Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Pruning (4)
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*Crack!*
The sound of his index finger twisting made the merchant cry out, his voice a mess of fear and pain.
“If you… if you touch me, the Mount Hua Sect won't get away unscathed!”
At those words, Ouyang Jue smiled faintly and muttered as if to himself.
“You've already messed with the Mount Hua Sect's finances. Do you really think a threat like that will scare me?”
Even if something did happen, Ouyang Jue was confident he could handle it.
So the threat was completely ineffective.
The merchant shrieked as he watched Ouyang Jue toy with his ring finger.
“You… you crazy bastard!”
Ouyang Jue just chuckled. He'd heard that a lot back at Mount Hua, thanks to his thuggish personality.
Though his attitude now was different from back then.
“What a reckless thing to say to a Daoist.”
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
Ouyang Jue's fists hammered into the merchant's body.
Fortunately for the merchant, there were no bleeding external wounds.
His entire body was just covered in bruises, too many for his white clothes to hide.
Ouyang Jue deliberately grinned, making himself look cruel.
In situations like this, it was best to display a madness that no one would dare challenge, forcing them into submission.
Even Liu Zhangming, watching from the side, tilted his head, wondering if this was who the boy had always been.
“I made sure not to leave any external wounds.”
“Just kill me!”
“Kill you? How could a Daoist so easily kill a person?”
As he spoke, Ouyang Jue shot a smiling glance at Ja Maeng.
The conversation had ended long ago.
For Ja Maeng, who had been exposed by the ledgers, the merchant was already as good as an enemy.
When Ouyang Jue prodded that sore spot, Ja Maeng spilled everything, as if unleashing some deep-seated resentment.
*'Though he didn't mention the important higher-ups.'*
For now, this was enough.
To confront them, not only the Mount Hua Sect but Ouyang Jue himself needed to grow stronger.
To fight them directly, it would take at least five years.
They would need two or three martial artists strong enough to earn titles like 'God' or 'Emperor'.
*'How can we grow strong with pests like this around?'*
Ouyang Jue stared intently at the merchant.
Now it was time to sway his heart with words.
“Well, if you're not going to talk, at least listen to my guess. It seems to me your superiors have abandoned you.”
“……!”
The merchant's eyes widened. But he soon just glared at Ouyang Jue with burning eyes, his lips still sealed.
His expression seemed to say, *'That can't be true,'* prompting Ouyang Jue to grin again.
“You don't think so? Then why hasn't anyone besides that man come?”
The merchant couldn't respond. He seemed lost in thought, even forgetting the pain.
Watching him, Ouyang Jue smiled darkly to himself.
Chipping away at loyalty wasn't as difficult as one might think.
Doubt.
Or injustice.
A sense of being wronged would also work.
Whatever the case, once you introduce such byproducts, loyalty is bound to be halved.
And when physical pain is involved, that half is halved again, shrinking to a mere speck.
Ouyang Jue's next words pierced that point clearly and subtly.
“Why can't you say anything?”
“……”
“And yet you still run your mouth, threatening the Mount Hua Sect.”
Ouyang Jue mercilessly devalued the merchant.
Perhaps he had once been intoxicated by the feeling that he controlled the Mount Hua Sect.
Ouyang Jue's job was to pour cold water on that notion.
*Flick.*
Ouyang Jue took out the token the Sect Leader had given him.
“Not only will you be reported to the Mount Hua Sect, but I'll make sure you're never involved in our finances again.”
“...Kuh.”
The merchant hung his head low.
Just then, Liu Zhangming sent a telepathic message.
-I don't believe the Sect Leader gave you that authority...?
-Senior Brother, we can't just let someone like this handle Mount Hua's finances, can we?
Hearing that, Liu Zhangming paused in thought before asking.
-So you're saying we should leave the merchant guild's leadership vacant for now?
-I have someone in mind for that.
Ouyang Jue grinned.
-The right person is someone you're familiar with, Senior Brother.
* * *
The next day.
The 'right person' Ouyang Jue had mentioned was startled to see Ja Maeng tied up tightly with ropes.
There were no obvious external wounds, but he was clearly beaten to a pulp, limp as a dog on a hot summer day.
“Wh-what in the world is going on?”
“Congratulations.”
Liu Zhangming gave a slight bow.
His face was etched with a sincere, congratulatory smile.
“From now on, Bai Chuan, I hope you will fulfill your duties as the head of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.”
Ouyang Jue watched him with a warm expression.
Hours before meeting Bai Chuan.
Ouyang Jue hadn't let the merchant sleep for a moment, making him go over the ledgers while saying various things.
“Hah... Is this how you do business?”
“My goodness. A merchant guild that doesn't even keep vouchers.”
Most of it was blaming the merchant's carelessness, but he also threw in a few complaints about why things were done this way.
The merchant had a rough idea of his intentions.
*'It seems he wants something from me.'*
In particular, Ouyang Jue—though he didn't know how—seemed to have vaguely caught on to the existence of higher-ups.
The reason he didn't say anything was simple.
He felt that no matter what he did here, it was over for him.
With no way to recover, it was better to just keep his mouth shut.
Just as the merchant was falling into despair, Ouyang Jue proposed a deal.
“Return the wealth and the merchant guild to the Mount Hua Sect.”
The merchant questioned Ouyang Jue's demand.
“Why should I do that?”
“Because it's your only option.”
Refuse, and you die.
That was the meaning behind Ouyang Jue's direct gaze.
*Gulp.*
It would be a lie to say the merchant wasn't scared.
No matter how brave he was, the merchant was a third-rate martial artist with pathetic skills, while Ouyang Jue before him was a first-rate expert who had defeated Ja Maeng.
They say when the difference in skill is too vast, it's hard to even look up.
His mind went blank.
And the fact that he was now forced to bargain for his life filled him with rage.
A directionless anger, with no one to blame, consumed him.
“Who would believe you'd let me live!”
“...I will guarantee it.”
The merchant's head snapped toward the voice.
The speaker was none other than Liu Zhangming.
“I swear on my honor as the Plum Blossom Sword and my position as a disciple of Mount Hua.”
“A promising disciple of Mount Hua is willing to stake his position?”
He might not trust Ouyang Jue, but Liu Zhangming's words had some credibility.
A faint hint of color returned to the merchant's face.
“Can I really trust your words?”
-Just repeat what I say, Senior Brother.
Liu Zhangming furrowed a brow at Ouyang Jue's telepathic message.
He personally didn't like the words.
“Leave behind all the liquid assets you can muster and your position as head of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild. We will be satisfied with that.”
“C-can I really... trust you?”
The merchant wore an expression of utter disbelief, but in the corner of his eyes was a glimmer of hope that he could escape this desperate situation.
Liu Zhangming gave a small nod.
“I guarantee it.”
“...My goodness!”
At that, the merchant let out a cry of relief, while Ja Maeng frowned.
“You're going to let a rat like him go?”
*Smack!*
The moment he spoke, Ouyang Jue smacked the back of Ja Maeng's head.
“You keep your mouth shut.”
“...Keuk.”
Seeing the utterly dejected Ja Maeng, the merchant realized this was his last chance.
*'Better to hand everything over and run than die here!'*
The merchant's mouth hurried to secure his survival.
“I-I'll go get the gold ingots right away.”
“Gold ingots? Wow, so you really did embezzle a good amount.”
*Whistle.*
As Ouyang Jue let out a small whistle, Liu Zhangming sent him an irritated telepathic message.
-I promised to let him go because you told me to, but are you really planning to let him off like that?
-We have to. If we keep him tied up, he'll never give us the money. We have to give him a path to survival and let him run.
Liu Zhangming let out a faint sigh.
-But we only have so much time left...
-Not us. Someone else will take care of it for us.
A merchant who was once known for his competence even when playing by the rules, but was ruined by absurd fault-finding and interference.
If such a man were to enter the world of commerce with true venom, he would not only be able to take over the Golden Ring Merchant Guild but grow it even larger.
Ouyang Jue smiled as he watched the merchant scurrying around in a panic.
“Be careful you don't break any valuables running around like that.”
“Ye-yes!”
The merchant's face was so bright that his pink gums occasionally showed.
* * *
“From now on, Bai Chuan, I hope you will fulfill your duties as the head of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.”
Ouyang Jue added a word to Liu Zhangming's statement.
“And I have a favor to ask.”
“What might that be?”
Ouyang Jue gave a nonchalant smile.
“Well, you see, the merchant head ran away last night. We sent him off after stripping him clean, so I imagine he'll be spending money here and there...”
Hearing this, Bai Chuan nodded in understanding.
No, in fact, he had hoped to do it himself.
He wouldn't be satisfied until he personally dealt with the man who had upended his peaceful life.
He was truly moved and grateful for this opportunity.
*Thud!*
Bai Chuan's knees hit the ground right where he stood.
“Thank you. Truly.”
“Hey, please get up.”
Ouyang Jue helped Bai Chuan up and dusted off his knees.
Then, he decided to clearly imprint upon him that this was not some free stroke of luck.
“You have much to do and much to prove from now on, don't you?”
“……!”
“I have high expectations. As does my Senior Brother here.”
Ouyang Jue stressed again to the stiff-faced Bai Chuan.
“For now, Master Bai Chuan, you are merely a merchant we can somewhat trust.”
His words meant that while Bai Chuan was trustworthy, he had yet to demonstrate any capability.
The moment that trust disappeared, their relationship would be over.
It meant that Bai Chuan could end up in the same state as the former merchant head at any time—forced to flee, leaving the Golden Ring Merchant Guild behind.
*'...Such a vicious mind for one so young.'*
Bai Chuan shuddered once but firmly straightened his shoulders.
They were harsh words, certainly, but they made him recognize his current situation precisely.
You've been given a merchant guild and a chance for revenge after losing everything, so prove you are worthy of it.
From Bai Chuan's perspective, there was nothing better.
*'I thought it was all over, that I would just die like this.'*
Thanks to the two senior and junior brothers, the road that had seemed to reach its end had been extended.
Bai Chuan thought of his children at home and opened his mouth.
“I will do my best.”
“...Good.”
*Clasp.*
As Bai Chuan clasped his hands in a sincere bow, Ouyang Jue and Liu Zhangming returned the gesture.
* * *
Meanwhile, a sinister rumor was spreading through the marketplace of Sangju.
“Did you hear? Someone was getting beaten from last night until dawn.”
“I heard it was a man from Mount Hua named Ouyang Jue.”
The rumor was so specific that people asked the man who'd said it.
“Who said that?”
“A soldier on patrol, apparently. Besides, the only ones wandering Sangju at that hour were the Daoists Ouyang Jue and Liu Zhangming.”
At that, the people nodded.
*'If a soldier said so...'*
*'He probably knew their names because they were written down on a pass or something.'*
But a question remained.
“Why would esteemed Daoists from Mount Hua beat someone up?”
“Does that even make sense?”
“But a soldier said so!”
Especially since this was a mostly undeveloped rural area, aside from the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, it was customary to chew over any interesting rumor that started to spread.
Especially when it involved the merchant guild, people would naturally assume the victim was an ordinary person.
The fact that the merchant head was a martial artist was lost as the rumor grew. Besides, a third-rate one was hardly different from a commoner anyway.
The rumor continued to circulate, and in less than half a day, it had seeped all the way to Mount Hua.
Unfortunately, the first person to hear the news was the Sect Leader, Bai Duanxian.
“Ouyang Jue, that bastard!”
*CRACK!*
Unable to contain his fury, Bai Duanxian slammed his fist into the wall.
“Summon him here at once!”
On his desk lay an official notice written in a formal script.
Request for Participation in the Nine Dragons Tournament.