Chapter 151
Chapter 151. The Black Flame Dragon amid Chaos
Namgung Seon-hwa squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again, and blinked several times.
“Isn't that person…… the Sect Leader of the Yuwol Sect?”
A middle-aged man was there, his hands and feet bound behind his back and even a gag stuffed into his mouth.
When she looked at me with a gaze asking for an answer, I sent that gaze toward Hae-ryeong.
“When Young Master Jin attacked the estate, we headed to the Yuwol Sect.”
“Huh…….”
Seong Mo-ran’s mouth fell open.
“I was certain the Diancang Sect struck the Yuwol Sect first…….”
The Yuwol Sect had served the same role as Diancang’s Yueyang warehouse.
The Black Path knew that fact as well, so they had tried to move as quickly as possible.
After all, it was a fine opportunity to snatch away the enormous wealth Diancang had gathered in Yueyang all this time.
But Diancang was not about to stand by and watch that happen.
Before the Black Path could take it, recovering what was theirs, even if it meant dirtying their hands, was only natural.
That was why Diancang had cut off the Yuwol Sect faster than anyone else and attacked them.
However.
“They were one step too late.”
Why would I pass up such a good opportunity in the first place?
Moreover, even if Diancang had lost wealth that was practically its own, it would not be able to speak of it anywhere.
The moment they spoke of it, the secret pact between the Yuwol Sect and Diancang would spread.
That was why I had not been offended at all when Seong Mo-ran asked whether I did not feel bitter.
‘By now, their heads must be going blank over the wealth they lost.’
As I failed to hold back a triumphant smile, Seong Mo-ran glared at me.
“Then did you deliberately cause that whole mess to draw attention?”
“Well…… there were various reasons.”
“I nearly died!”
“And that is why you are also enjoying a banquet aboard a ship, are you not?”
“Don't think you can wipe your mouth clean with this!”
I had no intention of doing that anyway.
I looked at Hae-ryeong.
Hae-ryeong pulled promissory notes from her sleeve and handed one each to Namgung Seon-hwa and Seong Mo-ran.
“What is this?”
“It is your share, both of you.”
“Pardon?”
The two hurriedly opened the promissory notes, and their expressions stiffened hard.
“T-two thousand gold taels?”
“This is our share?”
Even Namgung Seon-hwa seemed unable to hide her surprise, as if the amount written on the promissory note was far too large for her as well.
At the two women’s gazes demanding an explanation, I nodded.
“As you said, Lady Seong risked her life, and Lady Namgung even staked her name. Naturally, there should be compensation for that.”
“Wow…… you really do things boldly. This is my first time touching this much money.”
“If I happen to leave the Namgung Clan, may I become affiliated with the Taeul Sect?”
Wow, those serious eyes. She seemed sincere, didn't she?
While the two women stared holes through the promissory notes bearing the tremendous sums they owned for the first time in their lives, Eun-ho and Sa-ryeon had their lips jutting out.
“What is wrong?”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked why your mouths are sticking out a full foot.”
“My oral structure naturally has some resemblance to fish.”
I chuckled as I looked at Eun-ho, who was talking back.
“Judging from your poor attitude, I suppose you do not need these.”
“What?”
I showed them four pills and a money pouch from my robes.
A strange medicinal-herb scent began to spread through the room.
“What is that, Senior Brother?”
“Pocket money and Severing Moon Pills. Diancang probably gave them to the Yuwol Sect. I originally intended to give them to you, but your attitude is rather…….”
“Senior Brother! I have never once questioned Senior Brother’s actions.”
“Me too!”
“……M-me neither.”
Only after seeing even Eun-ho clinging on awkwardly did I hand the wooden case and the money pouch to them.
Without anyone needing to go first, the four of them headed outside the warehouse to absorb the spiritual medicines.
I watched their backs, then turned toward the Yuwol Sect Leader.
The Sect Leader, who had been watching this entire situation, had his eyes bulging as if they might pop out at any moment.
I approached him and removed his gag.
“Do you feel wronged?”
“Grit… Do you expect to get away unharmed after this? You may not know, but all that wealth belongs to Diancang. Diancang will never let a bastard like you go.”
I looked at Hae-ryeong and asked,
“Did you not tell him yet?”
“No.”
I told the Yuwol Sect Leader,
“You seem to be mistaken. Right now, we are protecting you and your family.”
“What sort of nonsense is…….”
“Right now, Diancang is busily searching all over Yueyang to kill you and silence you.”
“What?”
“I am saying the ones who killed the most warriors of the Yuwol Sect were none other than Diancang.”
“…….”
The Yuwol Sect Leader stared at me as if he could not believe it.
But what could be done?
A fact was a fact.
Hae-ryeong and I moved elsewhere.
“The Gate Master asked me to convey her regards to you, Young Master.”
“Is the Gate Master doing well?”
“Yes. She is saying that now is the time for Hao Gate to spread its wings, and she is working more vigorously than ever.”
“That is fortunate.”
“All of this is thanks to you, Young Master.”
Feeling awkward, I drank some tea, and Hae-ryeong, who had smiled softly, took ten promissory notes from her sleeve.
“These are the proceeds from liquidating the gold, silver, treasures, and promissory notes that had been stockpiled inside the Yuwol Sect.”
“…….”
Ten promissory notes, each worth ten thousand taels.
“Did it come out to this much?”
The number was so far beyond what I had expected that my mind nearly went blank.
“Yueyang is the foremost economic city in Hunan Province and one of the leading tourist destinations even in Jiangnan. Considering that Diancang had been gathering money to establish a branch in Yueyang, this amount is rather insufficient.”
“Insufficient?”
“We could not dispose of the tangible assets the Yuwol Sect possessed, such as inns and wine houses. If we touched those, they would catch us by the tail.”
“That makes sense.”
They might find out someday after time passed, but it was not an urgent matter right now, and even if Diancang learned of it, there was nothing they could do, so there was no need to care too much.
I handed two of the ten promissory notes back to Hae-ryeong.
“……?”
Hae-ryeong looked at me with a face full of questions.
“It is your commission. At some point, Hao Gate stopped taking commissions from me.”
“Ah…… that is only because you are a ‘Guest Retainer’…….”
“I have never heard that a Guest Retainer receives that much consideration.”
“…….”
It was probably through the consideration of people such as Hae-ryeong and Yang Gun-baek that no commission had been taken from me.
But transactions that relied on such consideration were bound to go wrong sooner or later.
“Take what you should take, and give me the best results. That is exactly what I want.”
Hae-ryeong scrutinized my face for a while, then let out a long sigh.
“……You are a Young Master I simply cannot contend with. Are you truly all right with this?”
“If Hao Gate had not helped with this matter, it would have taken longer. And when people work, they should receive compensation for it.”
“Then I will accept it gratefully.”
Hae-ryeong folded the two promissory notes neatly and placed them into her robes.
“Since I have received such a gift from you, Young Master, my own gift will lose its luster.”
“Hm?”
At Hae-ryeong’s gesture, along with words whose meaning I could not grasp, a maidservant came carrying a wooden tray.
On it rested a shriveled grass root with nine stems, and a booklet that looked as though it would split apart and disappear at the slightest touch.
For something called a gift, its appearance was not exactly promising…….
“What are these?”
“They came from the Yuwol Sect Leader’s secret vault.”
“A secret vault?”
An enormous amount of wealth had already been embezzled and stored in the warehouse alone, so what exactly were the items from a secret vault?
“Have you heard of the Nine-Spirit Divine Herb?”
“…….”
The moment I heard it, my gaze turned toward the shriveled grass root without me even realizing it.
“T-this is the Nine-Spirit Divine Herb?”
A miraculous spiritual medicine said to contain all the spiritual veins under heaven within its nine stems.
Its medicinal potency was so strong that even a master who had built up considerable inner arts could have his organs melted by its medicinal force if he consumed it improperly.
“Perhaps he knew he could not absorb it himself and intended to offer it up.”
“…….”
While I was thinking about how much my inner arts might rise the moment I consumed that spiritual medicine, Hae-ryeong continued speaking.
“The other one is the Blood Jade Hand.”
“…….”
My gaze, which had been stolen by the Nine-Spirit Divine Herb, hurriedly returned to Hae-ryeong.
“If it is the Blood Jade Hand…… is it the Blood Jade Hand I know?”
Instead of answering, Hae-ryeong nodded.
The Blood Jade Hand was one of the Ten Forbidden Arts designated by the Murim Alliance.
“Most likely, he went around talking about the Demonic Cult because he had this.”
I nodded throughout her explanation.
No matter what he did or what suspicion he drew, he probably thought that if he threw the Blood Jade Hand at his opponent in the end, he could turn every suspicion on its head in one stroke.
“If not for you, Young Master Jin, everything likely would have flowed according to Diancang and the Yuwol Sect’s intentions to the very end.”
“……That is fortunate.”
Even as I spoke, I could not help but feel a rough taste lingering in my mouth.
After all, the desires of those who shouted “Purging Demons and Destroying Evil” on the Murim Alliance’s front line had strayed from the “Righteous Path”; for someone who had once given his life for “justice,” that was not a pleasant thing.
“It is modest, but this is my gift.”
I looked at Hae-ryeong as she pushed the tray toward me and asked,
“If it was a secret vault, you did not need to tell me about it.”
Even if I was a Guest Retainer, Hao Gate had no need to reveal everything.
“Of course, besides these, there were also ledgers of the High Officials and Nobles whom the Yuwol Sect had bribed all this time. We thought those would be better for us to use, so we kept them separately.”
“No, what I mean is…….”
“Young Master.”
Hae-ryeong spoke in a firm tone.
“We are not only information merchants who buy and sell information, but also an institution that analyzes information. And according to our analysis, this is the moment when your price is the lowest, Young Master.”
“…….”
“We consider you even more important than you think, Young Master.”
Hae-ryeong’s eyes held strong conviction.
At her unexpected words, I could not find anything else to say and merely gulped.
“So if it burdens you that much, just think of it as a friendship fee.”
At Hae-ryeong’s words, a smile curved over my lips before I could stop it.
“Did you hear that from Yang Gun-baek?”
“I scolded him harshly. I asked whether he had made a friend for only that price.”
“Then I will accept it gratefully.”
I carefully put the Nine-Spirit Divine Herb and the Blood Jade Hand into my robes.
Hae-ryeong was looking at me with the gaze of someone watching food go into her own child’s mouth.
For some reason, I felt awkward, so I quickly brought up another topic.
“Who do you think will become the master of Yueyang from now on?”
The seat of Yueyang was empty.
The reason the Black Path murim and the Orthodox Path murim were now fighting fiercely was, in the end, because they were about to fight a great battle over who would swallow Yueyang.
“I suspect the Black Path murim, including the Mukhyul Gang and Black Axe Palace, will likely come to rule Yueyang.”
“Hmm…….”
So she thought the same after all.
The Orthodox Path sects, including Diancang, had lost trust because of this incident.
It was also clear that Diancang’s influence over the sects that had followed it would weaken for a while.
In the end, as they failed to unite while watching one another’s reactions, they would no longer be able to boast the same prosperity as before.
And it was obvious that if Diancang or someone else from the Orthodox Path tried to seize Yueyang again, they would have to pay an enormous price in blood all over again.
“Is there no room for Hao Gate to take a place there?”
“Pardon?”
Hae-ryeong, rarely, opened her eyes like a startled rabbit and blinked.
Her face said she could not believe what she had heard.
“The Black Path will try to take a bite, and Diancang will also try not to lose its foothold. Could Hao Gate not wedge itself in between them?”
“……As you know, Young Master, we are in a position where we cannot reveal ourselves openly.”
“Then could you not stretch your hand out discreetly?”
“…….”
Her face said she did not understand at all.
Since we had already formed a good relationship, should I try giving her a gift?
“How about the position of Yueyang Branch Chief?”
“Pardon??”
“The current Yueyang Branch Chief will probably move posts soon. And by custom, the position of Branch Chief is often taken by someone recommended by the predecessor.”
“That is…… true. But I have not heard any news that the Yueyang Branch Chief is moving posts. Do you know where someone of that level is going?”
“He will come to the Taeul Sect as a dispatched officer.”
“Pardon?!”
Hae-ryeong, who had never once disturbed her graceful composure until now, opened her mouth wide and could not take her eyes off me.
‘No, is that really something to be that surprised about?’
Hae-ryeong’s reaction hurt a little.