Volume 5 Chapter 1 – Sword Mountain Splitting Peak, Visit

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Even during the short moment Elder Yeom’s procession waited at the entrance of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, the conversation of the gathered merchants continued.

“No one expected that he, who was merely a squad leader at the time, would defeat the famous Sword Lord of Mount Hua.”

“Looking at how he eventually rose to the rank of elder after that, defeating the Sword Lord was probably the decisive factor.”

“As a result, Shaanxi virtually became the territory of the Sword Family. Following the Zhongnan Sect, which was already subordinate to the Sword Family, even the pinnacle of Mount Hua’s martial arts ended up being defeated…”

“To think they were defeated not even by a rising star meticulously raised by the Sword Family, but by a nameless warrior who had been rolling around in the north.”

“At that time, there was not a single person who was not shocked.”

While everyone was excitedly talking about the events of that time, a person who had been quietly listening in the corner openly mocked them.

“They are fellows who know only one thing and not the other.”

He was advanced in age, so no strong power was felt from his voice, but even amidst the clamor, there was a strange presence that stimulated the ears of the audience.

“I do not know which elder you are, but instead of whispering from behind, please step forward.”

“If you are confident enough in your opinion to speak it aloud, please come directly before us and give us instruction.”

When the representatives dispatched from merchant groups who put some weight on their shoulders spoke while straining their eyes and necks, those who were observing the situation quickly stepped back and cleared the way.

“Tsk, tsk, are there really no talents in today’s young merchant groups? Or has the endless plains and overflowing wealth of North China blocked their eyes and ears?”

At such a blatant remark, the faces of those seated in the front row turned red.

But soon, upon seeing the appearance of the old man who stepped forward, they could not help but remain as mute as if they had eaten honey.

He was an old man of short stature, barely reaching the shoulder height of others, and his back had already begun to bend.

However, the cloak made of a giant northern wolf’s pelt and the dark red staff of unknown material made anyone feel that they were extraordinary items.

Someone recognized the old man’s identity and cried out like a scream.

“The Great War Merchant of the North…!”

“Why would the owner of the great merchant group, who is said to mine gold from rivers flowing with blood, be here in person…?!”

Among those gathered here, there was no one lacking in status or position, but that was strictly speaking from the perspective of representatives of merchant groups.

The leader of a merchant group himself, and moreover, the owner of a military merchant group whose notoriety and renown were mixed, had revealed himself in person.

“It seems not everyone here has their eyes and ears blocked.”

As whispers spread from those who recognized him, the old man smiled, revealing his flashing gold teeth.

“Yes, do you wish for this old man to give you instruction in person?”

Those who had blushed only bowed their heads, not daring to utter a single word.

However, that was only the case for those who had blushed at the old man’s words; the dispatchees from other merchant groups moved quickly and wittily.

Some brought a chair for the old great merchant, some a table, some refreshments, and others a teapot.

Then, they looked at the old man with eyes full of curiosity.

“….”

However, the old man’s mouth showed no sign of opening easily.

Instead, he simply sat there blankly, as if nothing had happened.

Then, a clever person placed his money pouch on the table in front of the old man.

“This is the information fee, Elder.”

In the world of merchants, there was no such thing as free.

Only then did the others, realizing the situation, begin to hurriedly place their money pouches on the table one by one.

Before long, various and colorful silk money pouches piled up on the table.

While the old man’s attendants politely collected the money pouches, the old man, without even glancing toward them, slowly opened his mouth.

“Do you all know what role Elder Yeom played in the recent Northern War?”

There was no one who easily opened their mouth.

“…We only know that he is called a hero because he made great contributions in the Northern War.”

Everyone only nodded their heads awkwardly.

“Yes, indeed. There is no way you would know about the war that even the Imperial Court dislikes mentioning.”

However, the old man knew all too well the faded tales of heroism in the war history that had been deliberately buried.

For he was the Great War Merchant of the North.

“Among the power holders of the northern land, everyone calls Elder Yeom like this.”

The old man showed his flashing gold teeth and wore a chilly smile.

“The best military conflict resolution expert. The undefeated Conscription Legion Commander. And above all, the name he is called the most is…”

Everyone swallowed hard and looked at the old man.

“War Advisor.”

While everyone was chewing over the old man’s words, the old man pointed toward Elder Yeom’s procession with the tip of his staff.

“Do you see Elder Yeom’s warriors over there?”

Gazes turned toward the warriors.

Their movements were extremely concise, their discipline was strict, and though their wearing of heavy armor was peculiar if anything, one could not feel much difference from the warriors belonging to other sword squads of the Sword Family.

“You would not know just by looking at their appearance, but they are warriors completely different from regular sword squads.”

It was a puzzling statement, but the old man’s explanation followed immediately.

“On the training grounds, every single one of them becomes a combat instructor, and on the battlefield, every single one of them becomes a centurion.”

The old man’s voice lowered.

“The conscripts placed under them undergo training and actual combat, showing combat performance capabilities that surpass the level of a regular standing army.”

The old man’s staff pointed beside Elder Yeom.

“And the role of the tacticians directly under Elder Yeom’s command cannot be left out there.”

The scholars standing straight while keeping rank and file just like the other warriors had postures that differed from regular scholars from the start.

“The tacticians here employ schemes to gain political advantages. However, Elder Yeom’s tacticians are fundamentally different.”

“….”

“They are military strategists who take the flesh and blood of enemies, burn the enemy’s provisions to lower their morale, pull down fortresses, and scale city walls.”

The old man’s voice was neither sweet nor soft.

“The Imperial Court and the Northern Grand General deployed Elder Yeom and his warriors wherever the front lines were unstable.”

That voice was rough, like the wind scratching the northern mountain ranges and plains, and crude without a single flowery word.

However, everyone had no choice but to listen carefully to the old man’s story.

“Thus, what was always given to Elder Yeom was only coldness, hunger, poor equipment, and low-morale conscripts. However…”

A bloody smile hung on the corner of the old man’s mouth.

“He did not lose even a single battle. Not even once. Every front line and every conscript legion entrusted to him, he led to victory.”

He was as if he knew the formula of victory.

He trained the given troops, disciplined them physically and mentally, and obtained whatever materials were needed by any means necessary.

Whether purchasing, capturing, or looting, his conscript legion always possessed the necessary amount of supplies.

The places where his conscript legion appeared always had greater numbers than the enemy, and thus they always achieved results beyond expectations.

“Elder Yeom’s sword squad, which was initially regarded just like any other sword squad, was at some point called this.”

The old man turned his gaze toward Elder Yeom’s procession, and everyone’s gaze moved along with him.

“The undefeated War Advisory Group of a hundred battles.”

And no one who had been on the northern front denied that name.

Everyone hoped that the old man’s story would continue, but his mouth did not open any further.

Only then did the audience realize that the money pouches piled on the old man’s table had all been gathered by his servants.

Considering the wealth of those gathered here, the amount of money contained in the pouches must have been considerable.

That amount of money had vanished for just a brief story.

However, no one showed any sign of regret.

The value of information is priced not only on its rarity but also on its accuracy and reliability.

As the information about the Northern War heard by paying a fee to the Great War Merchant of the North exceeded the reliability of two or three ordinary information brokers.

“…So there were such circumstances behind why Elder Yeom was called a hero of the Northern War.”

“Since it was a war history that even the Imperial Court blatantly buried, is it only natural that no one in the land of Henan knew about it properly…?”

While the representatives dispatched from various merchant groups conversed in low voices, they could not take their eyes off Elder Yeom’s procession.

Before, their gaze had been filled with vague curiosity just to see one of the famous Sword Family’s sword squads in person, but it was different now.

To their ears, the shouting voice of Elder Yeom commanding the battlefield and the death throes of the enemies seemed audible, and in their noses, the terrible smell of blood and the smell of dust raised by the mixture of men and horses seemed to drift.

“By the way, leader, why did you make the trip here in person? Do you perhaps have an appointment to meet the Eldest Young Master…?”

When a young man asked, the old man waved his hand.

“I only came here thinking that if they threw a feast, I might get a meal and perhaps make an impression. What talent could someone like me possibly have to make an appointment with the Eldest Young Master of the Great Luoyang Sword Family?”

The old man grumbled.

“But as the saying goes, ‘a rumored feast has nothing to eat,’ I did not expect that someone of the status of the Sword Family’s Eldest Young Master would not even hold a feast.”

Those around him who heard the grumbling chuckled, but no one took those words seriously.

While everyone was thus reflecting on the old man’s story and watching the ‘undefeated War Advisory Group,’ the old man felt a doubt that no one else had noticed.

‘But why… does the military spirit of that War Advisory Group seem to be suppressed?’

The eyes of the veteran military merchant who had roamed battlefields for decades were sharp enough to vaguely read the military spirit said to be visible only to generals seasoned by a hundred battles.

The old man concealed his confused expression out of habit.

Under his rough and wrinkled skin tempered by the blade-like northern wind, the doubt harbored by the old man was not detected by anyone.

His gaze was in the same direction as the others, but the place it reached was different.

The old man’s deep eyes were directed toward the unidentified warriors standing guard at the main gate of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.

‘Just who are they…?’

Although he was an old man with experience and knowledge incomparable to those around him, he could not guess the identity of the warriors wearing uniforms he had never seen before at all.

‘Is it this old man’s misconception…?’

* * *

The Great War Merchant’s eyes were not wrong.

The warriors of Elder Yeom, who were called the ‘undefeated War Advisory Group’ and had earned the dread of enemies and the respect of allies, were barely holding out in a situation they had never experienced before.

It was only their minds, which had been governed by killing intent and slaughter beyond combat and battlefields, that kept them in position.

Otherwise, they would have broken their formation like a disorganized mob long ago.

Just eight people.

Eight unidentified warriors guarding the main gate of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment were overwhelming the undefeated War Advisory Group.

Gathered around the white tiger, a young military strategist who caught his breath under the protection of the divine beast let out a hollow laugh.

“…It feels like receiving the charge of the northern tribes’ heavy cavalry with bare bodies.”

Another military strategist asked as he stealthily moved to a position closer to the white tiger.

“What on earth is the identity of those warriors?”

The answer came from Elder Yeom’s only daughter, Yeom Baek-ha.

“The Special Task Force directly under the Elders’ Hall.”

Concealing her face with a veil, she pressed down on the nape of the white tiger, which seemed ready to run wild at any moment, and continued.

“Every single one of them is an expert who has crossed the wall, and they are warriors who, if not for their physical or mental injuries, would have had the potential to be called the guard warriors of the Main Family.”