Chapter 187
Chapter 187
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: Too Slow
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The headquarters of the Golden Moon Trading Company, located in Changsha.
Today, there were an unusual number of people coming and going, both within and out of the company grounds.
From the top floor of a tall pavilion, Pyeong Jarim looked down upon them.
A group of people was just entering through the main gate.
They were the warriors handed over by the river pirates after the first round of negotiations.
Though no one had died, their unsteady gait suggested their injuries were severe.
He had heard that their external wounds were minor, but their internal injuries were serious.
With hundreds of hostages returning to the Golden Moon Trading Company, the commotion of receiving them alone was considerable.
As he watched, the general manager came up the stairs.
Gasping for air, he paused for a moment to catch his breath. When Pyeong Jarim looked at him, he quickly approached and bowed respectfully.
"I have returned."
"I thought we would only negotiate today and receive the hostages later. Well done."
"They were less difficult than I expected. Besides, it seems they had intended to hand them over in advance, as they brought the hostages with them."
A peculiar light flickered in Pyeong Jarim's eyes.
"Is that so? They brought them in advance? Just those ones?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"What did we give them in return?"
"We only handed over the money we had prepared."
The prepared sum was one gold tael per person.
Even that amounted to several hundred gold taels, but it was nothing compared to the value of the men.
Moreover, a portion was paid with promissory notes.
"Their initial asking price was quite high, but since they had already brought everyone out, I used that as leverage in the negotiations, and they quickly agreed."
Once the hostages were brought to the negotiation site, taking them back would not be easy.
As long as one was careful not to let things go sour and have the hostages killed mid-negotiation, it was a condition that could be easily manipulated to their advantage.
"Did you make sure to tail them?"
"Yes. I assigned our most skilled men. They should be bringing back news soon."
"Good. Everything is proceeding smoothly."
"They proposed the next negotiation in three days, but I have put it on hold for now."
A cold smile formed on Pyeong Jarim's lips.
"Well done."
The general manager's expression darkened.
"Then are you simply giving up on the rest?"
"Just treating and dealing with these men will be a headache beyond measure. How can we take responsibility for the rest?"
Although the general manager had expected this answer, his expression did not clear.
The number of remaining hostages was far greater. The cost of their negotiation would likely be much higher.
And since they too would be injured, their treatment would also require a vast sum of money.
Thinking coldly about what was most profitable, abandoning them was the right choice.
But the human heart does not operate solely on such calculations.
"By the way, have you looked into how they were captured?"
At Pyeong Jarim's question, the general manager snapped back to attention and replied.
"Yes. I spoke to several people separately on the way here to confirm. However… it's a rather unbelievable story."
"Unbelievable?"
"They say a single ship appeared."
"A ship?"
"A ship that appeared from the rear of the fleet charged forward and shattered the entire convoy."
"A single ship appeared and destroyed a fleet?"
Pyeong Jarim's eyebrow twitched. How could he believe such an absurd tale?
"That is why I told you beforehand it was an unbelievable story. I couldn't believe it myself, so I asked more people the same question."
"And they all told the same story?"
"Yes."
"Was that ship made of a solid block of iron or something? How can a ship smash other ships just by ramming them? And not just one or two, but dozens of our company's ships!"
The ships of the Golden Moon Trading Company were particularly sturdy. He couldn't even fathom what kind of ship it would take to destroy them by collision. No, did such a ship even exist?
"That is why I suspect there was someone special aboard that ship."
"Someone special?"
"One of the top masters in the world. Someone like one of the Ten Great Masters…"
"That seems impossible even for one of the Ten Great Masters."
The general manager did not respond further. He had offered all the explanations and speculations he could.
Pyeong Jarim sighed and shook his head.
"In any case, look into this matter further. If they all said the same thing, there must be something to it."
"Yes, I understand."
The general manager replied and was about to take his leave.
But at that moment, a great commotion erupted from the main gate.
Pyeong Jarim's and the general manager's gazes reflexively turned.
An enormous number of people were pouring through the main gate.
"Who in the world are they?"
Pyeong Jarim's question was answered soon enough.
A warrior rushed up from below, panting, and shouted.
"All the warriors, laborers, and escorts who were taken hostage have returned!"
"What?"
Pyeong Jarim's expression crumpled.
"Who brought them back!"
"They say the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance stepped in and rescued them!"
At the mention of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance, Pyeong Jarim's face went blank with dismay.
A terrible sense of unease gripped his heart.
***
Pyeong Jarim respectfully clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward the two men standing before him.
"I am truly grateful. I will never forget the kindness of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance and will repay it with all my heart."
"Haha, we merely did what was necessary. Honestly, we didn't do much at all."
"That's right. It seems the villains fled once they learned we were coming. It's a relief they ran off without causing any more harm."
These were the words of the respective leaders from the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance.
Hearing this, Pyeong Jarim nearly lost his composure.
Anyone could see that the hostages had been deliberately released.
And the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance had been drawn into it.
Yet these fools, oblivious to that fact, were taking credit, and it made his blood boil.
*‘No, are they pretending not to know?’*
After studying the expressions and gazes of the Martial Alliance and Black Alliance leaders, a sudden chill washed over Pyeong Jarim.
*‘What is their goal? Are they trying to establish a solid connection with our company?’*
He was already having a headache because of the Leader of the Heavenly Sword Group Bang Durip. Getting entangled with the Martial Alliance or the Black Alliance at this juncture could end up being more than just a headache.
He had to be extremely careful.
"Anyone can see these hostages would have been difficult to rescue without the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance. Please, do not refuse the reward I offer."
Pyeong Jarim arranged to cover the lodging and meals for the warriors from the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance for the duration of their stay in Changsha.
He also provided an appropriate sum as a reward.
The Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance did not refuse but accepted it readily. No, they took the Golden Moon Trading Company's reward as their due.
Frankly, on the surface, they had done something worthy of such a reward. In fact, the reward was perhaps insufficient.
But the involvement of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance made Pyeong Jarim's chest feel tight.
Now that things had come to this, he could no longer abandon the hostages who had been rescued later.
"It seems to be mealtime. If you two have no other plans, I would like to treat you. What do you say?"
Naturally, the two men had their own objectives and readily accepted.
The three of them then left for their meal.
Those who remained quickly tidied up the situation.
The warriors from the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance were led away to rest and eat, while the workers of the Golden Moon Trading Company took charge of the hostages.
The situation for the day was more or less settled.
But the matter was not yet concluded.
Thereafter, the leaders of the Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance frequently visited the Golden Moon Trading Company.
The situation Pyeong Jarim had feared was now unfolding.
The problem was that he couldn't refuse them.
Still, that issue was manageable. In a way, it was a minor problem.
The real problem was the hostages rescued from the river pirates.
Their injuries were truly severe. So much so that mediocre physicians couldn't even touch them.
Only those known as renowned doctors could barely diagnose them and suggest a solution.
Even then, they couldn't do anything about the severe internal injuries of the truly strong warriors.
At this rate, they would all lose their martial skills.
The Golden Moon Trading Company's response was to separate the wheat from the chaff.
They assigned a level of importance to those rescued this time, deciding to treat only those up to a certain rank and neglect the rest.
Of course, this decision was not made public. It was simply an internal policy that they acted upon.
At first, it was fine.
But as time passed, discontent grew among those who had been abandoned.
Their dissatisfaction slowly spread to those around them.
And it instilled a sense of unease in the workers and warriors belonging to the Golden Moon Trading Company who were watching them.
They were, in effect, witnessing with their own eyes that they too could be abandoned like this.
The Golden Moon Trading Company was slowly starting to creak.
***
Byeok Taesan left Gakwol Inn with light steps.
Normally, Hwaok would have guided him, but she had to coordinate the Golden Moon Trading Company's affairs for a few days. So, a member of the Underworld Sect, who had been briefed on the route and situation beforehand, was assigned to escort Byeok Taesan.
Everyone else was focused on their training, so he didn't bring anyone with him.
The Underworld Sect member Hwaok assigned to Byeok Taesan was naturally of a fairly high rank.
He was well-versed in all the general matters the Underworld Sect was involved in.
Therefore, he was someone who could answer any questions Byeok Taesan might have.
In fact, Hwaok had carefully chosen him in preparation for such a case.
He wasn't a vice-chief, but he was a talent who could easily receive the treatment of one after a few more accomplishments.
As soon as he met Byeok Taesan, he reported their destination.
"We have to go near Mount Huang, so it's quite a distance."
Byeok Taesan looked at him quietly. He wasn't just looking; he was gauging his skill.
Thanks to the enlightenment he'd gained from self-reflection after interfering with another's energy last time, he could now glean a considerable amount of information with just a light glance like this.
"Your lightness skill is quite good. If you strengthen your stamina and physique, you'll be decent."
The Underworld Sect member's eyes widened slightly at Byeok Taesan's assessment.
He was shocked at how accurately his current condition had been grasped.
He had heard countless stories about how astonishing this man was, and had even witnessed some of it himself, but he never imagined it would be to this extent.
Looking at the stunned man, Byeok Taesan spoke nonchalantly.
"By the time we return from Mount Huang, that weakness will likely be completely gone."
"Pardon?"
The Underworld Sect member looked at Byeok Taesan with a puzzled expression. Honestly, he didn't quite grasp the meaning.
Was it that Byeok Taesan would grant him some reward for accompanying him to Mount Huang, making it so? Or did he mean that since Mount Huang was quite far, just making the trip would improve his body?
*‘It feels like the latter…’*
Frankly, he was skeptical. The distance from Changsha to Mount Huang was about fifteen hundred li.
He had actually traveled that kind of distance several times before, purely using his lightness skill.
But that alone didn't improve his skills.
It had been somewhat helpful at first, but now his skill level was too high to grow from something so trivial.
"Let's go."
At Byeok Taesan's words, the Underworld Sect member started walking. After a few steps, he began to employ his lightness skill, gradually increasing his speed.
He didn't check if Byeok Taesan was keeping up. He knew all too well that there was no need.
After traveling for about half an hour, he heard Byeok Taesan's voice from behind.
"Too slow."
The Underworld Sect member increased his speed a little more and said.
"If we run too fast from the start, it will be difficult to manage our stamina."
"Why do you care about something like that?"
"Pardon?"
If he didn't care about stamina management, what else was there to care about? If he didn't manage his stamina properly, the journey could take much longer.
"If you slow down, you die."
"Pardon?"
The Underworld Sect member thought Byeok Taesan's words were half a joke. But he soon realized that was not the case.
The moment his speed threatened to drop slightly, a sharp killing intent stabbed him right in the back.
He couldn't tell if it was killing intent or a blade that had pierced him. It was that painful, and a chill ran down his spine.
Startled, he pushed his speed even higher.
And so, he had to run at a speed faster than his usual pace. The moment there was any sign of slowing down, the sharp killing intent would dig into him.
At this rate, it seemed he could reach Mount Huang in a single day.
But the moment that thought crossed his mind, Byeok Taesan lightly pushed his back.
"Huk!"
His speed increased even more.
The Underworld Sect member's face contorted into a grimace.
After running like that for about an hour, he felt like he was going to die.
"Don't worry. No one dies from running."
The Underworld Sect member wanted to shout that that wasn't true. How could there be no such person? Anyone would die if they overexerted themselves.
Byeok Taesan followed behind the Underworld Sect member, continuously monitoring his physical condition.
It was a process of more firmly organizing and internalizing the enlightenment he had recently gained through practical application.
It was quite fascinating.
The human body was truly mysterious. The moment everything was depleted, a new strength would well up from somewhere and replenish it.
Of course, Byeok Taesan had helped a little, but it was clear that this Underworld Sect member had accomplished it himself.
Although, the man seemed to have no idea what exactly was happening to him.
The Underworld Sect member kept running and running, on the verge of fainting.
Miraculously, he didn't lose consciousness.
And so, the Underworld Sect member arrived near Mount Huang with Byeok Taesan.
He had accomplished the remarkable feat of departing in the morning and arriving before the sun set.