Chapter 302: Variable (5)
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The reason I had Gwan Seo-ye look for Zhu Mun-won was not to intimidate the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company. The Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company could sufficiently be turned into allies through the fact of Prince Xian’s rebellion alone.
Zhu Mun-won was merely one more card to place additional pressure on Yeo Bul-jin. That was only natural, as I had not even known Zhu Mun-won was at the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company in the first place.
“Mun-won.”
“Yes.”
I spoke casually to Zhu Mun-won without honorifics. Though Zhu Mun-won was older than me, since I possessed the Heavenly Demon’s energy and had ties with Zhu Mun-hwan, it was not awkward at all.
“You said you have little interest in the revival of Great Ming, right?”
“Though I feel unworthy, that is so.”
“You are not going to stop someone else from reviving it, are you?”
“That is true. I simply do not wish to be caught up in those storms.”
I understood. How could overturning a nation and founding a new one ever be an easy task?
Furthermore, because Zhu Mun-won had witnessed the Heavenly King Sect being brutally annihilated by the Imperial Palace when he was young, fear might well be engraved in him.
In any case, it was fortunate that Zhu Mun-won, who was one of the candidates for emperor of Great Ming, showed little interest. Because I intended to reign as emperor myself. Even now, I was not quite sure if this was right. That immortal ghost had told me to do so, and I was merely trying to keep my word since I had made a promise.
“Could it be that this makes you uncomfortable? That my father told you to revive Great Ming, yet I am refusing.”
Zhu Mun-won watched my reaction. I shook my head.
“No, I prefer it rather.”
“You prefer it……?”
“You will understand later when you see it. The reason I called you privately before leaving the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was not for that.”
“Then what is it?”
“The secret manual of the Heavenly King Divine Art. You have it, right?”
Zhu Mun-won flinched. It seemed there was some hitch.
“To be precise, I do not have it. When my life was saved by the Merchant King, I handed everything over to him.”
“Then does the Company Lord have it?”
“That is not the case either. As far as I know, I understand he handed it over to the Zhuge Clan.”
I frowned slightly. Because I had not expected the Zhuge Clan to come up out of nowhere here.
“Why does the Zhuge Clan come up here? They should have no connection with the Heavenly King Sect.”
“When the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company and the Zhuge Clan engaged in secret cooperation, there was something entrusted for mutual trust. What the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company demanded of the Zhuge Clan was money, and what the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company passed over was the secret manual of the Heavenly King Divine Art. At that time, the Zhuge Clan covetously desired martial manuals, while the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company needed money for business expansion.”
So there was such a secret history. Indeed, because the Zhuge Clan’s inherent martial arts were weak, they continually collected and researched the martial arts of various sects and clans. In that respect, the Heavenly King Divine Art would have been a coveted secret manual.
“The Zhuge Clan. We can get it back, right?”
“Of course. Since it was merely borrowed for a short time. If I ask the Merchant King, would he not retrieve it again?”
“How is the relationship between the Zhuge Clan and the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company right now?”
“Since the Zhuge Clan declared their departure from the Palace of Heavenly Worship, it has grown distant. They have not become enemies, but it is to the point of being awkward and uncomfortable.”
“Then it will take quite a while to get it back.”
“Likely so, right?”
“Never mind, then.”
The reason I had sought out Zhu Mun-won was the secret manual of the Heavenly King Divine Art.
[ Wind God ― 3rd Grade ]
[ Price : Heavenly King Divine Art Secret Manual ]
I wanted to buy this talent. I now knew that this Martial Talent Shop itself was an arrangement for the revival of Great Ming and the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. After all, the goods and money I exchanged for talents had gone to the warehouse of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Therefore, no matter how ambiguous a name the talent possessed, I did not doubt that all of it was an arrangement that would aid me.
“You must need the Heavenly King Divine Art secret manual immediately. I am truly sorry.”
“No. In any case, the Zhuge Clan is close by.”
“Do you mean you will go there directly?”
“Perhaps?”
Zhu Mun-won was appalled. The ill fate between the Zhuge Clan and the Wudang Sect, and further, with me, was an old story. The very fact that I would go directly to the Zhuge Clan was a situation that could become a tremendous provocation.
However, right now the Zhuge Clan had left the Palace of Heavenly Worship. As the New Justice Association Leader, I needed to confirm what exact position they maintained, and it would be good to bring back the Heavenly King Divine Art secret manual along the way.
“Do not worry about that. Roughly how much money did the Zhuge Clan give to the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company? We will need that much money to exchange for it.”
“It would be around ten thousand taels of silver.”
“The Zhuge Clan exerted quite a bit of effort.”
Ten thousand taels of silver would be a burdensome amount even for the Zhuge Clan. To think the Zhuge Clan’s desire for strength was this vast.
“Understood for now.”
I did not have ten thousand taels of silver immediately on hand. To be precise, if I scraped together all the budget of the New Justice Association, that amount might come out, but that was the New Justice Association’s money, not mine. If I used that for personal purposes, it would be embezzlement.
After exchanging farewells with Yeo Bul-jin and Zhu Mun-won, I stepped outside. I had thought of meeting my fellow disciple Yeo Hong-yang after a long time to catch up, but I could not see her because they said she was away in another region.
Instead, due to the agreement between the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company and the New Justice Association, Yeo Hong-yang was to be stationed at the New Justice Association, so I would probably see her soon once I was at the main headquarters.
When I stepped outside, Peng Chae-hyang, who had already finished all preparations to move, was waiting.
“Did your business conclude well?”
“Yes. You must have been bored.”
“No. It was nice to rest without worries after a long time.”
While I discussed and coordinated detailed matters regarding the agreement between the New Justice Association and the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company with Yeo Bul-jin, Peng Chae-hyang had simply taken a rest in the lodging provided by the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company.
I too had not been able to go see Peng Chae-hyang while at the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company. I had wondered if I brought her along for nothing if that was how it was going to be, but it was a relief to hear that she had gotten some rest and refreshed herself.
“Are we returning to the New Justice Association now?”
“No, I thought of stopping by Xiangyang for a moment.”
“Xiangyang? That is where the Zhuge Clan is……”
Peng Chae-hyang paused mid-sentence. Then she opened her mouth again.
“You are going to the Zhuge Clan, are you not?”
“Yes. You are not that surprised.”
“Because you have always done unbelievable things, Gaga. Thinking of it that way, going to the Zhuge Clan rather makes sense instead.”
Peng Chae-hyang smiled softly. Was this the difference between someone who knew me and someone who did not? Zhu Mun-won had been so shocked.
Moreover, Peng Chae-hyang did not even ask what I would do upon going to the Zhuge Clan. She simply followed along without question. In a way, the two of us were marching right into enemy territory, yet her face was peaceful.
“Are you not anxious?”
“About what?”
I asked because I was deeply curious.
“About going to the Zhuge Clan.”
“I am not particularly anxious. Probably because I am together with you, Gaga.”
“I see.”
I decided not to pry further. If Peng Chae-hyang trusted me, rather than doubting that trust, I had to strive to live up to it. Because a person must always move forward rather than look back.
I had formed ties with many people in the martial world, including Peng Chae-hyang, Senior Brother Myeong-gyeong, and Master, and they trusted me. Wanting to protect the karmic ties that trusted me was the driving force that moved me.
Now I moved not by money, but by ties. It seemed my mind had become richer than before.
However, Hyeon-wol had told me not to deny myself as a merchant. That surely did not mean returning to the past. How to combine the past me and the current me also remained an important task.
“It is difficult.”
“It is difficult.”
“What is?”
“Living.”
The more one thought about it, the more difficult it became. Yet one could not simply not think, which made it a truly troublesome situation.
“You seem to have many worries, Gaga.”
“Indeed.”
“In the past, you truly looked as though you had no worries at all. Even on matters that clearly required deep deliberation.”
Peng Chae-hyang said.
Hearing that, it seemed that had been the case. There had been a reason for that. Because I was living a second life, I had certainty about what would happen in the future. As a result, I simply rushed forward without worrying about matters others had to agonize over.
However, that was no longer the case. Compared to my previous life, the current life was already heavily twisted, and the circumstances, ties, and above all, the person I was, were different. From now on, I had fallen into the situation of having to explore the unknown just like everyone else.
When I first returned to the Wudang Sect, that was what I feared. That a life different from my previous life would unfold. The uncertainty about the future, the vague anxiety. Was that not why I had even tried to run away from the Wudang Sect?
At first, they were small behavioral changes. The first sparring match at Wudang that I was originally supposed to lose, selling the grass flute to Myeong-gyeong. Aside from those, choices and actions that differed greatly from my previous life.
Things I had thought would not affect the future were, when I thought about it now, all exerting an influence. It was truly a wondrous thing.
“However, what is happening now is only natural. Because worrying is the very essence of life.”
“Likely so.”
Just as Peng Chae-hyang said, this was right. Until now, I had been fighting a somewhat unfair battle.
Only now did I stand on the same starting line as my enemies. But if there was something lost, there was also something gained. Though I lost knowledge of the future, I gained people. I believed that was far more valuable.
Knowledge of the future could become useless from even a small action, but people were semi-permanent as long as I took good care of them.
Ever since my merchant days, I had always thought that having many constants rather than variables in life was helpful. Having turned variables into constants instead of merely reducing them, what a tremendous gain this was.
“……You are staring too intently.”
Peng Chae-hyang flushed red and turned her head away. I thought, ah. Because I had been engrossed in thought while looking at Peng Chae-hyang, it had unintentionally ended up that way.
We each cleared our throats and continued heading toward Xiangyang.
In truth, the reason I specifically brought Peng Chae-hyang along was to think of a plan regarding the source of demonic qi she possessed and what to do about it. Yet far from coming up with a clever solution on that front, Peng Chae-hyang was rather being of help to me instead.
Feeling a strange sense of indebtedness, I entered Xiangyang. The territory of the Zhuge Clan. From here on, it was truly complete enemy territory.
It was not merely people of the Zhuge Clan who were our enemies. People who settled in Xiangyang after receiving grace from the Zhuge Clan, retainers of the Zhuge Clan, and martial artists in good relations were all our enemies.
“……Is that not the New Justice Association Leader?”
“He must be mad. Where does he think this is……”
Perhaps because this was Hubei, many people recognized me. Peng Chae-hyang looked at me worriedly, but I merely shrugged my shoulders.
“To think I have become such a celebrity.”
“Fame and notoriety are somewhat different, though.”
“Be careful too, Chae-hyang. Just being with me could cause you harm.”
“Of course. I too can protect myself.”
Peng Chae-hyang was also a younger-generation expert counted among the best in the orthodox sects, and having never neglected her cultivation all this time, she sufficiently belonged among the strong.
Feeling the gazes that bordered on contempt from the people, we headed toward the Zhuge Clan manor. The closer we approached the Zhuge Clan manor, the more people’s eyes became tinged with bewilderment.
Even coming to Xiangyang would be incomprehensible, so marching straight for the Zhuge Clan would certainly make me look half-insane.
“Do you truly intend to go to the Zhuge Clan?”
And inevitably, on the path toward the Zhuge Clan, a group blocked our way.
They seemed to be retainers of the Zhuge Clan or martial artists who had received its grace.
“If we let you pass quietly to the Zhuge Clan, we will lose all our face, you see.”
“I understand.”
I nodded. Just as he said, I understood. From their perspective, not letting us pass to the Zhuge Clan would be their chivalry.
“Not that I intend to go easy on you, however.”
I drew Bright Elegance. Just as they raised their swords for their chivalry, I too did so for my chivalry.