Chapter 303: Chapter 303
Day two of Silver River Merchant Guild’s founding anniversary.
The banquet continued much as the day before.
Only, the boisterous atmosphere of yesterday was nowhere to be found.
There was music but no dancers, and while people came and went, not a single person from Silver River Merchant Guild was there to greet and individually welcome the guests.
It was technically a banquet, but it didn’t feel like one at all.
“The hospitality is really lacking, tsk.”
“……Is that really the complaint you’re going with right now?”
Wang So-so stared at me with an incredulous expression.
“Hm? Why?”
“The Merchant Guild Master’s favorite boasts were about Jeong So-gun getting into the Academy and rising to the position of Great Hall Master.”
“So?”
“……What do you mean, ‘so’? You smashed both of those to pieces in a single stroke.”
It wasn’t my fault that his precious son went down in one blow, was it?
‘I didn’t even hit him that hard.’
If you draw your weapon, you should commit to crushing your opponent instantly.
Had he done that, he wouldn’t have gone down so pathetically.
The shock that traveled through my hands when I blocked his Spear Qi was nothing to scoff at, after all.
‘Someone from the Silver River Merchant Guild Master’s household must’ve been eating Spiritual Pills and Spiritual Medicine every quarter, right?’
That Jeong So-gun went down in one blow was purely because of his own arrogance.
The conceited belief that he could easily subdue someone like me was what destroyed him from within.
Without that, he could’ve lasted a few more exchanges.
Well, I still would’ve won in the end.
“In my eyes, he doesn’t have the skill to be Great Hall Master. He clearly bought his way up with back-channel funds……”
“That’s not the point.”
Wang So-so was still looking at me with that incredulous expression.
With worry layered on top.
“What if…… we can’t maintain ties with Silver River Merchant Guild anymore?”
Well, I’d made the Merchant Guild Master piss himself on his own celebration day, so in a way that was only natural.
“That’s fine.”
“What?”
“Our Taeul Sect has Wang Estate, doesn’t it?”
“……”
Wang So-so’s face went blank, as if she’d been blindsided.
I looked at her and grinned mischievously.
“Don’t tell me Wang Estate is planning to abandon Taeul Sect?”
“Wh-…… what are you saying!”
“Then isn’t that enough?”
“W-well, yes, but…… From Taeul Sect’s perspective, you never know what might happen……”
Why was the daughter of Wang Estate worrying like a member of Taeul Sect?
“You never know what’ll happen with people. Wang Estate’s influence might weaken…… And then Silver River Merchant Guild’s power would grow even stronger……”
“So you want me to flit back and forth like a bat?”
“That’s not what I mean, but.”
“Enough. In the end, the problem’s solved if Wang Estate becomes the greatest merchant under heaven, isn’t it?”
“……”
“Then even if Silver River Merchant Guild hates me and Taeul Sect, there’s no problem.”
“R-right.”
Wang So-so blinked rapidly, then cautiously asked me.
“……Do you think Wang Estate can become the greatest merchant guild under heaven, Brother?”
I shook my head firmly.
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
In my previous life, Wang Estate had gradually declined after Wang Geum-san lost his mind following Wang So-so’s disappearance.
At my answer, Wang So-so’s expression turned downcast.
I looked at her face and added.
“But can’t you make it happen?”
“……You, Brother?”
“I’ll help however I can, but in the end, it’ll be the Estate Master and you who make it happen.”
The Three Great Merchants that had torn Wang Estate’s assets to shreds ultimately proved useless in the Great Righteous-Demonic War.
So I would support Wang Estate with everything I had.
After all, my job was to throw away the predetermined future and bet on new possibilities.
Wang So-so, who’d been studying my face, clenched her fists tight.
“You’re right. If that happens, there’s no problem.”
Then she nodded over and over, as if making some kind of vow.
Still young, but dependable as ever.
I gave her head a couple of light taps.
“Let’s head back soon.”
“Yes!”
Wang So-so answered in the brightest voice she’d had since arriving at Silver River Merchant Guild.
***
After sending word to Silver River Merchant Guild that we’d be returning to the sect, and while the coachman prepared the carriage—
Jeong So-eul visited the annex.
“What brings you here again?”
Wang So-so, who up until now had bristled like a cat every time she saw Jeong So-eul, greeted her this time with a leisurely, confident smile.
“Is there anywhere in my own home I can’t go?”
And this time, it was Jeong So-eul who reacted with an edge.
“Of course not. But even a host shouldn’t barge into a room she’s given to a guest without permission—it’s rather discourteous, wouldn’t you say?”
And of course, it was me who got crushed in the crossfire of their little turf war.
“So-so, go finish getting ready to leave.”
With a sharp “Hmph!” Wang So-so disappeared inside to pack the remaining luggage, leaving only me and Jeong So-eul in the sitting room—since I hadn’t brought any luggage to begin with.
After a brief silence, a refined voice drifted to my ears.
“……I told you all that, and you still went and did it.”
“Did what?”
I tilted my head.
At my nonchalant expression, Jeong So-eul let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha, surely you’re not so stupid that you can’t even grasp the magnitude of what you’ve done?”
The subtle, seductive airs she’d been putting on were gone without a trace.
I adjusted my own demeanor to match.
“What exactly have I done? Your side told me to show my skill, so I showed it. Even when they picked a fight, I showed restraint.”
“Un……! Honestly……!”
“Hm, the way you’re being rude right now is starting to get on my nerves too…… Either talk properly or get out of my sight. Pick one.”
“G-get out?”
Jeong So-eul couldn’t hide her shock at my blunt words.
Eventually her shoulders began trembling.
“……Do you truly intend to keep up this moronic Black Path act to the very end?”
I didn’t know if I was putting on a moronic act, but one thing was certain—
Seeing the true face of the “Silver Tiger” was quite entertaining.
More importantly, this woman—she wasn’t in the inner chamber at the time, so maybe she’s a little less scared of me?
This won’t do.
I drew a deep breath and bellowed.
“What? Moronic? Are you insulting me right now?!”
I flared killing intent and shot to my feet, and Jeong So-eul flinched violently, stumbling backward.
“Wh-what are you doing! D-don’t tell me you’re going to, here—!”
SHING.
When I drew my sword and advanced, Jeong So-eul trembled like a rabbit pinned under a tiger’s gaze.
“Nnngh……”
I stared down at her for a long moment, then withdrew the killing intent.
“Haah, haah, haah, haah.”
I glanced down at the floor where she stood and said,
“At least you’re better than your brother or your father.”
“……”
Jeong So-eul was glaring at me with murderous eyes, furious beyond measure.
I waved my hand in irritation and sent her packing.
“Is that really all you came here to say?”
Her body still trembling, she finally managed to open her mouth.
“……Father asked to see you before you leave.”
Hmm…… after all this, now?
***
The Merchant Guild Master’s office was nothing like Great Heaven Merchant Guild’s.
Unlike my father’s office, which was attached closely to the administrative wing, the Silver River Merchant Guild Master’s office sat at the very deepest part of the compound, past a long corridor.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
The Merchant Guild Master, sitting alone in his lavish, oversized office, regarded me with a rigid expression.
Tsk tsk, he looks like he aged a decade overnight…… Can’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
“The banquet is in full swing—is it alright for the guest of honor to be out here like this?”
He didn’t so much as acknowledge my words, let alone respond, and it was only after a long pause that he opened his mouth heavily.
“I was deliberating whether or not to stamp the seal on the contract Wang Estate sent over.”
“I thought we settled all that yesterday.”
“You think that just because we discussed it in front of people, I can’t void the deal?”
“You could, but you won’t.”
“A warrior lecturing me about credibility. How amusing.”
He steepled his hands over his mouth.
His gaze sharpened to a razor’s edge.
“But here’s the thing…… Did you know? This deal could be the last one, and it could mean the end for both Great Heaven Merchant Guild and Taeul Sect.”
“Is that what you intend?”
“If my anger doesn’t subside.”
“……”
“I could tear Great Heaven Merchant Guild and Taeul Sect to shreds, worse than when Taeul Sect had nothing at all—far worse than that.”
The gleam in the old tiger’s eyes was nothing like the young one’s.
“If you’re thinking of relying on Wang Estate, forget it. Wang Estate is still just a merchant in the end. Loyalty and gratitude are merely inconvenient and expensive to buy with money—they’re not things money can’t buy.”
His intimidation technique was truly a work of art.
Too bad it only works when the other side flinches.
After listening thoughtfully, I nodded and answered brightly.
“Then please go ahead.”
“What?”
For an instant, the Merchant Guild Master’s expression—full of hostility—shifted to something complex.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, and you can’t shake the unpleasant feeling. There’s no solution that satisfies everyone, is there? Then we each solve the problem the way we want.”
“……Are you out of your mind? Or are you that confident?”
I looked at him and gave a light shrug.
“I simply don’t fear a future that hasn’t arrived yet. If a problem arises, I’ll deal with it then.”
“……”
His expression grew even more inscrutable.
The Merchant Guild Master stared at me blankly for a long while, then blurted out,
“……You haven’t married yet, have you?”
Where the hell did that come from?
I couldn’t even be bothered to answer, when—
“What do you think of So-eul? She’s got ambition practically dripping from her eyes, but she’d make an excellent wife precisely because of it. She’s a shrewd girl.”
“Pardon?”
What was this old man suddenly going on about?
“Or does So-eul not suit your taste? Her looks are second to none among anyone I’ve ever seen.”
While I stood there dumbstruck by the completely unexpected question, the Merchant Guild Master continued.
“Chaos is coming to the world. Do you know that?”
……Wait, what?
“And when that chaos strikes, countless orders will be destroyed. If you don’t want to be swept away by the storm, you need to put down solid roots. Do you think Wang Estate will put down solid roots for Taeul Sect?”
He wasn’t speaking in specifics, but the Merchant Guild Master seemed to have some degree of insight into the future.
If that was the case…… was Silver Tiger’s takeover of Silver River Merchant Guild also partly his design?
‘Well, the Silver Tiger I met in person showed her true colors almost immediately. She didn’t have the caliber to swallow Silver River Merchant Guild on her own.’
Jeong So-eul was superior to Jeong So-gun.
But as Merchant Guild Master, he couldn’t bypass the eldest son to hand the guild to his second daughter.
Perhaps he’d created the conditions for the “Silver Tiger” to seize the guild on her own.
He proposed to me with resolute eyes.
“Put down roots in Silver River Merchant Guild. Then Taeul Sect won’t be swept away by the storm.”
A truly tempting offer.
If I’d heard something like this in my previous life, wouldn’t I have said “Oh, thank heavens, thank you” and practically driven my forehead into the ground?
Even gotten married—something I never managed in my past life.
But……
“I appreciate the offer, however……”
Clinging to someone else’s roots was something I’d already tried in my past life.
On that great tree called “the Murim Alliance.”
And I’d learned the lesson painfully.
“Taeul Sect will put down its own roots.”
You can’t weather a storm by parasitizing someone else’s roots.
Only with my own strength, driving my own roots deep into the earth.
I looked the Merchant Guild Master straight in the eyes.
“Without anyone else’s help.”
“……The world must look easy to you.”
“Well, I suppose it might seem that way to you.”
The Merchant Guild Master stared at me intently for a long time, then finally rose to his feet.
“……Perhaps for So-gun, the roots of Silver River Merchant Guild are too sturdy.”
“Pardon?”
Having spoken words whose meaning I couldn’t decipher, the Merchant Guild Master opened a wooden box.
He lifted a large golden seal and stamped the contract with a resounding THUD.
“Deliver this to Estate Master Wang. And tell the Great Heaven Merchant Guild Master that I look forward to working together.”
For the first time, the Merchant Guild Master showed me respect.
“Thank you.”
I bowed my head lightly in kind.
***
Naeng Ok-hwan stepped into the dark cave.
‘What a pathetic goddamn hobby.’
He couldn’t fathom the mentality of someone who’d leave perfectly good buildings standing and insist on setting up a laboratory in a cave like this.
Night-Luminous Pearls studded the passage ceiling in place of torches.
Something about torches altering the air quality or whatever.
The reason was so pathetic he hadn’t even bothered to properly listen.
When he reached the end of the passage, a large cavern opened up, and Naeng Ok-hwan announced his presence as he entered.
“I’m here.”
“……”
Inside, the cave’s owner stood with a scowl.
“What? What is it?”
“I told you to wear the sterile suit.”
Naeng Ok-hwan glanced at the corpses hanging around and said,
“Fuck, you think I’d get contaminated by those things?”
“It’s not you I’m worried about—I’m worried your stupidity might infect the corpses.”
“You son of a bitch.”
Seeing Naeng Ok-hwan lean forward as if about to charge, the cave’s owner set down the knife and forceps he’d been holding.
“You failed your mission and now you’re here buzzing around—why?”
At that, something seemed to click, and Naeng Ok-hwan’s attitude changed completely.
“……Oh! Right, right. I saw that guy.”
“That guy?”
“The one who destroyed the Iron Corpse Puppets you made.”
The man’s expression twisted instantly.
“That trash wasn’t made by me. The underlings built it and—”
“Yeah, yeah, anyway it came out of your cave, didn’t it?”
“You goddamn ox……”
Naeng Ok-hwan curved his lips into a grin.
He’d gotten flogged for his mission failure, but seeing that rotten expression made him feel a bit better.
Coming all the way to this filthy hole had been worth it just for this.
Seriously, getting a reaction out of him just by poking his pride a little was too much fun.
Naeng Ok-hwan dropped into a chair and tossed out the words.
“Anyway, he was interesting.”
“Interesting?”
“Yeah, kind of similar to you, Jang O-geuk.”
The man called Jang O-geuk bared his fangs, then tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think I mean? Just had one of those faces that makes you want to kill him, that’s all.”
“……Naeng Ok-hwan. Do you truly wish to die?”
“Oh, drop it. Anyway, I think I understand a little bit why the Little Demon is interested.”
At Naeng Ok-hwan’s words, Jang O-geuk fell briefly into thought.
Then he voiced his question.
“Did he use the Great Star-Absorbing Art, by any chance?”
“Great Star-Absorbing Art?”
“Je Geum-hak’s Heaven-Earth Extreme Demonic Qi has been completely scrambled. That’s why treatment is slow.”
“Oh ho…… Is that so?”
“Did you find out something?”
At Jang O-geuk’s expectant gaze, Naeng Ok-hwan shrugged.
“Hell if I know. I didn’t fight him.”
“……Absolutely useless trash.”
“Kehehe, did you actually think I’d bring you something helpful?”
“If you’re done, get out. I’m busy.”
As Jang O-geuk turned his back, Naeng Ok-hwan’s voice came from behind—serious now.
“The Teacher said to relay that it’s time to begin the ‘fourth stage.'”
At Naeng Ok-hwan’s words, Jang O-geuk’s eyes settled into a calm stillness.
“It’s come to that already.”
“Yeah. Blood Demon Sect’s bastard children turned out to be even bigger failures than expected.”
“The ‘Day of the Open Heaven’ isn’t far off either.”
“When that day comes……”
Naeng Ok-hwan, who’d been about to continue, swallowed the rest.
Careless as he was, even he knew better than to speak lightly about that.
“Yes, when that day comes……”
Jang O-geuk also held his tongue and exchanged a look heavy with meaning with Naeng Ok-hwan.