I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 78

< The Shaking Namgung Clan 2 >

As everyone was at a loss, Namgung Hyowon, the third son of Namgung Hyun, approached and whispered.

“Father, how about giving up half of the rice?”

“Half?”

“It’s surplus rice anyway. Are we worried about starving? It’s better than exposing our inner workings and having all that information go to the Azure Dragon Gate, isn’t it?”

Namgung Hyowon was clever and skilled in martial arts, especially his mastery of the Limitless Sword of Azure Sky was superb. However, he was often overshadowed because his older brother, Namgung Hyoshin, was exceptionally skilled.

The third son reminded his hesitant father that there was an even bigger problem.

“Think about the armory. Those guys are looking for any excuse to cause trouble. They say they allow martial artists to possess weapons, but we have too many. If they decide to make an issue of it, we might really be labeled as a rebellious group.”

Namgung Hyun was jolted awake.

The third son’s words made sense, but he also considered something more.

If a hundred people searched the house thoroughly, it would be like revealing the entire layout of the Namgung family’s mansion.

“Everyone, stop.”

Namgung Hyun shouted at the archers who were heading into the house.

As they stopped, Namgung Hyun instructed his family members.

“Give them half of the rice in the storehouse.”

Everyone was startled and protested.

“Brother!”

“Father!”

“Lord!”

It wasn’t because they were stingy with the rice, but because of the shame of yielding to lowly soldiers.

However, Namgung Hyun ignored his family and said to the archers.

“If you demand more, I’m willing to kill you all here and fight the three thousand cavalry of Anhui Province. What do you say? Do you need anything else?”

The hundred archers flinched at the aura that seemed to emanate from him. Even seasoned soldiers who had faced life and death found it hard to withstand the internal energy [qi] exuded by a master.

“Well, we’ll gladly accept it since it saves us some trouble.”

The commander shouted to the archers.

“Everyone, bring the carts from outside.”

As the archers brought in the carts, Namgung Hyun chuckled. Just looking at the number of carts, it was clear that their goal wasn’t just the rice.

“Will you only fill those carts? Or will you take half?”

Namgung Hyun said jokingly.

“What?”

“Think carefully. Half of the rice in our storehouse might not fill those carts. So choose: half of the storehouse, or filling the carts?”

The commander gritted his teeth.

“Is official business a gamble? Do you think we’re playing around?”

The commander shouted at the archers.

“Take exactly half. If the carts aren’t enough, go back and forth a hundred or a thousand times. Understand!”

“Yes, sir!”

The archers ran to the storehouse with the carts.

The commander bowed slightly to Namgung Hyun.

“We’ll use it well as military provisions for Anhui Province. If you think of it as doing a good deed, it won’t sting so much. Hehe.”

Namgung Hyun smiled at the commander and said.

“You’re good at improvising and have a bold spirit. I’ve also seen how skillfully you handle your subordinates and how you never cross the line. If the Namgung family is still standing after this war… no, this fight, come find me anytime. Wouldn’t I be able to take you in?”

The commander of the archers spat.

“Old man, just because you’re a big shot in the martial world doesn’t mean you should get the wrong idea. This country belongs to the Emperor, and officials govern it. Even I, whom you look down on, hold the title of commander, albeit with only fifty soldiers under my command. Who’s taking in whom? You’re just a commoner.”

The commander left the dumbfounded Namgung Hyun behind and strode towards the storehouse.

* * *

A group of about twenty people wearing black clothes and masks moved quickly. In the distance, the Namgung family estate was brightly lit like daytime.

“Those stupid bastards. They’re practically begging me to kill them. Don’t they have any archers in their ranks?”

“I know, right? If they’re going to light up the place, they should light up the outer walls. They’re practically singing, ‘Shoot here!'”

That was the difference between martial artists and soldiers. Martial artists glared at each other and clashed swords. Long-range weapons like bows didn’t even register in the minds of martial artists.

“Everyone knows their positions, right? Shoot the arrows at the places we scouted during the day. Let’s finish quickly and return. My first shot is the signal. Move.”

The twenty or so black-clad figures disappeared into the darkness.

A light caught the eye of a night guard of the Namgung family. His curiosity quickly vanished as dozens of fireballs following behind revealed what it was.

“Attack!!”

“Fire arrows!”

Immediately, a loud bell rang out. As if most hadn’t been able to sleep, people of the Namgung family rushed out of the mansion with swords in hand.

“Have you put out the fires?”

“There was nothing to put out. Most of them landed on the tile roofs, and a few dozen were stuck in the pillars, but we put them out quickly.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“Who would get hit by a fire arrow flying at them? It’s all clearly visible.”

Despite all the fuss, it wasn’t a big deal. About a hundred fire arrows flew into the house at night. There were some minor fires, but they were easily extinguished. In the end, it was just a commotion.

The only damage was that everyone in the family had their sleep disturbed.

Namgung Hyun clutched his head.

It must have been those guys who took a lot of rice during the day.

The third son’s guess was correct. They had grasped the layout of the house and shot the arrows exactly where they wanted. And he knew their purpose.

“Aren’t these guys complete gangsters? They’re supposed to be martial artists, but they’re borrowing the power of government troops and shooting arrows… I’m ashamed that we once shared a pot in the Martial Alliance [a governing body for martial arts clans].”

Namgung Hyoshin was fuming, as if he would rush out at any moment.

“This is a threat.”

Everyone looked at Namgung Hyun in surprise.

“If we start a fight, they’ll burn the house down first. Regardless of victory or defeat, this place will become a sea of fire.”

“No way? They’re not some bandits. The Azure Dragon Gate is known as a righteous sect in the martial world, surely not?”

One of his brothers widened his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Are you still not getting it? Is there no one in this family who can think?”

Namgung Hyun had been increasingly irritable lately. Getting angry a lot in old age wasn’t good for his health, but he couldn’t help it.

“Those guys don’t care about the reputation of the martial world. Do you know why? It’s because they’re willing to die with us. What’s the point of reputation after death? They intend to trample on our Namgung family with the determination to die. Bandits would be better.”

Even if they waved the flag of victory above the ruined estate, they would only hear ridicule from the world. He had to come up with a plan, but the tide was turning against them.

“Father, I’m still concerned about what those guys said during the day.”

The third son, Namgung Hyowon, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Everyone remembers, right? The three thousand cavalry of Anhui Province…”

Some almost stopped breathing. They could still vividly hear that guy’s voice.

If three thousand heavily armed cavalrymen stormed into the house, it would be devastated, just as he said.

However, Namgung Hyun shook his head.

“No matter how great the authority of the Provincial Military Commissioner is, he can’t mobilize three thousand cavalry for personal matters. He can make excuses for a hundred government soldiers disappearing, but the movement of three thousand can’t be hidden. If someone reports it to the central government, the Provincial Military Commissioner is finished that day. Even if Jo Gwangyun offered him billions in bribes, he couldn’t do it.”

“That’s a great relief then.”

Seeing the family members somewhat relieved, his heart ached. Although it was less than three thousand cavalry, the arrows fired by a hundred archers could also turn this place into ruins.

With a long sigh, Namgung Hyun made up his mind and said.

“I will cut down anyone who objects to what I’m about to say.”

At the Lord’s stern order, everyone closed their mouths and only opened their ears.

“Send a messenger to the Azure Dragon Gate. I will secretly meet with that Jo Gwangyun.”

Everyone’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

To think that the Lord of the great Namgung family had to endure the humiliation of asking to meet with a mere merchant.

After a long silence, Namgung Hyowon couldn’t stand it any longer and opened his mouth.

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask for mediation from the Martial Alliance? No matter how eccentric the Azure Dragon Gate is, surely they wouldn’t refuse mediation from the Martial Alliance?”

“It’s useless.”

Namgung Hyun said immediately, as if it wasn’t worth considering.

“They’re just a bunch of guys who want our strength to be halved. The Nine Sects, the Murong family, maybe even the Sichuan Tang Clan secretly wish for it. Think about it. Not a single one of them has come to Mount Huang since things got to this point.”

Even the beggars who used to be so common had disappeared.

“They don’t want to know our current situation. If they directly see that we need help and turn a blind eye, it would be abandoning righteousness. They’re trying to avoid that.”

Namgung Hyun let out a long sigh.

“This is a hardship we have to overcome with our own strength. Don’t be ashamed of humiliation. We have to be able to do even worse.”

Since the Lord was enduring humiliation, everyone couldn’t raise their heads.

* * *

“Lord, a letter has arrived from the Namgung family.”

“A letter?”

Jo Gwangyun was certain it was a letter desiring reconciliation.

“Yes. They delivered it to several inns, asking that it be handed directly to you.”

“Was it a martial artist?”

“No. It was a family servant.”

Tearing open the seal and examining the contents, his expectations were correct. Moreover, it was in Namgung Hyun’s own handwriting.

By applying pressure from both inside and outside, even the seemingly steadfast Namgung family was finally shaking.

Especially after realizing the meaning of last night’s fire arrows, they probably couldn’t sleep soundly.

The archers had played their role perfectly. As a bonus, they had brought out a huge amount of rice, which was sent directly to Hefei. The Provincial Military Commissioner would be happy, saying it wasn’t a losing deal to secure so much military grain with just a hundred archers.

Now, Jo Gwangyun also had to make a profitable deal.

“Gu Seung.”

“Yes.”

“Summon Da Gyeom.”

Da Gyeom, who had brought ten experts from the Silent Path Society, was constantly excited. He had never experienced a large-scale war of this magnitude, so his martial spirit was burning.

“You summoned me, Lord?”

“Those martial artists you brought. If they fought Namgung Hyoshin, what are their chances of winning?”

“With the cooperation of ten people? It’s more than enough.”

The general assessment was that Namgung Hyun’s martial arts didn’t surpass Namgung Hyoshin. Being with them would ensure minimal safety in the meeting with Namgung Hyun.

Jo Gwangyun handed Namgung Hyun’s letter to Da Gyeom.

“Take a look.”

After confirming the letter, Da Gyeom showed signs of unease.

“You’re going to meet him?”

“It would be ridiculous to avoid it.”

“Lord, if Namgung Hyun is sitting across from you at a table and makes a move, it’s difficult to guarantee your safety. Is there a need to deliberately put yourself in danger?”

“He’s not the kind of gangster who would try to harm me while requesting reconciliation. And he knows that if he kills me, he’ll die too. That old man is too anxious to do that, right? If he dies, there will be no one to command this fight.”

“Understood. Then I’ll prepare.”

“Just in case, tell them to cover their faces with veils. If it’s revealed that they’re experts from the Silent Path Society, the Namgung family’s claims will be justified, and we’ll lose our justification.”

“I will do so. Please be careful, very careful.”

Jo Gwangyun called Gu Seung again to prepare for the meeting.

“Rent an entire brothel. And fill it with the strongest members of the Hana Association [a group of skilled fighters]. I will meet Namgung Hyun there.”

Gu Seung frowned. He was uneasy, but he didn’t object.

“I will prepare immediately.”

Jo Gwangyun’s heart was pounding, not because of the danger, but because this fight, which had only been showing losses, was finally about to turn a profit.

After the meeting, Namgung Hyun would realize that he couldn’t avoid the destruction of his family and would prepare for the aftermath.

He was certain that the first step in that preparation would be to move the family’s assets to a safe place.

< The Shaking Namgung Clan 2 > End