Chapter 155 Hwangju Trading Company

Chapter 155: Hwangju Trading Company

Garyeop readily agreed to my request for paid leave.

“You ask for leave the moment your probation ends? Have you buried your conscience in the mountains?”

“I just won’t take it. Whether the Oedang falls or not, you can handle it however you like.”

“No, you fool. Don’t you know the saying, ‘Listen to the end of a story from the Central Plains’?”

And it’s for a whole month.

‘I was busy anyway, so this works out perfectly.’

For Jinmu Office, which had only recently opened, this was incredibly fortunate.

Because in business, how you establish the foundation in the early stages is the most crucial.

Of course, there was a condition for the leave.

Resolving the supply corruption at the Hwangju Trading Company.

I went straight to Jikryongdang for that purpose and faced the Jikil Sam brothers.

“You’re here?”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Come in.”

“…….”

As the three killers entered, the room filled with a palpable aura of death.

What’s more, their clothes were drenched in blood from whatever they’d just been doing…

“Ah, we were slaughtering. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

So they were slaughtering… No, that’s not it.

“S-slaughter?”

“Yes.”

“No, why would the legendary Jikryong Sword be slaughtering…”

Jik-il answered my question instead.

“To sharpen the sense of killing. The Heavenly Killing Ox Sword must be trained to keep that sense alive. Heh heh.”

“……”

What kind of demonic art is this?

As I silently shook my head, Jik-il explained with a small smile.

“The founder of the Jik family was originally a butcher. In a way, the foundation of the Heavenly Slaughter Ox Sword was laid in the slaughterhouse.”

“Why are you telling an outsider our family’s secrets?”

“That’s right. Brother. I think it’s wise to be cautious. ”

“How can you call Mujeon an outsider? We’ll soon be eating from the same pot. Isn’t that right?”

“……Not at all, is it?”

“Hmph, seems you’re not quite ready yet. But you’d better hurry. Hwaran is also reaching the age where she should start thinking about marriage.”

“…….”

Jik-il nodded in agreement, while Jik-i and Jik-sam glared at me with eyes brimming with hostility.

‘No.’

This was truly exasperating. If they were going to ignore my opinion, couldn’t they at least agree amongst themselves?

The sight made me sigh involuntarily, and I began to wonder if getting involved with these people was really wise. But I had no choice.

To resolve the matter with the Hwangju Trading Guild, I needed the help of the Jikryong Party.

“I have a favor to ask of you brothers.”

Simultaneously, I pulled a golden token from my robe.

It was the Boeun Token, received during the war with Namcheongung. I had saved it, cherishing it, to use when absolutely necessary.

“……!”

Jik-il’s eyes widened as he saw the glittering object.

“Isn’t this ours?”

“……Is there any way around it?”

The problem was that it was the Green Dragon Sect’s token of gratitude.

A moment later.

The token of gratitude operation had failed, but the Jik-il brothers didn’t leave.

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Heh heh, reminds me of that saying: the world is vast, and madmen abound.”

“……Can’t exactly kill him either.”

Well, they did get cursed at a bit.

Anyway, they offered another condition.

“We’re not strangers, right? If you really feel bad, just help us out with something later.”

It was a debt they could collect anytime.

‘No reason not to accept.’

They could always find an opportunity to collect it later.

As I nodded contentedly, Jik-il asked me.

“Heh heh, sure. When, where, who, and how should we help?”

“Ahem, it’s not about who or how. We’d just like you to do some investigating.”

At the word “investigate,” the Jik-il-sam brothers nodded with pleased expressions.

“Looks like you’ve noticed our Jikryongdang’s intelligence is a cut above Hao Mun’s.”

“I suppose so. Brother. Seeing you always visiting that bald guy at Hao Wen, I secretly wondered if we were being ignored.”

“You’ve realized that high-quality intelligence is more important than the cheap gossip floating around the streets.”

Nod nod.

Not knowing where to begin correcting them, I just quietly nodded my head.

Truth be told, they had a point.

Unlike Hao Men, which had just been relisted, Zhilongdang possessed an information network and sphere of influence solidly built over well over a hundred years.

Especially in their stronghold of Sichuan Province, Zhilongdang still held sway over Hao Men.

It was just that the information fees were eye-wateringly expensive.

“Alright, what do you need me to look into?”

“It’s about the Huangzhou Trading Company. Ah, well, the situation is this… It’s like this… and that… and so on… That’s how it stands.“

I explained the current entanglement between the Huangzhou Trading Company, the Military Department, and the Outer Court.

After listening, Jidi quietly nodded.

”So we just need to kill the head of the Huangzhou Trading Company and those corrupt clerks from the Military Department, right?“

”No.”

I told you it wasn’t that.

* * *

After requesting an investigation from the Red Dragon Hall, I hurried back to the Military Command Office.

Since the Red Dragon Hall’s investigation would take at least three days to complete, I planned to teach the officials the first half of the Black Spear Technique in the meantime.

“One!”

Thwack!

In unison with the command, seven hundred officials thrust their spear shafts in similar motions.

“Hey there! You’re putting too much force into it! How many times do I have to tell you the spear shaft should glide out with a ‘whoosh’ sound?!”

“S-sorry.”

“Two!”

Thwack!

“Keep the spear tip steady!”

Mornings were for stamina and strength training, afternoons for spear techniques, and evenings and dawns were spent practicing the Black Martial Arts in their respective quarters.

Originally, only volunteers were to be taught, but when I mentioned these two martial arts originated from North Palace White, everyone wanted to learn.

Fortunately, no one had mastered Ascension’s martial arts or heart techniques, so all chose the Black Martial Arts series without hesitation.

‘Well, of course.’

If they’d learned Ascension’s martial arts in the first place, they wouldn’t be attending the Jinmu Academy now.

“Eight!”

Ugh-!

Seeing the guards move in unison to my command was truly gratifying, yet it also made me feel a little uneasy.

Even though I’d decided to only teach the first half, the Black Shadow Spear was, in its own way, an Ascension martial art.

I knew far too little about spears to properly teach the subtleties and complexities embedded within the techniques.

‘If you’re going to give them something, give them fist techniques or leg techniques.’

Why did the Master give me this…

Still, it was fine up to the stage of learning the form, so I was managing to teach it somehow for now, but the real problem lay ahead.

On top of that, the fact I had no time was also a problem.

‘I can’t stay stuck at the Martial Arts Academy forever.’

Once this investigation concludes, I must return to the Outer Hall; I simply cannot remain confined to the Jinmu Academy.

Therefore, I took drastic measures.

“You’ve all worked hard today. Starting tomorrow, a special instructor, not me, will be teaching spear techniques. Please take note of this.”

That meant bringing in an external instructor.

Who, you ask?

“Ah, brothers! Thank you for coming. Alright, alright, have a cup of tea first…”

They were the elders of the Moksryongdang.

While the younger warriors of Moksryongdang, including Wi Jipung, were too busy running the military academy to be invited, the middle-aged warriors in their forties and above were mostly unemployed.

I offered them part-time positions.

But I didn’t just call anyone. They were summoned because they were experts in spear techniques… well, maybe not quite experts, but at least half that level.

After all, the Moksryongdang’s predecessor, the Spear Point Sect, was a Taoist sect renowned for its practical martial arts.

They were trained in spear techniques, staff techniques, and even bow techniques.

Above all else.

‘When you have no money, what else is there to do but train in martial arts?’

If you have no family and no money, what else is left?

Only martial arts remained.

That’s why, even in dire straits where they couldn’t afford a single elixir, the Black Dragon Sect was still called the finest elite force in Nine Dragons City.

Training there for over forty years made them walking encyclopedias of martial arts.

They could grasp the first half of the Black Shadow Spear Technique just by skimming it once.

“By the way, everyone has mastered the Black Dragon Spear Technique I passed on, right?”

As expected, the five Moksryongdang elders nonchalantly nodded.

“Brother and I have mastered it perfectly. The others will naturally grasp it with time.”

“As expected of you elders. To comprehend it so swiftly.”

“Hmph, it’s no big deal. But speaking of that…”

The representative elder asked, his face flushing.

“Lately, the elders of the faction have been requesting liquor more frequently…”

“Don’t worry. That Jin Mujeon isn’t the same snot-nosed kid he used to be. What’s the cost of liquor for the elders? He’ll make sure the kids’ faction dues are covered too.” “

I pulled a piece of paper from my sleeve and showed it to them.

”If you guide me for just two hours a day, I guarantee one tael of silver per month.“

A ridiculously low amount.

Considering that four out of the five masters before me were peak-level experts, it was practically a free monthly stipend.

”…Doesn’t that seem a bit stingy?”

But I was confident I could persuade them.

“It may seem that way, but upon closer inspection, it’s not. Why? Because we need to focus on those two hours per day. Look here. If you come in the morning, see the officials, eat, and just go back… the remaining time… also, the time…”

If you can’t even persuade a Taoist who knows nothing of the world, how will you survive in this harsh world?

And my prediction didn’t miss by even an inch.

“… …Now that I hear it, Master Wuzhen seems right. What do you disciples think?”

“Brother’s words are a thousand times correct.”

“Indeed. Master Wuzhen isn’t just anyone; he won’t treat us unfairly.”

“He says he’ll provide hearty meals too. That way, we won’t waste Black Dragon Sect’s rice—a win-win, isn’t it?”

With dazzling negotiation skills, the elders stamped their seals on the contract.

After hiring that outside instructor, my workload at the Jinmu Academy dwindled significantly.

Yoo So-pyeong handled the administrative duties, Dang Ga-sam-gwe took charge of training, and the brothers from Myeongryongdang managed the Black Martial Arts techniques.

‘Nice. Very nice.’

The reason landlords are called ‘money-makers’.

Because they earn money without lifting a finger.

Just like me.

“Lulu lulu bidet.”

Just then, a whistling sound and excitement arose spontaneously.

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Judging by the paper attached to the arrow, it clearly contained information gathered by the Red Dragon Sect.

The problem was they’d resorted to such an inefficient method.

‘Something’s up.’

Meaning someone had appeared who could make even the legendary Red Dragon Sect nervous.

After checking the attached paper, I could only nod.

‘Baek Jung-cheon?’

After all, Baek Jung-cheon was the one who started this mess.

* * *

The information gathered by the Red Dragon Sect was as follows:

1. Two months ago, the entire family of the head of the Hwangju Trading Company was killed in an unknown attack from outside.

2. Control of the company passed to Ju Gyeong-ryun, who was serving as the deputy head.

3. Ju Gyeong-ryun’s wife is from a branch family of the White Dragon Sect.

4. Confirmed Baekryonggeom summoned the Military Bureau’s clerks.

5. Baekryongdang’s Baekgeomdaeju met with Ju Gyeongryun.

6. Baekryongdang noticed Jikryongdang investigating Hwangju Trading Company and halted the investigation.

‘No wonder he was grinning so sinisterly.’

True to his reputation as the embodiment of political scheming, he set up a situation where we were the ones taking all the hits.

“Ugh, if you’d gotten crippled from messing around, you’d be holed up in your room flipping through erotic paintings…”

Should I report it to the master?

After a moment’s hesitation, I shook my head.

That would be the move of a complete amateur.

Given Baekgung Baek’s temperament, he’d surely slaughter every last member of the White Dragon Sect the moment he heard my complaint.

If that happened, Baek would become the world’s most notorious killer.

“…No choice, I suppose.”

There was no other way.

I’d have to go in myself and find the evidence.