I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 115

Upon seeing the face, Dan Bong-pyeong could only stare, speechless, his eyes wide with shock.

The men who had brought the head chuckled at his reaction.

“That’s definitely Dan Bong-pyeong.”

“Of course. He’s happy to see his daughter, being the father he is.”

One of the men stood up.

“Bringing them all would have been a hassle, so we only brought one. You understand what that means, right?”

Dan Bong-pyeong didn’t even register the words about his family being killed. He was so stunned that he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or awake.

Unlike Dan Bong-pyeong, his subordinates who had rushed in with him were beginning to feel fear creeping in.

The fact that his family had been killed meant that the organization had been thoroughly investigated beforehand, and carrying a person’s head meant they were no strangers to killing.

The most frightening thing was that only three of them had come.

These guys were meticulous enough to investigate his family, so they wouldn’t have come with just three people if they weren’t confident.

There was one small mercy, though.

Gambling dens were always noisy places. Those who lost money also lost their minds. Fearing what crazy things they might do, weapons were prohibited.

These three didn’t have any weapons.

But their glimmer of hope was instantly extinguished.

The man, who had been slowly walking towards Dan Bong-pyeong, lightly raised his foot towards Dan Bong-pyeong’s head, who was still out of it, and his toe accurately struck Dan Bong-pyeong’s temple.

A sound like a melon bursting echoed, and Dan Bong-pyeong died without uttering a word, following his family.

“Alright, who’s next? Let’s see your face. Step forward now.”

Seeing a severed head was rare enough, but the sickening sight of a person’s head exploding like tofu was even rarer.

Several of the men around Dan Bong-pyeong were so terrified that they even vomited.

“Do you want to see what a mass slaughter looks like today? Are you not coming out?!”

The gazes of those who wanted to live converged on one person. The man, terrified, slowly moved his feet forward.

“Name!”

“Huh? Ah… Woo, Woo-beon (虞番) is my name.”

“Woo-beon, huh…”

The man scanned Woo-beon up and down, then casually tossed out a question.

“How much do you give to the Tang Clan every month?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked how much you’re offering to that esteemed Tang Clan.”

“Ah, yes. Five hundred silver taels [a unit of Chinese currency].”

The man let out a low whistle.

“Sichuan is overflowing with money, as expected. How many gamblers must there be to offer five hundred taels?”

The man said with a smile.

“Then should I take about a thousand taels?”

Woo-beon now understood what they wanted. They had come knowing that the Tang Clan was behind them and were demanding even more money than the Tang Clan. They meant to change masters.

“No, if I take a thousand taels, what will you guys live on? I’ll just take five hundred taels as well.”

“M-My lord. What about the Tang Clan…?”

“Why are you asking me that? It’s up to whoever is giving the money. Give if you want, don’t give if you don’t want.”

“My lord. We can’t afford to pay five hundred taels to both sides.”

“That’s your problem. Save up and pay both sides, or only pay one side, it’s up to you. But I absolutely have to receive it. That’s my situation.”

The man grabbed Woo-beon’s hair.

“If it’s even a day late or a tael short, I’ll kill all your brothers and their families here. You too, of course. Got it?”

The man shoved Woo-beon away and gestured to the two men who had come with him.

The two men slowly stood up, looked around the gambling den, and slowly moved their feet.

“Hey! Clean up quickly. We’re not taking customers?”

Their departing nagging words pierced Woo-beon’s heart like daggers.

* * *

Tang-ok (唐鈺), the third son of Tang-neung, left the house at dusk.

He entered the most extravagant brothel in Chengdu in a slightly excited state. Today, which came once a month for him, was the most enjoyable day. It was the day when a secret collection took place.

He usually refrained from entering brothels, befitting a scion of a prestigious family, but today, his father turned a blind eye to him unleashing his suppressed desires.

He boldly called two courtesans, set up a drinking table, and waited for the guys with money to come in.

But today, without even having time to taste the alcohol, several guys rushed in as if they had been waiting.

Some of them were half crippled, and some had faces he had never seen before.

“Why are you here so early? And… what’s with your faces?”

Some of them burst into tears right away, so he realized that something big had happened.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

Woo-beon, who ran the largest gambling den, spoke as if venting his resentment.

“My lord. A few days ago, some unknown guys appeared and killed Brother Dan and his entire family.”

“Killed?”

“Yes. They weren’t ordinary guys. They were all masters, and…”

Starting with Woo-beon, everyone rushed to speak, and most of them said the same thing. Someone unknown was taking over the back alleys of Sichuan.

“You bastards! You should have rushed to report such a thing!”

Tang-ok shouted loudly and then realized his mistake.

He had forgotten the long-standing unwritten rule.

No matter what happened, the relationship with the Tang Clan should not be revealed, and especially, they should not go near the main house.

This was a rule created by Tang-ok’s grandfather when he started this business.

Because he had strictly adhered to this rule, it had never been known that the Tang Clan had a close relationship with the underworld business.

“Listen carefully, everyone. Go back immediately and find out who those guys are. Where they came from, where they are now. Find out everything you can and come back here tomorrow at this time. Quickly!”

How on earth could they find out anything in just one day?

But before they could say anything, Tang-ok had already kicked off his seat and ran out.

There was one thing that came to mind.

Tang-ok returned to the main house and immediately looked for his father, and as soon as Tang-neung received his son’s report, the person who came to mind was Jo Gwang-yun.

“Jo Gwang-yun, that bastard… He’s been caught.”

“Right? It must be Jo Gwang-yun’s doing, right?”

“Didn’t you say that he brought thirty warriors? It’s definitely him. You quickly call the guys who are watching Jo Gwang-yun’s movements.”

“Yes.”

As his son ran out, Tang-neung paced around the room, trying to suppress his excited feelings.

He had to create a plausible justification for this.

Trying to steal the Tang Clan’s money supply could not be a justification. Since that money supply was not legitimate, it would only remain as a disgrace to the family if it was revealed.

The best justification was to create Jo Gwang-yun’s identity.

Jo Gwang-yun’s enormous wealth was not earned through business, but in fact, he had scraped it together by using all sorts of illegal methods, no different from the underworld.

If a martial arts clan belonging to the Murim Alliance was found to be raising funds through gambling, prostitution, and illegal liquor, expulsion was obvious. No, it wouldn’t end with expulsion.

If the true colors of the Changryong Gate were the underworld, then the Jo Family Manor, which had taken root throughout the Central Plains, was also the underworld, and it was natural for the families in each region to take over the Jo Family Manor.

When his thoughts reached this point, Tang-neung’s excitement subsided. Pleasant fantasies cloud judgment.

A cold thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Why Sichuan of all places?

There were many regions where a powerful martial arts family did not stand firm. Wasn’t the Central Plains vast?

Of course, such places were the world of the underworld or the Demonic Sect. But to dominate the night in Sichuan, one had to clash with the underworld of Sichuan. The conditions were the same everywhere.

No matter how he thought about it, this question did not disappear. Why Sichuan?

While he was holding onto this question, Tang-ok returned. His son’s expression was not good.

“Father. That is…”

“Yes, what happened?”

Tang-ok hesitated, so he asked the same question to the warrior who had come with him.

“Where is Jo Gwang-yun now?”

“He is staying in Misan (眉山) [a city in Sichuan province].”

“Misan?”

He knew why his son had hesitated. Misan was a two-day ride away.

“Since when?”

“Since six days ago.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. We are keeping an eye on him at all times. It is clear that he brought them as escorts.”

Tang-neung’s anger exploded.

“Why didn’t you report that?”

“I-I’m sorry. Clan Lord. I was only going to report on the movements in Sichuan… And Miju, such a remote place, doesn’t even have carrier pigeons… I was thinking of only reporting the exact facts.”

Tang-neung bit his lip, realizing that he was angry not because his subordinate had done something wrong, but simply because it was different from his expectations.

He made a groaning sound and waved his hand, and the warrior bowed his head and quickly left. It was best not to be seen when the Clan Lord’s mood didn’t look good.

“Father. The unidentified guys started acting up seven days ago. It is certain that they are still in Sichuan. Could it really be unrelated to Jo Gwang-yun?”

“It is too early to jump to conclusions. He may have sent separate warriors. Even so, if we cannot reveal the relationship between the two, we have no justification to strike Jo Gwang-yun.”

Tang-ok said cautiously.

“I will catch those guys.”

Tang-neung looked at his son and shook his head. It would be a big problem if anyone recognized him in a place like a gambling den where there was trouble.

“Refrain from going out for the time being. Many people know your face.”

“Yes.”

After a moment of thought, Tang-neung said to his son.

“Let’s have a drinking party. Prepare it.”

“Yes? Why a drinking party all of a sudden?”

“Gather all our collateral clan leaders from Chengdu and the surrounding area. Haven’t we been out of touch lately?”

Tang-ok read his father’s mind correctly.

“Yes. I will do so. I will send a message right away.”

If there were no teeth, there were gums. The Tang Clan had strong gums as long as its history.

* * *

“Greetings, Clan Lord.”

“We are grateful for this invitation.”

The vast Tang Clan main house was bustling. The dozen or so leaders seemed to have traveled frequently, and there was no awkwardness.

They glanced at the Tang Clan Lord’s face, which looked a little uneasy.

The reason was already well known. It was because of Jo Gwang-yun. It was not easy for a martial artist to endure the sight of a guy he didn’t even want to see loitering in his front yard.

The clan leaders also knew that Tang-neung had created this position to control them when Jo Gwang-yun appeared.

But as the drinking party matured, a story different from what they expected flowed from Tang-neung’s mouth.

“I don’t know if the clan leaders have heard, but there are a lot of suspicious people in our land these days.”

Everyone smiled at Tang-neung’s words. This was also a fact that Jo Gwang-yun had already told them. They began to act nonchalantly.

“Ah, is that what you’re talking about? I’ve been seeing them since a few days ago, right?”

“Those guys, they seem to be quite strong. I heard they’ve made a mess. Hehe.”

“It’s a good thing, isn’t it? They were guys that the government didn’t care about, but who would have known they would be smashed like that?”

Tang-neung barely suppressed his rising resentment.

They didn’t know the relationship with the Tang Clan, so they could laugh as if they were watching a fire across the river.

“I think you’re mistaken. It doesn’t matter if those guys are fighting each other, but keep in mind that if one force unites them, it could become a disaster in the future.”

But their reaction remained the same.

“Clan Lord, you are too worried. The underworld gangs cannot unite. What is the reason why the power of the underworld is the weakest in the current Murim [martial arts world]? Aren’t they a race that cannot do anything together?”

“That’s right. Even if one force unifies the Sichuan underworld, the remnants will not stand still. Those guys also have a lot of hidden tenacity. Haha.”

Tang-neung’s insides were burning at their nonchalant reaction.