Halting the Lone Advance (2)
From the Gold Amount Escort Agency, whose initial momentum had been cut short, to the Laugh Village Alliance.
They all shared one thing in common.
They owed a massive debt to the Mangeum Clan and its lord, Man Jungho, or were his closest friends.
At the same time, they had all lacked the courage to step forward against injustice.
That injustice had swept away the life of a friend they all cherished amid their hesitation—and not just his life, but everything he possessed.
Watching Man Jungho and the Mangeum Clan fade into oblivion had brought them to tears of blood.
If they could turn back time, they would have followed him into death, rather than cower in fear of the Seok Family and the Murim Alliance.
And today, that resolve had finally come to bloom.
"Sect Leader! Even with the Seok Family pressuring us financially, our goods and resources are overflowing instead! Requests for support and collaboration are pouring in from everywhere!"
The most excited of all was undoubtedly Black Island's steward, Gu Seunghwan.
On days filled with battle, he had little chance to shine, but in this war of commerce, the man truly came into his own.
"Excellent. To be safe, root out any spies and ally only with those connected to the Mangeum Clan."
If the battles until now had been revenge for the Murim Alliance, this was different.
Now, revenge against the Seok Family had begun.
—Suppress the Demon Sword Sect's young master, Hyeon Yucheon!
The command had come down from Seok Taepyeong, the Billion Gold Buddha, the world's richest man whose every word and gesture could shake the heavens, make escort certificates dance, and gold bills flutter.
The members of the Seok Family truly gave it their all.
All their branches across the Central Plains united in effort.
At the center of it all was Seok Taepyeong's second son and second young master, Seok Mujin.
Unlike his elder brother, skilled in both martial arts and commerce, Seok Mujin—whose mother was different—had inherited only commerce from his father.
He handled all of his father's directives, and thus the pressure from Hyeon Yucheon and the Demon Sword Sect fell to him.
"Young master! We can't hold out any longer!"
"Indeed. The Shaanxi branch's finances have reached their limit."
Seok Mujin, who had never disappointed his father in matters of commerce.
For the first time in his life, he was tasting failure.
'No, that can't be!'
It was a frustrating state of mind for Seok Mujin.
What kind of place was the Seok Family?
Setting aside the brief threat from the Mangeum Clan, it was a prestigious house that had never once yielded its position as the world's top merchant conglomerate.
A single branch could boast revenues and scale surpassing three martial sects.
And the Shaanxi branch, where second young master Seok Mujin resided, held the most gold and bills outside the main Seok Family Manor.
Yet what was this?
They were the ones suffering losses and under pressure.
"No matter how much we buy up surrounding goods and essentials, the Demon Sword Sect shows no strain."
"If this continues, we'll face astronomical losses."
It had been over a month of this, yet the Demon Sword Sect remained unscathed.
If anyone was taking hits, it was the Seok Family's Shaanxi branch, tasked with strategy and execution.
"What nonsense! Where would those filthy Sapa bastards get the funds to endure?"
Tasting defeat for the first time, Seok Mujin lost his composure and ground his teeth.
"Don't you know?"
"They're using the Mangeum Clan's hidden assets."
"The Mangeum Clan once rivaled our Seok Family. The amount of those hidden assets must be immense."
The Seok Family retainers assessed coldly, but Seok Mujin had already lost his cool.
Anyone who's invested would understand.
When something you trusted completely without a shred of doubt gets halved, only a stone Buddha wouldn't flip out.
And to add insult to injury.
"We've come from the magistrate's office. Seok Mujin, head of the Seok Family Shaanxi branch, comply obediently with the provincial governor's ordered financial investigation."
Even the bad news kept piling on.
The Shaanxi provincial governor, with whom Seok Mujin had built a close relationship through bribes, had suddenly turned?
"W-what? That can't be. What kind of relationship do the governor and I have?"
Already on the verge of mental collapse, Seok Mujin spoke with a soul-drained face.
Their "relationship" was Seok Mujin offering bribes and the governor happily devouring them—a symbiotic one.
"I'm merely performing my duties. I've even brought the official seal-stamped letter. Will you refuse?"
At the official's cold words, Seok Mujin finally grasped reality and trembled like a man struck by wind.
Brrr!
This wasn't fear of bankruptcy or himself on the brink.
'You filthy bastard! How much bribe money have I fed you all this time!'
Seok Mujin was resenting the Shaanxi governor right now.
And rightly so—he'd been sending a fixed tribute every month.
But why?
The truth was simple.
The order had come from his hometown senior and higher-ranking official, the Hubei provincial governor.
The Hubei governor was shrewd too, not invoking old ties or senior-junior sentiments.
—A new wind blows in the world's commerce. Join the ride, Shaanxi governor.
Just that short letter reverberated deeply for the Shaanxi governor.
It meant the Seok Family was the setting sun, while those rising on the Mangeum Clan's old forces were the new dawn—so if he wanted bribes to continue, switch sides wisely.
And sure enough?
Politically astute with a nose for bribes, the Shaanxi governor read the situation perfectly.
In the end, the Hubei and Shaanxi governors aligned on the same path.
"Do as you please! But... I'll report every detail of today's humiliation to my father, so just wait."
Even without invoking official immunity, Seok Mujin had few options.
All he could do was vent by tattling to Daddy.
It was right then, as Seok Mujin stared blankly out the window, his mind empty and frustrated.
Whoa!
A commotion arose—what was going on? New occupants were moving into the building directly opposite the Seok Family Shaanxi branch.
He thought little of it at first, but no way!
—Demon Sword Merchant Association!
A merchant guild named after the Demon Sword Sect—the very place Seok Mujin most wanted to crush—was setting up shop?
"Th-these! Damn bastards!"
He was already bursting with unvented rage.
He couldn't touch the officials, but perfect—a punching bag appeared just in time. Seok Mujin thought his luck had turned.
"Follow me."
Leading several first-rate warriors from the Shaanxi branch, he strode over with puffed-up bravado.
He didn't know why they'd dare such an outrageous name, but they'd pay dearly.
"You sons of...!"
The moment Seok Mujin, shaking with fury, opened his mouth to shout!
Rumble!
A horde surged in as if they'd been waiting.
They were none other than the Ronin King, Immortal Fighter Jeong Chilgyu, and a band of super first-rate ronin closing in on elite levels.
Why were they here?
"Urk! Eek!"
Seok Mujin panicked as the grim-faced mob surrounded him, freezing on the spot.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Yeon Daecheon, leader of the Gold Amount Escort Agency and head of the Demon Sword Merchant Association's Shaanxi branch, stepped forward.
That's right.
Under Hyeon Yucheon's plan, they'd deliberately approached Seok Mujin to provoke him.
"N-no matter what, this is too much! There's such a thing as merchant etiquette... Setting up a guild tied to the Demon Sword Sect right next to our Seok Family branch..."
Seok Mujin rallied at the sight of Yeon Daecheon, someone he could reason with, and started blabbering again.
Crash!
A massive spear flew between Seok Mujin and Yeon Daecheon.
No need to say who threw it—Jeong Chilgyu.
"You bastard!"
At Jeong Chilgyu's sudden move, the Shaanxi branch warriors drew their weapons, aiming at him.
But the tips trembled.
Their eyes weren't knots in wood.
They already knew the opponents were strong.
"Whether we build next to the Seok Family or anywhere else is our business. You're the ones who came strutting with your underlings to interfere first. And you dare draw weapons before me?"
Jeong Chilgyu laughed.
A clear smile, yet it oddly reeked of thick blood.
"We're just defending ourselves."
With justification secured, Jeong Chilgyu slaughtered the Shaanxi branch warriors as if he'd been waiting.
Crunch, cruuunch!
Seok Mujin couldn't even respond to the ferocious display.
By the time he came to, all who had intruded without permission on the Demon Sword Merchant Association's building were headless.
This was the prowess of the Ronin King and his ronin.
"Any further business?"
Jeong Chilgyu smirked, approaching Seok Mujin, blood dripping unexpectedly onto his fine golden robes.
Of course, the blood came from his own men.
"N-no..."
Seok Mujin bolted away in a flash.
Surviving was blessing enough.
The Ronin King spared him not out of mercy, but because killing him over this would be beneath his father's stature.
Screeech!
Gazing at Seok Mujin's fleeing back—abandoning his dead men without mourning—Jeong Chilgyu remarked.
"Even without my hand... he's not long for this world."
In the end, Seok Mujin slunk back alone to the Shaanxi branch, unable to touch the Demon Sword Merchant Association.
"This won't do."
Having lost his guards and staring at the officials ransacking the branch interior, Seok Mujin wore a dazed expression—then a clever idea struck.
It wasn't even that clever, really.
It was just what he'd learned watching his father's back, a method many used.
'My only way to turn this around is one thing.'
Eliminate the enemy's leader.
This was rampant in commerce and politics alike—the most efficient way.
But a problem remained.
Who could kill the Demon Sword Young Master, Hyeon Yucheon?
Sneer!
Seok Mujin grinned.
He held a card to answer that riddle.
This was Shaanxi soil.
Who was Shaanxi's greatest power?
Some might say the Jongnam Sect, others the prestigious Kang family, but most would point here.
The Huashan Sect of the Nine Great Sects!
'I'll ask Sect Leader Jang Unhwi of Huashan, the Plum Wind Cloud and one of the Heaven's Five Venerables!'
Seok Mujin had done much business with Huashan, making him close to them.
What if he told Jang Unhwi and Huashan that the Demon Sword Sect had entered Shaanxi Province?
Jang Unhwi, infamous for despising Sapa martial artists, would surely welcome the request.
"Just you wait, Hyeon Yucheon! Demon Sword Sect! You'll never surpass us!"
For the first time that day, Seok Mujin laughed brightly.
Unaware that his own hand had aided Hyeon Yucheon's revenge.