Became a God-Level M Chapter 249 : The Unlucky Assassins

Chapter 249: The Unlucky Assassins

Jiangsu Province, Myriad Gold Manor.

Ha Joo-myeong leaned back in the chair of his office, staring silently at the docunts spread across the desk.

Two elderly n stood side by side before him, their heads bowed as they carefully watched Ha Joo-myeong’s mood.

A suffocating silence dragged on, as if the entire office had sunk into the depths of the sea.

Tap, tap.

The sound of Ha Joo-myeong’s fingernails rapping against the desk rang out sharply and unpleasantly.

Each ti the sound echoed, the shoulders of the two chief stewards trembled slightly. Even they had never seen Ha Joo-myeong reveal his emotions this openly since he was four or five years old.

The reason was not difficult to guess.

The Eonsa Prefecture hot spring developnt rights had been taken. And not by the Jiangnan Comrce Association, but by a re inn. Worse still, it was an inn that the young master himself had been directly pressuring.

In other words, a tiny inn had casually crushed all of the young master’s interference and efforts, then seized what was currently the most closely watched comrcial district in the Central Plains.

Breaking the long silence, Ha Joo-myeong spoke.

“Is there a way to control the carpenters and artisans?”

It ant he intended to blatantly sabotage the Eonsa Prefecture developnt. No matter how much money one had, without carpenters, no pavilions or halls could be built.

However, it was an impossible thod.

External Chief Steward Yu Won-ho shook his head slightly.

“There is Shin Mok on their side.”

Shin Mok, one of the two greatest master artisans of the Central Plains.

Just as countless wandering warriors scattered like specks of dust followed a single martial artist known as the Wanderer King, every carpenter of the Central Plains—regardless of affiliation or origin—followed Shin Mok.

There was no way to control the carpenters of the Central Plains while defying his will. This was no longer a matter of money.

Ha Joo-myeong’s gaze sank low.

“Lately, there are more and more things money can’t solve.”

This too was a first for Ha Joo-myeong.

If money did not work, the Myriad Gold Manor’s original way was to solve it with even more money.

After briefly turning things over in his head, Ha Joo-myeong spoke again.

“What about physicians?”

If carpenters were essential for comrcial developnt, physicians ca imdiately after. People were injured or fell ill regardless of ti or place. A comrcial district without physicians could never grow.

Of course, this was also beyond Ha Joo-myeong’s control. The External Chief Steward answered cautiously.

“……The Divine Physician is also on their side.”

Both of the Central Plains’ greatest master artisans were backing Jin Seong-un.

Ha Joo-myeong slowly closed his eyes and asked,

“The Murim forces? Who was supposed to handle that side?”

The Eonsa Prefecture comrcial developnt was divided broadly into three branches: the trading company overseeing developnt, the Orthodox Faction Murim forces assisting with security and order, and the governnt authorities monitoring and managing everything.

If the Myriad Gold Manor could bribe either the authorities or the Murim forces, they might overco the crisis.

However, Ha Joo-myeong’s expectations were shattered one after another. The External Chief Steward replied calmly.

“……Shaolin.”

Ha Joo-myeong let out a short sigh.

No matter how incorruptible Murim forces claid to be, they needed money to maintain an organization of that size.

Thus, if given suitable justification and profit, most would take money without hesitation.

But there were a few forces where that did not work. A representative example was Shaolin.

The reason was simple.

Was it because Shaolin monks were unattached to the secular world? No. Monks rely ‘tried’ to distance themselves from money; they were not beings who had already beco Buddhas.

They too liked money, as they managed a massive organization. With money, they could train and cultivate without suffering or bowing their heads.

The reason bribes did not work on them was simply that they already had far too much money.

Contrary to public perception, Shaolin possessed staggering wealth. Every year—no, every mont—those who ca and went through Shaolin offered wealth under the na of alms.

People feared an uncertain future and needed sothing to ease that anxiety. Shaolin provided that under the na of the Buddha, and people willingly paid the price.

The Imperial Household also provided Shaolin with a considerable amount of money every year. This was to restrain and crush the White Lotus Sect that had aided Zhu Yuanzhang at the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

The reigning emperor chose Buddhism. It was only natural that imnse support would be lavished upon Shaolin, which stood at its pinnacle.

In any case, for these reasons, money did not work on Shaolin. Instead, they placed even greater importance on justification and the chivalric spirit of the Orthodox Faction. It was common knowledge that many prominent Orthodox elders cherished Jin Seong-un like a grandson.

“……The authorities, then?”

“A third-rank Vice Minister of War, Won Hu-seong, is coming in the capacity of an inspector.”

At this point, Ha Joo-myeong dragged a hand down his face. A regional inspector could be dealt with using money, but an inspector dispatched directly from the capital would prioritize duty over wealth.

Moreover, Vice Minister Won Hu-seong was very old and had no children.

If necessary, he could retire at any ti. He had already earned more money than he could ever spend in his lifeti, his personality was simple and frugal, and he had no children to inherit his wealth.

In other words, he was famous for not coveting money.

The fact that the emperor had deliberately selected such a man and sent him made the intent perfectly clear.

Every path was completely blocked.

For the first ti in his life, Ha Joo-myeong felt powerless. That powerlessness quickly transford into anger.

By any asure, it was a failed situation. Ha Joo-myeong had no intention of leaving that failure as failure.

Most reckless moves began from such emotions. In an anxious attempt to refra one’s mistake as a ‘process,’ one made poorer choices than usual.

“It seems that delivery business or whatever it’s called is going quite well.”

At Ha Joo-myeong’s words, the two chief stewards nodded.

Right after the auction, what he hurriedly found out was that the new business started by Seong-un Inn seed to be going extraordinarily well.

The massive amount of gold and silver they had put up at the auction must have been advance funds received during that process.

Could that much money really be made with nothing more than delivery? Such doubt arose, but there was no other way to infer it.

After all, there was no way the Myriad Gold Manor could know the relationship between the Daejin Divine Cult and Jin Seong-un.

Thus, Ha Joo-myeong reached the following conclusion.

“First, that needs to be blocked. Kill Jang Gwang.”

The words ca out of his mouth as naturally as breathing.

As said before, everyone made reckless moves. Fortunately, most reckless moves were never carried out, as they were criticized or condemned by those around them.

However, for Ha Joo-myeong now, there was no one left to offer even sound criticism, let alone reproach.

The two chief stewards knew. Ha Joo-myeong’s eyes were half-crazed. A man who did not hesitate to imprison his own father within a formation—how he would treat two chief stewards who opposed him was obvious.

The Internal Chief Steward had already given up on conversing with Ha Joo-myeong. The External Chief Steward, Yu Won-ho, rely lowered his head and echoed along.

“I will do so. However, there is one fact you must know.”

“Speak.”

“If the matter fails, there is a possibility of being implicated in treason. That man, Jang Gwang, uses delivery as a pretext but ultimately stands on the side of the soldiers and swings his axe.”

In other words, he was soone who aided the soldiers fighting the barbarians.

Killing him was no different from siding with the barbarians.

If discovered, there was a chance of being charged with treason.

Ha Joo-myeong nodded indifferently and spoke.

“It’s not like I’m telling you to kill Jin Seong-un or that chef bastard. It’s just killing a single martial artist who ca from bandits. Why even consider failure?”

“Of course, there will be no failure. I only ntion it just in case.”

As if annoyed, Ha Joo-myeong shook his head and then waved his hand.

Block that delivery business or whatever it was first.

Sending assassins to the battlefield to kill a single bandit was such a simple matter that failure did not even need to be considered.

“Is there any better thod?”

“…….”

Both chief stewards closed their mouths.

Even the two n, who had rolled around the comrcial world for decades, judged that this was a dead end.

There was no good thod. It was a situation where they had to find the less bad option.

“Seems there isn’t. I’ll handle the aftermath myself. Just make sure the bastard is properly killed.”

“……Understood.”

The External Chief Steward, Yu Won-ho, bowed in greeting, and the Internal Chief Steward, who had maintained silence, rely dipped his head as well and left together with him.

Left alone in his seat, Ha Joo-myeong stared into empty space and let out a sigh.

Soon, the Royal Guards would storm into the Myriad Gold Manor. There was a high chance they would co under the emperor’s command to search for the previous master of the Myriad Gold Manor—naly, his own father.

Would the Royal Guards truly be able to discover the Myriad Gold Manor’s formation and find his father?

He pondered briefly, but Ha Joo-myeong soon reached a conclusion. The Royal Guards did not possess such ability.

“Just where in the world is the seal of authority.”

That was the reason Ha Joo-myeong had imprisoned his father but could not kill him. Just as one needed the imperial seal to beco a true emperor, one needed the master’s seal of authority to beco the true manor lord.

Ha Joo-myeong did not know the seal’s location. However, he knew how weak a creature a human was. No matter how steadfast a rchant king might be, if he were slowly starved and dried to death, the location of the seal would inevitably co out of his weak mouth.

Ha Joo-myeong stared into the air with cold eyes for a mont, then let out another sigh.

‘Old n are the problem.’

His father, and the emperor as well.

They were all people blocking Ha Joo-myeong’s path.

He simply wished that they would quickly finish their roles and die.

The Western Regions battlefield near Yun Pass.

It was a place where soldiers dispatched by the state to block the barbarians and wandering warriors who ca to earn money ford alliances and waged endless large and small battles.

One man stood out among the soldiers and wandering warriors, relentlessly swinging a massive axe.

Each ti his axe swept through the air, two or three enemies collapsed, spilling blood.

“Delivery War Star!”

Soone among the wandering warriors shouted upon seeing that sight.

Jang Gwang was already being called by a strange alias. Moreover, Jang Gwang himself found that alias quite satisfying.

A considerable amount of ti had passed since he had turned his back on the river strongholds and entered the inn. Life at the inn gave him trendous stability, but on the other hand, it also brought an overwhelmingly deep sense of boredom.

That was because he was a man who had lived his entire life swinging an axe as a martial artist.

Thus, for Jang Gwang, the recent situation—where he could fight to his heart’s content under the pretext of delivery and raise his fa—was extrely satisfying.

“Die!”

Jang Gwang let out a thunderous roar like a general from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and charged fiercely.

His massive voice, axe, and the heavy aura billowing from his entire body overwheld the enemy.

The enemies scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions, and the montum of the battlefield tilted in an instant.

And at that mont.

There were two n who, moving against the fleeing tide of martial artists, approached Jang Gwang with utmost stealth.

They wore the attire of barbarians, but their eyes were different. Those eyes, honed as sharply as daggers, were each fixed on Jang Gwang’s neck and heart.

Until the two n drew close, Jang Gwang did not notice them. The reason was simple. The surroundings were chaotic, but also because the martial prowess of the two n surpassed his.

They were elite assassins of Deathshroud.

To them, who were thoroughly accustod to killing people, assassinating an excited opponent on such a chaotic battlefield was no different from eating cold porridge.

Soon, Jang Gwang stepped into their domain.

Once he had entered, there was absolutely no chance of him leaving alive.

The eyes of the two assassins sank low, and with their opposite hands holding ordinary longswords, they quietly gripped daggers.

Then, the mont the two assassins surged toward Jang Gwang as calmly and emotionlessly as flowing water.

Thud.

Soone descended before him and blocked the two assassins.

True to Deathshroud’s elite assassins, they did not panic and swung their daggers. They did not know the opponent’s identity, but the intent was to slit the throat in an instant and imdiately deal with Jang Gwang next.

Clack.

The assassins’ hands cut through empty air.

Even the daggers in their hands had vanished.

Then their vision went dark.

It felt as if night had suddenly fallen, but in truth, it was rely that a palm had reached their faces.

Kraaaang—!

A burst of force exploded cleanly, and the two n lost consciousness on the spot.

Jin Seong-un picked up the two assassins as if they were objects, looked them over here and there, then tilted his head.

“These aren’t barbarians.”

The general leading the Yun Pass battlefield eventually filled the delivery quota and summoned the innkeeper.

They truly were unlucky assassins.