Return of the God of War - Chapter 16

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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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Chapter 16: Could It Truly Be Coincidence?
The truth had come to light—the one impersonating Yi Soi was none other than Manmyeonggyeja, Yi Hwamyeong’s own daughter.
Fortunately, the real Yi Soi was found bound in the attic of her quarters.
“Father!!”
“Oh, my Soi! My daughter! Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine, Father.”
“Thank heavens. Truly, thank heavens.”
Though she looked somewhat worn and gaunt, she bore no injuries—not a mark upon her.
Manmyeonggyeja’s original plan had been straightforward.
To abuse Yi Hwamyeong’s daughter before his eyes, murder them both, assume the identity of Yi Soi as the sole heir, and strip the trading company of all its wealth.
That there existed no prior blood feud between them was precisely what revealed the depth of Manmyeonggyeja’s depravity.
“Benefactor, I cannot thank you enough. I nearly fell victim to that wretch’s treachery. I shall never forget this debt.”
Glug, glug, glug.
Yi Hwamyeong grasped the wine bottle with both hands and poured for Muk Yeojin with utmost deference.
After clearing the hall, Yi Hwamyeong and Muk Yeojin sat in the inner chamber sharing a modest array of side dishes, drinking in companionable silence.
Though Yi Hwamyeong had insisted on hosting at the finest inn in the city, Muk Yeojin had demurred so strongly that they settled instead on arranging a table in the trading company’s guest hall.
“There’s no need for further thanks. I merely fulfilled the commission I accepted.”
At Muk Yeojin’s matter-of-fact words, Yi Hwamyeong’s gratitude only deepened.
How many inquiries had he submitted?
He had sent out feelers to every martial family worth their salt—righteous and unrighteous alike.
Yet all had made excuses and withdrawn the moment they learned the assassin was Manmyeonggyeja.
Without this man, not only would he have perished, but his peerless daughter would have lost her life as well.
And the trading company to which he had devoted his entire existence might have been trampled beneath that murderer’s filthy feet—the very thought chilled his blood even now.
Yet the honored guest before him had dispatched that very Manmyeonggyeja as casually as one might sweep away common refuse, taking no credit whatsoever. Such generosity could only magnify the depth of the debt.
Thud!
Yi Hwamyeong suddenly pressed his forehead to the table.
“Benefactor, I beg this of you: if there is anything—anything at all—that you desire, please tell me. Whatever lies within my reach, I shall provide. Grant me the chance to repay this kindness!”
In that moment, Muk Yeojin smiled to himself, unseen.
He had always intended to use Yi Hwamyeong as the springboard for his plans—and if the man was going to offer such willing cooperation, so much the better.
Muk Yeojin cleared his throat once, twice, then spoke.
“Hem… Since you insist so graciously, Proprietor, might I presume to ask a favor?”
“A favor? Such words are far too grand. Please, speak freely.”
Muk Yeojin nodded and drained his cup in one draught before continuing.
“I intend to establish a business venture. I would be grateful if the Cheonwoo Trading Company would handle the distribution of its goods.”
“…!”
Yi Hwamyeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
Had he asked for precious swords, spirit medicine, or even coin as befitted a martial master, Yi Hwamyeong would have simply complied. But to run a business? Through the Cheonwoo Trading Company, not through Sadocheon’s direct operations?
That Sadocheon would be involved seemed a foregone conclusion—after all, Muk Yeojin was Sadocheon’s man.
Still.
The Cheonwoo Trading Company, now in its third generation, had deep roots throughout the region and enjoyed considerable respect within Guangdong Province.
Yet even so, it could not compare to Sadocheon’s branch companies, which operated across the entire South of Yangtze River.
Yi Hwamyeong felt a twinge of confusion, but since this was the benefactor’s wish, he would not question it.
Having resolved not to speak unnecessary words, he asked instead:
“Might I inquire what goods you intend to trade?”
“Paintings.”
Yi Hwamyeong nodded thoughtfully.
Paintings.
Certainly a profitable enterprise.
Among the wealthy—not common folk, but those who had coin to burn—the works of renowned master painters commanded such prices that collectors lined up to bid against one another.
Moreover, paintings served admirably as both bribes to high officials and vehicles for tax evasion, making the business extraordinarily lucrative.
The only difficulty lay in procuring a skilled master painter; if one could be found, no venture offered greater profit margins.
“Might I ask whose work you possess?”
“A master painter known as Wol-ha. This is one of their paintings.”
Muk Yeojin withdrew a carefully preserved hanging scroll from his robe and offered it.
Even as Yi Hwamyeong accepted it with proper courtesy, he tempered his expectations inwardly.
‘Wol-ha? An unusual name, admittedly, but I’ve never heard of this artist.’
Since this unknown painter did not appear in his mental catalogue of renowned masters, this must surely be a newcomer.
With unestablished painters, none could predict whether recognition would come in a year or a decade.
‘Perhaps it would be faster to introduce the benefactor to the established painters I know.’
With that thought, Yi Hwamyeong unrolled the hanging scroll.
“Hah!”
Yi Hwamyeong’s eyes widened as if they might burst from their sockets.
The painting embroidered within the hanging scroll.
It was a Flower and Bird Painting.
But not the common sort one found scattered everywhere in the market.
The brushstrokes flowed with a softness like a woman’s touch, yet conveyed an unyielding strength—the tree limbs seemed alive with force.
The plum blossoms blooming abundantly above appeared ready at any moment to scatter and dance upon the wind.
And beneath the plum tree, two ribbon birds intertwined with such vivid, lifelike grace that one could mistake them for dancing.
‘How can such a painting exist…….’
He had seen the works of those reputed to be the three greatest master painters of the Central Plains.
Yet he felt that even all those paintings combined could not match the emotional impact of this single work.
After gazing silently at the painting for some time, Yi Hwamyeong spoke with a trembling voice.
“I… sir, might you be able to introduce me to this Master Painter Wol-ha?”
Though the question was asked with great hope, Muk Yeojin simply shook his head in silence.
‘Ah…….’
Of course.
A painting of this caliber would overturn the entire art world the moment it appeared.
There was no chance such a master painter would be readily introduced to another merchant.
As Yi Hwamyeong was thinking this,
“There are circumstances that prevent me from introducing Master Painter Wol-ha, but if the Cheonwoo Trading Company would handle the distribution of the paintings, I will pay thirty percent of the sales revenue to you.”
“Hah! Th… thirty percent……!”
Yi Hwamyeong’s mouth fell open.
‘A painting of this quality would make not only the powerful of the financial world but even the imperial palace drool with desire. With good management, one could receive gold coins by the handful. Thirty percent of that revenue…….’
It was nothing short of a fortune.
Snap!
Yi Hwamyeong sprang to his feet and bowed deeply.
“Please, allow us to do business with you. I beg you, sir!”
Muk Yeojin smiled widely.
“Then I look forward to our partnership, company master.”
* * *
Master Painter Wol-ha’s identity was, of course, Muk Yeojin.
There was no deep meaning to the name.
He had simply always enjoyed painting beneath the moonlight since childhood.
Of course, he had no intention of entering the art world now.
‘There’s scarcely enough time for cultivation, let alone to paint.’
He merely intended to sell off the paintings he had drawn long ago at Mangdamjeon.
Muk Yeojin was well aware of the value of his own work.
If he sold the paintings he had created and stored in the attic, it would be more than sufficient to provide seed capital.
With that seed capital, he intended to establish a trading company of his own.
His reason was simple.
War requires money.
An enormous amount of it.
But where did the Yuanyin Cult obtain all that money?
Did they earn it through hard work?
‘Not a chance.’
There must have been a force that provided them with funds.
Not only that.
‘Before the regression, I was too busy struggling to survive each day to think about such things.’
Looking back slowly after returning to the past, he found not one or two strange things, but many.
The martial world of the Central Plains today was strong.
Sadocheon, the Righteous Path Martial Union, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, and the Five Outer Palaces.
‘Each one was absolutely no trivial force.’
Yet all these powers crumbled like sand castles before and after the Yuanyin Cult’s rise.
Could this truly be coincidence?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
It was certain.
The Yuanyin Cult did not appear in the world suddenly out of nowhere.
They must have made meticulous preparations for years, perhaps decades, to set the Central Plains ablaze.
And there were surely hidden forces working behind the scenes to aid them.
This was Muk Yeojin’s conclusion.
That was also why he intended to establish and operate a business through Yi Hwamyeong, the master of Cheonwoo Trading Company.
Muk Yeojin turned the matter over in his mind.
‘Then what must I prepare to stand against those bastards?’
After prolonged deliberation, he resolved first to venture into the merchant world.
If he could grow the trading company he established with his initial capital into the greatest enterprise in the Central Plains, seizing the purse strings of the entire continent, he would surely be able to trace back to the factions supporting those Yuanyin Cult vermin.
Yet unfortunately, though Muk Yeojin possessed the gift of painting, he lacked the talent for commerce.
So what was to be done?
The solution was simple.
‘I need only place a capable person in my stead.’
And if that person were to become the future master of the greatest trading company under heaven, what more could one ask?
Bu Yeon, master of Hongyeon, the greatest trading company under heaven.
In the original timeline, Hongyeon would not emerge into the world for another two years, yet now it would rise to the position of greatest trading company in less than a decade.
In his past life, Muk Yeojin had been quite close to Bu Yeon, the master of Hongyeon’s enterprise.
Immediately after the Yuanyin Cult unleashed the Bloody Disaster.
It was Bu Yeon who had provided unwavering support to the martial artists who rose to oppose it.
Thus he also knew that Bu Yeon had established herself in Makhojin, Guangdong Province.
Moreover, it was Bu Yeon who had informed him that before his regression, the master of Cheonwoo Trading Company, Yi Hwamyeong, would be assassinated by Manmyeonggyeja, who posed as his daughter.
‘If I can only bring Bu Yeon under my wing, I need not concern myself with matters of the trading company ever again.’
Not only that—Bu Yeon possessed exceptional talent in numerous fields.
‘When I consider all that lies ahead, it would be no exaggeration to call her the most essential person I need.’
As it happened, the assigned territory for the Ascension Ceremony was also Makhojin, so Muk Yeojin set about completing all remaining business for Cheonwoo Trading Company before moving directly to meet the master of Hongyeon.

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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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