Chapter 45

I shook my head.

This was enough.

I drew the sword at my waist and stepped forward.

Jin Janghyeok stared at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing—even as I began to swing my sword, his expression didn’t change.

His legs braced, sliding him sideways across the ground.

In that instant, his inner force exploded outward, and just as he tried to push off with his foot—

Thunk—

My sword pierced straight through his heart.

“...Wha—?”

He collapsed with a heavy thud, his face frozen in bewilderment.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame him.

There’s a momentary opening in the second step of the Adaptive Step technique.

As I mentioned earlier, Wind-Beyond-Dust Step is among the highest-tier footwork techniques even within the Heaven-grade. Created by a master of the Martial God’s Five Realms, it could easily rival divine-level techniques in the right hands.

But if that technique is used by someone in the Three Fire Convergence stage?

Of course there’ll be flaws. And Jang Cheonryong, its creator, knew that.

He patched most of them as best he could—but one critical gap remained.

The second step.

During the first step, internal energy gathers at the heel. In the second step, it shifts to the toes.

That tiny instant where balance wavers—that’s the opening.

I withdrew my blade.

“Gah—!”

As Jin Janghyeok coughed up blood, I took his head clean off and turned around.

Several armed guards and martial artists of the World Commerce Association stood frozen, watching me.

“I’ll count to five,” I said, casually flicking the blood from my sword. “If Cheon Eojin, head of the World Commerce Association, isn’t kneeling before me by then—every single one of you dies.”

I didn’t even reach three.

Cheon Eojin appeared and knelt before me.

He must’ve been nearby.

His first words were desperate.

“I’m sorry!!”

“Sorry?”

“Yes. I offer my full apology. Until now, the World Commerce Association has colluded with the four sects and the former magistrate of Yangnyeong, Jeong Mugi, to siphon Cold Ridge Jade Essence from Seolap!”

I actually paused for a second.

No lies. Just the raw truth, spoken plainly.

I wasn’t used to that. Most people tried to worm their way out of blame.

It was... refreshing.

I crouched down in front of him.

“Didn’t expect you to be so reasonable.”

“...I’m a merchant. And a merchant should always keep the door to negotiation open.”

“Then this will be simple. You’ve committed a crime worthy of death. The four sects paid with their lives. So did Magistrate Jeong Mugi. The World Commerce Association won’t be an exception.”

“You’re... absolutely right. That’s fair.”

“So how do you plan to make amends?”

“As a merchant, the only thing I can offer is money. I’ll provide as much compensation as I can.”

“Compensation, huh... Normally, I don’t charge interest. But you know something?”

“What is it...?”

“It’s been one full day. One day since I took over Yangnyeong.”

“...”

“And in that one day, I stayed at the county office. The distance to your headquarters isn’t that far. And yet, not even a letter. Not a single word.”

“...That was—”

“So I came myself. But you know I’m not a man with time to waste. You made me spend it. That means you owe me. Any objection?”

“...None.”

“Good. I’ve had to kill hundreds just to finally meet someone who knows how to hold a proper conversation.”

Cheon Eojin flinched.

But I meant every word.

I’ve spoken to far too many people who couldn’t understand a thing I said. Literally had to kill hundreds before someone with a functioning brain finally appeared.

That, in itself, was a huge achievement.

“Listen carefully. From now on, Yangnyeong belongs to Everlasting Snow Palace. The old magistrate's office will become our Yangnyeong Branch. I intend to keep the building, but its structure will change. The warehouse will be expanded. The training yard will be enlarged. And we’ll build a new herb garden to supply cultivation resources. The World Commerce Association will handle all of that.”

“...Understood.”

“You have one day. By then, I expect a full proposal, prepared and delivered to me directly. Naturally, you’ll bear all costs.”

“Yes. Of course. It shall be done.”

Just applying pressure isn’t enough. You need to offer an opportunity, too.

“The mining of Cold Ridge Jade Essence will be shared between Seolap’s Cheongun Trading Company and your Association. Just remember one thing: if you pull anything, the World Commerce Association will vanish from existence. Understood?”

“...Yes.”

“And one more thing.”

I leaned forward, whispering by his ear.

“Magistrate Jeong Mugi brought the four sects and your Association together. He planned to storm Seolap and have me killed. I believe you hold the evidence of that meeting.”

Cheon Eojin blinked.

“...Evidence, you say...? I wasn’t even aware such a plan existed. If it did, I wasn’t there.”

Really now...

“I thought you were a fast thinker. But you’re slower than I expected.”

“...”

“Let me repeat it. The meeting happened. You were there. So were the magistrate and the heads of the four sects. They all signed a joint pledge—entrusted to you for safekeeping.”

Now Cheon Eojin’s eyes began to tremble.

He finally understood what I was implying.

“I’d like you to bring that pledge with you tomorrow.”

“...”

“I’m sure you can forge handwriting well enough if necessary.”

He seemed to hesitate.

But that was fine.

It didn’t matter if he hesitated. Given the current situation—and what was coming next—he had no choice but to do what I wanted.

I patted his shoulder.

“You’re a merchant, so start calculating like one.”

“...Calculating?”

“I have the ledger. And you represent the interests of the four sects and the magistrate. If we align our statements, just how much money could we extract from the Yang Empire?”

Cheon Eojin took a deep breath.

“I have no intention of using political leverage—but if they start it, I’ll respond in kind. If Everlasting Snow Palace and the Yang Empire go to war, who do you think wins?”

“...”

“Figure out how much we can reasonably take. And bring that proposal with you tomorrow as well. Of course, your cut will be measured in pennies, not silver taels. But look at the big picture. Be a merchant.”

Finally, a smile crept onto Cheon Eojin’s face.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure we both come out with the maximum possible profit.”

“Good,” I said. “And it seems your World Commerce Association has a promising talent.”

“...We have several, but may I ask who you’re referring to?”

“There’s a junior overseer named Han Seokhyeon.”

Cheon Eojin’s brow twitched—just slightly, but enough to show he recognized the name.

“Give him a proper position and bring him with you tomorrow.”

I stood up.

He would understand what this conversation truly meant.

You’d have to, if you were going to run a merchant guild of this scale.

I was about to turn away when—

“Lord Hyeon Seollin.”

The voice came from an unexpected direction.

It was right beside me.

The moment people realized who had spoken, several gasped audibly. Some couldn’t even raise their heads after seeing his face—they pressed their foreheads to the floor as if afraid to make eye contact.

And rightly so.

The White Snow Phantom Corps of Everlasting Snow Palace wielded absolute authority within the Palace’s territory.

Especially its commander—Hyeonshim. There was no need to explain his presence.

“It’s been a while, Commander.”

“Yes. But more importantly... You really went through with it.”

“So I did.”

Hyeonshim studied me for a moment with a strange expression, then spoke curtly.

“The Palace Lord has summoned you.”

I smiled faintly.

“I see. I just have a few loose ends to tie up. I’ll come after that.”

“...Shouldn’t you go immediately?”

“Neither I nor the Palace Lord would want that.”

“...”

“While you’re here, there are a few things I’d like to discuss. Shall we move somewhere quieter?”

Hyeonshim paused for a moment in thought, then gave a small nod.

And so, he and I relocated to the Yangnyeong Branch Office.

****

In a small office inside the Yangnyeong branch, I sat across from Hyeonshim with a table between us.

Overseer Seong brought us each a cup of tea, bowed, and exited without a word.

Even after the door shut behind him, Hyeonshim remained silent.

At last, he spoke in a quiet voice.

“You knew?”

I smiled faintly.

“Are you referring to the properties of the Snowleaf Tea in front of us, or the true identity of our Overseer Seong who just stepped out? I’m not quite sure which you mean.”

“The latter.”

“I’ve noticed this before—you have a particular talent for asking questions you already know the answer to.”

“I don’t have such a talent. It’s just a strange habit that comes out whenever I speak to you. More importantly... how did you know? The White Snow Phantom Corps uses movement techniques so refined that even Martial God–level experts can’t track them.”

“It’s just a little trick of mine.”

“...Which is your polite way of saying you’d rather not explain.”

“Precisely.”

Hyeonshim stared at me with unreadable eyes.

I returned the gaze with my own expressionless stare.

“...I still can’t get used to this. You’ve changed far too much.”

“Whether I’ve changed or not doesn’t matter. The me back then and the me now—both are still me, Commander.”

“...I see. Then it must be that I failed to see your essence.”

“No one saw it. Now, if I may, I have a question for you.”

“I think I can guess what it is. May I speak first?”

“Of course.”

Hyeonshim looked around the room, then lowered his voice.

“This is something I say only because you are the heir of the Polar Throne. You must not—must not—repeat this anywhere else.”

“Understood.”

“Very well. You once told me to keep an eye on the Phantom Corps. You said there was a traitor among us.”

“I did.”

“You were right. I’ve identified five.”

That made my brow twitch.

Five.

That wasn’t a large number—not out of over a hundred and fifty members in the Corps. # Nоvеlight # Honestly, it wasn’t even worth discussing in hushed tones.

Unless, of course, those five weren’t ordinary soldiers.

“Three of them are Cold Aura Officers at the Manifestation Realm. The other two... are from the Twelve Cold Phantoms.”

“I see.”

My calm reply clearly caught Hyeonshim off guard.