Chapter 169: Chapter 169

“What?! The manor is intact?”

“Y… Yes…”

Du Ak-chil also could not believe the situation.

He had placed the request with none other than the Assassination Hall.

He had even paid an enormous sum of money to have it resolved as quickly as possible, so the Assassination Hall must have moved swiftly.

Yet, the manor was intact, and there were still people inside.

How on earth was he supposed to explain this?

“Did those Assassination Hall bastards not move at all?”

“T… That is…”

“That is? What!”

“They have disappeared.”

“What?”

Chu Mun-won stared at Du Ak-chil with a blank expression.

They were not just some random riffraff, but the Assassination Hall had received the request and disappeared?

He did not know whether he was supposed to believe this, or if it was a joke to make him laugh.

“They, they have really disappeared. The tavern in Changsha that served as their headquarters was blown away without a trace, and there was not even a sign of anyone nearby.”

“Sigh…”

“And…”

“What?”

“The Beggars Sect and the Lower District Sect have refused to provide any more information on the Hunan Dan Family.”

“What!?”

“The rogue cultivators are the same.”

Chu Mun-won let out a hollow laugh because it was so absurd.

The Beggars Sect and the Lower District Sect refused to sell information.

Who were the ones who gave the most bribe money to the Beggars Sect in this Changsha?

It was none other than the Chu Mun Family.

That was why they could afford to eat and live without begging like the beggars of other branches.

‘Yet, these damn bastards dare to betray me? And even the Lower District Sect, who cannot resist money?’

The rogue cultivators were inherently self-indulgent, so he could let them slide, but if these two organizations refused to give information, there was definitely a reason for it.

What on earth could it be?

“Is it the work of the Hunan Dan Family?”

“We cannot say for sure, but…”

“Their sudden change of attitude is strange… It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

Chu Mun-won narrowed his eyes.

He did not care about the other places, but the disappearance of the Assassination Hall weighed most heavily on his mind.

“What about the leader of the Hunan Merchant Alliance?”

“He is already in contact with the Gold Ring Merchant Alliance.”

“Tell him to stir things up. To do as he pleases… Tell him not to worry because we will support him from here.”

“I understand.”

Du Ak-chil bowed his head and went outside.

Chu Mun-won, who had been watching his departing figure for a long time, clicked his tongue.

“What a useless fellow…”

Du Ak-chil was someone who had worked for the Chu Mun Family for a very long time.

However, seeing him unable to handle a single task cleanly like this, it seemed that his ability had already reached its limit.

‘I must deal with him soon.’

He clicked his tongue once more and turned his head.

“What do you think?”

-Are you asking me?

“Is there anyone else but you?”

-Hmph… I have never thought deeply about the things you people do.

“Even so, since I am funding you, shouldn’t you provide some level of help?”

-I am doing what needs to be done.

“Hmm… Indeed. But you might have to move in person soon.”

At Chu Mun-won’s words, the man, whose location was unknown, did not reply. But that alone was enough for Chu Mun-won. Since he could make a fellow who had not even earned his keep properly move, it was worth the money.

Clicking his tongue again, he sank his body into the chair.

“Who on earth is it… If they have any brains, they wouldn’t pick a fight with the Chu Mun Family…”

The name of the Hunan Dan Family rose in his mind as a headache.

* * *

Geum Eun-hak, the leader of the Gold Ring Merchant Alliance, could not easily calm his pounding heart. Except for when he met Dan Woo-hyun again, it felt like his heart had never fluttered as much as it did today in his entire life.

“Ahem!”

He raised his head at the sound of a cough.

In front of his eyes stood a fat man.

It seemed more accurate to describe his massive body as fat rather than sturdy, and perhaps due to the flesh, his jawline was not visible, and his eyes were buried in flesh, making them very narrow.

The name of this man, who did not look to be in a very good state at first glance, was Mak Chung-heon.

He was the leader of the Hunan Merchant Alliance and the man who controlled the commerce of Hunan.

‘Calm down, Geum Eun-hak! You are not the person you used to be.’

Geum Eun-hak controlled his breathing several times.

Even so, he could not help but tremble. Because at one time, Mak Chung-heon was someone in a high position that Geum Eun-hak could not even reach out to touch.

“What brings Leader Mak to a place like this?”

“Ahem! It has been a long time.”

Mak Chung-heon looked down at Geum Eun-hak with a arrogant gaze.

Since he was once a existence less than a bug, even if he had grown by selling liquor, that gaze would not easily change.

“Hahaha, indeed… It seems like we are meeting after about twenty years.”

Geum Eun-hak smiled silently, thinking of the past.

In the days when he really had no money, he had once gone to the Hunan Merchant Alliance to get even a little bit of work.

Even though he was turned away at the gate, thinking of his starving family, Geum Eun-hak knelt and sat in front of the main gate for three days.

He remembered it was a very cold winter day.

Geum Eun-hak almost froze to death, but in the end, Mak Chung-heon thought highly of his spirit and gave him a few jobs. They were only chores worth a few pennies, but to Geum Eun-hak at the time, they were worth a thousand gold pieces.

However, thinking about how most of his family was dragged to Mak Chung-heon’s house because of that and served as servants for a while still made his blood boil.

“Indeed… A guy who was dying because he had no work has now become a dragon.”

“A dragon? I still cannot even compare to the tip of your feet, Leader.”

“Hahaha! Isn’t that natural! There is no way you could catch up to me, someone like you.”

Mak Chung-heon burst into genuine laughter.

To him, Geum Eun-hak was by no means someone who could rise to the top.

He was a human who deserved to look up from below, crawl on the ground, and eat dirt.

At that contemptuous gaze, Geum Eun-hak clenched his fists tightly.

“Right, I hear you are selling the liquor of the Hoyeon Family?”

“Yes, that is how it turned out.”

“Hmm… The liquor of the Hoyeon Family is also quite good. Though it is inferior to the liquor of the Chu Mun Family. Hahaha!”

“Is that so? Lately, it seems our liquor is being sold at a higher price in taverns and restaurants.”

“What? Are you talking back to me now?”

“No. I only say so because I take pride in the liquor I sell.”

“…”

“…”

Mak Chung-heon stared at Geum Eun-hak with a displeased expression.

He wondered if the man thought he had become someone just because business had been going a bit well lately.

This was why people said that vulgar merchants could not tell the difference between front and back.

With a smirk, he snapped his fingers.

At that, one of the guards standing behind him placed a large money pouch on the table.

“Sell it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hand over the distribution rights for the liquor made by the Hoyeon Family to me. And while you are at it, call that girl as well.”

At the extremely arrogant words, Geum Eun-hak was lost for words. It was as if he believed Geum Eun-hak would definitely sell it.

Frowning, he opened the money pouch.

It contained fifty taels of gold.

“I cannot.”

“What?”

“This money is not even one-tenth of the price of the liquor. Furthermore, it is a matter for the master of our merchant alliance to decide, not something I can decide.”

“Master?”

Mak Chung-heon frowned even more.

He had certainly heard that there was something like the Hunan Dan Family behind this fellow.

He had heard that some guys he had never heard of had appeared and were stirring up Hunan.

It was so absurd that a hollow laugh came out.

“Are you mocking me right now? You will not die a natural death at this rate.”

“Why do you speak like that? I will live out my natural lifespan on my own, so you do not need to worry.”

Whether he did not understand the words, or knew them but pretended not to, Geum Eun-hak replied without even a change in his expression.

Mak Chung-heon thought it was the latter. Because no matter how foolish a guy was, he would not think of this level of threat as a simple joke.

“Do you think you can live in peace after offending my feelings in this Hunan? What are you relying on? The Hunan Dan Family? To entrust your life to a place that has absolutely nothing… Aren’t you too foolish?”

“You may say whatever you want about other things… But it would be best not to speak carelessly about that place.”

“What?”

“Because you really won’t live out your natural lifespan.”

At that single remark, Mak Chung-heon’s expression froze.

His face even turned red, as if he had been insulted.

Slam!

Just as Mak Chung-heon struck the table and jumped up from his seat, the tightly closed door opened and a group of people walked in.

“It was a bit noisy. Did you have a guest?”

The one who entered was Dan Woo-hyun.

Behind him, Sa Do-hak wearing a mask and Namgung Cheon could be seen. As they swept their eyes around the room once, Mak Chung-heon’s guards flinched and trembled.

“You have arrived? This person here is Leader Mak Chung-heon, the leader of the Hunan Merchant Alliance.”

“I see.”

Looking at the person who appeared suddenly, Mak Chung-heon frowned. Judging by Geum Eun-hak’s behavior, that man seemed to be the patriarch of the Hunan Dan Family.

Mak Chung-heon glared at him with a flushed face.

“Are you the patriarch of the Hunan Dan Family?”

“I am, so what?”

“Hand over the liquor of the Hoyeon Family, all of it.”

At those words, Dan Woo-hyun smirked.

Without making any reply, he walked to the table and sat opposite him. After opening the money pouch on the table and putting it down again, he spoke.

“I will also make a proposal.”

“State your terms. If it is something I can grant, I will grant it.”

Mak Chung-heon spoke with a sneer.

He had absolutely no intention of granting it in the first place. Once he got what he wanted, he planned to sweep them all away.

The Hunan Merchant Alliance had that much power.

Taking a money pouch from his robe, Dan Woo-hyun threw it onto the table.

Clink, silver coins poured out.

“Sell it, everything you own.”

“Wh… What?!”

“I will buy everything you have with that money.”

“I, I have never seen such a crazy bastard!”

Mak Chung-heon jumped up from his seat.

The money poured on the table was only about twenty taels of silver at most.

And he was telling him to sell the entirety of the Hunan Merchant Alliance with that?

What kind of nonsense was this!

“You had better take even that and sell it. Because there won’t be a next opportunity…”

“You-! You really need to taste bitterness to come to your senses!”

Clang, clang, clang, clang-!

Mak Chung-heon’s guards drew their swords.

But at the same moment they drew them, their blades were cut in half and fell to the ground.

None of them realized what had happened.

The only thing that had changed was that a sword was now held in the hand of the masked, one-armed old man.

The faces of Mak Chung-heon and his guards turned deathly pale.

Just then, Dan Woo-hyun spoke, spinning a silver coin around his finger.

“You fellows are not even worth a single silver coin.”

His laughter echoed quietly.

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