Chapter 156: The Market Disrupter (3)

The backyard of Wolf Fang Squad’s barracks.

A child was crouching in front of a tiger the size of a house with a serious expression.

“Dalong, I think we’ll be rich now.”

In So-so’s right hand, he was holding a hermit.

I felt like I had the whole world. With his left hand, he continued to stroke the Mountain Lord’s chin.

“What do you want to eat? My sister will buy everything for you.”

At that time, a shout was heard next to me. It was Il-gwang, the man with the largest physique in the corps.

“Did you exchange money?”

“I changed it now. Here’s a hermit!”

At that time, the Mountain Lord glared at Il-gwang and purred fiercely.

“What? Let’s get together again?”

As if it understood what he was saying, its huge front paw gestured for me to come closer.

“Stay still, Darong. He’s my uncle.”

The Mountain Lord sits down without hesitation. Il-gwang smiled for a while while looking at that and then spoke.

“My nephew, aren’t you going to Snow Flower Garden today?”

“why?”

However, Il-gwang suddenly picked up his nephew and placed him on his shoulder.

“Uncle will take you there.”

“I don’t want to go today.”

“We should go quickly. Our friends are waiting for us now.”

So-so asked from above his shoulder with her eyes wide open.

“You’re lying, right?”

“It’s true. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so everyone is making mooncakes right now.”

“How does uncle know?”

Il-gwang kept her mouth shut. All of a sudden, I was just running towards somewhere.

The place we arrived a little while later was one of the palace’s kitchens.

About two hundred children were lined up kneading flour. Next to him, a woman wearing an apron was moving frantically. It was Yeon Cho-hee, who was in charge of the peace squad.

The children who discovered Il-gwang laughed brightly and shouted.

“It’s Mr. Il-gwang!”

“Uncle, I missed you!”

Il-gwang smiled sheepishly and put down So-so. Then he scratched his head and approached Cho-hee.

“My nephew begged me to take him there. You’re not in the way, are you?”

“No. The kids like it too. But what about training today…”

“Today is a holiday, so the training center is closed. I have some time left.”

“Ah… I see. Then, could you please watch the kids make moon cakes…”

Cho-hee was short of even ten hands. I was in a situation where I had to take care of over 200 children alone.

Il-gwang reflexively rolled up his sleeves.

“Haha! Of course I have to help. Aren’t they all like my babies?”

Meanwhile, So-so, who was left at the entrance, had his mouth sticking out. As expected, he was left behind from the moment he arrived.

“I knew it would be like this.”

At that time, two children came closer.

“So-so is here.”

“Sister, do you want to make mooncakes with me?”

Children of Chief Baekyak who surrendered in the State of Hui. It was Baeksang and Baekah.

When he saw the children welcoming him, So-so’s face immediately brightened.

“Really? I’m good at cooking. My father was a chef too.”

“really?”

“Yes, hehe.”

So-so, who was caught unexpectedly, made moon cakes until evening.

When he returned to the barracks, he was carrying a box larger than his body on his head.

The door opened and So-so’s booming voice caught everyone’s attention.

“What are you doing, uncles? So-so made mooncakes!”

The resting crew asked in confusion.

“Huh? You made it?”

“So, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, right?”

So-so put down the box containing the mooncakes at the entrance and grinned.

“It’s just one coin. Hehehe.”

The crew members had not yet had dinner. Naturally, their reaction was explosive.

“This is a mooncake made by So-so, of course I have to try it. Give me one too!”

“I have three!”

“It’s been a while, should I give my nephew some pocket money?”

So-so was excited and started delivering with a bright smile.

The mooncake flying from the entrance went right in front of the uncles’ noses. Surprise appeared on the faces of Wolf Fang Squad’s crew as they skillfully caught it and tasted it.

“It’s delicious, right?”

“It’s pretty good? Give me one more!”

The moon cakes I made were gone in an instant. And So-so, who received plenty of pocket money, was all ears.

“Uncles, I’m going somewhere!”

Hyeonjeong, a member of the Mount Hua Sect, asked without even being able to swallow the mooncake in her mouth.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to change into a hermit!”

So-so, who had disappeared, came back half an hour later. And in her hands were two hermits. The wealth doubled in one day.

It felt like I was already rich. I felt like I was flying.

Since there was no duty for Sunlagun until the next day, So-so woke up after a good night’s sleep.

As soon as I opened my eyes, the place I went to was Taewoong’s room. Because I was very curious about how much Eunja had risen.

I went to the clerk I met yesterday and asked.

“Mister, how much did Eunja rise today?”

Unlike yesterday, the clerk’s complexion looked a little dark.

“I fell a bit far today. That’s strange. I’ve never had anything like this before.”

“How much is it?”

“Today’s price is 207 taels. It has fallen to the lower limit.”

So-so stumbled a step.

“…Really?”

“We can’t lie about the market price. If we do, we’ll get caught by the officials right away.”

I couldn’t even calculate how much I lost each day.

So-so quickly ran to Wolf Fang Squad’s barracks. Some of my uncles were still sleeping.

“Uncle Il-gwang! What should I do?”

Il-gwang, who was lying down, was confused when he saw So-so with tears in her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s 207 taels! 207 taels….”

So-so grabbed Il-gwang with both hands and shook him.

“Don’t worry. It’s gone up so much recently that it’s time to take a break. It will definitely go up tomorrow.”

“…Really?”

“I said I was sure.”

Il-gwang took out two eunjas from her pocket and handed them to So-so.

“I’ll lend you a coin for 200 taels each. I think I changed it to a cheaper price today. I invest actively when the price goes down like now.”

“Then if it’s two taels… the total is 4 taels?”

So-so now owns four taels, including the silver coins he exchanged yesterday. Four silver coins in one day.

It seemed like he couldn’t believe her eyes moving back and forth.

“Yes. Now that it’s four taels, that means the profits will double.”

So-so was happy to hug Il-gwang’s waist.

“Hehe. Of course, Uncle Il-gwang is the best.”

Il-gwang grabbed So-so’s waist with one hand and lifted her up. Then he placed it on his arm and closed her eyes.

“Uncle, you need to sleep more. Don’t worry, you can sleep too.”

So-so, lying on Il-gwang’s arm, kept giggling about what was good.

The day passed by with great anticipation.

So-mu did not return that day either. No one thought it was strange since he said he wouldn’t be coming for a few days.

And the next morning.

Kwaang-!

The barracks door burst open and there was a commotion.

At the entrance, So-so was in tore.

“It’s one hundred and eighty-six taels. All my money is gone. Hehe….”

Il-gwang rolled over on his side and muttered.

“I told you not to worry. If you endure, it will definitely go up.”

Since the hermit was four taels, the loss was not ordinary. Even the members of Wolf Fang Squad felt burdened. Nevertheless, Il-gwang had a firm belief.

Not yet.

The next day, 170 taels. And the next day it was one hundred and fifty-three taels.

Day by day, we continued to be pushed to the lower limit. No one could figure out why.

So-so snooped around Taewoong’s room several times a day. Because I was anxious.

And it was around this time that the investment amount was reduced by about half.

“Move quickly!”

“Open the door first!”

It was a sound that came from the entrance of Taewoong’s room. The workers were moving boxes inside.

A fat middle-aged man came in behind them, holding his back. Luxurious silk clothes, precious jewels around the neck, and even a bodyguard of unknown status. It was the appearance of a wealthy person that was rarely seen even in Hanzhong.

When he arrived, even the branch Commander showed up.

“It’s only 3,000 taels. Please exchange it all for banknotes.”

So-so, who was watching, opened his mouth wide at the sound of 3,000 taels.

At that time, the clerk folded her waist like a shrimp and guided me very carefully.

“Are you here, My Lord? There is no one willing to buy silver even at the lower limit, so additional transactions are not possible today.”

“Just set it as a standby quantity at the lower limit. If there are no buyers, it will close.”

So-so watched for a moment and then rolled his head. I couldn’t understand why people exchanged so much when silver was so cheap.

Then, I remembered a story that Uncle Il-gwang had told me. If there were more people selling silver, the price went down further.

So-so walked towards the fat middle-aged man.

“mister!”

“Why? Why is the kid here?”

“Uncle, if you exchange too much at once like this… it’s against the rules!”

“Ha. I’m sorry. I’ve been hearing all sorts of things from this kid since morning. Get out of the way quickly before you get hit.”

A chubby hand comparable to a pig’s trotter pushed So-so’s back.

But who was So-so? When he didn’t budge, anger appeared on his face.

“How? Can you hold on?”

“Why are you pushing me?”

The middle-aged man seemed to feel ashamed that he was even arguing with the kid. The eyes buried in the thick flesh stared at the branch leader.

“What’s wrong with the water in Taewoong’s room these days? Don’t let this little boy come in here from now on! Otherwise, I’ll move him to another battlefield. Understood?”

“Yes, of course, My Lord. We will serve you without any inconvenience in the future, so please only deal with us.”

The branch Commander glanced at one of the clerks.

He was a person who was close to So-so. He approached So-so with a sad face and whispered in his ear.

“Baby. These guys are scary, so don’t come here again. Okay? Instead, if I see you on the street later, I’ll buy you something delicious.”

So-so was so angry. It was the first time I experienced a wedding banquet in my life.

As soon as I left Taewoong’s room, I kicked a rolling rock.

Kwaang-!

About twenty stones flew and punctured a hole in the wall of a certain palace.

“Ssi….”

So-so had a grumpy face on his face.

It was time to go to Master. The steps heading there were heavy.

***

Seolhwa was waiting for So-so as usual.

“It’s a little late today. I have to start right away if I want to finish in the morning.”

“Yes, Master.”

Seolhwa started to bounce the line of Seven String Zither first.

The ensemble always started with Haesimso , which puts the mind at ease. Soon So-so struck the note by playing the flute.

It was less than half an hour since the ensemble started. Suddenly, Seolhwa’s hand stopped.

“You sound uneasy. Did something bad happen?”

“……no.”

It was not a tale that could not have been noticed as strange.

Doesn’t he look like he has lost the whole world?

“Shall we take a little rest?”

“……yes.”

So-so put down the flute and went out.

Yeon Sung-hwa rested his chin and looked worried.

There was definitely something there. However, I couldn’t help you if you didn’t talk about it.

It was around the time when I was worried.

Suddenly, a loud roar started coming out like a thunderbolt from in front of the door. The roar of a lion that shook the entire mountain.

Wow!!!

Landslides began to occur everywhere. The entire residence shook so violently that it seemed as if it would collapse.

Kukukukukung-!

Seolhwa could not close her mouth.

‘This can’t be happening…’ … . ‘Dragon Fighter Lion’s Roar reached the eight stars?’

He thought that he would need to practice for at least one more year to reached the Eight Stars.

But how can I break through the Seven Stars and reached the Eight Stars so quickly? It was an absolutely unbelievable situation.

If she could go up just two more levels, she would be able to play Jinilsimsogok, which was her dream.

The angry roar extended like an echo in a radius of thirty miles.

Seolhwa seemed quite surprised and had a blank face for a while.

At that time, So-so was coming back inside. His shoulders were still slumped, but his face seemed to have brightened slightly.

“…Master will help you, so would you like to tell me what’s going on?”

So-so thought about it for a while and decided to just tell it. This means that the price of silver coins that have been exchanged for money was plummeting.

He also told me about what happened in Taewoong’s room a little while ago. Because I was so angry.

When the story was over, the smile completely disappeared from Seon Hwa’s face.

“It seems that there are some bad guys who are manipulating prices and disrupting the market.”

“Yes, that’s right. They are bad people.”

“Those who believe in the power of capital and run wild are destined to suffer in the same way. Don’t worry and forget about it for the time being. Abnormality will always return to normal.”

Unlike Il-gwang’s words, So-so firmly believed Master’s words. His face brightened slightly, as if he was reassured by her words.

“Yes, Master.”

“I guess that’s all we’ll do with today’s ensemble. Take a break.”

Seolhwa sent So-so back first.

I looked at the sky through the open door for a while.

It was after 10 minutes that she stood up from her seat.

“…How dare you ignore my student?”

Seomseom Oksu fiddled with the corner of the study. Then something surprising happened.

Druddeuddeuk-!

The engine was activated and a small space began to appear through the gap in the study.