WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 298: The Black Flame Dragon Shows Himself (2)
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Long lashes.
Beneath them were deep, bright eyes gleaming in the moonlight.
Her light makeup made her face look innocent and youthful, while her red court robe, tailored to subtly accentuate her figure, made her seem like a mature woman.
From one angle, she looked like a fairy. From another, like a courtesan.
It was strangely refreshing to see so many different sides in one person.
And after hearing her introduce herself, another side was added to the picture.
“Greetings. This young lady is Jeong Soeul of the Eunha Merchant Group.”
Her manners were neither excessive nor lacking.
A natural dignity, cultivated over many years, seemed to cling to her very being.
“The Eunha Merchant Group...”
Before I could finish, a smile touched Soeul's lips.
“Yes. It is the Eunha Merchant Group you know, Young Master.”
There was deep pride in her voice.
Then again, her father was Jeong Simho, whose merchant group was counted among the Four Great Merchant Houses alongside the Wang Family Estate.
Her family had been involved in trade for generations and wielded enormous influence across the former territory of Wei, centered around Henan Province.
They were both rivals and business partners with the Wang Family Estate, which dominated logistics throughout the southeastern region centered on Anhui Province.
But...
“Why has the Eunha Merchant Group come looking for me?”
At my question, Soeul turned toward Wang Soso.
Wang Soso huffed and sharply turned her head away.
“Recently, I heard Young Master Jin's renowned name was shaking the martial world and wished to request a meeting out of admiration. Yet it appears my feelings were not properly conveyed to you, so I have committed this discourtesy and come in person.”
“Seriously? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Wang Soso tried to cut in, but Soeul did not wait for her to finish. She looked up at me again.
Her large eyes were moist beyond measure.
Like a clear lake that stirred the urge to throw oneself into it at once.
“Young Master Jin is even more composed and impressive than the rumors say. ...My heart is pounding so hard that I cannot look at you for long.”
“...Seriously. ...Seriously!”
Her beautiful face, alluring figure, and innocent words were enough to shake any man's heart and mind.
“Ah... I've said far too much. Please forgive my discourtesy.”
Soeul lowered her head again.
Strangely, each time she moved, a different fragrance wafted from her.
Until just now, it had been sweet. Now it carried the crisp floral scent of delicate wildflowers.
‘She is skilled.’
Most remarkable of all, every action and every word came naturally.
As though everything had been decided beforehand and was simply unfolding as it should.
Any man aware that he was a man could not help but be drawn to a woman like this.
I would have been too.
‘If I hadn't known who she was.’
Smiling softly, she signaled to a servant and received an invitation.
Like her court robe, it was made of red silk embroidered with gold thread.
“Will you accept the feelings of this young lady who wishes to know you better, Young Master?”
The invitation, offered by her snow-white hand, was extended toward me.
“Brother Jin...”
Wang Soso tried to interrupt, but Soeul's calm glance made her clamp her mouth shut in frustration.
She must have realized that cutting in without the other person's consent was an undignified act.
I looked away from Wang Soso and faced Soeul.
“Miss Jeong...”
“Please call me Little Sister Eul.”
Not a chance.
“...Miss Jeong. There's something I'd like to ask.”
Though I deliberately did not change how I addressed her, she did not even frown.
“What is it?”
“Is this invitation from you personally, Miss Jeong? Or is it from the Eunha Merchant Group?”
“Hoho. Does that make a difference?”
“Of course it does.”
“...”
For a moment, a hint of surprise appeared on Soeul's face before quickly vanishing.
“Hmm... This young lady does not understand. Will you tell me why?”
“If it's a personal invitation, I'll refuse it. If it's from the Eunha Merchant Group, Wang Soso has already refused it, so there's no reason for me to accept it.”
“...!”
Soeul and Wang Soso both widened their eyes.
Looking at them now, they resembled two rabbits startled by a tiger at the same time.
“...S-So you mean to refuse either way?”
Perhaps this was the first time Soeul had been rejected like this. She could not hide her fluster.
“For what reason...”
She tried to continue, then closed her mouth.
It was obvious that she was trying to figure out what exactly was happening.
I did not give her any more time to think and turned away.
“Then I'll be going.”
As I walked ahead, Wang Soso stuck out her tongue at Soeul before proudly following behind me.
Why did she look happier than I did?
“Brother Jin!”
Wang Soso clung to my side and whispered softly.
“I knew my eyes weren't wrong. It really has to be Brother Jin.”
I had no idea what she meant, but I decided not to ask.
There was nothing crueler than whispering in front of someone who had just been rejected.
For some reason, I could feel a burning gaze against the back of my head.
#
After entering the office, I told Father and Lord Wang about what had just happened.
Their reactions were a little strange.
“Sowoon, you... As expected, the Wang Family Estate has you...”
“Father!”
“Ahem... My apologies. Anyway, Taesan. Didn't you tell him?”
“...”
A complicated silence passed among the three of them, as though something else had happened.
“...I didn't want to trouble him over it.”
At Father's calm response, Lord Wang shook his head.
“Honestly...”
“Is something going on?”
“Well... If you ask whether there is, then there is.”
The Great Heaven Merchant Group had begun expanding into Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, which meant it needed to supply more goods. Yet that was not going smoothly.
Most people who stopped by Hangzhou for sightseeing were children of high officials or people of high status.
The goods suited to their tastes were generally manufactured in Hebei Province.
But most Hebei artisans belonged either to the Eunha Merchant Group or merchant groups associated with it, so they could not procure those goods directly without the Eunha Merchant Group's permission.
“Of course, the Eunha Merchant Group needs Jiangnan grain and silk as well, so we agreed to exchange goods of equal value. Yet they have been dragging things out without stamping the contract.”
“Does the Eunha Merchant Group have another way to acquire grain and silk?”
Lord Wang nodded.
“Not to the extent of Jiangnan, but they have supply networks in Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan Province as well.”
The Wang Family Estate was the Eunha Merchant Group's primary trading partner.
But once they learned the Wang Family Estate needed luxury goods because of the Great Heaven Merchant Group, they proposed different terms.
“This must be related to the invitation that woman brought earlier.”
“The Eunha Merchant Group is celebrating its one hundred eightieth anniversary. I heard they are gathering people to demonstrate martial arts there.”
Song and dance were essential to an ordinary banquet. For a massive force like the Eunha Merchant Group, displaying its own influence was equally essential.
They wanted to boast about how powerful their house was.
The Eunha Merchant Group was demanding that I attend the banquet as a condition of the contract.
“So they want me to come dance for them and liven up the atmosphere.”
The easiest way to show one's influence was to demonstrate that an exceptional person moved at one's beck and call.
From a martial artist's perspective, displaying martial arts before a crowd was nothing short of humiliating.
Watching a great figure come and perform tricks would certainly be enough to display their influence.
“The Eunha Merchant Group has close ties to the Shaolin Sect. Their second son is also a graduate of the Martial Arts Academy. You must have heard of him. Jeong Sogun.”
I nodded.
There was a record in the Mantong Office that he had risen as high as Hall Master-level.
“I know Meteor Spear Jeong Sogun as well.”
And if I showed off mediocre martial arts before an outstanding Martial Alliance master like him...
‘It would only end in humiliation.’
They were setting up a stage like that and inviting me.
Their intentions were so obvious that I almost laughed.
“They know you are this year's Martial Arts Academy representative, so they have been demanding it even more persistently.”
Come to think of it, I had received countless invitations myself.
The position of Martial Arts Academy representative was one that stirred people's curiosity.
And since I was a disciple of a small and insignificant sect, that curiosity would be twice as great.
‘I was too annoyed to look at any of them, so I threw them all away.’
There was nothing strange about requests like this coming through Father.
“You don't need to concern yourself with it.”
Father spoke firmly.
“Even without selling luxury goods, we are making enough profit. You don't need to attend a place you don't wish to go.”
Father said that, but I saw it differently.
“No, why not?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you know how much profit luxury goods bring? Are we really going to turn that down over a little pride?”
“...”
“I want to build a pond at every hall of the Taeul Sect.”
“You used to call that throwing money away...”
Father looked betrayed.
“Of course it's throwing money away when you don't have it. When money is overflowing, it becomes leisure, doesn't it?”
Father's expression stiffened as he asked me.
“So... you're saying you'll go?”
Wasn't that obvious?
I immediately nodded.
“Of course. It's a chance to make money. I'd go twice, no, five times.”
The profits from luxury goods could not compare to those from ordinary goods.
Necessities were affected by value for money, but wealthy people were mad enough to think their pride was damaged if something was cheap.
I could say that with certainty after working hard to attend to the scions of powerful Martial Alliance families.
The higher the price, the more crazed those bastards became to buy it.
It was practically picking up money while swimming through shallow water.
And they wanted to reject it just to protect their pride?
‘Besides, this event can't be as simple as the Eunha Merchant Group inviting me to save face.’
They had sent their precious daughter to invite a disciple from a sect barely larger than a speck.
Even though they must have expected that rejection would cost them considerable face.
Of course, I did not know whether this was the merchant group leader's plan or Jeong Soeul's.
‘Jeong Soeul herself didn't even seem to think she would be refused from the start.’
The issue was that she had come at night rather than during the day, when there would be many eyes around.
If Soeul had been confident, she would have come during the day.
Yet she had come at night.
In the end, someone else's scheme had to be behind her nighttime visit.
‘They even calculated that I would refuse.’
Even in something so minor, I could feel the cold, calculating nature of those in power.
Even if I let this pass, similar things would keep happening.
An ordinary man and a saint alike would be concerned by an awl suddenly sticking out of their pocket.
If I had to deal with this annoyance anyway, it was better to strike first.
At least if I struck first, I could see my opponent's opening before they saw mine.
As I was briefly lost in thought, Lord Wang spoke.
“As expected... Such a frenzied obsession with money. And even Mind-Reading Art that stops at nothing to achieve its purpose.”
Lord Wang was looking at me with strangely dreamy eyes.
“As expected, merchant blood rather than martial artist blood must flow in your veins! Won't you truly become a merchant?”
He wasn't mocking me for being crazy about money, right?
#
I told them not to respond to the invitation yet.
I had already expressed my refusal directly to Soeul, so an immediate response would not suit the situation.
‘It's also a chance to see how persistent they are.’
I told them to wait until another invitation arrived so I could see how much the other side cared about this.
[What if no further invitation comes?]
Father asked that, but I shrugged.
If it doesn't, so be it.
Father was far too rigid about these things.
The next day, after meeting Baek Haegwang, fainting once, and waking up, I was on my way to see Jang Dowon as promised when I saw a strange sight at the training ground.
Not only Saryeon, but the Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers seemed to be teaching the Taeul Sect disciples. What they were teaching was a little strange.
“Listen carefully! The Eldest Senior Brother said this qi circulation is the only hope that can save your lives in any situation!”
“The Eldest Senior Brother said the martial world is a place where you lose your life the moment you let your guard down! From what I've experienced, that's absolutely true!”
“The Eldest Senior Brother said you must train thoroughly, then train again, just to barely use it once in real combat!”
“You must listen carefully to the Eldest Senior Brother! If you do, you'll always survive!”
Putting strange fantasies about me into their heads was one thing, but they were making the martial world sound so terrifying that they were scaring the children.
‘At this rate, won't they get scared and run away instead...?’
Just as I was about to enter the training ground and tell them to tone it down...
“Yes! We will remember it!”
...A resounding shout answered them.
“...”
What was this? The children were taking it seriously too.
“From now on, I will teach you the Lesser Heaven Sword Art again from the beginning. Those who are ready, step forward!”
At Geumpyo's words, the disciples rushed forward without waiting for anyone else.
I considered stopping them, then turned around.
It was excessive, but better than not enough.
They would handle it well on their own.
I headed straight to the forge.
It was a large forge built by tearing down a wall of the original Taeul Sect building and expanding it.
They had even built a sales counter so Jang Dowon could conduct business whenever he wanted, but he had blocked it off himself.
“It seems you don't have much work. You're resting like this...”
Before I could even finish, Jang Dowon grabbed a handful of sand from the floor and threw it at me.
I quickly avoided it with the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps.
“Why are you throwing sand at people?”
“People? Are you a person? A person should have a conscience! What kind of person has no conscience?”
“Come on, it was only a joke.”
“A jooooook? The forge hasn't even been lit, and you ask me to make a weapon in half a year. You call that a jooooook?”
But it really could not be helped.
Knowing that the Demonic Cult was operating in secret throughout the martial world, and having already gathered all the materials for the Scarlet Radiance Sword, how could I wait for it to be made according to the original history?
Besides, Jang Dowon had made the Scarlet Radiance Sword in half a year in my previous life.
Though he did not know that in this life.
I deliberately acted as if I were watching his reaction.
“It couldn't be helped, Elder. For the peace of the martial world...”
“...Tch.”
A sliver of unease spread through me as Jang Dowon frowned and clicked his tongue.
Had he failed to make it?
After all, Jang Dowon had created the Fifteen Divine Weapons out of his grudge against the Demonic Cult in my previous life. Without that grudge yet, perhaps he could not make it...
Thud.
“...!”
Contrary to my expectations, Jang Dowon tossed me a long object wrapped in cloth.
“I won't ask where you acquired that unwholesome material. Still, you should use it carefully. It surely isn't a thing of this mortal world.”
The unwholesome material he spoke of had to be the Blood Sea Jade.
Now the remaining question was whether he had properly incorporated it, just as he had in my previous life...
Gulp.
With a tense heart, I slowly unwrapped the cloth.
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