Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 109 - Merchant King (3)
Chapter 109 – Merchant King (3)
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The reply to my request to see the Merchant King came only a few days later. An errand boy from the Huaiyin branch of Janggyeong Merchant Company came to deliver a letter.
Judging by the time it would have taken Son Yeong-ui to travel from Huaiyin to Nanjing, where Janggyeong Merchant Company’s main branch and the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company were located, it seemed the request had been accepted with barely any deliberation. In any case, we had to pass through Anhui to return to Hubei, so there was no need to change our route.
“Merchant King, huh. Is he really that great?”
Myeong-yeop asked in an uninterested tone.
“He is.”
“Really? If you were to compare him to the martial world, how great are we talking?”
“The number one person under heaven.”
“Seriously? That much?”
“Yes.”
That really was the truth without exaggeration. The merchants currently dominating the Central Plains were represented by the Huizhou Fifteen Clans and the Four Shanxi Families. And among them, the one at the very top was the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company of Merchant King Yeo Bul-jin.
“That’s pretty surprising.”
Myeong-yeop shrank back a little. Comparing someone to the number one person under heaven apparently startled him.
“But why is he calling even us?”
As Myeong-yeop said, Yeo Bul-jin had not invited only me. He had invited my Wudang Senior Brothers as well. The reason was obvious.
“Do you know which sect the Huizhou merchants have most wanted to cooperate with?”
“Which one?”
“Ours.”
“Really? Why?”
Myeong-yeop looked as though he had never heard such a thing. Which made sense. Wudang truly had no interest in the commercial world.
Even in my previous life, Wudang had maintained its lofty position. For Wudang to have entered the commercial world because of me, that was in truth a historical change on the level of upheaval.
“What province lies between Shanxi and Anhui?”
“Henan.”
“Right. And Shaolin is in Henan, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Shaolin is on the side of the Shanxi merchants.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”
“It’s something that quietly circulates in the commercial world, so martial artists would have no way of knowing.”
The Shanxi merchants and Shaolin had historically cooperated. Shaolin had often sent martial monks to block northern foreign invaders, and that had led them to become close with the Shanxi merchants as well. In that sense, it was inevitable that the Shanxi merchants and Shaolin would become linked.
“So from the Huizhou merchants’ point of view, they can only feel uneasy. Henan, which lies right up against Anhui, has effectively become the Shanxi merchants’ territory.”
“I can see why.”
“Wudang is recognized in the martial world as Shaolin’s only true rival. And on top of that, it’s in Hubei, which borders both Anhui and Henan. Geographically and politically, recruiting Wudang is the best possible option.”
“I see. It’s all rather complicated.”
Myeong-yeop understood that much at least, but Myeong-gyeong, Myeong-seong, and Myeong-jin behind him all had vague, unfocused eyes. At their age, it was difficult to understand the geographical matters on top of the political dynamics built around them.
“So the Merchant King will be more interested in Wudang than in me. I’m just an extra, you might say.”
“But there’s nothing I can really do for him.”
“Just passing along words would be enough. Look forward to it. He’ll probably offer you the finest treatment one can receive in the Central Plains.”
Myeong-yeop’s eyes wavered slightly. As a Daoist, he shouldn’t be swayed by that sort of hospitality, but the finest treatment in the Central Plains was certainly tempting.
“Then does that mean we’ll get to eat lots of delicious things?”
At that, even Myeong-gyeong, who had been behind us, suddenly poked his head in, his ears having perked up.
“Of course. There may even be dishes I haven’t tried before.”
“Wow!”
Not only Myeong-gyeong, but Myeong-seong and Myeong-jin too had a change in their eyes.
They were children who had lived on greens and were only now awakening to the taste of meat. I almost wondered whether all this delicious food would make their standards too high.
That was how we set out from Huaiyin for Nanjing. Now that the flags of both our Radiant Crystal Merchant Company and the Wudang Sect flew together, no one picked a fight with us.
In the first place, Jiangsu Province was territory of the Huizhou merchants, so the trade roads were kept in good condition for peddling. The wandering fighters had already dealt with the third-rate martial artists who tried to demand tolls.
The roads were good, and no one caused trouble, so we reached Nanjing very quickly.
Once we arrived in Nanjing, I realized I had forgotten a small problem.
“But where exactly was the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company again…?”
I was hazy on the location of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company. Nanjing was just that wide a city.
I asked people for directions. Every single person’s reaction was the same.
“What, you don’t know the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company? Must be an outsider.”
“It’s not easy to miss a place that flashy.”
At those words, I turned my head, and only then did the signboard reading Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company come into view on a building so splendid it jutted out even within the city.
Only then did I remember. At this time, the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was also famous for having the most lavish estate.
I had even heard that the imperial family rented annexes of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company’s estate as vacation villas.
A merchant company that handled even royal vacations. I could only admit that the authority of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was extraordinary.
In fact, even seen from outside, the sheer size of the estate was not merely immense but magnificent.
“Who are you?”
As we approached the gate, a guard of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company asked us politely.
In truth, guards belonging to households or merchant companies this great were often rude. They identified themselves with their master’s wealth.
But the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was strict about that sort of thing. That was because Yeo Bul-jin had said that anyone could become their customer, so anyone bearing the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company’s name must treat all others kindly.
‘He really is an outstanding merchant.’
Perhaps just a little lacking compared to me.
“I’m Muk Hui-yeong of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company.”
I was about to introduce myself and take out the invitation, but the guard understood immediately.
“So you’re the Lord of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company. We’ve been waiting for your arrival.”
“I see. Thank you for saying so.”
“Not at all. It’s our duty. Still, there is a procedure, so may I see the invitation once?”
“Of course.”
I took out the invitation and showed it to him. Holding it up to the sunlight, the guard inspected it, then nodded.
“It’s genuine. I’ll guide you in.”
With crisp efficiency, the guard opened the gate. The moment he did, exclamations burst out from all of us at once.
“Wow.”
I was just as astonished. I too had once indulged in luxuries for an estate, but not to this degree.
The first thing that entered our eyes was the main hall of the headquarters itself. From the lapis lazuli dragon ornaments hanging from the roof eaves, to the golden tiles blanketing the roof, to the beautifully embroidered decorative flowers.
Even the road leading to the hall was paved in marble. On the left side lay a lake, and on the right trees and flowers had been planted. It truly seemed like this was what it would look like if a Peach Blossom Spring descended into the mortal world.
“It’s incredible.”
I gave the guard my sincere admiration. The guard only answered with a courteous smile.
These luxurious halls and these kindly attendants. That was the strategy the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company had chosen, and it drew effective responses from ordinary people. If the goods and the prices were the same, people ended up buying from the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company. The more I turned it over in my mind, the more obvious it was that Yeo Bul-jin was a very capable man.
“I am informed that the guests His Lordship will be meeting are Company Lord Muk and the four disciples of Wudang. The others will be guided to a hall where they can rest.”
“Very well.”
The members of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company followed the guard to another hall, while my Senior Brothers and I were guided by someone else. He looked not like a martial artist but like a merchant dressed in fine silk robes.
“Company Lord, and honored Daoists of Wudang, please follow me.”
Following the friendly merchant, we walked through the estate. There were even rare-looking birds flying through it. They did not seem like birds that had merely wandered in, but birds being raised here.
I almost asked about them, but stayed silent in case I looked like a country bumpkin. Looking to the side, it seemed my Senior Brothers had similar thoughts, given how their lips twitched.
The main hall had seemed close enough to touch, but walking to it took half a gak. The inside of the hall was no less splendid than the outside. In fact, it was more splendid. Statues, paintings, and ornaments hung everywhere.
The door to the Company Lord’s room of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company was lavish enough to be recognizable even from afar. Sure enough, the merchant went to that very door, grasped the handle, and knocked.
“Company Lord. The guests from the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company and Wudang have arrived.”
“Good.”
A heavy voice sounded from within. When the door opened, two men came into view. One was a large man dressed in coarse cotton, while the other was a slight man dressed in silk.
The furniture, including the chairs and desk, all looked expensive enough that the man dressed in coarse cotton stood out even more.
I had expected the smaller man to approach me. But the one who stood and came toward us was the large man in coarse cotton.
“I am Yeo Bul-jin of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company.”
I was slightly surprised. The last time I had seen Yeo Bul-jin in my previous life had been at least twenty years later than now.
The Yeo Bul-jin I knew had been small, with wrinkled eyelids and gloomy eyes. But the Yeo Bul-jin before me now had bright eyes, taut skin, and broad shoulders stretched wide.
Looking closely, I saw that a flexible sword hung at the waist of the smaller man. The smaller man was the escort, and that large man was Yeo Bul-jin.
‘So this is what he looked like when he was young.’
For the first time in a long while, I felt overwhelmed by a person.
Then again, the current me was not yet the master of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company with a merchant company of Great House class. At most, I was the owner of a fledgling merchant company.
Meeting a giant of the age from such a position made me shrink for an instant. But only for an instant. I straightened my chest and clasped the hand Yeo Bul-jin offered.
“I’m Muk Hui-yeong of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company.”
“You put your own name on your merchant company. You must have high self-regard.”
“Ha ha.”
Yeo Bul-jin tossed out that barbed joke, then turned toward the Wudang Daoists and cupped his fists.
“I am Yeo Bul-jin of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company. I never imagined I would see Daoists of Wudang in my own merchant company, so I am greatly pleased.”
He had offered me a handshake and offered fist-cupping to the people of Wudang. It was a sign of respect.
Myeong-yeop and my other Senior Brothers understood that and returned the salute.
“I’m Myeong-yeop of Wudang.”
“I’m Myeong-gyeong.”
“I’m Myeong-seong.”
“I’m Myeong-jin.”
Even Myeong-gyeong, who usually spoke casually whenever he could, used polite speech this time. It did not seem to be merely because I had told them Yeo Bul-jin was the number one person under heaven in the martial sense.
The current Yeo Bul-jin truly carried the kind of build and overpowering presence that could dominate people. Along with the ease that only belonged to those who had succeeded and been recognized by all.
“Excellent. It is good to meet you.”
Yeo Bul-jin sat in a splendid chair, while the escort remained standing and arranged seats for us. We sat in a row opposite Yeo Bul-jin.
“The tea is being prepared, so let us speak after it comes.”
“Very well.”
There was another door beside us. It was likely the escort’s space. Through the narrow gap in the door drifted the fragrant scent of tea being brewed.
In the meantime, Yeo Bul-jin said nothing, only looked us in the eyes with a gaze heavy enough to feel burdensome. Myeong-yeop and my other Wudang Senior Brothers even found themselves looking away.
“Interesting.”
Yeo Bul-jin murmured it with a smile. There was a strange weight in that smile. He had said almost nothing, yet it made my heart tighten. I did my best to shake off the pressure.
Soon the side door opened and the escort came out carrying a tray with teacups on it. It seemed he handled personal service as well as guarding.
“Now then, before we talk, let us each take a sip of tea.”
Yeo Bul-jin said as he lifted his teacup. We followed suit and took a sip.
The tea was so delicious that even my eyes widened. Come to think of it, had Yeo Bul-jin not been said to have a great interest in the Way of Tea? Tea served by someone who truly understood tea was unquestionably exceptional.
“It’s delicious.”
“Is that so? That pleases me.”
Yeo Bul-jin laughed heartily. Then the laughter stopped.
“First, I would like to hear from the Company Lord. I was told you wished to see me.”
“That’s correct.”
I steadied myself. From here on out, this was going to be a tightrope act. What I had to say was sensitive.
“For what reason?”
Yeo Bul-jin asked directly. Then I would have to answer directly as well.
“Yeo Hong-yang, not Young Master Yeo Hong-won, is the suitable heir to the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company.”
At my words, the Wudang Senior Brothers seated beside me all turned their heads toward me at once.