Became a God-Level M Chapter 198 : Ha Joo-myeong (1)

Chapter 198: Ha Joo-myeong (1)

In front of the main gate of the Wudang Sect.

Several Taoist priests, including the Wudang Sword Immortal and Hyeon-un, ca out to see off Jin Seong-un and his group as they departed.

With a face filled with genuine regret, Hyeon-un spoke.

“It saddens

that you’re leaving earlier than expected. But in the pri of your youth, spending each day in the mountains must feel rather stifling.”

“I have so urgent matters to attend to. I’ll be sure to visit again next ti.”

“I went through all that trouble bringing you here, and now you’re already…”

He had promised both the Wudang Sword Immortal and Hyeon Baek, the Head of the Martial Studies Hall, that he would definitely return soday.

Jin Seong-un also cherished every experience he had at the Wudang Sect as fond mories. He wanted to cross swords with the Wudang Sword Immortal once again, and discuss martial arts anew with the Head of Martial Studies Hall.

Soon after Jin Seong-un, Lee Seowon, Seo Yu-gyeom, and Seomun Ak left the Wudang Sect—

The Taoist priests who had co out to send them off returned to their duties, while Sect Leader Hyeon-sang, Hyeon-un, and Hyeon Baek remained to talk a while longer.

Hyeon Baek said,

“Those kids are clearly up to sothing, but I can’t figure out what it is. I can’t help but feel worried.”

Hyeon Baek had taken quite a liking to both Lee Seowon and Jin Seong-un—so much that if he ever had the chance, he would have locked them inside the Martial Studies Hall to train them.

The Wudang Sword Immortal nodded in agreent. He too wanted to bring Jin Seong-un into the Wudang Sect.

As the two expressed their concerns, Hyeon-un, who knew Jin Seong-un the best, spoke.

“There’s no need to worry about that boy. When the ti cos that he needs us, we just need to run to his side and swing our swords without hesitation.”

Sect Leader Hyeon-sang and Head of Martial Studies Hall Hyeon Baek.

The two n looked fixedly at Hyeon-un.

They had spent decades together, yet this was the first ti they had seen Hyeon-un so proactive.

They didn’t dislike the change.

Even Baek Un-geom, who had seed the least likely to change, was evolving like this—it felt as though a new wind was blowing through the martial world.

At the Murim Alliance Headquarters, located in Wuhan of Hubei Province.

Chief Strategist Sima Baek stood before a prison cell and nodded slowly. Inside the cell, with disheveled hair, sat none other than Baek Li-seon, the Third Elder of the Baek Li Clan.

Sima Baek looked down at him briefly and spoke in his usual soft yet firm tone.

“How long do you intend to persist in silence?”

“……”

Naturally, there was no reply.

Sima Baek gave a faint smile.

“So, you have soone you’re still putting your faith in, I see. Who exactly is pulling the strings behind you?”

For an organization as powerful as the Baek Li Clan to have been swayed like this—and for them to remain so tight-lipped even after being captured by the Murim Alliance—ant they still believed in whoever was backing them.

Furthermore, according to the investigation led by Hall Leader of the White Sword Hall, there had been multiple complications in the inquiry.

Horses at the courier stations were mysteriously falling ill; reports had gone missing; informants who usually shared intelligence with the Alliance had vanished.

Sima Baek did not believe any of it was re coincidence.

‘Soone is exerting influence over the Murim Alliance.’

And not just any influence—a significant one.

According to reports from Clan Head Seomun Jeok and Dragon Seizer Hwamyeong, Righteousness Captain Cheong Woo-seok had also beco a person of suspicion.

In a composed voice, Sima Baek said,

“Judging by the scale of the operations, it must be at least a force on the level of the Five Great Clans or Nine Sects One Gang. It could be the Demonic Cult, or even the Imperial Palace. Perhaps even Myriad Gold Manor. Who could it be?”

“……”

“Heh, just rember one thing—no matter who cos for you, as long as I live, you won’t be leaving this cell. Rest well.”

With that, Sima Baek left the prison and returned to his office.

The Five Great Clans, the Nine Sects One Gang, the Demonic Cult, the Imperial Palace, Myriad Gold Manor—whoever was behind this, it wouldn’t be an easy situation to deal with.

The true danger would be if more than one of those powers had joined hands.

Just as Sima Baek sighed softly, feeling a rare sense of crisis he hadn’t felt in years—

“Chief Strategist.”

A voice ca from outside—it was the Vice Strategist.

After taking a brief breath and composing his expression, Sima Baek allowed him in.

His right-hand man entered, observed Sima Baek’s expression carefully, and spoke cautiously.

“Righteousness Captain has requested permission to return to Qinghai to resu his original mission.”

The mission of the Righteousness Captain was to observe the movents of the Demonic Cult in Qinghai. But during that mission, he had beco entangled with the Baek Li Clan’s incident and returned to the Alliance.

Without a mont’s hesitation, Sima Baek replied,

“Tell him to remain at the Alliance for now.”

“He’ll likely think you’re suspecting him. This could beco a matter of trust.”

Sima Baek nodded.

A Squad Captain of the Murim Alliance was undeniably part of its core leadership.

To suspect such a person without solid proof was indeed risky.

An organization that lost trust among its mbers would inevitably crumble from within.

Yet, Sima Baek believed it was ti to take that risk.

As Chief Strategist of the Murim Alliance, identifying the hidden hand behind this was important—but finding out who within the Alliance was aiding them was several tis more crucial.

“Send official notices to all righteous clans and sects. Inform them that there’s an evil organization kidnapping children recently, and that the Murim Alliance has decided to form a Special Task Force (特作隊) to root out those responsible. Seek maximum cooperation from neutral groups, including the Hao Sect.”

At that ti, there were quite a few factions that sat between orthodoxy and unorthodoxy due to minor ideological differences.

Among them, the most notable was the Hao Sect.

Since the Hao Sect was, by nature, a group that aided the weak, they always cooperated with the Murim Alliance in matters like this.

“Also, inform the Nine Sects One Gang and the Five Great Clans separately. Each must provide their top disciples or successors to join the Special Task Force.”

“There will be strong resistance.”

“Then add this—any faction that refuses will be considered as collaborating with the evil sects, and we’ll dispatch the Criminal Law Hall to investigate.”

“……”

The Vice Strategist swallowed hard.

He could tell this matter had gone far beyond a simple string of child abductions.

His expression grew grave.

“Understood. Then, what about Guest Dragon and his companions? They’ll surely get involved in this matter, but they’re unpredictable. Fortunately, their actions so far don’t contradict the Alliance’s values, but still…”

The Vice Strategist’s voice carried a hint of complaint.

Strategists despised unpredictability.

Every plan was built upon a fixed premise, and unforeseen variables could overturn everything.

Sima Baek briefly pictured the bright faces of Jin Seong-un and Seo Yu-gyeom, then clicked his tongue softly.

“I should have brought them in back then.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Leave them be. They’re not ones we can hold or control anyway.”

The Vice Strategist felt a flicker of confusion.

Did that an that Seong-un Inn wasn’t officially under the righteous factions’ control, so there was no justification to manage them?

Or… did he an that the Murim Alliance simply couldn’t contain them?

Logic suggested the forr—but sothing in the Chief Strategist’s tone made it sound like the latter.

‘No way… surely not.’

The Vice Strategist, after a brief mont of thought, quickly brushed aside his confusion.

That was just the kind of man he was. With a mountain of tasks waiting for him, he had no ti to dwell on unnecessary thoughts.

Jiangsu Province, Nanjing.

A city where trade and politics of the world converged.

And there, towering even larger than the local governnt office, stood the Myriad Gold Manor.

As they entered Nanjing, Lee Seowon felt a strange mix of emotions.

Having lived here his entire life, the place felt both familiar and welcoming—yet, knowing that the most terrifying figure in the world resided here also filled him with unease.

In contrast, the other three—unfamiliar with the city—looked around in wonder, their expressions calm yet curious.

For Jin Seong-un, Seo Yu-gyeom, and Seomun Ak, it was their first ti visiting Nanjing, and its unique liveliness fascinated them.

Among them, it was Jin Seong-un—who seed especially overwheld compared to the assassin Seo Yu-gyeom and the noble-born Seomun Ak—that drew Lee Seowon’s attention. He quietly stepped closer and spoke.

“Innkeeper, do you know who you must be most cautious of within Myriad Gold Manor?”

“Well… I’d assu it would be the current Master of the Manor, wouldn’t it?”

Lee Seowon shook his head.

“No. You must be most cautious of the eldest son, Ha Joo-myeong. When he was young, people said he was the very image of Ha Sang-yun, the current Manor Master—but now, they say he’s surpassed even his father.”

“Really? In what way?”

“He lives for a single purpose—the success of Myriad Gold Manor, or to be exact, to make money.”

He would stop at nothing to achieve it.

When necessary, he could wear the pure expression of a saint, yet when evil was required, he wouldn’t hesitate to stain his hands with filth.

If it made money, he was the kind of man who would throw away the dignity of being the heir of Myriad Gold Manor and roll in the mud before everyone’s eyes.

To Lee Seowon, such a person was the most terrifying kind in the world.

“Nearly half of Myriad Gold Manor’s operations are already under Ha Joo-myeong’s managent. If we end up clashing with them, you must be especially wary of him.”

By now, Lee Seowon knew what kind of man Jin Seong-un was—soone possessing strength beyond common sense, surrounded by figures of imnse influence.

Even so, his opinion didn’t change. No matter who Jin Seong-un was, Ha Joo-myeong was soone to be extrely careful with.

As usual, Jin Seong-un nodded calmly, while Seo Yu-gyeom and the swordsman grumbled.

“At the end of the day, he’s just a rchant, right?”

“Yeah, and they say his belly’s never been stabbed by a blade, huh?”

As they joked, they mid punching and stabbing at the air with fists and daggers.

For a mont, Lee Seowon couldn’t tell whether these n were really an inn’s cook and waiter—or promising thugs of the Unorthodox Path.

After so ti, they decided that Lee Seowon alone would visit Myriad Gold Manor while the others stayed at the inn.

After all, very few people were qualified to enter the inner compound of Myriad Gold Manor.

As Lee Seowon prepared to leave, Jin Seong-un spoke in his usual steady tone.

“If you sense any danger, flee imdiately. And if soone catches you—shout. I’ll hear it.”

Lee Seowon gave a small laugh.

He had no idea how Jin Seong-un intended to hear him, but even those words alone made him feel strangely reassured.

The imnse Myriad Gold Manor was divided into the Outer Compound and the Inner Compound.

The Outer Compound surrounded the Inner Compound like a ring.

rchants, officials, and thousands of visitors ca and went through it freely every day.

Thus, passing through the Outer Compound was easy.

The problem was the Inner Compound, where the true affairs of Myriad Gold Manor were conducted.

Lee Seowon stood before one of the thirty-six gates surrounding the Inner Compound and scanned the area.

Once he confird there were no people around, he took a Golden Token from his robe and pressed it against the gate.

‘…Please work.’

Suppressing his anxiety, he waited a mont. The gate shimred like a heat haze and vanished entirely.

A formation—a Jinbeop.

Lee Seowon let out a silent sigh and stepped into the Inner Compound.

There would be no more people to encounter now.

Even guards were absent here. Only a select few—key executives of the Manor and mbers of the Lee Family, the official scribes—were permitted to enter.

Lee Seowon walked without hesitation; his destination was already decided.

Myriad Gold Manor recorded every transaction.

Even the illicit ones.

Once emotion or intent interfered with the ledger, it would lose its purpose as a record.

According to Hyeon Baek, the Head of Martial Studies Hall, a thousand children were required for the Great Ritual.

If Myriad Gold Manor was behind it, traces of such dealings would surely appear in the ledgers.

Lee Seowon headed for the archives of the Lee Family, where all of Myriad Gold Manor’s ledgers were stored.

.

.

.

The archive was vast—as if it contained every book in the world.

Every coin that had ever passed through Myriad Gold Manor over countless years was recorded here.

It was no wonder Lee Seowon hadn’t been surprised even after seeing the scale of Wudang’s Martial Studies Hall.

His goal was to check the ledgers swiftly and disappear as if he had never co.

There was no need to provoke the Manor’s attention.

Most of the ledgers here were already committed to his mory—he only needed to examine the new ones.

Of course, even that was an enormous task, but Lee Seowon was no ordinary man.

It took him but an instant to skim through a thick ledger. To others, it might have looked like he was just pretending to read, yet his eyes and mind absorbed every detail perfectly.

As he continued checking the ledgers swiftly but with growing unease—

“Lee Seowon.”

At the familiar voice, he turned his head.

There stood a man who resembled him in features but wore a completely different expression.

It was his father, Lee Chung-san, head of the Lee Family.

With stern eyes, the man spoke.

“Where on earth have you been, and what have you been doing? And where is the Third Young Master?”

The Third Young Master Ha Joo-yeon was dead—killed by Jin Seong-un.

Of course, that was not sothing he could say aloud.

“I don’t know. He abandoned

in Yichang and disappeared sowhere. Dead or alive, that’s his problem.”

“H-How dare you speak so disrespectfully of the Young Master!”

At his father’s servile tone, Lee Seowon felt a wave of disgust rise within him.

Myriad Gold Manor originally belonged to the Lee Family.

Not to Ha Joo-myeong, Ha Cheong-a, or Ha Joo-yeon—but to Lee Seowon himself, the direct descendant of the first Manor Master, rchant King.

Even in a place devoid of the Ha Family’s presence, his father still called that scoundrel Ha Joo-yeon “Young Master” with concern.

“Have you no pride? How can you call that man ‘Young Master’ when he stole what is rightfully ours?”

“Ha! Still clinging to that foolish idea? I’ve told you since you were a child—our Lee Family is…”

“Criminals, right?”

“……”

“The mont the rchant King passed away, the Myriad Gold Manor was nearly sold off to the Demonic Cult. It was only thanks to the quick wit of the Ha Family, the then-Chief Overseers, that the Manor was preserved. That is why our Lee Family must live in repentance for generations, dedicating our abilities to serve Myriad Gold Manor. Isn’t that what you believe?”

Lee Chung-san fell silent and glared at his son.

Lee Seowon continued speaking.

“You believe that? You, the Scribe Chief of Myriad Gold Manor, who records and oversees everything in the world—how can you believe such a ridiculous and one-sided claim?”

“That is the truth.”

Lee Seowon pressed his fingers against his forehead.

What his father said was nothing more than the Ha Family’s unilateral narrative.

“And what proof do you have for that record—just a few words written on paper? Right after the Ha Family seized the Myriad Gold Manor, they slaughtered every elder of the Lee Family. How can you believe the history written in their blood without question?”

In truth, Lee Seowon had little interest in this argunt.

He knew well that everyone in the current Lee Family cared nothing for history, had no will to reclaim the Manor, and were content with their lives as they were.

Myriad Gold Manor did not oppress the Lee Family. On the contrary, despite their supposed status as sinners, the Manor respected their talent and lineage as descendants of the first generation and treated them fairly well.

The Lee Family accepted that treatnt with gratitude and swore loyalty. That had been the long, pathetic history—and to Lee Seowon, it was laughable.

There was no point in talking to people who had no will to set things right.

He only ant to provoke his father—to make him storm off in anger.

Whenever defeated in argunt, his father would either click his tongue or yell before leaving hastily, as though disgusted just to look at him.

Just as Lee Seowon prepared to put his blade-like tongue to use once more—

A servant’s voice ca from outside.

“Scribe Chief, sir! The First Young Master is asking for you.”

Lee Seowon’s heart sank.

First Young Master Ha Joo-myeong. He was so busy that he rarely stayed at the Manor.

‘…Why now, of all tis.’

He was confident in most conversations and psychological gas, but Ha Joo-myeong was the one man he didn’t want to face.

“Don’t do anything foolish. Wait here.”

Saying that, Lee Chung-san hurriedly left the room. His devotion to both the First Young Master and the Myriad Gold Manor was so obvious that it made Lee Seowon feel a new wave of disgust.

‘Still, surely he wouldn’t go tattling to the First Young Master about his own son… right?’

But another part of him thought his father just might.

He hesitated briefly. If safety was his concern, he should leave imdiately. But who knew when he’d next have a chance to inspect the ledgers?

His deliberation didn’t last long.

Lee Seowon resud scanning through the ledgers as swiftly as before.

.

.

.

A string of ordinary records.

Ti kept passing, and nothing unusual appeared.

There were still many ledgers left, but even the thought of Ha Joo-myeong sowhere nearby made Lee Seowon feel pressured.

He was on the verge of giving up when—

‘Brush, ink, and paper?’

Myriad Gold Manor was a rchants’ organization.

Naturally, countless subordinate groups consud enormous amounts of paper, ink, and brushes.

But when large quantities of writing materials were delivered alongside purchases of blades and building repairs, it beca a different matter entirely.

‘That’s the classic pattern of martial sect ledgers.’

The na of the organization was Mu-gung (Martial Palace).

He had never heard of it before.

There were few groups within Myriad Gold Manor that he didn’t know of.

Lee Seowon began rapidly skimming through every ledger related to Mu-gung.

The first thing that stood out was the staggering amount of food supplies going to this place.

Unless they were raising enormous beasts, it ant there were at least several hundred people involved.

‘If they’re housing nearly a thousand children, this much would be necessary.’

There were also a wide variety of dicinal ingredients.

Having studied dicine himself, Lee Seowon recognized them as components for spiritual dicine.

Then finally, he found the word he had been searching for—

Hanryeonghwa (Cold Bloom).

According to Hyeon Baek, Head of the Martial Studies Hall, it was an essential material for performing a major Demonic Art ritual.

That was when it happened.

He heard footsteps approaching from outside.

Hurriedly, Lee Seowon began organizing the ledgers scattered across the desk.

The footsteps drew closer—two people, walking at a calm and steady pace.

Just as he slid the last ledger into the bookshelf—

“Seowon. It’s been a while.”

It was the one voice he least wanted to hear.

A man entered, smiling warmly.

With that familiar, refreshing curve of his lips and those deep, unreadable black eyes—

Lee Seowon bowed slightly, hiding his expression.

“It’s been a while, First Young Master.”

The First Young Master of Myriad Gold Manor—Ha Joo-myeong.

He gazed at Lee Seowon with a slight narrowing of the eyes and said,

“I heard Joo-yeon is dead.”