Chapter 319: Chapter 319

“That is… since the power of the Myriad Gold Merchant Group is so immense, those who do not want to cross them are turning their backs on us…”

Geum Eun-hak replied, breaking out in a cold sweat.

He said this after hard contemplation to persuade Dan Woo-hyun. Since it was not factually wrong when analyzed, he comforted himself with it.

However, Dan Woo-hyun’s cold gaze did not easily pull back.

“If you had given those people trust, they would have had no reason to turn their backs.”

“Ugh…”

Geum Eun-hak flinched and trembled.

Indeed, Geum Eun-hak was not properly using the power of the Hunan Dan Family. The knowledge of the merchant world he possessed was only of minor things, and no matter how he tried to act calm and composed, habits deeply ingrained over a long time did not disappear easily.

Dan Woo-hyun let out a soft sigh, “Hoo…”

Soon, he turned his head to look at Jang Sam-tae.

“Sam-tae.”

“Yes?”

“Bring the owner of the Golden Ring Inn.”

“Again?!”

Jang Sam-tae, who was face down on the floor, looked at Dan Woo-hyun with an absurd expression. It had not even been two hours since he went to Yueyang once. He was flustered to go back again.

“Bring her.”

However, at Dan Woo-hyun’s words that came once again, Jang Sam-tae had to shut his mouth like a mute who ate honey. A fierce gaze that warned of severe consequences if he did not go stimulated his sight.

Jang Sam-tae slowly stood up from his spot and shook his head.

It felt as if a lump had formed on his head from pressing it down for too long.

“I, I will be back…”

Dejected, he spoke cautiously and slowly took his steps.

* * *

The owner of the Golden Ring Inn was Hoyeon Ji.

Although she was once so poor that she could not even afford a proper meal, she had now turned into a wealthy person who would not even bat an eye if she ate delicacies three times a day.

One might think how much could be earned by running a single inn, but since the Golden Ring Inn sold the most famous and best quality liquor in this Hunan region, it was bustling with over a hundred customers every day.

Because the money coming in was also a huge sum, her appearance had also completely changed from before.

“…”

Even Namgung So-hye, along with Dan Woo-hyun, lost their words as they looked at Hoyeon Ji standing in front of them.

A expensive-looking palace dress and all kinds of earrings and ornaments. Just selling the things she wore and carried seemed enough to easily build a manor.

Another interesting thing was that Hoyeon Ji, who was bone-thin in the past, had gained a significant amount of weight now.

It was to the point of being somewhat pitiful to look at.

“Y-you have changed a lot.”

Even Dan Woo-hyun spoke with a flustered expression.

Although he thought she had gained quite a bit when he saw her last time, he could no longer find her past appearance now.

It was to the point where it was hard to distinguish whether this was a pig or a person.

“Hohoho, changed? I am the same now as I was then.”

No matter how one looked at it, she had changed.

Since she had gained far too much weight, there was no way she did not know it herself.

Nevertheless, Hoyeon Ji smiling and denying it seemed to be a heart that did not want to face reality.

Dan Woo-hyun did not point it out further and just nodded his head.

“I saw the ledger. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes, I know very well.”

Hoyeon Ji nodded and took a deep breath.

In fact, she was about to mention it anyway.

“Recently, a new inn was established near Hunan. Do you know of it?”

“I do not.”

There was no way he would know.

Dan Woo-hyun had not been to Yueyang recently, and even if he did, he only wandered around the marketplace, not walking around looking closely at newly built inns.

When he shook his head, Hoyeon Ji put on a rather troubled expression.

“The Myriad Gold Inn has appeared in front of our Golden Ring Inn. It is quite massive.”

“So?”

“We are losing all our customers to them. Their liquor is also directly procured from Beijing, so its reputation is quite good.”

Dan Woo-hyun frowned.

The Golden Ring Merchant Group was pushed by the Myriad Gold Merchant Group, and the Golden Ring Inn was pushed by the Myriad Gold Inn, so he could not help but feel frustrated.

As a long sigh leaked out, the two bowed their heads with awkward expressions.

“In the end, those Myriad Gold Merchant Group bastards are the problem. Hahaha.”

Sa Do-hak laughed out loud.

The Myriad Gold Merchant Group caused trouble everywhere. Even now, since their leader Man Hu-ryang had disappeared, they acted recklessly like an unbridled colt.

“It won’t be avoidable…”

Namgung Cheon muttered softly.

The gaze in his clenched fists was quite sharp.

He guessed that Murong Hyeok-mun and Man Hu-ryang were definitely related. Perhaps Namgung Cheon was the one who shared an unavoidable fate with the Myriad Gold Merchant Group.

Dan Woo-hyun turned his head and looked at Zhuge Un.

As if understanding the meaning in his gaze, Zhuge Un bowed his head deeply.

“I will check on it.”

* * *

Dan So-mi’s gaze was always in a low place. Because she was shorter than other children, it was her daily routine to always look up at people.

“You grew a little, didn’t you?”

“Yes! You grew about the size of a little fingernail.”

“Yahoo!”

Dan So-mi, who was measuring her height, clapped her hands and rejoiced at Zhu Zhi-ruo’s words. Already, Zhu Zhi-ruo had grown enough to have a span of a hand difference with Dan So-mi, and since only Dan So-mi remained the same, she must have felt quite wronged.

“Isn’t it just that the ground you are standing on is a bit high?”

Hong Jin-rang put on a lukewarm expression.

Growing by a little fingernail’s size ultimately depended on what she was stepping on. Since they were currently on a slightly high ground, she might have looked a bit taller.

At the remark that hit the mark, Zhu Zhi-ruo’s eyes flared up.

“Ah, yes, she grew. I know…”

“Hehehe, really?”

Looking at Dan So-mi approaching with a broad smile, Hong Jin-rang bowed his head deeply. It was because he was more afraid of Zhu Zhi-ruo glaring fiercely behind her than the expression of that innocent child.

Without realizing it, he let out a gasp and swallowed his breath.

“By the way, is that the Myriad Gold Inn you mentioned?”

Zhu Zhi-ruo turned her gaze away and asked Hong Jin-rang.

A new inn built in this land of Yueyang.

In fact, because of the fierce commercial district, any inn or whatever was bound to go bankrupt soon after opening, but the Myriad Gold Inn had quite a few people.

Most of them were people wearing luxurious clothes, and at a glance, it looked like they sold expensive food.

Hong Jin-rang drooled and nodded his head.

“That’s right! I went there once because of my mother, and it was delicious! We must go there.”

Hong Jin-rang could not control his racing heart. He looked ready to run to the Myriad Gold Inn immediately, order this and that, and stuff a lot of food into his mouth.

“But… isn’t that place expensive?”

Dan So-mi asked with an anxious look.

Right in front of them was the Golden Ring Inn. That place also looked quite grand and cool, but the Myriad Gold Inn was excessively luxurious.

The appearance of the waiters standing outside was also very different from what was commonly seen. Instead of treating customers with a silly grin, they looked like people who had mastered all kinds of etiquette.

Even entering the place felt uncomfortable.

“Somehow it feels like we would have to eat with a lot of tension?”

Even Zhu Zhi-ruo frowned as if she did not like it.

Eating food while maintaining formalities like that was more than enough at home. Why should they eat like that when meeting comfortable friends and having fun?

Zhu Zhi-ruo waved her hand.

“It is a waste of money, a waste of money.”

“B-but it is really delicious…?”

“Moreover, isn’t your house closely related to So-mi’s house? What do you think will happen if your father finds out that you went to the Myriad Gold Inn?”

Zhu Zhi-ruo giggled with a strange expression.

The expression on her face with that laugh was like looking at a little devil. It felt as if she would run to the prefecture office and tell Hong Won-chang right away.

“Y-you can’t do that!”

Turning pale, Hong Jin-rang shouted loudly and stopped Zhu Zhi-ruo. However, Zhu Zhi-ruo, who found teasing him fun, did not even pay attention and ran away laughing.

It was then.

Thud!

Argh!

The moment Zhu Zhi-ruo, who was running around, bumped into someone and almost fell, Dan So-mi, who had run to her side, caught her.

“Are you okay?”

“Y-yes.”

Zhu Zhi-ruo nodded her head, frowning slightly. Looking at the worried face of Dan So-mi, her mind seemed to ease a bit.

Soon, the moment she glanced sideways, her eyes met a group of men.

“Be careful.”

Shiver!

They were martial artists carrying swords.

There were five or six men gathered wearing bamboo hats, and the moment she looked at their eyes, she felt an involuntary chill. They were men who looked as if they could prove they could cut someone down with just their gaze.

Even Hong Jin-rang flinched and took a step back.

The single sentence they spat out was laced with a threat.

The men glanced at the children once and soon walked heavily toward the Myriad Gold Inn.

“They, they are really scary.”

Zhu Zhi-ruo and Dan So-mi nodded at Hong Jin-rang’s words.

It was the first time they realized that a person’s glare could be this terrifying. The three children stood in their tracks, staring intently at the disappearing men.

* * *

The men walking ahead glanced back and watched the three children. Soon, one man stared at one child for a moment, and with his eyes sparkling, he spoke to the one leading the way.

“That child.”

“I know. Her movements were not those of a normal child.”

She caught the child who bumped into someone in an instant. Although it was not a very far distance, it was a place that could not be easily reached with the steps of that tiny child.

Nevertheless, since she supported the child who was about to fall, she must have been bestowed martial arts by a considerable expert.

“I heard that the Hunan Dan Family is here, so I wonder if she is a child of that family. At that age, such movements are not easy to come by even in prestigious families.”

“Haha, then does that mean the Hunan Dan Family is stronger than prestigious families?”

“Isn’t that why we came?”

At the subordinate’s words, the man smirked.

They were experts of the Myriad Gold Merchant Group who had come to expand their influence in Hunan again.

Therefore, the work they had to do was to tear down the Hunan Dan Family and reclaim the power of the Hunan region.

The men walked expressionlessly and soon arrived in front of the Myriad Gold Inn. At the same time they arrived, a waiter who appeared as if he had been waiting opened the door wide.

Looking inside with both doors wide open, everyone working in the inn bowed their heads to welcome the men.

“Do not forget. The merchant group leader’s command is absolute… We must destroy the Hunan Dan Family.”

“Yes!”

Although it was a quietly heard sound, everyone working in the inn nodded and replied.

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