Chapter 41 – Distribution

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Chapter 41 – Distribution

While the man who had opened the main gate kept making a fuss.

'My goodness…'

Ye Woon-rang stood frozen in place, casting a dazed look.

He hadn't known.

That the bundle he had carried contained so many precious treasures.

'Hah, no wonder it felt so impossibly heavy.'

At that moment, an indifferent voice struck his ears.

"What are you doing? They even laid out a carpet for you to come in."

At Cheol Ryu-heun's words, Ye Woon-rang snapped to attention and gathered up the treasures spilled on the ground.

The man smiled brightly and gestured to guide them.

"Now, this way please."

As Cheol Ryu-heun strode inside the main gate, Ye Woon-rang followed behind carrying the bundle, allowing a faint smile to cross his lips.

'Heh, if the Azure Hound Merchant Guild knew about this, they'd faint from shock.'

This is why merchants should never treat even a single customer carelessly.

Unless they're some ill-mannered troublemaker.

Anyway, starting today, the Red Cat Merchant Guild would clearly be writing new history in the commercial world.

Due to the visit of Cheol Ryu-heun, an unexpected mega-jackpot customer.

* * *

The starting point of the Red Cat Merchant Guild's history was as a peddler.

It was literally a humble first step.

However, harboring big dreams and working harder than others, they steadily expanded their influence little by little.

Thus, supplying various daily necessities, they dominated several alley commercial districts, and later advanced into the upscale commercial districts within Baizhou, raising their reputation.

From then on, the Red Cat Guild Master undertook adventurous trades and aggressive investments, rapidly growing their influence.

As a result, the current Red Cat Merchant Guild had established itself as a capable merchant organization that not only supplied major goods in bulk to each market but also officially delivered some government supplies the authorities needed.

It was all thanks to the Red Cat Guild Master's commercial skills and talent.

Starting as a peddler and catching up to the Azure Hound Merchant Guild's power in just ten years was not something anyone could do.

Currently, the Red Cat Guild Master's goal was exclusive supply of all government goods and expansion into other cities' commercial districts.

However, due to severe interference from their competitor, the Azure Hound Merchant Guild, things weren't proceeding smoothly as planned.

The biggest factors were bribes and connections.

Since ancient times, the Azure Hound Merchant Guild had no qualms about using various illegal and underhanded methods, but conversely, the Red Cat Merchant Guild advocated fair commercial practices, so they had finally hit a practical limit.

Today too, the Red Cat Guild Master was deep in thought about this matter.

Honestly, growing rapidly without the help of bribes and connections was already a remarkable achievement, but knowing that the moment one is prematurely satisfied and complacent, one loses competitiveness and becomes obsolete, she had no intention of backing down quietly.

"Sigh, rejected again."

A voice quietly echoed in the rectangular inner room.

It was the voice of a middle-aged beauty leaning back in a dark red chair made of elm wood.

This woman, clad in red attire embroidered with orchids and boasting exceptional beauty, was none other than Hui Bu-yong, Guild Master of the Red Cat Merchant Guild.

It was difficult to gauge her age just by looking at her face.

Her beauty put her forty years to shame, to the point one might believe she was in her early thirties.

Hui Bu-yong soon crumpled the supply proposal that had been rejected by the authorities with a squeeze! and slightly furrowed her pretty face.

'I adjusted the price to a rock-bottom profit margin this time… Tch, that Azure Hound pig must have pulled some strings!'

Obviously, he had mobilized connections who had been fed bribes.

The quality of the government supplies she had hoped to deliver this time was far superior to the Azure Hound Merchant Guild's.

But with too few officials on the Red Cat Merchant Guild's side, she had drunk from the bitter cup of defeat once again.

'There's no good way to suppress the Azure Hound Merchant Guild. We're a step behind in securing martial world power customers, so increasing government supply transactions is the only best option…'

At that moment, hurried-sounding footsteps were heard from outside.

"Guild Master!"

With a sharp cry, a figure threw open the door and came running in frantically.

It was the same man who had earlier guided Cheol Ryu-heun and Ye Woon-rang inside the main gate.

Hui Bu-yong frowned again and asked.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh my, Guild Master! Please go see right away! There are pigs, and cows, and toads… And even a Maitreya Buddha is smiling! At me, like, just, sparkle sparkle! A-Anyway, it's absolute chaos right now!"

Hui Bu-yong stared at him with a blank expression.

That crazy guy, what's he babbling about?

Pigs, cows, toads, Maitreya Buddha, what?

My, how maddening.

And why is his expression so serious?

Like, just, sparkle sparkle – should I beat him until he sees stars in his eyes for real?

"Oh, right. There's chaos alright. A damn circus."

At Hui Bu-yong's cold reply, the man went "Oops!" and bowed his head.

"Oh dear, my apologies. I was rambling incoherently. I got too excited from the unexpected guest…"

"Who is it?"

"Ah, yes. It's Cheol Ryu-heun, the new Sect Master of White Peak Sword Sect."

"Cheol…"

Hui Bu-yong trailed off, a questioning light rising in her eyes.

'Wait, so you're telling me that Cheol Ryu-heun, who was in a vegetative state, suddenly woke up and on top of that was elevated to the new Sect Master position?'

This was the first she'd heard of it.

Meanwhile, the man, with an excited face, urged his master to move.

"You must hurry to the VIP room. I guarantee this is a mega-jackpot customer that our guild must not let slip away."

At that, Hui Bu-yong's eyes narrowed.

An expression saying: mega-jackpot customer, yeah right.

"Hey, newbie! Did you already forget what I said? For martial world power matters, aside from existing customers for the time being…"

"They were all gold."

"What?"

"The pigs and cows I mentioned just now – they were all golden statues. Truly, the bundle was full of precious items I've never encountered in my life."

A peculiar light appeared in Hui Bu-yong's black pupils as her expression rapidly changed.

"You took them to the VIP room?"

"Yes."

No sooner had the man's answer ended than Hui Bu-yong kicked back her chair, stood up, and ran out of the inner room.

"Steward No! Steward No, where are you hiding! Bring the finest dishes to the customer in the VIP room immediately! If they taste bad, everyone gets a hundred thousand slaps to the face, understood!"

* * *

The west side of the Red Cat Merchant Guild grounds.

A reception VIP room prepared inside a serene detached building.

Having rushed here as if flying, Hui Bu-yong stepped into the modest garden and adjusted her attire.

At that moment, a figure who had been following behind quietly expressed a question.

"Guild Master, where on earth did they obtain so many precious items?"

An elderly man in his sixties with a long beard.

It was No Gong, the second-in-command of the Red Cat Merchant Guild.

Hui Bu-yong, having understood the hidden meaning in his words, spoke with a faint smile.

"Heh, don't worry. Don't you know me? If it's merchandise that could cause problems, no matter how much it's worth, I won't have any attachments."

"Heheh, of course. I know well. I mentioned it out of excessive caution. Isn't that this old man's role?"

"Although White Peak Sword Sect may be a declining martial sect, as befits an orthodox faction with long history and tradition, they have never once committed an unjust act. Let's approach carefully based on that trust."

Thus, Hui Bu-yong, accompanied by No Gong, arrived at the VIP room and opened the lattice door.

Slide-

No sooner had the figures of Cheol Ryu-heun and Ye Woon-rang, seated side by side at a table, come into view.

Sparkle sparkle.

The golden Maitreya Buddha placed squarely on the table seemed to wave 'Hi?' with a bright smile.

"…!"

For a moment, they were speechless.

Both Hui Bu-yong and No Gong beside her.

Even forgetting to offer greetings of welcome.

'Th-That's a supreme-grade item!'

The two people exclaiming the same thing internally.

It wasn't the golden statue that excited them.

That was no longer important.

The reason they called it supreme-grade was the craftsmanship level imbued with the breath of a master artisan.

A Maitreya Buddha in the form of the Cloth-Bag Monk – with a round, plump body, a face smiling so blissfully that all worries vanished, a robe like rags with a particularly bulging belly, and a sack clutched in one hand… all expressed three-dimensionally.

It was a statue that captured even each fold of clothing so precisely that it felt like it might actually move.

It was the epitome of supreme-grade quality, requiring no further verification.

And that wasn't all.

The golden pig, cow, toad, and others were also supreme-grade.

Furthermore, the items piled high on the spread-out bundle were even more valuable treasures.

Plain Scene Pearls, Kunlun Jade, Jade Flower Buds, Green Consort, Crimson King Treasure… Just the legendary gems that immediately caught the eye numbered well over fifty.

Hui Bu-yong couldn't contain her shock as her round eyes rolled.

It felt like the abacus that had formed in her mind had shattered with a crack! and countless beads were flying in all directions.

'This is a mega-jackpot customer!'

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun opened his mouth expressionlessly.

"Well, looking at your expression, I suppose we can skip the greetings."

Simultaneously, Hui Bu-yong bent at the waist and cried out.

"My lord! Please marry me! I'll give you everything! Body and soul!"

At that, No Gong whispered with a flustered face.

"G-Guild Master, please maintain your dignity…"

"Oh my, I couldn't help myself."

Hui Bu-yong cleared her throat and then greeted formally.

"Welcome, Sect Master Cheol. I am Hui Bu-yong, the Guild Master who leads this guild."

"Now, let's not waste time and settle things simply and clearly."

Cheol Ryu-heun said that while producing a written statement.

Hui Bu-yong and No Gong became excited again upon checking the contents.

'Wow!'

An exceptional condition stating that if the treasures brought by White Peak Sword Sect turned out to have any illegal aspects, all rights would be transferred to the Red Cat Merchant Guild.

The Sect Master's seal clearly stamped at the very bottom guaranteed everything.

Hui Bu-yong exchanged glances with No Gong beside her and became certain.

Cheol Ryu-heun was the unprecedented – truly once-in-a-lifetime – benefactor in this region's commercial history.

Careful approach, my foot – this was a top-priority contract that absolutely had to be finalized.

Hui Bu-yong shot a passionate gaze with a highly excited face.

"Sect Master Cheol! From now on, I'll serve you as my one and only lord! If you wish to marry this widow, I'll gladly accept that too!"

"Gasp! Guild Master, please calm down. Your husband is perfectly alive, what are you…"

"Oh my, damn it. That man is still alive? Hah, what are ghosts doing, not taking someone like him?"

"Oh dear, p-please be more delicate with your words…"

But Hui Bu-yong ignored it completely and looked at Cheol Ryu-heun.

"Please understand. That man ruined two of my shops, so polite words don't come easy. Still, he's good in bed so he has his uses there, ohoho. Now, let's set aside the small talk and go through the contract procedures to hear the detailed conditions? I've prepared the documents in advance."

"I don't know about other things, but I like that you handle business quickly."

Suddenly, a certain light passed over Hui Bu-yong's pretty eyes.

It was because of the counterpart's consistently informal manner of speech.

'Unlike the rumors I heard before, he's a bit rude. Well, doesn't matter.'

With a deal like this, she could easily overlook some informal speech.

At that moment, Cheol Ryu-heun spoke as if reading her thoughts.

"Actually, my distribution is quite high."

"Pardon?"

The moment Hui Bu-yong tilted her head, Cheol Ryu-heun's hand searched inside his clothes.

Thunk-

A reddish jade medallion placed on the table.

Hui Bu-yong and No Gong saw the inscription 'First Dragon Martial Gate Master Ba Hun' engraved on its surface and were dumbstruck.

'…!'

It was the Vermillion Dragon Medallion, the command token of the Dragon Martial Gate Master.

They never imagined that the sacred artifact said to have vanished along with Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon's seclusion would be in his possession.

'It's Vermillion Jade! Only that jade has such a color! It's impossible to imitate!'

Hui Bu-yong exclaimed internally and believed without a doubt.

She had once seen a very small piece, about the size of a finger joint, just once before.

She still accurately remembered that characteristic color.

Moreover, throughout history, the only piece of that size was the Vermillion Dragon Medallion, well known as the Dragon Martial Gate Master's command token.

Cheol Ryu-heun then pointed with his chin at Ye Woon-rang seated beside him.

"This Vermillion Dragon Medallion was originally his possession."

Hui Bu-yong and No Gong's gazes simultaneously turned to that face.

What is he talking about? – their expressions said.

Cheol Ryu-heun smirked and spoke again.

"Actually, this person is the Red Dragon Sword Brigade Captain of the Dragon Martial Gate who has achieved Rejuvenation. Currently, he's staying at our sect and serving me as his superior. Now you can guess how high my distribution is, right?"

Simultaneously, Hui Bu-yong and No Gong were startled.

Of course, so was the person in question, Ye Woon-rang.

Huh? I achieved what?

This was absurd.

Rejuvenation, he says.

The legendary realm where an elderly master gains great enlightenment and reverts to middle age or youth.

Hui Bu-yong muttered to herself with a dazed expression.

"If he's the Red Dragon Sword Brigade Captain, by now he'd be almost a hundred years old… I see… He looks to be in his fifties because of Rejuvenation."

Ye Woon-rang bristled and opened his eyes wide.

Shut up! I'm not in my fifties!