Chapter 300

Chapter 300
Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing! Schwing!
The collective unsheathing of weapons by the guards caused the previously vibrant and chaotic space to instantly freeze, as though drenched in icy water.
“What do you think you are doing?!”
Having stepped inside first, So-so Wang attempted to confront them courageously, but an escort barred her way.
“So-so.”
Gesticulating with my hand to indicate she should stay back, I kept my gaze leveled calmly at the armed men.
“Unsheathing your blades…”
The guards fixed their gazes on me with lethal animosity.
“Am I to understand that you are treating me as a trespasser or a common thug?”
A nervous twitch appeared near the eyes of the men holding their bare steel.
Their countenances betrayed a sudden realization of their blunder.

“So, what is the delay? Now that your weapons are out, shouldn’t you be striking?”
“…”
Naturally, they were paralyzed.
To their absolute misfortune, I held an official invitation from the head of the Eun-ha Merchant Group itself.
“Does the security of the Eun-ha Merchant Group simply stand idle when outlaws strike?”
Following my remark, the individuals queued up in the lengthy line commenced whispering among themselves.
While a solitary incident like this wouldn’t entirely shatter the reputation of such a massive enterprise, humanity possesses a natural affinity for tearing others down, does it not?
It was glaringly obvious from the way they gossiped about an upstanding fellow like myself, mockingly labeling me the “Black Flame Dragon.”
Undoubtedly, this public spectacle was the last thing the Eun-ha Merchant Group wanted.

Thud! Thud! Thud!
Moving with rigid, martial precision, a fresh squad advanced toward the gateway from deep within the Eun-ha Merchant Group premises.
Bam!
When these newcomers slammed the shafts of their polearms against the stone floor simultaneously, the onlookers gasped in astonishment.
“That’s the Su-seong Hall!”
“Rumor has it they wiped out the notorious Chuh-on-chae bandit stronghold completely unaided.”
“Where is the Meteor Spear, then?”
Despite the rising chatter from the crowd, the operatives of the Su-seong Hall maintained an unblinking, resolute focus on their surroundings.
The individual leading them evaluated me with a supercellious stare before turning his attention to the guards with exposed blades.
“Explain this chaos!”
“H-Hall Master… Well, you see, that individual… he suddenly resorted to physical violence…”
The leader’s eyes locked frostily onto my features.
“Just who do you think you are, causing trouble on an auspicious occasion for the Eun-ha Merchant Group… Ack! What are you doing!”
My arm shot forward, targeting his throat.
Mid-sentence, the startled Hall Master’s eyes bulged as he tried to retreat.

Whoosh, whoosh-whoosh!
My fingers, seeking a tight grip on his windpipe, slithered forward like a serpent, relentlessly tracking his throat.
“Cease this instant…!”
Realizing he had to defend himself, the chief of the Su-seong Hall executed a Geum-na-su grappling maneuver to counter me.
His mastery of the spear remained a mystery to me, but his grappling abilities were distinctly unimpressive.
Then again, as a mere combat leader for a commercial entity, he could hardly measure up to a true Hall Master from the Martial Alliance.
It made me wonder how he had managed to overcome the Chuh-on-chae in the first place.
Utilizing the Baek-bong-su technique, I deflected his palms with two swift strikes, jabbed his acupoints, and seized him securely by the throat, hoisting his body off the ground.
“Ack… gurgle…”

Witnessing a repeat of the earlier display, the security forces of the Eun-ha Merchant Group looked as though they might lose consciousness from shock.
“This absolute lunatic…!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The remaining fighters from the Su-seong Hall lunged forward in unison, boxing me in from all eight cardinal and ordinal directions.
They leveled their weapon tips inches from my flesh, prepared to riddle my body with punctures at the slightest command.
“Release him immediately!”
“Unclench your hand from the Hall Master!”
Paying no heed to their frantic shouting, I maintained my iron grip on the quivering leader’s throat while channeling my inner qi.
Then, I projected my voice toward whatever hidden organizer was pulling the strings inside the compound.
“Is this how the Eun-ha Merchant Group welcomes its invited guests?!”
The sheer volume of my roar caused even my own eardrums to throb uncomfortably.
In the queue outside, several onlookers doubled over and dropped to the ground, clutching their ears in agony.
The sound undoubtedly penetrated deep within the Eun-ha Merchant Group complex.
While I couldn’t see them, a good number of prominent figures inside surely turned pale.
There were probably at least half a dozen individuals itching to end my life at that very second.
Regardless, backing down was out of the question.
At this moment, I needed to perfectly embody a reckless, unrefined, and volatile martial artist of the Black Path.
Indeed, I was the emerging prodigy of the underworld, endorsed by the supreme Leader of the Four Black Lotus himself—the designated heir to the unorthodox factions, the Black Flame Dragon.
Merely acting like an offended youth with bruised vanity wouldn’t suffice.
I had to behave as though ignoring my impulses would cause me physical pain.
Exactly like a true rogue of the Black Path.

“I arrived here at the personal behest of your own Merchant Group Leader! Is this the standard hospitality extended to your master’s honored associates? Did you truly believe that I, So-un Jin, was someone you could mock so easily?!”
As I bellowed, hoisting and rattling the helpless Hall Master like a sack of dry grain, the disapproving glares of the onlookers gradually shifted into looks of utter bewilderment regarding the unfolding drama.
Even though crashing a celebration and humiliating its hosts usually warranted being immediately skewered on a dozen spears, none of the guards possessed the courage to strike; they merely held their positions blindly.
Such is the nature of human behavior.
When a situation deviates drastically from the anticipated script, observers instinctively seek some hidden rationale, assuming there must be a valid grievance driving such outrageous conduct.
“Dammit! Who is running this place?! Have the person in charge show themselves right now!”
The expressions of the fighters surrounding me with drawn blades and extended spears twisted as though they had just swallowed something foul.
They brought this on themselves. Why provoke someone who was already actively searching for any excuse to ignite a conflict?

—

“What is the meaning of all this noise?!”
The entire contingent of Eun-ha Merchant Group guards pivoted simultaneously toward the voice.
They cried out to the newcomer with intense relief, viewing him as their ultimate protector.
“Young Leader!”
“You’re finally here, sir! This insolent scoundrel has dared to insult the Eun-ha Merchant Group…”
Before the guard could finish his sentence, the arriving figure raised a rigid hand and tightened it into a fist.
Instantly, a heavy silence fell over the subordinates, as if their lips had been sealed shut.
The Young Leader kept his eyes locked onto me, asking in a quiet, dangerous tone:
“Identify yourself.”
This arrogant fellow, appearing to be around his mid-thirties, demanded my background without bothering to offer his own name first.
“Why don’t you identify yourself first?”
Responding in a thoroughly casual, informal manner, I saw a thick vein bulge on his wide brow.
“Did my name elude your ears? I am So-gun Jeong of the Eun-ha Merchant Group.”
The moment So-gun Jeong announced his identity, a wave of recognition rippled through the spectators.
“The legendary Meteor Spear, So-gun Jeong!”
“Is that truly the Great Hall Master of the Hyeon-mu Pavilion, So-gun Jeong?”
“They say it required a mere decade for him to attain the rank of Great Hall Master.”
“Rumor has it he abandoned an even loftier trajectory just to return and claim his family’s enterprise.”
The crowd instantly grew more fascinated by the arrival of a renowned celebrity than by the peril of the standoff.
To them, it was simply an entertaining drama.
After all, a bystander risks nothing in a feud.
Meanwhile, So-gun Jeong remained entirely focused on piercing me with his eyes.
Despite asserting his prestige, he clearly took offense at my complete lack of deference—specifically, my refusal to bow.

“Are you refusing to provide your name?”
“Your hearing must be impaired. I just bellowed it loudly enough to shake the foundations of the Eun-ha Merchant Group a moment ago.”
“…Is that so?”
So-gun Jeong’s gaze wavered slightly.
“It appears the curriculum at the Academy has severely degenerated regarding basic manners.”
I shrugged it off with intentional indifference.
“So you recognize me?”
“Word has reached me that the prominent young rogue of the Black Path, known as the Black Flame Dragon, currently acts as the Academy envoy. Back in my generation, such an absurdity was utterly unthinkable.”
He was executing a transparent maneuver to establish his seniority as an older Academy alumnus.
The motive behind such a basic ploy was painfully obvious.
I offered a derisive snort at his pathetic attempt at psychological dominance.
The man had clearly never survived the cutthroat atmosphere of an underground gambling house, where complex schemes and deadly bluffs dictated whether one kept their life over a solitary coin.
Nurtured seedlings are always remarkably fragile.

“Oh! I see you are an esteemed senior alumnus.”
The moment I rubbed the back of my neck and adopted a naive guise, a smug grin crept onto his lips.
“Regarding the transgression you committed today, my peers in the Martial Alliance…”
“But tell me, how is it that the personnel of the Eun-ha Merchant Group remained entirely ignorant of my identity, when you, the Young Leader and a fellow alumnus, knew it perfectly well, leading to this disaster?”
“Excuse me?”
“Is the standard of the Eun-ha Merchant Group, renowned as one of the four pinnacle merchant organizations across the land, truly so subpar, senior?”
When he attempted to slight me, I struck back directly at his ultimate source of pride—the Eun-ha Merchant Group itself.
Predictably, my counter caused So-gun Jeong’s visage to flush crimson with rage.
Nevertheless, he managed to maintain some composure.
He shifted his attention down to where my hand gripped his subordinate.
“Are you planning to execute the leader of the Su-seong Hall?”
By now, the captive Hall Master was frothing slightly, his gaze having shifted completely out of focus.
Hmph. I hadn’t actually planned to push him to this state.
It was only due to So-gun Jeong’s posturing that the poor fellow had deteriorated so badly.
“If execution isn’t on my agenda, then I suppose you can have him.”
Treating the man like a discarded item just as he had implied, I flung the unconscious leader directly at So-gun Jeong.
Catching his captain like a bundle of freight, So-gun Jeong swiftly checked his vitals and struck several acupoints to restore his consciousness.

“…Cough, hack… Young Leader. Please forgive my incompetence.”
“Are your legs functional?”
“Pardon? Oh, yes! I can stand, sir.”
Reviving within the Young Leader’s grasp, the Su-seong Hall Master pushed himself up onto unsteady legs, desperate to salvage his dignity.
Right then.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ack-urgh!”
In a flash, four heavy impacts struck the leader’s primary acupoints, leaving visible indentations on his attire. The man, who had only just managed to find his footing, crumpled to the ground while spraying dark blood.
The surrounding onlookers and guards alike stared in utter horror, their eyes wide.
“How dare you bring such disgrace upon the grand celebration of the Eun-ha Merchant Group! To think the commanding officer of the Su-seong Hall is incapable of suppressing a basic disruption like this!”
Faced with that furious tirade, the battered official, wiping blood from his lips, dragged himself back up to his feet through sheer willpower.
His features were twisted in agony as the leader of the Su-seong Hall bent his torso in a profound bow, appearing on the verge of collapse.
“My deepest apologies, Young Leader!”
“Move! Drag this failure inside, along with every incompetent guard who failed to prevent this debacle!”
“Understood!”
Obeying the booming command, the standby forces of the Su-seong Hall promptly gathered their disgraced commander and the offending sentries, clearing them from the gateway and retreating into the facility.

Wiping away any trace of his previous fury, So-gun Jeong turned toward me with a completely blank expression.
“Please accept my regrets for the administrative oversights regarding your arrival.”
He offered nothing more than a minimal inclination of his head.
I had anticipated a proper formal Pogwon gesture, but he withheld it.
‘A sharp character, indeed.’
He clearly grasped the underlying issue and understood who was truly responsible.
Yet, noticeably, So-gun Jeong avoided blaming his subordinates for failing to identify my person.
Instead, he purely chastised them for failing to handle the disruption I instigated.
The rapid calculations occurring in his mind were practically audible.
“Nevertheless, you must recognize that resorting to such coarse and disrespectful behavior over a minor clerical error, thereby insulting our establishment’s dignity, is fundamentally unacceptable.”
With those words, he was slyly implying that my reaction was wildly disproportionate.
‘So his rapid ascent to Great Hall Master wasn’t merely due to nepotism and his father’s influence.’
This shrewder aspect of his character had been entirely omitted from the records compiled by the Bureau of Universal Knowledge.
“Additionally, distinguished state representatives from Beijing are currently in attendance at the behest of our Master. What is your plan to account for creating such an unseemly public disturbance?”
The more he spoke, the more this fellow continued to push his luck.
Did he take me for a complete fool just because I adopted the demeanor of a rough outlaw from the Black Path?
“Account for what? Why should liability fall on me?”
“Keep your voice down.”
But I had no intention of keeping it quiet; this display was for the benefit of a wider audience.
I infused an extra surge of internal energy into my vocal cords to guarantee total clarity for everyone present.

“Is the Eun-ha Merchant Group so completely disorganized that they extended three separate invitations to me—even going so far as to dispatch your own younger sister to the Tae-eul Sect to request my presence—only to claim my name is absent from the registry and demand I use the side entrance?”
Sweeping my gaze across the gathered crowd, I locked eyes with So-gun Jeong and let a mocking smirk play on my lips.
“Or was this a deliberate attempt to defame me publicly?”
“…”
“Am I still the one who needs to provide an explanation?”
So-gun Jeong locked eyes with me in a tense, silent standoff for a long duration before finally uttering:
“How foolish. Destroying your prospects over a momentary flash of arrogance.”
What nonsensical rubbish was he spouting?
Deciding the interaction was over, So-gun Jeong pivoted away.
Pacing forward with aggressive strides, he delivered a stinging backhand across the face of the receptionist standing nearby.
Smack!
Leaving the bewildered clerk sprawled on the ground from the sudden assault, So-gun Jeong marched directly into the interior.
“See that our visitor is escorted appropriately!”
“A-At once, sir!”

At that moment, the guards who had brandished their steel lowered their weapons, bowing in unison and creating a pathway for me.
Their postures were strictly deferential, yet their eyes burned with malice.
Striding forward confidently, I passed through the gates of the Eun-ha Merchant Group as though the honor was entirely mine by right.
So-so Wang quickly kept pace right beside me.
Inside the sprawling compound of the Eun-ha Merchant Group, the previous lively chatter died down, replaced by a tense quiet as the assembled assembly fixed their critical glares upon us.
Noticing the hostile atmosphere, a worried So-so Wang murmured under her breath.
“Jin Oppa, the Eun-ha Merchant Group boasts immense leverage with powerful dignitaries in Beijing. It is an entirely different realm compared to our Wang Family Manor.”
Her underlying anxiety was perfectly clear to me.
While the longstanding doctrine of the Jianghu dictates that the imperial state and the Murim remain separate, no commercial entity or martial clan can truly escape the reach of political authorities.
Should the state decide to apply pressure, the resulting complications could be immensely severe.
Even so, I reassured her.
“Rest easy. When the dust settles, none of them will take action unless the supreme chief of the Eun-ha Merchant Group commands it.”
“Pardon?”

“If there were dignitaries present who outranked the Merchant Group Leader himself, the old man would have personally welcomed them at the gates. Furthermore, that arrogant Young Leader wouldn’t have resorted to striking his own men to establish a climate of intimidation.”
An ordinary hundred and eightieth jubilee?
For an intermediate milestone that lacks the grandeur of a centennial or bicentennial celebration, an organization might hire entertainers, but they certainly wouldn’t invite elite political figures whose whims they must cater to.
To do so would risk having an outsider overshadow the host at their own commemorative gala.
“In simple terms, the majority of the bureaucrats attending today are individuals seeking to curry favor with the head of the company.”
“My goodness… does that mean you foresaw all of this before we even arrived?”
“I anticipated the general scenario beforehand, and I am adjusting the details as they unfold.”
So-so Wang gaped at me, her expression brimming with amazement.
“Incredible… Sa-ryeon Sajeo was absolutely right about how exceptionally sharp your mind operates.”
“…”
Was that meant to be praise, or was she taking a jab at me?

“Please follow me this way.”
Our martial escort indicated a large pavilion structure that was already teeming with guests.
It appeared to be an arrangement where half a dozen individuals were packed into a single shared chamber.
They really spared no effort in organizing this reception.
Going to such lengths just to diminish my standing upon arrival.
I must be far more formidable than I give myself credit for.
“Am I to understand that this crowded structure is where you intend to house us?”
“Excuse me…?”
The escort’s eyes filled with sudden panic.
Regardless of whatever elaborate scheme they devised to demean me, the Eun-ha Merchant Group had gravely miscalculated.
“I arrived here under an exclusive summons from your own Merchant Group Leader! And yet you dare offer me such low-class accommodations?!”
No matter how carefully they laid out their plans, I intended to completely shatter them.
“Dammit! Who is managing this quarter?! Summon the supervisor to face me immediately!”