I Am This Murim's Crazy Bitch-Chapter 294: Transcendent Qing (31)

Those who looked at Qing longer than a moment always began with a throat-clearing ahem.

The reason was simple.

They would first lose themselves staring at her face, then realize belatedly that they looked like dazed fools or that it could be seen as a terrible breach of manners, and so they coughed out of embarrassment.

The president of Daewan Trading Company was no exception—despite how unwelcome his guest was, upon receiving that gracious beauty in person, he forgot what he meant to say. Left flustered by the silence, he could only cough.

“Ahem. I am Cho Soyo, president of Daewan Trading Company.”

“I’m Ximen Qing. President, right now the city—”

Qing went straight to the point, wasting no time. But a merchant of this caliber would not have such an easy tongue to deal with. The president cut her off to say his piece.

“Listen. According to the national law, any gathering of over fifty adult males not related to funerals, weddings, or traditional labor exchanges, without prior report, is considered an act of rebellion. I assume the young lady acted out of ignorance, but this is a matter of serious legal consequences.”

You think you can just gather this many people? If you disband now, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it—was the unspoken message.

Qing answered calmly.

“President. I’ve come to purchase grain for a relief effort.”

The president’s face twisted.

Qing responded as though she hadn't heard him at all. He actually wondered if perhaps he'd only thought those words instead of saying them aloud—her dismissal was that flawless.

“There’s been a disaster in the city—”

“No, no, did you not hear me? I’m telling you, a crowd like this is trouble.”

“I intend to distribute relief grain. But Taecheong Sangbang’s supply won’t last long. I’ll pay twice the current market price. Would you sell me all the grain you have?”

Qing delivered her entire offer in one breath.

“Listen, the national law—”

“President? Will you sell me your grain? I’ll even offer you a 10% markup over market.”

“I’m telling you, having this many people gathered is a serious issue—”

“President? I’ll offer you 20% over market.”

“No, what I mean is—”

“30%. President? Are you having trouble understanding? You must be so kind, trying to give me a better price.”

With each sentence, the price dropped another 10%.

The president leapt to his feet.

“You call that a deal!? Grain is going for gold per seom right now—how could you possibly expect—”

“40%. Oh! Right.”

Qing lifted her sword.

“President, you seem confused about the numbers. I just realized—I forgot to show you this. Look. Sword aura. See it sparkle?”

She raised her Moonlight Sword (Number Eight), letting its twilight-colored aura shimmer.

The president’s heart sank.

This woman came here fully prepared to threaten me.

“President? You being here—doesn’t that mean Daewan Trading Company rose and established itself here in Naknyeong? You’re a Naknyeong native, right?”

“...Yes.”

“Then we’re neighbors. Your company’s fortune came from this city, and now that it’s in disaster, you’re trying to price gouge your precious grain?”

“Look here, prices rise naturally when goods are scarce. That’s just basic economics—”

“President? There are a lot of ears listening. You should choose your words carefully.”

The president winced and looked behind Qing—at the vast crowd that had followed her like a sea of clouds.

Faint anger hung in their eyes. Even if he found a way to wriggle out of this now, he wouldn’t be able to walk Naknyeong’s streets safely ever again.

“Now. This is my final offer. I’ll pay twice the market price. And as far as I know, the market price already includes markup. So, if I pay double, won’t you still make a handsome profit?”

It was the first time in his life he’d ever heard the words “final offer.” He hadn't even known such a phrase could exist. It was terrifying.

“I... I...”

Merchants and non-merchants ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) calculate value differently.

If you buy something for one nyang and sell it for two, you’ve earned one nyang.

But if you could have sold it for ten and only made two, then you’ve lost eight. That’s how they think.

Still, profit and loss aside—this wasn’t about later problems. At this rate, he’d face immediate problems. Not future consequences—present threats.

“Fine. I’ll sell it at double the market rate.”

At that, Qing smiled softly and gave a respectful martial salute.

“Thank you for making this decision for the good of the city. Everyone—shall we show our gratitude to the president, who’s chosen to give up personal profit for the sake of the people?”

“Thank you!”

“You’ve saved us!”

The crowd raised their voices in thanks.

“Ahem. Well, it’s nothing, really...”

It was basically extortion. No—scratch that, it was extortion. But since she gave him public credit afterward, he still managed to save face.

As the chorus of thanks grew louder, a small thought crossed the president’s mind.

Maybe I should just join the relief effort outright. If I’m going to lose profit anyway, I might as well gain goodwill...

But even selling at double, he’d come out ahead.

As Qing had said, the market price already included profit—so selling at twice that meant a massive margin.

So while the president wavered between gaining favor and maximizing profit, in the end, he chose the latter.

Of course, not all the merchant heads made the same choice.

“You’re doing good work! We at the Yoo Trading Company will gladly support Miss Ximen’s relief efforts!”

As Qing made her way through the merchant district, purchasing grain, some smaller merchant houses even gave their stock away for free.

Even in the merchant district, people had eyes and ears. Qing had to stop at each place, and word spread quickly—by the time she reached the next house, they were already prepared, waiting their turn, having made their decision.

After finishing the circuit on the left side of Taecheong Sangbang, Qing turned to the right and continued visiting each estate in turn.

The next gate was unusually far away. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

That meant the estate was huge.

From behind, she heard whispering.

“Isn’t the next one Jangheung Sangbang?”

“Hm. Will she be okay?”

“What do you mean ‘okay’? Who cares if it’s Jangheung Sangbang? She’s the Celestial Lady.”

“Still...”

Qing asked Geol Taran:

“Why does everyone seem weirdly hesitant when Jangheung Sangbang comes up? Is it really that big?”

“Jangheung Sangbang is famous as the top trading house in all of Shaanxi.”

Qing didn’t know, but it was a titan of a trading firm that held an entire province in its grasp.

A merchant house large enough to be awarded public works contracts couldn’t possibly be just a chain of city-level shops.

“So basically, they’re rich.”

“My lady, if they’re that rich, their backing must be immense. They spread money across the entire bureaucracy. There are rumors the branch lord is sworn brothers with the provincial commissioner of Shaanxi.”

“Oh. So they’re in bed with the government? Is that how they won the flood control contract? Ohhh. Makes sense.”

Qing understood it all at once.

Tak tak tak—she climbed the slope to the estate’s crest. The view opened up.

A formation of guards, armed with spears, rushed out and set up ranks.

At their head stood a middle-aged man in a hero’s robe. Like everyone else, he was momentarily stunned by Qing’s beauty—and like everyone else, he began with a coughing fit.

“Ahem, halt!”

Qing obediently stopped walking.

Her feet stopped, but her mouth didn’t.

“I’m a girl named Ximen Qing. And may I ask, who are you, my lord?”

“You dare speak so carelessly to the honored Hyunseung!?”

The response came not from the man himself, but from some lackey on his right.

Hyunseung—roughly equivalent to deputy mayor or second-in-command of the city’s administration.

And the loudmouth? Just some bootlicker handling petty chores and sucking up.

“Ah, so you’re the great Hyunseung.”

Qing gave a crisp martial salute.

And then the guy on the right burst out again—

“You insolent wretch! How can you not fall to your knees before the Emperor’s divine grace!?”

Authority, when wielded by officials, always followed the same formula—invoke the majesty of the Emperor, force everyone to kneel, and then begin the conversation.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even an official imperial order—but commoners still had to kneel anyway.

Why? Simple. If you didn’t kneel, they’d arrest you.

Qing’s knees, frankly, were cheap.

To Qing, kneeling was just a launch posture—a chambered step to generate momentum before leaping into a superhuman assault.

But this Hyunseung and his lapdog reeked of karmic rot, caked in sin no different from common bandits. There was no reason to waste even a single ounce of leg strength kneeling before such low-grade villains.

“No thanks.”

“Wha—what!? You dare—you, a base little wretch, dare profane the authority of the Son of Heaven!? You harbor treasonous intent! I knew from the start—you, gathering commoners like this, were already planning rebellion!”

“How odd. So, you’re saying we must all perform prostrations to the great Hyunseung here on behalf of the Emperor himself? That is... you’re placing Hyunseung on the same level as the Son of Heaven? Huh. Isn’t that treason?”

“Wh-who said anything like that!?”

“Everyone! The honorable Hyunseung here demands that we all perform the Five-Point Prostration before him! Imagine that—living in this day and age, and some mid-level city official demands the same reverence as the Emperor himself! He insists we bow and press our faces to the dirt before him! Who, then, is the real traitor!?”

The blood drained instantly from Hyunseung’s face, who had been watching with a smug, leisurely grin.

“W-wait! That’s not—I never intended anything like that!”

“Then why would you order a ritual of reverence reserved only for the Son of Heaven? Is that not the ultimate expression of loyalty and submission in the empire? And yet here you are, telling the people that you are the same as the Emperor! That here in Naknyeong, you are the Son of Heaven!”

Even a tongue can be a lethal weapon.

Not in the “wrap it in inner force and stab” kind of way—just the simple, destructive power of a well-placed statement in front of a large crowd.

Spoken aloud before so many witnesses, it becomes truth. Rumor. Legend. And no one but a genuine Emperor, with a rain of cannonfire, could hope to silence every mouth that heard it.

“No! That’s slander—slander!”

“Slander, you say? Then that man on your right—did he fabricate this entire speech to frame you? He must be the true traitor!”

The lapdog on the right nearly jumped out of his skin.

“No—you twisted my words, you wretched—!”

“Hyunseung sir? What are you doing? There's a known traitor standing beside you, and yet you do nothing. Are you protecting a man who would defy the throne? Do you perhaps harbor treasonous thoughts yourself?”

“S-such vile accusations—you dare say that aloud!? My loyalty to His Majesty is as immovable as Mount Tai!”

“Then why is that devious traitor still standing free beside you? Didn’t you come with guards? If you don’t imprison him now, then surely—surely it means you share his traitorous intent.”

“Guards! Arrest this man immediately!”

“My lord! I am innocent! You know this! I only—!”

“Silence! Guilt or innocence is for later. For now, accept your chains quietly!”

Qing watched the farce with her head tilted, lips twisted.

It was offensive enough that they’d dared block the road in the first place.

She was out here, pounding the streets to secure grain for starving people—and what were these officials doing? Not helping, no. Setting up a damn perimeter to guard Jangheung Sangbang.

Of course she was pissed.

“I’m innocent! My lord—my great lord!”

As the lapdog was dragged away in chains, Qing finally gave a sweet smile and spoke.

“Well then, Lord Hyunseung. I only have business with Jangheung Sangbang. Would you kindly move aside?”