Chapter 478: Just How Many Sets Do You Have?
Chapter 478: Just How Many Sets Do You Have?
Lee Chu was faithfully following Geom Mu-geuk’s instructions.
— He will ask if you can obtain the antidote for the Black Concubine. Tell him you can.
— Understood.
Just as Geom Mu-geuk had predicted, Geum A-jong sent a message via Voice Transmission.
— That antidote for the Energy-Scattering Poison... can you get it?
— I should be able to.
— Get it as quickly as possible, by any means necessary!
— Understood.
— What are you doing? Get going already!
As Lee Chu prepared to leave, he glanced back at the two men.
The sight of them drinking made it look as if Geum A-jong were dancing in the palm of the demon painted on the carriage wall.
Yet, Lee Chu didn't feel worried for Geum A-jong. It wasn't because the man usually treated him poorly.
‘He and I are the same.’
It was the chilling realization that he, too, might be dancing along—standing on the palm of a demon so vast that he couldn't even tell where he was.
*
“You asked what kind of person my brother is?”
Geum A-jong poured wine into Geom Mu-geuk’s cup.
Now that he had uncovered the secret behind how the "Money Grub" had been defeated, he felt he could handle Geom Mu-geuk easily.
Energy-Scattering Poison was a toxin that temporarily blocked one’s internal energy; it wasn't an immediate lethal poison. This meant that as long as one prepared the antidote in advance, they could easily counter it. It was a poison perfectly suited for a scammer.
“My elder brother is a magnificent man. He’s brilliant, diligent, and handsome. He is the one who will inherit the main family.”
Geom Mu-geuk noticed it. While Geum A-jong spouted words he didn't mean, a flicker of genuine emotion surfaced when he mentioned his brother’s looks. It seemed he had a deep-seated inferiority complex regarding his appearance compared to his brother.
“Since you speak so highly of him, I find myself wanting to meet him. Could you introduce us?”
Geum A-jong felt his suspicions were confirmed.
‘As I thought, his target was my brother all along!’
These guys had come to the clan to pull off a massive score, and the target was the heir.
‘And if my brother falls to these bastards?’
Then he would be the one to catch the scammers who had extorted money from both his siblings at the very last moment. He wouldn't just be seizing the scammers; he’d be seizing the position of successor.
At the request for an introduction, Geum A-jong took a subtle step back.
“Is my introduction really necessary? If you want to see him, just go and meet him. You’re practically family now.”
Geom Mu-geuk refilled his own cup and spoke.
“Would he welcome me if I just showed up?”
“Well, knowing his personality, he probably won’t like you. He’ll think you extorted two million taels from the family. Oh, don’t misunderstand. That’s not my opinion.”
Geum A-jong was finally starting to show his true colors.
“Speaking of my brother... if I were you, I would have helped him instead of my younger brother.”
“May I ask why?”
“Shouldn't a true man strive for great things? My younger brother has no chance of becoming the successor anyway.”
Geom Mu-geuk stared intently at Geum A-jong and asked, “Then what about you? Do you lack the confidence to become the successor? You seem like a man of great ambition.”
As expected of a scammer, he’s quick on the uptake.
“I am nothing but a nuisance. Squeezed by my older brother, pushed by my younger brother... reality is not kind to me.”
“If a man’s ambition is grand, shouldn't his wings be just as vast?”
Geom Mu-geuk looked up at him as if he could actually see massive wings unfurling behind the man's back.
Geum A-jong laughed at the gesture. It was a trivial reaction, but it didn't feel bad. Someone thought his ambition looked grand—what was there to hate about that?
“What satisfaction is there in helping someone who is already destined to be the successor? On the other hand, staying by the side of someone who will never be successor is also a problem. I wish I had met you sooner.”
Geum A-jong was tempted by Geom Mu-geuk’s apparent regret. For a moment, he considered revealing everything to this man and plotting together. He felt that with this man by his side, he could actually pull it off.
But Geum A-jong quickly caught himself.
‘What am I thinking!’
Indeed, a scammer was a scammer. He had almost considered the absurd idea of joining forces with this man without even realizing it. He realized this man was a natural—his face, his voice, his expressions. Listening to him made one’s guard drop involuntarily.
“Let’s go together tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to my brother.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll tell you one thing as a special favor.”
It wasn't just because he was in a good mood. If the man was going to properly reel his brother in, he needed to know his target well.
“There is one thing my brother absolutely cannot stand.”
“And what is that?”
Geum A-jong drained the last of his wine and said, “Losing when it comes to money.”
*
At the same time, in the Family Head’s hall of the Golden Dragon Clan, a long-awaited report was being delivered.
“The Black Fan Guild was empty.”
At his subordinate's report, Geum Cheon-bang asked in surprise, “Not even a single corpse?”
“Yes. Not one.”
“Any signs of a struggle?”
“They were everywhere. However, because only the bodies were cleared away, it was impossible to tell how the fight went or what the outcome was.”
When he had first sent his subordinate, Geum Cheon-bang never dreamed he would be asking these kinds of questions upon his return.
“Is it possible the Black Fan Guild staged this themselves?”
The disappearance of the bodies raised suspicions. What if they had all vanished while pretending to have been defeated?
“The possibility is open. They could all be dead, or they could have left after leaving behind fake traces of a fight.”
Seeing Geum Cheon-bang frown at the useless answer, the subordinate quickly added, “If they were indeed defeated, one thing is certain. They wouldn't have had much time to clean up, yet the fact that it was done so immaculately suggests that whoever handled the aftermath is either exceptionally skilled in martial arts or a professional at this kind of work.”
That was the end of the report.
“You may leave.”
“Yes, sir.”
Geum Cheon-bang sensed that this situation was far from ordinary.
“Is it a charade by the Black Fan Guild? Or is it the work of the Silver River Merchant Group?”
He still found it difficult to believe that Geom Mu-geuk had accomplished it.
Right then.
“It is neither.”
The person who entered the room was the eldest son, Geum A-hyeok.
He possessed the appearance of a young master from a prestigious noble family. His aura radiated the dignity of a great hero. If the second son, Geum A-jong, was the type to reveal his cunning and selfish nature through his face and actions, Geum A-hyeok was a man who thoroughly hid himself behind the facade of a chivalrous master.
“Everyone, withdraw.”
Geum Cheon-bang dismissed everyone, even the hidden guards. Now, only the two of them remained in the hall.
“Neither? What do you mean by that?”
“A man named Geom Yeon killed all the 'immortals' of the Black Fan Guild.”
“How do you know that?”
Geum A-hyeok didn't answer, but Geum Cheon-bang realized the reason.
“Did you hear it from him?”
He could see the answer in his son’s expression.
“Did I not tell you to avoid contact with him as much as possible? I said I would handle him personally.”
Geum A-hyeok asked with a look of incomprehension, “Why do you dislike him so much?”
Seeing his son refer to the man as "him" with such reverence even in this atmosphere made Geum Cheon-bang’s blood boil. His voice naturally rose.
“Because he is a dangerous man!”
The man hadn't given off such a dangerous vibe from the start. At first, he had been refined and calm. For a long time, he had provided a sense of trust that made one feel they could safely hold his hand.
Like clothes slowly dampening in a drizzle, he had permeated their family. Only after his clothes were drenched did Geum Cheon-bang realize it wasn't rain, but blood.
“We have to take that risk! He is the one who has brought us greater profit than anyone else in the Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic paths. Is there any more certain reason for a merchant than that?”
Geum Cheon-bang had lived his entire life as a merchant. He had reached an age and accumulated enough experience where he could usually get a feel for the world and its people with a glance—assigning a value and understanding them almost instantly.
Yet, lately, there were two things he couldn't understand. No, two people.
His son, and that man. He didn't understand his son, and he didn't understand the man his son revered. When they first met, he had thoroughly analyzed and vetted him, but as ten years passed, he felt he knew him even less. Just like the heart of his grown son.
“If we’re talking about danger, those West Blade Sect bastards Rin-i brought are more dangerous. They are undoubtedly here targeting him.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Geum A-hyeok didn't answer.
“He told you that too, didn't he?”
Geum A-hyeok stared blankly at Geum Cheon-bang. At some point, his son had started looking at him with those eyes. With such a foreign, cold gaze.
Since he was young, Geum Cheon-bang had always been proud of his eldest son. How could a man as small and unremarkable as himself have produced such a son? He felt that pride every single time. Whenever he took his son out, everyone praised and envied him. He had bragged quite a bit, to the point of feeling slightly sorry for his second son.
He had lived believing that his son’s character would match his heroic appearance. He truly believed that. And in fact, his son had grown up without any major issues.
But things had changed at some point. He wished it had started after meeting that man, but he knew better. He had felt something foreign in his son even before then.
How could he be this cold? How could he be this self-centered? How could he be this greedy for money?
It was because of these traits that Geum Cheon-bang suspected the man had approached him in the first place. Even so, he trusted his son. Though Geum A-hyeok hadn't answered his previous question, he trusted him. Because he was his son. He figured that as he got older, he would judge situations more calmly.
“Father, didn't you say you wanted to become the wealthiest man in the Central Plains? Didn't you say that was your dream?”
“I did. I did. But...”
“What are you afraid of? We are achieving that dream, aren't we?”
He didn't deny that the Golden Dragon Clan had grown faster thanks to joining hands with him. They had earned massive amounts of money with his help. However, the money he demanded in return was also snowballing.
“One day, he might swallow us whole.”
“Even if he does, he’ll make us the best before he swallows us.”
His son’s eyes said as much: If you’re scared, step aside.
It was because of that look. The reason he had told his daughter she couldn't be the successor. Because of that gaze that suggested he would even brush aside his own siblings if they stood in his way.
“The West Blade Sect bastards the second son brought will all disappear before tonight is over. Just as the Black Fan Guild disappeared.”
“You mustn't!”
Geum Cheon-bang’s heart raced. Killing someone meant risking retaliation and death for themselves as well. How could he make such a decision so easily? My son, we are merchants!
“If they are the ones who wiped out the Black Fan Guild as you say, they are not people to be touched recklessly!”
“Didn't you always say it, Father?” Geum A-hyeok added with a relaxed smile, “That there is nothing in this world that cannot be solved with money.”
Geum Cheon-bang was left speechless, for he truly had said those words often. But even so... he never imagined a day like this would come.
*
After finishing the drinks with Geum A-jong, I went to visit my father.
My father and Hwi had already moved their quarters from the safe house to the Golden Dragon Clan estate. As we had discussed at the safe house, I judged that the elimination of the Black Fan Guild would cause them to move in earnest soon. They would try to protect their massive source of funding, the Golden Dragon Clan, at any cost.
I hesitated for a moment in front of my father’s room.
Was it because of the slight buzz from the alcohol? I had come because I wanted to see him, but on second thought, it was already time for him to be asleep.
Father, it’s your second son!
It was a day where I wanted to pound on the door and act a bit drunkenly, but I didn't dare.
‘The people of the Murim will never know. That the Heavenly Demon goes to bed this early. Shouldn't a Heavenly Demon be awake even in the dead of night, giving off that kind of vibe?’
Just as I was turning away without making a sound, the door opened.
Startled, I turned around to see my father standing there. Before I could ask if he was still awake, or apologize for waking him, these words came out first.
“Another floral pattern? Just how many sets do you have?”
My father was wearing floral pajamas.
Would the Heavenly Demon really wear pajamas like these? Those ultimate "assassin-prevention" pajamas. I hadn't known because he didn't wear them when we were camping, and I hadn't seen him at night when we stayed at inns.
One might expect him to feel awkward or embarrassed, but my father didn't seem ashamed of these pajamas at all. Could he really wear these with dignity even in front of the Murim Alliance Leader or the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader?
“What is it?”
I didn't know how to answer his blunt question. I really had just come on a whim because of the alcohol.
“I just came to wish you a good night’s sleep.”
“Waking someone up just to tell them to sleep well?”
I bowed my head deeply to my exasperated father. This was the only thing I could think to say right now.
“Thank you.”
During this journey, what I’ve felt is that my father is being very patient with me. Having spent all his time at the headquarters, how could this journey—his first in a very long time—be purely enjoyable?
Moreover, I was acting selfishly, trying to do everything I hadn't been able to do with him. Even waking him up tonight was an act that demanded his patience. I wondered if he might smack the back of my bowed head.
After looking down at me for a moment, my father simply closed the door and went back inside.
Even though I had woken him, I felt good having seen his face. It was a brief encounter that meant nothing, but even this would become a memory for me. The title would be something like "A Small Drunken Antic at Midnight."
Because the true victory in my life isn't killing my enemies, but moments like these.
‘Even if Father finds it annoying, I’m going to keep making these little memories.’
Even if Hwa Mu-gi draws his sword right in front of me, I will still crack jokes with my father. I will build memories with my Demon Lords and my subordinates as well. And so, I will comfort my past self, who used to fall asleep alone in terrible loneliness, longing only for this moment. It’s a vow I always make.
‘Not for Father, but for myself.’
Because I know well that only then can I truly care for the other person.
I stood by the window in the hallway in front of my father’s room and looked up at the dark night sky. It was a night where the stars and the moon were all hidden by clouds. Then, my gaze dropped like a falling star to glare at the courtyard where darkness had settled.
I slowly placed my index finger over my lips and whispered softly.
“Shh. Father is sleeping.”