Let’s Do a Job Together, You and Me (3)
'So he really is the Mount Hua Divine Dragon. A reputation well earned!'
Hong Dae-gwang no longer doubted Chung Myung’s skill. There was no need to. His half-warped jaw was proof enough.
Had he been hit?
No… well, if you asked that way, yes and no.
What had actually happened was this: as Chung Myung tried to leave while shouting, "I’m never pissing near the beggars’ den again!" Hong Dae-gwang had thrown himself at Chung Myung’s waist to stop him and only grazed his elbow.
That was a tremendous relief.
If a mere graze had done this much, a direct hit would have meant never eating meat again for the rest of his life.
"I’ll give you 1.2 million nyang."
"Are you kidding me?"
"One hundred and thirty…"
"Huh?"
"…"
Hong Dae-gwang was a proud disciple of the Beggars’ Sect, a righteous sect no less. He was even trusted enough to serve as the branch leader of a major city like Luoyang.
How could someone like that let himself be dragged around by some wet-behind-the-ears punk?
Hong Dae-gwang hardened his expression.
And then he resolved to cling stubbornly to the one value the Beggars’ Sect had always emphasized.
"Ah, young hero. That really is all the money our branch can move at the moment. If we request support from the main sect, it’ll take at least another half month. If you insist, I can make it 2 million nyang—you take 1 million now, and the remaining million in a month…"
"3 million nyang."
"…"
"Lump sum. Three million. Don’t even dream of anything lower."
That damn ghost.
Hong Dae-gwang’s eye twitched wildly.
Just hearing the words “three million nyang” was already shocking. It was exactly the price Hong Dae-gwang himself had judged the map to be worth.
Whether Chung Myung knew its value and was speaking accordingly, or whether he was just bluffing and gambling from the start, was impossible to tell—but either way, the number matched perfectly.
This is bad.
But he had no choice.
Leaning back in his chair, Chung Myung crossed his legs. The map in his hand fluttered lazily as if to say, if you don’t take this, I’m going straight to the underworld market.
"Young hero… as I just said, the Luoyang branch doesn’t have that much cash on hand."
"Yeah, I know."
"Pardon?"
"What kind of money would a beggars’ den have? That hundred and thirty you mentioned was figured by adding up every place you’d have to borrow from, right?"
"Th-that’s correct."
"But don’t worry. There’s a way."
"…A way?"
Chung Myung smiled with obvious satisfaction.
"There’s a Great Continent Trading Hall branch right next door. If you go there and say the Beggars’ Sect needs emergency funds, they’ll cut you a check for about three million nyang on the spot. Bring me the receipt."
"…"
"Simple, right?"
Oh, simple indeed.
That really was simple. Why hadn’t he thought of it?
"You expect me to take out a loan from a moneylender just to buy a thing? That’s the fastest route to ruining your life!"
"Why are you the one worrying about that? What life does a beggar have left to ruin?"
"…Huh?"
He wasn’t wrong, though.
"You’re a beggar because you’re already ruined! If you weren’t ruined, why would you be a beggar in the first place?"
"…"
That was annoyingly persuasive.
Damn it, I almost got dragged in there.
"In any case, that’s impossible. We can’t give you any more. The Underworld Gate won’t be able to prepare that much money either."
That much was true.
For any organization, producing that amount of cash in one go was no easy matter.
"Then there’s nothing to be done."
Chung Myung casually shoved the map back into his clothes.
This time I’m not falling for it, you brat.
He’d been afraid of going to the Underworld Gate earlier because Chung Myung had quoted such a ridiculous price, but not anymore.
Even if it was the Underworld Gate, it wouldn’t offer more than Hong Dae-gwang had already named.
So he could afford to stay calm.
"You were thinking of going to the Underworld Gate? That would be wise. Go ask them and come back."
"I’m not going."
"…Hm?"
"I said I’m not going to the Underworld Gate."
Hong Dae-gwang tilted his head.
Then where?
"Then where are you going?"
"Wuhan."
"Wuhan? Why there?"
"You said the Luoyang branch won’t buy it, so I’m going to sell it to the Wuhan branch."
"…"
The corner of Hong Dae-gwang’s eye twitched.
"T-to the Beggars’ Sect’s Wuhan branch?"
"Yep. Ah, I wasn’t planning to go because it’s farther than here. But since it’s come to this, I guess I don’t have a choice."
Hic.
A hiccup burst from Hong Dae-gwang’s mouth.
If that gets sold to the Wuhan branch…?
He was done for. Truly done for.
Why did branches exist at all? Branches existed so they could cleanly handle the things the main headquarters couldn’t. And all the branch leaders were competing for the future position of Beggars’ Sect chief.
Every merit earned by every branch was measured immediately and ruthlessly. If the Wuhan branch got hold of Yakseon’s map, the Wuhan branch leader’s standing would soar.
No! I can’t let that bastard Ja O-gae get the advantage!
The whole world might not think the same way as Chung Myung, but everyone carried at least a little of that feeling inside them.
What mattered was not only that you did well; it also mattered that the other guy did not. Especially if that other guy was a rival.
"If I keep running, I should reach there in a day. I’ll be off, then."
"W-wait just a moment, young hero!"
"Why?"
"Just a moment!"
With the desperation of a man bleeding from the eyes, Hong Dae-gwang grabbed Chung Myung.
The fact that the Wuhan branch leader, Ja O-gae, might profit was bad enough, but if Ja O-gae’s personality was anything to go by, he would absolutely brag that Chung Myung had first come to the Luoyang branch, failed to sell it, and then came to him.
Then it wouldn’t just be Ja O-gae profiting. The old, dried-up elders… no, the venerable elders would definitely come running barefoot to smack him across the face for letting Yakseon’s map slip away.
"I-I’ll buy it! 3 million nyang!"
"Who said three?"
"…Pardon?"
Chung Myung grinned and pulled the map from his robes, waving it slightly.
"3.2 million."
"Ah, but just now you said…"
"The value of an item can change in an instant. It’s gone up by two hundred thousand nyang already."
"…"
"Oh dear. The price is rising again. Now it’s three hundred and thirty. If we wait a little longer, it’ll be three hundred and fifty…"
"Aaaaargh! I’ll buy it! I said I’ll buy it! 3.3 million!"
"Mm. A wise choice."
Hong Dae-gwang was so moved he clutched both hands over his face. His shoulders trembled violently—was that not the proof of his emotion?
I can’t believe I got beaten up by this kid and stripped of everything I had.
He was even going to end up using loan sharks.
He had no idea where such a monster had fallen from.
"You must guarantee it is truly authentic!"
"Of course."
"If it turns out to be fake, I will absolutely hold you responsible!"
"Go ahead."
"Hrrgh."
Hong Dae-gwang let out a long sigh.
It was too late now. The arrow had already been loosed.
"Jangbaek! Are you outside, Jangbaek?"
"Yes, Branch Leader!"
"Go to the Great Continent Trading Hall and borrow 2.5 million nyang in my name. And bring eighty thousand from the branch funds!"
"Th-that much money—what on earth are you planning to spend it on…?"
"Stop talking and move your ass, damn it!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
As the man called Jangbaek hurried off, Chung Myung smiled pleasantly.
"You know how to make a deal."
"…Young hero, you’re absolutely murderous yourself."
He really was murderous enough to make one want to kill him.
Hong Dae-gwang ground his teeth.
What the hell is this brat?
He looked like a child through and through, but what he did was worse than the old veterans of the jianghu. Old men in the martial world might be sly, but they still had a sense of face and tried to avoid anything that would damage their dignity.
This brat in front of him behaved as if he had nothing to lose.
"I never thought my Mount Hua Divine Dragon would be so obsessed with money."
"If I knew how to make money, would I have become a beggar? I understand."
"…"
How did this bastard manage to turn every single sentence into a knife to the gut?
Hrrgh.
Robbed in negotiation and robbed in words, Hong Dae-gwang let out another deep sigh.
It was already sold. There was no going back now. It would be better to think about how to deal with the map he’d bought than to keep thinking about that hateful bastard.
If it’s authentic, then even 3 million nyang is cheap.
If he wanted to sell it, he could get far more than that. And… there was also the option of not selling it at all.
This is a map of the Sword Tomb.
If it were sold, it would become a fortune, but perhaps it would be even better if the Beggars’ Sect itself excavated the Sword Tomb. If that were possible…
No, maybe that really would be better.
While Hong Dae-gwang’s mind raced in every direction, Jangbaek ran back inside.
"Here it is, Branch Leader."
"Good work."
"And here’s the liquor you mentioned earlier…"
Hong Dae-gwang’s mouth twitched slightly.
No, seriously. Why is this idiot so tactless as to bring such expensive liquor too?
Just as he was about to say, “Since the negotiation’s already over, forget the liquor,” Chung Myung’s hand shot out like lightning and snatched the bottle away.
"Oh! Thanks!"
"…"
He popped the cork at once and shoved his nose to the bottle.
"Ah, nice aroma. This doesn’t suit a Beggars’ Sect branch at all."
Glug, glug, glug.
He emptied the bottle in one go, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve with a satisfied “Khh.”
"Want a drink?"
"…I’m fine."
At this point, Hong Dae-gwang wanted nothing more than to send this brat away as quickly as possible.
After checking the receipt, he let out yet another sigh so deep it seemed to cave in the floor.
"I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d borrow money from a trading hall."
"For a beggar, that’s probably a novel experience."
"…Here. Check it."
The receipts formed a stack thicker than a single bundle. Flipping through them rapidly, Chung Myung nodded and stuffed them into his robes. The weight against his chest made the whole world feel oddly satisfying.
"Khh, why does the smell of money never get old?"
Is he really a Taoist?
He looked like a fraud no matter how you sliced it.
Maybe Mount Hua, in the process of falling and rising again, had shed its original color. Otherwise, how could a man like this have come from Mount Hua?
"Here you go."
Chung Myung neatly handed the map to Hong Dae-gwang.
Hong Dae-gwang took it and narrowed his eyes.
It’s definitely authentic no matter how I look at it.
Just the parchment alone carried an incredible age. The lines drawn upon it had also faded slightly over time.
No matter how skillfully a forgery might be made, Hong Dae-gwang was confident he could tell. But on this map, he could find not even a trace of fakery.
"Then."
Chung Myung stood up from his seat.
At that moment, Hong Dae-gwang spoke in a slightly colder tone than before.
"That was a good trade. However, remember this: if you have played any tricks, you will certainly pay the price. There is nowhere under heaven where beggars’ eyes do not reach."
"You really have lived a life full of scams, huh? But it’s definitely genuine."
"And what makes you so certain?"
"Because of Wudang."
"Huh?"
Hong Dae-gwang’s face brightened. If Chung Myung was that confident, it could only be good news; it meant the map was even more likely to be authentic.
"What do you mean?"
"Wudang interpreted the map."
"Ah. Then it’s definitely…"
Hong Dae-gwang fell silent.
Then his beard began to tremble.
"W-what did you just say?"
"They interpreted it. I mean they decoded it."
"Who did?"
"Wudang."
"Ah… Wudang?"
"Yep."
Chung Myung smiled faintly.
His smile was so refreshingly bright that it was almost pleasant to look at.
"Then Wudang will be heading out to excavate it soon, I assume."
"Yep. They probably left already by now?"
"Ah, so…"
At last, Hong Dae-gwang understood the situation. And there was only one possible reaction to that understanding.
"Why the hell are you only saying that now, you crazy bastardtttttt!"
Chung Myung snickered as he left the beggars’ den.
"Grab that bastardtttttt!"
But there was no way Chung Myung would be caught by mere beggars. Easily evading the hands that lunged for him, he leaped onto the roof of a shack and shouted back,
"I didn’t lie!"
He had simply not told them everything.
"It’d be better to sell it quickly before people find out Wudang is doing something. Anyway, I’m off."
As Chung Myung sprang away, Hong Dae-gwang, unable to contain his fury, finally foamed at the mouth and toppled backward.
"Branch Leader!"
"Branch Leader, are you all right?"
"Th-that bastard… that damn…"
Then he suddenly came to his senses.
"No! My money! I don’t have time to be doing this!"
Hong Dae-gwang clutched the map tightly.
His eyes blazed.
"Find every sect that would want to buy the Sword Tomb map right now! Tell them we’re selling cheap!"
"Should we screen them?"
"No! Bring everyone! Every sect nearby! Anyone who can pay cash on the spot! And it doesn’t have to be sects—check if there are any famous individuals around and summon them all! Also bring in map experts and have them make copies! Immediately!"
"Yes, Branch Leader!"
His eyes looked less like they were burning than like they were being consumed by fire.
"And!"
"Yes!"
"Request support from the main sect! We of the Beggars’ Sect are going too!"
"Pardon?"
"…Let’s do this! A struggle for the treasure!"
The Beggars’ Sect alone could not handle Wudang. Not with the hastily gathered forces, either.
But if he used this map to draw in the heroes of the jianghu, the story changed.
"Yes. Let’s do it. Since it’s come to this, it’s a struggle for a spiritual treasure! Might as well beat that damned Mount Hua Divine Dragon brat while we’re at it!"
Hong Dae-gwang had no idea that every last bit of this had already been laid out by Chung Myung.
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