in the bright sunlight. Baek Ah, who was perched on his shoulders, stretched her body as if she, too, were basking in the sun, displaying an expression of unprecedented comfort.

“It’s finished!”

“…you despicable bastard.”

In the end, Chung Myung succeeded in doubling the trade agreements with Han Yi-Myung. Now that the contract was signed, the Ice Palace would have to provide items like ice crystals and cold steel to Mount Hua. The purchase price, however, was much higher than anticipated. Jo Gul was aware that this decision was not made with the Ice Palace in mind.

‘In other words, he will keep bullying them.’

You didn’t have to consider the other party’s circumstances when you took short-term profits, but if you continued to make many trades like this, you should also consider the other party’s benefit. This way, both parties could continue to profit without breaking the deal.

“But where will you use the supplies you received?”

“Where will I use them?”

When Jo Gul asked this, Chung Myung stretched his arm and replied,

“Now that the ice crystals in the Central Plains are depleted, there will be people willing to pay a thousand gold for them. Leave something for us to use and sell the rest to those bastards.”

“And what about the cold steel?”

“The cold steel? Well, the Tang family will certainly purchase it at a higher price.”

As soon as the thought of cold steel crossed his mind, Chung Myung couldn’t help but giggle, imagining Tang Gunak’s reaction.

“Even when he made the sword last time, he got a good feel for it. He has also learned how to properly make weapons. Wouldn’t it be frustrating for him to not be able to make high-quality weapons because he lacks the materials?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And what if we present the materials right in front of his eyes? He won’t be able to resist.”

“B-but the Tang family are our friends? Are you saying you’ll sell it to them at a high price?”

“Tsk. Consider the situation from the perspective of your merchant lineage. Very misguided.”

No… Chung Myung.

This wasn’t about a merchant lineage or anything. It was about basic human decency.

“Sahyung truly lacks understanding!”

“…”

“The more friends you have, the more careful you must be with such transactions. Are you suggesting that if you carelessly reduce the expenses for them, they will develop certain feelings? I’m not here to make money! This is about relationships and trust, utilizing them!”

“…this is rubbish.”

Regardless of whatever Jo Gul muttered, Chung Myung simply grinned and, with a serious expression, looked at Jo Gul.

“This is something we should keep from Soso.”

“…”

“Ahem!”

Soon, when he saw Chung Myung push his belly out and head to his room, Jo Gul shook his head in disappointment.

“Well, he is a scammer,”

And quickly followed him.

Chung Myung walked in a laid-back manner, taking his time, and he glanced at the distant sky.

“This is nice.”

“Huh?”

“All the problems in the North Sea began from the fact that this place is far from the Central Plains, and the land here is rather barren,” Chung Myung explained.

“…”

“If we maintain our trade practice of providing them with grains and goods, they will eventually reciprocate.”

“…”

“And that kid will finally have a more comfortable life.”

After uttering these words, Chung Myung added, ‘It would be great if I could make some money too,’ and continued walking.

Jo Gul observed him and couldn’t help but smile.

‘Well, he’s unstoppable.’

There were numerous occasions where Jo Gul struggled to comprehend Chung Myung’s thoughts.

But…

‘So what now…’

The path of this incomprehensible saga will never deviate from its rightful way. There was certainty in that. It only grew with time.

“Let’s go together, Chung Myung…”

“Ah!”

“Uh?”

“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t believe that bastard Seol Chun-Sang only left ice crystals behind. Should we search a bit more so we don’t regret it? We have to give it our all, ahem!”

“…”

No.

Sometimes, he wandered off the path.

A tad excessively…