Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Some might immediately think of the emperor. After all, there’s no one with more wealth than the emperor in all the lands.

However, the wealth of an emperor is only meaningful within the confines of his palace. In the sense that he does not have the freedom to utilize his wealth as he pleases, one could argue he is not truly ‘wealthy’ in the fullest sense.

Someone else might recall the Golden Kings (???(黃金王)) Seok Daerip (???(石大立)) and Seok Noya (???(石老爺)), the leaders of Jungwon Bank.

Jungwon Bank, being the largest in Jungwon, oversees unimaginable amounts of cash and promissory notes exchanged in just a single day. Seok Daerip, who is the owner of Jungwon Bank and owns two of the top 10 trading manors in Jungwon, could indeed be considered the true wealthiest person in Jungwon.

Yet, there will be those who shake their heads at this.

There’s more hidden wealth in the world than what’s visible. Those who really move money are not in the bright world but in the darkness.

Including secret smuggling operations that can doom three generations for unauthorized involvement, to gambling and human trafficking, the master of Black Ghost Fortress, who has a hand in all kinds of dark money, is said to be the person who handles the most money in the world.

Even if there is an exaggeration in that statement, no one can deny that the Black Ghost Fortress Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold is one of the three wealthiest (??(巨富)) people in the world.

The room of Black Ghost Fortress where Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold resides was much simpler than expected. No, it was more appropriate to say it was desolate rather than simple.

Ad

An old desk stained with use, a chair worn and wobbly, and a wall filled with books and ledgers were all the room contained.

In this desolate room, without even a cheap scroll or a single orchid in sight, people gathered, all with serious expressions on their faces.

Creeeak.

The old chair Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold was sitting on screaming. Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s hand fell from the abacus, expressing his discomfort through the sound of a chair instead of words.

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s hands that bounce on the abacus never stop. At least as long as he was sitting at this desk, he rolled the abacus as a habit even when receiving reports or filling out documents.

It is a hand that never stopped even after receiving reports that Namgung Family was attacking Plum Blossom Island and that Jang Ilso himself was going to the Yangtze River to confront Shaolin.

That hand has stopped at this moment.

“Where did you say?”

A cold voice leaked from Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s lips.

One of the men standing before him spoke with a tense face.

Ad

“There are slaughters happening in Hangzhou. According to the information we’ve received so far, it’s probably… a bunch of Magyo.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Magyo?”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain?”

“…It is difficult to say that it has been completely confirmed. However, that’s the report we received from a survivor from the Hangzhou branch.”

“There are survivors?”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s eyes narrowed.

“If they were to confirm that the enemy was Magyo, they wouldn’t have run away as soon as they saw it, but surviving even after facing Magyo?”

“It seems they were let go on purpose.”

“That’s strange.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold leaned back in his chair.

“That’s not the way of Magyo. If the stories we’ve heard about the cult in the past are true, that is. You wouldn’t miss such a fact. So, why did they identify them as Magyo?”

“…The survivor said so.”

“That’s not an answer…”

“Accurately, it wasn’t a survivor but someone who was a survivor. They ripped off all the skin on his face, gouged out his eyes, and cut off both arms, saying that he needed nothing but his mouth to convey words. As if that wasn’t enough, they punctured holes all over the body and told him to only run forward if he wanted to live.”

“….”

Even the wealthiest man in the world was at a loss for words for a moment.

“By the time the rear guard found the survivor, he had already lost his mind. It’s Magyo. He kept repeating the words that Magyo had come, and then died of exhaustion.”

“…I guess Magyo it is.”

A sigh flowed from Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s mouth.

Being cruel to Evil Sects is not really an insult. It is even considered somewhat similar to the word bold.

But this was crossing a line. No one of Evil Sects would kill a person in such a manner.

Only those who do not see people as humans could do such a thing.

“Magyo. In Hangzhou….”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s fingers were placed on the abacus. But his fingers, which flinched several times, could not move.

“It’s seriously messed up.”

A self-mocking laugh escaped his mouth.

“At this time… of all times?”

At that time, Wei Chong noticed and carefully opened his mouth.

“Great Master, I don’t know if it’s overstepping, but…”

“Leave out the unnecessary talk. Speak quickly.”

“Yes, Great Master. Although times have changed, dealing with Magyo has always been the entire Jungwon’s duty. Shouldn’t we announce the rise of Magyo and receive support, rather than us taking it upon ourselves unnecessarily?”

“That would have been the case.”

“Yes? Then….”

“If it weren’t for this timing.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold spoke in an emotionless voice.

“If it were the past, of course, that’s what we would have done. No, there wouldn’t have even been a need for such a hassle. If we had just made it known that Magyo had appeared, Righteous Sects who were relaxing in Gangbuk would have rushed over and tried to fight them.”

After all, wasn’t it Righteous Sects that ultimately stopped Heaven Demon in the past?

“But not now.”

“Why… Ah, the non-aggression pact!”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold nodded.

“That’s one reason. But the bigger issue is that currently, the heart of Righteous Sects, Shaolin, is confronting Myriad Man Manor on the Yangtze River. Could those who were snarling and fighting each other suddenly change their attitude upon seeing Magyo appear?”

“….”

“If they could, they wouldn’t be humans but truly Buddhas or immortals. It would take a considerable amount of time.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold lightly touched his face.

‘The timing couldn’t be worse.’

Jang Ilso’s strategy of staying secluded in the Yangtze River and trying to divide the enemy by confronting them unexpectedly led to the worst outcome.

But who can blame Jang Ilso?

Was there even one person in the world who could have predicted that the remnants of the Magyo, which had been hidden for a hundred years, would emerge from Hangzhou at this very moment?

‘What if the deadlock on Yangtze River doesn’t break, and they don’t move their forces? It’s the worst-case situation.’

But at the same time, it is possible. Because it would be difficult for both Myriad Man Manor and Shaolin to take the first step. If no one bends, they will have to hold their ground until a knife is stabbed in their back.

Then, it’s up to Black Ghost Fortress alone to face them.

Magyo.

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s hand quickly flicked the abacus.

“There is no way Magyo could have preserved its power as it did in the past. At best, they’re at thirty percent of their original power. Thus, we should consider their actual strength to be less than ten percent.”

The reason for that decision is simple. This is because most of the power of Magyo that stained Jungwon with blood in the past came solely from the being called ‘Heavenly Demon’.

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold naturally thinks that the existence of Heavenly Demon is exaggerated. If all the oral stories were true, he would not be a human but something more.

However, after removing all the absurd legends, the human ‘Heavenly Demon’ is also just as powerful. Since such Heavenly Demon no longer exists, Magyo that has appeared now is not the same one they knew.

It should be so. No, it has to be that way.

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s hand flicking the abacus became faster.

“…Great Master.”

Tak!

And finally, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s wide-open hand pressed down on the abacus. An icy coldness descended on his face, who seemed to have made up his mind.

“…Wei Chong (??(尉充)).”

“Yes, Great Master.”

“Gather the capable ones.”

Deureureuk.

The sound of abacus beads rubbing together was eerie.

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold asked with a cold expression on his face.

“You said they bothered to send the survivors alive, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“That means they wanted to announce themselves.”

“Indeed… that seems likely.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold lightly pressed his temples.

“To announce themselves means they have a specific aim. If it was about power, they wouldn’t have bothered with such cumbersome methods. They must be willing to negotiate.”

Wei Chong nodded.

What Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold said is correct. They may have something they’re aiming for and something they want to achieve. Otherwise, if it were merely about slaughter, they wouldn’t have bothered to reveal their identity.

“What is Great Master planning to do?”

“First….”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold nodded as if he had made up his mind.

“We need to find out what they want. We can’t gamble without knowing the cards they hold.”

Wei Chong looked at Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold with new admiration. In some ways, it may be an obvious conclusion, but it is not easy to assess the situation calmly even after hearing that Magyo is carrying out a massacre in Hangzhou.

“I’ll go.”

“No.”

At Wei Chong’s words, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold shook his head resolutely.

“I will go.”

“Great Master! It’s too dangerous.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold answered coldly without changing his expression.

“No matter how old-fashioned they may be, they are a bunch of people who came out of history, but if they are truly Magyo, then someone worthy of their stature should deal with them.”

“However….”

“There is nothing to be afraid of.”

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s dark eyes stared at Wei Chong.

“Magyo, after all, is made of flesh and blood, humans. If they can speak and are not mute beasts, then there’s always room for negotiation.”

After finishing speaking, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold was lost in thought for a moment.

Whether Magyo is stronger than he expected, or whether it has lost its former prestige and is now weak, dealing with them alone will only result in losses.

What if, by chance, Black Ghost Fortress suffers great damage while dealing with Magyo?

‘Then Jang Ilso’s blade will be pointed at us.’

The thing that the injured jackal is most afraid of is not the tiger that appears from nowhere, but the pack it was hunting with until a moment ago. And Jang Ilso is a jackal who never misses the smell of blood.

Then, the conclusion is clear.

“Get ready.”

“Yes, Great Master. It shall be done.”

Those who showed courtesy flowed out like the wind. It was lightness art worthy of Black Ghost Fortress who regarded time as gold.

Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold did not even pay attention to those leaving.

Ttak. Ttak. Ttak.

The sound of the abacus beads moving gradually ceased. At the same time, the sound of Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s breathing became increasingly faint.

“He’s not a three-headed six-armed monster, after all. He’s just a human.”

Humans cannot escape from desire. No, to be precise, while there may be individuals who can suppress their desires, no group is free from self-interest.

Therefore, there’s always a chance to pull oneself onto the negotiation table. Isn’t that the way of Black Ghost Fortress?

But Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold didn’t know.

There are beings to whom the concept of common sense does not apply at all. What a big mistake it would be to interpret such people within one’s own common sense.

The world had forgotten Magyo.

But… It will soon be engraved in their head again.