Jeok Wigang slapped him again.
Hwang Jeseong stared blankly, his eyes darting around as he struggled to understand what was happening.
“D-did you just slap me?”
He glared furiously at Jeok Wigang, only to clutch both cheeks when the searing pain finally registered.
“What? Why is my face so swollen?”
Hwang Jeseong prodded his cheeks in bewilderment. They had puffed up like dumplings.
“Don’t tell me... that wasn’t a dream?”
He muttered as though he had just realized something, then looked at Jeok Wigang.
“I... lost to you?”
Jeok Wigang nodded.
“Th-that’s impossible! I refuse to accept it!”
JOLT—
Hwang Jeseong shot to his feet and lunged at Jeok Wigang like a bolt of lightning.
“Heavenly Soul Unity!”
RUMBLE—
The immense energy pouring from Hwang Jeseong seemed powerful enough to shake the earth.
But—
WHACK—
“URK!”
WHACK-WHACK—
“KEHK!”
PA-PA-PAK—
“S-stop...!”
Hwang Jeseong staggered backward, waving both hands frantically.
It hurt.
It hurt far too much.
The pain was enough to cloud his mind, yet his thoughts remained unnaturally clear.
When he had charged, Jeok Wigang seemed to have muttered something.
At that moment, Hwang Jeseong had felt something enter his body.
That was when his mind had become perfectly lucid.
“Cough! Cough!”
Hwang Jeseong collapsed onto the floor, coughing repeatedly as he stared at Jeok Wigang in horror.
“Still don’t believe it? Want some more?”
Hwang Jeseong flinched and waved his hands desperately.
“N-no. Th-that’s enough. Stop hitting me.”
“You said you couldn’t accept it.”
“I accept it! I do! I believe you!”
“Then use whatever you still have left.”
Hwang Jeseong considered it.
I do still have my final technique.
But would using it let me defeat that monster?
The answer came immediately.
No.
It would only drain what strength I have left and make the pain worse.
“Still thinking about rebelling?”
Hwang Jeseong shook his head violently.
“I didn’t want to become some ordinary Emperor. I wanted to become a Great Emperor who united everything in the world. But that dream is already gone.”
He looked at Jeok Wigang.
“No matter how hard I struggle, I don’t think I could ever surpass you. I’ll give up and live comfortably instead.”
“Good idea.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Why? Do you want to die?”
“Who in this world wants to die? I’m only asking. If you intend to kill me, I’d like a moment to prepare myself. Maybe leave a final testament.”
Jeok Wigang gave a faint smile.
“Just stay here and keep serving as Governor.”
Hwang Jeseong raised his head in disbelief.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Didn’t you say you were an imperial inspector? Can you simply let this go? What happens if I tell His Majesty that you made the decision entirely on your own?”
“I doubt the Emperor would complain.”
“What?”
Hwang Jeseong had become curious about Jeok Wigang’s official position.
“What post do you hold?”
“Grand Tutor Regent.”
“What’s a Grand Tutor Regent? Does a post like that even exist?”
Jeok Wigang grinned.
“It’s directly beneath the Emperor. And yes, I can decide matters as I see fit. My word carries the authority of an imperial order.”
“What?”
Tang Mujin, who had been listening to their conversation, turned to Tang Pae.
“Is there such an office?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it either.”
“Hmm. Then the Emperor must have created it specifically for that bastard.”
“Wouldn’t that mean it is no ordinary office?”
“Didn’t you hear him? It stands directly beneath the Emperor, and his words carry the authority of an imperial order. In other words, he stands below one man and above all others.”
Tang Pae stared at Jeok Wigang in awe.
“Remarkable. He has not only reached the pinnacle of martial power, but also the highest position possible within the government.”
“Martial power? That bastard doesn’t have any martial arts.”
“What?”
“You fool. Did you ever see him use inner qi?”
“Well...”
“He never used inner qi even once here. I suspect he cannot use it at all.”
“What? He’s that strong without inner qi?”
“That’s what makes it so disheartening. We worked ourselves to the bone to barely reach our current realms, while that bastard only needs to swing his fists.”
“And he was not even swinging them at full strength. Poison doesn’t work on him either.”
“Is that all? He appears to use some kind of sorcery as well.”
“What?”
“How else would a man without inner qi create a protective barrier? It had to be sorcery.”
“Are you saying his sorcery is powerful too?”
“Who knows? But since he is the one using it, I doubt it is weak.”
Tang Pae stared openmouthed at Jeok Wigang.
Beside him, Tang Mujin clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Where did a monster like that even come from...?”
“What do we do about the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company now?”
“Ugh. We can only hope Merchant Master Jeok shows us mercy.”
*****
Meanwhile, after acknowledging Jeok Wigang’s superiority, Hwang Jeseong knelt before him.
“I, Hwang Jeseong, senior second-rank Governor of Sichuan, formally pay my respects to the Grand Tutor Regent.”
Ignorance had been one thing. Now that he knew Jeok Wigang outranked him, he could no longer behave carelessly.
Besides, Jeok Wigang was a man he had acknowledged.
He had immense courage, had overlooked Hwang Jeseong’s treason, and had even allowed him to retain his position as Governor.
“Good. I look forward to working with you.”
Working with him?
“What do you mean?”
“You were preparing to raise an army, so you trained not only soldiers but plenty of martial artists as well, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Keep training them. I’ll have a use for them later.”
“What do you intend to use them for?”
“If any strange bastards invade Sichuan someday, stop them even if it costs you your life.”
“Strange bastards?”
“Yes. I’m not sure whether they’ll come looking human or like bizarre monsters.”
Hwang Jeseong had no idea what he was talking about.
“I’ll explain the details later. For now, keep training them as you have been.”
“Do you trust me?”
“No.”
“Then why are you telling me to keep raising them?”
Hwang Jeseong looked baffled.
Jeok Wigang grinned.
“Why? Planning to rebel after all? Go ahead. It should be entertaining.”
He was clearly smiling, so why did Hwang Jeseong feel a chill run down his spine?
One thing was certain.
It would not be entertaining for him.
Hwang Jeseong shook his head.
“No. I’m not doing it.”
“No, do as you please. I clearly told you that you may rebel if you want.”
Absolutely not.
A commotion arose beyond the ruined hall.
“Governor! Are you unharmed?”
The soldiers had finally come running after hearing the disturbance.
How impressively fast.
“Nothing is wrong! Withdraw!”
At Hwang Jeseong’s roar, the soldiers vanished at once.
Jeok Wigang smirked.
“Are you sure you trained them properly? Their response was awfully slow.”
Hwang Jeseong could not raise his head.
Just wait, you useless bastards.
Then another question occurred to him.
Why did he come here in the first place?
“Did you come to stop my rebellion?”
Jeok Wigang shook his head.
“No. I came to clear someone’s name.”
“Whose?”
“Do you remember Hae Jeon, the Master of Delicacies from Sichuan?”
“Ah! I remember him. His food was excellent.”
“Do you also remember conspiring with the Tang Family to frame him?”
Hwang Jeseong glanced toward Tang Mujin and Tang Pae, then nodded.
“...Yes.”
“Post a public notice admitting that you were at fault. State that Hae Jeon, the Master of Delicacies, did nothing wrong.”
“Understood.”
Jeok Wigang looked at Tang Mujin and Tang Pae.
“The Tang Family will issue one as well.”
Tang Mujin frowned but reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. We will.”
Nothing good could come from provoking that monster.
Hwang Jeseong asked,
“What is your relationship with Hae Jeon, that you would go this far for him?”
“He’s my subordinate.”
He had personally gone to such lengths for a mere subordinate?
Hwang Jeseong would never have bothered.
He suddenly envied Hae Jeon.
His chance to become Emperor was gone anyway, but another excellent idea came to him.
Even if he could not become Emperor, he could still become the second greatest expert beneath heaven.
All he had to do was become the strongest person after Jeok Wigang.
When Hwang Jeseong began staring at him with sparkling eyes, Jeok Wigang regarded him suspiciously.
“What’s with that obnoxious look?”
“Obnoxious? Is that any way to speak to the subordinate who will become your right-hand man?”
“What? Right-hand man? Who?”
“I will.”
“Hah....”
“Please accept me! I cannot promise to sacrifice my life for you, but aside from dying, I will do anything you command!”
“I appreciate the honesty.”
Jeok Wigang chuckled.
“Fine. I’ll accept you. But becoming my number two will be extremely difficult. Are you sure you can manage it?”
Hwang Jeseong thumped his chest confidently.
“Hahaha! I simply haven’t fully mastered my martial art yet. Once I do, you’ll see something astonishing! None of your other subordinates will be able to defeat me.”
“Sure. Work hard. There’s nothing wrong with becoming stronger.”
He was useful and brimming with motivation. There was no reason to discourage him.
“Yes! Just wait! I’ll grow stronger in no time and take my place at my lord’s right hand.”
“Fine. I’ll be waiting.”
*****
After taking the Governor of Sichuan as his subordinate, Jeok Wigang returned to the Tang Family estate.
Tang Mujin and Tang Pae kept watching him uneasily.
Jeok Wigang knew perfectly well why, so he addressed the matter first.
“From now on, the True Martial Merchant Company will not deal in any goods handled by the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company. Within Sichuan, we will trade only in weapons. How does that sound?”
“Is that truly what you intend? You’ll sell only weapons?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. Truly.”
They were in no position to protest even if he ordered them to close the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company entirely, yet he was promising not to encroach upon any of its business.
“In exchange, publicly declare that the True Martial Merchant Company and the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company are partner companies.”
“That is something we would rather request from you! Of course we will. Isn’t that right, Family Head?”
“Absolutely! Partner companies! We can announce it immediately.”
“And make certain you pay the compensation.”
“Of course! Now that our companies are partners, we will compensate you twenty times the damages.”
“Can the Tang Family survive paying that much?”
“It will be difficult, but not enough to destroy us. You need not worry.”
“That’s enough. Make it ten times.”
“Th-thank you.”
“And handle Hae Jeon’s matter properly.”
“Of course! Even if the Tang Family’s prestige sinks past the gutter and straight into a cesspit, we will handle it properly.”
Jeok Wigang smiled at Tang Mujin’s words.
“That’s fortunate.”
“What is?”
“If this hadn’t been settled properly, I was going to erase the Tang Family. But now that won’t be necessary.”
To say something so chilling with a smile....
Had anyone else spoken those words, they would never have been allowed to leave. But Jeok Wigang was genuinely capable of doing it, so they remained silent.
“What did you mean by what you told the Governor of Sichuan?” Tang Mujin asked. “You said someone might invade this land.”
“Ah! Have you ever heard of White Horse Heaven?”
Tang Mujin and Tang Pae looked at each other, then shook their heads.
“Never. Who are °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° they?”
“Then you know the Four Divine Demons, don’t you?”
At the mention of the Four Divine Demons, Tang Mujin and Tang Pae ground their teeth.
“We know those damned bastards well. They just had to choose a title that people kept mistaking for ‘Sichuan’s Divine Demons.’ Do you have any idea how much trouble that caused us?”
“That’s right. Half the people who heard of them assumed they had been born and raised here.”
“But why bring them up?”
“They belong to White Horse Heaven.”
“What?”
“I’m told White Horse Heaven has a hundred people like them.”
Tang Mujin and Tang Pae immediately tensed.
“Is that true? Then the ones you said might invade this place are...?”
“A hundred martial artists on the level of the Four Divine Demons.”