While I was thinking that, Mount Hua’s Sect Leader went on.
“I won’t forget that you saved Myeong Jong today. I’ll repay you somehow, no matter what it takes.”
I quickly waved my hand.
“Please, there’s no need for that. I just…”
“Don’t turn me down. Whatever your reasons were, the fact you saved Myeong Jong matters to me.”
“…”
Honestly, though, I was cheering inside.
It was Mount Hua’s Sect Leader promising to repay me, after all.
“Then I’ll be on my way. Don’t tell anyone I came to see you.”
“Not even Warrior Myeong Jong?”
He nodded.
“Take good care of Myeong Jong.”
And just like he had appeared out of nowhere, Mount Hua’s Sect Leader vanished without a trace.
Is this what a Profound master can do?
I slipped the mulberry-wood container of Golden Wound Ointment into my sleeve.
I started heading back toward the inn, but not even a quarter of an hour had passed before I had to stop again.
“Young Hero Eun Seo-ho.”
Someone was calling me. I turned my head and could only give a wry laugh inside.
Because it was Mount Zhongnan Sect’s Sect Leader.
I figured there was no way he’d actually come… and yet here he was.
That just showed how highly their sects valued those two warriors.
They’d already reached first-rate level at that age.
They were probably counted among each sect’s most promising later-generation talents. They must have entered the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering to build their names, only for everything to go sideways.
They’d been demoted from inner disciples to outer disciples, but the fact they hadn’t been expelled entirely still left them some hope.
“You called for me?”
At my words, he held something out to me: another mulberry-wood container that smelled strongly of medicine…
Did the two of them plan this together?
The thought flashed through my head, but I didn’t show it and instead asked:
“Is this Golden Wound Ointment?”
“It’s Golden Wound Ointment made from Mount Zhongnan Sect’s secret recipe.”
So this was another secret-recipe Golden Wound Ointment.
“Chang Un was lashed with a whip. He took it pretty badly, so if it’s not treated properly, I’m worried it’ll scar… ahem.”
“Understood. I’ll deliver it to Warrior Chang Un.”
A brief silence fell.
What broke it was Mount Zhongnan’s Sect Leader thanking me.
“Thank you for keeping Chang Un from being expelled today. I won’t forget what you did.”
“I just…”
“Even so, I’m grateful. In any case, don’t tell anyone I came here today. Take good care of Chang Un.”
Then he too vanished without a trace.
I tucked the Golden Wound Ointment into my sleeve.
And just like that, I had two top-grade jars of Golden Wound Ointment tucked away in my sleeves, the very medicine everyone said was impossible to find these days.
“Kui?”
At that moment, I heard Geumryeong let out a curious “Kui” from inside my sleeve.
“Hey! Don’t eat that! That’s not food!”
“Kui…”
As expected of Geumryeong. It always knows exactly what’s expensive.
I let out a sigh and looked up at the moon hanging in the sky.
The fact that both of them had come to see me meant they both knew those two warriors weren’t at fault.
Even so, bound by circumstances and the eyes watching them, they seemed to loathe themselves for being unable to clear their innocent disciples’ names.
I hadn’t gotten a good look earlier, but it seemed the Clan Lords of the great families were throwing even more weight around than the sect leaders and hall masters of the orthodox giants.
But the Zhuge Clan and the Sichuan Tang Clan looked like they were keeping a step back from all that.
What bothered me was that, looking back at both my previous life and this one, there had been a suspicious number of incidents that weakened various sects.
Almost like it was all intentional.
At that very moment.
Namgoong Gang, Merchant Lord of the Baekcheon Merchant Group, was listening to a supervisor’s report.
“We’ve gathered quite a lot of fish bone powder and lime powder.”
“Yes. We’ve practically scraped up all the fish bone powder and lime powder in the area, so they say it’ll take at least two weeks for the supply to recover.”
“That’s more than enough. This was always a short-term job.”
“So when do we release it?”
“Tomorrow.”
Namgoong Gang replied.
“We need to start releasing it bit by bit from tomorrow if we want to hit the target date.”
From the second round of the main tournament onward, the fights become brutal.
That’s when Golden Wound Ointment becomes absolutely necessary.
All the small fry are gone, leaving only the big fish.
In other words, people who either had plenty of money to begin with or had wealthy backers footing the bill.
So no matter how expensive it is, they’ll have no choice but to buy.
‘This is how you make a killing in one go.’
Customer trust or business ethics between merchants meant nothing to Namgoong Gang.
All that mattered was raking in huge profits and earning the Murim Alliance’s mid-level leaders’ trust.
That was the only way he could keep sitting in the Merchant Lord’s seat.
I returned to the inn.
Then I went into the room where Warriors Myeong Jong and Chang Un were staying.
When I showed up again, they both tensed up, wondering what was going on.
I smiled and handed each of them a jar of Golden Wound Ointment.
They tilted their heads at the sect emblems carved into the lids and asked me:
“Isn’t this Golden Wound Ointment made from our Mount Hua Sect’s secret recipe?”
“And this one’s Golden Wound Ointment made from Mount Zhongnan Sect’s secret recipe… This isn’t something we casually give to outsiders.”
“Oh, really?”
I answered like it was nothing.
“I picked them up on the way here.”
“What?”
Both of their sect leaders had told me not to mention they came, so what else could I say?
Still, I should at least give them a hint.
“I picked one up under an old tree covered in plum blossoms, and funny enough, I found the other one in front of a big gate with a giant taiji symbol painted on it.”
“…”
“The fact they ‘dropped’ those is proof they haven’t abandoned you. The Murim Alliance might have thrown you away, but they haven’t.”
At my words, both warriors tightened their grips.
Their knuckles turned white around the jars of ointment. They were clearly holding something back.
‘Time for me to make my exit.’
“Then I’ll take my leave. Have a good night.”
I stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Click.
As I walked away, I heard muffled sobs from inside the room.
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Escort Guard Seo Wu, walking behind me, seemed to be feeling the same way.
“Please look after them.”
“Understood.”
When I returned to my room, Palgap brewed me some tea.
“Thanks.”
I sipped the tea and calmed my thoughts.
“I heard everyone’s in an uproar because there’s no fish bone powder or lime powder around these days.”
I nodded at Palgap’s words.
“I was just on my way back from asking Chun-il who pulled that stunt.”
“So who was it?”
“Baekcheon Merchant Group.”
Palgap blinked at my answer.
“But they already make plenty of money. Why would they do something like that?”
“When has greed ever had a limit?”
Seeing my bitter smile, Palgap carefully asked:
“So what are you planning to do about it?”
“What do you think…”
“Well, it’s obvious you won’t just sit still and let it go.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because, young master, your personality isn’t exactly… gentle.”
“…”
Urk!
I shot Palgap a glare at his sudden jab.
I mean, sure, it’s true I’m not exactly a saint, but saying it that bluntly still hurts, you know.
Escort Guard Seo Wu spoke up to Palgap.
“Palgap, even if it’s true, there’s a time and place to say things.”
“Seo Wu…”
Anyway, what should I do about this Baekcheon Merchant Group that can’t spell ‘business ethics’?
Every merchant group usually has at least one product it monopolizes in its own region.
But it’s an unspoken rule not to monopolize anything directly tied to people’s lives.
And among those life-related goods are things like fish bone powder and lime powder, which are used to make Golden Wound Ointment.
In other words, the Baekcheon Merchant Group had crossed the line.
As I mulled it over, I spotted a flaw in their scheme.
Right now, their plan only worked because no other merchant group had fish bone powder or lime powder left to sell.
But what if there was a merchant group that still had stock?
Those bastards must have spent a fortune buying up more fish bone powder and lime powder than they needed.
If someone released it at normal prices in that situation, all that loss would land squarely on the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
‘I like this.’
Just then, Palgap pointed at me.
“Th-that face! That’s exactly the face young master makes when he’s about to mess someone up!”
At his words, I quickly straightened my expression.
“When do I ever?”
“…”
Then I turned to Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“Could you call Escort Guard Jin Yu for me?”
“Understood.”
Before long, Escort Guard Jin Yu came in, and I asked the two warriors:
“If you use your lightness skill to the fullest, how long would it take you to get back to our main base?”
Escort Guard Jin Yu answered first.
“If I run at full speed, I can go to the main base and be back at this inn by somewhere between seven and nine tomorrow morning.”
“And you, Escort Guard Seo Wu?”
“About the same for me.”
“Then…”
I rose to my feet and said:
“Let’s go secure some fish bone powder and lime powder.”
I asked Palgap to bring us night-travel outfits.
The two warriors and I changed into the dark clothes, and I entrusted Palgap with a letter for my father.
“We’ll be back.”
“Please be careful.”
Escort Guard Seo Wu, Escort Guard Jin Yu, and I exchanged nods.
And then… we set out.
It was the third day of the first main stage of the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
People who knew that Lady Zhuge Yu-ah and Tang Jo-ung were fighting today headed toward the arena in small groups, chatting excitedly about it.
“Oh right, isn’t Golden Wound Ointment in crazy short supply these days?”
“I heard they’re missing the main ingredients, right?”
“Main ingredients?”
“Fish bone powder and lime powder.”
“Oh!”
“Tsk tsk, your information’s really slow.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Baekcheon Merchant Group’s selling them now. The fish bone powder and lime powder.”
“Yeah?”
“But the price is pretty steep. Like ten times the usual?”
“Whoa, that’s insane. Still, if you need it, you have to buy it.”
“True enough.”
Just then.
“Hm?”
Something caught their eyes: a long line of people stretching down the street.
“What are they lining up for over there?”
“Good question.”
They all tilted their heads, and the most curious among them walked over to ask the people in line.
“Brother, mind if I ask something? What are you all lining up for?”
“Ah, they’re selling fish bone powder and lime powder.”
“Then is this the Baekcheon Merchant Group?”
The man he asked snorted.
“Baekcheon Merchant Group? Hah! You mean that shameless bunch that jacks the price up tenfold just because they have some stock?”
“…?”
“This is the Eunhae Merchant Group. Even with fish bone powder and lime powder in such short supply, they’re selling at normal prices without gouging anyone.”
“Is that really true?”
“Of course it’s true!”
The man blinked and asked:
“They’re not selling fakes or anything, are they?”
The people in line exploded at that.
“Hey! What kind of nonsense is that!”
“Are you insulting the Eunhae Merchant Group right now?”
“Do you know how honest the Eunhae Merchant Group is?”
“It’s the very merchant group Handsome Young Hero and White Butterfly Sword Hero belong to!”
“R-right. Hahaha.”
The man laughed awkwardly and went back to his companions to tell them what he’d heard.
“Is that for real?”
“Wow! That’s so like the Eunhae Merchant Group!”
While praise for the Eunhae Merchant Group was spreading from mouth to mouth like that…
The Baekcheon Merchant Group’s stall was dead empty.
“What, did we not promote this properly?”
“Of course we did.”
“Then why aren’t there any customers? Why is nobody coming?!”
“Th-that, I don’t really…”
Golden Wound Ointment is practically essential for a tournament like this.
So they had expected it to sell even if they charged several times the usual price.
At first, it did.
But strangely, as time went on, fewer and fewer customers showed up.
Then it happened.
A customer who had come by that morning stormed back in, furious.
“Hey! Give me a refund for this!”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“You charged me ten times the normal price for this! You’re nothing but highway robbers!”
“Now that’s going too far!”
“Too far? It’s robbery! The Eunhae Merchant Group over there is selling it at normal prices!”
“What?”
“Just give me my money back, you bastards!”
They wanted to throw him out by force, but if they did, the patrol might get called. In the end, they had no choice but to refund him.
The problem was, he wasn’t the only one asking for a refund.
A little later, Namgoong Gang arrived after hearing the situation and questioned his supervisors.
“What in the world is going on? How is it possible for them to be selling so much?”
“W-well… the Eunhae Merchant Group can’t have that much fish bone powder and lime powder in stock.”
“Once they run out, the customers will have no choice but to come back to us.”
The supervisors of the Baekcheon Merchant Group carefully flattered Namgoong Gang like that.
Just then.
A supervisor who had gone to check the situation elsewhere returned and reported hesitantly:
“Uh… the problem looks serious.”
“What do you mean, serious?”
“Eunhae Merchant Group’s stock… they say it’s huge.”
“…”
“And people are cursing our Baekcheon Merchant Group and saying they won’t trade with us anymore.”
Namgoong Gang’s vision went dark at those words.
The enormous losses from this scheme, and the blow to the merchant group’s reputation…
He had no idea how he was supposed to explain any of it to the Murim Alliance’s senior members.
‘D-dammit!’
–TL Notes–
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