"...How did this happen...?"
"Can't you speak properly?"
"...My... my jaw is broken."
"Hmm."
Chung Myung, the night traveler, sat cross-legged, lost in thought.
"So."
"Yes."
"You're saying the money lent to Mount Hua exceeded a hundred thousand nyang?"
"...That's correct."
"A hundred thousand nyang?"
"Yes."
"A hundred thousand?"
"..."
"A huuuuundred thousaaaaand?"
Yu Jong-san felt like crying.
'What do you want me to do about it, you jerk!'
If you have complaints, you should resolve them through conversation. Beating someone up like a dog is insane, but why are you tormenting people like this?
"Hey."
"Yes!"
"Even if I stripped you down to your underwear and sold everything, I doubt I'd get even ten thousand nyang, let alone a hundred thousand. And you're saying you lent Mount Hua a hundred thousand nyang?"
"Ah, well..."
Yu Jong-san, finally understanding what Chung Myung was getting at, smiled brightly and answered.
"That's how usury works. If you lend money at a high interest rate, the interest keeps growing unless the principal is repaid. Hehe. It grows and grows until the interest becomes so massive that the principal is nothing in comparison. Then you just swallow it all up..."
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Yu Jong-san grabbed his head and rolled on the floor.
"You're bragging, you idiot."
"Ugh..."
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
'Well, blaming this guy is pointless.'
It seemed the debt of Mount Hua wasn't accumulated in this generation.
'Of course.'
Borrowing a large sum now wouldn't make sense. The time when Mount Hua really needed money was when it was collapsing. To stop the sand from slipping through, they needed money.
"But."
"Yes."
"You said you're the owner of the Hwaeum Fabric Store?"
"That's correct."
"When did you acquire the Hwaeum Fabric Store?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Our family has owned that store for generations."
"...Owned it, you say?"
"Yes. As far as I know, my great-grandfather established the Hwaeum Fabric Store."
Chung Myung chuckled.
'That's impossible.'
It was the same. The Hwaeum Fabric Store was also one of Mount Hua's businesses.
Huh?
Were all the successful businesses in Hwaeum County owned by Mount Hua?
'Of course.'
It's not strange. Originally, Hwaeum was just a village with a few fields until Mount Hua settled there.
After Mount Hua was established, visitors increased, and the village grew. Mount Hua invested money to create various businesses, turning it into a large county.
Any business in Hwaeum that handled significant money was essentially Mount Hua's.
But what? They're saying the Hwaeum Fabric Store has been theirs since their great-grandfather's time?
Considering this guy's age, his great-grandfather would have been around Chung Myung's age or younger. Chung Myung vividly remembers going to the Hwaeum Fabric Store to get children's clothes, and the owner would have been freezing to death.
'This stinks.'
Let's see.
"I need a few answers."
"...Ask me anything."
"Then who runs the Hwashin Tea House?"
"It's run by Yu Roo-ju."
"Of course, it's been in their family for generations, right?"
"That's what I've heard."
"The Oak Merchant Guild and Hwaeum Inn are the same, aren't they?"
"Yes. They're all the founding families of Hwaeum."
Chung Myung chuckled. He didn't need to ask more to understand.
So, when Mount Hua's lineage was cut off and it collapsed, the people running the businesses swallowed everything up, huh?
"Tsk."
He couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
There were two reasons Mount Hua didn't directly operate its businesses but entrusted them to agents.
First, even though Mount Hua had strong secular tendencies, it was still a Taoist sect. It wouldn't look good for Taoist priests to run taverns or sell silk in fabric stores.
And second.
– Chung Myung. What Mount Hua desires isn't monopolizing wealth but living well together. The people of Hwaeum may not belong to Mount Hua, but aren't they our neighbors? What could be better than living well and being full together?
What a joke.
'This is human nature, Elder Brother Jangmun.'
The reason the classics and sages endlessly emphasize repaying kindness is simple.
Because humans are beings who don't repay kindness.
No, not repaying is fortunate. If it benefits them, humans can stab their benefactor in the back at any time.
They were given the means to live through kindness, but instead of repaying it, they took advantage of their benefactor's crisis to seize the businesses.
Then they should live quietly, knowing their guilt. But instead, they lent money at usurious rates to Mount Hua?
"Tsk!"
Thud!
Chung Myung kicked Yu Jong-san with all his might, sending the large man rolling like a ball.
"Owwww!"
Chung Myung sighed deeply as he watched.
'What's the point of beating this guy?'
Yu Jong-san probably doesn't even realize what he's done wrong. He truly believes the Hwaeum Fabric Store was built by his family.
'What should I do about this?'
Chung Myung couldn't help but ponder.
His temper wanted to beat them all up, drive them out of Hwaeum, and reclaim the businesses, but it wasn't that simple.
Mount Hua is a renowned orthodox sect.
Though its reputation has faded, the Mount Hua Chung Myung wants to revive isn't far from being a renowned orthodox sect.
If it were an unorthodox sect, it might be different, but for a renowned orthodox sect to forcefully seize others' businesses without just cause?
Mount Hua's name would be ruined in a day.
"This is a tangled mess."
He clearly understood how things had unfolded, but the solution was complex. He needed to find a way to reclaim the businesses without using force or losing moral standing.
Easier said than done!
"Ugh..."
Chung Myung scratched the back of his head and turned to Yu Jong-san.
"Hey, so..."
Just then.
"Stop!"
"Huh?"
Chung Myung turned at the voice from behind.
"Huh? You're up?"
One of Yu Jong-san's guards, whom he had knocked out earlier, had regained consciousness and was pointing a sword at him.
He thought he had hit him hard, but the guard had already regained consciousness. He must be stronger than Chung Myung thought.
"You damn bastard!"
The guard gritted his teeth.
"You cowardly ambushed me!"
Ambush?
Me?
Chung Myung looked at the guard in disbelief.
"Hey, you attacked first."
"You coward!"
"Fine, let's go with that."
He didn't want to wrestle with such a guy. Let's just say that.
"Who are you?"
"Huh?"
"With that skill, you're no ordinary grunt. Reveal your identity."
Chung Myung was even more baffled.
If I wanted to reveal my identity, would I be wearing a mask?
"What does it matter who I am?"
"I need to know who I'm killing with my sword."
"...You just got knocked out by me, didn't you?"
If you regained consciousness, you should play dead. Why get up and ask for more trouble? Did everyone become stupid while I was reincarnating?
"If I hadn't let my guard down, I wouldn't have fallen to someone like you. I took this guard job as a pastime, and now I've been humiliated. Do you know who I am?"
"..."
"This esteemed one is Zheng Bin, the Tiger-Slaying Blade. Even if you're ignorant, you must have heard of me."
"Ah, sorry. I'm more ignorant than you think."
"..."
Zheng Bin's eyes widened.
Though he's currently working as a guard to earn money, his name is well-known in the Shaanxi region. And this guy hasn't heard of him?
"Arrogant brat."
Zheng Bin gripped his sword and pointed it at Chung Myung.
"I'll give you a chance to say your name before you die."
"Sigh..."
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
Why are there so many lunatics in the world?
"Hey, that's not something a guard should say. No matter how you look at it, I'm closer to the person you're supposed to be guarding, right?"
"Being a guard doesn't matter anymore."
Ah, I see. My apologies.
You're quite fiery.
"Prepare yourself!"
Zheng Bin swung his sword and charged at Chung Myung. Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he watched.
Zheng Bin was clearly stronger than Chung Myung. In terms of strength and speed, Chung Myung couldn't compare. By ordinary standards, Zheng Bin was so strong that comparing him to Chung Myung was almost disrespectful.
So, was Chung Myung weaker than Zheng Bin?
Not at all!
Internal energy, strength, speed.
Those aren't measures of true strength. They might be for ordinary people, but not for Chung Myung.
He had a lifetime of experience wielding a sword and the memories of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
"Hup."
Chung Myung's sword swung leisurely. Compared to the fierce force behind Zheng Bin's blade, it seemed too weak to even swat a fly.
Clash!
But that weak sword clung tightly to Zheng Bin's fiercely swinging blade.
"Huh?"
In that moment, Zheng Bin's eyes widened.
The moment Chung Myung's slow sword touched the blade, an immense force transmitted through Zheng Bin's arm.
"Aaaah!"
His grip broke, and Zheng Bin's sword flew into the air.
"Learn more before coming back."
Chung Myung's sword danced brilliantly in the sky. It wasn't a clear plum blossom, but a faint flower bud bloomed in the air.
Thud.
Zheng Bin's body fell to the ground like a rotten tree.
"Tsk."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and sheathed his sword.
If I lack strength, I can use my opponent's strength.
Even if a hundred amateurs came at him, they wouldn't be a match for Chung Myung.
"Know your place..."
Just then.
"Ah, as expected!"
"Huh?"
Chung Myung turned to see Yu Jong-san looking at him with wide, astonished eyes.
'Oh no!'
Chung Myung realized his mistake.
Yu Jong-san was also a person living in Hwaeum. The faint flower bud Chung Myung had drawn might hint at his origins. Of course, if Yu Jong-san had any sense, he might have already guessed, but giving clear evidence was different.
"As expected, you're from a renowned sect. I had my suspicions."
Chung Myung's face twisted under the mask.
'Should I silence him?'
Or make sure he never speaks again...
"That clean and splendid sword technique! Such high martial prowess! And most of all, the faint aura of immortality!"
What? You can sense the immortal aura?
That's bad.
As Chung Myung hesitated, unsure how to respond, Yu Jong-san shouted with conviction.
"There's only one place nearby that could nurture someone with such abilities at such a young age! It must be..."
"Ah, no..."
"The Great Zhongnan Sect!"
"..."
Chung Myung stared blankly at Yu Jong-san.
Zhongnan? Why Zhongnan...?
Huh?
"Are you from Zhongnan?"
"...Huh?"
His thoughts were short, but his words were quick.
"Y-yes!"
"I knew it!"
Yu Jong-san prostrated himself on the ground.
"Ask me anything. I'll answer everything."
"...Thank you."
Thank you very much.
Haha.
Hahahaha.