I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 18

Ok Gang-il, whom I met again, couldn’t hide his beaming smile. I wondered how much she had stashed away.

“That bitch really saved up. Judging by her usual appearance, I thought she was spending it all.”

Ok Gang-il collects a tremendous amount of money every day. If he says it’s quite a bit, it’s no ordinary sum.

“Why? Curious how much it is? Want me to tell you?”

“No. It’s not my money anyway, so what’s the point of knowing? It’ll just make me jealous. Forget it.”

Jo Gwang-yun waved his hand dismissively. He didn’t care how much money Ok Gang-il had found; it was just small change compared to what he had.

The hidden assets found by thoroughly searching Yang Cheong’s bedroom: land deeds, house deeds, and even bills from the battlefield [IOUs from gambling debts or other illicit activities]. The real stuff is in my hands.

“More importantly, what about the body disposal? Was it clean?”

“Like that’s a difficult task. Don’t worry. Oh, but you didn’t use a saw, did you? Just stabbed her once with a knife, right?”

“Why bother when I found the money?”

“No, I’m just surprised you weren’t greedier for her money. I thought you’d squeeze her more when I wasn’t around to find something out. But I was surprised there were no signs of torture on the body.”

“I told you, I’m not interested in Yang Cheong’s money. What’s more important is what happens next. When are you going to take care of Wi Dal?”

“Tomorrow.”

I thought he’d waste time looking for an opportunity, but it’s faster than expected. I guess he’s acting faster now that he’s tasted money.

“We need to take care of it before they notice Yang Cheong is gone. There’s a meeting tomorrow. I’ll end it there.”

Ok Gang-il’s confident attitude made it seem like he had something to rely on.

“Wi Dal’s martial arts are higher than yours. Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Even if his martial arts are high, he’s not immune to all poisons.”

“Poison…”

The betrayal of a trusted subordinate brings unavoidable consequences. If the trusted Ok Gang-il pours the drink, Wi Dal will drink it without suspicion. The important thing is what happens after Wi Dal’s death.

“What about taking over the Five Mountains Sect? Wi Dal must have more than one or two loyal subordinates, right?”

“I’m planning to take care of them all at once.”

“Kill them all?”

Jo Gwang-yun frowned when Ok Gang-il nodded. These guys have no sense of economics.

Don’t they ever think about minimizing costs and maximizing effectiveness?

“Why? Does the thought of killing people make you queasy? How will you survive in this world with such a weak mindset?”

Jo Gwang-yun chuckled at the warrior’s gaze towards the weak scholar.

“Just pick out one useless guy. Just make him Wi Dal’s friend in the afterlife. Why kill the guys who are good at fighting?”

“What?”

“Listen carefully. Wi Dal was poisoned by a spy from the Green Blood Sect. That guy put poison in the alcohol.”

Ok Gang-il was speechless for a moment.

“And this is a good excuse to use in the war with the Green Blood Sect that will happen someday. Or are you just killing all the competitors because you’re not confident in taking over your organization?”

Jo Gwang-yun slightly scratched his pride, and he flared up.

“What are you talking about! Once Wi Dal is gone, I’m the master of the Five Mountains Sect! They’ll have to follow me.”

“Then you should keep them alive and use them, why kill them?”

It’s because he didn’t think about it. No, it’s because he didn’t *do* it. It’s because of his simplicity, always looking for easy ways without thinking about minimizing costs.

Jo Gwang-yun didn’t provoke Ok Gang-il any further. He’s a guy who understands, so this much will be enough for him to find the best way.

“Anyway, after taking over the organization tomorrow, let’s have a drink as you said. I’ll finish up the remaining work by tomorrow too.”

“Remaining? What remains?”

“The Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance] people in the escort agency. Do you think they’ll ignore Yang Cheong’s death?”

Ok Gang-il’s face contorted. He had completely forgotten. The fact that Yang Cheong was a worker for the Murim Alliance.

“Are you confident? What if they don’t leave you alone?”

Jo Gwang-yun just smiled without answering.

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door.

“Sir, it’s Jo Gwang-yun.”

“Come in.”

Slowly opening the door and entering the room, Yoo Chu-saeng was sitting with his chin resting on his hand.

The de facto leader of Gyeong-an Escort Agency. In modern terms, he’s the Kaifeng branch manager of the Murim Alliance.

“What’s going on? Is there something you need from me?”

“I have something to report.”

“Is it about that bitch Yang Cheong?”

“Yes, it is.”

Jo Gwang-yun answered politely without being flustered. It wouldn’t be difficult to guess that something had happened since the person who reported every day hadn’t been seen for two days.

Yoo Chu-saeng released his hand and began to glare at Jo Gwang-yun.

“Tell me.”

“While I was investigating the ledger, I discovered that a lot of money was missing.”

“Money is missing?”

“A significant portion of the money collected from the Five Mountains Sect was not delivered to the Murim Alliance and disappeared.”

Yoo Chu-saeng’s face rapidly hardened.

“So?”

“When she realized I had noticed this, she tried to eliminate me.”

“Seeing that you’re still alive, that bitch must be dead. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Oh ho.”

Yoo Chu-saeng’s expression changed. His hardened face relaxed, and he showed great interest.

“With your strength, killing a woman would be a piece of cake. But do you have the confidence to handle the aftermath?”

“If you’re talking about the work Yang Cheong was doing, there’s no problem. I’ll take over and make sure it runs smoothly without change.”

“That’s a given. If there’s any disruption to the work, I’ll kill you in one strike. What I’m talking about is…”

“Are you asking if I recovered the money Yang Cheong embezzled?”

When Jo Gwang-yun took the lead, Yoo Chu-saeng nodded. Jo Gwang-yun untied the bundle he had brought.

“Yang Cheong used most of the embezzled money to buy land and houses. She bought them not only in Kaifeng but also in various parts of Henan Province. This is it.”

Yoo Chu-saeng opened his mouth for the first time.

A pile of documents. They are just pieces of paper now, but if you turn them into gold, it will be a huge amount.

“Of course, there were also silver ingots and silver coins, but they were insignificant, so I handed them over to the Five Mountains Sect. They need to reorganize too.”

Yoo Chu-saeng, who was focused on the documents, didn’t even hear the words silver coins or silver ingots.

“Wait a minute. Is this all Yang Cheong embezzled?”

“Yes.”

Jo Gwang-yun, who answered briefly, closed his mouth for a moment. He thought he should give Yoo Chu-saeng time to calm his surprised heart.

After rummaging through the documents for a while, Yoo Chu-saeng’s face hardened again.

“Good. It’s good that you uncovered Yang Cheong’s corruption, and it’s good that you found all the assets she hid. So, what are you going to do with these assets?”

From Yoo Chu-saeng’s expression and words, Jo Gwang-yun was convinced that his guess was correct.

‘This guy was in on it too.’

Committing corruption, especially on a large scale, always has accomplices.

The accomplice can be a subordinate or a superior. No matter how bold and smart Yang Cheong is, she can’t embezzle such a large amount of money with the sharp-edged Yoo Chu-saeng present.

I don’t know the ratio, but it’s certain that Yoo Chu-saeng received regular kickbacks from Yang Cheong.

Jo Gwang-yun put his hands together and bowed politely.

“Of course, Yoo Dae-in [a respectful title] should handle it.”

“Me?”

“Isn’t Kaifeng under Yoo Dae-in’s jurisdiction? I’m just following Yoo Dae-in’s decision.”

Jo Gwang-yun hoped that Yoo Chu-saeng was quick-witted. If he doesn’t understand the meaning of these words, the conversation will be difficult.

Fortunately, Yoo Chu-saeng was not a simple martial artist. He asked a simple question that revealed his intentions.

“Then let me ask you this. Should we send these assets to the Murim Alliance?”

“That’s also a matter for Yoo Dae-in to decide, but if I may offer my opinion, I think it would be better for Yoo Dae-in to continue managing them.”

“Why?”

“If we send these many assets to the Murim Alliance, we have to explain all the circumstances. The Murim Alliance wouldn’t even know a woman doing odd jobs like Yang Cheong. Besides, even that such a insignificant woman embezzled money. Then wouldn’t the Murim Alliance send people to conduct a thorough investigation or something?”

“Hmm. That’s right. There’s no need to create unnecessary trouble.”

“That’s right. It will only damage Dae-in’s management ability. Also, even if I take over Yang Cheong’s work, it will continue to run smoothly as it does now. I’ll say it again. Just like now, with.out.change.”

Jo Gwang-yun emphasized that there would be no change. He needs to understand that the kickbacks to you will be the same, so you can continue to collect money as you do now.

End