Chapter 326: Chapter 326

“Hahaha!”

“Ugh…”

“Hmm…”

Yun Gong burst into a ridiculous laugh as he looked at the current situation.

The number of customers at Myriad Gold Tavern had decreased.

No, since receiving two or three people a day was considered a lot, it was no exaggeration to say that customers had stopped coming.

At this rate, they would not even be able to run this tavern. Although they had plenty of funds, merchants were fundamentally people who calculated profit and loss. They did not do things that resulted in a loss.

Because of this, most of the waiters working at the tavern were fired, and now even the guards had to be sent away.

It had only been a fortnight.

In just a fortnight, Myriad Gold Tavern took such a hard hit that it could not be operated.

“Impressive, truly impressive.”

Yun Gong admired as he looked at this situation.

He had decided to watch and see what Zhuge Un’s scheme was because he was confident he could endure whatever he did.

However, once the customers who grasped the implicit rumors and the actual state of Myriad Gold Tavern stopped visiting altogether, there was no way to resolve it.

Yun Gong rested his chin in his hand as he looked out the window.

He could see the street of food stalls, which was no exaggeration to call a specialty of the Yueyang market street. The sight of the bustling customers was completely different from Myriad Gold Tavern.

“Hoo… I have laughed for a long time.”

Yun Gong wiped away the tears that had gathered around his eyes.

It seemed quite funny to him that he had been caught up in this kind of scheme.

However.

“Did you see? No matter how great Zhuge Un is, he cannot defeat me.”

“Of course, my lord.”

Ja Hak-sang bowed his head and replied.

In truth, this Myriad Gold Tavern was a useless tavern. Even if they attracted wealthy people with a luxurious atmosphere, how long would that last?

In the future, people would naturally flock to Golden Ring Tavern.

It only looked novel and nice at first, but once time passed and they realized the food did not taste good, the expensive price would become a burden.

Then why did they build Myriad Gold Tavern on purpose?

It was, of course, to divert their attention.

If they wanted to restore their influence in Hunan, a tavern was not needed.

With the wealth of Myriad Gold Merchant Group, they could make something like this as a joke at any time.

But not the merchant group.

The merchant group was the way to dominate the commercial rights.

That was also the move to restore their influence in Hunan once again.

Yun Gong grinned.

* * *

“W-What… did you say…?”

“So… the places… that supplied us with alcohol have simultaneously declared that they will not receive it… and the merchant caravan heading to Beijing was raided by the remnants of the Green Forest!”

Geum Eun-hak swallowed his groan.

By now, there was no one who did not know that the Hunan Dan Family had crossed paths with the Green Forest. Although their leader was captured, the power of the Green Forest was still alive and well, exerting its influence.

Since they had only destroyed five out of the eighteen strongholds of the Green Forest, the remaining places still held the name of the Green Forest, trying not to lose their influence by electing a new Green Forest King.

Therefore, they took extra care to ensure the merchant caravan was not raided, but to think they were hit even after sending numerous experts?

“What on earth were the guards doing?!”

“W-Well, most of those we hired died, and the survivors are heavily injured. A few have fled.”

“Ha…”

Geum Eun-hak grabbed his throbbing head.

He had thought he finally had the face to see Dan Woo-hyun again, but his heart shook with complexity at this sudden bolt from the blue.

Furthermore, to think the places supplying alcohol suddenly cut off all supplies?

From Geum Eun-hak’s perspective, it was an incomprehensible measure.

“Where should I begin to fix this…”

Catching his breath, Geum Eun-hak smiled awkwardly. He was already at a loss as to where and how to handle it. Recovering what was lost to the Green Forest and opening up trades again were both difficult tasks.

He felt as if his future was extremely bleak.

“So it has finally come to this.”

Just then, a voice was heard.

Startled, Geum Eun-hak turned his head and saw Dan Woo-hyun standing blankly, unsure of how long he had been there. Since he was someone who rarely visited Geum Eun-hak, the surprise was even greater.

Beside Dan Woo-hyun stood Gwon Mu-jin, whose stiff expression indicated that he did not like this situation at all.

Geum Eun-hak swallowed hard without realizing it.

“I-I am sorry… due to my lack of ability…”

“Haha, I know. Would I have entrusted the work to you without knowing your abilities?”

Dan Woo-hyun waved his hand dismissively. Since he spoke as if he had not expected much from Geum Eun-hak from the beginning, it felt somewhat hurtful.

Geum Eun-hak smiled awkwardly.

“Currently, other merchants trading with Golden Ring Merchant Group are also said to be harassed by the Green Forest. Thus, everyone is reluctant to trade with us.”

Geum Eun-hak replied by summarizing the information he had heard so far.

Although it was unexpected for the Green Forest to move so extremely, he felt strange once again that they were not only targeting the Golden Ring Merchant Group but also refusing to leave alone those who traded with them.

This was because no matter how excellent the Green Forest’s intelligence was, they could not possibly know all of Golden Ring Merchant Group’s business partners.

The only place they could obtain information was from Hao Sect, and Hao Sect never sold the Dan Family’s information.

Reflecting this, it was somewhat understandable that other merchants did not trade with them.

“So, where is the place that was hit by the Green Forest?”

Dan Woo-hyun naturally sat down and fondled the teacup.

The moment he saw that, Geum Eun-hak rushed over and poured the tea.

Trickle-

The sound of filling the empty cup resonated softly.

“It is… Mount Yungjung in Hubei.”

“Hubei… It is quite far.”

Dan Woo-hyun wore a small smile.

Having grasped the meaning to some extent, Geum Eun-hak felt even more restless. Since Dan Woo-hyun was going to move directly to resolve the mess he had caused, how could he look at his gaze directly?

Geum Eun-hak lowered his head without realizing it.

“Do not worry too much. Sometimes, unexpected things have to happen for it to be interesting.”

“It seems you have guessed it…?”

Looking at Dan Woo-hyun’s behavior, he seemed to have expected this situation. Otherwise, there was no way he would have come all the way here when the situation had not even been reported.

“Haha, I wonder…”

Dan Woo-hyun laughed without giving an answer.

Seeing this, Geum Eun-hak was convinced.

Dan Woo-hyun had not thought the Green Forest would step forward, but he did think that something like this would happen. That was why he had come all the way here, and was even going to move directly.

“I will go to Hubei. You look for those who can trade toward Mount Tianshan.”

“Mount Tianshan?”

“Yes, if you mention Sa Do-hak’s name, they will not be able to ignore you. Since the situation in Henan is not good, there is no need to risk danger by sending a merchant caravan there.”

At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, Geum Eun-hak nodded.

He made a firm resolution that he would never fail this time.

“Since it is decided, go. It would be wonderful if you could build good relationships on the way to Mount Tianshan.”

Hearing those words spoken with a smile, Geum Eun-hak understood the meaning immediately. It meant that he could meet numerous merchants on the way to Mount Tianshan and naturally find a way to trade with them.

Geum Eun-hyue hurriedly bowed his head and left the place.

“Will it be alright? This is not Geum Eun-hak’s first mistake… Would it not be better to leave it to Zhuge Un instead?”

“It is fine to make mistakes. Humans are like that… It is just a bit of a hassle, though.”

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled as he set down the teacup.

However, unlike saying it was a hassle, he seemed to find it quite amusing. His face was filled with enjoyment, like someone enjoying a game.

Gwon Mu-jin smiled without realizing it.

Dan Woo-hyun was truly a man hard to understand.

“But it is strange. There should not have been any Green Forest in Mount Yungjung… Yet they were raided there.”

“We will know once we go. Although I have some idea…”

“…”

Gwon Mu-jin stared at Dan Woo-hyun and nodded. If the situation turned this strange, even a fool could realize it to some extent.

It was the work of Myriad Gold Merchant Group.

They used the tavern to divert attention and eat away at the merchant group bit by bit.

That worked out perfectly; Golden Ring Merchant Group’s influence was gradually disappearing in Hubei, while Myriad Gold Merchant Group was rising rapidly and slowly expanding its power.

If it went on like this a bit longer, Golden Ring Merchant Group would undoubtedly collapse without even being able to maintain itself.

Dan Woo-hyun stood up from his seat.

Leaving the empty room behind, he slowly walked out, and Gwon Mu-jin followed closely, guarding him carefully.

Even if it was practically a meaningless escort, he also knew that there was a clear difference between being by his side and not.

Just then, Dan Woo-hyun, who was walking ahead, stretched his back.

“Then, let us go.”

“Excuse me?”

Hearing the sudden words, Gwon Mu-jin could not help but be puzzled.

Go? Where?

Summarizing the details, they were clearly planning to go to Hubei, but since he was asking him instead of Jang Sam-tae, he wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him.

Stamping his feet to a halt, he stared at Dan Woo-hyun with a dazed gaze.

“It has been a long time since we went sightseeing.”

“D-Do you mean Mount Yungjung in Hubei?”

“Yes.”

“With me, you mean?”

“Yes.”

“A-Are you serious?”

Perhaps because Gwon Mu-jin kept asking, Dan Woo-hyun, who was walking ahead, stopped in his tracks. Turning his head slightly, he frowned deeply.

It meant he was not in a good mood at all.

“…Yes.”

“N-Not Sam-tae, but me?!”

The clueless Gwon Mu-jin asked once again, testing Dan Woo-hyun’s patience.

Frowning heavily, Dan Woo-hyun sighed, exhaling a long breath.

As if holding back, he replied with a bitter smile.

“Yes, you.”

“This Gwon Mu-jin?!”

As he asked yet again, Dan Woo-hyun slowly stepped closer.

Not understanding the meaning, Gwon Mu-jin simply wore a joyful expression. Dan Woo-hyun, who had approached right in front of him before he knew it, punched without hesitation.

Crack!

“Gack!”

Hit in the abdomen, Gwon Mu-jin gagged and fell to his knees. It was so painful that he could not even collect his senses. He could not think of anything in his head. He only felt the pain.

“You are practically begging for a beating.”

“I-I am sorry.”

Sighing deeply, Dan Woo-hyun shook his head.

Turning his back again, he looked at Gwon Mu-jin, who was forcing himself to stand, and spoke.

“Go to the market street and bring Zhuge Yeon.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said Zhuge Yeon. Did you not hear me?”

“N-No, I heard you.”

Nodding, Gwon Mu-jin ran off in a hurry. Although he was not as fast as Jang Sam-tae, since the market street was nearby, he would arrive soon.

Watching Gwon Mu-jin’s back as he gradually disappeared, Dan Woo-hyun let out another sigh.

“I wonder if I chose the wrong fellow to take along.”

Where had the reliable figure he had seen when he first met Gwon Mu-jin gone? Now, only a feeling of someone sillier than Jang Sam-tae remained.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Dan Woo-hyun shook his head.

Why was it that none of those staying in the Hunan Dan Family seem to be in their right minds?

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