Chapter 162 : Just Breathe

“Learned it from an excellent merchant.”“And who exactly is that merchant?”

“There’s no reason to tell you.”

When Jin Seong-un firmly replied, Lee Seowon showed a disappointed expression. If there truly existed a merchant who carried the same philosophy as the Merchant King, he absolutely wished to meet him.

After a brief thought, Lee Seowon spoke.

“If we hadn’t met under these circumstances, could I have perhaps become your friend, like that chef or inn waiter down there?”

“That would have been difficult.”

“……Eh? Why?”

Lee Seowon’s eyes widened.

In truth, he had come to like Jin Seong-un’s way of business, his warmth, and his atmosphere.

But to be so bluntly rejected—he couldn’t help but feel a sting of disappointment.

Jin Seong-un continued.

“There are two reasons. First, our inn often gets entangled in incidents, so I try not to take in anyone who hasn’t learned martial arts.”

“……Are you recruiting strength? Trying to form some martial faction?”

“No. I just don’t want my friends getting hurt. There’s no guarantee another demonic butcher like the Food Butcher won’t show up again. And second……”

Jin Seong-un’s gaze settled calmly.

“How could I be friends with someone who drove out small merchants in such a manner?”

“That’s……!”

Lee Seowon stopped himself mid-defense.

He had insisted that compensation must be given to the small merchants to the very end, and even after Ha Joo-yeon acted on her own, he separately compiled a list and prepared a compensation plan.

But in the end, Lee Seowon himself was Ha Joo-yeon’s strategist and the Chief Steward of Geumun Inn.

He could never be completely free of Ha Joo-yeon’s wrongdoing.

“……It was a business that lost people.”

He had lost the hearts of the small merchants of Yichang, and earned the open hostility of Jin Seong-un and those around him.

What had he gained? Nothing at all.

Lee Seowon sighed with a faint sense of defeat.

“I understand.”

Just as he turned to leave, Jin Seong-un suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Startled, Lee Seowon whipped his head back.

At the same time, something warm pulsed from his wrist, and an unfamiliar current swept across his entire body.

“There really isn’t even a trace of inner arts.”

Jin Seong-un released his wrist as he spoke.

Lee Seowon looked utterly dumbfounded.

“I’m a strategist, after all.”

“Our inn’s chef and even our waiter are strong.”

“……Good grief.”

With a hollow laugh, Lee Seowon turned back to Geumun Inn.

Left behind, Jin Seong-un realized something.

Lee Seowon’s body was, without doubt, perfectly suited to practice the Black Wolf Saber Art.

The Merchant King’s true name was Lee Pyo-sang.

The son of the current Master of Myriad Gold Manor was Ha Joo-yeon.

And now—Lee Seowon.

‘Could it be… that?’

Pondering for a while, Jin Seong-un eventually headed to the Martial God Realm.

“I don’t know.”

The reply was blunt. Jin Seong-un blinked, and the Merchant King continued.

“From here, I can sometimes catch glimpses of the outside, but I can’t know everything. Especially if it’s something carried out in secret.”

“He seemed intelligent, perceptive, and his body was perfectly suited for the Black Wolf Saber Art. Didn’t you choose that art for a reason, Master?”

The Merchant King fell into thought.

Jin Seong-un’s words were not wrong.

The Merchant King had indeed purchased the Black Wolf Saber Art with money. It was one of the finest saber arts of the time, but that wasn’t the sole reason.

After comparing all the sword arts, saber arts, fist arts, kicks, staves, and cudgels, he had chosen the one that fit his body most perfectly.

“It’s rare for martial arts and body to align so perfectly. Couldn’t Lee Seowon be your descendant, Master?”

“It’s possible. But unlikely.”

“And why is that?”

“Would the Ha family, who stole Myriad Gold Manor, have kept one of my descendants by their side? Isn’t Lee Seowon’s family said to have served as the Manor’s scribes for generations?”

Jin Seong-un nodded.

It was true. If Ha Joo-yeon’s ancestors had stolen the Manor, why would they keep the original bloodline of the Merchant King’s master so close?

“It’s a matter of confirming, that’s all. More importantly……”

The Merchant King gathered the situation in Yichang within his mind—the presence of Elder Byeok, every factor that could affect the balance, every person and power that could intervene.

The possible outcomes, the complex variables, and the ways Seong-un Inn might overcome Geumun Inn.

‘You seem to be enjoying yourself.’

Indeed, a faint smile lingered on the Merchant King’s lips the entire time.

He had spent centuries in the Martial God Realm—sometimes playing go with the Sword Immortal, sharing tea with the Noble Enchantress, or training with the Divine Thief.

But at his core, he was a merchant.

And now that he had returned to that essence, he felt great joy.

After some time, he spoke calmly.

“Let’s bring this to an end. We’ve righted the board they overturned—now it’s time for us to seize it and shake it ourselves.”

When Jin Seong-un returned to the inn, he gathered Seo Yu-gyeom, Seomun Ak, Han Seong-chun, and Jang Gwang.

The four men looked at him curiously.

“What’s this about? We’re busy as hell.”

Seo Yu-gyeom wiped sweat from his brow as he asked.

Jin Seong-un then looked at him with utmost solemnity.

“Chef Seo.”

“W-what is it?”

“How would you rate your Cheongtang Bamboo Stew?”

Seo Yu-gyeom furrowed his brows.

Jin Seong-un had never asked such a question before.

After a brief thought, Seo Yu-gyeom answered with firm confidence.

“The best under heaven.”

“Then let’s prove it.”

“And how do you propose we do that?”

This was the Merchant King’s strategy.

To hold a cooking competition in Yichang.

Not an ordinary one—but the grandest cooking competition in all history of the Central Plains.

Through the Beggars’ Union, they would summon the most renowned chefs from across the land.

After all, Jin Seong-un was the man who had slain the Food Butcher, the chefs’ natural enemy. Moreover, his alias, Guest Dragon, carried immense significance among innkeepers.

If he offered a massive prize, the scale of the competition would grow beyond measure.

The plan had two objectives.

“We’ll make the whole world see why Myriad Gold Manor forced its way into Yichang’s marketplace.”

The world would surely point fingers at them.

For a trading company of such scale to trample over a mere inn—it was an act to be condemned.

Especially when they had leveraged their power and wealth to draw both the Academy and the provincial office to their side—public outrage would flare.

“And then, before everyone, we’ll win.”

The sheer size of Myriad Gold Manor would backfire. If such a massive trading company lost to a single inn under the eyes of the world, the blow would be devastating.

After hearing the plan, Han Seong-chun nodded.

“So it’ll be one of two things. Either Myriad Gold Manor abandons the South, or the South grows too ashamed and leaves on its own.”

“……That’s right.”

Jin Seong-un answered somewhat vaguely.

In truth, the Merchant King had foreseen a third possibility.

‘That Ha Joo-yeon truly crosses the line.’

Jin Seong-un recalled the elderly man who guarded Ha Joo-yeon’s side. He was a master not inferior even to the elders of great sects or clans.

If that one truly crosses the line, then it will no longer be a merchants’ fight. A disappointing outcome, yes. But when that time comes, Seong-un, you’ll do what you’ve always done.

During that time, Jin Seong-un’s methods had been simple.

The Food Butcher, Sa Ryeong-geuk, the Qinghai Iron Workshop, the Southern Black Lotus, and even the Namok Trading Company.

“Let’s prepare for now.”

Of course, both Jin Seong-un and the Merchant King believed that Ha Joo-yeon would not cross the line. After all, there was a wise man like Lee Seowon by his side.

Inside the office of Geumun Inn.

Ha Joo-yeon and Lee Seowon sat across from each other at a desk.

After a brief silence, Lee Seowon spoke.

“We’re ruined.”

The veins bulged on Ha Joo-yeon’s forehead.

Hearing such words spoken so flatly was extremely unpleasant.

“Is that all you have to say as a strategist? Think of a plan—anything at all!”

“Didn’t I tell you we should have fully compensated the small merchants? That incident is the greatest reason the world points fingers at us.”

“……”

Ha Joo-yeon clamped his mouth shut and glared at Lee Seowon.

Shrugging, Lee Seowon continued.

“I hear many famous judges will be coming. Even Beggars’ Union Dragon Head Bangju, they say.”

“……And?”

“If we participate, all of Myriad Gold Manor’s deeds—forcing its way into this small street to crush a mere inn—will be exposed. If we don’t, we’ll look like cowards.”

As he listened, Ha Joo-yeon’s expression twisted further and further. At last, he ground out each word as if biting into it.

“So, what are you—suggesting?”

“Well, it seems Guest Dragon is quite the remarkable merchant. This is truly a dilemma……”

Seeing Ha Joo-yeon slowly clenching his fists, Lee Seowon finally gave his answer.

“Enter the competition. We can’t undo the disgrace of fleeing, but if we win, we can cover it up somehow.”

The worst outcome was defeat.

The next worst was fleeing.

There was no best outcome. The only second-best option was to brazen it out, join the contest, and win.

“Don’t expect any help. The officials we bribed, even the Master, even Myriad Gold Manor itself—none will aid Geumun Inn now.”

The world would scorn Geumun Inn and Ha Joo-yeon.

For anyone to help them would be no different from throwing themselves into the flames together.

Especially the higher officials of the provincial office—they would treat them as strangers.

The moment they showed even a hint of favor toward Geumun Inn, they would be seen as corrupt bureaucrats blinded by Myriad Gold Manor’s gold, abandoning their duty and coming all the way here.

For Myriad Gold Manor and the academy, it was a matter of face. But for the officials, it was survival. The matter had grown so large that even central authorities would be watching closely.

As Lee Seowon explained, he couldn’t help but admire it all.

How could anyone devise such a scheme?

The method of a cooking competition, its timing, its scale, and the speed of the rumors.

Every element meshed together perfectly into a single plan.

“I visited Seong-un Inn, didn’t I?”

“And?”

“You must keep your mind clear. They are by no means an easy opponent. In fact, they may be the hardest we’ve ever faced.”

For once, Lee Seowon spoke in an earnest tone. It wasn’t out of concern for Ha Joo-yeon.

Rather, he sincerely wanted to test himself against Jin Seong-un, that merchant. And if possible, he wanted to win.

Just as the Merchant King felt joy at returning to his merchant self after centuries—

Lee Seowon, too, had met a merchant who pressed him like no other.

“And what must we do to win?”

“The chefs of Geumun Inn are from the Imperial Kitchen. Surely they wouldn’t lose to the chef of some tiny inn?”

“Do you think Seong-un Inn started this without knowing that?”

You fool.

But Lee Seowon swallowed the words.

Instead, he smiled faintly and said,

“Let’s approach it with analysis. In the end, human emotions and senses are nothing more than the culmination of information.”

“……What are you babbling about?”

You fool.

Once again, Lee Seowon swallowed his words.

“Even human taste is shaped by experience, learning, perception, prejudice. If we refine all that information to its utmost, we’ll clearly see what dish to present to each judge.”

“……And you think that’s possible? There’s supposed to be more than a dozen judges.”

Indeed, word was that over ten judges would attend.

Each one’s authority was immense, so they could not be bribed by Seong-un Inn.

The problem was obvious even from Lee Seowon’s words—the process of analyzing all that information was daunting beyond measure.

Lee Seowon chuckled lightly.

“We can’t just sit idle, can we? We’ll try. And if no one else can do it—I can.”

“You almost look like you’re enjoying this.”

Indeed, throughout the conversation, Lee Seowon had been smiling in various ways. It was strikingly different from his usual weary and powerless look.

He widened his eyes and feigned ignorance.

“Me? Not at all.”

“……”

He went on.

“I’ll lock myself in a room for several days to refine the information. I’ll subsist on Bigeokdan, so don’t worry about meals. But make sure no one enters the room. If my concentration breaks, I’ll lose a great deal of time.”

Lee Seowon often shut himself away before important tasks.

To him, food had always been nothing more than fuel, so even living off Bigeokdan pills didn’t trouble him.

But perhaps because he had tasted the Cheongtang Bamboo Stew earlier—

‘When this is over, I’d like to try it once more.’

He smacked his lips briefly, then turned to Ha Joo-yeon.

“Ah, and until I come out, do nothing. Don’t leave the inn, don’t summon anyone. In fact, just stay here in this room and breathe.”

“……”

Ha Joo-yeon looked at him in disbelief.

But Lee Seowon, in rare firmness, repeated,

“Just breathe.”

“……Fine.”

Though still uneasy, Lee Seowon couldn’t very well tie Ha Joo-yeon down. In the end, he nodded with reluctant trust.

And so, once Lee Seowon locked himself away—

Left alone in the office, Ha Joo-yeon stood by the window and looked across the street.

There stood Seong-un Inn. Unlike Geumun Inn, which had lost all customers to the stench of beggars and countless rumors, it was bustling with life.

Just then.

Guest Dragon stepped outside the inn, stretching, and happened to glance toward his window.

Meeting eyes in that instant, Ha Joo-yeon instinctively ducked, hiding himself. At the same time, his face flushed red.

“……Damn it.”