Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Gold Dragon Hall (2)
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In martial arts novels, the daughters of wealthy families are almost always depicted as beauties.
Especially if she was the daughter of a historic martial arts family, she would be praised as one of the great beauties of the Central Plains.
That’s why, back then, I’d left comments politely pointing out the break in logic, like, “Is it ‘beauty for the rich, ugliness for the poor’? Why are all the beauties born into rich families? Is the author an idiot? LOL.”
However.
After reincarnating into the martial world, I realized it wasn't an exaggeration.
Due to the social custom of polygamy, the probability of a beauty being born into a wealthy family was overwhelmingly high.
For example, let’s say a man named A, in his mid-thirties, makes a fortune and becomes rich.
In the modern world, he might squander his wealth on luxury goods or foreign cars, but that’s impossible in the martial world.
That leaves only one thing.
Finding a beautiful young woman and taking a new wife.
A’s son, having grown up watching his father, would feel no resistance to having multiple wives himself.
After several generations, the family would be left with genes that could only produce handsome men and beautiful women.
However. There was one family that shattered this understanding of mine.
The Gold Dragon Hall, where I was now, and the Martial Emperor Fortress of the northeast.
The reason was simple.
They had made choices for the prosperity of their family without regard for appearances.
Thanks to that, the bloodline of the Martial Emperor Fortress’s Lord gained an unparalleled physique at the cost of looking like toads.
And the bloodline of the Gold Dragon Hall became the wealthiest in the world at the cost of having faces like catfish.
‘A tragedy.’
Just as Edward from the Alchemist of Steel said, the world really does seem to operate on the law of equivalent exchange.
They gained power and money, but their looks were shattered in return.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.
‘How do I get out of this…?’
Breaking through this crisis comes first.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and met Geum So-cho’s eyes.
The young catfish, boasting a wide space between her eyebrows, met my gaze.
*Fwoosh.*
Her face flushed red as she began to act shy.
“Hahahaha, it seems our So-cho has taken a liking to you too!”
The situation was only getting worse.
‘I have to nip this in the bud somehow.’
With the same resolve I had when facing the Killing Demon Mad Ghost, Hyeon San-wol, my life’s greatest enemy, I opened my mouth.
“Ahem, I am grateful that you think so highly of me, but I am not yet in a position to start a family…”
“If the master of the Hanzhong Merchant Guild says he’s not in a position, then who in this world can get married? Besides, your position will improve once you marry. You will be my, Geum Geuk’s, son-in-law, after all.”
“...!”
The other day in Hanzhong, I had pretended to Geum Geuk that I knew nothing about the Hanzhong Merchant Guild.
Geum Geuk had also understood me to be a figurehead put forward by the Red Dragon Hall.
But for him to say this now meant he had realized I was the true master of the Hanzhong Merchant Guild.
Sure enough.
When I made a face that said, *How did you know?*, Geum Geuk replied leisurely.
“I figured a talent like you could not be contained by the likes of the Red Dragon Hall.”
“...I’m no match for you, I see.”
“So, when would be a good date?”
To be asked to set a date just one day after meeting.
It seemed he had come fully prepared.
“W-Well, about that…”
“Before the year is out would be good.”
“Young Lady Geum still seems quite young…”
“Hah, isn’t fifteen the perfect age for marriage?”
No, are you seriously trying to marry off a middle schooler?
She probably hasn’t even finished her growth spurt.
“The Hall Master’s offer of his daughter’s hand is an honor I can hardly accept, but I already have a beloved in my heart.”
I tried to get past it even by lying, but Geum Geuk was by no means an easy man to fool.
“Hahaha, do not worry. I was already prepared for this when I decided to give you my daughter. For a hero like you, having three or four wives is the standard, is it not? By the way, who is this beloved of yours? Is it the woman named Myo Hyang? Or perhaps the precious daughter of the Cheong Family Head? Surely it’s not the Red Blossom Sword of the Red Dragon Hall?”
Wow, this is driving me crazy.
The more we talked, the more I felt like I was sinking into a swamp.
‘Damn it.’
There was no other way.
I had to use my final lie.
“If you don’t like this year, then next spring…”
“Excuse me, Hall Master. I have something to tell you for a moment.”
I said, gesturing with my eyes toward Geum So-cho. Geum Geuk smiled as if he understood.
“You seem shy. I understand. Cho-ah, you may leave us for a moment.”
“Yes, Father.”
The shy catfish… no, Geum So-cho, left, and I spoke in a deliberately serious voice.
“I may have a beloved, but until I achieve my goal, I have absolutely! no intention of marrying.”
I purposely emphasized a certain word to convey my resolve.
“...What is your goal?”
“To avenge my adoptive grandfather.”
“Your adoptive grandfather… you mean Adept Tae-eul, I presume.”
“That is correct.”
“I remember he passed away fighting some unknown demonic practitioner?”
“I believe that fiend is affiliated with the Ten Demon Alliance.”
Though it was only a suspicion without any evidence.
“Hmm… True, there are not many masters who could handle Adept Tae-eul.”
“Therefore, until I have broken the Ten Demon Alliance in half, I have no intention of marrying anyone.”
I certainly intended to avenge my grandfather, but saying I wouldn’t get married was a lie.
How could I possibly have the ability to break the Ten Demon Alliance in half?
Besides, my grandfather in heaven wouldn’t want me to live my whole life alone, consumed by revenge.
However, this was the martial world, governed by Confucianism.
Geum Geuk nodded his head as if he fully understood.
“You intend to walk a difficult path.”
“It may be difficult, but I must do it. That is what it means to be a martial artist.”
“...I see.”
“Yes. I believe that if I can fight and win against the Ten Demon Alliance, then I will have won.”
He gave a hesitant nod at my ridiculously confident answer.
‘Phew…’
That was a close one.
* * *
An hour later.
After a rather intense discussion, I was able to extract a very handsome reward from Geum Geuk.
‘Hehehe, I have to go brag to Myo Hyang.’
The Ten Thousand Gold Bank had agreed to cooperate with the Hanzhong Merchant Guild's expansion into Nine Dragons Fortress.
Some might think it would be better to receive a lump sum payment.
If you think that, you’d be sorely mistaken.
The success or failure of the Hanzhong Merchant Guild's stable establishment in Nine Dragons Fortress depended on how many clients it could secure.
In other words, it meant we had to build trust with as many merchants as possible.
However, in this era, building trust was harder than raising your transaction score on a flea market app.
This was a world without CCTV, let alone fingerprint analysis, so fraud and robbery were rampant.
This was a problem that even a relatively large organization like the Hanzhong Merchant Guild could not avoid.
In fact, there were plenty of crooks who committed fraud by using the names of well-known merchant groups and associations.
In the end, building trust required a significant amount of time to become familiar with faces and demonstrate good faith.
That’s why even Alliance Leader Mo and Myo Hyang were prepared for considerable losses in the beginning.
But what if the Ten Thousand Gold Bank stepped in to introduce clients and even vouch for us?
‘It’s practically a free pass.’
Not only would our credibility skyrocket from the lowest tier to the highest, but we would also be able to secure an enormous number of clients.
That meant the initial losses would be minimized.
‘I can hear my dividends going up!’
And that meant my pockets would get fatter.
“Hehehe.”
“What are you so happy about?”
Oops. I was so happy I laughed out loud without realizing it.
“Ah, it’s nothing. The Hall Master was just so willing to agree…”
“Hahaha. What’s so difficult about that? Besides, I’m repaying the favor of you saving my life.”
“I don’t know what to say when you put it like that.”
“The more I see of you, the more I like you. You’re a hundred times better than my second son.”
“The cross-dressing… no, is he still causing trouble with women?”
For a moment, I almost asked if he was still cross-dressing.
‘That was a close one.’
No matter how much I disliked him, I couldn’t just out him.
“Ah… he’s better now. He’s living diligently and seems to have come to his senses. He’s learning the family business now.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But he has no talent for it. Now that you mention it, not only are his martial arts poor, but sometimes I look at his mind and wonder if he’s really my son.”
“...Please don’t worry too much. As they say, great talents mature late. He will soon distinguish himself.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
I did my best to be his conversation partner, treating him like the CEO of a client company.
As a result, I was only able to get up from my seat after the sun had set.
“Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
“I have family waiting for me.”
“I suppose it can’t be helped.”
“Then I will visit you again next time.”
“I’ll have a room prepared for you, so come visit whenever you’re bored.”
At the mention of a room, the little catfish who had come to stand beside us began to stare at me with the eyes of a predator.
‘Yeah, I’m never coming back.’
“Hahahaha.”
I brushed it off with a laugh and quickened my pace, soon arriving at the main gate.
Just as I was about to take a step toward freedom, I heard Geum Geuk’s voice.
“Oh my, our conversation was so enjoyable that I forgot to mention something. Hm? Why do you look like that? As if you’re hearing something you don’t want to hear…”
“Ah, no. I was just leaning in to listen more closely.”
“Right? I thought so. You wouldn’t be like that.”
He continued, his expression relieved.
“Not long ago, I heard a rumor from the Hui merchants that things are looking unusual on the Ten Demon Alliance’s side.”
“A rumor…?”
“The rumor is that the Lord of the Demon Sect has been ousted from his position as Alliance Leader.”
“What? Isn’t that a huge problem? We should inform the Fortress Lord at once…”
“Hahaha. Don’t worry. It’s just a rumor, so I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“No.”
What kind of safety complacency is this?
They should be sounding the highest alarm, and yet.
*Pat, pat.*
He patted my shoulder and bid me farewell.
“Well then, off you go.”
“Ah… yes.”
* * *
“It’s probably nothing.”
Although I heard something quite unsettling as I left the Gold Dragon Hall, I decided not to dwell on it.
As he said, there was nothing I could do about it anyway.
What if I went straight to the Grand Chancellor and said, ‘A war is coming, so prepare,’ and then nothing happened?
I could be sued for full compensation for the preparation costs.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.
“Hiyah!”
*Hiyah!*
Raising the pass rate of the Jinmu Hall members was a hundred times more important.
It had to be 100% for us to accept the next batch and the batch after that, making it a sustainable business.
‘The era of cram schools is over. Now, it’s the Jinmu Hall’s turn.’
The day when Jinmu Hall cup rice would sweep through Nine Dragons Fortress was not far off.
Just as everyone at Jinmu Hall, including myself, was making a final spurt and breaking a sweat, a pale-faced Yu So-pyeong appeared in the director’s office.
“M-My lord!”
“Zzzzz… *snore*. Huh?! What is it?”
“We’re in big trouble!”
“What is it now? What’s with all the fuss?”
“W-Well…”
Sensing something was wrong, I snatched the paper Yu So-pyeong brought and checked it.
“Son of a bitch!”
I soon realized that the greatest crisis for Jinmu Hall had arrived.
“Now, of all things, subcontracting?!”