#151. Black Flame Dragon in Chaos
Namgung Seonhwa squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them wide, blinking several times.
"Isn't that man... the lord of Yuwol Gate?"
A middle-aged man with his hands and feet bound behind him, a gag stuffed in his mouth. He looked at me expectantly for an answer, so I directed his gaze toward Hae-ryeong.
"When Young Master Jin assaulted the manor, we headed straight for Yuwol Gate."
"What...?"
Seong Moran's jaw dropped wide open.
"I thought Jeomcheong struck Yuwol Gate first..."
Yuwol Gate had been pulling the same shady dealings as Jeomcheong's Akyang warehouse. The Black Dao forces knew it too, which was why they'd moved as fast as they could. It was a golden opportunity to snatch the massive fortune Jeomcheong had stockpiled in Akyang.
But Jeomcheong wasn't about to sit idly by. Before the Black Dao could take it, they'd get their hands dirty to reclaim what was theirs—it was only natural. That's why Jeomcheong had cut ties with Yuwol Gate faster than anyone and struck first.
But...
"They were one step too late."
There was no reason to let such a prime chance slip away in the first place. Besides, even if Jeomcheong had lost what was essentially their own wealth, they couldn't exactly go around complaining about it. The moment they opened their mouths, word of their secret deal with Yuwol Gate would spread.
That was the real reason Seong Moran hadn't been offended when she'd asked if I wasn't pissed off about it.
Right now, their heads must be spinning from losing all that wealth.
I couldn't hold back a smug grin, and Seong Moran shot me a glare.
"So you intentionally stirred up all that chaos just to draw their attention?"
"Well... there were a few reasons."
"I almost died, you know!"
"And that's why you're enjoying the boat party now, right?"
"Don't think this wipes the slate clean!"
I hadn't planned to anyway. I turned to Hae-ryeong.
She pulled bills of exchange from her sleeve and handed one each to Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran.
"What's this?"
"Your shares."
"Pardon?"
The two women hurriedly unfolded the bills, their faces freezing stiff.
"Two thousand nyang in gold?"
"This is our cut?"
Even for Namgung Seonhwa, the amount on the bill was staggeringly huge; she couldn't hide her shock.
As their expectant gazes turned to me, I nodded.
"As you said, Lady Seong risked her life, and Lady Namgung staked her reputation. They deserve proper compensation."
"Whoa... you're seriously generous. I've never handled this much money before."
"If I ever leave the Namgung family, could I join Tae-eul Gate?"
Whoa, those serious eyes. She means it?
While the two women stared holes into the bills bearing the largest sums they'd ever owned, Eunho and Hong Saryeon pouted with lips jutting out.
"What's with you two?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why do your lips stick out like a duck's?"
"My mouth structure naturally resembles a fish's."
I chuckled at Eunho's snarky retort.
"With attitudes like that, I guess you don't need these."
"Huh?"
I pulled four Reversion Pills and pouches from my bosom. A faint herbal scent began to waft through the room.
"What's that, senior brother?"
"Pocket money and Reversion Pills. Probably what Jeomcheong gave Yuwol Gate. I was going to give them to you, but your attitudes are..."
"Senior brother! I've never once questioned your decisions!"
"Me too!"
"...Me three."
Only after seeing even the awkwardly clinging Eunho did I hand over the neck guards and pouches. The four bolted out of the warehouse like a shot, eager to absorb the elixirs.
I watched their retreating backs for a moment before turning to the Yuwol Gate lord.
The man, who'd been watching the whole scene, had his eyes bulging like they might pop out. I approached and removed his gag.
"Feeling wronged?"
"Grr... You think you'll get away with this scot-free? You might not know, but that wealth all belongs to Jeomcheong. They won't let you off."
I glanced at Hae-ryeong.
"You haven't told him yet?"
"No."
I leaned in toward the Yuwol Gate lord.
"You're misunderstanding something. Right now, we're protecting you and your family."
"What nonsense—"
"Jeomcheong's tearing Akyang apart right now to wipe you out—murder and silence the witnesses."
"What?"
"The ones who killed the most Yuwol Gate warriors? None other than Jeomcheong."
"......"
The Yuwol Gate lord stared at me in disbelief. But facts were facts—what could he do?
Hae-ryeong and I moved to another spot.
"The gate lord asked me to pass on his regards."
"Is the gate lord doing well?"
"Yes. He says Haomen's time to spread its wings has come—he's more active than ever."
"Good to hear."
"This is all thanks to you, young master."
I sipped my tea, feeling a bit sheepish at her smile, when Hae-ryeong pulled ten bills from her sleeve.
"Proceeds from liquidating the gold, silver, treasures, and bills Yuwol Gate had stashed away."
"......"
Ten bills, each worth one thousand nyang.
"This much?"
The number was far beyond my expectations—my mind reeled.
"Akyang is Hunan Province's top economic hub and one of Jiangnan's premier tourist spots. Considering the fortune Jeomcheong poured into establishing a branch here, this is actually on the low side."
"On the low side?"
"We couldn't sell off their inns and taverns—tangible assets like that. Touch those, and we'd leave a trail."
"I see."
They might figure it out eventually, but it wasn't urgent now, and even if Jeomcheong knew, what could they do? No need to worry.
I handed two bills back to Hae-ryeong.
"......?"
She looked at me, puzzled.
"Your fee. At some point, Haomen stopped charging commissions."
"Ah... that's only because you're a 'guest'..."
"I haven't heard of guests getting that kind of special treatment."
"......"
Probably courtesies from Hae-ryeong and folks like Yang Gunbaek. But relying on favors like that always backfires eventually.
"Take what you're owed and deliver top results. That's what I expect."
Hae-ryeong studied my face for a long moment, then let out a deep sigh.
"...You're impossible to refuse, young master. You sure about this?"
"Without Haomen's help, this would've taken much longer. And people deserve pay for their work."
"Then I'll gratefully accept."
She neatly folded the two bills and tucked them away.
"Now that you've given me such a gift, mine might pale in comparison."
"Huh?"
At her cryptic words and gesture, a maid approached with a wooden tray. On it sat a withered root with nine stems and a fragile booklet that looked like it might crumble at a touch.
Not much to look at for a gift...
"What are these?"
"From the Yuwol Gate lord's secret vault."
"Secret vault?"
The warehouse alone had held a fortune—what could be in a secret vault?
"Ever heard of Gu-ryeong Divine Herb?"
"......"
My gaze snapped to the withered root.
"Th-this is Gu-ryeong Divine Herb?"
The miraculous elixir said to contain the essence of the world's spirit veins in its nine stems. So potent that even peak masters could have their organs melted by its energy if mishandled.
"He probably knew he couldn't absorb it himself and kept it as tribute."
"......"
As I pondered how much my inner energy would surge from consuming it, Hae-ryeong continued.
"The other is Blood Jade Liquid."
"......"
My eyes, captivated by the herb, whipped back to her.
"Blood Jade Liquid? You mean the one I know?"
She nodded instead of answering. One of the Murim Alliance's Ten Forbidden Techniques: Blood Jade Liquid.
"He must've been waving it around, ranting about the Demonic Cult all this time."
I nodded along as she spoke. No matter what schemes or suspicions arose, hurling Blood Jade Liquid at the enemy would flip everything in an instant—or so he'd thought.
"If not for you, young master, things would've gone exactly as Jeomcheong and Yuwol Gate planned."
"...Lucky break."
The words left a bitter aftertaste. For someone who'd once laid down his life for 'justice' on the front lines shouting 'purge the demons,' it wasn't pleasant to see those cries veer from the righteous path.
"It's modest, but this is my gift."
As she slid the tray toward me, I asked,
"You could've kept quiet about a secret vault."
Even as a guest, Haomen didn't need to reveal everything.
"Of course, we have ledgers of bribes to officials too. Figured they'd be more useful to us, so we kept those."
"No, I mean—"
"Young master."
Hae-ryeong's tone turned firm.
"We're merchants trading information, but also analysts. And our analysis says now's when your 'value' is at its lowest."
"......"
"We value you more than you think."
Her eyes burned with conviction. Caught off guard, I swallowed hard, at a loss for words.
"If it's too much, just think of it as a friends' fee."
A grin tugged at my lips unbidden.
"You heard from Yang Gunbaek?"
"I chewed him out. 'That's all your friendship's worth?'"
"Then I'll gladly accept."
I carefully stowed the Gu-ryeong Divine Herb and Blood Jade Liquid in my bosom. Hae-ryeong watched like a mother seeing her child eat, which made me awkwardly shift topics.
"Who do you think will take Akyang now?"
Akyang's seat was vacant. The fierce clash between Black and White Dao right now boiled down to who would claim it.
"Probably Black Dao forces like Mokhyeolbang and Heukbugung will dominate Akyang."
"Hm..."
As expected. White Dao sects like Jeomcheong had lost all credibility in this mess. Even their followers would feel Jeomcheong's influence wane for a while. Without unity, they couldn't flaunt their former glory. And for any White Dao group to reclaim Akyang, they'd pay dearly in blood again.
"No room for Haomen there?"
"Pardon?"
Hae-ryeong's eyes widened like a startled rabbit, blinking rapidly in disbelief.
"Black Dao wants a bite, Jeomcheong won't yield ground easily. Can't Haomen slip in between?"
"...As you know, we can't show our faces openly."
"Just reach out discreetly."
"......"
Her face screamed utter confusion. Since we were on good terms, why not toss them a gift?
"How about the Akyang branch chief position?"
"Pardon???"
"The current Akyang branch chief will likely move soon. And by convention, successors are often the predecessor's recommendation."
"That's... true. But we haven't heard of the chief transferring—and where would someone of that stature go?"
"To Tae-eul Gate, as a liaison knight."
"What?!"
Hae-ryeong, who'd never once lost her composed elegance, gaped at me, eyes locked in shock.
Is it really that surprising?
Her reaction stung a little.