Chapter 115. You’ll Have to Bust Your Ass Running Here and There.

“My demand is…”

As Jin Cheon opened his mouth, Hwang Ryung unknowingly swallowed hard.

He couldn’t even fathom how much the Seventh Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would demand for his son Hwang Won-pyeong’s ransom.

“I’d like the Azure Dragon Silver Manor to provide some funds to our Cult from now on.”

“Hah!”

Hwang Ryung was so surprised to hear Jin Cheon’s demand that he sucked in a breath.

Provide funds to the Demonic Cult?

That meant death.

If they did that, the Azure Dragon Silver Manor would be reduced to ashes overnight by the Righteous Heavenly Alliance and the Imperial Family…

“Th-that will be difficult.”

“Why is that?”

“You might as well kill me and my son right here.”

Hwang Ryung hung his head as if he had given up.

“You might as well have just laid waste to the Azure Dragon Silver Manor outright.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The Azure Dragon Silver Manor has been providing funds to the Diancang Sect for a long time. We’ve also been greasing the palms of the Imperial Navy in this area. If the Azure Dragon Silver Manor, which has grown like that, provides funds to your Cult, what do you think will happen?”

“Of course, they won’t like it.”

“Is that all?”

“Even so, there will be nothing they can do.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Because our Cult will soon be handed over control of this area from the Imperial Family. You must have heard the news that the great elder of the Imperial clan, the Prince of Ningjing, is being held captive by our Cult, right?”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that?”

“Our Cult will negotiate with the Imperial Family using the Prince of Ningjing. In exchange for handing over the Prince of Ningjing, we plan to be handed over control of the waterways in this area.”

“Will the Imperial Family agree to that proposal?”

“What can they not agree to when it’s already been taken away?”

“Hmm.”

“If the Imperial Family and the Righteous Heavenly Alliance want to retake this area, they will have to suffer enormous damage. If that’s the case, it would be more profitable for them to take back the Prince of Ningjing and catch their breath for a while. You’re a merchant, aren’t you? Your job is to calculate on the abacus.”

“I won’t deny it. Looking at it coolly, I think the Seventh Young Master’s words are correct. But the affairs of the world do not revolve solely around calculations of profit and loss…”

“Of course, psychology is also important. Emotions, ideologies, beliefs, justifications. But this negotiation will be different. When you think about it, this negotiation will be beneficial to the Imperial Family.”

“What do you mean by… ah.”

As someone who had lived his entire life as a merchant, Hwang Ryung’s face hardened as he realized the meaning of Jin Cheon’s words.

The profit the Imperial Family would see in the situation Jin Cheon had just described was…

‘Aah! The Imperial Family will blame the Righteous Heavenly Alliance for all this and put a leash on them!’

If they gave up the waterways here and held a leash on the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, it wouldn’t be much of a loss for the Imperial Family.

The profits they could see from controlling the Righteous Heavenly Alliance would be huge.

“What I want is for the Azure Dragon Silver Manor to divert the funds it was giving to the Diancang Sect, the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, and the Imperial Family to our Cult, and to transport the goods brought in from the Western Regions through the waterways and sell them in the Central Plains.”

The Azure Dragon Silver Manor had grown based on usury, and since it had the Azure Dragon Escort Agency and the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild under its banner, it was the perfect partner for distributing the specialties of Xinjiang and the goods of the Western Regions to the Central Plains.

It wasn’t for nothing that Jin Cheon had not killed Hwang Won-pyeong and had summoned Hwang Ryung to make a proposal.

Hwang Won-pyeong’s grudge was not big enough to warrant the annihilation of his clan, and his utility value was sufficient.

“If things go wrong…”

“Are you asking for a guarantee of safety?”

“Of course.”

“I can guarantee it to some extent.”

“Hmm.”

“Surely you didn’t think there would be no risks involved in changing camps, did you?”

“N-no, I didn’t.”

As Hwang Ryung said that, he quickly racked his brain.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, in a situation like this, it seemed better to accept Jin Cheon’s proposal and change camps to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s side.

‘If this goes well… it won’t be a dream for our Azure Dragon Silver Manor to possess the greatest wealth in the Central Plains.’

To distribute the various specialties of Xinjiang and the goods of the Western Regions brought in through the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to the Central Plains through the Yangtze River?

This would be a business with huge profits that no other merchant guild in the Central Plains had ever achieved.

“Good.”

Hwang Ryung made his decision.

“From today, the Azure Dragon Silver Manor will be your Cult’s business partner.”

“That’s a bit grating.”

“Wh-what is grating?”

“The Azure Dragon Silver Manor is not our Cult’s partner. It’s just a subordinate.”

“……”

“Still, the condition of avoiding the annihilation of your clan doesn’t seem so bad. Am I wrong?”

“……You are right.”

“If you understand, then from now on, you must devote yourself to the interests of our Cult.”

“Y-yes, I understand.”

“That’s informal speech.”

“……”

“I’m sure you know that our Cult is a group with a strict top-down command structure.”

At Jin Cheon’s point, Hwang Ryung had no choice but to prostrate himself flat on the floor and perform a full prostration.

Then he slammed his head towards Jin Cheon and said.

“As you command. I receive the Seventh Young Master’s command.”

“Good.”

Jin Cheon received Hwang Ryung’s courtesy, then looked back at his son, Hwang Won-pyeong, and grinned.

* * *

Making the Azure Dragon Merchant Guild a subordinate, that is, a sub-organization of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, might have been the best revenge on Hwang Won-pyeong.

Hwang Won-pyeong’s feelings as he looked at his father, Hwang Ryung, were indescribably complicated.

‘N-no way. To think Father would perform a full prostration to Jin Yeong-in.’

For his revered father not just to bow his head, but to prostrate himself flat on the floor and even slam his head was a great shock to Hwang Won-pyeong.

And wasn’t the opponent none other than Jin Yeong-in?

He had no roots. No particular background, and he was even the same age as Hwang Won-pyeong himself.

For Hwang Won-pyeong, who had associated with the prodigies of prestigious righteous sects from a young age thanks to being born into a wealthy family, it was something he had never imagined even in his dreams.

Even if the opponent were the leader of the Righteous Heavenly Alliance, Hwang Ryung would not perform a full prostration…

“Hey.”

Jin Cheon called out to the half-dazed Hwang Won-pyeong.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Who else would it be but you?”

“Ah, yes!”

“Did you see what your father did, or did you not?”

“……I saw.”

“From now on, behave yourself. If you get on my bad side… I trust you know what will happen without me saying it.”

“I-is there any question?”

“Good.”

Jin Cheon, as if satisfied, did not push Hwang Won-pyeong and his father, Hwang Ryung, any further.

“But don’t worry too much. As long as you work hard at the tasks you’re given, you’ll be able to live a life of luxury like you do now. Of course, you’ll also enjoy the wealth and honor that comes with it.”

“Yes…”

“I’ll be checking your performance every month, so you’ll have to do your best to satisfy our Cult. If you don’t meet the quota… you know, right?”

Jin Cheon made a gesture of slitting his throat.

“O-of course.”

“Yes, yes. From now on, you’d better brace yourself. To meet the quota, you’ll have to, in vulgar terms, bust your ass running here and there.”

Hwang Won-pyeong just wanted to cry.

Seeing Jin Cheon laying down the law with such a menacing air, his future already seemed bleak, wondering how hard it would be to achieve that quota.

After Hwang Won-pyeong and his father left.

“You’ve worked hard, my lord.”

Danmok Cheong seemed genuinely impressed as he watched Jin Cheon successfully conclude the transaction-that-wasn’t-a-transaction with Hwang Ryung.

“I heard that even if we were to trade directly with the Central Plains, there wasn’t a suitable merchant guild to act as our representative. To have placed the Azure Dragon Silver Manor under your control like this is a great gain for our Cult.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“With the skills and connections the Azure Dragon Silver Manor has built up over several generations, we will be able to make a large profit from the very beginning of our trade.”

“That’s why I left him alive instead of killing him.”

“It must have been hard to hold back… are you alright?”

“The interests of our Cult come before revenge.”

“My lord…”

“I don’t have much of a grudge against Hwang Won-pyeong anyway. He didn’t bully me severely, and he never once picked a fight with me first. He just went along with what the rest of the Seven Prodigies did.”

“It sounds like you’re saying you’ll take that into account since he has utility value.”

“What else would it be?”

“Haha.”

“Well, if it’s really hard to bear and it gets on my nerves, I can just kill him then.”

Danmok Cheong smiled as Jin Cheon spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“Yes, isn’t it all up to the lord’s will? Then, I will report this matter to Elder Yi Ja-yeong…”

“No.”

Jin Cheon shook his head.

“Report it to Senior Brother So first.”

“Yes…?”

“Like it or not, the person leading the Yama Fortress is Senior Brother So. From now on, Senior Brother So will be managing this area, so we can’t skip over such an important matter.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As ordered by Jin Cheon, Danmok Cheong went to So U-bin and reported that the Azure Dragon Silver Manor had become a sub-organization of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“……Thus, the Seventh Young Master has requested that this fact be reported to you, Fifth Young Master, and has asked for your decision.”

“A decision?”

“Yes, he said that since matters concerning the Yama Fortress and the waterways in this area are entirely under your authority, Fifth Young Master, it is only natural to report to you and ask for your decision.”

“So he’s not a complete bastard without manners? At least he seems to know his place. Seeing as he’s not trying to overstep his authority.”

So U-bin spoke with a cold smile and poured out venomous words, but from what Danmok Cheong felt, it was definitely not a sign of dislike.

“For someone with no talent, he seems to have pulled off something. Well, I’ll approve it.”

“Thank you. However, he also asked for permission to personally manage the performance of the Azure Dragon Silver Manor.”

“Regarding the performance of the Azure Dragon Silver Manor. Is it because of his past grudge? To bully the Azure Dragon Silver Manor under the pretext of their performance?”

“Since the Seventh Young Master has been through some things…”

“Tsk. He could just tear their limbs off and kill them, but he insists on making things troublesome for himself. Or he could just lock them up and torture them until they die.”

“……Hahaha.”

“I’ll allow that much. The higher the performance of the Azure Dragon Silver Manor, the greater the profits for our Cult.”

“Yes, then…”

“I will pass the relevant information to Elder Yi Ja-yeong, so get lost now.”

“Yes, Fifth Young Master.”

Danmok Cheong hurriedly left, lest So U-bin find some fault or pick a fight with him.

“……For what he is, he’s pretty good.”

So U-bin muttered to himself, as if he was not very pleased.

* * *

The Kunlun Taoist Temple, located in Yueyang, Hunan Province, was a Taoist temple established by the disciples of the exterminated Kunlun Sect, and was the de facto successor of the Kunlun Sect.

However, if the past Kunlun Sect was a prestigious great sect with thousands of disciples, the current Kunlun Taoist Temple was so small that its total number of members, including the servants who did the chores, was less than twenty.

And for a good reason; since the Kunlun Sect had been completely exterminated during the last Righteous-Demonic War, the number of survivors was so small that they could be counted on one’s fingers.

Therefore, the Kunlun Taoist Temple, belying the fact that it was the successor of the Kunlun Sect, had lost not only its past fame but also most of its martial arts.

Nevertheless, the Kunlun Taoist Temple was constantly bustling with people coming and going.

Most of the people who came and went were high-ranking officials or those who enjoyed considerable wealth and honor in the area, and the reason was that the Kunlun Taoist Temple was renowned for fortune-telling, exorcising ghosts, or praying for blessings.

That was the current state of the Kunlun Sect, which was once considered a guardian of the Central Plains, confronting the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult as a member of the Nine Sects One Gang.

Leaving its past glory behind, it had now degenerated into a mediocre Taoist temple that made a living from sorcery and fortune-telling, a common sight in the Central Plains.

In such a Kunlun Taoist Temple, an unexpected commotion arose…

Jja-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu…!!!

Out of nowhere, the sound of a bell rang out from inside the Kunlun Taoist Temple, causing a great disturbance in the area.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep