The senior members of the Mount Hua Sect gathered at the temporary residence of the sect leader.
These senior members included the elders, Un disciples, and the Five Swords. In any case, they were the most important figures in the current Mount Hua Sect.
"Why did he call for us?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
Hyun Sang shrugged his shoulders at Hyun Young's question.
"He called me, so where did the sect leader go?"
"Why do you keep asking me all that!"
Hyun Young's face eventually twisted in frustration.
"No, I am asking because that is something sahyung should know! Don't you know everything? You follow the sect leader around!"
"Sigh! You think I don't have anything to do, you moron! I am busy too."
"Uh?"
Hyun Sang coughed loudly, flustered, as Hyun Young glared at him fiercely.
"…Is the Finance Hall busy these days?"
"Is it busy? It is very busy!"
"…."
"If you just lie down, will food fall from the sky? Who do you think feeds, washes, and puts all the brats to bed? Does anyone else do that for you?"
"A-ahem."
Hyun Sang turned his head slightly, as if speechless. Once Hyun Young's anger burst out, it never subsided easily.
"What did you say when you came to the Yangtze River? Didn't you clearly promise there wouldn't be any fighting there?"
"NO, that was…"
"But you went and fought as hard as you could, tearing your clothes! You suddenly asked me to bring any medicine I could because someone needed treatment! And what? You even told me to sell the remaining grain and everything, then asked me to prepare to feed the kids because you people decided to stay here for a while!"
Hyun Young's eyes slowly began to roll back.
Hyun Sang was startled and quickly intervened.
"I-I know how hard you have worked. It's just that the situation was urgent…."
"This situation and that situation! If that's the case, then why don't you go somewhere far away from here! Why did you decide to sit right in front of those Nine Sect bastards and make me worry about the clothes of our kids? If those people weren't here, I couldn't have just let the children run around like beggars!"
"Ahem!"
Hyun Sang kept coughing.
Of course, he didn't play a particularly big role in deciding all of that, but it was embarrassing to explain it all to Hyun Young, who was running around without a moment to breathe.
"If you're going to do something, you should think about the person who has to clean up after you! If you do something and then say, 'Oh! I don't know about it anymore,' and then give up? Who will clean up the mess? Huh? Who will clean up the mess?"
"C-calm down, okay? The children are watching."
Hyun Young glanced at the Five Swords. The people who made eye contact quickly lowered their heads.
'Yah! Bow down, bow down!'
'Make eye contact and you die!'
If you get caught at a time like this, you will really lose your bones.
No matter how well Chung Myung is doing, Baek Cheon is being acknowledged, and the sect leader is holding his power, the person with the most power in the sect that Mount Hua recognizes is Mount Hua.
"Ugh. It is good that Mount Hua is doing well… it is really good… in the past, you could just throw a piece of cloth wherever you went, but now you have to worry about what they wear and what to feed them."
Everyone bowed their heads in embarrassment at Hyun Young's grumbling.
Actually, the work done in other places hadn't really changed. However, the Finance Hall had the same number of people, but the amount of work had increased several folds, so they were literally dying in there.
"Well… if we supplement the personnel a little…."
"You will do what? Do you think that will happen? If I ask them to help me with the finances, they are the ones who don't have enough time to train and are rolling their eyes!"
"…."
Hyun Young took a deep breath and looked around with sharp eyes.
"But why isn't the sect leader coming in! We are so busy, and if he called people, he should be here!"
Of course, Hyun Young didn't know.
Hyun Jong, who had come to close the door, turned around after hearing the angry voice of Hyun Young. Even the sect leader couldn't handle Hyun Young when he was angry.
Fortunately, there was one person in Mount Hua who could handle Hyun Young.
"Ehh. Why are you worried about that?"
"Ugh?"
The faces of the Five Swords darkened.
'Woah, listen to the voice of the elder.'
'How can he discriminate so openly?'
'Did you hear that voice just get kinder? I feel goosebumps rise.'
Hyun Young's face softened after hearing the voice of Chung Myung.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have to worry about that. We don't necessarily need to look good to those Nine Sects."
"Yes. Yes. That is right."
Hyun Young nodded his head with a pleased expression, as if Chung Myung knew better.
"But, Chung Myung. We don't need to look good to the Nine Sects, but we do need to be mindful of the eyes of the people. Everyone who sees us now knows that we were active on Plum Blossom Island, so what will they think if they see us looking so shabby?"
"Ugh. I didn't think of that! As expected of you, elder! If it wasn't for you, we would have all been beggars. Isn't it all thanks to you that Mount Hua is getting a good name from people all over the place?"
"Tsk tsk. What are you talking about? How is that because of me? It is all because of you!"
"Ehh. What did I do?"
Baek Cheon's face soured as he watched the two men exchange praises.
This is really… there was nothing wrong with that. No, if they thought about it, that was all true…
"Baek Cheon."
"Uh? Yes!"
Baek Cheon looked at Hyun Young in shock.
"Is there anything wrong? What is with your expression?"
"W-what problem, elder? There is no problem at all, really!"
"Hmm."
Hyun Young glared at him with suspicion, then nodded reluctantly. Cold sweat dripped down the back of Baek Cheon's head.
"Well, you people, just like I said. You need to be neat and tidy. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes, elder!"
The Five Swords answered with a fierce expression.
Although the Five Swords were praised as the best warriors representing Mount Hua outside, unfortunately, their position inside Mount Hua was no different from before.
No, even if it had changed, it would be the same.
Who would dare stand up to the most powerful person in Mount Hua, whom even the sect leader watches out for?
"Ahem!"
At that moment, a loud cough came from outside as the door opened.
"I am late."
Hyun Young narrowed his eyes as he watched Hyun Jong speak politely.
"I have a feeling that you have been in front of the door for a while…"
"T-that is impossible. I just arrived."
"… leave it aside."
"…."
Hyun Jong shrugged his shoulders and sat down at the top of the table. His eyes flashed with sadness for a moment, but fortunately or unfortunately, his disciples didn't give him pitiful looks.
They just gave him looks that showed they understood everything.
'Don't give me that look. It makes me want to cry!'
What can I even do?
The reason is simple. Because he had given Mount Hua's full authority over the finances to Hyun Young when they were living in poverty, he couldn't take back the authority even after Mount Hua began to rake in money.
No matter how shameless Hyun Jong was, he couldn't ask for the money back after he had left all the hard work to Hyun Young to handle the debts.
As a result, Hyun Jong was now the leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the leader of Mount Hua, who criticized the entire Kangho but couldn't avoid receiving occasional pocket money from Hyun Young instead of a full salary.
Hyun Jong wiped his eyes with his sleeve and refined his expression. He couldn't continue doing that.
"I called you here to discuss future matters."
The eyes of his disciples changed once he began to speak seriously. Hyun Jong realized once again that his authority had increased incomparably to the past.
Of course, when he and Mount Hua were at the bottom, these people had respected them too, but there was something different now.
"As you know, we have fallen out with the Nine Sects now."
"Hmm."
He thought this would happen, but it was something that couldn't be helped.
Isn't it the Nine Great Sects of the world?
No sect in the world would want to fall out with such a place. Even the Evil Sect would wish to avoid it.
"So we need to firmly establish our position from now on."
Un Am asked, puzzled by Hyun Jong's words.
"Sect leader, this might be presumptuous, but…"
"Speak."
"If that is the case, wouldn't it be better to discuss it with the Tang family Lord rather than with us? I think this is more of a matter for the Heavenly Friends Alliance than for Mount Hua."
At those words, Hyun Jong shook his head.
"If you think about it rationally, that might be true. But I do not wish for that."
"… why though?"
"Because before I am the leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, I am the sect leader of Mount Hua."
Hyun Jong smiled broadly and looked at everyone.
"It is even more so when I cannot see the path that I should take. I have to discuss it, and I want to do it with you first."
Everyone smiled at those words.
He seemed to be telling them that no matter how different their positions may be, Hyun Jong is still Hyun Jong. He was the sect leader who had warmly patted them on the back when they had been starving together.
"That is why, Chung Myung."
"Uh?"
Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung quietly and said.
"What do you think we should do from now on?"
"Hmm?"
Chung Myung scratched his cheek.
The disciples of Mount Hua all thought that Chung Myung would give them a unique answer.
Whenever they asked questions like this, Chung Myung would always suggest a new path with an idea that no one could ever think of. They naturally thought that this would be a repeat of that.
However, those thoughts were shattered the moment Chung Myung opened his mouth.
"I think the question is quite wrong, sect leader."
"Hmm? The question was wrong?"
"Yes."
Chung Myung nodded.
"That is the only way I can answer that question."
He paused for a moment and looked at Hyun Jong.
The moment he saw those deep eyes, Hyun Jong's body naturally gained strength.
"What does the sect leader want to do?"
"… me, you ask?"
"Yes, sect leader."
When Hyun Jong hesitated slightly to answer, Chung Myung turned his head and looked around at the others.
"And I think we should ask the people gathered here what they want to do. The path Mount Hua wants to take should be decided by Mount Hua together. Before considering what we can do, I think we should decide on what we want to do."
"…."
It wasn't such a big deal. It was so obvious.
But that obvious statement had great meaning there.
'That lone general…'
'… Oh my.'
Most people looked at Chung Myung in surprise. However, Jo Gul did not stop there. He reached out and shook his head in front of Chung Myung's face.
Chung Myung furrowed his brows slightly.
"… what?"
"No, I thought you ate something wrong. You don't have a fever or something, right?"
"…."
Fortunately, before Chung Myung could act, Yoon Jong kicked Jo Gul in the side. Chung Myung spoke again, leaving Jo Gul struggling without a care.
"Let us talk about it together."
Everyone waited for Chung Myung's next words.
"About the path that Mount Hua should take in the future."
His eyes were full of determination.