Return of the Mount Hua Sect
chapter-171

“It seems to be Yak Seon who made the Sword Tomb.”

After hearing the explanation from Baek Cheon, Hyun Jong looked at the box in front of him with a shocked face.

‘Soul Vitality Pill.’

There was no doubt about it.

Just the smell of this pill made him feel like his dantian was shaking. Besides, if this box really came from where Baek Cheon said, then there was nothing more to doubt.

Who would put a fake in such a place?

If it wasn’t Yak Seon, no one would do it. And if it wasn’t Chung Myung, no one would find it.

And,

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with bright eyes.

‘He stood on equal footing with Wudang’s Heo Sanja?’

It might be a little exaggerated.

However, it was clear that Chung Myung didn’t simply lose the fight.

“Huhuhuhu.”

He couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

Would Hyun Jong be able to achieve the same results after fighting an elder of the Wudang sect?

Their elders were powerful to the point of absurdity.

However, it was not only Chung Myung’s strength that truly surprised Hyun Jong.

Chung Myung’s power was nothing new, and Hyun Jong had long since given up on understanding him.

What really surprised him was Chung Myung’s heart and how he perfectly grasped the meaning behind Yak Seon’s arrangement to find the real tomb.

Even Hyun Jong didn’t understand why Yak Seon’s tomb would be there despite hearing it explained so clearly. Didn’t that mean Chung Myung alone understood everything that Yak Seon had hinted at?

‘I’ve thought this child was clever since the Eunha Merchants incident in the past, but….’

He didn’t expect it would be to this extent.

At that moment, Hyun Young glanced at the pill box and opened his mouth.

“Then…”

Hyun Young took the box from Hyun Jong’s hand, almost like snatching it away. Hyun Jong, who found his hands empty, felt a lingering regret for not holding the box tighter but remained silent since he could understand Hyun Young’s intentions.

“Well, then, this, this is the Soul…? So-Soul Vitality Pill?”

“… Yes.”

“The same pill that is said to have been Yak Seon’s finest creation?”

“… Yes.”

Hyun Young looked at Chung Myung with blank eyes.

Hyun Young’s pouting face had changed several times in the last few minutes.

“T-this, a-are you really the God of Fortune? Just how in the world did we get a guy who keeps bringing such things every time he goes out?”

‘What are you asking!?’

‘Am I a dog that brings in things from outside!?’

“uh, huhuh… are you sure you don’t have any more work to go out and do?’

“…”

“No, no! No! You are such an accomplished person! Feeding you meat for three days straight wouldn’t be enough to show how I feel, that will not be enough! Let’s go! Let’s go and catch you a pig! No, I will bring a whole cow for you! What would the guy who brought the Soul Vitality Pill want me to catch?”

Un Am was breaking out into cold sweat.

“E-Elder, calm down!”

“Do I look like I can calm down right now!? This is insane! The Soul vitality Pill! What the hell happened!? We send you to Nanyang to repay our debt and you come back with this in your hands! If I send you to the North Sea, you’ll probably bring back the Wishful beads! Sect leader! Don’t we have any more work outside?”

It looked like Hyun Young was ready to send Chung Myung to the North Sea right away.

Chung Myung flinched at the elder’s passionate intention to send him away.

“Huh, the soul vitality pill.”

As if unable to believe it, Hyun Sang looked at the box and then at Chung Myung.

Who wouldn’t be surprised?

The Soul Vitality Pill and the Sword Tomb were things they had never thought of. They sent the children to solve the affairs of Huayoung Gate, but who knew they would return like this?

Hyun Jong, who came to senses first, cleared the situation with a heavy voice.

“You have been through a lot.”

“No, as a disciple of Mount Hua, it was something I had to do.”

“But!”

Baek Cheon was a bit shocked at Hyun Sang’s sudden rebuke.

“It’s good that nothing happened, but this time you were pushing your luck.”

Baek Cheon bowed his head without another word.

“Now that you obtained the Soul Vitality Pill and its formula, I can’t deny that you’ve done something great. But if any of you had died along the way, we wouldn’t all be able to smile like this.”

Baek Cheon nodded his head.

Hyun Sang was right. How often had they nearly crossed over into the land of the dead within the Sword Tomb? Getting out of there alive was half a fluke.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Right. Don’t think of this as nagging. Your safety is far more important to us than any pill in the world.”

Hyun Young, who listened from the side, snorted.

“If Sahyung says it like that, what will they think of me and the sect leader?”

Hyun Jong’s eyes widened.

‘No, why are you bringing me into this?’

‘Why drag in someone that’s being silent?’

“First, calm down Sajae.”

Hyun Young licked his lips as if he wanted to say something else. But he kept silent in respect for the sect leader’s authority.

Hyun Jong gently pulled the box from Hyun Young’s grip, though he didn’t want to let go. However, when Hyun Jong glared at him, he released his grip and looked at the box with a sense of regret.

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong coughed and placed the box back. He felt that Hyun Young was in full swing and might go sell the treasure somewhere.

“Baek Cheon.”

“Yes, Sect leader.”

“Does anyone else know that you’ve obtained this?”

“We told no one.”

“Even Huayoung Gate?”

“Yes, sect leader. No one.”

Hyun Jong nodded his head.

“Good job.’

Blood spills over good treasures.

If it became known that they had obtained this, many people would target Mount Hua. There may even be those willing to raid Mount Hua with their entire sect to get this in their hands.

‘The good news is that not many people know about Yak Seon or the existence of this box.’

Most people who entered the Sword Tomb were only interested in the divine weapons. There were only two sects that knew.

‘Wudang and the Beggars Union.’

Two sects of the Nine Great Sects knew about the existence of the Soul Vitality Pill, but they wouldn’t come and attack Mount Hua just because of that. Although, they might still interfere in things.

Hyun Jong held no faith in the great sects since they rendered no aid to Mount Hua once they believed that it would collapse.

‘But not even they know we obtained this. As long as we’re careful not to let this information leak out, there should be no problems.’

The fact that Mount Hua is located in the rugged mountains was also helpful.

If it was Wudang or Shaolin, they wouldn’t have had to hide the fact that they got the pill formula.

Hyun Jong opened the box and took out the book.

More important than the pill itself was this book.

“The saints must have helped us.”

Chung Myung smiled at those words.

It wasn’t that he was laughing at Hyun Jong. This time, it really was like the saints of Mount Hua had helped. If Chung Myung hadn’t dreamed of the past with his sahyung, then he wouldn’t have found the tomb of Yak Seon.

“Ahem, but!”

‘Huh?’

Receiving Chung Myung’s curious gaze, Hyun Jong put the box down in front of him.

“Listening to what you said, it seems like Yak Seon hoped for someone like himself to find the Soul Vitality Pill and carry on his legacy….”

Chung Myung immediately grabbed the box.

“Then I’ll go sell this and come back.”

“Ehhh! Ehhh! Listen to a man’s words till the end!”

Hyun Jong, startled, changed his words.

“Although, I do think of Yak Seon’s legacy! But! If Mount Hua manages to use this pill to resurrect and fulfill our duties as a martial sect, then Yak Seon would surely be delighted by that as well!”

‘Rather, I think he’d curse us.’

If there was a world where the ancestors could look down on people, Yak Seon would probably be spouting curses at Mount Hua right now.

Well, of course, he would be beaten by Chung Myung’s sahyungs up there.

‘Sahyung! Please do that!’

Hyun Jong shut his eyes and organized his thoughts. Chung Myung didn’t urge him either. He could understand just how confused the sect leader would be to suddenly have these important things in his possession.

“We need to check these out first.”

Finally, Hyun Jong spoke to Un Am.

“Bring me the medical practitioner.”

Shhh.

The bookshelf was being swept through.

The head of medical practice was sweating as he confirmed the book’s contents. Among those in Mount Hua, Un Gak was the most proficient in medicine and healing. So, he had no choice but to perform this duty.

“Ugh…”

Un Gak groaned and looked down.

“Well, it certainly takes a hell of a long time to read a book!”

Standing there for so long without answers enraged Hyun Young. Hyun Sang gave him a disparaging look that seemed to ask him to calm down, and he lowered his voice with a grim expression.

Even Un Gak seemed to be losing his mind while reading the books.

He was already flustered at the sudden call to inspect this, but while checking the secret formula of the pill, the Un disciples, Baek disciples, and a couple more were feverishly looking at him with blazing eyes.

Even Confucius himself wouldn’t be able to concentrate in such a situation. However, even Hyun Jong, who should stop them from pressuring him, was looking at him with fearsome eyes!

“S-Sect leader.”

“Yes? How is it?”

“This, this definitely looks like a genuine article. The secret formula seems right. Although, there are some things so complex that I cannot even imagine….”

“But?”

Un Gak gulped and spoke.

“Even if I don’t understand the sophisticated things written down, it’s described that one can make the pill as long as they faithfully follow the method given here!”

“Oh!”

Hyun Jong looked at Un Gak with blazing eyes.

‘And so?’

“You mean that you can make it?”

Un Gak replied with a smile as if he could and spoke.

“That’s a bit too much….”

“…”

In the end, Hyun Young burst out.

“Hey, are you playing around with people right now!?”

“C-Calm down! Sasuk! No, elder!”

Sweating, Un Gak said.

“It isn’t difficult for me to make the Soul Vitality Pill with my abilities. If one has this book in their hand, then anyone who knows how to handle medicine will be able to make this.”

“Then what’s the problem? How can it be something you can’t do despite having the skills?”

“A-No, well…”

Un Gak took a deep breath.

“… the materials to make the Soul Vitality Pill are ridiculously expensive.”

‘What?’

‘Money?’

Hyun Young’s expression, which had been irritable, quickly calmed down.

Hyun Young had no choice but to be serious regarding the sect’s finances.

“If we wanted to mass produce the Soul Vitality Pill, we would have to sell Mount Hua itself. It would be impossible to do this with just our small business in Hua-Um village.”

Hyun Young’s face contorted.

“Why are the materials so expensive!?”

“T-they are bound to be expensive. Think about it, the Shaolin Sect is overflowing with money, so why do they make so few pills?”

“…”

“With these materials, a top sect could try and negotiate to have it done at an acceptable price. Yak Seon could use the sect’s materials without wasting them and make the pill, and it would be hard for others to try the same since they would have to spend ten times as much.”

Hyun Young took a deep breath.

“Alright. So, you’re saying we can’t make it because we don’t have enough money?”

“Yes.”

“Just how expensive can it be? Mount Hua no longer lacks money.”

“So…”

Hyun Young’s eyes, which had roughly imagined a price, began to tremble.

“H-How much? Uh…”

Hyun Young, who regretted hearing the answer, looked at Hyun Jong and spoke.

“Sect leader! T-that thing needs to be thrown away right now! That damn thing is going to destroy Mount Hua! That old man Yak Seon must have been senile! What bullshit pill or medicine or whatever! That’s no treasure, it’s poison! Poison!”

Hyun Jong looked at Hyun Young with a confused face.

“Is it that difficult?”

“It’s not just difficult! It would be difficult just to make even a single pill with Mount Hua’s current finances. To make a single one, we would need to sell all our assets! We would need to turn into beggars and go rob others!”

Maybe even the Beggars Union would feel bad hearing this?

Hyun Young was speaking while frothing at the mouth.

“This can never be done! I was hopeful at first, but the roots of Mount Hua that we tried so hard to save until now will be pulled out after finally being rebuilt! As the head of finance, I will never allow this!”

“Uhh.”

Hyun Jong groaned at Hyun Young’s extreme reaction.

Another chance for Mount Hua to leap forward was stifled because of money…

Chung Myung, who was listening quietly till there, spoke calmly.

“Oh, then it’s fine.”

“Huh?”

Hyun Young looked at Chung Myung.

“Money is the problem, right?”

“R-right?”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“Then it’s fine.”

“… what are you talking about?”

Receiving everyone’s attention, Chung Myung touched his stomach. And then suddenly moved his hand to the left and spread open his clothing. Something round quickly poured out.

Hyun Young’s eyes widened as if they were about to come out seeing what fell on the floor.

“Hey, hey, hey, that…. Night stones, these are?”

Chung Myung smiled.

“We’re rich.”

“…”

Hyun Young, who was looking at Chung Myung in silence, muttered unconsciously.

“… you really are the God of Wealth.”

The more he got to know him, the less he understood about Chung Myung.