Three weeks later.
Guizhou, Weng An.
“Hahaha! Good! Good! Really good!”
Lee Ui Chae danced and laughed out loud.
He liked the weight of the pocket he was holding.
Lee Ui Chae was certainly a merchant that was great enough to be called as the Merchant King in the future. He displayed his talents for doing business without regrets and earned money.
He hit the mark on the distribution of the products, the period, etc. He bought good quality products for the cheapest price possible and sold them at a reasonable price. Even though it may seem simple to do that, it wasn’t something anyone could do. The Merchant King was just too good in this.
Even the branch manager of Kae An, Shin Do Gyun, started to gain interest in his skills and he also gave him a commission not long ago.
It has been three weeks since he started doing business in Weng An and he had already spread to Kae An. The entire Guizhou didn’t seem to be far away.
Aside from that, he also earned money through other methods.
The Golden Merchant Organization didn’t only provide provisions but also weapons.
It wasn’t at an impressive level yet, they mostly picked up the weapons that were thrown away in the battlefield and sold them to the smithies of Chongqing.
After buying low ranked equipment from the smithies in Chongqing, they went out to the front lines to sell them to the warriors or ronins.
There were times when greedy ronins or vulgar fellows from nearby factions aimed for them but they calmly gave up on the idea when they heard that the organization was connected to the branch of Weng An and to Shin Do Gyun.
The only ones that could touch the Golden Merchant Organization in Guizhou was the River of Death, which opposed the Murim Association.
“Huhihi! It’s money, money!”
Lee Ui Chae laughed in a weird way and jumped in joy.
Money and especially gold filled up his heart. He enjoyed counting money more than embracing women.
Honestly speaking, Lee Ui Chae didn’t understand why people fell for alcohol and women.
“Smelling or touching is enough with money. Huhu, these guys…i’m dying, dying.”
Lee Ui Chae rubbed his face on a mountain of silver coins with enchanted eyes.
It hurt a bit but even that turned into a pleasant feeling.
“Buhihi, hihihi…”
It was madness that even the Blood Sect and the Demonic Sect would get tired of.
“Ah, I am greatly indebted to great Master Ju. If it wasn’t for him, I would still be licking someone’s butt.”
Lee Ui Chae removed his face from the mountain of silver coins.
“I want to pay back that debt but what can I do if he’s not in this world anymore? What should I do young noble Ju?”
He started to speak with less honorifics.
“Young noble Ju, have an easy passage into eternity. I will send you silver coins for…no, silver coins are a bit too much. He’s someone that doesn’t exist in this world anyways. Then, three pennies? Two pennies? No…even a single penny is too much. How will a dead person use money? Let’s just send him my feelings.”
Lee Ui Chae clasped his hands and bowed.
“Ju.. what was it? I don’t even remember his name.”
Lee Ui Chae completely forgot about the Ju whatever it was.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
Lee Ui Chae cleaned up the silver coins and asked.
“Head merchant, a martial artist says that he wants to meet you.”
A warrior that was guarding the door replied.
“Does he look like he has a lot of money?”
“He looks penniless.”
“Did he say that he belongs to one of the Nine Factions, the Five Segas or the Murim Association?”
“He says he’s a ronin.”
“Is he famous?”
“He’s not.”
“Chase him out!”
It would have been different before but right now, he didn’t have time to spend on that kind of person. It was much better to find something that was more profitable at that time.
“Yes.”
The conversation ended.
Lee Ui Chae took out the gold coins this time and started to count them. His lips curled up to the point it made people looking at it feel bad.
Knock knock.
“Agh, what now!”
Lee Ui Chae stood up from his seat.
“May I enter?”
A voice was heard from outside the door but the voice belonged to someone besides the warrior that spoke just now.
“Yes, come in!”
It was a familiar voice. He wondered if he was a guard that belonged to a branch of his organization.
Creeeeak.
The door entered and a kid that looked like he had just come of age entered the room.
“Uagh!”
Lee Ui Chae screamed and fell back.
“Yo, you, you are!”
Lee Ui Chae pointed at the man with trembling fingers.
“You don’t look well, head merchant. Are you ready to raid the treasury?”
“Huaaak! It’s a ghost! It’s undoubtedly a ghost!”
Lee Ui Chae embraced the money pockets and curled down.
“Don’t go killing people as you wish, head merchant.”
Ju Seo Cheon smirked and turned to look back.
“Come in.”
“What about the warrior that passed out?”
A kid that seemed to be nine or ten years old followed behind Ju Seo Cheon. He was a kid that looked weaker than kids his age.
“Don’t tell me…”
Lee Ui Chae’s eyes trembled when he saw the kid.
“He’s Zhuge Seung Kye. Do you know about him?”
“There are two ghosts! Fall back! I can’t give you a single penny to you!”
Lee Ui Chae was horrified and started to scream.
“Is there no one there!”
“You are noisy, head merchant.”
Ju Seo Cheon slammed the wall with his fist and a small hole appeared with a loud noise.
“I didn’t die and I’m right in front of you right now so please be quiet. There’s something I want to talk about.”
Lee Ui Chae raised his head slightly and confirmed the hole in the wall. And then, he stood up immediately and acted in a cringy way as if what he had shown until now was all a lie.
“Murim said that the Great Master had died but I didn’t once doubt that you would be alive, Great Master!”
Lee Ui Chae was really shameless.
One news struck hard on Murim about three weeks ago.
The death of a Hundred Expert, the Slipping Water Spearman Yook Dae Rang. And that the one that killed him was the Fourteenth Gallant Sword, Gu Pung.
Experts always attracted the attention of Murim and it also became a topic. What happened that day spread like rumors in no time.
“But why did you fight?”
“Don’t those pirates request for toll fees when you cross the Yangtze River? It seems like the kids of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega couldn’t endure their anger and struck first.”
“Ho, certainly the future of the Nine Factions and the Five Segas. Mm, right. They are indeed martial artists of the Righteous Faction. It turned out well.”
The Nine Fleets of the Water Forest were called as chivalrous robbers and guardians but that was all nonsense. In the end, they were a group of bandits that stole other’s possessions.
It wasn’t only people of Murim, but even normal citizens felt refreshed when they heard those news.
“But the kids that could be called the future lost their lives.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Ju Seo Cheon and Zhuge Seung Kye were treated as missing.
Because of that, the Murim of the Righteous Faction was in an uproar.
One of them was a member of the pride of Mount Hua, the Lotus Peak and the other one was a nephew of the family that led the Zhuge Sega.
Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega, which were the victims here, were so enraged they almost invaded their enemies.
“Do you know everything up to this point?”
Lee Ui Chae stopped speaking and wet his throat with tea.
“Yes, I somewhat heard it through the rumors but I don’t know what happened after that.”
“Indeed.”
Lee Ui Chae nodded and continued speaking.
“Before Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega could even inquire anything, the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest justified themselves saying that it was self-defense.”
“That’s a lie. That never happened.”
“Most people should already know. That is because the death of Great Master brought great repercussions, especially here in Weng An. They also heard about the details of what happened.”
However, Mount Hua and Zhuge Sega didn’t deny that argument as the rumors had spread as much as it could.
It wasn’t only in Kang Ho but most people in the Midlands thought that the group of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega couldn’t endure the injustice of the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest and attacked first. And they were actually being praised for that.
However, the position of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega would become vague if they denied that.
It could also mean as having stayed silent and allowed the injustice being done by the pirates.
If that happened, they would get criticized so they weren’t able to deny the rumors.
Even if Ju Seo Cheon’s and Zhuge Seung Kye’s identities weren’t ordinary, they weren’t at a level where they would consider to brave a controversy and avenge them.
“In the end, no one could give out an opinion about the matter and it ended like this. Great Master should also know this but Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega aren’t able to move as they wish because of the other forces of Murim.”
The damages they would suffer if they fought against the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest head on wasn’t normal. That would be a shattering in the balance of the forces. What came after that would be war aiming at the weakened Righteous Faction.
“However, Great Master Ju and young Master Zhuge have returned in the middle of that. Just what happened?”
Lee Ui Chae looked at the faces of the two people like he still couldn’t believe it.
“We were separated from the group and were washed away to a farther place by the Yangtze River. We almost reached Hubei like that.”
It was hard taking care of Zhuge Seung Kye, who had lost consciousness, when he had also suffered injuries but fortunately he managed to survive.
“We went south from Hubei to Hunan and then returned here to Guizhou. That’s why it took some time.”
“No, why did you return? Hubei is the territory of the Righteous Faction and on top of that…isn’t the Zhuge Sega over there?”
“That’s why.”
Ju Seo Cheon put on a vague smile and spoke before Lee Ui Chae could say anything.
“They would make a fuss if Seung Kye or I get discovered and each of us will have to return to Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega and get protected. If that happens we wouldn’t be able to come out for a few years. Then, we just have to give up on the treasury of the Three Eyed Immoral God.”
“Ah….!”
Lee Ui Chae let out an exclamation.
“However…ah, it’s nothing.”
The treasury wouldn’t run away but it may get raided by someone else if he delayed anymore.
‘The treasury may really exist if I looking at the lengths he is willing to go to.’
He had heard of it about three weeks, no, a month ago but he was still not fully convinced. Precisely speaking, he didn’t think anything about it.
He had unconsciously taken care of things to obtain the commercializing rights of the provisions for the army.
But today, his thoughts changed when he saw how Ju Seo Cheon came to find him while keeping it a secret from others.
“The reason you brought young Master Zhuge is to take a secret mission? Indeed, Great Master is really thorough. You got a person and even prepared thoroughly for the plan…As expected of the Great Master.”
Lee Ui Chae rubbed his palms and made an obvious flattery.
“That’s not the case. Seung Kye is a business associate. It will be impossible to raid the treasury without him.”
Ju Seo Cheon started to speak about the mechanisms that were installed in the treasury.
“Are you certain the treasury exists?”
Zhuge Seung Kye put on a doubtful face from the side.
“Whether it is certain or not, you should just follow me. Little brother, you wouldn’t betray your life savior right?”
“Ugh.”
It seemed like Zhuge Seung Kye had something to say but he shut his mouth.
Ju Seo Cheon had made Zhuge Seung Kye follow him under the pretense that he was his savior.
Zhuge Seung Kye really disliked that but the debt still lingered on his mind so he still followed Ju Seo Cheon even though he was obviously dissatisfied.
“Now, head merchant. Are you ready for it?”
Ju Seo Cheon smiled faintly.
“I will follow you Great Master!”
Three weeks later.
Guizhou, Weng An.
“Hahaha! Good! Good! Really good!”
Lee Ui Chae danced and laughed out loud.
He liked the weight of the pocket he was holding.
Lee Ui Chae was certainly a merchant that was great enough to be called as the Merchant King in the future. He displayed his talents for doing business without regrets and earned money.
He hit the mark on the distribution of the products, the period, etc. He bought good quality products for the cheapest price possible and sold them at a reasonable price. Even though it may seem simple to do that, it wasn’t something anyone could do. The Merchant King was just too good in this.
Even the branch manager of Kae An, Shin Do Gyun, started to gain interest in his skills and he also gave him a commission not long ago.
It has been three weeks since he started doing business in Weng An and he had already spread to Kae An. The entire Guizhou didn’t seem to be far away.
Aside from that, he also earned money through other methods.
The Golden Merchant Organization didn’t only provide provisions but also weapons.
It wasn’t at an impressive level yet, they mostly picked up the weapons that were thrown away in the battlefield and sold them to the smithies of Chongqing.
After buying low ranked equipment from the smithies in Chongqing, they went out to the front lines to sell them to the warriors or ronins.
There were times when greedy ronins or vulgar fellows from nearby factions aimed for them but they calmly gave up on the idea when they heard that the organization was connected to the branch of Weng An and to Shin Do Gyun.
The only ones that could touch the Golden Merchant Organization in Guizhou was the River of Death, which opposed the Murim Association.
“Huhihi! It’s money, money!”
Lee Ui Chae laughed in a weird way and jumped in joy.
Money and especially gold filled up his heart. He enjoyed counting money more than embracing women.
Honestly speaking, Lee Ui Chae didn’t understand why people fell for alcohol and women.
“Smelling or touching is enough with money. Huhu, these guys…i’m dying, dying.”
Lee Ui Chae rubbed his face on a mountain of silver coins with enchanted eyes.
It hurt a bit but even that turned into a pleasant feeling.
“Buhihi, hihihi…”
It was madness that even the Blood Sect and the Demonic Sect would get tired of.
“Ah, I am greatly indebted to great Master Ju. If it wasn’t for him, I would still be licking someone’s butt.”
Lee Ui Chae removed his face from the mountain of silver coins.
“I want to pay back that debt but what can I do if he’s not in this world anymore? What should I do young noble Ju?”
He started to speak with less honorifics.
“Young noble Ju, have an easy passage into eternity. I will send you silver coins for…no, silver coins are a bit too much. He’s someone that doesn’t exist in this world anyways. Then, three pennies? Two pennies? No…even a single penny is too much. How will a dead person use money? Let’s just send him my feelings.”
Lee Ui Chae clasped his hands and bowed.
“Ju.. what was it? I don’t even remember his name.”
Lee Ui Chae completely forgot about the Ju whatever it was.
Knock knock.
“Who is it?”
Lee Ui Chae cleaned up the silver coins and asked.
“Head merchant, a martial artist says that he wants to meet you.”
A warrior that was guarding the door replied.
“Does he look like he has a lot of money?”
“He looks penniless.”
“Did he say that he belongs to one of the Nine Factions, the Five Segas or the Murim Association?”
“He says he’s a ronin.”
“Is he famous?”
“He’s not.”
“Chase him out!”
It would have been different before but right now, he didn’t have time to spend on that kind of person. It was much better to find something that was more profitable at that time.
“Yes.”
The conversation ended.
Lee Ui Chae took out the gold coins this time and started to count them. His lips curled up to the point it made people looking at it feel bad.
Knock knock.
“Agh, what now!”
Lee Ui Chae stood up from his seat.
“May I enter?”
A voice was heard from outside the door but the voice belonged to someone besides the warrior that spoke just now.
“Yes, come in!”
It was a familiar voice. He wondered if he was a guard that belonged to a branch of his organization.
Creeeeak.
The door entered and a kid that looked like he had just come of age entered the room.
“Uagh!”
Lee Ui Chae screamed and fell back.
“Yo, you, you are!”
Lee Ui Chae pointed at the man with trembling fingers.
“You don’t look well, head merchant. Are you ready to raid the treasury?”
“Huaaak! It’s a ghost! It’s undoubtedly a ghost!”
Lee Ui Chae embraced the money pockets and curled down.
“Don’t go killing people as you wish, head merchant.”
Ju Seo Cheon smirked and turned to look back.
“Come in.”
“What about the warrior that passed out?”
A kid that seemed to be nine or ten years old followed behind Ju Seo Cheon. He was a kid that looked weaker than kids his age.
“Don’t tell me…”
Lee Ui Chae’s eyes trembled when he saw the kid.
“He’s Zhuge Seung Kye. Do you know about him?”
“There are two ghosts! Fall back! I can’t give you a single penny to you!”
Lee Ui Chae was horrified and started to scream.
“Is there no one there!”
“You are noisy, head merchant.”
Ju Seo Cheon slammed the wall with his fist and a small hole appeared with a loud noise.
“I didn’t die and I’m right in front of you right now so please be quiet. There’s something I want to talk about.”
Lee Ui Chae raised his head slightly and confirmed the hole in the wall. And then, he stood up immediately and acted in a cringy way as if what he had shown until now was all a lie.
“Murim said that the Great Master had died but I didn’t once doubt that you would be alive, Great Master!”
Lee Ui Chae was really shameless.
One news struck hard on Murim about three weeks ago.
The death of a Hundred Expert, the Slipping Water Spearman Yook Dae Rang. And that the one that killed him was the Fourteenth Gallant Sword, Gu Pung.
Experts always attracted the attention of Murim and it also became a topic. What happened that day spread like rumors in no time.
“But why did you fight?”
“Don’t those pirates request for toll fees when you cross the Yangtze River? It seems like the kids of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega couldn’t endure their anger and struck first.”
“Ho, certainly the future of the Nine Factions and the Five Segas. Mm, right. They are indeed martial artists of the Righteous Faction. It turned out well.”
The Nine Fleets of the Water Forest were called as chivalrous robbers and guardians but that was all nonsense. In the end, they were a group of bandits that stole other’s possessions.
It wasn’t only people of Murim, but even normal citizens felt refreshed when they heard those news.
“But the kids that could be called the future lost their lives.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
Ju Seo Cheon and Zhuge Seung Kye were treated as missing.
Because of that, the Murim of the Righteous Faction was in an uproar.
One of them was a member of the pride of Mount Hua, the Lotus Peak and the other one was a nephew of the family that led the Zhuge Sega.
Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega, which were the victims here, were so enraged they almost invaded their enemies.
“Do you know everything up to this point?”
Lee Ui Chae stopped speaking and wet his throat with tea.
“Yes, I somewhat heard it through the rumors but I don’t know what happened after that.”
“Indeed.”
Lee Ui Chae nodded and continued speaking.
“Before Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega could even inquire anything, the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest justified themselves saying that it was self-defense.”
“That’s a lie. That never happened.”
“Most people should already know. That is because the death of Great Master brought great repercussions, especially here in Weng An. They also heard about the details of what happened.”
However, Mount Hua and Zhuge Sega didn’t deny that argument as the rumors had spread as much as it could.
It wasn’t only in Kang Ho but most people in the Midlands thought that the group of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega couldn’t endure the injustice of the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest and attacked first. And they were actually being praised for that.
However, the position of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega would become vague if they denied that.
It could also mean as having stayed silent and allowed the injustice being done by the pirates.
If that happened, they would get criticized so they weren’t able to deny the rumors.
Even if Ju Seo Cheon’s and Zhuge Seung Kye’s identities weren’t ordinary, they weren’t at a level where they would consider to brave a controversy and avenge them.
“In the end, no one could give out an opinion about the matter and it ended like this. Great Master should also know this but Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega aren’t able to move as they wish because of the other forces of Murim.”
The damages they would suffer if they fought against the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest head on wasn’t normal. That would be a shattering in the balance of the forces. What came after that would be war aiming at the weakened Righteous Faction.
“However, Great Master Ju and young Master Zhuge have returned in the middle of that. Just what happened?”
Lee Ui Chae looked at the faces of the two people like he still couldn’t believe it.
“We were separated from the group and were washed away to a farther place by the Yangtze River. We almost reached Hubei like that.”
It was hard taking care of Zhuge Seung Kye, who had lost consciousness, when he had also suffered injuries but fortunately he managed to survive.
“We went south from Hubei to Hunan and then returned here to Guizhou. That’s why it took some time.”
“No, why did you return? Hubei is the territory of the Righteous Faction and on top of that…isn’t the Zhuge Sega over there?”
“That’s why.”
Ju Seo Cheon put on a vague smile and spoke before Lee Ui Chae could say anything.
“They would make a fuss if Seung Kye or I get discovered and each of us will have to return to Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega and get protected. If that happens we wouldn’t be able to come out for a few years. Then, we just have to give up on the treasury of the Three Eyed Immoral God.”
“Ah….!”
Lee Ui Chae let out an exclamation.
“However…ah, it’s nothing.”
The treasury wouldn’t run away but it may get raided by someone else if he delayed anymore.
‘The treasury may really exist if I looking at the lengths he is willing to go to.’
He had heard of it about three weeks, no, a month ago but he was still not fully convinced. Precisely speaking, he didn’t think anything about it.
He had unconsciously taken care of things to obtain the commercializing rights of the provisions for the army.
But today, his thoughts changed when he saw how Ju Seo Cheon came to find him while keeping it a secret from others.
“The reason you brought young Master Zhuge is to take a secret mission? Indeed, Great Master is really thorough. You got a person and even prepared thoroughly for the plan…As expected of the Great Master.”
Lee Ui Chae rubbed his palms and made an obvious flattery.
“That’s not the case. Seung Kye is a business associate. It will be impossible to raid the treasury without him.”
Ju Seo Cheon started to speak about the mechanisms that were installed in the treasury.
“Are you certain the treasury exists?”
Zhuge Seung Kye put on a doubtful face from the side.
“Whether it is certain or not, you should just follow me. Little brother, you wouldn’t betray your life savior right?”
“Ugh.”
It seemed like Zhuge Seung Kye had something to say but he shut his mouth.
Ju Seo Cheon had made Zhuge Seung Kye follow him under the pretense that he was his savior.
Zhuge Seung Kye really disliked that but the debt still lingered on his mind so he still followed Ju Seo Cheon even though he was obviously dissatisfied.
“Now, head merchant. Are you ready for it?”
Ju Seo Cheon smiled faintly.
“I will follow you Great Master!”
