If You’re Going to Do It, Do It Properly (3)
"…Here it is."
"Heh. You really do think big."
Chung Myung took the thick bundle of vouchers Song Tae-ak held out.
"I’ll gratefully—"
He gave it a firm tug.
"…"
"…"
As Chung Myung tried to stealthily pull the bundle closer, Song Tae-ak stared back at him with an odd look.
Their eyes met in the air.
"Let go."
"…"
"Ah, I said let go."
"Ugh."
The strength drained from Song Tae-ak’s hand. The moment the tightly clenched bundle of vouchers slipped out, his soul seemed to leave with it.
How much effort did it take to scrape this money together?
With this one deal, every spare bit of capital he had was gone. No, it was worse than that; to raise the funds, he’d even had to sell off the breweries and land he’d invested in, dumping them at a fire-sale price to rival merchant groups.
At a discount sale like that, there was no way he’d get back the true value. Just recovering less than eighty percent was enough to make his stomach churn, and the thought of the money he’d barely managed to collect vanishing in an instant—what words could possibly describe that feeling?
Song Tae-ak groaned as if he’d cut a hunk of flesh off his own body, then squeezed his eyes shut.
No. This is an investment.
The man who feared money going out would never make a fortune.
What mattered was what he could gain from the money he was investing now. If he secured exclusive rights to sell Yunnan Tea in Hubei and Beijing, the money leaving his hands now could return a sum beyond comparison.
The profit margin may be slim! But if I can get the right to sell tea to the high officials in Beijing, profit margins don’t matter!
In the end, it would still be a profitable deal—
Well, it was a profitable deal, but—
"Why the face?"
At Chung Myung’s blunt question, Song Tae-ak forced the corners of his mouth into a smile.
"I-I’m happy. That’s why."
"Doesn’t look like you’re very happy."
"N-no, no. Look, I’m so happy I’m even tearing up…."
Seeing the tears welling faintly in Song Tae-ak’s eyes, Chung Myung snickered.
"Tears, huh? Hah. You really must be thrilled."
"…"
Right. Thrilled.
You think I’m not thrilled, you rotten bastard?
Song Tae-ak swallowed the boiling frustration rising in his chest.
Anyway, it’s all or nothing.
Without investment, you could never make money, and without taking risks, you could never grow.
He hadn’t wagered money to buy tea sales rights.
The real gamble was moving his business from Wudang to Mount Hua.
If this fails, the Geum-seon Merchant Group is finished.
But if it succeeded?
At the very least, they would seize an absolute position in the commercial sphere north of Hubei. Mount Hua was located in Shaanxi, and the merchant groups that dealt with them were all in the western reaches of the Central Plains.
Becoming the one and only merchant group in the east of the Central Plains with ties to Mount Hua would bring both tremendous danger and tremendous opportunity.
Only...
"Heeheehee! Just look at all this."
"…"
Watching Chung Myung gleefully stuff the voucher bundle into his arms only made Song Tae-ak doubt himself even more. Was this really a wise thing to do?
"Hehe. Let’s do well together."
"Ugh. I’m counting on you."
Song Tae-ak clasped the hand Chung Myung extended with both of his own.
The situation had already become a tiger by the ears. Once you climbed onto a tiger’s back, the only thing left to do was become friends with it.
"By the way…."
Song Tae-ak turned his head slightly and looked toward the courtyard.
In the middle of Geum-seon Merchant Group’s vast yard, built as wide as possible to handle shipments, mountains of pure white sacks were piled high.
"Yes?"
"…Exactly what are you planning to do with those?"
Song Tae-ak asked in puzzlement.
Chung Myung had asked that one-tenth of the payment be prepared not in cash but in goods. “One-tenth” sounded small, but the value of those goods alone was close to one million nyang—a staggering amount.
Even with all the Mount Hua disciples here, carrying those sacks all the way to Shaanxi was hardly going to be easy….
"Ah, those?"
Chung Myung shrugged.
"You don’t need to worry about it. I prepared them for everybody’s sake."
"…What do you mean by that?"
"Well."
A strange smile curved at Chung Myung’s mouth.
"If you’re going to do it, do it properly."
Seeing that smile, Song Tae-ak shivered with a nameless unease.
Wuhan, in Hubei Province, where Geum-seon Merchant Group was based, was the largest city in Hubei. Naturally, it was also heavily influenced by Wudang, the province’s largest sect.
On a main street in Wuhan, a group of people had now appeared.
"Huh?"
Those passing by on the road tilted their heads as they looked at the newcomers.
"Who are they?"
There was nothing strange about a group appearing on a busy street where so many people came and went.
And yet no one could look away, because the hundred-odd people who had appeared were all dressed identically, and their clothes were something no one in Wuhan had seen before.
"Black martial robes… and that pattern is… huh? A flower? Is it a flower?"
"It’s Mount Hua!"
"Mount Hua! It’s Mount Hua Sect! Those are the martial artists of Mount Hua Sect!"
In the past, unless someone knowledgeable stepped forward, few would have recognized Mount Hua at a glance. But now, just the black robes and plum blossom insignia were enough for everyone to identify them.
That was how important reputation was.
"Mount Hua Sect? The one that wiped out the Dae-byeol Bandit Band?"
"That’s right! It’s Mount Hua, all right!"
"But why are they here?"
The people of Wuhan could only look upon Mount Hua with friendly eyes.
There was no need to think of any special reason. These were the people who had just eliminated the bandits in the nearby mountains; who wouldn’t feel grateful?
Even if those bandits had merely been ordinary thieves, they’d deserve thanks so deep you’d bow until your back snapped. But Mount Hua hadn’t just dealt with ordinary bandits—they had taken down the infamous Dae-byeol Bandit Band.
So naturally, everyone looked at Mount Hua with admiration and gratitude.
"Mount Hua, huh. Their bearing really is something else."
"They’ve got a different feel from Wudang."
"Well, yes. Wudang may be the sect that rules the world, but Mount Hua’s momentum these days is no joke either, is it?"
"Nonsense! How can you compare Mount Hua to Wudang?"
"Hey now, that’s not what I’m saying. Honestly, have you heard anything about Wudang actually accomplishing anything these past few years?"
"…Well, no."
"A position isn’t eternal. Sure, Wudang may be the world’s foremost Daoist sect and the world’s foremost sword sect right now, but if ten years pass like this, who knows what the world will look like?"
"Tsk tsk. Even so, to say that about Mount Hua…."
Opinions split among the crowd.
Still, considering that this was Wuhan—practically Wudang’s own front yard—it was an impressive response indeed.
A dog always has the advantage in its own yard, after all.
The fact that Mount Hua, a Daoist sect from distant Shaanxi, was being spoken of in the same breath as Wudang here in Wuhan proved just how far Mount Hua’s fame had risen.
"But… what’s that?"
"Who knows? They all seem to be carrying sacks of some kind."
"Whatever it is, it looks heavy."
The onlookers stared at the sacks slung over Mount Hua’s disciples’ shoulders, their faces full of curiosity.
The Mount Hua disciples, each carrying several sacks that looked heavy enough to be difficult to lift even one of, crossed the main street without the slightest sign of strain and began stacking them in the middle of the road.
"Oh?"
"…That’s a lot of them."
"What are they planning to do with all that?"
The crowd watched the sight with growing curiosity.
And then—
Swoosh.
The Mount Hua disciples, having set the sacks down, did not appear to intend to do anything more. They simply turned around in unison and started heading back the way they had come.
"Huh?"
"W-what?"
The people who saw this were left utterly dumbfounded.
Whoosh.
Only the stacked piles of sacks remained in the empty space where the Mount Hua disciples had all departed.
"…Why are they just leaving?"
"Wh-what are they going to do with those?"
Just as everyone was wondering what in the world was going on—
"T-there! They’re coming back!"
"Huh? They’re carrying even more?"
Seeing the Mount Hua disciples reappear in the distance, the crowd’s mouths fell open. Once again, each disciple’s shoulders were loaded with just as many sacks as before.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The Mount Hua disciples began stacking the new sacks on top of the ones already piled high. The process repeated again and again, the mountain of sacks growing taller and taller.
"Uh…."
"Uhh…."
The eyes of those watching widened little by little. The stacked sacks were now so many they resembled a small hill.
"Is that it?"
"Seems like it."
The disciples who had made the final delivery no longer turned back; instead, they stood in a line around the sacks.
The whole thing had happened without a single word of explanation.
And yet everyone who witnessed this strange scene could do nothing but stop in their tracks and gather around to find out what on earth was happening.
What are they trying to do?
What exactly are those sacks?
I’m dying of curiosity.
The crowd kept looking back and forth between the mountain of sacks and the Mount Hua disciples surrounding it.
"W-what exactly is that?"
"What are you doing here?"
Since the Mount Hua disciples just stood their ground without offering any explanation, the impatient ones eventually couldn’t hold back and began raising their voices.
Even so, the Mount Hua disciples remained silent and simply kept their posts.
Just when the frustration reached its peak—
"Ahem!"
One figure slowly stepped out from between the line of Mount Hua disciples and into view of the crowd.
As a result, everyone’s gaze fixed on the person walking forward.
"Kkhhheh-hem!"
The young man, still not fully rid of the last traces of boyishness, coughed loudly under the weight of all those eyes.
"So."
He looked over the crowd once, as if about to say something, then abruptly turned his head.
"Where do I even start explaining this?"
"Why are you asking us!"
"Just say it, idiot!"
"Hey, watch your temper!"
Chung Myung, having asked a pointless question and failed to gain even a little dignity, twisted his face and raised his voice.
"Aah! Can everyone hear me fine?"
Seeing Chung Myung shout at the crowd, the Mount Hua disciples all flushed bright red and lowered their heads.
"…Please just get on with it."
"Why is the embarrassment our burden?"
Look at them.
Their disciple, embarrassing enough to make anyone ashamed to show off.
Of course, Chung Myung paid the disciples’ reactions no mind. He flashed a sly grin and addressed the gathered crowd.
"You all know who we are, right?"
"You’re the Mount Hua Sect, aren’t you!"
"Thank you for destroying the Dae-byeol Bandit Band!"
"We’re truly grateful!"
Chung Myung grinned at the cheers that came back.
"Ah, it’s nothing special. Heh heh heh."
"Hurry up already! It’s embarrassing!"
"Dong-ryong, why don’t you shut it?"
At the voice calling from behind him, Chung Myung made a face, then turned back to the crowd with a dazzling, sales-representative smile.
"Yes. We are disciples of Mount Hua Sect. And some time ago, we wiped out every last one of the bandit bastards from Dae-byeol Band and turned them over to the authorities. From now on, when you climb Mount Dae-byeol, you won’t need to worry about bandits anymore!"
"Oh!"
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
It was something they had already heard, but none of them had seen it with their own eyes. Now that the person involved had said it himself, they could finally believe it for certain.
"But what in the world are those sacks?"
"Ah, I was just about to get to that."
Chung Myung smirked and nodded toward the mountain of sacks with his chin.
"As we were clearing out Dae-byeol Band, we found out just how thoroughly those bandit bastards had been plundering Hubei all this time. Their storehouses were piled up with treasure like mountains!"
"…T-then?"
"Yes. Those are the valuables we took from Dae-byeol Band."
The crowd’s eyes widened.
And the quicker-witted among them began to understand, more or less, what the Mount Hua disciples intended to do.
"Tsk. We could just swallow this all down and no one could say a thing, but the truth is, all this wealth was robbed from the people of Hubei as they traveled to and from Dae-byeol Mountain, wasn’t it?"
"Y-yes, it was."
"So!"
Bang!
Chung Myung stomped down hard.
"As our Mount Hua Sect Leader said, for us to take these riches to Mount Hua would go against the Way! These are goods stolen from their rightful owners by bandits, so of course we must return them to those owners—that is only proper!"
Chung Myung jerked his head, and Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong, who had been waiting, untied the ropes binding the sacks and tipped them downward with a quick flick.
Shhhhhhhhh!
The moment the sacks hit the ground, grain spilled out in a torrent.
Every eye in the crowd locked onto the grain pouring from the sacks. Their gazes trembled faintly.
"So from this moment on!"
Chung Myung pointed at the mountains of grain.
"We will distribute this grain to the people of Wuhan!"
Swish!
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Mount Hua disciples produced the wooden measures and small sacks they had prepared in advance.
The onlookers kept staring back and forth between the grain and Chung Myung, as though they could hardly believe what they were seeing.
"Is… is that really true?"
"Have you all been living your lives getting lied to?"
"N-no, I’ve just never heard of anything like this."
"Well."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
"I don’t know how other sects do things, but this is how Mount Hua does it."
"…"
"So don’t just stand there staring—everyone come over! And bring all the people who aren’t here too! We’re starting the distribution now!"
Shhhhhhhhhh!
The Mount Hua disciples turned over the grain sacks one by one onto the mats they had laid out in advance, then began using the measures to fill smaller sacks.
"Here, take some!"
"It’s right here!"
"Please, take it!"
The grain sacks that the Mount Hua disciples held out were placed into the hands of the bewildered crowd.
"Th-thank you!"
"I-I wonder if it’s really okay for us to take this!"
When the people who received the sacks bowed awkwardly in gratitude, Chung Myung barked at them.
"Don’t thank us! This was yours to begin with!"
"…"
"So hurry up and bring everyone else! By today, everyone in Wuhan has to get at least one sack!"
"Thank you! Truly, thank you!"
"My goodness! It really is a righteous act of chivalry!"
Starting is always the hardest part.
Once one or two people began accepting grain, the crowd that had been watching swarmed toward the Mount Hua disciples all at once.
"P-please give me some too!"
"Me too!"
"Ah, please line up! There’s plenty!"
"Everyone will get some, so don’t rush! You’ll get hurt."
The Mount Hua disciples smiled broadly as they distributed grain to the surging crowd.
At the same time, voices praising Mount Hua rose higher and higher, as if they might carry clear out of the city.
"Now I understand why everyone keeps talking about Mount Hua Sect, Mount Hua Sect."
"They risked their lives to wipe out the bandits, and now they’re even helping the poor like this."
"I’ll be sure to spread the word about Mount Hua’s chivalry! Thank you so much!"
The crowd kept pouring in, and the Mount Hua disciples kept handing out grain.
Watching the scene from behind with a satisfied look, Chung Myung turned his head slightly and laughed under his breath.
What’s a bribe, anyway?
Bribery wasn’t just about handing things to people in power. If you gave away wealth and achieved what you wanted, wasn’t that bribery too?
The grain piled up like a mountain, yes—but compared to Mount Hua’s finances, that much was nothing. Even compared to the treasure they’d just sold off, it wasn’t much at all.
If that’s enough to make Wudang choke on it, then this isn’t just a profitable deal.
What kind of expression would that horse-nosed bastard from Wudang make when he heard this news?
"Kihihihihihi!"
Chung Myung laughed with all his might.
"Mom. That uncle’s weird…."
"Shh. Come here. Don’t go near him."
Even if Chung Myung had chipped away at the image a little, Mount Hua’s name was now spreading across Wuhan along with sack after sack of grain.