Novel Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 743

Hwang Jongwi glanced around the room.

He was familiar with this room, having visited it several times.

Typically, a martial sect as large as Mount Hua Sect would have a separate reception hall for receiving outsiders. Therefore, the place of the most important Sect Leader of the sect was not a place where foreigners could dare to step in.

However, Hyun Jong often did not use a separate reception hall, dealing with most major and minor affairs in his own quarters. Therefore, Hwang Jongwi had been inside the sect leader’s quarters several times.

But this was the first time he had been sitting in Hyun Jong’s quarters without him, waiting this long.

Maybe that’s why? Normally, he wouldn’t pay much attention to the room’s details, but today, everything was clearly visible to his eyes.

‘So simple.’

It’s strange.

Much has changed for Mount Hua. Compared to the time when he first climbed Mt. Hua to learn about Chung Myung and to establish a relationship with Mount Hua along with Hwang Munnyak, it is no exaggeration to say that it is like the mulberry field has become the blue sea.

Yet, even though the exterior of Mount Hua, which was crumbling, had become grand enough not to be overshadowed by any martial sect in the world, this room has not changed since he first saw it.

There was not a trace of any excess decoration beyond what was necessary. It was not difficult to guess how modest the owner of the room was, just by looking at this.

‘Truly remarkable.’

People often change depending on their position.

However, Hyun remained unchanged, whether he was the leader of a small and forgotten sect on Shaanxi, the leader of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance commanding the world, or the leader of the Great Mount Hua Sect.

Hwang Jongwi, who dealt with countless people, knew better than anyone how difficult that was. He found himself filled with renewed admiration for Hyun Jong.

“When will Sect Leader…”

However, Yuryong Sect Munju Du Yuncan, who was sitting next to him, did not have the luxury to admire such a sight. He was anxiously urging Un Am, asking when Sect Leader would arrive.

“He’ll be here soon.”

“…Where did he go at this hour of the night?”

“I’m sorry. Sect Leader usually trains personally at this hour… I’ve sent a disciple, so he should return soon.”

“Why from this dawn…….”

Hwang Jongwi raised his hand slightly. Then Du Yuncan, who had been venting his displeasure, lowered his voice.

Technically, they were the ones who rudely broke into the sect gate at dawn. Complaining about the host’s absence on top of that was truly excessive rudeness.
“Phew….”

It’s not like Du Yuncan is a man of no manners. But he was so nervous and hurried that he couldn’t even afford to have a simple courtesy. All that was on his mind was the reason why he had come here.

It was just when he was quietly biting his lip.

Creak.

The tightly closed door opened and Hyun Jong entered the room.

Hwang Jongwi, Du Yuncan, and those who came to accompany them all rose from their seats.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t anticipate having guests, so I left my seat vacant for a long time. I hope you will forgive me for my rudeness.”

“How can it be rude, Sect Leader. We should be grateful that you are not blaming us for rudely knocking on the gate at dawn without permission.”

Hwang Jongwi and Du Yuncan bowed their heads deeply.

Hyun Jong reciprocated the greeting by bowing his head, then quickly walked over and sat in the high seat.

“Have a seat, please.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Sitting down, Du Yuncan quickly opened his mouth. He was in such a hurry that he could not wait for Hyun Jong’s words.

But he had no choice but to close his mouth quickly.

‘Huh?’

He felt something different from Hyun Jong, who was sitting upright.

A force, which was not overpowering but seemed to gently press down in all directions, was…

‘Come to think of it, doesn’t it seem that he has improved his presence, too?’

The last time he met was during the Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s founding ceremony, so although it had been a long time, not enough time had passed for a person to change this much. Puzzled by the strange change, Du Yuncan blinked his eyes.

Then Hyun Jong opened his mouth quietly.

“Judging by your early visit, something serious seems to have happened. Please tell me what’s going on.”

“Yes, Sect Leader. It’s….”

Hwang Jongwi sneaked his eyes on Du Yuncan.

Perhaps Du Yuncan should explain this himself. Understanding this, Du Yuncan nodded and immediately started speaking.

“Sect Leader. Eunha Courier Service’s special couriers are being ambushed.”

Hyun Jong’s face hardened at once.

“Did you say… an ambush?”

“Yes, that’s….”

Then, Hwang Jongwi opened his mouth. Sensing Du Yuncan’s agitated state and inability to properly relay the situation, he felt the need to interject.

“It might be more accurate to say they’re being hindered rather than ambushed.”

“Can you elaborate a little bit?”

Du Yuncan sighed with a blank face.

“Couriers crossing the Yangtze River to deliver goods to the southern part of Jungwonare being ambushed by pirates.”

“….”

“Already, more than five of them have been victimized. Three of them were robbed of their goods but managed to save their lives, but the whereabouts of two are uncertain. Perhaps…”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly.

If they vanished after crossing the Yangtze River, the outcome was clear. It would be difficult to locate their bodies in the vast Yangtze River. Even if they had miraculously survived, they would have sustained severe injuries and wouldn’t be able to return.
Hyun Jong, having roughly guessed the situation from a few words, opened his mouth in a heavy voice.

“Why has this suddenly happened? As far as I understand, there weren’t any major problems before.”

“…I think there are two reasons.”

Hwang Jongwi swallowed a lump in his throat and opened his mouth.

“Firstly, Eunha Courier Service’s special couriers have become too famous. Of course, we contributed to this to increase the number of consignments, but even considering that, rumors have spread far and wide about Eunha Courier Service transporting valuable goods. So naturally, they became targets.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong nodded as if he saw reason in this.

“Secondly, the number of goods has increased and their delivery regions have expanded. Until now, the main trade route for Eunha Courier Service was from Beijing to Sichuan. However, now with more high-ranking officials entrusting their goods, the route extends to Nanjing, Hangzhou, and even as far as Guangzhou.”

Hwang Jongwi swallowed dry saliva and continued.

“The route to Sichuan doesn’t necessarily require crossing the Yangtze River. Although taking the waterway is faster for regular courier routes, Yuyrong Sect’s disciples prefer to travel overland because it’s faster for them. Hence, there was no need to cross the river until now.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

“But for Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, we have to cross the Yangtze River or we’d have to take a half round of Jungwon. That’s why we have to cross the Yangtze River.”
Hyun Jong nodded silently.

The Yangtze River runs from the East Sea to Dongting Lake in Hunan.

Hangzhou is almost attached to the East Sea in terms of location. In order to deliver consignment from Beijing to Hangzhou without crossing the Yangtze River, one would have to go halfway around Jungwon.

This was excessive waste.

“In order to transport goods, we have to cross the Yangtze River… but bandits are targeting those goods.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Hyun Jong gently closed his eyes.

After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at Hwang Jongwi and Du Yuncan. Hwang Jongwi’s face was freezing cold, and Du Yuncan was completely drained of blood.

“I understand the situation. How do you both propose we should handle this?”

When asked by Hyun Jong, Hwang Jongwi spoke in a heavy voice.

“Sect Leader.”

“Tell me.”

“It seems that the Eighteen Water Fortress of the Yangtze River are targeting Eunha Courier Service. This means that such incidents will continue to happen in the future.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Eunha Courier Service set the compensation much higher than regular courier service to secure customers in a short period. We’ve had a good profit so far, so it wasn’t much of a problem, but if this happens a few more times, we won’t be able to afford the compensation.”

Hwang Jongwi sighed deeply and continued.

“We’ve considered diverting the routes to avoid crossing the Yangtze River, but no matter how we see it, it’s not possible. We can handle the increased costs of avoiding the Yangtze River, but we will lose the speed, which was the reason Eunha Courier Service gained fame so rapidly.”

“…A special courier that isn’t fast is no longer a special courier.”

“That’s exactly right, and even Beijing’s high-ranking officials will no longer trust Eunha Courier Service.”

Hyun Jong’s face has hardened even more. It was more serious than he thought. This issue might even jeopardize the survival of Eunha Courier Service.

“In the end, you’re saying we have to cross the Yangtze River without any issues.”

“That’s right, Sect Leader.”

Hyun Jong shifted his gaze to Du Yuncan and asked,

“Hmm, Munju-nim. What do you think?”

“Sect Leader.”

Du Yuncan bit his lips and said.

“My disciples have been hurt.”

“….”

“We’re not even sure of the survival of a few of them. What can I say in this situation? However… Sect Leader, please remember this. The reason why I started this courier service was because of one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Even if we lose our goods, there’s a place that will go out and retrieve them for us. That’s Mount Hua.”

“….”

“Sect Leader, I sincerely ask you. Please resolve this situation.”

Hyun Jong was lost in thought for a moment.

Tadak. Tadak.

The silence in the room was palpable. Even the sound of the oil lamp burning seemed loud.

Hyun Jong, who had been thinking for a long time, opened his mouth.

“… To be honest…”

Everyone waited for his words with bated breath.

“I don’t know much about business. And I also don’t understand why we should continue with this business, facing such risks.”

At that moment, Hwang Jongwi’s face hardened. It sounded as if Hyun Jong was suggesting ending the operation of Eunha Courier Service at this point.

But Hyun Jong’s words are not over.

“But there’s one thing I know for sure.”

His bright eyes looked at the two guests in front of him at the same time.

“Yuryong Sect is a friend of Mount Hua’s. The important thing is not that we lost the goods, or that we suffered a big loss. A friend of Mount Hua Sect has been attacked and is missing. This is the most important matter.”
“Se- Sect Leader!”

Du Yuncan was touched for a moment and bit his lips tightly.

He must have wanted to ask for help. A plea for revenge on those who attacked his disciples had risen to his throat.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it because he knew how unreasonable it was. But Hyun Jong came out first and said this.

“Mount Hua Sect is not a place that turns a blind eye to the affairs of a friend. It shouldn’t be from now on.”

Hyun Jong’s face was stern, seemingly leaving no room for rebuttal.

“Mount Hua will not let this matter go.”

“Sect Leader!”

“Thank you, Sect Leader.”

“However!”

Hyun Jong slowly shook his head as if to caution against rash action.

“Even though I am the leader of Mount Hua Sect, considering the repercussions this matter could bring, this is not a decision I can make alone. I intend to call the seniors and disciples of the sect for a discussion, so I hope you understand.”

“Yes, Sect Leader! It is only natural.”

Du Yuncan nodded furiously. Hyun Jong was right, but he too wanted to hear the words from someone else’s mouth.

“Un Am, go and get the disciples…….”

“Sect Leader.”

“Hm?”

Du Yuncan intercepted urgently before Hyun Jong could order more.

“I’m going to pick up Mount Hua Divine Dragon myself. I think it’s better to go and tell him the story first.”

“….”

“Can’t I?”

“Well… It’s not that it’s… Yes, it’s not that you can’t… But why go to such lengths?”

When Hyun Jong reacted bitterly, Hwang Jongwi helped Du Yuncan.

“It would be better than hearing it directly here… Wouldn’t it?”