Chapter 172 : Anyway, Trust Me

Jiangsu Province, Nanjing.It was the most prosperous city in the Central Plains, second only to Beijing, where the emperor resided.

To the northeast lay the meeting point of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, to the south Lake Tai, and to the east the estuary leading to the sea—making it a crossroads for all kinds of logistics.

Once the capital of the Ming Dynasty, at the very center of Nanjing stood a massive fortress.

Those who visited Nanjing for the first time often mistook it for a government office, but upon seeing the large plaque hanging over its grand gate, they would sigh briefly and accept the truth.

Myriad Gold Manor, the heart of the Central Plains’ gold veins and one of the pillars supporting the nation.

Inside the deepest hall of the manor, three men and women sat around a round table.

“So then, what happened with the matter in Yichang?”

At the young woman’s question, Yu Won-ho, the External Chief Manager of Myriad Gold Manor, let out a feigned cough.

As the woman’s eyes narrowed, the chief manager sighed and replied.

“Jin Baek-cheon is dead.”

“No!”

The woman let out a cry close to a scream, covering her face with both hands.

They had enticed Jin Baek-cheon after his escape from the Ice Palace, provided him with countless spiritual medicines, and even had his name removed from the martial world’s wanted list.

The cost had been astronomical, and now it was all wasted in an instant.

Taking out a ledger from her robes, the woman, with a half-sobbing face, drew a thick black line over Jin Baek-cheon’s name.

Inside the book were countless other names besides his. They were all either established masters or promising talents that she personally managed.

“Especially Ice Palace experts are hard to replace… What should I do…”

“Ahem, I will send people to investigate, my lady. But… what about Guest Dragon? For now, the Trading Company Master has said she has no intention of interfering in this matter.”

There was only one person the External Chief Manager would address as “my lady.”

Ha Cheong-a, the second daughter of Myriad Gold Manor.

She let out a deep sigh and said,

“If Jin Baek-cheon is dead, then either Guest Dragon is a far greater master than we thought, or there’s another master hidden there we don’t know about.”

“The latter is far more likely.”

Ha Cheong-a nodded.

No matter how she thought about it, it was hard to believe that some later-generation prodigy like Guest Dragon could be stronger than the Ice Palace’s former Grand Elder.

Her words continued.

“Enough. I’ll withdraw from this matter too. Father or my elder brother will take care of it anyway.”

Saying this, Ha Cheong-a turned to the man sitting silently beside her.

He resembled their third brother, Ha Jooyeon, but his build was slightly larger, and his impression far sharper.

The man, holding a teacup, simply stared quietly into the golden-hued tea.

After some time passed—

“What of the competition?”

His tone was as cold and blunt as his expression. He even addressed Yu Won-ho, the External Chief Manager, informally.

Of course, Yu Won-ho never considered this offensive. This man had the right.

“By your order, Young Lord, I inspected the situation myself. Seo Yu-gyeom, the chef at Seong-un Inn, ranked third among fifty chefs.”

“Seems he has good skill.”

“Indeed. That is why the Third Young Master took such a reckless risk.”

“Reckless?”

The External Chief Manager coughed awkwardly and lowered his head.

When the eldest son, Ha Joo-myeong, looked at him as if to urge him on, he continued.

“Seo Yu-gyeom, who ranked third, publicly declared that Seong-un Inn would take the lead in supporting flood relief and restoring the government office.”

“That means even more people will hear of this affair. Guest Dragon’s reputation will soar, while on the other hand, criticism of Myriad Gold Manor will increase.”

“……That is correct.”

Ha Joo-myeong quietly nodded and spoke.

“Attacking them again now would only stir up a hornet’s nest.”

“……Yes, indeed.”

“Then we wait. After all, there are mountains of things besides a mere inn demanding our attention. So… is Jooyeon dead?”

Yu Won-ho flinched for a moment.

The voice asking after his brother’s life was far too casual.

“His life or death has not been confirmed.”

“How uncharacteristically incompetent of you.”

“After the incident, we confirmed that a luxurious carriage departed Yichang heading toward Shuangpanlap, but it was heavily guarded by wanderers, making approach difficult.”

“Shuangpanlap, is it.”

Ha Joo-myeong lightly sipped his tea.

His foolish younger brother always fled there whenever he feared his father or elder brother. He suspected this time was no different.

The chief manager continued.

“Ah, Lee Seowon, descendant of the Lee clan, has become Seong-un Inn’s general manager.”

“……Heh.”

Ha Joo-myeong let out a hollow laugh.

It was not anger at Lee Seowon’s betrayal.

“He was far too good for that fool from the start. To drive away such a brilliant man without ever making proper use of him—utterly pathetic. Likely, that fellow Seo Yu-gyeom deliberately spoke out before the crowd at Seowon’s instigation.”

His eyes brimmed with open contempt for his brother.

Lee Seowon’s actions were indeed outright betrayal.

Yet, this could not be used as justification to oppress the Lee clan. Their administrative expertise had been indispensable to Myriad Gold Manor for generations.

Moreover, their loyalty was said to be unmatched within the manor.

“Enough. What’s past cannot be undone. Jooyeon should have just died on the spot instead.”

Had that happened, the family disgrace would be erased, and publicly, they could use it as justification to move against Guest Dragon once more.

As Ha Joo-myeong expressed regret over his brother’s uncertain fate, the chief manager carefully spoke.

“Ahem, Young Lord. No matter what, he is still your younger brother. That is a bit…”

Ha Joo-myeong’s expression grew even colder.

“Should one be treated well simply for being family, even when incompetent to the point of becoming harmful? By that logic, both the Internal and External Chief Manager positions should have gone to Ha clan members as well.”

In other words: even Yu Won-ho’s current seat was thanks to Myriad Gold Manor’s merit-based system—so he had no right to prattle.

The chief manager gave a shallow nod, coughing.

‘When he was young, at least there was a trace of charm. Now he’s become exactly like the Manor Master.’

Could cold water flow in place of blood through his veins?

So rational and utterly devoid of affection was he that even Yu Won-ho—who was far older and had far greater experience in upper circles—always felt tense before him.

Well, at least Myriad Gold Manor’s future seemed secure thanks to him.

“Then I will see to wrapping up the remaining matters. At the very least, I will ensure the manor’s reputation suffers no further.”

Saying this, the chief manager quietly excused himself, leaving the two siblings alone.

The elder brother was far too cold, while the younger sister’s emotions swung wildly back and forth.

Now, for the External Chief Manager, dealing with the two siblings was even more exhausting than facing the Master of Myriad Gold Manor himself.

The backyard of Seong-un Inn.

Jin Seong-un, having witnessed Lee Seowon’s saber art, did his best to hide his bewilderment and spoke calmly.

“Le… let’s drink some water, rest a bit, and then continue.”

Though he stammered slightly, he thought it was a rather fine performance.

Of course, the moment Jin Seong-un quickly rushed back into the inn, Lee Seowon’s expression fell into gloom.

Jin Seong-un hurried his steps and headed straight for the Martial God Realm. This time, fortunately, the usual scenery awaited him.

“This is serious.”

When Jin Seong-un said this, the Martial Gods stopped what they were doing and looked at him. They, too, knew their disciple had a notably blunt personality.

“For such words to come from your mouth… Could it be that Myriad Gold Manor has moved again?”

The Merchant King asked somewhat anxiously.

Jin Seong-un shook his head and explained what had happened during the brief training with Lee Seowon.

Up until the point of forming his dantian, Jin Seong-un had been confident in his judgment.

Lee Seowon had talent.

But once he actually moved and swung the Straight Saber, his stance was poor and shaky, like a newborn foal’s gait.

“Why is that?”

When Jin Seong-un asked, the Merchant King’s brow furrowed deeply.

As Lee Seowon’s ancestor and the one who had perfected the Black Wolf Saber Art, surely the Merchant King might know something.

Such was his hope, but the words that came were firm.

“I do not know either.”

“Pardon?”

“From the moment I first learned the Black Wolf Saber Art, I was skilled. Even those known as the Three Great Bladesmen of the world praised me.”

“……”

“So how would I know? From birth to now, I have never faced obstacles in learning either civil or martial pursuits. I cannot understand the struggles of the mediocre.”

It was the plain truth.

Throughout history, he alone had reached the peak of both martial arts and commerce.

The Divine Thief, who had been listening, interjected lightly.

“Puhah! And yet this so-called great man lost Myriad Gold Manor to a steward he once commanded.”

The Merchant King stared at him with a stern expression.

Seeing that the other Martial Gods and Jin Seong-un wore similar looks, the Divine Thief coughed and muttered,

“Alright, alright, just a joke.”

“……”

The Divine Thief smacked his lips.

Jin Seong-un then sought advice from the other Martial Gods, but their answers were much the same.

“Well, Seong-un, I would like to help you, but I’ve never even held a sword…”

The Noble Enchantress was a master of inner arts, uniquely skilled only in cultivation methods.

The Divine Thief and Sword Immortal were no different.

“You just do it. Why can’t he?”

“The last time I first held a sword was over a thousand years ago.”

Jin Seong-un’s eyes naturally drifted toward the Blood Demon before hastily averting them.

For fear words like, “Just kill him and be done with it,” might come out.

Yet, unexpectedly, what came from the Blood Demon’s lips shattered everyone’s assumptions.

“His insight must be too great.”

Both Jin Seong-un and the Martial Gods looked startled. The Blood Demon rarely spoke at length.

The Sword Immortal asked,

“If his insight is so great, why then is he so clumsy in wielding the saber?”

They waited for the Blood Demon. The answer did not come quickly.

Since he was one who spoke rarely, Jin Seong-un and the Martial Gods waited with patience. At last, after a long silence, the Blood Demon spoke.

“An answer has no meaning unless he finds it himself.”

With that, he turned his back on them.

“……”

Disappointment was written on their faces.

But as the Blood Demon was not one to spout falsehoods, his remark—that it was because his insight was too great—was bound to be of use.

Jin Seong-un bowed toward his back, and soon the Divine Thief came closer and whispered softly.

“Seong-un, don’t be too shocked when you hear this.”

“Yes, Master.”

“The Blood Demon was once a scholar of the Hall of Worthies.”

“…What?”

He could not help but be astonished.

What kind of scholar in the world looked so terrifying and possessed such power? And more so, one known as the Greatest Demon in all history.

“Come now, didn’t I tell you not to be surprised? If you react like that to his appearance, won’t it wound him?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Puhaha, just a jest. A body immune to swords and blades, how could he be wounded? Anyway, that fellow was a scholar once, which is why he understands the situation of that General Manager Lee Seowon. So trust his words. At least, he didn’t say it was impossible.”

The Divine Thief’s words were sound.

Given the Blood Demon’s nature, had it been impossible, he would have said so without hesitation.

Nodding, Jin Seong-un bowed again to his masters and left the Martial God Realm.

Back in the backyard, Jin Seong-un stood before Lee Seowon and spoke with utmost seriousness.

“It is because your insight is too great, General Manager.”

“……”

Lee Seowon’s face darkened.

He was no child. How could such words be meant to comfort him?

Yet Jin Seong-un, with even greater firmness, repeated,

“Trust me. That must be the reason.”

“Do you perhaps have any basis for that belief?”

“I do not.”

Of course, he could not say it was because the Martial Gods—especially the Blood Demon—had told him so.

His bold reply made Lee Seowon flinch briefly before forcing himself to ask again.

“Then what is the solution?”

“I do not know. But anyway, trust me.”

Lee Seowon pressed his hand to his forehead.

It seemed all too clear he had no talent.