Chapter 581
Chapter 581
Chapter 581. Backroom Deal (2)
At my words, Hyangok Noona asked.
"You know I’m competing tomorrow, right?" (Hyangok)
"Yes. I know." (Eun Seoho)
"And knowing that, you still came to ask me for a favor…… What on earth happened?" (Hyangok)
"Hoo, well, the thing is……." (Eun Seoho)
I explained the whole story.
Soon, Hyangok Noona pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed deeply.
"Haa, that foolish……." (Hyangok)
"That is exactly what I am saying." (Eun Seoho)
"All right. Wait a moment. I’ll tell Master and come out." (Hyangok)
"Yes." (Eun Seoho)
A short while later, Hyangok Noona came out. But she was not alone, and was with the other disciples.
Because they had to move in groups of four.
A little while later, we arrived at Yeonpung Inn.
"Oh! Hyangok has come!" (Eun Seoho’s Father)
"Welcome." (Eun Seoho’s Mother)
"I pay my respects to Uncle and Aunt." (Hyangok)
Hyangok Noona greeted them politely, then spoke with a serious expression.
"I heard the story from Seoho. They say Jinho Orabeoni is being stubborn." (Hyangok)
"Yes." (Eun Seoho’s Mother)
"Do not worry. I will try speaking to him properly." (Hyangok)
"We’re counting on you." (Eun Seoho’s Mother)
At Mother’s words, Father quickly added,
"Even so, don’t push him too hard." (Eun Seoho’s Father)
"Do not worry. I have experienced quite a lot of things too, so I know the proper degree." (Hyangok)
"R, right." (Eun Seoho’s Father)
Hyangok Noona looked at me.
"Then, please guide me." (Hyangok)
"Ah, yes!" (Eun Seoho)
I quickly took Hyangok Noona and headed to Jinho Hyung’s guest room.
"Hyung, it’s me." (Eun Seoho)
At my words, Jinho Hyung’s prickly voice came from inside the guest room.
"You give up too. No matter what anyone says, I’m going out for the next duel." (Eun Jinho)
"I am going to persuade you, but I’m not the one doing it." (Eun Seoho)
"Hm?" (Eun Jinho)
I flung the door open.
In the middle of the guest room, Jinho Hyung was standing with bandages wrapped around his chest.
Looks like he couldn’t hold back and trained even in that time.
Seriously, he’s stubborn. Too stubborn.
His ribs are broken, you know.
No, that isn’t stubbornness. That’s just foolish.
Ehew.
When Jinho Hyung saw Hyangok Noona standing beside me, he flinched.
"Haa, Jinho Orabeoni." (Hyangok)
"Hya, Hyangok." (Eun Jinho)
Jinho Hyung was one year older than Hyangok Noona.
But the fact that he was afraid of Hyangok Noona was no different from me.
"What are you doing right now? I heard from Seoho. You injured your ribs during today’s duel, didn’t you?" (Hyangok)
"Th, that is true, but……." (Eun Jinho)
"And yet you say you are going out for the next duel?" (Hyangok)
"Yes! I can’t miss this opportunity! My alias has to become a name that can protect our Eunhae Trading Company." (Eun Jinho)
"And then, Jinho Orabeoni becomes crippled?" (Hyangok)
"Hm?" (Eun Jinho)
"So you intend to live looking only at an empty shell, at the glory of the past. You seem to be mistaken about something. Even if you make your name known like that, do you think rumors that Jinho Orabeoni became crippled won’t spread?" (Hyangok)
"Uh……." (Eun Jinho)
"Do you think those targeting the Eunhae Trading Company will say, ‘Hey, there’s this cripple called Eun Jinho, and that bastard used to have some influence in the past. So let’s not touch them.’ Or do you think they will say, ‘There’s this cripple called Eun Jinho, and that bastard used to have some influence in the past. He’s nothing much now, so I think we can touch them without worry’?" (Hyangok)
"……." (Eun Jinho)
"Why can’t you think of even something that simple, Orabeoni? Did you train so hard that your brain turned into muscle too?" (Hyangok)
"Th, that’s not……." (Eun Jinho)
"What do you mean, it’s not? And if you make your name known like that, do you think Uncle and Aunt will say, ‘Aigoo, our son is so admirable! Yes, even if his body is crippled, it’s fine as long as his name became known’?" (Hyangok)
"……." (Eun Jinho)
"Why can you not consider the hearts of Uncle and Aunt, who would shed tears of blood? And why can you not consider the heart of Chief Administrator, who would have to watch as his perfectly fine disciple walks into death?" (Hyangok)
"……." (Eun Jinho)
"And what about Unnie and the child to be born? If you become crippled and can no longer even share a bed with Unnie, and cannot even hold the child who will be born, I’m sure you’ll be very happy. Right?" (Hyangok)
"Ugh, th, that’s……." (Eun Jinho)
"Why are you looking only at the present and not the future? If you dislike that, then you should not do such a thing, should you?" (Hyangok)
"……." (Eun Jinho)
Because Jinho Hyung had been struck by words one after another, he became ragged, and he looked at me with an earnest expression.
Eyes asking me to save him.
But Hyung, it’s already too late.
That is why you should have changed your mind beforehand so that I would not choose to bring Hyangok Noona.
I said to Hyangok Noona,
"Then, I will go downstairs. Please have a cozy conversation between cousins." (Eun Seoho)
"Seo, Seoho! Don’t leave me alone!" (Eun Jinho)
Jinho Hyung desperately reached his hand toward me, but…….
Tak.
Hyangok Noona grabbed that hand of Jinho Hyung’s and said,
"Orabeoni, you should not hold back a busy person. Seoho, hurry along and take care of your business." (Hyangok)
"Yes. Noona." (Eun Seoho)
I smiled broadly and closed the door.
Tak.
"It has been resolved, but I am worried whether Young Master Jinho will be all right." (Palgap)
At Palgap’s words, I nodded.
"He’ll be fine. It will take some time for that wound to his heart to heal…… But still, it’s better than going out to the duel, having the injury worsen, and causing a serious disaster." (Eun Seoho)
"That is true." (Palgap)
For now, Jinho Hyung’s side was finished, and there was something else I had to do.
Because the disappointed expression Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa had made after realizing Jinho Hyung had not died during the duel earlier was weighing on my mind.
"Palgap. I’ll go out for a bit and come back." (Eun Seoho)
.
.
.
A short while later.
I left the inn together with my guard warriors.
With the first round of the main tournament in full swing now, the heat of the Murim Grand Conference was extremely intense.
Because of that, there were also people who picked pointless fights.
In the past, I thought they did it because they had drunk alcohol, but thanks to the prohibition order continuing for years, I had come to learn one thing.
That there were quite a lot of people in the world who did reckless things even while completely sober.
Of course, they would not do it in a situation that looked unfavorable to them at a glance.
Because then they would be true madmen.
For example, it was something like selective anger disorder.
In my eyes, both cases were equally mad all the same.
In any case, that was why it was better to bring guard warriors along.
I did not have to take all six of them out, but considering that the purpose of my leaving the inn right now was what it was, and on top of that, I did not know when or what might happen.
So I took all six of them with me.
My destination was the Ji Clan’s estate.
It was the place where there was the highest possibility of finding some clue.
We soon arrived at the Ji Clan’s estate.
They were counted as a prestigious clan, but because they were not on the level of the Namgung Clan, its scale was also smaller than the Namgung Clan’s.
Well, it was just that the Namgung Clan was absurdly large.
As we watched the estate like that for a while, someone came out from inside.
It happened to be Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa, whom I had been aiming for.
The fact that his guard warriors were not stepping out proudly, but instead looking around, was very suspicious.
* Let us follow that man. (Eun Seoho)
* Yes! (Guard Warriors)
We hid our presences and quietly followed behind him.
The place he headed to was a small manor located on the outskirts of Luoyang.
It looks like an abandoned manor?
Inside it, I could sense the presence of a few people.
I had the other guard warriors watch from afar, then took only Martial Artist Jinyu and stealthily infiltrated inside.
Because he had reached the super-peak realm, and he was the only one specialized in this kind of concealment and infiltration.
After infiltrating the manor like that, we moved along the roof and searched for Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa’s presence.
When we went near him and focused my inner power on my hearing, I heard people’s voices.
"This has turned out regrettably." (Unknown Man)
"Pl, please give me just one more chance!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"You have already been eliminated, so what chance? Do you think such a thing exists?" (Unknown Man)
"……." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"A promise is a promise. Since your side failed to carry out our instructions, we too have become unable to repay your debts. It is unfortunate, but what can be done?" (Unknown Man)
"If the debt cannot be repaid, my clan will collapse!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"That is the Ji Clan’s problem." (Unknown Man)
"Please, I beg you! Please!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Then I hope we have no further business." (Unknown Man)
I heard the sound of that man coldly shaking off Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa and leaving.
Soon after, Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa also let out a heavy sigh and left the manor.
This is the chance.
I sent a telepathic message to Martial Artist Jinyu.
* Take Martial Artist Seowu and Martial Artist Yeo Eungam and track the people who just left. (Eun Seoho)
* Yes! (Jinyu)
Martial Artist Jinyu disappeared, and I secretly followed behind Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa while telling the remaining warriors to follow me.
We followed behind them, and in a place with few people, we blocked their path.
"We meet again." (Eun Seoho)
"Who?" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"There is something I wish to ask. Could you spare me a moment?" (Eun Seoho)
At my words, Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa shook his head.
"I do not have time for that. Step aside." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"You nearly killed my older brother. You did it deliberately, didn’t you?" (Eun Seoho)
"……!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa flinched.
Struck right on the mark, he denied it as expected.
"What are you talking about? I was flustered too! By the way, your older brother, you say? Are you perhaps someone from the Eunhae Trading Company?" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Yes." (Eun Seoho)
"In any case, how very rude! No matter how much I injured your older brother, to come here like this and cause a disturbance!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"It makes me sad when you speak that way. Please tell me honestly. How much debt have you incurred?" (Eun Seoho)
"……!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"How much debt was it for you to be threatened like that?" (Eun Seoho)
His eyes grew so wide they could not grow any wider.
"H, how do you know that?" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"I asked how much it was, did I not? Do not try to rack your brains clumsily. When it comes to money, there are few who can keep up with me." (Eun Seoho)
He clenched his fist tightly, then barely opened his mouth.
"Thirty thousand nyang of silver." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Do not say something ridiculous. You expect me to believe that the Ji Clan is being threatened like this over merely that? I told you, did I not? Not to rack your brains clumsily." (Eun Seoho)
"……Three million nyang of silver." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"That much is understandable. Of course, I suspect it is more than that." (Eun Seoho)
At my words, he flinched again.
Since I had a rough understanding of the Ji Clan’s influence, guessing the scale of their debt was not difficult.
Because based on the lessons from my past life, I had been continuously assessing the influence of the major clans and sects.
"In any case, how in the world did you come to owe such an enormous sum?" (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
He only bit his lip and did not answer.
"No matter how much luxury you indulged in, you could not have gone into debt for that much money. Was it investment? Gambling?" (Eun Seoho)
His gaze wavered.
"Ah…… You lost money investing, and then gambled in order to make up for it?" (Eun Seoho)
He flinched again.
This person really is easy to read.
"Liege! Do not get entangled any further!" (Ji Gyeonghwa’s Guard Warrior)
At the guard warrior’s warning, I said coldly,
"I understand that loyalty, but right now, I am saying something that can help your liege, so stay still. Are you capable of paying off all that debt?" (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Gyeonghwa’s Guard Warrior)
At my words, the guard warrior stepped back with an embarrassed expression, and Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa’s eyes gleamed as he said,
"Does that mean you can repay our clan’s debt?" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Our Eunhae Trading Company is already ranked twentieth among the top one hundred trading companies, and it is assessed that we will rise even higher this year. Will that serve as an answer?" (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
He dropped to his knees before me.
"You would not repay such a vast sum without any price! I will do anything, so please save our Ji Clan." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Liege……." (Ji Gyeonghwa’s Guard Warrior)
In my previous life, perhaps because he succeeded in killing Martial Artist Joun and received their support, the Ji Clan did not collapse.
But once one accepted such a backroom deal, one could only have a leash put around one’s neck for the rest of one’s life.
Thinking about it, there had often been times in my previous life when the Ji Clan’s actions were incomprehensible.
This had been the reason.
Then this time, I will be the one to hold that leash.
"First, I will have to hear about the deal. About why you tried to kill my older brother." (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"And you will have to become an ally of our Eunhae Trading Company. If you accept these conditions, I will repay that debt." (Eun Seoho)
He answered without even thinking.
"Understood." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
In truth, there was nothing for him to think about. If he refused my offer, the Ji Clan would collapse just like that.
"First of all, there is not much I know about them. Some time ago, I do not know how they knew about our circumstances, but they merely came to my main family and made that offer." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"But how did you believe those words?" (Eun Seoho)
"They showed trustworthy evidence." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
The evidence he brought was things like catching the people who had scammed them into investing, or smashing up the gambling house.
"Huh……." (Eun Seoho)
"Why is that?" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"It was their trick from the beginning." (Eun Seoho)
"What do you mean by that?" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Is that not why they were able to catch the investment fraudsters so easily, and smash up the gambling house?" (Eun Seoho)
I continued.
"And if they left the investment fraudsters alive, or left the gambling house alone, it could be discovered that they had been involved, so they stepped forward themselves." (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
It might seem ridiculous to be fooled by such a simple method, but considering the characteristics of the Ji Clan, it made sense.
Unlike other clans, they were a murim clan that devoted themselves thoroughly to martial arts.
On top of that, if they were people capable of targeting the Ji Clan, they would have removed all the people who could act as the brains of the Ji Clan while planning this matter.
In other words, they blocked their eyes and ears.
When sweet words were constantly whispered into one’s ears, there was no one who would not fall for them.
Since people who had only devoted themselves to martial arts could not possibly know business properly, they had easily fallen for the scam.
By the time they came to their senses, it would already have been too late.
But why did a clan that had only dug into martial arts suddenly become interested in business?
I will have to look into that later.
"……Grit." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa ground his teeth.
He told me about them.
"He said that if I made it to the main tournament, I had to kill my opponent no matter what. There had to be a death in this friendly martial arts competition." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"What is the reason?" (Eun Seoho)
At my question, he answered,
"I do not know that either. I was curious too and asked, but they only told me to shut up and do as I was told." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"I see." (Eun Seoho)
"In any case, I will cooperate with you completely." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Good. That is a desirable attitude." (Eun Seoho)
I had not expected to be able to learn that reason so easily.
"We will ask the man who just left this place about that reason." (Eun Seoho)