"Why is he so late?"
Jo Gul anxiously looked outside.
The sun was rising in the distance, but Chung Myung still hadn't returned. If he didn't come back by morning, the elders of the sect would notice his absence.
Then all hell would break loose.
Leaving Mount Hua without permission was already a serious offense. And if they discovered that Chung Myung, who had returned late, was wearing the black night-traveling outfit?
'It'd be a disaster.'
He absolutely didn't want to see that happen.
"Stay calm."
"But, senior brother."
Yoon Jong shook his head.
"He's not that foolish. He'll return before it's too late. Unless something unexpected happened."
And no matter how much he thought about it, it didn't seem like anything could happen to that monster. At most, he'd just be a little late.
"But you never know with people, right?"
"True."
If it were a normal person, that is.
Just as Jo Gul stuck his head out the window, the door burst open.
"Tsk."
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong's heads snapped toward the door.
"Junior brother!"
Chung Myung was entering, closing the door behind him.
Holding the mask in one hand, Chung Myung quickly stripped off the night-traveling outfit and began changing into his training clothes.
"Nothing happened, right?"
"That's what we should be asking you. Did anything happen?"
"What could've happened?"
Chung Myung chuckled.
"I was treated well and even got some pocket money."
"From whom?"
"What was his name? Yu… Anyway, he's the owner of a fabric store."
"Huh?"
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong's eyes widened. Seeing their reaction, Chung Myung recalled the earlier situation and smirked.
'It's not even funny. Really.'
Yu Jong-san, who had mistakenly assumed Chung Myung was from Zhongnan, had spilled everything Chung Myung needed to know without even being asked.
He even went out of his way to make sure Chung Myung remembered his name.
'What a guy.'
While it was good that things had gone smoothly, Chung Myung couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.
In Yu Jong-san's mind, Mount Hua was clearly absent from the list of renowned sects. Even after witnessing Chung Myung's sword techniques, he hadn't thought of Mount Hua.
Even though the Plum Blossom Sword Technique had been lost and was no longer a symbol of Mount Hua, someone like Yu Jong-san, who had lived in Hwaeum his whole life, should have known that Mount Hua had once been famous for it.
Perhaps he thought that, given Mount Hua's current state, it was impossible for someone so young to possess such skills. But that didn't make the bitterness go away.
'Well, bitter or not, it made things easier.'
He had been prepared to reveal his identity to some extent, but ending up completely hidden was a good thing.
"So, what happened?"
"...Tsk."
Chung Myung waved his hand at Jo Gul's question.
"These kids can't do anything on their own. Forget it."
"...You're a kid too."
"Anyway, gather everyone. We need to train."
"Again today?"
Chung Myung glared.
"Listen carefully, senior brother."
"Huh?"
"Whether it rains, snows, or the wind blows, from today on, we won't skip a single day of training! Even if a blizzard hits or a cold wave freezes everything! Even if Mount Hua collapses, there will be no rest days!"
Jo Gul nodded with a determined expression.
'I've made up my mind!'
Wasn't this the reason he had decided to follow and assist Chung Myung? If training could make him stronger, he was willing to do anything. Relentless training was exactly what he wanted.
"I'll line them up right away. What about you…?"
"Ah. I'm not going."
"Huh?"
Chung Myung turned his head nonchalantly and looked at Yoon Jong.
"You know how the training goes, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Do the same."
"Then what about you?"
"I have other things to do."
As Chung Myung waved his hand dismissively, Yoon Jong sighed.
"Alright. We'll train on our own today. But just this once."
Yoon Jong's expression became more serious.
"Don't forget that this training is only possible because you're here. If you're serious about not slacking off, you need to show up."
"I know."
The reason the three disciples of the Hundred Plum Hall trained so hard without complaint was because Chung Myung was there, glaring at them with his axe-like eyes. Even though Yoon Jong was the senior brother, he couldn't fully replace Chung Myung.
"Alright."
As Jo Gul and Yoon Jong left the room, Chung Myung flopped down on the bed.
"Now, what do I do?"
His head hurt.
That damn justification.
If he could just sweep everything away without worrying about appearances, it wouldn't be difficult. But as long as he carried the name of Mount Hua, he couldn't ignore how others would see him.
If Chung Myung's actions only tarnished his own reputation, he wouldn't hesitate. But that wasn't possible now. No one would believe that someone as young as him could act alone.
It was common sense that someone his age couldn't handle such matters alone.
Everyone would assume Mount Hua was using Chung Myung as a front, hiding behind a child. They'd point fingers and accuse the sect of cowardice.
That wasn't what Chung Myung wanted. He had to find a way to justify his actions.
"Justification. Justification… Ugh."
Chung Myung grabbed his head in frustration.
"This is ridiculous! Damn it!"
All those businesses originally belonged to Mount Hua. And now he had to repay the money to the people who had swallowed them up? It made his stomach churn and his blood boil!
If he could just prove that those businesses were originally Mount Hua's, and that those guys had manipulated the records to take them over when Mount Hua's leadership was gone, then it would be simple. Once that was proven, that measly hundred thousand nyang? He could just repay it.
No, he wouldn't even need to repay it. The money was Mount Hua's to begin with. The owner using his own money—what kind of frozen-to-death interest was that?
So, if he could just prove that those businesses were originally Mount Hua's, everything would be resolved…
"If it were that easy, I wouldn't be in this mess."
If there were records, Mount Hua wouldn't have just sat back and taken it. Back in his day, the disciples of Mount Hua were sharp and resourceful.
If there had been evidence, they wouldn't have lost the businesses.
From the looks of it, when the Demon Cult invaded, all the records were destroyed…
"Is this my fault too?"
His stomach hurt. It really hurt.
Chung Myung rolled around on the bed.
"No! Elder Brother Jangmun, you should've kept something that important in a safe place! A safe place!"
Do you know how much money is tied up in this? And you just left it lying around in your quarters…?
"Huh?"
Chung Myung suddenly sat up.
Lying around?
Lyyyyying around?
'That can't be, right?'
What kind of person was Elder Brother Jangmun to carelessly store such important records?
'Let me think.'
Chung Myung had never been interested in such things. He knew that running a sect required money, but as a true martial artist and Taoist, he believed one shouldn't be attached to material possessions.
Seeing how the kids at Mount Hua were barely scraping by now, he wanted to chase down his past self and smash his face in. But back then, that's how he was.
Because of that, Elder Brother Jangmun had never shown him the records. Whenever Chung Myung came by while he was organizing them, he would quietly push them aside.
"...Push them aside?"
He tried to recall the vague memory.
The records in Elder Brother Jangmun's room never exceeded three volumes. The records needed to run Mount Hua would have filled dozens of volumes. So where were the rest of them kept?
'There's another place!'
Elder Brother Jangmun's room didn't have the space to store such things.
Even though he was the leader of Mount Hua, he was still a Taoist. His room was modest and simple. If he filled the chest in his room with records, there'd be no space for anything else.
Moreover, Chung Myung had seen him open that chest a few times, and there were no records inside. So where were they?
"Then was that rumor true?"
He had once heard that Mount Hua had a secret warehouse only the sect leader could access. It was just a rumor, but it was quite well-known.
Back then, Chung Myung could have verified it, but he hadn't been interested enough to check.
'Wait. Now that I think about it…'
A few things came to mind.
Since Mount Hua was a renowned sect in Shaanxi, they occasionally received strange items. For example, forbidden demonic manuals or secret techniques of past masters. Sometimes, legendary swords or treasures would come into their possession.
So where did all those things go?
It couldn't be the Treasure Hall. If they were there, Chung Myung would have seen them.
And they couldn't have been sold off. Some of those items would have caused an uproar in the martial world if they were made public. If Elder Brother Jangmun had sold them, Chung Myung would have heard about it.
So then?
'It exists!'
There's a warehouse where the records and treasures are stored.
And it's not far from here.
He couldn't have left Mount Hua unattended to visit the warehouse, so it must be somewhere within the sect. A place no one knows about.
But is that possible?
In a place like Mount Hua, where martial arts masters swarm like mosquitoes, could there really be a secret warehouse no one knows about?
Chung Myung burst out of the room.
There's only one place where that could be possible.
The entrance must be inside the sect leader's quarters. If it were outside, it would have been discovered.
A place no one can enter without the sect leader's permission. In Mount Hua, that place is the sect leader's quarters.
'The sect leader's quarters haven't changed since the past.'
So that means…
Chung Myung's eyes widened as he rushed outside.
Behind the hall where the sect leader's quarters are located, there's a gentle mountain ridge.
'If a warehouse were built, it couldn't have gone unnoticed.'
But there's one way to build a warehouse without others noticing.
By building it underground.
If they dug under the quarters to build a warehouse, the sensitive masters would have detected it. But what if they built a passage leading to a warehouse under the mountain?
"No one would know unless they were a ghost."
Chung Myung grinned eerily.
'It's there.'
Now that he thought about it, it was strange.
In most sects, the sect leader's residence is located in the center of the sect. That way, they can oversee everything.
Wouldn't it be strange for an emperor to live in a corner of the palace?
But Mount Hua's sect leader's quarters are located deep within the sect. And behind it, there's nothing.
Only that!
Chung Myung smirked as he looked at the small hill behind the sect leader's quarters.
"Looks like I'm going on an unexpected treasure hunt."
He could almost feel Elder Brother Jangmun foaming at the mouth from the heavens.
"Please understand, Elder Brother Jangmun. We need to save Mount Hua first, right? I'll hand it over to the sect leader as soon as possible."
As soon as possible. As soon as possible.
After I take what I need.
If you're upset, come back to life and stop me.
"Hehehe."
Chung Myung laughed triumphantly.