Monopolizing Fortunes (160)
Monopolizing Fortunes (160)
Ha Su-ran told them what the Beggars' Sect and the Northern Unorthodox Alliance had uncovered so far.
When he heard that the Won Merchant Company had suffered near-annihilation because of the Stone Milk Essence and the Three-Leaf Nine-Branch Herb, a groan escaped Won Dae-yeon's lips.
"To think Mount Hua Sect and Jongnam Sect did such a thing. How could the Nine Great Sects commit such inhuman atrocities?"
Baek So-gu spoke.
"I didn't want to believe it either. So I checked and rechecked several times."
If the two organizations with the greatest information networks in the orthodox and unorthodox factions had reached the same conclusion, then it had to be the truth.
"If this fact gets out, the martial world will fall into chaos."
Ha Su-ran picked up where Namgung Seol-rin left off.
"If we're not careful, it could even escalate into an all-out war between the orthodox and unorthodox factions."
Jang Yu-seom asked with a puzzled expression.
"We should punish the wrongdoers. Why would that lead to a war between the orthodox and unorthodox factions?"
Do Tong-dal provided the answer.
"Because Mount Hua Sect and Jongnam Sect won't admit it. Even within the orthodox faction, bound together under the single name of the Nine Great Sects, there will be voices defending Mount Hua and Jongnam. The entire orthodox faction could end up being condemned as hypocrites."
"So we just ignore justice? Is that the chivalry the orthodox faction speaks of?"
Baek So-gu let out a long sigh.
"If the orthodox faction were full of chivalrous heroes like Won Dae-yeon, this sort of thing wouldn't have happened in the first place."
"The orthodox faction will try to cover up Mount Hua and Jongnam's wrongdoings, while the other side will try to uncover the truth, so that fight could develop into an all-out war."
"Not all of the orthodox faction will defend Mount Hua and Jongnam."
Ha Su-ran turned her gaze to Namgung Seol-rin, who had spoken.
"You want to believe the Namgung Clan won't."
"There's absolutely no way they would."
"Do you believe the Namgung Clan will become an enemy of the Nine Great Sects and the other Five Great Clans?"
"They wouldn't necessarily have to become enemies..."
Do Tong-dal cut Namgung Seol-rin off.
"There's no gray area in a fight like this. You're either an enemy or an ally. Do you think the Namgung Clan can leave the orthodox faction and side with the unorthodox faction?"
The idea of the Namgung Clan, which had served as a pillar of the orthodox faction for seven hundred years, moving to the unorthodox faction was unthinkable.
When Namgung Seol-rin was at a loss for words, Baek So-gu took her place.
"It seems we've opened a box of truth that will drown the martial world in blood. So what should we do about this?"
Do Tong-dal asked.
"Do you just want to bury it, Sect Leader?"
Baek So-gu shook his head firmly.
"If I wanted that, I wouldn't have come this far. I don't want the martial world to be drenched in blood, but I'm not a coward who would turn away from chivalry out of fear of blood. I could never do that, if only out of respect for the chivalrous heroes who vanished like dew over countless years to uphold chivalry."
Ha Su-ran spoke.
"But we can't just recklessly announce what we've learned either. That would be the very thing that plunges the martial world into chaos."
Do Tong-dal tapped the table with his index finger out of habit.
"We'll have to punish those involved in the Won Merchant Company's destruction while shedding as little blood as possible."
"It would be even better if we could resolve the Revenge Society as well."
Do Tong-dal looked at Baek So-gu, whose eyes were gleaming, and chuckled.
"Do I look like a fixer who can solve anything to you, Sect Leader?"
"If there's such a fixer in the martial world, it would be you."
"This isn't an easy problem."
Ha Su-ran offered her opinion.
"The way to shed the least blood is, of course, to have the parties involved fight each other."
"You mean Mount Hua Sect and Jongnam Sect versus the Revenge Society."
"You reap what you sow. That's the best way, isn't it?"
It was an opportunity to expose the hypocrisy of the Nine Great Sects, but the Northern Unorthodox Alliance didn't want an all-out war to break out because of it either.
Do Tong-dal asked Ha Su-ran.
"If Mount Hua Sect and Jongnam Sect fight the Revenge Society, who would win?"
"I can't answer that because I don't know the Revenge Society's full strength."
Do Tong-dal couldn't claim to have fully grasped it either. But he had experienced a few of the Revenge Society's masters and even met their Young Society Leader, so he could make a rough estimate.
"What if they had one master on Won Dae-yeon's level, about ten masters on the level of Protector Jang and Protector Namgung, and the rest of their masters were around the level of the Nine Great Sects' second-generation disciples, similar in number to Mount Hua and Jongnam's disciples?"
In truth, Ha Su-ran didn't know the exact extent of Jang Yu-seom's and Namgung Seol-rin's martial arts either. Still, what was clear was that they were skilled enough to make short work of most elders of the Nine Great Sects.
"The scary thing about the Revenge Society is that they hide in the dark. But if they came out of the dark with that level of strength, they'd probably be about equal to the combined forces of Mount Hua and Jongnam."
"You think Mount Hua and Jongnam would win."
Ha Su-ran chuckled.
"I forgot I shouldn't lie in front of you, Young Master Do. Honestly, tradition can't be ignored. Mount Hua and Jongnam definitely have hidden masters who haven't been revealed to the martial world. People who only train and study martial arts. Honestly, if the Revenge Society's strength is at that level, they might be comparable to Jongnam Sect alone."
Do Tong-dal nodded and spoke.
"Then we can consider them roughly equal to the combined forces of Mount Hua and Jongnam."
"Were you even listening to me?"
"Cheol-hyeon and Alliance Leader Hwangmi were poisoned and barely survived. Don't you think the same thing happened in the other sects?"
Because the Namgung Clan and the Northern Unorthodox Alliance had hushed it up, no rumors had spread. Even if it had happened in other sects, it wouldn't have been made known to outsiders.
"The deaths of a few masters aren't the issue. Mount Hua and Jongnam definitely have Revenge Society spies as well. And there's certainly Revenge Society strength I haven't identified. If an all-out war breaks out, all of this becomes a critical variable. And the most important thing is..."
Do Tong-dal glanced at Won Dae-yeon and spoke.
"Strategist Ha has misjudged Won Dae-yeon's martial arts."
"What?"
Won Dae-yeon let out a dry cough.
"It's best not to discuss my martial arts."
"...Since Won Dae-yeon says so, I suppose we'd better not."
Ha Su-ran cast a puzzled look at Won Dae-yeon, then asked Do Tong-dal.
"Do you want the three sects to fight an all-out war, Young Master Do?"
"I was just imagining it because of the whole 'you reap what you sow' idea. Whether it comes to that, we'll have to wait and see."
Won Dae-yeon spoke with a dissatisfied expression.
"It's not a bad method, but it's far from complete justice. Who will compensate the innocent people harmed by these three sects?"
"You know as well as I do, Won Dae-yeon. There's no perfect justice in this world."
The brief, heavy silence was broken by Baek So-gu.
"Tong-dal, what's your plan?"
"First, we get a handle on the Revenge Society. To do that, we need to secure a high-ranking position within it. I'm laying the groundwork for that now."
The events of last night suddenly flashed through Do Tong-dal's mind.
"Come to think of it, Seol-rin, you sent that Mount Hua lay disciple flying, didn't you?"
Ha Su-ran asked.
"Seol-rin did that to a Mount Hua disciple? What happened?"
Do Tong-dal briefly explained what had happened at the pleasure house and had to endure Namgung Seol-rin's glare.
"Sis, if this man ever seems to be doing something good, you have to doubt him twice, three times."
"Well, I wouldn't mind being used by Young Master Do if it meant getting a present of clothes from him."
"Sis, you're completely head over heels for a man. Have you no pride as the greatest beauty under heaven?"
"Now that I've lived a bit, I've found a title like that is useless. Men just keep dropping dead around me for no reason. I'd rather have a man of my own."
"Oh my, oh my! Isn't that a bit too blatant?"
Do Tong-dal, who had been listening, felt awkward and cut them off.
"Since the Revenge Society is entangled with Mount Hua Sect, it might not be a bad idea to poke at Mount Hua while we're at it. If we play it right, we can use this to solidify our standing within the Revenge Society too."
Baek So-gu spoke.
"Would Mount Hua Sect make a move just because one lay disciple got hit?"
"We'll have to make them."
"How?"
"You'll see when the time comes. Just do me a favor."
Do Tong-dal was probably the only person in the entire Central Plains who could ask the Beggars' Sect Leader to run an errand.
'The nerve of this bastard!'
Contrary to his inner thoughts, the voice that came out of his mouth was gentle.
"What kind of errand?"
* * *
Wang Il-seok was on pins and needles. The people who had appeared like a nightmare were turning reality into a bad dream.
They were people who had sent a Mount Hua lay disciple flying with a single blow, so they weren't people he could handle with the force he had.
Even if he told the officials he'd been bribing all this time, he'd clearly only get scolded: 'How can the authorities get involved in something like that? What kind of thug are you?'
"Fuck, I just hope this ends with them squeezing a few coins out of me."
The people who had said they would come today showed no sign of arriving even after noon had passed, even after the Hour of the Monkey (3 to 5 PM) had passed.
"Maybe they're not coming after all?"
He briefly harbored that hope, but the commotion from downstairs turned hope into despair.
"Who the hell are you to demand to see the Society Leader?"
It was Hwang Seong-dae, whose voice was exceptionally loud. And soon, Hwang Seong-dae proved that his screams were just as loud.
"Aaaargh—!"
Screams followed one after another, along with the sound of furniture breaking.
"You stupid bastards! I told you to treat any guests who come looking for me with respect!"
By the time he rushed down to the first floor, the situation was already over. Eight thugs were sprawled haphazardly on the floor, and not a single chair or table was left intact.
Just seeing the state of things in the short time it took him to rush down after hearing the commotion told him how strong the young man's martial arts were.
'Damn, not just that bitch, but this guy is this strong too.'
Wang Il-seok decided to start by appeasing the young man.
"You bastards! I told you to greet guests politely when they arrive, and you dare commit such rudeness!"
Hwang Seong-dae, who had been crawling on all fours, got up and spoke.
"You said 'guests,' didn't you? That guy is just one person..."
The clueless fool called him 'that guy'! Wang Il-seok stepped on Hwang Seong-dae's head as he tried to get up and forced him back down.
"Hehehe! Please don't mind the words and actions of these foolish thugs, Hero."
"Thugs are all like that. The Songrak Society headquarters is spacious and nice. Business must be good."
"Oh dear! It's all show and no substance! Nothing comes in and everything goes out, it's killing me! Please, come upstairs."
Wang Il-seok ordered one of the men who was barely getting to his feet to bring tea, then went up to the second floor.
The young man looked around the second floor with a somewhat satisfied expression.
"It gets good sunlight and has a nice open view in front of the window."
"I paid some attention to feng shui when I built this place."
He wanted to smash the head of the feng shui master who had picked this spot. The young man sat down in the chair in the center of the second floor and introduced himself.
"My name is Bae Cheong-dong."
At the sudden introduction, Wang Il-seok blurted out his own name before he knew it.
"Have you thought about compensation?"
Wang Il-seok, who had been caught off guard by the abrupt question, composed himself and answered.
"Lately, my finances are tight, and fighting the Jammu Society, a rival underworld group, has left my men pretty banged up, so medical costs are high..."
Bae Cheong-dong cut off Wang Il-seok's whining.
"The Jammu Society, you mean the underworld group that controls the Jideok-ro area."
"Oh? You know them well."
"Well, I've heard things."
Judging by his demeanor, it seemed he hadn't just heard things, but had investigated thoroughly.
'What is this? Is he really here to take my territory?'
His vague anxiety became a blazing red flame of reality, creeping closer.
"Th... that is, Luoyang may seem prosperous and full of money, but in... in reality, it's a barren place with nothing to eat. The underworld here is only a little better off than those da... damn beggars. That's about it."
Bae Cheong-dong stared blankly at Wang Il-seok for a moment, then chuckled.
"Don't worry, I won't take your position as Society Leader."
"I... is that true?"
"Do I look like someone who would become a thug?"
"Of course not! If a chivalrous hero like you were a thug, a passing dog would laugh! Hahaha!"
Bae Cheong-dong's voice cut through Wang Il-seok's laughter.
"The Yu Merchant Company in the Jammu Society's territory belongs to Merchant Yu, the man I had a dispute with, right?"
"Ah! Just a moment."
Wang Il-seok dashed off and returned, respectfully presenting the materials he had gathered on the Yu Merchant Company with both hands.
"These are the materials on Merchant Yu you requested... no, ordered yesterday."
* * *