Chapter 174
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Is That Even Possible?
One-eyed.
A massive frame.
A face that dripped sweat with the slightest movement.
Thanks to it being winter, the sweating had eased up a bit.
His thick layers of fat kept the cold at bay, so he wore thinner clothes.
The carriage windows were all flung open, letting the chill wind cool his body's heat.
Hunan Province's Changsha.
The leader of its top merchant group, the Single-Eye Merchant Group—Hyeong Ui-cheon.
He had arrived in Wuchang to expand his group's influence.
Leading countless subordinates and merchants.
He had set up base in a massive manor on the outskirts of Wuchang called Moon Dragon Manor.
Construction had begun a year ago, and it had only recently been completed, intended as the Single-Eye Merchant Group's Wuchang branch.
Hyeong Ui-cheon took his seat in a room on the top floor of the grandest, most ornate building at the heart of Moon Dragon Manor.
This pavilion was built with every coin he had.
Moon Dragon Pavilion.
To hoist his bloated, heavy body to the top floor, they had even installed mechanical lifts.
Lifts powered by oxen to go up and down.
Thanks to that, Hyeong Ui-cheon could comfortably gaze out at Wuchang's scenery from the top.
Few places in Wuchang rose higher than this Moon Dragon Pavilion.
One of them—the Dragon Training Pavilion Lord's quarters—stood visible in the distance.
"Finally found you. It was a real pain. Hiding away like that. Heh."
A chilling, raspy voice leaked from his lips.
It was an utterly displeasing tone. Harsh, like nails scraping metal.
No natural voice sounded like that.
It was the kind that came from damage to the throat or vocal cords.
His eyes gleamed sharply.
Beggars from the Beggar Clan were milling about the manor.
"Plenty of beggar scum here too. Or is that to be expected? Since that old Thunderclap Beggar is around."
The Single-Eye Merchant Group was Changsha's premier merchant outfit in Hunan Province's capital.
Not just that—it was one of Hunan's four great merchant groups.
For its leader to personally march into Wuchang was bound to draw the Beggar Clan's attention.
But he was eyeing the Beggar Clan beggars for a different reason.
***
The ship arrived in Wuchang.
As Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek and Baek Ri-pyeong disembarked, the dock buzzed with unrest.
"What's going on?"
Baek Ri-pyeong muttered curiously.
"You. You've gotten chatty."
At Ha Mu-baek's remark, Baek Ri-pyeong just grinned.
Compared to when he'd first joined the Fierce Dragon Corps, he was definitely talking more.
Thinking back, among the seven recruits then, Dang Jin-san had been the chattiest by far.
Recalling those days, all the cadets had lightened up a lot.
They'd all gathered with grim faces.
Ha Mu-baek had been no exception.
Now, even his own face had softened considerably.
"You're the same, Instructor."
Baek Ri-pyeong replied with a smile.
Ha Mu-baek chuckled at the response, as if aware of it himself.
'Whoever came up with that scheme, I owe them thanks.'
The Righteous Heaven Alliance headquarters had demoted him to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
For Ha Mu-baek, it had turned into a blessing in disguise.
He'd found peace of mind, reunited with his family, broken through his wall to a new realm.
And he had plenty of leisure now too.
Nothing to complain about.
No more clashing with those irritating Alliance elders.
'Ah, but annoyances do crop up now and then.'
Even now, he'd just returned to Wuchang after dealing with one such hassle.
While Ha Mu-baek was lost in thought, Baek Ri-pyeong tuned into the merchants' chatter around them.
As a Yangtze tributary hub, the docks overflowed with traders.
Their worried faces and the chaotic vibe made the whole place feel tense.
"Seems Changsha's top merchant group is pushing into Wuchang. Their leader arrived today."
"I heard."
Ha Mu-baek replied curtly to Baek Ri-pyeong.
What he could hear, Ha Mu-baek certainly wouldn't miss.
"You don't seem too interested. But it's odd—why would a Hunan merchant group come all the way to Hubei Province's Wuchang?"
The merchants were murmuring darkly about the same puzzle.
Wuchang was a Yangtze riverside metropolis with brisk trade, but no massive merchant group had rooted there.
The environment wouldn't allow it.
Now a Changsha giant had barged in.
"Don't get too chummy with Jin-san."
Ha Mu-baek tossed the words out as he started walking. They were starting to look alike.
"And for you, what's in your arms right now matters more than that, no?"
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Baek Ri-pyeong's hand went to his chest.
Very carefully.
The day before leaving Zhongnan.
Zhong Pae-jin had visited Baek Ri-pyeong.
And handed him a manual.
The manual for the Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method. Complete with annotations from Zhong Pae-jin's own insights gained through training.
Unable to teach it directly, he wanted to pass it on this way.
The Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method, whose initiation was permitted only to a select few second-generation disciples whose skills were recognized.
Baek Ri-pyeong hadn't been able to practice it due to Joo Jae-seung's interference. And he'd been kicked out to the Fierce Dragon Corps.
The thrill when Zhong Pae-jin offered him the Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method.
Baek Ri-pyeong knew he'd never forget it.
The Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method was the Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method.
True, Baek Ri-pyeong had honed the Heavenly Star Sword Method and shown movements transcending its limits.
But in that spar, he'd barely overcome Joo Si-un wielding the Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method.
It had been a grueling battle.
Now its manual was in his hands.
On the ship to Wuchang, Baek Ri-pyeong had read and reread the manual.
Read and reread the annotations.
His body itched to rush back to the Dragon Training Pavilion and train.
He'd only been momentarily distracted by the dock's unrest.
Ha Mu-baek's reminder of the manual reignited the fire in Baek Ri-pyeong's eyes.
The Heavenly Star Falling Sword Method.
He wanted to master it soon.
***
Thunderclap Beggar Bang Ho-gun scowled.
He'd known since the manor construction that a Changsha merchant group was coming to Wuchang.
A project that scale for a year.
He'd even sent people to Changsha.
He hadn't thought they'd expand into Wuchang out of nowhere.
Expanding in Hunan was easier than pushing into Hubei.
Hubei's merchant world was complicated.
No giant merchant groups, but massive sects dominated trade.
Wudang on Wudang Mountain.
They seemed lofty Daoist recluses, but they were human too.
To survive, they needed money.
Their lay disciples controlled half of Hubei's commerce.
Jegal Clan on Yunzhong Mountain.
One of the Five Great Clans, martial but strong in scholarship too.
No—unlike typical martial clans, they were more famous for learning.
Unavoidable, as descendants of Zhuge Liang.
Thus skilled in commerce, they gripped two-fifths of Hubei's trade.
Yeon Clan of Yichang.
Currently the most powerful of the Five Great Clans.
Such power needed financial backing, so they too held one-fifth of Hubei's commerce.
The remaining one-fifth.
Belonged to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
Running a Righteous Heaven Alliance martial academy cost a fortune.
The Alliance couldn't fully fund it.
One reason the Dragon Training Pavilion settled in Wuchang.
Strategic Yangtze-Han confluence, but also a trade hub.
Hunan was different.
Vast plains, Yangtze, Dongting Lake.
Fertile land, but no giant sects.
South of Mount Heng was Saheolyeon territory, but north of it was still impressive.
Only one giant sect: Sanyuygu.
Changsha once had one.
Dan Mok Clan.
Annihilated in the Blood Cult war, no successor filled the void.
Just minor factions moved in.
Thus, merchant groups fiercely competed in Hunan, four dominating the trade.
Now Changsha's Single-Eye Merchant Group, ruler there, thrust into Wuchang.
Local merchants, long coexisting peacefully with the Dragon Training Pavilion, were on edge.
The Beggar Clan was curious about their intentions too.
***
Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul received Namgung Hwa-in, the Gold Hall Chief, who had come unannounced.
The Gold Hall handled the Dragon Training Pavilion's finances.
Using Alliance budgets, they ran their own merchant group to dominate Wuchang trade.
Golden Dragon Merchant Group.
Led by the Gold Hall Chief himself.
Which controlled Wuchang commerce.
Namgung Hwa-in, sixth cousin to the Namgung Clan head, excelled more in commerce than martial affairs, serving as Gold Hall Chief.
Pang Do-yul trusted him completely.
"What's this about?"
"Hyeong Ui-cheon has entered Wuchang."
"Hm?"
Pang Do-yul racked his brain at Namgung Hwa-in's words. The name rang a bell, but vaguely.
Then he recalled a talk from a year ago.
"The merchant group leader building that manor?"
"Yes. Moon Dragon Manor—Single-Eye Merchant Group Leader Hyeong Ui-cheon."
Namgung Hwa-in said gravely.
"That serious?"
Pang Do-yul asked, and Namgung Hwa-in nodded vigorously.
"If they take more than twenty percent of the commerce the Golden Dragon Merchant Group holds, it'll punch a hole in the Pavilion's budget."
Pang Do-yul's face darkened at the reply.
It was absolutely unacceptable.
The reason he could fully support the cadets was Namgung Hwa-in's Gold Hall.
They secured ample funds.
He'd even planned to boost this year's budget.
Jegal Myeong was personally funding shields for Fierce Dragon Corps graduates.
The Pavilion intended to provide them—better ones.
He'd been about to discuss that with Namgung Hwa-in, only for budget troubles to crop up.
"Then what do we do?"
Pang Do-yul asked gravely.
"We prepare countermeasures. Keep the Single-Eye Merchant Group from rooting here. They suddenly devoured Changsha's trade, so it won't be easy."
The Single-Eye Merchant Group had popped up out of nowhere.
Hunan's trade had been split three ways; they appeared and swallowed Changsha's share.
Hence Namgung Hwa-in's tension.
"Is that even possible?"
Pang Do-yul didn't know commerce well, but he knew it was incredibly tough.
"He's a mysterious figure in many ways. Suspicious too. The Beggar Clan is watching him."
"Hm. We'll keep an eye on them too, then."
"Yes. Which is why the first-half budget might shrink a bit."
Namgung Hwa-in got to the real point of his visit.
"What? What do you mean?"
"To counter the Single-Eye Merchant Group, we need to secure as much ready cash as possible first."
With that, Namgung Hwa-in rose and left the Pavilion Lord's office.
Pang Do-yul stared blankly at his retreating back.
He hadn't even mentioned the shields.
***
Baek Ri-pyeong returned to the training grounds.
The cadets welcomed him warmly. He'd said he had to go back to Zhongnan, but here he was, safe at the Pavilion.
"But is this good? We're heading to the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest next year?"
Dang Jin-san's question.
But Baek Ri-pyeong smiled. This place eased his heart most.
"We have to go. And we'll come back alive."
Dang Jin-san grinned at the reply.
"Right. As long as we don't die there."
That's why they trained, sweating buckets even now.
Dang Jin-san approached Baek Ri-pyeong and whispered.
"So, how was it with the Instructor? Instructor Han said he beat you half to death at one point?"
Baek Ri-pyeong flinched at the question.
The sect leader had gone berserk.
"Eh, just... you know..."
He could only brush it off.
"Dang Jin-san. Want to try getting beaten like that?"
Ha Mu-baek's voice cut in.
"Ah, time to train."
Dang Jin-san darted off to practice the Three Talents Sword Method.