Chapter 455: My Father Has a Lot of Money, Too

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Mugeuk's words flew like a dagger and embedded themselves in Hwang In's heart.

"If you're a merchant, shouldn't you be making a deal?"

Hwang In often showed pride in being a merchant.

However, he knew this pride was nothing more than a sandcastle, ready to crumble the moment the wave of truth crashed against it.

After all, at critical moments, he had handled matters by mobilizing the Money Ghosts, not through a merchant's transaction.

"Normally, you should have come to me alone and made a proposal. 'I want that agreement back. What is it you want?' Isn't that what a real merchant would say? Figuring out what I want and offering something that matches it. A person who accomplishes what can't be done with a sword, isn't that a merchant?"

Hwang In bit his lip without realizing it. It was likely due to this inferiority complex that he had also bristled at Geom Mugeuk's words back at the inn, when he'd said a merchant should at least get his sums right.

After a moment of silence, Hwang In's gaze shifted to the building the Money Ghosts had entered.

"What happened to the men who went inside?"

"Even I don't know that."

"Did you release poison or something?"

Geom Mugeuk smiled. "Father is someone who despises poison. There's even someone who's quite upset because of it."

What on earth did he mean? Hwang In couldn't figure it out.

Geom Mugeuk rose from his seat. "Well, if you're curious, let's go inside and see."

He took the lead and walked in.

Hwang In wanted to run for the main gate, but he couldn't.

He wouldn't be able to escape anyway, but even if he were allowed to leave, what would he say to Jeon Nak upon returning? That he ran away without even confirming the fate of the three Money Ghosts Jeon Nak cherished? Since he didn't know martial arts, it might be understandable.

However, Jeon Nak wouldn't believe it. He would think there was no way they would have just let him go.

With a fearful heart, Hwang In followed Geom Mugeuk inside.

As they walked down a neatly decorated hallway, there was no sign of a fight, let alone the bodies of the Money Ghosts. Not a single drop of blood had splattered on the flowers in the vase on the display cabinet.

He was told they were skilled enough to kill the Western Blade Sect Sect Leader.

Where in the world did they disappear?

The thought occurred to him that perhaps the three men were sitting in the master bedroom at the end of the hall, drinking tea. Please let it be so! Or maybe after killing the Western Blade Sect Sect Leader, they were looking down at his corpse, exchanging trivial jokes.

But what if it was the other way around?

As all sorts of thoughts raced through his mind, the two arrived at the room at the end of the hall.

When they entered the room, Geom Woojin was sitting at a table, drinking tea. The Money Ghosts were not in the room.

"Father, the merchant we saw at the inn that day has come to visit again."

Geom Woojin, who had been looking out the window, turned his gaze to Hwang In.

"Greetings, Sect Leader."

Hwang In greeted him with a trembling voice.

Geom Woojin stared at him with a blunt expression. It was the same gaze he had seen at the inn, but the heart of the one receiving it was different.

He should have continued with other greetings, but he was too curious to hold back. "The men who came with me entered this building first. By any chance… did you see them?"

Honestly, he wanted to ask outright. Did you dispose of them?

Geom Woojin shook his head.

Geom Mugeuk already knew. The one who had dealt with them wasn't his father, but Hwi. There was no way his father would have seen them. To Hwi, it must have been a matter of 'How dare these things!'. Unless an order was given to let them in, Hwi would have remained hidden and silently disposed of the Money Ghosts one by one as they entered. Without a single drop of blood or a single scream, this was the skill of the current head of the Heavenly Demon's bodyguards.

"Then where could those men have gone?"

Speaking cautiously, Hwang In glanced at Geom Mugeuk.

Shouldn't he be curious too, under normal circumstances? Yet, if he was this composed, then what?

At that moment, a thought flashed through Hwang In's mind.

Don't tell me? These people?

Like the protagonists in the tales of the Secret Flower, passed down quietly in the murim.

Were they a secret family, living while hiding their power?

And another thought followed. Then one of the young successors can't stand the stuffiness and enters the murim, participates in the Young Dragon Tournament, and wins? In the end, that's why even the Patriarch comes out into the world.

He didn't think this naturally formed story was absurd. Without such a background, how could a martial artist from a mere regional sect win the Young Dragon Tournament and make three Money Ghosts vanish in an instant without a sound? It was a plausible story. The murim was a place where people with all sorts of secrets and mysteries existed.

Thinking this way, he even understood the incomprehensible composure they had shown at the inn.

At the same time, a sense of fear surged within him.

They might even kill me to protect their secret.

The secrets of a mysterious power must be kept hidden.

If not that, then.

Hwang In looked at Geom Mugeuk. Seeing those clear, deep eyes, far from any killing intent, he recalled a glimmer of hope.

This could be an opportunity.

A heaven-sent opportunity to make the Yellow Road Trading Company the world number one Trading Company.

Finally breaking the silence, Geom Woojin asked, "What business brings you to me?"

Should he answer honestly? That he came to find the agreement? No, that he came to take it?

As he pondered, Hwang In suddenly recalled what Geom Mugeuk had said.

"If you're truly a merchant, shouldn't you make a deal?"

Hwang In took a deep breath and then spoke to Geom Woojin. "I've come to make a deal with you, Sect Leader."

Geom Woojin listened without a word.

"Please make my Trading Company the world number one Trading Company."

Anyone who heard it would call him crazy. They might ask how he could betray Jeon Nak so quickly just because three Money Ghosts had disappeared. But this wasn't a betrayal. This was a weighing of scales for survival. At least for this moment, he had to be a real merchant. He had to get his calculations right.

"I will offer you half of the money we earn in the process, as well as half of all future earnings, for the rest of my life."

It was an instinctive gamble Hwang In threw at an opponent who might kill or spare him.

The Jeon Nak he knew was a merciless butcher. Would such a man let these people go after losing all three of his cherished Money Ghosts? Unlikely. If a fight were to break out, he had to side with the winner.

I'll bet my fate on these people.

Because right now, they were the ones in front of him.

At length, Geom Woojin gave a short reply. "Discuss it with my son."

From Geom Woojin's reaction, Hwang In was certain his guess was correct.

Wouldn't an ordinary sect have reacted like this?

[Make you the world number one Trading Company? What kind of nonsense is that?]

But he said to discuss it with his son. As if the matter could be accomplished if they discussed it.

As if he had nothing more to say, Geom Woojin drank his tea and turned his gaze back out the window.

"Well, let's be on our way."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, Hwang In respectfully bowed his head to Geom Woojin. He then followed Geom Mugeuk out of the room. The moment he stepped out, a sigh escaped him unknowingly.

When they were outside the building, Hwang In asked Geom Mugeuk, "By any chance, did I make a mistake with the Sect Leader?"

"You didn't make a mistake. It's just that the terms of the deal weren't exactly brilliant."

"What do you mean?"

"What you offered as the price for the deal was money."

Geom Mugeuk added with a faint smile, "Father has a lot of money, too."

Hwang In said, as if in protest, "The amount I guaranteed isn't just a lot, it's a massive fortune."

"Father's is also quite massive."

What on earth was he talking about? He was offering half the earnings of the world number one Trading Company. How could he compare that to some individual's wealth? Every now and then, this man would say things he couldn't comprehend.

"In any case, you're acting a bit more like a merchant now."

Seeing Geom Mugeuk's gentle expression, Hwang In felt a sense of relief. It was because he didn't seem like he was going to kill him.

Naturally, his worries then turned to Jeon Nak. "When he finds out the three men who came with me are dead, he won't stand still. He'll bring all his subordinates to kill you."

"Does he have about three hundred subordinates?"

It was the joke Geom Mugeuk had made earlier. The words that it would take three hundred men for his father to draw his sword no longer sounded like just a joke.

"There are just over thirty in total, but I understand that among them are masters even more skilled than the ones I brought earlier."

Geom Mugeuk stared at Hwang In for a moment. As the smile vanished from his face, Hwang In anticipated that a crucial statement that would decide his life was about to be made.

"Go back and bring only that man here."

Hwang In flinched. What could this mean? Wasn't it an instruction to lure Jeon Nak here and kill him?

"He might suspect and kill me."

"You might betray us."

Hwang In could tell. This was a test for him. It meant that if he passed this test, they would join hands.

The scales in his heart swayed up and down. A wrong choice now meant death.

"If I bring him? Can you handle it? That man is a far greater master than the ones who came before."

"Whether we can handle it or not is also for you to judge. But you should know this. Your dream is so big that you've attracted a very dangerous person."

He might think that dangerous person was the one he had allied with, but the person Geom Mugeuk was referring to was his father.

"So, judge carefully. There will be no backing down in this deal."

To state the result, Hwang In chose the mysterious family. The reason was simple. The fact that his opponent left the judgment to him was a display of confidence that they could handle it even if he betrayed them and brought everyone.

Of course, it was a temporary choice. He planned to have a foot on both sides and watch the situation. Don't scales go up and down? For now, the plan was to bring Jeon Nak to them. If he took him there and the Western Blade Sect killed Jeon Nak, he would stick with them as originally planned. If Jeon Nak defeated them, he intended to stick with him as if nothing had happened.

What weighed on his mind was that Jeon Nak had a backer, but that was something to worry about later. The immediate concern was how to bring him without arousing his suspicion.

He had many thoughts on the way. Should he say the Money Ghosts were calling for him? Then why did you come instead of one of the Money Ghosts? It must be a situation that requires all three of them. No. That reason wouldn't work. After thinking and thinking, he came up with a method.

"I want to absorb the Western Blade Sect into our side."

At Hwang In's words, Jeon Nak shot him a quizzical look. He had sent him with three Money Ghosts, yet he had returned alone to say this.

Without revealing his inner thoughts, Jeon Nak asked calmly, "What is the sudden reason for wanting to bring them in?"

"As we talked, I took a liking to their successor."

"For what reason?"

"He reawakened in me the way of the merchant, which I had recently forgotten."

Jeon Nak's expression soured slightly. His very existence was the antithesis of the merchant's way. Discussing it now was infuriating.

"They are a sect that will surely be useful in many ways. Please trust my judgment."

Jeon Nak finally asked about the Money Ghosts. "Where are the Money Ghosts who went with you?"

"I told them to stay put. Just give me your permission. I will go and get their signature on the agreement. I believe they were entrusted with the Ju Swordsmanship Family's agreement so that this connection could be made."

He absolutely did not ask him to come along. If he had, the ever-suspicious Jeon Nak would have immediately sensed danger.

"Haven't I always listened to you until now? So please, leave this matter to me."

Hwang In was acting with all his soul. He had to. He could have really died right there.

After staring silently at Hwang In, Jeon Nak accepted his request. "Fine, bring them in as well."

"Thank you. I'll go at once and get the signature on the agreement."

As Hwang In turned away, he screamed inwardly.

Tell me to go with you! You have to suspect me!

Just as he was about to open the door and leave.

"Let's go together."

Hwang In turned back, deliberately hardening his expression. "I can handle this alone. You don't need to come with me."

"Let's go together. I've become curious to see for myself just what kind of person changed your mind."

It was a success born of suspicion, but that suspicion was flawless. He had secretly ordered the remaining Money Ghosts to follow him before they departed.

Late at night, Geom Mugeuk and Geom Woojin lay side by side in a hammock, looking up at the night sky.

"This is your first time in a hammock, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Another first experience with you, Father!"

Geom Mugeuk was genuinely delighted. In the past, he had hoped his father would recognize these feelings, but now he no longer held such a wish. He believed his father would understand. It didn't matter if he passed by without knowing. He intended to keep conveying his feelings from now on.

"I'll take this hammock and hang it between the fingers of the massive statue in front of the Heavenly Demon Hall. If you're bored, you can rest there."

If installed between the tilted fingers, it would offer a clear view of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Of course, he didn't think his father would actually lie there.

"You're the one who wants to lie there, aren't you?"

"When are you going to teach me that martial art for reading people's minds?"

As they were gazing at the night sky for a long while, Jeon Nak and Hwang In arrived.

Seeing the two men lying in the hammock in the yard, Jeon Nak was inwardly dumbfounded.

Did he get my permission just to recruit pathetic men like that?

Martial artists playing around, lying side by side in a hammock? He had never seen such martial artists before.

Geom Mugeuk sat up in the hammock. "You've come again!"

Watching Geom Mugeuk smile brightly at him, Jeon Nak had a strange feeling. It was because he seemed too cheerful for a martial artist.

His gaze shifted to Geom Woojin, who was still lying in the hammock.

Geom Woojin was looking up at the stars in the night sky.

Seeing this, Jeon Nak found himself following that gaze and looking up at the night sky as well. He didn't know why he looked up. The thought just came to him naturally, 'that person is looking, so I should look too'.

Even while looking at the incredibly beautiful stars, Jeon Nak felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.

And so, he knew.

Something has gone wrong.