Chapter 354: Feudal Lords of the Empire (1)
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Heavenly Eye. What was the Heavenly Eye? It was one of the legendary Six Divine Powers that practitioners who had reached high realms could attain.
None of the talents I had purchased from the Martial Talent Shop so far had failed to be astonishing, but from now on, there were many names that truly seemed to transcend humanity.
As they were high-grade talents, from now on, I entered the realm of deduction once more. I had to predict what functions they would perform based on the names of the martial talents.
For now, though there was hardly anyone who knew for certain what kind of talent the Heavenly Eye was, from what I roughly understood, it allowed one to see what the naked eye could not see. Yet right now, with the talent known as the Wind God, I was already seeing the natural qi that could not be seen with the naked eye. What was the difference between the Wind God and the Heavenly Eye?
Aside from that, among the 2nd-grade talents, there were many names I had truly never heard or seen before.
[ Singular Concept — 2nd Grade ]
[ Price : 1,500 Legitimacy ]
Singular Concept. Roughly deciphering the meaning, it seemed to be an eccentric or extraordinary thought. Just how extraordinary a thought would one come to have for it to be 2nd-grade and priced even higher than the Heavenly Eye?
[ Divine Oracle — 2nd Grade ]
[ Price : 1,000 Legitimacy ]
If I possessed this, would I be able to converse with a god? At any rate, in various ways, from now on, these were talents that ordinary minds could hardly dare to fathom.
I turned my eyes toward my Legitimacy figure in the corner of the floating text.
The Legitimacy I possessed was a little over 1,500. Since I had exerted a positive influence on numerous commoners, it seemed I had gained that much.
For now, whatever I bought, a 2nd-grade talent would certainly be better than a 3rd-grade talent. Even so, the reason I hesitated was that the talents I could equip were limited to five.
That was why, whenever I raised the grade of a talent, I always replaced it with a strictly superior talent.
Yet this time, replacing felt somewhat ambiguous. I tested whether I could detach and reattach the talents I currently held just in case, but the moment I swapped a talent, the previous talent seemed to disappear.
“Insight into words, is it?”
I muttered softly.
Words were promises shared among people who used the same language. However, those promises were not always identical. Even for the same word, there were many whose meanings were regarded differently.
Representatively, things like the Dao, Righteousness, or Chivalry. Even though those words held similar inclinations, if strictly examined, were they not different for each person?
Then suddenly, the thought struck me that I should not deduce the talent solely through my current judgment. The Martial Talent Shop was an arrangement strongly imbued with someone’s intent. Regardless of whose arrangement it was, the situation made it self-evident that the ultimate goal was the revival of Great Ming.
I realized that these talents should not be viewed through my perspective of having lived like a commoner at the very bottom, but through the perspective of the Son of Heaven bestowed by Heaven.
A perspective that looked down arrogantly upon all creation. Unfitting for me, who had always twisted my body to look upward in order to climb, but the Martial Talent Shop was undoubtedly demanding that of me right now.
I scanned through the 2nd-grade talents of the Martial Talent Shop. In the end, what I selected was the Heavenly Eye.
Because the Heavenly Eye was what best suited the perspective of looking down arrogantly upon all things. Furthermore, I also calculated that the Heavenly Eye would overlap in role and be compatible with the Wind God, which currently helped me see natural qi.
“Phew.”
Purchasing a new talent was always a thrilling affair. Because before and after buying a talent was always distinctly different.
I closed and opened my eyes. Because I wanted to compare before and after purchasing the Heavenly Eye.
And when I opened my eyes, an unseen world unfolded before me.
* * *
Just as Zhuge Yan warned, word immediately arrived that the feudal lords had visited the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company.
Between Wuhan, where the New Justice Association’s headquarters was located, and Nanjing, where the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company’s headquarters was located, it was a distance that martial artists could cover in half a day.
The cooperation between the New Justice Association and the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was top secret. Since several martial artists of the New Justice Association were disguised as merchants of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company and used as a means of communication, the freshness of the information did not need to be doubted.
“It ended up like this in the end.”
“What about what we prepared?”
I asked Zhuge Yan. Naturally, since we had anticipated that the feudal lords would apply pressure, we had prepared something.
As expected, the easiest method was to shut their mouths with money. Right now, the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company had an overflow of money to the point where they lacked storage to keep silver and had to build several more.
“They say not a single one accepted it.”
“That is unexpected.”
In my view, there was no breed that craved money as much as feudal lords. Once one became a feudal lord, it was a position so high that one could be considered just below the Emperor. Even so, they were always full of greed.
“They probably colluded with each other before coming.”
“Probably so. So what do they say they want?”
“They demanded that the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company reduce its influence extending across the Central Plains.”
Naturally, a scoff escaped me. A merchant’s influence did not come from the merchant, but from the common people.
“And they said the feudal lords want to tear apart and divide the trade routes that have been pioneered among themselves.”
“Complete and utter thieves.”
Even if the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company handed over the trade routes to other feudal lords, if they failed to manage them as well as the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company, the influence of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company would inversely rise. It was truly an act of seeing only the trees and not the forest.
Of course, that did not mean I had any intention of gladly handing them over. The disposition to swallow whole the money and effort invested in pioneering was exceedingly offensive.
“They say they even pressured us, giving a deadline of three days and nights to make a decision quickly.”
Namgung Hwi added from the side.
There was a reason why the feudal lords were making such a fuss right now.
The Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company being threatening was threatening in itself, but with the imperial palace—which should mediate—losing its senses while dealing with the torrential rains and floods, they thought this was their chance.
“It seems they came as a group because they thought the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company wouldn’t budge for a single feudal lord.”
“I think so too.”
Zhuge Yan lent weight to my opinion and continued.
“And what is somewhat peculiar is that instead of soldiers, they brought martial artists as bodyguards.”
“The feudal lords did?”
“Yes.”
That was certainly a somewhat peculiar situation. Normally, when feudal lords traveled anywhere, they took soldiers with them. But bringing martial artists instead of soldiers.
“They said they even looked like martial artists from the Private Martial Union.”
“Mm?”
I knitted my brows. Feudal lords fundamentally tended to look down upon martial artists. Even Prince Xian did not like martial artists that much, did he?
When they insulted orthodox martial artists as mere ruffians all the same, for a feudal lord to associate with the people of the Private Martial Union, who were genuine ruffians among them.
It was an act that degraded the dignity they held so important, making it hard to imagine.
“Is that certain?”
“It is not certain. A friend on our side simply said they seemed like unorthodox figures seen in the past. That unorthodox faction also belongs to the Private Martial Union right now.”
“Mm.”
“Shall I look into it further?”
“No.”
I shook my head, placed my hands on the desk, and stood up.
“I can just find out directly.”
“Directly?”
“Yes. It seems the feudal lords are trying to take advantage of the imperial palace being distracted……”
I grinned.
“If the imperial palace is distracted, we can move recklessly just the same, can’t we?”
“Ah.”
Zhuge Yan let out an exclamation as if she had not thought of that.
“However, is there a need to deal with them directly? I have met feudal lords several times as well, and they are extremely slimy, cunning old foxes. It turned out to be better to avoid them instead.”
“That is why I am going.”
“Pardon?”
“Because they are slimy, cunning old foxes.”
Zhuge Yan blinked without saying a word. Clearly, she did not understand my words right now. Yet even so, that bewilderment did not show on her face at all.
However, through my Heavenly Eye, her bewilderment was visible. Watching that, I raised the corners of my mouth. Zhuge Yan remained expressionless. She was quite the cunning fox herself.
* * *
The moment Yeo Bul-jin saw me, he was startled. In truth, no matter how great Yeo Bul-jin was, he could not help but be surprised.
Because I had not even sent word that I was coming, nor had I entered through the main gate, but had secretly entered the Company Lord’s room.
“Good heavens. What is this?”
“What else could it be?”
I naturally sat down opposite Yeo Bul-jin.
“Please treat me to a cup of tea.”
“Without even a word that you were coming.”
“Since I departed right after receiving the letter, there was no reason to send one.”
Yeo Bul-jin gave me a disgruntled look, but could say nothing more.
Because the cooperation between the New Justice Association and the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was secret, and since my face was now quite widely known, Yeo Bul-jin also knew that proudly entering through the front gate of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was rather problematic.
Yeo Bul-jin rose from his seat and brewed the tea himself. Soon, hot water was poured over top-grade Huangshan Maofeng tea before me.
“Right, I did not expect you to come in person.”
“Let us get straight to the point. What do you intend to do?”
“What else can I do? I planned to drag out the time as much as possible.”
I nodded.
“That is indeed the only option.”
“Did you come all the way here just to confirm that? I can handle this much on my own.”
Yeo Bul-jin revealed a trace of discomfort. I shook my head.
“I did not come because I distrust you, Company Lord.”
“Is that so? Then why did you come?”
“I came to give you one more option.”
At my words, Yeo Bul-jin tilted his head slightly.
“What option?”
“An option to slowly bare our fangs.”
“Oho.”
A gleam of interest appeared in Yeo Bul-jin’s eyes.
“That is considerably appetizing.”
I could see Yeo Bul-jin’s emotions right now. Need I say more? It was thanks to the Heavenly Eye.
Right now, Yeo Bul-jin was feeling considerably displeased. Having received a proposal bordering on a threat from the feudal lords, that was only natural. In other words, I had come to scratch Yeo Bul-jin where it itched.
“What is the method?”
“Seeing is believing, is it not? Rather than explaining the method at length, showing you will be faster.”
I slightly turned my waist and looked outside the Company Lord’s room. Though the door was closed, in my eyes, a person could be seen hurriedly approaching. Soon, a knock sounded on the door of the room.
“Company Lord. The feudal lords have arrived.”
“Heh. Only two days have passed.”
Yeo Bul-jin replied and looked at me. He seemed exceedingly curious about the method. I formed a subtle smile.
The feudal lords had mentioned three days and nights, but I knew they would certainly come much sooner. That was also why I had come right now.
Soon, before long, people putting on airs could be felt approaching close to the Company Lord’s room.
“Shouldn’t you slowly step away from this spot?”
Yeo Bul-jin asked. It was a question asking if it wouldn’t be troublesome if the cooperative relationship between the New Justice Association and the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was exposed. But I shook my head.
“No. We must bare our fangs.”
I smiled.
“I am the fang, after all.”
Sure enough, the feudal lords who approached the Company Lord’s room flung the door wide open without showing the courtesy of making proper presence known.
“There was a prior guest. Since we have arrived, shouldn’t you have naturally issued an order to expel the guest, Company Lord?”
Yeo Bul-jin sprang up, but I merely turned my torso to look back. There were four feudal lords in total.
At the sight of me arrogantly inspecting them, the martial artist beside the feudal lords immediately bellowed a shout.
“You bastard! The esteemed figures here are the feudal lords of the Empire! Stand up at once and show proper respect!”
I looked at the martial artist who shouted at me. He was certainly an unorthodox figure who had accumulated impure and wicked internal energy.
“……Wait, where have I seen that face before?”
One of the feudal lords narrowed his brows upon seeing my face. I gave a light nod and clasped my hands in a salute.
“I am Muk Hui-yeong. I lead a small place called the New Justice Association.”
Only then did the expressions of the feudal lords, having accurately recognized my identity, transform completely. Currently, the New Justice Association was the primary enemy of the imperial palace. Since such a person was here, they could not help but be shocked.
“Company Lord, what is the meaning of this……”
“Please take a seat.”
The feudal lord asked Yeo Bul-jin, but I cut him off.
Even that alone was an immense insolence to a feudal lord, so their expressions hardened completely.
However, I did not stop there and added one more phrase.
“If you do not wish to die.”
At those words, the complexions of not only the feudal lords, but even Yeo Bul-jin turned ashen like soil.