Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Evil Sects coming. Right here, right now!”

It was worth asking again what that meant at least once. However, seeing that the beggar of Beggar Union was completely drenched in sweat as if he had run with all his might, the words died in his mouth.

“Right now, we must rally the sects of Xi’an and prepare! Beggar Union is also reaching to sects around Xi’an, so support will be coming soon.”

“Around Xi’an…….”

The question of which nearby sect could be helpful surged to his lips, but Wei Lishan, the leader of the Huayin Sect, forcibly held it back.

Because it’s not polite to Beggar Union who is trying hard to help them.

“Let me ask you one question. What is the enemy’s strength?”

“We don’t have time to elaborate. But… they are extremely powerful.”

“How do they compare to Myriad Man Manor, who had invaded Xi’an in the past?”

“It’s not even a comparison to the Myriad Man Manor’s enemy unit.”

“…I see.”

Wei Lishan nodded with a heavy face.

In the past, the sects of Xi’an had been so terrified by just one unit of Myriad Man Manor that they had abandoned Xi’an.

Although much has changed since then… the fact that they alone couldn’t handle it was the same as in the past. No, it was even more desperate.

“Support will come from Shaolin and Beggar Union. You just have to hold on until then!”

“I see.”

Wei Lishan rose to his feet without hesitation.

The beggar of Beggar Union glanced at the Wei Lishan. Usually, when one hears such news, they become pale and restless, trying to get as much information as possible. That way, they can decide whether to run or fight.

But Wei Lishan didn’t ask any more questions as if he knew everything he needed to know.

The beggar asked, finding the situation strangely unusual.

“Are you all right?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Is this enough information for you…?”

It was such an ambiguous question that even the asker could not know exactly what he was asking. But Wei Lishan nodded lightly as if he understood the man’s heart.

“It doesn’t matter who the enemy is.”

“….”

“For a sect to settle down in an area means to share in the ups and downs of that place. There is only one thing we can do unless all the people in Xi’an have fled.”

The eyes of the beggar trembled a little.

“The disciple of Mount Hua doesn’t back down. I will gather the sects of Xi’an to do our best to hold them off. You should hurry with the support.”

“…I’ll make sure to do that.”

“Alright.”

Wei Lishan stepped forward and shouted.

“Wei So-haeng!”

“Yes, Father!”

Wei So-haeng, who was waiting outside the door, answered quickly and opened the door. The young child has grown quite a bit in the meantime.

“Send the disciples to summon the sect leader of all sects in Xi’an. It’s urgent!”

“Yes!”

“And then send the remaining disciples to gather all the disciples in Xi’an.”

“Yes!”

“Hurry up!”

Wei So-haeng ran out without even answering.

An exclamation leaked out of the mouth of the beggar, who was watching it.

Wei Lishan, Munju of Huayin Sect.

Wei Lishan, whom he knows, is a lucky man who received full support thanks to him holding on to Mount Hua alone when everyone else abandoned it.

Thanks to this, Huayin Sect is now a representative sect of Xi’an, but Munju Wei Lishan is just an ordinary martial artist who could not be said to be particularly great.

But….

‘Does a seat make the man? Or did Beggar Union fail to properly understand that person?’

It is said that a person’s true value is revealed in a crisis, and what Wei Lishan is showing now is enough to overshadow the evaluation that has been made by Beggar Union so far.

“Hey, sir beggar.”

“…Huh? Ah….Yes, Munju-nim!”

“Perhaps……”

Wei Lishan, who had been talking without hesitation, cautiously opened his mouth for the first time with a hint of hesitation.

“Well… has there been any news from Mount Hua yet?

The beggar hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Originally, knocking on the gate of a sect that is under Bongmun in any situation would violate the rules of Kangho…”

Then he spoke with a confident face.

“Given the urgency of the situation, Buntaju must have gone to deliver the message.”

Wei Lishan nodded.

“Understood. Then we just need to hold out for a little while.”

“He might get rejected.”

“That won’t happen.”

Wei Lishan grinned with a face without a single doubt.

“I’m sure they’ll come. If it’s Mount Hua.”

Because they are those kinds of people.

* * *

“Evil Tyrant Alliance….”

A deep gloom spread across Hwang Jongwi’s face.

In a short moment filled with numerous thoughts, he let out a faint sigh.

“They’re coming here?”

“Yes. We think that the first place they will aim for once they arrive in Xi’an would most likely be…”

“That must be here.”

Hwang Jongwi sighed.

The current Eunha Merchant Guild has become a place that cannot be compared to the past. Recently, as the world has become more and more chaotic, business has become a bit difficult, but even so, the wealth they have accumulated in recent years is not going anywhere. It has been a long time since they solidified their position as the best in Xi’an in name and reality and among the top ten merchant guilds in the world.

There is no way the evil-doers would leave such a tempting place alone.

“You should first get yourself to safety.”

“….”

As Hwang Jongwi remained silent, the beggars of Beggar Union bit his lip and urged.

“The ones coming now are dangerous. It’s not simply that they’re Evil Sects. They are crazy beasts.”

“….”

“Sangdanju, you know about the time when the unit from Myriad Man Manor invaded Xi’an, don’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s different from then. At that time, the enemies did not harm the commoners. But this time, the enemies have already massacred two villages. If you stay here, you cannot survive. So please hurry…”

“I can’t do that, beggar.”

However, Hwang Jongwi shook his head.

“Huh? B- But…….”

“I know. But I can’t run away. A merchant never abandons their merchant guild.”

“…Sangdanju. This is not a situation where you can be so complacent. Now….”

“I’m only saying this because I’m not complacent.”

“….”

Hwang Jongwi shook his head.

“There are a lot of items in the warehouse at the merchant guild right now. If they are taken away, the merchant guild will collapse.”

“Why don’t you run away with the goods?”

“Most of the merchant guild members have gone on business trips, so there’s no one to move the goods. And… would the evil-doers who came in looking for wealth go back just because the warehouse was empty? They’ll chase us to the end of hell and try to steal it. That would kill even our merchant guild members.”

“…You have savings, don’t you? If you just move the valuable items first…”

Hwang Jongwi smiles.

“A business that hoards its earned money in a safe must go out of business. We don’t have any easily movable valuables here.”

“….”

“And.”

A heavy voice came out of Hwang Jongwi’s mouth.

“A merchant guild is not a place where you make a living alone. There are many places that trust us and do business with us. If the goods in the warehouse are taken away, they too will all perish.”

“…It cannot be more precious than life, is it?”

“There’s something my late father always said. ‘To a merchant, credibility is more important than life.’ My father always lived by those words. If I run away because I value my life, how can I face my father after death?”

Hwang Jongwi shakes his head.

“Besides, most of the goods here aren’t mine. They belong to my friends who trust me.”

“….”

“Knowing them, they would probably say ‘it’s just money, save yourself’, but… Haha. They are not here right now, so I can do as I wish, right?”

“Sangdanju-nim….”

Hwang Jongwi smiled brightly.

If the person in front of him was not a Beggar Union disciple who’s known to be detached from wealth, he would have explained every detail of how difficult it is to entrust one’s entire fortune to others.

And about how much trust that requires.

Mount Hua left all of their property to Hwang Jongwi and entered Bongmun. But with what face should he greet those who come out of Bongmun if he lost all their wealth?

Even though he was a merchant who couldn’t live without shamelessness, he wasn’t that thick-faced.

“I will evacuate as many people as possible. But I will not leave here. They won’t touch a grain of rice from my merchant guild without killing me. That’s my responsibility as Sangdanju of Eunha Merchant Guild, so don’t say anything more.”

The beggar bit his lips.

He doesn’t think it makes sense. But what more could he say to someone so resolute?

“…Huayin Munju will gather the sects in Xi’an and help.”

“Huayin Munju?”

“Yes, when he hears that evil-doers are coming, he immediately decides to fight without hesitation.”

When Hwang Jongwi laughed softly after hearing those words.

“Why are you laughing?”

When the beggar asked in confusion, Hwang Jongwi shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing. I just… had that thought.”

“What kind of…”

“It just feels consistent. Probably because of what he has observed and learned.”

The beggar tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand, but Hwang Jongwi did not bother to explain.

‘That’s why they’re friends of Mount Hua’

While verbally saying to get out when it’s dangerous, he’s always the first one to rush forward in dangerous situations. Judging by the fact that he doesn’t even think about running away now, he must have watched him for too long.

Hwang Jongwi stood up from his seat.

What he must do is clear. It is to evacuate the merchant guild members so that they do not die, and to protect this place with the guards.

“They seem to underestimate this place. We need to show them just how fierce people of Shaanxi can be.”

“…Sangdanju-nim. I don’t know why you’re doing this…..”

“I understand your sentiment.”

“…Yes?”

Hwang Jongwi smiled strangely.

“Because there were many times when I thought that way too. There were more than a few times when I felt frustrated and couldn’t understand why these smart people behaved so foolishly.”

“….”

“But I think I understand now. If I were still Sodanju, I would have told my father to run away without looking back. But I am Sangdanju now. A person who is responsible for himself should not only focus on profit.”

Just like his father did, just like Mount Hua did.

So, now is the time to prove how foolish he can be.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not reckless courage without any thought. They will definitely come.”

“…Mount Hua?”

“That’s right.”

Hwang Jongwi nodded his head.

“But Mount Hua is….”

“If the news reaches them, they won’t be able to not come. We just have to hold out until then.”

However, neither Wei Lishan, nor Hwang Jongwi, nor the beggars of Beggar Union who are rushing to evacuate the people…. none of them could have expected it.

Hong Dae-gwang, who climbed to Mount Hua with all his might, is facing an unimaginable situation.