Reputation Is Power
The Hwangbo Clan declared closed-door seclusion.
Every enterprise except the Shandong Merchant Group was carved up as compensation for the victims. Even the Shandong Merchant Group was left with nothing but the mining operations tied to the government offices.
The greatest power in Shandong Province had vanished, and in its place remained only thickets of stories and rumor. The small and mid-sized merchant houses and martial sects that the Hwangbo Clan had once trampled rose again and reclaimed their rightful places. With one voice they praised Deungmyeong Manor.
Yet for Ja Gangcheon himself, the best part was simply being able to see his friends again.
"Gangcheon!"
"Brother!"
"Lord!"
Their welcoming shouts washed away the accumulated exhaustion as if it had never existed.
"Lord! You must be starving—let us start with a meal."
The dining hall had already been scrubbed spotless, and a lavish feast had been laid out for Ja Gangcheon.
"Is it really all right for us to eat like this? We haven't earned a single coin in over a month."
"I only cook, so I wouldn't know about that. Today I prepared everything exactly as I pleased."
The middle-aged head cook had put his full skill on display. It was not quite worthy of being called the finest food under heaven, yet it carried a familiar comfort no other cuisine could match.
"As expected, a meal at home tastes best of all."
The trouble was that far too many people were staring fixedly at Ja Gangcheon while he ate.
"Ahem! Perhaps everyone should wait outside? The Lord is trying to eat, and all that staring is…"
The cook's words brought them back to reality. More than ten household members stood in a circle watching him; of course it was uncomfortable.
"It's fine. Everyone stay. I like it this way."
Ja Gangcheon offered a bright smile and stuffed his mouth full. He ate with such obvious delight that the onlookers swallowed hard themselves.
"Father, I'm hungry."
Little So Cheon's words drew an instant reaction from Panseok.
"Me too!"
No one was happier to hear that than Ja Gangcheon.
"Then let's all eat together!"
In the end the table was reset, and light refreshments and fruit were brought out for those already full. When the meal finally ended, every member of the household fixed bright, expectant eyes on Ja Gangcheon, waiting for his story.
Among them was Song Jain, who had returned to Gyounam a month earlier. She had withdrawn from the negotiations after receiving the Beggars' Sect Leader's proposal.
I admit I misunderstood you and turned my back. Will you give me a chance to make amends?
The Beggars' Sect Leader had promised to arrange a negotiation table that would end the conflict.
They will call it negotiation, but it will be the place where the Hwangbo Clan confesses its crimes and pays for the damage.
For the greater good Song Jain had stepped aside, and after long discussion with Ak Pungjin and the other victims, Ja Gangcheon had accepted. They had waited a full month so the Hwangbo Clan would feel the true weight of its situation, then forced a one-sided settlement.
"I'll start from the beginning, then. You all already know the story up through Gu Donggu, so I'll pick up from the negotiations with Hwangbo Baek."
Ja Gangcheon recounted every detail of the struggle from first blow to last. For a full shichen the household members listened without drawing a single loud breath. Sensing their rapt attention, Ja Gangcheon grew as animated as a marketplace storyteller and poured out everything.
"In the end the Hwangbo Clan declared closed-door seclusion, and Hwangbo Taejin took the entire burden upon himself and entered closed-door training. The new clan head will probably be one of his cousins."
"Waaah!"
Clap-clap-clap!
When the tale finished, little So Cheon clapped and cheered. Inspired by him, the others broke into bright smiles and returned to the present. Every one of them felt their chests swell with the exhilaration of victory.
"We've gained a great many allies across Shandong. From now on it will be much easier for us to move."
"But Lord, Jangpung Express and the Isung Merchant Group have both been restored, and everyone else has reclaimed their businesses. What did we bring back?"
So Cheon's question made Ja Gangcheon tilt his head.
"Hmm. Something special we brought… Ah! There is something!"
"What is it?"
"Even I don't know."
"Pardon?"
Instead of answering, Ja Gangcheon looked toward Song Jain. He was sorry for So Cheon, but this was a matter he could not speak of.
The object the Chief Manager had wrapped in a golden cloth.
A wooden case containing five elixirs and three books. Those they had not handed over to the Hao Sect.
When every gaze turned to her, Song Jain answered with perfect calm.
"We obtained the thing we needed most."
"What is that?"
"Reputation, child."
"Reputation?"
"In the jianghu, reputation is power. From this day forward no one will dare treat us lightly, and the lesser sects will bow of their own accord."
"Ah! So that's it!"
"Therefore give your best to every task and watch your conduct carefully. You too are a proud member of Deungmyeong Manor."
"Yes, Auntie!"
Song Jain was right. The reputation Deungmyeong Manor had won was invisible for now, yet it would reshape every step they took hereafter.
"Everyone has worked hard. Let's gather our strength again."
"Yes, Lord!"
"You have labored greatly, Lord."
"We will trust and follow only you, Lord."
Their encouragement always poured great strength into Ja Gangcheon.
Ja Gangcheon fell asleep early and slept long, straight through until the next morning. He himself did not realize how deeply the prolonged journey had exhausted him.
Stretching as he left his room, he felt the brilliant sunlight pouring down.
"Summer already."
This spring had lasted quite a while.
"Whoa! Brother! This is the first time you've slept late since hibernating for the winter!"
Panseok must have just finished washing; water droplets clung to his bare torso and hair.
"Morning training is already over?"
"Yes, Brother."
"How long did I sleep?"
"About seven shichen."
It was the longest sleep of Ja Gangcheon's life.
"Chief Manager said you would. I nearly made a bet—would have been a disaster."
"What did Cheongu say?"
"That after so long you would sleep late once you finally lay down somewhere your heart could rest."
"As expected, Cheongu knows me too well. Sometimes I think he understands me better than I understand myself."
"You feel that way too, Brother? It scares me every now and then. I can't even tell a lie around him."
"You never could lie to begin with. Your face turns red first."
"And Brother, can you?"
"I have no need to."
In Panseok's eyes Ja Gangcheon's unshakable confidence looked magnificent.
"So what lie were you about to tell?"
"Huh?"
"You just said you were trying to lie."
"Th-that… it's nothing!"
The reaction was so uncharacteristic that Ja Gangcheon stared.
"Brother, I'm starting to feel hurt. Is this a secret even from me?"
"Ah… well, the truth is…"
Faced with Ja Gangcheon's sparkling eyes, Panseok finally forced the words out.
"While helping the Chief Manager and the Jin-geuk Martial Hall this time, I met an unusual person."
Together with Cheongu, Panseok had aided Ak Pungjin and many others; the Jin-geuk Martial Hall had naturally been among them.
"Who is this unusual person?"
"Someone named Jin Hwa-jin."
"Wait. Jin Hwa-jin—isn't that Master Jin Hyeon-pil's daughter?"
Ja Gangcheon had heard the name while speaking with Jin Hyeon-pil.
"Yes, that's right. While I stayed at the hall she kept requesting sparring matches, so I accepted a few times. Later she said she would follow me to our manor, and I told her no."
"So some woman wanted to follow you to our manor?"
"Yes."
"Why did you refuse?"
"Our manor has many secrets, doesn't it?"
"That's true. From your position you had no choice."
"Exactly. But then the Chief Manager, without knowing how I felt, asked if I wanted to bring her along. So I said no."
"Hmm."
Ja Gangcheon nodded as though he understood—then sensed something odd.
"So that 'no' was the lie?"
"Pardon?"
"If saying no was a lie, then you actually wanted to bring her."
"Th-that's right."
"Then why do you want to bring her? Did you enjoy the sparring that much?"
Just as Panseok was about to answer Ja Gangcheon's question—
"Stop."
Cheongu appeared.
"From now on, neither of you is allowed to talk about women."
"Huh? Why?"
"Don't discuss forms when you don't even know the basics of martial arts."
"Ah! I get it."
Cheongu turned to Panseok.
"Brother Panseok."
"Yes, Chief Manager."
"Just be honest. That's your greatest strength and your greatest charm."
"Ah! Understood, Brother. I'm sorry for lying."
"It's fine. More importantly, there's something else we need to discuss about that matter."
While speaking, Cheongu held out a cup of water to Ja Gangcheon.
"Thanks."
Ja Gangcheon drained it in one gulp and naturally fell into step. Walking beside him, Cheongu raised an important issue.
"Among the groups we worked with this time, quite a few have lost their bases. After everything they suffered, many have grown sick of the regions they once lived in."
Places like Jangpung Express and the Isung Merchant Group still had foundations and had begun returning at once, but many others were still deliberating.
"I understand how they feel. The same thing happened in Gyounam."
"Exactly. The moment the Shandong Merchant Group appeared, every trading house in Gyounam turned its back on the Donghae Merchant Group. Anyone who went through that loses all affection for the place."
"So what do we do?"
"A lot of them want to come to Gyounam. They miss the safety of a secure fence. Being crushed by the Hwangbo Clan made them feel the need for security more keenly than ever."
Ja Gangcheon nodded.
"The Jin-geuk Martial Hall is one of them. When I arrived it could barely be called a martial hall. No signboard—just the daughter and three disciples living together."
He already knew they had closed their doors.
"The Jungshin Fabric Shop said from the start that if this matter went well they wanted to move to Gyounam. The blacksmith of the Eight-Star Ironworks even wants to rename himself the Deungmyeong Blacksmith."
"They must be deeply uneasy."
"It isn't simply unease. They want to be with you."
"With me? Why?"
"The Beggars' Sect Leader even apologized this time, didn't he? That's the reason. You showed them with your body what true fairness looks like. Not words—action. Of course they trust you."
Cheongu spoke calmly, yet Ja Gangcheon felt a quiet pride inside.
"It's something we have to think about seriously. The market scale of Gyounam can absorb them right now. But we must take them in with the mindset that we are responsible for them. There will be questions of harmony with the people already here, and excessive expansion can easily breed all sorts of trouble."
"Hmm. So what's your thinking?"
"You did understand what I just said, right?"
"Of course. I know how the world works now. I learned a lot this time too. I saw how much power a large organization can hold—and what happens when it collapses."
Everything Ja Gangcheon experienced was becoming an education.
"Honestly, I want to accept them all. But we can't decide something like this on emotion. That's why I'm asking the person I trust to make the best decision. What do you think?"
Satisfied with Ja Gangcheon's answer, Cheongu shared his own thoughts.
"Simply offering protection will be hard. It would be better to absorb them into Deungmyeong Manor and the Donghae Merchant Group. Even if it looks selfish, we need the authority to control them. If they refuse that, we should only approach them with indirect conveniences from the start."
Ja Gangcheon trusted Cheongu's words completely.
"You're right. Let's make that point crystal clear to everyone who wants to come to Gyounam."
"Understood. I'll pass it on."
They had just passed the rear garden and stepped into the front courtyard when the laborer Jang Geon hurried toward Ja Gangcheon.
"A guest has arrived, my lord. He came last night as well, but when he heard you were sleeping he left again."
One face rose naturally in Ja Gangcheon's mind.
"Is it Daoist Jinmyeong?"
"Yes."
"I'll go out myself."
Wanting to shorten the wait even a little, Ja Gangcheon ran for the manor gate.
Someone stood before the wide-open doors, and at the sight of him a strange ache touched Ja Gangcheon's chest.
"Gangcheon. You're safe. Thank heaven."
It was strange. The man who had once seemed as stifling as a wall of stone now showed honest emotion without reserve.
Because he has nothing to be ashamed of.
One look at his actions revealed what he held most important.
Filled with righteousness, Daoist Jinmyeong's sincerity drew an answering smile from Ja Gangcheon.
"Welcome, Brother."
Ja Gangcheon beamed.