Chapter 72
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Triumphant Return (2)
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Though he prefixed it with "no way," Huangbo Jangseong couldn't be certain. It was better for his mental health to conclude that it was a gross exaggeration. He could already predict exactly what his father would say if he found out about this.
"The Emperor King Sword Formation is almost complete."
"What's complete?"
"The Emperor King Sword Formation."
"That Emperor King Sword Formation, the secret essence of the Nangong family?"
Mujin nodded.
Huangbo Jangseong could hardly believe it. The Emperor King Sword Formation had been the Nangong family's long-cherished dream. Generations had poured effort into perfecting it, yet only two people in the family's history had ever succeeded. And now, there were three.
'Just how strong is this guy?'
At this point, Huangbo Jangseong was more lost than ever. He knew Mujin was powerful from what he'd seen, but now an unsettling anxiety crept in that even that might not have been his true face.
"How will you handle constantly being surprised by such trivial matters? It's not like you don't know me."
"Even so, Sword Emperor!"
Huangbo Jangseong couldn't get a read on Mujin's nonchalant attitude. He boasted openly but showed no attachment to fame. Normally, defeating a Sword Emperor at that age would shake the entire martial world—a monumental event. Most would be itching to spread the word, yet Mujin treated it like nothing.
'Is he bold or arrogant? I can't tell.'
Huangbo Jangseong suspected the latter, which irritated him greatly. If so, then the entire martial world must look to Mujin like a chaotic mess of nobodies.
"More importantly, there's something crucial."
"Crucial? Bigger than this? You should've said so earlier."
The emergence of a shadowy faction already gave him a throbbing headache, and now there was another major issue. Huangbo Jangseong couldn't help but tense up. Every word out of Mujin's mouth felt like a thunderbolt dropped casually.
"Take this down."
"Got it."
Mujin explained in detail. He made sure to cover everything thoroughly, lest even one omission cause problems.
Huh?
The more Huangbo Jangseong wrote, the more he tilted his head. It was certainly no small sum—easily tens of thousands of nyang. The problem lay in the items listed.
"Just to make sure, what exactly do you plan to do with women's clothing, hairpins, jewelry, candies...?"
"What else? They're gifts for my wife and daughter."
"...?"
Huangbo Jangseong swallowed dryly.
'This bastard!'
No, what kind of gifts were these!
This was beyond excessive—even an emperor would be more than satisfied. It crossed the line from gift to extravagance.
"Did your wife somehow get dirt on your lifelong weakness?"
"Don't joke. In half a month, it's my wife's birthday. Next month is our wedding anniversary, the month after is when she got pregnant, the one after that is our first picnic together... and so on."
Huangbo Jangseong's face drained to a pale blue at Mujin's meticulous remembrance of even the tiniest details.
Why the hell did he know every single one of those dates? Most men were oblivious to such things, and that was normal.
'Is he messing with me?'
It felt genuine, which was creepy. If his own wife found out, the fallout would be terrifying even for him.
'Is this some new trend these days?'
No way!
"Jin Lang, ah~!"
"Here, have some ling fruit too."
"I'm full even without eating."
"How can you be full without eating?"
How could he not be? He was looking at the future greatest under heaven. Just gazing at her filled his belly. He'd expected Taejin's performance at the Little Dragon Tournament.
Regardless of age, his skill was more than enough to match the heirs of the Five Great Families. But he'd exceeded that, overwhelming them. If their ages were closer, it might be different, but Taejin's future potential overflowed.
'Poor kid!'
Huangbo Jinun knew Huangbo Seryeong's intentions all too well. She was a thousand-year-old fox before being his uncle's daughter. She'd raise him up just to devour him. Still, he had to acknowledge his younger brother's eye for talent. Taejin was exceptional. If he kept growing like this, he'd dominate the continent one day.
'I won't just sit idle either.'
Huangbo Jinun wasn't discouraged. Their first meeting had been a disaster, but he'd received a favor. They'd be family soon enough.
Still, he didn't want to fall behind in martial arts. After all, he was the grandson of the Fist King.
"You cheater!"
The harmonious vibe between Taejin and Huangbo Seryeong grated on Cheolho's nerves. He burned with a fierce competitive spirit, especially unwilling to lose to Taejin.
Huangbo Seryeong glared daggers at him for insulting her man.
"That's too harsh."
"Harsh? If you knew the spirit medicines that guy's swallowed, you wouldn't say that. This filthy world—why is it so unfair?"
"They say heavenly opportunities come from the heavens."
"Heavens my ass—his dad handed them all over!"
Cheolho unleashed a machine-gun rant like a man nursing a deep grudge. She'd thought he wasn't listening, but out poured names: Millennium Spirit Mushroom, Millennium Ginseng King, Millennium Azure Spirit Oil, Millennium Stone Mushroom, Millennium Azure Pill, Millennium Great Return Pill.
"...?"
Huangbo Seryeong and Huangbo Jinun, who'd told him not to spout nonsense, could only stare blankly at Taejin.
Taejin jumped in surprise and protested.
"I only took the Millennium Spirit Mushroom and Millennium Ginseng. Never even seen the Millennium Azure Spirit Oil or Millennium Stone Mushroom! And Azure Pill and Great Return Pill are refined elixirs—how could they possibly last a millennium?"
Only that much!
Millennium Spirit Mushroom and Millennium Ginseng weren't herbs to be taken lightly.
Even as one of the Five Great Families upholding the pillar, the Huangbo wouldn't consume such treasures casually. It required connections and family selection.
Yet he'd taken both at once and called it nothing special—what did that make them? Like they'd been munching goat turds all this time!
"No wonder he's strong if he doesn't get stronger from that!"
"Brother Cheolho, don't misunderstand. I work hard too!"
"I work harder."
"Why do you have to say it like that!"
Conversation with this iron-wall brother was impossible.
He hadn't even chosen them as a child; his father had forced them on him, granting a full cycle of cultivation—that was it.
"And it wasn't even three cycles."
Cheolho and Huangbo Jinun realized blood couldn't lie. Even feigning otherwise stuck out like a sore thumb.
This time, even Huangbo Seryeong couldn't defend him and shut her mouth.
There was room for misunderstanding.
His father had drilled into him that three cycles were just the starting point, so Taejin didn't think much of it.
'I'm the aggrieved one here!'
Spring was the off-season with low cargo volume. Circulation of agricultural goods picked up in autumn, freeing up capital. During times like now, when shipments dropped sharply, merchant groups had to tighten belts or seek alternatives.
Agricultural goods especially hampered cash flow. Overcoming these slumps effectively was key to solidifying a group's foundation.
The Jeongun Merchant Group focused on grains, leaving it short on liquidity compared to other Anhui groups this season. It was trying to expand, but with little success.
The Qingfeng and Baekje Merchant Groups, two of Anhui's Big Three, dominated the market and kept it in check, resulting in dismal performance. To win future commercial wars, it needed a foothold.
Thus, it pivoted to mine development. The issue: massive capital required. Even half its grain profits fell short.
The Jeongun Merchant Group's leader and key executives gathered. An urgent meeting was called due to a letter from the branch manager.
"Where the hell is this Pine Tiger Sect that's dropping such sums?"
"The sect that took first and second at this year's Nangong family's Little Dragon Tournament."
They'd spent eighty thousand nyang in gold without batting an eye. Shipping costs weren't cheap either. For the cash-strapped Jeongun, it was rain in a drought. Attracting investment could accelerate mine development.
"But why us?"
"Seems they have ties to the Huangbo family, fellow travelers on the same boat."
"If they have that kind of funds and force, we can't let them slip away."
"However, they're already blood-bound to the Baemun Merchant Group."
The Pine Tiger Sect's eldest son was in-laws with Baemun's eldest daughter. Judging why they'd invest here despite that wasn't easy. Perhaps some rift between Pine Tiger Sect and Baemun. Worth investigating.
"There must be more to it. Prepare thoroughly to secure the deal with Pine Tiger Sect."
"I've dispatched the chief steward to the branch."
Nang Baekhwan wasn't satisfied with this deal alone. It reeked of big money. For the group's future, his gut screamed to maintain ties with Pine Tiger Sect.
"Instead of this, don't we need a match for Soryeo?"
"I'll sound out intentions, but finding a partner for Soryeo requires caution."
He planned to cover more development costs through marriage ties. Failure here would devastate the group. Yet abandoning it wasn't an option.
The market stagnated, and Qingfeng and Baekje eyed grain trade hungrily. Sitting idle meant losing their entire foundation.
Five Star Sect.
Based in Shangzhou, Jiangsu Province, it boasted two centuries of history. By size alone, it ranked among Jiangsu's Ten Great Sects. It also owned most local lands as a major landlord—that foundation birthed the current Five Star Sect.
Sect Leader Storm Blade Yi Taeksang was counted among Jiangsu's top masters.
Yi Gihu, Yi Taeksang's son, was returning from his martial pilgrimage. A rite to gain world experience and maturity, honing skills to some accomplishment—he was proud of that.
Still, to prevent mishaps, his father assigned Huk Musan, one of the sect's Three Great Guests, the Lightning Demon Blade.
But his role was minimal.
No martial artist his age could beat him unless from the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families' prodigies.
Even outside Jiangsu, plenty knew Five Star Sect. He took pride as a representative sect.
To Yi Gihu, the current situation felt utterly alien. He'd completed his pilgrimage smoothly and anticipated a triumphant return.
'What the hell are these guys?'
Aboard the ship crossing to the branch, he'd received the Jeongun Merchant Group's utmost hospitality. Jeongun represented Anhui, even negotiating with the head office.
He'd assumed introducing himself would elevate treatment. They'd traded grains and investments with the head office before.
"I'm Yi Gihu of Five Star Sect."
"Vice Sect Leader of Five Star Sect. I'm Yeo Wunsang, chief steward of Jeongun Merchant Group."
A chief steward ranked among the top three executives. Yi Gihu knew that much. Even so, Jeongun was the needy party.
"Don't we have close ties with your head office?"
"Contact us anytime if you seek trade."
Yi Gihu frowned at Yeo Wunsang's lukewarm reply. Mentioning ties implied poor treatment could sour them anytime. Yet the indifference persisted. He'd heard their operations struggled lately.
"You're making me feel slighted. I only wanted to get closer to Jeongun."
"That's most unreasonable, young master."