Jeok Wiun’s face lit up at once, drawing a laugh from Jeok Wigang.
“But who’s the gentleman beside you?”
“Introduce yourself. The man over there is my grandfather.”
“Your grandfather...? Gasp! Th-The Heavenly Martial Emperor?”
“Ahem! Yes. I am th-the Heavenly Martial Emperor.”
“M-My apologies. I was so startled...”
“And this is my younger brother, Jeok Wiun.”
Jeok Wigang introduced Tang Un next.
“This is Tang Un, Young Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Family. He’s the same age as you, Wiun, so try to get along.”
Jeok Mugun asked,
“Did you bring him here to train him?”
“Yes. He has talent.”
Jeok Wigang then turned to Tang Un.
“What do you think of my brother’s potential?”
“It is extraordinary! He still possesses an immense amount of dormant potential.”
Tang Un’s answer piqued Jeok Mugun’s curiosity.
“How can you tell?”
“I possess the Heavenly White Eyes. They allow me to perceive another person’s potential and strength.”
“Oh? Is that so? I have heard legends of such eyes, but I never imagined they truly existed.”
Jeok Wiun’s eyes sparkled.
“Is... is my potential really that great?”
Tang Un nodded.
“It is.”
Jeok Wigang cut into their exchange.
“I told you two to be friends.”
Jeok Wiun grumbled.
“You can’t just tell two people who’ve only just met to become friends.”
“I would be pleased to.”
At Tang Un’s reply, Jeok Wiun scratched his cheek.
“Then let’s get along from now on.”
Tang Un grinned and nodded.
“Sure. I look forward to it.”
“But... why did you follow him here?”
“I came to receive Brother’s guidance.”
Both Jeok Mugun and Jeok Wiun reacted with surprise.
“R-Really?”
Jeok Wiun was horrified.
“Oh! What a remarkable young man. You willingly came to be trained by Wigang? Hahaha. You have spirit!”
Jeok Mugun was impressed.
“Brother... Is that really true?”
“Yes. I need to raise at least one strong fighter who can be useful later. And since he has talent, of course I should train him.”
“I see...”
Jeok Wiun looked at Tang Un with pity before asking Jeok Wigang,
“He’s going to do... everything I did, right?”
When Jeok Wigang nodded, Tang Un looked even more pitiful.
Still, if he survived that hell, he would become stronger.
Jeok Wiun had no intention of warning him.
It was the kind of training one could only endure by not knowing what lay ahead.
“Um... Good luck.”
“Thanks. I’ll work hard!”
Jeok Mugun laughed.
“What a spirited young man.”
At that moment, Jeok Mugun resembled a ravenous beast salivating over newly discovered prey.
Jeok Wiun decided to look on the bright side.
Now that Tang Un was here, perhaps his grandfather would pay a little less attention to him.
Maybe things would become even slightly easier.
That alone would be enough.
“Brother! What should I start with?”
“Hm? You’ve traveled a long way today. Rest.”
“No! I want to become stronger as soon as possible.”
Jeok Wiun wanted to rush over and clamp Tang Un’s mouth shut.
The fool should have taken the day off while he still could.
Jeok Wigang was offering him mercy, and he was kicking it away.
“Is that so?”
Jeok Wigang grinned.
Ah, I’m not watching this.
Jeok Wiun turned his head away.
To Jeok Wigang, training meant actual combat.
“If you insist, then fine. Come at me.”
“What?”
“You said you wanted to begin training immediately. Attack me.”
“I meant training, not a formal martial contest...”
“What training could be more effective than actual combat? People grow stronger when they repeatedly cross the threshold of death.”
“What? That—that’s an absurd way to train...”
“That is my training method.”
Tang Un sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.
“B-Brother. W-Wait!”
He hurriedly raised a hand to stop him, but it was too late.
Jeok Wigang’s fist was already directly in front of his face.
*****
“You all right?”
“Damn it! It hurts like hell!”
“That’s why you shouldn’t have been so eager. You should’ve rested when he told you to.”
“How was I supposed to know? I didn’t expect him to start beating me without warning!”
“What can you do? That’s your life now.”
Tang Un’s expression darkened at Jeok Wiun’s words.
He had only been here for a day.
“Ah!”
“What?”
“Earlier... the Gate Master looked at me with pity. Was it because he knew this would happen?”
Jeok Wiun nodded.
“Hah... So everyone knew.”
“Even so, you’re a guest, and it was your first day. He went very easy on you.”
“What?”
“On my first day, I went and took a good look at the gates of the afterlife.”
“You’re his own brother.”
“I know. Being his brother doesn’t make him go easier on me. If anything, it makes him worse.”
“R-Really?”
“The pain should fade by the time you fall asleep.”
“What? When it hurts this badly?”
“It feels like he deliberately struck only the places that would hurt, doesn’t it?”
“Didn’t he?”
“Of course not. Do you really think my brother would beat you thoughtlessly? It was all part of the process of guiding qi through your channels and opening your vital points. It hurts now, but when you wake up, you’ll feel more refreshed than you ever have in your life.”
“R-Really?”
“Go inside and rest. Starting tomorrow, you’ll have physical conditioning too.”
“What kind of physical conditioning?”
“It wouldn’t be any fun if I told you beforehand.”
“Couldn’t you tell me? At least let me prepare myself.”
“One thing is certain.”
“What?”
“Today was nothing but a taste.”
Tang Un’s expression froze.
Should he simply flee back to the Tang Family?
The thought crossed his mind.
But he soon shook his head.
He knew how much the Tang Family expected of him.
He could not give up.
Seeing Tang Un steel his resolve once more, Jeok Wiun chuckled.
“I like you. If your body can handle it, how about this?”
Jeok Wiun mimed lifting a cup with his hand.
“Sounds good to me.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“I can endure this much!”
“Now that’s a man. Let’s go. You’re the guest, so I’m buying.”
“Thanks.”
*****
The next day, Tang Un tilted his head at the black bands laid out before him.
“What are these?”
“Starting today, you’ll wear them at all times. While training, sleeping, eating, relieving yourself, and bathing. You do not take them off.”
“Yes.”
He put them on because he had been ordered to.
“Huh?”
They were heavy.
He could still move, though.
Come to think of it, he had undergone similar training in the past.
It was the most primitive and fundamental form of conditioning: gradually increasing the weight until the body adapted.
Apparently, things were the same here.
It was far more ordinary than he had expected.
“Now, shall we begin?”
“Begin what?”
“Training.”
“What kind? Sword practice? Or a horse stance?”
Jeok Wigang grinned.
“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? I only have one kind of training.”
“What? D-Don’t tell me... while wearing these?”
Jeok Wigang nodded.
“I went easy on you yesterday because it was your first time.”
He’s insane!
“I only put these on today! You have to give me time to adjust...”
“There is no such thing. If an enemy is stronger than you, are you going to ask him for time to adjust?”
“N-No, but...”
“If you understand that, let’s begin. I have a lot to do today, so we should finish quickly.”
“W-Wait...”
Too late.
Two people watched from the side.
They were Jeok Mugun and Jeok Wiun.
“Did he do that to you as well?”
“Yes. Mine was even worse.”
“And that is why you have become so strong.”
“I owe that to you too, Grandfather.”
“Hahaha. What a sweet-talking little rascal. It still won’t make me go easy on you.”
“Tch. Didn’t work.”
“Shall we begin as well?”
“Our promise still stands, right?”
“Of course. If you manage to lay a hand on me, I will grant your wish.”
“All right!”
“What kind of wish has made you so enthusiastic?”
“I’ll tell you after I land a blow on you!”
“Hahaha! Good! Come!”
*****
After finishing Tang Un’s training, Jeok Wigang went to the merchant company’s office.
Miryeong respectfully presented him with a sheet of paper.
“Is this it?”
“Yes. I selected only the most famous textile shops in the Central Plains, then narrowed them down to establishments that have been operating for roughly twenty years.”
“Good work.”
“It was nothing, my lord.”
Miryeong had become the Hunan branch leader of the Lower Gate and now gathered information for Jeok Wigang.
The paper he handed over listed four textile shops.
“Anything unusual about them?”
“This one is somewhat peculiar.”
“How so?”
“They make exceptional clothes, cotton cloth, and silk, but the proprietor is said to have an awful temperament. His skill is so great, however, that customers never stop coming.”
“Is that all? If customers keep coming despite his rudeness, that means he’s the real thing. Does he currently do business with any merchant company?”
“The other three do, but this one does not. Several companies apparently approached him, only to be cursed out and chased away.”
“And those companies simply left him alone?”
“One merchant company tried to retaliate. The entire company was reduced to ruins the following day.”
“Oh?”
Jeok Wigang had a feeling.
“Let’s go here.”
“Yes! I will guide you personally.”
As he headed out, he summoned Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang.
“There’s somewhere we need to go. Get ready.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
*****
“What... is that place?”
Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang stared at the textile shop in disbelief.
“You bastard! I refuse to sell to anyone who dresses like that! You don’t even deserve to wear clothes! Get lost!”
“I told you I’ll pay! Just sell me something!”
“Get out! Are you deaf? A son of a bitch who doesn’t even know how to dress has no right to wear my precious children! Offer me a thousand gold pieces and I still wouldn’t sell to you!”
“You—! You make a few fine garments and suddenly think you stand above heaven itself! Do you know who I am?”
“Who are you? Huh? Go on, tell me. Who the hell are you?”
“My father is the county magistrate!”
“Magistrate, my ass! I said I’m not selling to you! Get lost!”
“You’ll regret this! I’ll make sure you can never conduct business here again!”
“Moron. Ptooey!”
The proprietor spat and went back inside.
Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang watched, dumbfounded.
“Doesn’t that temperament remind you of someone?”
At Jeok Wigang’s question, both men flinched.
“Huh? Wait...”
Then it came to them.
“C-Could it really be him?”
“Yes. It is.”
“Good heavens... He truly has been making and selling clothes...”
It was enough to make them faint.
“Let’s go in immediately.”
“No. Let’s watch a little longer. Aren’t you curious how he’s been living all this time?”
Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang nodded.
“There’s a good place over there.”
Jeok Wigang pointed to an ornate pavilion.
Miryeong explained,
“That is the Drunken Blossom House, the most famous establishment in the area.”
“We should have a clear view from the top.”
When they entered the Drunken Blossom House, a man dressed in elegant silk approached and greeted them courteously.
“Thank you for visiting the Drunken Blossom House. My name is Bu So, and I am the chief steward here. I do not recognize any of you. Is this your first visit?”
When everyone nodded, the man continued his explanation.
“Each floor has a different grade, and the prices also differ between the eastern and western sides. As you can see, the east overlooks the city, while the west offers a beautiful view of the lake. The western rooms are therefore somewhat more expensive.”
“The city side.”
“The city view is quite pleasant as well. There is a certain charm in drinking while watching the lives of the people below. Which floor would you prefer?”
“The highest.”
The man flinched.
Then, looking uneasy, he said,
“Sir, from the seventh floor upward, you must rent an entire room. A room on the seventh floor costs one gold tael. The eighth costs two, the ninth costs four, and the top floor costs ten.”
“That sounds reasonable enough. Take us there.”
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