I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 79

< The Shaking Namgung Clan 3 >

With the exception of ten seats, the entire establishment was occupied by masters from Hana-hoe, waiting. Of course, many warriors were also on guard outside the establishment.

Jo Gwang-yun couldn’t hide his tension and downed a couple of shots of strong liquor.

This meeting isn’t for reconciliation.

The goal is to instill even more fear in Namgung Hyun. Only then will he divert his assets.

A commotion was heard from outside the establishment. He had arrived.

As Namgung Hyun entered the establishment, everyone’s eyes turned to him. He looked at the warriors filling the space and let out a burst of incredulous laughter.

Jo Gwang-yun rose from his seat and bowed slightly, and Namgung Hyun approached.

“Are you Jo Gwang-yun?”

“Greetings. I am Jo Gwang-yun.”

“Formidable. I asked to meet alone.”

Namgung Hyun scanned the establishment and sat down.

“I trust you’ll understand. I am quite timid.”

“So you rented this entire establishment? Are all those seated here members of the Azure Dragon Gate?”

“That is correct.”

A strange light flickered in Namgung Hyun’s eyes. *This is definitely not the Azure Dragon Gate*. *There’s no way the Azure Dragon Gate could display this level of force*. They are clearly another power. Especially the ten men subtly surrounding him; he felt it would be impossible to deal with them all at once.

“You’ve prepared well. If I were to kill you here, I wouldn’t be able to leave alive either.”

The moment Namgung Hyun made a move, the ten surrounding blades would fly at him, and it would be difficult to evade them all.

“I believe you are not the type to resort to such cowardly tactics.”

“Conversely, you could kill me as well. Well, I won’t argue. I’m the one in a more difficult position.”

Jo Gwang-yun could not say, ‘I can’t kill you yet; I haven’t secured the Namgung family’s assets,’ so he just smiled.

Before Namgung Hyun could even take a sip of water, Jo Gwang-yun got straight to the point.

“You said you had something urgent to discuss?”

“You must already suspect, so I won’t beat around the bush. Stop this.”

“Hahaha.”

Namgung Hyun frowned at Jo Gwang-yun’s laughter. This laughter was the answer. Reconciliation seemed unlikely.

“Ah, I apologize. I had some hope. Do you think it’s possible? I made quite a loud declaration at the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance, a governing body for martial arts clans], and if I stop here, I’ll have to leave the Jianghu [the martial arts world]. It would be too embarrassing.”

“Name what you want. I’ll grant anything. I can even build a hut next to Head Im’s grave and atone for three or five years.”

“Why would you do something like that? It would only attract attention. It wouldn’t benefit either side, except, of course, the Namgung family could avoid war, which is a great advantage.”

Namgung Hyun remained unshaken by the young man’s mocking tone. Even if he had to endure some humiliation, he had more important matters to accomplish now.

“We won’t deny that we killed three young disciples of the Azure Dragon Gate. But for the death of just three disciples, the Head committed suicide and started an all-out war. It doesn’t make sense. It’s as if you were lying in wait for an opportunity. What is the real reason for all this?”

Jo Gwang-yun’s eyebrows twitched at Namgung Hyun’s words. At least on the surface, Head Im Bon-jae’s death was the sole reason for the war.

But Namgung Hyun knew that wasn’t the reason and was asking. *The old man is cunning*. Jo Gwang-yun didn’t give an obvious answer either.

If they were going to ask the Namgung family to take responsibility for the Head’s death, there were several ways the Namgung family could do so. If the condition was sacrificing the eldest son, Namgung Hyo-shin, the Azure Dragon Gate would have to back down.

If someone died as compensation for the death of one person, the justification for the war would disappear.

“Do you really need to ask? The reason one faction attacks a stronger faction is obvious, isn’t it? Expansion of power.”

Namgung Hyun was taken aback by Jo Gwang-yun’s purpose.

“Expansion? Are you serious? If this fight with us ends, the Azure Dragon Gate won’t be unscathed either. Expansion? Don’t be absurd!”

“The Azure Dragon Gate will not be destroyed.”

“Arrogance invites disaster.”

“Arrogance? It’s confidence… You don’t understand.”

Jo Gwang-yun took a sip of wine and continued.

“Right now, a thousand of our brothers are gathered in your front yard, Hwangshan [Yellow Mountain, a mountain range in China]. I don’t know how many will return, but they are all prepared to die. I think a thousand lives can be exchanged for two hundred Namgung family lives… Oh, I gave some money to the Namgung family’s hired warriors and sent most of them back. I’m curious, how many are left?”

Namgung Hyun didn’t mention that less than fifty remained.

“How can a faction with no disciples left expand its power? Don’t play with words.”

“When I first met the Azure Dragon Gate, there were less than fifty disciples. I was just running a security agency. But what about now? We’ve grown into a faction about to fight the Namgung family, the strongest in the orthodox faction. Now we have fame and a lot of money.”

Jo Gwang-yun looked around at the warriors in the establishment and said.

“If I and the brothers in this room are all it takes, there’s no problem. As you may have noticed, the warriors in this room are the true power of the Azure Dragon Gate. There are five hundred of these men. That’s the true power I believe in. Aren’t you underestimating us too much?”

*Not quite five hundred, but isn’t exaggeration commonplace among Jianghu people?*

That there were five hundred such men exuding murderous intent was beyond Namgung Hyun’s expectations. Even the seasoned Namgung Hyun couldn’t hide his surprise.

As Jo Gwang-yun said, he knew they had enough power to show confidence, not arrogance.

“Are you really going to drive a thousand lives to their deaths believing only in these men? Do you have that much nerve? A thousand lives. Do you think you can bear the weight of a thousand lives?”

“Hahaha. Oh, my.”

Jo Gwang-yun laughed so hard that his head tilted back.

“What weight do people’s lives have? Corpses, maybe. A thousand corpses can just be buried in a pit.”

He spoke of a thousand lives so casually, but it didn’t sound like a bluff.

Namgung Hyun felt that the power of the Azure Dragon Gate wasn’t the elite in this room, but the young man before him who lightly brushed off even the weight of a thousand lives.

It was beyond his imagination.

“Hey. Are people’s lives like flies? How can you utter such outrageous words?”

Jo Gwang-yun retorted to Namgung Hyun, who continued to appeal to his morality.

“Elder. Do you know how many people die every day under this vast Jungwon [Central Plains, often used to refer to China] sky? Like flies? Shall we make a bet? Which dies more, flies or people? I’ll bet the entire Jo family fortune that far more people die than flies.”

At Jo Gwang-yun’s resolute words, Namgung Hyun realized that the chances of winning this fight were slim. He cherished his bloodline, while this man thought of a thousand lives as flies; their starting points were different.

Since there was no way to persuade him further, Namgung Hyun struggled to his feet. Without a word, Namgung Hyun slowly left the establishment, his shoulders slumped and his steps heavy.

Seeing Namgung Hyun’s retreating figure, the corners of Jo Gwang-yun’s lips turned up. He would likely send word to the Continental Battlefield by tonight at the latest.

Now it depended on the size of the fear. The greater the thought that the main family would be ruined, the more he would divert everything of value. Namgung Hyun was clever, so he would consider all possibilities. The more thoughts, the greater the future worries.

Just how much wealth does the Namgung family have?

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun secretly summoned Hwang Yu, the branch manager of the Continental Battlefield.

Despite having made a fortune, he was still dressed modestly. When unexpected riches come in, the instinct is to buy silk clothes like modern people buy luxury cars, but he was a wise man who suppressed his desires well.

“They will probably contact you from the Namgung family today.”

“Ah, is that so?”

His expression changed slightly, showing some tension.

“Namgung Hyun will entrust not only silver and gold but also things that burn easily. Like land documents.”

“Yes. I’ve also heard rumors of fire arrows being shot. Was that also the Head of the family…?”

“Yes. That way, they’ll entrust all the valuable things.”

Hwang Yu was amazed by Jo Gwang-yun’s meticulousness.

“Do this. In addition to money and land documents, subtly suggest that they also store easily damaged items such as paintings, scrolls, and ceramics. Oh, and be sure to tell them to entrust the family genealogy as well.”

“The genealogy? That’s not very valuable, is it?”

“The genealogy is only valuable to the Namgung family, isn’t it? That way, they won’t be suspicious. You have to make the Continental Battlefield think that you understand the customer’s heart.”

Hwang Yu, as a fellow merchant, was quite shocked. He had never once thought of capturing the customer’s heart. He thought this attitude was the driving force behind the growth of the Jo family.

“And since there will be many items, if they ask for a receipt, tell them that you will move the items to a safe place and then accurately prepare it and bring it back. It will be difficult to do it on the spot anyway.”

“That makes sense. But perhaps…?”

Jo Gwang-yun realized what Hwang Yu couldn’t say.

“No. A receipt must be prepared. Even for our management.”

“Ah, I understand.”

He called out to Hwang Yu, who was about to bow and leave.

“Branch Manager.”

“Yes.”

“Have you heard any secret stories about the Namgung family?”

“Secret stories?”

“Aren’t the customers who visit the Continental Battlefield basically wealthy people or influential figures like high-ranking officials in this area? Then there must be many secret stories circulating in their world…”

Hwang Yu thought for a moment and clapped his knee.

“Ah, there is one. This isn’t a story I heard here, but it came from the Continental Battlefield in Hefei.”

“Hefei? Isn’t that a provincial capital?”

“Yes. It’s the most developed place in Anhui Province, so there are many top-notch establishments.”

*Suddenly, establishments?*

“Does the Namgung family run an establishment in Hefei?”

“Not that… There’s a rumor that Elder Namgung Hyun favored a very young courtesan and even brought her into his home.”

*He was an old man over seventy, but his body was trained in martial arts, so he would have much more vigorous stamina than most young men.*

If he was a rich, powerful, and famous man, it was natural to be fond of women; it was nothing new.

“If it’s an old man like Namgung Hyun, he must have more than one or two concubines. It’s not that new.”

Hwang Yu hurriedly waved his hand and said.

“The thing is, that courtesan was an incredibly beautiful woman. She was young, but already mature and a fully bloomed flower.”

“How old is she?”

Jo Gwang-yun, being a man, couldn’t hide his curiosity at the mention of a young and pretty woman.

“Fourteen? Fifteen?”

*Some children grow up fast and can be mature enough at that age.*

“Anyway, her beauty is said to be comparable to that of Xi Shi of Wu [one of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China], a beauty that could topple a nation. The wealthy men of Hefei were drooling over her, but the governor and the military commissioner, the absolute powers of Anhui Province, fought over her, so they gave up.”

“Even the military commissioner?”

Was the reason the military commissioner cooperated so easily perhaps because of a woman?

“Well… it’s all rumors.”

“And Namgung Hyun took that courtesan?”

“That’s also a rumor. The people at the establishment say she eloped… Would they have managed such a beauty so carelessly that she could elope? Only the Namgung family can keep their mouths shut. If necessary, they might kill her without anyone knowing…”

A beauty that could topple a nation…

If she was a beauty that could truly topple a nation as the rumors said, she was the Namgung family’s most valuable asset.

Jo Gwang-yun wanted to see for himself just how beautiful a beauty that could topple a nation, which he had only seen in books, really was.

A beautiful woman has many uses. If she is a beauty that could topple a nation, she can be used for very big things.

< The Shaking Namgung Clan 3 > End