"So..."
Hyun Jong could not hide his astonishment.
The others in the room felt the same way.
Only two people remained unaffected by the reaction.
One was Hwang Mun-yak, sitting opposite Hyun Jong.
The other was Cheong-myeong, kneeling beside him.
"That child... Are you saying that Cheong-myeong treated Lord Hwang's illness and prevented the crisis of the merchant group?"
"Yes."
"Ah."
Hyun Jong looked back and forth between Cheong-myeong and Hwang Mun-yak.
It was simply unbelievable.
Although he was a disciple of Hwasan, Cheong-myeong was still just a child who had only entered the sect three months ago.
In truth, he was merely a fledgling who had just shed his downy feathers.
Yet, how could such a child have accomplished something so extraordinary?
"Is that truly the case?" Hyeon-young's words were filled with doubt, causing Hwang Mun-yak to frown.
"Are you doubting that this Hwang Mo is lying?"
"Could that be possible?" Hyeon-young retorted, feeling cornered.
The power of Hwang Mun-yak and the Eunha Merchant Group was far beyond what Hwasan could contend with at present.
Moreover, Hwang Mun-yak had consistently supported Hwasan in the past.
Without him, Hwasan's downfall would have come much sooner.
Thus, even the previous sect leader treated Hwang Mun-yak as the most important guest of Hwasan.
No matter how much Hyeon-young was the financial steward and elder of Hwasan, he could not afford to treat Hwang Mun-yak carelessly.
"This Hwang Mo is not a person to be trifled with."
Hyun Jong slightly narrowed his eyes and looked at Hyeon-young.
Hyeon-young flinched and opened his mouth.
"That was not my intention at all. I apologize, so please, Lord Hwang, do not take offense."
"Mm."
However, Hwang Mun-yak did not easily dismiss his displeasure.
Of course, he was not truly angry.
A merchant engaged in trade must not miss even the smallest opportunity.
This could be used to gain an advantage over the other party...
Cough! Hwang Mun-yak glanced at the place where the cough came from.
Cheong-myeong was openly showing discomfort.
'What a sight.' The elder of the sect being scolded by the third disciple.
Where else could one witness such a scene? Unable to ignore Cheong-myeong's signal, Hwang Mun-yak softened his expression.
At that moment, Ungeom quietly spoke up.
"I do not understand."
Hwang Mun-yak looked at him for a moment before asking, "And you are?"
"I am Ungeom of Hwasan. I am in charge of the Baekma Merchant Group."
"I see. Ungeom of Hwasan. Are you saying that you do not believe my words?"
"That is not the case, but I have a fundamental question. Setting everything else aside, can Cheong-myeong really treat a person's illness?"
"..."
It was a reasonable question.
Everyone looked at Cheong-myeong and Hwang Mun-yak with suspicion in their eyes.
Hwang Mun-yak fell silent, glancing at Cheong-myeong.
This was something Cheong-myeong had to explain, not him.
"It is not that difficult."
"Can you explain it?"
"Yes. As you all know, I was originally a beggar, right?"
"That is true."
"A beggar usually eats whatever they find, and since they eat anything edible, they often suffer from ailments or poisoning."
"Foolish words! If that were the case, the control of poisons would have been in the hands of the beggars, not the wealthy!"
"In specific cases, that is true. Because beggars do not use poisons, but they know quite a bit about how to cure poisoning. Especially in cases similar to what can be eaten."
Cheong-myeong took a deep breath and continued, "There is a plant called Woeumcho (Five Yin Grass). It looks almost identical to mugwort but is extremely poisonous. It is not easily noticeable, so accidents are rare, but beggars, who eat anything they can find, often end up consuming this Woeumcho and become poisoned. Once poisoned, they suffer and eventually die."
Everyone was captivated by Cheong-myeong's words.
"However, the antidote for Woeumcho is simpler than one might think. Even if you take them to a doctor, they often cannot find a solution, but if you feed them grated radish, they recover remarkably."
"So you are saying that the poison that afflicted Lord Hwang was from Woeumcho?"
"Yes. The symptoms were so similar that I decided to try it, and he recovered quickly."
"No..."
Mu-gak-ju Hyun Sang, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke up.
"I have heard similar stories before. It is said that the beggars have quite a bit of knowledge about poisons."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Seeing the doubts on the faces of those who were unsure whether to believe or not, Cheong-myeong secretly smiled. 'Ask away, you fools.' Even if they rushed to the beggars to verify the truth, there was nothing to worry about.
Because this was indeed true.
War is a battle of supplies.
However, ensuring that supplies reach the chaotic front lines on time is one of the most difficult tasks in the world.
Therefore, those on the front lines would eat anything they could find, and cases of illness were numerous.
Cheong-myeong had experienced the matter of Woeumcho during the war.
The solution he received at that time came from the beggars of the wealthy.
The poison that afflicted Hwang Mun-yak had nothing to do with Woeumcho, but how could they know that?
'As long as it sounds plausible, that's enough.
Just plausible.' Life is often like that.
"Such a thing happened."
"Then it is indeed impossible to return. With a person dying right before our eyes, what difference does a day or two make?"
"You have done great work. Truly great work!" Everyone looked at Cheong-myeong with admiration.
"Sect Leader."
Ungeom, perceptive as ever, spoke up.
"If this is true, it should not be a matter of punishment. Instead, shouldn't we reward him?"
"Hmm. Indeed."
Hyun Jong's eyes softened.
"However, Sect Leader."
Unam raised his voice slightly.
"No matter how much you have acted with good intentions, disobeying the Sect Leader's orders and not returning is a grave sin."
"Is my command more important than a person's life?"
"That is..."
"Are you saying that I should praise a disciple for returning on time while leaving a dying person behind?" Unam fell silent.
"Hwasan is a sect that pursues the right path. What could possibly take precedence over helping and saving people? Is my insignificant command more important than saving lives?"
"I was short-sighted."
Unam lowered his head and stepped back.
In the meantime, Unam and Hyun Jong exchanged glances.
Unam had spoken first, and seeing Hyun Jong's angry expression, the others could not argue against Cheong-myeong's actions.
Sensing this intention, Hyun Jong gave Unam a slight look and turned to Cheong-myeong.
"Cheong-myeong."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"You have worked hard."
"Yes."
Cheong-myeong deeply bowed his head.
As the situation seemed to settle down, Hwang Mun-yak began to speak.
"The Eunha Merchant Group and I have received great grace from Hwasan. No, to be precise, I received help from Cheong-myeong, but Cheong-myeong insisted that all of this was possible thanks to Hwasan's teachings, attributing everything to Hwasan."
"Ah!"
"That child."
"Truly remarkable. Truly remarkable."
Hwang Mun-yak wore a slight smile. 'He took everything he could, yet...'
But it was not something he could say outright.
From the perspective of the Eunha Merchant Group and Hwang Mun-yak, it was better for Cheong-myeong's standing to solidify within Hwasan.
Watching Cheong-myeong's face, which received such a blatant lie with a shameless expression, made it hard to suppress laughter.
"Therefore, in order to repay the grace of Hwasan, I would like to invest a little in Hwasan."
"Did you just say invest?"
"Yes. The term investment may not be quite right. The term sponsorship is more accurate. Investment implies a return, but sponsorship is giving without expecting anything in return, right?"
"Oh, I am grateful for what you have given to Hwasan until now..."
"Sect Leader."
Hwang Mun-yak quietly looked at Hyun Jong.
"If I had only intended to wipe my mouth with that much, I would not have come here in person with my people. I want to stake everything on Hwasan."
Hyun Jong's eyes trembled slightly.
"H-Hwang Dae-in?"
Despite Hyun Jong's astonished response, Hwang Mun-yak only smiled brightly.
"I have brought the working staff of the merchant group, so let us discuss slowly. What does Hwasan need, and what can we do for you?"
"Thank you. Truly, thank you, Hwang Dae-in."
"There is no need for you to thank me. It is not enough to repay the grace of saving lives."
The gazes of Hwang Mun-yak and Hyun Jong turned simultaneously to Cheong-myeong.
Hyun Jong spoke with an immensely satisfied expression.
"You have brought fortune to Hwasan, and now you are helping the benefactor of Hwasan to spread its name. I am almost ashamed of myself."
"Please do not say that. If I had not learned from Hwasan, how could I have accomplished such a thing?"
Hwang Mun-yak was impressed. 'The performance is flowing smoothly.' Just look at that eloquence.
It flows like oil.
"Then, the financial steward and Unam will remain, and the rest may leave."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Everyone stood up from their seats.
"And Cheong-myeong, I will call for you again shortly, so do not go far and wait."
"Yes."
Cheong-myeong slightly bowed his head and left with the others.
As soon as they stepped outside, Mu-gak-ju Hyun Sang patted Cheong-myeong on the shoulder.
"You worked hard. You truly went through a lot."
"Oh, it was nothing extraordinary."
"Extraordinary! How can you say it was not extraordinary? Haha! Just saving a person is commendable, and that person was Hwang Dae-in! Truly, Hwasan has struck gold!"
It was you all who struck gold.
I was originally a stone embedded here.
Watching the young ones who claimed to be the masters despite being newcomers, Cheong-myeong secretly sighed.
Yes, yes.
If they are happy, what can I do? At that moment, Ungeom spoke in a somewhat stern tone.
"Cheong-myeong."
"Yes, Lord."
"I understand that you have done a good deed. However, it is also true that your handling was clumsy. Especially leaving Hwasan without a word was a definite mistake."
"My disciple was in a hurry and did not think that far."
"That can happen. Just be careful next time. This incident was more dangerous than you thought."
"Yes, I will be cautious."
"It is also true that you disobeyed the Sect Leader's orders. You cannot always use the excuse that it was unavoidable."
"Yes."
Cheong-myeong lowered his head.
But his lips pouted slightly. 'Why is he so rigid?' After all this, he still complains!
However, the twisted feelings of Cheong-myeong softened the moment he looked up at Ungeom's face.
Ungeom's lips twitched.
It seemed he could not help but smile.
"Ahem, ahem. Always strive to improve."
'You are trying hard.' Others also came up to pat Cheong-myeong on the shoulder and commend his achievements.
Cheong-myeong realized that Hwang Dae-in was a significant figure in Hwasan more than he had thought.
After all, he was the one providing the money.
It seemed that Hwasan was about to turn its fortunes around.
Good things were happening one after another.
Was it Hwasan's luck turning? I came to Hwasan.
Cheong-myeong secretly sighed deeply.
When will I raise Hwasan with these bloodthirsty fellows? 'Oh, brother.
My back is starting to hurt.' It felt as if Cheong Mun was smiling down from the heavens.