Chapter 583
Chapter 583
Chapter 583. Backroom Deal (4)
At my words, Jinho Hyung glared at me.
"Seoho." (Eun Jinho)
"What?" (Eun Seoho)
"At times like this, can’t you just comfort me?" (Eun Jinho)
At Hyung’s grumbling, I smiled awkwardly.
Jinho Hyung, really…… You should ask someone who can comfort you to comfort you.
I’m the one who brought Hyangok Noona, you know.
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Day broke.
Today was finally the last day of Cheon Group’s duels.
Martial Artist Daenok and Young Master Jegal Yua would face off, and in Jinho Hyung’s case, he would forfeit, so Jinho Hyung’s opponent would probably advance by default.
And in the afternoon, Hyangok Noona would finally compete.
I left Yeonpung Inn early in the morning and headed to the Ji Clan’s estate.
When I approached the front gate, the gatekeeper asked,
"What brings you here?" (Gatekeeper)
"I have come to meet Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa. Please tell him that Eun Seoho of the Eunhae Trading Company has come." (Eun Seoho)
"Understood." (Gatekeeper)
The gatekeeper called a servant and sent a message, and soon the servant came running and said,
"The young master says to escort you inside." (Servant)
I went inside together with my group.
The people I brought today were Miss Seohyang, Martial Artist Jinyu, and Martial Artist Ipil.
The reason I brought Miss Seohyang was because we had to draw up a contract here today.
Because Miss Seohyang was the one managing my contracts right now.
Of course, today’s contract would be a secret contract, but Miss Seohyang was someone I could trust.
But the place I was guided to was not the reception room.
This place was…….
The door opened, and Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa came out.
"Welcome." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"I hope I have not come too late." (Eun Seoho)
"Not at all. Please come in." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
The place I was guided to was a meeting room.
Inside, there were not only Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa, but also people who appeared to be his grandfather and father.
"I am Ji Jung, Clan Head of the Ji Clan." (Ji Jung)
"I am Young Clan Head Ji Hyeoncheol." (Ji Hyeoncheol)
Just as I expected.
Without being flustered, I exchanged greetings with them, clasping my hands.
"Eun Seoho of the Eunhae Trading Company offers his greetings." (Eun Seoho)
When my greeting ended, Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa opened his mouth.
"I told my grandfather and father about the deal we made yesterday. This matter is not something that can be handled at my level alone." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Of course." (Eun Seoho)
"I hope you are not displeased that I informed my elders without your permission, Master." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"How could that be?" (Eun Seoho)
I had expected this much.
The only difference was whether he did it after I visited or told them in advance before that.
Though he was the Clan Head’s grandson, he could not decide a major affair of the clan.
That was why I had said I would personally visit the estate.
But for him to tell them in advance like this, he had saved me the trouble.
I turned my head toward the Clan Head and Young Clan Head and asked,
"Since Young Master Ji says he has told you everything, there should be no need for further explanation. Then, have you made your decision?" (Eun Seoho)
"We have decided. We have no intention of accepting your proposal." (Ji Jung)
The Clan Head’s firm answer.
Wow, this was not something I had not expected, but I had not considered the possibility high.
"I see. May I ask the reason?" (Eun Seoho)
"My main family is a traditional clan of Shaanxi. Just because we are financially pressed, I do not wish to be swayed by the hands of a lowly merchant." (Ji Jung)
"You are honest. I thought you would make an indirect excuse at least for the sake of appearances." (Eun Seoho)
"If you understand, then leave." (Ji Jung)
At that firm order to leave, Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa cried out earnestly.
"Grandfather! Please think about it once more!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Silence." (Ji Jung)
The Clan Head shouted at Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa, then looked at me and said bluntly,
"What are you doing, not leaving?" (Ji Jung)
"May I ask just two things before I leave?" (Eun Seoho)
"That much is fine. Speak." (Ji Jung)
"Did they perhaps make another proposal?" (Eun Seoho)
"No." (Ji Jung)
"That is fortunate. When I tracked their whereabouts, they were already dead, and the cave they had been in had collapsed. It was probably to cut off the tail." (Eun Seoho)
At my words, their expressions became strange. They looked as if they were wondering what on earth I was talking about.
I continued speaking.
"But on my way back, I suddenly became curious. Why the Ji Clan, which had only ever devoted itself to martial arts, suddenly began touching business." (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Jung)
"Well, even if you had circumstances that required you to do so, normally when one touches such business, one seeks advice from merchants one knows. But seeing you now, I suppose you did nothing of the sort. Since you do not associate closely with merchants because they are lowly, it seems you have no eye for recognizing good merchants either." (Eun Seoho)
At my words, he glared at me.
"Are you insulting me right now?" (Ji Jung)
"How could that be?" (Eun Seoho)
I continued calmly.
"I merely thought it was truly odd. You would not associate with merchants because they are lowly, but you wanted to earn money, so you started a business. Are merchants not the ones who conduct that business? A clan that started a business keeps merchants away…… Is that not strange?" (Eun Seoho)
"Th, that is……." (Ji Jung)
He must know, even thinking about it himself, that it did not make sense.
"Moreover, it is strange that you do not wish to join hands with merchants, yet it is fine to join hands with the Black Path." (Eun Seoho)
At my words, the Clan Head wore a bewildered expression.
"What does that mean? Why suddenly bring up the Black Path……?" (Ji Jung)
"Then who did you think they were?" (Eun Seoho)
"They are subordinates of a Manor Master who lives in Henan Province. They came to help after hearing of our circumstances." (Ji Jung)
"Does an ordinary Manor Master instruct people to kill someone in the friendly martial arts competition?" (Eun Seoho)
"……What does that mean? They merely set victory as the condition." (Ji Jung)
The Clan Head looked genuinely puzzled.
I moved my head and stared steadily at Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa.
Likewise sensing something strange, the Clan Head and Young Clan Head also turned their heads toward him.
Unable to endure those gazes, Young Master Ji Gyeonghwa knelt in place.
"I am sorry! Grandfather! Father!" (Ji Gyeonghwa)
He lowered his head and cried out.
"In truth, there is something the two of you do not know. They secretly called me to an abandoned manor on the outskirts of Luoyang and threatened me. They told me to kill my opponent on the duel stage." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"What?" (Ji Jung)
"What does that mean? Gyeonghwa?" (Ji Hyeoncheol)
"They said that if I did not follow their instructions, there would be no repayment of the debt." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"Why did you not tell us that?" (Ji Jung)
"Because they told me to keep that fact strictly secret. They said they would withdraw their offer to repay the debt even if I revealed it to anyone else." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
"……." (Ji Jung)
"I am sorry that I could not tell you in advance." (Ji Gyeonghwa)
So there had been such circumstances.
There was a reason their expressions had been strange when I mentioned what had happened to those men.
"After Young Master Ji’s duel ended, I followed them and learned that they were Black Path. Thus, an orthodox prestigious clan joined hands with the Black Path and became their hands and feet." (Eun Seoho)
At my words, the Clan Head waved his hand with a bewildered expression.
"W, we had no idea!" (Ji Jung)
Well, because you did not know, you were able to be so confident.
I took out a letter from my chest and placed it on the table.
"It is something I found where they had been." (Eun Seoho)
The Young Clan Head was the first to approach and pick it up.
Then, after reading the letter, he squeezed his eyes shut.
"What does it say for you to react like that?" (Ji Jung)
Instead of answering, the Young Clan Head handed the letter to the Clan Head.
The Clan Head read it and sighed.
"Ha! How can this be!" (Ji Jung)
Then he soon asked with a doubtful expression,
"But why are you giving this to us?" (Ji Jung)
"Of course, I could submit that to the Martial Alliance." (Eun Seoho)
If I did that, the Ji Clan would disappear that very day.
There was no way the other forces would forgive a place that had joined hands with the Black Path and tried to ruin the Murim Grand Conference.
Because they knew that, both the Clan Head and Young Clan Head were reacting like that.
"But I will hand that letter over to the Ji Clan." (Eun Seoho)
"Why?" (Ji Jung)
"Well? I simply felt like doing so." (Eun Seoho)
"Do you intend to use this as an excuse to make us accept your proposal?" (Ji Jung)
At the Clan Head’s words, I laughed faintly and asked in return,
"Is that not blackmail? If I did that, I would be no different from those Black Path men who threatened the Ji Clan." (Eun Seoho)
"……." (Ji Jung)
"If you cannot understand, simply think of it as because I am a merchant. And a great merchant never looks only at the profit before his eyes." (Eun Seoho)
I continued speaking.
"And I will ask my second question. Do you have a way to resolve the debt without accepting my proposal?" (Eun Seoho)
The Clan Head was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth with difficulty.
"In truth…… I had intended to cling to them once more. But now that I know the truth, I think I understand how absurd that thought was." (Ji Jung)
"I see." (Eun Seoho)
I rose from my seat and clasped my hands.
"Then please stay well." (Eun Seoho)
"Where are you going?" (Ji Jung)
At their words, I smiled.
"Did you not say you would not associate with me, a lowly merchant? And you told me to leave now. Since I have heard the answers to my two questions, I should be leaving." (Eun Seoho)
And as if I had no lingering attachment, I turned and left the meeting room.
"Let us go." (Eun Seoho)
I took my group and left the Ji Clan.
Then I asked Martial Artist Jinyu,
"Did you look around a bit? Was there anyone you knew?" (Eun Seoho)
What I meant was whether the Alliance Leader’s people had been in the Ji Clan.
That was why I had brought Martial Artist Jinyu.
Martial Artist Jinyu shook his head.
"There was no one." (Jinyu)
"You have saved me the trouble." (Eun Seoho)
At that moment, Martial Artist Ipil said,
"By the way, I did not expect we would end up returning empty-handed." (Ipil)
"Empty-handed?" (Eun Seoho)
I laughed faintly.
"You need not worry. It is not as if I did not anticipate this kind of situation. And there is no loss at all." (Eun Seoho)
Even if I failed to grab the Ji Clan’s leash, there was nothing for me to lose.
Instead, it meant I would be taking the five million nyang of silver that they had originally been supposed to receive back.
At my confident words, Miss Seohyang asked,
"Will they contact you?" (Seohyang)
"I cannot guarantee that. But there is one thing that is certain. They must be terribly anxious right now." (Eun Seoho)
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We headed straight to the duel arena and joined the rest of the guards there.
"You have come?" (Palgap)
"Yeah." (Eun Seoho)
"How did the matter go?" (Palgap)
"It is in progress." (Eun Seoho)
After answering like that, I entered the duel arena and sat down in my seat.
"You have come?" (Eun Seoho’s Father)
"Yes. Father." (Eun Seoho)
When I turned my head, Jinho Hyung was looking at the duel stage with an expression full of regret.
Honestly, Jinho Hyung’s opponent would end up being Young Master Jegal Yua.
And Young Master Jegal Yua had the ability to instinctively find her opponent’s weaknesses.
It did not work well against people stronger than her, but she was astonishingly good at finding the weaknesses of those whose skill was lower than or equal to her own.
And she exploited them meticulously.
That was why she was called the Hundred Stratagem Cold Sword.
There was no way Young Master Jegal Yua did not know about Hyung’s injury.
And she would absolutely not go easy on him because of it.
In the end, there was a high chance Hyung would lose the match and his injury would worsen seriously as well.
But even if I said that, Jinho Hyung was not someone who would accept it. So…….
"If you keep doing that, I’ll call Hyangok Noona." (Eun Seoho)
"Ugh!" (Eun Jinho)
Soon, the regret disappeared from Jinho Hyung’s eyes. Mm, as expected, the effect was good.
At that moment, Captain Geum Yeonhwa climbed onto the duel stage.
"We will now begin the afternoon matches for the main tournament of Cheon Group. The competitor in the first duel is the miracle man, and the one who obtained the alias Storm Sword, Daenok of Yeongyeolmun!" (Geum Yeonhwa)
"Waaaaaaaah!" (Crowd)
Receiving the people’s cheers, Martial Artist Daenok climbed onto the duel stage.
"Facing him is the Hundred Stratagem Cold Sword, Young Clan Head Jegal Yua of the Jegal Family!" (Geum Yeonhwa)
"Waaaaaaah!" (Crowd)
People chanted the names of the two.
The two each attached seven plaques to their bodies and faced each other on the duel stage.
They said nothing and merely looked at each other.
Boom!
The drum sounded, and the duel began.
They circled around, probing each other. After that dull probing ended, the one who took the first attack was Young Master Jegal Yua.
For her to attack first, what is she thinking?
Crack!
At her first attack, one of Martial Artist Daenok’s plaques shattered and scattered.
And her attacks did not stop.
Kaaang!
Kang!
Swords collided, and sparks flew. But Martial Artist Daenok’s level, without drawing up his latent power through anger, was first-rate.
He was no match for Young Master Jegal Yua, who was a peak martial artist.
When four plaques were left like that.
"Uwaaaaaak!" (Daenok)
Martial Artist Daenok charged at Young Master Jegal Yua with a strange roar.
It begins now.
But Young Master Jegal Yua did not fight such a Martial Artist Daenok head-on, and instead dodged this way and that, dragging out time.
Ah, as expected, she has already noticed.
That there was a limit to the time Martial Artist Daenok could draw out his strength.
That was why she was dragging out time while avoiding collisions as much as possible like that.
"Uwaaak!" (Daenok)
And as a bonus, she was making Martial Artist Daenok furious.
Since she did not know that anger drew out his latent power, she must be deliberately making him angry like that.
It was exactly as I expected.
Even though the time Martial Artist Daenok could exert his strength had long passed, he was still displaying peak martial prowess.
It was then.
Young Master Jegal Yua grinned.
Hm? What is it?
And not long after, Martial Artist Daenok’s legs began to wobble, and Young Master Jegal Yua did not miss it.
Whirik!
A roundhouse kick that came in an instant.
Puk!
Hit by that roundhouse kick, Martial Artist Daenok fell backward as he was.
"……."
There were several ways defeat was decided in a friendly martial arts competition.
Having all seven plaques broken, and going out of bounds.
And one more, falling to the floor and failing to rise by the time the judge counted to ten.
"One! Two! Three! Four!……." (Geum Yeonhwa)
Captain Geum Yeonhwa’s shout was heard.
"Nine, ten! Victory goes to Jegal Yua!" (Geum Yeonhwa)
"Waaaaaaaaah!" (Crowd)
"Hundred Stratagem Cold Sword! Hundred Stratagem Cold Sword!" (Crowd)
Amid the people’s cheers, Martial Artist Daenok was carried on a stretcher to the infirmary.
I clicked my tongue and rose from my seat.
Because I thought I knew why Martial Artist Daenok was in that state.
"Palgap." (Eun Seoho)
"Yes! Young Master." (Palgap)
"Take some dumplings and go to the infirmary. He must be starving to death." (Eun Seoho)
"Understood." (Palgap)
I could not leave my seat right now. I had to keep watch over Jinho Hyung.
By the way, the expressions of the Ji Clan’s Clan Head and Young Clan Head watching the duel from over there were truly worth seeing.
If the Ji Clan requested a contract with me, it seemed I would have to add one more clause.
A clause called mental education.
As for the instructor…… Mm, Hyangok Noona would be good.