Monopolizing Fortunes (157)
Monopolizing Fortunes (157)
Namgung Seol-rin, Jang Yu-seom, and Won Dae-yeon threw themselves through the air and landed around Bae In-hwan. Jang Yeon-seon was clinging to Won Dae-yeon's side.
Warriors filled the space Ha Jo-un had vacated. Three warriors blocked Do Tong-dal's sword as it swept in horizontally.
Clang—! A metallic ring rang out, and two of the three swords shattered.
"Stop!"
Ha Jo-un shouted with all his strength. Do Tong-dal decided to answer that desperation by stopping here.
Do Tong-dal halted his attack, but he left his hostility toward Ha Jo-un intact.
"You kidnapped my father. What were you planning to do by holding him hostage?"
"A misunderstanding. We only wanted to learn Protector Bae's identity."
"By kidnapping my father to expose my identity?"
"From our position, it was unavoidable, so I hope Protector Bae will understand."
"So you suspected I was a fake Bae Cheong-dong."
"Anyone would have suspected it."
"You're certain my father isn't a hostage?"
"He's an honored guest now."
Ha Jo-un had no choice but to accept that Bae Cheong-dong was genuine. The fact that father and son had recognized each other was the surest proof.
Do Tong-dal let out a long breath and sheathed his sword.
"I understand that it was necessary for you, but I can't help being displeased."
"Thank you for understanding."
Do Tong-dal ran over to Bae In-hwan.
"Father, are you all right?"
Bae In-hwan was dazed by the whole situation. He had considered dozens of possible reasons for his kidnapping. But Bae Cheong-dong had not been among them.
Bae Cheong-dong was supposed to be working at the Hwangdae Merchant Company his uncle had introduced him to.
"Wh-what in the world is going on?"
"It's a long story. Go inside for now."
Staying around Bae In-hwan for long would do no good. Parents were the sort who could notice even subtle changes in their children.
When Do Tong-dal gestured, a warrior came over and led Bae In-hwan away. Bae In-hwan, whom the Revenge Society had brought because of their suspicions, had instead given them certainty, so for Do Tong-dal it was a blessing in disguise.
Ha Jo-un led Do Tong-dal's party to the largest house inside the village. The wooden house had both a main hall and a reception room.
They sat in a circle around a round table in the reception room. Ha Jo-un, apparently already briefed, did not ask separately about the Three Beyond the World.
But he was curious about why they had deliberately brought Jang Yeon-seon along.
"Company Head Jang's daughter doesn't seem to need to be here."
Jang Bu-ok could only look at Do Tong-dal. He too did not know why Do Tong-dal had brought Jang Seo-in.
"Think of it as a master's consideration for broadening his disciple's horizons."
Ha Jo-un did not want to squabble over a child. He had already earned enough of Do Tong-dal's ill will over the Bae In-hwan matter.
"However valid the reason, I apologize once again for offending Protector Bae."
His pride was wounded. To have to bow his head to a mere protector of a merchant company.
But the Revenge Society needed a master like Bae Cheong-dong that badly. With the imperial palace attacking the Revenge Society on the absurd pretext of the First Prince's assassination at this very time, even one master was sorely needed.
And Bae Cheong-dong was not merely one master. Even Ha Jo-un could not guarantee he could defeat one of the Blood Spirit Three Swords.
Yet the man who had subdued all three of the Blood Spirit Three Swords was under Bae Cheong-dong's command. It was obvious the other two of the Three Beyond the World were also first-rate.
A situation had been created in which Ha Jo-un had no choice but to bow his head.
"Would the Revenge Society's mistakes toward the Hwangdae Merchant Company be limited to just that?"
Do Tong-dal turned this matter into an affair of the entire Hwangdae Merchant Company. Because it was the Hwangdae Merchant Company, not Do Tong-dal personally, that needed to establish a foothold within the Revenge Society.
"If I have unintentionally committed rudeness, then I, Ha, will apologize formally."
Having already bowed once, he could bow twice, three times, as many times as needed.
Do Tong-dal spoke.
"You received the message that I want to meet the Society Leader, didn't you?"
"Yes. But meeting the Society Leader right away will be difficult."
Do Tong-dal frowned.
"So the Revenge Society has no need of the Hwangdae Merchant Company?"
"Absolutely not. There are simply circumstances that make it difficult for you to see him right now. Instead, a meeting with the Young Society Leader has been arranged."
They had prepared even for the one-in-ten-thousand chance that Bae Cheong-dong was genuine. Do Tong-dal rose as he spoke.
"Then let's meet the Young Society Leader first. No need to waste time."
Ha Jo-un had been slighted. It meant there was nothing to discuss with a small fry like him.
"I am Ha Jo-un, serving as a protector of the Revenge Society."
He put special emphasis on the title of protector. In any organization, a protector was among the top five high-ranking positions.
"I'm a protector too."
So what?
'This bastard, I ought to—'
Ha Jo-un barely suppressed his anger. Do Tong-dal had a knack for turning people's insides over whenever he spoke, if he so chose.
"If you're truly in a hurry, I'll send word to the Young Society Leader. First, rest from your journey in your quarters."
For a house in the mountains, it was not bad. The Hwangdae Merchant Company people scattered to their respective rooms, and Do Tong-dal sat with the Three Beyond the World—he had grown used to that name by now—and Jang Bu-ok. Of course, Jang Yeon-seon was there too, following Won Dae-yeon like a thread through a needle.
Jang Bu-ok asked Do Tong-dal.
"Will the Revenge Society side accept our demands?"
"They can't refuse. The Revenge Society would rather have us out earning money than keeping us here. Staying at the main society would be troublesome even just to avoid suspicious eyes."
"Then there was no point in coming all the way to the Revenge Society's main society?"
"Thanks to it, we learned the main society's location. Still, we should plant a spy before we leave."
Namgung Seol-rin asked.
"Which of us is staying?"
"No one. The Revenge Society had spies planted in the Hwangdae Merchant Company, remember?"
"Hwang Chi-bang and Byeon Hui-song?"
"Of the two, Byeon Hui-song will become our mole."
"Really?"
"A person who betrays once will betray twice. Though the other party will change."
"Why Byeon Hui-song, of all people?"
"Because I know what frightens him, so he's easy to threaten."
Jang Bu-ok said in a worried voice.
"I have a great deal of business experience, but I don't know whether it's possible to start a business in an unfamiliar place and earn money right away. Business is the sort of thing where even long time and effort can't guarantee success."
"I don't know much about business, but I know the Underworld well."
"Pardon?"
"We'll start in Luoyang, not far from here. It's a big city, so the earnings should be decent."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Company Head, you run the business according to your own talents. I'll earn the money that needs to be delivered to the Revenge Society right away."
Just as the conversation reached that point, word came that the Young Society Leader was summoning them. The Young Society Leader was effectively the second-in-command of the Revenge Society.
"He says he will see only Company Head Jang and Protector Bae Cheong-dong."
Do Tong-dal also preferred that; it was simpler.
"Before that, I'd like to send my father home first."
"After you meet the Young Society Leader, there will be time to greet him...."
"No, send him now. And absolutely do not speak of the matters here."
That was something the Revenge Society wanted even more.
"Understood. We will send your father, so please go meet the Young Society Leader."
The two followed a man in his early thirties named Won Jin-u, who had come to escort them.
Do Tong-dal quietly studied Won Jin-u's back—a short man with a gentle impression.
'A master.'
His balanced shoulders, his light yet steady gait, and the aura he unconsciously gave off all showed that Won Jin-u had trained in superior martial arts.
Suddenly Won Dae-yeon's words came to mind.
—What worries me is how many strong masters the Revenge Society has. Even the Blood Spirit Three Swords I fought were not half a step behind you. If I had not learned the latter half of the Invincible Inch-Heaven Sword, I could not have guaranteed victory.
That was why Won Dae-yeon had not felt good even after defeating the Blood Spirit Three Swords.
Even Won Jin-u, who was guiding them right now, might be a master on par with Do Tong-dal.
'They've made plans to stain the martial world with blood, so of course their martial force would be formidable.'
Won Jin-u guided them underground. There was a fairly large space below ground, not just the buildings visible on the surface.
After moving about thirty jang through a maze-like corridor with doors on both sides, Won Jin-u opened a brown wooden door.
The well-maintained door opened without a sound. There was a bed against one wall, and a desk beside it.
Won Jin-u took a seat at a signing table attached to the right side. Perched on the chair, Won Jin-u said to Do Tong-dal and Jang Bu-ok.
"Sit."
At the attitude, as if he were the master of the house, Do Tong-dal let out a silent ah! of admiration.
"So you are the Young Society Leader of the Revenge Society."
"I only wanted to meet the two of you quickly; I had no intention of deceiving you."
Do Tong-dal had expected the Young Society Leader of the Revenge Society to be a madman crazed with revenge, but instead he had the face of a scholar affecting the air of a gentleman.
Do Tong-dal said.
"Considering how the Revenge Society has treated the Hwangdae Merchant Company all this time, I wouldn't care even if you had deceived us."
"You seem to have accumulated a great deal of resentment toward the Revenge Society."
"Wouldn't the Young Society Leader know that better than anyone?"
"It may sound like an excuse, but I handle many matters. The Hwangdae Merchant Company is important to the Revenge Society, but it is not the top priority. And our Revenge Society has an excellent division of labor."
Won Jin-u was saying he had not even paid attention to the Hwangdae Merchant Company.
"Whatever the Hwangdae Merchant Company felt, we regard the Hwangdae Merchant Company as extremely important. If not, would we have dispatched three of the Revenge Society's senior hall masters to the Hwangdae Merchant Company?"
It was persuasive enough. Do Tong-dal asked.
"You deliberately summoned the Hwangdae Merchant Company all the way here because you want something, don't you?"
"We're one family, so we should be under one roof."
"The Hwangdae Merchant Company does not want to sit idle and eat."
"So you do want something."
"What would a merchant company want? To earn money."
"How?"
"That's for the Hwangdae Merchant Company to worry about."
"Then what is it that I should worry about?"
"Wouldn't it be how to make your subordinates follow the Young Society Leader's orders properly?"
It could be heard as calling him an incompetent who could not even manage his subordinates. So a flash of displeasure crossed Won Jin-u's face.
But the displeasure did not last long.
"Well, I've taken a proper hit there. But listening to this conversation, I can't tell who the Company Head is."
Jang Bu-ok, who had only been fidgeting with his fingers, looked at Do Tong-dal. His chest had been trembling just at the fact of meeting the Revenge Society's Young Society Leader, and his mouth would not work properly.
Since Do Tong-dal was saying everything that needed to be said, Jang Bu-ok intended simply to keep his mouth shut and leave when the time came.
"Well... Protector Bae has said everything I wanted to say."
"Indeed. I understand well what the Hwangdae Merchant Company wants. Then it's my turn to say what I want."
Do Tong-dal said.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can grant that."
"I haven't even brought up the matter yet."
"Isn't it that I and the Three Beyond the World should remain here?"
The surprise that rose on Won Jin-u's face lingered.
"How did you know?"
"What else could the Young Society Leader, who already has everything, want?"
"So Protector Bae's answer is refusal."
"Strictly speaking, the Three Beyond the World and I belong to the Hwangdae Merchant Company, not the Revenge Society."
"Since the Hwangdae Merchant Company belongs to the Revenge Society, Protector Bae naturally belongs to the Revenge Society as well."
"People are not pieces on a chessboard. One can like the Hwangdae Merchant Company and dislike the Revenge Society."
"You have accumulated a great deal of resentment toward the Revenge Society."
"If I dislike the Revenge Society, I can simply leave the Hwangdae Merchant Company."
"Then leave. We have no need for people without loyalty either."
Won Jin-u was certain Do Tong-dal would not leave the Hwangdae Merchant Company. If he were the sort to leave, he would not have taken the Company Head's daughter as his disciple or recruited three first-rate masters.
But Do Tong-dal was not a person Won Jin-u could predict.
"I suppose I'll have to. I don't want to cause pointless friction with the Revenge Society either. For your information, I won't reveal anything about the Revenge Society, so there's no need to threaten me over that."
The surprised one was Jang Bu-ok.
"Protector Bae! What do you mean? You're leaving the Hwangdae Merchant Company?"
"If the monk dislikes the temple, the monk leaves."
"But what about Yeon-seon?"
"If she says she'll follow me, I'll take her. If not, I'll leave her. I have no intention of forcing her choice."
* * *