“Are you calmer now?”
At Geom Mugeuk's words, Hwang In nodded and replied.
“Yes, thanks to you.”
Despite his words, Hwang In’s heart was still pounding.
In the tense situation, he hadn't trembled this much.
It had all happened in a blur.
Instead, it was only after the situation ended and he realized he had truly been on the verge of death that his heart began to race like mad.
His mind was in such a state that he couldn't possibly return, so he was in Geom Mugeuk's room, drinking water he had been given.
He gulped down the water and choked on it.
Only after coughing several times did he finally calm down.
The events that had just transpired truly felt like a dream.
The fact that he had almost died still didn't feel real.
“The martial art you used at the end… never mind.”
He hadn't seen it himself because he had closed his eyes, but he felt he shouldn't ask carelessly, so he kept his mouth shut.
Recalling the sight of the dead Money Ghosts, his breath quickened once more.
He didn't know much about martial arts, but there were some things he could tell.
That they were not men who would die so easily.
The martial art this man before him had used must have been the peerless divine art of the Mysterious Noble Clan.
“What should I do now?”
With Jeon Nak dead, a new worry plagued Hwang In.
“Once they find out Jeon Nak is dead, the scary person he mentioned will come for me first.”
Jeon Nak was terrifying enough, so how frightening must the person he had warned him about be? He might even wet his pants.
Should he just run far away? He considered it for a moment, but he couldn't.
What would he do for a living if he abandoned the Hwangdo Merchant Group and fled?
“Please stay with me. You mustn't leave my side for even a moment.”
“I cannot do that. For me, every moment is precious right now. I have no time to spend with you.”
“Then what do I do when that person comes? Word of Jeon Nak’s death will have to be delivered, so he won't come storming in right away, but no. If I’m unlucky, couldn't he just drop by while passing through?”
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk suddenly asked.
“You're scared of the person who's coming, but you're not scared of me?”
Hwang In flinched.
Come to think of it, this was the man who had killed Jeon Nak and the Money Ghosts in a single move.
If he was going to be scared of someone, it should be this man.
For some reason, he had felt at ease and had momentarily forgotten just how fearsome this person was.
This was not someone he could just complain and whine to.
“I apologize.”
Hwang In bowed his head.
To the dejected man, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“If someone comes looking for you, bring them to me.”
Hwang In’s expression brightened.
He had been so afraid that the man would say, "You were involved too, so you deal with it."
Now, this man was the only one he could trust.
“By the way, what about the remaining Money Ghosts?”
“We will take care of them, so do not worry.”
His words were reassuring.
Through the window, he could see the courtyard.
The corpses that had been strewn about earlier were all gone.
Not a single drop of blood remained on the ground.
Just as the Money Ghosts who had entered the building had vanished, the corpses had also disappeared without a trace.
Hwi had cleaned everything up in a short time.
People who handled matters like this could surely be trusted.
Once his heart settled, Hwang In spoke cautiously.
“I would like to continue with the deal we discussed back then.”
Hwang In did not want to miss this opportunity, no matter what.
Now that he had witnessed for himself how strong his martial arts were, he was even more reluctant to let it go.
“You said your dream was to become the master of the greatest merchant group under heaven?”
“That is correct.”
“Are you sincere?”
“If I wasn't, I wouldn't have joined hands with someone like Jeon Nak.”
Geom Mugeuk stared intently into his eyes and asked.
“Was it not because you weren't sincere that you joined hands with him?”
His words hit their mark.
Geom Mugeuk continued speaking to the stunned Hwang In.
“I may not know much about the merchant world, but this I do know. To become the master of the greatest merchant group under heaven, you must become a person worthy of that position.”
Hwang In listened silently to Geom Mugeuk’s words.
“I believe that your dream should not include Jeon Nak, nor me, nor your father, nor the scary person who is to come.”
Hwang In could not understand what he meant.
“Then what should be in that dream?”
“A merchant. A merchant with the ability to lead the greatest merchant group under heaven. A merchant who has trust and honor, skill in negotiation, and the ability to manage crises. A merchant with an information network and leadership, as well as insight into the world and an eye for people. Is there any room for anything else here? Is there space for this stench of blood, for this cold sword?”
Hwang In’s face flushed with shame.
When he asked himself what among the things Geom Mugeuk mentioned he possessed, there was nothing he could answer with confidence.
After being lost in thought for a long while, Hwang In revealed his decision.
“I want to join hands with the Ju Clan Sword Family with the mindset of starting anew. May I write a new contract and send it to them?”
Geom Mugeuk could see that he was not, at least, a hopeless man.
That was why he nodded.
In truth, it was not a permission granted for Hwang In’s sake.
It was for Ju Hyang-wol of the Ju Clan Sword Family.
She was probably still worried about how to handle this matter.
The Ju Clan Sword Family was still facing difficulties and needed to be reborn through this opportunity.
Therefore, these words were for Ju Hyang-wol.
“I will be watching.”
How could he not know that it meant ‘don’t try any funny business’? Hwang In bowed his head and replied respectfully.
“Thank you for your permission. I shall take my leave now.”
As he walked out across the courtyard where corpses had lain just a moment ago, Geom Mugeuk gave him one last piece of advice.
“Do not be so enchanted by your dream that you forget reality. Your world is over there, not here. I am a person who will disappear like smoke, but the Ju Clan Sword Family will remain.”
The next morning, I headed to my father's quarters.
“Father, may I come in?”
“Come in.”
When I entered, my father was checking several dispatches.
They were dispatches sent from the Main Sect by Sama Myeong.
Matters that absolutely required my father’s approval had arrived as urgent dispatches.
“You work even when you're out here?”
“You'll see when you sit in my seat one day.”
I made an exaggerated gesture of refusal.
“No, thank you. Please pass it down to me later, much, much later.”
“You want me to continue this suffering?”
After a brief pause, I asked my father.
“Will you go traveling and have fun if I inherit it? If you promise to do so, I will think about it.”
My father did not answer.
Having no intention of continuing this awkward silence, I smiled and changed the subject.
“Alright, let's practice a bit beforehand. Is there anything I can help you with?”
At that, my father handed me one of the dispatches.
It detailed the recent movements of a certain clan.
Finally, my father revealed our objective.
“The reason we are going to Shaanxi is because of the Golden Dragon Clan.”
A name far grander than I had expected came up.
Golden Dragon Clan.
A clan that ranked within the top five in the Central Plains for their wealth.
The very symbol of immense riches.
They were not just a clan with a lot of money.
The Clan Leader of the Golden Dragon Clan, Geum Cheonbang, was not only knowledgeable in the affairs of the merchant world but also renowned in the martial world as an absolute master of the clan's secret martial art, the Golden Dragon Divine Art.
Thus, the Golden Dragon Clan had numerous masters who followed him.
“At some point, the Golden Dragon Clan began secretly absorbing and operating merchant groups.”
It was possible for wealthy families to secretly acquire merchant groups.
The problem lay in what came next.
“Hwangdo Merchant Group was one of those merchant groups, then.”
My father nodded.
“They made a lot of money by aggressively expanding their merchant groups using martial artists. However, that money did not go to the Golden Dragon Clan.”
“So that vast sum of money was being siphoned off somewhere.”
Sensing the Golden Dragon Clan's strange movements, Sama Myeong began to investigate them in earnest and found a clue that they were connected to the hidden forces.
Indeed, considering the actions of the hidden forces so far, only a power on the level of the Golden Dragon Clan could have managed it.
“The one coming down this time must be the person who secretly handles the Golden Dragon Clan's external affairs.”
As it was a secret operation, the dead Money Ghosts were likely not martial artists directly under the Golden Dragon Clan, but rather individuals hired from outside.
Except for Jeon Nak, they probably didn't even know they were affiliated with the Golden Dragon Clan.
“Since it involves supporting a large sum of money, the Clan Leader must have given his permission. In that case, the person behind this is either in a position to persuade the Clan Leader or…”
After a short pause, I added.
“They have already seized the power of the Golden Dragon Clan.”
Im So-hwa, the Clan Leader of the Ju Clan Sword Family, entered her daughter's room.
Her daughter, Ju Hyang-wol, was sitting at her desk, looking at something.
Surprisingly, it was a book.
When was the last time she had seen her daughter read a book?
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, you’re here?”
Since the day she met the successor of the Hwangdo Merchant Group, her daughter had been acting differently.
“I was reading a book that details contracts.”
“Why that?”
“Hwangdo Merchant Group sent a new contract in advance.”
“Let me see.”
Im So-hwa read the contract.
After a few lines, she quickly lost focus.
She could read martial arts manuals all night and find them interesting, but words like these just wouldn't register.
“So I was looking up words I didn't know well.”
She hadn't expected the Hwangdo Merchant Group to send a new contract.
She had wondered what kind of trick this was.
“This time, they sent a contract without any trap clauses.”
“And you know that by looking at it?”
In the past, she would have certainly flared up at that remark.
She would have taken it as a slight.
But now, in her sleeve, was a piece of paper with the words 'Let's not get angry' written at the very top.
Was it because she thought, 'I must not get angry'?
From her mother's perspective, it was a reasonable thing to say.
Right, that's possible.
Those were the next words written below 'Let's not get angry.'
Right, that's possible.
“Don't worry. I'm not going to sign it as is; I plan to have it double-checked.”
“By whom?”
“By someone who knows these things well. I'll tell you when I get back.”
Im So-hwa was angry.
Why was she conducting an investigation on something she knew nothing about instead of just settling the agreement?
However, she had no chance to get angry.
Somehow, her daughter's attitude towards her was different from usual.
With the daughter who used to snap back at her speaking so softly and calmly, she couldn't just suddenly lash out.
“I'll be back! Oh, and make sure you eat properly!”
Im So-hwa was most surprised by her daughter's last words.
When had she ever heard her say to make sure she ate? No, had she ever heard it at all? Now, she was worried about her daughter.
The expression on Ju Hyang-wol’s face as she left the clan was bright.
She was proud that she had ended a conversation with her mother without raising her voice again.
When she made a conscious effort to speak kindly, there was no reason to fight with her mother.
Of course, she constantly felt a sense of crisis, as if things were about to explode properly at least once.
“I think it is safe to sign the contract.”
At Geom Mugeuk's words, Ju Hyang-wol was overjoyed.
She had asked Geom Mugeuk to look over the contract sent by Hwang In.
And the result was the same as her own assessment.
“The fact that they changed their minds is all thanks to you, young hero.”
“No. It is because you asked for my help, Miss Ju.”
If she hadn't asked Geom Mugeuk for help at the inn that day, she would have been set on a different fate.
“My relationship with my mother has improved too. But that actually makes me anxious. I'm worried that all the built-up tension might explode in a big way.”
Geom Mugeuk asked with an unconcerned expression.
“What if it does?”
Geom Mugeuk’s solution was simple.
“Something that used to explode ten times has been reduced to once.”
“What if it explodes after building up?”
Worried about the explosion being ten times bigger, Geom Mugeuk cut the fuse short.
“You endure, and endure again. If it explodes after that, it might be a big one. Did you endure your mother today before you came here?”
She recalled her conversation with her mother and soon shook her head.
It wasn't that she had suppressed her feelings.
It was closer to trying to see her mother from a different perspective.
With a mind that thought, 'Right, that's possible.'
“Then it will be fine. Your worry stems from a misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a common misunderstanding we have. The illusion that if a good relationship suddenly breaks, it will be a huge explosion.”
“Is that not true?”
“Rather, it is by constantly having small fights that things are bound to explode in a big way one day. Those small fights may seem insignificant, but they leave scars on a person's heart and serve to heighten the atmosphere. Conversely, if you continue to maintain a good relationship, something that would have been a big explosion will instead be a small one. Do not doubt the power of those moments when you exchanged good words, one by one.”
The last words especially resonated with her.
She was still feeling good about having finished her conversation with her mother without raising her voice.
Ju Hyang-wol stared intently.
It was as if her gaze said:
How can you be so good with words?
It would take you a very long time to learn.
It took me a lifetime to become who I am now.
“Then I'll be going. Thank you so much for today.”
At Ju Hyang-wol's farewell, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“Since you're here, you should meet the safest vault in the martial world before you go.”
Geom Mugeuk sensed that she wanted to see his father.
And also that she couldn't bring herself to say it.
“Father is taking a walk in the backyard. Let's go.”
As she followed Geom Mugeuk towards the backyard, she stopped in her tracks.
“I'm sorry, but I'll just go today. Please just pass on my regards later.”
“I will.”
Her footsteps quickened without her realizing as she turned back.
It wasn't because seeing him constantly reminded her of her own father.
It was because she felt that she shouldn't meet him.
Watching her retreating figure in the distance, Geom Mugeuk spoke as if to himself.
His gaze was directed at her, but his words were for the person who was surely listening clearly from far behind him.
“Isn't it great, coming to the Central Plains? You even get to confirm your popularity. Father, when we get to Shaanxi, let's have a popularity contest.”
He couldn't see his father's face right now, but he could somehow imagine it.
The image of his father, with a haughty expression, not refusing this challenge.