The Birth of the Snow Salt Association
"...It really is salt."
Elder Hwang tilted his palm slightly.
The grains of salt trickled down like fine sand.
Just because the grains were fine did not mean it was high-quality.
However, as the saying goes, what looks good tastes good; it was only natural for its value to skyrocket if the grains were this small and delicate.
The taste and quality are absurd.
People often thought of salt as merely salty, but it possessed an unexpectedly diverse range of flavors.
It was this very flavor profile that distinguished low-grade salt from the premium variety.
The salt extracted from these discarded stones boasted a luxurious, top-tier flavor.
In short, it was a product with immense marketability.
To think they extracted this from worthless waste rock.
When the solution Hae-yeon created was poured over the waste rock, intense heat would flare up, leaving salt behind.
Elder Hwang had only taken a tiny dab to taste, but that alone was enough to convince him that this salt was equal to, if not better than, any salt currently on the market.
It puts official government salt to shame.
Government salt, also known as public salt, referred to the salt sold by the state.
Since salt was a state monopoly, it was called government salt because it was distributed through official bureaus.
Even though the state guaranteed its quality, government salt was notoriously subpar.
This was why the common people sought out private salt—smuggled salt—instead.
Consequently, smuggled salt occupied a massive share of the salt market.
If they possessed a product with superior marketability and price competitiveness under these conditions?
It would not be an exaggeration to say they could dominate the entire black market.
What a remarkable boy.
How hard must he have worked to produce this?
Elder Hwang smiled warmly as he looked down at the sleeping Hae-yeon.
Exhausted from his relentless research, Hae-yeon had collapsed into a deep sleep immediately after reporting the essential details.
"Didn't I tell you, Elder?"
Jeok-un spoke up.
When Elder Hwang looked up, Jeok-un grinned.
"I told you he'd pull it off. See? He did it."
"..."
Jeok-un spoke boastfully.
Though his attitude was playful, Elder Hwang could not dismiss it as a mere joke.
I realize it once again. He is truly an extraordinary man.
Jeok-un was like a great mountain.
From afar, one might look at him and think, Ah, so that's what he's like.
But just as those who climb a great mountain are struck with awe by its sheer scale and dizzying height...
The more one observed and understood Jeok-un, the more one was left with nothing but admiration.
A clear example of this could be seen in how the world spoke of him.
"The Mad Dragon of the Black Heaven? Needless to say, isn't he a battle-crazed lunatic?"
"He's a madman, a complete madman... He doesn't care who he fights."
Yes, the outside world generally regarded Jeok-un as a lunatic and kept their distance.
They acknowledged his martial prowess but assumed he lacked deep, profound strategic intellect.
But the reality is different. First with the Geumhwang Merchant Group, and now with Hae-yeon...
Without a profound mind, how could he possess such foresight?
And what of his drive, which others could only view as reckless?
In that regard, Jeok-un was a truly enigmatic lord.
What on earth is he planning for the future?
It was impossible to guess.
Yet, Elder Hwang believed.
No matter what it was.
Even if it was something that would shake and overturn the entire world.
He will surely succeed.
Elder Hwang was certain of it.
"Huh? Y-you want me to take sole charge of this salt?"
"Yes."
"S-so, you mean... I should s-sell it...?"
"Did you think I wanted you to donate it?"
Jeok-un clenched his fist in response to Go Bok-gil's question.
It was the price for making him repeat himself.
"Ugh..."
Go Bok-gil feared the fist, but he couldn't bring himself to accept this easily, letting out a low groan.
"Then what? Should I go and sell it myself?"
This whole situation had started the moment they discussed how to handle the produced salt.
As soon as the agenda was raised, Jeok-un had pointed at Go Bok-gil without a single moment of hesitation.
"B-but how can I handle something so important..."
"Ayy. I'm giving it to you precisely because it's you, Bok-gil."
Jeok-un spoke with a grin, but his voice carried an unyielding resolve.
It warned him not to even dream of refusing.
"Ugh..."
In the end, Go Bok-gil accepted it with tears in his eyes.
His pale, bloodless complexion clearly revealed his current state of mind.
And for good reason. Getting caught selling smuggled salt carried a punishment akin to high treason.
"L-Leader!"
"What?"
"O-other salt merchants keep it quiet, but they are all connected to high-ranking officials! And behind them is the imperial court!"
This was an open secret.
Government salt revenue did not go to the imperial family's private coffers; it went to the state treasury.
However, for the imperial family to indulge in luxury and maintain face by gifting bolts of silk to their ministers, they needed to grow their private wealth.
That was why they engaged in the illicit salt trade.
Opening just a few backdoors brought in astronomical sums of money.
And if the merchants stepped out of line even slightly, the court could simply issue a subjugation order and chop off their heads.
In short, it was the perfect slush fund with absolutely no strings attached.
"So?"
"S-so, don't we need a backer too? If we just start blindly like this..."
Jeok-un cut Go Bok-gil off.
"Who said we don't have one?"
"...Huh?"
"We have a backer too."
"???"
Go Bok-gil blinked.
He had lived here for quite some time, but he hadn't seen a single high-ranking official, let alone a low-level bureaucrat.
So when did he establish a connection?
Ah, don't tell me he prepared this in advance?
Given Jeok-un's sheer efficiency, Go Bok-gil assumed he had made arrangements beforehand. His face brightened.
"T-then we also...?"
"Yeah. So get ready to transport it anywhere. Officially, we'll claim we're selling waste rock. The dissolution process will take place at the rendezvous point. That will be better for security."
"Y-yes, sir."
Jeok-un barked out orders like a tempest.
Go Bok-gil was so busy trying to comprehend and memorize the commands that he missed his chance to press for details about their backer.
"My lord, have you decided on a name for the merchant group we will operate?"
Elder Hwang asked.
At the question, Jeok-un smiled confidently and revealed the name he had prepared.
"The Snow Salt Association."
A place that sold salt as white as snow.
There was a deeper design behind Jeok-un choosing this name, but that was a matter for the future.
Thus, a smuggling association was born.
One that would grasp not just Changsha, but all the wealth of Jiangnan.
Just as there is a sunrise, there is a sunset.
The bustling streets of Changsha quieted down.
The remnants of the celebration for Jeok-un's return could only be found in the hanging lanterns and scattered scraps of paper.
Otherwise, it was a night in Changsha like any other.
Is this the place?
In the dead of night, when only the night watchmen roamed, a mysterious figure clad in black robes and a black bamboo hat stared at the manor.
Three characters were written on the manor's plaque.
It read: Baekya-dan.
Indeed, this was the headquarters of the Baekya-dan.
Let's go in.
The figure in black melted into the shadows and slipped into the manor.
Occasionally, a worker passed by yawning, but none noticed the intruder.
The same went for the members of the Baekya-dan.
Finally, the figure in black reached the deepest part of the manor.
It was the quarters of the squad leader, Jeok-un.
Is he asleep?
The room was silent.
The lights were out, and only a faint presence could be felt inside.
Convinced that his target, Jeok-un, was asleep, the intruder leaped lightly onto the eaves, slipped through the rafters, and entered the ceiling space.
This is it.
At last, just as he was about to take the final step—
Whoosh!
"..."
Suddenly, a lamp flickered to life, bathing the room in light.
Where is the target?
The intruder immediately checked the bed.
His target, Jeok-un, was not there.
Yet, he was in the room.
He was sitting right in front of a table set with alcohol.
"You're late."
As if he had been certain someone would come, there were two cups and two chairs at the table.
Hah, he knew I was coming?
As the intruder let out a silent, dry chuckle, Jeok-un spoke.
"Eon I-gyeom, or Heo I-gyeom? Which should I call you?"
The intruder, Eon I-gyeom, did not answer.
He could not be sure if Jeok-un had truly identified him.
"You're kicking up dust. Stop squirming up there and get down here."
As Jeok-un spoke irritably, Eon I-gyeom silently descended from the ceiling.
"Eon I-gyeom, sit."
At the repeated command, Eon I-gyeom bit his lip and pulled off his mask.
*Rustle.*
"Since when did you know?"
"From the beginning?"
"...?"
"You were leaking your presence all over the place. How could I not know?"
"...Is that so?"
Jeok-un's words were actually absurd.
The footwork Eon I-gyeom had used was the Phantom Secret Steps, a secret technique of the Dongchang.
Furthermore, he had employed the Eon family's technique to completely conceal his presence. Even a master of the Profound Realm would have found it difficult to detect him.
Yet Jeok-un had identified him with absolute precision.
"What is your business?"
"First, I would like to apologize for my rudeness. As you know, given my position, it is difficult for me to visit during the day..."
Before Eon I-gyeom could finish, Jeok-un cut him off.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. It's not like it's the first time those imperial palace bastards have acted rude."
"..."
"Anyway, I'm glad you came. I just decided on a task for you."
"!"
A task for me.
At those words, Eon I-gyeom's eyes sharpened.
As the choice of words indicated, the man before him was only thinking of how to exploit him.
I must keep my wits about me.
The upper hand in information belonged to the opponent.
He knew Eon I-gyeom's identity and exactly what he wanted.
Therefore, he would give what he must, but he would not surrender everything.
With that thought, Eon I-gyeom raised his guard to the absolute maximum.
But perhaps it is a mere coincidence. He might simply be someone familiar with the Eon family's energy...
Thus, he had to conceal his desperation as much as possible.
The more he revealed his desires, the more he would be dragged around.
Whether he read Eon I-gyeom's mind or not, Jeok-un revealed his business—the "task."
"First, I'm thinking of doing some salt smuggling."
"!!"
"And I need you to cover my back."
Eon I-gyeom's jaw dropped involuntarily.
He had tried his best to maintain a poker face, but it shattered instantly.
Wait, salt smuggling?!
Is this man insane?
The blunt words nearly escaped Eon I-gyeom's lips.
He forced them down and rounded his phrasing.
"Are you unaware that salt smuggling is treated as treason? Furthermore, you are asking the Dongchang, an agency directly under the imperial family, to aid in smuggling? Did you honestly think I would comply with that?"
Jeok-un shrugged.
"Why not? It's not like you joined the Dongchang out of loyalty to the Emperor anyway."
"!!"
Because he had steeled his mind, his expression did not falter.
However, he could not prevent the sudden tremor in his eyes, the window to his soul.
"You're only 'using' the Dongchang to recover the Eon family's treasure, aren't you?"
Since he wasn't serving the Emperor and the imperial family out of loyalty, wasn't it ridiculous to bring up his imperial affiliation?
Jeok-un's point was simple.
So, let's hold hands and look out for each other's interests.
"...Interests. I believe I have already paid my dues."
"...?"
"The matter of Tongseong County. If I mobilize the government, do you think Tongseong County will remain in your hands or Sadocheon's?"
Eon I-gyeom spoke with a firm attitude.
It was a stance that left no room for compromise.
If one tried to suppress a man like this, he would break rather than bend.
"What you are proposing is merely a one-sided claim. Speaking of family treasures without any proof..."
It was just as Eon I-gyeom was systematically refuting Jeok-un's claims.
"The single true spirit descends into the Qian Palace..."
"Where it splits into the hun and the po, the hun residing in the heavenly heart..."
Jeok-un began to recite the verses endlessly.
As he listened, Eon I-gyeom's face grew increasingly pale.
"H-how... do you know that...!"
"Whew. That's the end of it."
Eon I-gyeom spoke in a groaning whisper.
Having recited all the verses, Jeok-un wore an enigmatic smile.
"Now, is this enough proof?"
Eon I-gyeom's eyes shook violently, as if struck by an earthquake.
But he had every reason to react that way.
The verses Jeok-un had just recited...
...were the very foundation and root that had sustained the Eon family in the past.
It was the Soul-Dispersing Heart Sutra.
But there was something even more shocking.
How does he know the lost second half...?!
What Jeok-un had recited included the entire second half of the sutra—verses that had been burned and lost to time, which even Eon I-gyeom did not know.