Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Honored Guest and Illegitimate Son 1
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Baek Moo-jin was holding a private audience with Goo Yang-hoo. The lid of a box that required both hands to lift sat open on the desk.
Goo Yang-hoo shot him a glance and said,
"Come take a look."
Baek Moo-jin peered into the box. It was packed tight with silver nyang.
Goo Yang-hoo spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Bounty money. Send it to the Snow Mountain Baek Family or store it in the alliance's war treasury—do as you please."
"Hmm, that's far too much for mere bounty."
Goo Yang-hoo nodded.
"Of course it is. Ever heard of the Hunters?"
"Hunters? Yes, I've heard of them."
The moment he heard "Hunters"—the North Heaven Alliance's term for bounty hunters—Baek Moo-jin finally understood the staggering amount.
Goo Yang-hoo continued.
"The Iron Blood Gang leader had a top-tier bounty on his head. I factored that in, along with the Nine Heavens Alliance council heads. Then I tacked on a personal bonus of my own, so it's well beyond what you might expect. But it's all justified reward—use it as you see fit. I'm not one for dwelling on money matters, so shall we leave it at that?"
With a sharp snap, Goo Yang-hoo closed the box's double-hinged lid.
"Have a seat."
"Yes."
Goo Yang-hoo cracked open the office window, gazed outside, and let out a low sigh—most uncharacteristic of him.
"Meant to summon you yesterday, but I was swamped. Rest well?"
"Yes, very well."
"Lucky you."
"Hmm."
Goo Yang-hoo and Baek Moo-jin locked eyes anew. Suddenly, Goo Yang-hoo flashed a mischievous grin, as if privy to some private joke.
What on earth was he thinking?
Goo Yang-hoo had already received word from Seo Moon Dan-cheon: the Seo Moon Family patriarch was en route.
To be precise, Goo Yang-hoo wasn't especially gifted in political intrigue—not dim-witted, just disinterested. He poured his spirit and heart into honing his martial prowess.
Still, he could foresee that the Seo Moon Family, arriving to lend aid, would demand something in return. The North Heaven Alliance had to prepare alliances not just with them, but with other righteous sects and factions as well.
Yet his conversation with Seo Moon Dan-cheon had left a sour taste. Inevitably, Goo Yang-hoo found himself comparing him to Baek Moo-jin.
The Seo Moon Family patriarch, subtly angling for favors while offering help.
The Snow Mountain Baek Family patriarch, who had joined the alliance ranks directly to gain experience—and aid the North Heaven Alliance in the process.
The stark difference between them.
Obvious enough for a fool to grasp.
For a stubborn warrior like Goo Yang-hoo, it was all the more crucial.
The day before, amid discussions with his subordinates, he had quietly reached a decision in his heart. Now here he was, meeting Baek Moo-jin alone.
As Goo Yang-hoo regarded him with an enigmatic expression, Baek Moo-jin spoke up.
"Alliance Leader?"
"I'd been mulling your position, but you've earned merit—thank you. Now there's justification, and everything's neatly resolved."
"My position?"
Baek Moo-jin didn't catch the implication right away when Goo Yang-hoo brought up his status.
But Goo Yang-hoo's next words summed it up neatly.
Smiling faintly, he said,
"Baek Patriarch..."
2.
Baek Moo-jin blinked in stunned confusion.
"Pardon?"
Goo Yang-hoo, who usually called him Moo-jin, had deliberately chosen "Baek Patriarch"—laden with intent.
He pressed on.
"You owe the Seo Moon Family your thanks."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Comparing them to you helped me decide your position."
Baek Moo-jin listened in silence.
"Looking back on your feats yesterday, we were fortunate. Not long ago, there was no Baek Moo-jin in the North Heaven Alliance. But thanks to you, we kept our losses to a minimum. A blessing that rolled right to our door."
"I wouldn't say I did that mu—"
"Hear me out."
"Yes."
"Your status as patriarch must have caused you no end of inconvenience."
"I pay no mind to such things."
Baek Moo-jin's ambitions soared far beyond clinging to rank.
Goo Yang-hoo continued.
"Perhaps not you, but my subordinates struggled with it. The Execution Hall in particular agonized over which unit to assign you to. But your great merit has settled the matter."
"Hmm..."
"Know the tale of Mao Sui's self-recommendation?"
"I've heard it."
Goo Yang-hoo nodded.
"From now on, you'll be treated as an honored guest in the North Heaven Alliance. You didn't nominate yourself like Mao Sui, but slaying the Iron Blood Gang leader and those council heads rivals—or surpasses—his service to Lord Pingyuan."
"An honored guest?"
The words caught Baek Moo-jin completely off guard. But Goo Yang-hoo wasn't finished.
"That makes your Snow Mountain Baek Family honored guests as well. Which brings me to a request."
"Hmm, go ahead."
Goo Yang-hoo spoke to Baek Moo-jin with grave sincerity.
"Baek Patriarch, raise the Snow Mountain Baek Family into a great house. As the alliance's honored guest, I'll aid you in whatever comes. That's the righteousness between warriors. Call it a pact between the North Heaven Alliance and Snow Mountain Baek Family. Do you grasp what honored guest entails?"
Baek Moo-jin offered no immediate reply, lost in a whirl of thoughts.
'To such lengths...'
Suddenly, the overflowing box of silver nyang took on new meaning—far too vast for personal use. Come to think of it, Goo Yang-hoo had offered it for the family or the treasury. There was good reason for handing over such a fortune.
To the still-dazed Baek Moo-jin, Goo Yang-hoo said,
"Baek Patriarch."
"Yes."
"Don't be startled if my subordinates start treating you differently. The order's already gone out. Rest up... and soon, when the Seo Moon Family patriarch arrives, we'll meet him together. Should be entertaining. I'm curious myself what he'll have to say."
"Understood."
As Baek Moo-jin rose, Goo Yang-hoo stood with effortless grace. Their eyes met, and he smiled.
Baek Moo-jin offered the deepest courtesy with cupped fists, gazing at Goo Yang-hoo. In return, Goo Yang-hoo mirrored the gesture precisely—light, restrained, yet brimming with respect.
Baek Moo-jin said,
"Alliance Leader, I'll take my leave."
Goo Yang-hoo grinned broadly.
"Baek Patriarch, rest easy."
In that instant, Goo Yang-hoo's demeanor sent chills racing down Baek Moo-jin's spine. Though Baek was the junior, Goo Yang-hoo extended extraordinary courtesy to his former subordinate.
It was as if his bearing declared, This is what a true warrior is. Baek Moo-jin felt, in Goo Yang-hoo's poise and mindset, the profound dignity of the martial path.
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