Chapter 35
Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Emergency Signal
Having forced a promise out of them for 100 gold nyang, I even managed to secure a room to stay in at the Eun Merchant Group.
I'd forcibly taken the room that Chief Steward Eun Taehyeok had been using.
The duration: until they paid back every last bit of my money.
'Man, this room's great.'
Earlier, while dragging Im Jungdo around and poking through every corner of the Eun Merchant Group, I'd confirmed it—this was by far the best room.
It was spacious, the view was nice.
What I especially liked was the garden that came into view the moment you opened the door.
A small well with a few silk carp swimming in it—they must have poured a fortune into this place.
'How much did this even cost?'
Eun Taehyeok, who'd lost his room to me, had a miserable look on his face, but he couldn't utter a single word as he recalled Im Jungdo's appearance.
Right now, he was probably huddled up with Im Jungdo, agonizing over how to deal with me.
'Nah, he might be getting beaten black and blue.'
From what I'd seen earlier, Im Jungdo had been glaring at Eun Taehyeok with murderous intent—it wasn't a joke.
Unable to vent on me, he was probably taking it out on Eun Taehyeok.
Honestly, there'd been no real need to snatch this room, too.
I slept at the brothel every night anyway.
Still, I had two reasons for throwing my weight around.
The first was to show them just how unhinged I was.
'Nice garden. Perfect spot for training.'
The second was that I needed a place to train.
By my guess, Chu Munrak would come calling himself in about a month.
But in my current state, the best I could hope for was mutual destruction.
To be honest, the odds were I'd lose.
So, I had to train.
The most crucial element of my martial arts—mind, energy, body.
Mind went without saying, and energy was decent enough as it was.
'Thanks to Ayoung, my internal energy's built up more than expected.'
Sure, it was lacking compared to a Four Black Alliance elder, but I could make do somehow.
The problem was body.
'Sigh, actually getting started is such a hassle.'
Still, I had to do it.
Only those who strive get the beauties, right?
I stood in the garden and drew my sword for the first time in ages.
Last time had been back at the clan—about a month ago.
Just as I was about to start training,
"Young Master Mok!"
The guest I'd been waiting for arrived.
'Wait, not a guest? He's the homeowner.'
Anyway, Eun Garyeon had come.
Her face flushed, she marched up to me, breathing hard.
"Young Master Mok! I just heard!"
"Heard what?"
"That you went after the acting leader, too!!"
"So what?"
My shameless response lit a fire in her eyes.
"You said you'd buy me time, and this is what you do!"
Her reaction was simple to explain.
I hadn't explained a single bit of the backstory.
The Four Black Alliance and Red Serpent Sect were after Eun Garyeon.
The chief steward and acting leader were their puppets, and her father—the former merchant group head—had been killed by them.
Just telling her that much would have solved everything.
But if I spilled it all upfront...
'Where's the fun in that?'
No dramatic flair.
Suppose I explained everything in detail.
How would she react?
-Oh my, I had no idea... Young Master Mok, you're the best!
Like that?
'No way in hell.'
She wouldn't easily believe me anyway, and even if she did, I'd vanish from her mind.
With her father's killer right there, would she even notice me?
My plan from the start had been to swoop in and save her in a dramatic moment.
And now, revealing and resolving everything was...
'Lacking that sense of crisis.'
She had no idea how dire the danger was.
She knew the merchant group was struggling, but she hadn't given a thought to her own safety.
How vicious this web of intrigue was.
How massive the spider spinning it.
She had to realize it herself—that was when she'd truly feel grateful to me.
'On the surface, it doesn't look like much.'
Today, checking the ledgers and touring the Eun Merchant Group firsthand, I'd confirmed it.
They could weather this storm just fine.
Financially speaking.
"Young Master Mok!"
As I stayed silent, she raised her voice again.
I let out a deep sigh and replied.
"It's necessary to buy time."
"To buy time? If this is what's necessary... then I don't need your help, Young Master Mok."
Her voice was ice cold.
Seemed I'd earned quite a bit of resentment from this.
'Ripening nicely.'
When immense hardship finally crashes down on her, and the person she resented shows up to save her?
Plus, it turns out everything he'd done before was for her sake?
'Kya, irresistible.'
Perfect plan.
All it required was a bit of courage to take the hate.
I shrugged and said,
"I still want to help, though?"
"I don't need it. I'll scrape together the 20 silver nyang... so just leave."
"Didn't hear it from the acting leader or chief steward? It's not 20 silver nyang—it's 100 gold nyang. If you really want me gone, bring the 100 gold."
She ground her teeth at my words.
"Young Master Mok. Was everything you said about helping me just a lie?"
Her sense of betrayal was so strong her eyes welled up with tears.
Time to loosen the reins a bit.
"How about this? One month. I'll leave clean in one month."
Of course, I'd only pretend to.
And from then on, she'd desperately realize what I meant to her.
That one month flew by in the blink of an eye.
During that time, I trained my martial arts whenever I could, and when I got bored, I stirred up trouble at the Eun Merchant Group.
"Hey! Acting leader!"
"Yes!"
"When's my gold ready?!"
"W-Well... I'm sorry. Just a bit more time..."
Im Jungdo spoke cautiously, squeezing his eyes shut in case I might hit him.
Normal, since I'd beaten him whenever I felt like it.
But today wasn't about that.
"How much more is 'a bit'?"
"Uh..."
Eyes rolling every which way.
Of course—he had no intention of preparing it.
I decided to give his answer a little nudge.
"I've got urgent business, so I might have to leave for a bit. Planning to come back in two months—should be doable by then, right?"
"Lea-... Leave?"
"Yeah. Two months. Possible?"
"Of course!"
His face lit up instantly.
He'd probably run off by the time I returned in two months.
Eun Garyeon would've been dragged away somewhere, gone missing.
Eun Taehyeok would bear the brunt of my wrath then, but that wouldn't be Im Jungdo's problem.
'Not that I actually plan to return in two months.'
I'd hole up at the Shadow Gate Sect's Beijing branch and keep getting updates.
Then show up at the perfect dramatic moment.
In the meantime, I'd blocked every bit of malice aimed at Eun Garyeon while staying here.
Eun Taehyeok and Im Jungdo were too busy watching my every move to even bring up money properly with her.
'Whenever they tried anything, I'd throw a fit.'
That's how I held out for the month.
She must've had some peace of mind during that time.
Why a guess? Because I hadn't seen her once since that day.
Asking Jang now and then for updates, she'd been running around east and west to gather funds.
Scouting buyers for Tang family goods, swamped with work...
'But never showing her face even once? That's a bit much.'
She must've been seriously disappointed that day—she was avoiding me.
Yes.
My plan was proceeding steadily.
"Alright. Then I'll be off, so get it ready properly."
Now that I was leaving, they'd start executing their plans one by one.
Creditors blocked by the madman Mok Jimyeong would come calling, employees would raise their voices for back pay.
And Eun Taehyeok would scheme to tarnish Eun Garyeon's reputation.
Then, when she could no longer hold out alone—bam, I'd appear.
'The tricky part is the timing...'
Too soon, and the effect weakens. Too late, and it's a disaster.
I had to trust the Shadow Gate Sect on this one.
As I was just about to leave the Eun Merchant Group, someone grabbed me.
"A word?"
It was Jang.
I had no hobby of chatting alone with men, but since he was Eun Garyeon's right-hand man, I made time.
He led me to the wall where I'd beaten him last time, then spoke gravely.
"Are you really leaving?"
"Didn't you hear? The young lady's sending me off."
I shrugged in reply, and he fired back another question.
"Then what should I do?"
"What're you talking about?"
"My experience is limited, so I don't grasp the full situation. But I know you truly care for the young lady. You stayed here to protect her, right?"
'Oh?'
I'd thought he was just a clueless fool, but he had some depth.
As I inwardly admired him, he continued.
"You leaving now must mean you have something planned. But as I said, I don't know what I should do for the young lady. So tell me. What should I do?"
Dumb but loyal.
There was one job perfect for this Jang guy—no, Jang Yunho.
'Wasn't fully confident in just the Shadow Gate Sect.'
Perfect timing.
I pulled a prepared signal flare from my bosom.
"Here's the deal. You keep protecting the young lady as usual. And when real danger strikes—when there's truly no way out—light this."
He looked confused, not getting it.
But it didn't matter.
"Remember. Only when it feels like the sky is collapsing. That's when you fire this signal flare."
Then I'd create an escape route for her.