Chapter 30
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Darkness of Hangzhou (2)
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Cheon Muryang wore a faint smile.
It was a skill he had polished back in his youth when he was notorious as a scoundrel, a smile perfectly optimized for a certain kind of power play.
“Ah, no…”
“If you can’t handle this, call your superior. Shouldn’t you hurry? Time is ticking, even now.”
Then, as he revealed a hint of displeasure, they grew flustered.
“P-Please, come in.”
“You should have done that from the start.”
Left with no other choice, they opened the door for him.
Cheon Muryang stepped inside.
“It’s empty.”
The interior of the Scholar’s Shrine was vacant.
Someone was sitting in the center of it.
“Hm?”
“It has been a while, Young Lord Cheon Muryang.”
He seemed to know Cheon Muryang.
“Do you know me?”
“Ah, you are a man of many affairs, so you might not remember me.”
Cheon Muryang had frequented all the finest establishments in Hangzhou, so it wouldn't be strange if they had crossed paths.
‘Well, we must have met somewhere.’
There had to be more than a few people like that in Hangzhou.
Even after Cheon Muryang became the family head, there were certainly those who, considering a connection forged over drinks an actual bond, would occasionally visit the family to extort money.
“You’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you myself, you see.”
He wore a pleasant smile, but the contempt filling his eyes was blatant.
“Enough of that. Why don’t you give me a tour and show me how great this place is?”
“Of course. I will escort you. This way, please.”
The empty Scholar’s Shrine.
All that was visible was a staircase leading down to a basement.
“However, only you, Young Lord, may go below.”
He firmly refused entry to Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak.
“…”
“What will you do?”
“Fine, I’ll go alone.”
“My lord!”
“Wait here.”
Cheon Muryang smiled and shrugged.
“What’s the worst that could happen in a place like this?”
Neung Ryeoun and Cha Myeonghak had a premonition.
‘A major incident is about to occur.’
Though unintentional, it sounded like some kind of signal to prepare for the right moment.
“So, don’t you worry.”
With those words, Cheon Muryang alone descended the stairs.
A new passage then appeared.
It felt as if something was unsettling his five senses.
“Just follow me. There is a formation cast here.”
How long did they walk?
At the end of the formation, a space unfolded before Cheon Muryang, so vast it couldn’t compare to the empty shrine above.
“This is truly another world.”
“The value of the merchandise here is incomparable to what is handled above.”
Looking closely, the place appeared to be both a prison and a display case for the highest quality goods.
It was structured with partitions that divided the area into sections.
“These are the finest items we handle.”
Following the fingertips of his proudly spread hands, one could see the merchandise, which included people of all ages and genders.
There were trembling children, and a swordsman with his eyes closed, as if resigned to his fate.
“I’m going to need an explanation.”
“Ah, of course.”
He first pointed to where the young children were.
“Ah, these children, as you might guess, are a type of elixir needed when you practice ‘special martial arts’.”
“Interesting.”
Cheon Muryang laughed it off.
As if his interest was piqued, he asked the man.
“So, can I learn those special martial arts too?”
The corners of the man’s mouth lifted.
“But of course. You are the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family. Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Good. What’s next?”
“Ah, those are ghosts.”
“Ghosts?”
“Yes. They are toys to be used and discarded at any time.”
“They look like they’ve learned martial arts.”
“Yes, yes. But you need not worry. They are thoroughly bound by a potent poison and have even been brainwashed. They cannot even kill themselves. They are dolls that will die if commanded to.”
“Is that so? They seem quite useful.”
“Yes, yes. Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken? You can just send these toys.”
In other words, they were puppets whose very souls had been stolen.
‘Could it be…?’
They felt similar to the assailants who had attacked during the interrogation of the Golden Pavilion Master.
If the Third Elder was connected to these people, it was highly likely he had employed them.
‘So that was it?’
Cheon Muryang maintained his composure.
He looked for all the world like a foolish scoundrel trying to hide his fear.
‘He really is just a scoundrel. He’ll be easy to bleed dry.’
His inner thoughts were plain to see.
Cheon Muryang did not miss the contempt hidden within that smile.
“Which product catches your eye?”
“All of them.”
“Pardon?”
“I want to buy everything here.”
“Ah, that is…”
“I’ll pay the price, so sell me everything here.”
It was the man who was flustered now.
To buy all of this.
The idea of a foolish scoundrel felt nothing short of ridiculous.
“Why? Is it not allowed?”
“Ah, well…”
“Then call the owner of this place.”
“...!”
“I said, call the person with the authority.”
The atmosphere shifted abruptly.
The smile of an immature scoundrel had vanished.
“G-Great Young Lord, we have other customers. Wouldn’t this be troublesome?”
“What? Other customers? Did the Third Elder come in person?”
“...!”
It was a probe.
But seeing the man's eyes tremble violently, Cheon Muryang inadvertently gained a piece of information.
‘It really is the Council of Elders.’
The Third Elder was one who acted proactively, unlike the silent Cheon Jungho.
‘Cheon Jungho, he will hide behind the Third Elder until the very end.’
Cheon Jungho was one who did not reveal himself.
Therefore, to draw him out, he had to take down the Third Elder first.
‘I must strike down the Third Elder first.’
Cheon Muryang, feigning that he knew everything, subtly threw bait at him.
“So, I take it the Third Elder has purchased everything he wanted?”
“Ah! Yes, well… that is correct.”
The man’s eyes narrowed.
He felt that something was off.
‘It’s not just his appearance that’s changed… What is this? This inexplicable pressure?’
The last time he had seen Cheon Muryang, the man had been dead drunk, clothes half-off, throwing money around.
‘Is this really that same scoundrel?’
Doubt crept in.
The memory of that day was so vivid.
The Cheon Muryang standing before him now was exuding a sharp aura, as if he were a different person entirely.
“We both know what’s going on, so why be so secretive?”
“Ah…”
“Never mind that. Just call your superior.”
“Young Lord, even if you are the Great Young Lord, you cannot have an audience with him.”
“Are you saying I’m not qualified?”
“Regrettably, that is the case.”
“Then I have no choice.”
“Pardon?”
Cheon Muryang let out a smirk.
“Did you think a scoundrel like me would say ‘very well’ and back down?”
*Fwoosh!*
Drawing the Heavenly Light, Cheon Muryang pointed it at the Black Merchant’s throat.
“...What is the meaning of this? Surely you don’t intend to threaten me?”
However, the man remained calm.
It seemed this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
“Of course not.”
Cheon Muryang instead brought the Heavenly Light to his own neck.
The man’s eyes filled with shock.
This, it seemed, was a first.
“W-What are you doing!”
“By tomorrow morning, news will spread that the Great Young Lord of the Cheon Family died in this place.”
“...!”
“What do you think will happen to this place then?”
“Do not play games. Even for the Great Young Lord, you are crossing a line!”
“Games?”
Cheon Muryang scoffed.
He pressed the Heavenly Light harder.
*Pssh!*
A cut opened, and from it, fresh blood trickled down.
“...!”
“Does this still look like a game to you?”
The man met Cheon Muryang’s eyes.
And he realized.
‘This is absolutely not a bluff…’
He was serious.
Thus, unable to do anything, the man fidgeted nervously, knowing the situation was now beyond his authority.
‘What do I do?’
It was then.
A voice, as if to rescue the troubled man, was heard.
“Great Young Lord, do not torment an innocent man.”
“Black Merchant Head!”
“Is your purpose to meet me?”
“That’s right.”
“If you desire it so, what reason have I to refuse? I will meet with him, so guide us.”
“Good to see we can communicate.”
Only then did Cheon Muryang lower the Heavenly Light.
The wound on his neck was distinct.
The man called the Black Merchant Head saw this and walked off somewhere.
“Guide us.”
“...Th-This way, please.”
“Hmm.”
“Ah, what kind of tea would you prefer? Or perhaps you’d like liquor?”
“Let’s have tea.”
“Excellent.”
The Black Merchant Head’s office was modest.
“For a place used by the mogul who controls the back alleys of Hangzhou, it’s quite humble.”
“Well, I’m not fond of extravagance.”
“Where does all the money you earn this way go?”
He was asking who was behind him.
The man shook his head.
“You’re in a hurry.”
*Trickle.*
Instead, he filled a teacup.
“There’s no need to rush.”
“If you say so.”
Cheon Muryang smirked and lifted the steaming teacup.
A sharp fragrance filled his mouth.
Then, after setting the cup down, Cheon Muryang asked the Black Merchant Head.
“Let me ask you just one thing.”
“Speak.”
“Are you also one of the Anti-Cheon Ghosts?”
Anti-Cheon Ghosts.
Ghosts who cry out against the Cheon.
In other words, he was asking if the man stood in opposition to the Cheon Family.
“Well now. I have no reason to be on bad terms with the Cheon Family. What do you suppose is the motivation for a merchant like me?”
“…”
“Money.”
He smiled a greedy smile.
Then, his cunning, snake-like tongue moved beguilingly.
“If the money you can offer is more than what they provide…”
“…”
“Our position can always change.”
Cheon Muryang smiled as well.
At a glance, it might seem that the Black Merchant Head was moved purely by money.
But Cheon Muryang was not fooled.
‘That’s a lie.’
Though he spoke like a man steeped in avarice, the Black Merchant Head’s eyes were not clouded by greed.
‘It’s not money.’
He was not a man moved by money.
He was a man moved by a cause.
‘And that cause is probably…’
*Fwoooom!*
The Heavenly Light vibrated subtly.
It was the same sensation he’d felt when he faced someone who practiced demonic arts.
‘Dark Heaven…’
The Demonic Cult.
‘It must be the Demonic Cult. Was the Black Merchant a pawn of the Demonic Cult?’
The picture was becoming clear.
They must have deliberately approached the Anti-Cheon Ghosts, who were driven solely by vengeance.
‘There were probably some who opposed it.’
But as time passed, the opposition would have vanished, their quest for revenge twisted until they were reduced to puppets of the Demonic Cult.
That was their goal.
‘I won’t let you have your way.’
Contrary to his inner thoughts, Cheon Muryang acted as if he knew nothing.
“Well, it doesn’t much matter if you’re an Anti-Cheon Ghost. As long as our interests align.”
“What is it that you want?”
“Isn’t it obvious? All this capital flowing into the shadows of Hangzhou.”
Cheon Muryang flashed his scoundrel’s smile.
The Nameless of his past life was not one for acting.
But perhaps his body as Cheon Muryang remembered, for the smiles and gestures from his past as a scoundrel came naturally.
“In the end, it’s money.”
“You don’t care about the Anti-Cheon Ghosts?”
“Even if they run wild, would the Cheon Family even flinch? It’d be like a dog barking, at most.”
“So, what you want is money?”
*Smirk.*
The corners of Cheon Muryang’s mouth curled up.
“Exactly.”
“However, from what I’ve heard… you are opposing the Council of Elders.”
“Did the Third Elder tell you that?”
“…”
“It seems you’re not yet aware, but I am not of the Third Elder’s faction.”
“Faction?”
Cheon Muryang’s lips curled higher.
“Then how do you suppose I came here?”
“…”
“I am of the Grand Elder’s faction. This means the likes of the Third Elder cannot touch me.”
The man’s pupils trembled minutely.
The Grand Elder of the Cheon Family.
It was because Cheon Jungho had been mentioned.
“The reason I struck down the Golden Pavilion Master and the Inspection Corps Leader was because they crossed a line. If you’re going to skim, you should at least do it in moderation.”
“I see. So that’s what it was.”
The Black Merchant Head also dealt mainly with the Third Elder.
Through his meetings, he had come to understand the Third Elder’s character.
‘He was a man who might harbor other schemes if given the chance.’
The Third Elder had never once mentioned Cheon Muryang.
‘This is the first I’m hearing of factions being divided. Did you intentionally hide this, Third Elder?’
The relationship between the Black Merchant and the Council of Elders was one of mutual exploitation.
Therefore, there was no need for the Third Elder to speak of the internal power struggles within the Cheon Family.
‘Tsk. So there was internal strife. What a wretched group.’
The Black Merchant Head sneered at the Cheon Family.
‘It was supposed to be a thirty-year grand plan, yet in just twenty years, the Cheon Family has crumbled this much. It won’t even take another ten.’
Contrary to his inner thoughts, the Black Merchant Head smiled.
“I see.”
“You must have figured it out by now. The Third Elder’s side is not a very sturdy rope to hang onto.”
Cheon Muryang as well.
Contrary to his inner thoughts, he smiled.
Two duplicitous smiles met in the empty air.