Chapter 196

“W-What happened here?”

A middle-aged merchant—the third generation of his family to run a textile shop in the center of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province—stood with his mouth hanging open.

“T-The silk…”

The bolts of silk that should have filled the shop had vanished without a trace. Various furnishings lay broken, and the proprietor, who should have been busy welcoming customers, was sprawled on the floor, drenched in sweat.

“Thieves! We’ve been robbed!”

The merchant’s vision went dark, and the strength drained from his legs.

He already operated several textile shops, but this was his largest store in Taiyuan, the flagship passed down from his grandfather and a symbol of his family’s legacy.

And someone had robbed it. Every last bolt of silk was gone!

I knew things had been going too well.

For the past four months, the merchant had traveled from province to province, inspecting his stores and closing a major contract.

Yet after all that time away, he had returned to find his flagship store in ruins. Unable to withstand the shock, he sank to the floor.

That was when—

“Tsk, tsk. This place is a mess, too. Honestly, martial artists…”

A middle-aged man had been clicking his tongue as he looked around the shop. When he noticed the merchant sitting on the floor, his eyes widened.

“Oh? When did you get back? I heard you had a big deal to close this time. You’re back earlier than I expected.”

But the merchant was already half out of his mind. He heard none of it except for one word that kept echoing in his ears.

“H-Here, too?”

“Huh?”

The merchant seized the middle-aged man by the collar and shook him violently.

“You said this place was a mess, too!”

“Y-Yeah, I did. But could you let go of my collar while we talk?”

“What happened? Mounted bandits? Thieves? Did a war break out and the authorities requisition everything? And what do martial artists have to do with it?”

“I said let go of me first!”

The middle-aged man finally tore himself free, then inspected his clothes with a grumble.

“Damn it. These are new.”

“If you don’t tell me right now, you’ll die and I’ll die with you.”

“All right, all right.”

“So what happened?”

The middle-aged man’s answer was simple.

“It all sold.”

“…What?”

“We weren’t robbed. It’s gone because everything sold out, my friend. So get a grip.”

The merchant stared blankly at him before finally managing to speak.

“Have you lost your mind? How does that make any sense? Who would buy more than a thousand bolts of silk?”

“Government officials, merchants, martial artists. Every last one of them came rushing in and cleaned the place out.”

“…Why?”

“Why do you think? They all want to make an impression on the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

“The Jin Family of Taiyuan? The one I know?”

“Of course the Jin Family of Taiyuan. Who else? The Mount Heng Sword Sect?”

“Why are you bringing up the Mount Heng Sword Sect? Did something happen?”

“…You really haven’t heard?”

“I just got back after four months. I came straight here without even seeing my wife!”

“W-Wait! Please calm down. I’ll tell you everything.”

Not wanting his new clothes ruined, the middle-aged man gave him a quick summary of everything that had happened over the past few months.

Fifteen minutes later, after hearing the whole story from the war between the Jin Family of Taiyuan and the Mount Heng Sword Sect to the present day, the merchant muttered in a daze.

“All that happened?”

“I told you. Shanxi is in an uproar over the Fire King’s arrival. And it isn’t just Shanxi Province. The city is crawling with outsiders who came to meet him.”

The middle-aged man continued, his face flushed with excitement.

“I’ve been doing business in Taiyuan for over twenty years, but I’ve never seen a boom like this.”

“For all that, the streets didn’t look any busier than usual…”

“Do you think people would still be loitering in the streets when the sun has been high in the sky for hours? They packed up their things ages ago and ran to the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

“Good heavens. It’s hard to believe.”

“I even cleared out my entire stock.”

“A-Already?”

“Why are you so surprised? Mine was nothing compared to yours. And I heard this next part from someone reliable…”

The middle-aged man lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

“The gathering was originally supposed to last three days, but it may be extended. The rumors are spreading fast, and the real big shots are beginning to move.”

“The real big shots?”

“The Murim’s prestigious major sects have started mobilizing. Seok Family Manor, said to be foremost in the merchant world, and His Highness Prince Shangshan, the City Lord, both went to the Jin Family of Taiyuan early this morning.”

“Even His Highness Prince Shangshan?”

“That’s why those officials who usually drag their feet are scrambling now. A member of the imperial family is coming. They have to show their faces and offer some token of sincerity, don’t they?”

“Of course. And they’d better arrive before everyone else.”

“What kind of place is Taiyuan? It may not rival the Central Plains, but it’s unquestionably the greatest commercial city in Shanxi Province. You can buy almost anything here.”

“Local procurement. I see.”

“And the more people come looking for something, the scarcer it’ll become. Prices will rise, too.”

The merchant’s eyes flashed. He had realized this would not end in a day or two.

His earlier confusion and despair had already vanished. Now mountains of silver nyang¹ danced before his eyes.

This is an opportunity.

He could establish connections with people from the Murim, the merchant world, and the government. If he played his cards right, he might land an enormous deal.

After finishing his calculations, the merchant turned to the middle-aged man.

“I filled several warehouses just in case. I’ll let you have part of the stock at a reasonable price, so tell me straight. Who should I approach?”

Having just found his chance to make a killing, the middle-aged man grinned broadly.

“First, remember three people: the Fire King, Jin Wikyung, the Lesser Family Head of the Jin Family of Taiyuan, and the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, Jin Taekyung.”

“…The Fire King and the Lesser Family Head, I understand. But why that good-for-nothing Jin Taekyung?”

“Hey now. He’s the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi these days. Before long, he’ll become an incredible master capable of influencing the entire world.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Tsk, tsk. How can a merchant be this completely out of touch?”

The middle-aged man savored the merchant’s bewildered expression. At last, he revealed the fact he had saved for this very moment.

“The Fire King has taken the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi as his Disciple.”

“What? Is that true?”

“I told you it was. Two days ago, an Elder of the Zhongnan Sect who didn’t know about it caused a scene, then went back after getting thoroughly beaten. He even entrusted the Sleeping Dragon with his sect’s divine artifact.”

“Th-Then…”

“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that half the people heading to the Jin Family of Taiyuan right now are going to make an impression on the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, not the Fire King.”

The Fire King was unquestionably one of the greatest Supreme Peak masters in the world, but he was old—very old—and had no real power base to speak of.

Jin Taekyung was different.

He was only twenty-one, possessed outstanding martial talent, and had the powerful Jin Family of Taiyuan behind him.

No, wait.

It was the other way around now. The Jin Family of Taiyuan had gained an extraordinary source of support.

They now had the renowned Fire King, as well as Jin Taekyung, who might one day grow into a Supreme Peak master comparable to his teacher.

The merchant’s face flushed with excitement.

“It’s like giving wings to a tiger.”

“So we have to climb aboard before it flies away.”

This was an opportunity worth staking his entire fortune on.

Having finally made up his mind, the merchant spoke.

“I need to meet the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi at once.”

“That’s the right answer. But right now, you’d have trouble meeting him even if you showed up carrying a fortune in gold.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. According to the Jin Family of Taiyuan, he suddenly entered closed-door cultivation².”

“Closed-door cultivation²? That thing martial artists do? Why now, of all times?”

The middle-aged man let out a deep sigh.

“Exactly. I hear the Heaven Shaking Sword has also shut himself away, muttering about enlightenment or something.”

“Good heavens. Isn’t there any way around this?”

“I don’t know. Things have grown too big too quickly. The Jin Family of Taiyuan is practically bursting at the seams, so it seems they’ve started being selective about whom they let in.”

“Didn’t you say you were fairly close with one of the Jin Family’s Squad Leaders? I heard you slipped him a few bribes, too.”

“He’s dead. He died in the last war.”

“Oh dear.”

With powerful figures from every sphere already on the move, it would not be easy for ordinary merchants like them to get involved.

The two men put their heads together and racked their brains until the merchant suddenly spoke.

“I do know someone over there.”

“Oh! Someone you know well?”

“I know him very well. He’s a boy my wife gave birth to.”

The middle-aged man frowned at the merchant’s answer.

They had known each other long enough to be intimately familiar with each other’s family affairs.

“You mean your eldest son?”

“That’s right. That unfilial bastard hasn’t shown his face once in years. Judging by the fact that my wife hasn’t said anything, he must still be alive somehow…”

The middle-aged man nodded, plainly disappointed.

“Well, this is as good a time as any to contact him. Who knows? He might be making a name for himself as a proper martial artist.”

The merchant let out a derisive laugh.

“The son of a textile merchant, a martial artist? As if. He’s probably waiting hand and foot on someone.”

“If that someone happens to be the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

“Impossible. If it turns out to be true, then from this day forward, my family name won’t be Hyuk. It’ll be Gyeon—gyeon as in dog!”

“Achoo!”

With the sound of a sneeze, my back suddenly felt cool.

Lying facedown on the bed with my upper body bare, I spoke quietly.

“Mujin, do you want to die?”

Hyuk Mujin, who had been wiping my back with a cloth soaked in cold water, answered.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My nose suddenly started itching.”

“Do that one more time. It’ll be the last sneeze of your life.”

“…Yes, sir.”

“Good. Keep wiping.”

Swish. Swish.

Every pass of the cold cloth across my back sent a dull throb of pain through me.

That was only natural. My entire upper body was covered in black-and-blue bruises.

Damn it. It’s been two days, and I’m still like this.

This had never happened before. Until now, I had recovered from most injuries in no time with sleep mode and by circulating my qi.

Every time I leveled up, I had poured points into Muscles and Bones and Sinews and Meridians. Ordinary blows shouldn’t have been able to damage me.

But…

That’s a Supreme Peak master for you.

None of it meant a damn thing against the Fire King.

He had been quiet for ages, only to suddenly chase me down and beat me senseless. He hadn’t even used the Flame Divine Palm, but every punch from his bare fists had felt as though my flesh and bones were being ripped apart.

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in unimaginable pain in the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s infirmary. After they moved me back to my pavilion, I spent the next two days confined to bed.

“That damn old man.”

“Gasp!”

Hyuk Mujin sucked in a sharp breath.

“Captain, have you lost your mind? He’ll really kill you.”

“Let him. What are people outside saying?”

“Officially, we’ve settled on calling it closed-door cultivation². It would be rather bad if rumors spread that the Fire King beat up the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi.”

“What about my eldest brother?”

“Would the Lesser Family Head have any other choice? After hearing the initial report, he got extremely angry for a moment and went to see Great Hero Jeok, but…”

“He went to see him?”

“He saw the burned Flame Divine Palm manual, apologized several times, and left.”

“What did he have to apologize for? Did I set it on fire? Jeok Cheongang did that himself. And did he really have to beat me this badly over a little singeing?”

“I caught a glimpse of it, and it was more than a little singed. Almost half the cover with the title on it had burned away. The Flame Divine Palm had become just the Flame.”

“…”

“Anyway, I think we should stop talking about this. I don’t know about you, Captain, but I’m terrified. If Great Hero Jeok suddenly walks in, we’re both dead, aren’t we?”

“That’s true.”

Hyuk Mujin’s foresight was remarkable. Barely a moment after he finished speaking, the door flew open.

“Gasp!”

“Guh!”

“…You bastards. What was that reaction?”

“N-Nothing.”

The small, elderly man, Jeok Cheongang, narrowed his eyes and looked at us. Then he snorted.

“Fine. Since this old man didn’t hear anything, I’ll let it slide this once.”

Surprisingly willing to let the matter go, he jerked his chin at Hyuk Mujin.

“You, get out. You’re in the way.”

I didn’t know what he intended to do, but I had a feeling I would be better off with Hyuk Mujin in the room.

Hyuk Mujin responded to my desperate gaze—the gaze of a man who wanted to live a long life.

“Yes, sir. I’ll take my leave. Good luck!”

“Very well.”

…Son of a bitch.

Hyuk Mujin scurried out, leaving me consumed by anxiety.

There was something ominous about the way Jeok Cheongang was staring at my bare upper body.

“Wh-What is it?”

Surely not.

But Jeok Cheongang’s eyes gleamed with an inexplicable heat.

“Take off your pants.”

“Gasp. Wh-What do you mean?”

“Strip. Don’t leave a single scrap of cloth on your body.”

I desperately covered my chest. My voice trembled with shame and fear.

“B-But there’s someone I like.”

“…What does that have to do with anything?”

What a Western mindset!

I was screwed. There was no way out.

As I froze in place, Jeok Cheongang shouted:

“Ah, I’m going to cleanse your sinews and wash your marrow³, so take off your clothes and lie down already!”

“…”

You should’ve said so from the start.