Chapter 85
Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: The Boy's Hidden Potential
For the first time in a while, my money pouch was stuffed full.
It was because I'd scraped the Red Serpent Sect's warehouse clean down to the very last coin.
The Red Serpent Sect's leader, Bang Daegwang, had tried desperately to hide even a little money...
'You think that'd work on me?'
Back when I was a lowly enforcer for the Red Serpent Sect, collecting debts, I'd squeeze money out of guys who claimed they had none. That was me, Mok Jimyeong.
So how could I miss any hidden cash?
Especially since the Red Serpent Sect was the faction I'd spent over ten years in.
With their secret ledgers in my hands, there was no escaping my eyes.
Of course, I didn't have time to truly strip them to the bone.
So I just grabbed the gold, silver, jewels, and ornaments for my pouch, leaving the rest of their wealth behind with a heavy heart.
'Can't stick around here for days just to haul that off.'
My goal in coming to the Red Serpent Sect hadn't been the money in the first place.
It was to eliminate any potential threat to the Eun Merchant Group.
And I'd taken care of that.
By shattering Bang Daegwang's dantian before leaving the Red Serpent Sect.
The guy, about to lose both his wealth and his martial arts, thrashed around in fury, but what good did it do?
And so the Red Serpent Sect lost its one and only peak expert, most of its fortune went to me, and even their secret ledgers fell into enemy hands.
Anyone still sticking around after that would have to be insane.
'Not that it matters if they do.'
Without their sole peak expert, they wouldn't pose much threat to the Eun Merchant Group anyway.
I returned to the manor in high spirits, only to find Cheon Woojin waiting at the gate.
Like he had something important to say.
After hesitating for a long while, he finally forced the words out.
"...My lord. Did you... know what the Red Serpent Sect was all about?"
"Huh? The Red Serpent Sect? Didn't I tell you about the Eun Merchant Group?"
Come to think of it, I hadn't.
Last time in Shenyang, I'd mentioned the Shadow Gate Sect, but I'd been too lazy to explain what happened in Beijing.
There was no reason to hide it, so I gave Cheon Woojin a rough rundown of the Eun Merchant Group situation.
Once he heard it all, he let out a sigh of relief.
'This is why righteous sects are such a pain.'
Righteous and unorthodox factions weren't all that different, really.
The righteous didn't avoid killing, nor were they all overflowing with chivalry and goodness.
But if I had to name the key difference...
'Justifications.'
Righteous sects placed huge importance on having a proper justification for using force.
This justification had to sound plausible enough—something that'd pass muster if outsiders heard it, whether it hung like an earring or a nose ring.
Which meant personal gains like grabbing wealth or snatching a pretty girl didn't fly as excuses.
Your true motives could be that selfish, but on the surface, it had to sound noble.
"So... the reason you killed those four guys at first wasn't really because of Lady Moyong after all?"
"What nonsense is that? It was for Hui-a."
"...?"
Of course, rules like that didn't apply to me.
"If you're done asking, let's head inside."
I left the bewildered guy behind and stepped into the manor.
Moyong Hui was the first to greet me.
"Oppa!"
We'd only been apart a short time, but she threw herself into my arms with obvious joy.
And I wasn't complaining.
As Moyong Hui and I shared our warm embrace, Baek Rihyeon watched from the side with an envious look.
'Not jealous anymore, huh?'
Maybe seeing my skills at the Red Serpent Sect had changed something for him—his gaze had shifted.
Before, it was the look of a rival. Now, it was closer to admiration.
'Not bad at all.'
I liked that it stemmed from my martial prowess.
After all, my goal of planting ambition in him had succeeded.
Yang Hwa-jeong rose belatedly from her seat to greet me.
"Young Master Mok, welcome ba... cough."
She coughed mid-greeting.
Seeing that, Moyong Hui, still in my arms, looked troubled.
I recalled what Moyong Hui had said earlier, her eyes brimming with tears.
—...Fine. No, actually, I hate it a lot... But if it'll make Sister Hwa-jeong healthy again, I'll endure it.
She'd given permission, but it seemed she still hadn't fully sorted out her feelings.
'Well, that's only natural.'
Emotions strong enough to bring tears weren't going to vanish overnight.
But I couldn't wait around for her to process them.
'Anyway, Yang Hwa-jeong's a patient right now.'
To be honest, if it weren't for that, I could've taken my time.
...Really.
Sure, deep down I wanted Yang Hwa-jeong right then and there, but there was no need to upset Moyong Hui just to make it happen today.
'Whether it happens tonight or a few days from now, it won't make much difference.'
As long as it happened eventually, I could hold out a few days.
Hell, it'd taken over two months with Eun Garyeon.
'Hui-a connected way too fast.'
When I first left home, could I have imagined bedding the Sword Phoenix after just a few days?
Thanks to that, my internal energy had grown far faster than expected, and I felt much more at ease mentally.
'But of all people, Yang Hwa-jeong has to be the patient.'
So this was unavoidable.
I couldn't just leave her suffering.
Moyong Hui seemed to reach the same conclusion, letting out a deep sigh.
'Hmm, how should I kick this off?'
Baek Rihyeon was the one who broke my deliberation.
"Um... Hyung? Can I call you Hyung?"
He asked cautiously.
Honestly, I wanted to kick him away and tell him not to act familiar, but I smiled without showing it.
"Sure. Call me whatever feels comfortable."
"How do I get as strong as you, Hyung?"
"Like me?"
"Yeah!"
The words "bed a ton of women diligently" nearly slipped out, but I barely held them back.
"First, you need a good master, right?"
I didn't really have a master worth mentioning, but that's what he needed to hear.
"A good master...?"
He hesitated for a long moment.
But his expression made his intentions crystal clear.
'Tch, what a clever kid.'
His face screamed that he desperately wanted to learn martial arts.
Yet he held back without begging or whining, knowing restraint would work better. Pure instinct.
I hated that personality, but right now, it was working in my favor.
No one else could miss that obvious look on his face.
"Rihyeon...!"
Yang Hwa-jeong, raised in a martial clan, jumped in urgently.
She knew better than anyone how precious martial arts training was.
"..."
Baek Rihyeon just stared at me with pleading eyes, saying nothing.
For some reason, the face that annoyed me earlier now looked kinda cute.
'Working this hard to offer up his own mom.'
In that case, I had to help him out.
"Hmm, do you want to learn martial arts?"
He nodded carefully.
Before chatting more with Baek Rihyeon, I glanced sideways.
Yang Hwa-jeong looked anxious.
I turned back to him.
"How old are you now?"
"Eight!"
I asked what I already knew and got the obvious answer.
But I furrowed my brow.
"Eight? Martial arts are best started as early as possible, but at eight... Hmm..."
"Does that mean I can't learn...?"
"Well, it's borderline. Most start around five."
I glanced at Cheon Woojin and Moyong Hui, as if to confirm.
'Not a lie, at least.'
The two nodded slightly in agreement.
Yang Hwa-jeong, knowing it was true, gazed sadly at her son.
But Baek Rihyeon's eyes widened instead.
"So I can still learn?"
"Hmm, want me to check? Come here."
He rushed over before I finished speaking.
Perfect timing—I'd been curious about his talent anyway.
I took his wrist and began checking his pulse.
'...What the hell?'
At eight, his channels should be mostly sealed shut, but they were pristine.
No, they were spotless, like he'd shed his mortal body and exchanged his bones.
Not even childhood herbal baths could achieve this.
It rivaled my own body at the Transformation Realm.
I didn't know how he'd developed such a physique, but it explained why he could reach the Transformation Realm even starting late.
Baek Rihyeon could probably begin martial arts training a year from now—or ten—and it'd be fine.
I frowned unconsciously, and Baek Rihyeon asked in a trembling voice.
"Am I already too late...?"
I pondered my response, then gave an ambiguous one.
"You can still learn martial arts."
Baek Rihyeon's face lit up instantly.
But Yang Hwa-jeong's darkened further.
As someone born in a martial clan, she understood the value of martial arts better than most.
'That lays the groundwork nicely.'
Time to cast the bait for real.
"Do you want to learn martial arts?"
"...Yes."
"Hmm..."
I let out a long hum, as if deep in thought.
Then I turned to Yang Hwa-jeong.
"What do you think, Madam Yang?"
Now it was time to reel in the fish.