Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Woah.”

As the carriage approached the gate, the eyes of everyone standing nearby focused on them. Anyone with enough money to ride a horse-drawn carriage was certain to be precious and influential.

It was only natural to be curious.

Lee Bo, who pulled the reins, glanced back and shouted.

“We have arrived in Chengdu!”

The flinching inside the carriage could be felt.

Kiik! Kiik!

Soon, the carriage door opened, and the disciples of Mount Hua walked out.

“… what is that?”

“What is with their appearance?”

“Have they been to a war?”

The crowd began to clamor and gossip.

Needless to say, the disciples that emerged from the wagon no longer appeared human.

“Uh… I’m gonna die.”

“We worked hard, leaving home.”

“If we’ve reached Sichuan, we’re halfway there. When will we ever reach Yunnan?”

The tragic sight of Mount Hua’s disciples was simply reminiscent of a severely sick person.

Wide eyes, shaking legs, and sagging shoulders.

Even Chung Myung looked gloomy.

“This was one hellish journey.”

“Let’s not do this again.”

“… half left, another half.”

The gates of the unfamiliar Sichuan looked like the gates to another world. For now, Mount Hua’s disciples felt like crying since they could finally escape the constant repetition of their training.

“Haa… I thought something interesting would occur if we did it for another two days!”

Looking at Chung Myung, who had regained his taste for training, resentment poured in from all sides.

“Enough! Another two days!? I would be a corpse by then!”

“I’d rather just die! Kill me!”

“You really don’t have a heart, do you?”

Even Chung Myung flinched in the face of their fearsome momentum.

“Ah, anyway, we arrived alive. So, this should be fine.”

“Ugh.”

While the disciples were talking, Lee Bo came down the horse.

“What would you like to do now? Would you like to head to Eunha’s branch in Sichuan?”

“Well…”

Baek Cheon frowned. Seeing his reaction, Lee Bo continued.

“The Sichuan branch has been given the order to gather information about Yunnan.”

“Would it have been gathered?”

“Umm.”

Lee Bo frowned and spoke with a sigh.

“Honestly, Eunha’s information gathering network doesn’t extend to Yunnan. In the past, we dealt with Yunnan, but even then, it was more like brokering the needs brought by small merchants rather than a merchant union.”

“I see.”

“In other words, we cannot find a way to enter Yunnan with the ability of Eunha. From now on, there might be nothing we can do to help. Instead, we can provide you with accommodation as long as you need it. So please come to the branch if you need a place to stay.”

“Thank you for that. We will check the situation and then head to the branch, so you can head there first and rest.”

“Okay. I will go ahead and repair the carriage as well as prepare for your stay. Let me know once you’re done checking the situation.”

“Yes, thank you.”

When Baek Cheon finished speaking, Lee Bo bowed his head and went back onto the carriage. As he drove the carriage away through the city gates, Baek Cheon looked back at his juniors.

“We should also head in.”

“Yes.”

“But keep one thing in mind.”

He spoke with a cautious face.

“We came here to find a way to enter Yunnan, not to cause trouble. The capital of Sichuan is the domain of the Sichuan Tang family, and there is also the Qingcheng sect not far from here. So, people from the sect will often come and go through this area. It’s rare, but we might also cross paths with the female monks of the Emei Sect, so make sure to keep your act together.”

“Don’t worry, sasuk! The sahyungs all know this pretty well.”

A vein on Baek Cheon’s forehead grew and popped in anger.

“You! It is you! You bastard! I am not talking about the others! You are the problem!”

“Have you ever seen me create a problem!?”

“When have you not created problems!?”

With a long breath, Baek Cheon struggled to calm his mind and spoke in a serious tone.

“Keep in mind. We will leave as soon as we find a way to enter Yunnan. Don’t create trouble! Even now, in Mount Hua, our elders are waiting for us to come back safe and sound. Even if it’s only one day, we must complete our task and return as quickly as possible.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“…”

Baek Cheon was suddenly desperate to search for a drug that could make someone shut up.

“First, we should visit the Beggars Union branch, but I think the merchants might know more about Yunnan than the Beggars Union. So, it may be better to start our search from there.”

“Let’s do it that way.”

Baek Cheon nodded at Yu Yiseol’s answer.

“Let’s go.”

Having entered Chengdu, the party from Mount Hua diligently searched around and worked hard to gather information about Yunnan.

Chung Myung complained that the entire process was useless, but Baek Cheon took a different stance.

He believed that one little piece of information could change their fate.

Yunnan was a place where communication had been severed. So, he wanted anything. Even just one more piece of information about it.

But…

“Haa…”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who sat at a table in a guest house, let out a deep sigh.

“Sichuan is right next to Yunnan, so how can they have no information?”

“The Beggars Union was the most shocking.”

Yoon Jong couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

-A way to enter Yunnan? Why are you asking us about it?

The calm words of the branch leader continued to resonate in his mind.

The man responded with a snort when asked if they could get any relevant information.

-Beggars can’t live in Yunnan, so how could we have any information?

It was a statement that completely trampled on their hope.

Yunnan was such a barren land that no one could beg, so even the Beggars Union wouldn’t enter recklessly. First of all, wouldn’t they need to find some source of food in order to operate there?

In addition, the branch leader said that the Nanman Beast Palace is wary about the Beggars Union establishing a branch and constantly monitors them.

“The same goes for the merchants.”

“We have no options; we found nothing.”

“Ugh.”

Yoon Jong sighed and spoke.

“There is no information about Yunnan; let’s not have hope for the merchants. So…’

“Maybe that’s not the case.”

“Huh?”

Yoon Jong turned to Jo Gul, who spoke.

“The Beggars Union might not have information about Yunnan, but not the merchants. They know, but they’re withholding the information.”

“Why?”

“… because there’s no reason to tell us. Where’s the profit in that?”

“Didn’t we tell them we would pay for it?”

“It isn’t enough. We would need to have taken Mount Hua’s symbol off our clothes, at least.”

“… ah.”

Baek Cheon explained upon understanding Jo Gul’s words.

“So, they rejected us?”

Jo Gul nodded his head.

“Sichuan is a place where the exclusion of outsiders is more severe than you think. It’s far from the center of the Central Plains, and there are historical problems from the past.”

“Um, right.”

Even in government offices, it was said that people from Sichuan were never selected as officials.

For the Central Plains, Sichuan was a land of foreigners that was ostracized and excluded.

“The Sichuan Tang family has a lot of influence here. In order to make a living in the capital, Chengdu, we need to look for the Tang family. Would such people proudly welcome foreigners wearing the robes of another sect?”

Chung Myung, who heard it, yelped.

“You should have told us right away!”

“If I did, would you have taken it off!?”

“No, but it’s still annoying!”

Chung Myung pouted.

Should he hide that he was from Mount Hua? That was impossible; he would rather be rejected openly!

“Then let’s wear a mask and go out at night!”

“No!”

“Anyway, don’t do it like that. If we really need to get information, we must get the support from the Sichuan Tang family or at least hide that we’re outsiders.”

Baek Cheon nodded his head with a solemn expression.

“Umm. I get what you mean. Then….”

Then, suddenly, Yoon Jong looked at Jo Gul and asked.

“But how did you know… wait, are you from Sichuan?”

“…”

Jo Gul’s face turned somber.

“Come to think of it, I remember you saying that your house is in Sichuan… right?”

“Uh…”

Jo Gul felt like he was going to die and answered with a sigh.

“… yes.”

“Oh, so…”

Baek Cheon exclaimed like he finally understood.

It wouldn’t have been easy to know these facts if he wasn’t from Sichuan. Baek Cheon felt like he had grabbed some sort of clue.

Chung Myung’s eyes twinkled.

“But, Jo Gul sahyung, didn’t you say that you were a merchant’s son? How can we go back without going to Jo Gul sahyung’s house?”

“Uh…”

“No! How bad is your personality to make us all run around the city because you don’t want us as guests in your house!? What a horrible personality!”

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from!”

Jo Gul trembled in rage.

At that moment, all the disciples of Mount Hua agreed with Jo Gul’s words. Hearing such words from Chung Myung was a wretched insult.

“No, it isn’t like that…. Ha…”

Jo Gul took a deep breath.

“Enough, enough.”

Chung Myung smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s all the same. I’m sure it’s a story of a child who’s been kicked from his home. So, he probably doesn’t want to go back to that house.”

“…”

“It’s okay. It’s fine. Baek Cheon sasuk will understand your feelings.”

“I-I left with my own feet! On my own feet!”

“Read the air, sasuk!”

“Kuak!”

Chung Myung smiled and poked Jo Gul in the ribs.

“Anyway, since it’s come to this, let’s go home, Sahyung.”

Jo Gul sighed deeply and got up.

“Right, sure. This is all for the sect.”

“Then, let’s go! Right away.”

“Yes, sasuk.”

Everyone left the guest house with a slightly brighter face and started to walk along with Jo Gul.

Chung Myung put his hands behind the back of his head and whistled.

“How is it that not a single person in your family respects you?”

Feeling the comment stab like a needle poking his head, Baek Cheon turned around furiously.

“No, I am not talking about you sasuk. Not everything in the world is about you.”

“… then say it properly.”

Baek Cheon grunted.

“Why would a person who is pretty famous and well-loved enter Mount Hua?”

“Huh? I can’t let that comment slide! Isn’t that like saying you would have gone to the Southern Edge sect if they weren’t crooked? Our sect leader should hear this!”

“Huh.”

Baek Cheon shook his head at Chung Myung’s words.

“The important thing is that I chose Mount Hua.”

“Right. If you had gone to the Southern Edge sect, you would still be carrying the burden of your older brother even now.”

Baek Cheon’s hand went for his sword, but Yoon Jong grabbed his hand and shook his head.

“Calm down.”

“… Ha…”

‘Let’s cover our ears and close our eyes.’

‘Fucking bastard!’

Meanwhile, Jo Gul led them all the way to the corner of Chengdu.

“Oh? Is it that one there?”

A small shopping center came into Chung Myung’s eyes.

Chengdu Merchant Shop.

It felt like a randomly made-up name, but it was clear that it was a merchant shop.

The slightly old-looking building and small scale gave it a cute appearance.

“Wow. You are the second person to enter Mount Hua because of your family.”

“…”

“Anyway, sahyung Jo Gul also has a pretty cute side to him. Can we greet your parents too?”

As Chung Myung walked along, Jo Gul sighed and called out to him.

“Where are you going?”

“Huh? Did sahyung want to go first?”

“That’s not the right way. It’s this way.”

“What? Where?”

“Here.”

Chung Myung’s gaze returned to where Jo Gul pointed.

‘A Wall?’

A wall was visible.

He turned his head, but he could only see a large wall painted red.

There he saw a big… he found a very large door.

Four Seas Merchant Chamber.

Chung Myung’s eyes trembled.

The wall was so wide that it was impossible to see the end, and many impressive pavilions were inside.

Chung Myung, who alternated between this shocking sight and Jo Gul, opened his mouth and spoke with a trembling voice.

“No way, right?”

“It is.”

“This is the one?”

“Yes.”

“This is Jo Gul sahyung’s house? This mansion where an emperor would live?”

“… yes.”

Uh…

‘Sahyung is the child of this house?’

‘Oh my, what in the hell is happening?’