The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 71

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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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71
Woo Geom-san’s Rise to Dominance
Seo Gun-wol arrived exactly on the promised date.
Entering Zhuyang Inn, Seo Gun-wol clasped his hands and offered a greeting.
“It is a pleasure to meet everyone. You have all arrived right on time.”
“It is a pleasure. However, I do not see Master Seo. Has he truly retired?”
“Yes! My grandfather is currently staying in our hometown.”
“I see.”
Baek Wol-sang let out a look of regret.
Though the man had once slashed the price of their tea to an absurd degree, they had known each other for nearly twenty years.
Since they had shared both bitter and sweet moments, his absence left a palpable void.
Sensing the atmosphere was about to turn heavy, Seo Gun-wol quickly brought up the main topic.
“How is this year’s tea harvest?”
“It has increased by about thirty percent compared to previous years.”
“By thirty percent?”
Seo Gun-wol was startled. However, it was too early for him to be surprised.
“Furthermore, we have brought the entire harvest with us.”
“Is that true? No, how?”
Seo Gun-wol also knew that the path leading from Yunjung Village was so treacherous that bringing all the tea was impossible.
Because donkeys and men had to carry the loads directly over the dangerous paths, they had no choice but to reduce the weight.
However, with the opening of the Plank Road, the situation had completely changed.
This was because the entire harvested tea could now be loaded onto carts. Even though the weight had increased, they could actually reach this place with greater ease.
When explained the circumstances, Seo Gun-wol even clapped his hands in delight.
However, the harmonious atmosphere only lasted until then.
From this point forward, a fierce price negotiation remained.
Woo Geom-san stood at a distance, watching them negotiate.
Baek Wol-sang, who had dealt with Master Seo for a long time, now displayed quite a seasoned demeanor as well.
Nam Mu-rin watched him negotiate from right beside Baek Wol-sang.
Since he would have to do this himself in a few years, he was watching to learn.
It was just when the negotiation between Baek Wol-sang and Seo Gun-wol reached its peak.
Bang!
The door of Zhuyang Inn flung open, and about a dozen people came pouring inside.
At their appearance, Seo Gun-wol and Baek Wol-sang both wore troubled expressions.
This was because the woman who appeared leading the dozen or so men was someone they already knew.
It was none other than Nam Su-hyang of the Tianjin Escort Agency.
Nam Su-hyang spoke with a triumphant look on her face.
“Fortunately, I am not late.”
“Young Lady Nam, what brings you here?”
“What else could it be for? I came to purchase Yunjung Tea.”
“But our Man-sang Alliance has already agreed to purchase the entire stock of Yunjung Tea.”
“That was the story for the previous transaction. This is a new deal. Doesn’t that mean we are also qualified to join the negotiations?”
As if wondering what the issue was, Nam Su-hyang pulled up a chair between Baek Wol-sang and Seo Gun-wol and sat down.
Because of her incredibly confident attitude, not only Baek Wol-sang but even Seo Gun-wol could not utter a single word.
Nam Su-hyang spoke to Baek Wol-sang.
“Since time is short, I will speak straight to the point. If you cannot give us all of the Yunjung Tea, then hand over at least a portion to us. It will be safer for you to deal with multiple entities rather than just one Man-sang Alliance.”
“That goes against good faith…”
“Good faith is fine. Great, even! But how long will that be maintained? It will be better for you as well to have at least two buyers competing against each other. Our Tianjin Escort Agency can serve as an excellent check against the Man-sang Alliance. If you sign an exclusive contract without a counterweight, you will inevitably be dragged along.”
“Mmh!”
“I am not asking for the entire harvest. Just hand over as much as we need. The amount we require right now is not that large.”
“Why are you focusing so heavily on our tea? The Tianjin Escort Agency functions perfectly fine without our tea, does it not?”
“You might not know, but there are many in the Jianghu who love famous teas. Great Hero Yun Mu-gyeong, the Chief of Yunyo Bang, is one such person. Great Hero Yun Mu-gyeong particularly loves Yunjung Tea. However, he is highly dissatisfied because he can only ever purchase a small amount. I plan to provide Yunjung Tea to people like him.”
At Nam Su-hyang’s words, Baek Wol-sang looked over at Woo Geom-san.
He wanted to hear Woo Geom-san’s thoughts.
To Baek Wol-sang, the Tianjin Escort Agency was an immensely burdensome existence.
Not just to him, but to anyone, the Tianjin Escort Agency was an uncomfortable entity to handle.
Who could possibly look down upon a massive escort agency that possessed twelve branch offices under heaven? When he first heard from Woo Geom-san just how massive an organization the Tianjin Escort Agency was, Baek Wol-sang had felt sick to his stomach without realizing it.
When he knew nothing, he could have easily refused by citing good faith, but once he learned the reality of who they were, a massive burden weighed heavily upon his chest.
This was not a matter Baek Wol-sang could handle.
Woo Geom-san felt the need to settle things here for the sake of the future.
“Young Lady Nam!”
“And who are you?”
“From now on, please speak with me. What is the amount of Yunjung Tea that the Tianjin Escort Agency desires in a single year?”
“The more, the better. It would be even better if you gave us the entire harvest. But that won’t happen, right?”
Nam Su-hyang glared straight at Woo Geom-san.
This was because she instinctively realized that Woo Geom-san was the person holding the initiative.
Woo Geom-san shook his head.
“That cannot be done. Instead, how about we do this? We have cleared a lot of land for the tea plantation, so the harvest has increased quite a bit. The tea yielded from the original plantation where Yunjung Tea was harvested will be handed over to the Man-sang Alliance according to custom, and the harvest from the expanded tea plantation will be allocated as the share for the Tianjin Escort Agency.”
“You mean you will hand over the increased harvest to us.”
At Woo Geom-san’s proposal, Nam Su-hyang’s eyes flashed.
Right then, Seo Gun-wol spoke urgently.
“That makes no sense. We have built up trust over all this time, so if you just hand it over to the Tianjin Escort Agency like that without even consulting us, what are we supposed to do?”
“Young Hero Seo must know as well. Just how absurdly Master Seo slashed the prices in the past. If I had not stepped forward, you would have continued to rake in such exorbitant profits.”
“No, that’s…”
“Young Lady Nam’s words also possess merit. If we exclusively concentrate the supply into only one place, abuses will inevitably arise. The village must have a means of keeping things in check for its future as well.”
“…”
Seo Gun-wol could not offer any rebuttal against Woo Geom-san’s words.
On the other hand, Nam Su-hyang beamed with delight.
“You are quite wise. We will accept your proposal.”
“Did you say earlier that the Chief of Yunyo Bang also enjoys drinking Yunjung Tea?”
“That’s right. They say he drinks Yunjung Tea whenever his nerves are on edge. Recently, he has had a lot to worry about because of the Woo Family Manor, so he asked me to procure a large amount.”
“The Woo Family Manor?”
At the unexpected words, Woo Geom-san’s eyes wavered. However, Nam Su-hyang failed to notice this fact.
Woo Geom-san spoke while trying his best to maintain a calm expression.
“Why is he worrying about the Woo Family Manor?”
“Recently, the Lord of Woo Family Manor collapsed, and their business fell into a complete mess. That is why he is currently agonizing over how to seize their shipping rights during this opportunity.”
“The Lord of Woo Family Manor collapsed?”
“Yes! I heard he collapsed from an unknown illness and is currently hovering between life and death.”
“Mmh!”
Without realizing it, Woo Geom-san let out a low groan.
Though they had lived apart for a whopping fifteen years, the Woo Family Manor was his origin and his roots. Furthermore, the Lord of Woo Family Manor was his father.
Hearing of his father’s critical condition, he could not maintain his composure.
“You seem to have quite a lot of interest in the Jianghu?”
“For starters, I have also trained in martial arts.”
“Is that so? Let us stop the complicated talk and negotiate the price.”
“Please do that with Brother Wol-sang instead of me.”
Woo Geom-san shifted the negotiations over to Baek Wol-sang and walked out of the inn.
“Sigh!”
Once he was alone, he let out a deep sigh.
His chest felt stuffy, as if a massive boulder had been placed upon it.
***
Nam Su-hyang’s expression as she left Zhuyang Inn was light and unburdened.
This was because she had finally resolved a problem that had been left lingering for a long time.
Although the condition was to receive only a portion rather than all of the Yunjung Tea, she had to be satisfied with that much for now.
Over the past few months, she had traveled around the northwestern region at a truly breathtaking pace.
She was utterly exhausted from meeting and negotiating with each of the branch managers.
After pouring her heart and soul into it like that, she was ultimately able to pull three branch offices to her side.
Just when she was about to relax and get some rest, information came in that the people of Yunjung Village had come down to Guangu County.
As soon as Nam Su-hyang obtained the information, she rushed over with her subordinates.
If she returned to the main headquarters this time without securing the tea purchase again, she could not guarantee when she would ever come back to this distant place, so she was desperate.
That was why she had accepted it without a single word of complaint when Woo Geom-san said he would only strike a contract for a portion of the goods rather than the whole thing.
It wasn’t that Seo Gun-wol of the Man-sang Alliance lacked complaints either. However, the situation was not entirely favorable to him.
The popularity of Yunjung Tea within the Jianghu was rising day by day.
With a flavor just as outstanding as Longjing Tea combined with its rarity, the number of people seeking it was growing by the day. However, the supply was terribly insufficient, leading to a shortage.
Yunjung Tea was particularly drawing immense popularity among the renowned figures of the Jianghu.
It had reached the point where rumors circulated that to welcome a precious guest, it was only proper manners to prepare at least a small amount of Yunjung Tea.
Because of that, many people sought out Yunjung Tea.
Seo Gun-wol’s grandfather, Master Seo, had completely rejected any assistance from the Man-sang Alliance with the intention of monopolizing Yunjung Tea.
The Man-sang Alliance merely handled the distribution, while all the substantial rights belonged entirely to Seo Gun-wol’s branch office.
If they received help from the Man-sang Alliance, they would naturally have to share those rights.
Above all, it was far too late to request aid from the Man-sang Alliance now.
If they were to receive help, they should have done so during the previous transaction.
Even if he tried to ask the Man-sang Alliance for help now, it would take over a month just to receive a reply.
In the end, Seo Gun-wol had no choice but to accept Woo Geom-san’s compromise.
“Great! With this, all the problems in this region are resolved.”
Now, she had to return to the Tianjin Escort Agency’s main headquarters.
At the main headquarters, an even fiercer battle would be waiting for her. Even so, she was not afraid.
She was confident that she could seize control of the Tianjin Escort Agency.
If she lacked that level of ambition, there would have been no reason for her to come all the way to this distant place and suffer so miserably.
Right then, a man caught Nam Su-hyang’s eyes.
It was none other than Woo Geom-san.
Nam Su-hyang approached Woo Geom-san.
“It seems I have not even heard your name yet. What is your name? You don’t look like someone who belongs in a deep mountain valley.”
“Is there a specific type of person who belongs in a mountain valley?”
“Don’t misunderstand. I just mean your aura doesn’t match a mountain valley.”
“I am Woo Geom-san.”
“Woo Geom-san? I am Nam Su-hyang.”
“I heard earlier.”
“You are a peculiar person.”
“In what way?”
“Usually, once people learn of my status or my name, they show interest. Yet you show no reaction whatsoever. As if you have zero interest at all.”
“Because I actually have no interest.”
At Woo Geom-san’s calm reply, Nam Su-hyang furrowed her brow.
It would be understandable if this reaction came from knowing absolutely nothing about the Jianghu or the Tianjin Escort Agency. However, looking at Woo Geom-san’s attitude in dealing with Seo Gun-wol or herself, there was almost no possibility of that.
A person who had not trained in martial arts was bound to feel intimidated upon seeing more than ten martial artists.
Yet Woo Geom-san did not seem to care in the slightest even while looking at the martial artists Nam Su-hyang had brought along.
“Could it be that you also learned martial arts from a Taoist?”
“A Taoist?”
“The boy who trained in martial arts who was with you earlier mentioned that he previously learned from a ‘Taoist grandfather’. That is why I am asking if you also learned martial arts from him.”
At Nam Su-hyang’s words, Woo Geom-san was quite impressed.
He was surprised by Nam Su-hyang’s quick wit, which did not miss and managed to connect what Nam Mu-rin had mentioned in passing.
Since it wasn’t something to hide, Woo Geom-san spoke calmly.
“That is correct.”
“As I thought. I am curious as to who that Taoist is. Might I know his Taoist name or honorable name?”
“He is someone who dislikes being known to the world, so I am sorry.”
“It’s fine. That can happen.”
Nam Su-hyang nodded her head.
Not everyone in the Jianghu necessarily possessed the desire to make a name for themselves.
There were many martial artists who enjoyed a life of lying low, far removed from the world’s attention.
It was not strange at all for one such Taoist to reside in Yunjung Village as well.
Nam Su-hyang spoke.
“I am going to return to the main headquarters now. If you ever have any intention of making something of yourself, come find me. I will treat you especially well.”
“That will absolutely never happen.”
“Since a person’s thoughts never know when they might change, it is better not to use the word ‘never’. At any rate, it was nice meeting you. Well then, let us meet again if fate allows.”
Nam Su-hyang gave Woo Geom-san a wink with one eye and then turned around.
Woo Geom-san silently watched her figure recede into the distance.

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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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