Such Good Camaraderie
With Mukyangmun wiped off the map, Saryeonggeuk made his way to Hwaun Merchant Group. Not a single soul in the merchant guild recognized him, but with the Leader of Blue Night Valley and the Leader of Twilight Pavilion flanking him on either side, no one dared block his path.
As he strode deep into the heart of Hwaun Merchant Group, Saryeonggeuk kept glancing about, taking in his surroundings.
Walls as sturdy as a fortress rampart. A sprawling plaza. Countless throngs of people and wagons flowing without pause. The air carried that distinctive hum unique to a great trading house.
Shakier than it once had been, perhaps, but Hwaun Merchant Group still ranked among the finest in the realm.
Saryeonggeuk drew a deep breath, as if savoring every last detail of it.
"Not bad."
The smile that spread across his face as he exhaled belonged to a man who already considered the merchant guild his own.
Just ahead, an old man appeared. The moment he laid eyes on Saryeonggeuk, he bowed deeply at the waist.
"Vice Alliance Leader."
It was Hoyeon Baek, Chief Manager of Hwaun Merchant Group.
Saryeonggeuk answered with a cursory nod and said only, "Let's go."
No further explanation was given. Even so, the party proceeded naturally toward the guild leader's office, Hoyeon Baek leading the way.
Standing before the door, Hoyeon Baek spoke in a careful tone.
"Guild Leader, the Vice Alliance Leader of the Thousand Poisons Alliance has arrived."
He had already sent a swift-footed servant ahead with the news. A brief silence passed, and then the door opened.
The moment Saryeonggeuk confirmed Hwa Yeonseol's face, a flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Guild Leader."
"……"
Hwa Yeonseol said nothing for a long moment, simply looking up at Saryeonggeuk, who towered over her. The Chief Manager, the Leader of Twilight Pavilion, and the Leader of Blue Night Valley all wore flustered expressions at the sight.
Circumstances notwithstanding, when the Vice Alliance Leader of the Thousand Poisons Alliance paid a visit in person, Hwa Yeonseol, as guild leader, was expected to receive him with her very best hospitality.
Yet Saryeonggeuk didn't seem the least bit displeased. If anything, he looked pleased as he watched her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"How did a beauty like you ever spring from a father like that?"
At such brazen words, a fine crease formed between Hwa Yeonseol's brows.
"……A pleasure to meet you as well. I am Hwa Yeonseol, leader of Hwaun Merchant Group."
She put deliberate weight on the words guild leader. It was a warning: this was, at least for now, a meeting between two leaders, and he would do well to mind his tongue.
A crafty old fox like Saryeonggeuk could hardly have missed the barb buried beneath it. Still, he merely flashed a knowing grin and strolled inside as though nothing had been said.
Hwa Yeonseol made a point of walking a touch faster, claiming the seat of honor first. It was her attempt not to surrender the initiative.
But Saryeonggeuk, apparently never having intended to sit at the seat of honor in the first place, simply settled into the chair beside it.
That easygoing composure stirred a quiet sense of defeat in Hwa Yeonseol's heart.
"I hadn't expected you to come in person."
"I came to bring you some good news, Guild Leader. Since I was already in Deokyang, I thought I'd deliver it personally."
"……"
Hwa Yeonseol fixed her gaze on Saryeonggeuk. However firmly she tried to steady herself, maintaining her composure before a man of his caliber was no simple feat.
Such was the presence the Thousand Poisons Alliance commanded in Sichuan. And the Vice Alliance Leader Saryeonggeuk was among the most feared black-way masters in the entire province—old, with a countenance fierce enough to curdle milk.
Above all, it was common knowledge that his methods were ruthless and without mercy.
"First of all—Saryonggangbang has been annihilated."
"I know. I hear they were attacked by unknown assailants."
Saryeonggeuk studied her closely as she spoke. He harbored a private suspicion that Hwaun Merchant Group might have had a hand in Saryonggangbang's destruction.
But Hwa Yeonseol was only struggling to conceal her fear; there was no other sign of falsehood about her.
"That's right. Well, either way, Saryonggangbang had long been a thorn in Hwaun Merchant Group's side, so I'd imagine that's good news for you, Guild Leader."
"……"
It was absurd. Everyone knew full well that the Thousand Poisons Alliance stood behind Deokyang's Four Great Black Way Factions.
Yet Hwa Yeonseol had no choice but to swallow it all in silence—at least until she could read where the man was headed.
Saryeonggeuk continued.
"And Mukyangmun was destroyed just now as well."
"……"
This time even Hwa Yeonseol was visibly shaken.
Savoring her reaction, Saryeonggeuk pressed on.
"They were attacking Blue Night Valley, duped by someone's whispers. A ridiculous affair. So I destroyed them myself. Things that serve no purpose are better off gone, in more ways than one."
There was a blade hidden in those words.
And it was not a warning meant for Hwa Yeonseol alone. The Leader of Blue Night Valley and the Leader of Twilight Pavilion both held their breath, their faces going taut.
Saryeonggeuk went on.
"Deokyang will now be split between Twilight Pavilion and Blue Night Valley. Hwaun Merchant Group's enemies will shrink from four to two. A fine development, wouldn't you say?"
"……That hardly sounds like something the Thousand Poisons Alliance should be saying."
"Hahaha, true enough. It was no attempt at mockery, so don't take it as one. What I truly wish to say is this."
A servant brought in tea. Saryeonggeuk paused to steady his breathing and took a moment to savor the brew.
Then he spoke.
"Just as Saryonggangbang and Mukyangmun vanished overnight, so too could Twilight Pavilion and Blue Night Valley. And who's to say some other faction won't spring up out of nowhere in their place? That is the jianghu of today, and the black way as well. Can Hwaun Merchant Group survive in such a world?"
"……"
"Your father was a man who managed exactly that. He wielded the Leader of Twilight Pavilion, the Leader of Blue Night Valley, the Saryonggangbang Chief, and the Mukyangmun Chief like his own hands and feet. A merchant, yes—but he commanded men better than any martial artist I've ever seen."
At the words hands and feet, the Leader of Twilight Pavilion let out an awkward cough. Paying him no mind, Saryeonggeuk continued.
"But you are not that man. Just look at the present moment—these black-way rabble raised you up, and without the faintest sense of gratitude, you bare your teeth at them. And so I make you a serious proposal, Guild Leader."
"……"
"Give up your ambitions. Those who dream dreams larger than their abilities never die a peaceful death."
In other words, Saryeonggeuk was telling her to hand Hwaun Merchant Group over without a fight.
Shame and fear flushed Hwa Yeonseol's face crimson. But she could not force out a single word.
Saryeonggeuk's very presence had already swallowed the spacious office whole.
As if he'd never intended to hear her answer in the first place, Saryeonggeuk turned to the two black-way chiefs.
"Find me the loach. If it's an individual, kill them. If it's a faction……"
He let the words die there. But everyone understood. The Thousand Poisons Alliance was prepared to wage all-out war over this matter if it came to that.
Having received Saryeonggeuk's orders, the Leader of Twilight Pavilion and the Leader of Blue Night Valley left the room. Watching them go, Saryeonggeuk clicked his tongue softly.
"If it were up to me, I'd summon every elite of the Thousand Poisons Alliance here to Deokyang."
Saryeonggeuk's eyes gleamed dangerously.
Hwa Yeonseol swallowed hard—Hell, even the seasoned Chief Manager, Hoyeon Baek, gulped audibly.
"What say you, Chief Manager? Wouldn't it be better to deal directly with our Thousand Poisons Alliance rather than with rabble like that? The young guild leader may not know better, but surely a man of your experience can tell which way the wind blows."
"Ah……"
Hoyeon Baek hesitated.
He and Hwa Yeonseol locked eyes for a brief moment.
Not long ago, Hoyeon Baek had advised her that surrendering Hwaun Merchant Group to the Thousand Poisons Alliance was their only path to survival.
"Kakaka—only joking. Even if those idiots are worthless, if I bring in the Alliance's elites, the leaders of Twilight Pavilion and Blue Night Valley will be sorely displeased. Especially that Twilight Pavilion fellow—he's nothing but a wolf pup."
Hwa Yeonseol could only feel incredulous.
The Vice Alliance Leader of the Thousand Poisons Alliance was already speaking as though Hwaun Merchant Group belonged to him.
What truly galled her was that even as he walked into her own home and hurled insults, there was nothing she could do about it.
As though seeing straight through her heart, Saryeonggeuk let out a sly chuckle.
"Don't glare at me so. We may yet end up one family, you and I."
He meant that Hwaun Merchant Group might be absorbed into the Thousand Poisons Alliance. But Hwa Yeonseol sensed that some other, fouler intent lay coiled beneath those words.
The pickpocket Jang Hong's profanity tore a sharp line through the streets of Deokyang.
"GODDAMMITT!"
Jang Hong ran as though death itself were on his heels. Behind him, three armed men were chasing him down to kill him.
Jang Hong was quick on his feet—but outrunning trained martial artists was another matter entirely.
They might be mere lowlifes from the bottom rung of Twilight Pavilion, but they had still learned lightness techniques. Every time he twisted his head to check, the gap had shrunk another few strides.
They seemed convinced they had him already, for they had stopped cursing and threatening and had started laughing instead. Those smiles made Jang Hong's blood run colder than any threat ever could.
If only I'd never gotten tangled up with those two!
This was all because of that pair. If they wanted to bark at the black-way factions of Deokyang, they could do it themselves—why on earth did they have to drag him into it?
The Twilight Pavilion thugs were hunting the beast that had annihilated Saryonggangbang. Someone had seen Jang Hong guiding those two to the Saryonggangbang compound.
Jang Hong had told them the truth: yes, he'd guided them, but he had no idea who they were. But these were black-way men. They weren't the type to let things slide on a simple "I don't know."
So maybe I die today, huh.
He was in the middle of that thought, blinking his eyes shut and open again, when—
"Oh!"
There they were.
The two good-looking bastards who had landed him in this mess.
While Jang Hong ran for his very life, the pair sat there stuffing their faces with dangwa snacks, snickering away as if nothing in the world could be more fun.
"Hey—!"
Before Jang Hong could even finish.
The two of them were already up and moving. Jang Hong ran with everything he had. If he lost them here, he'd be dragged off by the black-way thugs for certain.
As Jang Hong barreled through the crowd, shoving people aside, the two slipped into an alley.
Jang Hong followed them in.
The black-way thugs chasing them burst into sniggers. That alley was a dead end.
The Twilight Pavilion martial artists slowed their pace and sauntered into the alley with easy confidence.
"Jang Hong, come on now, let's just have a little talk……"
The thug's voice trailed off.
Jang Hong's back was in view. And in front of him stood a single young man, radiating a black presence that seemed to darken everything around him.
Seo Yugyeom looked the Twilight Pavilion martial artists up and down, then turned to Jang Hong.
"Caught stealing something again, did you?"
"……"
Jang Hong was too dumbfounded to get a word out.
Oblivious or indifferent, Seo Yugyeom began walking slowly toward the Twilight Pavilion men.
Something in his bearing sent a distinctly dangerous signal down their spines.
Shring—!
All three drew their blades at once. It should have been a thoroughly menacing tableau—but unfortunately, they were backpedaling even as they drew.
To anyone watching, they looked utterly terrified.
Seo Yugyeom watched this with evident amusement before speaking.
"Is that what swords are for?"
"……"
Insulting as it was, not one of the three stopped backing away. Every last one of them understood it on instinct: the 'loach' they were hunting was this man.
The one who had wiped out Saryonggangbang. Whether he was alone, one of two, or part of a larger group, they didn't know. But one thing was certain—this man alone could butcher all three of them in the blink of an eye.
"H-here! Over here!"
"They're here! Found them!"
The Twilight Pavilion men screamed with desperate fervor. Martial artists from Twilight Pavilion and Blue Night Valley alike were scattered throughout the district, all hunting the 'loach.'
Seo Yugyeom closed the distance faster than the three could retreat.
The gap kept narrowing. Unable to bear the terror any longer, one man spun on his heel and bolted.
He didn't make it three steps. Jin Seongun was standing at the mouth of the alley.
"Were you looking for us?"
With those words, Jin Seongun began to walk forward, unhurried.
Front and back, Jin Seongun and Seo Yugyeom closed in.
The Twilight Pavilion martial artists were being compressed between them like a pleated fan. Watching this, Jin Seongun murmured:
"Such good camaraderie among comrades."