Chapter 458: He Wouldn't Have Set a Trap

TL: FoodieMonster007

When I sent Ju Hyangwol off and went to the backyard, my father was standing there with his hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the sky.

It had always been this way, but my father's back always looked lonely. It was an innate loneliness, one that I could never erase no matter how affectionately I acted by his side.

Father, please don't be so lonely. Your son is here. A son who respects and loves you more than anyone.

"Young Lady Ju, who likes you more than I do, stopped by. She asked me to send you her regards."

Father turned toward me.

How could he be so composed, not showing the slightest bit of embarrassment even though I was deliberately teasing him?

"Should we really have a go at it?"

As if he had heard everything I said in the front yard, my father didn't ask what I meant. Instead, his expression seemed to say, "anytime."

I imagined traveling through the Central Plains with my father, our minds at ease. Not a situation like now, where we were forced to see blood, but a trip where we could literally just relax and have fun.

What if we drank with female martial artists? I couldn't imagine what my father would be like in front of them.

Father, I'm not asking for anything grand. I just want to have fun with you like this.

Just then, my father asked abruptly.

"What's your reason for taking care of everyone around you like this?"

He was asking about the matter of making the Ju Swordsmanship Family and the Yellow Road Trading Company join forces. It was something that wouldn't have happened if not for me.

What should I say? Because they're worth looking after? Because I'm trying to be as meticulous as evil is? Or should I blame it on him? Since you took charge of the agreement, Father, you're the one who took care of it this time.

Today, I answered like this.

"Because it's fun."

A faint smile graced my father's lips.

Yes, the explanation that it was fun was probably the easiest for him to understand.

Father began to walk slowly. I walked with him through the rear garden and spoke about what needed to be done next.

"When the news of Jeon Nak's death spreads, someone will come down to investigate. I plan to use him to approach the Golden Dragon Clan."

Unconditionally eliminating everyone was not the most effective way. Our goal was to find out what kind of relationship the Golden Dragon Clan had with the force behind them and to eliminate the person who had taken root there.

This time, I planned to use Jeon Nak's death to find a way to approach them.

"It will be more difficult since we have to handle it without killing them."

Father nodded silently, as if agreeing with my words.

"Moreover, since our opponent is the Golden Dragon Clan, we must handle it with care. I understand the Golden Dragon Clan Patriarch is close with the Murim Alliance Lord. That's why they donate a large sum of money to the Murim Alliance every year."

A hint of displeasure crossed my father's face.

To him, it must have sounded like, "We must be careful because he's close to the Murim Alliance Lord." He would have preferred it if I had said the opposite.

Since he's close with the Murim Alliance Lord, I think we should give him a proper taste of what we can do this time.

That was likely the answer my father wanted to hear.

However, Father, you will never hear such an answer from me.

"Do you have a plan?"

"It won't be easy to approach the core of the Golden Dragon Clan without revealing our identities."

This was a matter that could only be figured out by getting close to the Patriarch of the Golden Dragon Clan. It was a difficult task for a regional sect like the Western Blade Sect. And if we posed as a mysterious sect, they would only become more guarded.

"So, I'm thinking of asking for help from one place."

"Where might that be?"

After a brief pause, I named the one place my father would never have expected.

"The Milky Way Trading Company."

As expected, a look of surprise flashed in my father's eyes.

The Milky Way Trading Company was, in name and reality, the wealthiest establishment in all of murim, known to have the most money. If the Milky Way Trading Company was at the top, then below it were the Golden Dragon Clan and the Continental Trading Company. These three were known to be the richest in the world.

"We'll make them think we're people from the Milky Way Trading Company."

Only with that kind of status could we approach the core of the Golden Dragon Clan. Of course, we would have to use a few tricks in the process.

"Will the Milky Way Trading Company help us?"

The Milky Way Trading Company was a place that did not lean toward the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic factions. However, they maintained deep relationships with all three, and by successfully maintaining that balance, they became the number one trading company in the Central Plains.

"That's beyond my abilities, so I'll need you to make it happen, Father."

Father shot me a look of disbelief at my words.

However, this was not an unreasonable request. Through my life before regression, I knew. I knew of the special connection between the head of the Milky Way Trading Company and my father.

Yong Jamyeong, the head of the Milky Way Trading Company, had spoken of my father before he died. When he was young and being pursued after an ambush, he was on the verge of death when my father's help saved his life. It was during the prime of my father's youth, when he roamed the Central Plains with the Fist Demon.

At the time, Yong Jamyeong didn't know that the person who saved him was the Heavenly Demon. It was because my father simply left after saving him. He said that he only found out by chance long after my father had passed away.

He supposedly regretted learning the truth so late, saying he finally understood why he could never find the man he had searched for his entire life. How could he have found him when that person was the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?

This story was of a nature that it would not have been known even after his death, but it came to light because my father had also passed away and the orthodox, unorthodox, and demonic factions were all in a state of being closed-off.

Father, in this life, let's let him know a little earlier that you were the one who saved him back then. That way, he can repay the favor. It was his lifelong regret. He searched for his benefactor his entire life.

We could get help for this matter and also bring closure to his connection with my father. Of course, I couldn't know if I would get the two-birds-with-one-stone result I intended. Fate would tell all. Let's do it this way in this life, it would say.

"There's a saying going around. That the Milky Way Trading Company's information is as fast and accurate as that of our Cult's All-Knowing Hall."

Of course, it wasn't actually true, but it meant their intelligence network was just as formidable.

"They must have been keeping an eye on the movements of not only the Murim Alliance or the Evil Alliance, but our Cult as well. They must also know that the greatest successor in history has been born."

"My, you have no trouble saying such things about yourself."

"Is that all? They must know that our Cult recently led the orthodox and unorthodox conference, so they won't be able to refuse so easily."

They must know that the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult is the hottest faction these days, so what if the Heavenly Demon himself makes a request at a time like this?

"And one more thing, isn't the relationship between the Milky Way Trading Company and the Golden Dragon Clan not good?"

They competed fiercely in the world of commerce, but surprisingly, the relationship between the two was not bad.

"You are the only one who can accomplish this, Father. Even if the Murim Alliance Lord or the Evil Alliance Chairman asked, he would not accept."

"Then why do you think he would accept my request?"

It might sound like flattery to my father, but this was all I had to say.

"Because you're my father."

Father, who had been staring at me for a moment, asked one last question.

"What should I ask them to do?"

I could tell that my father had decided to go along with my plan.

"We just need one person to visit for a short while."

Hwang In and Ju Hyangwol met again on the day Geom Mugeuk had set, with the agreement between them. Amid the awkward atmosphere, it was Hwang In who spoke first.

"I would like to formally apologize for what happened last time."

He stood from his seat and bowed his head respectfully.

Ju Hyangwol could feel the sincerity in his attitude.

"Why the change of heart?" she asked.

Apologizing sincerely, sending a proper agreement. She was curious about the reason.

Hwang In answered honestly. "It's because of the Young Lord."

Of course, he couldn't tell her about the killing of Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts, but he was honest about everything else.

"After meeting him, I was ashamed of the shoddy way I've lived my life. I said I wanted to become the owner of the world's number one trading company, but I was a man who didn't even deserve a small trading company in the countryside."

He wanted to be honest with her, if no one else. He considered investing in the Ju Swordsmanship Family as a new beginning.

"I wanted to do things properly from now on. That's why I suggested we meet at this inn. After all, this is where it all began."

The two were in the very same inn where they had first met Geom Mugeuk.

If it had been any other reason, she would have doubted Hwang In. But this reason, she believed.

So you were influenced by him too.

She herself was the same. Her relationship with her mother had changed a little after meeting them. Of course, neither her mother's nor her own innate personality would change. She didn't expect their relationship to change overnight either.

However, just as Geom Mugeuk had said, she planned to try, not doubting the power of those moments when they exchanged good words, one by one. She wouldn't lash out in anger. She would try to understand, thinking, "That can happen."

"Well then, shall we sign?"

The two signed the agreement together. They each took one of the two copies.

It was a moment where both Hwang In and Ju Hyangwol accomplished something properly for the first time.

"I look forward to working with you."

"I look forward to it as well."

The two respectfully performed a clasped hands greeting.

With that, Ju Hyangwol left the inn first, and Hwang In remained.

Since it was the day of his new start, he wanted to have a drink to savor the overwhelming emotions.

"My fate really did change in this place."

He was soaking in his emotions and drinking when it happened.

A woman who had been sitting a short distance away spoke to him. "I didn't mean to overhear, but it seems something amazing happened here."

She was a woman in her thirties, neatly dressed in a martial arts uniform. She was a beauty who displayed both youthfulness and mature charm, and a somewhat cold impression made her seem even more attractive.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I overheard by accident. I'm very curious by nature."

The woman picked up a bottle of liquor and sat down at Hwang In's table.

"As an apology, I'll pour you a drink."

She poured him a glass of liquor.

Hwang In was frozen, at a loss for words.

"What's wrong?"

When the woman asked with a gentle smile, Hwang In answered in a low voice.

"So the person they said was coming from the higher-ups was you, martial artist."

As soon as he recognized her, the smile vanished from the woman's face. Like an actor, the difference between her friendly expression and her current one was stark.

"How did you know?"

She raised her energy and scanned her surroundings, but there was no situation that required her to be on guard.

The reason Hwang In had noticed was extremely personal.

"Because there's no way a woman as beautiful as you would ever speak to me first."

He meant it sincerely. The woman was truly captivating. The thought that she was a dangerous woman might have made his heart pound even more, leading to such thoughts.

A strange smile formed on the woman's lips.

"You know yourself well."

She had the kind of looks that made such a slight not feel so bad.

"I have been waiting for you to arrive, martial artist."

She was Geum Arin, the leader of the secret organization the Golden Dragon Clan was covertly nurturing. She was a woman whose martial arts were as profound as her beauty.

Though they were not visible now, she had brought all of her trusted subordinates to resolve this matter. The deaths of Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts were not an issue to be taken lightly.

Hwang In hadn't known that the scary person Jeon Nak had mentioned was a woman. And he couldn't tell if the woman before him was truly that frightening. Martial artists were people you could never fully understand.

In any case, he had thought over what he would say when this moment came dozens of times.

First, he relayed the facts as they were.

"There are three enemies in total."

He had even practiced using the word "enemies." Of course, it wasn't because he was still weighing his options. It was to survive this situation.

"Among them, a man named Geom Yeon killed both Jeon Nak and all of the Money Ghosts."

He could tell her everything honestly. That's what he had been told to do.

Even though he said one person had killed them all, the woman did not seem particularly surprised. Did she think she could kill Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts by herself? Or did she not believe his words?

"How did he kill them?"

Of course, he wasn't completely honest about everything. For instance, the fact that he had been there with them. If she said, "You were there when they died?" what would he do if she cut him down without giving him a chance to make an excuse?

"I don't know how he killed them. I haven't heard from them since they went to meet him. It's possible they're still alive."

Geum Arin's suspicious gaze intensified.

"They died, but you did not."

"It's because Geom Yeon came to find me. He told me to relay a message if someone came looking for him because of this."

"What message?"

"'If you have something to say, come to me.' Let's go. I'll guide you to him."

Hwang In shot up from his seat as if to leave immediately, but Geum Arin remained seated with an expression that said, "not a chance."

"He's waiting with a trap set, isn't he? Do I look that foolish to you?"

"No, you don't."

At her cold aura, Hwang In sat back down and replied with a frightened face.

"He wouldn't have set a trap."

"Why do you think that?"

Words he couldn't possibly say to her came to mind.

Because he won't need a trap. It's because you haven't seen those people yet.

As Hwang In agonized over what to say, his face brightened.

"Because he's here."

Geom Mugeuk was walking through the entrance of the inn.