Chapter 32
Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Confrontation at the Eun Merchant Group
The morning after arriving in Beijing.
I left the brothel with a light heart and headed straight for the Eun Merchant Group.
And right at the main gate of the Eun Merchant Group, I ran into an unexpected face.
"What? Why the hell are you here?"
It was that Jang bastard, the bodyguard.
No way he'd been demoted to gatekeeper.
Tsk tsk. Should've behaved himself more often.
He bristled at my look and shouted.
"I was waiting for you!"
"Me? Why?"
He glanced around, then dragged me off to a quiet corner by the wall.
I followed, wondering if Eun Garyeon might be waiting there...
"What?"
No one in sight.
He scanned the area, confirmed it was clear, then lowered his voice.
"Uh... there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Sorry, but... could you give us just a little more time to repay the money the matriarch borrowed?"
Is that what he dragged me here for?
Truth be told, I hadn't planned on collecting from Eun Garyeon right away anyway.
'Better to keep her in debt—makes it easier to stir up trouble later.'
But why was he the one saying this?
"Hmm... That silver slut told you to pass it on?"
"No... It's just that the merchant group's finances are worse off than we thought. The matriarch's really struggling right now. So if you could give us a bit more time, I could handle it separately..."
"Ah, so you're gonna pay it?"
He nodded solemnly.
"I'll scrape it together somehow, so... could you just head back for today?"
In other words, with Eun Garyeon already in a bind, don't make it worse—just leave.
'Admirable that he's looking out for Eun Garyeon, but...'
The guy's an idiot.
Doesn't know his priorities and waits for me here since morning.
'Wait, no. From his angle, it probably makes sense.'
I did tell her before—if she couldn't pay the money, she'd pay with her body.
Maybe in his eyes, I'm the biggest threat around.
Either way, it was a request I couldn't grant.
I had to raise hell at the Eun Merchant Group.
'It's the only way to buy them time.'
If I just walked away now, how would they handle the 200 nyang gold they owed the Four Black Alliance?
"Stay out of it, punk. I need to have a chat with that silver slut."
I started heading back toward the gate, brushing him off.
That's when—
Thud.
"Please! I'll pay off that debt somehow, so just go back!"
The Jang bastard dropped to his knees.
"Ha, really."
Looking at him, all I could do was let out a dry laugh.
'A guy who's supposed to be a real expert...'
The Jang bastard had pulled plenty of stupid stunts in front of me before, but he was still pretty damn skilled.
He'd beaten a son of the famous Sword Hand Family with nothing but his scabbard, after all.
But kneeling and begging like this...
'No pride at all?'
Guess that's how much he cares about Eun Garyeon.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Hey, aren't you ashamed, acting like this as a man? I'll pretend I didn't see it, just this once."
"No. Look at me properly. And... just a little more time, please."
Jang Yunho bowed his head low.
Watching him, I felt an inexplicable twinge of discomfort.
'Who'd think I'm the bad guy here?'
Of course, I planned to play the villain.
But ultimately, I'm one of the righteous sects.
This was all for Eun Garyeon and the Eun Merchant Group.
"Whatever. I'm off to see that silver slut."
No point explaining every little detail.
As I turned toward the gate, the guy who'd been kneeling shot to his feet.
And then—
Shing.
A familiar sound rang out.
I turned just my head while standing still, and there was the Jang bastard with sword in hand.
His actual sword—not the scabbard.
"You... just drew your sword in front of me?"
Has he lost his mind?
Irritation flared up in an instant; I scowled, and he gulped hard before speaking.
"Not in front... from behind..."
Dumbass line, but his face was dead serious.
Like he was ready to throw down if he had to.
'Sigh... what to do with this idiot.'
This was the same guy who'd handled that Sword Hand punk's blade with just his scabbard.
He hadn't taken my words back then lightly.
But drawing his sword now meant—
'He thinks he can stop me?'
His resolve to keep me from seeing Eun Garyeon was plain as day.
Admirable.
Too admirable—makes me wanna beat his ass.
So—
"You need a beating."
Time to follow my instincts.
I kicked off the ground and closed the distance in a flash.
His eyes widened in shock.
And—
Pow!
Before he could react, my fist smashed into his face.
"Gah!"
The Jang bastard's body slammed into the wall.
But unlike before, he still clutched his sword tight.
'His loyalty to Eun Garyeon is admirable.'
But his methods were all wrong.
There were two big reasons he was getting his ass kicked.
First—he was a moron.
Couldn't tell what mattered most or friend from foe.
If he'd needed to draw his sword, it should've been on the Red Serpent Sect or the Four Black Alliance—not me.
And second—
"Who the hell are you to go off on your own, ignoring the silver slut?"
If he really cared about Eun Garyeon, he shouldn't have blocked me on his own whim.
I'd asked straight up at the start.
Did she send you?
'But he admitted it was his own idea.'
Loyalty to his lord? Fine.
But if that's the case, even a moron should've kept his mouth shut.
Whether it came from lovesick infatuation or true loyalty, his actions weren't helping Eun Garyeon one bit.
Worst case—if I really were a bad guy?
And I got pissed enough at him that it blew back on her?
A subordinate's duty is to offer wise counsel to their superior—not twist their intentions however they please.
So yeah, he needed this beating.
It had nothing to do with him drawing his sword and pissing me off.
'Nope, not at all.'
Really.
'Feels damn good after so long.'
Martial artists need to cut loose now and then.
It was barely even a quarter hour, but all the built-up frustration melted away in one go.
"Ugh... please..."
"This bastard's still yapping."
Thud!
I kicked the temple of the guy sprawled on the ground, knocking him out cold.
'Noisy as hell since earlier.'
Can't even stand, but his mouth won't quit muttering.
Impressive that he hadn't dropped his sword even while out of it—but that was it.
He never got in a proper swing, after all.
'If you're dumb, at least stay quiet. If you can't do that, have some damn skill.'
This was all on the Jang bastard.
Grabbing his collar while he was out, I headed for the gate.
Loosened my neck a bit, then—
"Get out here!"
Bang!
I kicked the gate open and strode inside.
"Who is that!"
"That guy...?"
My flashy entrance drew every eye in seconds.
I scanned the crowd for a familiar face.
'Oh, that Eun Taehyeok punk's out here.'
Lucky—no waiting required.
He recognized me too, frowning as he approached.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!"
Counting on the crowd, he raised his voice without fear.
'Can't let him win.'
I bellowed back.
"Pay up!"
Caught off guard by my boldness, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem. Who said we wouldn't pay? Anyway, who's that...?"
Eun Taehyeok trailed off, glancing at the Jang bastard dangling from my hand.
"Don't know him?"
I hoisted the body higher for a better look.
Showed off his face, but...
'What? Why's his face like that?'
Beat him too hard—it's so swollen even I couldn't recognize him.
As I hesitated, someone piped up from the side.
"No way... Guard Jang Yunho?"
The surrounding employees started buzzing.
"Guard Jang...?"
"That...?"
"Come to think of it, that sword's definitely Sword Phoenix Jang's."
No need for me to explain, then.
I hurled the unconscious Jang bastard forward.
"Sent this guy 'cause you don't wanna pay?"
If the Jang bastard were awake, he'd call bullshit—but he was out cold.
So Eun Taehyeok had no choice but to panic.
"What are you..."
"Using force 'cause you won't repay the loan?!"
I yelled it again, louder, in case anyone missed it.
The employees started murmuring.
"Won't pay the debt, so they did that?"
"Even if they're broke, the Eun Merchant Group wouldn't stoop that low..."
Not on the level of the Sichuan Tang Family, but the Eun Merchant Group had always prized its reputation for integrity.
This had to hit hard for employees who'd stuck around despite unpaid wages.
As the mood heated up fast, Eun Taehyeok raised his voice again.
"What nonsense is this! Would the Eun Merchant Group really resort to that over some chump change?!"
Still more to squeeze out, eyeing the employees' reactions.
Worked in my favor.
"Yeah? Then fork over 200 nyang silver."
"Hold on... 200 nyang silver? I heard from my nephew yesterday it was only 20 nyang silver."
Wasn't planning to take the money anyway, so I'd thrown out a random number.
Couldn't have them pay it off and ruin everything.
I yelled back, feigning outrage.
"Gotta count the interest! Interest! You think anyone's in business while eating dirt?!"
"Interest ten times over...? And I heard it was interest-free."
"The contract date's passed! No interest up to yesterday!"
I kept shouting nonsense, stirring up chaos, when my target finally showed.
"Mok swordsman...? What is this...?"
The late-arriving Eun Garyeon stared back and forth between the fallen Jang bastard and me.
Her face twisted in utter confusion.
"What in the world..."
To her, I—
"Heh heh, got the money ready?"
Flashed the sleaziest grin I could muster.