I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 206

I knew the Murim Alliance would send someone, but three people?

“Who is it?”

“They said it’s the current Murim Alliance Leader, the next Murim Alliance Leader, and the Prime Minister’s sworn brother.”

The current Murim Alliance Leader is obviously that old man M容輝, and if it’s a sworn brother, it’s 화산제일검 [Hwasan’s Finest Sword] 노혜광. But the next leader?

“Escort them to the guest quarters. Make sure to give them the impression that I’m treating them with the utmost respect. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Prime Minister.”

As his subordinates left, 조광윤 took off his official robes and changed into martial attire.

He had no intention of revealing his position as Prime Minister to them. It wasn’t to make them comfortable, but because he missed the unreserved conversations he used to have with people like old friends.

Also, he didn’t forget what his master had said about his past. To get them to open up honestly, it would be more appropriate to appear as his former self.

조광윤, feeling a bit excited, walked towards the guest quarters.

Opening the door to the guest quarters, the three martial artists blinked and stared at him.

It must have been difficult for them to decide how to act.

But for someone seeing him for the first time, the decision would be easy. To him, he was the Prime Minister, no different from the supreme ruler of this country.

무당’s [Wudang Sect’s] 유규성 bowed respectfully, his hands clasped together.

“Greetings to the Prime Minister. I am 유규성 from 무당 [Wudang].”

Is this the next leader?

조광윤 also bowed his head before him.

“I am 조광윤 of the 조 [Jo] family. Thank you for traveling so far.”

Seeing their actions, the Alliance Leader and 노혜광 also clasped their hands together, taken aback.

조광윤 quickly grabbed their arms.

“Why are you doing this? I’m just 조 [Jo], the head of the family, and a 속가 [lay disciple] disciple of 화산 [Hwasan]. Please, dispense with the formalities.”

Only then did the expressions of the two men brighten.

“Do you really mean that?”

When M容輝 asked again, 조광윤 nodded.

“Alliance Leader, look at my attire. If I were trying to flaunt the Prime Minister’s power, I would have worn my official robes.”

노혜광 cautiously spoke to 조광윤.

“Don’t go back on your word later. It’s okay for me to act like your sworn brother, right?”

“Aren’t you my sworn brother, not just acting like one? Are you trying to cut ties because we haven’t seen each other in a while?”

조광윤’s unreserved demeanor seemed to ease their minds, and they took a deep breath and plopped down in their seats.

For a while, they drank the tea brought by the servant and chatted.

조광윤 had expected them to persistently inquire about his imperial past and how he had managed to seize the position of Prime Minister, but it was different from what he had imagined.

“I knew you were the type to make a big splash, but to think you’d seize the power of this country in one hand.”

M容輝’s admiration was all there was, and no one mentioned it further.

Rather, 조광윤 spent more time asking about the situation in Murim [martial arts world].

“Is 강호 [Gangho – the martial world] peaceful?”

M容輝 frowned.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? It’s not peaceful, everyone is just holding their breath and living.”

“No, everyone is just counting the days until my brother dies. Hehe.”

It sounded like a joke, but 노혜광’s words were true.

Although 조광윤 hadn’t taken any special measures, the Murim forces had stopped expanding their territories.

염신 had sternly warned all the 창룡문 [Changryong Gate] disciples.

If they acted arrogantly towards other sects, mentioning 조광윤 Prime Minister, he would behead them.

In fact, in the early days, about four of them had their heads chopped off.

They were cautious and humble, but all the Murim forces, including the aristocratic families, restrained themselves from expanding and devoted themselves solely to martial arts training.

Having experienced many storms over the years, they knew how to survive by enduring.

When the typhoon is strong, they lock the doors tightly and wait for the typhoon to pass. The current typhoon is 조광윤, who holds the power of the country in one hand.

Since 조광윤 is also human, he cannot avoid death, and perhaps he will lose power before he dies.

Everyone was waiting for that moment and did not act rashly.

“Well… thanks to you, the Murim Alliance has become idle. It’s been a while since Murim has been without any conflicts… Even the 사파 [evil sects] and 흑도 [black path] are cowering.”

At M容輝’s words, 조광윤 smiled and said.

“So, are you stepping down from the position of Alliance Leader? Is it because a peaceful Murim is not fun…? It shouldn’t be easy for a young person to endure peace, right?”

조광윤’s gaze turned to 유규성, and his expression hardened.

“If the inside is quiet, the outside is noisy, isn’t it? 강호 [Gangho] is a place where there’s always wind.”

The wind from outside.

This is what the master mentioned.

“Something must have happened.”

“Your master must have already told you something?”

When M容輝 asked, 조광윤 shook his head.

“He didn’t tell me the details. He only told me to work with the Murim Alliance. Of course, he left the decision to me.”

When he said he didn’t know the details, M容輝 frowned.

“That friend 쾌검종사 [Kwaegeomjongsa – Quick Sword Master] should have explained it in detail. It’s just troublesome…”

“What is it?”

When 조광윤 asked, 유규성 took out a letter from his pocket.

“Take a look. That is the wind from outside.”

조광윤 unfolded the letter, read it slowly, and then put it down.

“They call themselves 천명교(天明敎) [Cheonmyeonggyo – Heavenly Light Sect], and in 중원 [Jungwon – Central Plains] they call them 마교 [Magyo – Demonic Sect]. Is that correct?”

“Yes, they are trying to rule 강호 [Gangho].”

As 유규성 cautiously spoke, 노혜광 frowned and waved his hand.

“Rule? What kind of rule is it to compare their martial arts with our 중원’s [Jungwon’s] martial arts? Is 무당 [Wudang] not confident?”

It was a degrading remark to 무당 [Wudang], but 유규성 did not lose his composure.

“The letter clearly states that the defeated party must close their doors for fifty years. Can this be considered just a comparison of martial arts?”

“유 대협 [Yoo Daehyeop – Great Hero Yoo], read the letter carefully. They’re only sending thirteen martial artists. With such a small number, it’s just a martial arts competition.”

“They said they would visit all the sects in 중원 [Jungwon] one by one with only thirteen people. And they even showed confidence that if they lost even once, they would not set foot in 중원 [Jungwon] for a hundred years. Isn’t that a sign that they intend to take over 중원 [Jungwon] without shedding blood?”

The 마교 [Magyo] knows the characteristics of martial artists accurately.

Since they have requested a martial arts competition fairly, they cannot back down due to their pride, nor can they confront them as a group.

If they ignore the fairly requested martial arts competition, they are not 강호 [Gangho] people.

While 노혜광 and 유규성 were arguing again, 조광윤 only thought about what 권중원 사부 [Gwon Jungwon Sabu – Master Gwon Jungwon] had said and the number thirteen.

How many dried-up corpses did he find on the day he first fell into 중원 [Jungwon]?

Thirteen? Fourteen?

Could they have been 마교 [Magyo]?

Looking at the pattern engraved on his chest, it seemed plausible. Wasn’t it a pattern with an eerie energy?

“What do you think?”

M容輝 spoke to 조광윤, not caring about the two men arguing.

“What can they accomplish with just thirteen people? Even if their martial arts overwhelm 중원 [Jungwon], I don’t think there will be an all-out war.”

“Do you really think so?”

조광윤 smiled gently.

“The problem is that they will enter 무혈 [Muhyeol – bloodlessly] if they overwhelm all the sects in 중원 [Jungwon]. I don’t know how many there are, but even if they crawl into 중원 [Jungwon], shouldn’t the 중원 [Jungwon] Murim just watch? Because they’re in 봉문 [Bongmun – closed door] state.”

“That’s exactly it.”

M容輝 clapped his knee.

“I also think that’s their plan.”

“But there must be a premise. The defeat of 중원 [Jungwon] Murim.”

M容輝 avoided 조광윤’s gaze, which was staring sharply at him.

Looking at his expression, it seemed that 중원 [Jungwon] was afraid of 마교’s [Magyo’s] martial arts.

“You’re not confident.”

As M容輝 sighed deeply, the two men who had been arguing also closed their mouths.

“Actually, your master said that 중원’s [Jungwon’s] martial arts are far below theirs.”

“Did 사부님 [Sabunim – Master] say that?”

“Yes. I don’t know why, but that friend 쾌검종사 [Kwaegeomjongsa] has been investigating the whereabouts of 마교 [Magyo] for the past several years. And he caught the end of their trail.”

“Did 쾌검종사 대협 [Kwaegeomjongsa Daehyeop – Great Hero Kwaegeomjongsa] perhaps witness their martial arts?”

When 유규성 asked urgently, M容輝 nodded.

“Aren’t you two the best of the righteous Murim?”

At the sudden question, the two men avoided answering. They couldn’t praise themselves, could they?

“He said that even you two couldn’t guarantee survival for ten 초 [cho – a unit of time, approximately a second].”

It wasn’t praise, it was an insult.

But since those words came from 쾌검종사’s [Kwaegeomjongsa’s] mouth, shock came first.

“But he said that you might be the key to overcoming this crisis. That’s why I came to you without shame.”

Again, everyone’s eyes were fixed on 조광윤.

They are martial artists. 쾌검종사 [Kwaegeomjongsa] is also a martial artist.

They knew that they were not trying to use 조광윤’s power to overcome this crisis.

At their gaze, 조광윤 smiled and replied.

“First, I will strengthen the border security in the north. I will order that anyone who appears around the Great Wall in large numbers be arrested or killed.”

That wasn’t the answer they wanted, but it was reassuring to have a powerful person on their side.

“They won’t be thinking of occupying 중원 [Jungwon] with just thirteen people. The main force of 마교 [Magyo] will come in after them, so we must stop them.”

“There was even talk of 십만 마도 [sipman mado – 100,000 demonic warriors] at one time. What will we do if a war breaks out?”

조광윤 shook his head.

십만 마도 [sipman mado] must refer to the entire 마교 교인 [Magyo gyoin – Demonic Sect followers]. 조광윤 thought that they were a minority ethnic group with a unique religion, and that the number of soldiers among them was only a few thousand at most.

Moreover, if they were those who had mastered 상승 무공 [sangseung mugong – Ascending Martial Arts], it would be at most a thousand or less, and an all-out war would never happen.

Because no leader would watch tens of thousands of innocent ordinary 교도 [gyodo – followers] die.

“That won’t happen.”

조광윤 pointed to the letter he had put down.

“It says here that they will visit 무당 [Wudang] first, but do you know their next destination?”

“They didn’t say because they would retreat if they lost. If they win, the next destination will definitely be 화산 [Hwasan] or 소림 [Shaolin].”

노혜광 knew that 무당’s [Wudang’s] martial arts were higher than 화산’s [Hwasan’s]. It was shameful that 마교 [Magyo] also knew that fact, but he expected that 마교 [Magyo] would defeat the strong one by one.

“Then I will also go to 무당 [Wudang] when they arrive.”

Everyone was surprised at the words that he would go willingly without any special thoughts. It was by no means an easy decision for the country’s highest authority to go to a place where an unexpected situation might occur.

At their surprised appearance, 조광윤 smiled and said.

“Everyone knows how careful I am. So, only 화산파 [Hwasan Sect] and the Alliance Leader should come to 무당산 [Wudang Mountain] that day. It is safe for no other sects to be there.”

조광윤 looked at 유규성 and said.

“Also, I plan to deploy five thousand elite cavalry at the entrance of 무당 [Wudang]. If something happens to me, they will hold 무당 [Wudang] accountable for failing to protect the supreme ruler of this country. Then…”

유규성 was already pale, and the two men swallowed hard.

“I will disband all the sects in 강호 [Gangho]. I will ban the possession of weapons and treat those who use martial arts as rebels. Of course, if I return safely, that will not happen.”

Now all three men were pale.

조광윤’s safety came first, more than worrying about 마교’s [Magyo’s] martial arts.

If they lost to 마교 [Magyo], it would only be 봉문 [Bongmun] for fifty years, but if 조광윤 was harmed, the history of 강호 [Gangho] Murim would end.

He was smiling as he spoke, but the fear was greater because he was a person who had never failed to keep his word.

At this time, 노혜광 cautiously opened his mouth.

“Hey, brother. Does that disbandment include 화산 [Hwasan] too?”

* * *

End