Chapter 202 |
Just yesterday I was amazed at how wealthy the Wudang Sect was… Oh god… These Unorthodox Faction bastards, making handkerchiefs from such precious materials with their dirty money.
Calculating how many White Dragon Divine Pills he could buy with the cost of this made him want to grab a spear.
“Come to think of it, I heard rumors that the Unorthodox Faction was invited to this Dragon Phoenix Gathering. Seems it was true.”
“Yeah. The Unorthodox Faction leaders are curious about what’s going on too. I came here representing my master, the Golden King~ Though I’m not interested, I hope there’s something profitable.”
“Something profitable?”
“Brother, you don’t know how much the Righteous Faction secretly uses the Black Market~?”
I know. All too well.
The Righteous Faction was made up of people too, after all. No matter how much they claimed to act on principle, they needed places to handle matters that couldn’t be spoken of publicly.
“Well, what happened to the Wudang Sect was unfortunate, but managing to prevent it was remarkable. I heard you struggled there.”
Sama Hyeon continued, “What do you think your body is? Do you know how many nights this girl soaked her bed with tears because of you, brother~?”
He spoke in that girl’s voice from earlier.
Jin Cheonhee felt chills run down his spine.
“Ah, you froze up again.”
“I told you not to do that.”
“Hehehe. But it’s fun seeing you get all serious~”
Though not as big as Cheon Woo, Sama Hyeon was taller than average. A dark-skinned man. And not just any man – one who knew how to crush someone’s skull with pure grip strength. When such a man acted cute like this, one couldn’t help but get serious.
“I’m saying this because I’m worried you won’t live out your natural lifespan. What do you think you are? A Three Venerable about to ascend? Even a Three Venerable would die young living like you~”
“…”
Jin Cheonhee turned his gaze away and let out a small sigh.
Sama Hyeon narrowed his eyes as he watched his brother’s profile.
Then he took something out from his chest.
It was a folded cloth.
So thin that it was frightening how much it expanded each time it was unfolded.
“What’s this?”
“Heavenly Silkworm Silk.”
Cough…
“…If you’re going to cough, use the handkerchief I gave you.”
Jin Cheonhee hurriedly covered his mouth.
He couldn’t possibly do that to Sir Hundred Silkworm Silk.
He’d just use his sleeve instead.
“Even though it’s this thin, there’s quite a lot here, and since it was woven by a skilled craftsman, it’s really durable too~”
“…What are you planning to do with this?”
“Make some gloves for me. As you know, given the nature of my martial arts, I have to keep using my hands, right? I’m confident in tearing and crushing things, but wouldn’t it be sad if my delicate hands got damaged?”
He was calling his own hands delicate.
Yet his attitude was so confident that Jin Cheonhee found himself unconsciously responding, “Right. Your hands are quite delicate.”
This was a miracle.
After all, the hippocampus in Jin Cheonhee’s brain was currently playing a critically acclaimed showing of how the original Sama Hyeon used to tear off people’s faces.
“And make gloves for yourself with what’s left.”
“…You’re giving me Heavenly Silkworm Silk? A martial arts treasure?”
He was afraid to even ask how this was obtained.
This was from the Black Market. The Black Market.
Still, he had to ask what needed asking.
“How did you get this? Even the imperial family can’t get Heavenly Silkworm Silk.”
“A friend of a friend gave it to me~”
…Back then, when asked how she got such detailed information about the Wudang Sect so quickly, Three Seasons Tiger had also answered that ‘a friend of a friend’ told her.
What exactly was this ‘friend of a friend’ in the Unorthodox Faction?
“…”
“Don’t worry, there’s no blood debt on it. Brother~ It’s been thoroughly ‘laundered.'”
He decided not to ask exactly how it was ‘laundered.’
Sama Hyeon said, “This way we can protect both my delicate hands and your precious hands. Surgical hands are important, right~? Isn’t that so?”
Surgical hands were important.
While this was true for any work, the more difficult the surgery, the more sensitive fingertip sensation needed to be.
That alone could determine whether a patient lived or died.
At those words, Jin Cheonhee looked down at the back of his hands.
Scars still remained on his hands. And his wrist, injured during the last bloody event, still ached when it rained.
He’s making it impossible to refuse.
One shouldn’t refuse gifts that are given.
Though he’d planned to accept anyway, Sama Hyeon was more thorough than expected.
Just how much has this guy investigated?
In any case, Jin Cheonhee’s current weakness was indeed his hands.
And gloves made of Heavenly Silkworm Silk were items that would perfectly address that weakness.
Jin Cheonhee folded the Heavenly Silkworm Silk and put it in his chest. The cloth was so thin he could barely feel its presence despite its size.
How am I going to make gloves with this?
Even though Heavenly Silkworm Silk was blade-resistant and could deflect sword energy, it was still cloth woven with warp and weft threads. It seemed he could sew it by inserting needles through those gaps.
The problem was how to cut the cloth to make gloves.
He could ask Sama Hyeon to have Unorthodox Faction masters cut it, but he was hesitant to rely on them that much.
At least Sword Force should work.
If needed, he could ask his master for that. Knowing his master’s personality, he’d come running barefoot at the news of his disciple wanting to make Heavenly Silkworm Silk gloves.
After finishing that thought, the two went outside. Now that they’d caught up, it was time to eat something delicious.
“Brother, here it’s best to pick various street foods and eat them together.”
“Really?”
“Of course~ The street stalls here are famous. We just need to find a nice table to eat at.”
“Which places look good?”
At Jin Cheonhee’s question, Sama Hyeon quickly began listing stalls.
“Mount Heaven Stall has the best spicy raw meat. Four Masters Stall for lily soup. For skewers, Star City Stall and Ten Thousand White Stall are the best. And Clear Window Stall is famous for their knife-cut noodles.”
“How do you know so much?”
“Brother. Hahaha, street vendors don’t pay taxes. They don’t report to government offices.”
I see. They don’t pay taxes.
Then it was obvious that some of the Golden Blood Chamber’s funds and manpower were involved.
“Ah, but they’re quite strict about hygiene? My master really values food.”
What kind of person was the Golden King?
What did he do?
The more he heard, the more mysterious the man became.
Still, how fortunate that he’s taken such good care of our Sama Hyeon.
Rather than growing up under some strange demon leader, growing up under the Golden King was far safer and more advantageous.
A position where money gathered just by breathing.
He could live comfortably if he wanted.
As they walked together, Sama Hyeon bought street food and analyzed sales while eating.
“Oh, they use expensive chicken here. Wonder where they source it from? But with these prices, the profit margin must be decent…?”
Or he’d say things like:
“Brother, that’s the best spot in the Martial Righteous Alliance. Vendors who lasted a year there opened inns in Luoyang with their earnings.”
“Then everyone must want that spot?”
“Right. That’s why there’s something called premium fees. It’s like a location fee – even for the same type of stall, that spot costs more than most small restaurants.”
“With such high fees, they must need to sell well.”
“Yeah. They have to sell aggressively to cover losses. If the food’s not good, they go bankrupt within a month. That’s why many of our friends take out loans.”
How frightening.
“What happens if they can’t pay back? Sell them as slaves?”
Sama Hyeon giggled at Jin Cheonhee’s words.
“That used to happen, but since slavery was abolished under imperial law, that wouldn’t begin to cover the loans now.”
He hadn’t expected to hear about the twin emperors’ achievements here.
“Then what happens?”
“Usually they were sent to salt farms, mines, or as laborers. Not technically slaves, but living conditions very similar to slavery… there were several such contracts.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“Not illegal, more like… something similar to exploiting legal loopholes. Hahaha, brother, you’re talking about dangerous things. The Golden Blood Chamber doesn’t commit crimes. Officially.”
That word ‘officially’ at the end was quite disturbing.
“You’re speaking in past tense – what about now?”
“I suddenly thought it was wasteful~ Think about it? Being able to cook and sell food for profit requires tremendous talent and skill, brother. Should such amazing people work in fishing and mining industries that don’t suit them…? That’s what I thought.”
He had quite a talent for describing quasi-legal slavery in such elegant terms.
“And then?”
“This time I made a suggestion, and we decided to send them to inns and stalls prepared by our side. We teach them skills there. Not just improving cooking methods, but also managing the establishment, arranging interior furnishings, and even small details like choosing dish colors.”
“You’re letting them earn money?”
“Well… letting them pay off debts with what they’re good at. Isn’t it obvious this way brings better returns?”
After hearing Sama Hyeon’s detailed explanation, this was a concept modern people were well familiar with.
Ch… chain stores?
While human rights were somewhat lacking as this was the Central Plains, there was still a fairly novel possibility that they could both repay their debts and potentially earn additional money if they did well.
“Food ingredient distribution can be handled by merchant groups and courier stations under the Black Market~ Since there’s hope of clearing their debts, our debtors will work themselves to death without being told~ No violence, kidnapping, threats, or injuries – how peaceful~ And management costs go down too.”
I see. If they sold people as slaves or sent them to salt farms or mines, they would certainly try to escape, so they’d need at least one person to monitor and manage them.
It would have to be someone trained in martial arts, working in three shifts.
Even then, slaves would surely try to escape at any opportunity, and guards would have to chase after them, so what about the opportunity costs lost that way?
If either guards or slaves got injured, it would affect productivity.
Jin Cheonhee thought to himself.
Hmm… Long live the Emperor who abolished slavery.
Or more accurately, Emperor’s’. Since they were twin emperors.
Sama Hyeon said, “After coming here and examining the Black Market, I couldn’t understand. Why do that when there’s something sweeter than drugs?”
“What’s that?”
“Hope. Humans are creatures who will stick their hands in a furnace just for the hope of improvement.”
And so the modern chain store system began in the Central Plains.
Commoners who actually paid off their debts and acquired ownership of their shops started appearing.
When shops did well, Sama Hyeon had the Golden Blood Chamber actively inform other chain store debtors(?).
They got up at dawn to work of their own accord.
Something that would never happen at salt farms or mines.
They worked for their children and parents to support, devising ways to sell more.
In the original story, Sama Hyeon had set the world on fire.
He’d pondered how to make this world more wretched, killed thousands without batting an eye, and laughed that only death provided rest in this hellish life.
Jin Cheonhee saved his brothers’ life from such a Sama Hyeon and bound him with a contract to repay three debts of gratitude.
Though unintentional, he’d also risked his life for Sama Hyeon.
And that had changed many things.