The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 60

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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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60
Woo Geom Fighting for Supremacy
Spring had come to Guangu County as well.
Because this winter had been uniquely cold and harsh, the warm spring sunshine was more welcome than ever.
The expressions of the people walking the streets had completely changed.
Throwing off the thick clothes they had worn all winter, they changed into much thinner garments. Perhaps because they had shed that heavy clothing, their steps were significantly lighter.
As the high piles of snow melted, people from far away began to visit. Thanks to that, Guangu County was rapidly regaining its vitality.
Today, another group of people entered Guangu County.
“Has it been almost six months?”
The old man at the front muttered, pulling down the scarf that covered the lower half of his face.
He was an old man with a long, white beard.
As if proving the years he had lived through, his face was full of deep wrinkles.
The old man let out a soft sigh and murmured.
“Coming all the way here is getting exhausting now. I’ve grown old, too.”
“I am sorry. Because of me, for no good reason…”
The young man beside him looked at the old man with a worried expression.
He was a young man in his mid-twenties with a sharp gaze and a cold impression.
The old man looked at the young man with a pleased expression.
The young man was the old man’s grandson.
His name was Seo Gun-wol.
He had gone out to foreign lands for ten years to learn martial arts, but a few years ago, he returned home to inherit the family business.
He worked as a low-ranking employee in the old man’s business while receiving lessons as the successor.
Seo Gun-wol was not only strong in martial arts, but he was also intelligent, so he was able to quickly take control of the old man’s business.
There was only one thing left for him.
It was simply to meet face-to-face with the clients the old man had established over the years and take over the contracts.
As soon as spring arrived, the old man took Seo Gun-wol on a tour of the contract locations.
Now, only one place remained, and that was Guangu County.
To be precise, it was not Guangu County itself, but the people they met and traded with inside Guangu County.
Only three times a year, they could meet only on prearranged dates.
Master Seo looked toward Cheonbaeksan far in the distance and spoke.
“That place is our most important client.”
“I know. Isn’t it the only place under Heaven that harvests Yunjung Tea?”
“That’s right. Back when I first traded with them, almost no one knew about Yunjung Tea, but now it receives treatment as a famous tea no less than Longjing Tea.”
“I heard that in terms of rarity alone, it surpasses Longjing Tea.”
“That is also correct. Because the production volume is so small, it receives even rarer treatment than Longjing Tea. From now on, you must trade with them. You must never look down on them just because they are villagers. Do you understand?”
“Yes! Grandfather.”
The one giving earnest advice to Seo Gun-wol was none other than Master Seo of the Man-sang Alliance.
Master Seo intended to hand over even the Yunjung Tea client to Seo Gun-wol and retire.
Now, he had grown too old, and coming to this distant place was taxing his strength.
Once he handed everything over to his grandson, he planned to live comfortably in his hometown.
“The reason our branch office can proudly raise its voice within the Man-sang Alliance is all thanks to Yunjung Tea. Therefore, you too must exercise caution in dealing with them.”
“Do not worry. I will do well without causing any stain on your honor, Grandfather.”
“Right! I trust you. That Zhuyang Inn over there is our meeting place. They will have arrived ahead of time and be waiting.”
Master Seo pointed at the Zhuyang Inn visible straight ahead.
For Master Seo, who came three or four times a year, it was a very familiar place, but this was Seo Gun-wol’s first time.
The worn exterior showed just how long the Zhuyang Inn had been in business.
Master Seo entered inside the Zhuyang Inn along with Seo Gun-wol and the others.
As soon as they entered the interior of the inn, familiar faces greeted him.
“Master Seo! You’ve arrived?”
“Welcome.”
They were faces that had become completely familiar after meeting dozens of times.
Master Seo smiled and offered a greeting to the middle-aged man at the front.
“It has been a long time. I heard a rumor that you are to become the Village Chief. Congratulations.”
“Congratulations, my foot. Thanks to that, I’ve only ended up shouldering bothersome tasks.”
The middle-aged man joking around was none other than Baek Wol-sang.
A lot of time had passed now, and a mature atmosphere could be felt from him as well.
Master Seo thought that time truly flew by.
When he first met Baek Wol-sang, he was nothing but a green greenhorn with wet ears, but he had already become an adult with a ten-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old son.
Beside Baek Wol-sang, there was a young man he had not seen until now.
He was a young man who looked slightly younger than his grandson, Seo Gun-wol.
“And this side is?”
“Ah! This is Nam Mu-rin, and he has decided to accompany us on our trades from now on.”
“Then is he your successor?”
“You could say that.”
“That’s great. I also brought my grandson who will inherit the family business, so we should introduce them to each other.”
“Is that so?”
Baek Wol-sang looked at the young man standing beside Master Seo.
“Hello. I am called Seo Gun-wol. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
When Seo Gun-wol offered a greeting while clasping his hands, the young man standing beside Baek Wol-sang stepped forward.
“I am called Nam Mu-rin. It is a pleasure.”
The aura of Nam Mu-rin as he clasped his hands was unusual.
‘He has trained in martial arts.’
Since Seo Gun-wol was also a martial artist, he could recognize that the opponent’s level was extraordinary.
Nam Mu-rin, who had been completely young, had grown into a tall young man before anyone knew it.
Having steadily practiced the martial arts passed down by Baek Ho-yang, his build was sturdy and his gaze was intense.
His aura was by no means inferior to Seo Gun-wol’s.
‘I heard Yunjung Village is a very deep, remote area, so who instructed him? Is there an eccentric expert in Yunjung Village capable of passing down martial arts to that guy?’
Questions filled his head, but right now was the time to trade first. Since the questions could be resolved later, he stayed quiet for the time being.
Master Seo looked around Baek Wol-sang’s group and spoke.
“He did not come today either. Is it already the tenth year?”
“Yes! He probably won’t step forward in things like this in the future either.”
“Tsk! Since it’s my last trading journey, I hoped to see his face before leaving. I guess it’s a bust.”
At Master Seo’s declaration, Baek Wol-sang asked in surprise.
“What do you mean by your last?”
“I intend to hand everything over to my grandson now and retire quietly.”
“You are still healthy and robust, though.”
“What do you mean robust? It has reached a point where there isn’t a single place on me that doesn’t ache. Since I’ve done nothing but work to death my whole life, I want to retire and rest comfortably now.”
“Oh dear…”
“There’s no need to make that kind of face. My grandson will carry on our trade from now on anyway.”
“Then this must be the last time I see you, Master Seo.”
“Thank you for everything during this time. Please take good care of my grandson in the future.”
Master Seo tightly grasped Baek Wol-sang’s hand.
Baek Wol-sang spoke with a smile.
“Even so, I won’t go easy on him. Trade is trade, after all.”
“Tsk! How coldhearted…”
“I learned it all from you, Master Seo. Have you forgotten? How much you slashed the tea prices in the early days.”
“Why bring up things that are all in the past? Aren’t I paying a fair price now?”
“Haha! Who knows? The value might have risen on the outside, and you might be hiding it and slashing prices, Master Seo.”
“Ahem! It is an improper way for a person to be so full of suspicion.”
Master Seo, who had a lot of guilty conscience, let out a dry cough.
Having traded with Master Seo for a long time, Baek Wol-sang had also become a sly old fox.
Every year, Baek Wol-sang investigated the market prices of Guangu County and applied them to the tea prices. Thanks to that, they were receiving a much higher price than when Woo Geom-san first raised it.
Baek Wol-sang offered a seat to Master Seo and spoke.
“Well then, shall we begin the negotiations from now?”
“Negotiate with my grandson instead of me. I will watch from the side.”
“Very well.”
As Baek Wol-sang nodded his head, Seo Gun-wol sat down across from him.
The one who first opened the floodgates of negotiation was Seo Gun-wol.
“Currently, I understand we are giving four silver taels for ten catties of tea. How about adding five fen to that?”
“Why are you acting like this? I’ve checked it all out as well. I heard that people in the Jianghu are anxious because they can’t obtain Yunjung Tea. We must receive at least two more silver taels.”
“That is too excessive. If we give away that much, no profit remains for us either.”
“Do you know of the Hongwon Merchant Group? I happened to run into them once, and they offered to give six silver taels.”
At Baek Wol-sang’s words, Seo Gun-wol furrowed his brow.
The Hongwon Merchant Group was a small merchant group located several hundred li away from here.
He had heard they were aggressively expanding their business domain recently, but he hadn’t expected them to have their eyes on Yunjung Tea.
“Did they really offer six silver taels?”
“That’s right. The chief came to visit in person. It was a good offer, but considering our relationship with Master Seo with whom we previously traded, we put it on hold for now.”
“Hmm!”
Seo Gun-wol let out a low groan.
It was because he had run into a barrier right from his first trade.
Master Seo watched Seo Gun-wol without a word.
From now on, Seo Gun-wol had to lead his business. Whether it became porridge or rice, he had to take responsibility and negotiate.
Seo Gun-wol, who was agonizing, opened his mouth.
“Very well. I will give you five silver taels.”
“It’s still lacking compared to the Hongwon Merchant Group.”
“Instead, I will give you assistance in purchasing the supplies you all need.”
“In what way?”
“We will bring the goods that cannot be obtained in Guangu County when we come. Then you will be able to purchase them at a much cheaper price.”
“Hmm!”
Because it was a fairly decent proposal, Baek Wol-sang showed an interested expression.
Over the past ten years, quite a few children had been born in Yunjung Village. Because of that, the necessary goods had multiplied.
Until now, they had purchased supplies in Guangu County, but there were many things they couldn’t obtain. If they received Seo Gun-wol’s help, they would be able to obtain quality goods at a much cheaper price.
After agonizing for a long while, Baek Wol-sang opened his mouth.
“Alri—”
“Hold on a moment.”
At that moment, someone’s voice cut off Baek Wol-sang’s words.
The owner of the voice was a young woman wearing black light armor.
The slightly upturned corners of her eyes and her red lips brought a black cat to mind.
Behind the woman’s back, twelve men with sturdy builds could be seen.
Accompanied by the men, the woman strode over to the place where Baek Wol-sang and Seo Gun-wol were trading.
Seo Gun-wol stood up from his seat and spoke.
“How discourteous. To dare butt into someone else’s trade.”
“The one lacking courtesy is that side. To try to purchase precious Yunjung Tea for a mere five silver taels. We will pay ten silver taels for ten catties.”
The woman ignored Seo Gun-wol and looked straight at Baek Wol-sang.
At that, Baek Wol-sang wore a troubled expression.
Although he was grateful that she made an extraordinary offer, it was because he couldn’t know the woman’s identity.
From experience, he knew very well that too great an extraordinary offer tended to cause trouble.
Baek Wol-sang asked cautiously.
“Who might you be, young lady?”
“My name is Nam Su-hyang. The Tianjin Escort Agency Head, Great Hero Nam Tae-ha, is my father.”
“Tianjin Escort Agency?”
At the name he was hearing for the first time, Baek Wol-sang wore a bewildered expression.
On the other hand, Seo Gun-wol’s expression turned incomparably cold.
“Is the Tianjin Escort Agency trying to intervene in the business of the Man-sang Alliance right now? Surely there is an agreement among the Seven Great Water Gates not to invade each other’s territory.”
“It’s not an official agreement. It’s merely a long-standing custom at best, so there’s no obligation that must be kept.”
Nam Su-hyang replied with a cold smile.
The Tianjin Escort Agency was one of the Seven Great Water Gates that held shipping rights just like the Man-sang Alliance.
Because the Seven Great Water Gates respected each other’s territory, they rarely clashed unless it was a significant matter.
Furthermore, the main headquarters of the Tianjin Escort Agency was located thousands of li away from here, so there was no reason to get entangled in the first place.
The Tianjin Escort Agency kept as many as twelve branch escort stations in various parts of Under Heaven.
Originally, merchant groups and escort agencies maintained a very close relationship.
It was because the place that safely transported the merchant group’s goods to distant locations was the escort agency.
The biggest clients of an escort agency were merchant groups like the Man-sang Alliance. So there was almost no reason to clash directly like this.
‘I heard that the Tianjin Escort Agency established its own merchant group recently, so are they coming out aggressively like this because of that?’
For the Man-sang Alliance, it was a troublesome matter.
It was equivalent to a threatening competitor appearing, given how well they knew the trading business.
Nam Su-hyang looked at Baek Wol-sang with a alluring smile.
“Ten silver taels for ten catties of tea, I will purchase the entire quantity you brought.”
At her extraordinary proposal, Baek Wol-sang’s pupils shook.
Seeing that appearance, Nam Su-hyang wore an even deeper smile.
It was because she was confident that Baek Wol-sang would absolutely accept her proposal.
‘It’s an overly generous proposal for a village ignoramus. He’ll have no choice but to accept it.’
At that moment, Baek Wol-sang cautiously opened his mouth.
“I am sorry. I will decline your proposal, young lady.”
At the answer she hadn’t even imagined, Nam Su-hyang’s expression turned icy cold.

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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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