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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobt
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“If we let someone escape, it will naturally be reported to the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest. Let me ask you a question. In that case, who do you think will suffer the consequences?” Goo Poong asked.
“Us… no, the Mount Hua Sect?” Jang Seo-eun cautiously asked with an uncertain expression.
Goo Poong shook his head from side to side in denial. Then he turned his gaze to the boatman.
“It’s this old man.”
“Pardon?” Jang Hong had a confused expression, as if he couldn’t understand.
“As long as we don’t provoke the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest, they won’t bother us either. Even if we kill a small number of water bandits, they won’t seek revenge. However, their resentment will be directed towards the boatman who carried us across the Yangtze River.”
“But what fault does the boatman have?” Jang Seo-eun asked, as if it was absurd.
“It’s not about right or wrong. It’s just their way of venting their anger. The Water Forest Nine Strongholds, no, the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest, don’t belong to the murim for nothing. They are such bastards.”
The Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest were neither guardians nor martial artists who valued honor. Even the unorthodox sects didn’t accept them. They were just a group of bandits.
“Unless we are willing to take responsibility for the boatman’s life, it’s better to leave them alone. Furthermore, if rumors about this incident spread, the boatmen will recognize our faces and refuse to let us board their boats. Because the retaliation of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest will follow.”
“Huh…” Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun couldn’t say a word, as if the shock hadn’t worn off, and they drooped their shoulders.
“I know, no, we all know that it’s wrong. But sometimes, there are unavoidable situations. From now on, whenever you venture into the murim, you will face such unreasonable situations. When that time comes, remember today’s events and think carefully before acting,” Goo Poong said.
“Hah, there are truly many people to save,” Joo Seo-cheon inwardly exclaimed, listening to Goo Poong’s teachings.
High-level experts had a strong sense of self-importance. It was even more so for those at the transcendent level. It wasn’t that common to speak about this way of thinking without any resentful emotions.
For reference, Fourteen Sword Hero Goo Poong also died a few years later as a victim of the age of war. It was a regrettable event.
If the future changed with this life, Joo Seo-cheon thought he would like Goo Poong to survive as well.
“For such incidents not to occur, the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest would have to disappear. However, as you know, their scale and power are by no means small. Perhaps not only the Mount Hua Sect but also the Wulin Alliance would have to take action. But even that is not appropriate. Do you know why?” Goo Poong asked.
Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun didn’t answer. They both seemed to know something but had expressions of reluctance to speak.
Goo Poong quietly sat and waited for a response.
Unable to bear it, Joo Seo-cheon stepped forward and spoke, “It’s because the balance will collapse.”
“Explain in detail,” Goo Poong said.
Before the age of war, the martial arts world still maintained peace. It was because the forces were in perfect balance.
The orthodox Wulin Alliance and the unorthodox Devil Realm River.
The two demonic forces, the Demon Cult and the Blood Cult.
The power of the four forces was roughly equal. Therefore, none of them could easily make a move.
Since the difference in strength was similar, even if they won, the damage would be significant. In that situation, if the other two forces joined hands, they could easily wipe out the remaining force.
If the Wulin Alliance lost its strength by fighting the Eighteen Strongholds of the Bandit Forest as enemies, it would be a similar situation.
The other three forces could join forces and instantly turn the weakened Wulin Alliance into a field of slaughter.
There was really nothing they could do.
“You know it well. And I think you two also know it. You just don’t want to say it out loud,” Goo Poong said, staring at Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun. As if his words were true, the two silently nodded in agreement.
No matter how unavoidable it was, they couldn’t bear the fact that they had to stay still when the bandits were right in front of their eyes.
They were at an age when they valued justice and were overflowing with vigor. It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand.
“I don’t mean to say I don’t understand your ideals, but the reality of the murim is particularly cruel. Think about it carefully,” Goo Poong said with a smile. That smile seemed somehow bitter. It was the smile of an adult who had abandoned his dreams and compromised with reality.
* * *
The boat reached the port. The group had safely crossed the Yangtze River. They didn’t encounter any water bandits.
Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun still had thoughtful expressions.
Seeing that, Joo Seo-cheon inwardly laughed.
“It reminds me of the past. I was like that too once.”
He had thought that it would be enough to just practice justice.
However, he was greatly shocked to learn that greater harm would occur because of that justice.
The two of them were like that now. They had been talkative since the departure, but now they looked troubled and lost in thought.
“Hmm, you seem to be unaffected,” Goo Poong said, looking at Joo Seo-cheon curiously.
At those words, Joo Seo-cheon felt a sense of alarm. While looking at Jang Hong and Jang Seo-eun, he had been immersed in memories and hadn’t managed his expression.
Earlier, on the boat, he had somehow acted while thinking about other things, but now his acting had loosened.
Joo Seo-cheon pondered for a moment and then answered Goo Poong’s words.
“Didn’t you know that I had gone outside Mount Hwa when I was young?”
“Ah, it seems like something happened at that time,” Goo Poong said.
“Yes, I was shocked in advance by that incident, so I’m less affected now,” Joo Seo-cheon said, laughing awkwardly and scratching his head.
The group had just passed Chongqing and set foot on the land of Guizhou.
“Finally, Guizhou,” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
Although they had just arrived in Guizhou, it wasn’t their final destination. The place they had to go was Kaiyang.
“From today onwards, we won’t use lightness skills,” Goo Poong said.
The territories of the orthodox and unorthodox sects in Guizhou changed several times a day. It was a land of chaos.
The Wulin Alliance and the Devil Realm were not at war, but Guizhou was different. Fights of various scales always broke out.
Using lightness skills consumed a lot of internal energy, so if they encountered enemies by mistake, it could be dangerous.
Therefore, they decided to stop training in lightness skills and footwork and walk to Kaiyang.
“Guizhou!” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
If it weren’t for the group, he would have shouted in an excited voice.
There was someone he had business with, no, someone he had to find in Guizhou.
The secret treasury of the Three-Eyed Divine Thief.
He had been racking his brain to obtain the treasures sleeping in this secret treasury.
He had established and revised plans according to his memories, maximizing his recollection. That period had been almost three years.
The plan required the help of a few people. And one of them was presumed to be in Guizhou now.
“Merchant King, Lee Yi-chae!” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
It was a name that was not yet known, but in the future, he would rise to the position of the best merchant in the Central Plains.
Originally, he was just an insignificant grain merchant, but around the time the age of war began, his life took a dramatic turn.
Lee Yi-chae was a very greedy person. During the age of war, he accidentally formed connections with martial artists.
And from those martial artists, he obtained a small amount of information about the turmoil and traveled to isolated areas to sell military provisions.
Fellow merchants clicked their tongues, saying that Lee Yi-chae didn’t know if his life was precious, but the value of his life was sufficient.
With this incident as a turning point, Lee Yi-chae quickly amassed a large amount of money like a rake and expanded his wealth and merchant group.
Originally, Lee Yi-chae had a talent for money that could be described as a gift from the heavens.
Until now, he had little capital and bad luck, but once an opportunity came, he grew frighteningly through it.
“The Merchant King must never be turned into an enemy. That money-grubber must be brought to my side,” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
Lee Yi-chae belonged neither to the orthodox nor the unorthodox sects. From beginning to end, he was a merchant, and his ideology was terrifying.
The orthodox and unorthodox sects. Even the demonic forces and the unidentified forces that had not yet revealed themselves.
Lee Yi-chae used them all as a means of making money from the beginning to the end of the age of war. He was on no one’s side.
The level of his guts was not ordinary. Who would dare to do business with the entire martial arts world as the target? He wasn’t called the Merchant King for nothing.
“There was even a saying that the winner of the turmoil was the Merchant King,” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
Lee Yi-chae’s insignificant Geum-ui Merchant Group made numerous profits through the age of war.
And when all the wars ended, the Geum-ui Merchant Group became the number one merchant group in the world, dominating the hard-earned peace.
As for how much wealth and money he had, there was a joke that he could buy the world with money.
“His ability goes without saying. If I entrust the treasures to the Merchant King, he will manage them for me. Above all, the fact that he is someone I can trust and leave them with is particularly important,” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
Even if he entrusted the treasures of the secret treasury to someone, there was a possibility of them running away. But not Lee Yi-chae.
Merchants had a saying, “Without trust, it’s like death.”
It meant that if there was no trust, it was the same as being dead.
To that extent, mutual trust was essential for merchants. If that trust was broken, no one would want to deal with them.
The reason Lee Yi-chae was able to rise to the position of the Merchant King was not only because of his abilities but also because he always kept his trust.
If you just gave him money, the most trustworthy person in the world was Lee Yi-chae. However, on the contrary, if there was no money, he couldn’t be trusted.
In other words, if it was a beneficial relationship, there was no one as reliable as the Merchant King. However, if it was the opposite, regardless of the presence or absence of trust, it was questionable whether there would even be an opportunity to have a conversation with the Merchant King.
In fact, Joo Seo-cheon had only seen Lee Yi-chae’s face a few times when he visited the Mount Hua Sect, but he had never had a conversation with him.
When he came in person, Joo Seo-cheon was an insignificant martial artist.
By the time Joo Seo-cheon became one of the Five Elders of Mount Hua, Lee Yi-chae had become such a big shot that he sent people below him instead of showing up in person.
Joo Seo-cheon looked forward to meeting Lee Yi-chae and put strength into his steps heading towards Guizhou.
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