Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 34

Nine Dragons Chronicle (34)

After meeting Elder Song Cheol at the Jongnam Sect, Hwa-rin learned that not only the Eumsa Sect but also the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild were targeting the Gu-ryong Pavilion, which was under construction.

“It’s enough to attract attention as planned, but too much attention is burdensome…”

For Hwa-rin, his social life was almost entirely limited to his five years in the military.

Excluding missions during those five years, he hadn’t spent many days interacting with people in trade cities.

However, through his experiences during those five years, he had developed numerous thoughts, studies, and plans regarding the goals he had to achieve. Although some of those plans were slightly altered due to Danri Hyuk-gwang’s death, nothing major had changed.

As Hwa-rin left the Jongnam Sect, he quickly sensed he was being followed.

Hwa-rin walked slowly, pondering his next move.

“When the Gu-ryong Pavilion is built, it will naturally create a lot of conflict.”

He couldn’t be sure how well the business would do, but since he was essentially transplanting the operational methods of a gambling house he had seen in the Saekmok Kingdom, he was confident it wouldn’t fail.

If the business thrived, conflicts would inevitably arise from those targeting the Gu-ryong Pavilion. By leveraging these conflicts, he could naturally present himself as a martial artist and move forward step by step to fulfill the promise he made to his father.

“But waiting for the opponent to attack is foolish…”

Having always taken the preemptive strike during his military life, being a passive target felt alien.

“Even if I leave the Eumsa Sect alone, I don’t think I should ignore the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild…”

He understood that the Eumsa Sect was pursuing him or targeting the Gu-ryong Pavilion because their interests were intertwined, but the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild had no such connection.

Nevertheless, they had sent a woman to frame him and slandered him to the Jongnam Sect. If he let them off the hook, something bigger was bound to happen.

“First, I need to gather some information about the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild through the Ha-oh Mun [a network of information brokers].”

He thought of Mi-ok, the former owner of Ohsong Pavilion.

“If I ask her, I’ll be able to find out the details.”

Hwa-rin descended from Jongnam Mountain and headed to Mi-ok’s house. After selling Ohsong Pavilion to Hwa-rin, Mi-ok was living at home, teaching courtesans.

When Hwa-rin arrived, Mi-ok was in the midst of a lesson. Since the Gu-ryong Pavilion was intended to be both a gambling house and a brothel, the courtesans had much to learn, including musical instruments.

“Take your time. You have to produce the sound accurately. To do that, the strength of your fingers pressing the strings must be firm.”

A stringed instrument is one that creates sound using strings, and the courtesans were currently learning the geomungo [a traditional Korean zither].

“Are you here, Lord Pavilion Master?”

A servant working at Mi-ok’s house saw Hwa-rin and came out to greet him.

“It seems like the Pavilion Master is very busy.”

“She always is. She says she enjoys teaching the courtesans these days. I’ll let her know you’re here.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll wait for a while.”

“Ah, then I’ll bring you some tea while you wait.”

“Thank you.”

Hwa-rin sat on the veranda, waiting for Mi-ok’s training session to finish.

Mi-ok’s training continued for about half an hour, and he smiled as he listened to the sound of the courtesans playing the geomungo.

When the courtesans’ training was over, they came out and bowed to Hwa-rin.

Even if they didn’t recognize him elsewhere, Hwa-rin, the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion, was so famous in Sanyang County that everyone knew him.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

Hwa-rin gave a brief greeting, and after all the courtesans had left, he entered Mi-ok’s room.

“You should have announced your arrival.”

“You were busy teaching… I’m just a loafer, so I can wait.”

“I’ll bring you some fresh tea.”

“No. Actually, I came to ask you a few questions, Mi-ok.”

“To me?”

“Yes. Do you know anything about the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild?”

“The Hwamyeong Merchant Guild is one of the top ten merchant guilds in the Central Plains, so no merchant can be unaware of it.”

“Ah, then please tell me about them.”

“Why? Is something wrong? Did the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild contact you?”

“Not exactly. Recently, some people have shown interest in Gu-ryong Pavilion. One of them is the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild. So I wanted to know a little about them.”

Mi-ok nodded and began to describe the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild.

Hwa-rin’s expression gradually changed as he listened, and Mi-ok’s mirrored his change.

“They’re involved in many businesses, but their main focus is selling grain.”

“That’s right. I heard that they buy huge amounts of grain from the Saekmok Kingdom and distribute it throughout the Central Plains. They also supply some to the military.”

Mi-ok answered Hwa-rin’s questions truthfully and diligently.

“I see. Thanks to you, many of my questions have been answered.”

As Hwa-rin’s eyes returned to normal, Mi-ok’s also returned to their original state.

“But why is the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild interested in Gu-ryong Pavilion?”

“Because of Gu-ryong Pavilion itself. More precisely, they’re interested in a gambling house that can operate legally.”

“Ah, I see. If the rumors about Gu-ryong Pavilion spread, not only the Hwamyeong Merchant Guild but also other merchant guilds will be drooling over it.”

“Really?”

“A gambling house is essentially a cash business, so it’s an excellent way to generate quick funds. The top ten merchant guilds are so large and have established businesses, so they don’t currently operate gambling houses due to the risks involved, but they have used them to raise funds in the past.”

“I see. Then we could potentially grow into one of the top ten merchant guilds in the future, operating a gambling house legally.”

“That remains to be seen. But there’s a strange rumor going around.”

“A strange rumor?”

“There’s a rumor that the Eumsa Sect is sending people to Sanyang County to establish a branch.”

‘I released the Soul-Seizing Art [a technique used to control or manipulate others], but she’s bringing this up first to test me?’

“Perhaps they made this decision because their influence in Sanyang County diminished after the Red Fox Sect disappeared.”

“Then what should we do? If a Demonic Sect moves in, there will be a lot of interference with Gu-ryong Pavilion.”

“You’ll have to figure it out, Lord Pavilion Master. There are many options. You could give them a suitable amount of protection money each month, or you could ask Jongnam or Hwasan for help, right?”

“That’s going to cost money.”

“That’s right. It costs money. Some people say that money isn’t everything, but you can accomplish a lot with it, so money is essential.”

“I’m pouring all the income from my other businesses into building Gu-ryong Pavilion… If more expenses arise, it’s going to be exhausting.”

A faint smile appeared on Mi-ok’s lips at Hwa-rin’s grumbling.

‘The Ha-oh Mun is also interested in Gu-ryong Pavilion. At this rate, I won’t even die of old age.’

* * *

“So, the Jongnam Sect is backing the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion?”

“It’s not certain whether the Jongnam Sect is his backer, but he spent approximately one hour at the Jongnam Sect.”

“An hour is enough time for various conversations. The Jongnam Sect is more secular than other Nine Great Sects, so isn’t it a sect that is more friendly with merchants than martial artists?”

“That’s correct.”

“Then there’s a high possibility that Jongnam is supporting the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion.”

Hyun Tak-jeong, the Third Elder of the Eumsa Sect, seemed convinced that the Jongnam Sect was behind the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion.

“It would be easier if it were the Hwasan Sect, but I can’t make a decision easily because it’s Jongnam.”

The Jongnam Sect is very protective of its relationships in the secular world, so if they kill the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion, Jongnam will find the culprit. If they discover that the Eumsa Sect was the mastermind, they would attack and try to destroy them without hesitation.

Therefore, even the Demonic Sects tried to avoid conflicts with the Jongnam Sect as much as possible.

The Tang Clan of the Ten Great Families was also a group that the Demonic Sects were wary of, and the characteristics of the two were similar.

“Can’t we just pretend we don’t know and kill him? Can’t we just deny it?”

“It’s not a problem to take so lightly.”

“Honestly, I don’t think this is a difficult task.”

“After the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion dies, if we occupy Gu-ryong Pavilion and establish a branch, Jongnam will definitely suspect us.”

Hyun Tak-jeong explained to his subordinate, who didn’t understand.

“Can’t we establish a branch in another pavilion?”

“Even so, our ultimate goal is the Gu-ryong Pavilion, the gambling house that is under construction. Depending on who becomes the owner of that place, Jongnam will investigate.”

“They won’t necessarily think it was us.”

“Everyone tries to handle things with that kind of thinking and then fails. How many sects will cooperate with the Jongnam Sect? How will we avoid the eyes of the Beggars’ Sect and the Ha-oh Mun?”

The subordinate was silenced.

“They are gathering information to find out about Gu-ryong Pavilion, the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion, and everything related to it. The moment the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion leaves Gu-ryong Pavilion, people from the Beggars’ Sect and the Ha-oh Mun will follow him, figuring out what he did during the day and who he met. In that situation, how do you think we can avoid their scrutiny and do anything to the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion?”

“My thinking was short-sighted.”

Hyun Tak-jeong frowned slightly.

When he first arrived, he thought he could come without any burden, threaten the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion, buy the pavilion, and establish a branch. But in reality, after arriving and experiencing the situation, he realized that the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion had become quite influential in Sanyang County and was receiving a lot of attention, so things were not so simple.

“Then what are you planning to do?”

“First, I have to report to the sect and follow their instructions. The best way would be to have the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion transfer everything to us while he’s still alive.”

“I understand. I’ll go to the sect.”

“Do so. And tell the Sect Leader to send more people.”

“People?”

“If Jongnam intervenes, we can’t negotiate with our current numbers. Once we establish a branch, we have to operate separately from the sect, so tell them that we need at least thirty people.”

“I understand.”

“And what about finding out about the street thugs?”

“There are no takers. Whether they were severely hurt by the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion, they shake their heads even if we say we’ll back them up.”

“Doesn’t Danri Hyuk-jin have a grudge against the Lord of Gu-ryong Pavilion? He was forced to become a cook at an inn because of him.”

“I met him, and he says he’s content. And he said that he would give the inn to him for free later.”

“The inn?”

“That’s right. He said he already got a written pledge. So he said that if he tries a little harder, he can become the owner of the inn, so he won’t go back to being a gangster.”

“What a funny guy.”

Hyun Tak-jeong’s eyes twinkled.

“Wait, Danri Hyuk-jin got a written pledge?”

“That’s right.”

“Then if we get our hands on that written pledge, it means we can take over the inn that guy runs.”

Hyun Tak-jeong smiled sinisterly, as if he had a brilliant idea.

“Then we can use that written pledge as justification to pick a fight.”

“I’ll go and catch him.”

“Do that. Check the written pledge and bring it with you.”