Chapter 260: Soone Had to Go
Yichang, Seong-un Inn.
For once, all the mbers of the inn gathered together, sitting around a single table.
It was important enough that even Jang Gwang, who had been busy with deliveries lately, had postponed his work to attend.
Lee Seowon, the Chief Steward of Seong-un Inn, swept his gaze over everyone before speaking.
“Between Myriad Gold Manor and Seong-un Inn, one of us will disappear. All because of this ledger.”
The ledger placed on the table by Lee Seowon was the evidence proving that Yoo Won-ho, the External Chief Steward of Myriad Gold Manor, had attempted to have Jang Gwang killed through Deathshroud.
This was no longer a war of the Comrcial World. The opponent had hired Murim assassins, which ant they now had ample justification to strike Myriad Gold Manor in return.
Lee Seowon continued.
“Because of that, before we begin, the innkeeper instructed
to confirm everyone’s opinions. This is like striking a rock with an egg. Anyone who is afraid may leave freely.”
Lee Seowon looked at each person in turn.
The first was Han Seong-chun. Along with Seo Yu-gyeom, he was a veteran chef who led the kitchen of Seong-un Inn.
Because he was not a martial artist, his fear could have been even greater.
Myriad Gold Manor’s martial power rivaled that of a major sect, and the strength they could purchase with money would surely be imnse.
Han Seong-chun shook his head.
“I have nothing left to lose.”
Han Seong-chun had lost his son to the Food Butcher. He regarded Jin Seong-un, who had killed the Food Butcher, as his benefactor.
To withdraw from Jin Seong-un’s path now was sothing he could not accept as a father or as a man.
When Han Seong-chun spoke so firmly, Moyong Hyeon fell silent.
‘Damn it.’
Moyong Hyeon was, once again, a man quick with calculations. He had already spent the night devising excuses to slip away. However, the resolute declaration of Han Seong-chun, who was not even a martial artist, was more than enough to crush all of Moyong Hyeon’s justifications.
At that mont, Lee Seowon’s gaze turned to Moyong Hyeon.
Moyong Hyeon spoke.
“Don’t ask
things like this anymore. It’s humiliating for soone who’s supposed to be a proper later-generation prodigy of the Orthodox Faction.”
What people called the water-ghost tactic.
Now, Seomun Ak could no longer escape either.
Seomun Ak hurled silent curses with his eyes, but Moyong Hyeon clenched his teeth and deliberately avoided looking in that direction.
Lee Seowon’s gaze shifted to Jang Gwang.
Jang Gwang was enjoying the peak of his pri these days.
Jang Gwang of deliveries, the Delivery Star.
He had no intention of running away. Moreover, he was more than satisfied that his brothers from the Yangtze River Stronghold had found new lives.
“If Myriad Gold Manor is that strong, then I’ll just die fighting. If I were afraid of sothing like that, I wouldn’t have picked up a blade in the first place.”
Jang Gwang was resolute.
He had always been that kind of man.
There was no need to even ask Seo Yu-gyeom or Jin Seong-un. From the beginning, both of them were n who would head to Myriad Gold Manor alone even if everyone else left.
Lee Seowon nodded and spoke.
“The developnt of Eonsa Prefecture is in full swing. Elder Shin Mok is personally overseeing it, and the most prominent rchants from across the land are participating. The Imperial Inspector dispatched from the center is giving us every possible convenience, and Shaolin is completely blocking interference from demonic and unorthodox paths.”
Lee Seowon paused briefly to steady his breath, then continued.
“We only need to win. If we do, many things will truly change. I am the Chief Steward and the strategist. Naturally, I will think of every sche that can lead us to victory. That’s why I want to ask Chef Seo.”
“What is it?”
“Quietly going in and striking Myriad Gold Manor, or loudly declaring war and gathering forces before striking them. Which is more advantageous for us?”
As he spoke, Lee Seowon slid a letter over to Seo Yu-gyeom. The letter listed Myriad Gold Manor’s expected forces.
The reason he asked Seo Yu-gyeom instead of Jin Seong-un, Moyong Hyeon, or Seomun Ak was clear.
Seo Yu-gyeom was a master who had reached the Peak-level Master realm himself, and as a forr mber of Deathshroud, he was deeply familiar with the current state of Murim.
Seo Yu-gyeom read through the letter Lee Seowon had handed him.
“Myriad Gold Manor’s elite Golden Guard is essentially on par with the Namgung Clan’s Azure Sky Unit or Mount Hua Sect’s Plum Blossom Swordsn. In addition, there are separate assassins tasked with guarding Myriad Gold Manor’s household. Even within Deathshroud, they would be called elite assassins.”
No matter how quietly they approached, they would inevitably have to face the Golden Guard and the assassins. Seo Yu-gyeom looked in turn at Jin Seong-un, Moyong Hyeon, and Seomun Ak.
“I don’t know who would win. Jin Seong-un’s martial prowess hasn’t been fully revealed yet. But the likelihood of losing is much higher. Even if we win…… one of those two will definitely die. Perhaps both of them.”
“Moyong Hyeon will die.”
“Seomun Ak should go out.”
Moyong Hyeon and Seomun Ak blad each other simultaneously.
By now, no one even pretended to listen. Seo Yu-gyeom continued calmly.
“Even if we have to face all the forces Myriad Gold Manor can deploy, it’s better judgnt for us to gather our maximum strength as well.”
It would, quite literally, beco a war.
They would clearly expose Myriad Gold Manor’s ugliness to the entire world and treat anyone who sided with them as enemies. Those who gathered to help Seong-un Inn would punish Myriad Gold Manor in the na of chivalry.
Lee Seowon spoke.
“If, after things begin, there are fewer people willing to help us than expected, we could end up in trouble. Myriad Gold Manor will prepare thoroughly.”
“This will be the place where our lives, Jin Seong-un’s life, are put to the test.”
Lee Seowon looked at Jin Seong-un.
Jin Seong-un spoke quietly.
“Let’s do as Chef Seo says. I don’t want to lose people. It only has aning if Young Master Seomun and Young Master Moyong both return alive.”
“Understood.”
That night, letters departing from Seong-un Inn were sent throughout the world.
The entire world was turned upside down.
The letters sent out by Seong-un Inn detailed, without omission, the deeds of Ha Ju-yeon, Ha Cheong-a, and Ha Joo-myeong.
Through the mouths of major trading companies, Murim forces, and gossip-loving spectators, the contents of the letters reached the ears of common folk everywhere.
So believed them. So doubted them.
Regardless, the fact remained that the world was now watching the struggle between Myriad Gold Manor and a single inn.
Jiangsu Province, Nanjing.
The wealthiest city in the world, and within it, the most luxurious estate. This was the main headquarters of Myriad Gold Manor.
Naturally, the news stirring the entire world also reached Myriad Gold Manor.
“This is absurd.”
Ha Joo-myeong stared at the letter with indifferent eyes. There were countless outrageous points.
He asked Yoo Won-ho, the External Chief Steward, who stood with his head bowed like a criminal.
“Soone who has rolled around the Comrcial World for decades, and yet you didn’t even conceal your identity when commissioning Deathshroud?”
“O-of course, I routed it through many interdiaries. But…….”
“So Deathshroud saw through it anyway. Is soone who can’t even fool the eyes of re assassins truly fit to be Myriad Gold Manor’s Chief Steward?”
“……I am sorry.”
Yoo Won-ho dropped to his knees.
Given Ha Joo-myeong’s usual temperant, it would not have been strange for him to draw his blade and kill Yoo Won-ho on the spot.
Ha Joo-myeong continued.
“Even so. How is it that Deathshroud revealed the client’s information so easily? Truly…… everything involving that bastard makes no sense.”
Ha Joo-myeong recalled Jin Seong-un’s face.
Strangely enough, everything related to that man proceeded in an utterly illogical manner. A re inn taking charge of Eonsa Prefecture ahead of every trading company in the world, an innkeeper receiving favor from the Imperial Household.
Exposing Ha Cheong-a’s collusion with the Demonic Cult, and Ha Ju-yeon, who had rampaged like a thunder-headed brat, ultimately dying by that man’s hand.
All of it was illogical and incomprehensible.
Things that should never have happened.
Things that could neither be predicted nor responded to.
“Just what in the world!”
Ha Joo-myeong roared.
The External Chief Steward and Internal Chief Steward flinched, their heads lowered. They had served Ha Joo-myeong for over twenty years, yet this was the first ti they had ever seen him raise his voice.
When Ha Joo-myeong stretched his hand into the air, a straight saber mounted on a lavish stand along one wall flew toward him as if pulled by a thread.
Shing—!
The mont Ha Joo-myeong grasped it, he drew the blade.
The dark-hued blade reflected the room’s light, gleaming coldly.
The straight saber stopped in front of the External Chief Steward’s neck.
“Am I incompetent? Or are you fools so stupid that you’ve put your lord in danger? Or have heaven and earth abandoned ? What in the world is it!”
“P-please…… give
a chance……!”
Ha Joo-myeong swung the straight saber.
Yoo Won-ho’s head fell to the floor.
Once he had drawn his blade, there was no reason to spare soone who would inevitably beco an enemy anyway.
Drip, drip.
Blood ran down the straight saber and fell to the floor.
Jang Ji-hyeon, the Internal Chief Steward, stared wide-eyed at Yoo Won-ho’s corpse. There had been much resentnt, but still, he was a close friend who had been with him since their youth.
“……Young Master.”
“Close your mouth. You couldn’t betray
anyway. Unlike the External Chief Steward, who cared only about success and advancent, you truly loved Myriad Gold Manor. And since I myself was Myriad Gold Manor in this era, how could you possibly abandon .”
“…….”
“You were cursing
in your heart. You wanted to kill . You wanted to flee Myriad Gold Manor imdiately. And yet, you couldn’t leave. Even now, your head must have been filled with all sorts of sches related to the crisis Myriad Gold Manor was facing, wasn’t it.”
Ha Joo-myeong was right.
The Internal Chief Steward, Jang Ji-hyeon, was a man who could not leave Myriad Gold Manor. It was not a matter of liking or disliking it. This place was his life itself.
That was why, even when the Master of Myriad Gold Manor had been struck down by his own son, and even at this very mont, when the External Chief Steward’s head had fallen and he had died before his eyes—
In his mind, multiple ways to overco Myriad Gold Manor’s imdiate crisis were already forming of their own accord.
“Establish contact with the Imperial Household. Although His Majesty was openly backing the Crown Prince, the Princess was still his daughter. Push the marriage forward at once, and gather those who had gorged themselves on Myriad Gold Manor’s money over the years so they could prepare.”
Buying ti with authority, and forging martial power with wealth. It was unquestionably the best course.
However, the Internal Chief Steward hesitated.
Seeing this, Ha Joo-myeong added,
“If you can’t do it, then say so. Unlike the External Chief Steward, you weren’t even worth killing, so I’d simply let you go.”
Those words, instead, set the Internal Chief Steward in motion. He truly cared for Myriad Gold Manor, and Ha Joo-myeong found it easiest to handle those who carried sincerity in their hearts.
People were gathering at Seong-un Inn.
Not only Hwa Yeon-seol, the younger sister of Seo Yu-gyeom, but also Bang Man-bok, the Master of Red Cliff Escort Agency, and Oh Jeong-san of the Jingzhou rchants’ Association were present.
They were people who had already ford a blood alliance with Seong-un Inn. Even if they were shattered to pieces before a rock, they did not hesitate to beco the egg.
“Seong-un, have you made up your mind?”
An elderly man spoke as he entered the inn.
Everyone knew his upright, inflexible face well. Those present sprang to their feet and greeted him.
“Elder White Cloud Sword.”
It was Hyeon-un, one of the Seven Masters of Wudang.
At his waist hung not his usual Taiji Sword, but the Songmun Ancient Sword. The aning of that was unmistakable.
“Wudang Sect will help you.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
Jin Seong-un bowed deeply with sincerity.
He was grateful for Wudang Sect’s help, but even more grateful for their intent itself.
Another aggressive voice rang out from outside.
“Ha ha, anyone watching might think an orthodox–demonic war was about to break out.”
It was Tang Tae-san, the Poison Lord, the Grand Elder of the Tang Clan.
As always, he wore a comfortable dark-green robe and carried a single dagger. Unlike when he used to stroll lightly, he now bore a large jar on his back.
The Poison Lord set the jar down on the table with a heavy thud.
“This is the Thousand Calamities Blood Sea, personally bestowed by the Poison King. Just the scent alone would knock out an average strong man, and if it touched you, even a peak master would lt away.”
Those nearby quietly stood up and moved away.
Hyeon-un clicked his tongue and said,
“Why the hell would you put sothing that vile on a dining table where people eat? You could at least have left it outside.”
“Ha ha, I co to help and still get cursed at. Then what did Senior White Cloud Sword prepare for Seong-un?”
“I myself was stronger than all the poisons under heaven combined. What else would I need to prepare?”
“Then would you care for a drink?”
Tang Tae-san laughed as if amused and thumped the jar twice. White Cloud Sword shook his head as though he were utterly fed up.
After that, many more visitors ca to Seong-un Inn. The Clan Heads of the Seomun Clan and the Moyong Clan arrived in person.
The Daoists of the Kunlun Sect, who had built ties with Jin Seong-un in Qinghai, sent a letter asking them to wait a little as they hurried over.
Wi Gyeong-heon, the Regional Inspector of Hunan Province, also ca.
He had lent his strength during Jin Seong-un’s destruction of the Namok Trading Company, and afterward had expanded his own independent power by cooperating with the Hwa-un Trading Company.
Among the regional inspectors, he had once been weak, but recently he had grown large enough to even aim for entry into the central governnt.
In a gathering filled with rchants and martial artists, the significance of Regional Inspector Wi Gyeong-heon was imnse.
Wi Gyeong-heon himself knew this well. That was why he could stand proudly even before White Cloud Sword and the Poison Lord.
“I’ve already established contact with the Regional Inspector of Jiangsu Province. The local governnt troops won’t interfere with us, so everyone can put your worries aside.”
The Regional Inspector boasted as he savored the taste of power. Of course, his asures were in fact of great practical help, so everyone nodded.
Suddenly, Lee Seowon spoke.
“According to information sent by the Hao Sect, the Murim of the Outer Regions has begun to move. It’s possible that Poison Valley, the Ice Palace, or the Beast Palace has sided with Myriad Gold Manor.”
“Are those insignificant fools really worth worrying about?”
White Cloud Sword said calmly.
The Poison Lord also agreed.
To elders of the Five Great Clans and the Nine Sects One Gang, the Murim of the Outer Regions was not a fearso opponent.
However, what followed was different.
“……Also, there’s a chance that the Hebei Peng Clan has sided with Myriad Gold Manor. This information ca from Elder Byeok of the Beggars’ Union.”
“The Peng Clan?”
White Cloud Sword’s brow furrowed.
Thinking about it, the Peng Clan had particularly deep ties with the current Imperial Household, especially the military. In fact, there were Peng Clan generals actively serving even now.
If Princess Yeongan had exerted her influence over the military, it was entirely possible for the Peng Clan to move.
“They might have swallowed far more of Myriad Gold Manor’s dirty money.”
The Poison Lord said with a sneer.
With the Princess acting as an interdiary, the Peng Clan might indeed have maintained much closer ties with Myriad Gold Manor than other Murim forces.
Moyong Cheon, the Clan Head of the Moyong Clan, who had been listening quietly the entire ti, spoke.
“I’ll look into that matter.”
The Moyong Clan also had ties to the Imperial Household no less than the Peng Clan. Though not with the military, there were quite a few mbers of the Moyong Clan within the Royal Guards.
As everyone nodded, Lee Seowon suddenly said,
“At this point, no matter what Myriad Gold Manor prepared, they wouldn’t surpass us in martial force. However, there is one thing. The biggest problem lies elsewhere.”
“And what would that be?”
At White Cloud Sword’s question, Lee Seowon answered in a grave tone.
“We need His Majesty’s permission. After all, Ha Joo-myeong is a man whose marriage to Her Highness the Princess is already arranged.”
Simply exposing his right and wrong was not enough. If they intended to take his head, the Emperor’s approval was absolutely necessary.
Everyone wore troubled expressions. This was not sothing that could be resolved through Murim influence or power.
“Soone has to go to the Imperial Household.”
Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned toward one person.
In this gathering crowded with rchants and martial artists—
There was only one person who served as an official.
“N-no, why are you all looking at ?”
Regional Inspector Wi Gyeong-heon exclaid in shock.
But there was no other option.
Even if Wudang Sect, the Sichuan Tang Clan, the Hwa-un Trading Company, or other friendly forces lent their strength, soone still had to carry that backing and personally go to the Imperial Household to exercise political maneuvering.
Money was the rchant’s specialty, and fighting was the martial artist’s specialty. Naturally, maneuvering and persuasion belonged to politicians, that is, officials.
“You told us to trust you.”
“If blade-carrying martial artists go, it’ll be rebellion.”
“But sending Seong-un himself as an innkeeper would be mocking the Imperial Household…….”
Hyeon-un and Tang Tae-san exchanged words.
The conclusion, once again, pointed to a single person.
The Grand Elder of Wudang Sect, the Grand Elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the Clan Head of the Moyong Clan, the Clan Head of the Seomun Clan, even the Master of the Hwa-un Trading Company—
All of them looked at Wi Gyeong-heon.
Wi Gyeong-heon realized there was no way out.
‘My life is on the line here.’
If he failed, his head would fly before His Majesty the Emperor.
In one stroke, clean and final.
But if he succeeded?
If approval ca down thanks to his great rit, and Myriad Gold Manor truly collapsed?
The order of the Comrcial World and Murim would be newly established. And at its center would stand Regional Inspector Wi Gyeong-heon.
Simple entry into the central governnt would no longer be a dream. He might even aim for a position beyond that.
A rchant could not turn away from money.
A martial artist could not turn away from martial arts.
An official was the sa. He could never turn away from power, from success.
“……Everyone, trust .”
The Regional Inspector sprang to his feet.
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