Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 182 - Return (1)

Chapter 182 – Return (1)

I don’t really know how I got back from the palace. My head stayed foggy the whole way. Seo Jong-haeng might have cursed at me for something while we were leaving the palace together, but I couldn’t remember it.

No one knew it yet, but just now I had fulfilled a long-cherished wish of the merchant world and written a piece of the history of trade in the Central Plains. The fact felt so unreal that even with my feet on the ground, I had the sensation of floating.

“Young Master Muk, you’re back.”

At the gentle voice calling me, I snapped my head up. There stood Peng Chae-hyang, with a massive saber as large as her own body planted beside her. Judging by the sweat on her brow, she had apparently been training. Just when had she made it all the way back to the inn?

From the Imperial Palace to the inn was at least half a quarter hour on foot. Which meant I had spent that entire time walking in a daze.

“Ah, yes.”

“Are you all right?”

“Pardon?”

“Your eyes aren’t focusing on anything. You’re not hurt somewhere, are you?”

“No. I’m fine.”

Oddly enough, the moment I saw Peng Chae-hyang, it felt as though I had returned to reality. As if the thread of connection tying Peng Chae-hyang and me together had dragged me back down to earth.

“By the way, you must look at my face closely under normal circumstances. That’s not something easy to notice right away.”

“W-what are you talking about! I said it because I was worried, and now you’re saying strange things!”

Blushing, Peng Chae-hyang snapped back and hurried inside the inn. I shouted after her retreating back.

“Pack your things and come out! We’re heading to Hubei right away!”

“You’re too loud!”

It’s always better when someone has some tease value to them. The sight of her stomping inside, that small back that made you want to swat it with your palm, overlapped a great deal with Gwan Seoye. But Gwan Seoye was no longer by my side.

When Seo Jong-haeng went to raid the Yunchang Merchant Company, they said everyone had already withdrawn. Judging by the timing, they had clearly fled as soon as their attempt to kidnap me failed. After all, a giant organization like the Yunchang Merchant Company couldn’t vanish overnight otherwise.

Where did they go?

That much I couldn’t know. But I did know one thing. One day, Gwan Seoye would come looking for me. She had taken an interest in the energy I possessed. Fanatical groups like the Demonic Cult did not easily revise a target once they had set it.

When I went inside the inn and gathered my things, I found Jo Chung-heon and Yu Cha-ryeon already sitting downstairs, fully prepared.

“It feels like it’s been a long time, Company Lord.”

“It really does.”

Jo Chung-heon smiled. And he was right, it truly had been a long time. The last time I’d seen him had been before I went to the palace to ask Wang Song for a favor.

After that, I had escorted Gwan Seoye, fled to the Hebei Peng Clan, and stayed there for about half a month. Then I had gone to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and even had audience with the Emperor.

I had sent letters to the inn where Jo Chung-heon and Yu Cha-ryeon were staying, telling them to take their time and enjoy some free time until I returned, but I still felt sorry for having left them waiting so long.

“How is Young Lady Peng?”

“She seems like a good person. Though I do think she dislikes me a little.”

Jo Chung-heon looked slightly downcast as he said it. Naturally, because before I went to see the Emperor I had sent Peng Chae-hyang ahead to the inn where Jo Chung-heon and Yu Cha-ryeon were staying, they had met first.

“No, it’s only because she’s not used to dealing with men. I doubt she dislikes you in particular.”

“Is that so? But how exactly did you bring the young lady of the Hebei Peng Clan back with you?”

“Haha. A lot happened. Let’s talk about it on the road.”

“Very well.”

Jo Chung-heon still looked as if he didn’t fully believe me even when I explained. Then again, given the distance Peng Chae-hyang kept from him, I could understand why he’d think that.

“Young Lady Yu, it’s been a while too.”

“Yes.”

“Did you see your father?”

“Yes. Somehow.”

Yu Cha-ryeon’s father was apparently serving in Beijing as an Assistant Minister of Personnel. She had said she didn’t want to see him because he didn’t even know she’d divorced, but it seemed she’d seen him after all.

“Were things resolved properly?”

“Well, what could he do even if they weren’t? We’ve already divorced.”

Yu Cha-ryeon shrugged. Her unconcerned reaction made me nod without thinking. An Assistant Minister of Personnel he might be, but to Yu Cha-ryeon he was still just one father. No parent ever truly won against a child.

And so I exchanged a few simple greetings with the people of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company.

“But why isn’t Young Lady Peng coming down?”

Yu Cha-ryeon brought it up, looking toward the stairs leading to the second floor where the guest rooms were. Peng Chae-hyang had definitely gone in even earlier than I had, yet she still hadn’t come down. We’d spent quite a while exchanging greetings already, too.

Just then there came a crashing noise from upstairs. One glance was enough to tell it was Peng Chae-hyang.

I was about to head up, but Yu Cha-ryeon stopped me by catching my shoulder.

“She’ll come on her own.”

Just as Yu Cha-ryeon said, not long afterward Peng Chae-hyang came descending the stairs.

“…Good heavens.”

At the sight of Peng Chae-hyang slowly coming down, Jo Chung-heon let out a sigh of admiration. She wore a bronze-toned palace jacket and a skirt that reached her ankles, and her already pale face had grown even whiter, as though she’d redone her makeup. The beauty she already possessed had bloomed into something dazzling. Even I was slightly taken aback, since this was my first time seeing Peng Chae-hyang dressed up like that.

She came down very carefully, step by step. Judging by her gait and the way she kept trying to move forward, it seemed she still wasn’t used to a skirt that long. If it was that inconvenient, why had she worn it?

There was dust on the side of her skirt, so the earlier crash had probably been her tripping over it. But I decided to pretend not to notice.

“Dust yourself off. It’d be a shame to ruin such a pretty skirt.”

Yu Cha-ryeon, however, did it for me, brushing the dust away the moment Peng Chae-hyang came close. It seemed Peng Chae-hyang hadn’t noticed it herself, because her face reddened at once.

“…Thank you.”

The difference in temperature between Peng Chae-hyang, who still felt like a young maiden, and Yu Cha-ryeon, who was brisk enough to feel cold, was immense. The Hebei Peng Clan was certainly a great house, but in political standing the Yu Family Estate of Jincheng was just as much a great house. There was no reason for her to feel inferior.

Then again, this wasn’t even about family standing. Yu Cha-ryeon simply had far more force of personality than Peng Chae-hyang. Was this the difference between someone who had been married and someone who had not?

“Let’s go.”

Jo Chung-heon led us to the stable where he had arranged the horses. Four healthy-looking horses stamped the ground. One glance was enough to tell they were gentle and fast. As expected, Jo Chung-heon was an excellent aide. It meant I didn’t have to worry about little details like this.

“I’ve met Daoists from Wudang before, but this is my first time actually going to Wudang.”

Peng Chae-hyang said it with a slightly excited face. In a sense, this was the first truly free journey of her life. It was easy enough to understand why she was thrilled.

“I thought martial artists met each other often.”

“Ah, the great families visit each other often enough, but unless you’re especially close, you don’t really go to the Nine Great Sects.”

Peng Chae-hyang answered Yu Cha-ryeon’s question. Since Jo Chung-heon, Yu Cha-ryeon, and I already knew each other, there wasn’t much left to talk about beyond exchanging greetings. But Peng Chae-hyang was the new arrival, so the questions naturally gathered around her.

“Young Lady Peng, do you know how to ride?”

“…Ah, yes.”

When Jo Chung-heon asked, Peng Chae-hyang replied while turning her head slightly away. She was apparently still awkward around men. Jo Chung-heon looked a little hurt, but there was nothing to be done. This was simply something they would have to get used to little by little.

And so the journey to Hubei began. There was no need to hurry, so we let the horses move at an easy pace. Jo Chung-heon and I rode in front, while Peng Chae-hyang and Yu Cha-ryeon followed behind.

“Young Lady Peng, have you ever left Beijing alone before?”

“No. Whenever I went out, Black Elder and White Elder were always with me.”

I asked without quite turning around. So she’d never gone beyond Beijing on her own. How exactly had I ended up leading Peng Chae-hyang on her first journey through the martial world? It did make me wonder if this was really right. Then again, it was surely far better than leaving her beneath a father who treated her with cold hostility.

“Then how did Young Lady Peng come to follow the Company Lord?”

Yu Cha-ryeon asked in curiosity. Peng Chae-hyang hesitated slightly. Since it involved her family circumstances, it was understandable that she might not want to speak of it, but little by little she told the story anyway.

Once the story ended, the mood grew slightly heavy. Then again, there was no easy way to chime in on another person’s family affairs.

“You’ve had a hard time.”

Quick-witted as ever, Jo Chung-heon slipped in a simple comment. Peng Chae-hyang looked flustered and hurried to add,

“Ah, I didn’t say it to create this kind of mood.”

“No, it was my fault for asking.”

Yu Cha-ryeon answered. Peng Chae-hyang seemed restless, as though she felt she’d created an uncomfortable atmosphere. But the feeling didn’t last long. The beautiful scenery soon washed it away.

“It’s beautiful. I feel like my heart is floating.”

Peng Chae-hyang said it while looking at the landscape with sentimental eyes.

The dense trees and woods, the song of birds, the people passing by, the sound of running water. All of it seemed new to her.

“How old are you, Young Lady Peng?”

“Ah, I’m twenty-one.”

“Then you’re two years younger than both the Company Lord and I.”

“Yes.”

“If you don’t mind, may I speak more casually with you? We’re companions traveling together to Hubei, and it seems we’ll be seeing each other often even after we get there.”

“Ah, ah. Of course!”

Behind us, Yu Cha-ryeon and Peng Chae-hyang were getting acquainted. That too was something to be welcomed. If companions remained awkward with each other, I’d only have to mediate between them myself.

So I let Yu Cha-ryeon and Peng Chae-hyang get friendly and turned to speak with Jo Chung-heon instead.

“Head Steward.”

“Yes?”

“Once we return, we should make contact with the merchants of Guangdong and Zhejiang.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

Jo Chung-heon tilted his head. Right now we were distributing goods all across the Central Plains through the logistics network of the Heaven’s Gift Merchant Company. Ours was trade directed toward the continent.

By contrast, the merchants of Guangdong and Zhejiang were men who very often engaged in illicit maritime trade, the kind of illegal private commerce that slipped past the ban. Under normal circumstances, we ought to have had nothing to do with each other. Normally, that is.

“I had an audience with the Emperor this time.”

“Yes. Young Lady Peng told us that much.”

“And there I received a monopoly over southeastern maritime trade.”

“…What?”

Jo Chung-heon repeated it loudly. Even Yu Cha-ryeon and Peng Chae-hyang, who had been chatting softly behind us, fell silent and looked our way.

“What do you mean by that? Is the Sea Ban being lifted?”

Even after hearing it, Jo Chung-heon still couldn’t readily grasp it. I nodded.

“Strictly speaking, it’s only a temporary lifting. Our merchant company alone has been granted a temporary monopoly over maritime trade. Whatever results come from this will likely become the watershed that decides whether the Sea Ban is later abolished entirely or not.”

“H-how….”

Jo Chung-heon shook his head in disbelief. Then again, had I heard this from someone else, I too would have thought it impossible.

“That would be enough to overturn the merchant world.”

“It would.”

“You’ve done something extraordinary.”

“Even I still can’t quite believe it.”

I laughed. All this time, when I operated the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company, I had always kept my past-life self as a distant goal.

But not only had I partially lifted the Sea Ban, I’d obtained a monopoly on maritime trade. Even the me of my previous life had never managed something like that. Of course, that didn’t mean I had already surpassed my previous-life self. The Radiant Crystal Merchant Company still wasn’t really in a position where one could even call it the merchant company that represented Hubei.

“Once we get back to Mount Wudang, you’re going to be very busy.”

Jo Chung-heon said it with a slightly gloomy face. He was already plenty busy as it was. Apparently the thought that things would grow even busier from here left him feeling bleak.

I laughed and clapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Head Steward, didn’t your pay get doubled last time? Then just work twice as hard as before.”

“You’re trying to kill me. I’m already working like a dog.”

“What a hurtful thing to say. We’re just trying to live well together.”

Jo Chung-heon’s expression only grew more pitiful. Somehow, seeing that left me oddly satisfied. After all, there was nothing quite as enjoyable as making a subordinate work.

Jo Chung-heon’s final vacation would last only until we reached Mount Wudang. His final vacation ended early.

“So you’ve returned.”

The quiet, gentle shape of Mount Wudang embraced me. I had returned again. Returned to the Wudang Sect, where my senior brothers were waiting.

I spread both arms wide as the quiet energy of Mount Wudang…

“…guarantee it!”

“Whatever it is, I oppose it!”

“In any case, abolish it!” At the entrance to Mount Wudang, where there should have been nothing but birdsong and the cool rustling of branches in the wind, strange shouts were rising instead.