The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Yang Gwan, who had been granted the first move due to seniority, shook his staff. Then the staff shook gently up and down. This staff technique, named the Snake Shark Staff because it moved as if a snake were coiling, was not a very supreme martial art, but it contained the principles of speed and flexibility, so it was a staff technique that the disciples of Shaolin enjoyed learning before they seriously learned the Shaolin Diamond Staff. The Shaolin Diamond Staff contained the subtleties of strength and dullness, so the purpose was to complement the two martial arts. But since Yang Gwan was a lay disciple, he could not learn the Shaolin Diamond Staff and had only learned the Snake Shark Staff.

"Excellent. Seok Jungmyeong will be no match for him."

Sama Hwi smiled, waving his fan. Yang Gwan's Snake Shark Staff was excellently completed even in his eyes, a supreme master. Perhaps the basic principles of the Yang Family Spearmanship and the Snake Shark Staff were similar, so it was easy to learn. Yang Gwan began his attack. Then Seok Jungmyeong's complexion changed at once.

"Ugh-!?"

The martial arts of Hengshan also emphasized speed and variations, so they were not one to be pushed back in terms of speed, but the distance of a staff and a sword was completely different. A staff twice as long as a sword flew in at a similar speed, so Seok Jungmyeong was flustered and widened the distance. For a reflexive evasive action, it was excellent, but it was a bad move.

"You foolish fool-!"

It was natural for Seok Pacheon to shout. To widen the distance against a staff was an incredibly foolish thing to do. As the distance widened, Yang Gwan increased his speed even more and shook his staff violently. It moved only a little in his hand, but the end of the staff moved greatly from his legs to his head. That was the reason why one had to stick close when facing a staff and a spear.

The momentum of attacking the head and legs at the same time with a whooshing sound was like a very angry poisonous snake. It seemed to bite the legs, then the head, and as if to bite the chest, it aimed for the legs. It mercilessly battered the shins, thighs, sides, and neck. Unable to come to his senses, Seok Jungmyeong gritted his teeth.

'Damn it! I can't deal with it because it's a wooden sword!'

Just as Yang Gwan had used a staff instead of a spear, Seok Jungmyeong had also used a wooden sword instead of a real sword to prohibit killing blows. If it had been a sword, he would have cut this damn staff and taken that fellow's neck. Even though his skill was not high enough to destroy the opponent's weapon, Seok Jungmyeong lamented so. And he belatedly raised his head. Then Yang Gwan withdrew his weapon and cupped his fists.

"It was a good duel."

At some point, Seok Jungmyeong's legs had given out and he was kneeling. It was an overwhelming defeat.

His mosquito-like voice was buried in the cheers of the crowd. It was a short declaration of defeat, 'I lost.' Since he had declared his defeat, he would now have to exchange greetings and get off the duel stage. It was frustrating and vexing, but as expected of one of the Ten Dragons, Yang Gwan was a master of a different class. To not show a disgraceful side as a descendant of the Orthodox faction, Seok Jungmyeong composed himself. And it was when he was about to exchange greetings.

"Senior Seok, if you've lost, why don't you get down quickly?"

Mo Xihan went up to the duel stage, smiling. It was a blatant sneer and a disregard for etiquette.

"Young Sect Leader, there is something called etiquette as an Orthodox faction."

"Forget about etiquette and get down. Elder Seok is looking for you."

"Damn it."

To have lost so helplessly, he would be half-dead by his uncle.

Resigned, Seok Jungmyeong vacated his spot.

"Now that the obstacle is gone..."

Taking a deep breath, Mo Xihan puffed out his chest.

The place was Luoyang, one of the three great cities of the Central Plains.

The stage was a duel stage where the people and officials of Luoyang had gathered.

It was an unparalleled time to have another match with Yang Gwan.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this opportunity."

"Of course I don't. But I can see your training. It seems you've achieved quite a lot."

The Mo Xihan he had met at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly was, to put it nicely, free-spirited, and to put it badly, a mess. That was the style of Hengshan. The martial arts of Hengshan, which emphasized speed and variations, showed their true colors in that free-spiritedness. So, in the Hengshan Sect, they would raise their successors like the wind with a laissez-faire attitude up to a certain level, and only when they had grown enough to see the threshold of a master would they make them a martial artist of Hengshan through minor adjustments and corrections. The young sect leader Mo Xihan, after the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, had gritted his teeth and had finally become a true martial artist of Hengshan.

'They say to look at someone with new eyes after a period of time, and indeed...'

Yang Gwan felt that Mo Xihan's gait and qi had changed. He could guess how much effort he had put in after his defeat, how much bone-crushing training he had done.

"But I haven't been playing around either."

Yang Gwan put his staff behind him and took the stance of the Yang Family Spearmanship. Mo Xihan aimed his wooden sword at an angle. A moment later, the official gave the signal for the start of the duel, and the two collided in the very center.

* * *

Jang So-gil grinned, counting the coins and silver.

The children gathered around Jang So-gil and sipped the iced honey tea.

They had only sold from before the duel started until the first duel, but except for a little for the children to drink, all the honey tea was sold. So they had gathered quite a bit of money. This much easily surpassed the half-month's profit of a decent inn.

"Business is good. Right?"

"Yes, Guild Master. Everyone bought and drank a lot."

"Kids, this is the basis of business. To sell good things, to good people, in a good place. This is called the 'Three Goods', and if you follow all of these, you can become rich a hundred times out of a hundred."

"Guild Master, but why is this a good place and good people?"

"Well, well, Asam-ah. Are you only curious about those two?"

"Yes."

"How do you know this is a good thing?"

"Well, it's iced honey tea on a hot day. It's the best when you're thirsty, so isn't it a good thing?"

"That's a little insufficient. Do you know a better part?"

"These days, everyone is in an uproar because ice is rare, but for something with that rare ice, the price is cheap, so I think it's good."

"Correct."

The beggar children usually had no names and were only called by nicknames. Among them, the child called Asam was quite clever and quick to understand. He had a little talent as a merchant and was acting as the leader of the children.

Jang So-gil gave the children candy and said.

"A good place, of course, refers to a place where many people gather. A place where many people gather here has two meanings. First, it's a place where many people live from the beginning, and second, it's a place where many people pass by. Then which place would be good for a food business like this?"

"A place where many people live."

"Wrong. A place where many people pass by is good for business."

"Why?"

"Basically, a food business is not for the people who live there. Ordinary people cook and eat at their own homes. Even if they are rich, their own cook will cook for them, and they rarely eat out. On the other hand, passers-by, travelers, and tourists have no choice. So there is one more advantage."

"What is it?"

"Anyway, it's a situation where they have no choice but to buy and eat, and since travelers want to feel the flavor and atmosphere of the place, they will eat even if the price is somewhat expensive."

"Indeed! To make a profit, it's better to sell to travelers. So that's why the inn food was so expensive!"

"That's it. And if you say good people, it naturally refers to people with a lot of money. The people of Luoyang are generally wealthy, but the people who live near this Martial Alliance are especially rich. Do you know why?"

Asam thought for a moment, but the answer did not come. It was a field he knew nothing about. As if he had expected it, Jang So-gil immediately continued.

"Because the house prices in this neighborhood are expensive. Since there is a government office and the Martial Alliance, no thieves or Demonic Cult members can come here, and even crazy martial artists can't cause a ruckus. Since safety is guaranteed, the houses are expensive. Would a person living in an expensive house have no money?"

"They would have a lot. Come to think of it, there are a lot of officials among the people gathered here."

"That's right. The officials of Luoyang have a lot of money. So they don't spare the money they spend on themselves. On this hot day, they are watching a duel for fun and their throats are dry. If you pass by shaking an iced honey tea, would they not buy it? And since it's an iced honey tea, and the price is even cheap, what's the need to endure?"

"There were people who bought and drank ten cups each."

"That's right. So it became like this."

Grinning, Jang So-gil shook the pouch containing the silver and coins. It was bulging as if it would burst. He had earned that money in less than a mealtime.

The children, who were looking back and forth between the bulging pouch and Jang So-gil, sent him a look of respect.

"Guild Master, you're like Master Zhongli."

"If you mean I look like the god of commerce, then I'm truly honored."

"But Guild Master, is it alright for you to be here?"

"Why?"

"Don't you have to watch the duel? It's brother Gwan's turn to fight."

As Asam said that, the children nodded their heads repeatedly. They were all very worried.

Didn't they say that a lot of money was at stake in the duel? If it was enough money to make even the rich people of Luoyang click their tongues, not just the beggars, then it must be a really large sum. It was a fight with such a large sum of money at stake, but the person involved was so calm, making ice for honey tea and checking his business profits.

"Guild Master, this is not the time to be doing this. You have to go."

At this rate, the hearts of the people around him were pounding more than the person who was about to have a duel. As if he didn't know their feelings, Jang So-gil picked his ear with his little finger and feigned ignorance.

"I don't have to watch. He'll win."

"Really?"

"He's a guy that Yang Gwan has beaten before. So he won't lose in the future either."

"Eh? Why?"

"Why do you ask? It's because the amount of effort is different."

Yang Gwan's life was harsh even compared to other martial artists. It wasn't for nothing that he called the training Jang So-gil did an old man's morning exercise. It was a daily life of training until he vomited blood and training until he fainted. The only time he had a break was when he was guarding Jang So-gil.

"Anyway, forget about that. What did I say next?"

"Sell snacks!"

"Yes. It's time for our customers' mouths to get itchy. Go and please their mouths with the grilled squid and beef jerky that Cook Heo made."

"Yes, sir!"

"Don't forget to go around with iced water when they get thirsty after a while."

"Yes, sir!"

The children lined up in rows and columns, recited in unison, and then ran off. If they did what they were told, delicious food and a cozy place to sleep would appear. The children found it so fun and enjoyable that they couldn't stand it. Compared to their life as beggars, it was heaven.

"I'm going to sell the most!"

"I'm going to sell more!"

The image of a young Jang So-gil overlapped with the backs of the guys who were running ahead.

Jang So-gil smiled and then rubbed the corners of his mouth.

"Ugh. I'm doing something cringey, unlike me."

Street stalls and peddling were the first things Jang So-gil had done to become a merchant. Jang Daegil had ordered him to do it, saying it was effective in cultivating a sense of the field and learning about money and human desire. The things that Jang Daegil had ordered Jang So-gil to do, Jang So-gil was now ordering the children to do. It was natural for him to feel a sense of emotion.

'After this is over, I have to teach them various things like how to organize things, how to write, how to cultivate an eye for things. I also have to find the emergency passage that Wang Yi installed in the house I'm living in now, I have to train in martial arts, and I have to gather information. Aish! Damn it. Come to think of it, there are so many things to do.'

It would be great if he had three bodies. But Jang So-gil was one, so he had to do one thing at a time. The urgent matter right now was to deal with Elder Seok Pacheon.

"I have to finish this troublesome thing called a duel quickly."

Jang So-gil stretched his back and stood up.

A loud sound echoed from a short distance away.

It seemed the winner had been decided.

The sound of cheers, "Waa-," was loud.

Riding that momentum, the official shouted coolly.

[Winner-! Yang Gwan-!]

Jang Daegil was a man who was rumored to be the best in Sichuan at judging people. He had said it before. That the child named Gwan of the Yang family would surely become a renowned master in the world.

"See? I told you he'd win. Lord Jang's words are never wrong."

Jang So-gil put his hands behind his back, hummed a tune, and slowly walked towards the duel stage.

His steps were as light as if he were flying.

(End of Chapter)