Brother Jin-ho’s match against Warrior Jo Un dragged on for quite a while. In the end, after nearly an hour of fierce fighting, the victor was finally decided.
“The winner is Warrior Eun Jin-ho of the Eunhae Merchant Group!”
“Raaaaaah!”
Brother Jin-ho let out a triumphant roar, and the crowd rewarded him with thunderous cheers.
“Tiger-Slaying Spear Hero! Tiger-Slaying Spear Hero!”
I watched them with no small amount of disbelief.
Hadn’t these same people mocked me for being a merchant when the Alliance Leader recommended me?
And now they were cheering for Brother Jin-ho?
I couldn’t help laughing.
Well, should I let it slide this time?
Just then, Brother Jin-ho climbed down from the martial stage and walked over to me.
“Did you see that?”
“Yeah. You did well.”
Remarkably, Brother Jin-ho didn’t have a single wound on him.
He had gone to considerable lengths to avoid getting hurt.
That was also why the match had lasted so long.
Then again, there could hardly be a greater act of disrespect toward one’s parents than getting hurt right in front of them.
I turned my head and looked at Escort Guard Chang Un.
He still hadn’t recovered from the shock, as though he had never imagined his senior brother, Warrior Jo Un, could possibly lose.
“Are you all right?”
“Ah, yes…”
He certainly didn’t look all right…
Meanwhile.
Warrior Dae-nok and Warrior Su-am were training in the backyard of Yeonpung Inn.
The training Eun Seo-ho had ordered was simple.
Basic sword-form practice.
And what he called the three fundamental exercises.
They were exercises every member of the Eunpoong Division performed each day.
Running, push-ups, and holding a horse stance for an extended period.
And hanging sit-ups.
The Escort Guards of the Eunpoong Division set aside a fixed amount of time and trained according to a regular schedule, but these two were different.
They had to train all day long.
Even if they wanted to slack off, they couldn’t. Whenever they stopped moving, unbearable muscle pain surged through their bodies and left them in agony.
There was one more thing making their lives miserable…
“Warriors, it’s time for your medicine.”
It was the Tiger-Bear Primordial Body Decoction Palgap brought them.
People said good medicine tasted bitter, but the Tiger-Bear Primordial Body Decoction went far beyond mere bitterness.
Had they not been required to drink it, they would have gladly vomited it back up. Yet perhaps it really was as expensive and effective as they had been told, because their bodies absorbed every last drop.
Even when the strain of training made them dry-heave, not a single drop of the medicine came back up.
“Do we truly have to drink this for three days straight?”
Palgap nodded at Warrior Dae-nok’s question.
“Yes, sir. That’s right.”
“Whew… In that case, please, at least allow us to drink some water.”
“Are you thirsty, sir? That’s strange. You shouldn’t be thirsty or hungry at all.”
“…”
Palgap was right.
The idea that they could spend three full days drinking nothing but that decoction while enduring grueling physical training had sounded absurd.
Unfortunately, they truly weren’t thirsty or hungry.
“You should hurry and drink it all in one go. The Young Master said that if you spill or leave behind even a single drop, you’ll have to do ten extra hanging sit-ups.”
“…”
“Goodness, this medicine is incredibly expensive. The Young Master made a serious investment in the two of you, and this is how you intend to repay him? Do you honestly think you’ll ever get your revenge with that attitude?”
“I understand. I understand, so hand me the decoction.”
“We only have to drink it.”
Their faces twisted in misery as they drank the medicine Palgap handed them.
They had already drunk it several times, yet there was simply no getting used to its bitterness.
A short while later, the unbearable muscle pain returned.
They resumed their training.
After swinging their swords for quite some time, they finally exhausted themselves and collapsed flat on the ground.
Gasping for breath, Dae-nok called out to Su-am.
“Senior Brother.”
“What is it?”
“I’m starting to wonder what wealth and glory we’re hoping to gain by putting ourselves through this torture.”
“Are we not doing this to avenge what happened to you and restore our sect’s honor?”
“Our opponent is the Namgoong Clan. No matter how hard we struggle, they’re not people we can easily take revenge against. And haven’t we already restored enough honor by reaching the main tournament?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Let’s run away.”
“What?”
“Frankly, I have no idea what purpose this sadistic training is supposed to serve.”
“But we have already signed a contract. Are you suggesting we refuse to fulfill it?”
“As I remember it, our contract says that if they help us get revenge, we’ll lend our strength to the Eunhae Merchant Group. So if we decide we no longer want revenge, wouldn’t the contract become invalid?”
Su-am found the argument rather persuasive.
“D-does it?”
“Be honest, Senior Brother. Aren’t you suffering too?”
“…”
“Let’s run.”
“Do you truly think we can escape?”
“From what I know, most of them went out to watch the martial matches. The only people left behind are a few attendants and aides.”
“…”
“Senior Brother, this is our chance. We won’t get another opportunity like this.”
Su-am considered it for a moment before nodding.
“Very well.”
After cautiously checking the inn for anyone who might see them, the two quietly slipped away.
What they didn’t know was that Eun Seo-ho had left someone else behind in addition to Palgap and Gwak Seohyang.
“Kui?”
Once the morning matches ended, everyone was given a two-hour lunch break.
Instead of eating, I headed for our temporary shop.
I needed to check our morning sales and see whether anything required my attention.
Brother Jin-ho had gone elsewhere with the Outer Chief Administrator, while my parents had left to attend a gathering of Merchant Lords and their spouses.
“I heard the Second Deputy Merchant Lord passed the preliminaries.”
“Congratulations.”
The Supervisors managing the temporary shop congratulated me on Brother Jin-ho’s advancement when they saw me.
“Thank you. I’ll pass your congratulations on to Brother Jin-ho. More importantly, how are our sales looking?”
“Extremely good.”
I listened to their detailed report.
golden wound salve and weapon ornaments were selling particularly well. They certainly knew which products martial artists would be drawn to.
People inevitably loosened their purse strings more than usual when they attended an event like this.
The merchant groups also tended to offer lower prices than they ordinarily would.
I looked over at the nearby temporary shop operated by the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
Their business was also thriving.
They had lost a great deal of goodwill because of former Merchant Lord Namgoong Gang’s greed during the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. However, enough time had passed for the resentment to fade, and they were selling their goods somewhat more cheaply than the other merchant groups.
Those low prices were probably intended to restore their reputation… but what good was selling cheaply when the goods themselves were inferior?
Their products might sell well now, but their actions would eventually come back to haunt them.
Whew, it must be nice to be the Baekcheon Merchant Group.
They could conduct business with that kind of shameless confidence and still make money.
One of the products they held a monopoly over was the whetstone.
A whetstone was indispensable to martial artists who needed to keep their weapons sharp.
Weapon makers also needed them, which was why I had heard that even the Hongryeon Merchant Group had signed a contract with the Murim Alliance to receive a steady supply.
“Please keep up the good work.”
“Leave it to us.”
After finishing my inspection, I was about to go find something to eat when I felt something tapping my arm from inside my sleeve.
I quietly slipped a hand inside and felt something round and plump.
– Huh? Geumryeong? When did you get here?
– Kui! Ku! Kui!
Hm? You just arrived? And… you know where Warrior Dae-nok and Warrior Su-am went after running away?
Wait, does that mean…
Hah. They really did run away.
I sighed and sent Geumryeong a Voice Transmission.
– Geumryeong, lead the way.
– Kui!
A short while later.
I headed toward Luoyang’s southern gate.
They had fled through the southern gate rather than the western gate, which was closer to Shaanxi. It seemed they had at least put some thought into hiding their trail.
Tsk, tsk. Look at them trying so hard.
– Kui!
Even Geumryeong was clicking its tongue at them.
“They truly have no grit. Were I in their place, I would never squander the opportunity you gave them, my lord.”
Escort Guard Chang Un nodded in agreement with Escort Guard Myeong Jong.
“I feel the same way. The decoction may be unbearably bitter, but if three days of suffering can produce the same results as three months of training, it’s more than worth enduring.”
I gave a faint chuckle.
“If they had thought the same way, none of this would have happened.”
We raced forward using our Lightness Skills, and it wasn’t long before we spotted Warrior Dae-nok and Warrior Su-am sprinting toward Mount Song.
They had made it farther than I expected.
They must have run with everything they had. Had the training truly been that unbearable?
“Escort Guard Seo Wu, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am, let’s go. Everyone else, follow me at your current speed.”
“Yes!”
The two Escort Guards and I accelerated, leaving the others behind.
We then landed directly in the path of Warrior Dae-nok and Warrior Su-am as they came running toward us.
“Huff, huff…”
“Haa, haa…”
The two warriors from the Yeongyeol Sect approached while gasping for breath.
The instant they noticed me, their faces filled with shock. As far as they were concerned, I was the one person who couldn’t possibly be here.
“G-Great Hero… This is…”
“W-well, you see…”
As they stammered helplessly, I smiled at them.
“I suppose the inn’s backyard was too cramped for proper training.”
“…”
“My apologies. I failed to realize how badly those cramped conditions were hindering your progress.”
At my words, the two finally dropped to their knees before us.
“W-we’re sorry.”
“We sincerely apologize!”
“What is there to apologize for? You came all the way out here because you wanted to train even harder, didn’t you?”
“…”
I continued.
“I know the two of you are exhausted and suffering. But as you must have learned over the course of your lives, there is no easy path in this world. That is especially true when your goal is revenge against a powerful enemy.”
“…”
“Do you truly desire revenge?”
I continued before they could answer.
“You’re aware that Warrior Namgoong On was never imprisoned in the Underground Prison. But do you think he’s reflecting on his mistakes while confined to his home?”
Of course not.
“I hear he has been inviting his friends and courtesans over to amuse himself.”
“…”
“He has also been telling people that he only lost the match because his opponent used underhanded tricks.”
That part was true.
I had obtained the information with help from the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Intelligence Unit.
“Underhanded tricks? That’s a lie! I fought him honorably and defeated him fairly!”
“That is precisely my point.”
I continued.
“Whether you stop training is your choice. But if you return home now, Warrior Dae-nok will forever be remembered as the man who passed the preliminaries through underhanded tricks. There will also be no way to prevent your financial support from being withdrawn. Do you think any Manor Lord would continue sponsoring a dishonorable warrior?”
“…!”
“Do you still intend to quit?”
“No!”
Anger blazed in Warrior Dae-nok’s eyes.
“I will not quit!”
I turned toward Warrior Su-am.
“If you return like this, you won’t merely lose your sponsors. Everyone around you will ridicule you. Your sect’s circumstances will only grow more desperate. Are you willing to stand by and watch your junior brothers go hungry?”
As though the mere thought horrified him, he bit down hard on his lip before answering.
“That can never be allowed to happen.”
“I told you before, didn’t I? Revenge is never easy.”
I knew that better than most. I had lived more fiercely and worked harder than anyone for the sake of my own revenge.
“There is an old saying about sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall. To keep his desire for revenge alive, a man slept on a bed of sticks and tasted bitter gall every day. Whenever you remember the bitterness of that decoction, and whenever the pain in your muscles returns, let yourselves grow angry. That anger will become your strength.”
At my words, the two prostrated themselves while remaining on their knees.
“We will never forget your words, Great Hero.”
“We acted rashly. We will carve your words into our hearts.”
“Good. Since we don’t want something like this happening again, I should probably explain one more thing now.”
I pulled the contract from my sleeve.
“This contract you signed. Did you read it carefully?”
“Of course.”
“Then do you remember this clause?”
I unfolded the contract and pointed toward the bottom.
[To withdraw from this contract before its completion, the withdrawing party must pay fifty gold taels in compensation.]
Fifty gold taels was an enormous sum that neither of them could possibly afford.
It was enough money to purchase a fine tile-roofed house in Luoyang.
“…!”
“…!”
Judging by their bulging eyes, they had clearly erased that particular clause from their memories.
Rrrrustle.
I rolled the contract back up, slipped it into my sleeve, and spoke.
“Do either of you have fifty gold taels?”
“…”
Neither of them could answer. Of course they didn’t have that kind of money.
“It seems you weren’t listening when I told you to prepare yourselves. Hahaha. That’s all right. You simply need to do better from now on.”
I gave them a broad grin.
“Now, get up. You’re going to run back to Yeonpung Inn at full speed.”
“Aaaaaagh!”
“Aaaaaaagh!”
The two warriors raced toward Yeonpung Inn as though their tails were on fire.
Good. Very good.
That had certainly snapped them back to their senses.
The plan taking shape in my mind was becoming clearer.
“Kui?”
Geumryeong poked its head out of my sleeve.
Why haven’t I given you your silver yet?
Don’t worry. I’ll give it to you. When have I ever cheated you out of silver I owed you?
I may have forgotten once or twice, but I’ve never deliberately stiffed you.
.
.
.
The day after I brought the two warriors back, the Heaven Division preliminaries came to an end.
The Earth Division preliminaries began immediately afterward, and Sister Hyang-ok competed on the first day.
She proceeded to tear her opponent apart with words after he mocked her.
Sister Hyang-ok was perfectly mild as long as no one provoked her, yet people always seemed desperate to poke the hornet’s nest.
“Urgh! Ugh! I surrender!”
The opponent she had beaten senseless with words surrendered before he could swing his sword even once. And just like that, Sister Hyang-ok advanced to the main tournament without having to fight.
That was one of the reasons I found her so frightening.
Sister Hyang-ok only attacked people with cold, pointed facts, but being hit by those facts hurt more than any blade.
Thanks to that performance, her reputation as the Snow Sword Heroine rose even higher.
Several days later, the preliminaries concluded and the main tournament began.
Whew, it was finally my turn to compete.
It also meant the time had come to reveal the results of Warrior Dae-nok and Warrior Su-am’s training.
–TL Notes–
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