"Hmm."
Hyun Jong sighed softly as he looked at the sunlight piercing through the window.
For some, that sunlight might be the start of a pleasant day.
But for those who struggle to live another day, nothing is more resentful than that very light. 'Another morning has come.' Once again, a new day had begun.
Two days had already passed.
Until the date mentioned by Gong Luju, only five days remained.
Five days.
Just five days.
Hyun Jong closed his eyes quietly. 'Five days.' If he could not gather one hundred thousand nyang within that short time, Hwasan would lose all its halls and be left on the streets.
There are three things that sustain life: clothing, food, and shelter.
Losing a place to live means one can no longer survive.
Of course, those who belonged to Hwasan would find another way to live.
But Hwasan would no longer be able to maintain its name.
Perhaps those with will and determination could carry on the name of Hwasan, but that would be just a name.
For Hwasan, which had been a prestigious sect for many years, it would be akin to a death sentence.
A massive sect that once had thousands of disciples would dwindle to just a few dozen, and if it barely continued in the form of martial arts, could it truly be said that it had not perished? Those who lost their homes would inevitably scatter.
For a while, there might be those who would follow him, but as the path to survival became bleak, they would all set out to find their own way.
Gradually...
'No.' Hyun Jong shook his head vigorously. 'This is not the time for weak thoughts.' There are still five days left.
If he could somehow gather the money within that time, he could protect Hwasan.
He is the leader of Hwasan.
He must never give up until the day Hwasan disappears.
While others may give up, he does not have the right to do so.
Hyun Jong raised his hand and rubbed his face.
To those who had even the slightest connection to Hwasan, he reached out.
Letters detailing Hwasan's plight were being spread throughout the world.
Among them, there might be someone willing to help Hwasan.
If just one person could lend a hand...
Hyun Jong found himself smiling helplessly without realizing it. 'Someone to help.' If they had thought of helping, they would have already done so.
Even when Hwasan still had something to offer, there was hardly any meaningful help.
Now, who would lend such a large sum of one hundred thousand nyang to a fallen Hwasan?
'It's heavy.' This is something he cannot avoid or turn away from.
Yet, the weight pressing down on him day by day was too burdensome.
The fear that Hwasan's lineage might end with him was almost unbearable.
In the sleepless nights that followed, he prayed and prayed not to see the morning come.
Then it happened.
"Leader!" Hyun Jong hurriedly adjusted his attire.
No matter how he felt inside, he must not show such a face to his disciples.
Even if Hwasan were to fall tomorrow, he must be remembered as a dignified leader.
"What is it?"
"Um, you need to come out for a moment."
"Hmm?" Hyun Jong tilted his head.
But it was only for a moment.
He stood up and went outside.
Outside the door stood Ungeom, looking somewhat dazed.
"Ungeom?" Hyun Jong narrowed his eyes.
It was Ungeom, not Unam.
Ungeom was currently in charge of Baekmaegwan, wasn't he? If Unam had come, it would mean something was wrong with Hwasan, but Ungeom's arrival meant there was an issue at Baekmaegwan.
But what kind of matter could arise at Baekmaegwan that required the leader to come directly? Especially at such an early hour?
"What is going on?"
"Leader, you need to come with me."
"Hmm?" Hyun Jong frowned slightly.
Ungeom's expression was strange.
He looked both shocked and pale. 'What on earth is happening?' Teaching young disciples who have yet to mature is a task that consumes a great deal of mental energy.
That Ungeom had been chosen for such a role speaks volumes about his calmness.
Yet even he was unable to maintain his composure now.
"I will explain in detail once we get there. Leader! You must come with me!"
"Lead the way."
Hyun Jong followed Ungeom without further questions.
It was not difficult to ask what was happening.
But since Ungeom had come out like this, it must be urgent.
It would not be too late to find out once they arrived.
"Yes! Leader!" Ungeom took off, using light steps.
Hyun Jong followed closely behind without delay. 'Where are we going?' Hyun Jong squinted slightly.
Ungeom was not heading to Baekmaegwan.
Instead, he was going towards Yeonhwa Peak, which lay behind Baekmaegwan.
Why to Yeonhwa Peak? But Ungeom seemed intent on climbing Yeonhwa Peak with all his strength, showing no signs of answering his question. 'I will find out when I get there.'
As they climbed halfway up Yeonhwa Peak, Hyun Jong spotted the three great disciples sitting scattered along the path.
"Huh?" Why are those kids sitting there like that? And why do they all look so...?
Hyun Jong's eyes widened.
The children were sprawled out on either side of the narrow path leading up to Yeonhwa Peak.
Even though the leader had arrived, they showed no signs of lifting their heads, gasping for breath.
"W-what is this?" Ungeom shouted angrily.
"You brats! The leader has come, and you can't even show proper respect?"
"Let them be."
"Leader!"
"More importantly, why do they look like this?"
"That is..."
Ungeom glanced around before turning his head sharply.
"Cheongmyeong! Where is Cheongmyeong?"
Cheongmyeong? Why is that name coming up here? Hyun Jong looked at Ungeom with a confused expression.
If he was talking about the new kid who had just joined Hwasan, why was he calling for him?
"Here!" Before Hyun Jong could resolve his confusion, a voice answered.
Instinctively turning his head toward the sound, Hyun Jong's eyes widened.
"You, you why? Huh?" Cheongmyeong emerged from behind a tree, looking like a grotesque figure.
His face was whiter than a sheet of paper, and his lips had turned a bluish hue.
The dark shadows under his eyes extended almost to his chin.
In short, he looked like a corpse.
It would not be surprising if he collapsed and died at any moment.
"What on earth happened?"
"Ah, I'm sorry. I overdid it during training..."
What kind of nonsense is this? If someone could turn into such a state just from training a bit, not a single person in the martial world would have survived.
He needed to make sense.
At that moment, Ungeom spoke up urgently.
"That is not the important matter right now."
Hyun Jong's eyes widened in disbelief.
Not important?
"What do you mean it’s not important?"
How could the head of Baekmaegwan say such nonsense? Baekmaegwan is the future of Hwasan.
The three great disciples training there are the very pillars that will lead Hwasan in the future! Yet, it was none other than the head of Baekmaegwan who spoke such words...
"You need to come here. Cheongmyeong has discovered something strange."
"Something strange?"
"Quickly!" Ungeom's urgency was palpable.
'No...' If someone else had shown such urgency, he would have scolded them immediately, but the one in front of him was none other than Ungeom, the calmest person in Hwasan, now acting like a restless colt.
In the end, Hyun Jong followed Cheongmyeong and Ungeom into the thicket, almost in a daze.
"What on earth is there...?" Hyun Jong's words trailed off.
Before his eyes lay the disturbed earth and an old box revealed beneath it.
The entrance of the box was half-open.
Hyun Jong's eyes widened further.
Inside the half-open box, something golden was shining.
There is only one metal in the world that emits such a golden light.
However, what captured Hyun Jong's attention was not merely the gold.
It was the book lying beside it.
The title of that book was drawing in Hyun Jong's very soul.
"The Great Hwasan Sect's Secret Record of the Harmonious Arts."
The excessively long title and the number attached to it.
"T-this...?" Hyun Jong could hardly collect his thoughts.
Why is this here? And why is it alongside that gold? The fear of approaching such an unbelievable reality gripped him.
He was afraid that if he reached out, these items might vanish like a mirage.
"H-how did you find this?"
"That kid found it."
"That kid?" Hyun Jong turned his head sharply.
He saw Cheongmyeong, who looked like a walking corpse.
"H-how did you find this?"
Cheongmyeong, with a face that looked half-dead, struggled to speak.
"I was going for... morning training..."
"What?" Hearing his mosquito-like voice, Hyun Jong tilted his head.
Then Ungeom quietly interpreted, "It seems he went up to Yeonhwa Peak for morning training."
"Morning training? Since when did that start?"
"It has been a while. Since that kid came."
"Huh?" Since that kid came? How long has it been since he arrived?
'Ah, no.
This isn't the time for that.' He could ask about the details later.
"So you found this while climbing Yeonhwa Peak for morning training?"
"To be precise, I was too exhausted and decided to rest a bit in the thicket, but the spot I sat on felt oddly hard, so I looked down and saw something sticking out. So I dug a bit..."
"That!"
"But... the items inside were so extraordinary that I thought it would be better to inform the higher-ups rather than check myself..."
"S-speak slowly. What kind of training makes you look like that?"
"Training is... the foundation of a martial artist..."
"I understand for now. You should rest for a while! I will check it myself."
Hyun Jong swallowed hard and approached the box.
He reached into the box with trembling hands.
What he touched were not the dazzling gold that had captured everyone's attention, but the books beside it.
"The Great Hwasan Sect's Secret Record of the Harmonious Arts."
As he pulled out each volume, Hyun Jong mumbled as if in a trance.
His trembling hands revealed just how stirred his heart was.
He could not even bear the thought of opening the books.
If he opened them carelessly and they crumbled to dust, he would never be able to close his eyes in death.
"The Great Hwasan Sect's History."
This was certainly a record dealing with Hwasan's history.
While it might not serve a practical role like a ledger, from the perspective of the leader of Hwasan, it could be even more important.
As he carefully set down the books he had taken out, Hyun Jong's eyes caught the title of another book placed neatly beneath them.
"Ch-Chi... Chi...?"
His eyes twitched.
"Seven Plum Sword Record?"
His whole body trembled.
"T-this is here... This is..."
"Leader!"
With a loud crash, Hyun Jong's consciousness faded away, and he fell backward.
"Leader!"
"Stay conscious! Leader!"
Hearing the shouts from all around, Hyun Jong smiled brightly until the moment he lost consciousness.
What came out of that box was not just simple wealth and books.
It was hope.