Looking out the inn window, just as expected, rain was pouring down in torrents.
Supervisor Yun looked at me with admiration.
“How did you know it was going to rain this hard?”
I couldn’t tell him the truth, so I made up something that sounded reasonable.
“I read it in a book. You know, signs that a heavy rain is coming.”
“Phew, it’s a good thing we pulled out early like you said, Deputy Merchant Lord. If we hadn’t… man! Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.”
He shook his head again and again, like he’d just shaved ten years off his life.
Right then, the Merchant Lord of another Merchant Group staying at the same inn laughed and chimed in.
“I’m grateful too. We were saved because we listened to you. We almost took a huge loss.”
Jin Yun, Merchant Lord of the Jinse Merchant Group from Guangxi.
I heard ‘Jinse’ in the Jinse Merchant Group is the name of his great-grandfather who founded the group.
They ranked eighty-ninth in the Merchant Group rankings this year, and their main product is candy.
Candy is just as weak to moisture as fish bone powder and lime powder.
No wonder he looked so relieved, saying he was lucky he took our advice.
Honestly, candy sells just as well as fish bone powder and lime powder.
The more internal Qi you accumulate, the less effort it takes to move, but you still have to move a lot if you want to use martial arts.
When you keep pushing your muscles, you instinctively crave something sweet, and during duels where you’re tense and going all out, sweet food becomes even more popular.
“Anyway, I’m worried about when this rain is going to stop.”
Everyone nodded at Father’s words.
I spoke up carefully.
“From what I can tell, it should stop by tomorrow morning.”
In truth, the rain wasn’t going to last that long. The problem was that a ridiculous amount was pouring down in a short time.
Drainage couldn’t keep up, so the water had already risen up to people’s ankles.
This inn almost flooded too, but after I warned them, the servers rushed out, brought in wooden planks, and put up a barrier at the entrance, so they barely avoided getting swamped.
The dishes laid out in front of us right now were the innkeeper’s way of saying thanks.
He really didn’t have to go that far.
Still, since he’d already served it, we made sure to enjoy every bite.
.
.
.
The next morning.
The rain had stopped, and people were busy repairing everything that had been wrecked by last night’s downpour.
But for us from the Eunhae Merchant Group, and a few other groups that had already taken down our temporary stalls the night before, all we had to do was set our tents back up, so things were much easier.
Just then, a Supervisor from one Merchant Group walked over to us and spoke.
“We’ve decided to pack up and leave.”
“Already?”
At my question, he gave a bitter smile.
“The rain last night ruined our tea leaves.”
“…”
“If I’d known it would turn out like this, I would’ve listened to you yesterday. Sorry I didn’t trust your words.”
“Then you’re not going to watch the Martial Gathering?”
“Of course I am. I can’t Lady that. Today’s the final, isn’t it?”
After saying that, he gave us a nod and went back to supervise his people as they packed up.
The ones around us who’d avoided losses thanks to my warning all sent me grateful looks again.
Right then, Palgap came back.
He’d gone to quickly check how the nearby Merchant Groups were doing.
“Young Master, I’m back.”
“Yeah? How’s it looking?”
“About half the Merchant Groups are pulling out, and the rest are just trying to sell whatever they managed to save… that’s pretty much it.”
“I see.”
“But the thing is…”
“…Yeah?”
With a baffled look on his face, Palgap continued.
“The Baekcheon Merchant Group is still selling fish bone powder and lime powder, but the price went up a bit.”
“Guess they managed to salvage some stock. So how much are they charging that you’re saying it went up?”
“Fifteen times the original price.”
“What? Fifteen times?”
The people around us reacted to my shout, then burst out laughing in disbelief.
I couldn’t help but laugh too.
Fifteen times? Are they out of their minds?
.
.
.
Things were delayed a little while they dealt with the damage from the storm, but the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering went on as scheduled.
We headed to the dueling arena, and there we ran into the Gwangjun Merchant Group’s Merchant Lord, who came over to thank us.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun’s warning helped us a lot. Thanks to you, our goods didn’t go bad.”
“We Merchants Groups have to look out for each other. Hahaha.”
“First you saved my son’s life, and now you saved my wife’s and mine, and even spared us from a big loss. I honestly don’t know how I’m supposed to repay this favor.”
“Favor? You’re flattering us too much.”
Watching Father and the Gwangjun Merchant Group’s Merchant Lord talk, I couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
The more Merchant Groups became friendly toward the Eunhae Merchant Group like this, the higher our standing would rise, and the safer we’d be.
The reason I pushed this whole matter forward myself was because Namgoong Merchant Group’s current Merchant Lord had to keep his head down and watch how the higher-ups moved.
Besides, after what happened last time, everyone was treating me like a hero. In that situation, who would dare lay a finger on me or the Eunhae Merchant Group?
That’s why I went ahead with this, even knowing some people would end up hating my guts for it.
Just then, the announcer walked out.
“Today! At long last, today! A new young hero of the martial world will be born! Let me introduce the eight next-generation talents who fought their way up here through fierce competition!”
Among the ones standing on the stage was Lady Zhuge Yu-ah. She spotted me and waved.
The crowd roared even louder at that, but I knew exactly why she was waving, so I just smiled and nodded back.
As they stepped down from the stage, they drew lots for the matchups.
This fifth round was the last time they redrew the brackets. From here on out, there would be no byes, and everyone would just fight according to the numbers they pulled this round.
Once the fifth round ended, only four would be left anyway, so it didn’t matter that much.
“For the first match…”
And like that, the duels began.
Since only the real experts were left, each duel went on longer than I expected.
Most of them were razor-close fights that made your palms sweat, and there were even a few where the referee had to step in and stop it because the fighters refused to give up even after taking wounds all over their bodies.
After lunch, the matches resumed, and the fifth round finally wrapped up.
Right after that, the sixth round began.
Only two out of the four would be left standing.
Lady Zhuge Yu-ah’s opponent in the sixth round was stronger than expected, so she had a tough time.
But she kept her cool and continued to play the strategic game, and in the end barely managed to seize the upper hand. By the slimmest of margins, she forced her opponent out of bounds and took the win.
“The winner, Zhuge Yu-ah!”
“Woooooaaah!”
“Well now, it looks like the Zhuge Family’s history is being rewritten.”
“You’re telling me.”
People often called the Zhuge Family ‘Transcendent Mind’.
It meant they were brilliant strategists, but it also carried the nuance that their martial arts were weak.
Up until now, no one from the Zhuge Family had ever made it past the third round of the main tournament.
But this time, something unprecedented happened.
A direct descendant of the Zhuge Family had reached the final match.
I glanced over and saw the Zhuge Family’s Grand Elder practically bursting with joy, not knowing what to do with himself.
A talent had been born who combined both strategy and martial prowess.
The atmosphere at the Martial Gathering grew hotter and hotter.
To cool down the overexcited crowd a bit, and to let the two fighters who’d just gone through brutal matches rest, they gave a half-hour break.
“You’re not going to go see Lady Zhuge?”
Escort Guard Lee Pil asked.
At Escort Guard Lee Pil’s question, I shook my head.
“If I go now, I’ll just get in her way.”
“But it’s not like you’re strangers…”
“If I were just some random Deputy Merchant Lord, of course I’d go over to cheer for her. But after what happened last time, I’m the hero everyone’s watching, remember?”
“Ah!”
Escort Guard Lee Pil nodded.
“Right. I understand.”
Someone like Lady Zhuge Yu-ah would definitely understand the situation, so she wouldn’t take it the wrong way.
The break passed, and finally, it was time for the final match.
The cheering had calmed down a notch compared to before, but people were still wildly rooting for the two fighters.
The ones facing each other in the final were Lady Zhuge Yu-ah and a young hero from Hebei Peng Clan.
Thump!
The drum resounded, and the duel between the two warriors began.
They slowly circled each other on the stage, searching for an opening.
Honestly, I was quietly impressed as I watched Young Master Peng.
Normally, when their opponent is a young woman, people openly sneer or look down on them.
Even if they didn’t show it outright, that attitude would still seep out.
But Young Master Peng was different; his eyes were cautious and serious from the very start. Just as I’d guessed, I could tell he’d been through countless real battles.
There is a saying in Murim.
“In Murim, beware children, women, and the elderly.”
In other words, the ones who look weak might actually be terrifying experts.
In that instant, blade and sword clashed.
Claang-!
From then on, the duel was so intense I couldn’t look away for even a moment. It was a dead-even fight where you couldn’t predict a single exchange.
Every time they clashed, their exchange dragged on for what felt like over a minute, and both warriors rapidly grew exhausted.
The longer a duel goes, the more it becomes a contest of mental strength.
And if their mental strength is equal too?
Then the one with more real combat experience has the edge. You can never avoid mistakes in a fight, and in real battle, what matters is how you make up for those mistakes.
Just like now.
Lady Zhuge Yu-ah’s foot slipped slightly. The rain from last night had soaked into the wood, and some spots had turned slick with sap.
Young Master Peng did not forgive that mistake.
In a flash, he hooked her back leg, breaking her balance, and Lady Zhuge Yu-ah fell backward.
And his blade ended up at her throat.
Lady Zhuge Yu-ah let out a sigh and spoke.
“I lost.”
And with that, the final victor was decided.
“Wooooaaaah!”
But just now, when she fell, didn’t Young Master Peng slide the top of his foot under Lady Zhuge Yu-ah’s head?
The only way to see that was that he’d protected her head.
He held out a hand to help Lady Zhuge Yu-ah stand back up.
So he’s considerate and polite on top of that?
The announcer came back out and called out the final winner.
“The final winner of the Thirty-Sixth Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering is Young Master Peng Gang-un!”
“Wooooaaaah!”
“And the runner-up is Heroine Zhuge Yu-ah!”
“Well fought!”
“That’s our girl!”
The spectators gave just as generous a round of cheers to Lady Zhuge Yu-ah, the runner-up.
.
.
.
The next day, the festivities started from the morning.
The winner and runner-up of the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering rode in an open carriage and made a lap around the area near the Murim Alliance.
Dressed in splendid clothes, they stood in the carriage and waved to everyone, and the crowd erupted into cheers once more.
That afternoon, a banquet was held at the Murim Alliance.
Those who had opened temporary stalls were given the right to attend.
This was one of the reasons Merchant Groups were willing to pay so much just to set up temporary shops.
If you weren’t at the banquet, you couldn’t easily approach the ones who’d made a big splash at this Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering.
Up to the fifty-four fighters who’d won in the first round of the main tournament were allowed to attend, but as far as I could tell, they’d already figured out who would keep winning and only given entry to those who deserved to be called the next-generation elites.
I walked over to Cousin Hyang-ok first.
“Cousin, you worked really hard.”
“You did too.”
“Are you heading back tomorrow?”
At my question, she nodded.
“Yeah! I’m going back and training like crazy! Ugh, I’m so frustrated!”
Looked like she still hadn’t gotten over losing by such a narrow margin.
I quickly said my goodbyes and backed away.
For any reason whatsoever, an angry Cousin Hyang-ok is really hard to deal with.
While I was doing that, Father went over to congratulate Young Master Peng Gang-un and Lady Zhuge Yu-ah and briefly talk about offering support.
Of course, with so many people lining up to meet them, there was no way to have any deep conversation.
So he decided they’d visit later and stepped back.
“Did you greet the Zhuge Family and the Tang Clan people?”
“There were too many people earlier, so I couldn’t even get close. Now I have to go say hello.”
And like that, the night grew late.
.
.
.
The next morning, we busily packed our things.
It was time to return to our main branch.
Father and Mother had been away from headquarters for a long time, so we couldn’t delay any longer.
Still, maybe because she’d gotten to see the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering she’d wanted to watch so badly, Mother’s expression was really bright.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Not at all! Please come again next time!”
After giving our final farewells to the servers and innkeeper, we set off for our main branch in Hubei.
We still had business in Beijing, but we had to show our faces to the family we hadn’t seen in such a long time.
And,
Escort Guard Myeong Jong and Escort Guard Chang Un, whom I’d newly taken in this time, had to receive training in the Eunpoong Division before they could start working as my official escorts.
Just like last time, this trip to Luoyang had given us a lot more than we ever expected.
First of all, there were Escort Guard Myeong Jong and Escort Guard Chang Un, two promising first-rate warriors.
Then there was the title of hero, and the things the Alliance Leader had promised me in return for accepting that title.
And the trust the Eunhae Merchant Group had gained because the Baekcheon Merchant Group decided to pull their stupid stunt, and so on.
Ah, just thinking about it made me feel full.
Lost in thought, I glanced to the side and saw Palgap reading a book.
“What’s that book?”
“Oh, this one?”
The title on the cover was [New Generation Heroes of the Thirty-Sixth Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering].
“It’s a hot-off-the-press new release. And it even has Young Master and Escort Guard Seo Wu’s names in it.”
“…”
Damn it, I didn’t think about that.
–TL Notes–
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