‘Why did the owner of a large merchant guild come in person?’

No matter how this side was from the Zhuge family, I was the third son, not the heir. On the other hand, the other side was the owner of the Geummun Merchant Guild, which held the purse strings of the Hubei Province area. The weight class didn’t match.

Usually, in cases like this, it was divided into two. Either they came to make an unreasonable request and had to show a low posture…

“Have a seat, won’t you?”

Or they would apply pressure with a high posture using their hierarchy.

Geum Mi-ran’s gaze was fixed on me. Looking at the situation, it was clear that it was the latter. The eyes of a seasoned great merchant held a different kind of coldness than that of a martial artist.

I walked inside, pretending to be composed. The chilly autumn wind blew through the open window and brushed against my two cheeks.

First, I spread my qi sense and looked around. The escort martial artists were not seen separately. Or they were hiding.

“Let’s skip the introductions. Law Dragon.”

Geum Mi-ran put down her teacup and got to the point.

“I’d like you to cooperate with us.”

“Cooperation?”

I thought she would come to question my wrongdoing, but to think I would receive a scout offer instead.

‘Not the whip, but the carrot. So this is how she’s coming at me.’

There was no direct evidence anyway. There was only circumstantial evidence. It was difficult to hold a child of the Zhuge family responsible with just mere suspicion.

Then it seemed she had judged that it would be better to draw me in instead.

“There was an intruder at an important business site a while ago. Because of that, we’ve come to need a lot of manpower.”

“That’s a very unfortunate incident.”

“…The attacker was no ordinary person. In terms of formations, even Protector Jangyeo, who is considered one of the top ten in Hubei Province, was defeated, and he was someone who even shook off the pursuit of a specially hired mountain keeper with sorcery. It’s rare to find someone who has both that much formation skill and strange sorcery ability at the same time. As far as I know, Young Master Zhuge Cheonwu is also known for that.”

Despite her subtly pointed remarks, I calmly met her gaze and answered.

“Wouldn’t there be more people like that somewhere in the central plains?”

“From what I’ve investigated, the day the intruder came coincided with the day Young Master Zhuge Cheonwu went out from the Martial Academy. And I hear the young master was even late in returning, and there are witness accounts from near our business site around that time.”

It seemed she had already finished checking the alibi. At the opponent’s slowly tightening encirclement, I finally pulled out the greatest weapon in my strategy.

“Is that so? What a huge coincidence.”

It was to play dumb. Regardless of east or west, ancient or modern, as long as one was not caught red-handed or there was no evidence, this strategy worked. Of course, this was only possible thanks to my backing.

‘It’s time to return to being the scoundrel of the Zhuge family after a long time.’

Just as I was preparing to get into method acting, Geum Mi-ran’s firm voice came back.

“This is not a matter to be taken lightly. Because it means that the most suspected person right now is you, young master.”

“Yes, it shouldn’t be light. Because I am a member of the Zhuge family.”

I answered, tapping the teacup that was cooling down before I knew it. At the provocation to try and gut me if she was so confident, Geum Mi-ran’s gaze shot out.

“Of course. How much profit do we give to the Zhuge family while trading with them every year, how could we recklessly shake the relationship?”

Geum Mi-ran responded by mentioning the gains and losses of both families. As this side showed its size, the other side also puffed up its size.

Large beasts don’t fight each other unless it’s absolutely necessary. Because they instinctively know that even if they win after fighting with all their might, they will be seriously injured.

That’s why I offered a solution.

“But you won’t get anything, will you? Because I will deny my charges.”

“It’s a pity, but since things have come to this, we have to act decisively somehow. There’s also the face and eyes of the family members.”

It was a rather firm stance. As if she would even cause friction with the Zhuge family if necessary. I didn’t know if it was a bluff, but it wasn’t a good sign for me.

“On the contrary, wouldn’t you lose more face if you get nothing?”

At my counter-question, the sound of Geum Mi-ran putting down her teacup became a little louder. It was natural for her to be angry, since the person who was clearly the culprit in her mind was acting so shamelessly in front of her.

But expressing anger was often proof that a sensitive spot had been touched. From her point of view, that must be the sore spot.

To have raised an objection but gotten nothing. A merchant does not support a risk without profit. But for Geum Mi-ran, this was exactly that situation.

A high probability of innocence, and even if she were to hold Zhuge Cheonwu responsible with a low probability and get a not-so-great compensation, there would be no gain.

No, on the contrary, since the relationship with the Zhuge family would be strained, the loss was greater.

Nevertheless, the only reason Geum Mi-ran had come this far was one. So as not to be looked down upon. If you just keep bowing your head because you’re weak, you’ll eventually be trampled on.

No matter how useless and reckless an act may seem, there were times when one should not back down. Just like now.

“That could be. But even if the Zhuge family doesn’t know, Young Master Zhuge Cheonwu will be in trouble. Don’t you have to take the senior student promotion exam? You must be busy preparing for credits and promotion, right?”

She was right. From now on was the busiest time, and being called for a trial or whatever was a loss in itself.

Since the background was the central plains anyway, it was an age where medieval trials less than that of Judge Bao were rampant. If things went wrong, I would first have to explain the situation to my family members, and then ask for a mediation committee supervised by high-ranking officials and the Martial Alliance.

That in itself was troublesome, and in the meantime, I had to do behind-the-scenes work like bribery, and even make a separate defense on the trial date. It was full of troublesome things.

‘If I waste a few weeks in that process, I might not be able to get all the necessary credits in the end.’

This was by no means a good result for me.

“Money is honest. Even if the relationship between the two families worsens because of the young master’s case, it can be resolved by adjusting the shares of one or two business rights as a sign of reconciliation.”

Geum Mi-ran drove in another nail. It would be a considerable loss, but her attitude was that she could fully bear it. As expected, the head of a large merchant guild was not to be trifled with.

“Of course, it would be best if it didn’t come to that.”

Geum Mi-ran, who had become the one waiting for an answer before she knew it, clasped her fingers and leaned back in her chair.

While pressuring this side, she was not provoking a strong backlash. Because either way, there was nothing bad for the Zhuge family in the end, so it couldn’t be helped but to feel that way.

‘As expected of a merchant’s negotiation skills.’

The fact that the original proposal itself was not a difficult matter to accept was also a big factor. As if she had known from the beginning that it would turn out like this.

A good deal originally comes from preparation, not improvisation. Still, there was a procedure I had to check before making a decision.

“But according to the family head, I’m half a confirmed criminal, so how can you trust me and make such a cooperation proposal?”

“Keep the person you can’t trust even closer. That’s what my father used to say.”

As expected of a proverb that transcends time. Only then did I lift the teacup and bring the cold tea to my lips.

“First, let’s hear the conditions of cooperation.”

“Then let’s first talk about the cooperation matters that our side requires and the corresponding remuneration…”

The scent of the tea was quite good. Just like the contract details that Geum Mi-ran had revealed.

“Aren’t you giving too much?”

Financially and in terms of labor intensity, there was nothing disadvantageous for me. Should I say it was a sample of a sweet part-time job where you work little and get paid a lot?

“Because you are that precious of a talent. And this job is perfect for Young Master Cheonwu.”

My role was a kind of formation inspector. To judge whether there was a possibility of breaking through the newly constructed large-scale formation and to supplement it.

‘Is it similar to a government agency hiring a hacker?’

From Geum Mi-ran’s point of view, by hiring me, it was a case of killing two birds with one stone, getting rid of an enemy and ensuring the safety of the formation. Since she had won over the most threatening enemy to her side, she would have something to say to the executives of the merchant guild.

After much thought, I finally nodded my head.

“Then I look forward to working with you.”

“Of course.”

Just as I was about to turn around after finishing the greeting, a question with a subtle tone, as if asking about my well-being, was heard.

“Oh right, by the way, what happened to the medicinal divine herb?”

“…Was there such a thing? If it was the culprit, he probably ate it or already dealt with it.”

When I answered shamelessly until the end, she looked at me as if to confirm.

“I see. Does anyone else know the location of the elixir field?”

“There have been no more intrusions since then, right? It will probably be fine. At least as far as I know.”

Although I answered vaguely, it seemed to have been a sufficient answer, as Geum Mi-ran nodded her head. With that question and answer, I headed to the Martial Academy.

As I passed through the large gate guarded by the gatekeepers and headed to the intermediate student building, I felt sharp gazes on me.

“Is that the winner of this year’s Dragon and Phoenix Assembly? I heard he defeated that Namgung Minsu.”

“The rumor of the Law Dragon has spread all the way to Hubei Province here. And since he even caught a blood fiend, the rumor was bound to spread.”

Perhaps because my realm had risen to the peak level, I could hear the surrounding commotion better. As I continued my activities like this, my fame would gradually grow in the future.

As I moved my feet and entered the intermediate student building, my name was engraved on a large wall on one side of the open first floor.

[Zhuge Cheonwu]

[High grade request, elimination of Blood Fiend Seo Muk-ho 9 points]

[Anhui Province Dragon and Phoenix Assembly winner, obtained the title of Law Dragon 10 points]

From the intermediate students onwards, achievements were engraved in this way. It was similar to how the list of all students was posted in the hallway in order of grades in the past to induce a sense of competition.

To get 19 points in my first external activity. Considering that it was a credit that others had to do five intermediate requests to earn, it was a huge achievement.

Right next to me was Baek Hasin.

[High grade request, elimination of Blood Fiend Seo Muk-ho 9 points]

[Mid-high grade request, protection of a client from an assassination squad 7 points (additional points applied due to an increase in difficulty during the mission)]

Come to think of it, there were cases like this where the request difficulty would rise depending on the situation, even if it was originally an intermediate request.

‘Is it something like a protagonist buff?’

Seeing that trials came on their own, it seemed to be right. Anyway, since Baek Hasin was also diligently accumulating credits, I couldn’t just stand still.

I passed through the central entrance and headed to the secret manual library, which was towering in the middle of the site.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here.’

Here, I had obtained the Heaven-Defying Cultivation Method through the book ‘Martial’ left by the Heaven-Shattering Demon, and I had acquired knowledge about various martial arts.

If I hadn’t obtained the knowledge about the Heavenly Thunder Qi here in the past, it would have been difficult to win the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly. It was a treasure trove of opportunities that had been helpful in many ways.

After showing my student pass, I went up to the intermediate library, and the sight of the now somewhat deserted library came into view.

When I had visited before, it had been crowded because it was the beginning of the semester, but now there were few visitors. I walked between the bookshelves and picked out the books I needed.

What I was going to do from now on was to write a thesis and submit a growth report. Both were sweet assignments that would give at least 3 credits if I just met the criteria.

You might wonder why there was a thesis in the Martial Academy, but there was a reason for it.

It was a system created according to the founding philosophy of the Heaven-Shattering Demon, that a martial artist should not just fight, but also be able to teach future generations and contribute to martial arts.

Ironically, it was also true that the influence of the graduates from the Martial Academy had grown in many ways over the past few decades, thanks to the habit of instilling a scholarly attitude in martial artists and leaving records in a systematic way.

As a result, it could be seen as a wise policy, as it also became a foundation for the overall development of the martial world.

‘Thanks to that, I’m also comfortable.’

Instead of external activities that required going out for several days, it was comfortable to just scribble a few pages like this and get credits. And so, as I was piling up the books one by one, the books began to pile up to my nose before I knew it.

‘This should be enough.’

Just as I was about to return to the seat I had reserved through the narrow corridor.

Thud, I bumped my back against someone.

“Ah, excuse me.”

“No, it’s my fault…”

At the familiar voice that followed, I was hesitating when the opponent recognized me first.

“Student Zhuge Cheonwu?”

As the other side took half of the books, my vision, which had been blocked by the books, finally opened.

“…Professor Sama Un?”

Sama Un, who had been my formation professor when I was a junior student, was standing in front of me.

My gaze, which met his, who was still the owner of innocent eyes, slightly sank.

‘If it’s Sama Un, he should know well about the thesis review process of the academy.’

I looked at him and smiled faintly.

“It’s really nice to see you after a long time. If you’re not busy, could we talk for a moment?”

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep