Episode 82: The Road Home (1)
Light Novel: Volume 4 Chapter 3
Manhwa: Chapter 67
Chapter 3. The Road Home (1)
“This should be enough, right?”
“That amount is far from enough. Supplies consumed at the front lines each day amount to about twenty cartloads. With the current stockpile, we’d struggle to last even two months. We need at least twenty thousand gold nyang per month.”
“But it’s unreasonable for the Ten Thousand Merchant Union to shoulder all those costs alone. Doesn’t the Jade Heaven Alliance have its own merchant group? I don’t understand why they’re pushing all the burden onto us.”
“Are you serious?”
At Lim Sobo’s provocative question, the young man sitting across from her slightly furrowed his brows. It was proof that he felt uncomfortable with Lim Sobo.
A sharp glint flickered in Lim Sobo’s eyes before vanishing.
‘Got him.’
The name of the young man in front of her was Eun Il-myeong. In the Jianghu, he was known as the Ten-Thousand-Gold Young Master.
He was the eldest son of Eun Won-ho, the Supreme Leader of Ten Thousand Merchant Union, and proudly held one of the seats among the Ten Young Heavens.
He was conducting negotiations with Lim Sobo and Woon Dae-yeon on behalf of his father, Eun Won-ho.
In truth, Woon Dae-yeon hadn’t done much. He merely sat beside Lim Sobo, showing his presence. The actual negotiations were entirely handled by Lim Sobo.
Whether it was Eun Il-myeong, whose bones were hardened from years in the world of commerce, or Lim Sobo, who had learned strategy from the military genius Yeo Jung-wol—neither was an easy opponent.
Lim Sobo aimed to extract as much as possible, while Eun Il-myeong sought to minimize losses. The two had negotiated fiercely without yielding even an inch over the past few days.
Woon Dae-yeon, who watched their negotiations from the sidelines, felt extremely exhausted.
‘I’d rather pick up a sword and fight.’
Their three-inch tongues were sharper and more poisonous than most martial artists’ blades. And yet, they never crossed the line of basic etiquette.
Unlike the beginning, Woon Dae-yeon now wore a thoroughly weary expression. Lim Sobo, on the other hand, was still brimming with energy.
The negotiations between the two, which had seemed like they would run parallel forever, were finally approaching their end.
Lim Sobo maintained a confident demeanor, as if she could continue negotiating all day, while Eun Il-myeong could no longer hide his exhaustion. Even Woon Dae-yeon, who hadn’t been directly involved in the negotiations, could easily tell who had the upper hand.
In the end, Eun Il-myeong threw up his hands in surrender, his expression saying he had given up.
“Phew! Fine. We’ll shoulder twenty thousand gold nyang per month. But in return, as agreed, we get the distribution rights to the black salt currently circulating through your side. Deal?”
“Hehe! Deal.”
Only then did Lim Sobo break into a bright smile, while Eun Il-myeong shook his head in disbelief.
“What a little devil you are.”
“You’re not offended, are you, brother?”
“What’s there to be upset about? Negotiation is business, after all.”
“I knew you’d say that.”
“Still, next time, go easy on me. You pushed so hard I could barely breathe.”
“You seemed to be breathing just fine. Even now, there’s no issue, is there? Heehee!”
At Lim Sobo’s cheeky remark, Eun Il-myeong let out a snort and turned to Woon Dae-yeon.
“Brother Woon! Next time you come, please leave that little devil behind.”
“Haha! If only I had that kind of say. In any case, I’m just glad this boring negotiation is finally over. I thought I was going to get a boil on my butt from sitting around doing nothing.”
“You’re complaining about that? I’ve stayed seated for ten days straight without budging before. For people like us who count money, this type of thing is just routine.”
“Well, I’m not a merchant, so cut me some slack.”
At Woon Dae-yeon’s light-hearted reply, Eun Il-myeong smiled.
In truth, the two had hardly known each other before coming here. Eun Il-myeong had always been too busy handling the affairs of the Ten Thousand Merchant Union in place of his father, Eun Won-ho, while Woon Dae-yeon rarely left the Jade Heaven Alliance.
Their personalities and positions were completely different, but they got along surprisingly well. By now, they had become quite close.
Woon Dae-yeon asked Lim Sobo,
“Now that the negotiations are over, shall we have a drink?”
“Of course.”
“Let’s go, Brother Eun! Let’s drink all the liquor we’ve been denied these past few days.”
“Haha! Let’s do that. My throat’s been parched anyway so just perfect timing.”
With Lim Sobo’s approval, the two men slung their arms over each other’s shoulders and headed outside.
Now, they would finally indulge in all the drinking they had held back for the past few days.
“Men, honestly…”
Lim Sobo shook her head in disbelief.
With a weary expression, she thunked her forehead down on the table.
In truth, she was thoroughly exhausted.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her mouth was as dry as a drought-stricken field.
Her mind felt like mush as it was completely blank. That’s how much mental energy she had exhausted over the past few days.
Still resting her head on the table, Lim Sobo turned her gaze toward the door through which the two men had exited.
“Come to think of it, were those two always that close? It’s odd that Brother Il-myeong gave in so easily…”
In fact, she had been prepared to negotiate for a few more days.
Given that her opponent was Eun Il-myeong, she expected it would take that long to reach the optimal agreement.
She felt that something was off, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Lim Sobo suddenly shook her head vigorously.
“Forget it! I’m not going to think about it anymore.”
No matter how brilliant her mind, she was still just a young girl. It was impossible for her to expend any more mental energy.
Suddenly, Lim Sobo raised her head.
Someone she missed came to mind.
“Hehe!”
A smile crept onto her lips.
Lim Sobo immediately stood up and left the main hall.
The place she headed for was the quarters of Squad 13.
“Huh? Lady Lim!”
“Are the negotiations finally over?”
Ki Jinhwi and Seok Yi-cheon lit up at the sight of her.
Just the fact that Lim Sobo had come here was proof that the long, uncertain wait was finally over.
Lim Sobo nodded and glanced around the inner courtyard of the lodging.
Everyone was there but the two she wanted to see were missing.
“Where are Brother Gwak and Brother Cheon-wol?”
“Gwak went out and hasn’t returned yet, and Cheon-wol is holed up in his room.”
“Do you know where Brother Gwak went?”
“No, ma’am!”
“Hm…”
At Seok Yi-cheon’s reply, Lim Sobo briefly furrowed her brows. But soon, she cleared her mind and briskly walked toward Cheon-wol’s room.
She was curious about Lee Gwak’s whereabouts, but it wasn’t as urgent as seeing Cheon-wol.
Lim Sobo knocked on Cheon-wol’s door.
“Brother!”
* * *
“Huff! Huff!”
Lee Gwak lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
His entire body was a wreck. His clothes were torn to shreds, and there were bloodstains everywhere.
The training ground where Lee Gwak lay had been reduced to ruins. The blue flagstones that had once covered the ground were shattered and overturned, and deep craters could be seen pitted throughout the area.
These were the scars left behind by his duel with Mo Yong-shin.
Right in front of him, Mo Yong-shin was staring down at Lee Gwak with a look of utter disbelief. A long cut ran across Mo Yong-shin’s shoulder. Though it had only slightly torn the muscle and hadn’t reached bone or nerves, Mo Yong-shin still couldn’t hide his shock.
It had been a very long time since anyone had managed to injure him.
By an objective measure, Lee Gwak’s martial arts were far inferior to his own. It was impressive that he had reached such a level through solitary effort, but compared to the top young talents from the prestigious sects of the Jianghu, there was still a significant gap.
However, Lee Gwak possessed a fearsome fighting spirit that the other young masters lacked. He approached his opponent without fear of getting hurt.
Even Mo Yong-shin found that relentless aggression exhausting.
Still, no matter how recklessly brave one was, it was difficult to overcome the significant difference in martial arts skills.
That was why, in the early stages of the duel, Mo Yong-shin had taken things a bit lightly. However, as the match went on, Lee Gwak’s blade became increasingly sharper, frighteningly so, and became more adept at exploiting blind spots.
Lee Gwak absorbed real combat experience from his fierce duel with Mo Yong-shin at an astonishing pace, like a sponge soaking up water.
This was the moment Lee Gwak had always dreamed of.
Because he had trained in martial arts alone, he never had the chance to fight anyone else. He’d never had the opportunity to objectively assess his own abilities.
So for Lee Gwak, this duel with Mo Yong-shin was the chance he had long yearned for. And he had no intention of letting it slip away.
Lee Gwak unleashed every single form of the Eight Sects Sword Art.
And as expected of a renowned master of Jianghu, Mo Yong-shin parried each attack with composure. Then after having confirmed and grasped his opponent’s true strength, Lee Gwak found no reason to hesitate any longer.
So, he went all out.
He poured everything he had cultivated through sheer effort into his attacks on Mo Yong-shin.
With every technique he unleashed, he gained new insights. With every counter from Mo Yong-shin, he confronted his own shortcomings. He adjusted his forms in the moment with new realizations and then struck again.
In that moment of combat with Mo Yong-shin, Lee Gwak felt true freedom.
The countless restrictions that had bound him within the Jade Heaven Alliance were nowhere to be found here.
Lee Gwak had stepped beyond his limits in this battle.
As befitting the head of the Heavenly Control Escort Agency, Mo Yong-shin’s martial arts had surpassed the peak and stood near the absolute realm. He stood at the brink of a precipice, just one opportunity or moment of insight away from crossing the final barrier.
His sword techniques were unbound by form and moved with complete freedom. Such unrestrained swordsmanship revealed a whole new world to Lee Gwak.
A world entirely different from where he stood—a world only true masters could enter.
After a long bout with Mo Yong-shin, at some point, Lee Gwak’s vision opened wide. And his ears as well.
Wuuung!
The cry of the blade rang out clearly.
Lee Gwak responded to the call of the blade and fell into a state of self-forgetfulness.
He no longer knew what techniques he was using. He just let his body be guided by the blade.
A giant snake pierced his spine and flowed through his major meridians, supplying Lee Gwak, flooding him with overwhelming power, while a smaller snake moved to open his Mind’s Eye.
Through his duel with Mo Yong-shin, Lee Gwak took one step further. Another leap forward in his martial path. Thanks to that, he pushed Mo Yong-shin to the extreme, far beyond what the latter had anticipated.
Because of this, Mo Yong-shin forgot all intentions of holding back his internal energy and responded with full force.
As a result, Lee Gwak collapsed with countless wounds. Yet he didn’t even feel the pain of those injuries. That was how much joy he had felt in the fight against Mo Yong-shin.
Once his breathing had settled somewhat, Lee Gwak stood and clasped his fists toward Mo Yong-shin.
“I am truly grateful for you granting me this duel and for your restraint in your strikes. I will never forget this grace.”
“No need! I too gained much clarity today. Just knowing that a junior is rising so fiercely from a place I could not see, that alone is enough. It was stimulating. I’ll be training even harder from now on.”
“I’m grateful that you see it that way.”
“You were truly impressive.”
Mo Yong-shin patted Lee Gwak on the shoulder.
Goosebumps still hadn’t left his body. That was how much his battle with Lee Gwak had left such a deep impression on him.
Lee Gwak’s final strike had been genuinely chilling. Mo Yong-shin felt like he was facing death, and had to counter with all his might.
Thanks to that, he came away with only a cut to the shoulder—otherwise, the wound could have been far worse.
His hands were still trembling.
Part of it was the thrill and exhilaration of having fought a proper battle for the first time in ages, but it was also proof of how much tension he had felt.
It felt like there was something more to Lee Gwak—something beyond what had been revealed. It was just that Mo Yong-shin’s own abilities weren’t enough to draw out everything Lee Gwak had within him.
That was his only regret.
Suddenly, one person came to mind.
‘If only Il-myeong had even half that passion…’
Eun Il-myeong, the young leader of the Ten Thousand Merchant Union, was a talent recognized by the entire world.
His natural gift for martial arts was so extraordinary and astounding that he could imitate any difficult technique after seeing it only a few times.
Because his talent for martial arts was so great and overwhelming, he had never shown much enthusiasm for it. This was because he could achieve incredible results with just a little effort. Moreover, thanks to the immense support of the Ten Thousand Merchant Union, he had been able to train to near perfection without ever facing any real obstacles.
In fact, since becoming one of the Ten Young Heavens, he had not dedicated himself seriously to martial arts. Instead, he found greater enjoyment in increasing the wealth of the Ten Thousand Merchant Union and focused on that.
That was why Mo Yong-shin had always felt disappointed in him and why he admired Lee Gwak’s determination all the more.
‘Only those who feel thirst will dig with all their strength to reach the well.’
Mo Yong-shin believed that Lee Gwak was such a man.
“You are truly remarkable. There are not many people in the world who have reached this level of martial skill through their own effort alone. However, you still have a long way to go as you’re still lacking in many ways. Are you aware of that?”
“Yes!”
“It’s something I’d like to help with… but it’s beyond my ability.”
If Lee Gwak had chosen to leave the Jade Heaven Alliance and join the Ten Thousand Merchant Union, Mo Yong-shin would have done whatever it took to accept him as his disciple. However, knowing that Lee Gwak had flatly rejected Lee Shin-chung’s offer, he let go of that desire.
‘It’s a shame, but I’ll have to be satisfied with just polishing a little bit of raw talent.’
Mo Yong-shin felt it was enough that he had contributed, even slightly, to Lee Gwak’s growth.
“I pray that one day, a great master will appear and guide you on the right path.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Gwak bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
To Mo Yong-shin, it may have been nothing more than a fleeting moment of interest and entertainment but for Lee Gwak, it was an invaluable experience, something unlike anything he had ever gone through before.
And Lee Gwak knew instinctively.
From this day forward, he would grow by leaps and bounds.
Mo Yong-shin patted Lee Gwak on the shoulder again.
“I’ll keep your achievement a secret just between us.”
“Sir?”
Eun Kwang-ho and Lee Shin-chung may have vaguely sensed that Lee Gwak was strong, but they didn’t know the full extent of his power.
The only one who fully understood Lee Gwak’s true capabilities was Mo Yong-shin. And the fact that he would keep it confidential was something Lee Gwak was deeply grateful for.
“It is an honor to meet such a talented and remarkable junior. Come, let’s share another drink and celebrate this camaraderie.”
“Yes, sir!”
That night, Lee Gwak drank with Mo Yong-shin until the morning light.
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