Chapter 451: Be Meticulous with Documents You Sign

TL: FoodieMonster007

Ju Hyangwol walked to the entrance of the inn where a martial artist from the Yellow Road Trading Company recognized her and offered a greeting.

"Young Lady Ju, you've arrived?"

"What's going on?"

"It's nothing. If you go inside and wait, the Young Lord will be here soon."

Ju Hyangwol glanced at the man who had been arguing. She turned her head without much thought, but inwardly, she flinched.

The young, handsome man's eyes were clear and deep. His appearance was one that, once seen, was not easily forgotten, and her gaze was captivated.

Behind the young man stood a middle-aged man who was not looking her way. With his arms crossed, he watched the people coming and going in the marketplace.

The moment she saw them, an indescribable emotion surged up and then vanished. It was her first time experiencing such a thing, so she couldn't identify what the feeling was.

In any case, the moment she saw the two of them, she could feel it.

They must be father and son.

Their faces didn't resemble each other, but their auras were somehow similar.

And behind the middle-aged man stood another man.

Is he a bodyguard?

They were none other than Geom Mugeuk, Geom Woojin, and Hwi.

Hwi had wanted to eat separately, but Geom Mugeuk had forcefully dragged him along. This journey was for him and his father, but he also hoped it would become a journey for Hwi and his father.

He hoped that, at least for this trip, Hwi would walk around on his own two feet as much as possible and not remain hidden. He wanted him to make eye contact with his father and eat meals with him.

That was why this moment was a precious time. Once the journey ended and they returned, they would go back to their original lives.

Why go to such lengths for him?

Because I know. I know about the life Hwi had lived, one where he willingly sacrificed himself for my father. He, who had protected my father his entire life, ended his own by giving it up in the end.

Ju Hyangwol asked the martial artist from the Yellow Road Trading Company.

"Why are you preventing these gentlemen from entering?"

"Young Lord Hwang has rented out the entire inn for today."

Ju Hyangwol's expression hardened.

It was Young Lord Hwang who had set this inn as their meeting place. He could have visited the Ju Swordsmanship Family, so his insistence on meeting here had been strange. It seemed it was a way to show off his wealth by renting out the entire place.

Geom Mugeuk said to her, "I'm a man traveling with my father. We've come a long way so I could treat my father to the cuisine here."

She looked at Geom Mugeuk and Geom Woojin. Normally, she would have sent them away, telling them to go to another inn. That would have been the right thing to do for their sake as well. After all, if they went inside, more bad things than good were likely to happen.

However, her choice today was different.

"Let them in."

"Young Lord Hwang instructed us not to let anyone in."

"I'll take responsibility. Now, let's go in together."

Ju Hyangwol tried to enter with the three men, but the martial artists still blocked their path.

When Ju Hyangwol stared at them coldly, the martial artists finally cleared the way.

"Thank you so much. Thanks to you, Young Lady, I can now treat my father to a meal."

And so, Ju Hyangwol led the three men inside.

She was not usually this kind of person.

Right, it's because he said he was traveling with his father.

She had been thinking about her own deceased father the entire way here.

"Was there a reason it had to be this specific inn?"

"Among the dishes here, the cold salad made with twelve kinds of vegetables and the duck boiled with fine medicinal herbs are true delicacies. They're good for one's health, too. I really wanted to treat my father to them."

She envied the man before her.

If her father were still alive, she would have treated him so well. She would have traveled with him and bought him all the healthy and delicious food he could want. However, by the time she had matured, it was already too late.

"Still, making a scene with the martial artists from the Yellow Road Trading Company wasn't a good choice."

The prestige of the Yellow Road Trading Company had been formidable lately, so she assumed the men before her would know of it. Yet the young man seemed to think nothing of them.

"Even if it were the Murim Alliance blocking the way, not just the Yellow Road Trading Company, I would have had to come in. It's my first trip with my father."

Even so, how could he so grandly bring up the Murim Alliance? As if he even knew what kind of place the Murim Alliance was.

Geom Mugeuk glanced at Geom Woojin and added, "How could I waste a chance like this?"

Geom Woojin was simply going along with whatever his son wanted.

The person most surprised by this was Hwi.

While Geom Mugeuk was arguing in front of the inn, the Cult Leader had waited silently. Considering the personality of the Cult Leader he knew, it was an unimaginable event.

"Uncle, please pick something you'd like to eat, too."

"I'm fine."

"No, you can't be. You absolutely have to choose. If you don't pick something, I won't order. Did you hear that just now? The rumbling from my father's stomach? Ah, my poor father. Unable to even maintain his dignity…"

"I'll choose."

How could anyone win against Geom Mugeuk? In the end, Hwi also chose a dish.

Watching them, Ju Hyangwol was startled. She realized she had been observing them with a smile on her lips without even knowing it.

"If someone comes and asks why you're here, just give them my name. I'm Ju Hyangwol of the Ju Swordsmanship Family."

"Thanks to you, Young Lady, I can be a filial son."

As she was about to turn and leave, she offered a piece of advice.

"If this is fate, then it's fate, so I'll say this out of goodwill. The swords you two carry are too conspicuous."

Geom Mugeuk had his sword wrapped in Top-Quality Heavenly Silk, and Geom Woojin had his wrapped in bandages. She meant that a father and son both concealing their swords was, ironically, what made them stand out. In truth, it wasn't the swords that were conspicuous, but she didn't realize it was the two men themselves who had caught her eye.

"It's because they would be even more conspicuous if we unwrapped them."

"What do you mean?"

Geom Mugeuk simply smiled.

No matter how conspicuous it was, his father couldn't just stride through the Central Plains wearing the Heavenly Demon Sword.

"Please enjoy your meal. You probably won't have to pay for it before you leave."

She said this because the place had been rented out entirely.

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't think we can do that."

"What do you mean?"

"Those people probably didn't pay to rent this place. At least we should pay."

Ju Hyangwol was stunned.

"We heard it together, didn't we? That they rented the whole place."

"Then go ask the owner. Ask him how much he was promised in return for renting it out. They probably didn't decide on a sum. Avoid the martial artists at the entrance and ask the owner quietly."

She went, spoke with the owner, and came back.

"How did you know?"

The owner had said it was fine, that since esteemed people were holding an important meeting, he should naturally help. In other words, he wasn't going to be paid properly.

"It's a common trick of murim sects. They say they'll settle the bill later, but you'd be lucky if they even toss you the money for the food they ate on their way out. They almost never compensate for the other customers the inn couldn't serve."

Ju Hyangwol's face flushed slightly.

If that was the case, then strictly speaking, it was shameful for her to have acted so magnanimously toward them.

"I'll confirm it when Young Lord Hwang arrives."

"Before you confront him, think about who will suffer the consequences."

She understood what he meant. In the end, the owner of the inn would be the one to suffer.

"Still, I will be sure to repay the debt I owe you, Young Lady, when the opportunity arises."

It was at that very moment that a man entered the inn.

"Miss Ju, you're already here?"

He was Hwang In, the heir to the Yellow Road Trading Company. She had expected him to arrive with a gaggle of bodyguards, but surprisingly, he came alone.

As Hwang In walked toward her, his gaze naturally shifted to the people with her.

"And who might these people with you be?"

At that, the martial artist from the entrance came in and whispered to him what had happened earlier.

Hwang In found it unexpected. The Ju Hyangwol he had researched beforehand was not such a meddlesome person.

Since he might try to kick them out if she didn't intervene, Ju Hyangwol said to Hwang In.

"They're my guests."

"Ah, is that so."

While reacting smoothly, Hwang In was inwardly puzzled.

She's not the type of person to go this far. Was my investigation wrong?

Then, a thought occurred to him.

Could they be on the same side, just pretending not to know each other?

He felt it was a possibility. The Patriarch must have been anxious about sending her daughter out alone.

"It is an honor to meet such esteemed individuals."

Indeed, the three of them gave off an extraordinary aura.

There was no one like them in his prior investigation, so they must have been brought in from the outside.

"I am Hwang In of the Yellow Road Trading Company."

Geom Mugeuk greeted him on their behalf.

"We are merely passing travelers, so you need not pay us any mind."

Hwang In thought the other party was intentionally trying to hide their identities.

Are they hired mercenaries? Or are there still people willing to help the Ju Swordsmanship Family?

It didn't matter either way. Today's business was not something to be resolved with force.

Just then, the food Geom Mugeuk had ordered arrived.

"Ah, Father. Please try this first."

As if he had truly come here just to eat, Geom Mugeuk focused on the food. He placed some into smaller bowls and served it to his father and Hwi.

This act of ignoring him only strengthened Hwang In's conviction.

They're trying hard not to be suspected of being on the same side.

Anyway, the pride of martial artists! If asked who were the easiest people for a merchant to deal with, Hwang In could say with confidence. It was martial artists. That foolish pride of theirs.

"Now, shall we go as well?"

Hwang In sat down facing Ju Hyangwol at a table in the center of the inn.

"Let's have a drink."

Hwang In poured her a drink, but Ju Hyangwol simply set the cup down without drinking.

"Why did you choose me?"

"I suppose I thought there would be a better understanding between us young people."

Ju Hyangwol had never heard any rumors about Hwang In. He was a man with neither a particularly good nor bad reputation.

"What is your reason for wanting to invest in us?"

"There is always only one reason for a Trading Company to join hands with a swordsmanship family. We need the family's power."

"Couldn't you just invest that money directly and create a sword unit within the Trading Company?"

"Of course, we are raising our own martial artists. But did you know? In the murim, they don't acknowledge the swords of merchants. They openly look down on them, saying they bought their skills with money. Because of that, it's not easy to recruit high-level masters. They hate being told they sold out for money. Honestly, don't you think so too?"

Faced with the sudden question, Ju Hyangwol couldn't say no. A small part of her certainly felt that way.

"And so. To do big business in the murim, we need the brand value of the Ju Swordsmanship Family. Ah, of course, I'm not looking down on you or your family, so please don't misunderstand. We want a symbiotic relationship where we help each other."

However, Ju Hyangwol didn't want to join hands with them.

It wasn't because she knew much about the Yellow Road Trading Company, nor because she was well-versed in her family's internal affairs. It wasn't even because she could predict what results this cooperation would yield.

It was simply because she couldn't trust her mother's judgment. Her mother always made mistakes when she was in a hurry. She knew she shouldn't judge the matter with the Yellow Road Trading Company this way, but emotionally, the thought kept surfacing.

Was it because her expectations were low? The man named Hwang In seemed better than she had thought. She had expected him to be someone who just boasted about money and chased after women, but he seemed to have some ambition and depth.

"How do you propose we join hands?"

"We merchants don't trust verbal promises. We only trust contracts."

Hwang In handed her the document he had brought.

"This is an agreement stating that our Trading Company and the Ju Swordsmanship Family will join forces. You can read it and sign. Originally, the Patriarch should be the one to do this, but since you were sent as her representative and are also her daughter, you, Young Lady Ju, are more than qualified. It's fine if it takes time, so please read it slowly. One should always read documents carefully before signing."

Ju Hyangwol was inwardly flustered. She had expected to meet and discuss various things today, but she hadn't thought they would go as far as drawing up an agreement.

Did Mother know about this?

At least one thing was certain. Her mother would be pleased if she returned with an agreement. After all, she was the mother who had tried to send her out dressed in that splendid palace attire.

She wished she could just say she refused and storm out, but considering her family's situation and her mother, she couldn't do that.

Ju Hyangwol read through the agreement. Some parts were understandable at a glance, while other passages were confusing even after rereading them.

Why are all these unnecessary words needed? Let's just erase them and write this.

She wanted to say that, but the problem was she couldn't specify what should be left.

Then there were phrases that seemed like they should be there, but also like they could be omitted. There were many ambiguous parts.

To know something vaguely is to know nothing at all.

No, it was worse than knowing nothing. She was skimming past the uncertain clauses, assuming she roughly understood them.

How dare you try to play tricks on us?

She read to the last page but couldn't find any clause that would warrant such an outburst.

Should she just sign it and take it to her mother? While shouting that it wasn't her will but her mother's, so she shouldn't have any regrets later? It would be better if this were a few years ago, back in her immature days.

If Father were here…

At that moment, her gaze unconsciously drifted toward where Geom Mugeuk was sitting.

Perhaps sensing that this was an important meeting, they were eating and conversing quietly. Only when she strained her ears could she hear their conversation. "It's delicious, right?" "It's fine." "What about you, Uncle?" "It's delicious." "See, didn't I tell you it was delicious? Let's tour all the famous inns in the Central Plains, then kidnap the chef from the tastiest one and go back! Or, let's each pick a chef that suits our tastes and kidnap three of them!"

Ju Hyangwol found herself smiling at his joke. Even though it wasn't a situation to be laughing, watching them gave her a strange sense of relief.

She had been having frequent nightmares lately, her mind and body unstable, so why did she feel so at ease? These were people she had met for the first time today.

Just then, her eyes met Geom Mugeuk's.

How could the eyes of someone who was just spouting nonsense be so deep?

The moment she had that thought, she surrendered herself to the pull of fate.

She shot up from her seat, took the agreement, and started walking toward Geom Mugeuk.

Hwang In was inwardly taken aback by her sudden action, but he watched cautiously.

As she walked toward Geom Mugeuk, she thought to herself.

This is crazy.

Today was truly a day where her instincts were running wild.

"You said you would repay your debt to me, right?"

"I did."

"Can you repay that debt right now?"

"We're not merchants, we're martial artists. We're the type who can't stand being in debt."

She held out the agreement she was carrying to Geom Mugeuk.

"Then give me a reason to tear this up."