Chapter 44
Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: A Long-Awaited Invitation
After dealing with the massive parasites named Eun Taehyeok and Im Jungdo, the Eun Merchant Group began to regain its true form in an instant.
The items that had only gathered dust in the warehouse turned into silver taels, and those silver taels breathed new life back into the Eun Merchant Group.
Before I knew it, the Tang Family's goods were set to arrive tomorrow.
We'd already prepared the 180 gold taels for the final payment.
Everything had gone smoothly since that day.
Except for one thing...
'Eun Garyeon.'
Embarrassingly enough, even after a full month, I still hadn't slept with her.
Well, there were various reasons for that.
For one, Eun Garyeon had been far too busy.
Even with the Shadow Gate Sect providing porters and coachmen, running the merchant group was a whole different story.
She'd managed to persuade a few of the departed members to return, but there were still far too many empty spots.
The chief steward and deputy manager positions were still vacant, for starters.
As a result, Eun Garyeon had no choice but to work herself to the bone filling those gaps.
She could've used two bodies and still fallen short.
On top of that, I'd been pretty busy myself.
I'd spent time stabilizing my newly reached Transformation Realm through training, and as promised, I'd taught Jang Yunho some martial arts.
And in the evenings...
'I'd been busy drinking.'
Busy calling in courtesans to the annex and indulging.
With all the pent-up frustration from training because of that Chu Munrak bastard, I had no choice.
I'd planned to wait until Eun Garyeon had some free time, share a drink, and set the mood then. But as I said, she'd been swamped the entire month.
Before I knew it, time had slipped by like that.
I couldn't stay in Beijing forever, so I had to leave tomorrow too...
'Tch, do I have to give up on Eun Garyeon after all?'
There didn't seem to be any good way around it.
And I couldn't just force myself on her after coming this far.
In truth, aside from that one issue, my time in Beijing had been quite satisfying.
I'd advanced my realm and taken care of Chu Munrak, my old enemy.
I'd succeeded in reviving the Eun Merchant Group as planned and earned a huge favor from Eun Garyeon.
'But what good is that when I haven't made any progress with the most important part—Eun Garyeon?'
This was tough. Really tough.
Staying on the righteous path was proving way too difficult.
As I stood there lost in thought, Jang Yunho—covered head to toe in dirt—asked me a question.
"What're you thinking so hard about?"
"None of your business, punk."
I swung my scabbard in response.
And Jang Yunho drew his sword to block it.
"Urk!"
He barely managed to deflect it, staggering back three steps.
That's right.
We were in the middle of sparring practice right now.
"Oh? Looks like the Heavenly Apex Sword Art is starting to stick a bit?"
Jang Yunho looked proud at my words.
Then he charged first this time.
"It's about time you drew your sword too!"
His blade split into three arcs, aiming for my head and both shoulders as it came down.
'Not bad.'
It was a pretty clean strike.
But I casually knocked it aside and prodded his solar plexus with my scabbard.
"Gah..."
The guy clutched his chest, unable to breathe, and collapsed to the ground coughing.
'He's definitely got some real talent.'
It had been a month since I started teaching Jang Yunho.
In that short time, he'd managed to mimic the Heavenly Apex Sword Art and Formless Qi Technique I'd taught him quite convincingly.
'Come to think of it, he said he'd only learned the Silver Rain Sword Art before?'
I'd skimmed the manual he got last time, and it was your run-of-the-mill third-rate technique.
Worse than our Mok Family Clan's signature Mok Heavenly Sword Art, even.
Yet with just that, he'd reached first-rate.
Talent far superior to your average prestigious sect disciple.
It was almost unfair to compare him to me, and even better than my little sister Yeon-i, who'd just joined the Mount Hua Sect.
'Of course, he's still no match for my second sister.'
That was just because Mok Jieun was on another level entirely. This guy was talented enough to be called a genius even among the Nine Great Sects.
"Hey, you planning to stick around the Eun Merchant Group for good?"
Jang Yunho, finally catching his breath, stood up and answered.
"Of course. Where else would I go?"
He raised his sword again as he spoke.
His grit was impressive too.
'Hmm... At this rate, he might even aim for Transformation Realm someday.'
Generally, anyone who learns basic sword or fist techniques is called a third-rate warrior.
Since they've learned martial arts, they're no longer mere civilians.
If they can sense and control their internal energy, they're commonly called second-rate.
That's when they start moving their bodies with qi instead of just muscles.
The next stage is first-rate, like Jang Yunho now.
The level where you can infuse qi into external objects.
'Like when he threw those chopsticks at me before.'
You can slice rocks with a sword or face an iron blade with a wooden stick... This is when common folk start calling you a true master.
The stage beyond first-rate is
'Peak.'
Where you shape your internal energy to manifest sword qi properly.
At this point, you're recognized wherever you go.
My father, Mok Taehyeon, had reached the Peak realm.
Beyond that is the 'Super Peak' stage, where you can shoot sword qi, but in my view, it was just honing tricks without advancing to the next true realm.
'Most elders of the Nine Great Sects are at that level.'
They've been at Peak for ages but can't progress further.
From there on, only a select few can ascend.
Transformation Realm.
The realm achievable only by those chosen by heaven itself—a stage where one truly transcends humanity.
Up to that point, it felt like 'the strongest among humans.' But Transformation Realm gives off the vibe of 'not human at all.'
Beyond that lies the Profound Realm I once reached...
'But no way this guy gets there.'
Even back then, fewer than ten people had attained Profound Realm.
Even among the Ten Strongest Under Heaven, some were just at the tail end of Transformation Realm.
Anyway, Transformation Realm alone earns you absolute master status.
And in my eyes, this guy showed real potential.
'Of course, it's just potential.'
How many so-called geniuses fail to cross into Transformation Realm?
That's why that ridiculous 'Super Peak' stage exists.
"Then listen well to Eun Sojeo from now on."
The guy, burning with fighting spirit, lowered his sword with a disappointed voice at my words.
"Mm... You're really leaving tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I can't stay here forever."
I'd unintentionally lingered in Beijing far too long.
It was about time to head off and meet the Sword Phoenix as originally planned.
"You could just stay here. Wouldn't hurt."
"Tsk tsk, Jangga. Unlike you, I've got places to be."
"Places my ass..."
I thought I'd misheard for a second.
The guy clapped his hand over his mouth, shocked by his own words.
After the Chu Munrak incident, he'd been watching his mouth, but now he was slipping back into his old ways.
I raised my scabbard to smack him, but he frantically waved his hands.
"Wait, wait! I've got a message for you."
"What?"
I was gonna wallop him if it was nothing, but his words turned out to be pretty important.
"The lady of the house is holding a feast tonight. The one we promised before, so she said to make sure you come."
"Crazy. Why tell me now?"
I'd already made plans with Somwol for dinner, thinking it was my last night...
'Ah! Wait, should I bring Somwol along?'
Come to think of it, Somwol's other identity was that of a musician.
A performer called to play the qin at feasts.
Wouldn't it be more fun to enjoy the feast together than just drinking alone in the annex?
As I sorted out my thoughts, the guy hesitated before speaking up.
"...I forgot."
Jang Yunho had a knack for earning a beating.
The feast hosted by the Eun Merchant Group was quite the grand affair.
They must've been preparing for a while, as a large number of guests had shown up.
'Looks like they've finally got some breathing room.'
Makes sense. The Eun Merchant Group had been running nonstop since that disaster.
Letting loose like this was probably just what they needed.
I enjoyed the feast to the fullest with Somwol.
Great food and drinks, and midway through, we even played the qin together to liven things up.
As we were eating, drinking, and having a blast, Eun Garyeon finally made her way over to me.
"Sorry, Mok So-hyeop. There were more guests than expected..."
"No worries. I know how hard you've been working."
Unlike us guests enjoying ourselves freely, this was all work for Eun Garyeon.
All the visitors here were connected to the merchant group, after all.
I'd thought I might not get to greet her amid the endless crowd, but she'd sent word to wait since she had something to say.
"Benefactor. I'll take my leave now."
Somwol slipped away tactfully as Eun Garyeon approached.
Thanks to her, we finally had some time alone.
"So, Eun Sojeo. What did you want to talk about?"
Expect the worst and you won't be disappointed.
I asked in as casual a tone as possible.
She glanced around without a word.
The crowd had thinned by half, but plenty of people remained.
Confirming that, Eun Garyeon's cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke.
"Would you care for a private drink, just the two of us?"
Looked like... I could afford to get my hopes up.