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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: How to Crush a Merchant Guild, Part One
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"The Moon-Slaying Sword Sect?"
Manager Do nodded at Mujin's question.
"Yes. They are the sixth of the twelve families of Samu-cheon."
Mujin searched his memory for a moment.
In his past life, although he hadn't fought them to the death like the Nine Great Sects, he had clashed fiercely with Samu-cheon.
But the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect had never been among them.
'Then again, back then I was shedding blood with the top-ranking families.'
"So why has a scoundrel who belongs in Guizhou come all the way to Sichuan to harass a group of nuns?"
"The rumors of Elder Jeokwolgeom of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect being a lecher are so widespread that there's hardly anyone in the martial world who doesn't know. In Guizhou, not to mention Hunan and Guangxi, whenever a woman goes missing from a village, people just click their tongues and say Jeokwol has struck again."
"I know that. What I'm wondering is why he's come all the way up here to pull these stunts instead of sticking to his own territory."
Manager Do glanced around the carriage, where only their group was present, before lowering his voice and speaking.
"Could it be because the influence of the Nine Great Sects has waned compared to the past? The Unorthodox Faction's rise to power is already underway throughout the Central Plains. It's less pronounced here in Sichuan, thanks to the Tang Clan's formidable presence, but..."
Mujin tilted his head.
"Samu-cheon has grown powerful enough to look down on the Nine Great Sects? I find that hard to believe."
No matter how much power Samu-cheon had amassed, the Nine Great Sects were still the Nine Great Sects.
Since the dawn of the Central Plains' martial world, the central pillar of the Unorthodox Faction had changed many times.
Before Samu-cheon, there was the Four Emperors' Fortress, and before that, the Four Alliances.
But these dominant centers of the Unorthodox Faction had never once emerged victorious in the great wars between the Orthodox and Unorthodox.
While they had lost their central figures and faced ruin time and again, the Nine Great Sects had never once faltered.
Even when they suffered immense losses, losing all their elite warriors against the unprecedented peerless master known as the Divine Demon, they merely sealed their gates. The Nine Great Sects had endured to this day.
'That's what it means to be a prestigious clan.'
There's a reason why the prestigious are prestigious.
The prestigious clans of the Orthodox Faction, who upheld righteousness and valued justification, naturally earned the support of the common people. A clan that had laid down roots as deep as the people's trust would never easily disappear.
"Of course, Samu-cheon has no intention of fighting the Orthodox Faction head-on. After all, three of the Four Emperors are Orthodox martial artists. However, they wouldn't want to lose the vested interests they've built across the Central Plains while the others were away. That's why they're trying to keep the Orthodox Faction's power in check, to prevent it from growing as large as it once was. We may be aligned with the Orthodox Yeomhwa Family and walk the righteous path, but there are quite a few merchants who have been tied to the Unorthodox Faction for a long time."
Mujin nodded at Manager Do's words.
"And yet, that reckless fool Jeokwolgeom came all the way to Sichuan."
At Mujin's murmur, Manager Do lowered his voice once more.
"This is just my speculation, but he probably came for... Lady Jeong Su-ae of the Emei Sect."
"And who might that be?"
"Ahem! Well... she is known as one of the beauties of the Central Plains. She is a direct disciple of the Emei Sect who first appeared five years ago at the age of eighteen in the main tournament of the Orthodox Grand Tournament held at Mount Song. Although she was defeated in the first round by a disciple of the Wudang Sect, the Central Plains buzzed about her beauty for quite some time. The gossips who love to talk even said that because of her, the skills of the warrior monks of Mount Song would stagnate for three years."
"The warrior monks' skills would stagnate? What does that mean?"
"It means they would be so smitten with Lady Jeong that they would spend three years lovesick, unable to train."
"How ridiculous."
Seeing Mujin shake his head, Manager Do seemed to relax a little and smiled.
"It just goes to show how extraordinary her beauty was. I have never seen her myself, but she must be twenty-three by now, so her beauty has likely blossomed even more, wouldn't you say? I hear that among the pilgrims who visit Mount Emei, many climb the mountain regularly just for a chance to see her."
"What good is a pretty nun? She's still a nun."
Manager Do spoke up at Mujin's words.
"She is a registered disciple, but not one whose name is recorded in the Buddhist registry."
Mujin tilted his head, not understanding.
"What does that mean?"
Looking at Mujin, who was surprisingly ignorant of the martial world's affairs for the eldest son of a martial family and its future head, Manager Do explained patiently.
It was only natural, as he had not been in his right mind until very recently.
"After breaking their fifteen-year seclusion, the Emei Sect reformed many of its old ways. They began accepting men as lay disciples, and even among their registered disciples, they started to distinguish between those who would devote themselves to Buddhism and those who would maintain ties with the secular world. The three women you saw earlier had shaved heads, so they were likely disciples recorded in the Buddhist registry, but there are quite a few registered disciples at Emei who have not shaved their heads."
"What kind of Buddhist sect is that? If they're going to do that, they might as well accept everyone as lay disciples."
"Because lay disciples cannot learn the secret techniques passed down only to registered disciples. It's a reform enacted to increase their secular and external influence."
Indeed, if the registered disciples of the Emei Sect were to leave the main temple and live in the secular world, the sect's influence would surely expand.
"The Emei Sect enacted such reforms?"
Mujin recalled the female masters of the Emei Sect who had stood in his way in his past life.
The nuns who, even with no chance of victory, had died crying out the teachings of Buddha and telling him to repent.
He could never have imagined that the Emei Sect, whose members were even more rigid and stubborn than those of the Shaolin Temple, would change so drastically.
'The nuns who preached so fervently about the Buddhist path are now keeping a separate registry?'
Hearing about the changes in Emei from Manager Do, Mujin suddenly felt the passage of time.
For him, it felt as though he had only closed his eyes for a moment to find rest.
But now, the thirty years that had passed in that instant began to weigh on him, leaving a bitter taste.
"In any case, this incident is sure to cause a stir in Sichuan."
Mujin looked at Manager Do.
"The Emei Sect won't just let this go, will they?"
A direct disciple of their sect had nearly been harmed by an elder of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect; of course, they wouldn't let it slide.
"Well, that's the nuns' business. Why should we concern ourselves with it? Let's focus on how to crush the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild."
At Mujin's words, Manager Do's expression hardened.
Just thinking about the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild's villainy was enough to make him lose sleep at night and his appetite.
And so, having dispatched the Unorthodox Faction giant who went by the name Jeokwolgeom, Mujin closed his eyes and began to fall asleep.
Two days had passed since the death of Jeokwolgeom, Jang So-yuk, of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect.
Mujin arrived at the Pungyang Merchant Guild in Ssangnyu and was warmly welcomed by the guild master.
"I don't know how to thank you for coming all this way yourself!"
The guild master had rushed out without even putting on his shoes properly.
Watching him literally embody the expression of running out barefoot to greet someone, Mujin furrowed his brow.
"You must have... been through a lot."
"Ha... haha. I've lost a bit of weight, haven't I?"
The once-fine physique of Pung Gwan-o, the master of the Pungyang Merchant Guild, was gone. As he spoke with a forced smile, his gaunt, sickly frame caught Mujin's eye.
This was the man who had lent him a large sum of money for a long time without ever asking for a single coin in interest.
The man whose impressive figure had seemed almost embarrassed to accept the repayment, saying only that Mujin's full recovery was enough. Seeing that figure reduced by half in just a few months, Mujin felt a familiar stiffness at the back of his neck for the first time in a while.
"Please, come in. You've traveled a long way, and here I am foolishly keeping my esteemed guest standing outside. Your companions are welcome to join as well."
Bowing, Pung Gwan-o personally guided Mujin and his entourage to the inner quarters.
The back of the man walking ahead of him seemed so small.
Mujin spoke as he followed him.
"Still, it's somewhat reassuring to see so many people bustling about."
Within the guild, numerous people were moving around busily.
"We can't let the living starve, can we? If someone snatches your spoon, you just have to eat with your hands."
He said the words, but his usual energy was absent from his voice.
As they entered the separate building he led them to, maids were bustling back and forth, carrying food.
"I figured you hadn't eaten yet, so I had this prepared."
Upon entering the building, they saw steaming hot dishes being quickly set upon a large table.
As Pung Gwan-o gestured for him to sit, Mujin took a seat, and Cheol-muk, No-sak, and Masok each took their places as well.
*-Pour.-*
Pung Gwan-o personally poured tea into Mujin's cup and spoke.
"Did you have any trouble on your way here?"
Pung Gwan-o asked this because he had already sent someone to the Yeomhwa Family once, only for them to be attacked.
"Some riffraff caused a bit of a nuisance, but what's to fear from gnats? They're just annoying. I also encountered an unexpected enemy, but thanks to the guards you sent, I was able to handle it."
In truth, the guards hadn't played a significant role, but since they had provided some help, Mujin said so out of politeness.
"An unexpected enemy...?"
Pung Gwan-o asked with a worried expression.
"A reckless old pervert called Jeokwolgeom picked a fight, so I killed him on my way here."
"Ah, I see... Who did you say...?"
"Jeokwolgeom of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect, I said."
"...You killed him yourself?"
"I had help from the guards and these two here, but yes. I killed him with my own hands."
"Y-Young Master Hwa's martial renown will once again echo throughout Sichuan..."
As Pung Gwan-o spoke, unable to hide his surprise, Mujin moistened his lips with the tea he had poured.
"What's so great about catching one lecher? The Emei Sect will also handle things to prevent rumors from spreading, as it was an unpleasant incident for them. More importantly..."
Mujin trailed off, scanning his surroundings.
Seeing that the table was now filled with food, leaving no empty space, and that the maids were no longer entering the building, Mujin continued.
"How bad is the situation, exactly?"
At Mujin's question, Pung Gwan-o's expression darkened.
"To be frank, it's serious. Our Pungyang Merchant Guild and the Muryeong Merchant Association are, in fact, tied to the fate of the Geumeo Bank."
Mujin listened quietly to his words.
"To put it simply, our funds are managed through the Geumeo Bank. In return for managing our funds, the bank allows us to freely use their promissory notes. We use the bank's notes to make payments, and the profits we earn go back into the bank."
The merchants' financial structure seemed complicated, and Mujin couldn't understand why they maintained such a complex system, but he simply nodded.
"I see."
"Yes. That's why if even one of us were to collapse, the fallout would inevitably affect the other two. But somehow, the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild found out and is now choking the financial lifeline of the Muryeong Merchant Association, which has the highest debt ratio. Not only that, they're buying up every promissory note from the Geumeo Bank to block the flow of funds from the bank to the Muryeong Association."
'In short, they're in a lot of trouble.'
Mujin summarized Pung Gwan-o's story in a single line.
"The family's finances are starting to recover. How about we bring in some emergency funds?"
At Mujin's words, Pung Gwan-o shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I'm very grateful for the offer, but this isn't a problem that can be solved with a short-term infusion of cash. No matter how much money we pour in, it won't solve anything in the long run."
Nodding at Pung Gwan-o's words, Mujin changed the direction of his questioning.
"Is there room for us to intervene? No. Can we create a justification for intervening?"
Pung Gwan-o's eyes lit up at Mujin's direct question.
"You would do that for us?"
"I wouldn't have come all this way if I didn't think I could. You, of all people, who believed in our collapsing main family for all those years—I won't just stand by and watch you be brought down by the likes of the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild."
At his hearty reply, Pung Gwan-o's eyes reddened.
He was reminded of his first meeting with the Flame Emperor, long ago when he was just a powerless young merchant full of dreams.
-What does money matter? Your heart has reached mine, and that is enough. From now on, if anyone appears to obstruct your business in violation of righteousness, he will be an enemy of me, the Flame Emperor, and of the Yeomhwa Family!-
The Flame Emperor, who had turned away merchants promising vast sums and support, instead clasping the hands of himself, the head of the Muryeong Merchant Association, and the master of the Geumeo Bank in their youth as they came with their meager gifts—he was the very model of a true man.
"I am sorry that I have nothing to offer but my thanks."
"I'll accept your thanks after we've utterly devoured those bastards. Now everyone will learn what happens when you dare to touch those connected to the Yeomhwa Family in Sichuan."
"..."
His heart swelling at those words, Pung Gwan-o was overcome with emotion and found himself speechless.
Mujin sipped his tea, giving him a moment to compose himself, before speaking again.
"For now, I was thinking we could start with the cloth district. What do you think?"
Just as Pung Gwan-o was about to answer Mujin's question, two men rushed into the building.
"It's been a long time! I don't know how to thank you for coming all this way..."
"You really... you really came!"
It was Hwang Yeo-cheong, master of the Geumeo Bank, and Dong Gwan-yeo, head of the Muryeong Merchant Association.
Having heard in advance that Mujin was coming himself, they had arrived just in time. Mujin skipped the greetings and gestured for them to sit.
"Now that everyone's here, let's continue. I think it would be best to start by taking care of the scoundrels who've set up shop in the cloth district. What does everyone else think?"
At Mujin's words, a spark of life returned to the faces of the three men, who had been tormented by the Cheonghwa Merchant Guild for the past few months.
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