I Never Expected to See Him Here
Jinju Pavilion was doing incredibly well.
It swept up money, leaving the other courtesan houses of Yueyang in the dust.
Even when they raised their prices several times over, customers lined up to board Jinju Pavilion's pleasure boats and enjoy their banquets.
Seeing this, the other courtesan houses realized they couldn't just sit idly by.
Following Jinju Pavilion's example, they began purchasing boats of their own.
They rushed to remodel the vessels into luxurious floating pavilions to begin operations as quickly as possible.
Decorating them even more lavishly and grandly than Jinju Pavilion's boats, they vowed to win back their lost clientele.
But Jinju Pavilion was already another step ahead.
From this point forward, banquets hosted by Jinju Pavilion will be exclusive to registered members.
At first, people wondered if it would actually work.
A membership-only courtesan house?
Of course, high-end establishments screened their guests, but wasn't this a bit too arrogant?
Most believed it was bound to fail.
However...
Surprisingly, Yueyang's high society and prominent figures scrambled to buy memberships.
The price of a membership was jaw-droppingly high.
They even had to pay an annual fee just to maintain it.
But it didn't matter.
To the truly wealthy, money was never the issue.
What mattered to them was the anxiety of not having what everyone else in their social circle possessed.
Desperate to secure a membership, some even offered to pay double the asking price.
They went so far as to send precious gifts and beg the master of Jinju Pavilion for a favor.
"Haha. I ask for your favor, Master."
"If I cannot secure a membership, my family will lose face. Please, look out for me."
"Ahem, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please, do not reject it."
Before anyone realized it, the power dynamic had completely flipped.
It couldn't be helped.
To the elites of Yueyang, this membership had become the ultimate status symbol.
By the time they woke up to reality, Jinju Pavilion held all the cards.
Those who had rushed to build boats in imitation of Jinju Pavilion's success finally realized the truth.
"Damn it, we're too late."
"Ugh... We've been completely outmaneuvered."
"Tsk, what a mess..."
In any business, the pioneers and early birds reap the greatest rewards.
The latecomers had expected as much.
But Jinju Pavilion had snatched the cream of the crop before anyone else could even dip their toes in the water.
No matter how much money circulated in Yueyang, it was the wealthy elite who spent the real fortunes.
In the entertainment business, hosting a hundred ordinary commoners couldn't compare to the amount a single tycoon spent in a single night.
Thus, securing high-society clients was the key to survival.
Jinju Pavilion had swept up all those elite clients using the membership as bait.
This was something the latecomers couldn't copy even if they tried.
The competitors, who had built boats hoping to break Jinju Pavilion's monopoly and strike it rich, were left staring blankly like dogs chasing a chicken over a fence.
"I don't know who the master of Jinju Pavilion is, but their business acumen is practically divine."
"Indeed."
"Brilliant. Truly brilliant."
A few onlookers watched Jinju Pavilion's growth with amusement.
To them, it was just an entertaining spectacle.
But for those in the same industry, their own houses were on fire.
"Those arrogant bastards!"
"How dare they pull such a dirty trick?"
"Do they want to keep all the money for themselves?"
"Do they think I'll just take this lying down? Just you wait."
Envy and jealousy.
They were the inevitable taxes one had to pay for success.
Among them, some began to move beyond mere jealousy and take actual action.
"What? How dare you say I can't board?!"
"I am terribly sorry. This pleasure boat operates strictly on a membership basis, so those who are not registered... Argh!"
Crash!
"A mere courtesan house dares to grow such balls? How dare you cross me? Do you value your life so little?"
A rough-looking man carrying a large saber roared at the reception desk.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, deliberately making sure everyone around could hear.
"Call the manager! Who do you think you're dealing with...?"
The onlookers shrank back at his hostility, and other members arriving to board frowned in displeasure. But then...
"Customer. Would you care to step aside for a consultation?"
"Huh? Who the hell are... Uh..."
The troublemaker flinched, instantly intimidated by the figure appearing before him.
A giant of a man, a full head taller than him, stepped forward, the thick muscles of his arms rippling like logs.
"It seems you require assistance regarding our membership policy. I will gladly handle your inquiry."
"No, I..."
"This way, please."
"Ahem, there seems to be a misunderstanding..."
"I said, this way."
The troublemaker was quietly dragged away. He was never seen again.
Jinju Pavilion had naturally anticipated such incidents.
And they had prepared for them.
However, preparation did not make the problems vanish entirely.
Day after day, thugs showed up to cause trouble, disrupt their supply chains, or spread malicious rumors.
The harassment was persistent and took many forms.
Naturally, news of this reached the ears of Jinju Pavilion's master.
"Master, what are your orders?"
"The interference is growing worse."
A middle-aged man clad in luxurious silk.
He was the legendary owner who had built Jinju Pavilion and amassed a mountain of gold in Yueyang in such a short time.
At the moment, he was listening to his subordinate's report with a grim expression.
"We have received reports of over five incidents today alone."
"Our response?"
"We are managing for now. No customers have been harmed."
"That is a relief."
"But it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up."
"Hmm..."
He fell into deep thought.
He had known from the beginning that this wouldn't be easy.
Especially since Yueyang was the territory of the Unorthodox Faction, such interference was to be expected. The problem was...
We need to secure proper guardians before the real heavyweights get involved.
He had preparations for this as well.
However, preparations were just preparations.
Until a contract was signed, nothing was guaranteed. To resolve the immediate issue, he had to take action.
"Issue a public notice. Announce that we are looking to contract a sect to handle Jinju Pavilion's security."
"Will anyone step forward? The established sects in Yueyang are likely already in league with the other courtesan houses."
"Do not worry about that."
The master smiled faintly.
"With enough money, one can make even ghosts grind grain."
And the following day.
Rumors spread throughout Yueyang that Jinju Pavilion was seeking a sect to take charge of their security.
This much was expected.
But what they did not expect was...
"A signing bonus of one hundred, one thousand... ten thousand gold taels?!"
"And a monthly retainer of one thousand gold taels?!"
It was a jaw-dropping sum of money.
Instantly, numerous sects rushed to secure a contract with Jinju Pavilion.
Most of them were already contracted to other courtesan houses, but that didn't matter.
In the territory of the Unorthodox Faction, those who chose loyalty over money were rare beasts indeed.
There were also those who had traveled from far-off lands.
At the reception desk, countless martial artists of unknown origin gathered, begging to be hired.
For example...
"Affiliation?"
"Han Cheong-un, Sect Leader of the Extreme Dao Sect?"
"Huh? Extreme Dao Sect?"
"You probably haven't heard of it. We only recently established the sect."
"..."
People like him.
Han Cheong-un, having arrived in Yueyang.
First, he looked for a manor to establish a foothold in this land.
He ended up purchasing a manor that was excessively spacious for just four people.
"Hahaha. You got a wonderful price, milord."
The real estate broker bowed repeatedly in gratitude to Han Cheong-un, who had closed the deal swiftly.
This part had been easy.
After all, Han Cheong-un possessed a massive fortune from plundering the secret vault of the Shadowless Divine Thief.
Although he had paid a hefty sum for the large manor without even bargaining, it barely made a dent in his finances.
"Ah, having money is truly convenient."
It was a simple realization, but he felt deeply moved.
"Are you really that happy about it?"
"Of course. Have you forgotten how much we suffered from a lack of budget back in the Annihilation Squad days?"
"I don't remember that in the first place."
"Ah... Right."
Tang Jin wouldn't remember, but in his past life, the Annihilation Squad had fought on the absolute front lines, yet they received the smallest budget among the Ten Sword Squads.
Because of that, Han Cheong-un and Tang Jin had to put their heads together to stretch every single copper.
"Well, why didn't you complain back then?"
"I worried it would cause internal strife within the Alliance..."
"..."
"I thought we just needed to endure a little."
"And how did that turn out?"
"We were discarded like useless dogs."
"..."
"..."
Thinking back on it, he had been a hopeless pushover.
Han Cheong-un sighed and shook off the idle thoughts.
That was the past—no, not even the future...
It was simply something that never happened now.
So, he only needed to focus on what lay ahead.
"Alright, now that we've bought the manor, what should we do next?"
"Well, should we hire people first?"
"People? Ah, disciples?"
"No, not that."
"What else do we need?"
At Han Cheong-un's innocent question, Tang Jin let out a heavy sigh.
"If you buy a manor of this size, you need people to maintain it."
"Ah..."
"Servants and maids for chores, a cook for meals, and a butler to oversee everything."
"Hmm, I see."
Han Cheong-un nodded and asked Tang Jin again.
"How do we hire them?"
"How should I know? My family always had them from the start."
"..."
He sometimes forgot, but Tang Jin was the direct heir of the Sichuan Tang Family, a young master born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
The Sichuan Tang Family was a prestigious clan firmly established in Sichuan.
There was no reason for Tang Jin to have ever thought about how to build such a household from scratch.
"Tsk, what a useless young master."
"..."
Tang Jin felt wronged. And...
"Wow, Husband! There's a pond here. Can we raise fish?"
"Sect Leader, it would be nice to plant plum blossom trees around here. Please buy about twenty of them."
Tang Seo-yeon and Baek Su-ah were not the kind of talents who could help with this either.
At this moment, Han Cheong-un realized something.
"We are a lot more useless than I thought."
Food, clothing, maintenance, cleaning...
To run a sect in a massive manor like this, they absolutely needed people to handle various chores.
Yet, the only things the people here knew how to do were...
Spearplay, swordplay, throwing daggers, and poisoning.
Not a single one of them was productive.
If left to these useless martial artists, this manor would turn into a haunted house within six months.
"Should we just put up a notice?"
"Well, hiring people is a serious matter. We'll be in trouble if we just hire anyone."
"Hmm... Then what do we do?"
"I told you, I don't know!"
"If the Vice Leader doesn't know, who does?"
"The Sect Leader should know!"
The two bickered.
Just then, Baek Su-ah intervened.
"Wait a minute."
Did she have a good idea?
Han Cheong-un and Tang Jin turned their attention to her. And Baek Su-ah said:
"I'm hungry."
"..."
"Let's eat first."
So that's what she wanted to say.
She just wanted to eat.
People often say:
"We only work to feed ourselves."
Or something along those lines.
In that sense, Baek Su-ah's words were the only ones that made any sense in this hopeless situation.
Although the manor had a kitchen, they had no ingredients, and even if they did, they lacked a cook.
In the end, the group headed outside to find food.
"It really is a bustling city."
"It is."
Just stepping onto the streets made it clear how lively Yueyang was.
While the courtesan houses surrounding Dongting Lake were the most lavish and lucrative areas, money always circulated.
Naturally, the wealth generated there flowed into the surrounding districts, breathing life into the entire city.
"Fresh silk from Sichuan has arrived!"
"Embroidered shoes crafted by the finest artisans!"
"Buy some bowls! Bowls baked with care from the finest clay!"
The group walked through the streets, listening to the energetic cries of the market merchants.
Tang Seo-yeon and Baek Su-ah glanced at Han Cheong-un, showing interest in the small trinkets sold by the vendors. But then...
"Out of the way! Move!"
"Make way for the grand courtesan of Jinju Pavilion!"
Pushing aside the busy merchants, a group cleared the path, shoving people out of the way.
It was the procession of a top courtesan from Jinju Pavilion.
"Oh, it's Seol-un."
"We're in luck. She's rarely seen in public."
"Rarely seen or not, poor folks like us have no business with her anyway."
"True enough."
The whispers of the crowd alone made it clear how famous Jinju Pavilion was, and how renowned the courtesan named Seol-un had become.
"Yueyang is certainly a city of pleasure."
"Indeed. By the way, Husband, do you like that sort of thing? Should I try wearing something like that?"
Despite Baek Su-ah and Tang Seo-yeon's comments, Han Cheong-un seemed lost in deep thought.
Jinju Pavilion... Jinju Pavilion...
The name sounded familiar.
Why?
In his past life, Han Cheong-un had visited courtesan houses only a handful of times.
Even then, it was only for security or to fill a seat; he had never gone of his own accord.
So why did the name Jinju Pavilion linger in his memory?
Han Cheong-un racked his brain for a long moment. And finally...
"Ah, that's right. It's that Jinju Pavilion."
He remembered.
He remembered why the name had stuck with him.
"Foolish. How could I have forgotten that?"
"What is it?"
"The Golden Immortal Without Heir."
"Who is that?"
"A figure who will become the wealthiest merchant in the Central Plains through sheer, insane business genius."
"...Excuse me?"
"The very foundation of the Golden Immortal Merchant Group he created was none other than this courtesan house business, Jinju Pavilion."
The future wealthiest man under heaven was right here in Yueyang.