readsfreenovel Chapter 272 : Like Me
Chapter 272 : Like Me
“You’re not surprised.”Under the pressure of the Princess, a true power holder, the Emperor—his most reliable backing—had disappeared. One would normally be shaken, yet the young innkeeper before him remained calm.
The Admiral found that strange.
Jin Seong-un sorted through several thoughts before calmly replying,
“I was surprised.”
“……”
The Admiral said it was a sad matter despite not being sad, and Jin Seong-un said he was surprised despite not being surprised.
The two exchanged obvious lies and held each other’s gaze for a moment.
Jin Seong-un thought, *So the Admiral and the Princess have once again made a move against the Emperor.*
The Admiral, on the other hand, suspected, *Does this brat know something?*
As a subtle tension formed, Seo Yu-gyeom, Moyong Hyeon, and Seomun Ak quietly raised their inner arts.
Even if the opponent was the most powerful figure in the Imperial Household, they couldn’t simply accept it if he drew his blade.
The Admiral glanced at the three.
Seomun Ak and Moyong Hyeon instinctively flinched. Even without releasing his aura, the Admiral exuded a chilling pressure through his mere presence and cold gaze.
Letting out a scoff as if they were ridiculous, the Admiral turned back to Jin Seong-un.
“Her Highness the Princess has granted you time. She said you are to think carefully about how you will take responsibility and come personally to report it.”
It was the most arrogant and difficult order a ruler could give to a subordinate.
It sounded like he was being told to crawl over, kneel, and lay bare everything he had.
Jin Seong-un looked at the Admiral and said,
“My deliberation may take a long time.”
“Even the time frame is for you to decide.”
If he went too early, he would be scolded for lacking sincerity. If he went too late, he would be scolded for insolence.
Jin Seong-un thought the Princess and the Admiral were the worst kind of high-tier troublemakers one could have as customers. He was a man who had dealt with such people his entire life.
“I will prepare an answer that satisfies.”
Clicking his tongue, the Admiral turned and began to walk away. Then suddenly, he glanced at Seo Yu-gyeom.
“You there.”
Seo Yu-gyeom met his gaze without replying.
In the next instant, the Admiral’s figure vanished.
For a split second, Seo Yu-gyeom lost track of him and nearly swung the Heaven-Slaying Dagger by instinct, but restrained himself with extreme self-control.
The Admiral had already appeared before him.
In a quiet whisper, he spoke,
“I can tolerate the children of the Murong Clan and the Seomun Clan once more, since killing them would be troublesome. But you—no matter when or how I kill you, it brings me no burden. If you wish to live long, learn to measure your killing intent according to the situation.”
The Admiral’s eyes, looking down at Seo Yu-gyeom, were as cold as metal. Combined with his gaunt, pale appearance, it gave him an eerie presence.
Seo Yu-gyeom looked at him and replied briefly,
“How kind.”
“Tsk, both you and that Guest Dragon act as if you have more than one life. Whether it’s youth or recklessness.”
With that, the Admiral withdrew his gaze and disappeared. The moment he vanished, the tense air loosened instantly.
Moyong Hyeon and Seomun Ak let out long breaths.
This pressure was unlike anything they had faced before.
A Huajing master bore hostility toward them—and moreover, he was a power figure of the Imperial Household.
Seomun Ak muttered to himself,
“How do you even fight someone like that?”
If he were just a powerful villain, they could fight with their lives on the line. But with the Imperial Household involved, even that wasn’t simple.
Even Moyong Hyeon, who was intelligent, couldn’t easily find an answer.
Seo Yu-gyeom spoke casually,
“Does power block blades? No need to think about anything else. Can you kill him or not? That’s all that matters.”
Unlike the two from prestigious clans, Seo Yu-gyeom, who had lived within Deathshroud, knew well—
No amount of wealth or power could stop a blade.
The Admiral was strong, but Seo Yu-gyeom was a man who had killed countless opponents stronger than himself.
“Let’s head inside. Thanks to him, it’s quiet now.”
With the Admiral’s appearance, all the officials and merchants who had filled the street had disappeared.
And so, Jin Seong-un stepped into Seong-un Inn for the first time in a long while.
---
After greeting Han Seong-chun and Jang Gwang, Jin Seong-un immediately entered the Martial God Realm.
He had to report the matter of the Myriad Gold Manor to the Merchant King first.
This time, even the Noble Enchantress and the Sword Immortal set down their Go stones immediately. The Divine Thief—and even the Blood Demon—turned their heads to look at Jin Seong-un.
The Merchant King approached and asked,
“What happened?”
His voice carried both expectation and bitterness.
Jin Seong-un set aside his emotions and began explaining plainly—not as master and disciple, but as contractor and contractor.
“First, I obtained the Black Wolf Saber. Ha Joo-myeong was using it.”
“That is good news. It is a remarkable famed blade. It will be of great help to you.”
Jin Seong-un nodded and continued.
From the moment he headed to Nanjing in Jiangsu Province, where the Myriad Gold Manor was located—
His conversation with the Inner Chief Steward Jang Ji-hyeon, the Admiral’s support and how it was nullified—
The battle against hired wanderers, the intervention of the Hebei Peng Clan and the Hwangbo Clan, the appearance of the Murim Alliance Leader, and even the depraved truth revealed after tearing apart the formation—
Especially the part where Ha Joo-myeong killed his own father, the Master of the Myriad Gold Manor, and hid beside him—
At that, the Martial Gods sighed.
“And thus, Ha Joo-myeong died. The nameless technique I inherited from you, Master—I named it ‘Myriad Gold.’”
The Merchant King’s eyes trembled slightly.
“Myriad Gold… Myriad Gold…”
That name was his identity—his entire life.
To hear it used as the name of a technique created from a lifetime of enlightenment struck him deeply.
It was no different from a dedication offered by his one and only disciple.
The Merchant King silently looked at Jin Seong-un.
Jin Seong-un found it difficult to read his emotions, as his expression remained calm.
But the Divine Thief, who had spent a long time with him here, could tell.
The Divine Thief peeked at the Merchant King’s expression, barely suppressing a laugh.
“He’s touched. At this rate, he might start crying.”
Jin Seong-un looked at the Merchant King again. To his eyes, he still looked like a strong middle-aged man, but hearing that, it did seem possible.
The Merchant King cleared his throat.
“Ahem, it’s a good name. It has meaning.”
“Yes. Though the Myriad Gold Manor is gone, a new ‘Myriad Gold’ has been born.”
“He’s gonna cry, he’s gonna cry.”
“……”
The Divine Thief’s teasing dried up the Merchant King’s emotions again.
Having regained composure, the Merchant King asked calmly,
“So, what became of the remnants of the fallen Myriad Gold Manor?”
There was some concern in his voice.
The business of the Myriad Gold Manor was vast—depending on how it was handled, it could become either benefit or poison.
This was the realm of a great merchant, but unfortunately, his disciple Jin Seong-un was still a small merchant.
Jin Seong-un replied,
“That matter was handled directly by Chief Steward Lee Seowon.”
At the mention of Lee Seowon, a flicker of interest appeared in the Merchant King’s eyes. As his direct descendant, it was naturally intriguing.
Jin Seong-un calmly explained Lee Seowon’s decisions.
Selecting only manageable businesses instead of taking everything—
Distributing appropriate ventures to allied forces—
Returning banks and grain warehouses to the Jiangnan Merchants’ Association and the Daepyeong Trading Company to prevent widespread chaos—
And even throwing the remaining scraps of business into the market to prevent jealousy and resentment—
“Ha…”
The Merchant King let out an impressed sigh.
He hurriedly looked around and spoke to the Martial Gods,
“Did you all hear that? This is my descendant. He’s exactly like me in my youth—no, no. In some ways, he’s even better.”
“…Here he goes again.”
The Divine Thief looked fed up, and even the Sword Immortal and the Noble Enchantress subtly averted their gazes.
It seemed he often bragged about Lee Seowon.
The Merchant King continued proudly,
“Truly brilliant decisions. Not a single flaw. Especially the last one—throwing the scraps into the market—it’s astonishing. How old did you say he was?”
“…He’s twenty-four this year.”
“At that age, I could never have made such a choice. In that situation, anyone would think all of it belonged to them. To make that decision, one must overcome the discomfort of giving away one’s own flesh and blood.”
His analysis continued endlessly, but it all concluded with—
*‘This is my descendant.’*
Then the Merchant King turned to the Divine Thief.
“Divine Thief, did you have no descendants? Ah, right. You spent your life only looking at Chae Ok-hyeon. My apologies—I forgot for a moment.”
“……”
The Divine Thief became dejected.
Today was the Merchant King’s complete victory.
Jin Seong-un inwardly felt relieved.
Though the Merchant King had ordered the fall of the Myriad Gold Manor, it was still his greatest legacy. He had worried he might fall into sorrow.
But the Merchant King smiled pleasantly.
“The Myriad Gold Manor has not disappeared.”
What the Merchant King built would spread throughout the Central Plains in many forms.
His descendant, Lee Seowon, had made it so.
If it couldn’t retain its original form, this was far better.
And that descendant—Lee Seowon—was the living will the Merchant King had left behind in the world.
“Seong-un.”
“Yes, Master.”
They returned to speaking as master and disciple.
The Merchant King looked at him fondly.
“Thank you. Because of this useless master, you went through great hardship.”
“As I told Master Divine Thief before, what I’ve received from my masters is far greater.”
“Indeed, you speak like my disciple. Seong-un, take good care of that child, Lee Seowon.”
“Rather, Chief Steward Lee Seowon is the one taking care of me.”
The Sword Immortal and the Noble Enchantress smiled warmly, as if looking at a grandson or child.
The Divine Thief, who had recovered well, nodded at Jin Seong-un.
Just as the atmosphere grew warm—
The Blood Demon suddenly spoke.
“Let’s see if you can still say that about what comes next.”
An awkward silence followed.
As Jin Seong-un looked at him, the Sword Immortal stepped slightly to block his view and said,
“Ha ha, don’t mind that red lunatic. Ruining good moods is his life’s purpose.”
At the blunt insult, the Blood Demon turned his head away again.
Jin Seong-un then recalled the Emperor and asked the Noble Enchantress,
“Master, is there a way to treat someone whose meridians have been severely twisted and damaged by external force?”
Previously, when he examined the Emperor—
He discovered the Admiral had twisted all his meridians using a profound internal technique.
And the Noble Enchantress was acknowledged even among the Martial Gods as the greatest in Qi Arts.
Though he had only learned the Women’s Moon Heart Method from her, he knew she was capable of handling many forms of Qi Arts.
The Noble Enchantress thought for a moment before asking,
“Are you referring to the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly—a rare sight. She seemed deeply concerned.
Jin Seong-un waited without urging.
The Divine Thief tried to hurry her but was dragged away by the Merchant King.
After some time—
With a voice like jade beads rolling on a silver tray, the Noble Enchantress spoke with concern.
“There is a method. But I cannot guarantee it will save the Emperor. More importantly… I question whether you must save him at all.”
“…Why is that?”
Her gaze became even calmer.
Jin Seong-un realized that without her usual smile, she appeared colder than expected.
The Noble Enchantress gently cupped his cheek and said,
“Because those tied to the Imperial Household rarely meet a good end.”
She softly added—
“Just like me.”