Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 28 - Pride (2)

Chapter 28 – Pride (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

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The Hall of Preserved Wholeness requested more manpower and more space from the Three Purities Hall. The Three Purities Hall was also still in a state of utter bewilderment. Through a business they had never even heard of before, they were now raking in Hubei’s money with the efficiency of a rake.

Cheong-ui could only sit there dumbfounded, unable to feel that this sudden situation was real. He also could not understand why the representative of the Huizhou merchants had suddenly come before him.

“Sect Leader, I offer my thanks. Since Wudang has taken full charge of this matter, other merchants too can now conduct business in Hubei with peace of mind. Thanks to this, Hubei will advance by another step.”

“…Mm, ah, is that so?”

“It is a remarkable idea in itself, but it is also something that could never have been done by anyone other than Wudang. Who would entrust goods more precious than their own life to just anyone? If it were not for the Wudang Sect, which has shown incorruptibility until now and upheld righteousness in the Central Plains, no one would have entrusted anything at all.”

“Heh heh…”

Cheong-ui let out a dry laugh. To be honest, his conscience pricked him. When the Hall of Preserved Wholeness had first said they were going to begin an intermediary business, he had been suspicious.

And it was not only Cheong-ui. Every elder had asked whether such a thing even made sense, and even Cheong-su, the hall master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness, had seemed uncertain about the business. Some had even said the hall should not move on the word of a mere lay disciple, but Cheong-ui had permitted it because Cheong-su said he wanted to try it, even if only on a small scale.

“This is a small gift from us Huizhou merchants. Please accept it.”

The man wearing a black ceremonial robe pushed a box toward Cheong-ui. The box looked luxurious at a glance.

“We have done nothing that merits receiving such a thing.”

“The enemy of merchants is not only the Green Forest. Even if one manages to pass by paying a toll to the bandits, if the merchant on the other end is a swindler, then everything is ruined all the same. The merit of preventing that is great.”

The man who had come as the representative of the Huizhou merchants turned the box so Cheong-ui could see it and opened it.

The moment the box opened, a calming fragrance spread through the sect leader’s chamber. Inside the box lay colorful jade stones, and in the center rested a pill that looked anything but ordinary.

“…This is?”

Cheong-ui’s voice trembled. He too had guessed what the item might be. He just was not certain.

“It is a Heavenly King Divine Pill.”

“Hoh. A Heavenly King Divine Pill. So the Huizhou merchants had one of those?”

Cheong-ui clicked his tongue in amazement. Ten years ago, when the Heavenly King Sect, a mysterious sect from Qinghai, disbanded, the Central Plains had once been thrown into great turmoil.

No one knew the details of what had happened inside it, but what mattered was that the sect had dissolved and its spiritual medicines and secret manuals had been left without owners.

When word of the Heavenly King Sect’s dissolution spread, people flooded into Qinghai to search for its location. Among all the treasures sought, the Heavenly King Divine Pill drew the most attention.

It was rumored that the spiritual medicine, said to be consumed only by the direct line of the sect leader of the Heavenly King Sect, had effects so tremendous that it could be mentioned in the same breath as Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill.

The struggle over it had dragged on so long that people assumed the whereabouts of the Heavenly King Divine Pill had faded into obscurity, yet Cheong-ui had never expected it to have ended up with the Huizhou merchants. Apparently the saying that the Huizhou merchants possessed three of the treasures under heaven was not an empty one.

“How did the Heavenly King Divine Pill come into the hands of the Huizhou merchants?”

“Heh heh. On that matter, I beg your indulgence that I cannot say. Of course, Wudang already possesses the wondrous Taechung Pill, but the more good things, the better, would you not agree? If this allows one more pillar of the martial world to be born, what great fortune would that be even for humble commoners like us?”

At the merchant’s words, Cheong-ui let out a low hum. This truly was for the sake of the disciples, not for his own glory. And since Hubei lay within the sphere of the Huizhou merchants, they were bound to keep dealing with one another anyway. Building a good relationship could hardly be a bad thing.

“Ahem. Very well, then. But do not come speaking regretful words later because of this.”

“Would I ever?”

The merchant smiled faintly. He continued praising the Wudang Sect for a while longer before taking his leave.

Cheong-ui pressed a hand to his forehead. Whenever he spoke with merchants, it left him feeling as though he needed to wash out his ears. That was how dizzying it was.

“What in the world is happening here…”

Just as Muk Hui-yeong had said, it had taken less than ten days for him to prove his merchant talent. If the effect of the business had been so tremendous that even the Huizhou merchants, giants of the commercial world, came in person, then their reason for coming was effectively the same as asking Wudang to keep running it. The Heavenly King Divine Pill was a bribe for exactly that.

At the same time, this was not bad news from Wudang’s perspective either. Wudang too would earn tremendous sums if it continued the business. Two hundred nyang of silver in ten days. Of course, this was just the beginning and people had flocked to it, but that did not change the fact that it was a business capable of bringing in steady money over time.

Even if latecomers tried to imitate it, what place could possibly inspire as much trust as Wudang? The only thing they could compete on was price.

“Is someone outside?”

“Yes.”

The voice of a first-generation disciple assisting him came from outside.

“Tell the elders that there will be an elders’ council.”

“Right now?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, and go to the Hall of Preserved Wholeness right now and bring the disciple named Muk Hui-yeong as well.”

“Ah. Yes. I know who he is. Understood.”

Muk Hui-yeong had already become a famous figure within Wudang. There was no one in the sect who did not know that this business, which was now getting an explosive reaction throughout Hubei, had come from Muk Hui-yeong’s idea.

That was because everyone had been watching closely, ready to laugh when Muk Hui-yeong claimed he would prove his merchant talent. Yet Muk Hui-yeong had turned that ridicule around and mocked it in return by proving that talent himself.

Not long after, the elders gathered in the meeting chamber of the Three Purities Hall. Since they had all known there would be an elders’ council today anyway, they had remained on standby nearby instead of leaving the Three Purities Hall grounds.

“…Ahem.”

Only awkward coughs drifted through the meeting chamber.

“Shall we begin? It seems all the elders have arrived.”

One of the elders, Cheong-yeong, spoke, but Cheong-ui shook his head.

“There is still one more person to come.”

Soon the doors of the meeting chamber opened. The one who entered was Muk Hui-yeong, wearing a broad smile. Since he had been at the Hall of Preserved Wholeness, which was the farthest from here, he had arrived late.

“Ha ha. To think the elders’ council was being delayed because of me. This is rather embarrassing.”

Muk Hui-yeong laughed. At that joking tone, the elders’ faces twisted.

***

The elders looked thoroughly uncomfortable. They seemed displeased that they had waited on account of me.

“We will proceed with the council at once. The matter before us is whether Muk Hui-yeong shall be permitted as a registered lay disciple.”

Straight to the point. Good. I took a deep breath. As the saying went, do all that is humanly possible, then await Heaven’s decree. I had done everything I could, and the rest of the result was now in Heaven’s hands. To be honest, it felt as though I had done even more than my part.

At that moment, Cheong-yu raised his hand. He was Myeong-han’s master. I had a bad history with him. Cheong-yu spoke in a low voice.

“I acknowledge that he is an exceptional person.”

“Of course you are a person, Elder. What else would you be, a jiangshi?”

“Be silent. This is not a place for jokes.”

“Ah, yes.”

I had tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a joke, but it did not work on the elders.

“However, a Registered lay disciple could set an unhealthy precedent. The other sects among the Nine Great Sects, who use the same system, would not welcome it either.”

“So you oppose it?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Very well. One vote in opposition.”

Right. I had more or less expected that Cheong-yu would oppose it. There were eight elders in Wudang. With the sect leader included, that made nine people with voting power. The fact that Cheong-yu was among them was an unfortunate factor for me, but it was something I had to bear.

I kept my mouth shut and simply listened to how the meeting proceeded. As expected, Wudang, as one of the greatest vested powers in the martial world, was conservative. They feared creating change.

“The Registered lay disciple is an unusual system that was only used during the rise of the Demonic Cult. If we employ it in peacetime, we do not know what ill effects it may have on the other disciples. If main-sect disciples begin to yearn for freedom and lay disciples begin to covet Wudang’s martial arts, then how could discipline possibly remain intact?”

“Would allowing one person really lead to that extent?”

“The point is that the possibility exists, so we must be cautious.”

“But we are an orthodox sect. It would be wrong to drag by force to our side a child who explicitly does not wish to become a main-sect disciple. We are not the Demonic Cult.”

At the mention of the Demonic Cult, the elders flinched. Their verbal clash was fairly sharp. To me, both sides had their own logic, so it did not look as though one side could simply overpower and persuade the other.

“It would be better simply to vote.”

In the end, after nearly half a shichen of discussion, Cheong-ui made the decision. Listening to it myself, I could tell that what I was proposing with the registered lay disciple really was difficult to accept.

“Before the vote, may I say one final thing?”

I raised my hand. The eyes of every elder turned toward me.

“You dare not speak in such a place.”

Cheong-yu’s voice was firm, but Cheong-ui nodded instead.

“Since this concerns how he is to be treated, one word from him should be permitted.”

“…Ahem. If that is Sect Leader’s will.”

The floor was now mine. In this tedious situation where I had done nothing but stand for half a shichen, this was my last chance to argue my case.

“Perhaps I have been underestimating Wudang.”

I began.

At my words, the elders of Wudang furrowed their brows.

“I was born with the blood of a merchant. That is my Mandate of Heaven and my pride. But I also learned that I possess martial talent, and once that happened, I wanted to have both. These two talents complement each other, and when martial talent and merchant talent come together, they can shine even more brightly. That is why I grew greedy. But after listening to the elders, I came to think that trying to force change upon Wudang for my own sake would be selfish.”

“It is enough that you know that.”

“Be quiet.”

Cheong-yu interrupted, but Cheong-ui stopped him. Without even looking at Cheong-ui, I continued.

“Even so, I have no intention of giving up my selfish self. I mean to enjoy everything I desire, and I believe that is the meaning of life. That is why I now wish to promote and sell myself to all of you as a product. I have shown Wudang both my martial talent and my merchant talent, and I have proven them splendidly. I promise you this. If I become a registered lay disciple, I will contribute to Wudang both as a merchant and as a martial artist. Compared to what I will contribute, what I have shown so far is only a small part. The elders may look forward to it. Even the elders who oppose the registered lay disciple, I ask you to reconsider for the sake of Wudang’s glory, which will shine all the brighter in the future.”

Once I had said everything, I let out a breath. I had spoken for so long that I was running out of air.

“I am finished.”

“Very well.”

Cheong-ui nodded. Then he took his eyes off me and looked at the elders.

“Now we will divide the vote. Those in favor, raise your hands.”

With those words, Cheong-ui raised his own hand. The sect leader, who until now had not spoken a word during the debate, had taken my side. The elders visibly shifted.

Then, one by one, the elders started raising their hands. Not only those who had already favored the idea, but even the conservative elders who had opposed it slowly lifted their hands.

The result appeared right before my eyes.

Eight votes in favor.

The only one who did not raise his hand to the end was Cheong-yu. Cheong-yu lowered his head deeply.

“By the will of Sect Leader Cheong-ui and the elders’ council, the Wudang Sect hereby accepts Muk Hui-yeong as a registered lay disciple.”

With Cheong-ui’s solemn declaration, my status changed.