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“The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor came to see us.”
As always, Bukgung Yoon summoned Yeon Mujin.
Yeon Mujin nodded.
“What did he say?”
“He asked me if I would consider bringing in shipments through Shaanxi.”
It was what Yeon Mujin had already suspected.
By then Yeon Mujin already knew about the trouble brewing at Ten Thousand Gold Manor.
He composed his expression and asked calmly.
When one experiences regression, the futures one lived through can shift.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hmm…”
Bukgung Yoon unfolded a map of the Central Plains and pushed it toward Yeon Mujin.
“You already know where Ten Thousand Gold Manor’s sphere of influence lies, right?”
“The Sichuan and Gansu regions.”
The Fourth Young Master’s domains in Sichuan and Gansu lie west of the Bukgung Family’s ancestral base in Shanxi.
Crossing Shanxi past the Mount Hua watershed brings you into Shaanxi; beyond Shaanxi lies Gansu.
West of Gansu is Qinghai, then western Tibet—Ten Thousand Gold Manor’s power sits at the western edge of the Central Plains.
“Ten Thousand Gold Manor has accumulated enormous wealth there. Among our brothers, the one with the greatest assets is probably the lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor. He might even have more than the Glorious Flower Manor…”
“Hm.”
One part was right; the other was wrong.
The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor, Bukgung Yun-ram, was indeed a tremendously wealthy man as she said.
So much so that during one of Yeon Mujin’s seven regressions—the period when he accumulated the most internal energy—he was under Bukgung Yun-ram’s patronage.
Why? Because money truly flowed like water there.
Yeon Mujin consumed spiritual items and pills others wouldn’t see in a lifetime.
‘But still, not comparable to the Glorious Flower Manor.’
For someone at the level of the Family Lord of the Bukgung Family, wealth isn’t especially important.
As money accumulates, there comes a point where certain problems cannot be solved with money alone.
Unfortunately, Bukgung Yun-ram was inexperienced and didn’t understand that.
…Well, granted.
It wasn’t something he could afford to say now, lacking both money and power.
Anyway.
“Lord Yeon, do you know where Ten Thousand Gold Manor’s wealth comes from?”
Bukgung Yoon asked.
Yeon Mujin feigned ignorance and asked, slyly,
“Isn’t it money earned from trade guilds and moving goods?”
At Yeon Mujin’s answer, Bukgung Yoon wore a triumphant smile and waved her fingers.
“That’s half right and half wrong.”
Well, well.
“Then what is it?”
“There are two sources of Ten Thousand Gold Manor’s financial power. One is the massive yield produced in Sichuan, and the other is the goods coming from the Western regions through Gansu.”
Yeon Mujin stroked his chin and agreed.
“There has always been a saying that people from Sichuan never go hungry.”
“That’s right.”
“What do you mean by goods from the Western regions?”
“Things like gems, spices, medicinal ingredients, horses, crafts, even weapons—everything. Ten Thousand Gold Manor amassed wealth by seizing the entry point for those Western goods.”
It was an accurate explanation.
Bukgung Yun-ram had a keen aptitude for commerce—he was sharp about money.
In the Central Plains, trade guilds representing a region often monopolize goods unique to that area, or monopolize the transport rights for those goods.
For example: Yunnan tea, Sichuan brocade, Zhejiang ceramics.
To monopolize goods is to monopolize wealth.
But Bukgung Yun-ram was doing that across the entire Central Plains.
Truly, by worldly martial standards, he was a madman.
“Originally, Ten Thousand Gold Manor brought Western goods through Gansu into Sichuan, and then used Chongqing as a transport hub. Chongqing, where the Jialing meets the Yangtze, is both a key waterway junction and a neutral zone where no power holds sway.”
Yeon Mujin nodded as he looked at the martial map Bukgung Yoon had spread out.
She’d colored each manor’s sphere of influence, and Chongqing was unmarked—neutral.
“But it seems that this waterway has had recent problems. For Ten Thousand Gold Manor, transporting goods through Chongqing has become more difficult.”
“Did the Fourth Young Master say that?”
“No. This is information I found out myself.”
As expected of Bukgung Yoon.
When it came to reading the board and sizing up situations, she was the best among the seven siblings Yeon Mujin officially recognized.
“If Chongqing’s waterway is blocked, the detour would be…”
Bukgung Yoon traced two lines with her finger, extending from Sichuan.
One went south, passing through Yunnan and Guizhou.
The other went east from Gansu, passing through Shaanxi.
“One of the two.”
“Then it’s only Shaanxi.”
Bukgung Yoon nodded.
Yunnan and Guizhou were shaded pale purple.
That signified they were the territory of the Third Young Master Bukgung Dam-deok.
“Choosing Shaanxi as the transport route has many advantages. Instead of moving goods from Gansu to Sichuan, you can go straight east into Shaanxi. There’s no need to use Chongqing’s waterways, and the distance is greatly reduced.”
Shaanxi had no shading at all.
It meant it belonged to no young master’s domain—it’s a neutral zone like Chongqing.
“The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor made that suggestion to us because of this.”
Because,
“The forces in Shaanxi hate Ten Thousand Gold Manor more than any in the Central Plains.”
Yeon Mujin also nodded.
It meant Bukgung Yoon had assessed the situation accurately.
“Why is that?”
“Goods coming through Gansu’s Hexi Corridor historically passed through Shaanxi to head to Beijing. Ten Thousand Gold Manor, by planting its roots in the west, diverted those routes to Sichuan. Moreover, Ten Thousand Gold Manor began to thoroughly exclude Shaanxi’s powers.”
They shut off Shaanxi’s incoming money, took control of the leash, and slowly strangled it.
The western bank of Shaanxi, once bustling with trade, began to wither slowly.
Like blocking an upstream river causes drought downstream.
It’s no wonder the people of Shaanxi despised Ten Thousand Gold Manor; it was their own doing, in a sense.
“So he wants to use our help to reopen the transport routes through Shaanxi?”
“Exactly. It’s obvious Shaanxi would not accept a direct offer from Ten Thousand Gold Manor now, so the calculation is to use Flying Swallow Manor as an intermediary. Shaanxi will shake hands with Flying Swallow Manor, and behind the scenes Flying Swallow Manor will link up with Ten Thousand Gold Manor. That’s the Fourth Brother’s way out.”
Yeon Mujin smiled and said,
“A blade without its maker.”
Bukgung Yoon smiled back.
“He could only make that offer because he sees us as no threat.”
“So, what will you do?”
“What does Lord Yeon think?”
“I already asked you first.”
“I’m the manor lord and you’re my guard, so you answer first, Lord Yeon.”
“…”
Lately, Bukgung Yoon had been insisting on this sort of nonsense more and more.
Who on earth taught her that? Had the External Protection Troops picked up bad habits while I was away?
Yeon Mujin scratched the back of his head and replied,
“Let’s go with that.”
Bukgung Yoon’s eyebrows twitched.
“Why?”
“There are two reasons.”
“Go ahead.”
“If we open the route at the lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor’s suggestion, we can demand a toll—like organized bandits. For Ten Thousand Gold Manor, Shaanxi is a harsh mountain pass; we would lend Flying Swallow Manor’s name and be paid for it.”
Bukgung Yoon nodded.
“And the second?”
“The important thing is this transaction happens under the table. For Ten Thousand Gold Manor, there’s no need to advertise a partnership with Flying Swallow Manor, which means less scrutiny from our other brothers. That difference is larger than it seems.”
Listening, Bukgung Yoon raised her third finger and spoke.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“Once we reopen Shaanxi’s transport route, Ten Thousand Gold Manor will inevitably rely on us. Changing an established system is harder than it seems. The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor may think he’s using us, but the truth is the opposite: we will be using Ten Thousand Gold Manor.”
“…”
For a moment, Yeon Mujin was speechless as he looked at Bukgung Yoon.
She seemed thrilled to see that expression.
She added, confidently,
“And actually, he’s already agreed to that.”
“…What?”
“Knowing Lord Yeon as I do, I was sure you would agree.”
Bukgung Yoon folded the map of the Central Plains and said,
“Then shall we begin making preparations to head to Shaanxi as well?”
Bukgung Yoon left the manor hall humming a tune, clearly in high spirits.
Left alone, Yeon Mujin stared blankly at her departing figure and felt a strange sensation.
“…Well then. Is this what they call the pupil surpassing the master?”
Shaanxi Province, a high-end inn in Xi’an.
The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor, Bukgung Yun-ram, was meeting a man on the top floor there.
The man spoke to Bukgung Yun-ram.
“So even the slow-to-move manor lord is in a hurry now, it seems, coming all the way to Xi’an.”
Bukgung Yun-ram fanned a gilded folding fan and said,
“I just passed through and stopped by. I wanted to see whether things are progressing well.”
At the mention of a report, the man’s eyebrows rose.
His condescending tone never got any easier to take.
But the man wiped the displeasure from his face and smiled as he spoke.
To get what he wanted, he would have to bend his pride a little.
“If you want a report, you must pay for it.”
The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor tossed a money pouch at his feet.
The clink sounded substantial, indicating a good amount of money inside.
“One hundred silver coins.”
“Only silver coins? Who do you think you’re paying?”
“If you want more coin, bring me results. I am not taking time to offer charity.”
“Hmph. Stop hurrying me. Convincing old men is no easy task. But don’t worry. Those old fools of Mount Hua won’t decide until they’re starving, right? It’s really just a matter of time.”
At his words, the leader of the Black Gold Troops stepped forward.
“That’s not a report. Give a definite deadline. If that deadline passes, you will have failed.”
Bukgung Yun-ram answered,
“You expect me to state that now? How can I know the inner thoughts of each old man?”
The Black Gold Troops leader’s hand tightened on his sword at the insolent words.
At that moment, another member of the Black Gold Troops came to the table and whispered into Bukgung Yun-ram’s ear.
“The lord of Flying Swallow Manor has departed for Shaanxi, they say.”
The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor nodded without expression.
The man watched his reaction and said,
“It’s not polite to whisper a secret in front of someone.”
“The courtesy I should show you has already been filled by the coin you’ve received.”
The lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor poured a cup of western wine and added,
“If you care for courtesy, bring results. Courtesy that doesn’t come with coin is useless.”
The man’s mouth tightened awkwardly.
He prided himself on his perceptiveness; having grown up under the watchful eyes of sworn brothers, he quickly read people’s moods.
His instinct was speaking to him.
“He dug a different pit, not mine.”
Bukgung Yun-ram did not answer and drained his cup.
The man laughed hollowly, as if dumbfounded.
“Ha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
Then in an instant he wiped the laughter away and said,
“How dare you betray me? Do you know how much time I invested?”
“And how much money did I spend? It wasn’t only your time I used. I spent both time and money. Didn’t I say—if you want courtesy, bring results?”
The man glared at the lord of Ten Thousand Gold Manor with murderous intent.
Then he let out an eerie smile and said,
“Well, never mind. I don’t know what rabbit you’ve released, but in the end you’ll join hands with me. It is I who will bring the Purple Cloud Divine sword. There’s no one but me, there will be no one but me.”
The Black Gold Troops leader replied in his stead,
“Do the job properly, whether you cut them to death or tear them—stop making me hear the same words over and over.”
Bukgung Yun-ram poured another cup and handed it to the man.
“Will you have a drink?”
The man rose from his seat and said,
“You offer wine to a mere charlatan Taoist?”
The Black Gold Troops leader snorted at his words.
Even if the world fell, there’d never be a day when this fellow deserved to be called a Taoist.
Before leaving, the man left one final remark.
“Prepare more coin. On that day, you’ll need much finer wine. Ten Thousand Gold Manor… How much would someone have to pay to buy Mount Hua, the richest manor in the world?”
His voice already sounded languid, as if wandering through that day in his mind.
“I look forward to it.”
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