Chapter 173
Translator: penny
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Baek Clan Alliance
The amount of internal energy I gained from my union with Baek Eunjeong was considerable.
Of course, it paled in comparison to what I'd received from Moyong Hui or Namgung Sua, but it was more than enough to elevate Baek Eunjeong—who had been first-rate—to the peak realm.
'Well, that doesn't mean she'll reach the peak realm right away...'
It was different from the time with Somwol.
Somwol had been late-stage first-rate, so she could leap straight to peak in one go, but Baek Eunjeong was merely early-stage first-rate.
'Come to think of it, wasn't Baek Jiun, the young clan head, late-stage first-rate?'
In just one month, Baek Eunjeong would grow even stronger.
I gave her still-sleeping body a once-over.
Amid her pale white skin, bright red marks left by my mouth stood out here and there.
'Hmm, most satisfactory.'
Thus, helping the Baek Clan was now a done deal.
Linking them with the Eun Merchant Group was a given, but I needed to see if there was anything more I could do to assist.
To get detailed information on the Baek Clan, I opened the booklet that the Shadow Gate Sect leader had prepared for me.
I didn't care much for reading, but for the sake of my woman, I could endure it just fine.
After poring over the booklet for a good while, Baek Eunjeong finally stirred awake.
She jolted upright upon seeing me naked, then blushed crimson as memories of last night flooded back.
"Sleep well?"
"...Yes. When did you wake up, Young Master?"
"Not long ago."
In truth, I hadn't slept a wink and had stayed awake the entire time.
We'd gone at it so late into the night that there wasn't much time left for sleep anyway.
'And I needed to learn about the Baek Clan.'
I had arranged to meet Peng Deokjo at noon and head straight to the Baek Clan manor afterward.
To get our stories straight with Baek Eunjeong in advance, I needed to know about her clan first.
"By the way, how's your body holding up?"
"I'm fine... Ah!"
She answered thoughtlessly at first, then hurriedly assumed a seated position and began circulating her energy in meditation.
I'd given her a rough explanation of the Blissful Creation Art last night, but she hadn't gotten a chance to check it herself.
I hadn't given her the leisure for that.
'Not enough time to savor it, either.'
So this was the first time Baek Eunjeong had properly examined her newly increased internal energy.
I blankly watched her meditate in the nude.
It was a sight I'd seen plenty of times with other women, but it never got old.
A moment later, having finished her meditation, Baek Eunjeong looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"My internal energy has grown as if I'd swallowed a spirit pill."
Could the Blissful Creation Art truly be compared to something as trifling as a spirit pill?
The energy of harmony was purer than any spirit pill out there.
I handed her some clothes and spoke up.
"More importantly, let's talk about the Baek Clan and our future plans."
"Ah, yes!"
Her voice was even brighter than when she'd checked her internal energy moments ago.
Clan matters had always taken precedence over her personal power, so that reaction was only natural.
While she'd slept, I'd read through the booklet on the Baek Clan and roughly mapped out our next steps.
I needed more details on the Eun Merchant Group, but that wasn't pressing right now.
"First off, as Second Miss Baek wanted, I'll link the Baek Clan with the Eun Merchant Group. And later, I'll be meeting Peng Deokjo—that is, the Dragon Boy—at which point..."
Baek Eunjeong listened quietly to my one-sided proposal, leaning in attentively.
It wasn't a bad deal for her, either, and her expression gradually brightened.
"Understood. I'll do exactly as you say, Young Master."
At noon, when Baek Eunjeong and I arrived at the meeting spot, Peng Deokjo reacted with surprise.
After all, the guy who'd announced plans for a brothel visit last night had suddenly shown up with the Baek Clan's second daughter in tow.
"Young Master Mok and I were already acquaintances. I heard he'd arrived in Jeonam Province and paid me a visit this morning."
As we'd rehearsed, Baek Eunjeong offered a perfectly natural excuse.
Peng Deokjo already knew about my relationship with Moyong Hui, so there was no way I could tell him the truth about Baek Eunjeong.
We headed straight for the Baek Clan's manor.
I'd known the Baek Clan was in dire straits, but actually seeing the desolate estate left me taken aback.
'Ruined to this extent in just two months?'
Forget the clan's warriors—there were scarcely any signs of even the servants milling about.
Even accounting for it being lunchtime, there were far too few people.
"Hm?"
Peng Deokjo seemed to sense something off as well and glanced around.
Embarrassed by his reaction, Baek Eunjeong flushed red and hurriedly led us to the reception hall with quick steps.
At least the reception hall had a dedicated servant to pour tea.
We sipped the tea set before us and began our conversation.
"As you can see, the clan is in rough shape, so I'll have to handle this myself. I already gave Young Master Mok a rough rundown, but..."
The Harmony Group's original reason for coming here was to gather intelligence on the Shandong region.
My real targets had been the Shadow Gate Sect leader and Baek Eunjeong, but since I'd told Peng Deokjo otherwise, I at least had to pretend to gather info.
The problem was that the Baek Clan had no intelligence network of its own, putting us in the position of providing information instead.
Thus, I'd shared a few key pieces from the Shadow Gate Sect leader with her in advance.
"Battles continue to rage south of Jeonam Province. The small and mid-sized sects rallied around Qingdao—home to the Shandong peaks—are currently..."
The information was repackaged through Baek Eunjeong to sound plausible as it came back to us.
Growing bored with the info I already knew, I shot a glance at Peng Deokjo.
'Why's this guy listening so intently?'
Peng Deokjo was leaning in with a serious expression, fully absorbed in Baek Eunjeong's words.
I killed time sipping tea until she finally delved into the main points.
"No major battles are breaking out north of Jeonam Province at present. Things remain peaceful in Hebei and Beiping for now. However, a group called the Eun Merchant Group has recently been expanding its influence with aid from various martial clans..."
"Hold on—isn't the Eun Merchant Group based out of Beiping?"
Peng Deokjo suddenly cut in.
His comment caught me off guard.
'How does this guy know about the Eun Merchant Group?'
No matter how fast the Eun Merchant Group had grown, Peng Deokjo had been at the Murim Alliance until now.
"How do you know that, Brother Peng?"
"Well, as you know, I'm the young master of the Peng Clan. I met their merchant leader a few times in Beiping when I was a child."
From our conversation, it turned out Peng Deokjo's knowledge dated back to the time of Eun Garyeon's father.
The Eun Merchant Group had been fairly prominent back then, so it wasn't strange for them to have ties with the Hebei Peng Clan, which was based in Beiping.
However, the connections between the two weren't limited to that.
"And among the martial clans allied with the Eun Merchant Group is none other than the Hebei Peng Clan."
"Our Peng Clan?"
"Yes. Beyond the Hebei Peng Clan, prominent northern clans like the Un and Yang families are lending their support to the Eun Merchant Group."
This was news to me, so I listened closely.
I planned to dig deeper through the Shadow Gate Sect leader later, but tales of the Eun Merchant Group under Eun Garyeon's leadership were plenty intriguing.
Peng Deokjo showed interest too, given his clan's involvement.
"That's all the information our clan has. Was it of any help?"
"Thank you, Second Miss Baek. It was more than helpful."
This should suffice as pretending to work on the Harmony Group's mission.
Peng Deokjo seemed thoroughly convinced, too.
'If I were alone, I wouldn't bother with this tedious act...'
But what could I do?
I was the one who'd dragged Peng Deokjo along.
'Not like I can just ditch him here.'
I'd made promises to Moyong Hui, and I still hadn't seduced Baek Iryeong.
So despite the hassle, I'd need to stick with him for the time being.
After Baek Eunjeong left, we spoke privately.
"What do you make of it, Brother Peng?"
"Hmm, the Eun Merchant Group strikes me as suspicious first and foremost. A Beiping-based merchant outfit expanding its influence in Shandong like it's been waiting for this moment... Doesn't that seem off?"
'Huh? What nonsense is this? The Eun Merchant Group suspicious?'
Here, "suspicious" referred to the shadowy force instigating war between the righteous and demonic factions—the very thing the Harmony Group was hunting.
To me, who knew the Eun Merchant Group well, it sounded utterly ridiculous.
'...From Peng Deokjo's perspective, it might look that way.'
Who would profit from an all-out righteous-demonic war?
The Murim Alliance suspected the Demonic Cult, but merchant groups stood to gain massively too.
War meant vast sums of money flooding the economy.
Moreover, if Baek Eunjeong's words were true, the Eun Merchant Group was currently reaping the biggest benefits.
'Of course, that's only because I tipped off the Eun young miss in advance...'
It was only natural for Peng Deokjo—who knew nothing of that—to harbor suspicions.
"According to Second Miss Baek, the Peng Clan is involved too. You okay with that?"
"Which is exactly why we need to investigate further. It's a clan matter."
"Mm, then let's make meeting the Eun Merchant Group's leadership our next goal."
I'd originally planned to park Peng Deokjo here briefly and contact the Eun Merchant Group alone, but this worked out—moving together wouldn't be an issue.
"When do we set out? It's still early, so we could head off right away..."
"Let's rest one more day and depart tomorrow afternoon."
Peng Deokjo looked slightly displeased at the prospect of another day of rest.
"Planning another brothel run today?"
"Nah, I'll be staying at the Baek Clan manor tonight."
The brothel courtesans were great, but one taste of Baek Eunjeong left me wanting more.
'And I need to get intel on the Eun Merchant Group from the Shadow Gate Sect leader.'
I had my share of tasks ahead.