The Owner Of The Thousand Gold Coins Is A Military Official - Chapter 15

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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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Chapter 15

An uncomfortable silence continues.

Young Patriarch and Young Master were positions of equal standing.

“Those aren’t particularly compelling words. When it comes to authority.”

There’s still no particular reason to go, nor any reason not to go.

Since this is still the stage where I need to assess the truth and falsehood of things.

Even if going would bring many benefits, I don’t hastily accept the other party’s proposal.

When I don’t yet know exactly what kind of person they are.

“It’s a competition for the younger generation. Others would be satisfied just watching from a distance.”

“They are.”

The sound of tea being poured into teacups filled the brief silence.

At the same time, a strange sense of pressure seemed to fill the entire room.

“Ordinary people, aren’t they?”

“…That’s right. They are ordinary people.”

“I am not ordinary. Both in myself and in my circumstances.”

I didn’t think he would be this difficult.

I just thought he was a bit unusual among Jegalhye’s peers.

But after meeting him directly and having a longer conversation, he was a person who far exceeded my expectations.

Could someone be this arrogant?

I thought for a moment, but he was someone who met the minimum qualifications to be arrogant.

“Wealth would be a field the Young Master has no interest in.”

“I have more than enough.”

“Then how about this? An opportunity to receive teachings.”

An opportunity to receive teachings.

Indeed, since it was a competition directly hosted by the Martial Arts Alliance, renowned figures would surely be watching.

Sazeon and Samje.

Besides these, there were others who held various titles.

“Teachings about martial arts, I assume.”

“That’s right. It’s a rare opportunity. With the Young Master’s qualifications, you should be able to receive such teachings.”

Most of them belonged to the Nine Sects and One School or the Five Great Sects.

There were others who didn’t, but their numbers were certainly fewer.

Some had disciples, others did not.

If one’s qualifications were excellent, it was an unparalleled opportunity to inherit everything from those called Sazeon and Samje.

Jegalhyun was certain that any martial artist, anyone who had learned internal energy, could never refuse even the slightest thread of possibility.

‘Teachings.’

Naturally, it was quite an attractive proposal for Cheongun as well.

Reaching the peak level, honestly speaking in cold terms, couldn’t even be called enlightenment.

You simply become better at handling internal energy, and when the amount increases, you reach the peak.

But beyond that point, it’s somewhat different.

Cheongun had already experienced that path once, but the situation then and now were vastly different.

He could walk the same path.

It was already a well-paved road, and one he had actually walked before.

But doing so, he felt he wouldn’t be able to reach higher places.

Cheongun was someone who had reached the extreme of the transcendent level in his previous life.

Cheongun’s age at that time was thirty.

He had shown quite remarkable talent, but due to the terribly unlucky circumstances that befell him, he couldn’t advance further, and even had an accident that shattered his dantian.

‘If I had tried to walk the same path… the beginning should have been the same too.’

Now that the beginning was completely different.

Cheongun thought there was no need to walk the same path.

Of course, he could go faster, but wouldn’t that be the end?

Could realizing the same thing you had realized once before truly be called enlightenment?

“It’s an attractive proposal, but… I don’t feel it’s anything more than that.”

“…Are you serious?”

A place others are desperate to enter.

To decide so easily after just a moment’s consideration.

Moreover, wasn’t this an opportunity to catch the eye of Sazeon or Samje?

This was content that even he found attractive.

“We are merchants.”

“Not just ordinary merchants.”

“Then are we not merchants?”

“That’s… not the case.”

This was also a message for those who would return and relay today’s conversation.

Cheongun remembered clearly.

What had happened to Cheongeumjang.

In his previous life, Cheongeumjang had no connection to anything, but now it was deeply connected to everything.

The Jeongma Great War meant that two massive forces would wage war.

They wouldn’t have invaded out of nowhere.

Knowing each other’s strength, they also knew that at least one arm or leg had to be severed.

Cheongeumjang, which was much closer to the Righteous Sect.

The Demonic Sect initially tried to win over Cheongeumjang but failed.

The Demonic Sect’s invasion began, but the Righteous Sect provided no help.

They used a strategy of giving up Cheongeumjang to take something else from the Demonic Sect.

Perhaps that’s why the Jegal Family didn’t seem particularly welcoming either.

The Jegal Family would have been the ones to plan that.

He had simply been born in a place aligned with the Righteous Sect, so he sided with them in the Jeongma Great War.

Cheongun felt no sense of belonging to the Righteous Sect from anything.

“I already have an excellent master, you see.”

“…Someone comparable to Sazeon and Samje?”

“Let’s say that’s the case.”

In truth, there was no master.

Cheongun’s master was himself.

Having returned from a path no one else had walked, he could simply walk a new path while remembering the scenery he had seen then.

“Aren’t you interested in the competition itself? Since you’re of the younger generation, building connections early would be of great help in the future.”

“If it’s light enough to be decided now, wouldn’t that also be problematic in its own way?”

Above all, the younger generation competition.

To the current Cheongun, it was nothing more than children’s play.

There was no time to waste on this.

Though the Patriarch had directly helped with energy circulation, he had only perfectly established the Cheongsongsindan; everything after that depended entirely on Cheongun’s abilities.

“Whatever you say, my intention remains unchanged.”

“…I understand. That’s unfortunate.”

“It seems the Young Patriarch is participating. Are you leaving right away?”

“I’m thinking of doing so. The schedule is tight.”

“Please do so. Next time, I’ll visit with good merchandise.”

“…Yes.”

Appropriate wariness filled Jegalhyun’s eyes.

Yes, that was actually better.

Using Cheongeumjang as bait to take from the Demonic Sect meant they thought Cheongeumjang wasn’t that important or threatening a place.

This time, he had no intention of letting that happen.

“Let’s go, Hye-ya.”

“…Yes, brother.”

Jegalhye looked at Cheongun with eyes full of regret.

She had never seen anyone reach such a level at the same age as herself.

Her face showed deep curiosity, but faced with Cheongun’s emotionless expression, she had no choice but to turn away.

“…It’s not a place to be taken lightly.”

It was never an easy place to begin with.

He had never thought it would be.

But for a merchant family, their spirit was quite impressive, wasn’t it?

“Let’s go back for now.”

“Yes, brother.”

With that, the unexpected guests departed, and Cheongun watched their retreating figures for a moment.

“The Late-Stage Tournament….”

He didn’t remember clearly, but it seemed like around this time the Demonic Sect had begun to slowly infiltrate.

While the Kunlun Sect had dealt with the Demonic Sect’s spies, he needed to be more precise about his future course of action.

Let’s change the objective.

Let’s postpone the matters of the Demonic Sect, Righteous Sect, Shihō, and so on for now.

Cheongun already possessed many things.

With Cheongeumjang, what he couldn’t have right now would become obtainable in the future.

There would be nothing he couldn’t possess.

Both as an individual and as a collective.

He wanted to create such a state first.

‘Right now, my room for maneuvering is too narrow.’

For that, he first needed a great tree with solid roots that wouldn’t be shaken by any wind.

To prevent Cheongeumjang, this fence and great tree, from rotting from within, he would need to clean up the things that had infiltrated from inside first.

There were still many things that needed refining.

Not just Cheongsongsindan, but absorbing all the countless treasures that Cheongeumjang possessed.

“Did the guests return safely?”

“Yes, Father.”

“It seems they won’t be participating.”

“That’s how it turned out.”

“They seemed interested in martial arts, weren’t they?”

How could there be no interest?

In a world where might makes right.

“It’s just a means.”

“A means… Haha! Good words.”

Everything is merely a means.

The endless wealth that Cheongeumjang possesses.

The martial arts that Cheongun will have in the future.

All of it is a means.

Grasping both wealth and martial power simultaneously.

Some might call it excessive greed, but when held by someone with the proper qualifications, it’s no longer excessive greed.

It becomes a righteous and magnificent ambition.

The former patriarch and Cheongun’s grandfather, Cheongun, also harbored ambitions befitting his vessel, which became the driving force that created the current Cheongeumjang.

‘I only hoped he would protect what we have….’

Cheongin had hoped for that too.

That his son would simply protect the current Cheongeumjang intact.

That he would protect Cheongeumjang well from those pack of wolves.

Cheongjin had also hoped for the same thing as his father.

That his son would at least excel at protecting, as he did.

Moreover, since this was a son he had after ten years, he had wished for it even more desperately.

However, judging by what he’d been seeing recently, it felt like it wouldn’t end with simply protecting.

“So, will you be going out on trade missions again this time?”

“No. Once was enough.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you would continue going on trade missions.”

“Now that I understand the structure, there’s no need to do more. I’ll let you know if it becomes necessary next time.”

“Alright, do as you please. Tell me if you need anything.”

“Yes. I understand.”

In truth, there was nothing more he needed.

The current Cheongeumjang was no different from the most perfect environment Cheongun could desire.

A place wealthy enough to replace every meal with elixirs.

Moreover, despite being the only heir gained after ten years, they didn’t try to overprotect him.

The fact that he had been to the Kunlun Sect proved this.

If they had opposed it, he never would have obtained Cheongsongsindan.

What Cheongun needed anyway was time.

Time to become stronger.

And time to organize internally.

Since inevitable time was needed to perfect his mental cultivation technique, all he had to do was wait silently.

After firmly refusing to participate in the Late-Stage Tournament, fortunately the Jegal Family didn’t apply any unreasonable pressure about it.

They couldn’t have done so in the first place anyway.

After that, Cheongun devoted himself solely to training.

He didn’t neglect his education as heir either.

It was enough time to erase someone’s impression.

There weren’t many people who knew about Cheongun to begin with, but even they were gradually erasing their memories of him.

No news was heard about him.

Cheongeumjang simply continued buying and selling goods as it always had, and as if satisfied with the present, didn’t expand its scale further.

Cheongeumjang knew too.

That if they expanded their scale further from here, others wouldn’t leave them alone.

Unable to easily touch them, yet unable to ignore them either.

Maintaining exactly that appropriate line, a time like precarious tightrope walking continued.

The Demonic Sect, which had seemed ready to move at any moment, once again didn’t move as if it were all a lie.

Just when everyone was putting the name of the Demonic Sect into the back of their memories, the Demonic Sect’s movements would repeat again several times.

Thus, for someone, it was time to prepare grand schemes.

And for someone else, it was time to complete and establish oneself.

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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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