Chief Steward Seong flinched.

The proper name for Yangnyeong was Yangnyeong County.

When the previous county magistrate held office, he didn’t govern just Yangnyeong itself. He oversaw all the surrounding villages that fell within its jurisdiction.

There were four villages encircling Yangnyeong:

Cheongsu Village, Unam Hamlet, Baekun Town, and Jukrim Town.

The magistrate’s duties were to collect taxes, maintain order, and resolve disputes in these places.

The former magistrate hadn’t done any of that.

But Unwi would.

He intended to do it all.

“I asked if it’s true.”

“…If you’re asking whether Tianlin runs a black market there… yes. It’s true.”

Chief Steward Seong sighed heavily as he looked at Unwi’s faint smile.

“…Please. I’m begging you. Don’t get involved in that mess.”

Unwi didn’t answer.

Right now, he was the white stone on the board.

Someone had just placed a black one—it was his turn to move.

****

Cheongsu Village.

It was, quite literally, the backwater of all backwaters.

Yet, even so, twice a month this little village was swarmed with people.

The reason was simple.

A black market was held here.

Tianlin, with its reach spread across the entire Central Plains, operated these covert markets to peddle all sorts of goods. The landmass of the Central Plains was unimaginably vast, so they had set up dozens of black markets across the continent.

Cheongsu Village was one of them.

At its center sat Yoo Hanrim, head of Tianlin’s Cheongsu Branch, lounging in the front hall, taking a long drag from an expensive pipe filled with high-grade Shinsamhwa, and sighing deeply.

“…Tch. Can’t even enjoy this Shinsam pipe anymore without regret.”

And who could blame him?

He’d recently received a missive from Tianlin’s central headquarters.

The contents were blunt.

All trade with Shinsamgok had been terminated.

The involvement of Everlasting Snow Palace in Shinsamgok affairs had made any future attempts impossible.

A devastating and utterly infuriating blow.

This…

It all started when that bastard Seol Unwi, illegitimate son or not, swallowed up Yangnyeong whole.

Everything had gone sideways from that moment on.

“…Should I have stopped him?”

Tianlin’s position was absolute.

They held immense wealth—and that wealth allowed them to recruit martial artists of overwhelming strength.

More than anything, they had deep ties to countless major martial factions.

If they’d wanted to stop him, they could have.

But who could’ve predicted it?

Who would’ve thought that a man like Seol Unwi—scorned as a mere illegitimate child—would seize control of Yangnyeong on his own?

Fools outside whispered nonsense about how Everlasting Snow Palace had backed him. But Tianlin understood what lay beneath the surface.

And…

“…Surely he’s not dredging up that incident from back then.”

It nagged at him.

It had happened exactly six years ago, around this time.

Han Janggwang, of the now-defunct Ghost Blade Sect, had approached him back then.

He’d offered a tempting proposal:

To split the profits of the mines.

If it had been just one mine, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) he might have declined. But there were two mines yielding Hwanreung Jade Essence.

The Seolhan Mine and the Cheongneung Mine.

As a merchant, it was an irresistible offer.

So he agreed.

Tianlin provided warriors and workers, blocked off all access to Seolap, and transported the ores nonstop.

But honestly, the numbers didn’t add up.

More importantly, even if Seol Unwi had been born out of wedlock, he was still a direct descendant of Everlasting Snow Palace.

Whether from Yoo Hanrim’s perspective or Tianlin’s, interfering with that palace in any way was not something to take lightly.

If things went wrong, they’d be the ones left holding the bag.

So they had pulled out.

Since then, they had kept a firm distance from Yangnyeong. But lately, something felt off.

For some reason, Everlasting Snow Palace was getting involved again.

Tch.

He clicked his tongue inwardly.

And then—

KA-BOOM!!

The front gate exploded, and Yoo Hanrim jumped to his feet.

This was Tianlin territory.

Who the hell would be insane enough to raid a Tianlin branch…?

His thoughts froze.

Five figures—three men, two women—stepped through the broken entrance.

And one of the men… was unmistakable.

Ash-gray hair.

Sharp eyes.

He wasn’t wearing the famed White Tiger Thousand-Robe, but Yoo Hanrim would never forget that face. It was the very man he’d just been grinding his teeth over.

Seol Unwi.

The moment the five entered, Tianlin’s guards began to draw their weapons. But Yoo Hanrim raised a hand.

“…Lower your swords. These are guests.”

He walked forward slowly.

Up close, Unwi’s face looked incredibly young.

And this kid… lived as a puppet for six years?

Either he was hiding something truly deep… or he was insane… or he had something solid backing him.

It had to be one of the three.

Suppressing a sigh, Yoo Hanrim spoke.

“What brings the illustrious Branch Lord of Yangnyeong to a humble place like this? And…”

His eyes trailed to the ruined front gate.

It had been obliterated. Restoring it would cost a small fortune. Amidst the debris, two unconscious guards lay sprawled.

They didn’t look dead—but definitely out cold.

“…Your greeting is quite… overwhelming.”

“You seem to know me well.”

“…How could I not.”

“And yet, I don’t know you.”

A wry smile played on Unwi’s lips.

“I’m Yoo Hanrim, branch head of Tianlin’s Cheongsu Village division. And the man beside me is our assigned escort from the main headquarters—he’s known across the land by the epithet Dragon of the Furious Sea, Lord Tak Geuk.”

His cultivation was at the Five Banners Form level.

At his side stood two warriors who had reached Three Flowers Gathering Purity, three at Dual Light Manifestation, and nearly ten at the Root Heaven Stage—but Unwi didn’t ask about them, and Yoo Hanrim didn’t bother with introductions.

“That’s enough. I came because I have a question.”

“…And what question justifies such an aggressive—”

“Who gave you permission to operate a black market in my territory?”

The words hit like a hammer.

Tianlin.

Who in their right mind would dare claim Tianlin needed permission from anyone?

“It’s been over ten days since Yangnyeong changed hands. And not a single greeting came from you.”

“…”

“Is this how Tianlin runs its branches?”

Yoo Hanrim scratched his head.

He could now clearly see what this brat was aiming at.

****

From the way things were unfolding, it was evident that Tianlin was deeply tied to the restoration of the Heavenly Demon Cult. But frankly speaking, Unwi didn’t care whether they succeeded or failed.

He had no intention of interfering, nor of lending a hand.

Even if they had hidden the existence of the secret realm that appeared in Yangnyeong long ago, and slaughtered anyone who got too close to it—strictly speaking, it was none of his business.

Dragging up that incident now would be nothing but petty vengeance—and Unwi had no interest in playing petty games.

However, Cheongsu Village now fell under his jurisdiction.

Even if Tianlin had run a black market here for years, siphoning off every coin of profit for themselves…

Even if they hadn’t handed over a single coin to former magistrate Jeong Mugi…

That era was over.

Yoo Hanrim slowly ran a hand down his face and finally spoke.

“…We didn’t come to pay respects because, frankly, we saw no reason to. And to be clear, we’ve had roots in Cheongsu Village for a long time. Coming after us now—it’s a bit much, Branch Lord.”

Unwi shook his head.

“I think you’re mistaken. It’s not me who’s in trouble—it’s you.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m now the master of Yangnyeong. Cheongsu Village is under my rule. Nothing in my jurisdiction is allowed to operate without my knowledge.”

“…Heh…”

“Especially organizations like yours, which rely on borrowed land for commerce—shouldn’t you be offering at least a share of your profits in tribute?”

Yoo Hanrim let out a hollow laugh.

“You really are something, Branch Lord.”

“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. Am I really that amusing?”

“Oh yes. The way you’re playing the part of a local magistrate—it’s honestly hilarious.”

Unwi laughed.

“You can see my intentions, can you?”

“Clear as day.”

“Then let’s hear them.”

“It’s not complicated. Tribute is just an excuse. What you’re really after… is merit.”

“Merit?”

“We know. You took over Yangnyeong without any help from Everlasting Snow Palace—by your own power.”

Surprising.

He’d expected Yoo Hanrim to be duller than this—but perhaps he had some brains after all.

“But the world doesn’t care about that, do they? You’ve already been branded with the title Demon Lord of the Snowy Peaks. That says everything.”

“Go on.”

“If you extract tribute from Tianlin here in Yangnyeong, that alone becomes a public victory. And with that, your standing within Everlasting Snow Palace will rise.”

“My standing, huh…”

“Yes. There are people within the palace who know the rumors floating outside are false—and those who don’t. By using Tianlin like this, you’re sending a message to both. There’s no way we wouldn’t see through that.”

A shame.

Truly a shame—because he was only partially right.

But Unwi didn’t bother correcting him.

There was no need.

“You can justify it however you want. That’s your right. But I’m not here to convince you. I won’t explain myself.”

“Maybe so. But you still need to convince me.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because unless you persuade me… why should I play along?”

Unwi’s smile vanished.

Play along. Convince me.

The thinly veiled disdain in Yoo Hanrim’s tone was beginning to test his patience.

But for now, he let it slide.

“As I said—I’m not here to convince you. If persuasion’s what you’re after, persuade yourself.”

“…You’re rather bold, Branch Lord.”

Unwi’s brow twitched faintly.

Still, he held his temper.

For now, they were still talking.

“From this point forward, you’ll pay me thirty percent of the black market’s profits.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then it’ll be your turn to convince me.”

Yoo Hanrim gave a smug chuckle.

“Our presence here brings people into Yangnyeong. They come, they spend money. That creates a flow—an economy. In short, you need us. We make Yangnyeong work. Branch Lord.”

“So?”

“So, if anything, we should be the ones getting paid.”

“You think Tianlin deserves tribute? What a disappointment your organization has become.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“There are two mines between Yangnyeong and Seolap. I own them both now. But that wasn’t always the case. When the Four Great Sects of Yangnyeong and Magistrate Jeong Mugi seized ownership, there was one group that played a central role.”

“…”

“That group… was Tianlin.”

“…”

“You walked away with 800 silver taels. Not much. But it was still payment for services rendered.”

“…You said the records held proof—was that part of it?”

“Are you denying it?”

“I’m neither confirming nor denying. But if Tianlin really had such a crucial role in seizing those mines… how could our share be as low as 800 silver?”

“Yoo Hanrim.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s stop pretending we don’t know what we both know.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep