Chapter 174
Translator: penny
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: Eun Garyeon's Ambitions
Eun Garyeon had returned from the Sichuan Tang Family just a short while ago.
Without even taking time to shake off her travel fatigue, she gathered her people and promptly departed Beijing.
'I hope I'm not too late...'
Mok Jimyeong had instructed her to absorb the Shandong Wicked Clans' businesses once they collapsed, but Eun Garyeon, who led the Eun Merchant Group, had no intention of settling for so little.
She knew a war was coming—and she even knew its trigger. How could she be satisfied with mere scraps?
'This is my chance to elevate the Eun Merchant Group to the world's greatest merchant house.'
This was war, after all. Full-scale war.
The Righteous-Demonic Great War, no less.
Considering that the last one had erupted a century ago, this was a once-in-a-hundred-years opportunity.
The timing couldn't have been better, either.
She had purged all the parasites gnawing away at the merchant group's internals, and the colossal Shadow Gate Sect was providing rock-solid support from the shadows.
And that was far from all.
She had forged alliances with numerous martial clans, including the Hebei Peng Family among the Five Great Families.
Though it had depleted the merchant group's coffers in the process, she had recouped much of the losses by stockpiling war supplies in advance.
'It's all thanks to Mok Xiaoxie.'
At first, when they met in that tavern, she'd thought he was just some thug. But now, he was her lifelong benefactor—and the man she loved.
Of course, she wasn't his only lover...
'...It's fine. The spot right beside Mok Xiaoxie is mine, after all.'
To make that a reality, she first needed to grow the Eun Merchant Group into the world's greatest.
At the very least, it had to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Five Great Families.
'The Moyong Family? Sword Phoenix? Don't make me laugh. I knew Mok Xiaoxie first.'
Eun Garyeon brimmed with confidence.
Her plans were already falling neatly into place.
According to Mok Jimyeong, the war would rage for about two years.
And amid it all, the Shandong Wicked Clans would crumble.
Of course, she wasn't moving solely on his word.
She had prepared contingencies for every scenario from the start.
'Just let the war break out...'
In truth, how long it lasted wasn't the key point.
What mattered was whether it happened at all.
Fortunately, the intel from Somwol indicated that tensions in the Shandong region were only growing fiercer by the day.
Hearing this, Eun Garyeon shifted into even more aggressive maneuvers.
"Group Leader, they're short on manpower at the Shijiazhuang outpost."
"Manpower? You mean warriors? Or laborers?"
"Both."
"Contact the Hebei branch and request more warriors. Offer to pay them above the usual rate. I'll handle the laborers separately."
She began slowly extending her influence from Hebei toward Shandong.
Losses piled up day by day, but they were purely financial—no more than that.
As the Eun Merchant Group's reach edged into Shandong,
"The Divine Dragon? Mok Xiaoxie?"
Word of Mok Jimyeong reached Eun Garyeon's ears.
They said he had surpassed the Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes to claim the title of supreme among the younger generation.
To Eun Garyeon, who knew his true prowess, it was only natural—but she couldn't help the swell of pride in her heart.
And she wasn't the only one to hear the news.
"That kid's being called the Divine Dragon?"
The ears of Jang Yunho, the Eun Merchant Group's top fighter, caught wind of it too.
The man who had briefly taught him martial arts was now making waves across the Central Plains, leaving Jang Yunho with a strange mix of feelings.
'It's only natural, if you think about it...'
At barely thirty, the guy had slain an elder of the Four Black Alliance.
Objectively speaking, it was more surprising that it had taken this long for his fame to spread.
But knowing his personality all too well, the title "Divine Dragon" just didn't fit.
-Groan~ I never expected to find a beauty like you here... Care to share a drink?
That was what Mok Jimyeong had said when they first met in the tavern.
And the way he'd curled his fingers, beckoning her...
'Back then, I really thought he was just some street punk.'
But his skills were those of an absolute master.
Even Jang Yunho, who had taken pride in his own abilities at the time, wouldn't have stood a chance.
And his antics didn't stop there.
He dragged the Group Leader to some brothel, then caused a scene in Beijing demanding twenty silver taels be repaid as a hundred gold nyang.
'And that guy's the Orthodox Faction's top young talent?'
Of course, he couldn't deny the results had all been positive.
Without Mok Jimyeong, Jang Yunho—and even Eun Garyeon—might have met with disaster.
But results were results, and personality was personality.
'Divine Dragon, my foot. Lecherous Dragon or Mad Dragon would suit him better.'
Little did he know, he'd nailed the secret moniker of "Mad Dragon" circulating covertly in the Murim Alliance.
But the only name spreading publicly was Divine Dragon.
As Mok Jimyeong's fame spread, a peculiar atmosphere stirred within the Eun Merchant Group.
It stemmed from his month-long stay in Beijing, during which he'd unwittingly become a celebrity among the members.
"The Divine Dragon's on good terms with our Eun Merchant Group?"
"Good terms? The reason we've grown this big is all thanks to him!"
"They say he's especially close to the Group Leader..."
The rumors that started internally began leaking outward, bringing unexpected gains to the Eun Merchant Group's endeavors.
'The Divine Dragon's backing that merchant group?'
'Isn't the Divine Dragon the greatest among the younger generation right now? If we're thinking long-term...!'
Merchant groups that should have been rivals now sought alliances with Eun Garyeon's.
Riding this tailwind, the Eun Merchant Group ballooned in size overnight.
In the midst of this unbroken string of successes,
"Eun Sojeo, it's been a while. Doing well?"
The much-rumored Divine Dragon paid a visit.
Thankfully, I didn't need to trek all the way to Beijing to meet Eun Garyeon.
She had come down to Shandong herself.
Thanks to intel from the Shadow Gate Sect Lord, I located her quickly.
Running into her right here on the street was pure coincidence, though.
I knew she was in the area, but I didn't have her every move tracked.
'No need to visit the Shadow Gate Sect branch after all.'
I'd planned to gather fresh info here, but fate handed her to me on a platter.
Her shocked expression at that moment was one I'd remember forever.
-Mok Xiaoxie?!
Recalling it brought a smirk to my face, and Eun Garyeon, sitting across from me, puffed out her cheeks.
"If you were coming, you could have at least sent word..."
"I came on short notice myself—no time for that. By the time a letter arrived, I'd already be here ahead of it."
"Tch, fine. So, when are you going to introduce the gentleman who came with you?"
Eun Garyeon glanced toward Peng Deokjo.
The guy, who'd been sneaking peeks at us both, finally offered a belated greeting.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Peng Deokjo."
Uncharacteristically polite honorifics from him.
Ah, probably because she's the Group Leader.
"Nice to meet you, Peng Young Hero...? Wait, Peng Deokjo? No way—the Earth Dragon?"
"That's me."
I answered for him, and Eun Garyeon jolted in surprise.
I couldn't fathom getting so worked up over Peng Deokjo of all people, but recalling the ties between the Eun Merchant Group and Hebei Peng Family made it click.
"What an esteemed guest...! Ah, hold on just a moment, please?"
Eun Garyeon shot up and hurried off somewhere.
I considered stopping her but let her go.
'She's got her own duties to attend to, after all.'
Once she was gone, Peng Deokjo leaned in and murmured,
"Jimyeong, you were acquaintances with the Eun Merchant Group Leader?"
"Yeah. We're pretty close."
I hadn't explained our history back at Jename, so it must've caught him off guard.
That explained the back-and-forth glances earlier.
'His address is a mess, though.'
I used honorifics with Peng Deokjo but spoke casually to Eun Garyeon.
He, meanwhile, was casual with me but polite to her.
As I pondered how to sort out the address hierarchy, a quiet mutter came from beside me.
"'Pretty close' feels like an understatement..."
Peng Deokjo tilted his head, as if he'd picked up on something in that brief time.
With Eun Garyeon gazing at me so affectionately, it'd be weirder if he hadn't noticed.
'The guy's not clueless.'
Come to think of it, he'd been the one to point out Nangong Chan and Jeon Galwi's crushes on Moyong Hui at our first drinking session.
He just had zero game with women.
When Eun Garyeon returned shortly after, two people trailed behind her.
A middle-aged man and a young woman who was, frankly, quite homely.
Peng Deokjo startled at the sight of them and rose from his seat.
"Peng Sawol? What are you doing here?"
"Brother, long time no see."
So she was his blood sister—the Peng genes ran true.
"Heh heh, Young Master, do you not see me here?"
"How could I miss you? It's been ages, Gold Elder."
So that's where Eun Garyeon had gone—fetching Hebei Peng Family members.
Peng Sawol exchanged brief greetings with her brother, then turned to me.
"And this gentleman is...?"
Introducing myself to such an unappealing woman was a chore, but viewing her as part of Eun Garyeon's network, I hauled my heavy butt up.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Mok Jimyeong. Brothers in arms with Peng Hyung here recently."
"Mok Jimyeong...? No, you're not—the Divine Dragon?"
Her reaction was eerily similar to Eun Garyeon's upon learning Peng Deokjo's identity.
The difference in their looks couldn't have been starker, though.
'Impossible. Absolutely impossible.'
She looked exactly like Peng Deokjo.