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Chapter 01
If one were to ask who the strongest martial artist in the world was today, the head of the Namgung Clan would undoubtedly be named. If one were to ask who the greatest scholar was, the Imperial Court’s Grand Preceptor would surely be mentioned.
Then, if one were to ask who the wealthiest person under heaven was, everyone would point to a single place without hesitation.
The Geum Family, owners of Geumrin, the greatest merchant guild in the world.
At the heart of the Geumrin Merchant Guild, beyond layers of strict martial guards, a woman smiled from the center of a room.
“It seems you’ve finally calculated its true value, Taesang Patriarch.”
The face of Namgung Hyeok, the Taesang Patriarch of the renowned Namgung Clan and one of the greatest martial artists under heaven, darkened with despair.
“Must you truly go this far?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You’re not merely a money-crazed demon.”
A strange glimmer flashed through Geum Seolha’s eyes at his sharp words. Feigning innocence, she rolled up her sleeve and picked up a brush.
“That is simply what the world says.”
“There is an unusual clause in this contract. It’s too strange to be dismissed as a simple transaction between a merchant guild and a clan. What are you planning?”
The persistent questions, as though he wished to peer into her very soul, only made Geum Seolha smile.
“If you wish to know more, you’ll have to offer something more.”
“…”
“Will you?”
Facing Geum Seolha’s mysterious smile, Namgung Hyeok let out a deep sigh. If not for the troublesome situation caused by his incompetent son, he would never have suffered such humiliation.
“Forget it.”
“How unexpected.”
“I know better than to get entangled any further with a shark like you.”
The head of Geumrin Merchant Guild had utterly failed at raising his own son, but had achieved spectacular success with his granddaughter. Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Namgung Hyeok cautiously tried another approach.
“Still, will you not compromise even a little? After all, I’ve been active in the martial world since long before you were born. As a senior dedicated to the peace of the martial world—”
“I see. That’s admirable.”
“Then, out of respect for your senior in the martial world, perhaps you could adjust the conditions just a little—”
“Oh dear. I’m not a martial artist, so I’m unfamiliar with the etiquette owed to martial seniors.”
Whenever it suited her, Geum Seolha effortlessly switched identities and acted as a merchant.
The sheer shamelessness made Namgung Hyeok clutch the back of his neck.
“You brat! If you’ve learned martial arts, you’re a martial artist! Yet you pretend to be a merchant!”
“But it isn’t false that I’m a merchant, is it? More importantly, you’ve already stamped the contract. This behavior is quite troubling, Taesang Patriarch.”
Sensing danger, Geum Seolha quickly tucked the contract into her robes. Only then did she feel at ease.
Watching the entire scene, Namgung Hyeok groaned.
“You’re even worse than that devil Geum Chung was. Worse.”
“Grandfather would be delighted to hear that.”
“Does that sound like praise to you?”
“Isn’t it?”
Seeing her knowingly pretend ignorance and refuse to yield even a single word, Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue.
“You truly resemble the Master of Geumrin.”
Her boldness, confidence, and shining certainty all perfectly mirrored Geum Gangseok, the guild master of Geumrin Merchant Guild.
Then suddenly, Namgung Hyeok’s expression changed.
“Wait. Your aura feels different… Don’t tell me you’ve made another breakthrough?”
The end of his voice trembled.
Ignoring his shocked stare, Geum Seolha feigned ignorance.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Or did you secretly consume some precious spiritual medicine? You always claimed you were too busy playing merchant to train!”
Every word must have been a lie. Otherwise, this was impossible.
Namgung Hyeok’s beard trembled violently.
If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, Geum Seolha had undoubtedly broken through another wall of cultivation.
“W-What a monster…”
At this point, even most masters would be unable to exchange more than a single move with her.
“If only my own son were even half as capable as this girl!”
Namgung Hyeok sighed heavily.
Watching another family’s successful child always brought heartache.
With his business concluded, he rose from his seat.
“Very well. I shall take my leave.”
“Safe travels, Elder.”
Geum Seolha politely escorted him out.
Only after Namgung Hyeok completely left the Geum estate did she burst into loud laughter.
Like a well-fed beast, she lovingly stroked the contract hidden inside her robes.
Then someone called out to her.
“You actually succeeded in closing that deal?”
An old man wearing luxurious golden robes appeared behind her. Yet Geum Seolha merely crossed her arms calmly.
“Yes.”
“The Taesang Patriarch of the Namgung Clan is no easy opponent. Yet you managed to bring him down.”
“I was simply fortunate.”
Geum Gangseok’s eyebrow twitched.
Fortunate?
Nonsense.
Even that fortune had undoubtedly been manipulated by Geum Seolha herself.
“What are you planning?”
“I worked hard to secure this contract, and that’s all you have to say?”
“You may deceive him, but not me.”
Geum Gangseok’s sharp eyes locked onto her.
“You’ve gone too far.”
This wasn’t Geum Seolha’s usual method.
Nor was it a move solely motivated by profit.
“This is not the way of a merchant.”
“…”
“Perhaps it is the way of a strategist preparing for war.”
At the piercing observation, Geum Seolha froze briefly before smiling.
As expected, a giant who had dominated an era could see through the truth immediately.
“What did you see?”
“If I told you, would you help me?”
Her playful question deepened Geum Gangseok’s gaze.
“You impudent child.”
He too had long noticed that the martial world resembled a barrel of gunpowder waiting to explode.
But he had no intention of stepping into it.
“A merchant must never lean toward either side.”
Only then could one trade equally with everyone—from the Imperial Family above to the criminals in the back alleys below.
However, if she truly involved herself…
“You will have to stake everything.”
Supporting one side meant sharing its fate.
If they succeeded, all was well.
If they failed, she would fall alongside them.
The intelligent granddaughter who understood this better than anyone met his gaze directly.
“I am doing this to protect everything.”
“…”
“If I do nothing, then I won’t be able to protect anything at all.”
Geum Seolha had always been like this.
The reason she had climbed this far was simple.
At first, it was to survive in this world.
Now, it was to protect the people who had given her trust and affection.
“The road ahead will be covered in thorns.”
Facing eyes that showed no intention of retreating even if a sea of flames lay ahead, Geum Gangseok sighed deeply.
“When has it ever been otherwise?”
Geum Seolha smiled.
The world had never been easy.
But wasn’t that simply the nature of the world?
If ten attempts failed, she tried a hundred.
If a hundred failed, she tried a thousand.
That had always been Geum Seolha’s way.
She had learned an unfamiliar world from the beginning.
She had defeated the uncles who viewed her as a thorn in their side and plotted against her.
She had earned the recognition of Geumrin’s elders and seized the position of successor.
Not once had any of it been easy.
Knowing her better than anyone, Geum Gangseok could no longer voice opposition.
His dry lips parted.
“Do you require my help?”
“I would gratefully accept it.”
Impudent child.
Not once had she ever asked for help first.
A bitter taste filled Geum Gangseok’s mouth.
Contrary to public rumor, every achievement Geum Seolha had earned was not the result of his support.
They were accomplishments forged entirely through her own efforts.
As such, he had no justification to stop her.
Looking at Geum Seolha smiling confidently beneath the sunlight, Geum Gangseok closed and reopened his eyes.
“Come to Geumhwa Hall at noon four days from now.”
Having finally reached a decision regarding a matter he had long contemplated, his eyes shone clearly.
“Noon in four days?”
Geum Seolha frowned.
That time coincided with the departure date of the Jiangxi trade caravan.
“No complaints. Come.”
He spoke firmly.
“I intend to give you what you need most.”
“I already possess everything I need. Unless, perhaps, you’re offering me Geumrin’s Golden Seal.”
She replied jokingly, trying to refuse.
Then—
“Exactly that.”
“…What?”
“If you’re going to stake everything, shouldn’t you possess the authority worthy of it?”
“You’re joking.”
Shock rippled through Geum Seolha’s eyes.
The Golden Seal of Geumrin was no ordinary object.
It symbolized the head of the Geum Family and served as proof of the Merchant Guild Master’s authority.
“Are you planning to retire already?”
“Indeed. Your constant pressure is making my life difficult. I think it’s time I rested.”
“Are you serious?”
Geum Seolha stared suspiciously at her grandfather.
“Only the elders know. There would be too much confusion, so the announcement will be delayed as long as possible.”
His calm explanation deepened her gaze.
“So… you truly mean it.”
Seeing her disbelief, Geum Gangseok turned away.
“Do not be late.”
Leaving those words behind, he departed.
For a while, Geum Seolha simply stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Then her adjutant, who had stood quietly beside her the entire time like part of the scenery, bowed.
“Congratulations, Young Guild Master.”
“For what?”
“For successfully concluding the deal with the Namgung Clan. And for obtaining Geumrin’s Golden Seal.”
“…”
“Did everything proceed exactly as you intended?”
At last regaining her senses, a flash of excitement lit Geum Seolha’s eyes.
“Yes. Everything went exactly as I planned.”
She pulled out the contract with the Namgung Clan and waved it proudly.
“Do you know what this is, Gangyu?”
“No, my lady.”
“This contract allows me to use the Namgung Clan’s martial forces as leverage if necessary. There are conditions attached, of course, but it’s still an extraordinary tool.”
“And the Taesang Patriarch actually signed it?”
“He had to. Unless he wanted the Namgung Clan’s reputation dragged through the mud.”
A smile curved her lips as she recalled the businesses the Namgung Patriarch had disastrously mismanaged.
“The gold I’m lending them is indispensable.”
No one in the world besides Geumrin Merchant Guild could provide that much gold.
Namgung Hyeok understood this, which was why he signed.
At last, she possessed cards capable of moving both the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans at a decisive moment.
Now, even if events unfolded according to the original story and they faced the Blood Cult, they finally had a fighting chance.
“Do you know how much suffering it took to prepare all this?”
Loud laughter burst from her lips.
“Now this is a war worth fighting.”
Silver and gold were accepted by everyone.
From the Son of Heaven in the Imperial Palace to merchants from the distant Western Regions.
From the leadership of the Martial Alliance to the Demonic Cult beyond Xinjiang.
Status and faction meant nothing before wealth.
If the world were compared to a human body, silver and gold were the blood flowing through every vein.
The fame built upon mountains of gold.
The influence stretching from the martial world to government offices.
The title none could ignore.
Though barely twenty years old, Geum Seolha had become someone no one could afford to dismiss.
“We need to prepare for war, Gangyu.”
“Yes, my lord.”
In an era of peace, where no signs of conflict could be seen, Geum Seolha spoke of war.
Yet her subordinate accepted it without question.
If Geum Seolha said war was coming, then war would come.
“I’ll convene a meeting immediately.”
“Good.”
Impossible words.
Absurd goals.
Everyone had laughed.
Yet Geum Seolha had accomplished every single thing she promised.
The golden future and hope envisioned by Geumrin Merchant Guild all originated from her.
However, her own beginning had been far from glorious.
Geum Seolha’s memories began in the dead of winter, with icy winds sharp enough to cut flesh, as she wandered lost through a marketplace looking no different from a beggar.
