Chapter v17c14

The Fate of the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild

– Bi Ryu-Yeon Visits the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild

“Huh? What’s that?”

Heo Sang-Du, the senior chief escort of the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild’s Nanchang branch, a man with considerable experience in the business, was on his afternoon patrol. He quite enjoyed his patrols. It wasn’t because he was concerned about the guild’s operations. It was simply the best way to flaunt his authority over his subordinates. He was a snob who enjoyed looking down on those beneath him. And because he was a snob, he never looked up. Perhaps he pretended to be oblivious because he couldn’t bear the thought of those above him looking down and mocking him. He spotted the escort guards standing watch at the main gate, their figures catching his shifty eyes. He felt a familiar thrill as he watched his subordinates cower like frogs before a snake. With a predatory grin, he sauntered towards the main gate, his malicious fangs gleaming like a wolf hunting a rabbit.

He was the most senior of the ten chief escorts in the branch, a veteran with over a hundred escort missions under his belt. If he worked hard for a few more years, a promotion to head chief escort wasn’t out of reach. It would be a nightmare for his subordinates, though. He had encountered a fortuitous opportunity in his youth and was quite confident in his skills. There was only one head chief escort stationed at the Nanchang branch, so he, as the senior chief escort, was practically the third-in-command. The guild’s recent prosperity had inflated his ego. He felt like he had become someone important. So, it was unthinkable for this esteemed third-in-command to acknowledge a young, unassuming brat in plain black clothes, unarmed and unremarkable. How dare he interrupt his enjoyable display of authority! Anger surged within him as he saw the insolent youth blocking his path.

“This is no place for children! Begone! Shoo, shoo!”

And look at his hair, unkempt and messy, with those long bangs! How unsightly!

“Tsk, tsk, what a sight!”

Intimidation was the best way to deal with such riffraff. Heo Sang-Du signaled with his eyes, and the two gatekeepers swiftly lowered their spears, pointing them at the young man who was still approaching. They were quick-witted subordinates.

“Halt! Who are you? Can’t you hear Senior Chief Escort Heo?”

Bi Ryu-Yeon frowned slightly at the gatekeeper’s shout. How dare he speak so informally to him, a stranger? He briefly considered the possibility that he deserved such disrespect.

It couldn’t be because he was older. That was too cliché. Perhaps they mistook his background for something influential enough to justify their rudeness? If so, they should learn to face reality before praising their workplace.

It was a grave mistake to think that age granted the right to speak informally to anyone younger. He had seen countless people waste their lives, living meaningless existences. Why should he have to listen to such people speak informally to him? Did they not consider him a martial artist because he wasn’t carrying a sword or a weapon? The gatekeepers were one thing, but what about their superior, that good-for-nothing? He looked as sleazy as he acted, his head seemingly empty.

This was part of the martial world, but it was also a business driven by profit. He had never heard of an escort guild operating at a loss for the sake of righteousness and loyalty – both of which were questionable values. Even renowned righteous sects struggled to uphold such principles, so expecting it from a mere escort guild was unreasonable. To demand from others what they couldn’t do themselves… Such self-deception was rare.

“Who. Are. You?”

At the very least, they had to earn the right to speak informally to him. He wouldn’t tolerate such disrespect from someone he didn’t acknowledge.

“It should be ‘Who are you?'”

The two rude gatekeepers finally noticed the threat in his voice. The young man fearlessly tapped the spearheads with his fingers and said,

“What are you going to do with these toys?”

Suddenly, they felt a tingling sensation in their hands, followed by a burning pain, and their spears fell from their grasp.

“Argh!”

Clang!

The two spears hit the ground simultaneously.

“You undisciplined fools!”

A warrior should only drop their weapon in death. Heo Sang-Du was about to reprimand them, but the words caught in his throat as he saw their hands.

They were charred black, as if burned by fire, and blood was flowing from their torn palms. With just two simple movements, the young man had spun the spears, inflicting both heat and friction burns.

“Uh… uh… uh…”

Even the slow-witted Heo Sang-Du finally realized something was wrong.

The situation was taking a turn for the worse.

“W-who do you think you are, causing such a ruckus…?”

His tone shifted from informal to formal with just a slight (?) threat.

“Ruckus? Visiting as a guest? Or threatening a guest with spears? Which one are you referring to?”

The invisible killing intent, flickering like a black flame, was an unbearable pressure for these three unskilled warriors. They froze like frogs before a snake, cold sweat pouring down their faces. Heo Sang-Du, who was used to being the snake, was particularly shaken by his newfound role as the frog.

These people needed a good lesson. So they would never underestimate anyone again. They were the type to bully, exploit, and take advantage of anyone who seemed weaker than them. It would be a good deed to guide them back to the right path, both for their own sake and for the peace and welfare of society.

Bi Ryu-Yeon vowed to instill in them the importance of kindness and service, a lesson they would never forget. And the most effective way to do that was to carve it into their bones. He had tried various methods, but none were as effective as this. It remained an unexplored frontier of human wisdom.

Smirk!

Bi Ryu-Yeon curled the right corner of his lips, hidden beneath his swaying bangs, and a smile spread across his face like a brushstroke of red paint.

Sm…irk…

As if drawn by his smile, Senior Chief Escort Heo Sang-Du and the two gatekeepers’ mouths twitched in unison. It was a rather awkward and unnatural sight.

“Heh…”

The three of them laughed foolishly. Bi Ryu-Yeon laughed too.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Bi Ryu-Yeon clenched his fists and, literally, carved the eight characters for “etiquette, manners, kindness, and service” into their bones.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Under the shadow of his Triple Beating Fist Technique, three more black sheep were sacrificed, their pathetic cries echoing through the air.

The offering placed on the altar was called “blood pudding.”

By the time Jang Woo-Gyeong arrived, alerted by the commotion outside, it was already over. The two gatekeepers and the senior chief escort, judged to be lacking in hospitality, were writhing on the ground. It seemed the key to his technique was to beat them senseless without knocking them unconscious. Jang Woo-Gyeong massaged his temples, momentarily overwhelmed by the sight of his subordinates, but he quickly regained his composure and bowed to the protagonist of this incident, saying,

“You’ve arrived, Master Bi. I’ve been expecting you. It seems my subordinates failed to recognize you and acted disrespectfully.”

He offered his condolences to Senior Chief Escort Heo Sang-Du and the two nameless gatekeepers.

“It’s alright. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s nothing. I don’t mind at all.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon replied with a bright smile.

“I-I see. It’s nothing.”

Jang Woo-Gyeong gulped and replied. If it was nothing, then what were those things barely resembling human forms on the ground? Was that the result of not minding?! Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He wanted to call it a lie, but the truly terrifying scenario was when those words contained a grain of truth.

He couldn’t bring himself to ask, “Then what happens if you do mind?” It wouldn’t be a wise move for a gentleman.

“The important thing is to not repeat the same mistake. As they say, ‘To err is human, to forgive divine.’ It’s a common occurrence.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon’s smile was bright, pure, and peaceful.

“Y-yes, you’re right. It’s important to not repeat the same mistake.”

Judging from the current situation, it seemed like if this man were a general, none of his soldiers would survive. They would be in constant danger of dying.

“Haha, but why is it so hot when the wind is still cold? How strange.”

Jang Woo-Gyeong said, wiping the sweat off his forehead, looking troubled. His body’s physiological response was defying the seasons.

“When handling dangerous goods, you should always be as careful as walking on thin ice. Especially when dealing with that guy, it’s not thin ice! Think of it as walking on water! Remember, brother! You can’t borrow a life. Always keep that in mind, remember, remember!”

Back then, he couldn’t understand why his brother was so worried. But now, he could somewhat understand his brother’s feelings.

He was partly to blame for neglecting the matter, despite his brother’s repeated warnings.

– Be grateful the sign is still hanging!

That’s what his brother would have said.

“Ahem! Th-then please follow me.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon followed Jang Woo-Gyeong, crossing between buildings. The sound of shouts from the training grounds reached his ears, and he saw several escort wagons lined up in a corner of the spacious courtyard. There were at least fifteen of them. Workers were bustling about, carrying loads on their shoulders. Their task was to load the empty wagons with goods. Enough to fill them without breaking them, and enough for the horses to pull. Greed was forbidden.

If they loaded too much, the horses would tire quickly. Sometimes they used oxen, but the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild used horses. And if they loaded too little, they would have to use additional wagons unnecessarily. More wagons meant more drivers and more guards, which led to waste. It would also slow down their journey, so it was a loss in many ways. A loss no matter how you looked at it. Therefore, it was best to prevent such unfortunate events in advance.

The workers stopped and bowed to them as they passed. It wasn’t because of Bi Ryu-Yeon’s outstanding personality. It was Jang Woo-Gyeong, who was politely guiding Bi Ryu-Yeon, who waved his hand, declining the greetings. It was clear that the greetings weren’t directed at Bi Ryu-Yeon.

“This is it, Master Bi. He’s waiting for you inside.”

He was led to a guest room located in the deepest part of the manor. This was the Nanchang branch of the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild. And the person who had been treating him with the utmost respect and sincerity was Jang Woo-Gyeong, the branch leader of the Nanchang branch, the largest branch after the headquarters. So the fact that he was using honorifics meant that the person inside was at least higher in rank than the Nanchang branch leader.

“Then I’ll excuse myself. Please enjoy your conversation.”

He bowed politely, just as he had when they met, and disappeared. He had excused himself. Perhaps he had seized the opportunity to escape, not wanting to be involved any further.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Bi Ryu-Yeon nodded slightly in response.

Creak!

He opened the door without hesitation.

“You arrived earlier than I expected. I thought it would take at least two or three more days.”

The haggard-looking man waiting inside nodded slightly at Bi Ryu-Yeon’s surprised words.

“Three horses died.”

The fact that three horses had died, even though he must have changed horses at the relay stations along the way, showed how arduous and merciless his journey had been. His eyes were bloodshot and sunken, his cheekbones protruding. He had clearly rushed here without rest or sleep.

“They died from overwork. It’ll cost a lot to compensate the relay stations. The compensation fees will be quite hefty… tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon clicked his tongue sympathetically. To use and discard animals like that, even if they couldn’t speak… Humans clearly needed to evolve further. However, even though it was a righteous sentiment, it wasn’t something Bi Ryu-Yeon, who didn’t even care about cats or mice, could say with conviction.

Besides, it wasn’t his money that was being spent, so his condolences seemed insincere. At least, that’s how the man felt.

“I heard it’s a matter that concerns the future of our guild.”

The urgent message he had received clearly stated that. It said that they needed to speak in person. Bi Ryu-Yeon couldn’t move, so he had to come here himself, at the cost of three horses’ lives.

“It’s a small price to pay for the future of our guild.”

As the owner, he couldn’t delay even for a moment when the foundation of his guild, more precious than life itself, was at stake.

The compensation fees would be considerable, as all three horses were top-class, but the future of the guild was more important.

Surprisingly, this man was speaking formally to Bi Ryu-Yeon, who was much younger than him. The person who was listening to Jang Woo-Gyeong, the Nanchang branch leader, speak formally was also speaking formally to Bi Ryu-Yeon. There was only one person who could be referred to as “that person” by Jang Woo-Gyeong, the de facto second-in-command of the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild. He was once known as the Eighteen Swords, but now he was more famous as the “Great Hero,” the rising sun of the escort world, the new star of the Middle Heaven Merchant Guild – Jang Woo-Yang, the guild leader.