Chapter 605

The Seven Stars Trading Company moved at a brisk pace.

More than twenty wagons were loaded with exotic goods from the West. They did not need to be handled as delicately as grain, but the longer the transport, the greater the chance of damage to the goods.

They needed to get to Zhengzhou quickly and store them in a safe warehouse.

Yu-mugun, the head of the trading company, often checked the goods on the wagons himself.

Only after confirming that there were no problems with the goods did Yu-mugun set the trading company in motion again.

What was fortunate was that the road to Zhengzhou was well-maintained. This reduced the shocks and bumps endured by the carts.

Yu-mugun led the way on horseback.

He was not only an exceptional merchant, but also a skilled pathfinder. With him at the helm, the Seven Stars Trading Company felt a sense of stability.

A middle-aged warrior approached Yu-mugun’s side.

It was Lee Soohak, Yu-mugun’s closest aide.

Lee Soohak was a renowned martial artist in Kangho. In the Zhengzhou region, he was known by the nickname Blood Star Sword and boasted extraordinary swordsmanship.

Lee Soohak looked back at the caravan and spoke.

“But should we keep them like that?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, they’re supposed to be escorts, but should they be allowed to ride in the carts so comfortably?”

He believed that they didn’t need to hire additional guards for the journey to Zhengzhou.

Therefore, he was displeased that Yu-mugun had hired other guards without trusting him.

Yu-mugun, with a sidelong glance, responded,

“They are people who deserve such treatment.”

“Head merchant!”

“They were vouched for by Sea Dragon Manor.”

“Still, what will other people think if they are given such excessive privileges?”

“Who are these other people?”

“The martial artists of the merchant group.”

“Are you saying they have complaints?”

“I’m saying they might.”

Yu-mugun’s face tightened slightly at Lee Soohak’s reply.

The warriors brought in weren’t from the martial faction affiliated with the Seven Stars Trading Group. They were warriors that Lee Soohak had recruited through personal connections.

Even though Lee Soohak had vouched for their identity, Yu-mugun still couldn’t shake his uneasy feeling. Therefore, he had hired bodyguards without even consulting Lee Soohak.

Lee Soohak and the warriors were displeased about this.

They thought that hiring bodyguards was permissible, but they should have been consulted at the very least.

Yu-mugun spoke firmly.

“If there are any among you who are dissatisfied with my decision, I will terminate the contract as soon as we return to Zhengzhou.”

“Hmm!”

“Do you think there are still those among you who are dissatisfied?”

“It seems that I have been short-sighted. There is no way that anyone is going to be dissatisfied.

With a slight tailing off, Lee Soohak withdrew.

Yu-mugun glared at him.

‘Had I brought my escort team, he wouldn’t have dared speak to me this way.

Due to unforeseen problems within the Seven Stars Trading Company, he had no choice but to send their usual escort team elsewhere.

As a backup, he had brought Lee Soohak and his band of martial artists with him. Occasionally, they showed a tendency to undermine him.

“Tch!”

With a click of his tongue, Yu-mugun spurred his horse forward.

Meanwhile, Lee Soohak, now separated from Yu-mugun, approached the martial artists.

Seven of the warriors greeted him.

“What happened?”

“Did you make them get off?”

At the martial artists’ words, Lee Soohak shook his head.

“No! He said if we keep complaining, he’ll cancel our contract.”

“Nonsense!”

“Who got us here safely in the first place?”

The warriors expressed their dissatisfaction.

They glared at Yu-mugun’s retreating back with sharp eyes.

One of them spoke to Lee Soohak in a quiet voice.

“Brother!”

“What?”

“Shall we do it?”

“Do what?”

“Yes! Let’s just commit to it tonight?”

“Hmm!”

At the martial artist’s words, Lee Soohak made a thoughtful sound.

As he seemed to ponder for a moment, another martial artist stepped in.

“Brother! What’s there to think about? Didn’t we go to the trouble of breaking away from the elite martial arts group for this reason?”

“That’s right. Since we don’t have the elite martial artist group anymore, there’s no more reason to hesitate. If we sell the goods loaded on the carriage, all of us can live like rich men for the rest of our lives.”

“Just go through with it, shall we?”

It was not one or two but all seven martial artists pressuring Lee Soohak.

After momentarily pondering, Lee Soohak finally made up his mind.

“We can’t do it just by ourselves.”

“Why?”

“The newly hired guards. They’re not ordinary men. If they turn out to be much stronger than us, our plan will most likely fail.”

He wanted to see the newly hired guards for himself to determine the extent of their competence. But his attempt was met with resistance from Yu-mugun.

Then one of the martial artists cautiously suggested an idea.

“How about this? There’s a canyon about a hundred li away, and there’s a bandit’s hideout there”.

“You mean the bandits of the green forest?”

“Yes! My younger brother happens to be there; if I ask him for a favor, we can get the bandits to cooperate.”

“So you’re suggesting that we work with these green forest bandits now?”

“Yes!”

“Hmm!”

“Once we carry out this plan, we won’t be able to show our faces in Kangho. No one will treat us as human beings for betraying our employer. It’s better to make sure the job is done properly.

“Do you trust the bandits where your younger brother is?”

“Don’t worry about that side. I can handle it.”

“Good!”

Lee Soohak made the decision.

He had originally joined the Seven Stars Trading Group for this purpose.

He had been unable to act before, as he had to consider the elite martial artist group, but now they were absent from the scene.

He and his martial artists had secretly arranged for them to be sent elsewhere. This was all for today.

He did not know when another golden opportunity like this would come.

The guards hired by Yu-mugun were a concern, but the situation was already ripe.

Having ridden the tiger’s back, he had to see it through to the end, even if it meant death.

“shit! What’s life for? It’s about going all the way.”

Lee Soohak muttered to himself, looking at the carriage carrying the warriors.

＊＊＊

The Seven Stars Trading Company entered the canyon.

Yu-mugun spoke to his people.

“Be extra cautious here; rocks or boulders may fall at any moment.”

“Yes!”

“We understand.”

The merchants and laborers answered energetically.

The most dangerous thing in such a canyon was the rocks and earth that could fall down without warning.

That’s why they were more on edge than usual.

The group was halfway through the canyon when they heard a loud noise.

“Whoa!”

“Kill them all and take everything.”

Suddenly, bandits appeared from both sides of the canyon and charged in.

Yu-mugun and the merchants were surprised and scattered in panic. Then he met Lee Soohak’s eyes.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you stopping them?”

“Hehe!”

At Yu-mugun’s stern order, Lee Soohak let out a sinister laugh.

An ominous premonition came over him.

“You, surely you wouldn’t?”

“Attack!”

Lee Soohak ordered his martial artists instead of replying.

“Yes!”

“Charge!”

The martial artists answered and attacked the merchants and laborers of the Seven Stars Trading Company. The unsuspecting merchants and laborers screamed and fell as they were caught off guard.

“Aaah!”

“Please, spare me!”

Outside, bandits were attacking, and inside, Lee Soohak and his martial artists were slaughtering. In a matter of moments, the trading company collapsed in confusion and chaos.

Yu-mugun looked at Lee Soohak in disbelief.

“How could you do this?”

“How wonderful it would have been if you had simply obeyed? Hehe!”

Lee Soohak laughed ominously as he approached Yu-mugun.

Blood dripped from the sword in his hand.

“Agh!”

“Ugh!”

Screams resounded from behind.

Lee Soohak’s sinister laugh deepened.

“Did you join the Seven Stars Trading Company with this in mind from the beginning?”

“Heh! Don’t blame me. Blame your inability to judge people.”

“You wretch!”

“Regardless, all the goods brought from the western regions will now be mine. It seems that the guards you hired are useless, not even coming forward in this dire situation. Huh!”

By now, the bodyguards in the carriage must have been completely slaughtered.

He had specifically ordered the Green Forest bandits to attack the carriages with the guards first.

Lee Soohak raised his sword and aimed it at his employer.

“I will kill you quickly and painlessly. It’s my last favor to my employer.”

Lee Soohak chuckled wickedly.

“Gurgle! B-Brother!”

A strange scream suddenly came from behind.

Lee Soohak, feeling an inexplicable sense of dread, turned his head without realizing it.

For a moment, his eyes widened.

An unbelievable sight unfolded before him.

“Gurgle! B-Brother!”

One of his martial artists, who had followed him, was spewing blood, his throat slashed. Behind the fallen martial artist stood a boy of about fifteen years old.

Blood dripped from the sword in the boy’s hand.

From the situation, it was clear the boy had slain the martial artist.

Thud!

After briefly staggering, the martial artist fell to the ground and moved no more.

His death was certain.

Numerous corpses appeared behind the boy.

The problem was that the deceased were not the merchants or workers of the Seven Stars Trading Company, but his own brothers and the bandit attackers.

Heavens! Does that mean that the scream came from them, not from the merchant company?

Chills ran up his spine.

The damage to the Seven Stars Trading Company was not substantial.

Only the first attacked merchants and workers were slightly wounded, the rest were unharmed.

Four people had somehow surrounded the Trading Company.

They were Pyo Wol and his companions.

The moment the bandits attacked, they jumped out of the carriage and protected the Seven Stars Trading Company.

Their actions were swift as lightning, so Lee Soohak didn’t notice them.

Hong Yushin grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

“Ai, my joints! Moving so intensely all of a sudden must have taken its toll.”

He left more than a dozen bandits writhing at his feet.

Around Hong Ye-seol and Pyo Wol were either dead or injured bandits, lying in heaps.

Soma, holding his sword aloft, spoke.

“Big Brother!”

“Ye, yes?”

“Do you know what I hate the most?”

“How should I know that?”

“It is treason. People like you, Big Brother, stabbing others in the back, causing turmoil in the world. That’s what I think, but what about you?”

“Th, that is…”

“You don’t have to answer, Big Brother! I don’t want to hear your answer anyway. It will be nothing but excuses, surely.”

“I, I was wrong. I won’t betray again, so please spare my life.”

Lee Soohak threw away his sword and begged for mercy.

Only four of them had, in such a short time, suppressed all the bandits and killed his brethren.

They were not beings Lee Soohak could handle.

‘Why on earth were such fearsome beings acting as escorts?’

Had he known that the people in the carriage were so formidable, he would never have attempted the raid.

Soma stood before Lee Soohak.

“Big Brother! I never trust people like you. If I spare you, you’ll stab us in the back again.”

“No, no, that will never happen. I will leave the murim world and never appear again, so please…”

In an instant, Soma swung his sword.

Swish!

Lee Soohak, his head severed, died on the spot.

Soma looked down at his head and said,

“Big Brother! Didn’t I tell you? I never trust people like you.”