Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: How Dare They
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< How Dare They >
Pyeong Dae-eon stared at the man sitting before him and gulped.
'That man… is he…!'
The person seated across from him was the infamous Hyeokryeon Hwi.
The very one said to be engaging in madness hand-in-hand with the Golden Moon Trading Company.
He was also the one who sent unbelievably skilled masters whenever the Golden Moon Trading Company needed them.
And it was said that after sending people, he would sometimes turn them into half-jiangshi or supply them with drugs that would make their vital energy explode to grant them immense power.
'Not all of that can be true, though.'
Even if only half of it were true, it was still incredible. And in Pyeong Dae-eon’s view, less than half of it was likely the truth.
What the Golden Moon Trading Company gave Hyeokryeon Hwi in return was by no means insignificant.
A truly massive amount of money, manpower, and all sorts of conveniences were provided.
In any case, that same Hyeokryeon Hwi was now here, meeting with him.
The problem was that, unlike the Golden Moon Trading Company, the Jade Spring Trading Company didn't have much to offer.
They didn't even possess a martial sect like the Golden Moon Trading Company did.
They merely held a monopoly on medicinal herbs within Changsha.
Moreover, if a new medicinal herb shop opened, the Jade Spring Trading Company had to handle the competition on its own.
Because of the recent incident, the Jade Spring Trading Company's position had been slightly shaken.
"Um… but why did you wish to see me…?"
Pyeong Dae-eon asked with extreme caution.
Hyeokryeon Hwi grinned and spoke.
"Did you not hear me earlier? I said I wish to partner with the Jade Spring Trading Company."
"I heard you, but… frankly, I am not confident that we have the capacity to satisfy you, Great Warrior Hyeokryeon…"
"I am not asking for much. It's something the Jade Spring Trading Company can certainly accomplish."
Pyeong Dae-eon gazed at Hyeokryeon Hwi, his eyes asking what that could be.
"I heard you've experienced some trouble recently."
"Ah… yes. It was a bit troublesome. But it's fine now, since that medicine shop has closed down."
Hyeokryeon Hwi shook his head.
"You can't just let it end like that. If you let this slide, how much of a joke will everyone think the Jade Spring Trading Company is?"
"No…"
He didn't think that would happen, but he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. Hyeokryeon Hwi's gaze was too terrifying.
"Isn't it about time the Jade Spring Trading Company started playing in bigger waters?"
"Pardon?"
Pyeong Dae-eon's eyes widened like saucers. The scale of the conversation had suddenly ballooned. He looked at Hyeokryeon Hwi with anxious eyes.
"I will back you up completely. First, let's build up some capital."
"Build up capital? How? You're not going to ask the Golden Moon Trading Company for help, are you…?"
"How about opening a few large gambling dens in Changsha?"
"What? But there are already people running the gambling dens."
"Ah, you mean those Underworld bastards. We can just clean them all out, can't we? They're nothing but bugs gnawing away at the world. If we kill them all, everyone will welcome it with open arms."
"But the Black Alliance is behind the Underworld."
Hyeokryeon Hwi smiled faintly.
"Not every Underworld group has the Black Alliance behind them."
"But the gambling dens in Changsha definitely have the Black Alliance behind them."
"It's just a single branch of the Black Alliance. And we'll get rid of that place, too."
Pyeong Dae-eon's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
'These crazy bastards! They're telling me to jump into a pit of fire! All for their own profit!'
Pyeong Dae-eon first tried to calm his mind. He couldn't get flustered at a time like this.
"First… I'll think about it."
"Are you saying you don't like the offer I've just made?"
"What? N-No, of course not. I just wanted to take some time to check the feasibility of the business, make a plan, and so on…"
"So you're saying I've proposed an absurd business venture? And that I'm a fool who started this without any plan."
Pyeong Dae-eon frantically waved his hands.
"Goodness, how could that be!"
Pyeong Dae-eon ground his teeth inwardly. He had gotten tangled up with the wrong people, in the worst possible way.
He never should have come running here in the first place.
But by the time one feels regret, it is already too late.
"I've already scouted a few locations, so you can go see them right away. It's a bit late today, so… let's go early tomorrow. I saw earlier that your manager seems very competent, so it would be best to split into groups and check them out."
Pyeong Dae-eon couldn't say a single word in response.
'I have no choice.'
He would be reprimanded, and he might even have to give up an arm, but the only person who could resolve this matter wisely was Pyeong Jarim, the head of the Golden Moon Trading Company.
Pyeong Dae-eon resolved to rush to the Golden Moon Trading Company tonight.
* * *
Byeok Taesan's group arrived at the pier.
"Um… Young Master. Are you going somewhere far?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages couldn't hold back his question again.
Byeok Taesan didn't answer. Instead, Hwaok, who was beside him, spoke up.
"The Young Master intends to deal a heavy blow to the Golden Moon Trading Company."
At Hwaok's words, the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric looked at each other.
What kind of nonsense was this? He had let them do whatever they wanted until now, and suddenly he was going to strike a blow?
"Brother, do you know anything?"
"What would I know?"
"No, for the Young Master to act like this, it must mean those bastards seriously got on his nerves, right? Am I wrong?"
"No, I was thinking the same thing."
Hwaok, hearing their conversation, quickly added.
"Soso was injured."
"What?"
"Who was injured?"
The faces of the Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric turned beet red.
"How dare they! How dare those bastards hurt our Soso!"
"Ah! Is it those bastards from the Jade Spring Trading Company or whatever?"
Hwaok smiled gently and shook her head.
"Not the Jade Spring Trading Company, but the Golden Moon Trading Company."
The two now understood why Byeok Taesan had said he would strike a blow against the Golden Moon Trading Company.
"Right, even if we stormed their headquarters and smashed it to pieces, it might not mean much since their branches are spread everywhere like a spiderweb."
"Yes. That's why we've decided to destroy their logistics. I've brought the transport information for the escort agencies under the Golden Moon Trading Company, as well as the shipping information for their own goods."
"So you're saying we're going to raid their ships?"
Byeok Taesan interjected.
"Raiding them can be done later, or not at all. We are going to destroy the ships."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages and the One-Needle Eccentric nodded with excited expressions.
"That sounds like a lot of fun."
"Those bastards have probably never been properly hit before. This will be a good opportunity to teach them a big lesson."
As the two showed such great enthusiasm, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon seemed relatively passive.
Of course, that wasn't actually the case.
The moment they heard that Soso had been injured, something had surged up inside them as well.
They were determined to release this anger one way or another.
Hwaok, seeing everyone's flushed faces, felt a little envious of Soso.
Would they get that angry if the same thing happened to her?
"The boat is ready. Please come this way."
Guided by Hwaok, the group headed towards the end of the pier.
There was a boat large enough for about ten people.
It was a boat equipped with several oars.
A fast boat that could move quickly by rowing when necessary.
Byeok Taesan looked at it and said.
"Get rid of all the oars."
Hwaok immediately gestured to the side.
At her signal, members of the Underworld Sect who had been on standby swarmed the boat and removed the oars.
In truth, she was a little worried as they did so.
Without oars, they would have to rely on the sails to catch the wind or drift with the river's current.
The purpose of taking this boat was to find and punish the Golden Moon Trading Company's ships.
So it was only natural that they needed to be mobile.
But to remove all the oars… She did it without a word because Byeok Taesan ordered it, but if anyone else had said it, she would have immediately objected.
In any case, with all the oars gone, the rowers were no longer needed either.
They had been sourced from the Underworld Sect in the first place, so it was a simple matter of sending them back to their original posts.
However, it would take a considerable amount of time to gather them again in the middle of the journey.
After removing all the oars and dismissing the workers, Byeok Taesan's group boarded the boat.
Since the boat itself wasn't very large, there were only a few crew members.
They departed.
Once the ropes tying them to the pier were untied, the boat began to move slowly along the river.
As Changsha was a large city, the pier was substantial, and the number of boats there was immense.
The boat carrying Byeok Taesan's group departed just after a fleet of several dozen ships had set off.
That was the Golden Moon Trading Company.
According to Hwaok's prior investigation, two escort agencies had loaded a great deal of cargo, and the goods the Golden Moon Trading Company was to sell were also quite valuable.
If this fleet were to disappear, they would likely suffer a considerable blow.
Naturally, the Golden Moon Trading Company had taken great care.
An escort team composed of warriors from the Sangcheon Sect, the Cheongmu Group, and the Nine Dragons Sect was aboard each ship, one team per vessel.
In terms of skill, the Nine Dragons Sect was the best, and the Cheongmu Group was the weakest. In terms of numbers, it was the opposite.
Each team consisted of two from the Nine Dragons Sect, four from the Sangcheon Sect, and nine from the Cheongmu Group, totaling fifteen members.
In addition, the two escort agencies had also placed only their elite on the ships.
In truth, there were almost no river pirates who would dare to attack a fleet of this size.
But they had prepared in advance, just in case.
With this much strength, they could uproot any river pirates operating on the Yangtze River.
So how relaxed must they all be?
Even following from a distance, that sense of leisure was clearly palpable.
"Those guys are in for a rude awakening, don't you think, Brother?"
"They're as good as done for already."
The One-Needle Eccentric said, glancing back at Byeok Taesan.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages immediately nodded in agreement.
"True, from the moment they made our Young Master step in, their fate was sealed."
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said this, then looked at the fleet moving far ahead and added.
"Still, they're taking it too far. Isn't that fellow over there holding a wine bottle?"
"Looks like it. How long has it been since they departed, and he's already drinking? He doesn't look like a sailor or a merchant."
Hwaok, who had approached them at some point, said.
"Judging by his attire, he's from the Cheongmu Group."
"The Cheongmu Group?"
"Warriors from the Cheongmu Group, Sangcheon Sect, and Nine Dragons Sect are divided among the ships."
"So that's why they're so relaxed. By the way, when are we going to start…?"
The Divine Doctor of the Ages said, sneaking a glance at Byeok Taesan.
If it were up to him, he would want to get this over with quickly and return to the Gakwol Inn.
No, he wanted to quickly finish their business here in Changsha and go back to Wuhan.
They had been away for too long.
He wanted to go home and rest.
Though whether he would actually be able to rest, he wasn't sure.
Hwaok smiled gently at the Divine Doctor.
"We are still too close to Changsha. And there are too many other boats around."
"That's true."
But since the fleet's speed was rather slow, in a few hours, all the other boats would have passed them.
By then, there would be no prying eyes, making it the perfect time to make their move.
"We are currently searching for a suitable location, so please wait just a little longer."
At Hwaok's words, the One-Needle Eccentric tapped the Divine Doctor's shoulder.
"Isn't it about time you stopped being so restless? You're old enough, why do you always act like a child?"
"A child? Restless? Brother, are you finished?"
"Not yet. Just enjoy the scenery and wait patiently. Like the Young Master over there."
At the mention of the Young Master, the Divine Doctor flinched and glanced back.
Byeok Taesan had placed a wide, flat bench on the small deck and was sitting on it with his eyes gently closed.
"No matter how I look at it, it seems like he's training right now. What do you think, Brother?"
The One-Needle Eccentric didn't answer, turning his head to look at the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet far ahead.
The number of boats around them was gradually dwindling.
* * *
"Young Master."
Byeok Taesan slowly opened his eyes at Hwaok's call.
"The Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet is out of sight."
Only then did Byeok Taesan rise from his seat.
If they continued to follow the Golden Moon Trading Company's fleet, it would naturally arouse suspicion. So they had moved at a slower pace to gradually increase the distance between them.
About half a day had passed since they left Changsha.
Now, once they found a suitable spot to begin the plan, they just needed to increase their speed.
Hwaok was curious to see how Byeok Taesan would increase their speed.
She expected him to shoot palm winds from the back of the boat, using the recoil to accelerate.
To achieve the desired speed, it would likely consume an enormous amount of internal energy.
"Are the preparations complete?"
Hwaok bowed her head.
"We have found a suitable location and are on standby. We need to increase our speed soon."
There was a place overgrown with reeds, which was ideal for an ambush and perfect for an attack.
The Underworld Sect and the Secret Heaven Group were currently hidden there, disguised as river pirates.
It was Hwaok who had first thought of this plan.
When Hwaok reported this plan to Byeok Taesan, she had been extremely nervous.
She couldn't predict Byeok Taesan's reaction.
But when she actually reported it, Byeok Taesan had given his permission far too casually.
After all, Byeok Taesan was quite accustomed to his subordinates creating plans centered around his own actions.
In the Heavenly Demonic Cult, there were several people who devised strategies for Byeok Taesan.
Byeok Taesan suddenly thought it would be more convenient to have one or two such people around.
Hwaok was fine, and the Master of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, the leader of the Underworld Sect, was also fine, but these two were much closer to handling information than devising strategies.
"There must be a decent one somewhere…"
Byeok Taesan muttered to himself and stood up.
It was about time to pick up the pace.
< How Dare They > End