Chapter 407

Chapter 407

“Salt?”

Tang Gwi-ok also had a completely unexpected expression.

“Did you say salt?”

“There’s a possibility of using Five Path Fatal Pills by drying them, grinding them to powder, and mixing them with salt.”

Tang Gwi-ok thought for a moment then said.

“If it’s related to salt as you say, the quantity wouldn’t be small.”

“It wouldn’t be.”

“Then the transaction details must remain in the ledgers.”

“I already examined King of Hell’s office. King of Hell burned most documents, leaving no traces.”

“But you wouldn’t have looked into ledgers related to commercial activities conducted by our family’s businesses. It would involve enormous funds. Even if written falsely, ledgers are never empty. Incoming and outgoing money must always match.”

Tang Gwi-ok was right. Large-scale transactions would have occurred frequently, and meticulous Tang Qing wouldn’t have operated things haphazardly.

“Sichuan is where the Southern Silk Ancient Road begins, the trade route extending to the distant Western Regions. They trade tea, salt, and horses. Dozens of horses and donkeys travel the Southern Silk Ancient Road in processions at once. Our family’s businesses also conduct much trade using the Southern Silk Ancient Road.”

Jin Ja-gang understood what Tang Gwi-ok was trying to say.

Tang Gwi-ok said.

“I was already analyzing ledgers to take over the businesses older brother had been running. I’ll assign more experts. Within a few days, we should be able to confirm what quantities came in and which direction they flowed.”

* * *

Tang Gwi-ok found transactions presumed to be salt in less than a day. It was remarkable skill. Though it was said to have been cleverly hidden under over a thousand different item categories, she had ultimately revealed it.

Jin Ja-gang raided one of the external warehouses where items revealed in the ledgers were said to be stored, together with Tang family warriors.

“Open it!”

The warehouse keepers opened the doors in bewilderment.

Jin Ja-gang rushed in first.

But the warehouse was empty.

It was vacant.

The other warehouses beside it were the same.

As if to confirm salt had been there until recently, salt powder was scattered on the floor and a salty smell lingered.

Yeong-gwi, disguised as a warrior, brought the warehouse keeper.

“Who took the salt that was here and when did it leave!”

The warehouse keeper told what he knew.

“Salt had been brought and stored little by little for several years, then was all taken out at once before the rainy season came.”

That was when Five Path Fatal Pills production stopped at the Tang Family Main House.

All Five Path Fatal Pills produced at the Tang Family Main House until then had also gone outside. They had surely all been moved somewhere at that time.

“Where did they go?”

“We only manage warehouses, so we don’t know. They loaded it heavily onto carts and left.”

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Were they Tang family people?”

“No. They seemed like merchants from small to medium trading companies. They said they were some kind of Yingbo merchants…”

Yingbo merchants!

Yingbo merchants were a trading company that dealt with the Tang family. Based in Zhejiang, local trading companies in Sichuan and Yunnan borrowed the Yingbo merchants’ name.

But Jin Ja-gang was surprised because he had heard about that trading company once before.

The booklet obtained in Chongqing! That booklet contained the trading company that dealt with Iron Umbrella Sect.

That was precisely Yingbo merchants.

Not only that. When Dan Ryeong-gyeong seized ledgers that Yingbo merchants tried to hide, salt was definitely mentioned there.

“Quite a lot of salt was traded. It seems they conducted secret dealings.”

That’s what the person Dan Ryeong-gyeong sent had said.

But Jin Ja-gang hadn’t paid attention to salt at that time. His focus was only on medicinal material transaction records, so he hadn’t thought about what salt might signify.

“Foolishly… it was all revealed back then…!”

Big merchants receive salt monopoly rights transferred from officials. Precisely, it’s official salt sales rights. Since private salt isn’t legally recognized, they can essentially sell salt with complete monopoly supply.

But Yingbo merchants conducted secret dealings despite having official salt sales rights.

What would be the reason for that?

To secure more salt without being exposed.

How could Five Path Fatal Pills be spread to all martial artists in the Central Plains? Jin Ja-gang had actually doubted it was impossible.

But Tang Qing had ultimately devised it.

Distribute poison mixed with salt!

No martial artist could survive without eating food containing salt.

Salt is a seasoning no one suspects and everyone consumes unknowingly. When mixed in food, it dissolves and becomes invisible. There’s absolutely no way to avoid it.

Now Jin Ja-gang understood the complete picture.

Tang Qing had joined hands with Yingbo merchants years ago to secure salt from Yunnan. Even though Sichuan was a salt production area, siphoning off too much would draw official pursuit.

So they brought salt from Tibet and Yunnan.

Perhaps…

Perhaps that’s why Yunnan’s Medicine Sect was destroyed!

Jin Ja-gang clenched his fists in indignation.

Grind.

His teeth ground together.

Anger surged uncontrollably. He felt like blood was rushing backward to his head and would explode!

…

…hey!

…ake up!

Wake up, Poison Dragon!

When Jin Ja-gang suddenly came to his senses, Soul Seizing Thread was floating and swirling around him. And he was grasping Yeong-gwi’s wrist as she tried to stop him. Yeong-gwi had deep wounds on her wrist from being cut by Soul Seizing Thread.

Jin Ja-gang looked around.

Not only Tang family warriors but all warehouse keepers had pale faces and were crawling on the ground.

He had unconsciously emitted tremendous killing intent.

Yeong-gwi bit her lips until they bled and said.

“Don’t… be overcome by emotion.”

Jin Ja-gang released Yeong-gwi’s hand. He was grateful and sorry to Yeong-gwi who had stopped him while barely enduring the killing intent.

“I’m sorry. I’ll… go back first.”

Jin Ja-gang returned to the Tang Family Main House.

* * *

King of Hell’s office.

The thirty who had luckily survived were still there. They were being handed over to those Tang Gwi-ok had sent while wearing shackles on their ankles.

When Jin Ja-gang entered, Tang Gwi-ok had already taken over tens of thousands of bamboo scrolls.

Jin Ja-gang asked the receiver.

“Is it finished?”

“Yes. We just emptied the last bookshelf. Oh, and the family head asked how to dispose of them.”

“I plan to find out from now.”

With receivers waiting at the door, Jin Ja-gang gathered Tang Qing’s thirty subordinates.

Then he called one who could speak and asked.

“When did King of Hell start gathering information about Yunnan’s Medicine Sect?”

The one who could speak confirmed with the others through written communication, then answered.

“From decades ago.”

Jin Ja-gang unconsciously closed his eyes.

The An family medical practice believed the Poison Sect counterattacked because they had informed them of Medicine Sect’s attack. The Tang family was at the center of that.

An Ryeong even felt guilty about it.

But that was An Ryeong’s misunderstanding.

When had Tang Qing planned this affair?

From when he heard Medicine Sect would attack the Poison Sect?

Or was the situation coincidentally created that way?

No.

There was something Jin Ja-gang had thought strangely didn’t match in sequence.

The incident where disciples of Master Haewol, the martial alliance leader, disappeared.

Those were events that occurred before Master Haewol became martial alliance leader. Master Haewol rose to the martial alliance leader position with overwhelming support from Yangtze River Sword Sect, and the last of his two disciples died during the early period when Master Haewol was organizing Yangtze River Sword Sect.

So it meant Tang Qing had been trying to find compatibility of internal energy cultivation methods for at least decades. He must have been thinking of absorbing Medicine Sect from then.

But Yunnan was the most remote frontier in the martial world, with not a single major orthodox sect worth mentioning. There was absolutely no reason to absorb Yunnan’s Medicine Sect just to learn internal energy cultivation method compatibility through medicinal materials.

If there was a reason, only one:

To secure the Southern Silk Ancient Road trade route for salt smuggling.

So Tang Qing learning of Medicine Sect’s attack in advance through the An family medical practice was… like wanting to cry but getting slapped in the face. It was an opportunity coming to Tang Qing who had been looking for a pretext to absorb Medicine Sect.

As a result…

It wasn’t because Medicine Sect tried to attack the Poison Sect first. It wasn’t because the An family medical practice informed the Tang family of Medicine Sect’s surprise attack.

Yunnan’s Medicine Sect was precisely massacred by Tang Qing’s necessity.

Tears of blood flowed inside.

The truth.

The truth he had finally found after wandering and wandering.

Jin Ja-gang raised his head to look at the ceiling. After staying like that briefly, he said to the scholars who had been Tang Qing’s subordinates.

“Those who know even a little about Yunnan’s Medicine Sect, step forward.”

Six of the scholars stepped forward.

Jin Ja-gang raised his hand.

“Only now finding the reason for revenge spanning long years, blaming my own inadequacy for barely finding my path, I offer these people’s blood to the Medicine Sect family members who died without knowing why.”

Desolate killing intent swirled.

When the scholars who sensed something was wrong tried to dodge, thin lines had already cut across their necks.

Six heads and bodies separated.

Plop, roll roll.

The remaining scholars looked at Jin Ja-gang with fearful eyes.

“Anyone who wants to follow King of Hell’s footsteps even now, step forward.”

The scholars didn’t hesitate and immediately bowed their heads.

Jin Ja-gang said to Tang Gwi-ok’s receivers.

“My business is finished. The family head can take in the remaining ones.”

The receivers also bowed their heads.

Jin Ja-gang immediately left the office and headed toward Tang Qing.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang looked down at the lying Tang Qing.

Tang Qing lay with his eyes closed, acupuncture needles stuck all over his body. Even Divine Physician An Yul-jin couldn’t guarantee when Tang Qing might wake up.

But Jin Ja-gang began speaking as if conversing with him.

“I solved the riddle you posed.”

“…”

“Salt.”

“…”

“It’s no use pretending you don’t understand. From now on, I’ll find and destroy everything you were trying to do. And I’ll find and crush those you joined hands with.”

“…”

“Watch well from there. You’ll be last.”

Jin Ja-gang looked down at Tang Qing a bit longer, then left.

Long after Jin Ja-gang left, the eyebrows of Tang Qing, who lay as if dead, trembled slightly.

Twitch…

* * *

It was certain that salt would be the medium for Five Path Fatal Pills.

And Jin Ja-gang could recall clues he had carelessly overlooked one by one, even predicting through what route that salt would be delivered to martial sects.

Trading companies dealing with martial sects!

It was the only route that could simultaneously spread salt containing Five Path Fatal Pills poison to medium and large sect martial artists.

And generally, those in high positions in martial sects, or even ordinary disciples not in high positions… had no particular interest in salt, which was merely one of hundreds of seasonings…

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“Salt?”

Tang Gwi-ok also had a completely unexpected expression.

“Did you say salt?”

“There’s a possibility of using Five Path Fatal Pills by drying them, grinding them to powder, and mixing them with salt.”

Tang Gwi-ok thought for a moment then said.

“If it’s related to salt as you say, the quantity wouldn’t be small.”

“It wouldn’t be.”

“Then the transaction details must remain in the ledgers.”

“I already examined King of Hell’s office. King of Hell burned most documents, leaving no traces.”

“But you wouldn’t have looked into ledgers related to commercial activities conducted by our family’s businesses. It would involve enormous funds. Even if written falsely, ledgers are never empty. Incoming and outgoing money must always match.”

Tang Gwi-ok was right. Large-scale transactions would have occurred frequently, and meticulous Tang Qing wouldn’t have operated things haphazardly.

“Sichuan is where the Southern Silk Ancient Road begins, the trade route extending to the distant Western Regions. They trade tea, salt, and horses. Dozens of horses and donkeys travel the Southern Silk Ancient Road in processions at once. Our family’s businesses also conduct much trade using the Southern Silk Ancient Road.”

Jin Ja-gang understood what Tang Gwi-ok was trying to say.

Tang Gwi-ok said.

“I was already analyzing ledgers to take over the businesses older brother had been running. I’ll assign more experts. Within a few days, we should be able to confirm what quantities came in and which direction they flowed.”

* * *

Tang Gwi-ok found transactions presumed to be salt in less than a day. It was remarkable skill. Though it was said to have been cleverly hidden under over a thousand different item categories, she had ultimately revealed it.

Jin Ja-gang raided one of the external warehouses where items revealed in the ledgers were said to be stored, together with Tang family warriors.

“Open it!”

The warehouse keepers opened the doors in bewilderment.

Jin Ja-gang rushed in first.

But the warehouse was empty.

It was vacant.

The other warehouses beside it were the same.

As if to confirm salt had been there until recently, salt powder was scattered on the floor and a salty smell lingered.

Yeong-gwi, disguised as a warrior, brought the warehouse keeper.

“Who took the salt that was here and when did it leave!”

The warehouse keeper told what he knew.

“Salt had been brought and stored little by little for several years, then was all taken out at once before the rainy season came.”

That was when Five Path Fatal Pills production stopped at the Tang Family Main House.

All Five Path Fatal Pills produced at the Tang Family Main House until then had also gone outside. They had surely all been moved somewhere at that time.

“Where did they go?”

“We only manage warehouses, so we don’t know. They loaded it heavily onto carts and left.”

Jin Ja-gang asked.

“Were they Tang family people?”

“No. They seemed like merchants from small to medium trading companies. They said they were some kind of Yingbo merchants…”

Yingbo merchants!

Yingbo merchants were a trading company that dealt with the Tang family. Based in Zhejiang, local trading companies in Sichuan and Yunnan borrowed the Yingbo merchants’ name.

But Jin Ja-gang was surprised because he had heard about that trading company once before.

The booklet obtained in Chongqing! That booklet contained the trading company that dealt with Iron Umbrella Sect.

That was precisely Yingbo merchants.

Not only that. When Dan Ryeong-gyeong seized ledgers that Yingbo merchants tried to hide, salt was definitely mentioned there.

“Quite a lot of salt was traded. It seems they conducted secret dealings.”

That’s what the person Dan Ryeong-gyeong sent had said.

But Jin Ja-gang hadn’t paid attention to salt at that time. His focus was only on medicinal material transaction records, so he hadn’t thought about what salt might signify.

“Foolishly… it was all revealed back then…!”

Big merchants receive salt monopoly rights transferred from officials. Precisely, it’s official salt sales rights. Since private salt isn’t legally recognized, they can essentially sell salt with complete monopoly supply.

But Yingbo merchants conducted secret dealings despite having official salt sales rights.

What would be the reason for that?

To secure more salt without being exposed.

How could Five Path Fatal Pills be spread to all martial artists in the Central Plains? Jin Ja-gang had actually doubted it was impossible.

But Tang Qing had ultimately devised it.

Distribute poison mixed with salt!

No martial artist could survive without eating food containing salt.

Salt is a seasoning no one suspects and everyone consumes unknowingly. When mixed in food, it dissolves and becomes invisible. There’s absolutely no way to avoid it.

Now Jin Ja-gang understood the complete picture.

Tang Qing had joined hands with Yingbo merchants years ago to secure salt from Yunnan. Even though Sichuan was a salt production area, siphoning off too much would draw official pursuit.

So they brought salt from Tibet and Yunnan.

Perhaps…

Perhaps that’s why Yunnan’s Medicine Sect was destroyed!

Jin Ja-gang clenched his fists in indignation.

Grind.

His teeth ground together.

Anger surged uncontrollably. He felt like blood was rushing backward to his head and would explode!

…

…hey!

…ake up!

Wake up, Poison Dragon!

When Jin Ja-gang suddenly came to his senses, Soul Seizing Thread was floating and swirling around him. And he was grasping Yeong-gwi’s wrist as she tried to stop him. Yeong-gwi had deep wounds on her wrist from being cut by Soul Seizing Thread.

Jin Ja-gang looked around.

Not only Tang family warriors but all warehouse keepers had pale faces and were crawling on the ground.

He had unconsciously emitted tremendous killing intent.

Yeong-gwi bit her lips until they bled and said.

“Don’t… be overcome by emotion.”

Jin Ja-gang released Yeong-gwi’s hand. He was grateful and sorry to Yeong-gwi who had stopped him while barely enduring the killing intent.

“I’m sorry. I’ll… go back first.”

Jin Ja-gang returned to the Tang Family Main House.

* * *

King of Hell’s office.

The thirty who had luckily survived were still there. They were being handed over to those Tang Gwi-ok had sent while wearing shackles on their ankles.

When Jin Ja-gang entered, Tang Gwi-ok had already taken over tens of thousands of bamboo scrolls.

Jin Ja-gang asked the receiver.

“Is it finished?”

“Yes. We just emptied the last bookshelf. Oh, and the family head asked how to dispose of them.”

“I plan to find out from now.”

With receivers waiting at the door, Jin Ja-gang gathered Tang Qing’s thirty subordinates.

Then he called one who could speak and asked.

“When did King of Hell start gathering information about Yunnan’s Medicine Sect?”

The one who could speak confirmed with the others through written communication, then answered.

“From decades ago.”

Jin Ja-gang unconsciously closed his eyes.

The An family medical practice believed the Poison Sect counterattacked because they had informed them of Medicine Sect’s attack. The Tang family was at the center of that.

An Ryeong even felt guilty about it.

But that was An Ryeong’s misunderstanding.

When had Tang Qing planned this affair?

From when he heard Medicine Sect would attack the Poison Sect?

Or was the situation coincidentally created that way?

No.

There was something Jin Ja-gang had thought strangely didn’t match in sequence.

The incident where disciples of Master Haewol, the martial alliance leader, disappeared.

Those were events that occurred before Master Haewol became martial alliance leader. Master Haewol rose to the martial alliance leader position with overwhelming support from Yangtze River Sword Sect, and the last of his two disciples died during the early period when Master Haewol was organizing Yangtze River Sword Sect.

So it meant Tang Qing had been trying to find compatibility of internal energy cultivation methods for at least decades. He must have been thinking of absorbing Medicine Sect from then.

But Yunnan was the most remote frontier in the martial world, with not a single major orthodox sect worth mentioning. There was absolutely no reason to absorb Yunnan’s Medicine Sect just to learn internal energy cultivation method compatibility through medicinal materials.

If there was a reason, only one:

To secure the Southern Silk Ancient Road trade route for salt smuggling.

So Tang Qing learning of Medicine Sect’s attack in advance through the An family medical practice was… like wanting to cry but getting slapped in the face. It was an opportunity coming to Tang Qing who had been looking for a pretext to absorb Medicine Sect.

As a result…

It wasn’t because Medicine Sect tried to attack the Poison Sect first. It wasn’t because the An family medical practice informed the Tang family of Medicine Sect’s surprise attack.

Yunnan’s Medicine Sect was precisely massacred by Tang Qing’s necessity.

Tears of blood flowed inside.

The truth.

The truth he had finally found after wandering and wandering.

Jin Ja-gang raised his head to look at the ceiling. After staying like that briefly, he said to the scholars who had been Tang Qing’s subordinates.

“Those who know even a little about Yunnan’s Medicine Sect, step forward.”

Six of the scholars stepped forward.

Jin Ja-gang raised his hand.

“Only now finding the reason for revenge spanning long years, blaming my own inadequacy for barely finding my path, I offer these people’s blood to the Medicine Sect family members who died without knowing why.”

Desolate killing intent swirled.

When the scholars who sensed something was wrong tried to dodge, thin lines had already cut across their necks.

Six heads and bodies separated.

Plop, roll roll.

The remaining scholars looked at Jin Ja-gang with fearful eyes.

“Anyone who wants to follow King of Hell’s footsteps even now, step forward.”

The scholars didn’t hesitate and immediately bowed their heads.

Jin Ja-gang said to Tang Gwi-ok’s receivers.

“My business is finished. The family head can take in the remaining ones.”

The receivers also bowed their heads.

Jin Ja-gang immediately left the office and headed toward Tang Qing.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang looked down at the lying Tang Qing.

Tang Qing lay with his eyes closed, acupuncture needles stuck all over his body. Even Divine Physician An Yul-jin couldn’t guarantee when Tang Qing might wake up.

But Jin Ja-gang began speaking as if conversing with him.

“I solved the riddle you posed.”

“…”

“Salt.”

“…”

“It’s no use pretending you don’t understand. From now on, I’ll find and destroy everything you were trying to do. And I’ll find and crush those you joined hands with.”

“…”

“Watch well from there. You’ll be last.”

Jin Ja-gang looked down at Tang Qing a bit longer, then left.

Long after Jin Ja-gang left, the eyebrows of Tang Qing, who lay as if dead, trembled slightly.

Twitch…

* * *

It was certain that salt would be the medium for Five Path Fatal Pills.

And Jin Ja-gang could recall clues he had carelessly overlooked one by one, even predicting through what route that salt would be delivered to martial sects.

Trading companies dealing with martial sects!

It was the only route that could simultaneously spread salt containing Five Path Fatal Pills poison to medium and large sect martial artists.

And generally, those in high positions in martial sects, or even ordinary disciples not in high positions… had no particular interest in salt, which was merely one of hundreds of seasonings…

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