Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 20 - Market (3)

Chapter 20 – Market (3)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Fortunately, the market office and the salt trade stood side by side in the center of the market, so we were able to get there quickly.

Just as the market clerk had said, the front of the Shanxi merchants’ salt trade had become utter chaos.

“You sons of bitches! On whose orders are you doing this?”

“What do you mean, whose orders? We’re doing our own work.”

“Even if brokers give a little more convenience to local merchants, there should be a limit! A limit!”

Just as I had expected, the brokers were doing their work well.

Their task was simple.

They were fleecing the outside merchants, the Shanxi merchants, in return.

Overcharging outside merchants was a traditional custom among brokers.

If they simply intensified that practice, then even the Shanxi merchants would be unable to sell their goods.

But how could the sky be covered with a single palm?

No matter how much the brokers blocked them, that was frustrating not only for the Shanxi merchants but also for the customers.

In the end, the brokers’ obstruction had always been no more than a temporary patch that was bound to explode sooner or later.

“Clear all these bastards out!”

In the end, the Shanxi merchants chose to hire martial artists from Yichang and mobilize them.

They had already hired Wudang martial artists, but they likely had not dared ask Wudang’s people to drive off officials.

For that, they needed people unlike the proud and lofty types, people who would do anything for money.

“You bastards!”

“Let go of me!”

“If you don’t want to die, get lost!”

The men hired by the Shanxi merchants swept aside the obstructive brokers.

They did not even hesitate to threaten the officials from the yamen.

Watching that, Cheong-su frowned deeply.

“Are they from some black-path gang?”

“No. They’re people from an orthodox sect.”

They knew that if the victims were only yamen people, then money would be enough to keep mouths shut.

The market superintendent and the brokers certainly wielded influence within the market, but once outside it, they were no more than low-ranking officials.

“How can you be so certain that they’re from an orthodox sect?”

“I recognize one of the faces.”

I had expected to run into them while coming and going through the market, but not this soon.

Among them was Sagong Hyeon, who had withdrawn several days ago.

That meant the group doing this was Ascending Thunder Gate.

The martial artists of the Myeong generation who had been dispatched as escorts stood off to the rear with awkward expressions.

They were trying to decide whether they should step in or not.

Once they had come down from Wudang, their actions carried serious restrictions.

That was because what they did represented Wudang itself.

For that reason, they could not engage in a street brawl like this without a clear justification.

The same was true of Cheong-su, so his bewilderment was no different.

As we stood there watching, the Shanxi merchants finally noticed the market superintendent and came stomping toward us.

“Why is the market superintendent obstructing our trade?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve set the brokers on us and interfered with our business, haven’t you? What sort of behavior is this? Are you saying the Shanxi merchants should never come to Yichang again?”

“That is absurd. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Can you really insult an official of the Imperial Court without evidence?”

As expected, the market superintendent was shameless.

Still, without evidence, there was no way they could slander an official any further.

“Do you think Yichang is the only place we can go? If this continues, it won’t end well.”

“Now you’re threatening me too? Honestly.”

The market superintendent was pushing back as best he could, but even he didn’t look capable of forcing the issue much harder.

No matter how lacking in evidence it was, the situation was too obvious.

And if the Shanxi merchants truly stopped coming to Yichang because of a single market superintendent, that too would grow into a serious problem.

The Shanxi merchants were snarling, while the brokers were being driven off by Ascending Thunder Gate.

It was only the second day.

In this situation, the only one who could step forward was me.

I wasn’t wearing Wudang’s blue Daoist robe.

That was something given only to main-sect disciples.

That was also why people kept mistaking me for an attendant.

“Now then, now then. That’s enough!”

When I shouted in a voice full of force, everyone stopped what they were doing at once and looked toward me.

Having spent so many years as a merchant, I was confident in shouting loudly.

Only then did Sagong Hyeon, standing among the men of Ascending Thunder Gate, identify me and turn fierce-eyed.

“And what are you supposed to be now?”

The men of Ascending Thunder Gate, with shoulders far broader than mine, looked down at me in a threatening way.

“That brat is a lay disciple of Wudang.”

It was Sagong Hyeon who said that.

Among them, Gang Jeon, the Shanxi merchant I had already met, immediately stepped forward.

“So it was you. The one who caused all this interference.”

As expected, Gang Jeon was no ordinary merchant either.

He had grasped what had happened simply by looking at the present situation.

“So when you declared that you’d buy cheaply, this is what you meant? You ran to the market superintendent and tattled that the frontier supply system would be abolished?”

“Tattled is such a vulgar expression.”

“On what grounds is the market superintendent acting this arrogantly because of this brat? He’s no more than some servant of Wudang, isn’t he?”

Naturally, if I had spoken alone, no one would have believed me, so I had used Wudang’s backing.

From Gang Jeon’s point of view, who didn’t know that, it was enough to make him choke in frustration.

“I’d like to ask the Hall Master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness as well. Is this Wudang’s official stance toward the Shanxi merchants?”

“It is not. I may be a lay disciple of Wudang, but I am also an individual merchant. I acted privately as a merchant seeking to uphold what is right. It has nothing to do with the Wudang Sect.”

When Cheong-su hesitated, I drew the line between myself and Wudang first.

“Rather, I would like to ask the Shanxi merchants something. I understand that the Shanxi merchants revere Lord Guan and place great importance on righteousness. I have heard that one should pursue righteous profit, profit rooted in principle. So how is it that you seek outrageous gain by using information obtained from Beijing?”

As I stated it plainly, the faces of the Shanxi merchants reddened.

“Gentlemen from Shanxi Prefecture need not be swayed by that boy’s words. Since the market superintendent is already here, isn’t there a well-established way to settle disputes that arise between merchants?”

Sagong Hyeon shouted loudly.

At those words, the Shanxi merchants brightened, while the market superintendent’s face showed alarm.

“You mean a proxy match?”

“Exactly.”

Good and evil were not always clear-cut.

Nor were victim and aggressor always obvious.

Most disputes that arose in a marketplace involved neither a true victim nor a true aggressor.

They were simply differences of position.

Exactly like now.

To determine who was right in such cases took too long.

Neither the yamen, which lacked manpower, nor the merchants, to whom time was money, wanted that.

Thus arose the concept of a proxy match.

Since merchants usually moved with hired escorts, the escorts would be made to fight one another.

In truth, it was little more than a way of saying that, since this was between merchants, it should be settled with money.

After all, the ones with more money could hire better escorts.

“That is an excellent idea. Since your side claims that this action was undertaken by that one as a merchant, and not as a disciple of Wudang, then the Daoists of Wudang must not interfere.”

The Shanxi merchants all spoke as one.

They were afraid that I might call in Wudang’s martial artists as escorts.

But from the beginning, Wudang’s martial artists were not the sort to involve themselves in a brawl in the marketplace.

Their own face mattered, yes, but even more than that, the face of their sect did.

“Have you thought of a plan?”

Cheong-su whispered into my ear.

Since he could not join the matter himself, he was worried for me.

I looked at him and gave a slight nod.

Relief showed immediately on Cheong-su’s face.

“Since I have no escort to speak of, I will fight the proxy match myself. Will that be acceptable, Lord Superintendent?”

At my words, the market superintendent was flustered.

The Shanxi merchants looked equally dumbfounded.

A proxy match with a merchant fighting personally.

“…Is that truly acceptable?”

“Yes. You have defended the matter well up until now. Shouldn’t it now be our turn?”

“That isn’t what I mean. How do you intend to face martial artists? These are not the sort of people you can handle just because you’re good at a village brawl. Martial artists are people who can break bones with a single punch and turn a jaw with one kick.”

The market superintendent worried openly, but the Shanxi merchants seized the moment and raised their voices.

They had judged that if I came out myself, then victory was assured.

“Once a fighter has been named for a proxy match, it cannot be withdrawn.”

“Then we ask that one person be named from Ascending Thunder Gate as well.”

In the end, the market superintendent permitted the proxy match.

Sagong Hyeon immediately opened his mouth, looking delighted.

“That fellow may be a lay disciple of Wudang, but he has learned nothing and his inner qi is shallow. Anyone can beat him. I can go myself.”

It looked as though Sagong Hyeon had wanted to go out personally whenever the chance arose.

Well, when we fought before, I would have lost if Cheong-hwa hadn’t stepped in to stop it.

“Ascending Thunder Gate has its dignity. How could the Young Sect Master lower himself to act against a merchant?”

At that moment, the largest man from Ascending Thunder Gate stepped forward.

He was a man carrying a broad sword with a surface as wide as my forearm.

Sagong Hyeon and the Shanxi merchants looked delighted.

“Will the Hall Master step forward then?”

“They paid for protection, so ought I not give them their money’s worth?”

The man came to stand opposite me.

He was a full head taller than I was, and his sheer size was intimidating.

“We nominate Great Hero Hong Mun-hak of Ascending Thunder Gate.”

One of the Shanxi merchants said so at once.

If he was a hall master, then aside from the Young Sect Master, he was probably among the highest-ranked there.

In terms of martial skill, he might even have surpassed Sagong Hyeon.

Sagong Hyeon had become Young Sect Master by bloodline, while that man had likely earned the seat of hall master through martial ability.

“The proxy match fighters have been decided.”

The market superintendent spoke in a grave voice.

“The side that loses the proxy match must yield unconditionally in the dispute at hand. That means the Shanxi merchants will not be allowed to drive off the brokers.”

“And conversely, if we win, that means we can drive off the brokers and trade directly, correct?”

“Naturally.”

The rules of a proxy match were simple.

Once one side could no longer fight, it was over.

Hong Mun-hak cracked the bones of his fingers and spoke.

“A lay disciple of Wudang, was it?”

Hong Mun-hak looked down at me with arrogant eyes.

He showed not the slightest sign of thinking he might lose.

“Have you no weapon?”

“I haven’t learned swordsmanship yet.”

“Then are you saying you mean to face me bare-handed?”

“That’s right. And stop speaking down to me.”

“Absurd. Even if you belong to Wudang, you’re only a lay disciple. How can a merchant dare, without fear, to fight a martial artist?”

“That’s none of your concern. If you think you can win, then just do it.”

“I truly don’t understand where your confidence comes from.”

The martial artists of Wudang wore tense expressions, while the people of Ascending Thunder Gate looked triumphant.

They were acting as though they had already won.

“Begin.”

At the market superintendent’s word, Hong Mun-hak launched himself at me.

Though huge of body, he was so fast it was as though a cannonball had been fired at me.

‘But I can still see him.’

At least where footwork was concerned, I had already stepped beyond the realm of ordinary people and into that of martial artists.

He was clearly the fastest opponent I had faced so far.

But my body was far lighter than before.

It had become more flexible, and the flow of qi through my meridians had grown fiercer.

That was the effect of the acupoint-opening beatings.

The more one underwent them, the more one’s bones and body became suited to martial arts, and the easier it became to employ footwork.

“Oh!”

As I bent my waist and avoided Hong Mun-hak’s fist, cries of astonishment rose from the crowd.

They had expected me to take the blow directly and go tumbling into a corner at once.

Hong Mun-hak’s face, by contrast, turned red.

He had been so certain of victory that he had chosen to strike with his fists rather than draw his sword, and it seemed he had not imagined I would evade him so cleanly.

I immediately bent my upper body farther back, then kicked off the ground.

After turning a full circle in the air, I landed behind him.

“You would’ve been better off taking that punch.”

Hong Mun-hak drew his broad-bladed sword.

I grew far more tense as well.

At once Hong Mun-hak kicked off the ground and flew toward me.

The pressure of the wind reached me before he did.

Most people probably thought I would dodge.

But I did not.

There was no point in dragging things out.

One could not win by running alone.

That was something Cheong-hwa had told me.

The huge flat of the sword came crashing down at me.

If he used the edge, it would be treated as an intent-to-kill strike and he would lose by forfeit, so he had no choice.

But because the striking surface was so broad, it made the attack more troublesome.

Still, my movement surpassed Hong Mun-hak’s.

It probably also helped that Hong Mun-hak, eager to finish quickly, wasn’t using any real footwork.

I could not afford to let this chance slip away.

Before, I might not have been able to capitalize on an opening.

Now I could.

Because I had Sturdy Body.

I clenched my fist tightly and leaped into the air toward Hong Mun-hak.

Hong Mun-hak’s eyes went wide.

“You bastard!”

His voice was filled with anger, as though he considered my action an insult.

The flat of the sword came close enough to cast its shadow over my forehead.

In midair, I twisted my body with acrobatic movement and threw my punch before the sword flat could strike my brow.

My fist aimed for none other than Hong Mun-hak’s wrist.

In the past, I would’ve done no meaningful damage at all, but with Sturdy Body I could at least hinder his movement.

After all, once I had acquired Sturdy Body, I could punch bare rock without pain.

The flat of the sword brushed past my waist by the width of a single strand of hair, and my fist struck Hong Mun-hak’s wrist directly.

The impact was so heavy that my entire body tingled.

The sword’s path wavered, and pain filled Hong Mun-hak’s expression.

That was the chance I had created, the opening.

It was the single opening born from Hong Mun-hak underestimating me.

Before, I would’ve failed to seize it.

Now I did not.

I aimed precisely for the spot between the jaw and the area below the ear, one of the hardest places to train.

Then I let all the power of my body spring into my fist and shot it forward.

Crack!

With a sound like a great egg smashing against a wall, my fist struck the back of Hong Mun-hak’s jaw with perfect accuracy.

“Urgh!”

Hong Mun-hak crashed to the ground in an ugly heap, and I spun my body again to land cleanly, then extended my hand blade and set it against the neck of the still-dazed Hong Mun-hak.

Of course, I could not yet strike a death point.

But if this had not been a hand blade but a dagger, Hong Mun-hak would have died.

Hong Mun-hak sprawled on the ground, and my fingertips resting against his throat.

The end of the fight was unmistakable.

“…The proxy match goes to Young Master Muk Hui-yeong.”

After a brief silence, the market superintendent’s bewildered voice rang out.

“Waaaah!”

A beat later, the cheers of the spectators thundered through the center of the market.