Heaven-Defying Hero - Chapter 110

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#110

“This is a fight we can’t win from the start.”

When the Nokrimdo came looking for them, Cheon-gu said that.

“As long as we run a merchant guild, we can never beat Nokrim. Our guild is especially disadvantaged.”

“Why?”

“The goods loaded on each cart are expensive. Even losing one causes major damage. So what we can do is negotiate as favorably as possible.”

There were 72 mountain strongholds belonging to Nokrim spread across the nation. And there were far more strongholds that wanted to join Nokrim.

In reality, it was known that the Green Forest Central Command could give orders to up to three hundred strongholds.

At that scale, there was no way for merchant guilds to avoid them.

“Since it’s a scattered organization, it’s impossible for you to go alone and handle it.”

Ja-gang-cheon couldn’t accept this and asked about extreme methods.

“What about killing the Chong-pyo-pa-ja?”

“A new Chong-pyo-pa-ja will be elected and the first thing they’ll do is take revenge on our manor. The scale is completely different from the Hwangbo Clan.”

“But the Hwangbo Clan fought Nokrim directly.”

“The Hwangbo Clan had no intention of leaving Shandong Province. That’s why they could clash. The Donghai Merchant Guild we need to protect is spread nationwide.”

“So we just have to keep taking it?”

“No. We just need our power to grow a little more. If the Deungmyeong Martial Arts Academy plan succeeds, the situation will change. So just endure a little longer.”

Though the situation was unpleasant, there were fortunate aspects too.

“They want to negotiate from the start too. So there’s a high probability they’re keeping our people safe. Their methods are unpleasant, but not enough to abandon negotiations.”

So Ja-gang-cheon restrained himself from extreme actions.

“Tell them we want to meet the Nokrim Chong-pyo-pa-ja. In the meantime, I’ll prepare means to pressure him.”

Instead, there was something Ja-gang-cheon had to do.

“Buy me some time.”

So Ja-gang-cheon decided to personally handle the negotiations.

Fortunately, there was someone who could serve as a messenger.

“Have you reflected a bit?”

The Nokrimdo imprisoned in the cargo hold hesitated and delayed his answer while reading the situation.

Though he had been threatened by Cheon-gu, he was enduring with his own stubborn spirit.

“I’ll let you go now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So tell the Nokrim leader we want to meet.”

The man didn’t answer and waited for the next words.

“We want to negotiate. That’s what you wanted, right?”

“The Lord must come alone to the negotiation. And we choose the location.”

He could finally say what he should have said long ago.

Originally he had planned to say it with great arrogance, but now he spoke with hunched shoulders and a trembling voice.

“Alright. We’ll do that, so go right away and tell them.”

When Ja-gang-cheon accepted, the Nokrimdo looked relieved. In any case, he had perfectly completed his mission.

“Since I promised to meet, release all the captured merchant guild members.”

“I’ll relay that for now.”

“Fine. Now go.”

Though he looked pathetic, the Nokrimdo quickly dusted off his bottom, got up, and left the manor.

Contact from Nokrim came just one day later.

There was no way word had reached the Green Forest Central Command in that time. From the beginning, it had been agreed that they would accept whatever demands Ja-gang-cheon made.

Instead, someone with a higher position than the first Nokrimdo came to the manor.

“I will escort you. Let’s go together.”

Judging by his attire, he looked like a scholar in his thirties commonly seen in villages rather than Nokrim. However, his sun-darkened skin and caterpillar-like eyebrows didn’t suit him well.

“What about our merchant guild members?”

“We’re contacting them now. You can go directly to see the nearby strongholds.”

So Ja-gang-cheon went directly to the stronghold where Man Sangcheol was imprisoned and was able to rescue twenty merchant guild members without major injuries. However, the small wounds visible on the guild members’ bodies got on his nerves.

“Lord?”

“Yes?”

Ja-gang-cheon came to his senses at the merchant’s question. But he noticed a slightly scratched mark on the merchant’s neck.

“Whew.”

“What’s wrong?”

Ja-gang-cheon felt like he would cause trouble if he didn’t release this anger, so he whispered in the merchant’s ear.

“Someday I’m going to kill all these bastards with my own hands. Please just endure until then.”

“I’m fine. I’m not particularly hurt anywhere.”

“I’m angry, that’s why.”

“Ah…”

The merchant finally understood Ja-gang-cheon’s true meaning.

“Let’s get down from the mountain first.”

Ja-gang-cheon deliberately didn’t even glance at the bandits in the stronghold. As they came down the mountain path, the merchant looked around.

“Where are the carts that were stolen?”

Even in this situation, the merchant worried about the guild’s carts.

“Others already took those. They departed for their original destination, so you all should return to Jiao-nan and rest.”

“Aren’t you going, Lord?”

“I have someone to meet.”

“Lord, you’re not in danger because of us, are you?”

The look in his eyes as he said that was sufficient comfort for Ja-gang-cheon. It also confirmed once again that he was someone worth saving.

“Trust me. Have I ever disappointed you?”

“Never. You’ve always done more than I expected, Lord.”

“This time will be the same.”

The merchant trusted Ja-gang-cheon and returned with the guild members.

Now relieved, Ja-gang-cheon spoke to the Nokrimdo beside him.

“Now tell me. Where’s the destination?”

“It’s ten days’ journey from here.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

They moved to meet the Chong-pyo-pa-ja.

***

Ja-gang-cheon had something he absolutely had to do.

-Buy me some time.

At first, he thought of various excuses.

‘Should I say I’m hungry?’

‘Should I say there’s something I want to eat and we should go back?’

‘I can’t camp! I was raised delicately so sleeping arrangements are important!’

He thought of all kinds of excuses. He even gave himself credit for coming up with the excuse about not being able to camp.

But he couldn’t use a single one. When it came time to actually do it, it felt awkward.

However, he had a secret weapon.

“Hmm. I stored it poorly.”

The morning after sleeping at the inn.

Ja-gang-cheon opened the wooden case he had in his chest.

Inside were traces of a melted elixir.

“My body got too hot from internal energy cultivation. I didn’t know the medicine in the wooden case would melt.”

“Is it important?”

“It’s a bribe to give to the Nokrim Chong-pyo-pa-ja.”

“Ah….”

“It’s Jamosung-dan. It was made with especially better ingredients as a gift, so its medicinal effects can’t be compared to others.”

It had already become a topic of conversation that Deungmyeong Manor had distributed Jamosung-dan as a return gift for New Year’s greetings.

Not only did those who hadn’t paid their respects beat the ground in regret, but people lined up to buy it at premium prices.

Since it was a pill that wasn’t originally distributed outside, its value was even higher.

“It’s too far to go back and get it.”

“There’s Donghae Pharmacy three days away. There should be some that was recently sent as a New Year’s gift. The pharmacy owner had a birthday, you see.”

“Three days….”

Considering the reputation of Jamosung-dan, three days was worth the investment. Given the nature of the Nokrim Chongpyo-pa leader, he would surely approve. Rather, refusing this might even earn his anger.

“Then let’s go there.”

So they changed course and arrived at Wuhan, Hubei Province.

“Oh? Lord!”

The pharmacy that discovered Ja-gang-cheon was in complete chaos. However, when the pharmacy’s manager saw Ja-gang-cheon, he subtly sent a meaningful look.

“You have the Jamosung-dan that arrived, right?”

“Ah! Jamosung-dan, you say? Well….”

“What’s wrong?”

“The cart transporting the supplies broke down, so it’s been delayed a bit due to repairs. According to the message we received, it will arrive in three days.”

Ja-gang-cheon looked at the Nokrimdo member.

They had traveled for three days, and now needed another three days.

If they had said six days were needed from the beginning, he would have hesitated. But having already spent three days, he couldn’t give up because of another three days.

“What do you want to do?”

“Let’s wait.”

The pharmacy owner’s expression brightened.

‘The mission succeeded.’

That was why he was inwardly celebrating.

-Go rescue Man Sangcheol directly. Instead, tell other merchant guild members to take their stolen cart. Have them go to Wuhan Pharmacy and tell them our plan. That way we can buy quite a bit of time.

The pharmacy owner already knew Ja-gang-cheon would come.

Thanks to this, Ja-gang-cheon was able to rest for three days sightseeing around Donghu without much thought.

The Jamosung-dan would indeed arrive after three days. However, it would be very late at night, not in the morning. He would end up resting one more day.

This bought them 7 days, and considering the route change, it delayed things by 8 days.

Having achieved his purpose, Ja-gang-cheon toured Donghu with the merchant guild members’ guidance.

Donghu, a lake as vast as the sea.

In this place where countless poets had left their poetry and romance, Ja-gang-cheon also set sail.

“Want to come along?”

“No. I’ll go somewhere else.”

The Nokrimdo member declined to accompany him, not wanting to board the boat together. Originally, he was there to provide guidance to the destination, not as a surveillance agent.

Thanks to this, Ja-gang-cheon could freely sail out on the boat. And there, a welcome figure was waiting for him.

“I greet the Lord.”

“Hello, Association Leader.”

Chosan Association Leader Chae Geonra.

The Hobuk Yakwanggwa he operated was right here in Wuhan.

“Please take this. I happened to obtain something precious and was wondering who should be its owner, when you contacted me.”

“What is this?”

“It’s Dongja-sam.”

It was wild ginseng shaped like a young child.

“It’s not top grade enough to be a spiritual medicine, but it will certainly be of great help.”

“Are you giving me such a precious thing?”

“Ah! It’s not free. You’ll need to pay a thousand silver taels.”

Though Ja-gang-cheon was momentarily dazed at first, he actually felt more comfortable.

“That’s good. If you have more medicine like this in the future, please supply it all to our manor.”

“All of it?”

“Yes. I’ll pay the proper price for everything.”

Saying this, he searched his clothes and pulled out a promissory note.

It was a thousand-tael promissory note.

Inwardly, it was a moment of regret, thinking ‘Should I have asked for the original price of three thousand taels?’

“When you take it, just chew it thoroughly in your mouth until it becomes liquid!”

“I should eat it this evening.”

Ja-gang-cheon tucked the Dongja-sam into his clothes and only then asked about his well-being.

“The Chosan Association members have increased a lot.”

“It’s thanks to Deungmyeong Manor. Just being able to sell medicinal herbs at fair prices has brought many mountain people to us.”

This meant they had suffered many unreasonable hardships.

“But Lord, what business do you suddenly have with Nokrim?”

Ja-gang-cheon told him everything that had happened.

“Well, from Nokrim’s perspective, good prey has appeared. It’s a nationwide merchant guild that appeared after a long time, so they couldn’t just let it pass.”

“To brazenly commit robbery like that, there will be a day to pay them back.”

“Still, please endure for now. It’s not the right time yet. If we grow just a little more, we’ll be able to help you.”

During Chosan Association’s most prosperous period, even Nokrim couldn’t deal with them carelessly.

Once a year, the Chongpyo-pa leader and the association leader would meet to establish rules for the mountains.

Of course, this was possible because of the previous leader’s overwhelming power, but anyway, if they could just gather their strength, Chosan Association was the most reliable group that could pressure Nokrim.

They could draw the locations of Nokrim’s mountain strongholds on a map right now. From Nokrim’s perspective, they had to be uncomfortable.

“Recently, Nokrim’s Chongpyo-pa leader has been building up quite a bit of power, so we’re also paying attention.”

“What kind of person is he?”

Ja-gang-cheon had come to find him to get information about the Chongpyo-pa leader.

At least regarding Nokrim, his information was the most reliable.

That’s when it happened.

Another boat approached them. And without permission, someone leaped onto their boat.

“Greetings.”

It was a stout man in his fifties with a bushy beard.

“I’m Beom Ja-yang, Nokrim Chongpyo-pa leader. I got bored waiting, so I came to find you myself.”

Nokrim’s leader had come to find Ja-gang-cheon directly.

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