Chapter 333
Chapter 333
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 341
Chapter Title: Threat of Isolation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hwangbo Ryeon's pupils shook violently as he stared at Namgung Hyuk.
"Decision maker?"
He glared at Namgung Hyuk, who was grinning slyly, then shifted his gaze to Paeng Junghyuk and the others.
Unconcealed bewilderment and embarrassment surfaced on his face.
Paeng Junghyuk's trembling pupils darted between Namgung Hyuk and Hwangbo Ryeon.
'What... what do we do?'
Namgung Ryong simply stared at Namgung Hyuk without saying a word.
But even he couldn't hide the tremor in his eyes.
Dang Myeong-ok shot a glance at the two men.
'Stay quiet! The Young Master of the Namgung House is here.'
'If we stay quiet...'
'It was impossible for us to say a word anyway. This might actually be for the best. Trust him.'
So it ends up like this after all...
Paeng Junghyuk groaned and lowered his head.
Hwangbo Chung, who had been watching the situation, stepped in to restrain Namgung Hyuk.
"We're in the middle of a meeting! What do you think you're doing, barging in like this!"
Namgung Hyuk cocked his head to the side.
"And who are you?"
"W-What do you mean, who?!"
"Are you the proxy?"
"W-Well, no, but..."
"Then why is a third party here?"
As Namgung Hyuk looked at him indifferently, Hwangbo Chung's face flushed red. But he could offer no retort and had no choice but to shrink back.
It was because Elder Hwangbo Ryeon was the one representing House Hwangbo.
Namgung Hyuk, having swiftly silenced Hwangbo Chung, smiled faintly as he turned to Hwangbo Ryeon.
It was as if he were waiting for him to hurry up and continue.
Hwangbo Ryeon furrowed his brow and spoke.
"Is it true that you hold the decision-making authority?"
"Yes. The Family Heads of House Namgung, House Paeng, and House Dang sent me with that instruction."
"Not them personally?"
Namgung Hyuk nodded.
Hwangbo Ryeon let out a sigh.
'The three Family Heads granted decision-making power to this one?'
For the heads of other houses, who weren't even blood kin, to support this scrawny young punk...
'But it changes nothing.'
Hwangbo Ryeon scolded him in a calm yet stern voice.
"You claim to be the decision maker, and you only show up now? What kind of—"
"Ah, hold on. Let's get our facts straight."
"What?"
"It wasn't us who failed to show at the meeting place—it was House Hwangbo. And now three... no, four of you come here. Anyway, isn't this all House Hwangbo's fault? Like the saying goes, the dog with shit on its snout mocks the one with flour."
"W-What did you say?"
"Ah, just a figure of speech."
Namgung Hyuk smirked slyly, throwing Hwangbo Ryeon off balance.
'This punk is...'
Hwangbo Ryeon's brow furrowed at the street-thug-like word choice and attitude.
But he quickly regained his composure with the poise of experience.
"Fine, if you're the decision maker, then you decide."
"Yes."
"House Namgung cedes half of Hangzhou's interests and half of Zhejiang Province's. House Paeng adjusts the proportions of goods traded with our house. House Dang sends first-rate artisans to our house. That's what we demand."
"You're asking for all that?"
"Of course. If you don't decide here and now, the alliance talks are off."
Namgung Hyuk let out a hollow laugh.
What kind of daylight robbery is this?
He turned to look at Namgung Ryong and the others.
They shook their heads vigorously, signaling refusal.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled.
"So what do we get out of it?"
"You'll be able to engage in active exchanges with our house."
"And what do we gain from trading with House Hwangbo?"
"..."
Hwangbo Ryeon narrowed his eyes.
Does this punk really not know?
"You truly don't know?"
"That's why I'm asking."
"So the three houses intend to insult our house! Sending someone utterly unprepared as the decision maker! Hah!"
Hwangbo Ryeon let out a sigh as if it were beyond belief.
Namgung Hyuk regarded him with indifferent eyes.
Namgung Ryong, Paeng Junghyuk, and Dang Myeong-ok, who were watching, swallowed hard.
'Hyuk.'
'This won't work. Even for Namgung Hyuk, this is...'
'He's in too deep. Logic can't overcome this.'
The bullying, logic, and atmosphere from Hwangbo Ryeon were beyond what a later-generation disciple could handle.
Overpowering House Hwangbo, which held all the cards, with words alone was nearly impossible.
Hwangbo Chung grinned wickedly.
'No matter how strong your martial arts, family matters aren't decided by strength alone.'
Negotiations like this required quick wits and the ability to read the board, not power.
In martial terms, Hwangbo Ryeon was a peak master, while Namgung Hyuk was barely third-rate.
Hwangbo Chung was certain Hwangbo Ryeon would win.
Then.
Namgung Hyuk, who had been silently staring at Hwangbo Ryeon, spoke up.
"What can House Hwangbo offer our houses?"
Hwangbo Ryeon replied gravely.
"Shandong boasts high-quality iron mines, abundant grain, handicrafts, and a surplus of manpower! To trade such riches for a mere half of Hangzhou's interests..."
"No, exactly."
"What?"
"What is that?"
Namgung Hyuk's indifferent expression twisted into a sneer.
Hwangbo Ryeon scowled.
What nonsense is this punk spouting?
What do you mean, what is that?
'An ignorant fool who knows nothing of the world.'
Either he's playing dumb or he truly knows nothing of the situation.
Otherwise, no one would mock House Hwangbo's hand when House Namgung's own offer was so lacking.
"What are you talking about?"
Namgung Hyuk said calmly.
"From what I see, House Hwangbo seems pretty isolated."
As Hwangbo Ryeon narrowed his eyes, Namgung Hyuk clicked his tongue lightly.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You don't get it. If talks break down, your quality iron and all that becomes meaningless. Don't you understand? House Hwangbo gets isolated."
"...Isolated?"
"Yes, isolated."
Hwangbo Ryeon clamped his mouth shut at Namgung Hyuk's matter-of-fact tone. But soon, an uncontrollable sneer escaped.
"Hahaha! Isolated? Roads and waterways connect us in every direction—what isolation are you talking about? Do you really think that makes sense?"
Namgung Hyuk curled his lips at Hwangbo Ryeon's mockery.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"If we walk out now, do you think the alliance will just let House Hwangbo thrive untouched?"
"..."
Hwangbo Ryeon's eyes bulged.
What is this guy saying?
No, what the hell is he babbling?
Surely not...
Namgung Ryong, Paeng Junghyuk, and Dang Myeong-ok's eyes widened in shock.
"Y-Young Master Namgung!"
"Hyuk!"
"T-This is..."
Insane!
Threatening House Hwangbo?
Namgung Hyuk pressed on undeterred.
"House Paeng in Hebei above, House Moyong even further north, half of Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu under our House Namgung—think the alliance will sit idly by if you break away?"
"Y-You... what are you..."
"That makes you enemies."
"Y-You...!"
"Do you remember how House Namgung deals with enemies?"
The path House Namgung had carved flashed through Hwangbo Ryeon's mind.
And Namgung Hyuk confirmed it.
"We uproot them down to the foundations."
Hwangbo Ryeon's mouth snapped shut at the declarative words.
Conversely, Namgung Ryong, Paeng Junghyuk, and Dang Myeong-ok's jaws dropped, their eyes nearly popping out.
'Th-They're dragging House Hwangbo in like a beaten foe...'
'...Well done, well... our Hyuk.'
'...He actually did it. And it's brilliant. I need to learn from this.'
Namgung Hyuk thought in a completely different way.
Who would dare say such a thing to House Hwangbo!
No, what upright faction member negotiates like this!
Namgung Hyuk tilted his head.
"So choose wisely."
"..."
"Shouldn't you be grateful we're even making this offer?"
Grateful for a threat!
Regardless, Namgung Hyuk crossed one leg over the other and addressed Hwangbo Ryeon.
"Choose. Ally with us and expand into Hebei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Liaoning, and even the sea routes held by the Black Dragon Sect. Or..."
Everyone's eyes focused as Namgung Hyuk trailed off.
"Become our enemy."
The casually tossed words filled the annex with tension thick enough to burst.
Namgung Ryong and the others were at a loss over Namgung Hyuk's bold move, while Hwangbo Ryeon's face twisted and hardened.
Namgung Hyuk chuckled.
"Simply put, join the alliance. Don't you get 'partners in crime'?"
Namgung Hyuk stared straight at Hwangbo Ryeon.
His posture grew increasingly relaxed.
"We'll help you haul out that boasted iron from Shandong. Got it?"
Hwangbo Ryeon's ruddy complexion flushed deeper.
'...Enemy? Enemy?'
He had thought House Hwangbo essential to them.
The scenario of them openly declaring enmity had never crossed his mind.
Isolate them as enemies?
Isolation...?
House Hwangbo had planned to advance into Zhejiang Province, left masterless after the Black Dragon Sect's fall and House Namgung's war, nearly a power vacuum.
They were investing in this for Zhejiang's interests and broader expansion.
But isolation?
Yet purely in terms of terrain and position, Shandong could indeed be isolated.
No—if the other great houses willed it, House Hwangbo could end up utterly stranded, just as Namgung Hyuk said.
'This punk... was the wildcard.'
It was a done deal, but now ashes were scattered over it.
How could such a young fool conceive of this?
They had struck at his vital point.
Crunch.
The situation twisted and stagnated in an instant.
Namgung Hyuk smirked smugly.
"So, ally with us or not?"
Even as Namgung Hyuk eyed him cockily, Hwangbo Ryeon couldn't muster a reply.
The brief silence felt like an eternity.
Namgung Hyuk spoke.
"Eighty percent of Hangzhou's interests."
"...You said half!"
"Seventy."
"Are you toying with me?!"
"Do you treat negotiations like a game? And..."
Namgung Hyuk curled his lips as he watched Hwangbo Ryeon flounder.
"The value of an alliance is market price, right? This isn't an offer that comes every day."
"..."
"Decide. The decision maker has to decide."
Hwangbo Chung looked anxiously at Hwangbo Ryeon.
"U-Uncle! Absolutely not..."
"Be quiet!"
Hwangbo Ryeon glared sternly at Hwangbo Chung.
Startled, Hwangbo Chung clamped his mouth shut.
Hwangbo Ryeon's mind tangled in complexity.
'Can't postpone the decision here.'
That would be no different from House Hwangbo dismissing the three houses.
His own words now choked him.
But did he have a way to overturn the board now?
Impossible.
A few glib words from this punk had reduced House Hwangbo to an optional partner.
No—rejecting now meant facing their threat to crush them.
"Counting down. Last chance. Yes or no?"
That insolent punk, daring...
"Three."
Saying yes without room to breathe?
"Two."
The punk shifted as if ready to stand.
"One."
Hwangbo Ryeon squeezed his eyes shut.
"...Fine. Alliance it is."
Namgung Hyuk, who had half-risen, flashed a sly grin.
"Whew, thank you. Bring inkstone and brushes! Time to write up the alliance oath."
"...Fine."
"Uncle!"
Hwangbo Chung jumped up as Hwangbo Ryeon let out a pained groan.
No, you told me to learn negotiation!
Father's will was expansion into Zhejiang!
Hwangbo Chung stared blankly at Hwangbo Ryeon's devastated expression.
Namgung Hyuk grinned.
'Punk, I'm above you.'
Dang Myeong-ok hurriedly scribbled the oath on paper, and Namgung Ryong pulled out his seal from his bosom.
Paeng Junghyuk let out a hollow laugh.
'...What kind of alliance forms like lightning frying beans?'
Even the impregnable Hwangbo Ryeon deciding so hastily!
It was a lightning victory.
Hwangbo Ryeon trembled with rage at the terms on the paper.
"E-Eighty percent?"
"Seventy then?"
"We said fifty..."
"Tch, take it or leave it."
As Namgung Hyuk acted superior, Hwangbo Ryeon ground his teeth and stamped his seal.
Thud!
The great houses' seals stamped onto the oath one by one.
Paeng Junghyuk was in awe.
He'd thought they'd met a robber, but a bandit who robs robbers was here.
The final structure was bizarrely lopsided, far worse for House Hwangbo than their initial proposal.
Namgung Hyuk cackled.
"It's settled. Let's make it work!"
"..."
"Whew, gotta go tear into some meat tonight. Down a drink!"
As Namgung Hyuk rose, he clicked his tongue at Paeng Junghyuk.
"Sigh, what would you do without me? I did well, right?"
"...Yes."
Paeng Junghyuk felt that whenever Namgung Hyuk got involved, things resolved in strange, inexplicable ways.
'...It actually worked.'
Blackmail, of all things.
Hwangbo Ryeon gritted his teeth, watching Namgung Hyuk and the great houses' proxies leave like receding tide.