Chapter 29

“Raaah! Kill them!”

“Smash it down!”

An attack.

They had struck in the dead of night, when everyone was asleep.

They smashed through the main gate and beat down every guard who rushed at them.

But—

Why the Sacheok Gang?

Yi Chiseong, chief steward of the Cheongyang Merchant Guild, could scarcely make sense of it.

These were the men who had gone to kill Jinmu the day before.

They had reportedly lost him because of the Jegal Clan’s interference and sent their men out to track his party through the night.

Yet—

Why were those three standing beside Gong Sacheok?

Jinmu, Cheongsang, Cheongu.

No amount of rubbing the eyes could change it. It was definitely them.

Why was Gong Sacheok bowing and scraping, doing their dirty work?

What on earth had happened in the space of a day?

And why were the Sacheok Gang’s thugs trying so damned hard?

Even with their limbs broken and blades cutting into them, they fought the guild’s guards for all they were worth.

“Strike down the villains of the Cheongyang Merchant Guild!”

Had they gone mad?

“Show them Wudang’s righteous spirit!”

They had gone mad.

These back-alley thugs were acting as though they were Wudang disciples.

“Stop them! I said, stop them!”

Yi Chiseong shouted with neck veins bulging, slowly edging backward.

Whatever the reason for this, the guild’s current guards could not stop them.

Even as a mere chief steward, Yi Chiseong had heard endlessly about Gong Sacheok’s martial prowess.

His men were one thing, but Gong Sacheok himself was strong.

Strong enough that no guard employed by any merchant guild in Danjiangkou could match him.

Yi Chiseong intended to slip away while everyone was fighting.

Geum Jeoksan had to be told at once.

Once informed of Gong Sacheok’s betrayal, Geum Jeoksan could get the U Family Estate to act.

With their own guilty consciences, they would hardly sit idle.

Surely U Munheum, the estate’s master, would come in person—

Wham!

Just as Yi Chiseong started to escape, a huge foot came flying into view.

“Gack!”

Countless men had been beaten down.

A long line stretched out.

Every face was swollen and bruised blue. They knelt on the ground, surrounded by the Sacheok Gang’s thugs.

And in their midst was Yi Chiseong, chief steward of the Cheongyang Merchant Guild, wearing an expression of utter humiliation.

“Ugh… hic…”

Tears flowed freely at the wretchedness of it all.

Gong Sacheok, you treacherous bastard.

Betrayal might be as natural as breathing to the unorthodox faction, but who could have imagined he would throw in his lot with Wudang?

And—

Who could have known they would come just after Geum Jeoksan and all the guild’s main fighters had left on a smuggling run?

“How could you do this? You took a contract to kill him, and now you’re doing his bidding?”

Yi Chiseong glared at Gong Sacheok and roared.

Despite a badly bruised face and being forced to kneel, the chief steward remained defiant.

“Hey, Steward. Eyes down.”

“…”

At Jinmu’s words, Yi Chiseong looked up indignantly.

A Taoist so much younger than the chief steward.

A little strength was no excuse for treating an elder with such disrespect.

But Gong Sacheok moved before Jinmu could, savagely kicking Yi Chiseong in the stomach.

“You shon of a bish! How dare you glare at the great hero!”

Gong Sacheok seized the chief steward by the collar and glowered, but his toothless mumbling was impossible to understand.

Yi Chiseong immediately looked down all the same.

A beating made a person behave.

That was an unwritten law, regardless of age or sex.

And it worked all the better when the pain chilled you to the bone.

Desperate to save his own skin, Gong Sacheok demonstrated his loyalty to Jinmu by beating Yi Chiseong and the guild’s warriors all the more viciously.

In the early hours of the previous day, Jinmu had made him an offer: he would overlook Gong Sacheok’s attack on Wudang disciples.

If he helped with just one thing.

The orthodox and unorthodox factions were natural enemies.

All the more so when the orthodox sect in question was Wudang, heir to the Taoist tradition.

Yet Jinmu was willing to overlook it.

He would not punish someone who had tried to kill him.

Such mercy!

Gong Sacheok no longer had to live in fear.

His worry that he might have made an enemy of Wudang and would have to spend the rest of his life on the run vanished in an instant.

And in that instant, he forgot everything: that Jinmu had killed dozens of his men, beaten him like a dog, and knocked out every last tooth, leaving him unable to speak properly.

Gong Sacheok had received instruction from a master of Heuksabang through a connection of his, then worked himself to the bone to reach Qi Manifestation.

That was why he was so skilled for a thug.

Yet despite having enough ability to found a respectable minor sect, he had become the boss of Danjiangkou’s back-alley thugs.

There might have been better positions available, but he was a petty man at heart. He had chosen to be a snake’s head rather than a dragon’s tail.

Living large as the boss of Danjiangkou’s thugs was far better than being just another member of a great sect’s fighting force.

As long as he stayed on the Jegal Clan’s good side, he could reign as king of the underworld.

And—

If Jinmu forgave him for this, he could continue living that life.

How could he ever repay such kindness?

That was why he threw himself into fucking up the Cheongyang Merchant Guild with every ounce of strength he had.

To repay even a fraction of Jinmu’s mercy.

“Where’s Geum Jeoksan?”

Jinmu waved Gong Sacheok back and questioned Yi Chiseong.

“W-well…”

“Are you going to answer?”

Pressed by Jinmu, Yi Chiseong thought furiously.

When no answer came, the loyal(?) Gong Sacheok raised his broad saber, a hole punched through its blade, and held it threateningly near the chief steward’s throat.

What was the right answer?

With Gong Sacheok captured, the U Family Estate’s involvement was as good as exposed.

Of course, they must also know the Cheongyang Merchant Guild had played a part.

One wrong move, and they would all be ruined.

Slide.

The cold blade at Yi Chiseong’s throat pressed into the skin.

“Hhk!”

This was no time to think of others or stand by them.

Survival came first.

“The guild master has gone to conduct a transaction…”

“A transaction? Don’t lie! What merchant guild does business in the middle of the night?”

Cheongsang exploded at the answer.

“Well, it’s an illicit transaction…”

“Still at it, are you?”

Hold on, Cheongsang.

Jinmu caught Cheongsang as he advanced angrily on Yi Chiseong.

Having overheard their conversation back at Wudang, Jinmu already knew the Cheongyang Merchant Guild dealt in smuggled goods.

Such transactions were illegal and secretive.

They often involved goods banned by the authorities. Most were heavily taxed, and, crucially, expensive.

Play it right, and you could make your fortune.

Oh? They had a smuggling deal lined up? No wonder there were so few guards compared with yesterday.

Jinmu stroked his chin.

Smuggling. The risks came with far greater profits than legitimate trade.

And if the deal was taking place right now?

Heh heh. He had come for revenge and stumbled onto an unexpected windfall.

With a little luck, he could clear the ditch and catch the crayfish too.

Yes. This was revenge.

He would simply collect a small fee for the trouble of exerting himself in the process.

Hadn’t he intended to milk the Cheongyang Merchant Guild for money anyway?

I might have to open a few more accounts at the banking house.

In an instant, Jinmu devised a plan to raid the exchange and seize everything. He calmed Cheongsang, then casually questioned Yi Chiseong.

With a sly smile thrown in for good measure.

“Why did Geum Jeoksan go himself instead of sending his underlings?”

“Well…”

As Yi Chiseong hesitated, Gong Sacheok’s broad saber dug deeper into the chief steward’s neck.

“G-gunpowder. That’s what they’re trading this time…”

“What?”

Were these bastards insane?

He had assumed it would be something like salt, porcelain, or Longjing tea.

At the mention of gunpowder, Jinmu sprang to his feet. Beside him, not only Cheongsang but even Cheongu was visibly shocked.

Trading gunpowder?

They had to be utterly out of their minds.

It might be used for fireworks at the Spring Festival, the Double Ninth Festival, or banquets, but gunpowder was also the charge used in cannons.

In other words, an essential material for war.

Not even a small quantity could be traded without reporting it to the authorities.

Noninterference between the government and the martial world.

The founding emperor of the current dynasty had received help from the martial world while establishing his rule and issued an edict to that effect. Passed down through the generations, it had become a tradition.

But for that tradition to endure, martial artists had certain rules to follow.

They must not harm civilian households.

They must not take part in treason.

And they must never touch gunpowder, which was controlled by the military.

However tremendous its power, none of the three factions—orthodox, unorthodox, or demonic—dared covet gunpowder lightly.

That was an unspoken code within the martial world, a fact known even to the decidedly dim Cheongu.

One wrong move could bring a million soldiers of the Imperial Guard down on the martial world and wipe it out entirely.

And yet—

Some middling local merchant guild was trading gunpowder?

Hah. Geum Jeoksan, you bastard. You really are a raving lunatic. I know you like money, but still.

Then again, that explained why a mere merchant guild had joined a plot to assassinate Wudang disciples.

As Jinmu stared in disbelief, Cheongsang whispered cautiously.

“Um, Martial Uncle. If it’s gunpowder, shouldn’t we inform the authorities?”

“Hmm.”

Jinmu considered it for a moment.

He had hoped to take his revenge and pocket the smuggled goods and money as a bonus… Damn it. Of all things, gunpowder.

This was far too big.

A pity, but he had no choice but to give it up.

He was a Taoist now, after all.

There was no point risking his life over needless trouble.

“Hey, Steward. Where’s the exchange taking place?”

“Th-the reed beds at the reservoir to the north.”

“The reed beds, eh?”

Jinmu nodded.

If gunpowder was involved, it seemed he would have to call in the authorities.

“Cheongsang, go straight to the Danjiangkou county office. Tell them you’re a Wudang disciple and report the illicit gunpowder deal.”

For something like this, the quick-witted Cheongsang was far better suited than Cheongu.

“Yes! But what about you, Martial Uncle?”

“Me? I’m going to go fuck them up.”

“By yourself? Wouldn’t it be better to go with the authorities?”

That wouldn’t do.

He absolutely had to get there first.

Even if he couldn’t take the gunpowder, he was collecting his fee, no matter what.

“Cheongsang.”

“Yes, Martial Uncle!”

“There’s no time. If they finish the exchange first, we may lose the trail of their smuggling operation.”

“Ah!”

“So I’ll go ahead and hold them there. And don’t worry about me. Haven’t I got dependable reinforcements?”

Jinmu looked at Gong Sacheok, who was grinning ingratiatingly at him, desperate to win his favor.

“But he’s…”

“Cheongsang.”

“Yes?”

“Trust your martial uncle.”

“Understood. Please take care, then. I’ll hurry over with the government troops.”

“Good. I’ll see you there.”