“Who are you?”

Beyond the bars, a dry, cracked voice was heard.

He looked quite emaciated, with his cheeks and eye sockets sunken in, as if he had been imprisoned for a long time.

“I’ve come to rescue you.”

“M-me? You must be careful! This is no ordinary merchant guild!”

Originally, the Manjeon Merchant Guild was a front organization for the Demonic Cult. As its scale grew, non-Demonic Cult members were also appointed to executive positions, and that was Ji Bok-hyeon.

He, who had been suspicious of the guild’s financial flow, was imprisoned here after discovering the collusion between the higher-ups and the Demonic Cult.

“Let’s make a deal. If I rescue you and your family, can you help me?”

“Yes, I’ll do anything.”

An immediate answer. As expected of a merchant, he was quick on the uptake. But there was one problem.

“But my family has been fed a solitary poison by the Demonic Cult. Even if the rescue is successful, I don’t know if they can survive…”

The solitary poison was a method mainly used by the Demonic Cult to control its subordinates. It was that tricky.

“And I’ve been poisoned with blood poison. They said it was just developed when I was imprisoned, so there’s no cure.”

A method of administering different types of restraints to prevent escape.

It was a vicious leash that prevented one from rashly escaping even if they happened to find a way to survive.

‘But this also means that Ji Bok-hyeon is an important person.’

Above all, I knew people who were second to none when it came to poison. Dang Man-dok-ui and Go Won-tae. Especially Go Won-tae was an authority on blood.

“I can save them.”

At this side’s assertion, Ji Bok-hyeon, who had momentarily harbored hope, continued to speak as if it was a pity.

“Besides, if I can’t save my family, it’s over…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already saved them.”

Thanks to knowing the location of their confinement based on the original story, the mountain keepers had already rescued them.

“What?! Then where is my family?”

“My colleague is with your family. For now, follow me.”

After cutting down the bars with powerful qi, I took Ji Bok-hyeon and traversed the underground passage.

The place we headed for this time was a secret room that could be entered through a secret passage in the basement.

It was a place I had found based on the location in the original story and the arrangement of the formations and mechanisms.

“It’s poison! Step back.”

Although I quickly blocked the mechanism that spewed poison with ice magic, a little leaked out, so I had Ji Bok-hyeon step back for now and put important documents like the ledger and gold bars in a cloth.

Thanks to the heavy haul, the inside of the cloth, which was made of a famously tough material, became so full it was about to burst.

“Let’s go now.”

When I returned to the underground exit with Ji Bok-hyeon, Baek Hasin and Go Du-gyeong were holding out, cutting down the enemies who were coming down to the basement.

“Hurry up, Cheonwu! Those guys are trying to bury us in the whole basement!”

I heard Go Du-gyeong’s shout for a moment. Before I knew it, about two super-peak level martial artists were looking down at this side from above.

I could feel that the beams that were slowly supporting the ceiling were disappearing one by one as the mechanism on the ceiling turned.

It was a plan to get rid of everything rather than have the evidence of their wrongdoing taken away.

‘There’s a reason for installing such a facility in the basement.’

The ceiling of this basement was made of several layers of hard rock and metal. If that collapsed, everyone would die.

Even if they lived, they would be trapped.

‘I’ll break through.’

Kwaaaaaang!

I first blew away the entire passage filled with enemies with a Flame Lightning First Blade Spear.

But as if this wasn’t enough, two super-peak level martial artists were blocking the way on the stairs. Although Baek Hasin and Go Du-gyeong were facing them respectively, it was troublesome for time to be dragged on.

Woooong-!

“Duck your heads!”

I immediately shot a Flame-Wind-Lightning.

Kwaaaaaaaang!

A fusion magic that explodes in a narrow space for a moment. Although it couldn’t inflict a fatal blow on the enemy, the shockwave alone was enough to blow the two away in one go.

Baek Hasin and Go Du-gyeong cut down the guys who had been pushed back for a moment, and we passed through the passage.

“It’s the 1st floor!”

Finally arriving on the 1st floor, we looked at the martial artists who were standing as if to surround us.

The moment Baek Hasin and Go Du-gyeong, who were already exhausted, held their swords.

Ten spears of flame lightning that floated in the air burned all around, piercing the enemies and the surrounding walls.

“Catch the intruder!”

After breaking through the enemy’s encirclement and rushing out, I flew into the air with Ji Bok-hyeon and the other two with psychokinesis.

What was left below were peak-level martial artists at best. Although they were swarming and aiming at this side, they could only shoot arrows and sword qi at best and were no threat to this side.

And even that was blocked by Baek Hasin and Go Du-gyeong’s defense.

“I almost had to use the legion.”

Go Du-gyeong said, floating in the sky. This place was almost swept away by the giant insects. Of course, if that had happened, it would have been an all-out war between the Manjeon Merchant Guild and the Martial Academy.

“Is this okay?”

Just then, I heard Baek Hasin’s question from the side. The Manjeon Merchant Guild was one of the six great merchant guilds. It was a merchant group, not an armed group.

Even if it was the headquarters, if a small elite group invaded with a plan, they could be robbed.

In fact, the truly scary part about them was what came after.

It was obvious that they would mobilize all their connections and funds to find and eliminate us. The grudges of merchants were beyond imagination.

“Don’t worry.”

Because this side also had pretty good connections.

Far below the sky, the Blue Dragon Unit of the Martial Alliance was approaching the Manjeon Merchant Guild.

***

We arrived at the base prepared by the mountain keepers and caught our breath.

By now, the Manjeon Merchant Guild was in the middle of a raid.

In fact, when I had called Go Du-gyeong, I had sent a letter in my name to the Martial Alliance Leader.

‘All that’s left is to show the evidence.’

“Honey!”

On one side, Ji Bok-hyeon was hugging his wife and children.

Behind them, Dang Man-dok-ui and Go Won-tae were sitting. They had just finished the treatment and were both organizing their medical tools.

It was worth it to have called them in advance through the mountain keepers before striking the Manjeon Merchant Guild.

“H-how can I repay this favor?”

Ji Bok-hyeon bowed his head to the doctor and me with tears in his eyes.

“Thank Zhuge Cheonwu instead of me. I just repaid the debt I owed him.”

“This side came because you said you’d give me anything in return. Hurry up and pay the price.”

“Alright.”

I took out a gold bar for each person treated from my bosom and handed it to Dang Man-dok-ui. An amount of at least several hundred thousand nyang.

It was an amount that a decent merchant couldn’t earn in a lifetime.

“S-such a large sum!”

“Hoo, it’s a real gold bar. You’ve earned some money. I’ll let it slide this time.”

To pay this for just one family’s treatment. Everyone had no choice but to be surprised.

Dang Man-dok-ui, who had received the travel expenses, stood up from his seat with a smile. Although it was a pretty expensive price, it was all an intended expense.

“How can I repay this favor!”

Just then, Ji Bok-hyeon knelt down and bowed his head.

“Don’t do that. You are a person who will become a benefactor to me, so it’s natural.”

“That can’t be, you saved my life and my family’s! I, Ji Bok-hyeon! Will follow my benefactor for the rest of my life!”

The guy shouted. One of the reasons for recruiting him first when playing as a merchant in the original story was because of his loyalty.

If you’re smart, you’re also good at backstabbing. But Ji Bok-hyeon was a person who knew how to keep his faith, so he was worth investing in.

After calming down the tearful Ji Bok-hyeon, I brought up the main point.

“I will tell you the future plans. First, follow me.”

And then I showed him the inside of another room where the mountain keepers were guarding. Then Ji Bok-hyeon’s eyes widened.

“This is?!”

What first came into view were the enormous amount of gold bars and bills that had been stolen from the Manjeon Merchant Guild’s safe, in addition to the secret room, thanks to the chaos created by the mountain keepers.

An amount of at least tens of millions of nyang. Of course, even with this, it was an amount that could be used for three generations, but the really important thing was something else.

“Look at this.”

I handed over the ledgers I had stolen from the headquarters to Ji Bok-hyeon. Inside, there was also the business license I had stolen this time.

The guild leader of the Manjeon Merchant Guild had been captured. If his collusion with the Demonic Cult was revealed and he was sentenced to guilt or death, all of this would become a license without an owner.

Investment certificates, transaction ledgers, buildings, land, etc. The real documents were all contained here.

“How did you get this?!”

While we were struggling in the basement, the mountain keepers and Go Du-gyeong’s servant bugs had smuggled it out of the safe on the upper floor of the headquarters.

Since I knew the location of the safe from the original story, it was easy to rob it during the chaos.

“The Manjeon Merchant Guild, which communicated with the Demonic Cult, will collapse in the future. It’s a time when a large number of people in charge and middle managers are needed to take over the vacant business rights. Can you persuade them?”

“Of course! I will prove it with results!”

The middle managers don’t know the fact that they communicated with the Demonic Cult. If we could recruit all the people who had become unemployed in the chaos, we could take over the Manjeon Merchant Guild itself.

‘People are the hardest to get.’

With this, I had secured money, manpower, and business rights. All that was left was the armed force to protect the guild.

‘The mountain keepers are perfect.’

The mountain keepers were enough of a reliable armed force to assist the key figures and protect the property. Reliable escorts or ronin could be hired with money.

With this, the conditions for swallowing the Manjeon Merchant Guild were all met. All that was left was to take everything in the chaos.

“From now on, we will swallow the Manjeon Merchant Guild. I look forward to working with you. Deputy Guild Leader.”

“Yes!”

Ji Bok-hyeon’s resolve echoed loudly.

***

The Manjeon Merchant Guild collapsed in an instant.

Because their communication with the Demonic Cult was revealed through the secret ledger and various testimonies, and their past illegal evidence and collusion, such as with the Seohwi family, were also revealed.

Moreover, among the transactions they had made, there was also an unorthodox faction group.

Since a series of major crimes that were impossible to escape from began to come out, even if they were one of the six great merchant guilds, they had no way to endure.

The Martial Alliance, which had learned that an astronomical amount of money had flowed to the Demonic Cult, was astonished, and soon, all the personnel related to the Manjeon Merchant Guild were arrested, and Shaanxi was in an uproar.

A chaotic period where the giant Manjeon Merchant Guild had disappeared, and a vacuum was created in all the commerce of Shaanxi. Ji Bok-hyeon gathered reliable middle managers and began to expand his influence.

“First, we need to name the guild, what should we do?”

“Let’s call it the Jaejun Merchant Guild, meaning that wealth will grow greatly.”

And so, as soon as the name was decided, Ji Bok-hyeon began to incorporate all the businesses that the Manjeon Merchant Guild had been doing into the Jaejun Merchant Guild.

Although there were problems while clashing with the existing guilds and interests, thanks to Ji Bok-hyeon’s skill and popularity, the vacancy of the Manjeon Merchant Guild began to be filled quickly.

To the point where the Jaejun Merchant Guild, which had appeared like a comet in just a few days, established itself as the largest merchant guild in Shaanxi.

“Amazing.”

While spending a few hectic days, I expressed my honest feelings, looking at the performance reports that were pouring in.

Every single one was an amazing achievement. If it continued like this, the estimated profit for next year would far exceed the annual finances of the Zhuge family.

“It was possible thanks to the guild leader’s support. Is there anything you would like to instruct regarding management?”

“No, I’ll leave the operation to you.”

“I see. Then I will continue to move for profit as I have been.”

After asking about various other major issues and policies, he suddenly asked a personal question.

“May I ask the reason why you wanted to start a guild? I think I need to know the guild leader’s intentions to proceed smoothly.”

The answer was simple.

“I’m going to cultivate some spiritual medicine.”

“Spiritual medicine?”

“Yes. My body is a bit weak.”

Compared to the enemies I would face in the future, that is.

“So there’s someone I want to meet.”

***

If a martial artist has a martial way, a merchant has a merchant’s way.

Since I had become a guild leader, it was better to abide by it.

Currently, I know how to create an artificial spiritual medicine field.

Since I had learned it by watching from the side from the Geummun Merchant Guild, I could have ignored it and just wiped my mouth, but it was important for a new group not to make enemies.

Besides, it would be even better if we could cooperate with each other.

So I went to visit in person. Just in time, to the head of the Geummun Merchant Guild, Geum Mi-ran, who had come out to patrol the northern branch of Hubei, which bordered Shaanxi, to grasp the trend of the Manjeon Merchant Guild.

“Wh-what?! Don’t tell me you’re the owner of the Jaejun Merchant Guild that took over the entire Manjeon Merchant Guild overnight…”

At first, Geum Mi-ran didn’t believe my words, but when I showed her the evidence, including the seal that signified the guild leader, she made a shocked expression.

“It’s not an impossible thing.”

Since I had brought all the major ledgers, manpower, and hidden assets, it was possible. Of course, in a normal case, it was a story that was close to impossible.

When I gave her time to think while sipping her tea, the other side’s answer came.

“The only one who has become a millionaire of tens of millions of nyang before the age of twenty is the Great Hero, no, Guild Leader Zhuge Cheonwu. What are you going to do with that money?”

The opponent who was looking at this side. I said without hesitation.

“Spiritual medicine.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going to create a spiritual medicine field, and I’d like us to help each other. By combining our knowledge and experience.”

After the 5th circle, since the foundation was laid, explosive growth with the help of spiritual medicine was possible.

Increasing one’s mana through training was something only geniuses with just talent did.

Since I had money, talent, and even technology, I was planning to grow with the help of spiritual medicine from now on.

“I understand. Let’s cooperate. Since you’re a talent who has entered the ranks of a future great merchant, no, a current great merchant.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

And so, I came out with a greeting. I was planning to return to the Shaanxi side and watch over the stability of the guild.

Just then, a telepathic message from Go Du-gyeong came with a ladybug.

– It’s strange.

– What is it?

– The movements of the Demonic Cult side that are being detected in the Shaanxi area are unusual.

– Since they lost the Manjeon Merchant Guild, which was their source of money, isn’t that natural? We’ll have to prepare more for retaliation.

What was to come had come. When I immediately came up with a countermeasure, Go Du-gyeong answered in a serious tone.

– It’s not just the Demonic Cult’s tantrum. The surveillance bugs were all defeated in an instant. On top of that, the appearance with a dragon engraved on it. They’re from the Black Dragon Unit.

The Black Dragon Unit. It was a unit with the Demonic Cult’s friendly law, a Transformation Realm master.

– If you can’t win, just retreat. For now, withdraw and wait for support from Huashan or the Martial Alliance.

– But according to the observation of their movements, it seems they are not targeting our side. The direction they are flocking to is not the headquarters or the business sites.

– That can’t be. If it’s not us, is there any reason to dispatch such a force to Shaanxi?

– Strangely, according to the gathered information, the enemies are heading towards the southwest of Shaanxi, that is, towards the Baek family.

– What?!

I was flustered by the unexpected report. Because there was no reason for the Black Dragon Unit to go to the Baek family. Originally, according to the original story.

At that moment, an ominous premonition flashed through my mind.

– I’m returning to the Baek family with all the mountain keepers right now! Please also call the Martial Alliance personnel or the academy’s instructors who might be nearby through other contacts. The enemies are aiming for Baek Hasin right now!

– What do you mean? Baek Hasin is being targeted? Of course, we will follow your orders, but there’s no guarantee that the other instructors will. We need to know the clear reason why the enemy is moving to persuade them.

At Go Du-gyeong’s point, I was conflicted for a moment. Whether to reveal the reason why Baek Hasin was being targeted and get support, or to go to a difficult battle with just the forces that could be operated now.

But I thought of the worst. The worst here was losing Baek Hasin forever.

The decision was short. I urgently sent a telepathic message to Go Du-gyeong.

– Baek Hasin is the illegitimate son of the Heavenly Demon. The Demonic Cult has found out that fact.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep