Chapter 29
Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.
A large city based on the Xiang River.
It was always crowded with people, and to merchants, people meant money.
Recently, Changsha, where countless merchants and commoners lived intertwined, had not seen a quiet day.
It was all because of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Green Forest.
Crash!
Several large men barged into a store, smashing everything in sight.
“Hey, do you think you can look down on our Green Forest? Didn’t we tell you not to use goods from the Cheonha Trading Company?”
As a huge axe came up to his chin, the merchant trembled and closed his eyes tightly.
“B-but… we are sellers, if you tell us not to bring in goods to sell…”
“Use the Green Forest’s goods.”
It was an unreasonable demand.
The merchant regretted it.
When the Green Forest first appeared, they dealt with the back-alley thugs who were extorting protection money from the merchants.
For the merchants, it was a welcome relief to save money. That was the beginning.
They didn’t charge protection fees, but they gradually started to interfere in transactions.
What started as meddling eventually turned into coercion.
Their intention was clear.
Do not use goods from Cheonhajang, especially from the Cheonha Trading Company.
To the merchants, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Cheonha Trading Company was the largest and cheapest supplier in Changsha. Most shops had a structure where they bought goods from Cheonha Trading Company and sold them.
But now they were told not to bring in goods from Cheonha Trading Company?
The Green Forest’s solution was absurd.
They had created a new trading company and demanded that it be used.
The goods were expensive, and there were various fees attached.
Nevertheless, some merchants had no choice but to use it.
If they ignored the so-called advice, the Green Forest’s men would come and cause a ruckus like this.
The tyranny grew worse.
A bandit from Inwangchae, Gusan, roughly pushed a merchant.
Crash-!
As the merchant fell, the wooden stall on the street was broken.
Gusan glared at the merchant as if he would kill him.
His aura was so fierce that an ordinary person, not a martial artist, couldn’t withstand it.
“We’re not asking you to take all the goods, just some of the ones you used to get from Cheonha Trading Company through us. Is that so hard? When we chased away the thugs, you called us benefactors, but now you’re ungrateful. Today is the last day I’ll say this nicely. If you bring in goods from Cheonha Trading Company again….”
Gusan tapped his axe with his finger.
It was a small gesture, but it brought great fear to the merchant.
When Gusan and the other Green Forest men left, the surrounding merchants finally approached the fallen merchant.
“Just hold on a bit longer. The Cheonhajang won’t let this go unnoticed.”
The oldest-looking merchant comforted him, and others nodded in agreement.
“Yes, the Lord of the Cheonhajang is no ordinary person.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
To the merchants in the Changsha area, Ha Jinwi was a respected ‘great merchant.’
Changsha had always been a fiercely competitive area due to its large market.
Among them, Cheonhajang had long held the dominant position in Changsha’s market.
The owner, Ha Jinwi, with his kind nature, had established a foundation through the Cheonhajang Changsha branch that allowed small merchants to thrive, attracting even more merchants.
The trust in Ha Jinwi, built over years of experience, was not small.
At that moment, a talkative man slipped in among the people and spoke in a suggestive tone.
“This is top-secret information. Should I tell you or not?”
“Why are you dragging it out? Just tell us!”
As he teased them with his hesitant attitude, the merchants urged him to spill the information.
Though he was a bit frivolous, his information was often quite useful.
Looking around at the merchants who had gathered in a circle, the man finally spoke with a determined look.
“Cheonhajang has started to move to solve the Green Forest problem.”
The merchants nodded with bright expressions at his words.
Some even clapped their hands.
“That’s great news. But isn’t that to be expected?”
“Hey! You should listen to the whole story.”
“What else is there?”
The man nodded solemnly.
“Everyone knows that the Lord of Cheonhajang has a son, right? That son is coming here directly.”
“What!?”
The fallen merchant jumped up and shouted.
The other merchants were equally surprised.
They had expected Cheonhajang to take some action, but they never thought they would send the young lord himself.
This showed how much Cheonhajang cared about the Changsha branch.
“But isn’t the young lord just a young man? The opponent is the Green King, who is one of the Twenty-Four Masters….”
The merchants’ expressions were a mix of worry and anticipation.
***
A carriage driven by the Fist King, Pang Jiyeol, stopped in front of the Cheonhajang Changsha branch.
“I’m not in a good mood right now, so open the gate immediately.”
The gatekeeper’s expression briefly frowned but quickly returned to normal.
“Who are you?”
The coachman rudely spoke in informal language, but the gatekeeper’s attitude remained quite polite.
This was due to the guidance of the Lord of Cheonhajang, Ha Jinwi, who instructed not to judge anyone by their appearance.
“Who? I am from the Northern Pang family….”
“We’re from Cheonhajang.”
It was Eunho, who had already stepped out of the carriage, who interrupted Pang Jiyeol. The gatekeeper’s expression brightened upon recognizing his face.
“Ah, you are the young lord. We were informed in advance. Please come in.”
It was rare for anyone working at Cheonhajang not to respect Ha Jinwi. Since his son had come to solve the problem personally, they couldn’t help but be welcoming.
The carriage entered the manor without any issues, and waiting for them was a middle-aged man with neatly combed hair.
“Young Lord, you have arrived. We have been expecting you.”
“Hmm, no need to wait.”
“You must be tired from the long journey. Please have a meal first. It will be ready shortly.”
Lee Shinbaek, the head of the Changsha branch, smiled and guided the group to the dining hall. Recently, he had been most troubled by the Inwangchae issue.
For the past few days, he had only been able to send disappointing reports to the respected Lord of the Cheonhajang, causing him much distress.
The group’s eyes widened as they arrived at the dining hall.
Contrary to his words, “We didn’t prepare much, but we did our best,” the table was filled with lavish dishes, leaving no empty space.
The table legs even seemed slightly bent under the weight.
Eunho’s expression changed immediately.
“Let’s eat first.”
As Eunho sat down and picked up his chopsticks, Pang Jiyeol was already stuffing bok choy into his mouth.
Lee Shinbaek’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.
‘How dare he eat before the young lord has even started? What an insolent person!’
However, even if he was just a coachman, he was someone Eunho had brought personally.
He couldn’t openly rebuke him.
Lee Shinbaek could only sigh softly.
As the meal progressed, Eunho spoke up.
“What is the situation that made the Green King act like that? I noticed the merchants didn’t look too happy on the way here.”
“Ah, I was going to explain after the meal, but I’ll tell you now.”
Lee Shinbaek seemed to organize his thoughts for a moment before speaking.
“Young Lord, is it alright if I explain in front of your companions?”
Since it was a matter of the Cheonhajang, he was hesitant to speak in front of outsiders.
Seeing his slight reluctance, Eunho introduced his companions.
“First, this is Surin, who gathered the necessary information for this matter, and this is Lee Ryang, who will neutralize the formations of Inwangchae.”
As Eunho introduced each person, Lee Shinbaek made eye contact and greeted them.
They looked quite young, yet their abilities were outstanding.
‘Of course, they must be exceptional for the young lord to keep them by his side.’
Lee Shinbaek nodded and turned his gaze to Pang Jiyeol.
“I see. And the person next to you who safely drove the carriage and assisted you is….”
“The Fist King, Pang Jiyeol.”
Eunho casually mentioned, “Ah, yes. The Fist King, Pang Jiyeol….”
Thud.
Lee Shinbaek dropped his chopsticks.
His eyes and jaw widened in shock. The Fist King? Paeng Jiyeol?
“A-are you referring to the head of the Northern Pang family?”
When Eunho nodded, Lee Shinbaek stood up abruptly.
“It’s an honor to have the head of the family visit us personally!”
Cheonhajang was indeed a large trading company.
However, this was just the Changsha branch of Cheonhajang, and it was rare for the head of one of the Five Great Families to visit.
Moreover, it wasn’t just any head, but one of the Twenty-Four Masters, like the Green King of Inwangchae, who had been troubling Lee Shinbaek.
Pang Jiyeol continued to chew his food and casually waved his hand in acknowledgment.
“Let’s hear the rest of the story.”
At Eunho’s words, Lee Shinbaek regained his composure and began to explain the situation with Inwangchae and the Changsha branch.
It was clear how much he had been struggling, as most of his explanation ended with phrases like ‘those bandit bastards.’
“…That’s how it is.”
In summary, since it was difficult to directly threaten Cheonhajang, they intimidated the merchants to force them to buy goods from them.
And they had killed three warriors of the Changsha branch, abandoning their previous non-violent stance.
“Simple.”
When Eunho spoke, Lee Shinbaek’s expression brightened.
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
“I do. And it’s a very certain one.”
Lee Shinbaek’s eyes were filled with anticipation.
“Isn’t it enough to go to Inwangchae, kill the Green King, and tell his subordinates to get out of Changsha?”
“…”
Lee Shinbaek was momentarily stunned.
The statement itself was shocking, but what was more surprising was that no one else seemed shocked.
The group was already accustomed to Eunho’s way of speaking.
Regaining his composure, he vehemently opposed the idea.
“Th-that won’t do!”
“Why not?”
Why not? If the young lord were to die while causing a commotion at the Changsha branch, who would be held responsible?
It would be Lee Shinbaek, the head of the Changsha branch.
Pang Jiyeol, guessing his concern, spoke up.
“Don’t worry. I’ll go and help, and the Lord of Cheonhajang has also approved this.”
Lee Shinbaek was bewildered.
His trust in Ha Jinwi was nearly infinite, and he knew how much Ha Jinwi cherished his son.
If Ha Jinwi had approved it, there must be some possibility.
Although he didn’t fully understand, it was already approved by the Lord of the Cheonhajang. He had no grounds or ability to oppose it.
After finishing his meal, Eunho stood up and said,
“I’m heading to Inwangchae immediately. Head, gather first-rate warriors and send them to the merchants contracted with Cheonhajang. Make sure those bandits can’t run rampant anymore.”
“Yes, but it will take some time to gather that many first-rate warriors.”
It’s easy to say ‘first-rate warriors,’ but in reality, they were at the level of martial arts masters.
To stop the bandits, they would need at least thirty first-rate warriors.
Even for Cheonhajang, it wasn’t an easy task.
“I’ll help with that. There are many members of our family in Changsha as well.”
The Northern Pang family was known for its strength in the orthodox martial arts world.
If he stepped in personally, he could easily gather not just thirty, but fifty first-rate warriors.
However, Surin interjected as if she wouldn’t be left out.
“I’ll help too. We can also mobilize our people.”
Eunho smiled with satisfaction.
“Then let’s go immediately.”
***
The group moved quickly and soon faced the formation of Inwangchae.
“Shall we break it?”
Eunho suddenly struck the spot where the energy was concentrated.
Bang-!
A huge impact echoed, but only a slight crack appeared.
“Oh?”
It was quite a challenge to his competitive spirit.
This time, he infused his fist with strong energy and struck again.
Boom~!
The explosion was even louder than before, but the formation still stood firm.
“You’re dead.”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
He continued to strike.
The cracks widened, but it seemed it would take a lot more hits to break it completely.
Eunho, now heated, drew his sword.
A sword that could break the sky should be able to break this formation.
At that moment, Lee Ryang stepped forward.
“Let me try.”
Lee Ryang moved around, picking up a few stones with different energies and repositioning them.
It was a subtle difference that only Lee Ryang could notice.
Then he pointed to a few trees and said,
“Could you break those trees?”
“Will that work?”
He said, but there was no one who knew formations better than Lee Ryang here.
Eunho and Pang Jiyeol lightly waved their hands and the trees exploded.
“Good, it’s almost done.”
He took out thirteen talismans from his pocket and laid them on the ground in a pattern symbolizing the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted with a serious expression.
“Urgent Command!”
The talismans on the ground flew up on Lee Ryang’s wind and stuck in the air, as if there were an invisible wall.
Soon, the air around the talismans began to ripple slowly, revealing the hidden large mountain stronghold.
Surin and the Fist King’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“I thought he was too weak to do anything, but he’s quite capable.”
“More useful than I expected.”
Lee Ryang scratched the back of his head and said,
“Did it work?”
“……”
