“So you’re saying I can deploy the Murim Alliance’s Armed Battalion once—whenever I want?”
At my question, the Alliance Leader nodded.
“That is correct. I remember something Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang once said. He told me that when you run a merchant group, there are times when you simply must call on an Armed Battalion.”
His words left a sour taste in my mouth.
Because in my previous life, one of the things Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang did after mobilizing the Murim Alliance’s Armed Battalion… was kill me.
Still, I didn’t let any of that show on my face.
“He said it’s necessary when Forest Bandits causes trouble, for example.”
‘Was our Eunhae Merchant Group Forest Bandits, you damn bastard?’
I swallowed the anger rising in my throat and nodded, forcing a worried look.
“Phew, yes. In situations like that, it really can feel overwhelming.”
“Of course, even if you’re a Peak Realm warrior who has mastered the Heavenly Stream Ice Sword, there will be jobs too large to handle alone.”
“Right.”
“Even though the Eunhae Merchant Group has its own Armed Battalion led by One Sword Sweeps the Sky, facing a large-scale Forest Bandits warband would still be difficult.”
In that short span of time, he had already figured out that External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong belonged to our merchant group.
As expected of the Murim Alliance.
“That’s why I’m making this offer. I’ll grant you the right to mobilize the Murim Alliance’s Armed Battalion once.”
It was only one time, but the right to move the Murim Alliance’s Armed Battalion was an enormous concession.
“But if the Murim Alliance’s Armed Battalion moves, won’t the costs be staggering?”
“As expected of a merchant—your way of thinking is different.”
The Alliance Leader let out a hearty laugh and nodded.
“The Murim Alliance will shoulder every one of those costs.”
Wow. He’s really going all-in.
I can’t pass up a chance to use the Murim Alliance’s Armed Battalion for free.
And besides, this was an Armed Battalion, not an Armed Division.
An Armed Battalion fields well over a hundred warriors, while an Armed Division is smaller than that.
Back when I went to Henan at Young Hero Han Jae-ik’s request, the White Thunder Division that came to collect the investment funds Manor Lord Ma had sent the Murim Alliance was an Armed Division—only about twenty people.
Ah…
Come to think of it, half of the White Thunder Division, along with Deputy Squad Leader Sa Gu, had died by our hands back then.
Remembering that lifted my mood a little.
Sure, if I mobilize an Armed Battalion, my every move might end up under scrutiny… but even so, I’d be an idiot to refuse this.
“If that’s how it is, how could I possibly say no? I understand. As you suggested, I’ll remain in Luoyang until the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering ends.”
“Thank you.”
“And Escort Guard Seo should receive a gift as well.”
“No, I merely did what my lord commanded.”
“That may be true from your perspective, but we still must show our gratitude.”
After some light conversation, it was decided that Escort Guard Seo Wu would be given a considerable sum.
Then a voice called from outside.
“Alliance Leader, the meal is ready.”
“Hoho, has that much time passed already? Let us go eat.”
“I was just starting to feel hungry. Hahaha.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu and I followed the Alliance Leader to the dining hall.
Several heavyweights of the Murim Alliance were already seated there, and we shared a reasonably cordial meal.
The food itself was lavish.
I had my suspicions, but it didn’t seem like they’d laced anything with poison.
The only reason I’m this wary is because the Murim Alliance is exactly the sort of group that would do that—and worse.
Maybe they didn’t resort to underhanded tricks because I accepted their offer without resistance.
Or maybe they held back because someone I know sits among these heavyweights.
Either way, having the Grand Elder of the Zhuge Family and Commander Tang Dae-jeong present here clearly worked to my advantage.
I’ll have to repay them later.
“Ah, by the way—what will happen to those two warriors from earlier?”
The ones who answered were two heavyweights whose expressions had been sour all along.
“Ah, you mean those two?”
“After a blunder like that, how could they keep standing on the martial stage? Tsk!”
“So we disqualified both of them.”
“I see.”
“Ah, come to think of it, there’s something you should do as well.”
The Alliance Leader spoke with calm certainty.
“Later, I plan to bring you two onto the martial stage and introduce you to the crowd. Think of how grateful the people you saved must be. We should let them express that gratitude.”
He really had a silver tongue.
.
.
.
After the meal, the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering resumed.
Before the matches began, the Alliance Leader stepped onto the martial stage.
“This Alliance offers its apologies to the spectators. Regarding what happened this morning…”
But like the crafty old martial artist he was, he neatly pushed the blame onto the two fighters, rather than admitting any failure in the Alliance’s management.
“However, Heaven did not abandon the Alliance. It sent us young heroes instead. Allow me to introduce them—Hero Eun Seo-ho and Hero Seo Wu.”
He gestured to us, and we strode up onto the martial stage without hesitation.
“Waaaaah!”
“As expected of the Handsome Young Hero!”
“Handsome Young Hero! Handsome Young Hero!”
“White Butterfly Sword Hero! White Butterfly Sword Hero!”
“…”
The crowd roared, chanting the titles of Escort Guard Seo Wu and me.
Ugh. Seo Wu being called the White Butterfly Sword Hero made sense—he’d always been known as the White Butterfly Sword…
But why am I still the Handsome Young Hero?
No matter how many times I hear it, I can’t get used to that ridiculous title.
Laughing bitterly inside, I swept my gaze across the crowd.
Watching them cheer for their “new heroes,” already forgetting the tragedy from the morning, I could tell the Murim Alliance’s little performance had worked perfectly.
Anyway… a hero.
Once you’re labeled a hero, people start demanding more and more. That’s why plenty of martial artists find the title itself burdensome.
But I’ve been a businessman from the very beginning.
So I made a deal with the Alliance Leader: I’d stay in Luoyang only until this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering ended.
Meaning my “hero act” lasts only as long as the Gathering does.
And to be honest, there’s a lot to gain from the name of a hero.
A merchant group run by an ordinary merchant.
A merchant group run by a merchant who holds a hero’s title.
Anyone can tell which one seems more trustworthy. And anyone can tell which one Forest Bandits would rather avoid.
I met the Alliance Leader’s eyes and smiled. He returned the smile with an almost benevolent look.
He was probably thinking, ‘I’ll make excellent use of you.’
Fine.
Then I’ll wring every last drop out of the gift package and the hero title he’s handed me—until they’re worn thin.
And one day, what he’s given me will become a blade aimed right under the chin of the Murim Alliance and the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
We bowed on the stage and came down. The Alliance Leader told us to watch the matches from the side.
But I politely declined.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’d like to watch from my parents’ seats. After what happened, they must be worried. If their son—now carrying a hero’s title—sits beside them, they’ll be able to watch with peace of mind.”
How could he stop a son trying to show filial piety?
So Escort Guard Seo Wu and I returned to our original seats and watched the day’s matches.
Cousin Hyang-ok’s bout had been delayed, but thankfully it was held today.
Her opponent was a scion of the Hwangbo Clan.
The moment I saw him, I knew his level.
And I knew the only reason he’d made it through the preliminaries was because he’d bought his victories.
For someone like that to defeat my cousin—gifted and hardworking as she was—was impossible from the start.
Even with the Hwangbo Clan’s formidable martial arts and their innate divine strength, the outcome was never in doubt.
Hyang-ok’s blade struck cleanly at his vital points, and the match was decided within half an hour.
“Victory to Mount Emei’s Hyang-ok!”
“Waaaaah!”
“So cool! Snow Sword Heroine!”
Basking in the crowd’s cheers, Sister Hyang-ok descended the martial stage with confidence.
The matches continued, and by evening the second day of the main tournament had come to an end.
That night.
The moment I got back to the inn, I collapsed onto the bed.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”
Today was brutal. No—truthfully, it’s been brutal since yesterday.
I’d been running around nonstop because fish bone powder and lime powder, key ingredients for Golden Wound Ointment, had suddenly sold out far earlier than expected. Then today, after asking Chun-il to investigate, I prevented an accident at the arena, and after that I wrestled through a tug-of-war negotiation with the Alliance Leader…
Physically, I could stay awake for three nights straight without a problem, but mental exhaustion is a different beast.
And that negotiation with the Alliance Leader… that was genuinely draining.
Not because of what we negotiated.
I’ve been through deals far harsher and tighter than that, so why would that part be hard?
Because it reminded me again: when it comes to practical combat, I really am strong.
Phew. Either way, I held out well today.
Bang-!
Right then—
“Young Master! Young Master!”
Palgap burst in, shouting.
“They say the warriors from Mount Hua Sect and Mount Zhongnan Sect are being expelled!”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“The two who caused the accident this morning! The Murim Alliance is deciding on their expulsion right now.”
Ah! In my previous life, I’d heard that those two had broken their swords because of that incident.
Now I get it.
Their swords hadn’t broken. Someone broke them.
The Murim Alliance needed to punish the two severely—if only to cover up their own guilt.
That “severe punishment” was expulsion.
Once you’re expelled, your Dantian is destroyed so you can never again use the martial arts you learned.
What so-called “orthodox” place would accept an expelled martial artist? And even if they hid their background, the moment they used their techniques, their origins would be exposed.
So the only place left for them is the Unorthodox Sects.
And if they join somewhere like that and keep using their old martial arts, it disgraces their original sect.
Would they care, after being cast out and left to hate the very people who abandoned them?
Either way, stripping martial arts from someone who has trained their whole life is the same as taking everything they are.
That’s why expulsion is feared more than death.
Honestly, what real fault do they have?
If anyone is to blame, it’s the Murim Alliance for trusting the formation and failing to take proper precautions.
But instead they dump the responsibility on two young men with bright futures, without reflecting on their own failures?
It makes me want to spit curses! This f*cking Murim Alliance!
I said to my Escort Guards,
“Let’s go to the Murim Alliance.”
“Understood.”
.
.
.
Not long afterward, I arrived at the Murim Alliance.
Recognizing me, the guards opened a path at once—nothing like the cold treatment during seat selection.
Hmm. This is a nice change.
Soon, I reached the hall where the meeting was being held.
The two warriors who had caused the incident that morning were bound with their hands locked into torture devices.
Are they trying to stop them from escaping?
From inside, I heard the heavyweights deliberating.
“Then we shall proceed with expulsion…”
“That would be best.”
“We must punish one to warn a hundred.”
Good thing I came the moment Palgap told me.
I’m not too late.
I dropped to my knees in the courtyard and shouted,
“Eun Seo-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group has a request for the leaders of the Murim Alliance!”
At my cry, the meeting hall doors flew open.
Everyone—startled by my sudden appearance—came rushing out.
The Alliance Leader in particular stared at me, puzzled.
“What is the meaning of this… a request? And more importantly, why are you kneeling?”
“This humble merchant has a single request.”
“Get up at once!”
“No. I won’t rise until you grant it.”
At my unyielding stance, the Alliance Leader tilted his head.
“And what, exactly, is this request?”
“Please hand over custody of the two warriors who nearly caused great harm to the spectators this morning.”
“Hm?”
My demand must have caught them off guard.
All of them looked at me in disbelief.
“Honestly, the sin they committed is grave—something ordinary punishment cannot wash away.”
“That is correct.”
Correct my ass, you bastards.
Keeping a solemn mask, I continued.
“As this humble merchant sees it, expulsion seems inevitable. However, because of me, no one was harmed.”
I went on.
“And they did it out of immaturity, unable to rein in their competitive spirit. How can I stand by and watch young men with such bright futures be cast out?”
“…”
“Therefore, as the one who prevented the incident, I’ve come forward to stop their expulsion, at the very least.”
I bowed my head again.
“Please… reconsider.”
“…”
Just then—
“Alliance Leader, to be frank, I think expulsion is excessive.”
“I agree.”
“Are you protecting your own disciples now?”
From their words, I knew at once the speakers were figures from Mount Hua Sect and Mount Zhongnan Sect.
The Alliance Leader considered briefly, then asked me,
“If we give you custody of them, what do you intend to do?”
“I intend to teach those two the heart of a hero. If they endure this trial and emerge as true heroes, wouldn’t that allow the Murim Alliance’s benevolence and reputation to spread throughout the entire Murim?”
I’ve said what you want to hear, so hurry up and agree.
My knees are killing me.
–TL Notes–
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“I’ve said what you want to hear, so hurry up and agree.
My knees are killing me.”
BARS