An Offer to the Iron Lord
After obtaining information about Cheolsajang from Haomun, Cheonhwa traveled to Daepunghyeon in Jiangsu Province, where the sect was located.
Cheolsajang operated a modest manor. After inquiring about its lord, Cheol Dae-woo, among the locals of Daepunghyeon and learning of his good reputation, Cheonhwa decided to ally with him.
“Is this the place?”
Standing before Cheolsajang, Cheonhwa glanced briefly at the signboard before striding inside.
“Who goes there!”
There were no guards posted at the entrance, but once inside, a man who appeared to be one of Cheolsajang’s martial artists blocked Cheonhwa’s path.
“I’ve come to see Lord Cheol Dae-woo.”
“I asked who you are.”
The man spoke informally to the youthful-looking Cheonhwa and approached, only to stop abruptly in his tracks.
“Are you a murim-in as well? Or have you come seeking to become one?”
He asked after noticing the two swords at Cheonhwa’s waist.
“I’m currently affiliated with the Haedong Merchant Group. I’ve come to speak with Lord Cheol Dae-woo.”
“The Haedong Merchant Group in Suzhou?”
“Yes.”
The man studied Cheonhwa with a suspicious gaze, then nodded.
“Wait here. Don’t move from that spot.”
He instructed Cheonhwa to wait and disappeared beyond the partition wall, informing someone inside that a visitor from the Haedong Merchant Group had come to see the lord.
“Hah!”
While waiting for Cheol Dae-woo, Cheonhwa heard the shouts of men training. He turned his head toward the sound.
It came from beyond the partition wall. Through the middle gate, he could see shirtless men practicing martial arts, and among them was a single woman training as well.
Cheonhwa gazed into the air, then lightly stepped upward and soared onto the roof of the manor.
“This gives a good view.”
Seated on the roof, Cheonhwa observed those practicing below.
“Hmm……”
After watching the Cheolsajang martial artists for a moment, he identified several flaws in their techniques.
Cheonhwa made a few gestures toward the empty air, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Just then, he spotted Cheol Dae-woo emerging from the inner quarters. Cheonhwa quickly descended and stood in his original spot with an unconcerned expression.
The lord, Cheol Dae-woo, clasped his hands before his chest and gave a slight bow.
“I am Cheol Dae-woo. I heard you came from the Haedong Merchant Group.”
“My name is Cheonhwa. Though I’m affiliated with the Haedong Merchant Group, I didn’t come on their behalf. I wanted to speak with you personally first.”
“My thoughts…?”
He did not speak down to Cheonhwa despite his youthful appearance.
“Our conversation may take some time. Would it be all right to continue inside?”
Cheol Dae-woo looked Cheonhwa over for a moment, then nodded.
“Very well. Please come inside.”
Cheol Dae-woo led Cheonhwa to his room. Once inside, he gestured toward a table and offered him a seat. Cheonhwa sat down and asked for brush, ink, and paper.
Cheol Dae-woo tilted his head in confusion but brought the requested items. Cheonhwa ground the ink and began drawing on the paper with the brush.
Cheol Dae-woo’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the drawings. They were completely incomprehensible.
‘I could draw better than this with my feet.’
After filling several sheets, Cheonhwa set the brush down and looked at Cheol Dae-woo.
“This is a gift to commemorate our meeting, Lord.”
“What is it?”
“The shouts of your men training in the yard were so spirited that I couldn’t help but watch.”
Cheol Dae-woo’s expression shifted slightly at the mention of Cheonhwa having observed their martial arts.
“Your men possess great spirit, but it seems they’ve learned their techniques incorrectly. The true power of their arts isn’t being expressed. I’ve made some adjustments.”
Cheol Dae-woo looked at the drawings on the paper. Even so, they remained incomprehensible, and he wondered if Cheonhwa was mocking him.
“Does it displease you that I observed your martial arts?”
“It’s not that. I simply don’t understand what these drawings mean. And to claim you’ve improved our techniques with such pictures makes me suspect you came here to mock me.”
Cheonhwa looked at his own drawings. They seemed perfectly clear to him, yet others couldn’t understand them, leaving him slightly disappointed.
“I didn’t come to mock you. Look here—this is the human body, and these are the arms and legs. When the sword in the hand cuts through the air, the foot……”
Cheonhwa explained the drawings to Cheol Dae-woo, whose expression gradually changed as he listened.
Once he understood the diagrams through Cheonhwa’s explanation, Cheol Dae-woo stared at the papers with astonished eyes.
It was the look of someone beholding a supreme martial manual.
“How could you possibly……”
The drawings had indeed identified and perfectly corrected the flaws in the techniques practiced by the manor’s warriors, just as Cheonhwa had said.
“Now you see I wasn’t joking.”
“No—do you already know our manor’s martial arts?”
Cheonhwa shook his head.
“The way people use their bodies is largely the same. Though there are hundreds or thousands of movements, the fundamental ones number only thirty-six.”
Cheonhwa explained in terms Cheol Dae-woo could understand. Listening to him, Cheol Dae-woo realized the person before him was no ordinary youth.
“Any martial art that has survived to the present day must be truly remarkable.”
“It’s nothing special.”
Cheonhwa shook his head.
“If it were truly insignificant, it would have vanished long ago. The arts that have been passed down were once renowned techniques. Over time, they simply weren’t transmitted completely and became distorted or incomplete.”
“Hmm……”
“I came because I heard that although you belong to the unorthodox faction, you value honor and righteousness.”
“You flatter me. I’m merely a man living in the secular world—a petty person who moves according to the manor’s interests.”
Cheol Dae-woo treated Cheonhwa with respect, regarding him as an extraordinary individual.
“That’s why I’d like to make you a proposal.”
“To me?”
Cheonhwa nodded.
“You may have heard, but there’s a group called Sinpungjang that’s been rapidly expanding based on the gambling houses at Hongze Lake and Taihu.”
“I’ve heard of them. There was also a rumor that the water bandits of Hongze Lake moved against Sinpungjang and were annihilated.”
“To be precise, the Gangsu Merchant Group sought help from Wolyeongmun to seize Sinpungjang’s businesses that threatened their commercial interests. Wolyeongmun, reluctant to act openly, commissioned the Hongze Lake bandits instead. As a result, those bandits were wiped out at Hongze Lake.”
From the way Cheol Dae-woo spoke of the incident, Cheonhwa could tell he suspected his involvement.
“As you’ve likely guessed from the story, I’m currently serving as the temporary lord of Sinpungjang.”
“Pardon? Temporary…?”
“When I said I was affiliated with the Haedong Merchant Group, I meant it.”
Cheol Dae-woo’s body trembled slightly.
“Then the Haedong Merchant Group intends to expand its operations?”
“Yes. Once the surrounding areas are settled, Sinpungjang will be absorbed into the Haedong Merchant Group.”
Cheol Dae-woo’s expression hardened at Cheonhwa’s answer. It felt as though he had heard something he shouldn’t have.
“Don’t worry. As long as you don’t speak of what you’ve heard today, nothing will happen.”
Cheol Dae-woo nodded.
“What is it you wish to say to me?”
“I want to ask if you’d consider joining hands with us to become the foremost unorthodox sect in Jiangsu Province—or, if not unorthodox, at least to reign supreme within Jiangsu itself.”
“What?”
“As I mentioned earlier, since Wolyeongmun is supporting the Gangsu Merchant Group, conflict with them is inevitable. We can’t simply endure, so as we clash, Wolyeongmun’s strength will gradually diminish.”
“Wolyeongmun is the foremost unorthodox sect in Jiangsu. The number of sects they can mobilize alone is……”
“I know. In truth, what concerns me isn’t Wolyeongmun, but the Warlord Alliance behind them. Of course, I have no fear of fighting the Warlord Alliance, but I worry that a large-scale war might break out in the murim.”
Cheol Dae-woo thought Cheonhwa was an extraordinary person, yet his ideas seemed somewhat unrealistic.
“However, if there were an unorthodox sect capable of replacing Wolyeongmun’s position, the Warlord Alliance wouldn’t pay much attention even if Wolyeongmun suffered some losses.”
“Hmm……”
“Before meeting you, I considered the sects under Wolyeongmun—Sayoungmun, Eumsabang, Hobangpa, and Akcheongok—as potential allies, but I couldn’t trust them.”
“Then what about me…?”
“Someone recommended you. They said that although you belong to the unorthodox faction, you’re more upright and just than any orthodox figure.”
Merely knowing that someone thought of him that way lifted Cheol Dae-woo’s spirits.
“If you join hands with us, Sinpungjang will provide you with one hundred taels of gold each month.”
For a manor of thirty-two people including family and martial artists, one hundred taels of gold was a substantial sum—enough to cover three months of living expenses. A larger manor would require more, but for his own, one hundred taels per month could change everything and allow him to recruit more martial artists.
“Then when you fight Wolyeongmun, must we also participate?”
Cheonhwa shook his head.
“We will handle the fight with Wolyeongmun ourselves. Cheolsajang need only focus on training and building its strength. And when Wolyeongmun weakens from fighting us, Sayoungmun, Eumsabang, Hobangpa, and Akcheongok will surely move to seize control of Jiangsu. Other sects that see an opportunity may also act, but they’ll continue watching cautiously. Only these four will make a decisive move.”
“Hmm……”
“Not only that, but the orthodox sects that have been lying low and gathering strength will also try not to miss this chance.”
If Wolyeongmun’s power diminished, events would likely unfold exactly as Cheonhwa described.
“At that time, Cheolsajang can help keep the orthodox martial artists in check.”
“The orthodox martial artists?”
Cheol Dae-woo asked, finding it strange that Cheonhwa mentioned the orthodox faction rather than the unorthodox one.
“If they’re not concerned about Wolyeongmun, why would they care about other sects? If they wished, they could annihilate them at any time.”
Cheol Dae-woo was startled by Cheonhwa’s words.
“I have no intention of resolving matters through chaos, which is why I’m saying this. If Cheolsajang keeps the orthodox faction in check, you’ll gain the support of the smaller and medium-sized unorthodox sects in Jiangsu.”
“Yes. The sects won’t simply stand by either.”
Cheonhwa shook his head.
“They’ll be too busy fighting over the large prize right in front of them. Because they believe that if they can just surpass Wolyeongmun, they’ll become the foremost unorthodox sect in Jiangsu. Once they’ve risen to the top, they think they can mobilize the unorthodox sects to fight the orthodox ones.”
As Cheol Dae-woo listened, the future events Cheonhwa described began to take shape in his mind.
“Then what should I do?”
“Just continue as you are—training, recruiting martial artists, gradually growing your strength, and staying quiet.”
Cheol Dae-woo rose from his seat and knelt before Cheonhwa.
“I am lacking in many ways. However, I will do my utmost not to disappoint you, Young Master.”
“Good. Let’s do our best together. And since we’ve joined hands, I’ll teach you a few martial arts for your sake. Practice them yourself, and if needed, pass them on to your disciples as well.”
“But what if I betray you, Young Master?”
“Well, I suppose I’d have to take back everything I’ve given. But I know you’re not the kind of person who would do that. Watch how we handle things, listen, and feel for yourself. Then you’ll come to your own judgment or conclusion. I hope we can maintain a good relationship going forward.”