Monopolizing Fortunes (74)
Monopolizing Fortunes (74)
She had thought Namgung Seol-rin was a martial arts fanatic who did nothing but train, yet Seol-rin had found a man she liked on her own, was roaming the martial world with him, and even the man himself was interesting.
Namgung Seol-rin, eating, drinking, laughing, and chatting, looked free. Even Namgung Cheol-hyeon, who was always rigid under the weight of the Namgung Clan name, seemed to share in that freedom.
There was no doubt that the person who had changed those two like that was Do Tong-dal. A person with the power to change people. Knowing how difficult that was, Do Tong-dal could not help but be interesting.
Taking advantage of a lull in the conversation, Jegal Cheong asked Do Tong-dal.
"Where will you be staying tonight?"
"With this many martial artists gathered, there's no way an inn has any rooms left. I'll have no choice but to impose on Cheol-hyeon."
"Right. Tonight, let's stay up and catch up on all the things we haven't talked about."
"I have no intention of staying up all night gossiping with a man."
Namgung Seol-rin stepped in.
"Then I'll join too."
"Why you?"
"I'm a woman."
Jegal Cheong put a foot in as well.
"If being a woman is the qualification to join, then I'd like to join that chat too."
"Why do you want to join?"
"Because I'm curious what kind of person Young Master Do is."
"You think you can figure out what kind of person Tong-dal is just by talking all night?"
"One shichen would be enough."
Namgung Seol-rin let out a soft laugh.
"Wake up. I know the Jegal Clan people are smart, but not against Tong-dal."
"Really?"
"You said one shichen, but Tong-dal probably already knows the color of the underwear you're wearing."
"No way."
Jegal Cheong asked Do Tong-dal again, "Is that true?"
"I don't see any need for me to guess the color of your underwear, Miss."
"But I'm curious, so guess."
Hwangbo Jeong-uk let out a dry cough.
"Ahem! That seems like a rather embarrassing topic to discuss in a setting like this. Especially with Uncle Namgung present."
Jegal Cheong spoke nonchalantly.
"I don't mind, but since someone seems uncomfortable, shall I have him guess something else instead?"
"I'd rather not......."
"Is there something I'm afraid of?"
No one objected to that question. Rather, they were all looking at Do Tong-dal with interested expressions.
"I don't think someone like Miss Jegal would be afraid of anything. Even if there were something, it wouldn't be a big deal."
"Do other people's fears seem trivial to you?"
"Because it's something that will never happen again, and even if it did happen again, nothing would come of it."
"How can you be so sure?"
"What are the odds that an accident that hasn't happened in over fifteen years will happen in the future? And even if the same accident did happen, you could easily avoid it now, couldn't you?"
As she spoke, Jegal Cheong realized that Do Tong-dal knew her fear.
"Who told you about my fear?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon and Namgung Seol-rin both said, "Not me." But aside from those two, there was no one who could have told Do Tong-dal that she was afraid of fire.
After barely surviving a fire when she was four years old, she still sometimes had nightmares about it.
"I told you. Tong-dal already has you completely figured out."
"But how?"
"It's one of Tong-dal's many abilities. If you want to get close to him, you have to be prepared to be completely laid bare to that guy."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon said.
"I'm fine because I have nothing to hide from Tong-dal."
"Me neither."
"Ahem! Then that means he's already figured us out too."
Do Tong-dal answered Hwangbo Jeong-uk's words.
"Seol-rin was talking nonsense. Don't mind it. Honestly, we'll probably never meet again, so what difference does it make if I know?"
"Connections in the martial world are unpredictable."
"I'm not a martial artist, I'm an Underworld thug. If you want to keep a connection with me, Hwangbo..."
Do Tong-dal spread his two hands wide apart vertically, then placed the upper hand over the lower one.
"You'd have to come down to where I am. Can you do that?"
Hwangbo Jeong-uk would never become an Underworld thug.
"So our connection ends here. I don't want to meet again either."
Jegal Cheong spoke up immediately.
"But I do want to meet again."
"Cheong, you......."
"Why? Is it awkward for me to become a rival?"
Do Tong-dal called Jegal Cheong.
"Miss Jegal."
"Yes?"
"Don't try to overcome your inferiority complex toward Seol-rin through me."
Jegal Cheong didn't bother to deny it.
"Why not?"
"Because it would become a bigger wound for you than your inferiority complex."
"Oh-ho, now you're even making prophecies?"
"My relationships are very simple. Friend or enemy. Do you think you could become my friend, Miss Jegal?"
"Am I not qualified?"
"No."
"That's a bit shocking. To say a daughter of the Jegal Clan isn't qualified."
"Background means nothing when it comes to being my friend. You're too weak. Not in martial arts, but in spirit. If Seol-rin is steel, you're glass. Let me ask one thing. This is hypothetical, but if you liked me, could you boldly declare it in front of this many people?"
"There's no reason I couldn't."
"Then say it."
Jegal Cheong let out a soft laugh.
"You want me to say I like you when I don't even like you?"
"No. You already like me."
"That's absurd......!"
"If that weren't the case, you wouldn't have said this much to me. Not Miss Jegal Cheong, who has great pride in her family, strong self-esteem, and clear standards for judging people."
When Do Tong-dal said that, everyone's gaze turned to Jegal Cheong.
"No, I......."
"Deceiving people is this simple."
Everyone looked bewildered at Do Tong-dal's words.
"I only guessed one thing Miss Jegal is afraid of. That alone built up trust in me, so now she'll believe anything I say. This is how easy it is to run a con. So everyone, beware of swindlers. We've eaten and drunk enough, so shall we get up now?"
Do Tong-dal got up first, paid the bill, and left the restaurant. Namgung Seol-rin hurried after him and asked.
"What was that all of a sudden?"
"Never leave my side."
"Is that a confession?"
"It's a request. I can't handle any more women."
Namgung Seol-rin was startled.
"You mean Cheong actually likes you?"
"Not to that extent yet. It's closer to curiosity. The problem is that Jegal Cheong will hover around me to resolve that curiosity."
"You think every woman next to you will fall for you?"
"If it's Jegal Cheong, who feels jealous of you, then definitely."
"Does the Mind-Reading Art show things like that too?"
"Yeah. And if Jegal Cheong hangs around me, it'll get in the way of obtaining the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King."
It was confusing because it seemed to have some basis, yet also seemed like baseless confidence. One thing was certain: it was better for Do Tong-dal to have no more women.
"Got it."
While they were reaching an agreement, Namgung Cheol-hyeon came running out.
"Seol-rin, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King has appeared!"
To be precise, it was the person who possessed the Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng King. To obtain it, someone would have to take it from its owner. Looking at things that way, both the orthodox and unorthodox factions were thieves.
"Do you two want to come along?"
"No. I have no intention of getting crushed in that crowd. Go on ahead."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon clapped Do Tong-dal on the shoulder.
"I'll stop by Hangzhou on the way back."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon exchanged a nod with Namgung Seol-rin, then launched himself into the air, followed by Namgung Sang-yeon and the other warriors.
A moment later, martial artists poured out of the restaurant where they had been. Hwangbo Jeong-uk's group simply gave a light greeting. The awkward feeling hadn't been resolved, but he had no desire to resolve it either.
Jegal Cheong whispered to Do Tong-dal.
"Our connection isn't over yet."
Goosebumps rose all over his back.
"No, I......."
Jegal Cheong walked away without even listening to Do Tong-dal's answer. In the meantime, the martial artists who had been so numerous on the street also drained away like the tide.
The street, now empty except for the local residents, was deserted.
"Looks like we don't have to worry about where to sleep tonight."
* * *
Gong So-yang, who had been lifting his spoon, shot to his feet.
"The money exchange was robbed?"
"Th...... That is, robbers suddenly broke in and stole all the silver, promissory notes, and debt ledgers from the safe."
The Yeonghwa Money Exchange that Gong So-yang operated was closer to a usury business than an ordinary money exchange.
He operated four locations in Hangzhou. Their daily transaction volume was smaller than at ordinary money exchanges, but they generated far greater profits.
That was because he charged three to as much as ten times the interest of an ordinary money exchange.
"Th...... The debt ledgers too?"
The silver and promissory notes could be recovered to some extent. But the debt ledgers were everything to the Yeonghwa Money Exchange. That was because they recorded the names of everyone who had borrowed money and the amounts.
"How could those bastards take what was kept in the safe!"
"They reportedly raided the place knowing the exact time the safe would be opened, like ghosts."
"You fucking bastard! Find them right now! Right now!"
"Y...... Yes, understood."
The chances of Oh Pil-jin, who had fled the room dodging the ashtray, finding the debt ledgers were almost nonexistent. Gong So-yang, who had been fuming, slumped down into his seat.
Like an auditory hallucination, he heard the sound of everything he had crumbling. He had thought of him as a bug he could crush with a single finger, but that had been his misjudgment.
"Where did it start going wrong?"
He should never have touched Do Tong-dal in the first place. Yes, that was where it had gone wrong.
"There's still a way to resolve this. You there! Go and bring Escort Ha Yeong-jin immediately!"
There was still no news of O Chang-jung, the Blood Sword Demon that Ha Yeong-jin had said he would bring. It was a full two shichen later when the subordinate he had sent finally returned.
"Why are you so late!"
"We searched everywhere for Escort Ha, but he's nowhere to be found."
"Nowhere to be found? Not even at home?"
"No. Not only Escort Ha, but his family members are also gone."
"H...... His family too?"
"It looked like they had moved."
Blood surged to his head. He had not originally been this careless a person. The reason he had entrusted five hundred nyang to a mere escort without any collateral was because he had been that desperate.
That damn Ha Yeong-jin had taken advantage of his desperation and run off with the five hundred nyang.
"You fucking bastards—!"
Gong So-yang collapsed backward.
* * *
Wang Chil expressed his gratitude to Go Seong-cheol.
"Thanks to you, I was able to handle the work smoothly."
Go Seong-cheol waved his hand.
"Coordinator Do paid the Hao Sect generously for information. I'm just giving him his money's worth. And I've disliked that man Gong So-yang for a long time."
Whether it was striking the Blue Cloud Escort Agency or not, most of the information about Gong So-yang's merchant group came from the Hao Sect. The saying that Hao Sect members were everywhere like cockroaches hadn't come about for nothing.
"And according to news that just came in, Gong So-yang has collapsed."
"What? That man can't die right now."
"Fortunately, they say his life isn't in danger."
"Phew—! If that man dies, Tong-dal will come and throw a fit. Saying he couldn't kill him with his own hands."
Go Seong-cheol said with a laugh.
"They say two of the Three Great Merchants of Hangzhou are trembling these days."
"Why them?"
"Because Gong So-yang is collapsing so easily, they think they'll be in big trouble too if they get on the Red Tiger Society's bad side."
"As long as they don't make an enemy of Tong-dal, nothing will happen. They're worrying for nothing."
"In any case, the Red Tiger Society is undoubtedly the strongest power in Hangzhou right now. It's truly remarkable. Not even a martial arts sect, but an Underworld group ruling Hangzhou."
"Ruling is too strong a word. We're just squirming under someone's boot."
"Oh dear, I'll have to tell the Hao Sect members to be careful when walking the streets. Hahaha!"
At that moment, Jo Jin-ho came in. After exchanging greetings with Go Seong-cheol, Jo Jin-ho said to Wang Chil.
"I've told everyone who works the fields. They all said they were pleased."
"There's no way they wouldn't be. They don't have to work, but they get paid as if they did."
Go Seong-cheol asked.
"What part of Gong So-yang are you trying to stab this time?"
"His livelihood. I told the people farming Gong So-yang's land not to work. In exchange, I guaranteed their income."
"Then what happens to all that rice, wheat, and tea?"
"Gong So-yang will have to bring his household and do the planting or harvesting himself."
"They say people get wiser with age, but that old man really...... tsk tsk tsk......."
* * *