The Golden Sovereign's Wrath
A shabby manor located on the outskirts of Changsha.
The manor, which had originally been seized by Yaju from its owner and then forgotten and abandoned, had recently begun to bustle with life again.
The worn and crumbling parts were repaired, and the dust-covered shelves and cabinets were cleaned out.
Daily necessities were stocked, and servants bustled in and out.
Though it looked like an ordinary manor on the outside...
‘This time, I’ll increase the ratio of White Spirit Herb and lower the ratio of Snow Flower Powder...’
A woman wearing spectacles carefully lifted a reagent bottle and shook it.
She looked solemn, almost reverent, as if praying for something.
Finally, having finished the mixture, she poured the solution onto a nearby stone.
Sssss...!
Only smoke rose; the stone remained unchanged.
There was no reaction.
To be precise, there was no desired reaction.
"Phew..."
Hae-yeon let out a weary sigh and slumped into her chair.
The room was filled with reagents, medicine bottles, porcelain mortars, and various other research tools.
Though they were all newly purchased, they were already stained with fingerprints, showing just how dedicated she was to her research.
‘Can I really do this...?’
Jeok-un had ordered her to extract rock salt from waste stones.
He had told her all the raw ingredients needed to make the reagent and had even personally procured them for her.
Now, only one thing remained.
Finding the correct ratio based on those raw ingredients to create the reagent.
‘How many times have I failed now...?’
She was losing confidence.
At first, she wondered if some ingredient was missing.
But the Squad Leader had confirmed multiple times that nothing was missing.
Which meant she had to make the solution using only these ingredients.
‘Who on earth created this? No, did they discover it?’
If such a person existed, they must be a once-in-a-generation genius.
A rare talent capable of fooling even the heavens.
‘If I find it, will I be able to stand alongside such a genius?’
Hae-yeon imagined herself being courted by Sadocheon, feared by the Black Hegemony Castle, and watched warily by the Murim Alliance, only to quickly turn gloomy.
‘It’s already been almost a month...’
Nearly a month had passed since Jeok-un entrusted her with this task, but she hadn't even come close to the correct answer.
Thinking of the grace Jeok-un had shown her, she felt so guilty and apologetic that she could barely look him in the eye.
In truth, neither Jeok-un nor anyone else had rushed or pressured her, but Hae-yeon was digging her own grave with self-reproach.
"Haa..."
As she sighed again in frustration, a voice spoke from beside her.
"Aigoo, it seems you're having a hard time too, Senior Hae."
"...!"
Startled, she turned to see a face that had become quite familiar.
It was Go Bok-gil.
She had been so focused on her research that she hadn't even noticed him enter.
After exchanging greetings, Go Bok-gil looked around at the reagents and materials scattered across the room and spoke.
Unlike the awkward Hae-yeon, Go Bok-gil acted as naturally as if they had known each other for years.
"So, if you mix these this way and that, that magical solution will just pop out, right?"
"Yes. The problem is that I don't know how to mix them..."
"Haa."
This time, Go Bok-gil let out a deep sigh.
Actually, Go Bok-gil hadn't come to comfort her.
He had only come to vent his own frustrations.
"Illicit salt trade..."
When he first heard about extracting rock salt from waste stones, he had simply been amazed.
Just how deep were the mysteries of nature?
Or rather, should he call it the mystery of Jeok-un?
But when he heard that they were going to sell that rock salt secretly—in other words, engage in the illicit salt trade...
‘Uwaah!! Absolutely not!’
Go Bok-gil had rolled around on the floor, trying to dissuade Jeok-un.
Of course, Jeok-un hadn't listened.
Since then, Go Bok-gil would occasionally come by like this to mutter his complaints and leave.
"Ugh, that man has truly lost his mind... How could he lay his hands on the illicit salt trade..."
"Member Go. Just in case, you should watch your mouth."
"Yes?"
"Since you are deeply involved as well, if we are caught, you will be executed as one of the ringleaders."
"...?!?!"
Seeing Hae-yeon say such terrifying things with a nonchalant expression, Go Bok-gil's face looked ready to burst into tears.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Immediately after returning from the abandoned mine with Hae-yeon, Jeok-un had summoned Go Bok-gil to set up this laboratory.
He had also procured a mountain of ingredients for the reagents and stacked them in the warehouse.
He hadn't forgotten about personnel assignments either.
Using the excuse that Hae-yeon hadn't fully recovered, he had removed her from the duty roster.
Thanks to that, Hae-yeon was able to shut herself in here and focus on her research under the guise of recuperation.
"But will these useless-looking stones really turn into salt? I honestly have no idea..."
"Even if it seems far-fetched, he is not one to tell lies."
Hae-yeon's face was full of conviction.
Go Bok-gil was sad to find he couldn't refute her.
"Tsk, well, you're right about that, Senior."
"...I told you to stop calling me 'Senior'."
"Hmm, then 'Senior Officer'?"
"..."
"Phew, anyway, I'm worried. For now, we've mined all the waste stones and piled them up, but..."
Following Jeok-un's orders, Go Bok-gil had been mining the waste stones.
Naturally, the mined stones were stored in the manor's warehouse.
Since there were so many waste stones in each abandoned mine, the warehouse was already full, yet there were still plenty of stones left.
‘If we had actually paid miners to do this, this business would have definitely gone bankrupt.’
The illicit salt trade was a crime severely punished by the state as high treason.
Naturally, they couldn't hire miners, nor did they intend to.
So, the substitutes they found were the disorganized forces of Yaju and the No brothers.
They had been imprisoned in Sadocheon's dungeons as criminals, but Jeok-un had made a deal with the Lord to get them out.
It was called "labor reform," but while it sounded nice, they were essentially unpaid laborers.
"Even now, the locals are mocking the Squad Leader, asking what kind of criminal mines useless stones instead of gold. Phew, at this rate..."
Hae-yeon's expression darkened at Go Bok-gil's grumbling.
To resolve this issue as quickly as possible, she had to succeed in synthesizing the solution.
Just as worry clouded Hae-yeon's face...
"Hey, Go Bok-gil."
"Hieek!"
Someone called Go Bok-gil from behind, scaring him out of his wits.
At this moment, in this place, that was the absolute number one voice he did not want to hear.
"Good to see you."
Sure enough, Jeok-un was standing behind him, smiling like one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
"I wondered where you were slacking off, and here you are."
"Sq-Squad Leader. That's, no, it's not..."
"Right, it's about time I put you to work. Don't you think?"
"S-Senior Hae! Please call me again next time, I'll be taking my leave now!!"
Go Bok-gil chose to flee.
Even if it didn't lessen his guilt, it was better than getting beaten up right now.
Jeok-un clicked his tongue as he watched Go Bok-gil's retreating figure.
"Tsk, I need to catch him and beat him into shape one of these days."
"...Greetings, Squad Leader."
As Hae-yeon hesitantly greeted him, Jeok-un showed a pleasant smile, completely different from how he treated Go Bok-gil.
"Oh, right. It's been a while. How is it going? Is the work progressing well?"
"...!"
When he casually asked about her progress along with his greeting, Hae-yeon's heart sank.
She hesitated, wondering if she should make up an excuse.
"...To be honest, I still haven't found a clue."
Hae-yeon decided to tell the truth.
"Really? How far along are you?"
"I made some progress in the beginning, but now there's almost no advancement..."
"Hmm."
As Hae-yeon's expression grew even darker, Jeok-un glanced at the cluttered experimental equipment behind her.
Then, he spoke nonchalantly.
"No, just try a little longer."
"Pardon?"
"From the look of it, you're almost there."
"??"
Hae-yeon blinked.
It was an incomprehensible statement.
"What... is your basis for saying that?"
Hmm, his basis.
If Jeok-un were to tell the truth, it would be: ‘Whenever you make a face like that, the result usually pops out in a day or two.’
But he couldn't say that, so he decided to phrase it differently.
Jeok-un suddenly pointed a finger at his own eye.
"This."
"...Yes?"
While Hae-yeon was flustered, Jeok-un puffed out his chest confidently and said,
"Haha, my eye for talent is always accurate."
"?!"
"I've never been wrong, not even once."
What in the world...?
Just as Hae-yeon was about to gasp in disbelief, Jeok-un patted her shoulder.
"So it doesn't matter if it takes a bit longer. You will definitely succeed."
"...!"
"Take your time and do it with peace of mind."
Hae-yeon's eyes widened in a different way.
Her heart swelled, and her eyes grew moist.
Though he said it to ease her burden, she was deeply moved.
"Well, it is really important, so if possible, I'd appreciate it if you could succeed just a little bit faster."
"Pfft."
It was so completely different from his reliable demeanor of a moment ago that Hae-yeon couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing that her burden seemed to have eased, Jeok-un stretched with a refreshed mind.
It was a signal that he was about to leave.
"I'm off. Keep up the hard work."
"Yes, Squad Leader. Have a safe trip back."
With Go Bok-gil and Jeok-un gone, the laboratory fell quiet once more.
But the quiet room felt slightly different now.
"Huh?"
Something was sitting on the desk.
It was a sweet pastry.
He must have slipped it there when he arrived earlier.
Feeling Jeok-un's thoughtfulness, Hae-yeon naturally picked one up and took a small bite.
"Shall I give it another go?"
With shining eyes, Hae-yeon threw herself back into the experiment.
The pastry in her mouth was very sweet.
A night when the bright round moon hung high in the sky.
A ship floated on Lake Dongting.
It looked peaceful, but anyone who knew martial arts would see it differently.
The deck was crowded with martial artists whose temples bulged, and the surrounding waters, both above and below, were heavily guarded by experts skilled in aquatic combat.
What they were guarding was a small pavilion built in the center of the ship.
Inside, two men were meeting in private.
"They say the mountains and lakes of Dongting look like a hermit crab on a white silver platter. Those words are indeed true."
An elderly man spoke.
He didn't seem to have learned martial arts, as there was no trace of internal energy.
However, the aura and presence he exuded were extraordinary.
It was only natural. The old man was the master of the Geumhwang Merchant Group, the Golden Sovereign Oh Chu-baek.
"If I had known Lord Oh would enjoy it this much, I would have invited you sooner," said the martial artist meeting him, Do Ye-cheon, with a gentle smile.
His words and actions were sociable, but Do Ye-cheon's mind was filled with questions.
‘Why did this old man travel all the way here?’
Oh Chu-baek was no mere merchant.
The Geumhwang Merchant Group was one of the top three merchant groups in the world, and its master was someone whom even city lords or military commanders could not easily summon.
He was a wealthy man who could buy an entire city if he wished, so who would dare look down on him just because he was a merchant?
‘Is it because of revenge?’
Do Ye-cheon was secretly communicating with Oh Chu-baek.
The reason, as mentioned before, was revenge.
Since Oh Chu-baek had vowed to chew the flesh and bones of Jeok-un, who had killed his daughter and grandson, it was only fitting that Do Ye-cheon deal with him directly to match his status.
‘But we were communicating fine through letters, so why this sudden visit? And risking the danger of entering Sadocheon's territory?’
As could be seen from the Geumhwang Merchant Group's marital ties to the Jegal Clan, they basically belonged to the Orthodox faction.
For the head of such a family to meet directly with the second-in-command of Sadocheon was bound to draw severe condemnation.
If this meeting were exposed, he would have to pay a heavy price, yet he had risked it all to come here.
"Vice Lord, do you know this?"
"Know what?"
Oh Chu-baek, who had been leisurely observing the night scenery of Lake Dongting, suddenly spoke.
"With the money I possess, I could fill this entire lake and turn it into land. It wouldn't even be that difficult."
"...!!"
Oh Chu-baek slowly turned around.
The relaxed gaze that had been admiring the lake was gone, replaced only by madness and rage.
"Even if ten thousand people condemn me, I will do what is necessary. That is how I have lived, and that is how I became who I am today."
"...!"
Just as a strange light flickered in Do Ye-cheon's eyes...
"Therefore, I intend to give all of that funding to you, Vice Lord."
A statement he hadn't anticipated followed.
"If I can kill the bastard who murdered my only daughter and grandson, I am willing to bear the brand of a traitor to the Orthodox faction."
"!!"
At this point, Do Ye-cheon was certain of Oh Chu-baek's true intentions.
He was willing to risk the condemnation of all, even turning his back on the Orthodox faction, to bet everything.
Turning all Orthodox factions into enemies.
Even for the Geumhwang Merchant Group, it was a choice that was by no means easy.
‘This is something that couldn't be shown through letters.’
Actions speak louder than words.
Indeed, he deserved the title of Golden Sovereign.
As Do Ye-cheon acknowledged Oh Chu-baek, the face of the man who would soon meet his death flashed through his mind.
‘Hehe, Jegal Jeok-un. You dared to cross me, but you never could have guessed that it would return to me as such a great fortune.’
By joining hands with Oh Chu-baek, he could obtain financial power that could not even be compared to the secret funds he had lost.
"With enough funds to fill this place, I will certainly be able to obtain what I want."
What he wanted was only one thing.
Sadocheon itself.
"Then when will I be able to get what I want?"
At Oh Chu-baek's question, Do Ye-cheon smiled coldly and replied,
"Seven days. After that, I will bring that bastard to his knees before you, alive."