"Ughhh."
"This is really unbearable."
The three great disciples groaned as they entered the mountain gate.
Doing business in Huayun was something they could not handle.
They were cultivators who needed to achieve peace of mind through their training.
For them, dealing with people burdened by the mundane world was a hardship that could not be compared to the trials of cultivating in the mountains.
"Everything is fine, but..."
Of course, they understood that.
They also knew how important money was and how hard it was to earn.
Just a little while ago, hadn’t they lived on nothing but gruel because they had no money? One could not survive on tree bark alone, no matter how much one trained in the mountains and learned martial arts.
Whether in the mountains, fields, or cities, people needed money to live.
So they had no complaints about that part.
The problem was not that...
"Can’t we just get a place to stay in Huayun? What is this nonsense?"
"Going up and down Huashan every morning and evening is really going to kill me. Senior brother..."
Yoon Jong squeezed his eyes shut.
Normally, he would have scolded them for whining, but now those words wouldn’t come out.
He was also out of breath to the point of gasping.
"... Think of this as training."
"What kind of training is this...?"
"Or you can go directly to the masters and argue with them."
"...."
Everyone clamped their mouths shut.
It was not because they were afraid of their superiors.
Compared to the hardships the masters were enduring, their own struggles were nothing.
They only needed to endure today, but the masters were still preparing for business tomorrow and had not yet returned to Huashan.
"Senior brother, I have no time to train these days."
"We came to learn martial arts, not to do business. If it was going to be like this, we would have just stayed in our hometown and run a small shop. We wouldn’t have come to Huashan."
Yoon Jong sighed deeply.
"I know what you all want to say. But the world doesn’t always go the way you want, does it? This is the same. It will be resolved soon, so let’s just endure until then."
"…Yes, senior brother."
"Understood."
It seemed that his words had some effect, as everyone nodded.
Yoon Jong secretly sighed.
'I said that, but when will this situation improve?'
There was no certainty.
No, it was not just uncertain.
From Yoon Jong's perspective, the situation was not improving; it was getting worse day by day.
If it weren’t for the merchants who had supported Huashan this time, it wouldn’t have been surprising if a business had already gone under.
For the situation to improve, there should be some visible factors that could lead to improvement, but all he could see were negative factors.
'The headmaster must have a plan.'
As Yoon Jong continued his thoughts, he suddenly jolted.
'Why am I worrying about Huashan?'
Until recently, that was hardly the case.
Although he was the eldest of the three great disciples, he had never worried or pondered over Huashan's future.
He thought that if Huashan fell, he could just leave without a care.
But before he knew it, Yoon Jong was seriously worried about Huashan.
This change had all begun after that guy appeared...
"Saheeeeeeeeng!"
Yoon Jong squeezed his eyes shut.
'It seems like a good change, but why does that guy seem to be getting more immature as the days go by?'
Yoon Jong looked at the rushing Jogol with a puzzled expression.
"Senior brother! Senior brother! This is bad!"
"Calm down. How can a cultivator be so reckless..."
"Chung Myung..."
Chung Myung? The moment that name came out of Jogol's mouth, Yoon Jong's face turned pale.
It was truly remarkable how something could terrify a person even before they knew what was going on.
"Ah, no! Just come quickly! Hurry!"
As Jogol began to run ahead, Yoon Jong followed him without a second thought.
'What kind of trouble has that guy caused now?'
There was no time to think.
Yoon Jong sprinted into the mountain gate, following Jogol into Baekmaegwan.
Eventually, they arrived in front of Chung Myung's room, where Jogol violently flung the door open.
"He's not here?"
But Chung Myung was not in the room.
"Where could he have gone?"
"No, that’s not it! Look at this, senior brother."
"Huh?"
This? Yoon Jong turned his head to where Jogol was pointing, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
'Paper?'
On Chung Myung's bed lay a piece of paper.
As Yoon Jong approached the bed, he read the words written on it.
"I’ve gone out for a few days due to some matters. Handle things well on your own. And if you skip training, I’ll fold you in half, so don’t even think about it."
"... This crazy guy."
Yoon Jong's hand trembled as he held the paper.
What? Gone for a few days? No, did this madman think it was acceptable for a great disciple to leave the main mountain for several days just because he had something to do?
"W-what should we do, senior brother?"
Yoon Jong sighed deeply.
"For now, keep the kids quiet."
"... If we get caught, it’ll be a disaster."
"Even if we tell them right away, it’ll be a disaster too. He said he’d be back in a few days, so we have to hide it somehow until then."
If it were not for incidents like today, the higher-ups wouldn’t care about a great disciple like Chung Myung.
If they were lucky, they might not get caught.
"What if we do get caught...?"
"Is that what you’re worried about?"
"Yes? Aren’t you worried, senior brother?"
"... I’m worried about something else."
"What is it?"
Yoon Jong sighed deeply and said, "What on earth could make him leave for several days? I’m worried about how big of a mess he’s going to cause."
"...."
Jogol strongly agreed with Yoon Jong's words.
"Huff! Huff! Huff! Ah, let me catch my breath!"
Chung Myung sat down on a nearby tree stump to catch his breath.
He had run straight from Huashan to Xi'an, and his mind was in a whirl, with his mouth tasting bitter.
It seemed he had pushed himself a bit too hard.
"Ah! Back in the day, I could..."
With a single leap, he could jump over mountains, and with just a few strides, he could cross the Yangtze River! If it were the old him, he wouldn’t have taken even an hour to get from Huashan to Xi'an.
He would have strolled leisurely as if it were a walk in the park.
But now, Chung Myung had no such ability and could only run like a madman until his legs were soaked in sweat.
"Oh dear... A nice cold drink would be perfect right now."
Every time he thought like this, his age showed through.
After catching his breath, Chung Myung looked up at Xi'an.
"It's been a while since I've been here."
Huayun had developed in its own way, but it could not be compared to Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi.
Xi'an was the largest city closest to Huashan.
Because of this, whenever there was a need to visit a city in the past, Xi'an was always the first place to consider.
Chung Myung licked his lips and stood up.
"There have been many events here too."
Originally, the disciples of Huashan preferred not to visit Xi'an.
The reason was very simple.
The largest sect closest to Xi'an was Jongnam.
Jongnam Mountain was only about fifty li away from Xi'an.
Because of this, the disciples of Jongnam often appeared in Xi'an when they were bored.
What would happen if a disciple of Huashan met a Jongnam disciple in Xi'an?
"One of them would be smashed that day."
Huashan and Jongnam did not get along well.
No, it was not just a matter of not getting along.
Huashan and Jongnam were almost like sworn enemies.
In this world, how many sects are known for not getting along? But even the famous rivalries like the Namgung family and the Hebei Peng family would click their tongues and point fingers when they saw Huashan and Jongnam at odds.
Why is their relationship so bad? That’s the wrong question to ask.
What reason is there for them to get along? Just like neighboring countries rarely get along, sects that are close to each other cannot be on good terms.
First of all, there are interests at stake, and they compete for disciples.
And above all, once the question of who is stronger arises, there is nothing left but to draw swords.
This is a matter of pride.
Moreover, Huashan and Jongnam are both Daoist sects.
They share similarities in that they are both strong in the ways of the Dao and have a strong inclination towards the mundane world, and even their main martial arts are swords.
The founders of Huashan and Jongnam might have thought, "Hehe, since their natures are similar, if we establish our sects close to each other, the later generations will get along like brothers."
But in reality, the later generations regarded each other not as brothers but as sworn enemies.
Because of this, Huashan naturally felt uncomfortable meeting Jongnam disciples, and they avoided entering Xi'an.
Until Chung Myung appeared, that is.
As everyone knows, Chung Myung was the type of person who felt the need to try things that others avoided, and the more his senior brothers tried to stop him, the more he frequented Xi'an.
Did he get into trouble? Of course he did.
Unfortunately for him.
"I got hit a lot."
This is something he must explain, but Chung Myung had never gone to Jongnam to pick a fight.
He was not that free.
He had better things to do, like eat another piece of meat or drink another cup of wine.
He didn’t even have time to enjoy drinking and singing while avoiding the eyes of the head disciple, so where would he find the time to go looking for those guys?
But it seemed that the Jongnam disciples enjoyed fighting more than drinking and singing.
After getting beaten by Chung Myung once or twice, they would foam at the mouth just hearing that Chung Myung was in Xi'an.
Of course, they got beaten every time they came.
Thinking about it, it was quite impressive that Chung Myung managed to beat them every time they came, but it was equally impressive that the Jongnam disciples kept charging at him despite getting beaten.
Chung Myung had to acknowledge their tenacity.
These guys seemed to have a hobby for getting beaten; after getting thoroughly thrashed, they would charge at him again with their eyes wide open.
Perhaps that tenacity was what made Jongnam what it is today.
Even as Huashan was declining, Jongnam was threatening the position of the number one sword sect in the world, wasn’t it?
Of course, that would only be for a short time.
"So, um..."
Chung Myung glanced at his clothes.
In his haste, he hadn’t changed out of his training robe.
The plum blossom pattern embroidered on his chest stood out today.
"If I run into them, it might be a disaster..."
Should he buy some clothes and change? After pondering for a moment, Chung Myung shrugged and shook his head.
"Ah, no way."
What were the chances of running into Jongnam disciples in such a vast Xi'an? It wasn’t like the Jongnam disciples were looking for him like they used to.
"Is anything going to happen?"
If he hurried to the Yoonha Merchant Group, he wouldn’t run into any Jongnam disciples at all.
"Then the money is mine."
Chung Myung grinned slyly as he crossed the city gate of Xi'an, completely unaware of the storm that was about to unfold.