After a long period of hardship, peace finally arrived at Huashan.
Thanks to Qingming's efforts, the financial troubles that had plagued Huashan were resolved, and a new path was set for the future.
Just as spring follows winter, vitality akin to the blooming of new shoots filled Huashan, and the sound of everyone's happy laughter should have been continuous... but it was not.
"Peace can go freeze to death."
Qingming's face twisted in despair.
The broom he held in his hand bent as if it would break under the pressure of his grip.
Peace? This place was a hell on earth.
"Excuse me? The calculations? This, this is... Just a moment! Brother Zhou! Brother Zhou! How much is this?"
"Hey! I told you to fill that up!"
"Isn't everything dependent on the Dao? It's only natural that there are no materials. What? A refund? Yes... um..."
The three great disciples of Huashan, clad in white robes, were sweating profusely as they dealt with the influx of customers.
"They're trying hard, really hard."
This was Huayun.
It was good that they had managed to find the ledgers and reclaim all of Huayun's businesses.
They had taken over more than ten businesses that were running decently, so wasn't it just a matter of making money from here on out? ...
That thought was the beginning of all their problems.
Even Qingming had not anticipated this, but these fellows had not run a proper business for nearly a hundred years.
So, a bunch of greenhorns who had never earned a single coin with their own hands suddenly found themselves in charge of more than ten businesses.
The result? As you can see.
"No! How long has it been since you said we ran out of materials? Why aren't they coming in?"
"What is the finance department doing?"
"What is that madman doing, holding onto customers? Hey! You!"
Qingming smiled with satisfaction.
"They're having fun. Really having fun."
The disciples of Huashan, who had only ever swung swords, were now sweating as they dealt with customers in Huayun.
If the ancient sages of Huashan were to see this, they would have scolded them sternly... no, they would probably have rolled on the ground laughing.
Among those disciples was Qingming, of course.
And the customers were not pleased either.
"No! Why is this tea so bitter?"
"I asked for leaf tea, leaf tea! Do you not know what leaf tea is? Is this leaf tea?"
"Where is the owner? Who serves tea leaves by just throwing them into the pot?"
I am witnessing hell while still alive.
Qingming sighed as he looked at their miserable state.
"Oh, what a pity."
At least this place was better off.
The three great disciples dragged to other businesses were currently experiencing a hellish nightmare.
No, it was the people who had to run the businesses with them who were suffering in hell.
There were those who sold silk but ended up tearing it apart.
Those who asked for hoes but brought pickaxes instead.
Still, there were those who could be understood, like the ones who snuck a bite of meat meant for the customers while cooking.
Of course, they deserved to be beaten to a pulp.
The three great disciples, who were only dealing with customers, could roll with the punches, but the first great disciples were on the verge of losing their minds.
People who had spent their lives cultivating the Dao were now caught up in the turmoil of the mundane world, to the point where they might throw away the items they were holding.
"Hey, you! What are you doing? Hurry up and sweep!"
"Ugh. Yes. I’m sweeping! I’m sweeping!"
The broom in Qingming's hand began to sweep in front of the tea set. 'What good is sweeping this? All the customers are running away in fright.' Qingming saw customers bursting through the door.
Seeing their displeased faces made him want to shout, "Beat those guys up!" Of course, as the youngest of Huashan, he could not dare say such a thing.
Having roughly swept away the dust in front of him, Qingming quietly slipped to the back.
He spotted Zhou Ge, who was busy carrying refreshments.
"Brother."
He did not hear.
"Brother!"
Still did not hear.
"Hey! Hey, you! Hey!"
His ears were blocked.
"Zhou Ge, you brat!"
"Yes! Third disciple Zhou... what is it?"
Zhou Ge glared at Qingming with wide eyes.
No matter how much he looked like a disciple, he was still a disciple.
How could a disciple tolerate such disrespect from another disciple?
"Why?"
Here he was.
Zhou Ge glanced around cautiously before stepping out from behind the counter to approach Qingming.
"Brother."
"So why?"
"Let’s talk humanely for a moment. You’re the youngest son of a somewhat famous merchant family, right? The youngest son of the Continental Battlefield, or something like that?"
"The Continental Battlefield can freeze to death. It’s just a small merchant family."
"Still, you must have some insight into how things are running. That’s how it usually is. The youngest son of a successful family is typically a reckless brat, but deep down, he hides great talent."
"... What are you talking about?" Zhou Ge sighed deeply.
Anyway, whenever he talked to this guy, he could never understand what he was saying.
"So..."
Qingming subtly pointed to the chaotic scene around them.
"Why on earth did this happen?"
"Well..."
Zhou Ge sighed again.
"It’s because of those who were originally in charge here."
"Uh-huh."
"Those guys seemed to have some reputation. When they quit, many of the employees left with them."
"Huh? Reputation?"
Those con artists had a reputation? What kind of nonsense was this, like a corrupt official donating to a beggar?
"Reputation? What kind of nonsense is that, Brother?"
"To be precise, it’s not so much reputation as it is that they were very thorough with connections and relationships. Most of the employees were either relatives or family, so they all gradually left after sensing the atmosphere."
Huh.
Is this the downside of family-run businesses? This is why professional managers... no, that’s not it.
So it’s an employee problem, then?
"That’s the first issue."
"Huh? There’s more?"
Zhou Ge frowned slightly and looked around.
After confirming there were no listening ears, he lowered his voice.
"As you can see, the biggest problem is that the elders of Huashan do not have the ability to run these businesses."
"Doesn’t that require skill?"
People who cultivate the Dao or live by learning the unlearned tend to view the issue of making a living lightly, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
If it were easy, everyone would be rich.
"That’s true, but..."
Qingming sighed deeply.
"So right now, Huashan does not have the ability to manage these businesses?"
"That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s like putting a pearl necklace on a pig. I didn’t expect it to be this severe..."
At that moment, a loud voice came from inside.
"No! I said we’re out of Pu-erh tea! What do you expect me to do with this Tieguanyin?"
"Isn’t that the same thing?"
"I said Pu-erh tea! Brother! I’m already having a headache, and now you want to change the goods?"
"Why are you raising your voice! Have I ever dealt with such expensive tea before? How would I know anything?"
"Who has ever drunk that stuff!"
Qingming shook his head. 'These people who cultivate the Dao.' They were fighting and causing a ruckus over a single change in tea leaves.
"Look at that."
Zhou Ge clicked his tongue.
"Running a business isn’t that simple. You have to choose and buy every single material. If you pick a subpar material, it won’t balance out, and if you use cheap stuff, customers will leave. If you can’t do it properly and hire a vendor, they’ll just cheat you, and the workers will end up with nothing."
"... What about learning from now on?"
"Would you teach a bunch of forty-year-old uncles who have never learned anything about the Dao?"
"I wouldn’t."
Zhou Ge shook his head.
"Honestly, if things keep going like this, we won’t last six months before everything goes under. I don’t know how it was in the past, but right now, Huashan doesn’t have the ability to run this. There’s no solution."
"But if we learn well, wouldn’t it be okay?"
Zhou Ge looked at Qingming with a hopeless expression.
"Qingming, do you know the characteristics of the businesses we’re in charge of?"
"Well?"
"They’re all about selling goods."
"... Huh?"
"Tea, silk, blacksmithing, etc. They all involve sourcing materials to create something or selling them as they are. Do you know the characteristic of such businesses?"
"If I knew that, I’d be rich."
"Everything hinges on selecting and sourcing the right materials. But, you see, if an innocent Daoist who knows nothing about the world comes in with money to buy goods, what do you think will happen?"
"They’ll get scammed."
"It’s not just a scam. They’ll probably try to bleed them dry."
"...."
"This is hopeless. It was doomed from the start."
Qingming turned his head to gaze at the distant sky.
Then he smiled faintly. 'Brother Zhang.' This disciple has finally realized the greatness of Brother Zhang.
The businesses were running smoothly when he was around. 'Damn it, I’d rather die than suffer!' Qingming snorted.
"So what’s the solution?" Zhou Ge looked at Qingming with blank eyes.
"Why are you looking for a solution from me?"
"No! You’re still the child of a merchant family. So there must be a solution, right?"
"You crazy fool! What do you expect me to say to someone who’s just starting to pick herbs and asks for a cure for a deadly disease? If I had that ability, would I be swinging a sword at Huashan? I’d already be making a fortune inheriting my family business. Even my father wouldn’t be able to save this."
"... Is the situation really that serious?"
"There’s no solution."
Zhou Ge forced a smile.
"I was so desperate that I even thought about contacting my family. But it’s too far away, and my family doesn’t have the resources for that. To run businesses like this without strain, you need at least a merchant who is knowledgeable about various goods. But Huashan doesn’t have anyone like that."
There used to be someone.
Qingmen.
But now, there’s no one.
Zhou Ge said with a bitter smile, "If only Master Huang were still well, we wouldn’t have to worry about this."
"Master Huang?"
"Yeah. Master Huang."
Qingming tilted his head.
"Come to think of it, that Master Huang has been mentioned often. What does he do?"
"He’s a merchant."
"A merchant?" Zhou Ge nodded.
"He’s one of the merchants based in the islands. He deals with goods from Qinghai, Yunnan, and the Western Regions."
"But what does he have to do with Huashan?"
"He has been supporting Huashan for a long time. It’s a well-known story. Thanks to him, Huashan was able to avoid complete ruin."
"... What did Huashan do for him?"
"Well, I can’t say for sure..."
Zhou Ge shrugged.
"I’ve heard he supported not just Huashan but several places. Anyway, if he were still around, we wouldn’t have any problems. We could have received various advice or assistance."
"Then we should just ask him for help."
"That won’t work. Master Huang has been bedridden for a year now. There are rumors he’s unconscious."
"Uh-huh."
"So..."
At that moment.
"Qingming! Is Qingming there?"
Qingming raised his head at the voice calling for him.
"I’m here!"
A familiar face entered Qingming's view.