Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: That's Why It's Getting More Interesting
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That’s why it’s more interesting.
“Young Master, how was it?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages asked confidently as soon as they left the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Byeok Taesan looked at him with a meaningful gaze.
Seeing that look, the Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned.
“Just as I thought, you were pleased. How about it? My discerning eye.”
“Not bad.”
“I knew you’d be impressed. Honestly, you have no idea how much trouble I went through to get this information.”
Byeok Taesan let out a short laugh at the Divine Doctor’s attempt to take credit.
“The ones who did the hard work were your people, so why are you taking the credit?”
“Hey, it’s all the same. Besides, if I hadn’t given the proper instructions, would they have ever been able to find out something like this? This was all possible because I am so exceptionally competent.”
Knowing that pressing the issue would only lead to more talk, Byeok Taesan simply nodded.
Listening to their conversation, Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon, who were following behind, widened their eyes and glanced at each other.
They couldn’t quite understand what was being said.
Did this mean Byeok Taesan had another reason for specifically visiting that courtesan house?
Seeing their expressions, the Divine Doctor of the Ages smirked and squeezed in between them.
Byeok Taesan saw this, shook his head, and quickened his pace.
“You know I have twelve physicians I’m training like apprentices, right?”
“Yes. They are remarkable people. True physicians who seek out and treat those in need around this area.”
“Your words seem to have a bite to them. You didn’t say that for my benefit, did you?”
“Of course not. How many people in the world don’t know that you are a brilliant physician?”
At Cheon Gyeongwan’s words, the Divine Doctor of the Ages nodded in satisfaction.
“I knew you had some sense. Oh? But the person next to you looks displeased.”
At his words, Yu Seoyeon snapped to her senses and shook her head.
“Not at all. I was thinking the exact same thing.”
“Good. I’ll trust you this once. Be careful from now on. I’m a bit sensitive about these things.”
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon had much they wanted to say but held their tongues. Now was not the time to argue about such things.
“Anyway, it seems my people heard a few things.”
Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon were puzzled by his words.
The Divine Doctor of the Ages had clearly been at the Yeon family estate the whole time, and his apprentices were at the Golden Jade estate, so how could he have heard what his apprentices at the Golden Jade estate had to say?
Before their questions could deepen, the Divine Doctor of the Ages continued.
“They said the Thousand Gold Association is up to something strange.”
At the mention of the Thousand Gold Association, the expressions of Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon hardened.
The Thousand Gold Association was an alliance of several large trading companies in Wuhan.
Their goal was to seize control of Wuhan’s commercial power, and the biggest obstacle in their way was the Golden Jade Trading Company.
Thus, since its formation, it had clashed with the Golden Jade Trading Company at every turn.
However, they had not achieved any notable success so far. This was because the financial power of the Golden Jade Trading Company was far greater than they had anticipated.
Furthermore, the strength of its web-like connections, built over many long years, was also formidable.
Having confirmed this through direct confrontation, the Thousand Gold Association had been quiet for some time.
So it was only natural for Cheon Gyeongwan and Yu Seoyeon to react to the name.
“What on earth are those bastards up to?”
“They’ve started a business.”
“Pardon? That’s…”
Cheon Gyeongwan stared blankly at the Divine Doctor of the Ages for a moment. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for a trading company to start a business?
“But they’ve disguised it so it doesn’t look like it’s affiliated with the Thousand Gold Association.”
“What’s the point of that?”
“It means that no matter what trouble arises or what they do, no one will know the Thousand Gold Association is behind it. If it weren’t for me, no one would have ever known.”
Cheon Gyeongwan’s expression turned serious. He was finally beginning to see their intention.
“But strangely enough, martial artists are involved in this new business.”
“Martial artists… you say?”
“Yes. And they’re quite high-level martial artists at that. The kind that would be absolutely difficult for any ordinary trading company to hire.”
“Then the Hundred Flowers Pavilion is…”
“That’s right. It’s a new courtesan house established by the Thousand Gold Association. You can assume that everyone working there, aside from the courtesans, is a martial artist. For your information, there’s one like it in every type of business. And there’s always a business owned by the Golden Jade Trading Company nearby.”
If they operated normally, they could never compete with the Golden Jade Trading Company. No, perhaps they could even create a synergistic effect and do better together.
But that was surely not their intention.
He could now understand, at least a little, the conversation Byeok Taesan and the Divine Doctor of the Ages had shared earlier.
“Then shouldn’t we have avoided the Hundred Flowers Pavilion even more? You basically escorted the Young Master into the heart of the enemy’s den.”
“Who’s worried about whom?”
Cheon Gyeongwan fell silent at those words. Indeed, who was he to worry about whom?
This was the man who had felled an elder of the Jongli Family with a single gesture.
Cheon Gyeongwan’s gaze unknowingly drifted toward Byeok Taesan.
‘Just… when did the Young Master begin to learn martial arts?’
As far as he knew, Byeok Taesan had almost no time to train. Besides, wasn’t his health poor?
‘Could there be another genius in the world like the Young Master?’
If so, he might truly fall into a deep sense of self-loathing.
As Cheon Gyeongwan was lost in thought about Byeok Taesan, Yu Seoyeon, who had been calmly organizing her thoughts, asked the Divine Doctor of the Ages.
“If there’s one business for each industry, they must have invested a great deal of money. They would have at least matched the level of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.”
“That’s right. They made a very large investment. Besides, since they’re just using them as disposable pawns, if there are no results, the losses would be substantial, even for the Thousand Gold Association.”
That meant they were confident of success.
“Are you saying that all those businesses have high-level martial artists affiliated with them?”
“Yes.”
“Where on earth did they find so many skilled fighters?”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages let out a short laugh.
“Well… honestly, it’s a bit of a stretch to call them high-level martial artists. They’re just guys who can handle a sword or their fists a bit, so they’re not hard to find if you put your mind to it. The real masters among them are maybe one or two at most.”
Yu Seoyeon became curious just how strong someone who could just “handle a sword or their fists a bit” really was. When put that way, the result could vary wildly depending on the standard being used.
“Are the warriors there about my level?”
“Hey, that’s a bit much. You alone could easily take on ten of their guys. Though their master would be a bit of a challenge.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages looked back and forth between Yu Seoyeon and Cheon Gyeongwan as he continued.
“You two are quite strong. You wouldn’t be outmatched even in a prestigious, well-known family. Your skills are probably on par with a captain or vice-captain of a lower-ranking warrior division there.”
However, neither Cheon Gyeongwan nor Yu Seoyeon took his words at face value.
Fighting the warriors from the Jongli Family this time had made them keenly aware of their own limits.
If they hadn’t known their weaknesses, could they really have defeated them so easily?
“Don’t compare yourselves to those guys from the Jongli Family you saw at the Yeon estate. They were an exception.”
“Then is the Jongli Family stronger than other prestigious families? If they don’t have that weakness?”
“No. The ones who came to the Yeon estate that day were particularly strong. They were probably fighters they had poured their heart and soul into raising.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned.
“Since guys like that got utterly crushed, their family head must be fuming. Hehehe.”
Hearing that made it even more puzzling.
“If each business includes one or two such masters, that’s still a lot. Where in the world could so many masters have come from…”
“That’s what we need to find out now. If things had gone as expected, we would have solved everything quite simply, tsk.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages clicked his tongue with a dissatisfied expression.
“What was your original expectation?”
“I thought the Jongli Family was supplying the martial artists.”
“But you’re saying they weren’t?”
“They weren’t. It’s true the Jongli Family and the Thousand Gold Association have joined hands, but they didn’t supply martial artists or anything like that. The two are moving completely separately.”
Everyone’s expression grew serious.
That meant there was another party that had joined hands with the Thousand Gold Association besides the Jongli Family.
An organization powerful enough to mobilize numerous high-level martial artists.
“Things are… getting more and more complicated.”
The Divine Doctor of the Ages grinned widely.
“That’s why it’s getting more interesting.”
* * *
The Golden Jade Trading Company Archive Hall.
Byeok Uhaeng sat facing his son, Byeok Sangil.
“We were lucky. Weren’t we?”
At Byeok Uhaeng’s words, Byeok Sangil nodded.
“Yes. We were very lucky. If trouble hadn’t broken out for the Jongli Family, we would have been hit before we could even react.”
“A small bit of complacency piled up for too long and became a huge problem.”
At those words, Byeok Sangil let out a deep sigh.
“It’s troubling. All the martial families and sects that have ties with our trading company are saying they’re in a difficult position to help…”
Naturally, a large trading company like the Golden Jade Trading Company maintained good relationships with nearby martial sects and families, helping each other out.
They would provide financial support, and in return, receive the support of their power when needed.
The Golden Jade Trading Company, aware of the flimsiness of such relationships, had been steadily building its own martial force, but it still had a long way to go to possess true strength.
In any case, while obtaining information that the Jongli Family was planning something and preparing for it, they had noticed a change in the atmosphere of the martial families they had been associated with.
If they had clashed with the Jongli Family, they would have suffered immense damage.
They could no longer rely solely on them.
Still, since the Jongli Family claimed to be of the righteous faction, they wouldn’t have attacked without a just cause.
It seemed they had intended to create that justification when they summoned Byeok Taesan to the Yeon family estate.
“It’s a relief that nothing happened to Taesan. Honestly, I was terrified. To think those men had other intentions.”
He was talking about Gyeong Chuhwang and Gal Jinhyeop.
The two of them had coordinated with the Jongli Family in advance before accepting the Golden Jade Trading Company’s request.
Knowing that the Golden Jade Trading Company would have no choice but to reach out, they had prepared meticulously beforehand.
“This was definitely not planned by the Jongli Family alone. The Jongli Family doesn’t have enough funds to win over those two.”
“It’s the Thousand Gold Association.”
Byeok Sangil spoke with such conviction that Byeok Uhaeng wore a puzzled expression.
“You sound too certain. Nothing is confirmed yet.”
Byeok Sangil took out several letters from his clothes.
“What is that?”
“It’s information that someone delivered to me.”
Byeok Uhaeng took them with a grim expression and carefully read them from beginning to end.
His eyes were filled with astonishment.
“Who on earth gave this to you?”
Byeok Sangil gave a bitter smile.
“I don’t know. When I went to my office this morning, it was on my desk. I tried to find out who left it, but I couldn’t.”
“Hmph. Have you verified it?”
“I’ve done as much as I can. In my judgment, the information is accurate.”
Byeok Uhaeng stood up from his seat with a serious expression.
“It seems I’ll have to have a long discussion with the Head of the family.”
The contents of the letter were shocking.
It detailed the plans the Jongli Family had made in collaboration with the Thousand Gold Association to conspire against the Golden Jade Trading Company.
This was information that only someone directly involved in carrying out the plan within the Jongli Family could possibly know.
The reason he thought it was someone from the Jongli Family was that all the plans were recorded with the Jongli Family at the center.
It seemed to have been written by someone who knew what the Thousand Gold Association had planned but was unaware of their detailed movements, knowing only the detailed plans of the Jongli Family.
It even noted circumstantial evidence suggesting a high probability that the Thousand Gold Association had not only joined hands with the Jongli Family but also had another power behind them.
As Byeok Uhaeng hurried toward Byeok Taesu’s office with the letter, his mind grew complicated.
‘Who gave this information, and how did they find it out?’
Still, the important thing was that they had found out in advance.
If they hadn’t known, they would have been helplessly defeated, but now that they knew, they could somehow devise a countermeasure.
Of course, he couldn’t ignore the one-in-a-million chance that this letter itself was a trap.
As Byeok Uhaeng headed to the family head’s office, his thoughts became increasingly tangled.