“Wait! Nothing in this world is impossible! If it cannot be done, then we need to make it happen!”
Chung Myung shouted, making Hwang Mun-Yak flustered.
If anyone else had said this, he might have been displeased, but this was Chung Myung, and Hwang Mun-Yak had received so much from him.
“Young disciple, let’s calm down.”
“I am very calm, right—!”
“Tone it down.”
Hearing Hyun Jong’s calm order, Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong grabbed Chung Myung.
“Kuaaak.”
Chung Myung groaned.
Hyun Jong looked at Hwang Mun-Yak and spoke.
“Is it because of the ice crystals?”
There was a sense of concern in his voice.
Ice crystals came from the deepest and roughest areas of the North Sea; they were the most precious and difficult ingredient to obtain among those needed for the pill. What’s more, the entire area was under the supervision of the North Sea Ice Palace. It wasn’t something that could be easily purchased, even if one had the money.
Hwang Mun-Yak smiled bitterly.
“It’s true that it’s extremely difficult to obtain them, but with the Eunha Guild’s power, we can get as many ice crystals as we want.”
“Then what’s the issue?”
“The troublesome ingredient isn’t the ice crystal. It’s the Purple Wood Grass.”
“Hm?”
Hyun Jong titled his head.
He did ask him to get purple wood grass too, but it didn’t seem like an expensive item, so he didn’t pay much attention to it.
“Is it a precious item? Something too expensive to get?”
“Not at all. Of course, it is a rare item that can only be found in certain places, but its effectiveness is known to be lacking, and it can hardly be considered a medicinal herb.”
“Then why?”
Hwang Mun-Yak took a deep breath.
“Sect Leader, you must know about the Five Palaces beyond the Great Wall.”
“Of course.”
Five Palaces beyond the Great Wall.
Five factions outside The Central Plains. 1
Each of these factions has similar power to the sects among the Nine Great Sects and has formed an alliance together.
The South Sea Sun Palace, North Sea Ice Palace, Potala Palace, Nanman Beast Palace, and Mara Blood Palace. 2
The alliance of these five sects was known as the Five Palaces beyond the Great Wall.
“The problem is the Nanman Beast Palace.”
Hyun Jong frowned.
‘What the hell is happening with the Nanman Beast palace?’
As if Hwang Mun-Yak could read his mind, he immediately began to explain.
“This Purple Wood Grass is native to the deep valleys inside Yunnan. In the past, there were no merchants or others to speak of, so it was a bit of a hassle to go there directly, but it wasn’t difficult to obtain. However, the path is completely blocked now.
“… the path is blocked? What do you mean?”
“The Nanman Beast Palace, “I mentioned before, is blocking the road. To be precise, they are not only blocking the road to the purple wood grass but also preventing the people of The Central Plains from spreading their influence.”
“No, does it make any sense for a sect to block the path?”
Hwang Mun-Yak smiled bitterly.
“Nanman is a place where our common sense doesn’t apply. Martial artists and armed groups there occupy the land and rule like kings. The power of the nation cannot control them.”
Hyun Jong frowned.
It wasn’t completely nonsensical to him. In the first place, didn’t the Potala Palace and North Sea Ice Palace rule like royalty among their regions?
It wouldn’t be strange if the Nanman Beast Palace was the same.
“Why are they blocking the road?”
“The relationship between the Nanman Beast Palace and The Central Plains deteriorated quickly ever since the downfall of the Demonic Sect in the past. The Five Palaces beyond the Great Wall requested help from The Central Plains when the Demonic Sect first began to sweep through their realm, but not a single sect stood up to assist. Now, this is the result.”
“Tch”
Chung Myung, who was listening, clicked his tongue.
‘Then our blood was left to spill later.’
Because there was no one left to help once the Demonic Sect began moving north.
“As a result of that, Nanman Beast Palace cut all communication with the people of The Central Plains once the battle with the Demonic sect ended. Now, no one from our side is allowed access.”
Hwang Mun-Yak sighed.
“Thanks to this, the damage wasn’t limited to us. We lost the most famous Yunnan tea. This used to be one of the largest sources of income for merchants in Shaanxi and Sichuan, but the trade route with Yunnan was blocked, so it was inevitable to suffer such losses.”
“In other words….”
Baek Cheon summarized the situation.
“They’re strong enough to make the merchants all give up on such overwhelming profits.”
“Right.”
Hyun Jong’s face went stiff.
“Sect leader. We can help you with the other items. But this is out of our hands. I apologize again.”
“Raise your head. Guild head, how could this be your fault?”
Hyun Jong comforted him, but Hyun Jong didn’t know how to calm his face. He thought that Mount Hua would grow stronger, but he quickly came upon an unexpected wall.
“Medical Head.”
“Yes, sect leader.”
Un Gak immediately bowed his head.
“Tell me. Even without the purple wood grass, can you manufacture the Soul…?”
“Sect leader…”
Un Gak sighed and gulped.
“A pill isn’t just something made by combining ingredients. When every ingredient is perfectly mixed together, they are fused to make the perfect pill, and a synergy occurs that requires everything to be complete. It would be hard to expect a tenth of success if we’re missing even a single ingredient.”
“…”
“I would rather we eat the raw ingredients than to prepare an imperfect pill. Without the purple wood grass, I cannot make it.”
Everyone’s face darkened.
It was then.
“So…”
An eerie voice that seemed as if it had escaped from hell.
As expected, the voice came from Chung Myung.
“Those Nanman Beast Palace bastards aren’t giving me my Soul… No! they aren’t giving me the ingredients to make my pill?”
“…”
Chung Myung’s face was so blisteringly red that it seemed like it would explode.
“No! Those fucking bastards!”
“Stop him!”
“Yes!”
When Chung Myung was about to throw a fit, the people around him rushed together and pressed him down.
“Let go! Let me go! These crazy bastards must have gone mad! It makes no sense; they’re making such a big deal out of selling some grass?”
“Ca-Calm down. So many people are blocking our way; what can we do?”
“Block? Block? If we hit them once, the path is bound to open up! Let’s see if they come to block the road once their leader’s head is broken!”
Chung Myung was losing it.
“uhhhhh!”
Chung Myung threw away those who were pushing him down and got up!
Hyun Jong flinched when he saw those burning eyes.
“Sect leader!”
“… Ah, why.”
‘What more are you going to do!? You brat!’
“I am going to Yunnan!”
“…”
“I am going to break those bastards down and bring us the grass!”
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong were terrified and grabbed him back.
“Brat! This is the Nanman Beast Palace! One of the Five Palaces beyond the Great Wall!”
“Not even ten lives would be enough if you went against them!”
Chung Myung calmly said.
“Why are you worried about my life? Those bastards should be the ones worrying about their necks!”
“….”
It was spoken with such calm confidence that it almost felt reasonable. Like it made sense.
At that moment, Jo Gul, who was silently watching, spoke up.
“Guild head.”
“Um?”
“If Yunnan only blocks entry to people from The Central Plains, can’t we just hire people from other regions? Like the west? Can’t people who are not from The Central Plains enter Yunnan?”
“Oh?”
Hwang Mun-Yak’s eyes widened.
“Wow… smart. Our Jo Gul.”
“That sahyung seems to be using his head for once.”
“…”
Jo Gul wanted to respond and ask if the others had been too thoughtless, but he decided to let their remarks slide and kept his mouth shut.
Hwang Mun-Yak shook his head.
“We did try something like that before, but… we failed. The western traders in Yunnan are made to take an oath not to hand over any items to us. It’s not impossible to find people willing to sell, but they won’t put things in our hands so easily because they’ll lose their heads if they get caught.”
“… I see.”
“And…”
Hwang Mun-Yak took a deep breath.
“The purple wood grass is located deep inside Yunnan, right next to the Nanman Beast Palace’s territory. This is a place where even westerners are prohibited from entering, so it’s impossible to obtain it through such methods. Even within Yunnan, the only people allowed access to that place all belong to the Nanman Beast Palace.”
Jo Gul bowed his head as if he understood.
The eyes of Hwang Mun-Yak were observing him.
‘He’s someone with the mind of a merchant.’
However, this side didn’t just have this guy with brains but also the poisonous one too.
“That’s enough then!”
Chung Myung said while grinding his teeth.
“I’m going to run to Yunnan and tell those bastards to give me that grass!”
“… it’s the Beast Palace.”
“So, what!? I’m from Mount Hua!”
“…”
Seeing Chung Myung speak like that, Hyun Jong’s heart swelled with emotions.
He was proud to see how the disciple spoke about his sect, but he was concerned about sending him and their lack of countermeasures.
But it felt like the conclusion was reached.
‘We need to obtain the purple wood grass.’
It would be impossible to make the Soul Vitality Pill without it. This was something that had to be done for the sake of Mount Hua.
Hyun Jong, who made up his mind, looked at Chung Myung.
“Chung Myung.”
“Yes, sect leader!”
“Can you do it?”
Hyun Jong’s face turned serious.
“This is extremely dangerous. But it’s also necessary. So, I want to ask you. Will you be able to retrieve the grass and return safely without getting hurt?”
Chung Myung smiled and spoke.
“Sect leader.”
“Yes.”
“I am Chung Myung.”
“…”
Hyun Jong’s eyes shook.
The moment he heard those words, trust flowed through his body.
‘Yes. This child is Chung Myung.’
Who could he believe in if he didn’t believe in Chung Myung of Mount Hua? This child would be the one leading Mount Hua. Of course, to trust…
“Don’t worry! I will crack their skulls and come back with the grass! Shouldn’t they at least be reasonable and do things that make sense!? Did we ask them for gold or to give up their throne? We just wanted some simple grass, but they blocked the path? I’m going to kill them! As I set them on fire, I’ll stuff their snouts full of grass!”
“…”
‘Trust? How quickly that just died.’
‘How did someone like this come from our sect?’
Hyun Jong, who calmed his trembling face, turned his head.
“Hyun Young.”
“Yes, sect leader.”
“Quickly, get things ready for the children.”
“Sect leader?’
Hyun Young’s eyes slightly shook, but Hyun Jong firmly responded.
“I am sending Chung Myung to Yunnan.”
“Yes!”
And he looked at Chung Myung.
“You need to succeed.”
“Don’t worry! I am going to bring back an entire field of purple wood grass!”
“…”
For some reason, Hyun Jong felt sorry for the people of Yunnan.
“Ahem!”
At that time, Hyun Young, who was standing, glanced at Hyun Jong and gave him a subtle hint.
Upon noticing the glance, Hyun Jong steadily got up from his seat.
“Well, for a moment, I need to go.”
Hyun Jong and Hyun Young quickly left the room and moved as far from the hall as they could.
It was Hyun Jong that spoke first.
“What is it?’
Hyun Young spoke with a slight frown.
“Are you going to send that child into another dangerous place alone?”
“I know that it would be best to have some senior take the lead. But as you know, when the children—”
“Not that.”
“… Huh?”
Hyun Young spoke with dissatisfaction.
“If you’re sending the children to a dangerous place, shouldn’t we be prepared for things to go wrong? Let him have it.”
“It?”
“The pill! The Soul Vitality Pill!”
“…”
Hyun Jong frowned.
“N-No. There’s no guarantee that we’ll get the purple wood grass or that the pill would be perfect even if we do, so how can we give—”
“Sect leader, since when did you turn into a thief?’
“Thief?”
“Isn’t this Mount Hua? Since Chung Myung saved it, doesn’t it belong to him!? It belongs to the kids who found it all together! And what are you trying to save it for anyway!? What do we do if the kids get hurt?”
Hyun Young’s eyes were blazing.
If any of the children got hurt, he would most likely pull Hyun Jong’s head out.
“Feed the children. Feed them the Soul Vitality Pills.”
“…”
“Now!”
“…”
“Right now!”
‘Ah, I get it.’
‘They need to eat it, right? Fine, let’s feed them!’
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