Chapter 604
Sea Gate City quickly returned to its original form.
As if to confirm the rumor that nothing is impossible with a substantial amount of gold, everything that had collapsed was rebuilt.
The streets regained their former appearance, and the mansions that had burned or fallen were rebuilt anew.
Although the dead could not be resurrected, the appearance had, in any case, been restored to its former state.
It was thanks to the massive amount of gold released by the Sea Dragon Manor.
Once Sea Gate City had stabilized somewhat, many ships began to arrive again.
The docks were filled with numerous ships waiting to unload goods, and merchants flocked to buy them. But they were frustrated by the inability to find enough laborers.
In response, Sea Dragon Manor directly hired the workers of the collapsed Red Turban Association to help.
"Send the goods from this ship to the first warehouse."
"This one goes to the third warehouse."
A middle-aged manager of the Red Turban Association skillfully organized the workers and designated warehouses for storage.
He was a master of his craft.
Thanks to him, the merchants could breathe a sigh of relief.
A bearded old man, unable to contain his admiration spoke,
"What a man. I wish I could recruit someone like him."
The man was Yu-mugun.
He was the owner of Seven Stars Trading Company, a trading company based in Henan province.
Today was the day that the Seven Stars Trading Company's ship was scheduled to arrive at Sea Gate City. Yu-mugun was such a passionate man that when he was a young man, he pioneered the route to the Western Sea on his own boat.
Thanks to his hard work as a young man, he had secured a stable source of supplies in the west and operated a ship that sailed regularly.
When he first heard of the turmoil in Sea Gate City, he had many worries. Concerns about whether they would be able to unload the cargo and ensure the safety of the ships kept him awake at night. However, after a personal visit, he found that the security and labor situation in Sea Gate city was surprisingly good.
All of this was thanks to Sea Dragon Manor and the middle-aged man who was in charge of everything there.
The middle-aged man, who was not highly regarded in the Red Turban Association, was now able to fully display his abilities under Sea Dragon Manor.
His ability was so remarkable that Yu-mugun even thought of recruiting him. But he knew better than to casually poach someone from Sea Dragon Manor, as he might face some disadvantages, so he had to endure.
Meanwhile, it was Seven Stars Trading Company's turn to unload their cargo.
The middle-aged man allocated workers.
"Send the goods from this ship to the seventh warehouse. Inspect them and deliver them to the Seven Stars Trading Company."
"Yes!"
The workers answered and leaped onto the ship.
Soon, they unloaded the cargo that had been loaded from the west.
The merchants of Seven Stars Trading Company watched with wide eyes to make sure the cargo was unloaded properly.
In the meantime, Yu-mugun cautiously approached the middle-aged man.
"Greetings. I am Yu-mugun of the Seven Stars Trading Group."
"Ah! You are the Trading Company’s leader. I am Gam Pyeong-hyeon of Sea Dragon Manor."
"So, you are Master Gam."
"Just call me Guild Master Gam."
"Understood, Guild Leader Gam! May I ask for a favor?"
"What is it?"
"We were in a hurry to get to Sea Gate City, so we didn't organize a proper escort group."
"Ah!"
Gam Pyeong-hyeon sighed.
The goods brought from the Western Region were all rare treasures that were hard to come by. To transport such valuable items, they needed to be escorted by warriors.
The Seven Stars Trading Company had its own escort group. However, due to unavoidable circumstances, they couldn't bring them along.
They somehow managed to transport the goods from the Western Region. The problem was that there were no men to protect it.
"So, I was wondering if you could recommend any trustworthy martial artists?"
"You mean martial artists who can substitute for the escort group?"
"Yes!"
"Um!"
Gam Pyeong-hyeon fell into deep thought.
It was not uncommon for merchants arriving in Sea Gate City to make such requests.
In a trading port like Sea Gate, there were usually martial artists and men-at-arms stationed there to escort merchant groups, so it wasn't difficult to fulfill such requests.
But this time, the situation was different.
After enduring a series of events, many martial artists had been swept away.
The mediocre ones had all fled, and those of some quality had all died.
Finding proper martial artists was not an easy task.
"Ah! That's the way to do it."
Gam Pyeong-hyeon suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed.
Yu-mugun's eyes sparkled as he asked,
"Do you have a good idea?"
"There happen to be some individuals heading South. You can travel with them."
"Are their martial arts skills strong?"
"It's not just strong. With them, there won't even be any danger."
"Such people exist? How much will it cost to hire them?"
"I cannot answer that with certainty. You will have to ask them directly."
"Then please arrange it."
"Please wait at the warehouse of Seven Stars Trading Company. If everything goes well, I'll send them to the warehouse."
"May I know their identities?"
"That would be difficult. Even if things go well and you travel with them, don't ask."
"Understood."
By now, Yu-mugun had no choice but to notice.
He realized that the people that Gam Pyeong-Hyeon spoke of were truly extraordinary martial artists.
'Who could they possibly be?'
The seventh warehouse was exceptionally vast.
This warehouse was used not only by the Seven Stars Trading Company, but also by several other merchant groups.
Fortunately, only Seven Stars Trading Company's goods had arrived today, so the warehouse was quiet.
The people of the trading company were waiting for Gam Pyeong-Hyeon's news while they loaded the goods from the ships onto the wagons.
"Could it be that the negotiation did not go well?"
If that were the case, they would have to find martial artists on their own. However, finding capable martial artists was not an easy task.
If the martial artists' background was not verified, they might turn into thieves during transport.
Just as Yu-mugun's anxiety was escalating, four people appeared in front of the seventh warehouse.
They were two adult men, a young boy, and a woman whose face was hidden behind a veil.
The moment Yu-mugun saw them, he felt the blood in his entire body run cold. He instinctively knew that these were no ordinary martial artists.
The people who appeared at the seventh warehouse were Pyo Wol, Hong Ye-Seol, Soma, and Hong Yushin.
Pyo Wol had slightly altered his face using the Reverse Bone Technique to hide his identity.
However, like an experienced merchant, Yu-mugun saw through the fact that Pyo Wol was the core of the group.
He cautiously approached Pyo Wol's party.
"Are you the ones recommended by Master Gam?"
"That's right."
The one who answered was Hong Yushin.
With a pleasant smile, Hong Yushin approached Yu-mugun.
"I was about to go to Henan Province, and then your request came. Isn't this destiny? Don't worry, we will escort you safely."
"Ah, yes!"
"For most matters, it'll be handled between me and that youngster."
The person Hong Yushin was referring to was Soma.
Yu-mugun was silent for a moment as he looked at Soma, who appeared to be only about ten years old.
He couldn't believe that such a young boy possessed such martial prowess. However, upon seeing the boy's eyes, Yu-mugun changed his mind.
Soma's eyes gave him a chill that made the hairs on his arms stand on end. The look was so intense that it was frightening.
Before arriving at the harbor, Soma had looked like a child of only eleven or twelve. But in just a few days, he had grown to look about fifteen.
Time, which had stopped for him, had begun to flow once more.
This miracle had occurred because Il-geom Jin, the One Sword Master, had removed the side effects of a powerful technique.
Seeing the miracle that had befallen him, Soma wept for a long time. He wept even more because he missed Il-geom Jin.
If it hadn't been for him, this miracle would never have happened.
Soma vowed to avenge the One-Sword Master. Therefore, a subtle killing intent flowed in his eyes.
Yu-mugun was also a strong man, with thick bones, but the look in Soma's eyes was enough to make him shrink.
Yu-mugun carefully spoke to Hong Yushin.
"I will provide a carriage for your party."
"We can just walk if need be."
"No, it's the least we can do to offer a carriage since we're being escorted by such esteemed individuals."
"Thank you. In return, we'll make sure to get you to Henan province safely. Haha!"
Hong Yushin laughed heartily.
The destination was over a thousand li away.
It was indeed a relief to know that they could travel such a distance in comfort by carriage.
Hong Yushin quickly climbed up onto the coachman's seat. Next to him sat Soma, and inside sat Pyo Wol and Hong Ye-seol.
Once they were all seated, the Trading Company set off.
Yu-mugun called out.
"Hurry up. We must arrive in Zhengzhou, Henan within ten days at the latest."
Zhengzhou was a large city in the foothills of Mount Shaolin.
The trading group's base was in Zhengzhou .
That's why Pyo Wol had accepted the trading company's request.
Pyo Wol opened the window and looked outside.
Far away, he saw three figures standing: Yul Ayeon, Sal-no, and Tarha.
Yul Ayeon was gazing at Pyo Wol with a deep look, and Sal-no wore a regretful expression for not being able to join them.
It was a choice Pyo Wol had to make.
Taking Sal-no, whose body hadn't healed yet, might delay their journey. They also needed someone reliable to handle the Black Sect's assassins.
Only Sal-no could do that.
So he had to leave Sal-no at Sea Gate.
Sal-no bowed his head to Pyo Wol, leaning on a crutch.
Pyo Wol slightly nodded back and closed the carriage window.
Thud!
As the window shut, Hong Ye-seol spoke.
"It's a relief, really. It was good that there was a trade group heading to Zhengzhou. It was wise of you to ask for Lady Yul's help."
It was Hong Ye-seol who came up with the idea of finding a trade guild to Henan Province.
Pyo Wol had already become a prominent figure in Kangho.
Many were watching him, and moving with his real face exposed would surely attract attention.
The best way to do this was to sneak between trading guilds or escort groups like the Seven Stars Trading Company, which was based in Henan.
Pyo Wol asked.
"What's the estimated arrival time?"
"Considering the size of the group moving, it might take a little longer. At least it won't take more
than two weeks, right?"
"Two Weeks..."
"That's the minimum estimate. If we get caught in an unexpected incident, it could take even longer."
"I suppose so."
Pyo Wol nodded, his head heavy with thought.
Kangho was vast, and incidents could erupt without warning.
Thinking back, he had always encountered unexpected incidents during his journey through Kangho.
He wondered if his very existence might somehow cause these incidents.
He hoped it wouldn't happen this time.
Hong Ye-seol spoke.
"Sal-no will take good care of the Black Sect, so we just need to focus on our journey ahead."
"Mm!"
"But what was Jang Cheon-hwa thinking, pulling off something like this?"
"It's human nature to want to use power once it's acquired."
"Even though he has already achieved everything?"
"There's the Mad Martial Sect."
"Mad Martial Sect?"
"It is better to be the best under heaven than the second best.
"So you're saying all this is targeted at the Mad Martial Sect?"
"That's my thought."
"Mm!"
Hong Ye-seol let out a thoughtful hum.
She thought that Pyo Wol had a point.
Then, a curious thought struck her.
"But why is Mad Martial Sect so quiet?"
The Mad Martial Sect was called the second best under the sky, along with the Heavenly Martial Sect.
They must have been closely watching Heavenly Martial Sect's movements.
It was strange that there was no reaction to Jang Cheon-hwa's actions.
In Kangho, only Blade Madman Lee Geom-han was active, while the others were stuck in the Mad Martial Sect, showing no signs of movement.
"Are they just standing by? Or do they have no choice but to stand by?"
"It could be both."