"..."
The father and daughter sat facing each other, silent for a long ti.
Finally, Yang Jongu opened his mouth.
"I will diate."
"You, father?"
Yang Jongu smiled bitterly.
"The ixian Fang is my wife's family, and the White Mountain Sect is my in-law, isn't it? It is only natural that I should diate and bring about a reconciliation."
Although he smiled, his heart was heavy.
Since Mae Yeoncheong had suffered the humiliation of having her mouth torn, the ixian Fang would not stop.
'I was too greedy.'
He had tried to gain control of the comrcial rights of Shaanxi and Sichuan by using the ixian Fang and the White Mountain Sect as his left and right wings. It was a dangerous gamble against martial sects that prioritized strength, and the result was the worst.
'I was overconfident.'
The Yang rchant Guild was shattered by the White Mountain Sect's single blow. He had thought that as a mid-sized rchant guild in Shaanxi, he had so power, but neither the governnt office that had taken his money nor the martial hall that had received his tribute helped.
Law and money were useless in the face of martial power. Now, the Yang rchant Guild was caught in the middle of a fight between two martial sects. It would be torn to shreds.
Yang Jongu was not foolish. He judged that it would not be easy to protect the Yang rchant Guild anyway and decided to abandon it without any lingering attachnt.
'Let's hand it over to the ixian Fang. Instead...'
Yang Jongu knew the ixian Fang well. Among the secular branches of Huashan, it had the greatest power and many masters.
The White Mountain Sect would be no match for the ixian Fang. Since Yang Soryeong had beco the sect master, she would not be safe if they lost the fight.
'Soryeong's life... if only I can save her life.'
Yang Jongu planned to hand over the Yang rchant Guild and in return, secure Yang Soryeong's safety.
Although he had made the bitter decision to hand over the Yang rchant Guild that he had built up his entire life, he did not tell Yang Soryeong.
Yang Jongu looked at his daughter.
'My greed has put you in danger. It is shaless of
to say now that I am doing this for you.'
Yang Soryeong was not foolish either.
She knew what Yang Jongu was thinking.
Yang Soryeong said, "No, father. From the beginning, the ixian Fang intended to swallow the White Mountain Sect. The ixian Fang's interest is in the Sichuan martial world. They will not accept diation."
Yang Soryeong had seen through Mae Yeoncheong's true intentions in sending her to marry into the White Mountain Sect.
Yang Jongu nodded.
"I know. But I want to try as much as I can."
"If it's because of , you don't have to. If you actively cooperate with the ixian Fang, they won't necessarily take away the rchant guild. Don't worry about the White Mountain Sect. I am the White Mountain Sect Master."
Yang Jongu shook his head.
"You are a married daughter. It is not because of you. You, as the White Mountain Sect Master, do your best. Handing over the Yang rchant Guild is for my own survival."
"..."
"Soryeong. In any case, you are the sect master of a sect. You must make a cold decision."
After speaking, Yang Jongu let out a sigh.
His young daughter was the sect master of a martial sect.
It was an absurd situation that made no sense.
"I will leave right away."
"I will provide you with an escort."
Knowing that Yang Jongu's decision was firm, Yang Soryeong did not try to stop him further.
Yang Jongu stood up and said, "It would be best to bring your mother as soon as possible."
He could not bring himself to say that the ixian Fang would retaliate.
* * *
General Manager Xin, Mo Dahou, and Hu Yeonjo were also gathered.
The three of them were half out of their minds.
Hu Yeonjo, whose face was swollen from being hit by Baekji, mumbled with his busted lips, "General Manager Xin, say sothing. Are you planning to die like this?"
Baekji had said he had no intention of getting involved in the fight. In that case, the battle with the ixian Fang would inevitably end in defeat.
General Manager Xin reluctantly opened his mouth.
"Sohow, we must get the Honored One into the fight..."
General Manager Xin stopped talking and looked around. He was afraid that Baekji might be listening.
He lowered his voice as much as possible and said, "We must draw him in. We must co up with a plan."
"Is there a need for that? Although he said that, if his master is in danger, he will intervene."
Mo Dahou said. He did not say the rest.
'But it's important that I'm alive until then.'
If Yang Soryeong was in danger, Baekji would step in, but if he died fighting before that, it would be useless.
Sohow, they had to put Baekji at the forefront of the fight.
Hu Yeonjo ca up with a plan.
"How about we incite the Sect Master and put her on the front line? Sect Master Bai also always fought on the front line. Then the Honored One will follow."
"That's because Sect Master Bai was a master. How can we put Sect Master Yang, who doesn't even know martial arts, at the forefront?"
"I also object."
General Manager Xin shook his head as if it were out of the question. If they put Yang Soryeong at the forefront, Baekji would kill them first.
Mo Dahou muttered as if in passing, "What if, what if Sect Master Yang were to die at the hands of a ixian Fang assassin?"
"...?"
"..."
General Manager Xin thought. Baekji cared for his master terribly. If Yang Soryeong were to die at the hands of the ixian Fang, Baekji would go berserk.
'The ixian Fang would be razed to the ground by the hands of an absolute master.'
Baekji had half-killed Bai Renguang, who was one of the top one hundred masters, with a single slap. With just that one move, it was clear that he was an absolute master. Absolute masters were beings beyond the norm. No matter how many ordinary martial artists there were, it would only increase the number of deaths.
'But the ixian Fang also has many masters. If they receive support from Huashan... they might be able to aim for a mutual destruction.'
General Manager Xin's mind raced.
'If Bai Renguang, the Young Sect Master, and Yu Mungwang are executed at the Sect Master's inauguration banquet, and if Yang Soryeong and Baekji also disappear in the fight with the ixian Fang...'
General Manager Xin looked at Mo Dahou and Hu Yeonjo.
'If these two brats also die in the process, it would be the icing on the cake...'
He could beco the White Mountain Sect Master himself.
Mo Dahou guessed what General Manager Xin was thinking. He had deliberately let the words slip for that reason.
'Yes, use your head. If you play your tricks, an opportunity will open up for .'
Hu Yeonjo replied without thinking, "If Sect Master Yang dies at the hands of the ixian Fang, he will hold us responsible and kill us first."
"!"
"...!"
At Hu Yeonjo's thoughtless words, a chill ran down the spines of General Manager Xin and Mo Dahou.
'Wait, wait... that, that's a possibility.'
Mo Dahou quickly racked his brains. Normally, it wouldn't make sense, but for so reason, it seed Baekji would do that.
Mo Dahou imdiately gave up the thought of killing Yang Soryeong.
However, General Manager Xin's mind, which had been touched by temptation once, could not let go of the lingering attachnt and continued to turn.
* * *
"How did he know..."
Ajok was curious. He wanted to know how Baekji knew that nghua was lying.
Baekji was lying at an angle on the back of a horse without a saddle. As if he had beco one with the running horse, he did not fall off.
He gathered his courage and followed next to Baekji.
"Master."
"What?"
"Please give
your teachings."
"What?"
"How did you know that the brothel owner was lying?"
"I don't know. How would I know that?"
Ajok almost asked back, 'What?', but he slapped his own mouth and said, "You didn't know. So that's how it is."
Baekji was lost in his own thoughts.
'It's definitely grating.'
When nghua had lied, his hand had been about to go out, but he had stopped. He felt that he would be refreshed if he struck nghua down on the spot, but the thought that he shouldn't do that had echoed in his head.
Just like when he had pushed away the escort warriors, he had felt a hesitation without knowing it.
'To just watch soone lie three tis to my face.'
He had an ominous thought.
'What if I can't kill anyone like this?'
If I can't kill the opponent, I will die. As a martial artist, there is no more fatal weakness than that.
'Should I test it?'
Baekji's gaze passed over Ajok, Senior Oh, and Jang Sam, and then to the nghua Brothel workers who were pulling the carts.
They were going without a thought, not knowing that the god of death was caressing the back of their necks.
'It is not right to kill without reason.'
Although he had no mory, he knew that he was not a demon lord who enjoyed killing.
Baekji's gaze was fixed on nghua.
'How dare she!'
Since she had shalessly lied to his face, the reason was sufficient.
nghua felt soone's gaze and looked around, and her eyes t Baekji's.
nghua fell into a misunderstanding.
'Could it be that he has belatedly recognized my beauty?'
nghua slightly lowered her head and gave a pitiful smile.
'The smile of a beauty who has accepted her sad fate. It's impossible not to fall for it.'
When nghua acted coquettishly, Baekji wanted to fly over and beat her to death right away.
But.
His body would not move.
'Ah, I'm going crazy.'
As his body and mind played separately, Baekji's eyes beca bloodshot. nghua rejoiced inwardly and shed a single tear.
'That, that's...'
Baekji could not stand it when nghua openly tried to mock him.
'Even if I can't kill her, I can still beat her.'
Baekji, who had been lying at an angle, raised his body from the horse's back.
Just then, Ajok said, "We've arrived."
At the news that Baekji's group was coming with the funds, General Manager Xin ran out.
His mouth fell open at the sight of the silver on the carts. A year's worth of inco had co in at once.
'Hehehe.'
It felt as if all the silver was his.
Falsifying ledgers was his specialty. Although Baekji was frightening, he was confident he would not be caught.
The thought of taking the funds and running away sprouted again.
"With this much, it's worth a fight. If we recruit surrounding sects and gather ronin..."
Baekji glared at General Manager Xin.
'Should I try killing this brat?'
General Manager Xin was a brat who deserved to die.
'I might have been a hero who didn't kill children, won, and the elderly. Since this brat Xin Suo doesn't fall into that category, I should be able to kill him without any burden.'
But what if he couldn't kill him?
As a martial artist, it would be the end. He was afraid to even test it.
When Baekji looked at him with a strange gaze, General Manager Xin felt a chill.
'Why is he looking at
with such a gaze?'
General Manager Xin instinctively sensed the crisis and quickly made an excuse.
"I will report back after making a financial plan in preparation for the decisive battle."
"There's no need for that."
Baekji gave up on testing and turned away. He pulled the cart to the Songhua Hall.
Yang Soryeong was surprised.
It was the first ti she had seen so much silver.
"Where did you get this? By any chance..."
She was worried that Baekji might have stolen it.
"The rchants gathered it for us."
Ajok explained.
"Then that's a relief."
As Ajok pulled the cart of silver, Senior Oh brought nghua and asked, "What should we do with Miss nghua?"
Yang Soryeong tilted her head. No matter how she looked at her, nghua looked middle-aged. Still, Senior Oh called her 'miss' with a straight face.
"Why is this person tied up?"
nghua was surprised at Yang Soryeong's beauty.
'Since a bitch like this was attached to him, the beauty trap was useless.'
She was a beauty that even Hongyan would be no match for.
"Untie her."
"No. She's a witch."
Baekji said curtly.
"A witch?"
"She has learned demonic arts, so she is a witch. We don't know what she will do, so we have to tie her up."
nghua shouted, "No. I have not learned demonic arts. Please untie !"
"Shut up. You used the 'Ghost Soul Demonic Claw', didn't you?"
"!"
Baekji had seen the technique nghua had used to scratch Senior Oh's forearm. Then, the mont nghua ntioned the Nine-Tailed Jade Shattering, the na of nghua's claw technique also ca to his mind.
At Baekji's words, Senior Oh was the most surprised.
"Mi, miss! Were you a lackey of the Demonic Cult?"
"No. Please believe . Ghost Soul Demonic Claw. That's absurd."
Baekji, not even pretending to listen, said to Senior Oh, "Lock her in the warehouse."
As Senior Oh dragged nghua away, he asked, "Is she really a Demonic Cult mber?"
"I said no!"
"I am a hero who must fight the Demonic Cult. This is truly... is this a trick of fate? It seems there is an uncrossable river between you and , miss."
"Aack!"
nghua felt like she would go crazy listening to Senior Oh's nonsensical monologue.
As she scread and struggled, Senior Oh said with a resolute expression, "Is your madness exploding? They say the greatest weakness of demonic arts is madness. As expected. I will help you. First, calm your mind..."
"Go. Just go. Shut up and let's just go."
(End of Chapter)
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