Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 136

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Dan Woo-hyun ventured out alone for the first time in ages, making his way toward Jangsa. Given his habit of settling everything in Ak-yang, this journey was extraordinarily unusual.
He traveled without a single attendant.
It was as though he’d slipped away without telling anyone.
Though the distance was considerable, he covered it in a single breath. Each step carried him forward with such velocity that one might have mistaken it for the Stride Shortening Technique itself.
“Quite the bustling place.”
Several Double Hours had passed since leaving Jangsa Manor.
Yet despite the distance being impossible to traverse in such time, Dan Woo-hyun stood motionless, surveying his surroundings with deliberate care.
This city possessed a character entirely different from Ak-yang.
For one thing, it sprawled.
Or perhaps “grand” would be more apt?
The sheer number of people seemed to dwarf Ak-yang’s population by several times over. The fortress visible ahead—was it the seat of some prince governing Honam? It was certainly impressive and imposing, yet it failed to capture Dan Woo-hyun’s attention.
He gazed around methodically.
Perhaps a walk through Market Street first?
Though not without purpose, a bit of sightseeing wouldn’t hurt. The first thing to catch his eye was candy being hawked from a street stall.
Would it taste different from Ak-yang’s? He purchased one and ate it, only to find the flavor disappointingly inferior to what he’d anticipated.
Anyone who ate these sweets regularly must have possessed hideously dulled taste buds.
He spat out the candy and moved on.
His head swiveled this way and that, searching for something. Yet after considerable searching, when what he sought failed to appear, he exhaled with an expression of exasperation.
“I was told it would be here.”
Dan Woo-hyun looked around once more, his gaze more meticulous this time, wondering if he’d overlooked some corner.
After roughly another half Double Hour had elapsed,
he discovered in the city’s most remote quarter a dilapidated establishment—whether to call it a manor or a trading company remained unclear.
The signboard bore the unmistakable characters “Geumhwan Trading Company,” yet so few people passed by, and its shabby appearance was so pronounced, that passersby scarcely spared it a glance.
This was a trading company?
Most would have sought out a more reputable establishment. But to Dan Woo-hyun, such distinctions mattered little. Any trading company would serve, and more importantly, he had an acquaintance there.
Geumhwan Trading Company.
It belonged to Jin Eun-hak, the merchant he’d encountered on the road to Anhui.
Dan Woo-hyun stood before the entrance, though he could barely recall what the man’s face looked like. There was no gatekeeper, nor anyone to bar his way.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Creak—
The dilapidated door swung wide with a sound as though it might collapse at any moment.
Inside, several clerks had been sprawled about with decidedly bored expressions, but upon Dan Woo-hyun’s entrance, they scrambled to their feet and began making a show of working.
Without at least this pretense of activity, it seemed, no customers would ever materialize.
“Welcome, welcome! Thank you so much for visiting our Geumhwan Trading Company…… Eh?”
A familiar figure then appeared, wringing his hands with an increasingly bright expression, as though assuming a long-absent customer had finally arrived.
The moment he recognized that the customer was Dan Woo-hyun, however, all color drained from his face, and his mouth fell open in stammering confusion.
“It’s been a while. You’ve been hidden away in such a remote corner? No wonder I couldn’t find you after searching for so long.”
“You…… You wouldn’t be the Great Hero, would you? How…… What brings you to our humble establishment……?”
Jin Eun-hak stumbled over his words and took a step backward.
How much had this man squeezed from him for the sake of having saved his life? Despite undertaking long-distance trading for the first time in ages, the venture had resulted in losses—and now he understood why.
The very cause of his misfortune stood before him.
What did he intend to extort now?
Wariness flickered across Jin Eun-hak’s eyes.
“Do you receive guests outside?”
“G…… Guests?”
“I am a guest.”
“Please, come inside!”
Jin Eun-hak’s expression brightened instantly. He hastily corrected his manner and ushered Dan Woo-hyun toward the reception room.
The reception room he led him to was equally shabby. Though the interior was kept relatively clean as befitted a guest space, the exterior appeared on the verge of collapse.
Jin Eun-hak sat across from Dan Woo-hyun.
Tea and refreshments were brought, and he waited for his guest to speak.
Sip.
Dan Woo-hyun took a drink of tea and surveyed the room.
“This is shabby. Is this truly a trading company? Rats would feel right at home.”
“Ah…… Haha. You see, our business hasn’t been particularly prosperous……”
Barely scraping by.
Hadn’t he said something like that before?
He simply made enough from mobilizing connections here and there to cover his subordinates’ salaries and the trading company’s operating costs. If even that dried up, he wouldn’t be able to run the company anymore.
“But I… I heard you’d come to offer work…”
“Did I say that? I only mentioned I was a guest.”
Jin Eun-hak’s expression went flat.
He’d been caught by Dan Woo-hyun again, and it gave him a headache.
He thought of the refreshments and tea he’d laid out.
That was enough money to feed himself for a day…
His face fell as he lowered his head, and he heard a soft chuckle.
“So a trading company doesn’t always turn a profit, does it?”
“Well, you see… in Honam, Manjin Trading Company already has everything in its grip. Most of our trading partners have already extended their hands toward companies under Manjin’s umbrella. If you don’t join under Manjin… well, most of us end up like this.”
“Manjin Trading Company… that belonged to Man Hu-ryang, didn’t it?”
“Yes, well…”
“How many trading companies in Honam fall under his influence?”
The most powerful one is Honam Trading Company, which spun off from Manjin itself. Besides that, there are about three or four others, but…?”
That’s all I can recall clearly. The ones I can’t remember probably aren’t even known by name, but they’re likely smaller trading companies that got pulled under Manjin’s umbrella through connections.
“Hmm.”
Dan Woo-hyun nodded and asked, “What is necessary to grow a trading company?”
“Well, naturally… money. And reliable trading partners you can do business with consistently.”
“If you ran a trading company in Ak-yang, what would you do first?”
It was an odd question out of nowhere, but Jin Eun-hak didn’t doubt it for a moment. He took it at face value.
“I would sell alcohol that could become famous in Ak-yang.”
“Alcohol?”
“Yes, with Dongting Lake right there, many people drink. To capture that market, I’d establish trade with the Ho Yeon Clan.”
“The Ho Yeon Clan?”
“They were famous for brewing spirits. In the past, that is. Now they’ve been overshadowed by the Chumu Clan and have stopped production. But if they were to brew and sell again, it would be quite profitable. There are still wealthy merchants who haven’t forgotten that taste. Of course, that depends on the flavor not changing…”
“I see. And what would come after?”
“…May I ask why you’re asking this?”
“Just answer my questions.”
“Ahem!”
Jin Eun-hak cleared his throat.
He didn’t know why Dan Woo-hyun was asking, but the man looked serious. Looking at those eyes, Jin Eun-hak felt himself shrink back—not hesitant to answer, not at all.
Absolutely not.
“The other goods are already handled by established trading companies, so breaking in is difficult. Silk, rice, salt—the things that really bring money. But there is one possibility.”
“What is it?”
Jin Eun-hak smiled widely.
This was a dream he’d harbored since childhood.
Nothing less than…
“Spices from the Western Regions and the goods used there. These are commodities that only Manjin Trading Company trades in a few times a year, yet they sell for enormous prices.”
Dan Woo-hyun nodded.
Certainly, things like that would be profitable enough. But this man didn’t see reality. Only Manjin could do what he was describing—what guarantee was there that he could, a small trading company scraping along at the bottom?
Still, it was intriguing.
Man’s ambition had no end, and without attempting it, one would stagnate forever. Moreover, from Dan Woo-hyun’s perspective, this Jin Eun-hak…
Though he bowed before him, he was not a man without backbone.
Dan Woo-hyun drew a money pouch from his sleeve and tossed it before him.
Clink!
The moment it hit the table, the mouth opened and gold and silver coins spilled out.
“What… what is this?”
“Advance payment. Close this operation and move to Ak-yang. You have ten days.”
“Eh?”
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“No, I… I heard you, but what on earth are you saying…?”
“Don’t waste time struggling with this dying company. Come to Ak-yang. I’ll provide the capital. Build a trading company that surpasses Manjin.”
“…Eh?”
A trading company that surpasses Manjin?
Was he talking sense or nonsense?
Countless trading companies had strained every nerve trying to overtake them, yet not a single one had succeeded. Considering that, Manjin Trading Company was the greatest in the Central Plains, and its power was beyond prediction.
Surpass them?
“No, no, no, no! That’s… that’s impossible. Dan Woo-hyun!”

“Afraid?”
“Well… ah. That, that’s part of it, but how could someone lowborn like me ever…”
“The lowborn are the ones who grit their teeth and claw their way up. Because they don’t want to stay lowborn.”
“…!”
“And don’t worry. The fact that you’re taking on work I give you means you’re mine. I protect my people, no matter what happens.”
“Y-Your Excellency…”
“I’ll be your strength.”
Dan Woo-hyun set down his cup with a soft clink and rose from his seat. He left the money pouch where it had been discarded, made no move to retrieve it, and stood gazing down at Jin Eun-hak.
“Leave the money. If you’re willing, come to Ak-yang within ten days. If you’re not… give it to Hyun-ryung in Ak-yang.”
“Hyun-ryung? You mean…?”
Jin Eun-hak’s heart quickened as he watched Dan Woo-hyun nod.
The way he spoke, the way he carried himself—it was all unmistakably masculine. Decisive. A single chance meeting, and yet he’d sought Jin Eun-hak out, believed in him enough to offer such a thing. The audacity of it.
In all his years, meeting countless people, this was a first.
And that’s why his heart raced.
Thump-thump.
His chest wouldn’t settle.
“You… trust me?”
“I wouldn’t have sought you out if I didn’t.”
“You’ve seen me only once.”
“Are my eyes so lacking in judgment?”
“…”
For the first time, Jin Eun-hak met Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze directly. It was remarkable, considering that until now he’d been unable even to look at those eyes—such was the fear they inspired.
And he felt it.
The reflection of himself in those eyes.
He couldn’t know what Dan Woo-hyun was thinking, of course, but of one thing he was certain: those eyes unmistakably held faith in Jin Eun-hak.
Jin Eun-hak laughed with a bitter smile.
“You don’t even give me time to think?”
“Your precious time is slipping away as we speak.”
Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly, turned his back, and left the hall. His words became a needle, piercing straight through Jin Eun-hak’s chest, and that gaze drove itself into his mind, refusing to fade.
Jin Eun-hak looked up at the invisible sky.
“Is this… an opportunity heaven has given me? I don’t know.”
He shook his head slowly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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