WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 156: The Black Flame Dragon Quelling the Chaos
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“I-it's over.”
Jin Taesan's voice was thick with emotion.
The dark circles beneath Wang Geumsan's eyes had nearly reached his chin, yet his expression was as though he had gained the whole world.
“Now I can finally call you the head of a proper merchant group.”
“Shouldn't I now call you the owner of one of the Two Great Merchant Groups, rather than one of the Four Great Merchant Groups?”
“Ah! Is that so, Merchant Group Leader Jin?”
“Of course, Lord Wang.”
“Muahahahaha!”
“Hahahaha!”
It had been a difficult time.
Jin Taesan had spent more nights awake than asleep as he transformed the Changgung Merchant Group, which had suddenly fallen into his hands, into the Great Heaven Merchant Group.
Wang Geumsan had also had to cut back on sleep to manage the branches across the land, which had doubled in number due to the sudden opening of trade with the Western Regions.
On top of that, Wang Soso had proposed a plan to expand their commercial influence in Jiangxi through cooperation between the Great Heaven Merchant Group and the Wang Family Estate's merchant groups.
It had begun with the Taeul Sect's iron ore mine.
The mine held the largest iron deposits in Anhui Province, and the Wang Family Estate used its output to control iron prices throughout Anhui and Jiangxi, steadily expanding its dominance over the market.
“From today onward, I intend to do nothing but sleep for a week.”
“You too, Merchant Group Leader Jin? I don't plan to leave my home for the next half month.”
Jin Taesan, who had been sharing drinks with him, clasped his hands in a respectful salute.
“Still, the Great Heaven Merchant Group was able to establish itself so quickly entirely thanks to you.”
“Not at all. If Taeul Sect had not supplied the iron, we would never have been able to expand our business to such heights in the first place.”
Wang Geumsan spoke humbly, but Jin Taesan knew how much consideration he had shown Taeul Sect.
Why would Wang Geumsan, one of the richest men in the land, leave the Wang Family Estate behind to work for the Great Heaven Merchant Group in Hefei unless he had a reason?
“Thank you again. Truly.”
“Haha, I'm glad you say so. In any case, I feel much lighter now that I've repaid my debt as well.”
It had already been two years, yet whenever Wang Geumsan drank, he never stopped praising Jin Sowoon.
‘...That damned brat.’
Even when Wang Geumsan praised his son, Jin Taesan found himself grinding his teeth.
It was a good thing, but Jin Sowoon was the reason behind all this overwork.
“Then isn't it about time for the Great Heaven Merchant Group to expand its influence?”
As Wang Geumsan said, the now firmly established Great Heaven Merchant Group desperately needed to expand to handle the work pouring in.
But Jin Taesan had neither the manpower nor the time, and he had no wish to work himself to the bone again.
“My sect still has its gates closed, so I plan to take the expansion slowly.”
Wang Geumsan clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, business rides on momentum. How do you expect to turn the Great Heaven Merchant Group into Anhui Province's finest merchant group if you're this lazy?”
“...”
Jin Taesan stared at Wang Geumsan with a hard expression, but Wang Geumsan did not stop.
“Didn't the Gyerong Merchant Group finally collapse? You should hurry and fill that gap. Merchants these days have no spirit, no spirit at all. Back in my day...”
“...Why did you stop Wang Soso from opening trade with the Martial Alliance?”
“...Hm?”
“Didn't Soso want it because of the volume and security of goods moving across the country through the Martial Alliance? Why did you stop her?”
Wang Geumsan coughed.
“A great merchant like me finds it difficult to take the side of either the White Path or the Black Path.”
“That's why we said the Great Heaven Merchant Group would help you. Besides, if Taeul Sect's disciples go to the Alliance...”
“Ahem! It's fine. I cannot owe Taeul Sect any more than I already do!”
Wang Geumsan was firm.
Jin Taesan did not back down either.
“Our Taeul Sect would never consider that a debt! You have already shown us extraordinary generosity!”
“I said I can't take on any more debt! Owing a debt to my benefactor goes against my principles!”
As the two men bickered over who could give the other more work, a servant entered.
“Merchant Group Leader.”
Both men answered at once.
“What is it?”
“What is it?”
“...”
The servant glanced around at the tense atmosphere before looking at Jin Taesan.
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest?”
“Yes. They said they came on behalf of Young Master Jin Sowoon.”
The two men answered at once again.
“Sowoon, that brat?”
“They came looking for our Jin Sowoon?”
“...”
Wang Geumsan cleared his throat, and Jin Taesan told the servant to bring the guest inside.
“Ahem, then I should be going, Merchant Group Leader Jin...”
“Aren't you curious? Stay and meet them with me.”
“Even so, I am an outsider...”
“I have something to say to you as well, so stay!”
“Ahem... Very well.”
A moment later, an elderly man entered.
“Are you Merchant Group Leader Jin Taesan?”
Strangely enough, the old man recognized Jin Taesan the instant he saw him.
“That is correct. But how did you know?”
“You look so much like that boy Sowoon that I couldn't possibly mistake you.”
The old man let out a hearty laugh before apologizing.
“Ah, forgive me. We've only just met. I was quite close to him.”
Jin Taesan nodded and guided him to a seat. As soon as the old man sat down, he pulled an IOU from his robes.
“...What is this?”
“It is the money I promised Sowoon.”
“Money?”
“Huh?”
Jin Taesan quickly unfolded the IOU.
It was made out for sixty taels of gold.
“Our village has only just begun to recover, so that is all the profit we have so far.”
“...?”
“...?”
Seeing their confused expressions, the old man continued.
“Did he not tell you?”
“Tell us what?”
“He said he would distribute the profits from our Black Dragon County.”
“Black Dragon County?”
“Black Dragon County, you say...?”
Jin Taesan and Wang Geumsan looked at each other.
Recently, the Twin-Curtain Strongholds, which had terrorized the area around Mount Cheonmok, had disappeared, and the Twin-Dragon Stronghold had taken its place.
The Twin-Dragon Stronghold only charged reasonable passage fees and even provided escorts through the area around Mount Cheonmok. Merchant caravans that had once gone far out of their way to avoid the mountain had begun returning one by one.
Thanks to that, nearby villages had benefited from the merchant traffic, and rumors said new commercial districts were forming.
Black Dragon County was one of those villages.
“I did hear something about that...”
Jin Taesan had also considered expanding into the Mount Cheonmok area, but the large Twin-Dragon Stronghold next door had made him hesitant.
Now, an old man had suddenly appeared and claimed he would distribute the profits from Black Dragon County to them. It was only natural that neither Jin Taesan nor Wang Geumsan could make sense of it.
“Did... did Sowoon not tell you?”
“...”
“Sowoon clearly promised that he would return the profits from the villages of Black Dragon County, Geumpyo County, Eunho County, and Dongryong County to Taeul Sect.”
“...”
“Ah, that is also why the villages were named after those children.”
Jin Taesan and Wang Geumsan's mouths fell open.
They had assumed it was a coincidence, but it was actually connected to Taeul Sect.
“What in the world happened?”
The old man told them in detail about what Jin Sowoon had done during the regular examination.
Once he had heard the whole story, Jin Taesan ground his teeth.
“That damned brat...”
It was one thing for him to lead his fellow disciples into danger, but how could he not have told his father about something so important?
“Hoho, it seems Sowoon did not take our offer to share the profits all that seriously.”
“...I apologize. I failed to teach my son properly.”
Jin Taesan lowered his head, and the old man hurriedly waved his hands.
“Please don't say that. If it had not been for Sowoon, not only my family but our entire village would never have been able to live as we do now.”
“...”
Jin Taesan was too embarrassed by the old man's glowing praise to lift his head, while Wang Geumsan nodded with a proud look as though it were his own matter.
“Did you come all this way simply to keep that promise, Elder?”
Wang Geumsan's words made the old man wave his hands again.
“Oh my, please don't call a rustic old man like me Elder. Just call me Old Man He. I came to keep my promise and offer my greetings, but I heard Taeul Sect had its gates closed, so I could not enter. That is why I came here instead.”
“Hoho. Elder He, you are a man of fine character as well. Do you enjoy drinking? Shall we have a cup?”
That was how the three of them began drinking together, with Old Man He joining them.
“And since you run a merchant group, I have a question for you. Would you consider opening a branch in our village?”
“A branch?”
“Yes. With the volume of goods increasing and more people passing through, some people have begun trying to buy up land and buildings in the village. Since Taeul Sect has a merchant group, would it not be good if you came in first?”
Jin Taesan felt as though his workload was about to grow again and was about to refuse.
Then Wang Geumsan pounced.
“Oh! An excellent idea. The Great Heaven Merchant Group was just looking for somewhere to invest.”
“...Lord Wang, what are you...”
Before Jin Taesan could refuse, Old Man He quickly cut in.
“Oh! Is that so? We have kept the best location in the village open.”
“You can use it as a starting point to expand your commercial influence. Hahahaha!”
“If Taeul Sect comes directly, the people of our village will feel much safer as well.”
Before Jin Taesan could stop it, the matter had already been settled. Wang Geumsan looked at him with a smug grin.
“...”
Thinking of the mountain of work awaiting him again made Jin Taesan's head spin.
Naturally, his resentment turned toward the person responsible for all this.
Grit.
‘Jin Sowoon, you brat!!’
#
“Ah!”
Seong Moran's eyes went wide at my sudden cry.
“What is it?”
“My ear suddenly got itchy. Is someone talking badly about me?”
“Geez, you scared me.”
Perhaps because of the eerie atmosphere, so different from the pier and entertainment district, Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa both clutched at their chests.
“This is the place.”
Led by Jang Woojae, our group entered Yujang Sect.
“...!”
I forcefully swallowed the curse that nearly burst from my lips at the sight before me.
‘Damn it.’
The scene before my eyes stirred my memories, vividly bringing back Taeul Sect from my previous life.
Perhaps my expression had grown too serious. Jang Woojae spoke as though making excuses.
“Those children were born and raised in Yujang Sect. We tried to evacuate them to an orphanage or a children's home for a while, but no one would take them in...”
Children who did not even seem to have reached adolescence yet held real swords far too large for them, unable to relax their tense expressions.
Just as I was about to answer Jang Woojae, a vivid memory surfaced and stopped my words.
-The children of Taeul Sect had been afraid when they first received real swords.
“The Black Blood Sect is known for being cruel and relentless, so we have prepared ourselves for the worst.”
The adults of Yujang Sect were tearing cloth strips and tying their swords to their hands.
-The adults of Taeul Sect had each held a Bloodburst Pellet in one hand as they prepared for battle.
“Once the war begins, we likely will not last a day.”
Large braziers burned throughout Yujang Sect, and broken pottery had been set into mud along the walls.
-The women of Taeul Sect had made rice balls and carried them throughout the sect. No one took more than a single rice ball.
Mud beneath the calm surface of the water billowed up, clouding the lake of my memories.
At the same time, sharp screams resurfaced in my ears.
-Aaaah!
-S-save me!
-Keugh!
The screams and faces of the Taeul Sect people who had died at the hands of the Demonic Cult in my previous life were so vivid that my head throbbed.
While I said nothing, Namgung Seonhwa carefully asked,
“...Are you not going to surrender?”
“We considered it, but...”
“...?”
“Sinjeong Sect and Hyeonsin Martial Arts School, which had already declared their surrender, were wiped out.”
“Even for the Black Path...”
“We cannot understand the current situation either. It has already gone beyond all common sense.”
This was not a simple show of force. It was war.
“Even so, I don't think children should be drawn into the fighting. How about we at least send the children to the Changgung Merchant Group?”
Jang Woojae could not hide his surprise.
“...You would do that?”
“I had already considered it when Young Master Jin said he would come with you. Of course, the Changgung Merchant Group's Sky Vault Unit will also provide support.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Jang Woojae bowed several times.
A little later, we met the sect leader and elders at Yujang Sect's grand training ground.
Like the rest of Yujang Sect's martial artists, their faces were filled with worry.
“Father, I'm back.”
“Good. How did it go?”
“Unfortunately, the Orthodox Society said they could not help us.”
“Ha... How could they...”
Yujang Sect's leader collapsed into his chair in despair.
“...And who are these people?”
“Ah, yes. This is our Academy Representative, Jin Sowoon.”
“Greetings. I am Jin Sowoon of Taeul Sect.”
“The Black Flame Dragon!”
“That young man is him?”
I had never once called myself by that epithet, yet the Black Flame Dragon had apparently become my established epithet.
Truly impressive, Lord of the Four Emperors Association.
“It's good to meet you. I have heard so much about you that my ears hurt. Thank you for coming here.”
“Don't mention it. Of course I had to come.”
“Thank you for thinking so. Even someone as young as you came rushing here.”
The sect leader's face remained full of worry.
Jang Woojae quickly stepped forward.
“Father, this is Lady Seong Moran of the Iron Sword Sect, and Lady Namgung Seonhwa of the Namgung Clan. Lady Namgung has offered to send the Sky Vault Unit to support us.”
Exclamations rose from the people around the sect leader.
“The Sky Vault Unit!”
“We cannot thank you enough.”
“Thank you so much, Lady Namgung.”
Namgung Seonhwa seemed embarrassed by Yujang Sect's intense reaction.
“I want to help as much as possible, but one hundred people will likely be the limit. With all of Yueyang in chaos, there is only so much manpower we can spare.”
The sect leader shook his head.
“No. Even that alone means we have incurred a debt we can never repay. If Yujang Sect survives this war, I will never forget the debt we owe the Namgung Clan for the rest of my life.”
The atmosphere grew solemn again at the sect leader's words.
Jang Woojae quickly moved to send the children to the Changgung Merchant Group.
After the commotion passed, our group, along with Jang Woojae and the Academy students, gathered in one place.
“Young Master Jang, how many people does Yujang Sect have?”
“Excluding the children, we have just under three hundred.”
How could even the numbers be so similar?
“Exactly a fivefold difference.”
The Black Blood Sect had more than fifteen hundred members. Their ranks ranged from Peak Realm martial artists to third-rate fighters, but with such a difference in numbers, quality no longer mattered.
‘Yujang Sect was not a sect known for having many masters in the first place.’
No matter what we did, we could not face that many people.
Judging by the broken pottery embedded in the walls, they had neither a Mechanism Formation nor an arcane formation.
“Representative.”
When I looked at Jang Woojae, he answered with an even darker expression.
“The Black Blood Sect has gathered even more people than that.”
“...”
“I heard they sent letters throughout Hunan Province and even to nearby provinces, gathering masters as well.”
If Jang Woojae's words were true, the Black Path forces of Yueyang had clearly tested the Martial Alliance by wiping out even those who surrendered.
Now that they were certain the Martial Alliance would not move, they intended to swallow Yueyang whole.
“...This really won't be easy.”
“...”
Had he heard my mutter?
Jang Woojae's face darkened.
I quickly reassured him.
“Young Master Jang, there is no need to worry too much. I happen to know the Yueyang Branch Head. If we negotiate through them, we may be able to reach an agreement.”
“Really?”
If the Yueyang Branch Head, who came from the Tang Clan, stepped in after Namgung Seonhwa, they would feel a sense of danger as well.
Then the war in Yueyang would ease somewhat.
‘Yueyang will fall into the Martial Alliance's hands again in the future anyway. The blood they spill now has no meaning.’
I spoke to the gathered group.
“I will go to the Martial Alliance's Yueyang Branch first.”
“Now?”
Time was of the essence, regardless of day or night.
“The Black Blood Sect will likely move as quickly as possible. Before they do...”
Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding.
A loud bell rang throughout Yujang Sect.
Jang Woojae and the martial artists of Yujang Sect all rose at once.
I asked Jang Woojae,
“What is it?”
His face drained of color as he stared toward the source of the bell.
“...It is the signal that the enemy is coming.”
“The enemy?”
Then a massive roar thundered across the night sky.
“““Waaaaaah!”””
“Attack! Do not leave a single one alive!”
“““Waaaaaah!”””
The murderous cries began to draw closer.
Footnotes:
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