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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Hidden Dragon Rises
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They sat in a pavilion in front of the guest building, which offered a clear view from the Yeomhwa Family's main gate to the front courtyard—a sight even the Poison Emperor would appreciate.
Chief Steward Do poured the tea Masok had brought for the two guests and began to speak.
"You must be weary from your long journey."
"We are only grateful for your warm welcome."
Elder Cho looked at the man beside Head Merchant Do and spoke.
"And this gentleman who has come with you is…"
"I am Jeong Yeon-bi, Head Merchant of the Muryeong Merchant Guild."
"Ah, so you are Head Merchant Jeong of the Muryeong Merchant Guild. Well then, what has brought the two of you on such a long journey? Please, speak freely."
At the Chief Steward's words, the two men exchanged a brief glance and nodded.
It was Head Merchant Do who spoke first.
"The truth is, we have come because the pressure from the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild has become too severe."
At the mention of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild, the faces of Chief Steward Do and Elder Cho soured.
The insults they had endured from them, back when they were powerless, were too numerous to count on both hands.
The memory of bowing their heads and swallowing their pride to protect their declining family was enough to ruin their mood.
But now that Mujin had regained his senses and was rebuilding the family, they no longer needed to bow their heads or swallow their pride for anyone.
Hadn't Mujin himself shown them how to deal with the formidable Cheonghwa Merchant Guild?
"Tell us in detail. What are those vicious bastards up to now?"
At Elder Cho's question, Head Merchant Jeong began to speak.
"Well, it started with them buying up all the wholesale goods supplied to our guild's shops and then undercutting our retail prices. They began by cornering the Pungyang Merchant Guild's trade items or buying up all the promissory notes from the Geumeo Money Exchange to squeeze us."
"Yes, we have heard of this."
Head Merchant Jeong nodded and continued.
"As the fame of the Yeomhwa Family and Young Master Hwa, the Hidden Dragon of Seochang, grew in Sichuan, they moved beyond financial pressure and began to provoke us directly. They would open shops selling the exact same items right next to ours, attempt to forcibly collect debts from the Geumeo Money Exchange using martial artists, or use those same martial artists to intimidate us at auctions with the Pungyang Merchant Guild."
At Head Merchant Jeong's words, Elder Cho clenched his fists.
There was a line that members of the Orthodox Faction of the Central Plains had to uphold.
A line that, as members of the Orthodox Faction, they must never cross.
Similarly, merchants had their own code of conduct that must never be violated.
Things like not dealing in smuggled goods and not using force against competitors.
Any proper merchant knew there were certain lines that should not be crossed.
Even as Elder Cho's fists trembled with rage, Head Merchant Jeong continued.
"Then, with the recent incident at the fabric store in Shuangliu, the situation has spiraled completely out of control."
"The fabric store incident?"
When Chief Steward Do asked, Head Merchant Do explained.
"Ah! It seems the rumors haven't reached Seochang yet. It started when the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild opened a fabric store right across from the one run by the Muryeong Merchant Guild on Shuangliu's fabric street. It was called Cheongmu Fabrics. They monopolized all the silk and cloth, selling it for less than the cost price, which caused the price of silk and fabric in Shuangliu to plummet."
"..."
Chief Steward Do listened silently, nodding.
"But the real trouble began when the owner of the Muryeong fabric store went to protest on behalf of the entire fabric street. The owner of Cheongmu Fabrics was clearly someone who knew nothing about the trade. He brutally assaulted the Muryeong store owner, claiming the man was causing a disturbance in his shop. As if that wasn't enough, he then stationed menacing-looking martial artists, calling them bodyguards, around his store to intimidate anyone who came to the fabric street to do business. Already, several innocent merchants have been mercilessly beaten by those martial artists for reasons as trivial as a sideways glance."
*Bang!*
"How dare they!"
Chief Steward Do, who had been listening steadfastly, could no longer contain his anger and slammed his hand on the tea table.
The reason he was so furious was that Shuangliu was in Sichuan.
Sichuan was undeniably the territory of the Orthodox Faction.
It was home to the Tang Clan, the most renowned family of the Orthodox Faction in the Central Plains, and the Emei Sect, one of the holy sites of Buddhism and a cornerstone of the faction.
And that wasn't all. The Qingcheng Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects and a branch of Taoism, was also located in Sichuan.
No matter how much the influence of the Nine Great Sects had waned, for such a thing to happen in Sichuan was absolutely unacceptable.
Seeing the agitated Chief Steward, Head Merchant Jeong spoke with difficulty.
"I know this is an unreasonable request, but… the Yeomhwa Family is the only place we have to turn. We were attacked three times by unknown assailants on our way here, and others who set out to ask for help before us were either gravely injured or lost their lives… Please, help us…"
!!!
The news that people had died on the way to the Yeomhwa Family and that these two had been attacked three times was the last straw. Chief Steward Do shot up from his seat.
"W-What are you going to do…?"
As Elder Cho trailed off with a worried expression, Chief Steward Do spoke.
"What else! I have to tell the Young Master!"
With that, he used his movement technique and dashed off toward Mujin.
Mujin, who was in the middle of movement technique training with his younger siblings, stopped as he saw the Chief Steward enter the training grounds.
Lost in the thrill of seeing his two siblings rapidly absorb his teachings, Mujin's excitement faded as he looked at the Chief Steward with an unenthusiastic expression.
"What is it now? Can't we have a single day of peace?"
Unlike Masok, the Chief Steward was not one to barge in during training without good reason. Mujin instantly knew something else had happened.
The look on the Chief Steward's face reeked of trouble.
"Young Master! Th-th-those vicious bastards from the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild…"
After the Chief Steward finished his tattling, Mujin looked at him, his expression still indifferent.
"So that's how it is."
He then turned to his two siblings and spoke.
"That's enough training for today. Dojin."
At Mujin's dry tone, Dojin stepped forward and answered.
"Yes, Brother!"
"If I am away, who must fill my place?"
"I will, Brother."
"Good. In my absence, you are the head of this family. It seems the people who helped our family through difficult times, both physically and financially, are in trouble, so I must be away for a while. Can you handle things until I return?"
"Yes, sir!"
Mujin patted Dojin's head as he answered with a resounding voice.
"I'm proud of you."
"Brother! Where are you going?"
"It seems I need to go to Shuangliu. If things get complicated, I could be gone for a while."
"A while? How long?"
"Well… if it's long, it could be half a year."
Mujin was already looking beyond Shuangliu to Hubei, where the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild was based.
'It's about time I paid my debts.'
It was a bit earlier than planned, but Mujin thought it best to uproot the problem entirely now that he had the chance.
"What! Half a year? That long?"
Mujin squatted down to meet the eyes of Soyeon, who was feigning exaggerated surprise.
"Do you remember when your brother was very sick?"
"Yeah…"
How could they forget?
There were countless times when the man who embraced them with a warm smile would suddenly have a seizure and act like a completely different person.
The memory of that dark period was enough to depress the two siblings.
"During those difficult times, the people who lent us money for my medicine and wished for my recovery are now suffering and even losing their lives because of the wicked Cheonghwa Merchant Guild. Should I turn a blind eye to them all?"
"No… you have to help them. You have to beat up all the bad guys, just like last time…"
"That's right. And by doing that, what do we do?"
"Settle our debts of kindness and enmity," Dojin and Soyeon answered in unison.
"Exactly! And one whose debts are unclear is what?"
"A scoundrel!"
"Right. Only scoundrels of the Unorthodox Faction are unclear about their debts. A true martial artist repays both kindness and enmity without caring what others think."
"Yes!"
"Okay!"
"So you can manage while I'm away, right?"
"Yup!"
"I'm proud of you."
Mujin stroked the head of Soyeon, who answered firmly despite her reddening eyes.
He couldn't help but find the children endearing, so young yet influenced and accepting of his every word and thought.
Mujin then picked up the sword he had set aside and walked out of the training grounds.
Outside, he saw Masok in the distance, sleeves rolled up, carrying water to prepare a meal.
"Masok!"
"Yes, sir!"
Masok came running in an instant.
"We're heading to Shuangliu. Pack a light bag."
"Shuangliu? How long will we be gone?"
"I don't know. A fortnight if it's short, half a year if it's long."
At Mujin's words, Masok's eyes darted around for a moment before he dashed off to Mujin's quarters.
"Those men who came to see me? Are they in the guest pavilion?"
"Yes!"
At the Chief Steward's reply, Mujin nodded and started walking.
"I will go with you!"
The Chief Steward said, pulling out the iron fan tucked into his belt.
But Mujin shook his head firmly.
"Stay and guard the house. With the warriors' monthly wages and everything else, there's a mountain of work to do. Why would the Chief Steward leave his post? Go and… hmm… bring me No-sak and Cheol-muk. I'll take those two."
Hearing that Mujin would take two of the Four Demons, the Chief Steward nodded with a dejected look and ran toward the separate building where the Four Demons trained.
In the meantime, Mujin arrived at the guest pavilion and met with Head Merchant Do and Head Merchant Jeong.
"I am Hwa Mujin of the Yeomhwa Family."
"It is an honor to meet you. I am Do Bu-o of the Pungyang Merchant Guild."
"And I am Jeong Yeon-bi of the Muryeong Merchant Guild."
"You were attacked by scoundrels on the way here?"
"…Yes. Some who set out before us passed away, so we had no choice but to bring bodyguards."
Mujin glanced at the twelve warriors standing guard outside the pavilion.
'It's a wonder they made it here alive.'
Ten warriors barely at the second-rate level, and two experts who had just scraped their way into the first-rate.
If they had been attacked by assassins of the same caliber as those from the Jodong River, these two would never have survived the journey.
"Don't worry about it. We're not strangers. We'll leave as soon as my two men are ready, so I must ask you to endure a forced march, even if you're travel-worn."
At Mujin's words, Head Merchant Do's face darkened slightly.
"Two… men, I see."
It was a well-known fact, not just in Seochang but throughout Sichuan, that besides the Hidden Dragon, the Yeomhwa Family had few true experts.
"Three, including me."
At the words "including me," the eyes of Head Merchant Do and Head Merchant Jeong went wide.
"Y-You'll come yourself?"
"I don't have anyone I can trust to send in my place yet, so I must go myself. I plan to pull out this scheme by its very roots, so you have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you!"
"Thank you, Great Hero!"
The term "Great Hero" made Mujin feel like he was breaking out in hives.
In his past life, the name "Divine Demon" inspired fear in everyone and was reviled throughout the world. Being called "Great Hero" in this life felt like a rejection.
But he didn't bother to correct them.
'People can call you whatever they want.'
As they waited, No-sak appeared, driving the four-horse carriage he had received from the Geumyang swindler.
"You're here. Did you bring horses?"
At Mujin's question, the two head merchants nodded.
"Your martial arts seem… a bit lacking. Let's travel together in the carriage."
Mujin said to the two men, who seemed to have some basic training but were otherwise unremarkable. They both nodded.
When the carriage door opened, Masok and Cheol-muk were already inside.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Mujin asked, looking at Masok.
"I must serve you, Young Master."
Masok said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Mujin considered making him stay but then shook his head and climbed into the carriage.
After Mujin boarded, the two young head merchants followed him.
*Thump, thump.*
"Let's go."
At Mujin's words, who had knocked on the carriage wall, No-sak set the carriage in motion.
As the carriage started moving, the bodyguards who had run out after it used their movement techniques to leap onto the horses waiting outside the family grounds, surrounding the carriage to provide protection.
And so, Mujin and his party set off for Shuangliu.
The four-horse carriage and the warriors picked up speed as they left Seochang, heading for Shuangliu, a journey of three days along the main road.
However, they hadn't gone far before the road was blocked.
As the carriage slowed to a stop, Cheol-muk spoke.
"No-sak and I will take care of it."
Mujin, who had felt someone's eyes on them since leaving Seochang, shook his head.
"I want to see their faces."
With that, he opened the carriage door and stepped outside. The bodyguards had already dismounted and drawn their swords, standing before the obstruction.
Blocking their path was a thick, massive tree, seemingly plucked from nowhere.
Looking at the great tree lying across the middle of the main road, where there wasn't even a forest nearby, Mujin spoke.
"Come out."
His voice, imbued with internal energy, spread through the surroundings. From all sides, about forty masked assassins emerged.
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