Book 26 Chapter 7

Namhado specialties. Baji Market

-Solicitation of force

"You don't have to be so nervous."

The white-haired youth smiled at Nangongshan Mountain, who was nervously crossing the drawbridge while glancing around.

"We don't do things like attacking people who have paid their tolls, because that's not good business."

"If you wipe your mouth after taking a hundred pieces of silver, you will be punished."

"Traders, by nature, value trust. I believe trust is the greatest asset that makes money. Of course, there are snobs who think otherwise……."

"People here at Auburn really do light up the money."

Namgungsansan sighed, releasing some of the tension in his shoulders.

"I'd appreciate it if you could say that you have a commercial soul."

"It's a common-law marriage……. Not ex-marriage?"

Money was the former, soul the latter, and together they were the former. However, her use of the word was more about selling her soul for money than her willingness to make money.

"That's my name."

"Your name?"

Namgung Sansan's eyes widened at the unexpected words.

"Yes. Oh, in case you didn't know, it's a late announcement. I'm an ex-marriage, a terminal student at Auburn University."

"Oh, yeah……."

Namgung Sansan and Hyun-woon greeted each other in turn.

"As a special service, I'll show you around the island, if you'll follow me."

Then he took the lead and started walking briskly forward.

After crossing the long drawbridge and entering Namhae Island, Hyun-woon and Namgungsansan were stunned to see an unimaginable sight in front of them.

"What the hell is this……."

A group of identical buildings lined up on either side of a street that ran through the center, each with a sign, each open to the street, each with something on display, and each with a different name on it, but all with a letter at the end that meant "shop".

"You see, they're shops. They're selling something, what's wrong with that?"

Some sold food, some sold clothes, some sold jewelry. It was the kind of place where it would be faster to count what wasn't for sale than what was.

"Why is there a place like this in the skyscraper……."

"That shouldn't be too strange, all the necessities and food that we need here at Macheon Pavilion are sold here in Namdo, it's kind of our own market, as you know, this is an island and it's a hassle to go out to Kanghorando or the mainland every time to buy what we need. I'm sure there's a place like this in the Heavenly Martial Hall, right?"

Of course, there were places to buy and sell items from outside the museum, but not on this scale.

"Auburn University has a monopoly on all distribution and sales, just as Xavier University has a monopoly on the medical sector here in Macau. Most of the profits from sales here go to the South Sea Island. I guess you could say it's the student government."

Of course, everything that wasn't part of the majority was attributed to each.

"It's very authentic, and it doesn't seem to be much different than a regular store."

Namgung San San said in a slightly tired voice.

"It's a hands-on learning experience so that when you go out into the world, you'll be able to adapt to it quickly, because we often run multiple businesses to secure the operating interests of the sect. It's very helpful to learn first-hand how commerce works. How do you compete with other merchants, how do you keep other merchants in check, how do you resist pressure from other merchants, what do you need to stock to sell well? These are all things you have to figure out for yourself."

"Checks and balances……. Does that mean you're actually throwing out the first pitch?"

Then the ex-husband laughed,

"In a way that's very much us, because like I said, this is a microcosm of the field."

At that, Namgung San San frowned and asked, "Is there even a show of force?

"Can you really call that commercial behavior?"

"That's what happens in the real world, and what good is it if you set up shop in an environment that's so idealized and arbitrary that it's completely useless in the real world? The most important thing in this world is how to defend your enterprise against the pressures of other forces, whether they're monetary or armed, and if you can't overcome that, you'll never make 'money' - you'll be a market loser."

It was a brutal way of doing things. It was already a world of weakness.

"Oh, so if you don't mind, please buy some, otherwise I might get in your way."

"Now, wait a minute, what do you mean, in the way?"

Hearing the unintelligible words, Namgung Sansan was stunned and asked, "What's the matter with your ex-wife?" and then smiled as if it was no big deal.

"I told you before, this is a microcosm of reality."

Then, from somewhere, I heard a loud roar of laughter.

"Hahahahaha! That's right! Commerce is war. No means must be used to win the war."

Then I heard a woman's voice next to me.

"The pursuit of the pole of profit is the way of the trader."

Then there was another man who listened.

"That is the true way of commerce!"

Suddenly, three people appeared in the middle of the marketplace and shouted in unison.

"Buy something from our store, or you will never pass this way."

One was a large man, carrying a large scale with an additional one on one side; another was thin and long-limbed, with two heavy-looking leather pouches hanging from either side of a long stick slung over his shoulder; and the last was a woman, dressed in a rather colorful pink silk robe, carrying a long, proud, right-angled iron ruler and a tape measure at her waist.

"Who the heck are these guys?"

Namgung Sansan asked with blatant displeasure.

"Oh, I'm late with the introductions, those are the top three salesmen in our Zeo dorm, One, Two, and Three, and we call them the Three Greats."

"I don't know if it's three or four, but why are they standing in our way? That's what I want to ask."

"There's only one reason a merchant is blocking your way: they want to sell you something."

"I don't have the slightest inkling that I want to buy something."

"Sure. We're in a hurry to get to work. Would you mind just moving out of the way so we can pass?"

Hyun-woon, who had been as still as a sack of potatoes up to this point, asked if she had noticed the mood change. Jeon-hon laughed and shook his head.

"That's probably not possible, because they're not going to leave until they've sold something, and their marriage probably won't allow it."

"Did you know that's called a 'hard sell'?"

"There's going to be disagreements, and we don't ask how, as long as we can sell."

"Now you're even trying to justify the hard sell. Do you do this to the other magicians?"

"Of course not, but merchants always make different deals depending on who they're dealing with, and we can only hope they'll let you off this market street quietly."

But I was silently telling myself that it was less likely than a snowball's chance in hell, so I might as well give up.

"What if they don't buy it?"

She didn't enjoy wastefulness enough to buy something when she didn't even feel like it. It was definitely a pointless consumption.

"I don't know, is that even possible?"

He seemed very skeptical.

"What do you mean?"

"Those three probably won't leave you alone, and I doubt you'll be able to resist their solicitations."

"Instead of using the heinous word 'solicitation,' why don't we just say 'violence' outright, don't you think that would be more appropriate?"

Nangong Shanshan exclaimed in a tone of astonishment. There had never been such an outburst. It would be much more maneuverable to stand in their way with a sword.

"Violence, that's a misconception, we're just being courteous, and that's what we pride ourselves on, being courteous and comfortable. If you don't need the best clothes, then come to us."

The woman, the only one of the three, was the first to speak up.

"Well, you don't have to pay a second glance to that trashy 'Ouyi Point', our Sawiru is the best of the best. Compared to our high-end, luxury-oriented hospitality, it's child's play elsewhere, Cancer, that's for sure. So why don't you make yourself at home at our Sawiru? We serve the best food. It tastes good and is good for your virility."

"Hehe, what a pair of people. How can they say such things so casually when I, the Third Great Master, am standing right here in front of them? They're lying to the point of embarrassment, and I'm ashamed of myself for listening. Shouldn't a person of true integrity recognize their own inadequacies and step aside? How can you dare to step forward when I'm running the best general lodging house in the Temple of Heaven, Samwi Lu, with a flimsy sign? Do you have to cheat your customers? If you want to open their pockets, you have to be honest, Am, you have to be honest."

"Chet, that's until the end of this quarter, because after this quarter, our Sawiru will surely have the best sales of all the stores."

"No, no, no. The number one seller this time is the best clothing store in town, run by my sister-in-law, Ye Hong'er. It's different from the two stores run by smelly men, it's different. If you come to us, we'll fit you with the best clothes. How about it, Mr. Sojae, if you wear our clothes, you'll win the heart of the man next to you, ohhhhhh."

"Me, I'm not interested in a weak-willed man like this, why should I have to put on a front for him?"

Namgung Sansan protested, his face slightly reminiscent.

"Gee, you're shy. I guess I'm compliant and have a future, so if you're not interested, you don't mind if I challenge that gorgeous man?"

As Yeo Hong'er asked, sending a coy smile towards Hyun-woon, Nangong San San shouted out.

"You can't do that!"

It was loud enough to startle even her.

"Gee, why not?"

"That's……."

But then the hulking Hierarchy of the Three Great Houses interrupted her.

"I will not tolerate any further solicitations of exclusivity, Ms. Storekeeper."

At this point, the skinny man, the son-in-law, Jung Hong-don, chimed in with a counterpoint.

"I agree with Lu Zhu, it's not a good idea to go out on your own. Isn't that right, man? What do you think? Our restaurant's specialty, the 'Special Flaming Hot Pot', has a reputation for being especially good for a man's virility. Just one bite will make you a true man, capable of winning the heart and mind of the woman next to you. Why don't you stop by our restaurant and give it a try?"

Hyunwoon said no.

"Oh, no, I don't think you really need to eat that, and besides, Dosago……."

Zheng Hongdon was about to say something again when Odaebung raised his hand to stop him.

"Leave your son-in-law and daughter-in-law out of this. They'd like to make use of our inn, wouldn't you say, Mr. and Mrs. Wu? We have many atmospheric rooms in our inn, and our students often use them as lovers to share a short and sweet cloudy pleasure. If you two take advantage of it now, I'll give you half off the usual price."

Namgung Sansan and Hyun-woon turned as red as iron forged in a fire at the bombshell words of the Five Kingdoms.

"woo, woo, woo, woo, woo……."

I wanted to protest, but my tongue was paralyzed with shock and I couldn't get the words out.

"Ooh, ooh, what a lucky break……!"

"Yes. It's also known as a yin-yang union, which is when a man and a woman sleep on the same quilt……."

"Okay, okay, I get the gist of it without having to go into a long explanation, what the hell are you talking about, are you crazy, are you crazy, are you crazy?"

Namgung's heart skipped a beat. In fact, he even suspected that this wasn't a solicitation at all, but a new type of mental attack. The evidence was so shocking that he was mentally shocked as well.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and I'm a shaman's disciple, a taoist."

"Oh, don't worry about that, you're still a preliminary student, but that doesn't matter in a coeducational temple. Besides, you can rest assured that we keep the private lives of our students strictly confidential."

"Rest assured I'll keep my mouth shut? This is the kind of thing……."

"Very well, I'll throw in a bottle of my own liquor. This is a bleeding heart, bleeding heart."

Odaebung didn't seem to be listening to them at all.

"Hey, look. Listen to the man."

Oh Dae-Bung, Jung Hong-Don, and Yeo Hong-Ah fought back and forth, each claiming their restaurant was the best, but they didn't forget to invite Nam Gung-San and Hyun-Woon to come to their restaurant.

"What's wrong with them, it's like there's a lot of competition for nothing?"

"I can't help it, the quarter end is coming up soon."

"What does that have to do with this?"

"Oh, my unit has a special, if quirky, hierarchy. Four times a year, we tally up each store's gross sales, and then we rank them in order."

"So?"

"With the exception of the captain and deputy captain, the rest of the members of the company, from the top three, are ranked according to their rank in the company."

"What, are we allowed to rank by such absurd criteria as martial arts skill?"

Namgung Sansan asked, dumbfounded.

'"That's the rule here, and in the Black Lagoon, the stronger usually make more money. It's no wonder they come at you with lights in their eyes, because they can afford to spend less on protection and whatnot. Every means of making a sale is authorized. Foolishness, hard sell, intimidation, show of force, violence, collusion, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc., etc.'

The eyes of the Three Great Ones glowed with an almost maniacal determination to drain their own marrow.

Everyone is on edge because it's almost time to close the quarter again. Right now, their sales are almost even, and whoever holds on to the baton has a better chance of winning. So they can't afford to give up the wand that rolled in on its own.

"What happens if I say no?"

"That's not going to be in any consideration, you're going to have to pick your pockets wherever you are."

"Because I paid a hundred silver coins for the toll, and now I have very little money?"

"That shouldn't be a consideration either. They think that if you don't have the money, you make it. You sell weapons or jewelry, or worse, you sell your body."

"Moo, moo, what are you talking about, selling your body, there's no way that's possible, is there?"

"It's certainly possible here. It's a daily occurrence outside of the city walls, and they probably have connections to professional slave traders."

"So learn all the bad stuff ahead of time, is that it?"

"I'm not teaching them, that's what they choose to do."

"Cancer! And beauty makes a good commodity."

The three spoke in chorus.

Quick!

Finally, Namgungsansan's endurance has broken through the threshold.

"Shut up, you bastards, leave him where he is and don't decide his fate for him!"

Namgung San San shouted.

"How dare you ask her to sell herself now, and what kind of a slutty snout do you have?"

Namgung San San glared at the three of them with a vicious gaze, as if he was going to tear those dirty rags to shreds if he was caught. If he could kill people with his gaze alone, he would have done it a hundred times over.

"Oh, that's just one possibility……."

The ex-husband sensed the mood and stammered.

"You shut up, too, Moon Dance, I'll kill you all!"

Changgang!

Nangong Shanshan's anger exploded, and she drew her sword. Her eyes, filled with life, glared at the three of them like ghosts. A cool breeze suddenly blew in.

Zeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The blade vibrated in response to her anger.

"Stab me in the brain!"

Thunderbolts exploded like arrows of light at blinding speed. Samdang was no slouch either, dodging her light saber here and there, but he couldn't prevent his clothes from being scratched all over.

"Uh-huh, sir, what's wrong?"

As he struggled to evade the onslaught of the Namgungsansan, Odaebung shouted in a desperate voice.

"I'm not going to freeze my customers, you're all going to die at her hands today, and I'm not going to let you do this messy sales pitch again!"

Hyun-woon could only watch from afar as Namgung San-san charged like a ferocious beast, and he too was very confused.

"Boom!"

Pah-bah-bah-bah!

Ye Hong'er screamed and took five steps backward. The right angle and date iron yardstick she was holding was shaking violently from the impact of the sword strike, and her sleeve was torn open by the sword wind. Wu Dafeng and Zheng Hongdon also blocked her attacks with the long scales and leather sheathed iron rods they were carrying, but they were forced back five steps each by the sword pressure.

"Heh, I knew I'd miss it!"

Not slowing down, Nangong Shanshan used a lightning bolt to dig in toward the three of them.

Pah-bah-bah-bah!

Another eclipse of thunderbolts spread out like a beam of light from the tip of Nan Gongshan's sword. It was thinner than Nan Gongshan's, but it was much faster, and its penetrating power was even better. Holes were punctured all over the clothes of the three figures as they continued to retreat. However, he couldn't help but be surprised that he had managed to avoid being mortally wounded. For someone who wasn't even a rank one or two, to have such skill……. However, the main reason for this was that Nangong Shanshan's sword qi had been dispersed into three parts due to him facing three people at the same time, weakening the power of his sword. Realizing this, Hyun Yun was stunned.

"Aah! Dodge, Sansan, it's a lure."

Namgung San San clearly heard Hyun Yun's words, but she had already been separated from Hyun Yun and drawn too deeply into the three of them.

Realizing this in hindsight, Namgung Sansan stopped pressing forward and tried to back away.

Chorus!

As she slowed her sword to retreat, something coiled like a snake in her hand. It was a tape measure. It had been wrapped around the waist of Yeo Hong-ah, the woman who owned the clothing store earlier.

"Something like this!"

He swipes at the tape measure that tries to block his hand and pulls himself back.

Yay!

Suddenly, something heavy came flying at her from the right, like a mace. She quickly ducked her head to avoid it, and the mace smashed through the wall of the shop next door with a loud bang. Turns out, it wasn't a mace at all, but a leather pouch hanging from Zheng Hongdao's iron rod. In fact, it wasn't just any leather pouch, it was a money bag filled with gold and silver coins. He was afraid to store money anywhere but on his body, so he always carried it with him, and if necessary, used it as a weapon. The leather pouch that held the money and the leather strap that connected it were specially made, so they were impervious to most swords. Moreover, there were not one, but two of them, so Sansan was once again forced to dodge an attack from the mace, or rather, the polearm.

Billion!

Once again, the wall of another shop was smashed. Namgung San San involuntarily closed his eyes slightly as the flying debris stung his eyes.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh!

In the meantime, an iron weight clattered into the air. The weights, which were attached to the scales of the Great Wall, were connected to the scales by long chains, making them an excellent weapon for cracking an enemy's skull if necessary. The iron weights flew with terrifying speed toward the temples of Namgung San San. It was impossible for Nan Gongsan to dodge the attack, as the three men, who had been bickering and competing for sales, were unexpectedly in sync with each other and completely vulnerable.

CHANG!

But then there was someone who wrapped his arms around her and deflected the flying iron weights. It was Hyun-woon, who had seen that Namgungsansan was in danger and had immediately thrown himself into the center of the fight.

"Are you okay, Sansan?"

Namgungsansan, who had somehow ended up in Hyunwoon's arms, blushed and pushed him away.

"Uh, how long are you going to hold him?"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

She shouted angrily at Hyun-woon, who hurriedly pulled her hand away.

"Oh, that's okay, I can handle those guys on my own, Hyun-woon, even without you."

"Of course I'm well aware, Sansan. That you are strong enough to take down all three of them at once. But wouldn't it be a lot less time consuming for two of us to fight than for one, and besides, we still have a job to do for the Big Brother?"

Hyun-woon's soothing words had worked; he had managed to convey his intentions while still keeping Namgungsansan's pride intact, especially the last line, "The work was entrusted to him by his big brother".

"Hmmmm. Well, it's my big brother's job, so I'll have to get it done quickly."

"Sure."

"So I'm not asking for your help because I can't handle it myself, I'm just trying to save time for my big brother."

"Sure."

Hyun-woon nodded quickly, as if worried about Sansan's change of heart.

"Okay, well, let's just get rid of those hustlers and go meet the head of this rogue trader."

"That's a good idea."

They got right down to business.

"Where do you want to go? The girl who looks the weakest?"

"No matter what, a woman can't……."

"Hey, where are the men, women, and children in the enemy, don't you know, gender equality, gender equality?"

Namgung Sansan sent a telegram, sounding slightly annoyed.

"If there's such a thing as a mood, I'm definitely going with the skinny guy."

"Hmm, okay, I'll take that."

"The signal is from you."

"one…… two……."

"Ho, ho, even if you two customers join hands, you can't beat the three of us, so please behave and help us increase our sales."

"Ho-ho-ho, of course."

"Don't worry about money, if you don't have any, you can sell your sword, and if you don't have a sword, you can sell your body."

Zheng Hongdao said with a sickening smile. At that moment, Nangong Shanshan and Hyun Yun simultaneously shouted, "Three!

He then proceeded to attack Zheng Hongdao with his fastest herbivores. The other two didn't seem to care. Flashing sword light poured down on Zheng Hongdao from both directions. Expecting to be attacked themselves, Ou Dafeng and Ye Hong'er were puzzled when nothing came their way, but when they saw Zheng Hongdao, they were stunned. His clothes were torn to shreds by the countless sword beams, and his hair was almost completely disheveled.

Poof!

The leather pouch he'd been holding like a treasure trove snapped off the iron bar he was holding and fell to the ground, spilling gold and silver coins all over the floor. Zheng Hongdao fainted on the spot, followed by Zheng Hongdao.

"That blade can't even tear through specialty leather……. You can't have just gotten…… sword steel!"

Yeoh's mouth dropped open.

'I can't believe it. "Black cavity wall." …… Black cavity at such a young age. …….'

Seeing the two of them dumbfounded, Namgung Sanshan snorted in triumph.

"Hmm, that's kind of standard in our casting company."

"It's a three-on-two fight, and when there's only two of you, you always go for the one."

"Why?"

"Then it's tooth for tooth, and the numbers add up. Simple math."

That was the basics of many-on-many fighting that their big brother had taught them. When there are three opponents, two of them will tie up their hands and feet, and the other one will take advantage of the gap to attack one of them, which will naturally make the remaining one nervous and slow down their movements. The key to this was that if you take out one of them by surprise before they're ready, you'll have the right number and you'll be able to fight with ease from then on.

Sam Dae-Sang was a bit caught off guard by what had happened to Namgung Sansan, and that's when Hyun-Yoon swooped in and caught him off guard, rendering him incapacitated.

"Now we can fight in peace."

"Let's take it one person at a time. Let's do it quickly and then we'll have something else to do."

It didn't take that much herbivory for Nangong Shanshan and Shen Yun to take them down. One-on-one, they weren't crudely trained enough to lose to a third rank or lower. Bi Ryuyeon had also sent these two because he thought they could defeat a rank one.

Scoop! Scoop!

Grrrr! Grrrr!

In this way, he subdued all three men in the hierarchy of the Three Great Houses.

"See? That's what they're made of, real."

Nangong Shanshan scowled as he sheathed his sword.

"Wow, you did a great job fending them off, I watched it again."

Looking around at the three fallen men, Zhen Hon looked a little disbelieving. Namgung Sanshan put his hands on his hips and asked in a cheerful voice.

"Now, may I introduce you to the boss of this place?"

The ex-husband nodded.

"Now that you've taken down these three, there's no more business to stand in your way. Follow me, and I'll take you to the captain's office."