Chapter 185: Chapter 185

“What on earth is going on?”

Over a hundred constables were escorting the prisoners. The appearance of those bound in ropes was so wretched that one could hardly bear to look, and some of them seemed too weak to even walk.

It was not just one or two people.

The sight of dozens of figures being dragged along in a crowd drew the attention of the people.

“Is… Isn’t that man the leader of the Hunan Merchant Alliance?”

“Y-yes, it is! H-how could this happen…?”

“What on earth happened for them to arrest that man?”

People began to whisper here and there.

Not knowing the reason, they tilted their heads in wonder. In this land of Changsha in Hunan, those were prominent people who had established their position and enjoyed the reputation of being the best merchant alliance in Hunan.

Seeing such people being dragged along in ropes in a wretched state was, no matter how many times one looked at it, a situation somewhat removed from reality.

At that moment, someone approached and said.

“They say they attacked the government office of Changsha and massacred them!”

“Is that true?”

“I just heard it from a constable myself, they’ve gone completely mad, mad.”

“Huh, weren’t they on good terms with the Magistrate? Why would they do such a thing?”

“I don’t know that well either… but anyway, they say it was the Hunan Dan House that caught wind of it beforehand and stopped it.”

“The Hunan Dan House?”

At the mention of the Hunan Dan House, the people tilted their heads.

It was because they had heard that name for the first time.

“The grand manor built near Dongting Lake in Yueyang.”

“Ah! The one they say was built by a descended immortal…?”

They remembered hearing about it.

A manor that was built overnight, and then collapsed at some point?

Furthermore, even though it was rebuilt, a house so grand that it would take dozens of carpenters over a year to build was put up in just a month.

So many people said it was a house where an immortal lived.

Was that place the Hunan Dan House?

“So it turned out to be a martial family?”

“That’s right! They say those people came and prevented the disaster from growing larger.”

Many died, but that did not mean everyone died.

Some managed to escape, and some were lucky enough to survive.

As those people began to talk about last night, the name of the Hunan Dan House began to spread in an instant.

* * *

Mak Chung-heon, covered in blood, dragged his legs, unable to walk properly.

His once-luxurious life had fallen to the bottom, and it seemed there was no further to fall.

‘I… lost everything…’

Mak Chung-heon’s eyes were emptier than ever before.

The life he had lived as the top merchant in Hunan.

A life where everything was abundant and left nothing to envy.

He, who had held vast wealth and power to the point where even high-ranking officials had to watch his step, had lost everything and was being led to the Prince’s palace by a rope.

It was not a situation where he could pay his way out.

They had attacked none other than the government office, and witnesses to the series of processes were still alive.

Mak Chung-heon would be tortured in every way at the Prince’s palace, then dragged to Beijing to have his head cut off there.

Beyond futility, not even a sigh came out.

‘Those bastards…’

Grit-!

The more he thought about it, the more his teeth ground. If not for those bastards, this would never have happened.

‘No, it was wrong from the start.’

The target was wrong.

He should not have focused on the Golden Ring Merchant Alliance.

He should have struck the Hunan Dan House from the beginning. Because he thought things would never have turned out this way if he had done so, the feeling of futility was greater.

‘No, it’s not.’

It was not a problem of the Hunan Dan House.

He should not have touched them from the start.

‘It was a place that must never be touched.’

Although he felt wronged and angry about being defeated, thinking back on it now, that place was truly a place that should not have been provoked.

The two strange old men wearing masks.

He had not seen their skills properly, but they were definitely stronger than the man who had faced him.

Perhaps, if they had stepped forward, they might have taken control of the situation in less than fifteen minutes.

Of course, it was only a guess, but he realized only now that it was not something Go Chwi-san alone could have stopped.

They even had Zhuge Un.

The one who planned and executed all of this, and perfectly cornered him without a single thing going awry. He could guarantee that the Hunan Merchant Alliance would not have collapsed so easily if not for that man.

And one person.

If he had recognized his true worth from the beginning, he would have given up this land of Hunan.

Dan Woo-hyun, the family head of the Hunan Dan House.

He was the master who had pierced a hole in Go Chwi-san’s chest.

He was also the one who had destroyed the internal energy of the subordinates and Mak Chung-heon present there in just one move, and severed their tendons and veins.

The more he thought about it, the more it was a place where terrifying people gathered.

‘I am leaving like this… Chu Mun-won…’

Mak Chung-heon looked up at the sky and thought of one person. He thought that, right now, he was probably the only one who could save him.

But he knew that the man would not reach out a helping hand.

In the first place, all of this had originated from the Chu Gate Family.

He felt wronged and angry.

With a smirk, Mak Chung-heon stared intently at one place.

There, he saw Chu Mun-won, the head of the Chu Gate Family, and Du Ak-chil, who could be called his right hand, standing with smiles on their faces.

It was as if they were looking at the dragged Mak Chung-heon, feeling they had obtained what they wanted.

‘It is not a place as easy as you think. Perhaps you will be swallowed up instead.’

With that thought, he looked at Chu Mun-won as if bidding farewell.

The next day, Mak Chung-heon ended his life by committing suicide in prison.

* * *

Returning to the family estate, Chu Mun-won sat in his chair with a frown. The face of Mak Chung-heon, who had glared at him with bloodshot eyes, still remained vivid in his mind.

As if displeased, he gulped down a cup of water.

“What a stubborn bastard.”

To think he would commit suicide? If he had stayed like that anyway, he would have been tortured, and in the end, brutally executed.

Since his head alone would not be enough.

An attack was made on none other than the government office, so it would not be strange to execute his entire family.

Thus, unable to bear that sight, he must have chosen suicide.

“Tsk…”

He recalled the look the man had given him at the end.

“What do you think will happen to the Hunan Merchant Alliance now?”

“Will it not all pass over to other places? Looking at it, the Golden Ring Merchant Alliance will likely take most of it.”

At Du Ak-chil’s words, Chu Mun-won nodded.

It was a matter resolved by the Hunan Dan House, of all people. Furthermore, since Hong Won-chang was practically a person of the Dan House, there was a high possibility they would push everything to the Golden Ring Merchant Alliance.

Since the owner died committing a crime, his assets would also be processed by the government.

From Hong Won-chang’s perspective, since he had wiped out the criminals, a great reward would come down from the Imperial Court and the Prince’s palace, and he would gain greater power.

Was it not truly like giving wings to a tiger?

‘Stupid fellow.’

Chu Mun-won clicked his tongue as he thought of Mak Chung-heon.

“This has become quite a headache. I did not want this kind of result…”

“…”

Chu Mun-won and Du Ak-chil swallowed their groans.

They had not ordered this thinking the Hunan Merchant Alliance would completely collapse.

They thought at least one of them, either Ga Jung-pyeong or Mak Chung-heon, would survive, but unexpectedly, wings were given to the opponent and the two went to the other world.

From the perspective of Chu Mun-won, who had been trading with the Hunan Merchant Alliance for a long time, he had to contact the Myriad Gold Merchant Alliance immediately.

Of course, the Chu Gate Family was not one to collapse just because they could not sell alcohol for a while.

The wealth they possessed would be several times that of the Hunan Merchant Alliance.

“Anyway, we have learned a few things from this.”

“The strength of the Hunan Dan House is greater than expected.”

“Yes.”

Of course, they did not know all of it. Even though they tried to get information, because all access to this matter was blocked, they could not even find out who designed this plan or how it was carried out.

But one thing was certain.

The Hunan Dan House was not a place to be easily underestimated.

“However…”

That did not mean they could just let it pass, did it?

If the Hunan Dan House did not collapse, the Chu Gate Family would. The two could never coexist.

“What shall we do?”

Chu Mun-won tapped the table with his fingers and fell into deep thought.

* * *

“Amazing.”

“Is it not more than you thought?”

Hong Won-chang, Gwon Mu-jin, and Dan Woo-hyun clicked their tongues as they looked around the Hunan Merchant Alliance.

Since most of the goods in the warehouse had been stolen, what remained should have been hidden money, but when they searched, items tumbled out as if they had piled up the wealth of a successful prestigious family.

Starting from all kinds of ornaments, there were Buddhist statues, jewels, and even a considerable amount of spiritual medicine.

It seemed they could make a quite large fortune if they just sold them.

“I plan to send most of it to the Prince, but if there is anything you need, you may take it.”

As if waiting for those words, Dan Woo-hyun reached out. He set aside several spiritual medicines and Buddhist statues that would fetch money.

At those swift hand movements, Hong Won-chang broke into a cold sweat.

“Dispose of these and all the stolen goods. The alcohol from the Chu Gate Family is not needed, so dump it in Dongting Lake.”

“Understood. Is there nothing else?”

“There is nothing I need. But as Geum Eun-hak requested…”

“Of course. I will speak well to the Prince.”

Hong Won-chang bowed deeply.

This matter was a victory achieved entirely thanks to Dan Woo-hyun and the Hunan Dan House. Thus, transferring most of the commercial rights to Geum Eun-hak would also proceed smoothly.

But there was also something to worry about.

“By the way, will it be alright? Though that man Geum Eun-hak seems to have a good character, is he not foolish enough to have his goods stolen?”

“As I said before, I do not discard a person over a single failure. It is fine as long as there is no second time.”

At those words, Hong Won-chang nodded.

“With this, we have no choice but to clash with the Chu Gate Family.”

Gwon Mu-jin spoke up with concern.

Since the Hunan Merchant Alliance had completely collapsed, unless they intended to open trade with the Golden Ring Merchant Alliance, they had become enemies with the Chu Gate Family.

It was a statement pointing that out.

However, Dan Woo-hyun smiled nonchalantly.

“Of course, I know.”

How could he not know?

Since all of this was preparatory work to strike the Chu Gate Family.

With that thought, he leisurely departed from the Hunan Merchant Alliance.

Enjoyed the chapter?

If you like our work, consider supporting us on Ko-fi. This site solely runs on donations. Every donation helps us keep translating!

Support on Ko-fi