Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 92 - Run, Rabbit (3)

Chapter 92 – Run, Rabbit (3)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“What is the meaning of all this?”

“Pardon?”

Muk Hui-yeong looked at Cheong-ui with innocent eyes. As if to say he knew absolutely nothing.

“Those people outside, I mean.”

“Ah. They are blacksmiths, cloth merchants, and herb gatherers. And not just people picked up off the street, either. They are craftsmen treated as true masters of their trades.”

“Even if we excuse the last matter with the food as unavoidable circumstances, this feels somewhat excessive.”

Cheong-ui spoke sternly. He had let the matter of the food pass, but this time, it felt as though he could not.

If he let this go without saying anything, Muk Hui-yeong could turn the peaceful Wudang Sect into a marketplace in an instant.

“Yes. Of course, bringing in craftsmen to sharpen blades and mend martial robes is something to be thankful for. But should you not have obtained permission before acting, so that Wudang’s hierarchy remained in proper order?”

Cheong-ui also knew why Muk Hui-yeong had brought those people. He was trying to let the people of Wudang sample the sweet taste of change.

Cheong-ui found himself thinking that it was remarkably cunning, wondering when in the world he had prepared something like this too, but this matter did have a slightly rash side to it. Once might be forgiven, but as sect leader, he could not permit outright stubborn action twice in a row.

Separate from that, Cheong-ui found Muk Hui-yeong a little cute. Muk Hui-yeong, who always moved without leaving any openings, had handed him a clear excuse to scold him this time.

“Now that you understand, send those people back…”

“I received permission.”

Cheong-ui and Muk Hui-yeong spoke over each other. For a moment, Cheong-ui lost his words.

“What did you say?”

“I gave him permission, Senior Brother Sect Leader.”

At that moment, a voice came from behind them. Cheong-ui spun around, and there stood his martial brother, Cheong-su, master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness.

“The Hall of Preserved Wholeness is the one that handles the merchants who enter and leave the sect in the first place, is it not?”

“Hah.”

The moment he let out a sigh, Cheong-ui saw a sly smile briefly flash at the corner of Muk Hui-yeong’s mouth.

“Even so, this…”

“There is no problem with it under the sect rules, Senior Brother Sect Leader. Hui-yeong reported it to me, and I gave permission. And he did not even bring them inside the sect. He only said he wanted them to set up just outside the sect, so I had no grounds to refuse.”

There was no way Cheong-ui did not know that. If Muk Hui-yeong had reported it to Cheong-su, then procedurally there was no problem. The sect leader did not personally supervise every outsider who entered or left Wudang. He was simply astonished at how Muk Hui-yeong had managed to persuade Cheong-su.

“Just what did Hui-yeong promise you that you permitted this?”

“Nothing at all. Hui-yeong may have recruited the craftsmen and reported the matter, but the plan itself was mine.”

That answer shocked Cheong-ui. Then it meant this situation had been created not by Muk Hui-yeong, but by Cheong-su.

“…Why?”

“Why?”

Unexpectedly, emotion had entered Cheong-su’s tone.

“Think about it, Senior Brother. I am the master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness, the one in charge of Wudang’s finances. I have no choice but to speak and interact often with those who handle the finances of other sects and clans as well.”

“That is right. Exactly right.”

Even in the middle of that, Muk Hui-yeong threw in an irritating line from the side. Cheong-ui’s fist clenched before he realized it.

“Every time I listened to the people in charge of finances elsewhere, I thought to myself that if we supported our disciples even half that much, they could grow much faster.”

“The righteous path is always difficult.”

“You only say that, Senior Brother, because your martial uncles and grand-masters told you that money is something depraved. That is why you think spending money is not righteous. Money is not depraved. People are depraved.”

“Well said!”

“You should be quiet for a moment.”

“Yes.”

Muk Hui-yeong had eagerly cut in, but at Cheong-su’s suppression he immediately shrank back down.

“Unlike our other martial brothers, I lacked talent in martial arts, and so I was given the position of master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness. A position everyone avoids and disdains. But why should I have to receive those looks from my own martial brothers?”

“…It seems that I did not pay enough attention to that.”

Cheong-ui confessed it plainly. The Hall of Preserved Wholeness was bound to be left out in Wudang, where martial arts were central. And as Cheong-su said, it could not be denied that people looked down on it.

Cheong-ui had assumed, given Cheong-su’s temperament, that he would simply let it go with a shrug, but it seemed he too had been carrying such feelings in one corner of his heart.

“That is not the apology I want. And it is not our martial brothers’ fault either. Both you and I were taught that way. But it is different now. Money is like a blade. Depending on the one who wields it, it can save people or kill them. I did not know that either, but I only came to understand it after I took this seat as master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness.”

“So you had been thinking such thoughts all this time.”

Cheong-ui lowered his head. The one who had been short-sighted was not Muk Hui-yeong, but Cheong-ui himself.

Muk Hui-yeong was not the only person trying to change the Wudang Sect now. Cheong-ui had overlooked that fact. And it was easy enough to imagine that the one thirsting most for change would be the master of the Hall of Preserved Wholeness, who had quietly carried out all the thankless work until now.

Cheong-ui looked at Muk Hui-yeong. Muk Hui-yeong was smiling brightly. He found him impressive all over again.

Cheong-su would never have gone around publicly saying such things. Which meant Muk Hui-yeong had perceived Cheong-su’s heart and set it alight. But how could someone that young read people so deeply? The more Cheong-ui saw of him, the more curious a child he seemed.

“…Very well. I understand.”

Cheong-ui had nothing more to say. The moment his permission fell, the merchants who had been anxiously watching the situation started to shout.

“Martial robe repairs!”

“Blade sharpening here!”

The voices of merchants have a kind of magic that draws people in.

And these were not ordinary merchants, but craftsmen Muk Hui-yeong had carefully selected himself.

The disciples watched the atmosphere for a time, then one by one entrusted their blades and martial robes to them.

It was true that for Wudang disciples, blade sharpening and robe mending were not things they could do easily. Just as Muk Hui-yeong had said, such things were only done now and then during jianghu travels when there was spare time. And even then, they had to go to the cheapest low-grade merchants, so the quality could never be very good.

The blacksmiths and cloth merchants Muk Hui-yeong had brought showed the disciples an entirely new world.

At first, the disciples hesitated to approach because of their aversion to dealing with merchants, but once they saw the finely sharpened blades and neatly mended martial robes, they started going down to the main gate one by one, and that held true even for the Cheong-generation disciples.

From the elders’ perspective too, there was no reason not to have their blades sharpened when someone was offering to do it with high-quality whetstones. Especially since it all seemed free, as though some act of charity had arrived. Naturally, Muk Hui-yeong had already paid all the costs in advance.

“Let those elders who agree to cooperation between the Wudang Sect and the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company raise their hands.”

And as a result,

only three elders did not raise their hands. Cheong-ui found that astonishing, even accounting for the fact that Cheong-su had delivered a fervent speech at the end.

So many elders were thinking of change so positively. Of course, it was also the fruit of the countless maneuvers Muk Hui-yeong had been making in advance.

‘A wind of change is blowing through Wudang as well.’

Cheong-ui decided to accept that.

It was a trembling thing. He was trying to change the Wudang Sect with his own hands, the Wudang that had always stood straight like bamboo.

This change would certainly not bring only benefits to Wudang. There would clearly be powers that disliked Wudang stepping into the commercial world.

“From this moment on, the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company is a cooperative merchant company of Wudang.”

Cheong-ui declared.

It was the moment the Wudang branch of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company was established.

***

In truth, the establishment of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company Wudang branch had been an irresistible current. Cheong-ui had set it down as a temporary rule, but even now that matters had stabilized, meat and alcohol were still being consumed intermittently.

The elders could not stop it either, because once those strict restrictions had been loosened, the disciples’ concentration and efficiency in training had actually risen. The disciples of Wudang were not the kind of people who would go astray just because a single rule had been eased.

“My skin feels kind of itchy. This isn’t some cheap fabric, is it?”

Wearing a new martial robe, Myeong-gyeong scratched at his body through the inside of the garment. Not just Myeong-gyeong, but the other disciples as well. All of them looked at me with suspicious eyes.

I was dumbfounded. In terms of quality, the old robes and the current robes were three full grades apart.

“It’s not the clothes that are cheap. It’s your body.”

“What?”

The Senior Brothers’ brows shot up. I had only spoken the truth.

After wearing martial robes made of plain cotton, they had suddenly switched to silk robes made of tribute satin. Naturally their bodies would be surprised.

At that moment, a dull pain hit the back of my neck.

“Watch your tongue around your Senior Brothers.”

“Urk.”

Clutching the back of my neck, I turned around. There stood Cheong-hwa, who looked just as uncomfortable in silk clothes as the other Senior Brothers.

“Master.”

“These clothes seem good somehow, but they feel awkward.”

“That is because your body… I will stop there.”

“You commit deceiving the master and betraying the ancestors as casually as eating a meal.”

“Ah, speaking of meals, have the cooks and ingredients arrived?”

“Yes. They are being inspected at the Hall of Preserved Wholeness right now.”

Originally, the Wudang Sect had cooked for itself. It was not as if Wudang prepared any particularly elaborate dishes, but cooking and cleaning up afterward took longer than one would think. I intended to replace all of that with outside labor.

From now on, the Wudang disciples would no longer need to cook or clean up, repair buildings, or trim overgrown branches and weeds. They would only have to focus on martial training.

“This is not merely change. It is revolution.”

“It is about time Wudang changed.”

“I do not know whether we are not committing needless sins before our grand-masters.”

“They will be pleased.”

I glanced sidelong at Cheong-hwa. His eyes were trembling.

The scenery of Wudang, which had remained unchanged for decades, was changing rapidly, so of course it would feel strange.

In truth, I was trembling as well, though I hid it. In my previous life, the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company had tried, whenever possible, to keep its distance from the martial world.

But now it had joined with the Wudang Sect and become bound together in fate. This change was an upheaval from Wudang’s perspective, but it was just as great an upheaval from mine.

The reason I had neglected the martial world in my previous life was simple. Once martial artists inserted themselves into commerce, there were too many variables. In reality, merchant companies that grew through close entanglement with martial artists often collapsed without a sound.

Even so, the union of the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company and the Wudang Sect had been unavoidable. I had already formed deep ties with Wudang, and in the course of that, I had also become enemies with the Zhuge Clan. From my perspective, this had been the best move available.

“What is your plan now?”

“Pardon?”

“Now that you have entangled Wudang with the commercial world, surely you have some next plan.”

“I don’t.”

At my answer, a vein rose at Cheong-hwa’s temple.

“You dragged the Wudang Sect into a whirlpool of change like this, and you have no plan?”

“What meaning is there in me planning alone? From now on, we have to make plans while breathing together with Wudang.”

“…Honestly, words do pour out of you like a flowing river.”

Whew. That passed well enough. Honestly, it had been an improvised answer, but it was not exactly wrong.

“Calling it a plan may be too much, but I do have a goal.”

“What goal?”

“For the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company to become the greatest merchant company under heaven.”

“The greatest merchant company under heaven. That will be difficult.”

“It will be easy.”

“Easy?”

“All I have to do is earn the most money. The standard is very simple.”

“I do not think something being simple is the same as it being easy.”

“For me, it is both simple and easy.”

Cheong-hwa gave a dry laugh. He probably thought I was boasting.

Variables had arisen with the martial world becoming entangled in things, but at the same time, I now had many things that the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company of my previous life had never possessed. The existence of Wudang, and my own strength and connections.

To begin with, in my previous life I had only founded the merchant company after reaching thirty, so in that sense alone I was already ten years ahead of where I had been then.

“Just watch. Watch how quickly I run.”

“Fine.”

At that answer, in which I could not feel even the tiniest bit of expectation from Cheong-hwa, I just snorted a laugh.

The Wudang Sect would change even faster from here on. The current change would come to look like no change at all. But if I said that now, it would only shock him, so I decided to keep quiet.

I looked down below Wudang Mountain. From below the mountain, the wind came curling fiercely upward. It was a cool wind that made me want to break into a run.