Chapter 322 Facing the Wall (5)

Chapter 322: Facing the Wall (5)

Anhui Trading House.

The main products of the place commonly called Huixiang are salt and rice.

A blessing from the long coastline and the vast, wide plains.

These two blessings brought immense wealth to Huishang and their masters, the Lion Clan, becoming their most crucial source of funds.

And now.

A group approached Anhui’s largest salt warehouse.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, we’ve brought everything.”

“Well done.”

It was the self-defense force led by Yook Hak and Bukgung Janghwan.

Yuk Hak, watching them, recalled his conversation with Yoo So-pyeong half a month ago.

‘Showing strength is good, but I doubt it’ll make those Lion Clan bastards stop.’

‘Of course they won’t stop. They might even become more aggressive.’

‘Then isn’t that pointless?’

‘Instead, it will make them wary.’

‘Caution?’

‘Yes. The awareness that if they keep provoking us, they might get hit hard.’

‘But that alone… doesn’t really mean anything, does it?’

‘That’s right. It’s insufficient. Therefore, I wish to ask the Lord for one more favor. In truth, this is the real thing, and the theft was merely a diversion to distract attention.’

‘What is it?’

To ask the Iron-Blooded Bandits of the realm to commit theft.

What an audacious soldier indeed.

Yukhak chuckled softly, then turned to say.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

That night.

The salt warehouse burned to the ground, and the mountains of salt piled high were reduced to charcoal, leaving not a single grain behind.

* * *

Yukhak did not stop.

He hid thoroughly and struck the whips.

Sajamang immediately dispatched elite troops to pursue him while blocking the retreat route leading west.

Since his path back was obvious anyway, they focused their efforts on setting traps rather than pursuing him.

But Yukhak did not return to Seocheon.

The moment he sensed the pursuit closing in, he halted his assault and dashed eastward.

And finally.

“How have you been?”

“You heartless friend! How can you show up after twenty years?”

He met his close friend, the current Imperial Guard Commander, Jo Myeong-san.

The reason was simple.

“An opportunity has come to break the Lion Clan’s momentum. How about joining forces?”

It was to mobilize ten thousand elite troops to prevent the Lion Clan from acting rashly.

“What can we gain?”

“That’s why I came to discuss it.”

“I hope it’s not something small.”

“You’ll be pleased. Our commander isn’t one to think small.”

“That’s a relief.”

Cho Myeong-san laughed heartily.

* * *

At the same time.

A major upheaval shook the upper echelons of the realm.

“What do you mean you won’t accept the goods?!”

“Didn’t you hear? I said I won’t be doing business with Hwisang anymore.”

“To abruptly cut off trade… Why on earth?”

“Well, ask the distinguished elders at .”

The three major trading houses—Hanjung Sangryeon and Sanseong Sangbang—had isolated the merchants.

Not only did they refuse to buy the goods the merchants brought, they also refused to sell their own.

Thus, the merchants tried desperately to trade by going around to small merchant groups, but it was useless.

This was because all the small merchants feared Miao Xiang, the head of the Western Merchants’ Guild and the Grand Guild Leader of the Hanzhong Merchants’ Guild.

Moreover, there was what seemed like persuasion but was actually coercion from the Shanxi Merchants’ Guild leader, leaving them no choice but to comply.

Complete isolation.

This was precisely the method of revenge Miao Xiang had devised.

Of course, there were losses.

Since ancient times, Gangnam has been a land of abundance. Especially in the case of salt, Gangnam accounted for over half of the nation’s total production. When trade with the Hwisaeng was severed, the price of salt began to skyrocket.

But Miao Xiang was Miao Xiang.

Just before isolating the merchants, she bought up all the salt fields in Yunnan and Guangdong, dispatched a large workforce to significantly increase production, and imported massive quantities of rock salt from Xizang to flood the market.

Thanks to this, the price fluctuations were only temporary, and instead, the scale of the Seocheon Trading Company’s salt field business grew daily.

Yang Ling also did his part admirably.

He spent the vast fortune he had accumulated over the years and simultaneously hired assassins by leveraging Hao Wen’s connections.

They say life is more important than money.

Yang Ling paid three times the usual amount, as if mocking this very adage.

Thanks to this, despite the constant danger of losing their lives, the couriers flocked under the banner of the Hanjung Trading Guild.

Naturally, the Sangyeon merchant caravans could now travel safely to .

Eight months had passed since Muwon received the wall-facing punishment.

Now, the situation finally seemed to be settling down.

* * *

“Ah!”

An idea struck me suddenly, and I let out an involuntary gasp.

Why did it take me this long to think of this? I could just make jajang ramen!

It was a brilliant idea that would give a boost to the ramen business he was about to start.

“I’ll make it the moment I get out.”

The moment he took that great stride toward his second life after release… or not.

“No, wait. This isn’t prison.”

“Have you finished your training?”

As he stepped outside with that thought, he spotted the cleaning area where something was boiling.

“Huh? What’s that smell?”

“I was distilling liquor. Getting bored drinking only rice wine all the time.”

“……”

Talking about booze all the way out here.

It was painfully obvious who would end up taking him away.

Well, at least I quit gambling…

“Oh! We’re getting together tomorrow evening to play cards. Would you like to come?”

“……”

She really was a woman beyond help.

Ignoring her and walking away, I heard her voice from behind.

“If you don’t have any money, I could lend you some!”

I just wish she’d hurry up and get lost back to her own place.

After walking for about five minutes at a pace like fleeing from a cleaner, a huge waterfall came into view.

Whoosh.

‘Hmm….’

As I gazed at it for a moment, I recalled the day I first came to Eunjarim.

‘This is your meditation spot.’

“Huh?”

‘There is no method more effective than meditating while standing under a waterfall.’

‘Are you mad, Human?’

Recalling the image of Taecheong Jin-in trying to push me in there, I couldn’t help but shake my head.

‘It’s not like it’s white noise or anything.’

Even if the surroundings are quiet, meditation is already a stretch—why on earth would anyone stand under a waterfall?

Whoosh!

And a waterfall powerful enough to shatter rocks.

Leaping up over the waterfall, I saw two thatched cottages facing each other.

They were the huts where Lee Pungjin and Taecheongjin resided.

Flash.

“What’s going on?”

“…Just passing through, I suppose?”

“Then pass by.”

“Yes.”

At the words of Lee Pung-jin, who was seated in meditation, I walked away, stifling my voice.

‘Danun is like that, and the people at Cheongryongdang are too sharp….’

I began to suspect that such bleakness might be a tradition of the Blue Dragon Sect.

‘Looks like the little old man isn’t here either….’

I glanced at Taecheongjin’s hut, but sensed no signs of life.

He must be out somewhere fishing, I suppose.

‘Maybe I’ll get to eat grilled fish today.’

Well, in the mountains, most of what he caught were finger-sized minnows, but chewing them bones and all had a savory flavor that was quite a delicacy.

As I walked on, a ver.2 Red Flower—whose heart seemed utterly mismatched to its tiny frame—called out to me and came running.

“Gaga!”

Sway.

“……”

Seeing her chest heave vigorously with each stride, I concluded inheriting the Red Dragon Sect’s martial arts was hopeless.

‘Martial arts rely on stealth and precision…’

With that kind of swaying, there’s no way his center of gravity could be properly balanced.

Well, still…

‘It looks good.’

Thud. Squish.

She spread her arms wide and hugged me tightly as she asked.

“Where are you headed?”

“On my way to see Grandpa Jeonbaek and Grandpa Dangducheon. Where have you been?”

“I picked some fruit to give to the elders .”

She unrolled her bundle, proudly displaying dozens of wild fruits.

“Looks delicious.”

“Try one.”

Crunch.

A sharp sourness and faint sweetness.

It was a taste she was now quite familiar with.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’ll go wait. Finish up and come right over.”

“……Alright.”

For some reason, I found myself listening to her more and more.

After parting ways with Jeokhwaran, I walked a little further and came upon Jeonbaek Yeonggam’s house.

“You’re here?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll bring it out, so wait a moment.”

He, boasting a body like a mountain, went inside the house and soon emerged carrying a suit of armor.

“Oh!”

It was the dragon-scale armor shattered in the fierce battle with Samno.

He had seen it discarded, broken, and offered to repair it, taking it with him.

“It won’t be as good as before, but it should be usable.”

“To repair it so flawlessly like this… You’re truly amazing!”

“Heh heh, it’s nothing special. This much is easy.”

Jeon Baek flushed slightly.

The more he looked at him, the more he found the old man endearing.

“How should I pay for the repairs?”

“What money? I’ll be satisfied just to have enjoyed the work of my hands after so long.”

“That’s impossible. You repaired such a treasure— .”

“If you insist, then…”

He continued with a serious look in his eyes.

“Repay me on the battlefield.”

“Suddenly?”

“The signs indicate the bloodshed is near. Wouldn’t it be fitting to save my grandson’s life on the battlefield?”

“No.”

Another horoscope, he thought.

In the past, I would have dismissed it as nonsense, but having once verified its accuracy, I nodded.

“Well, I’d take care of it even if you didn’t ask. You’re no stranger to me, and someone like Mook is practically like a younger sibling.”

“Kkuk, thank you.”

“Not at all. I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

“Ah, that Ducheon fellow said to tell you to come find him. He said he finished everything you left with him before.”

“Then I’ll be off!”

I can’t stand the heat.

He dashed to Dang Ducheon’s house and found him pulling weeds in the front yard.

“Old man!”

“You’re here?”

“Did you say it was done?”

“Yes.”

His tone was curt, but I knew.

just how warm-hearted Dang Ducheon truly was.

Didn’t I make the Fire-Piercing Needle for you without asking for anything in return?

“If you pull all the weeds here, I’ll give you .”

“…….”

Let me clarify.

Didn’t I make you a fire-and-thunder needle just for pulling weeds?

“If you can manage it, activate your protective aura and pull them out.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a poisonous weed carrying extreme venom.”

“……”

Living together in the senior center seems to have made my personality rather eccentric.

Only after spending half an hour pulling up all the poisonous weeds did I receive the Exploding Fire Needle from Dang Du-cheon.

“It should be better than what you used before.”

“Oh! What’s different about it?”

To improve the already immensely powerful Explosive Fire Piercing Needle?

Truly worthy of being the Green Dragon Sect’s foremost poison master.

“I added an extreme poison that melts you into a handful of poisonous water with just a touch.”

“……”

Well, more power is always good.

“It won’t just explode on its own, will it?”

“What do you take me for?”

“Ah, my apologies. I misspoke…”

“Honestly, I don’t know either. It’s my first time putting it in.”

There was no helping it.

I had to handle it as carefully as possible.

As I steeled myself, Dang Du-cheon beckoned me closer.

Judging by how he was looking around, he seemed to be trying to convey something important.

“Why?”

“Are you… interested in the Immunity to All Poisons?”

“How is it different from the Immunity to All Poisons?”

“It’s different. No, it’s far superior— . There’s no comparison.”

To say it couldn’t even compare to Immunity to All Poisons, one of every martial artist’s dreams.

His eyes snapped open at the unbelievable words.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Simply put, think of it as a poison-user.”

“A poison-user…?”

“Don’t you know poison? It’s the pinnacle of venom—exhaling deadly toxins with every breath, capable of poisoning an opponent with just the touch of a finger.”

“……Can you control it?”

“If it were, I’d have done it myself. Why would I suggest it to you?”

“No.”

Are you telling me to live my whole life without ever touching a woman’s hand?

To someone who’ll soon have a second wife.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“Why? If you do it right, you could become the best in the world.”

No matter how I look at him, this guy seems to be lacking something—human emotion.

“Stop talking nonsense and come over for drinks later tonight.”

“……Alright.”

After bidding farewell to Dangducheon and heading back,

Before I knew it, the sun that had hung high in the sky had set, and the heavens were dyed crimson.

Whoosh.

The refreshing sound of a waterfall. A crisp autumn breeze. A crimson sunset.

Gazing at the scene, which looked like a painting from , I felt strangely moved.

‘Peaceful.’

Just as I thought, perhaps this is what true happiness feels like.

“Guh?”

Blood gushed from my nose.

“Huh… What?”

My vision blurred.