Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 28



Only Krnovel

28. Pride (2)

Gokjeongak requested Samcheonggwan to increase the number of people and expand the space. Samcheonggwan was also dumbfounded. They were raking in Hubei’s money like a rake with a business they had never heard of.

Cheong-ui was dumbfounded by the sudden change in the situation, which seemed unrealistic. He also couldn’t understand why a representative of the Huizhou merchants had suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Thank you, Jang Moon-in. Since the shaman took charge of this work, other merchants can now do business in Hubei with peace of mind. This will help Hubei develop even further.”

“… … Um, uh, is that so?”

“It is a great idea, but it is also something that only a shaman could have done. Who would entrust something more precious than their own life to it? If it weren’t for the shamans who have shown their integrity and established justice in the Central Plains, no one would have entrusted it to me.”

“Heh heh… … .”

Cheong-ui laughed in vain. To be honest, he felt guilty. When he first heard that Gokjeongak was doing brokerage business, Cheong-ui was suspicious.

Of course, it wasn’t just Cheong-ui. All the elders asked if that made sense, and Cheong-su, the head of Gokjeongak, also seemed unsure about the business. There were even those who said that Gokjeongak should move because of the words of a mere disciple, but Cheong-su said that he wanted to try it even on a small scale, so Cheong-ui gave his permission.

“This is a small gift from our merchants. Please accept it.”

A man wearing a black suit pushed a box toward Cheong-ui. The box was gorgeous to look at.

“We have never done anything to deserve this.”

“The enemy of merchants is not only the green forest. Even if you managed to pass by paying the toll to the green forest, if the merchant you are dealing with is a fraud, it is all for naught. You have greatly contributed to preventing that.”

The representative of the Huiju merchants opened the box so that Qingyi could see it.

As soon as I opened the box, a soothing scent filled the room. Inside the box were colorful jade stones, and in the center was an unusual-looking ring.

“… … This is?”

Cheong-ui’s voice trembled. He also guessed what this object was. However, he was not sure.

“It is the Heavenly King’s elixir.”

“Huh. The Heavenly King’s Shrine? Was that on the side of the Hwiju merchants?”

Cheong-ui stuck out his tongue. Ten years ago, Cheonwangmun, a mysterious sect in Cheonghae, disbanded, causing great upheaval in the Central Plains.

No one knew the internal circumstances, but the important thing was that the sect had been disbanded and the owner of the elixirs and secrets within the sect had disappeared.

When news of the dismantling of the Cheonwangmun Gate was heard, people flocked to Cheonghae and began to search for the location of the Cheonwangmun Gate. The most notable of these was the Cheonwangsindan.

The elixir that only the direct descendants of the Cheonwangmun sect could consume was rumored to have incredible efficacy comparable to that of Shaolin’s Daehwandan.

The fight was going on for a long time, and I thought the whereabouts of the Heavenly King’s Scepter were unknown, but I didn’t know that the Huizhou merchants had it. It seems that the saying that the Huizhou merchants have three of the world’s treasures is not without reason.

“How did the Heavenly King’s Sacred Tablets flow to the merchants of Huizhou?”

“Hehehe. I’m asking for something that I can’t say. Of course, shamans also have a magical elixir called Taecheongdan, but isn’t it better to have more? If this leads to one more person in the Central Plains, how fortunate it will be for us, the common people.”

Qingyi sank into silence at the words of the Huizhou merchant. This was certainly for the sake of his disciples. It was not for his own glory. Furthermore, since Hubei was in the territory of the Huizhou merchants, they had no choice but to continue to interact. There was nothing wrong with establishing a good relationship.

“Great. That’s good. But you won’t have any regrets about this later.”

“Are you saying this?”

The merchant smiled broadly. After that, the merchant praised the shamans and left.

Cheong-ui put his hand on his head. When he talked to the merchants, he felt like he needed to wash his ears. It was that dizzying.

“What is happening for the time being?”

It certainly didn’t take ten days for him to prove his talent, as Muk Hwi-yeong had said. How big must the business have been for the big shots in the business world, the Hwiju merchants, to come? The reason they came was to ask for the business to continue. The Heavenly King’s Sacred Table was a bribe for that.

However, it was not a bad story from the shaman’s perspective. If the shaman continued this business, he would make a lot of money. Two hundred nyang of silver in ten days. Of course, since it was just started, even if people flocked, it would still be a business that would bring in money steadily and steadily.

Even if there were later entrants, which place would have earned as much trust as the shaman? The only thing they would compete on was price.

“Is there anyone outside?”

“yes.”

The voice of the great disciple assisting him was heard from outside.

“Tell the elders that we are holding a meeting of elders.”

“Are you talking about now?”

“okay.”

“All right.”

“Oh, and now go to Gokjeongak and bring the disciple named Mukhwiyeong.”

“Ah. Yes. I know. Okay.”

Already, Muk Hwi-yeong had become a famous figure even within the shaman community. There was no one who did not know that this project, which was now receiving explosive responses in Hubei, was Muk Hwi-yeong’s idea.

When Muk Hwi-yeong said that he would demonstrate his talent, everyone was paying attention so that they would laugh at him. However, Muk Hwi-yeong proved his talent as if he was laughing at the laughter in return.

Soon after, the elders gathered in the conference room of Samcheong Hall. Since everyone knew that there would be an elders’ meeting today anyway, they waited without going outside Samcheong Hall.

“… … Ahem.”

Only awkward coughs from people filled the conference room.

“Shall we begin? It seems that all the elders are gathered.”

One of the elders, Cheongyeong, spoke, but Cheongui shook his head.

“There is one more person to come.”

Soon the conference room door opened. The person who came in was Muk Hwi-yeong, who had a big smile on her face. She was late because she was in Gokjeongak, which was the farthest from Samcheonggwan.

“Haha. The elders’ meeting was delayed because of me. I’m really sorry about that.”

Mukhwiyoung laughed. The elders’ faces frowned at his joking tone.

***

The elders looked very uncomfortable. They seemed to be unhappy that they had been made to wait just for me.

“I will proceed with the meeting right away. The agenda is whether or not to allow Mukhwiyeong to be a registered disciple.”

It’s good to be direct. I took a deep breath. It’s called “Jininsa Daecheonmyeong.” I did everything I had to do, and I left the rest to heaven. To be honest, I felt like I had more work to do than I had to do.

At that moment, Cheong-yu raised his hand. He was Myeong-han’s teacher. He was someone I had a bad relationship with. Cheong-yu spoke in a low voice.

“I will admit that I am human.”

“Of course, Elder, are you a human? Or are you a spirit?”

“Be quiet. This is not a place for jokes.”

“Oh, yes.”

I tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere by joking, but that didn’t work on the elders.

“But a registered disciple could set a bad precedent. Other old-school clans that have adopted the same system will not like it either.”

“Are you against it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Okay. One vote against.”

Yes. I had expected Cheong-yu to be against it to some extent. There are eight elders of the shamans. Including Jang Moon-in, there are nine people who can vote. It was unfortunate for me that Cheong-yu was among them, but that was something I had to deal with.

I kept my mouth shut and listened to how the meeting was going. As expected, the shamans were conservative, as they were the most vested interests in the martial arts world. They were afraid of making changes.

“The system of a named lay disciple is a unique system that was only used when the Demonic Cult was in power. If it were used in normal times, it could have negative effects on other disciples. If the main disciples yearn for freedom and the lay disciples covet the shaman’s martial arts, how can discipline be maintained?”

“Would it be possible to do that if I give permission to one person?”

“That’s a possibility, so you have to be careful.”

“But we are a sect. Can we force a child who doesn’t want to become a disciple of the main temple to come to us? We are not a sect.”

The elders flinched at the mention of the devil’s cult. The elders’ argument was quite sharp. From what I heard, both sides had their own logic, and it seemed difficult for either side to be unilaterally convinced.

“I guess it would be better to just vote.”

In the end, after a discussion that was almost half a day, Cheong-ui made a decision. Of course, as I listened, I realized that the idea of ​​a registered disciple that I had proposed was a difficult concept to accept.

“Can I have a final word before you vote?”

I raised my hand. The eyes of all the elders turned to me.

“This is not the place for you to speak.”

Cheong-yu spoke in a firm voice, but Cheong-ui nodded in return.

“Since it’s about how you treat yourself, I think it’s okay to allow me to say a word or two.”

“… … Ahem. If that’s what you want, Jang Moon-in.”

Now the floor was mine. In a boring situation where I had been standing around for half an hour, this was my last chance to protest.

“Maybe I was underestimating shamans.”

I hurried. The shaman elders frowned at my words.

“I was born with the blood of a merchant. It is my destiny and pride. However, I also knew that I had talent, and since I was in this position, I thought it would be good to have both. The two talents are complementary, and when talent and talent meet, they can shine even brighter. That’s why I was greedy. However, after listening to the elders’ stories, I came to think that it would be selfish to lead the shaman’s change just because of me.”

“I see, then I know.”

“Be quiet.”

Cheong-yu tried to argue, but Cheong-ui stopped him. I continued speaking without even looking at Cheong-ui.

“But I have no intention of giving up my selfish self. I should enjoy everything I want, and I think that is the meaning of life. That is why I want to promote and sell my product to you all now. I have shown Mujae and Sangjae to the Mudangpa, and I have proven them well. I promise you all that when I become a named secular disciple, I will contribute to the Mudangpa as a merchant and a martial artist. Compared to that contribution, what I have shown so far is only a small part. You can look forward to it, elders. I would also appreciate it if the elders who oppose named secular disciples would reconsider, thinking of the glory of the shaman that will shine in the future.”

I sighed after finishing my speech. I was out of breath because I had talked for so long.

“It’s over.”

“okay.”

Cheongyi nodded. Cheongyi took his eyes off me and looked at the elders.

“Now I will take the votes for and against. Those in favor, raise your hand.”

With those words, Cheong-ui raised his hand. Jang Moon-in, who had not spoken in the discussion so far, took my side. The elders flinched.

And one by one, the elders began to raise their hands. Not only the elders who had already agreed, but also the elders who had opposed it with conservative views slowly raised their hands.

The results were right before my eyes.

Eight votes in favor.

The one who didn’t raise his hand until the end was Cheong-yu. Cheong-yu lowered his head.

“This shamanist faction accepts Mukhwiyeong as a registered disciple in accordance with the wishes of the elders and the elder council.”

With the solemn declaration of Qingyi, my status changed.