Do I Have to Spell It Out for You?
At the woman's words, Cha Mu-seong didn't even bat an eye.
He continued to stroke her cheek teasingly, speaking with absolute confidence.
"Oh? And why is that? Do tell."
His attitude made it clear: I'll listen, though it won't change a thing.
Yet she continued, completely unfazed.
"I am already betrothed to another. Therefore, I cannot belong to you, Elder."
"That is hardly an issue."
"..."
"But tell me anyway. Who is this bastard who dares to claim you?"
His aura threatened to sever the man's head and render the entire problem moot.
But she did not shrink back. She spoke calmly.
"It is Young Master Namgung Sang of the Namgung Family."
"...Namgung?"
For the first time, the smirk vanished from Cha Mu-seong's eyes.
He lowered his hand from her cheek, his expression hardening.
"You are marrying a son of the Namgung Family?"
"That is the agreement."
"A mere courtesan's daughter becoming a daughter-in-law to the proud Namgung Family? Do you expect me to believe that?"
Her voice remained soft, yet every word was crystal clear.
"As you know, my father possesses extraordinary business acumen."
"...That much is true."
Indeed, his acumen was so formidable that it had forced the second-in-command of the Wu-Ji Sect to personally pay a visit.
To put it simply...
Eighty percent of the pleasure houses in Yueyang paid protection money to the Wu-Ji Sect.
Recently, however, those tribute payments had plummeted. Naturally, the Wu-Ji Sect pressed the establishments for answers, and they pointed their fingers at Jinju Pavilion.
There was no need for them to lie. They only had to speak the truth.
"The newly opened Jinju Pavilion has stolen all of our customers."
"All the wealthy patrons are going there. At this rate, we'll have to close down."
"That is why the protection fees have decreased. We didn't pocket a single coin. We swear it's the truth."
When they sent men to investigate, they found it was entirely true.
A sudden competitor had swept up all the wealth in Yueyang's entertainment district, causing their own revenues to plummet.
Consequently, the Wu-Ji Sect's income had also taken a hit.
Naturally, the Wu-Ji Sect had to act.
If Jinju Pavilion was raking in that much money, there were only two options.
Swallow it whole?
Or crush it to pieces?
Because Jinju Pavilion's estimated revenue was astronomical, Cha Mu-seong, the second-in-command of the Wu-Ji Sect, had personally intervened.
Which meant...
The amount of wealth the master of Jinju Pavilion generated was too massive to ignore.
"Hmm. So you're saying he used his entire fortune and business to buy his daughter a way into the Namgung Family?"
"Even the Namgung Family requires funds."
"And those stiff-necked bastards are willing to travel all the way from Anhui to Yueyang for this?"
"If the second-in-command of the Wu-Ji Sect could make the trip, why wouldn't they?"
"Hmm..."
A clever tongue.
To doubt her further would make the Wu-Ji Sect seem lesser than the Namgung Family.
A clever girl.
Cha Mu-seong glanced at the master of Jinju Pavilion.
Seeing him glare back with blood dripping from his mouth and eyes full of grief, Cha Mu-seong smirked.
"You are more ambitious than I thought."
"Cough... Ugh..."
"And you possess a rather tempting treasure."
Cha Mu-seong turned his gaze back to the woman.
He spoke to her.
"Come to think of it, I still do not know your name."
"...I am Jang Mun-hui."
"Hmm, a lovely name. What if I were to carry you away right now?"
"The Namgung Family would be furious."
"Do you think our sect fears those scholars from Anhui?"
"Perhaps not, but it could trigger a full-scale clash between the Sado-palmun and the Orthodox Wulin."
"Do you truly believe you are worth that much? Anyone listening would think a war between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions would erupt over a single girl."
"It is entirely possible."
"How arrogant—"
"To begin with!"
She cut him off mid-sentence.
"The spark of war is always trivial and insignificant. A mere locking of eyes, or a single drunken slip of the tongue at a banquet, can ignite the flames of conflict."
"Ahem..."
It was true.
The Jianghu was precisely that kind of place.
"What matters is not the motive, but how massive the scale will become once the war begins. In other words, the focus should be on how vast and evenly matched the opposing forces are."
"..."
"Currently, both sides have been gathering their strength for a long time. The power of the Sado-palmun and the Wulin Alliance is on the verge of saturation. In such a volatile situation, could this woman..."
After pouring out her words like a rapid-fire volley, she flashed a bewitchingly relaxed smile and finished slowly.
"...truly not be the spark that ignites the war?"
"..."
"Are you certain?"
"..."
The atmosphere shifted.
Before anyone realized it, the powerless Jang Mun-hui was subtly cornering Cha Mu-seong, an elder of the Wu-Ji Sect and a giant of the Unorthodox faction.
Using logical assumptions as her weapon, she was threatening someone overwhelmingly stronger than herself.
How dare this wench...
Realizing this, Cha Mu-seong's face flushed with shame and anger.
If he simply reached out, he could snap her fragile neck like a diseased chicken's. And yet...
If her bluff is real, it will indeed be troublesome.
In truth, Cha Mu-seong believed she was bluffing.
Most words uttered by cornered prey were bluffs or excuses. However...
If there was even a one-in-a-million chance it was true, it would be a massive headache.
If she truly had ties to the Namgung Family, her wild claims could no longer be dismissed as mere delusions.
It meant a full-scale war between the Wulin Alliance and the Sado-palmun was a distinct possibility.
I can't cause that kind of disaster when I only came here to secure another source of income.
He did not fear the Namgung Family.
But if friction arose with them, and his brother held him responsible...
Ugh...
Just the thought sent a shiver down his spine.
Cha Mu-seong lived violently, committing atrocities as he pleased as if he feared nothing in the world, but even he had a weakness.
His older brother, the Sect Leader of the Wu-Ji Sect: the Iron Blood Fist King, Cha Mu-gyeom.
In his foolish youth, he had tried and struggled to surpass his brother, but all he had received in return was deeper dread and terror.
"Tsk. I will believe you just this once."
Ultimately, Cha Mu-seong backed down.
He stared at Jang Mun-hui of Jinju Pavilion and said,
"I will investigate to see if your words are true."
"..."
"If even a single word is a lie, you will regret ever being born."
"Do as you wish."
Jang Mun-hui bowed her head as she replied.
A faint trace of relief flickered across her face.
Somehow, I got through it.
It was a narrow escape from the jaws of death.
The crisis was not entirely over, but at least she was alive for now.
Cha Mu-seong kicked the door open and stormed out. Jang Mun-hui immediately rushed to her fallen father.
"Are you alright?"
"I... I am fine. But..."
"It is fine. As long as the Namgung Family arrives on time, even the Wu-Ji Sect won't dare to act rashly."
"..."
Jang Mun-hui's words had not been a complete bluff.
Though she had concealed several crucial details, it was true that marriage talks were underway between her and the Namgung Family.
Once the marriage was finalized, not even the Wu-Ji Sect would be able to oppress them so easily. The only issue was...
"Father, when did you say the Namgung Family would arrive?"
"I received a reply stating they would arrive in a fortnight."
"A fortnight..."
It was too long.
Too long to hold out with a tiger right at their doorstep. But they had no other choice.
"We must hold out on our own until then, no matter what."
"Is that even possible? We do not have the strength to oppose the Wu-Ji Sect."
"What about the mercenary martial artists we hired? We must use them."
"They are mere unorthodox rabble. Do you think they would fight the Wu-Ji Sect for us?"
"We will use money."
The master of Jinju Pavilion frowned.
"We have already offered ten thousand gold coins. You want to spend more?"
"Father, money is meaningless if you just hold onto it."
"..."
"Its true power is revealed only when it is spent."
Jang Mun-hui spoke with firm resolve.
"Tomorrow, gather all the martial artists currently undergoing the second test. And..."
The next day.
Jinju Pavilion gathered all the martial artists currently taking the test in one place.
Most of them were filled with discontent, but that was of little concern right now.
"I, Jang, sincerely express my gratitude to all the warriors who work day and night to protect our Jinju Pavilion."
He offered a polite fist-and-palm salute as he spoke.
However, not a single person replied.
The martial artists, who had been performing unpaid labor under the guise of a "test," were beginning to feel skeptical. Above all...
A fire has started under their feet.
Well, they did offend the Wu-Ji Sect.
Is this the end for this place?
Rumors in the Jianghu traveled with terrifying speed.
The news that the Wu-Ji Sect had come to Jinju Pavilion's houseboat yesterday to flex their muscles had already spread everywhere.
It was only natural, given that it had happened in broad daylight for all to see.
And no matter how confident these martial artists were in their own skills, they had no reason to clash with the Wu-Ji Sect, a pillar of the Sado-palmun.
Ten thousand gold coins is a shame to lose, but...
It can't be helped.
Most of them had already checked out mentally.
The master of Jinju Pavilion could guess their thoughts. However...
I cannot let it end like this.
The master of Jinju Pavilion cut straight to the point.
"Ahem... As some of you may already know, Jinju Pavilion is currently facing unreasonable demands from the Wu-Ji Sect."
"So? Are you asking us to fight the Wu-Ji Sect for you?"
"I'll tell you right now, I refuse."
"Same here."
"Ten thousand gold coins is far too cheap for a man's life."
The master of Jinju Pavilion spoke resolutely to the crowd.
"One hundred thousand gold coins."
The crowd stirred.
The amount had suddenly increased tenfold.
He continued.
"This is not for fighting. This is the sum we will pay to the person who recruits the most men starting from today."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Jinju Pavilion has no intention of fighting the Wu-Ji Sect either. No matter who wins, we cannot avoid sustaining damage, can we?"
The phrase no matter who wins was incredibly shameless, but the sum of one hundred thousand gold coins was more than enough to command their undivided attention.
"From this moment on, Jinju Pavilion will expand its guard force."
"By how many?"
"As many as possible."
"..."
"They say all within the four seas are brothers. I believe heroes like yourselves must have many friends you can rely on."
They listened on.
"We will gather as many people as we can to swell our ranks. We will amass a force so large that even the Wu-Ji Sect will hesitate to confront us."
"But that will cost an astronomical amount of money."
"We can easily afford an expenditure of up to one million gold coins."
"Crazy..."
Just how wealthy was this mere pleasure house owner?
One million gold coins.
This was not a sum commonly spoken of in the Jianghu.
It was a figure that might appear when governors of major provincial capitals drafted their state budgets.
And he was claiming he could cover it...
"Of course, the one million gold coins will be paid in promissory notes, distributed over a ten-year installment plan."
The excitement cooled slightly.
"However, the one hundred thousand gold coins promised to the one who recruits the largest force will be paid immediately in cold, hard cash."
Cooled? Not a chance.
The atmosphere burned hotter than ever.
In other words...
"You will pay one hundred thousand gold coins to whoever brings the most people?"
"Right on the spot."
"You won't go back on your word? If you try to pull a trick on us..."
Right then.
The master of Jinju Pavilion gestured behind him, and muscular men carried out heavy chests.
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed each time a chest was set down. There were ten of them in total. Even without a word, everyone could guess what was inside.
The master of Jinju Pavilion spoke.
"Open the chests."
As the lids were lifted, the very sight they had all imagined unfolded before their eyes.
Every single chest was filled to the brim with gold ingots.
"Gasp... Is it really...?"
"Oh... Ohhh..."
Gold, more than enough to bewitch any man, glittered before them. The master of Jinju Pavilion spoke.
"As you can see, the physical gold is right here."
No one answered.
Instead, only the sound of gulping saliva filled the room.
The master of Jinju Pavilion continued.
"You have ten days starting today. Whoever brings the most people within that time will be the owner of these chests."
"Oh... Ohhh..."
"Let's go! Move, quickly!"
"Send letters to all the surrounding sects! Don't worry about their skill level, just tell them to send as many bodies as possible!"
"Hurry! Move!"
Watching them scramble in a frenzy, the master of Jinju Pavilion let out a sigh of relief.
Unorthodox bastards, all of them... But thanks to them, we might survive.
Jinju Pavilion's plan was simple.
To swell their numbers to the absolute limit, creating a deterrent massive enough to prevent the Wu-Ji Sect from acting rashly.
Of course, he knew.
In the Jianghu, quality generally mattered far more than quantity.
A handful of absolute masters decided the outcome of any conflict.
But even that had its limits.
Even if they were commoners who didn't know a single martial arts stance, gathering a thousand of them and handing them spears would create a force to be reckoned with.
What if they gathered that many martial artists who, at the very least, possessed a shred of internal energy and basic third-rate martial arts?
Even the ancient Han Dynasty fell due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
Numbers were power.
The more, the better.
Of course, the massive financial drain was painful.
Although the one million gold coins would be paid in future promissory notes, the one hundred thousand gold coins promised as a reward already constituted most of Jinju Pavilion's available cash.
It was a waste. How could it not be? But...
Those words were correct.
And even if they were wrong, he had to follow them. Because...
"Excuse me."
"Huh?!"
He gasped in surprise.
In the room where everyone else had rushed out, someone remained, standing right in front of the master of Jinju Pavilion.
One was a young warrior holding a spear, and behind him stood a young man with a sharp impression wearing a green robe.
What was this? Why hadn't these two left?
Do they not have any connections?
The young warrior with the spear spoke to the master of Jinju Pavilion.
"We won't get fired from our guard duties right away if we don't bring people, right?"
"Well, no."
They really must not have any friends.
Poor things. But...
"Then, before that, could we have a word with the master of Jinju Pavilion?"
"With me?"
"No. I want to speak with the one who truly represents Jinju Pavilion."
"That is me."
"Tsk. Do I have to spell it out for you?"
"?"
"Then let me be more precise."
The young warrior with the spear smiled as he spoke.
"I wish to speak with the current head of the Jinju Eon Family."
"...!"
The master of Jinju Pavilion was utterly shocked.