The Underdog Merchant Guild (2)
“……Why?”
“We don’t know either. That’s just the directive that came down from the guild.”
“Hah.”
This was a problem. It was inevitable that some merchant caravans would get blacklisted by the guild. But I hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
Wait a second. I suddenly recalled what the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites, Jin Mu-byeok, had said. Something about how failing to follow protocol would earn resentment from the Infinite Merchant Guild.
My small capital and lack of registration fee wouldn’t have cost them a dime. But I got it. If they had to meet a certain standard to get in, and here I was slipping through below that bar, it’d rub them the wrong way.
“Can’t we just talk it out?”
“No can do.”
“I’ve got the registration fee right here.”
“That’s not my department.”
This was turning into a real headache. I’d already set up my base in Infinite City. The building and land were secured, and goods would be arriving at the warehouse soon.
But if the Infinite Merchant Guild stonewalled me like this, I wouldn’t even be able to sell my wares.
“What’s going on?”
“Looks like the Infinite caravan guards are grabbing some innocent guy again.”
As the mood soured, whispers rippled through the crowd. Normally, I wouldn’t have picked up on it, but with my inner energy building up, my senses had sharpened across the board.
The growing crowd drew more attention, and the guards seemed to receive some kind of order. Their faces hardened as they started pushing people back.
“Move along. Don’t end up like him.”
“Why the hell should I end up like that?”
“I’m just following orders. Damn merchants.”
In the end, even the guards let slip some curses. One of them grabbed me by the collar without hesitation.
A fist came flying straight for my jaw. Before Myeong-gyeong could even react and charge in, it was already over. Guards like these, protecting a merchant guild, were no match for me anymore.
I snatched the wrist gripping my collar and twisted his arm back.
“Urk!”
His arm bent backward. Another guard swung a baton from his waist toward my head. Even without a blade, a blow like that could kill, and these guys showed no mercy.
I spun the arm I’d grabbed toward the baton. Both the swinging guard and the one I held cried out at the same time.
“Agh!”
But the momentum was already locked in. The baton cracked against the forehead of the guard whose arm I’d twisted.
“You bastard!”
The guard who’d accidentally smashed his comrade came charging at me, snarling. After seeing only Wudang prodigies, these street-level thugs made me yawn.
The baton swept horizontally toward my waist with brutal force. I raised my scabbard to block it.
“He’s a master!”
The sudden brawl drew excited shouts from the onlookers. Honestly, I wasn’t that much of a master yet.
The guard panicked and poured qi into his baton. A faint blue aura flickered around it. I smirked.
Wrapping qi externally was either for show or for amateurs—pick one. This guy was just the latter. Anyone who knew how to handle qi internalized it into their sword, preventing it from leaking out. That way, it condensed for maximum power.
“These guys don’t even know the basics.”
I clicked my tongue. What a stark contrast to my past life. Thinking back to when I’d cowered and paid tribute to clowns like these made me chuckle.
I swept my scabbard upward to meet the incoming baton. It flew from the guard’s hand, spinning through the air before clattering to the ground.
The two guards, subdued in an instant, seemed to realize I was beyond them.
“Damn it. Get inside and fetch Senior Hero Jeon!”
The now bare-handed guard shouted to the one with the busted forehead. Clutching his bleeding brow, the injured man bolted into the guild hall.
“Ooh!”
The crowd erupted in cheers. At some point, we’d become a full spectacle, surrounded by spectators.
“Isn’t that guy the Hebei Divine Physician?”
“No way—he’s here to stop the Infinite Merchant Guild’s bullying?”
A few people started recognizing me. The Infinite Merchant Guild really had lost the public’s favor. I’d been working other regions’ caravans around this time in my past life, so I didn’t know the details. But seeing this widespread resentment, it was clear they lacked any virtue.
I decided to wait quietly for this “Senior Hero Jeon.” That’s when one of the onlookers rushed forward.
“Divine Physician! You need to run—now!”
“Pardon?”
Looking closer, he was one of the people I’d treated.
“They say Jeon Gil-sang is coming out. That guy’s a butcher.”
“Who’s that?”
I’d never heard the name Jeon Gil-sang. How could I know every active martial artist from this era?
But the crowd seemed to know him all too well.
“Hurry and get away!”
The man grabbed my wrist and started running. It’d be awkward to shake him off, so I followed. Myeong-gyeong, who’d been watching excitedly, dashed after me.
And just like that, I avoided meeting Jeon Gil-sang and ended up in some house.
It wasn’t a typical family home. Exhausted-looking men gathered inside suggested it was some kind of group hideout.
“Jeong-ga, who’s this?”
One of the men inside spoke up. Jeong-ga explained that I was the Hebei Divine Physician, and he’d brought me here because it looked like I’d clash with Infinite’s Jeon Gil-sang.
The mention of Infinite Merchant Guild made everyone frown. Still, they showed interest in me, the Hebei Divine Physician.
The most fatigued-looking man approached me.
“I’m Song Hwan-yeong, guild master of the Dongho Merchant Guild.”
“A guild?”
I was a bit surprised. Everyone in Infinite talked only about the Infinite Merchant Guild, so I’d assumed no others existed. It was common for one dominant guild to squeeze out all rivals. But if another existed, there had to be some backstory.
“Yeah. We don’t exactly look the part.”
Song Hwan-yeong gave a bitter smile. Compared to Infinite, they were downright shabby. A thatched hut without even a courtyard as their headquarters?
“Anyway, Jeon Gil-sang won’t come this far. Infinite treats Dongho like we don’t exist, so they won’t bother hunting us down. Wait a bit, and you can head out safely.”
“No. I’m not leaving.”
“……?”
With all these potential hires from the caravans, where else would I go?
I immediately sized up the people in the Dongho Merchant Guild.
For merchants, appearances were crucial. Business was about people, and grooming one’s image was key to that.
I’d heard one guy deliberately chugged booze he hated to look prosperous, packing on a hefty gut.
Top merchants meeting big shots followed common rules:
A neatly trimmed beard.
Clothes from expensive tribute silk.
Jewelry on blatant display.
Fierce-looking escort warriors radiating strength.
There were more details, but that was the gist.
And in Dongho? Not a single one followed even one of them. Beards overgrown, clothes ragged cotton, no jewelry, not even a single armed guard.
“How many caravans are under this guild?”
“Ahem. That’s a painful question out of nowhere.”
Song Hwan-yeong cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Sorry. As you can see, I’m a martial artist—don’t know much about merchant ways.”
“Fair enough. I won’t assume you meant anything by it.”
Oh, but I did. You had to poke the wound to see the rot inside.
They didn’t know it, but I was interviewing them right now. Gauging their sensibilities, integrity, philosophy, concepts, knowledge—the works.
Guilds weren’t talent pools overflowing with caravan-ready hires. These were experienced merchants gathered together, and I was scouting them for job offers. Call it poaching, but without it, finding veterans was impossible. Decaying guilds like this were perfect hunting grounds for manpower.
“What martial artist? He’s always saying he’s a merchant.”
Myeong-gyeong muttered then. I shot her a sharp glare—a warning to shut it. She looked away.
I hadn’t expected this slip-up. Was it karma from Wudang figuring me out? The Dongho folks’ eyes changed instantly.
“A merchant, huh?”
“Infinite spy? Here to steal our people again?”
No, the poaching part was right, but I wasn’t Infinite’s spy. Awkward situation.
“No, he’s the Hebei Divine Physician. Not that kind of guy.”
Jeong-ga, who’d brought me, jumped to my defense. The rising tension cooled off.
“Ah, right. The Hebei Divine Physician—the one who cured Infinite’s plague recently.”
“Sorry. Got heated over ‘merchant’ and forgot.”
“Haha, no worries.”
I sighed inwardly with relief and flashed a relaxed smile. Good deeds came back around, just like karma. Without my Hebei Divine Physician rep, I’d have been tossed out on the spot.
“To be fair, I did start a caravan. But I don’t know Infinite or Dongho business. Just arrived from Jin-hyeon recently.”
“Hmm. If the Hebei Divine Physician says so, I’ll believe it.”
“Would Infinite blacklist me if we were connected?”
“True enough.”
They bought it easily. Image wasn’t just looks—reputation mattered. And I had the edge there.
“But I heard the Hebei Divine Physician was a Wudang disciple. Why start a caravan?”
“Ah, lay disciple.”
“I see. No wonder—a Wudang lay disciple wouldn’t bow to Infinite thugs. My mistake.”
“No harm done. Easy to misunderstand.”
I grinned slyly, then spoke cautiously to draw out their story.
“As an outsider to Infinite merchants, I figure it’s fine to share. Nothing major. Dongho had the first foothold here in Infinite.”
That alone painted the picture in my head.
A guild dominating a region wielded massive power. Even trade association heads negotiated directly with city officials. A full guild master’s authority dwarfed that.
So guilds constantly checked rivals, trying to devour them. Par for the course.
“Then Infinite Merchant Guild pops up out of nowhere, openly challenging Dongho—the main player here. We tried negotiating amicably, but they never intended to deal.”
“I see, I see.”
Common tale, but I feigned fascination, like it was news to me. As I nodded sympathetically, Song Hwan-yeong opened up more.
“I’ve run guilds here for thirty years, dealt with plenty of scum. But those guys? Unprecedented. From day one, they brought thugs to smash our caravans’ goods.”
“Really?”
That part made me tilt my head. Guild takeovers usually hinged on scale or price wars. Sure, muscle was used, but only as a last resort. Proxy battles like before were invented to avoid that.
Unlike murim, merchants feared the law. Powerless ones had only the state to lean on.
“Why not sue at the prefectural office?”
“Think I didn’t try? But the case wouldn’t move. ‘Merchant matters—handle internally,’ they said.”
“Frustrating, I bet.”
“Beyond words. What can you do? No power, no dice.”
“True.”
I’d been forced out of regions by sheer might before, so I empathized.
“So, what if you had power?”
I asked. Song Hwan-yeong blinked, then spoke slowly.
“Wh-what’s the intent behind that question?”
“What else?”
I smiled—my salesman’s smile, honed over decades.
“I’m saying I’ll be that power for you.”