Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Divide and Conquer
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Several days later.
"Hey! No cutting in line—go to the back and wait your turn!"
A massive line stretched from the entrance of the Myriad Gold House, so long that its end was nowhere in sight.
Inside, the place was packed to the brim with people, all scrambling to sign contracts in a frenzy.
Person after person, side by side, with more crowding in next to them.
Hyeok Mulin wore a satisfied smile at the sight, as if every soul in the provincial capital had shown up.
'This is how the world should be.'
It hadn't taken long for the crowds to gather like this.
Once Chosa Hyeon mobilized the full intelligence network of the Dark Fragrance, rumors of interest-free loans and high-interest deposits spread not just through the capital but across the entire Sichuan Province in less than three days.
Now, customers were pouring in from the capital, the outskirts, and even beyond Sichuan.
"It's... it's real...!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Those depositing money clutched their cash with bloodshot eyes, while borrowers wept tears of gratitude over their interest-free loans.
One thing they all shared: they entered the house with a mix of doubt and hope, but left with beaming smiles and faces lit up like flowers in bloom.
And it wasn't just the customers feeling that joy.
"Satisfied?"
Hyeok Mulin asked Geum Hyeonmong as he approached.
Geum Hyeonmong smiled and replied,
"Of course. Just a short while ago, I was contemplating closing shop. How could my heart not stir at this sight?"
His eyes brimmed with emotion as he gazed back at the bustling house.
"The image of this place I vaguely dreamed of as a child at my father's feet finally feels like reality."
He had been born and raised in the Myriad Gold House, absorbing every detail of it.
Even after suddenly becoming the branch master in his youth, he had endured countless hardships.
His bond with the place ran deeper than most.
"These past few months, it felt like I'd experienced a lifetime's worth of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. And in the end, it all led to this happiness—surely thanks to you, my lord."
Geum Hyeonmong turned to Hyeok Mulin and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, truly."
Hyeok Mulin didn't reply.
But the corners of his mouth curved ever so slightly upward.
As they watched the scene contentedly,
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of heavy, stomping footsteps approached from outside, signaling people barging into the house.
'Here they come.'
Soon, over a dozen people stormed in, faces flushed red and breathing heavily.
Upon seeing the packed house, they puffed up like blowfish, their expressions sour as they bellowed,
"Get the branch master out here—!"
"Huh?"
"What's going on?"
All eyes turned to them.
Geum Hyeonmong, recognizing their faces, said to Hyeok Mulin,
"I'll handle this."
He strode toward them.
Bowing to the middle-aged man at the front, he greeted,
"Branch Master Woo, it's been a while. What brings you here?"
These were the branch masters from money houses across Sichuan Province—the very ones who had once banded together to strangle the Myriad Gold House. Now they had come storming in, fuming.
Branch Master Woo's face twisted in disbelief at Geum Hyeonmong's words, while the others chimed in.
"You really have to ask?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"You trying to drag us all down with you?!"
The branch masters exploded in rage, their voices booming.
They had been forced to come to the capital, leaving their own houses deserted in just days. Enraged but unable to compete, their blood boiled.
United in purpose, they had come to pick a fight with the Myriad Gold House.
Pointing fingers, they hurled vulgar insults.
"You think you can keep this scam going forever?"
"This is basically fraud!"
"Interest-free loans and deposit interest? No house can survive that! What's your angle—why throw money away like this?!"
Geum Hyeonmong listened silently to their protests before finally speaking.
His voice was calm and earnest.
"It's all for our customers."
"W-what...?!"
"If it's for the customers who trust us enough to walk through our doors, we're willing to bear even greater losses."
Awe spread across the faces of the onlookers at his firm declaration.
As public sentiment shifted in an instant, the trembling branch masters grasped for straws.
"Fine, then where's the money coming from? This isn't just bluffing, is it?"
"Covering loans with deposits? You're just robbing Peter to pay Paul!"
"Planning to make a quick buck and run before it all collapses, huh?!"
Hoo—
Geum Hyeonmong let out a sigh at their desperate tactics.
He turned to his subordinate and said,
"Bring it."
Soon after, subordinates emerged from the back, carrying large sacks.
They untied them before everyone's eyes, revealing sacks brimming with gold ingots that gleamed brightly.
Seeing is believing.
Faced with hard proof, the ashen-faced branch masters fell silent, mouths agape like fools.
"H-how... where did you get that much capital...?"
"I thought the takeover drained you dry!"
A few denied reality, but with no more ammunition, they couldn't press further.
"Damn it, you'll see!"
"You'll regret this rudeness one day!"
The branch masters turned on their heels, grumbling.
Geum Hyeonmong shook his head at their retreating backs.
Moments later, Hyeok Mulin approached.
"Well done. You didn't rise to their bait and turned it around to win the people's hearts."
By openly showing genuine care for customers and ample funds in front of everyone, he had secured trust.
It was a brilliant snap judgment.
"It wasn't difficult. I expected them to show up eventually and prepared in advance."
"Still, this won't be the end. They don't seem like the type to back down easily."
"It's fine. I have one more card up my sleeve."
Geum Hyeonmong hadn't let them go without reason.
This was all just setup for the final blow.
He had a plan to clear his nose without lifting a hand.
"With the barbarians, control the barbarians. We'll divide them from within."
Late into the night.
The branch masters from across Sichuan converged, slipping through back alleys of the capital toward their destination.
Their steps halted before a lavish pleasure house.
"They still have some sense of decency. Less than a day after kicking us out, and they're already arranging a meeting."
"Must've regretted their cold shoulder after some thought."
"Yeah. In this vast Sichuan, who can survive alone?"
Not long after being chased from the Myriad Gold House that afternoon, they had received letters.
The sender: the Myriad Gold House branch master.
An invitation to the Fragrant Beauty Pavilion that night.
Thinking it a gesture of reconciliation, they puffed up their chests and marched inside.
"This way, please."
As if expecting them, the head steward guided them deeper in.
They reached the largest private room, where the Myriad Gold House branch master awaited with a lavish spread.
"We meet again so soon."
They sneered their greeting and took seats with smug confidence.
Once settled, Geum Hyeonmong spoke politely.
"Branch masters of Sichuan, good to see you all again. It's late, so you must be hungry. Shall we eat and talk?"
"Heh. Fine."
"Let's do that."
As alcohol and food loosened them up with a pleasant buzz, Branch Master Woo—their de facto leader—spoke.
"Alright, to business. Why'd you call us back?"
"When you visited this afternoon, I fear my words and actions were a bit over the top. I apologize."
"Yeah, yeah. We money houses need to coexist."
"We're all in the same trade. No need to make it ugly."
Funny how quickly they forgot trying to band together to kill him off.
Geum Hyeonmong swallowed his disgust and a sigh as Branch Master Woo continued.
"Calling us back means you're open to negotiation, right?"
"Yes."
"Heh heh. Very well. If the Myriad Gold House accepts a few conditions, we promise to leave you be."
As if scripted, they began listing demands.
First: Cease interest-free loans immediately.
Second: Stop paying interest on deposits.
Third: Limit daily customers and...
Their terms blatantly aimed to cripple the Myriad Gold House.
Geum Hyeonmong listened quietly. Judging him broken, they grew excited, rattling off more.
"Thirteenth: Massively reduce your reckless branch expansions across Sichuan and..."
Then,
"No need to hear more."
Geum Hyeonmong cut them off. The branch masters pointed accusingly, faces incredulous.
"What?"
"Rejecting our offer now?!"
Jealousy, envy, and thick rivalry burned in their eyes, victory so close.
"I can't accept that. Since when has throwing tantrums been all Sichuan branch masters know?"
"What?!"
"No manners at all, I see!"
They shot to their feet, roaring in fury.
At that moment,
Geum Hyeonmong held up three fingers toward them.
"Three."
"...?"
"Exactly three of your houses. I'll buy them out at ten times their current value."
That was all Geum Hyeonmong said.
Afterward, only stunned silence remained.