Chapter 68: Chief Steward Jang
Tang Tae-san’s gaze as he looked at Jin Seong-un burned with intensity.
As the Great Elder of the Tang Clan, he had seen and experienced countless prodigies.
From those who now held the seats of clan leaders, sect leaders, and alliance leaders of this generation—
Down to the rising masters like Tang So-yeon, who had earned the titles of Dragon and Phoenix.
Of course, even Tang Tae-san himself had once been counted among the greatest talents of the Tang Clan, long before he earned the alias Poison Lord.
But Jin Seong-un was different. That brazen martial artist, who stood there calmly even after cleaving the Heavenly Poison Alliance’s Vice Leader in two, was fundamentally unlike any of the so-called prodigies before.
‘A being beyond common sense.’
Tang Tae-san judged him so in his heart.
Among the countless gifted, brilliant, and genius figures, there were a few who shattered norms and reason altogether.
In this era, there were at most fewer than five such beings.
As Tang Tae-san’s jade-green eyes burned with a mixture of admiration, greed, curiosity, and desire—
Jin Seong-un, sensing that stare, turned his head and met his eyes.
“……”
A brief awkwardness filled the air.
Jin Seong-un had no way of knowing why Tang Tae-san looked at him with such eyes.
After some thought, he spoke.
“It’s over.”
“……I know.”
Tang Tae-san let out a hollow laugh.
To kill the Heavenly Poison Alliance’s Vice Leader at barely twenty years of age, and then speak so casually afterward—
It was absurd, yet at the same time it made him worry. What if some sly old fox coaxed away this boy, who knew so little of Murim’s history?
‘For example, that old man Hyeon-un…’
Elder Hyeon-un of the Wudang Sect was someone to be most wary of. Just from how that old man enjoyed wine, leisure, and settled in Yichang, one could see it.
As Tang Tae-san was mapping out strategies in his mind, Seo Yu-gyeom appeared from afar.
He was drenched in blood from head to toe, causing both Jin Seong-un and Tang Tae-san to show a brief flicker of concern.
But Seo Yu-gyeom only approached with a grin.
“Looks like it’s finished here too.”
At that, Jin Seong-un relaxed.
Seo Yu-gyeom seemed no different from usual.
“How was it?”
He asked in a single question: the level of Azure Wild Valley, whether his killing intent had suddenly exploded during the battle, and more.
Seo Yu-gyeom shrugged and replied.
“Azure Wild Valley is gone. They were just some fellows who knew how to play a little assassin’s game.”
To Seo Yu-gyeom, a former special-class assassin of the Deathshroud, it genuinely felt that way.
In battles between assassins, numbers rarely mattered. With their level, he could have handled not just a hundred but two or three times that number.
“I’m hungry.”
Seo Yu-gyeom rubbed his stomach.
Jin Seong-un nodded. The Merchant King’s Black Wolf Saber Technique demanded that every sense of the body be honed to the precision of a needle, consuming tremendous mental energy.
“Let’s eat out today. It has been quite a tiring day.”
“You get tired?”
“Chef Seo.”
“I’ve only used half my strength.”
“So have I.”
The two bragged. Of course, only one of them wasn’t bluffing.
Soon enough, they began a heated debate about what would be best to eat on such a day.
Tang Tae-san, watching them, nearly laughed himself to bursting.
‘That one is no ordinary man either. If I could make both of them my sons-in-law…’
For a moment, Tang Tae-san’s eyes grew unfocused. He imagined the Tang Clan of Sichuan dominating Murim in twenty years. This was ecstasy itself.
Meanwhile, the two young men finally decided on hot noodles and started heading off.
Tang Tae-san hurriedly stopped them.
“Wait! Where are you going! Noodles aren’t the issue right now.”
“Is someone left?”
Jin Seong-un looked at a fallen sword on the ground as he asked, seemingly ready to pick up another weapon. Tang Tae-san quickly added,
“No, that’s not it. Everything must have a proper conclusion. I mean the Hwa-un Trading Company.”
“Ah.”
Jin Seong-un nodded as if only now remembering.
When they entered the inn, Hwa Yeon-seol leapt to her feet with a tense expression.
Her pale lips were stained with blood. It was the result of entrusting the fighting to others and only being able to pray.
Her defeat, helplessness, and tension were plain to see, which was why Jin Seong-un spoke even more calmly.
“Now it’s your fight.”
Before the enemies had arrived, Jin Seong-un had told her that when their battle ended, hers would begin.
She had to restore the Hwa-un Trading Company from within while also enduring the outside pressures bearing down.
This was not something Jin Seong-un or Seo Yu-gyeom could do. Only she, the master of the Hwa-un Trading Company, could shoulder it.
Now that the Heavenly Poison Alliance and the Deyang Black Path were dealt with, she collapsed to the ground.
Jin Seong-un, watching, allowed himself rare self-praise.
“Good thing I cleaned the floor this morning.”
The inn’s floor was cleaner than most dining tables. That was Jin Seong-un’s inn.
At the Hwa-un Trading Company’s Gold Hall.
Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, Hwa Yeon-seol, and Tang Tae-san sat around a table.
Hwa Yeon-seol offered the upper seat to Tang Tae-san, but he refused, saying he could not act as master in another’s house.
When Si-bi served them fragrant tea and withdrew, the conversation began.
“From now on, the Hwa-un Trading Company will…”
“The Heavenly Poison Alliance, our Sichuan Tang Clan will…”
It was roughly about the future of the Hwa-un Trading Company and all of Sichuan, with Hwa Yeon-seol and Tang Tae-san naturally at the center of the discussion.
Jin Seong-un, after eating a few sweets served with the tea, leaned back deeply into his chair and entered a light meditation.
Running an inn alone was already enough of a headache. The management of such a vast trading company made his head throb just to hear of it.
Still, he thought listening might prove useful someday, so he kept his ears open…
‘I’m a little tired.’
The voices grew distant.
Or rather, his consciousness drifted farther away.
The three others eventually quieted down, as though by agreement.
Then, all eyes turned to one spot—Jin Seong-un’s head, nodding in drowsiness.
They all realized anew that Jin Seong-un was human after all. Always so dry and composed, they thought he never knew fatigue.
Of course, his body remained vigorous. But as someone who had lived all his life as a mere inn boy, things like the Heavenly Poison Alliance and the Hwa-un Trading Company simply felt bothersome and exhausting.
Indeed, Jin Seong-un was just a man barely past twenty.
The three continued their discussion in hushed voices so as not to wake Jin Seong-un.
There was no murderous intent or fighting spirit flaring up, so nothing disturbed Jin Seong-un’s senses.
Toward the end of the talk, Tang Tae-san spoke in a small but resolute voice.
“The Hwa-un Trading Company will be under the Tang Clan’s protection. However, only through the Seong-un Inn.”
The meaning was clear.
From now on, the Tang Clan would protect Deyang and the Hwa-un Trading Company. But the alliance between the trading company and the Tang Clan would only be maintained through the Seong-un Inn.
Naturally, enormous profits and interests would flow through the Seong-un Inn.
Jin Seong-un would become rich just by sitting still and breathing.
Of course, Hwa Yeon-seol agreed without hesitation. She had found it strange that Tang Tae-san’s attitude had been so forceful throughout the talk. Now she realized it was to reach this conclusion.
Even putting aside the advantage of gaining the Tang Clan’s protection, she intended as a merchant to properly repay Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom for their help.
“I’ll do so.”
“The details will be conveyed through the Chief Steward once I return to the Clan.”
Thus, while Jin Seong-un napped, he became the link between one of the Ten Great Trading Companies and one of the Five Great Clans.
Afterward, they turned to lighter conversation. Since Hwa Yeon-seol, Seo Yu-gyeom, and Tang Tae-san all shared the bond of Sichuan, the talk flowed easily.
Time passed.
“……”
Jin Seong-un suddenly opened his eyes.
During sleep, the Women’s Moon Heart Method had naturally circulated his qi, leaving his mind clear.
“You slept well.”
Tang Tae-san’s words went unanswered.
Jin Seong-un was only staring at the door.
Only then did Tang Tae-san realize what it meant for Jin Seong-un to awaken so abruptly.
Soon, Si-bi’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Sa… Trading Company Master. An honored guest has arrived.”
Hwa Yeon-seol frowned.
What guest could be more important than the three before her now?
She was about to politely decline the meeting when Tang Tae-san shook his head.
Hwa Yeon-seol was not without perception; after a brief surprise, she rose.
“Excuse me a moment.”
After excusing herself to the three, she walked to the door.
Seo Yu-gyeom and Tang Tae-san simply watched, but Jin Seong-un stood and walked alongside her.
As though to protect her.
Though puzzled, Hwa Yeon-seol did not ask.
When she opened the door, the tense-faced Si-bi and a middle-aged man were revealed.
The man was quite short, with firm features. His attire was neat, though not ostentatious.
But the brilliance in his eyes was deeper and sharper than any martial artist present.
Recognizing his face, Hwa Yeon-seol, Tang Tae-san, and Seo Yu-gyeom were startled.
“Chief Steward Jang, is that not you?”
Chief Steward Jang.
There were many with the surname Jang who served as chief stewards, but in the world of commerce, it referred to only one man.
The Myriad Gold Manor.
It could be said that all the major veins of wealth in the world flowed through it.
Rumors abounded that it was tied not only with countless trading companies but also martial clans, sects, noble families, the Black Path, the Green Forest, even the imperial court and the Demon Cult.
And the right-hand man of the Myriad Gold Manor’s Master, and his only true friend, was none other than Chief Steward Jang Ji-hyeon.
Chief Steward Jang gave a sheepish smile.
“Haha, I should have paid my respects sooner, but I’m a little late, aren’t I? The Trading Company Master must have suffered much until now…”
“N-no, not at all.”
Hwa Yeon-seol frantically waved her hand.
Chief Steward Jang’s eyes naturally swept over the room.
“My, so the Great Elder is also here. And two heroic young masters as well. If it is not inconvenient, may I join you inside?”
Hwa Yeon-seol looked nervously at Tang Tae-san. After all, his word carried the most weight here.
“Haha, please come in, Chief Steward Jang.”
Tang Tae-san nodded with a kindly smile.
Soon, with Seo Yu-gyeom and Jin Seong-un included, the five sat around the table.
As soon as he sat, Chief Steward Jang went straight to the point.
“I must apologize for not being able to offer help sooner. But as the Trading Company Master knows, merchants’ affairs are often like that.”
Hwa Yeon-seol nodded with a bitter smile. Had the situation been reversed, she too would have hesitated to step forward.
“Instead, I’ve brought something. A small gift from the Myriad Gold Manor. For enduring so much until now, Trading Company Master.”
With a gentle smile, Chief Steward Jang drew a document from his robe and laid it on the table.
Hwa Yeon-seol’s eyes widened.
It was a complete transfer of the Pear Blossom Medical House’s shares to the Hwa-un Trading Company.
This was no small gift. The Pear Blossom Medical House was among the ten largest medical houses under heaven.
It meant that an enormous enterprise was being handed over entirely, with no strings attached.
“H-how could such a thing…”
Hwa Yeon-seol stammered. Tang Tae-san and Seo Yu-gyeom were equally shocked.
Only Jin Seong-un fixed his gaze on Chief Steward Jang. The steward gave him a faint smile and continued.
“I heard there is no proper medical house in Deyang. Beyond trade, this is the Manor Master’s wish that the common folk’s lives may improve, so please accept it.”
Hwa Yeon-seol’s expression grew grave. When fortune beyond reason fell suddenly, one naturally grew wary.
In that moment, Tang Tae-san asked,
“Chief Steward Jang, I’ve heard that the herbalists of the Pear Blossom Medical House are highly skilled. Is it true?”
“Hahaha, is there any doubt? They are personally trained by the Myriad Gold Manor.”
No further explanation was needed.
Herbalists trained by the Myriad Gold Manor—
That said it all.
Tang Tae-san’s eyes lit up. Poison and medicine differed by only a fine line. If they were the finest herbalists, they could as easily be the finest poison masters.
Chief Steward Jang chuckled softly as he went on.
“I swear, we will never demand anything in return for the Pear Blossom Medical House. I pledge it in the name of the Myriad Gold Manor before Elder Poison Lord himself, so please accept it without worry.”
Unconsciously, Hwa Yeon-seol nodded.
In the difficult road ahead for the Hwa-un Trading Company, the immense cash-generating power of the Pear Blossom Medical House would be of tremendous help.
There were easily over a hundred physicians under the medical house. If it relocated to Deyang, money and people would naturally flow here from all corners of the land.
Especially in dealings with the Tang Clan, who always dealt in poisons, there would be great advantages.
As Hwa Yeon-seol was about to affix her seal, as though in a trance, Jin Seong-un spoke in his plain voice.
“But it seems as if you already knew. Sa Ryeong-geuk only just died.”
Before coming to Deyang, the Merchant King had given him advice: never trust merchants too easily.
At first, he had suspected Hwa Yeon-seol, but nothing had happened. Just as he was relieved, suddenly a merchant of the Myriad Gold Manor appeared.
It was too coincidental. Especially when the Merchant King himself had once been the Manor’s founding master.
Chief Steward Jang looked at Jin Seong-un and gave a faint smile.
But to Jin Seong-un, it seemed as though he was not smiling at all.