Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Merchant's Sword Dwarf Request
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Jin Geum-bo was a merchant who operated out of Muju in Gangseo Province.
He hadn't yet established his own named merchant group, but he was a hardworking trader chasing his dreams.
Today, as always, he hurried along from early morning.
‘Considering the deadline, I need to entrust the goods to an escort bureau by today.’
One of the key virtues of a merchant was choosing the right escort bureau.
Without one that could safely protect the goods and escort them over long distances, business travel was impossible.
In that sense, Jin Geum-bo intended to take another step forward as a merchant today.
What that meant was forging ties with a new escort bureau.
‘Whew. I wonder if the Heaven-Covering Escort Bureau will accept cargo from a small-time merchant like me.’
The Heaven-Covering Escort Bureau—Baek Clan Manor's flagship business—had recently made its name widely known around Muju.
Word of mouth had spread through merchant circles about how it delivered goods safely and right on schedule, steadily building trust.
Jin Geum-bo headed to Ak-an County, where Baek Clan Manor was located, to place his escort request.
‘Haha, who would've thought Baek Clan Manor would grow this big. If I'd known, I would've built ties with them years ago.’
Jin Geum-bo had spent over a decade as an itinerant peddler.
He'd naturally visited Ak-an County plenty of times and knew exactly what Baek Clan Manor had been like.
With its long history, plenty of people knew of it, but it was a third-rate martial family that had fallen into utter decline.
Back then, Baek Clan Manor had truly been a nothing place.
‘And now it's ballooned to over a hundred warriors under its banner.’
Over a hundred meant that feeding a single adult man for a month cost twenty silver nyang.
In other words, Baek Clan Manor now spent over two thousand nyang in silver a month without batting an eye—their wealth had grown that vast.
‘Even the buildings are all brand new.’
And crowds of people coming and going.
This, too, proved how incomparably higher Baek Clan Manor's reputation had become.
‘Sigh. I just hope Baek Clan Manor accepts my commission.’
Jin Geum-bo patted his chest pocket and went through the procedures to entrust his goods at the Heaven-Covering Escort Bureau.
“How's the cargo?”
“Just one letter.”
“A letter? It'll cost quite a bit to escort something like that. You sure?”
“I know. I plan to pay the escort fee generously—about ten times the usual rate.”
“Ten times! Then you must have some special condition.”
“That's right. I want... Young Master Sword Dwarf to escort it personally.”
The reception clerk's face stiffened instantly.
For some reason, he even glanced around cautiously.
The moment Jin Geum-bo felt puzzled by the sight.
“That's a peculiar request.”
The voice came from behind. Turning, Jin Geum-bo spotted a young boy.
His build clearly marked him as someone trained in the martial arts.
And he had a sharp, handsome face to boot.
‘No way... is that Young Master Sword Dwarf himself?’
“Who might you be, young master?”
“Chui-dal... oh, damn.”
Jin Geum-bo suddenly doubted his own ears.
“Argh, freaking hell. It's stuck to my tongue.”
The boy, who looked every bit the refined heir of the Baek Clan, muttered like a street thug from the underworld.
“What was that just now?”
“Nothing at all, haha.”
Jin Geum-bo concluded he'd misheard.
In the meantime, the boy continued speaking.
“I'm Hu-hu. We'll need to discuss the escort details separately, so if you'd follow me this way.”
He didn't seem to be Sword Dwarf himself after all.
Jin Geum-bo followed after the tall, upright boy.
“And your name, merchant?”
“Jin—Geum-bo of the Jin family.”
“Why does Merchant Jin want Sword Dwarf...”
The boy trailed off with a giggle.
“What's so funny all of a sudden?”
“Ah, sorry. Could I ask why Merchant Jin wants the young master to join the escort?”
Before answering, Jin Geum-bo paused in thought.
Sword Dwarf. The two characters literally meant "sword dwarf."
Baek Clan Manor was now one of the three powers vying for dominance in Muju.
To reach its current position, it had fought countless underworld factions.
And Baek clan's Sword Dwarf was the moniker of the man whose exploits had earned the clan its towering reputation.
‘They say the dwarf boy has already reached the first-rate realm. And he's a one-in-a-hundred genius, to boot.’
He was essential talent for guaranteeing an escort's success.
Which was why Jin Geum-bo was willing to pay ten times the fee to request him.
But voicing his true intentions outright went against a merchant's code.
“I plan to travel with the escort myself. I requested him because I wanted to meet the famous Sword Dwarf in person and speak with him.”
The boy's reply was straightforward.
“I see. In that case, it's impossible.”
“Hm? Why's that?”
“Sword Dwarf... hehe. The young master is currently in secluded training.”
A martial artist in seclusion replaced even meals with dry rations, devoting himself solely to honing his arts.
Heading out on an escort under those conditions was out of the question.
‘Ugh. This is a problem. I thought ten times the fee would lure out Young Master Sword Dwarf.’
At that moment, Chui-dal's honeyed words rang in Jin Geum-bo's ears.
“There is one way, though...”
“What is it?”
“Haha, well. You have to keep it secret that I told you.”
Seeing the boy's troubled look, Jin Geum-bo spoke up quickly.
“Of course. If you can make it happen for me to travel with Young Master Sword Dwarf, I'll reward the young master separately.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course.”
The boy grinned and continued.
“Truth is, it's not some grand method.”
The boy glanced at the paper listing the escort details and went on.
“The destination is Gyesu. And the cargo's just one letter, with Merchant Jin accompanying.”
“That's right. Jin Clan Manor in Gyesu is the destination.”
Gyesu—an area on the border between Anhui and Henan provinces.
And Jin Clan Manor was the most renowned martial family in Gyesu County.
“Then, do you agree to using the Yangtze canals as the escort route?”
“Agree? I was going to request it myself.”
From Gangseo Province to Gyesu on the Anhui-Henan border, there were two routes.
The first: a land path cutting through parts of Hubei and Anhui.
The second: the water route via the Yangtze canals.
The first was the straightest line, but the second took far less time.
“In that case, I think I can bring it up with Young Master Sword Dwarf.”
“That's great, but... why?”
The boy flashed a bright smile.
“Because we'll be traveling the Yangtze all the way near Yangju. The details are a secret.”
“Well, in that case... I understand.”
“Perfect!”
The boy exclaimed brightly and stood.
“I'll go fetch Sword Dwarf—heh, Young Master—right away. Ah, care to come along?”
“That okay?”
“Sure. Just... as soon as you see the young master, say something like 'It's an honor to meet Young Master Sword Dwarf.’”
That much flattery was no trouble at all.
...Though the boy kept giggling after he finished speaking—that was a bit odd.
Jin Geum-bo followed the boy once more.
Soon, a stone door reinforced with thick bars came into view.
It looked like the entrance to an underground training chamber.
The boy leading the way stood before the stone door and rapped it in a peculiar rhythm.
Thud, thud-thud-thud-thud, thud.
Jin Geum-bo waited with a pounding heart for Young Master Sword Dwarf to emerge.
In the greater martial world, Gangseo martial arts was counted among the fringes.
Yet in that very Gangseo scene, the top later-generation talent was none other than Young Master Sword Dwarf.
For a local like Jin Geum-bo, meeting Sword Dwarf was prime drinking-story fodder—a rare treat.
‘He must be quite the looker.’
Gangseo martial arts truly was the fringe of fringes.
Compared to the northern martial realm—home to Shaolin, Wudang, Namgung, Peng, and other great sects—the southern realm was far more influenced by the underworld and had far fewer renowned orthodox sects.
In other words, even the top talent in Gangseo likely wouldn't crack the top hundred later-generation disciples in the wider world...
‘But who knows. A dwarf reaching first-rate? That's the stuff of geniuses even Shaolin and Wudang would tout.’
But why hasn't he come out yet?
They say those in seclusion lose track of time—surely he's not sleeping?
It was just then, as Jin Geum-bo grew puzzled.
Kwaaaang!
The stone door exploded outward, showering fragments everywhere.
Chui-dal's face twisted in an instant.
“Hyungnim! What the hell—why smash it! Do you know how much a single door costs?!”
Undeterred, a lion's roar echoed from the thick dust cloud.
“Aooo! Who the hell called me! You, Chui-dal?!”
The dust cleared at last. A young man's silhouette emerged.
Jin Geum-bo suddenly doubted his own eyes.
‘He came from the training chamber, so that young master must be Sword Dwarf...?’
“Just a little longer and it would've been done! Aoo!”
By rumor, Sword Dwarf was a genius among geniuses.
But what was this spectacle?
Filthy and reeking? Fine, he hadn't washed.
He'd just emerged from seclusion, so that look was to be expected, in a way.
But.
“Damn it! Spent the whole seclusion choking down those nasty dry rations, couldn't even break through the wall—frustrating as hell—and now Sword Dwarf to my face?!”
Whether Jin Geum-bo panicked or not, Yang-hui began venting his spleen.
“Should've rounded up those bastards and thrashed 'em! I'm young, so of course I'm short—what, Sword Dwarf? Dwarf?!”
Even more infuriating: the nickname Sword Dwarf had spread like wildfire.
Why did everyone go with Sword Dwarf over his cool debut alias, White Pool Hidden Dragon?!
“I've decided. Anyone who says Sword Dwarf to my face from now on gets a beating. Starting with you.”
Yang-hui fixed Jin Geum-bo with a chilling glare.
His eyes gleamed like he was pondering just how to thrash the man before him.
“Hyungnim, hold up. Merchant Jin here's a customer.”
“Customer?”
“Ah, that thing you asked me to watch for before going into seclusion. Looks like him.”
Yang-hui's expression flipped in an instant.
Not just his expression—his whole demeanor and even his appearance transformed.
No bath, no fresh robes—how had his look changed?
The reason was simple.
Paaaang!
With a burst of qi, every speck of grime coating Yang-hui's body flew away.
His clothes, whipped by the fierce wind, gleamed fresh as new.
Yang-hui, who'd casually unleashed such a feat of qi mastery, clasped his hands toward Jin Geum-bo.
“How far did you scout us out, customer? Hehehe.”
Jin Geum-bo was utterly speechless.