The Weight of Legacy
‘It seems even more serious than I thought.’
Cheonhwa, eavesdropping on a conversation from a corner of the inn, decided this matter couldn’t be taken lightly.
‘If they commissioned the Wolyeongmun, they could reduce the maternal family to ashes in a single day.’
He wondered why they were choosing the difficult path when an easy solution was right in front of them.
‘Is there another problem?’
Then Cheonhwa thought of his mother, Hwarin.
‘Could it be that because Mother held a high position in the Wulin Alliance, unorthodox sects like the Wolyeongmun can’t openly intervene? If they did, it would give the Alliance justification to act?’
He suspected this was why the martial sects friendly with the Jiangsu Merchant Group were staying their hands.
‘The unorthodox factions are gaining power these days. Is there really a need to worry about the Alliance’s reaction?’
Cheonhwa couldn’t understand it.
‘Ah, if the two sides fight, both would suffer losses. The Demonic Cult could then seize the fisherman’s advantage.’
He concluded this must be why the Wolyeongmun refused to act directly.
‘The third-rate thugs are the same. If they directly harmed the maternal family, they’d be hunted down by the Wulin Alliance or the orthodox martial artists. So they only strike in secret whenever the merchant group moves.’
Cheonhwa shifted his gaze toward the men discussing his family. His eyes met one of theirs, and a faint smile curved his lips.
“Uncle.”
“What is it?”
“If we place an order for goods like this, when will they arrive at the family estate?”
“They should arrive within ten days to half a month. After that, we’ll need to sort and categorize them, then prepare for the next trade journey. Factoring in all that time, we usually head out again in about a month.”
Cheonhwa thought that being a merchant was no easy task.
“Then you spend half the year traveling outside, Uncle.”
“Haha, sometimes it’s like that. In truth, I spend even more time away from home than that.”
“It must be very difficult.”
Yi Ja-saeng looked at his son, Cheon-sang.
“If our Cheon-sang and Cheonhwa learn the business diligently and take over the trade journeys for me, wouldn’t that solve it?”
“Us?”
Cheon-sang’s eyes widened in surprise at his father’s words.
“Why? Are you afraid?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that there’s still so much I need to learn.”
“That’s exactly why I said ‘if you learn diligently.’ Everyone feels fear when facing something for the first time. But if you let that fear stop you from even starting, you may regret it for the rest of your life.”
Cheonhwa nodded in agreement with Yi Ja-saeng’s words.
“If Cheon-sang and Cheonhwa join forces to lead the merchant group, I believe the Haedong Merchant Group will rise to great heights once more.”
“We’ll work hard.”
Cheonhwa answered in a clear, loud voice. Pleased by the response, Yi Ja-saeng burst into hearty laughter.
“You men should help our Cheon-sang and Cheonhwa as much as you can.”
“We’re the ones who should be asking for their favor. They’ll be looking after us for generations to come.”
“Without all of you, we wouldn’t have been able to run the group at all. These are difficult times, so please endure just a little longer. I will never forget the help you’ve given us during our hardships.”
From their conversation, Cheonhwa could tell that the relationship between the Haedong Merchant Group and these porters had lasted for a very long time.
When the porters finished their light meal and rose from their seats, the men who had been eating in the corner stood up as well.
Take one more step and your head will fall from your shoulders.
The sudden voice ringing in his head made the man flinch.
‘This is…’
Even the most ignorant person would know about transmission if they lived in the martial world, where blades decided meals.
Only those whose internal energy had surpassed first-class and reached the transcendence realm could send their thoughts silently to another using transmission. It was one of the skills every martial artist dreamed of mastering.
Bae Dal-gung, whom the thugs called “Big Brother,” might only be a third-rate martial artist and the leader of a gang of street scum, but he was still someone who had learned martial arts. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize transmission, especially the kind that echoed directly inside the skull rather than through the ears.
Until now, I didn’t know about this, so I let you get away with it. But things are different now. If you want to live, you’d better run somewhere my eyes can’t see you.
‘It’s not true-voice transmission. It’s thought-voice transmission.’
There were levels to transmission.
There was true-voice transmission, where the voice reached the ears, and thought-voice transmission, where thoughts were sent directly.
The one reaching him now was thought-voice transmission, bypassing the ears and planting the message straight into his mind.
This meant the sender’s internal energy had at least surpassed the transcendence realm and reached super-transcendence, or perhaps even the level of the hundred great masters.
‘Who… Could it be that little brat?’
He recalled Cheonhwa, the boy whose eyes had met his. His head turned involuntarily, and through the window he saw Yi Ja-saeng’s group leaving the inn.
“Huk!”
Even from quite a distance, he could clearly see the young boy looking back at him with a smile.
Remember this. The next time you appear before my eyes, I will take your life.
“Big Brother, let’s go.”
His subordinate’s call snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Sit down for now.”
He sat back in his chair as he spoke.
“Big Brother, they’ve already been gone for quite a while.”
“That’s not the problem right now. I…”
Drop any thoughts of speaking about me.
The voice echoing in his head made Bae Dal-gung’s eyes widen in shock.
“Big Brother, what’s wrong with you?”
Seeing his strange behavior, his subordinates asked what was happening. He stammered as he answered.
“F… first… just sit down.”
“Big Brother…”
“I said sit!”
When he shouted, his men flinched and quickly sat down.
“Stay like that for a moment.”
Bae Dal-gung steadied his breathing before continuing.
“We will no longer involve ourselves in the conflict between the Jiangsu Merchant Group and the Haedong Merchant Group.”
“What are you saying?”
“Don’t ask for details. Just know that. And we’re not returning to Jiangsu Province.”
“Big Brother, not returning to Jiangsu?”
“Because we’ll all die if we do. Just follow my orders.”
His subordinates looked stunned by his words.
“We’ll all die?”
“Don’t ask even if you’re curious. I’ll explain in one hour. For now, hold back your questions.”
Smart choice. If you want to live long, leave Jiangsu Province. And never come back.
“Huk!”
Startled by the voice in his head, he whipped his head toward the window.
The people from the Haedong Merchant Group had long since disappeared.
‘Fuck… So that’s why they offered a hundred gold taels.’
* * *
Upon arriving in Hefei, Anhui Province, Yi Ja-saeng met with the merchants he did business with and made various requests.
“I’m sorry for the delayed final payment. Thank you truly for your help all this time.”
“Not at all. The Haedong Merchant Group has given our shop so much help over the years. My father always says that if it weren’t for the Haedong Merchant Group, I wouldn’t even have been born.”
“That’s just something the old master says in passing. Anyway, thank you. I hope we can continue doing business in the future.”
“That is what I wanted to ask of you as well.”
As Cheonhwa followed Yi Ja-saeng around, he realized just how deeply respected both his grandfather and uncle were, and how well they had maintained their relationships over the years.
“Uncle really is amazing.”
Cheonhwa said to Cheon-sang.
“Why?”
“He gives his sincere heart to everyone he meets. That’s not an easy thing to do.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. Whenever I heard Father and Mother talk about the Central Plains, I always thought that truly connecting with people must be incredibly difficult.”
Cheonhwa explained to Cheon-sang exactly why he thought Yi Ja-saeng was such a remarkable person.
At his cousin’s praise, Cheon-sang’s shoulders squared with pride.
“What good is that when the family can’t even rise again?”
“That’s because there are many external factors at play.”
“External factors?”
“There are so many competitors. I’ve heard that relationships alone aren’t enough to overcome that.”
“That’s true, but…”
“We need to build competitiveness.”
“Competitiveness?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it work if we sold products that set us apart from other merchant groups?”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds. That’s why it’s so difficult.”
“Exactly. That’s why rebuilding the family isn’t easy either. But if Uncle continues to maintain these relationships like this, the family will surely rise again. When that time comes, your role will be incredibly important.”
“My role?”
“Yes. I’ve only ever heard Father and Mother’s words, so I don’t know exactly how they apply in reality, but this is what I think. If Uncle lays this foundation, you will build a strong Haedong Merchant Group on top of it—one that will never collapse again.”
“Never collapse again?”
Cheonhwa nodded. Seeing this, Cheon-sang’s shoulders trembled faintly.
“I’ll help you. So have confidence that you can do it.”
Cheon-sang nodded.
“By the way, are you feeling sick somewhere?”
“Huh? No, I’m not sick anywhere.”
“Really?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Your face looks pale. Were you often sick as a child?”
When Cheonhwa asked, Cheon-sang admitted that he used to get sick from time to time when he was young.
That was why he had tried to learn martial arts, but he said he had no talent for it.
“I see. When we return, it would be good to consult a physician.”
“Alright.”
When their conversation reached his ears, a smile formed on Yi Ja-saeng’s lips.
Perhaps because they were the same age, they seemed to communicate well, and his son Cheon-sang didn’t appear to dislike Cheonhwa.
“Then please send the goods to the main house.”
“We will do so.”
After concluding another deal, they left the shop.
“It seems we’ve visited everywhere we needed to today. Let’s rest at an inn and move again tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
As they left the shop and headed toward an inn, they saw martial artists with weapons at their waists running somewhere in a hurry.
They wore blue martial uniforms, and on the upper left side of their chests was embroidered the characters for “Azure Bow.”
“Those are warriors from the Namgung Clan,” Cheon-sang said.
Cheonhwa watched the running warriors.
‘So those are the warriors of the thousand-year clan.’
The clan known as the Namgung Clan, or the thousand-year family, had lived alongside the people of Anhui Province for a very long time.
The Namgung Clan had shared in Anhui’s rise and fall, sometimes receiving respect, sometimes criticism. It was a relationship where they couldn’t help but both love and hate each other, yet they continued to live together in that complicated bond.
‘Their breathing is steady despite moving so urgently. Not bad.’
“Something must have happened.”
Cheon-sang looked curiously at the Namgung Clan’s Azure Bow Unit as they rushed past.
“Don’t get involved in their affairs. Father always said that getting entangled with martial artists only brings trouble.”
“Really?”
“Of course, he also said that if you do get entangled, solve it with force. Kill them all if they cause problems…”
At Cheonhwa’s words, Cheon-sang let out a small chuckle.
“That’s because you’ve learned martial arts.”
Cheonhwa placed one hand on each of the two swords hanging at his waist.
“You can learn martial arts too.”
“My body is weak, so I can’t learn it. I have no talent either.”
“If your body is weak, you can build up your stamina. Even without talent, if you put in the effort, you can at least learn enough to protect yourself.”
Cheon-sang looked at Cheonhwa. His eyes asked, “Really?”
“Then the most important thing is your will.”
“My will?”
“Yes. Mother once told me that if your will can move the heavens, there is nothing you cannot achieve.”
“If your will can move the heavens…”
As Cheon-sang listened to Cheonhwa’s words, he thought about how much effort he had actually put into learning martial arts.
‘Come to think of it, I always gave up whenever something got difficult.’
Seeing the look of determination on Cheon-sang’s face, Cheonhwa believed he would do well.
“It looks like something really has happened.”
When they arrived at the inn to rest after finishing the day’s work, they saw that it was filled with warriors from the Namgung Clan.