“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 items had been damaged, and the shopkeeper, who should have been busy welcoming customers, lay 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 Taiyuan was his largest main branch—and the symbolic shop passed down to him from his grandfather.
And someone had robbed that shop. All that silk had been cleaned out!
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 major contracts.
Yet the main branch he had finally returned to after so long was in complete ruin. He collapsed to the floor, unable to withstand the shock.
That was when—
“Tsk, tsk. This place is a mess, too. Honestly, martial artists…”
The middle-aged man who had been clicking his tongue and looking around the shop widened his eyes when he saw the merchant sitting on the floor.
“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 and didn’t hear him. Only one word from the middle-aged man’s sentence kept echoing in his ears.
“H-Here, too?”
“Huh?”
The merchant grabbed the middle-aged man by the collar and shook him violently.
“You said it was like this here, too!”
“Y-Yeah, I did. But couldn’t 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 you mean, martial artists?”
“Ah, let go while we’re talking!”
The middle-aged man finally tore himself free and grumbled as he inspected his clothes.
“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.
“Everything sold.”
“…What?”
“It isn’t gone because thieves broke in. It’s gone because everything sold, my friend. So get a grip.”
The merchant stared blankly at him before finally managing to speak.
“Have you lost your mind? Does that make any sense? Who would buy more than a thousand bolts of silk?”
“Officials from the local government, merchants, martial artists. They all came rushing in and swept everything away.”
“…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. What, did you think I meant the Mount Heng Sword Sect?”
“Why 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! Calm down, please. I’ll tell you everything.”
Not wanting his new clothes to be ruined, the middle-aged man quickly and concisely explained everything that had happened over the past few months.
Fifteen minutes later, the merchant had heard the entire story, from the war between the Jin Family of Taiyuan and the Mount Heng Sword Sect to the present day. He muttered with a dazed expression:
“That happened?”
“I told you. Shanxi is in an uproar over the Fire King’s appearance. And it isn’t just Shanxi Province. The place is crawling with outsiders who came to meet him.”
The middle-aged man continued with an excited look on his face.
“I’ve been doing business in Taiyuan for over twenty years, but I’ve never seen a boom like this.”
“For all that, the number of people out in the streets doesn’t look any different from 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 sold off all my stock.”
“Already?”
“What are you so surprised about? Compared to you, I’ve done nothing. And I heard this from someone reliable…”
The middle-aged man lowered his voice and whispered:
“The gathering that was originally scheduled to last three days may be extended. The rumors are spreading quickly, and the real big shots are starting to move.”
“The real big shots?”
“I mean the prestigious major sects of the Murim have begun to move. Seok Family Manor, said to be the foremost in the merchant world, and His Highness Prince Shangshan, the City Lord, both went to the Jin Family of Taiyuan early this morning.”
“His Highness Prince Shangshan did, too?”
“That’s why even those sluggish officials have started scrambling. A member of the imperial family is coming, after all. They have to show their faces and demonstrate their 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.”
“The more people come looking for something, the faster it’ll disappear. Prices will rise, too.”
The merchant’s eyes flashed. He realized this would not end in a day or two.
The confusion and despair he had felt at first disappeared, replaced by visions of mountains of silver nyang dancing before his eyes.
This is an opportunity.
He could become familiar with the faces of people from the Murim, the merchant world, and the authorities. If he played his cards right, he might close a deal of enormous size.
After finishing all his calculations, the merchant spoke to the middle-aged man.
“I stocked several warehouses just in case. I’ll let you have some at a reasonable price, so tell me straight. Who should I go to?”
The middle-aged man, who had just found a chance to make a killing, 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, sure. But why that good-for-nothing Jin Taekyung?”
“Hey now. He’s the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi now. And he’s destined to become an incredible master who will one day influence the entire world.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tsk, tsk. How can a merchant be this completely out of touch?”
The middle-aged man enjoyed the merchant’s bewildered expression. Finally, he revealed the fact he had kept from him for this very moment.
“The Fire King took 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. The Fire King has already entrusted the Sleeping Dragon with the sect’s sacred treasure.”
“Th-Then…”
“It wouldn’t be wrong to say that half the people going to the Jin Family of Taiyuan right now are trying to make an impression on the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi rather than 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 solid backing of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.
No, wait.
It was the other way around now. The Jin Family of Taiyuan had gained incredible backing:
The famous Fire King, and 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 putting wings on a tiger.”
“So we have to climb on before it flies away.”
It would be an opportunity worth pouring in his entire fortune.
Having finally made up his mind, the merchant opened his mouth.
“I should meet the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi immediately.”
“Of course you should. But right now, you wouldn’t be able to meet him even if you carried a fortune with you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. According to the Jin Family of Taiyuan, he suddenly went into seclusion.”
“Closed-door cultivation? That thing martial artists do? Why would he do that now, of all times?”
The middle-aged man let out a deep sigh.
“Exactly. I hear the Heaven Shaking Sword also locked himself away, talking about enlightenment or something.”
“Good heavens. Isn’t there any way around this?”
“I don’t know. Things have grown too big in too short a time. The Jin Family of Taiyuan is practically bursting at the seams, so it seems they’re being selective about whom they allow 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 big shots from every sphere moving around, it would not be easy for ordinary merchants like them to get involved.
The two of them were putting their heads together and racking their brains when 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 for a long time, so they knew each other’s family histories inside and out.
“You mean your eldest son?”
“That’s right. That unfilial bastard hasn’t shown his face even once in several years. Judging by the fact that my wife hasn’t said anything, he must still be alive somehow…”
The middle-aged man nodded, his face falling.
“Well, try contacting him while you’re at it. Who knows? He might be doing well 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 is the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi, wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
“Regardless, that’s impossible. If it is, then from today onward 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.
I was lying face-down on the bed with my upper body bare when I quietly opened my mouth.
“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 time the cold cloth brushed against my back, a throbbing pain rose up.
That was only natural, considering my entire upper body was covered in dark blue bruises.
Damn it. I’ve been like this for two days already?
This had never happened before. Until now, I had recovered from most injuries in no time with sleep mode and by circulating my qi.
I had dumped points into [Muscles and Bones] and [Sinews and Meridians] every time I leveled up. Ordinary blows shouldn’t have been enough to damage them.
But…
As expected of a Supreme Peak master.
None of that mattered in front of the Fire King.
He had been quiet for a long time, then suddenly chased after me and beat me senseless. His bare fists—not even the Flame Divine Palm—had made me feel as though my bones were separating from my flesh.
When I came to amid the incredible pain, I was in the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s infirmary. After being moved to my pavilion, I had spent two full days confined to bed.
“That damn old man.”
“Gasp!”
Hyuk Mujin sucked in a breath at my words.
“Captain, are you insane? He’ll really kill you.”
“Let him kill me. What are people outside saying?”
“Officially, we’ve settled on calling it closed-door cultivation. 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 that the Flame Divine Palm manual had been burned and apologized several times before leaving.”
“What does he have to apologize for? Did I set the fire? Jeok Cheongang did. Did he really have to beat me this badly over a little singeing?”
“I took a quick look, and it wasn’t just a little singeing. Almost half of the cover bearing the title burned away, so the Flame Divine Palm became just the Flame.”
“…”
“Anyway, I think we should stop talking about this. You may not be afraid, Captain, but my blood runs cold just thinking about it. If Great Hero Jeok suddenly walks in, we’ll both be dead, won’t we?”
“That’s true.”
Hyuk Mujin’s foresight was remarkable. Not long after he finished speaking, the door burst open.
“Gasp!”
“Guh!”
“…You bastards. What was that reaction?”
“N-Nothing.”
The small, elderly man narrowed his eyes and looked at us. Then he snorted.
“Fine. Since it didn’t reach this old man’s ears, I’ll let it go this time.”
Showing an unexpectedly cool side, he jerked his chin toward Hyuk Mujin.
“You, get out. You’re in the way.”
I didn’t know what he intended to do, but I felt like I would be better off if Hyuk Mujin stayed.
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.
As Hyuk Mujin scampered out, anxiety washed over me.
There was something strange about the way Jeok Cheongang was looking 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?”
“Take everything off. Don’t leave behind a single scrap of cloth.”
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 stood there frozen, Jeok Cheongang shouted:
“Ah, I’m going to cleanse your sinews and wash your marrow, so take off your clothes and lie down already!”
“….”
You should’ve said so from the start.
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