WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 255: Time for the Fruits to Bear (2)
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The founding of the Black Alliance was formally declared.
As the Black Alliance's first Alliance Lord, Cha Seokdu proclaimed its founding principles to the world.
『-Demonic arts, heretical arts, sorcery, and poison.
To all those who have borne the stigma of disrupting the martial world since ancient times, I ask: is that truly your nature?
You possess the human desire to grow stronger, yet because you were born humble and had nothing, you had no choice but to join the Black Path. So I ask you.
Are you truly those who disrupt the martial world and shake the world itself?
Just as people first took up sabers and swords to cut down their enemies, we too wield demonic arts, heretical arts, sorcery, and poison only to protect ourselves.
Can it truly be called “justice” to deem us chaos itself simply because the martial arts we practice are unconventional?
From tomorrow onward, a “new justice” will take root in the martial world.
We will not judge you as wicked simply because the weapon you chose is wicked.
Those without a background, those who wish to be free, and those who wish to rise through their own ability alone, come to the Black Alliance.
Unlike “some people,” we will not employ people based on their birth, wealth, or connections.
We will acknowledge only your ability and effort, and judge you by those alone.
Even if you once hated those who wielded demonic arts, heretical arts, sorcery, and poison, we will not judge your past if you wish to join the Black Alliance.
The Black Alliance upholds one principle above all else.
“Freedom,” and the “responsibility” that comes with it.
You will be granted freedom to the extent that you bear responsibility.
Come to the Black Alliance at any time!
The gates of the Black Alliance shall never close.』
When Cha Seokdu's declaration spread across the world, the martial world stirred.
This was not the first attempt in the martial world's long history to establish a Black Path Alliance.
Yet hastily formed organizations tended to vanish quickly or become private power blocs, their influence dwindling away.
Even those that somehow survived their founding soon collapsed under internal strife.
Cha Seokdu's Black Alliance, however, displayed a disciplined effort to organize itself from within alongside its founding ceremony. It inspired hope among Black Path martial artists and concern among those of the White Path.
Most importantly, Cha Seokdu, the first Alliance Lord, was not the strongest martial artist in the Black Path. That gave people even more confidence in the Black Alliance's continued existence.
When had Black Path bastards ever listened to someone weaker than themselves?
Yet subordinates who followed only because they feared the whip could turn on their master at any time.
That was how alliances created by the strongest figures of the Black Path had always fallen apart.
The Black Alliance was not built through the Black Path's usual survival-of-the-fittest power structure, but through a system. Both the Black and White Paths found that astonishing.
Black Path sects that had been watching the Black Path Alliance from the sidelines began gathering in Shanxi Province one after another, afraid they would be too late if they delayed any longer.
Naturally, White Path sects could not applaud the Black Alliance's birth.
If Black Path sects united and the Black Alliance grew larger, it was obvious that it would seek to extend its influence across the world, just like the Martial Alliance.
To those who already dreamed of expanding their sects' power, it was no different from the appearance of a new enemy.
Memorials calling for the Black Alliance's subjugation flooded the Martial Alliance.
Yet the Martial Alliance had not even finished its war with the Blood Cult, so an expedition against the Black Alliance remained a distant prospect.
Furthermore, having only just entered a peace agreement with the Black Alliance to subjugate the Blood Cult, the Martial Alliance was careful that even talk of attacking the Black Alliance did not leak out.
The Martial Alliance's lukewarm response conveyed a new message to the various sects.
It was acknowledging the Black Alliance and would treat it as a future rival.
Those quick to grasp the situation realized that the Black Alliance's power was bound to grow. They concluded that they needed to strengthen their own sects before the Black Alliance could establish its influence.
As Black Path sects sprang up under the Black Alliance's banner and White Path sects moved to expand as much as possible before the Black Alliance settled in, the martial world boiled with fervor despite the cold winter.
#
“You must be pleased. You've got such an excellent son.”
“...”
Wang Geumsan made a fuss beside Jin Taesan, whose complexion had grown pale from being buried beneath an endless flood of work.
“I hear the Black Path bastards clear the way on their own whenever they see the Great Heaven Merchant Group's flag? Hah! Isn't that incredible?”
He sounded envious, but Jin Taesan's face flushed bright red.
“The Great Heaven Merchant Group won't need to use an escort agency anymore. Once the Black Alliance's influence grows, what Black Path force in the world would dare obstruct its routes?”
Though his face was red enough to burst, Jin Taesan still forced himself to focus on stamping documents with his trembling hand. Wang Geumsan thought he was holding up rather well today.
Still, Wang Geumsan had finally found a friend he could tease openly after so long. There was no way he would stop there.
“Ah! Did you hear? Your remarkable son has acquired a new epithet.”
Jin Taesan had desperately ignored Wang Geumsan's words until then, but he could not help raising his head at the mention of his son's epithet.
“An epithet?”
How much had the ominous epithet Black Flame Dragon bothered him until now?
Just as the Geum-Eun-Dong brothers' epithet had changed from the Black-Blood Three Dragons to the Three Iron-Wall Dragons, Jin Taesan had hoped Black Flame Dragon would soon become something else.
Wang Geumsan gave him a meaningful smile as he watched Jin Taesan's face fill with reluctant anticipation.
“Well...”
Just as Jin Taesan's brow began to furrow at Wang Geumsan's needless pause...
“It's Black Maitreya.[1] Black Maitreya!”
“!”
...Jin Taesan's entire face twisted into something as vicious as a yaksha's.[2]
He was so stunned that he carelessly set down his brush, not even noticing the document he had been reviewing turn black with ink.
Wang Geumsan shook his head in amazement.
“Hah! Isn't it incredible? A disciple of a Daoist sect receives the epithet ‘Maitreya.’”
“D-don't mock me. There's a limit to jokes!”
Jin Taesan even began stammering, but Wang Geumsan looked more delighted than ever.
“You can't believe it, can you? I couldn't either, so I personally checked with the Beggar Sect and the Hao Sect.”
“...The Beggar Sect and the Hao Sect?”
“That's right. I wanted to know how he received such an epithet and why.”
He paid those expensive information organizations just to verify an epithet?
“Don't be surprised.”
Wang Geumsan put on a serious expression, as if he were about to reveal a secret.
An indescribable sense of unease washed over Jin Taesan...
“They say your son uses the Mind-Reading Art!”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
“Whenever your son's gaze landed on the Black Alliance's Black Path martial artists, those vicious bastards avoided his eyes and lowered their heads on their own. Isn't that truly incredible?”
“...”
“Kuahahahahahaha!”
If not for that last laugh, Jin Taesan might have believed he was genuinely impressed.
Jin Taesan quietly rose from his seat.
“That's enough.”
His voice turned cold.
He was only a third-rate martial artist, but he was still a martial artist.
Wang Geumsan forcibly held back the laughter threatening to burst out.
Then Jin Taesan politely extended a hand toward the door.
“Now that you've had your fun, would you please leave? I have work to do.”
Jin Taesan spoke as if it were nothing, but his gaunt face and hardened expression made him look rather frightening.
“Um... this is my office too.”
“...Then please work.”
“Ahem, ahem...”
Wang Geumsan eventually sat across from Jin Taesan.
Pretending to work while watching Jin Taesan, whose temper had reached its limit, he cautiously opened his mouth again.
“May I ask you something?”
“...Is it about my son?”
Wang Geumsan slowly shook his head.
“No. It's about something else.”
“Go ahead.”
“Hm...”
Silence settled over the room for a moment.
Then Wang Geumsan spoke.
“How long does the Taeul Sect intend to keep its gates closed?”
“...”
Jin Taesan turned from the documents before him to look at Wang Geumsan.
The smile had vanished from Wang Geumsan's face. He had become serious before Jin Taesan noticed.
“Why do you ask?”
“While gathering information from across the world through the Beggar Sect and Hao Sect, I heard something else. The White Path sects are rising.”
“...”
“I hear they're staging displays of force to expand their influence before the Black Alliance establishes itself.”
Before the Black Alliance appeared, they only needed to be mindful of the Martial Alliance.
But if the Black Alliance emerged and Black Path sects began expanding their power as well, even the influence they already possessed could diminish.
To prevent that, White Path sects were moving aggressively to expand their own influence before the Black Alliance could establish branches.
“No one is unaware that the Great Heaven Merchant Group belongs to the Taeul Sect. Even within Anhui Province, there are already groups moving to keep the Great Heaven Merchant Group in check. It won't be long before its operations are impeded.”
“That is likely.”
The Iron Sword Sect, which held influence in Hefei, and the Namgung Clan, the leading power of Anhui Province.
The Great Heaven Merchant Group maintained close ties with both, but that was only a cooperative relationship.
If an actual armed conflict broke out, there was no knowing whether they would intervene.
Moreover, many people disliked seeing the Taeul Sect engage in economic activity while its gates remained closed. The more the Great Heaven Merchant Group prospered, the closer the danger came.
Having watched Jin Taesan's expression, Wang Geumsan came to the point.
“How about opening the sect's gates soon? I think the Taeul Sect should prepare before someone reaches for the Great Heaven Merchant Group.”
Of course, this was not something Jin Taesan could decide.
Wang Geumsan simply wanted to make Jin Taesan aware of the direction the Taeul Sect needed to take in the current situation.
After thinking for a moment, Jin Taesan shook his head.
“The Taeul Sect has developed considerably compared to before, but it is not yet strong enough to open its gates.”
“That's true.”
Even if they had recovered the Fourth Group's martial arts and were making money through the mine, martial strength was not something they could build in a day or two.
They were buying spiritual medicines and anything else that could aid their martial arts with the money flowing in from the mine and the Great Heaven Merchant Group, but they lacked the absolute time needed to catch up with their competitors.
“As you know, the Wang Family Estate does not owe allegiance to either the White or Black Path. We may involve ourselves in official matters, but we cannot interfere in the affairs of the martial world.”
“I know.”
Even without that, he had already received more help from the Wang Family Estate than he could ever repay.
Even now, though the Wang Family Estate could not step forward, Wang Geumsan was worrying over the matter before anyone else as if it were his own.
Still, Jin Taesan had no choice but to shake his head once more.
“Even so, we cannot pick the fruit before the flower has even bloomed.”
Human hands could not hasten the season when flowers bloomed and bore fruit.
And the Great Heaven Merchant Group desperately needed time right now.
“That's true enough.”
Wang Geumsan had worn a grave expression, but he forced a smile.
“Still, don't worry too much. If someone does provoke the Taeul Sect or the Great Heaven Merchant Group, then if all else fails, we can release money into the wandering warrior market and overwhelm them with numbers.”
The moment Wang Geumsan's money helped the Great Heaven Merchant Group, the Wang Family Estate would effectively have one foot in this power struggle.
It was impossible to estimate how much the Wang Family Estate might lose because of that.
Jin Taesan would never easily ask Wang Geumsan for help.
Even so, a faint smile appeared on Jin Taesan's lips.
He could feel the heart of a friend who sincerely cared for him and the Taeul Sect more than anyone.
Jin Taesan clasped his hands in a respectful martial salute toward his friend.
“Thank you, Clan Head Wang.”
“Come now! Why are you suddenly acting like this between us?”
Perhaps embarrassed, Wang Geumsan scratched his cheek before adding in a confident voice.
“I said all this, but who would dare covet the Great Heaven Merchant Group so carelessly?”
“What?”
The Great Heaven Merchant Group had grown rapidly, but it was not such a threatening presence.
Jin Taesan tilted his head in confusion.
“Isn't it the merchant group run by the sect of Jin Sowoon, the renowned Black Maitreya? Unless they're unafraid of his Mind-Reading Art, who would dare target the Great Heaven Merchant Group...”
Crash!
“P-please put that down before you speak...!”
At the sight of Jin Taesan suddenly picking up an inkstone, Wang Geumsan fled the office in terror.
#
“Where did you say you were from?”
At Jin Taesan's question, the man answered arrogantly.
“The Shura Sect.”
Then, after glancing at Wang Geumsan seated beside him, he added.
“...I said.”
The Shura Sect.
It was a sect founded by Jang Yeonggi, a lay disciple of Shaolin Sect, after he created the Shura Fist Art, his own unique martial art.
Beginning with Jang Yeonggi, later generations had continued to follow independent paths based on new martial arts. Yet recently, the Shura Sect had come to be called a lay martial sect of Shaolin Temple and served as Shaolin Temple's branch in Anhui Province.
“What brings someone from such... a place here...?”
Jin Taesan trailed off, looking as though he could not understand it. The man immediately came to the point.
“I came to make a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“That is correct.”
After coming under Shaolin Temple's influence, the Shura Sect had risen to occupy one of the higher ranks among the One Hundred Eight Peaks.
Why would such a formidable sect have business with the Great Heaven Merchant Group?
Jin Taesan tilted his head for a moment, then spoke.
“I'll hear you out. Please continue.”
“...”
The Shura Sect man briefly turned his gaze toward Wang Geumsan.
It was an obvious indication that he did not want an outsider to hear.
Wang Geumsan noticed and frowned.
“Ahem... How unpleasant. There cannot be anyone who does not know that I, Wang Geumsan, have sworn brotherhood with Jin Taesan and promised that we will become in-laws.”
Jin Taesan looked dumbfounded.
“...What sworn brotherhood, and what in-laws?”
“Ahem! Be quiet. I'll explain.”
Wang Geumsan continued growling as if he had caught a scent of something.
Jin Taesan eventually sent him outside.
“You must tell me what this is about later...!”
Bang!
With difficulty, Jin Taesan drove Wang Geumsan from the office.
“My apologies.”
“It is fine. I know well that the Wang Family Estate and the Great Heaven Merchant Group share close ties.”
“Hm... Is that so?”
They were alone now.
The Shura Sect man stared intently at Jin Taesan.
Jin Taesan pretended it did not bother him, then spoke first.
“What was it that you wished to discuss?”
“Did you know that the Shura Sect recently opened a small merchant group?”
Jin Taesan received major information from Anhui Province through Wang Geumsan every day.
He had learned this news long ago, but he had not paid it much attention. The new merchant group was no threat to the Great Heaven Merchant Group or the Wang Family Estate, both of which had already established solid foundations in Anhui Province.
“Yes. I know.”
“Then this will be quicker.”
The man nodded as if that were fortunate, then continued.
“Our sect intends to grow that merchant group. It will be of help to ‘Shaolin Temple’ in the future.”
The man distinctly emphasized “Shaolin Temple.”
For some reason, that bothered Jin Taesan, but he silently waited for the man's next words.
“Yet it seems our people have no head for business. We are having difficulty operating the merchant group.”
“Hm...”
“So we came up with another method.”
With Wang Geumsan gone from the office, the Shura Sect man looked around once before speaking with an almost arrogant expression.
“The Shura Sect wishes to buy the Great Heaven Merchant Group.”
[1] Maitreya — the future Buddha in Buddhist tradition, expected to appear in a later age.
[2] Yaksha — a fierce spirit from Buddhist and Hindu tradition.
Footnotes:
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