Volcanic Age - Chapter 34

Three weeks later.

 

Guizhou, Weng An.

 

“Hahaha! Good! Good! Really good!”

 

Lee Ui Chae danced and laughed out loud.

 

He enjoyed the pocket’s weight in his hand.

 

Lee Ui Chae was undoubtedly a successful businessman who merited the title “Merchant King” in the future. He demonstrated his ability to conduct business with no regrets while making money.

 

On the product distribution, the time frame, etc., he was spot on.

 

He obtained high-quality goods for the lowest cost and then sold them for a fair price. Even if it could have seemed easy to do, nobody could have done it. Simply put, The Merchant King was too skilled in this.

 

Shin Do Gyun, the branch manager of Kae An, began to show interest in his abilities and recently handed him a commission.

 

It has been three weeks since he started doing business in Weng An and he had already spread to Kae An. The entire Guizhou didn’t seem to be far away.

 

Aside from that, he also earned money through other methods.

 

The Golden Merchant 

Organizations didn’t only provide provisions but also weapons.

It wasn’t at an impressive level 

yet, they mostly picked up the weapons that were thrown away on the battlefield and sold them to the smithies of Chongqing.

 

After buying low-ranked equipment from the smithies in Chongqing, they went out to the front lines to sell them to the warriors or ronins.

 

There were times when greedy cronies or vulgar fellows from nearby factions aimed for them but they calmly gave up on the idea when they heard that the organization was connected to the branch of Weng An and Shin 

Do Gyun.

 

The only one that could touch the Golden Merchant Organization in Guizhou was the River of Death, which opposed the Murim Association.

 

“Huhihi! It’s money, money!”

 

Lee Ui Chae laughed weirdly and jumped for joy.

 

Money and especially gold filled up his heart. He enjoyed counting money more than embracing women.

 

Honestly speaking, Lee Ui Chae didn’t understand why people fell for alcohol and women.

 

“Smelling or touching is enough with money. Huhu, these guys…I’m dying, dying.”

 

Lee Ui Chae rubbed his face on a mountain of silver coins with enchanted eyes.

 

It hurt a bit but even that turned into a pleasant feeling.

 

“Buhihi, hihihi…”

 

It was madness that even the Blood Sect and the Demonic Sect would get tired of.

 

“Ah, I am greatly indebted to great Master Ju. If it wasn’t for him, I would still be licking someone’s butt.”

 

Lee Ui Chae removed his face from the mountain of silver coins.

 

“I want to pay back that debt but what can I do if he’s not in this world anymore? What should I do, young noble Ju?”

 

He started to speak with fewer honorifics.

 

“Young noble Ju, have an easy passage into eternity. I will send you silver coins for…no, silver coins are a bit too much. He’s someone that doesn’t exist in this world anyways. Then, three pennies? Two pennies? No…even a single penny is too much. How will a dead person use money? 

Let’s just send him my feelings.”

Lee Ui Chae clasped his hands and bowed.

 

“Ju.. what was it? I don’t even remember his name.”

 

Lee Ui Chae completely forgot about Ju, whatever it was.

 

Knock knock.

 

“Who is it?”

 

Lee Ui Chae cleaned up the silver coins and asked.

 

“Head merchant, a martial artist, says that he wants to meet you.”

A warrior that was guarding the door replied.

 

“Does he look like he has a lot of money?”

 

“He looks penniless.”

 

“Did he say that he belongs to one of the Nine Factions, the Five Segas, or the Murim Association?”

 

“He says he’s a ronin.”

 

“Is he famous?”

 

“He’s not.”

 

“Chase him out!”

 

It would have been different before but right now, he didn’t have time to spend on that kind of person. It was much better to find something that was more profitable at that time.

 

“Yes.”

 

The conversation ended.

 

Lee Ui Chae took out the gold coins this time and started to count them. His lips curled up to the point it made people looking at it feel bad.

 

Knock knock.

 

“Agh, what now!”

 

Lee Ui Chae stood up from his seat.

 

“May I enter?”

 

A voice was heard from outside the door but the voice belonged to someone besides the warrior that spoke just now.

 

“Yes, come in!”

 

It was a familiar voice. He wondered if he was a guard that belonged to a branch of his organization.

 

Creeeeak.

 

The door entered and a kid that looked like he had just come of age entered the room.

 

“Uagh!”

 

Lee Ui Chae screamed and fell back.

 

“Yo, you, you are!”

 

Lee Ui Chae pointed at the man with trembling fingers.

 

“You don’t look well, head merchant. Are you ready to raid the treasury?”

 

“Huaaak! It’s a ghost! It’s undoubtedly a ghost!”

 

Lee Ui Chae embraced the money pockets and curled down.

 

“Don’t go killing people as you wish, head merchant.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon smirked and turned to look back.

 

“Come in.”

 

“What about the warrior that passed out?”

 

A kid that seemed to be nine or ten years old followed behind Ju Seo Cheon. He was a kid that looked weaker than kids his age.

 

“Don’t tell me…”

 

Lee Ui Chae’s eyes trembled when he saw the kid.

 

“He’s Zhuge Seung Kye. Do you know about him?”

 

“There are two ghosts! Fall back! I can’t give you a single penny!”

 

Lee Ui Chae was horrified and started to scream.

 

“Is there no one there!”

 

“You are noisy, head merchant.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon slammed the wall with his fist and a small hole appeared with a loud noise.

 

“I didn’t die and I’m right in front of you right now so please be quiet. There’s something I want to talk about.”

 

Lee Ui Chae raised his head slightly and confirmed the hole in the wall. And then, he stood up immediately and acted in a cringy way as if what he had shown until now was all a lie.

 

“Murim said that the Great Master had died but I didn’t once doubt that you would be alive, Great Master!”

 

Lee Ui Chae was really shameless.

 

One news story struck hard on Murim about three weeks ago.

 

The death of a Hundred Experts, the Slipping Water Spearman Yook Dae Rang. And that the one that killed him was the Fourteenth Gallant Sword, Gu Pung.

Experts always attracted attention of Murim and it also became a topic. What happened that day spread like rumors in no time.

 

“But why did you fight?”

 

“Don’t those pirates request toll fees when you cross the Yangtze River? It seems like the kids of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega couldn’t endure their anger and strike first.”

 

“Ho, certainly the future of the Nine Factions and the Five Segas. Mm, right. They are indeed martial artists of the Righteous Faction. It turned out well.”

 

The Nine Fleets of the Water Forest were called chivalrous robbers and guardians but that was all nonsense. In the end, they were a group of bandits that stole others’ possessions.

 

It wasn’t only the people of Murim, but even normal citizens felt refreshed when they heard that news.

 

“But the kids that could be called the future lost their lives.”

 

“That’s unfortunate.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon and Zhuge Seung Kye were treated as missing.

Because of that, the Murim of the Righteous Faction was in an uproar.

 

One of them was a member of the pride of Mount Hua, the Lotus Peak and the other one was a nephew of the family that led the Zhuge Sega.

 

Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega, which were the victims here, were so enraged they almost invaded their enemies.

 

“Do you know everything up to this point?”

 

Lee Ui Chae stopped speaking and wet his throat with tea.

 

“Yes, I somewhat heard it through the rumors but I don’t know what happened after that.”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Lee Ui Chae nodded and continued speaking.

 

“Before Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega could even inquire about anything, the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest justified themselves by saying that it was self-defense.”

 

“That’s a lie. That never happened.”

 

“Most people should already know. That is because the death of the Great Master brought great repercussions, especially here in Weng An. They also heard about the details of what happened.”

 

However, Mount Hua and Zhuge Sega didn’t deny that argument as the rumors had spread as much as they could.

 

It wasn’t only in Kang Ho but most people in the Midlands thought that the group of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega couldn’t endure the injustice of the Nine Fleets of the Water Forest and attacked first. And they were actually being praised for that.

 

However, the position of Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega would become vague if they denied that.

 

It could also mean having stayed silent and allowed the injustice to be done by the pirates.

 

If that happened, they would get criticized so they weren’t able to deny the rumors.

 

Even if Ju Seo Cheon’s and Zhuge Seung Kye’s identities weren’t ordinary, they weren’t at a level where they would consider braving a controversy and avenging them.

 

“In the end, no one could give out an opinion about the matter and it ended like this. The Great Master should also know this but Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega aren’t able to move as they wish because of the other forces of Murim.”

 

The damages they would suffer if they fought against the Nine 

Fleets of the Water Forest head-on weren’t normal. That would be a shattering in the balance of the forces. What came after that would be war aimed at the weakened Righteous Faction.

 

“However, Great Master Ju and young Master Zhuge have returned in the middle of that. Just what happened?”

 

Lee Ui Chae looked at the faces of the two people like he still couldn’t believe it.

 

“We were separated from the group and were washed away to a farther place by the Yangtze River. We almost reached Hubei like that.”

 

It was hard taking care of Zhuge Seung Kye, who had lost consciousness when he had also suffered injuries but fortunately, he managed to survive.

 

“We went south from Hubei to Hunan and then returned here to Guizhou. That’s why it took some time.”

 

“No, why did you return? Hubei is the territory of the Righteous Faction and on top of that…isn’t the Zhuge Sega over there?”

 

“That’s why.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon put on a vague smile and spoke before Lee Ui Chae could say anything.

 

“They would make a fuss if Seung Kye or I got discovered and each of us would have to return to Mount Hua and the Zhuge Sega and get protected. If that happens we wouldn’t be able to come out for a few years. Then, we just have to give up on the treasury of the Three-Eyed Immoral God.”

 

“Ah….!”

 

Lee Ui Chae let out an exclamation.

 

“However…ah, it’s nothing.”

 

The treasury wouldn’t run away but it may get raided by someone else if he delayed anymore.

 

“The treasury may really exist if I look at the lengths he is willing to go to.”

 

He had heard of it about three weeks, no, a month ago but he was still not fully convinced. 

 

Precisely speaking, he didn’t think anything about it.

 

He had unconsciously taken care of things to obtain the commercializing rights of the provisions for the army.

 

But today, his thoughts changed when he saw how Ju Seo Cheon came to find him while keeping it a secret from others.

 

“The reason you brought young Master Zhuge is to take a secret mission? Indeed, the Great Master is really thorough. You got a person and even prepared thoroughly for the plan…As expected of the Great Master.”

 

Lee Ui Chae rubbed his palms and made obvious flattery.

 

“That’s not the case. Seung Kye is a business associate. It will be impossible to raid the treasury without him.”

 

Ju Seo Cheon started to speak about the mechanisms that were installed in the treasury.

 

“Are you positive there is a treasury?”

 

Zhuge Seung Kye presented a skeptical side.

 

“I don’t care if it’s certain or not; just follow me. You wouldn’t desert your life-saving friend, right, little brother?”

 

“Ugh.”

 

Zhuge Seung Kye appeared to have something to say, but he kept his mouth shut.

 

Zhuge Seung Kye was forced to follow Ju Seo Cheon under the premise that he was his savior.

 

Even though Zhuge Seung Kye was unhappy, he continued to follow Ju Seo Cheon because of the debt that was still weighing on his mind.

 

Head merchant, please. Do you feel prepared?

 

Ju Seo Cheon gave a slender smile.

“Great Master, I will obey you.”

 

* * *

Translated by novel multiverse

Edited by Beetlesme