The Return of the Sw Chapter 114 : Not an Easy Man. -03

Chapter 114: Not an Easy Man. -03

Drip.

Ban Hojin poured the chrysanthemum tea he had warmed in advance into Nan Hui-ju’s teacup.

Before long, the deep fragrance of the chrysanthemum tea slowly filled the room.

“The aroma is incredibly strong?”

“It was a gift. It’s quite good, right?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time having chrysanthemum tea this fragrant.”

“That just means a lot of care was put into it.”

He did not particularly enjoy alcohol, but tea was different.

That did not mean Ban Hojin favored luxurious or expensive teas.

While some people placed emphasis on rarity, Ban Hojin leaned more toward individuality.

“Do you know where this tea came from?”

“I heard it was made in Liaoning Province.”

“Ah.”

It was only a single syllable, yet Nan Hui-ju instantly realized who had given Ban Hojin the gift.

So she did not ask any further.

“Is the Shangguan Family the same as ever?”

“They’re quiet. Ever since the Dark Moon Sect incident, they seem even more cautious.”

“I see.”

“Is there any connection to the Dark Moon Sect?”

Nan Hui-ju asked casually.

She wondered whether the Shangguan Family might be connected to the Dark Moon Sect.

“I haven’t found anything yet.”

“If a payment were made, could that information be purchased?”

Nan Hui-ju asked in a careful tone.

Valuable information meant money.

And one of the places that handled such matters best was the Hao Sect.

There were even those who operated solely as information merchants.

“I really haven’t found anything yet. If I had uncovered something, I would’ve told you first. I’m not so petty that I’d get stingy over something like this.”

“I know. Even so, I have no choice but to be cautious.”

“Don’t be so self-conscious. Just be comfortable. Though don’t take me too lightly either.”

“Come on. How could I?”

Nan Hui-ju let out a small snort of laughter.

It was Ban Hojin who had erased the Dark Moon Sect after they attempted to assassinate him.

The world believed that Beopmu and the Eight Protectors had exterminated the Dark Moon Sect, but Nan Hui-ju and the Hao Sect Leader knew the truth.

It was Ban Hojin who had captured the Dark Moon Sect Leader.

Nan Hui-ju was not bold enough to treat such a martial artist carelessly.

Nor was she ignorant of proper etiquette.

“I was wondering if you might start treating me casually later on.”

“That will never happen. My dream is to become a wise and virtuous wife.”

“…Really?”

“What’s with that look? That’s really unpleasant.”

At his oddly drawn-out tone, Nan Hui-ju shot him a sharp look with a pout.

Ban Hojin’s attitude had clearly irritated her.

“No. I was just surprised. It wasn’t something I expected to hear. But well, anyone can have a dream. You’re free to dream whatever you like.”

“What’s so surprising? Are you saying a temptress suits me better than a wise and virtuous wife?”

“I didn’t say anything?”

At the blunt word, Ban Hojin raised both hands as if to prove his innocence.

He had not uttered a single syllable of the word temptress.

“That’s what your tone implied.”

“I was surprised on my own. I wasn’t teasing you or anything. I didn’t say anything else.”

“Hmph.”

At his perfectly logical response, Nan Hui-ju narrowed her eyes.

Everything he said was correct, which made it difficult to argue.

“To add to that, I’m on your side. I didn’t think it was strange.”

“Really?”

“I’m not the type to make excuses. I just say things as they are.”

“I know that too. But sometimes, you could tell a harmless white lie.”

“Should I start now?”

Ban Hojin said with a grin.

As if he could do so whenever she wished.

Nan Hui-ju hurriedly spoke up.

“You have to separate work from personal matters!”

“It was a joke. Now then, shall we begin the transaction, Rumor Lord Nan Hui-ju?”

“Yes.”

Unlike Ban Hojin’s playful expression, Nan Hui-ju was serious.

In an instant, she wiped the expression from her face and matched his rhythm.

At the sight, the woman standing behind her covered her mouth and laughed silently.

“The method is the same as last time. This is the list I organized myself.”

“The source is the Dark Moon Sect, I assume?”

“Of course. Though this time, the ranking slipped a little. And there were some martial arts that couldn’t be sold.”

“That’s understandable.”

The Dark Moon Sect could firmly be classified as part of the unorthodox factions.

As such, they must have collected every martial arts manual they could, regardless of whether it belonged to the Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic paths.

Among them were likely manuals from orthodox sects, and from Shaolin’s perspective, they had probably been returned to their rightful owners.

Of course, even Shaolin would not have returned them for free—they would have received something intangible in exchange, or left it as a debt to be repaid.

“I haven’t set a fixed price. We can negotiate as much as we like. Of course, I don’t intend to sell at a loss. But I also have no intention of overcharging.”

“I know. As if I don’t know your personality, Oppa. But the level is definitely high. As expected of an assassin sect second only to the Assassin’s Gate.”

“There’s a wide variety to begin with. Bandits’ martial arts were mostly unorthodox or demonic arts. But the Dark Moon Sect had many orthodox arts as well.”

“That makes it even better.”

If one sought short-term achievements, unorthodox and demonic arts were unquestionably superior.

But as the saying went, nothing in this world was free—demonic and unorthodox arts carried fatal drawbacks.

They required either dangerous or sinister methods.

Orthodox arts, on the other hand, were slower but stable.

“Last time, the inner cultivation methods were somewhat lacking. The level was high, but the limitations were clear.”

“Did you check compatibility as well?”

“I didn’t get that far. I’ve been so busy lately I’ve actually wished I had two bodies.”

“You don’t have anyone assisting you, after all.”

Nan Hui-ju nodded.

Though his name was known throughout Murim, Ban Hojin did not possess any particular faction.

His sect was Shaolin, but the number of people he could actually command was surprisingly small.

“That’s right. So I couldn’t go that far. Organizing this alone was quite a task in itself. This one excluded for this reason, that one excluded for that reason.”

“You worked really hard, our Oppa.”

Nan Hui-ju looked at Ban Hojin with sympathy as he let out an uncharacteristic groan.

Since he would not have reduced his personal training time, it was obvious he must have cut down on his sleep to organize everything.

Even for those accustomed to it, the task was tedious and exhausting. For someone unaccustomed to such work, it must have been sheer torment.

“It’s true that I worked hard, but I’m not your Oppa.”

“It’s something minor. Can’t you just let it slide?”

“If something needs to be addressed, it should be addressed properly.”

“You’re picky about the most unnecessary things.”

Nan Hui-ju muttered, puffing out her lips.

But Ban Hojin was not the type to be swayed by that.

“So, did you receive full authority from the Sect Leader before coming? This transaction is on quite a large scale.”

“Of course. I’m the Rumor Lord. The one and only successor of my Master. And while our martial strength may be lacking, when it comes to financial power, we don’t fall short anywhere. Except for the Geum Family Estate. If we’re talking purely in liquid assets, we wouldn’t lose to the Geum Family Estate by much.”

“That does make sense.”

Since all transactions would be conducted in cash, Nan Hui-ju’s words were not without reason.

But what mattered to Ban Hojin was whether the payment could be made or not.

Whether the Geum Family Estate and the Hao Sect were equals was irrelevant.

“So there’s no need to worry. As long as the goods are solid.”

“Good.”

At her straightforward response, without hedging or beating around the bush, Ban Hojin smiled in satisfaction.

That was exactly what he wanted.

As long as each side’s goods were reliable, there would be no problem with the transaction.

“You even categorized everything. I thought it wouldn’t be organized this far.”

“If I’m going to sell it, I should at least do that much. It’s not like you know every martial art.”

“I do know most martial artists who’ve made a name for themselves in Jianghu. But that doesn’t mean I know every martial art they practice. I mainly know their representative techniques.”

“It’s not urgent, so you can look into the items on the list and purchase them afterward.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

She had already been troubled by the sheer quantity.

If she wanted to keep it simple, she could just purchase all martial arts above a certain level. But in that case, there was a possibility they would overlap with manuals the Hao Sect already possessed.

In other words, she might end up buying the same martial art twice. That was what concerned Nan Hui-ju, so Ban Hojin’s suggestion was more than welcome.

“It’s not urgent for me either. I’ve accumulated quite a bit of wealth by now.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s not as if the martial arts manuals I have will disappear. The only thing that concerns me is that it might inconvenience you.”

“It’s worth enduring some inconvenience. And after coming all this way, it would feel a bit strange to just see your face briefly and leave, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t mind.”

She had tried to tease him unexpectedly, but Ban Hojin was no easy opponent.

He smoothly deflected the subtle strike and avoided it so naturally that Nan Hui-ju puffed her lips out again.

“You won’t lose even a single word, will you?”

“Do as you’re comfortable. If you’re curious about anything, ask.”

“You’re being so generous that I feel both grateful and burdened. Is there anything you’d like to request from the Main Sect?”

“Hm.”

“There is, isn’t there?”

Nan Hui-ju’s eyes sparkled.

The fact that he did not immediately say no meant he was considering something.

And her guess was correct.

‘What I’m most curious about is the situation in the Northern Sea and Tibet, but I can’t fully trust her yet.’

His relationship with Nan Hui-ju had grown considerably closer, but that did not mean he trusted her as much as Seo Jo-woon or Seonwu Bang.

They were simply becoming more closely connected.

Ban Hojin made that clear to himself.

He had no desire to trust blindly and get stabbed in the back.

“Judging by the way you’re hesitating, it must be something significant?”

“Not really. I was just thinking about what would be appropriate.”

“Do you have that many things to request?”

Nan Hui-ju’s eyes widened.

At first glance, Ban Hojin seemed detached from worldly affairs.

But from what he was saying now, that did not appear to be entirely true.

“It’s not that there are many. I was considering what you’d be able to handle.”

“Ah, I see. But there’s no need to worry about that in advance. It’s not a bad idea to just say it first. I can make the judgment. Wouldn’t that be the most accurate?”

“In that case, I’d like you to look into the Eight Evils.”

“The Eight Evils?”

Nan Hui-ju blinked at the unexpected name.

In her mind, it was far too sudden.

“Yes. The Eight Evils.”

“You mean the Eight Evils who are public enemies of Murim?”

“That’s right. Are they close to the Hao Sect, by any chance?”

“No way. Even if we stand between the Orthodox and Unorthodox paths, we’re not on friendly terms with public enemies of Murim. There may be members who conduct transactions with them, but we’re not in league with them.”

Nan Hui-ju waved her hand.

She could not say there was absolutely no connection with the Eight Evils, but they were certainly not close.

If that were the case, the Hao Sect would have to make an enemy of the entire Orthodox Martial World, and they were not that reckless.

“You could at least provide information, right? Even if pinpointing their location is difficult.”

“That’s possible. In truth, a fair amount is already known about the Eight Evils. We haven’t specifically investigated their locations, but if we examine their movements, we could roughly determine it. After all, they’re human. They can’t escape the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter.”

“If it’s burdensome, you can refuse. If it seems like it’ll cost a lot, you can bill me in advance.”

Ban Hojin spoke as though there was no need to force it.

It would be good to know, but it was not information he needed immediately.

However, Nan Hui-ju shook her head.

“Their current location would be difficult, but the rest is possible. We’ve done some investigating on our own. It’ll just take some time to verify the truth. I’ll even provide a clean facial profile notice. I need some time anyway.”

“Thank you for accepting the request.”