The reason he became the representative of the ginseng smuggling trade was simple.
He enjoyed the pleasures of the world, was unable to resist beautiful women, and had been a roguish youth, but he was the son of a powerful noble family in Joseon.
The merchants were in deep thought. They needed to resume the ginseng smuggling trade. However, due to the treason incident, the risks were too high. They needed a backer.
Living power must be able to mask the eyes of other powers. Thus, he was the chosen man.
The merchants allowed him to take a portion of the Kang family’s fortune and interests, which had become barren lands.
As he utilized the power of the noble family and acquired more wealth through the merchants’ concessions, he acted as if he had become a great merchant, but no one cared too much.
He would not be overwhelmed in the battle of wits with the merchants from the Murong family, threaten them to seek new sales channels, and when the deal was finalized, they would handle the detailed negotiations themselves.
That was all the merchants wanted from him. Indeed, “the seat makes the man,” and once he arrived at Yodong Province, he coldly led the negotiations well.
However, everything fell apart the moment a woman named Murong Sang-a arrived.
Was it because the woman had a stunning beauty that would mesmerize all Joseon merchants?
Or was it because the man they chose as their representative was a rogue utterly captivated by her?
Whatever the case may be, what the Joseon merchants were witnessing right now was ginseng engulfed in flames like a scene from hell.
BAM!
In the midst of the firestorm.
Amidst the flames burning like the world’s most expensive firewood, a coldly burning beautiful flower bloomed.
“You wretched girl!!! What the hell are you doing!!! Everyone, rush in and put out the fire!”
The representative of the ginseng smuggling trade shouted as he dashed out of the tent with other merchants.
“Burn it all.”
With a single word from Murong Sang-a, the merchants’ actions became meaningless resistance.
Even if there was a water source nearby to easily draw water, and enough people to extinguish the flames, what stood in their way was the Murong family, the power of Yodong Province.
“You wretched girl! How dare someone here to intimidate merchants like brigands!”
“What stands before you is the master of Changbong Hall from the Murong family. I am Murong Sang-a.”
The one here to trade with you is not a merchant.
The one you insulted is not a powerless woman.
The head of Yodong Province. A family that no one dares to resist in Yodong Province. The master of Changbong Hall dividing the Murong family.
It is Murong Sang-a.
The merchants were reminded of her infamous reputation as an evil woman in the Central Plains as they gazed at Murong Sang-a flickering in the intensely burning flames.
“Ugh! Do you think you’ll get away with this? I’ll definitely report this to the Joseon court…”
“Ha! Go ahead and say it. That the ginseng smuggling trade caught fire.”
“Ugh!”
It was an unauthorized trade. The government strictly controlled the export of ginseng smuggling.
If this issue could not be silenced in the hands of the powerful and resurfaced in the court, all involved parties would surely lose their heads.
“The woman who devoured her husband seeks to swallow the blood and sweat of the Joseon people! Subdue her! If we capture that girl, all our problems will be solved! Attack!”
At the command of the trade representative, black-clad men appeared from somewhere.
“What the? I’ve never seen these martial artists before?”
“Do not escalate the situation further!”
“Why are you doing this! What do you want?”
“I definitely won’t let this slide when I return! For now, everyone back off!”
Who the hell are these black-clad men? Why are they trying to draw blades during a trade? How did things escalate to this point?
The Joseon merchants had much to say but did not want to become sacrifices to blind blades, so they stepped back.
With a triumphant smile from the representative of Joseon’s merchants, around ten black-clad men drew their swords and approached.
“Protect the lord!”
These were not ordinary individuals. The Great Lord of Spear Peak shouted to the Spear Peak Band in a tense voice.
“I’ll handle it alone.”
“Lady!”
Ignoring the startled voice of the Great Lord of Spear Peak, Murong Sang-a moved closer to the black-clad men.
In the blink of an eye, a black-clad sword reached Murong Sang-a. If she were an ordinary person, her head would have fallen to the ground instantly. However, Murong Sang-a easily parried with her sword.
SHING! The sound that rang when the black-clad sword clashed with Murong Sang-a’s was not the sound of metal hitting metal, but rather the sound of kindling catching fire.
Startled by the unexpected reaction, Murong Sang-a quickly dodged as another black-clad sword attacked. It was only a moment, though. She deflected the swords of the black-clad men one after another and created distance.
As a martial artist of the smuggling trade, her skills were formidable, and the black aura on the blades suggested they were trying to conceal their identities.
It was not difficult for both Murong Sang-a and the anxious Great Lord of Spear Peak to discern their true identities.
“It’s demonic arts! Lady! Immediately! Protect the lady!”
“I’m fine; please stay back.”
Murong Sang-a’s voice was calm.
Was it a trap?
Something felt off. Was it the influence of her brother? Or had the author become a pawn of the Demonic Cult? Murong Sang-a saw the black aura flickering on the black-clad swords.
The flood of black blades surged all at once.
Even though demonic practitioners of considerable skill were charging in, she showed no fearful expression at all.
It was okay.
There was no need to worry.
The evil woman who killed her husband was living to kill them.
In the middle of the firestorm, the dance of the phoenix aimed at burning the demonic practitioners was both beautiful and brutal.
CRACK!
“That’s unbelievable!”
After killing all the black-clad men, the representative of Joseon’s trade slowly backed away in surprise as the woman drew closer to him.
“What’s your relationship with these people?”
Murong Sang-a looked down at the head rolling on the ground and pointed it out.
“My, my, my bodyguards. I brought them from Joseon… Joseon? No, the Central Plains…? The border…? Where? Where did I meet them?… Ugh?!”
The man suddenly clutched his head due to a severe headache.
When did he hire them? It was night. As soon as he crossed the border, someone came to him. They would give him power to stand against the Murong family. They wouldn’t take any money.
They would even set up a drinking session with a beautiful woman from the Central Plains. Come follow. It was fun. How was it fun…?
He couldn’t remember that night.
With a splitting headache, he watched as the woman approached.
Yes. The woman was beautiful.
So beautiful that he felt like tormenting her like other women. So beautiful that he wanted to make her his own. So beautiful that he forgot this was Joseon, not the Central Plains. So beautiful that he forgot he was in the midst of smuggling.
“Why? Huh?”
Why? Why did I act like that?
Black blood dripped from the man’s nose.
1 A beauty brings disorder. Yes, you will now…
Who was it?
As the man collapsed cold on the floor, bleeding black, the last thought he had in this world was, “I fell victim to demonic arts.”
Was the murderer Murong Bi? Murong Sang-a looked down on the dead man with a bitter expression.
“Please spare me. I beg you!”
With a single word of the Murong family’s evil lady, the representative died. If this continues, we too will die.
The Joseon merchants were savvy in trade but ignorant in martial arts, and the fear of death had paralyzed their reason, making it impossible for them to grasp the situation clearly.
“I’ll give you all the ginseng and money! Please, please just spare my life!”
Murong Sang-a looked indifferently at the black-haired merchants prostrating themselves and begging.
She could guess what kind of demonic arts had befallen the man.
Demonic arts that made one lose control of their impulses. It affected the brain, only working on those with no inner strength and low intelligence, and ultimately leads to death a few days later.
It was the kind of thing a demonic practitioner would do. However, Murong Sang-a had no intention of correcting their misunderstanding.
She needed to use their fear.
“They say extinguish the fire!”
Murong Sang-a raised her hand, commanding her subordinates to put out the fire.
“Only about 30% burned. That’s a relief! Lucky day!”
Since Murong Sang-a easily dealt with the demonic practitioners and sorted out the situation, only about 30% of the ginseng was burned.
“For today’s trade, I’ll offer you only 50% of the usual price.”
Murong Sang-a glanced at the merchants, who were sighing in relief at the extinguished ginseng, and began to speak in order to negotiate.
“What?!”
50% of the price? That’s unbelievable. The eyes of the merchants widened in shock.
“I burned my ginseng and suffered losses. It’s only right that you compensate me.”
The merchants were flustered seeing Murong Sang-a’s confident demeanor.
The smell of burnt ginseng they felt at the tip of their noses surely came from the ginseng they couldn’t sell. How could it be hers?
“W-What do you mean it’s yours?”
Without answering, Murong Sang-a raised her hand again.
The members of the Spear Peak band moved in unison at their lord’s gesture.
Those closest to the ginseng lifted the torches, while those further away rushed to their lord’s side.
They could become victims of the fire at any moment.
As a sense of foreboding swept through the merchants, a box full of money was presented before them.
Fire and money.
Either they could be satisfied by receiving the money or all the ginseng could burn.
No foolish person remained here who couldn’t grasp Murong Sang-a’s intentions, except for the rogue who was bleeding black and laying dead.
“From now on, all ginseng brought onto Yodong soil will belong to me, Murong Sang-a.”
Murong Sang-a quietly declared.
This was the moment she seized control of the ginseng smuggling trade.
————————–
“From the border area, all ginseng will be purchased by the Murong family from now on.”
Late at night, the merchant representative under Murong Sang-a visited alongside the Great Lord of Spear Peak, handing over papers detailing the negotiations amongst merchants to his lord.
“Good job.”
“However, the absurd price of 50% will cause problems again.”
Most of the Joseon ginseng smuggling trade passes through Yodong Province.
Today, no one voiced their complaints to their lord, but in that moment when they feel money is more precious than their lives, grievances will inevitably arise.
The merchant spoke with a worried tone.
“Adjust the prices as our relationship improves.”
Murong Sang-a, flipping through the documents she had to handle, replied.
“Are you suggesting we buy higher?”
“Buy from those merchants who wag their tails at first at a higher price, while inciting division among them. Let them fight among themselves. Later, as they focus on the bait I threw, they won’t even have time to be angry at us.”
“Ha ha. My eyes have been opened wide. I shall follow your words.”
The merchant left with a satisfied smile.
“Great Lord of Spear Peak. Do you have anything else to say?”
Murong Sang-a, not leaving with the merchant, turned to the Great Lord of Spear Peak, who was smiling at her with a pleased expression.
“You endured very well today. With each passing day, you are becoming the head of the family. Master Kang will surely be pleased.”
He was threatened with death and entangled with demonic practitioners. He was in a position to order the slaughter of all Joseon merchants. Yet today, like before, there was no useless bloodshed.
The Great Lord of Spear Peak felt satisfied.
“…… You must be tired, so go in and rest.”
“Sir.”
The Great Lord of Spear Peak bowed his head to his lord and returned to his place.
With no presence around her, Murong Sang-a set down her documents and opened the window.
The heart of Changbong Hall, surrounded by layers of protection, was so quiet that not even a single insect could be heard, and a cold, lonely breeze brushed against her soft face.
Murong Sang-a gazed up at the shining night sky.
It had been a hard day.
She became the lord of a faction that divides the Murong family. Handling subordinates, managing a group, and living exposed to countless plots, schemes, and assassinations.
It was too burdensome for a mere woman who liked swords to endure.
“It’s hard.”
She muttered in a sorrowful voice to no one in particular.
Had things not gone the way she wished, she could have jeopardized what had been left by her elder brother.
Elder Brother, I had a rough day today. I want to lean my head on your broad chest and whisper about my daily life. I wish to complain softly and look up at your face.
But that couldn’t happen.
She had made it that way.
1 Master Kang will surely be pleased.
The words left by the Great Lord of Spear Peak settled deeply in her heart.
“I’m only floundering.”
How could she hope for praise?
She was simply struggling. She hoped for the day she could see his face when she stood on the scaffold of judgment one day.
So that when the day comes that she stands before him, she won’t receive even a cold glance for failing to manage even one of the things he left behind.
A chilly breeze swept past.
She gazed up at the sky lost in thought. The moonlit expression on her face looked especially pitiful today.
Yet there was no man to wrap her in comfort. Nor did she wish for one.
The only man she wanted to hold onto was in the afterlife.
Once again, her infamy grew day by day.
