Halting the Monopoly (1)
Whoaaa!
No sooner had the Ronin King Jeong Chilgyu's declaration ended than cheers erupted from all around.
And why not? Who was the Immortal Fighter Jeong Chilgyu?
Wasn't he the beast-like man whom even the Demon Sword Ghost Elder Cheon Baeksang had ultimately failed to tame—a eternal rebel of the martial world?
For such a man to declare he'd serve under Hyeon Yucheon, who was far his junior, was nothing short of shocking.
"Is that truly your intent?"
Even Hyeon Yucheon asked again in surprise.
He'd anticipated it to some degree, but he hadn't expected such a bold and straightforward response.
"Indeed. However... I won't become one of your pawns. I'll lend aid when needed, but you must guarantee me a measure of freedom. We ronin have always drifted like wind and clouds, unbound by forms or conventions."
Jeong Chilgyu rose with the support of his followers.
A smile had already crept across his face.
'Well, if the great Jeong Chilgyu used honorifics with me and trailed after like a lackey, that would lose its charm too.'
Hyeon Yucheon nodded in full understanding.
These weren't the types to settle quietly in one sect anyway.
And Hyeon Yucheon knew exactly how to handle such men.
"Of course. And if you take on my commissions and fulfill them perfectly, I'll pay you handsomely in compensation."
At first glance, it might sound arrogant, but Jeong Chilgyu burst into roaring laughter.
"Hahaha! As expected of the Demon Sword Ghost Elder's prized disciple. Indeed, us ronin have always danced to the tune of gold over loyalty."
But to infuse that gold with hefty loyalty? As the leader of the ronin, what could bring him greater joy?
The ronin were already thrilled from the start at Hyeon Yucheon's knack for handling people and motivating them properly.
Hyeon Yucheon gazed at them calmly, lost in thought.
'The moment for you all to shine will come soon.'
His eyes peered into a future even farther beyond the present.
Hyeon Yucheon and the Demon Sword Sect had become the undisputed hegemons of Hebei Province.
Hebei had become the only place in the entire Central Plains untouched by the Murim Alliance's influence.
Of course, distant regions like the North Sea, the Western Frontier, or Xinjiang felt less of the Alliance's might too, but that was due to geography—not by their own defiant will, as the Demon Sword Sect had achieved.
Hyeon Yucheon was fortifying Hebei as his unbreakable stronghold, leveraging his brilliant mind.
Not just unorthodox sects, but merchants, trading companies, and escort agencies—he was forging ties with all sorts.
"Agency Lord, have you made your decision?"
Amid swirling rumors across the factions, the beautiful Haeha River of Hebei remained serene, as did the splendid guest house at its heart.
Jeong Se-in, the owner, gazed at a man and his daughter as she asked.
Nod.
He nodded firmly.
His identity was none other than Yeon Daecheon, lord of the Gold Amount Escort Agency and wielder of the Golden Light Sword.
Yeon Daecheon had come secretly to the Haeha Guest House, bringing his daughter Yeon Jinjin.
"Of course. Until now, I couldn't openly back an unorthodox sect, so I supported from the shadows... But from this moment, we'll declare our official allegiance."
This was precisely why Yeon Daecheon had sought out Jeong Se-in.
The Gold Amount Escort Agency shared ties with her, and ever since Hyeon Yucheon became sect leader, they'd offered subtle aid.
At first, it stemmed purely from her connection—guilt over the Mangeum Clan.
But then—what a revelation!
—The true identity of the Demon Sword Sect leader is none other than the Mangeum Young Master Man Yuhyeon!
The moment Yeon Daecheon heard the rumor, he was utterly stunned.
'Heavens, it can't be!'
He hadn't believed it at first, but he recalled the gaze of Hyeon Yucheon from afar.
It had seemed familiar, tilting his head in puzzlement—turns out it matched perfectly with his dearest friend, the Mangeum Clan lord Man Jungho.
"And in the past, I lacked the courage to aid the Mangeum Clan. But now... things will be different."
Yeon Daecheon spoke with grim resolve.
"Wonderful. Please wait just a moment."
Jeong Se-in smiled and stepped aside briefly.
Before arranging the meeting with Hyeon Yucheon, she wanted to gauge Yeon Daecheon's sincerity firsthand—and now she was certain.
'So that Young Hero Hyeon... was truly the chubby boy I was once betrothed to?'
Beside the resolute Yeon Daecheon, Yeon Jinjin was equally bewildered, lost in her own whirlwind of thoughts.
The Mangeum Young Master Man Yuhyeon, the enigmatic escort warrior Hyeon Yucheon, and now the Demon Sword Sect lord boasting world-class martial prowess as Hyeon Yucheon.
It simply didn't add up.
It was then.
"I apologize for hiding my identity all this time against my will."
Hyeon Yucheon appeared in pristine attire, flanked by the ever-vigilant Black Wolf Three Swords.
"Oh!"
"My goodness!"
His appearance—handsomer than ever—drew varied reactions from father and daughter.
Yeon Daecheon marveled at the radiant aura of a pearl emerging from its shell, while Yeon Jinjin was struck by his thoroughly captivating masculine appeal.
"Allow me to greet you properly once more. I am Man Yuhyeon, heir of the Mangeum Clan, now living as the Demon Sword Young Master Hyeon Yucheon, lord of the Demon Sword Sect. To you, my father's dear friend Great Hero Yeon, I offer my deepest apologies and respect, begging your forgiveness."
The man who had toppled the Beggars' Sect leader, cracked the Murim Alliance, and mercilessly slain the Seok Family's bloodkin—the Agency's most fearsome foe—was treating him with utmost courtesy. Yeon Daecheon's head spun.
"N-No, not at all. No, truly."
Yeon Daecheon fumbled for words at first.
How to address him? Honorifics or not? He was utterly confused.
"Please speak freely. This isn't a formal occasion—treat me as your friend's son."
Sensing it, Hyeon Yucheon smoothly clarified.
Even so, speaking completely casually remained awkward.
"I... I understand the Young Lord—no, Sect Leader's ordeals. And I remember how you aided my agency despite it all. The debt is mine to bear."
Gazing at the grown Hyeon Yucheon, Yeon Daecheon thought of his closest friend Man Jungho.
The man he'd loved like a brother had departed unjustly, but his son remained, commanding the world. Surely heaven rejoiced.
"You've already repaid any debt. You aided us both materially and morally in our sect's hour of need, didn't you?"
"Aigoo~ It wasn't quite to that extent..."
As the two bantered warmly, Jeong Se-in watched with a bright smile as the third party.
She hadn't dreamed the day would come so soon when they'd all gather and bare their true selves openly.
"I've heard you've made a great resolution."
"Indeed. The Gold Amount Escort Agency shall... officially defy the Seok Family Manor and break free from their shadow."
Greetings done, the pair delved into the heart of the matter.
In truth, this was why Yeon Daecheon had come all the way to meet Hyeon Yucheon.
Operating a trading company or escort agency in Hebei inevitably fell under the Seok Family's sway.
From trivial matters to gold and transport vouchers, nowhere escaped their breath.
"I thank you for that difficult choice."
"Truth be told, the Gold Amount Escort Agency began not under the Seok Family, but alongside the Mangeum Clan. Though I was too lacking to aid my friend back then, that regret lingers eternally. Therefore..."
Yeon Daecheon's eyes gleamed.
Had he sought comfort, he could have lived prosperously without coming here.
Yet he chose the unfinished loyalty of old.
"I'll lend my strength to the Demon Sword Sect. Rumors swirl that the Seok Family targets you, now revealed as the Mangeum Clan heir. They'll likely squeeze with finances and funds."
Hyeon Yucheon nodded at his words.
They'd faced similar pressures before.
'But the Demon Sword Sect of the past and now are worlds apart.'
Moreover, they hadn't yet opened the Mangeum Clan's hidden vault of amassed treasures.
"Though trials lie ahead, we'll invest the Gold Amount Escort Agency's full assets in the Demon Sword Sect, however modest."
Yeon Daecheon was a man of true righteousness.
He knew nothing of the secret vault.
Fearing Seok Family financial strangleholds, he'd rushed here to bolster Hyeon Yucheon even a little.
"Worry not. With the Mangeum Clan gone, the martial world's merchants are under the Seok Family's unchecked monopoly. And our goal... is to halt that monopoly."
As expected?
It didn't take long for the Seok Family to act overtly.
—Our young master Mujin must have fallen to that damned Demon Sword Sect leader! Choke their funds and crush them!
At the Seok Family lord's furious command, the world stirred.
The Murim Alliance, trading firms—all severed ties with the Demon Sword Sect, piling on financial pressure. But it meant nothing to them.
—I am truly the Mangeum Clan heir, and the clan's final legacy remains with me!
Hyeon Yucheon unveiled the Mangeum Clan's long-hidden vault of treasures.
Mountains of gold, treasures, antiques, grains, elixirs, and herbs—countless beyond measure.
As Hyeon Yucheon flaunted his concealed wealth, those who'd dismissed his claims were floored.
They'd thought he invoked the long-dead Mangeum Clan merely for leverage against the Alliance and Seok Family—but no!
Incredibly, he truly was the Mangeum Young Master.
"Sect Leader! In preparation for this day, we've converted all Seok Family-issued vouchers to gold reserves!"
Gu Seunghwan, the Demon Sword Sect's steward and accountant, beamed as he reported.
'The Sect Leader's foresight is truly astounding.'
To Gu Seunghwan, unaware of the shadow war with the Seok Family, it seemed like prophetic vision.
"Young Hero Hyeon! Our ties with Hebei Province Lord's wife, Lady Huiryeong, remain solid. She says the lord rejected the Seok Family's massive tribute. It coincides with His Majesty's emphasis on officials' integrity, so such offerings only incurred his wrath."
Now Jeong Se-in spoke.
As she said, the Seok Family's clumsy tribute backfired spectacularly.
Had the Province Lord accepted, it would have defied imperial decree, bringing massive disgrace. Thus, he saw it as the Seok Family plotting his downfall.
Good news kept coming.
"Sect Leader! The Pill Immortal Sect has officially pledged support!"
Jeong Inheon, the Plum Death Gentleman and sect elder, cried out in astonishment.
What was the Pill Immortal Sect?
The martial world's largest handler of herbs and elixirs—a coalition of all heartless miners and herb gatherers, controlling their distribution networks nationwide.
And that wasn't all.
Haomen Lord So Jaun had leveraged her information prowess, sending letters far and wide!
"Even the realm's greatest horse traders, the Red Horse Gang, have signaled support."
The Red Horse Gang dealt in famed steeds and swift horses, owning the world's largest herds—a tycoon's cabal of horse merchants.
"The smiths' alliance, the Forge Masters Union, offers weapons and gear at rock-bottom prices!"
Though their trades varied, they shared one trait.
"They are... the Mangeum Clan's old connections and loyal patrons."
Each had thrived thanks to the Mangeum Clan's aid—loans, funding, flexibility.
Amid the flurry of support pledges, Hyeon Yucheon could scarcely hide his moved, choked emotion.
'Father, Mother—are you watching? You lived not in vain. So many now aid and follow us.'