Chapter 317

Namgung Won was waiting for Jin Ja-gang across the river.

With both hands splinted and wrapped in bandages, Namgung Won gestured to Jin Ja-gang with his eyes.

It seemed there were things left to discuss. Jin Ja-gang also had questions to ask.

Jin Ja-gang pointed upstream. Namgung Won tilted his head. He probably thought Jin Ja-gang would leap across the river.

Jin Ja-gang shook his head and went up to a bridge upstream to cross the river.

Jin Ja-gang and Namgung Won met on a small hill by the riverbank.

Namgung Won urged Jin Ja-gang.

“You probably know, but meeting the alliance leader here is a secret.”

“I understand.”

“Even so, the alliance leader seems to quite like you. I didn’t expect him to give you a sword token.”

“This is a sword token?”

Jin Ja-gang showed the jade pendant with silk threads. On one side of the jade was carved a long pattern like a sword.

Namgung Won nodded with a start.

“Anywhere with the same marking, you can receive help from Yangtze River Sword Sect.”

“If I receive help, all my movements will be revealed to Yangtze River Sword Sect.”

“That would be so. So you’ll need to use it carefully.”

“Should I take that to mean I shouldn’t trust Yangtze River Sword Sect?”

Jin Ja-gang asked back to confirm what Taoist Haewol had said.

Namgung Won frowned but answered honestly.

“Sects that should have been the alliance leader’s hands and feet have withdrawn. They’re even considering joining the Righteousness Association. You don’t need to trust anyone, including me.”

“I see. I thought it was a good deal, but it was a poisoned apple.”

Namgung Won thought quietly, then chuckled.

“If it’s a poisoned apple, isn’t it the most fitting gift for you, Poison Dragon?”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t deny those words either.

Jin Ja-gang thought briefly about the Righteousness Association.

“Righteousness Association…”

The Righteousness Association was Baek Li-jung’s organization. Paradoxically, the Righteousness Association was an organization that inherited Taoist Haewol’s spirit. Yet they were withdrawing from Yangtze River Sword Sect, which Taoist Haewol created, to join the Righteousness Association.

“Indestructible Heavenly Sword’s momentum grows day by day. They even consider those who don’t acknowledge the Righteousness Association as spies of demonic heretics who incite discord.”

Moreover, Baek Li-jung had even threatened to personally hunt down and eliminate disruptive forces. This meant he wouldn’t hesitate to use force.

Even long-established great sects would find this burdensome, so for small and medium sects, being branded this way would be extremely troublesome.

Of course, the Righteousness Association’s growth might be what Taoist Haewol wanted. He had hoped for the rotten things to gather in one place.

“What about Shaolin Temple? I’d like to know what evaluation Yangtze River Sword Sect has made of Shaolin Temple’s intentions.”

At Jin Ja-gang’s question, Namgung Won showed his injured arm and answered.

“Shaolin Temple leads absolute public opinion in the martial world without taking anyone’s side. But the Breaking Sect gaining power means the policies the Embracing Sect pursued until now have failed. Now that the Breaking Sect has come to the forefront, they’ll intervene much more actively.”

“They’ll side with the Righteousness Association but won’t become their lackeys.”

“Because it’s Shaolin Temple.”

“One more question.”

Jin Ja-gang showed the Iron Umbrella Sect ledger.

“I couldn’t find anything unusual in this ledger. Has Yangtze River Sword Sect discovered anything?”

“No. We sent it hoping you might figure something out.”

“Hmm.”

“Hundreds of medicine sects in the Central Plains have met with misfortune. Honestly, it’s difficult for us to pay attention to sects in Yunnan.”

“I heard Yeongpa Merchants is a large trading company in Sichuan. Do you know anything about this trading company?”

“Yeongpa Merchants?”

Namgung Won asked back as if wondering what he meant.

“Yeongpa Merchants is a trading company based in Zhejiang Province. If there’s a similar trading company name in Sichuan, I wouldn’t know…”

Zing…

Jin Ja-gang realized he felt uncomfortable in one corner of his chest.

He felt a sense of discrepancy.

Not Sichuan but Zhejiang?

Sichuan was in the west of the Central Plains, Zhejiang at the eastern end. They were polar opposites in location.

Jin Ja-gang answered without showing his feelings.

“Thank you for the information.”

“Anyway, the sword token is great power. I hope you’ll refrain from actions that would bring trouble to Yangtze River Sword Sect.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Namgung Won agreed as if he expected as much. If Jin Ja-gang listened well to others, could he be called Poison Dragon?

“See you again.”

Namgung Won left with a light farewell like Taoist Haewol.

It seemed to be a characteristic of those who moved secretly.

Jin Ja-gang chuckled while touching the sword token.

“Look here. You said you wouldn’t entrust me with what comes after, but what did you give me?”

Seeing Namgung Won’s serious expression when he saw the sword token, this wasn’t an ordinary jade pendant but something equivalent to Taoist Haewol’s sacred object.

Jin Ja-gang shook his head and put the sword token in his bosom.

Then he immediately moved and returned to Chongqing where the gambling den was.

It was to get help from Qingcheng Sect.

* * *

Less than half a day after contacting Qingcheng Sect, an elderly clerk came to the lodging where Jin Ja-gang was staying. He was a clerk with long experience working for trading companies in Sichuan.

“I once received help from Qingcheng Sect. So, you have questions about the commercial world?”

“I’d like to know about Yeongpa Merchants. Are Yeongpa Merchants active in Sichuan different from Yeongpa Merchants in Zhejiang?”

“No, they’re the same. Yeongpa Merchants in Sichuan is indeed a trading company based in Zhejiang.”

“Did Qingcheng Sect also trade with Yeongpa Merchants?”

“The Three Rivers of Sichuan originally all traded with Min merchants, but only the Tang family’s great estate changed their trading to Yeongpa Merchants ten years ago. Probably around that time, Yeongpa Merchants expanded into Sichuan and Yunnan.”

Even the Tang family?

And ten years ago would be right before the bloodshed between medicine and poison sects.

It would be strange to think Yeongpa Merchants expanded from Zhejiang to Sichuan while establishing trade with the Tang family ten years ago.

“If it’s a trading company based in Zhejiang, it’s very far from Sichuan. The costs would be high compared to the profits gained.”

“In such cases, they probably just borrowed the name Yeongpa Merchants.”

The clerk explained.

“The ten great trading houses of the Central Plains have very large influence, but they’re mainly located downstream of the Yangtze River, so in Hubei or Jiangxi, making commercial activities relatively weak upstream in Sichuan or Yunnan. But since the distance is too far, rather than direct expansion, they operate by joining hands with small local trading companies.”

“It seems similar to the Martial Alliance.”

“Small trading companies benefit greatly from borrowing the names of large trading houses. It’s good for dealing with officials, and above all, funding becomes solid. Large trading houses can expand their networks nationwide to increase influence and gain great advantages in specialty goods trading.”

“Then ultimately, it’s highly likely that what traded with Iron Umbrella Sect was a local Yunnan trading company using Yeongpa Merchants’ name.”

“That’s right. It could be one place or several places.”

Jin Ja-gang pondered over Iron Umbrella Sect’s transaction ledger.

Iron Umbrella Sect’s sect leader Gang Gyu was different from other Yunnan poison sect leaders.

“We too… had no choice…”

These were Gang Gyu’s last words.

He certainly knew something and hinted at it to Jin Ja-gang.

So there was a very high possibility that related evidence remained at Iron Umbrella Sect.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for people to go around Yunnan poison sects eliminating evidence, and Northern Heaven wouldn’t need to impersonate government troops to find Iron Umbrella Sect’s stolen goods.

What were they trying to hide, what were they trying to find?

Then the clerk said.

“May I look at the ledger?”

When Jin Ja-gang handed over the ledger, the clerk slowly flipped through it.

“Looking at the records, this is a transaction with Yeongpa Merchants from three years ago, but no matter how I look, there’s nothing special.”

It was natural that three years ago was the last entry. After that, Iron Umbrella Sect disappeared, so there was no one to write entries.

The clerk mentioned in passing.

“Trading houses settle accounts once a year. Leaders of all trading companies included in the trading house gather at the main house with original accounting ledgers to report deficits and profits. And at that time, the main house copies and stores the original ledgers.”

Jin Ja-gang suddenly had a thought from the clerk’s words.

“Then you mean records from the past might remain at Yeongpa Merchants’ main house?”

“If they used Yeongpa Merchants’ name, no matter how small the trading company, they must participate in the main house’s meetings and report. There would definitely be records.”

Jin Ja-gang realized that one logic ran through all events.

Taoist Haewol had said all events that occurred were related to profit.

‘If there are those who benefit, they are the ones behind it.’

Those who benefited from Iron Umbrella Sect’s existence.

Those who benefited from Iron Umbrella Sect attacking medicine sects.

Ten years ago, Yeongpa Merchants suddenly extended their reach into Sichuan and Yunnan. The timing was too exquisite to dismiss as simple territorial expansion. Moreover, didn’t they say that usually sects don’t change their trading partners? Yet the Tang family changed their trading partner…!

‘There might be something with Yeongpa Merchants.’

Zhejiang was a long journey.

But it needed to be verified.

If he could find records of Yeongpa Merchants trading with Yunnan or Sichuan around ten years ago, he could confirm it.

However.

Before that, one thing.

Jin Ja-gang had something weighing on his mind.

“Yeongpa Merchants is a large trading company that travels between Yunnan and parts of Sichuan, including Kunlun Sect. It seems natural that Iron Umbrella Sect used Yeongpa Merchants.”

Those were his words.

If he had believed those words, if he hadn’t happened to hear about Yeongpa Merchants from Namgung Won, Jin Ja-gang probably wouldn’t have found clues about Yeongpa Merchants.

For Yeongpa Merchants based in Zhejiang Province to trade with Iron Umbrella Sect was clearly awkward. Yet he said it was natural for Iron Umbrella Sect to use Yeongpa Merchants.

He even knew that Kunlun Sect traded with Yeongpa Merchants. It was definitely not a mistake.

Before leaving for Zhejiang, he had to meet him and confirm.

* * *

Flutter flutter flutter!

A messenger bird flew.

Pyo Sang-guk, who had gone deep into the mountains to release the messenger bird, finally sighed in relief.

He had barely separated from Yeong-woon and So-min by saying there was urgent business at Zhongnan Sect. It took quite some time because Yeong-woon and So-min wanted to come along.

But having succeeded in separating the two and releasing the messenger bird, now Zhongnan Sect would also know about Iron Umbrella Sect and Yeongpa Merchants.

About Poison Dragon, his martial arts, and poison too.

“Whew.”

Pyo Sang-guk sighed again and took out a small bottle from his waist. He took a sip of the liquor inside.

As he was about to sit on a rock to rest briefly.

“You seemed anxious.”

Pyo Sang-guk got goosebumps all over his body at the suddenly heard voice.

But he quickly changed his expression and greeted cheerfully.

“Oh, Brother Jin!”

Jin Ja-gang was looking at Pyo Sang-guk from a distance.

Pyo Sang-guk swallowed dry saliva and acted casually.

“What brings Brother Jin here? Did meeting Yangtze River Sword Sect go well? And weren’t you going to Sichuan?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“The other two crossed east to Huguang and went to the Martial Alliance in Jiangxi.”

Pyo Sang-guk was heading north toward Shaanxi where Zhongnan Sect was located.

“Ah, I’m urgently returning because something happened at my home sect.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded as if that could be the case.

“It must be very urgent business.”

“That’s right. I don’t know what it is, but an emergency summons came down…”

“Come to think of it, Brother Pyo seemed to continuously emphasize being an orthodox sect member, a hero of Zhongnan Sect.”

“Suddenly… what do you mean?”

“But while the other two were seriously injured, you were hardly hurt.”

“Brother Jin?”

“Even when the leper assassin brought Thousand Ghost’s invitation. You smashed his head without listening to everything he said.”

“What are you saying, Brother Jin? Of course I was angry at their evil deeds…”

“Thinking about it, there were quite a few suspicious signs. Most were minor actions. You were also the first to say we should catch Poison Dragon to gain merit. You probably said your positive energy would make Poison Dragon’s poison useless.”

“Well…”

Pyo Sang-guk’s face contorted.

“After that, Brother Pyo often showed hostility toward me. Should I say you tried to find malicious flaws in me somehow.”

Limp, limp.

Jin Ja-gang began approaching Pyo Sang-guk while limping.

While doing so, he opened his mouth and asked quietly.

“I’ll ask just once. Why did you lie to me that Yeongpa Merchants was a Sichuan trading company?”