"You want half?"
Geum Cheonbang could not hide his surprise.
It was a demand as unreasonable as his own unreasonable request.
"In cases like this, the usual service fee is ten percent, twenty percent at most, to handle the matter."
"That would be the case for an ordinary opponent."
Geom Mugeuk, on the contrary, pushed even further.
"In fact, even if you gave me everything, it would still be a gain for you, Clan Leader."
"What kind of sophistry is that?"
At that, Geom Mugeuk raised his voice and spoke forcefully.
"If you do business with the Golden Dragon Clan, you must repay your debts."
The words, pleasant just to hear, echoed throughout the hall.
"No one can get away with not paying back the Golden Dragon Clan."
Thinking of all the money he had been unable to collect for one reason or another, how wonderful would it be if things were just as he said? The mere thought brought a smile to his lips.
Having captured his interest with such pleasing words, Geum Cheonbang naturally listened for what came next.
"What about this rumor? Even the Hundred Immortals Gang paid back their debt."
What more needed to be said? That would be a fantastic rumor.
"If that happens, no one will ever think of not paying back the Golden Dragon Clan in the future."
Geom Mugeuk stared into Geum Cheonbang's eyes and asked.
"How much do you think that is worth?"
Even the quick-witted Geum Cheonbang could not answer easily.
Considering not only the present but also the future, its value could not be calculated in money.
"All of this only applies if you actually collect the money from them, right?"
To Geum Cheonbang's words, Geom Mugeuk replied with eyes full of conviction.
"I will collect it, and I am saying I will only take half of that money."
‘As much as half’ had become ‘only half,’ but Geum Cheonbang felt no sense of incongruity.
On top of that, he added a touch of self-praise.
"I made a special concession out of consideration for your daughter."
A flicker of curiosity crossed Geum Cheonbang's eyes.
He's quite something, he thought.
Yes, this is how you should conduct business with someone.
Shamelessly bold, yet persuasive.
'Right, the Silver River Merchant Group Leader wouldn't have gone to meet just anyone.'
Perhaps? The thought briefly crossed his mind that he might actually retrieve the money.
But he quickly dismissed it as impossible.
He knew the Hundred Immortals Gang well.
When ordinary people thought of them, they typically perceived them as cruel, emotional, and unreasonable.
In short, ignorant brutes who wouldn't listen to reason.
At first, Geum Cheonbang thought so too.
But now he knew better.
He knew that the Lord leading them was a smart man.
Their revenge, their legal plundering, all stemmed from meticulous calculation.
‘Can you really handle such a difficult person?’
Even while thinking he was no match, the fact that he was curious must mean this young man's demeanor was indeed impressive.
It was rare to see such spirit these days.
"What will you do if you can't collect it?"
He expected to hear that Geom Mugeuk would return the two million nyang he received from his daughter.
"If I can't, I can't. If even the Clan Leader can't get the money, how could I get it easily?"
By dragging him into it, Geum Cheonbang could not refute his words.
He was impressed by Geom Mugeuk's response.
"Will you give me half?"
It was money he wasn't getting back anyway.
Even if he only got one and a half million out of three million nyang, it would be a profit.
Besides, if he really did collect it, he would gain a reputation more valuable than money, just as the young man had said.
'What if he fails?'
The Hundred Immortals Gang would rough him up a bit and send him back.
Since they were indebted to the Golden Dragon Clan, they wouldn't make a big scene.
If this fellow's spirit was broken, it would be easier to recover the two million nyang in the future.
Thus, Geum Cheonbang's calculations were complete.
"Very well, I will give you half."
Geum Ah-rin, who had been watching, could not hold back and interrupted.
"You can't!"
She had tried to stay out of it, knowing her father was angry with her, but if she didn't intervene now, it would be too late.
"Do you know how dangerous this is, making such a promise?"
Geom Mugeuk looked at her and said calmly.
"I know how much two million nyang is. I also know that one and a half million nyang is a large sum, and to earn big money, one must naturally take big risks, no?"
Geum Cheonbang liked those words.
He disliked people who tried to make money without taking risks.
To earn big money, one had to bear big risks.
Geom Mugeuk's gaze shifted from Geum Ah-rin back to Geum Cheonbang.
"It seems one must jump into the merchant world to make money. The moment I arrive, money is pouring in."
To Geom Mugeuk's composure, Geum Cheonbang responded with his own.
"Whether it's a shower of money or a shower of blood, we'll only know when it's over."
The two men faced each other.
In what could have been a mere introductory meeting, a great promise had been made.
"Then, I will see you after I retrieve the money."
Geom Mugeuk bowed politely and was about to leave when Geum Ah-rin spoke.
"Please wait outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with my father."
"Very well."
As Geom Mugeuk left the Clan Leader’s Hall, only Geum Cheonbang and Geum Ah-rin remained.
Geum Cheonbang had a good idea of what his daughter wanted to say.
"You know he'll never be able to do it, don't you? You're only giving him this task to punish me, aren't you? This is too much."
Geum Cheonbang responded coldly.
"You are the one who is being too much."
"What do you mean?"
"It means you brought trouble back to the main family."
"The Silver River Merchant Group brought them in to attack my organization. I couldn't just stand by and watch."
Strictly speaking, her own life had been on the line.
My life was at stake, yet you're scolding me over money!
She barely managed to swallow the words that rose to her throat.
She was at fault for spending a sum as large as two million nyang without permission.
"The moment you found out, you should have returned to the clan and consulted with your father."
Geum Ah-rin had something to say about that too.
"Then my brothers would use it against me, saying I can't handle my own affairs and run to hide in father's arms."
"Still, it was reckless. What if that man is a spy planted by the Silver River Merchant Group?"
"Is there such a noisy spy in the world?"
Geum Cheonbang said no more.
Geum Ah-rin left with a final word.
"He's not trouble, he's a blessing. A blessing you've just thrown into the gutter."
Geum Ah-rin exited the Clan Leader’s Hall.
Her chest felt tight.
Of all places, the Hundred Immortals Gang.
Geom Mugeuk was waiting for her outside the building.
"Are you really going to do this?"
Geom Mugeuk nodded and began to walk.
The two spoke as they walked side by side.
"Do you even know what kind of place the Hundred Immortals Gang is?"
"What kind of place is it?"
Geum Ah-rin, with a look that said, ‘I knew it,’ began to describe the people she didn't even want to think about.
"It's a place where the scum of the earth gather. And that scum aren't just neighborhood ruffians, but skilled masters. The Lord who leads them, in particular, is known to be a peerless master."
Geom Mugeuk simply walked on in silence.
"That's not all. The truly frightening thing about them is that if one of them dies, the rest will swarm and exact revenge. They are cruel enough to kill the friends and family of their target."
This wide-ranging revenge was the biggest reason the Hundred Immortals Gang had become a symbol of terror.
It was also a reason they deserved to die.
"How have such people survived until now? Did the Martial Alliance just let them be?"
"Because they never leave evidence. I heard that if someone does leave evidence, they eliminate that person themselves to cut off the tail. In the end, there are only rumors about them."
In his past life, the Hundred Immortals Gang was eventually subjugated by the Martial Alliance.
The Martial Alliance found evidence of their evil deeds and attacked, and the gang was annihilated after putting up a fierce resistance.
He knew that in the process, a considerable number of masters from the Martial Alliance were injured or killed.
Seeing the Hundred Immortals Gang become connected to him in this life, he could once again feel the truth of fate—that those who must die, will die.
"Did you hear me? They kill innocent family members too."
"My family is fine."
Geom Mugeuk added with a smile.
"So fine it's a problem."
Geum Ah-rin knew where that confidence came from.
"I know you trust your father, but..."
After walking in silence for a moment, she made a big decision.
"Fine, then I'll go with you."
It was a life-risking decision, but she was immediately rejected.
"Do you want to have more money extorted from you?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you visit them, do you think they'll just let you be? They'll find some way to pick a fight, capture you, and then demand money from your father. They'll say, if you want your daughter back, bring the money."
They were more than capable of such a thing, so she couldn't argue.
"Then what about you? Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine. My father won't give them a single coin."
Joking at a time like this?
She thought Geom Mugeuk's composure was excessive.
It would have been nice if he had at least calmly explained what he was thinking, but Geom Mugeuk headed in a different direction from where he was supposed to go.
"Where are you going? The guest hall is this way."
"I have somewhere to be. See you later."
Geum Ah-rin watched Geom Mugeuk's back as he strode away and let out a sigh she had been holding back.
Now she understood why he had said those words.
How much can you trust me?
How much will you make me worry?
That night, Geum Ah-rin visited Geom Mugeuk's quarters.
It was late, but Geom Mugeuk was awake.
"Did I disturb your sleep?"
"It's fine, come in. We are busy people at night."
"Pardon?"
Geom Mugeuk simply offered an enigmatic smile.
Geum Ah-rin stepped inside.
Seeing a bottle of wine on the table, it seemed he had been drinking.
"Would you like a drink?"
"Yes, please."
She was in a state where she truly craved a drink.
She had never dreamed that returning to the clan would lead to something like this.
"Have you contacted your father and uncle?"
"Contact about what?"
"About the Hundred Immortals Gang. You should inform them about it."
She asked, with a glimmer of hope that it wasn't so.
"Surely you're not planning to go alone?"
She had thought it would be dangerous even if the three of them went together.
"I'm going alone."
Geum Ah-rin was startled.
Seeing Geom Mugeuk's calm eyes, she knew he wasn't joking.
She gulped down the wine she had just been given and set the empty cup down with a thud.
"A two-million-nyang drinking party, I see."
It was a joke that this might be the last time she saw him.
A joke that wasn't a joke.
"Fine, let's say you're a peerless master I don't know about."
It was possible.
He had killed Jeon Nak and made those Money Bugs so obedient.
"Even so, you need a plan. There are a hundred of them. You have to decide who to approach first, what to say when you get there. What to do if they don't give you the money willingly. No, they will definitely not give you the money, so you need to think about how to respond in advance."
"I am making one."
"Or at least find their weaknesses, wait, what did you say?"
"I said I was making a plan."
Only then did her eyes notice the papers stacked on the table.
On the topmost sheet, she saw the words 'Hundred Immortals Gang'.
"What's this?"
"Information on the Hundred Immortals Gang."
"Where did you get it?"
"I bought it from an information broker."
In truth, this information had been received through Silver Moon.
The Silver Moon Shaanxi Division had, of course, already investigated the Hundred Immortals Gang, a notable organization in the area.
"When?"
"I went out and bought it earlier."
"May I take a look?"
Geom Mugeuk nodded, and Geum Ah-rin examined the documents.
It was truly information about them.
It detailed who the Lord was, what martial arts he possessed, who his subordinates were, how much they trusted each other, what their personalities were like, what duties they handled, and what evil deeds each had committed.
That wasn't all.
It also detailed which merchant groups they had borrowed money from, how much they had defaulted on, and what businesses they were running with that money.
They were involved in all sorts of profitable ventures, reaping enormous gains.
"I didn't know information brokers sold such detailed information."
"There's no information you can't get if you have money."
She felt embarrassed.
To come to someone who was preparing like this and just verbally tell him to make a plan.
If she had been truly worried, she should have bought this information herself and given it to him.
She wasn't an intellectual who didn't act, but a worrier who didn't act.
"So, have you made a plan?"
"I have."
This refreshingly direct answer was something no one could match.
"Tell me."
"It's a secret."
Seeing him like this, she felt a sliver of hope that he might actually get the money back.
"But I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
The favor was something she had never imagined.
"Go to the merchant groups and sects listed there and tell them you'll collect the money they're owed by the Hundred Immortals Gang. Tell them you'll take half as a service fee."
"What did you say?"
So surprised was she that Geum Ah-rin shot up from her seat.
She was so shocked that she literally jumped to her feet.
"It would be more trustworthy if you went rather than me."
Geum Ah-rin was so stunned she didn't know what to say.
Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk continued speaking.
"I could take all their money for myself. But this is a better way. You will gain a reputation for recovering the money, they will get back money they thought was lost, and I will also gain half."
Geom Mugeuk pointed out that, at least for her, this matter held a different significance.
"This will play a big role in you becoming the successor. Your reputation in Shaanxi will rise significantly."
Geum Ah-rin could see that Geom Mugeuk was serious.
"You really intend to collect all that money."
Collect it all? All the money from the victims of the Hundred Immortals Gang?
"That's right. I will collect the money for all who wish it."
"Just getting our money back is impossible, but…"
Suddenly, a thought struck her like a bolt of lightning.
"Don't tell me you're..."
It was the most shocking moment she'd had since meeting Geom Mugeuk.
"You plan to kill them all."