The White Storm
Salt is an essential element of life.
In a way, it was also an essential element of a nation.
Was it not because of salt that the High Ancestor was able to raise his army in Pachok?
Salt was so closely intertwined with daily life that if its price fluctuated even slightly, the lives of the common people would inevitably grow miserable.
But the problem was this:
The world the people lived in today was far too precarious.
"Excuse me, sir... Is this really salt?"
"If that isn't salt, what else would it be?"
"But sir, why is the salt so yellow?"
"Your eyes are playing tricks on you! What do you want me to do about it? Shut your mouth and get lost!"
"B-But, sir!"
The salt the commoner held was a pale yellow.
While it was natural for a bit of yellow clay to mix in during the refining process, this was different.
This was far too much.
They had outright mixed yellow clay into the salt to sell it.
The quality of the state-monopolized salt was completely arbitrary.
Thus, it was only natural for the people to turn their eyes toward illegal salt rather than the official government salt.
This was especially true in a reality where rumors whispered that the aging ruler of the Daming Dynasty, who had governed the Central Plains for decades, had gone senile.
"Sigh, making a living is getting harder by the day."
"Count your blessings. If a war breaks out between the princes..."
"Shh! Quiet, you fool! Do you want to lose your head if someone hears you?"
"Tui! Let them kill me! What's the difference between starving to death or getting my head chopped off?"
Those who knew even a little about the ways of the world shuddered as they closely watched the political climate.
The chaos within the imperial court was the root of all these problems.
After the empress passed away, the emperor had instated a new empress. By a cruel twist of fate, she immediately gave birth to a son.
Naturally, the new empress grew greedy.
She set her heart on placing her own son on the imperial throne.
To achieve this, she needed funds, and the primary source of those funds was government salt.
By selling cheap, low-grade salt at the official price, she could pocket the entire difference.
With the country running in such a state, the lives of the common people could only grow increasingly harsh.
Yet, in the midst of this darkness, a ray of hope appeared, as if proving that even the darkest corner would eventually see the sun.
"H-Here it is."
In the dead of night, in a dark alley.
In a secluded corner where no sign of life could be found, a commoner trembling with fear handed something over.
*Clink!*
The metallic sound made it clear that it was a coin pouch.
The recipient of the pouch was a figure clad in black, his face concealed by a black mask and his body wrapped in a pitch-black cloak.
The only touch of color on him was a single character embroidered on his left shoulder: Snow.
The man in black briefly checked the pouch, then pulled a package from his robes.
*Rustle.*
As the man in black nodded, gesturing for him to check the contents, the commoner swallowed hard and opened the package.
Even in the deep darkness of the night, the snow-white salt caught his eyes instantly.
"T-Thank you."
The man in black nodded once and vanished, melting back into the darkness.
The commoner stared blankly at the spot where the man had stood before shaking his head.
"Good heavens, it's like dealing with a ghost..."
The man in black was a member of the Snow Salt Association, an illegal salt merchant group that had suddenly appeared like a comet.
They wore black masks to cover their faces, donned dark cloaks, and never spoke a single word.
Once they received the agreed-upon price, they handed over the corresponding amount of salt.
By nature, illegal salt merchants were criminals.
Naturally, the trade was dominated by thugs, ruffians, and outlaws, meaning violence, threats, and coercion were everyday occurrences.
However, as mentioned, this new illegal salt trade had none of that.
The commoners, who had been suspicious during their first transaction, soon found no room for doubt as the trade continued.
Every single time, they received salt of unbelievable quality at an unbelievable price.
"B-But is this really the right price? You won't come back later demanding more... right?"
The commoners would often ask this when meeting the members of the Snow Salt Association.
But every time, the man in black from the Snow Salt Association showed the exact same reaction.
He would shake his head firmly once, then vanish like a shadow.
Merchants are sensitive to information.
To be more precise, it would be more accurate to say they thirst for it.
Information was the greatest weapon and shield a merchant possessed, and depending on how they used it, the outcome could differ as vastly as heaven and earth.
It was only natural, then, that the Snow Salt Association caught the attention of these merchants.
"You've heard of the Snow Salt Association too, right?"
"Of course. I've already done business with them a few times."
"Really? How was it?"
"What is there to say? They're like goblins. I have no idea where on earth people like that came from."
The Snow Salt Association had appeared like a bolt from the blue.
Showing up without warning, they began to sweep through the illegal salt market of Changsha with their high-quality salt and clean transactions.
"I've already hoarded a bunch in advance."
"Expecting them to raise the price later?"
"Exactly. Right now, they're selling it cheap because they've just entered the market, but will they keep doing that in the future?"
"Good grief. I should do the same right away! It's not like salt rots anyway, so we can always find a way to get rid of it!"
Whether in tea houses or taverns, merchants gathered to share such stories.
Their common interest was singular:
Just what kind of place is the Snow Salt Association?
It was surprising enough that the salt was as white as snowflakes, but its flavor was so excellent that it elevated the taste of any dish.
With such quality, even the wealthy, who had previously looked down on illegal salt as something only fit for commoners, began to show interest.
"How on earth did they make this kind of salt?"
"Well, it must have taken an immense amount of labor. There seem to be absolutely no impurities in it."
"But is such a price even possible despite that?"
"Hmph, that's the mystery."
Both commoners and the wealthy praised the quality of the Snow Salt Association's product.
Government salt could not compare, and other illegal salts stood no chance.
Previously, illegal salt was merely better than government salt, not overwhelmingly superior.
Commoners sought it out because it was cheaper and edible compared to government salt, but now that a vastly superior alternative had appeared, other illegal salts lost their footing in the market.
"Sigh, what kind of person is the leader of the Snow Salt Association?"
"Certainly no ordinary man. Judging by the salt he produces and his method of targeting the market, he must be a genius among geniuses."
"Indeed. The volume in circulation is no joke, yet there are barely any traces left behind."
"Exactly. He is meticulous, yet bold enough to make one wonder if he has a liver the size of a mountain..."
Once the conversation reached this point, everyone naturally fell silent.
They swallowed hard and glanced around.
The illegal salt trade was a rough and dangerous domain.
A man of such meticulous and bold character might have subordinates lurking everywhere.
"He must be... a martial artist, right?"
"Probably. I heard rumors that he possesses incredible martial arts."
"That's absurd. The wealthiest man in Hunan Province is also a martial arts master?"
"He won't just be the wealthiest man in Hunan for long. Changsha is only the beginning. Soon, the Snow Salt Association's salt will spread across the entire Central Plains."
"Then..."
"Yes. It won't be long before the leader of the Snow Salt Association becomes the wealthiest man in the Central Plains."
Everyone in Changsha marveled at the Snow Salt Association, their curiosity piqued.
Some envied the mountain of wealth they sat upon, while others grew jealous.
However, there were those in Changsha who could not simply sit back and watch.
They were the existing illegal salt merchants.
"What kind of son of a bitch dares to stick his head into my territory?!"
*Crash!*
A thunderous roar was accompanied by a violent explosion.
It was the sound of a thick wooden table splitting clean in half.
"B-Branch Leader! Please calm down and be patient..."
The subordinates tried their best to soothe the wrath of Do Mok-san, the Changsha Branch Leader of the Blood Salt Gang.
However, Do Mok-san's fury was not something that could be calmed so easily.
"Calm down? Do I look like I can calm down right now?! You useless insects!"
"W-We are deeply sorry."
The Blood Salt Gang was an illegal salt merchant group based in Guangdong Province, just south of Hunan, but they also held a tight grip on the illegal salt market in Changsha.
Since Hunan Province, where Changsha was located, was landlocked and lacked any infrastructure to produce its own salt, the Blood Salt Gang—located closest to them—had held a monopoly on the illegal salt market.
"How lightly must they look down on us to dare dump their salt in Changsha?!"
"..."
"If the Gang Leader and 'that person' in the imperial court find out about this, do you have any idea how pathetic they will think we are?!"
It was only natural for Do Mok-san to explode in anger.
As mentioned, Changsha was a land that could not produce its own salt.
Therefore, they only needed to monitor the volume of goods entering from the outside, and they wouldn't have to worry about a thing.
Yet, they had been stabbed in the back.
And it stung terribly.
Damn it, where on earth are these bastards getting their salt?
This wasn't some small-scale operation run by peddlers.
The volume identified so far reached a staggering sixty percent of the amount the Blood Salt Gang used to supply.
With a volume of this scale, the production site and distribution network should have been exposed long ago, yet the identity of the Snow Salt Association remained completely shrouded in mystery.
At this rate, Changsha isn't the only problem.
They had to worry about the Snow Salt Association spreading beyond Changsha to the neighboring regions.
And if that happened...
We are finished.
Unbelievable quality, cheap and reasonable prices.
Although it was currently just rumors circulating about the Snow Salt Association, it would take no time at all for their influence to sweep through Guangdong Province.
Even now, people seeking the Snow Salt Association's salt were beginning to crop up here and there.
What needed to be done was clear.
They had to stop the Snow Salt Association before they spread across the Nine Provinces.
"Prepare for war," Do Mok-san said, his eyes flashing coldly.
"The moment we find those Snow Salt Association bastards, we will wipe them out."
"...!"
"Our Blood Salt Gang has been too quiet lately. Don't you think?"
The Blood Salt Gang was not a name they had chosen for themselves.
It was a moniker given to them because they turned everyone who opposed them into pools of blood.
It was time to remind their challengers and adversaries of the origin of the Blood Salt Gang's name.
"First, confiscate all the salt they've distributed. And while you're at it, beat up those who bought their salt instead of ours to make an example out of them."
"Yes, Branch Leader!"
"And I will give you two days. Find out where their headquarters is."
The subordinates flinched at Do Mok-san's command.
Noticing their clear hesitation, Do Mok-san frowned and asked, "What's the problem?"
"Uh... but how should we go about finding their headquarters..."
"You fools! Just contact them pretending to buy salt, and then beat the information out of them!"
The subordinates nodded in agreement at Do Mok-san's scolding.
"Ah, that will work!"
"Brilliant, Branch Leader!"
"We will carry it out immediately!"
Just when it seemed the meeting would adjourn now that Do Mok-san's orders had been given...
"Ah, so itchy."
"...?!"
An unfamiliar voice suddenly chimed in.
Unless someone was completely insane, no one would dare utter such nonsense in Do Mok-san's presence.
As everyone turned pale and looked toward the source of the voice...
"Aaaah!"
"M-Monster!"
The executives of the Blood Salt Gang scrambled to their feet in panic.
It was because of their comrade's face.
The face belonged to a comrade they knew, but it was twisting and warping grotesquely, like kneaded clay.
"Tsk, is it because it's a cheap human-skin mask? This is always the problem."
*Crack! Snap!*
A bizarre sound echoed.
It was the sound of the comrade with the distorted face pulling and stretching his own face.
"...?!"
"A-A human-skin mask?!"
A human-skin mask was a tool used to disguise oneself as another person.
An unidentified intruder had infiltrated the Blood Salt Gang wearing one.
Yet, even though his identity had been exposed as the mask crumpled, he calmly smoothed it out and put it back on.
"Who the hell are you?" Do Mok-san asked, watching the spectacle before releasing a wave of murderous intent.
"Me?"
The intruder pointed at himself, then grinned.
"The leader of the Snow Salt Association."