Chapter 292: There Is One More
Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon frowned.
Soone might have intentionally collapsed the quarry.
“Please explain in detail.”
At Jin Seong-un’s words, the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company nodded and organized his thoughts before speaking.
“The Heavenly Pillar Quarry is the largest quarry in the Central Plains. At the ti, there were well over a hundred laborers from various trading companies mining stone there. Dozens died. And those who survived all gave the sa testimony.”
“What was it?”
“They said a massive explosion rang out once, the quarry collapsed imdiately afterward, and then they saw a figure standing atop the cliff looking down below.”
Jin Seong-un’s eyes narrowed.
“A quarry that large would have extrely high cliffs. And imdiately after the collapse, dust would’ve filled the air and obscured visibility.”
“……That’s true.”
At the sharp observation, the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company lost confidence. For ordinary people who had never learned martial arts, it would indeed have been difficult to see clearly.
As though making excuses, the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company continued.
“Still, multiple people gave the sa testimony, so it can’t be completely ignored. If soone really did this deliberately…….”
His eyes turned cold.
Though he normally smiled foolishly and acted loose, he was still a man who operated the fifth-largest trading company in the Central Plains.
“Seven of my subordinates were there that day. None survived. If soone’s intentions were behind this, I absolutely won’t let it slide. Though even if I do nothing, the governnt authorities are likely already moving.”
Dozens had died in a single location.
Since the Heavenly Pillar Quarry was located in Sinhyang County of Henan Province, the local governnt would surely handle this matter with utmost seriousness.
Just as Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon were speaking with the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company—
An old man casually approached, dusting off his clothes as he spoke.
“The construction will be delayed.”
“Ah, Elder Shin Mok.”
The Master of Daepyeong Trading Company hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed. Since the Daepyeong Trading Company also heavily engaged in construction and civil engineering, he could not help but treat Shin Mok with extre respect.
Shin Mok nodded.
“This wasn’t your doing, was it?”
“Pardon? What do you an by that……?”
“If the Heavenly Pillar Quarry collapsed, it won’t be usable for quite so ti. That ans there won’t be many trading companies capable of supplying stone. Aside from your Daepyeong Trading Company, who else would there be?”
In other words, the Daepyeong Trading Company would beco the greatest beneficiary of the quarry’s collapse.
The gazes of Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon turned toward the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company.
He imdiately waved his hands frantically.
“N-No, Elder! What are you saying? No matter how much I like money, I wouldn’t do sothing like that while harming people. Besides, considering the scale of our company, the profits from supplying a few carts of stone to Eonsa Prefecture aren’t even that significant!”
The Master of Daepyeong Trading Company desperately explained all the reasons why it absolutely could not have been him.
Every word made sense.
Shin Mok nodded and spoke to Jin Seong-un and Lee Seowon.
“You heard him, didn’t you? So you may exclude this fool from suspicion. He doesn’t even have the guts for sothing like that.”
“…….”
Though dumbfounded, the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company realized Shin Mok had actually been considerate toward him.
As Shin Mok had said earlier, the Daepyeong Trading Company was naturally in a suspicious position. Yet Shin Mok had deliberately brought up the matter first and given him the chance to explain himself.
“Thank you, Elder. In any case, it absolutely wasn’t . Frankly, if soone truly did this deliberately, I’d like to catch them myself.”
Partly because he wanted revenge for the subordinates who had died in the collapse.
And also because the Daepyeong Trading Company itself extracted enormous quantities of stone from the Heavenly Pillar Quarry.
Jin Seong-un sighed as though he had a headache.
In developing a city, ‘stone’ played an extrely important role.
Especially for a hot spring comrcial district. If buildings were constructed solely with wood, they would likely rot or warp quickly.
Lee Seowon felt equally troubled.
But with the quarry already collapsed, they could not simply sit around in despair.
“Innkeeper, let’s head back inside first. People are waiting. We should finish the auction quickly and think this through afterward.”
Thus, Jin Seong-un, Lee Seowon, and the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company exchanged brief farewells with Shin Mok before entering the estate.
.
.
.
Lee Seowon explained the tragedy that had occurred at the Heavenly Pillar Quarry to the gathered rchants.
The rchants’ expressions stiffened like stone.
Most of those gathered here made their living through quarrying.
The auction proceeded swiftly.
With the primary supplier gone, the rchants had little room to be picky. More than half of them would likely have to halt operations entirely for a while.
Lee Seowon continued.
“For now, we require one thousand large wagonloads by the end of April.”
The rchants’ faces imdiately turned pale.
Though they had dealt with stone all their lives, even they found it difficult to imagine a project of this scale.
Without exaggeration, it was enough material to practically build another Forbidden City in Beijing.
Lee Seowon spoke again.
“Due to the nature of the hot springs, all foundational construction must be done with stone. The quantity I just ntioned is only the first shipnt. In total, we expect around three thousand wagonloads.”
A flash of greed crossed the rchants’ eyes.
Three thousand wagonloads of stone.
If they secured this contract, their trading companies would leap upward in status.
The problem was the Heavenly Pillar Quarry.
It would likely remain buried in debris for a long ti, making quarrying impossible.
That ant they would need to gather stone from countless small and large quarries throughout the Central Plains, but the quantity required by Eonsa Prefecture was so imnse that even that would not be easy.
Naturally, everyone looked toward the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company.
If anyone present could handle that amount, it was him.
Receiving everyone’s attention, he asked Lee Seowon,
“Chief Steward Lee. Which do you value more—cost or ti?”
“Ti is cost, isn’t it? We’ve already invested a great deal of capital, so if developnt is delayed, that loss will naturally fall upon us.”
The Master of Daepyeong Trading Company shook his head at the vague answer.
He was a rchant who preferred very clear conversations.
“It would be ideal if things could be prepared cheaply and quickly, but that’s impossible, which is why I ask. If the Heavenly Pillar Quarry is truly in such a state, transporting stone will require several tis more labor than usual.”
The Heavenly Pillar Quarry had long possessed well-established transportation routes created by the major trading companies of the Central Plains.
Now the cliffs, roads, and everything else had collapsed, so naturally the costs would increase.
Lee Seowon nodded.
“I understand. I don’t wish to waste emotions stubbornly demanding the impossible either. Then let us do this.”
Lee Seowon tapped the table lightly with his index finger before continuing.
“For processed bluestone, two silver taels per wagon. However, for any stone delivered two months earlier than the agreed deadline—not by the end of April, but by the end of February—we’ll pay three silver taels per wagon. What do you think?”
In other words, if they had the ability, they could earn more money by supplying the stone faster.
The Master of Daepyeong Trading Company calculated rapidly.
Despite his sowhat dull appearance, he was a man who had spent his entire life handling money.
He calculated the amount of stone available from other quarries, the cost and ti needed to restore the Heavenly Pillar Quarry, and the potential value it would bring.
Finally, he spoke.
“I have one condition. Until the final delivery, you must trade exclusively with our Daepyeong Trading Company. If you agree, we’ll begin restoring the Heavenly Pillar Quarry with our own funds starting tomorrow.”
“Very well.”
The other trading company masters frowned, but they had no alternative.
In truth, if the Daepyeong Trading Company took the initiative to restore the quarry, it would benefit them as well.
Thus, the auction concluded.
After returning to Yichang with Lee Seowon, Jin Seong-un could not shake the uneasy feeling in his heart.
The words spoken by the Master of Daepyeong Trading Company continued to linger in his mind.
That soone might have intentionally collapsed the quarry.
It was an incident that severely hindered the developnt of Eonsa Prefecture, and dozens of people had died because of it.
That made it impossible to ignore.
“Are you troubled by sothing?”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter, having returned after training the later-generation prodigies of the Orthodox Faction, poured water into a cup as he spoke.
Like a highly experienced assassin, he often detected even the faintest emotional changes unique to Jin Seong-un.
Jin Seong-un explained everything regarding the Heavenly Pillar Quarry.
After listening calmly, Ghost of Divine Slaughter nodded.
“It certainly is strange.”
“Yes. Do you think soone truly did it deliberately?”
“There’s no way to know from words alone.”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter wet his throat before continuing.
“Let’s go take a look. Sinhyang County is the perfect distance for warming up.”
As he spoke, Ghost of Divine Slaughter turned his head and examined the condition of the later-generation prodigies of the Orthodox Faction.
He had considered bringing them along to Sinhyang County and forcing them through so Movent Arts training.
However—
All of them were trembling as they walked around the inn in bizarre, wobbling steps.
At their current state, they looked incapable of leaving Yichang, much less reaching Sinhyang County.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter let out a deep sigh.
‘My standards have risen because of that brat Yu-gyeom.’
Seo Yu-gyeom was by far the greatest martial artist Ghost of Divine Slaughter had ever taught.
No matter how rcilessly he was trained all day, he would catch his breath briefly and imdiately resu training in perfect condition.
“Looks like the two of us will have to go alone.”
“Yes, that seems best.”
Jin Seong-un also nodded while watching the later-generation prodigies.
Baek Seol attempted to brace herself against the table and imdiately collapsed.
“……Let’s go.”
Jin Seong-un and Ghost of Divine Slaughter pretended not to see and left the inn.
---
Since both n possessed exceptional Movent Arts, it did not take long to reach Sinhyang County.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter once again admired Jin Seong-un’s level.
anwhile, Jin Seong-un found an assassin’s Movent Arts extrely fascinating.
‘It really is similar to Divine Thief Master.’
Thieves and assassins shared many similarities.
Starting with stealthy Movent Arts.
Always wearing black clothes.
Always chasing sothing or being chased by soone.
Preferring the night and frequently using masks.
If that was the case, then perhaps Divine Thief Master was also good at assassination, and Elder Ghost of Divine Slaughter might be good at stealing.
“Have you ever stolen sothing before?”
At Jin Seong-un’s innocent question, Ghost of Divine Slaughter turned and stared at him.
His expression clearly asked, What kind of nonsense are you suddenly talking about?
Jin Seong-un coughed awkwardly.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”
How long had they traveled?
Eventually, beneath the cliff where the two slowly stopped—
The quarry appeared before them in an utterly catastrophic state.
“This is worse than I expected.”
“……It really is.”
The worksite where the quarry laborers had once worked was completely crushed beneath heaps of stone.
Not only that, but huge boulders had also fallen into the small stream flowing nearby, blocking the current.
With neither wagons nor workers able to approach, work itself seed impossible.
“How exactly does the Daepyeong Trading Company intend to clear all this?”
“Who knows. They’ll probably hire martial artists. Bring in so large brutes to smash and carry the rocks one by one. It’ll take at least half a year.”
While speaking, Ghost of Divine Slaughter’s eyes suddenly glead as though he had discovered an excellent training thod.
Jin Seong-un asked,
“So, by looking at the traces, can you tell whether soone deliberately caused this?”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter surveyed the surroundings.
The collapse had clearly begun from above.
He lightly traversed the sheer cliff as though it were flat ground, examining various traces.
His gaze was calm and focused, like an assassin on a mission.
How much ti passed like that?
At one point midway up the cliff, Ghost of Divine Slaughter brushed his hand over a massive crater and spoke.
“This place was struck and collapsed. They said there was a single explosion, correct?”
“Yes. That’s what I heard.”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter suddenly drew his dagger and released saber qi into the cliff.
Jjeeeong—!
A portion of the cliff exploded from the saber qi, producing a thunderous sound that echoed everywhere.
Since the place was high and open, the sound reverberated wildly.
“If the echo was like this, there’s no way all those laborers imagined the sa thing. It truly ans the cliff was collapsed with a single strike……”
It was not entirely impossible.
That was how landslides worked.
If one point was struck hard enough and collapsed, the broken rock and earth would cascade downward, gathering greater force as they fell.
But the problem was the sheer size of the crater that ford the starting point.
It was far too enormous.
Moreover, the traces looked blunt, as though struck by a fist rather than a blade.
Ghost of Divine Slaughter lightly pressed his own fist against the crater and spoke.
“Unless the Fist Demon or the Divine Monk passed through here, there’s no explaining this.”
The Divine Monk was the Abbot of Shaolin, while the Fist Demon was an elder of the Demonic Cult and a master known as the greatest fist practitioner under heaven.
The crater’s width and depth were so imnse that such monsters naturally ca to mind.
“Could you do it?”
“With my fists?”
Jin Seong-un stared intently at the crater.
A competitive spirit suddenly rose within him.
What would happen if he poured all his internal energy into the Blood Demon Fist?
After imagining it for a mont, Jin Seong-un sohow looked slightly disappointed as he shook his head.
“Not yet.”
At the words ‘not yet,’ Ghost of Divine Slaughter’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
He truly could not fathom what sort of path this monster was walking.
As Ghost of Divine Slaughter closely examined the massive traces, he suddenly recalled sothing.
“That’s right. Even if it wasn’t the Fist Demon or the Divine Monk, there is one more person capable of this.”
“Who is it?”
“The Sect Leader of the Thunderclap Sect. If, by so chance, he truly is the culprit……”
Ghost of Divine Slaughter glanced at Jin Seong-un before continuing.
“Withdraw from this matter. He’s the sort of man who explodes the mont you touch him.”
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