Rebirth of the Heavenly Demon

Gwang-du whispered to me.

Indeed, the house looked old and dilapidated, as if it might collapse at any moment. I wondered if we had come to the wrong place.

“As long as the person inside isn’t shabby, it’s fine. Call him out.”

“Yes.”

Gwang-du called out loudly.

“Is anyone home?”

The door opened, and a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties appeared. Tall and thin, with long hair and a scruffy beard. His appearance matched well with this old thatched cottage.

Gwang-du quickly whispered to me.

“The person inside looks shabby too.”

“As long as what’s inside his head isn’t shabby, it’s fine.”

After whispering to Gwang-du, I politely asked the man,

“Are you Mr. Kong?”

“I’m no mister. Yes, I’m Kong. What brings you here?”

“The Chief Steward of the Byeok Clan Sword Manor recommended you to us.”

For a moment, Kong Su-chan was startled. He apparently hadn’t imagined that the Chief Steward would recommend him.

“Come in.”

We entered the room. It was a small room with books piled up everywhere.

“Excuse me, but what is your relationship with the Chief Steward?”

“He’s my master.”

Gwang-du and I were surprised. We had no idea that the eccentric Chief Steward had a disciple.

“How is the master doing?”

“He’s healthy and well.”

“That’s good to hear. But why have you come to see me?”

“I am Byeok Ri-dan, the heir of the Byeok Clan Sword Manor. I came to see you, Mr. Kong, because I need a chief administrator.”

He looked surprised and asked me,

“Are you saying you want to employ me as your chief administrator?”

“That’s right. My master recommended you.”

“Did the master perhaps mention why I’m living in seclusion?”

“No.”

“I see.”

“I’m sure you had your reasons.”

Kong Su-chan blurted out something I hadn’t asked about.

“I killed someone. I killed the master who employed me.”

He stood up. His attitude suggested that he had nothing more to say after revealing this.

“Please leave. I won’t see you out.”

But I had no intention of leaving.

“I don’t think that’s something to worry about. I’m not weak enough to be killed by an abacus.”

I stared straight at the bewildered Kong Su-chan and said,

“He must have deserved to die.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here. If he had killed an innocent person, he would have paid the price. And he wouldn’t have spoken about it himself like this.

“What kind of person was your employer?”

Apparently not expecting me to ask such a question, Kong Su-chan answered with a confused expression.

“He deserved to die.”

“Then you did well in killing him.”

“Are you saying it doesn’t matter at all?”

“That’s right.”

“This is a first. Everyone said I did the right thing, but no one wanted to hire me. They found it unsettling.”

“It’s not a problem for me at all. What I want to ask is this.”

“What is it?”

“Are you ready to start working?”

There was a moment of silence.

Finally, Kong Su-chan asked,

“Do you trust me?”

I shook my head.

“It would be a lie if I said I did. I don’t know anything about you yet.”

“Then why are you trying to take me with you?”

“Because I trust the person who recommended you.”

Moreover, I believed in the power of connections. If the Chief Steward had walked into my life and introduced this person, this connection must have some meaning.

“Will you come with me?”

“I have one question to ask as well.”

“Ask anything.”

“What is your dream for the future?”

“To make the Byeok clan the number one sect in the Central Plains.”

Silence fell again.

Then Kong Su-chan spoke with determination in his eyes.

“I’ll pack my things and come to see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Only after we were outside did Gwang-du speak up about what he had been holding back.

“You seem to like him.”

“Isn’t it refreshing? A chief administrator who reeks of blood.”

“Well, as long as he does his job well, that’s all that matters, right?”

“Will he really do well?”

“What?”

“He’s an idealist. When he asked me one question, he didn’t ask about my capital or how much his monthly salary would be, but about my dream.”

“Then why did you choose him?”

“If the goal was to be the best in Shandong, we’d need a very practical administrator. But if the goal is to be the best in the Central Plains, someone like him might be good.”

Gwang-du made an expression of partial understanding.

“That sounds complicated.”

“It’s not complicated. If he can’t do the job, we can just fire him. We can find another administrator, can’t we?”

“That’s cruel!”

“It’s being cold-headed.”

In fact, we haven’t even started being truly cold-headed yet.

I know. I know what it’s like to deal with those obsessed with power. They’re not opponents that dreamers can defeat. Kindness becomes a mockery, and dreams are torn to shreds.

To beat them, you have to be even more cold-headed than they are.

***

The next day, Kong Su-chan came to the Byeok Clan Sword Manor with his luggage.

After changing into clean clothes, bathing, and neatly trimming his beard and hair, he looked like a different person from yesterday.

While he was unpacking, the Chief Steward, having heard the news, came to visit.

“So you’ve come.”

Kong Su-chan prostrated himself on the spot.

“It’s been a long time, Master.”

Though it was just a greeting being exchanged, I could sense that there was some unspoken history between the two.

The atmosphere between them was awkward, but beneath the Chief Steward’s gruffness, there was joy at seeing his disciple after a long time. The wistfulness in the Chief Steward’s eyes was something I had never seen before.

The Chief Steward said to me,

“Buy some alcohol.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I could understand. This was his way of saying thank you for accepting his disciple.

If this master-disciple relationship has any positive influence, accepting Kong Su-chan will be good for the Byeok clan as well.

One might have expected them to exchange some warm words after reuniting after a long time, but what the Chief Steward said was this:

“Your new master is quite lacking, so you’ll need to be extra attentive.”

He said this as if for me to hear, then left.

What a grumpy old man.

I said with a smile,

“As you heard, that’s the situation.”

Then I handed him three thousand taels of silver, keeping five hundred for myself.

“With this money, you also need to feed and support the twenty sword squad members. Of course, this includes your monthly salary.”

“Yes, I understand.”

He didn’t look worried at all.

“Will you be alright?”

“Isn’t this why you called me, because the situation is difficult?”

I liked this confident attitude more than hearing complaints on the first day.

“I’m going to need a lot of money in the future.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”

I had formed a sword squad and now had a chief administrator to manage the money.

A sword squad of twenty, and one chief administrator.

Compared to the Martial Righteous Alliance, it’s a laughably small scale.

But the important thing is that we’ve taken the first step.

***

News came that the inauguration ceremony for the new Alliance Leader was held at the Martial Righteous Alliance.

They said invitations were only sent to important families in the Central Plains. Several sects, including the Yang clan and the Song Clan, received invitations, but our family didn’t.

It was a reflection of our family’s current status.

If I hadn’t met Gal Saryang and Baek Pyo last time, I would have tried to attend this inauguration ceremony by any means necessary.

But now, I had no interest.

Baek Pyo would be busy running his business at the Wind Tavern, and Gal Saryang would be handling himself well.

After dinner, I went to see my father. Though he might not show it outwardly, I thought he might feel bitter.

I understand the hearts of leaders better than anyone. He would feel upset about not receiving an invitation from the Martial Righteous Alliance that he used to receive in the past. Especially an invitation to the Alliance Leader’s inauguration ceremony.

“Father, how about having a drink with your son after a long time?”

When I shook the bottle of alcohol I had brought, my father looked surprised. There’s no way Byeok Ri-dan would have done something like this before.

“If we’re going to drink, let’s go outside.”

“That sounds good.”

I sat with my father in the pavilion in the garden. The full spring air made me think we had come out at a good time.

I poured him a drink and received one from him.

“Come, let’s toast.”

I clinked my glass energetically against the one my father held out.

This is a first for me too. Drinking like this with someone who is a father figure. It’s a somewhat strange feeling.

“How’s the sword squad going?”

“It seems to have started off fairly well.”

“Dealing with people isn’t easy. Don’t look down on your subordinates, always try to think from their perspective.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

My father emptied his glass, and I followed suit. Although I don’t usually like alcohol, maybe because of the mood, today’s drink tasted good.

We drank while chatting about various things.

Until the end of our drinking session, we didn’t bring up the topic of the invitation. I thought that just being together like this was a better consolation.

***

A month later, Kong Su-chan came to see me, saying he had something to report.

“What is it?”

“First, I’ve distributed two thousand taels from the money you gave me as investments among three trading companies.”

He handed me a piece of paper. It listed how much was invested in which trading company.

There were two ways to invest in trading companies: long-term investment and short-term investment.

Usually, trading companies conduct business with their own money, but they also sometimes use external funds for their operations. If they make a profit, they share it with the investors. Naturally, high-risk businesses yielded high returns.

The current investments were all short-term.

“The investment in the Jonghwa Merchant Guild[1] has yielded returns.”

“How much did we earn?”

“We invested four hundred taels and earned one hundred and fifty taels profit after recovering the principal.”

“Oh! That’s a significant profit.”

“The results from the other two trading companies will be out in two months. The expected profit is four hundred taels.”

If we can earn five hundred and fifty taels over three months from a two thousand tael investment, that’s an impressive feat.

Whether he’s an idealist or not, he has at least proven his skill as a chief administrator. Moreover, the fact that he confidently made such investments from the start indicates that he has studied the Central Plains’ business world.

What I liked was that he didn’t make risky investments. It could have been tempting to fall into the desire to impress me.

“Although we only invested in three places this time, I plan to gradually increase the number.”

“To be honest, I’m not well-versed in business matters. You handle it as you see fit. Just make sure to report to me regularly without fail.”

“Of course. Also, as you well know, there are other ways to make money.”

“Such as?”

“Sometimes trading companies need martial artists. When they don’t trust the escort agencies enough, or when they need separate martial force.”

This was also a way for martial arts sects to make money. Usually, local influential figures voluntarily provide support. Of course, the sects step in to help when these supporters face difficulties.

But except for a few famous sects, it’s difficult for sects to sustain themselves on support alone. So they either conduct their own businesses or make agreements with other sects or trading companies to generate income.

I know that the Byeok clan is also involved in various activities.

“I understand. But it’s still too early for our sword squad. When the time comes, I’ll bring it up first.”

“Yes, I understand.”

***

The training of the sword squad continued.

Gwan Hwi had completely taken control of the atmosphere. Because he led by example and worked hard in everything, there were no complaints about having such a young squad leader, which could have occurred.

As the sword squad began to function properly like this, the existing sword squad also started to be influenced by us.

As word spread that the small sword squad was training hard and living well, it was said that even the existing sword squad started saying they needed to be on their toes.

Yes, they should be tense.

Because soon, our small sword squad will surpass them.

Two months had passed since the sword squad was formed.

We heard news that there had been new personnel appointments in the Martial Righteous Alliance.

It was said that many people had been replaced. Sima Cheon had become the new Commander-in-Chief. Sima Cheon was a figure who had been close to the Heavenly Blade Sect for a long time.

There was no news about what had happened to Gal Saryang. He had probably been demoted or reduced to a common soldier.

But I wasn’t worried. I believed he would endure well on his own.

I plan to make Gal Saryang and Baek Pyo my people as soon as possible.

If they really don’t want to, I won’t force them, but if I become someone they want to dream with, we might be able to work together.

For that, I need to become stronger. My sword squad needs to become stronger. Just as the first button is important in any task, how this sword squad grows will greatly influence future squads.

Fortunately, after two months of training, the sword squad’s movements had completely changed.

Especially Gwan Hwi and the three or four others who had done separate dawn training had clearly improved their skills. The atmosphere within the squad wasn’t bad either.

Judging that the time had come, I immediately called for Gwan Hwi.

“Squad Leader Gwan.”

“Yes, Master.”

Looking at Gwan Hwi’s lively eyes, I said powerfully,

“The time has come.”a

It was time to go out for practical training.

“Gather everyone.”