Chapter 172: v7c22 - Power
Volume 7 Chapter 22 – Power
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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Tang Eun-rang, the Young Patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family, declined the tea and personally poured from the alcohol jar on the table.
“It is true that the Sichuan Tang Family can pull out of this transaction at any time. But…”
Downing a cup, she set it down with a thud and looked at Yeon So-hyeon.
“It is also an undeniable fact that I—no, the Sichuan Tang Family—sincerely wish for the Eldest Young Master to succeed.”
She was honestly laying bare the inner thoughts of the Sichuan Tang Family, but Vice Patriarch Tang Gwi-ho merely sat silently beside her with a smile on his face.
Although he was ahead of the Young Patriarch in seniority, rank, and experience, right now, he was merely an advisor.
The decision was up to the decision-maker.
“Even though direct power projection is impossible for the Sichuan Tang Family in this Luoyang, feel free to request anything you need from me.”
“Thank you for clearly stating your stance.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
Both the Sichuan Tang Family and Yeon So-hyeon wished for the plan to succeed.
There was no disagreement.
Young Patriarch Tang Eun-rang’s neat attitude dramatically shortened the unnecessary time consumed in the meeting.
Sensory judgment and decisive execution.
Although she was only a young woman, she was indeed a figure worthy of the Sichuan Tang Family putting forward as their decision-maker.
“In that case, please look at this.”
Yeon So-hyeon drew a piece of paper from his bosom and handed it to her.
“This is…!”
Confirming the contents of the paper, Tang Eun-rang’s dark green eyes widened.
Tang Gwi-ho twitched his eyebrows and stroked his chin with his characteristic smile.
“Ho, it is a joint covenant resolved by the former patriarchs of Mount Beimang. Eldest Young Master, by any chance, may I…?”
Yeon So-hyeon raised his hand as if telling him to check it as much as he wanted.
Tang Gwi-ho, taking the joint covenant from Tang Eun-rang, spread open a document he had prepared from his bosom.
It was a set of specimens for comparing and analyzing the handwriting of the former patriarchs.
“The handwritings match exactly. However…”
He pointed to an empty space on the joint covenant.
“What happened to the former patriarch of the Yang family?”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled broadly.
“Unfortunately, he was unable to participate.”
At that smile, which was thick with the scent of blood, Tang Gwi-ho let out a dry laugh internally.
‘For someone barely in his teens, what in the world…’
Tang Eun-rang, who had been lost in thought, slapped her knee.
“Hmm. Fifteen people are more than enough. It does not matter if one of them does not participate.”
She looked at Tang Gwi-ho.
“What are your thoughts, Uncle?”
“I also hold the same judgment as the Young Patriarch. So…”
His gaze lingered on the joint covenant, then turned toward Yeon So-hyeon.
“If you watch for a few more days, you will be able to clearly determine the authenticity of this joint covenant through the movements of the former patriarchs.”
As expected of the head of an intelligence organization, he was prudent to the very end.
“Hmm.”
Tang Eun-rang shook her head.
“There is no need for that.”
“Young Patriarch?”
She raised her gaze and looked straight at Yeon So-hyeon.
“Until now, the Sichuan Tang Family has always demanded clear proof from the Eldest Young Master first. But that only makes for a one-sided relationship.”
She made her decision.
Tang Gwi-ho shut his mouth.
“This time, the Sichuan Tang Family will show trust to the Eldest Young Master first.”
She drew a small silver ornament from her bosom and placed it on the table.
“Eldest Young Master. Show this token to Tang Go-gyu.”
Tang Go-gyu.
The figure called the wise man of the Tang Family.
He was none other than the representative of the investment delegation that had come to Luoyang leading figures from various families in Sichuan.
“That means…”
Tang Eun-rang nodded to Yeon So-hyeon, who had noticed something.
“Indeed. The families belonging to the investment delegation led by Tang Go-gyu are, in fact, all families that the Sichuan Tang Family has raised in secret.”
She grinned.
“As soon as you show this token, those families will immediately hand over the funds of the Sichuan Tang Family to the Eldest Young Master in the form of investment.”
Yeon So-hyeon was slightly impressed internally.
‘To think that even the constituent families of the investment delegation were the limbs of the Sichuan Tang Family prepared in advance.’
When he confirmed that Young Patriarch Tang Eun-rang and Vice Patriarch Tang Gwi-ho had personally entered Luoyang along with the Shadows, he had wondered if it might be so.
Indeed, there was no other way to describe it but as expected of the Sichuan Tang Family, which had ruled that fertile and vast Sichuan for all those long years.
“…Kuu.”
Tang Eun-rang poured a cup full of alcohol, downed it, and spoke.
“Originally, that amount was to be delivered only after the Eldest Young Master completely took control of the Valley of Sin.”
“Then it must be a considerable sum.”
She showed a meaningful smile to Yeon So-hyeon.
“I will only say that it is too large an amount to be given beforehand just to show trust.”
She laughed, “Hahat.”
Her green-tinted hair rippled pleasingly.
“I believe that with this much, we can maintain a good relationship with the Eldest Young Master in the future, but what do you think?”
Yeon So-hyeon silently lifted the small alcohol jar, filled her cup, and then filled his own empty cup.
“Hoo?”
She quickly lifted her cup and looked at Yeon So-hyeon.
Yeon So-hyeon raised his cup to her and smiled.
“I hope that the plan finishes successfully, and we remain in a relationship where trust goes back and forth in the future.”
“Hahat!”
She clinked her cup against Yeon So-hyeon’s and downed it in one breath.
Yeon So-hyeon also cleanly emptied his cup.
In his eyes, it was plain to see that they had pre-planned the role where Tang Gwi-ho, who played the villain first, applied pressure, and Tang Eun-rang, who appeared later, led the atmosphere to a good one.
But this time, he decided to overlook it, pretending not to know.
Because he judged that the heart felt from her words and attitude, wishing to maintain a good relationship, was sincere.
* * *
As the alcohol circulated several times, the atmosphere grew a bit softer.
“Hahat!”
Rather, Tang Gwi-ho, who had asked for alcohol, said nothing and simply poured tea into his own cup to drink.
Seeing that, it seemed that he had asked for the alcohol to be prepared not for himself, but for Tang Eun-rang in the first place.
“…By the way, Eldest Young Master.”
She brought up the subject in an uncharacteristically cautious tone.
“How do you intend to completely take control of this Valley of Sin?”
“Hmm. If you watch for a bit longer…”
“I am not asking about the plan side.”
She shook her head.
“I mean the Second Young Master of the Sword Family.”
“….”
Yeon So-hyeon fell silent.
“The Eldest Young Master choosing Mount Beimang as your first official outing was a peerlessly excellent move. It did not give them any room to respond immediately. However…”
Her gaze turned toward Yeon So-hyeon.
“In the first place, was it not that the Eldest Young Master had no choice other than the ‘single path’ of going to Mount Beimang?”
Yeon So-hyeon emptied his half-filled cup cleanly and set it on the table.
“You are correct. There was no path to choose other than that single move.”
He readily admitted it.
The difference in power, which everyone knew, was not something worth hiding.
“The enemy’s power is too massive and strong. Head-on, there is no chance of winning. The moment we leave even a bit of room for them to respond immediately…”
He leaned back.
“…it would be this side that got devoured.”
Though he had only confirmed it today, there would be no place in this massive Luoyang underworld untouched by the Second Young Master’s hands.
The Luoyang underworld, boasting a population of over several millions.
How many would their headcount be?
How much would the amount they collected be?
But even that underworld was to the point that it could be called nothing compared to the root of the Second Young Master’s power.
“Evil Tyrant Heaven.”
Those were the words of Tang Gwi-ho, who was drinking tea.
An allied power that exercised absolute dominance over the four southern coastal provinces in this vast land of the Central Plains.
“The East-West Grand Canal and the North-South Grand Canal. All goods heading to Luoyang and the Imperial Capital have no choice but to pass through the territory ruled by Evil Tyrant Heaven.”
“You are correct.”
Yeon So-hyeon nodded at his words.
All the foreign merchant ships that brought immense wealth to Luoyang.
Every single one of those merchant ships had to pass through ports controlled by Evil Tyrant Heaven.
“My father’s conquest of Jiangnan was successful, and accordingly, the Sword Family’s Jiangnan branches are letting merchant ships pass freely through Evil Tyrant Heaven’s territory, but…”
Yeon So-hyeon gave a bitter smile.
“Since my father collapsed, the influence over the Sword Family’s Jiangnan business is practically concentrating gradually onto that Second Young Master fellow.”
His mother, Grand Madame Ouyang, was the daughter of the Evil Tyrant Heaven Alliance Leader.
Thus, it was safe to say that the Second Young Master was registered in both the Luoyang Sword Family and Evil Tyrant Heaven, and he was grasping all the power and influence stemming from them.
And that power would grow even faster as he grew older.
Since ending his seclusion, Yeon So-hyeon was merely barely matching the balance with his ability, which could only be described as outside calculations.
“However…”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled broadly.
“I have also now established the foundation of my power, so if I grow my power from that foundation, the picture will change later on.”
At his words, Young Patriarch Tang Eun-rang shook her head.
“…For someone like me who has only run on a prepared smooth path since birth, it is simply astonishing. I cannot help but be overwhelmed by the Eldest Young Master’s boldness and confidence.”
Lifting the jar, she poured alcohol until Yeon So-hyeon’s cup overflowed and said.
“By any chance, is the Eldest Young Master’s next move also a single path?”
“I wonder how it will be…”
Yeon So-hyeon raised his sloshing cup to her and smiled.
“A spectator’s pleasure comes from watching while trying to fathom the next move in their own way. For now, enjoy that pleasure.”
* * *
The small yard in front of the reception room.
“I am leaving after enjoying the alcohol.”
Tang Eun-rang, whose complexion had not changed a bit, spoke to Yeon So-hyeon.
In the first place, there was no way that she, who was a poison human, would get drunk on alcohol.
Her gaze turned toward Tang Baek, who stood behind Yeon So-hyeon.
“Commander Tang Baek. Do you have any thoughts of returning to the Main Family?”
“I do not.”
At the sight of Tang Baek refusing flatly without a shred of leeway, Tang Eun-rang nodded without lingering regret.
“The rumor that when you followed my aunt to Luoyang, your heart for the Main Family left with you was true. I understand.”
While they were sharing a conversation, Tang Gwi-ho, who had received updated information from a Shadow agent, called her.
“Young Patriarch.”
She asked Yeon So-hyeon for understanding and received the report via Tang Gwi-ho’s sound transmission.
“Mmm.”
She frowned, then spoke to Yeon So-hyeon.
“According to what I have just been reported, it seems there was a figure from the Second Young Master’s side behind the influence exerted on the district chiefs of Tanryung District and Gahyo District to delay the fire suppression.”
Tang Gwi-ho let out a small sigh at the sight of her spilling all the information so readily.
Tang Eun-rang ignored him and calmly added.
“Since the Eldest Young Master’s information organization seemed busy, we investigated a little on our side.”
“…Would it only be that?”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled bitterly at Tang Eun-rang.
“Even if they were behind this fire in the first place, I would not find it strange at all.”
He shook his head.
“Furthermore, even at this very moment, they must be analyzing our full strength in detail while watching my forces respond to the fire.”
Reconnaissance in force using the fire and underworld organizations.
Since the underworld was nothing but a consumable to them, Yeon So-hyeon thought it was something they could easily come up with.
“Moreover, this will be nothing but the beginning.”
Tang Eun-rang agreed with Yeon So-hyeon’s words.
“It is just that they could not respond immediately due to the Eldest Young Master’s single path; it does not mean follow-up actions are impossible.”
“Even now, those follow-up actions must be taking place.”
“Still, the Eldest Young Master must be confident?”
“Of course.”
Tang Eun-rang smiled as she pulled the hood of her coat over her head.
“Then, I wish you good fortune in battle.”
* * *
The Luoyang Sword Family, Second Young Master’s camp.
In the wide and luxurious front yard, a black carriage made of a rare metal was waiting.
It was a shape that somehow brought to mind the Eldest Young Master’s Ironclad Fortress.
Six famous horses with silver manes harnessed to the carriage snorted.
“…So, what did you say the level of the Eldest Young Master’s martial arts is? What? If it is information with low reliability, you should at least secure the quantity!”
In front of it, the elders of the Second Young Master’s side were pacing around.
“…The families that participated in fire suppression are six, led by the Kong Family of Mount Beimang. A total of seven families, you say?”
“The mobilization power of the House of Benevolence and Love is exceptionally superior than predicted. It seems they were a bit more organized than what we previously grasped.”
Even at the time when the Great Immortal Merchant Group was reorganizing its structure, their analysis work continued without major setbacks.
This was because there were famous information brokers of Luoyang cooperating with the Second Young Master’s side.
“And so?”
Elder An, the person in charge of the Great Immortal Merchant Group, pushed up his spectacles and asked his subordinate again.
“The attack on the Great Immortal Merchant Group was the work of the Crescent Moon Pavilion, which holds that Fourth Young Master fellow’s Sword Family Bronze Plaque?”
It seemed this side had also finally caught the tail.
“We cannot be sure yet, but…”
Glancing roughly through the reports handed over by his subordinate, Elder An’s expression wrinkled deeply.
“Th-This dog-like…!”
Someone tapped the shoulder of him, who was trembling with the hand holding the reports.
“Calm down, Elder An.”
It was a fellow elder belonging to the same Jiangnan faction.
“Is the follow-up response not already firmly under way? It is only the beginning, so why are you so worked up?”
Elder An calmed his expression.
“…I know.”
“The analysis is also going smoothly.”
Crossing his arms, the fellow elder smiled and watched the people busily coming and going in the front yard.
Everyone was running around frantically in this deep night, as if it were day.
Then, he gestured with his chin toward a corner.
“Besides, isn’t our Jiangnan faction’s situation much better than that person’s?”
Elder An’s gaze turned toward the corner.
There stood Elder Hahou, pacing back and forth without resting his anxious steps even for a moment.
“…Mmm.”
It was that Elder Hahou of the Luoyang faction, who had been in charge of commanding at the assembly hall today.
“What a pathetic sight.”
Scoffing at his figure for a moment, the fellow elder spoke to Elder An.
“In any case, although we cannot directly block those old monsters of Mount Beimang, we can block the people they intend to move in advance.”
They currently held no official government posts.
To do anything, they had no choice but to move someone who held an official post.
“…But it is impossible with just our strength.”
“Of course.”
The fellow elder shrugged.
“Isn’t that why we are waiting here for our Lord?”
Hardly had his words finished when the Chief Butler shouted in a sharp voice.
“The Second Young Master arrives!”