Chapter 9: Sword Demon Plays with Fire

Baekwoon Merchant Guild.
They were one of the most influential forces in Hefei, having amassed a fortune through the intermediary trade of fine silks.

They weren’t born wealthy.
Their fortune began once they launched vessels down the Yangtze River and entered the transshipment business.

They earned so much money that their main estate took up nearly all the prime land around Tian’e Lake in central Hefei.

Inside the walled estate, whose long whitewashed fences gleamed in the sun, the sound of a zither echoed through the air.

“Wahaha! Drink up, everyone! Here, food and drink flow like a spring that never runs dry!”

At Chuihagak—the Pavilion of Drunken Sunset, named for its view overlooking Tian’e Lake—the Baekwoon Guild heir, Baek Won-ui, raised his cup and laughed heartily.

“Hoho! You’re so cool, young master!”

“Wahaha! Even the heavens must be surprised by Young Master Baek’s grandeur!”

“I’ve never drunk Wuliangye like it’s water before!”

“Indeed! Banquets at Baekwoon are on a different level!”

A grand banquet was underway.

Painted courtesans danced in translucent robes, while red-faced men guzzled liquor as if it were nothing.

“Don’t worry and enjoy yourselves! We’ve made hundreds of times more today than we’re spending!”

At the head of the table, a fat man laughed. Courtesans flanked him, tending to his every need.

That man was none other than Baek Won-ui.

“Oh ho! Did something good happen today, Young Master Baek?”

Asked by a man, Baek Won-ui, almost as if waiting for the prompt, began boasting:

“Puhaha! Of course! Today, we received thousands of bolts of the finest Neung-ra and Byeok-ra silks from Jiangxi!”

“Thousands?!”

“They’ll be shipped to Beijing via the Yangtze.”

“Beijing? Don’t tell me the destination is—?!”

As the man’s eyes widened, Baek Won-ui nodded proudly and shouted:

“Wahaha! You guessed it! They’re bound for the imperial palace!”

“What! Young Master Baek, you’ve opened trade with the royal family?”

“Hmph, not long ago. This is our first deal.”

In truth, the trade was being handled by Geumneung Merchant Guild, one of the top ten guilds in the land, and Baekwoon was merely an intermediary.

But Baek Won-ui spoke as if he himself were directly dealing with the imperial court.

“Amazing!”

“Pfhaha, it’s no big deal. I took the job for cheap, out of patriotic duty.”

He said it lightly, but everyone knew the truth.

Dealing with the royal court wasn’t just about money—it was a matter of honor.

The court only used the absolute best.

Even as a middleman, being involved meant status.

“Congratulations! This proves Baekwoon is the best not just in Hefei, but in all of Anhui!”

“Wahahaha!”

“What do you mean Anhui? Trading with the court makes them the best in the entire land!”

“Puhahaha!”

As praise poured in, Baek Won-ui grinned from ear to ear.

“Indeed, we are number one! And we’ll keep expanding!”

“Oh hoho, you’re amazing, young master! Aah~”

“Me too, aah~!”

Courtesans competed to feed him delicacies, and Baek Won-ui accepted them with a pleased expression.

Even a stray dog could see—he was the star of the banquet.

The others were just there to flatter him.

‘If we secure a deal with Baekwoon, our main house will soar!’

‘Just one business right is all I need…!’

‘A link to the royal family? Could it be…?’

Hoping to catch the crumbs, they scrambled to win Baek Won-ui’s favor.

“That’s right, the best house in the land is just around the corner!”

“Heh, wasn’t there once a family in Hefei that went by that title?”

“Oh, you mean the Namgung Clan? They’ve fallen so far they barely rank among the Hundred-and-Ten Families now.”

“The Namgung line has long since faded.”

Reading Baek Won-ui’s mood, people began belittling the Namgung Clan.

“Puhaha, don’t be so harsh. Still, the Namgung family is the root of Baekwoon, after all.”

Feigning modesty, Baek Won-ui chuckled, prompting even more sycophancy.

“Haha, true enough. Oh, I heard some news! You’re marrying a Namgung daughter as a concubine?”

“Namgung Sang-ah, right?”

“Oh! The most beautiful woman in Anhui, isn’t she?”

“Puhaha! Sang-ah is quite pretty.”

As Baek Won-ui nodded in agreement, the flattery intensified.

“Well, now it seems Namgung is no longer Baekwoon’s root, but its branch.”

“If a Namgung daughter serves you, young master, that’s certainly true!”

“Even a rusted Namgung sword would be of great use to Baekwoon.”

Everyone acted as though the marriage was already official.

Pleased, Baek Won-ui nodded.

“Heh, when I take Sang-ah as my concubine, I’ll throw an even bigger banquet.”

“But will it be alright? Daughters of martial families tend to be quite strong-willed.”

One man asked, sounding concerned.

Baek Won-ui burst into laughter.

“Wahaha! The stronger the woman, the easier she submits once broken!”

“Oh, how wise of you, young master.”

“What can she do? Namgung owes our main house 300,000 nyang!”

“Three hundred thousand?!”

“Highway robbery!”

“At that point, she should be sewing as a servant, not taken as a concubine!”

“Puhaha! Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Namgung Sang-ah and her ruined family had become the snack food of the banquet’s mockery.

The downfall of a once-great clan was a delicious topic for petty men.

“To take the daughter of a fallen house as a concubine! How merciful of you.”

“Wahaha! I’ve got a soft heart, you see.”

“At this rate, won’t you become Prince Consort someday?”

“Oh? Prince Consort…”

Prince Consort (Bu Ma Do Wi)—the emperor’s son-in-law.

A husband of a royal princess?

It was said in jest, but Baek Won-ui truly liked the idea.

‘Why not? Why shouldn’t I become prince consort? A princess… hmm…’

He licked his lips.

If he took Namgung Sang-ah as a concubine…

And even married a princess?

“Puhahaha! That would be sweet in—huh?!”

His dream shattered.

He blinked at the unbelievable sight in front of him.

“Huh?”

“What is that?”

“Is it sunset?”

“It can’t be. It’s already past 9 p.m. Sunset was long ago.”

But in Chuihagak, a red glow was rising unnaturally.

It wasn’t the sunset.

“Th-that’s…!”

“Fire! Fire!”

A sudden blaze began devouring the tiled rooftops of the Baekwoon Guild estate.

Baek Won-ui couldn’t believe his eyes.

Because inside that fire…

“N-no! Nooo! The silks going to Beijing…!”

Thousands of bolts of the finest silk, bound for the imperial palace, brought from Jiangxi—

were now turning to ash in the fiery jaws of the blaze.

“Aaaaah! Put out the fire! Bring all the water from the lake!!”

The silks didn’t even belong to Baekwoon—they were from Geumneung Guild.

But any damage during transport meant Baekwoon was responsible.

They’d have to buy the ashes back at full price.

“AAAARGH!”

More than that—the silks were bound for the Imperial Court.

And this was their first transaction.

A disaster of this scale?

“My royal bride…! My Prince Consort dream…!”

His sweet dream turned to bitter ash, blowing into the night sky.