Traces of the Heavenly Demon
The Jiangsu Merchant Group was the foremost trading house in Jiangsu Province, yet it fell short of earning a place among the Ten Great Merchant Groups once dominated by the old Haedong Merchant Group.
Still, in terms of scale, it operated a vast array of businesses on par with those elite houses. Its primary ventures included pawnshops that accepted deposits and issued loans, escort agencies that transported valuable goods, and large-scale civil engineering projects—constructing homes, buildings, fortresses, and roads. Beyond that, the group thrived in diverse fields such as textile shops, inns, and taverns.
Cheonhwa had returned to the Haedong Merchant Group and was now carefully examining the detailed information Ga-wol had provided about the Jiangsu Merchant Group.
“If I strike at their legitimate businesses, it could give them an excuse to attack the outer family. I need to target their illegal operations—the true source of their wealth.”
Among the Jiangsu Merchant Group’s illicit activities conducted behind the managers’ backs, the most prominent were usury, gambling dens, and smuggling. They also turned a tidy profit by secretly selling red salt—which required official permits—and dragon saliva incense reserved exclusively for tribute to the emperor.
“They bribe the provincial governor and other officials in Jiangsu every year with enormous sums to overlook their illegal operations.”
The ledger Ga-wol had delivered contained exhaustive details on the Jiangsu Merchant Group’s underground enterprises.
“With the Moon Shadow Sect—the foremost unorthodox faction in Jiangsu—watching their backs, it’s no wonder the Jiangsu Merchant Group has monopolized so many rights and interests across the province.”
The Moon Shadow Sect belonged to the Warlord Alliance, the coalition of unorthodox sects, and served as the central pillar of Sapa forces in Jiangsu. While a few orthodox sects existed in the region, their power was utterly insignificant compared to the Moon Shadow Sect’s influence.
Through this information, Cheonhwa gained a clearer understanding of the relationship between the martial world and the merchant world.
“Martial power and financial power cannot be separated.”
After reading every page of the book Ga-wol had given him, Cheonhwa closed it.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, flames erupted from the book, consuming it in an instant and reducing it to ash.
“To ruin the Jiangsu Merchant Group’s illegal businesses, I’ll need to either build a close relationship with someone holding a position higher than the provincial governor or bring the governor himself over to my side…”
Excluding members of the imperial and royal families, few possessed greater authority than a provincial governor.
“Didn’t they say the Yeongchin Royal Manor is in Anhui Province?”
The Yeongchin Royal Manor, home to Prince Yeongchin Ju Jin-mo—the current emperor’s younger brother and commander of the Palro Surogun, the naval force guarding the Central Plains’ seas—stood in Anhui Province.
“If I gather solid evidence and present it, the Yeongchin Royal Manor will surely investigate the Jiangsu governor. But the governor’s people likely have their own connections to the royal manor, so they’ll be cautious. Without concrete proof, this could drag on for a long time.”
Cheonhwa sat alone, sketching out the grand scheme in his mind.
This was not something that could be finished in a day or two. Even if it took a year or more, he would advance step by step without a single mistake. His plan was to grow the Haedong Merchant Group while systematically dismantling the Jiangsu Merchant Group.
“For now, I should follow Mother’s advice and learn some of the unorthodox tricks from the Left Path factions.”
* * *
“This is…”
The Haomun members who had come to Untae Mountain Fortress after hearing Cheonhwa’s report stared at the dead Green Forest bandits with stunned expressions.
All of them had been killed by the sword, but a peculiar detail on their wounds had caught their attention.
“These are the Heavenly Demon Three Swords.”
Since the birth of the martial world, countless arts had been hailed as the greatest under heaven. Many still existed, and more would surely appear in the future. Yet among them all, a few stood above the rest.
The Demonic Cult’s Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the orthodox faction’s Heavenly Martial Divine Art, the unorthodox faction’s Four Spirits Divine Art, and the borderlands’ Lesser Water Divine Art were the most prominent.
These were called divine arts rather than demonic or heretical arts because they carried no side effects when cultivated.
Other exceptional arts existed—such as Shaolin’s Great Prajna Divine Art, Wudang’s Taiji Wisdom Sword, and Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Twelve Sword—but they fell somewhat short of being called true divine arts.
Martial enthusiasts loved to boast that the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was supreme, that all things were equal before the Heavenly Martial Divine Art, that the Four Spirits Divine Art devoured all other arts, and that everything became useless before the Lesser Water Divine Art. Yet since the dawn of the martial world, these supreme arts had clashed only once.
Twenty-five years ago, the Demonic Cult’s eldest young master Cheonwoo and the Wulin Alliance’s eldest young lady Yi Hwarin had fought using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and Heavenly Martial Divine Art. The result had been mutual destruction. Since then, no one could say with certainty which art was stronger.
And yet, the unmistakable traces of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had now appeared on the bodies of Green Forest bandits in Untae Mountain Fortress.
“It is definitely the Heavenly Demon Three Swords.”
“Branch Leader!”
At the urgent call from a short distance away, the branch leader rushed over. There lay another dead bandit, his face crushed beyond recognition. A clear blue fist-shaped wound marked his chest.
“The Heavenly Demon Blue Steel Hand…”
The branch leader closed his eyes.
“Has the Demonic Cult, which has stayed hidden all this time, finally begun to move?”
Because of the events from twenty-five years ago, the Demonic Cult had not taken a single step beyond the Heavenly Mountains.
Wait. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the supreme art of the Demonic Cult, passed only to the heir who will become the next leader.
The appearance of someone who had mastered such an art in Jiangsu Province—the complete opposite side of the map—seemed highly irregular.
There was no information about the young cult leader emerging from closed-door training.
That left two possibilities.
Either the eldest young master Cheonwoo had returned alive, or his disciple had entered the martial world!
“What is the meaning of this!”
The sudden roar from behind made the Haomun members flinch. They turned toward the entrance of the fortress and saw a man dressed as a beggar standing there.
Despite his unremarkable beggar’s attire, not a single person present dared to disregard him.
“We greet Lord Wang Geol.”
He was the head of the Jiangsu branch of the Beggars’ Sect, which belonged to the Nine Great Schools.
Wang Geol had secretly followed the Haomun members after noticing their hurried movements from the Lianyun branch.
“Did you bastards kill all of them?”
When Wang Geol glared at them with murderous fury, they quickly waved their hands in denial.
“We came after receiving a tip. They were already dead when we arrived. If you look at the wounds, you’ll immediately see this wasn’t our doing.”
Wang Geol already knew they had not killed the Green Forest bandits. He had asked only to secure the bodies.
Once the Haomun members stepped aside, Wang Geol approached the corpses and examined the wounds. After a moment, he turned to look at them, as if asking whether he had seen correctly.
“They are the Heavenly Demon Three Swords and the Heavenly Demon Blue Steel Hand.”
At the branch leader’s confirmation, Wang Geol’s face twisted violently.
“Has the Demonic Cult begun to move?”
“We cannot be certain. However, since the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the supreme art of the Demonic Cult, it seems more likely that either the eldest young master Cheonwoo has returned or that his disciple has appeared in the martial world.”
Wang Geol fell silent at the branch leader’s words. Both possibilities carried significant weight.
“We will take these bodies with us.”
Since they had been discovered by the Beggars’ Sect, the branch leader knew there was no point in arguing. He bowed respectfully to Wang Geol.
“Then we shall take our leave.”
“Do so.”
After the branch leader bowed and withdrew, one of his subordinates asked, “Is it really all right to leave like this?”
“What, you want to fight the Beggars’ Sect? We’ve already obtained all the information we needed. Just withdraw. Make sure the men keep their mouths shut until orders come from above. I’ll go find the Hongze Lake branch leader and report what happened today.”
“Understood. We’ll do as you say.”
* * *
“Sit down.”
At his grandfather Yi Sang-woo’s summons, Cheonhwa visited his study.
“I hear you’ve been visiting Taihu frequently these days?”
“Yes. I’ve been learning some tricks from a Haomun member.”
“Tricks?”
“Mother said that to survive in the martial world, one must be well-versed in the unorthodox tricks of the Left Path factions.”
“So you’re learning the tricks of the Left Path?”
“Yes. I don’t intend to delve too deeply, but I believe it will be helpful to learn and master them to a certain degree. That’s why I’m studying them for now.”
Yi Sang-woo listened to Cheonhwa’s calm explanation and nodded, realizing his worries had been unfounded.
“I was concerned you were frequenting the pleasure houses, but it seems there was no need to worry.”
“Please set your mind at ease. Right now, I’m far more curious about the world itself. I have little interest in women yet.”
Yi Sang-woo let out a soft chuckle.
“A boy of sixteen is already old enough to marry.”
“When the time comes, I will tell you, Grandfather.”
“Very well. I heard Ja-saeng will be leaving home tomorrow to gather supplies needed for the next trading journey.”
“Uncle?”
“If you wish to see how a merchant truly works, this would be an excellent opportunity to accompany him.”
“I will do so.”
“Go speak with Ja-saeng.”
Cheonhwa bowed respectfully, left the study, and went to find his uncle, Yi Ja-saeng.
He was in the garden with several others. As Cheonhwa approached, Yi Ja-saeng greeted him warmly.
“It’s Cheonhwa.”
“I heard from Grandfather that you will be going out to purchase goods for the merchant group.”
“That’s right. I need to leave a little early to secure the necessary supplies so there won’t be any disruptions for the next trading caravan.”
“In that case, I wanted to ask if I might accompany you while you acquire the goods.”
“You wish to come along?”
“I don’t necessarily want to become a merchant, but I would like to learn what trading truly entails.”
“Trading?”
“It may sound absurd, but if I ever have to negotiate for the fate of the world itself, knowing the principles of buying and selling would allow me to secure even a slightly better price. That’s why I’m asking.”
“The fate of the world?”
“Yes.”
Though Yi Ja-saeng considered it a far-fetched dream, he decided to let Cheonhwa do as he wished.
“Very well. Let’s do that. At least Cheon-sang won’t be bored on this trip.”
“Thank you.”
And so Cheonhwa decided to join the upcoming supply procurement journey.
The next day, Cheonhwa left the house together with his uncle Yi Ja-saeng, his cousin Yi Cheon-sang, and several of the merchant group’s accountants.
Yi Cheon-sang seemed delighted to be traveling with Cheonhwa and chattered away about all sorts of things.
“It’s true. When our merchant group was truly huge, we even ran an escort agency.”
“I already knew that the group was once large enough to be counted among the Ten Great Merchant Groups.”
“Exactly. Back then, goods from all over the country flowed through us.”
“I can imagine. Seeing how hard Uncle works, it seems the group could regain its former glory.”
“Right? Father will become a great merchant king.”
“I believe so too. So let’s both study hard.”
“Yeah.”
A gentle smile formed on Yi Ja-saeng’s lips as he listened to his son and nephew talk.
A merchant king…
Long ago, he too had dreamed of being called a great merchant and ruling the commercial world as the Merchant King. But that dream had not lasted long.
After his sister’s disappearance, the family had declined steadily. No matter how hard he tried, restoring their past glory proved nearly impossible.
He had learned that reality was generous to those who had power and utterly merciless to those who did not. So instead of chasing his dream of becoming the Merchant King, he had focused solely on keeping the family line alive.
The Jiangsu Merchant Group’s schemes grew increasingly blatant, but without the strength to stop them, he could only endure.
Fortunately, some merchants who had once enjoyed good dealings with his father Yi Sang-woo continued to do business with them, allowing them to hold on. Yet with each passing year, the situation grew more difficult.
Just as his own father had done, Yi Ja-saeng could not bear to disappoint his son Yi Cheon-sang. All he could do was give his utmost in the circumstances he had been given.
After leaving home, they first visited the Surveillance Commissioner Ahn Hyeong-tae to repay the money they had borrowed from him.
The accountants waited outside while Yi Ja-saeng entered with Cheon-sang and Cheonhwa.
“Have you been well?”
“Welcome. Merchant Yi, you only just returned from one trading journey. Are you already setting out on another?”
“For a merchant, trust is more important than anything else.”
“Haha, that is true. In that case, please repay the money you borrowed from me as well. Receiving only interest every month has become rather burdensome for me too.”
Yi Ja-saeng bowed his head.
“I have no excuse. I am truly grateful for your patience until now. This time, things have gone well and I am able to repay the debt I owe you. I have brought the money.”
Yi Ja-saeng took out a promissory note from his robe and handed it to Ahn Hyeong-tae.
“This is a note issued by the Jiangsu pawnshop. Both the principal and this month’s interest have been deposited. You may retrieve it at your convenience.”
“Is that so?”
Cheonhwa watched Ahn Hyeong-tae maintain a carefully neutral expression and smiled inwardly.
Now he won’t be able to pressure us for the money. The problem with the government office is resolved. All that remains is dealing with the Jiangsu Merchant Group.
“If I ever need urgent funds again, I would be grateful for your help.”
“I shall remember that. Though I spoke harshly about repayment, there is no better customer than the Haedong Merchant Group.”
“Thank you for thinking so. We will visit again in the future.”