It was the first time Geum Ah-rin had ever experienced it.
The existence of such a calm killing intent.
"You're planning to kill them all, aren't you?"
Now she understood.
Why Geom Mugeuk had accepted her father's request and asked for half the share.
And why he told her to inform the other merchant groups and sects that he would collect their debts as well.
"You can't possibly be unaware that they would never willingly hand over such a large sum of money. It might be different if it were a pittance."
At that, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
"The problem with this job isn't collecting the money, but what happens after it's collected."
"What do you mean?"
"Didn't you say it yourself? That they are the kind of people who take revenge by killing entire families. How do you think they'll react when such a huge amount is taken from them?"
"They will surely seek revenge."
Geom Mugeuk slowly nodded.
"I am not the one killing them. The way they have lived their lives is what will kill them."
She knew her premonition was correct.
Now, this was what she was curious about.
'How?'
Could it be that this man alone possessed the strength to annihilate the Hundred Immortals Gang?
Geom Mugeuk said to her.
"Now, go and get as many as you can. Persuading them is up to you. Think of it as part of the process of becoming the Successor."
Geom Mugeuk placed a piece of paper with the names of the merchant groups and sects into Geum Ah-rin's hand and ushered her out.
"Leave right now. Go to the ones with the largest amounts first."
"Hey, don't push me. Let's talk a little more."
"I have many things to do. I am a busy man at night."
Just like that, she was pushed out of the room.
From outside the closed door, she raised her voice.
"I'm your superior. I'm the one who gives the orders."
Have you ever been kicked out by a subordinate worth a whole two million Nyang?
Then, Geom Mugeuk's reply came from inside.
"A leader who just sits around giving orders has no charm. Now, my dear leader, please be on your way."
For several days, Geum Ah-rin diligently visited each merchant group and sect.
Just as Geom Mugeuk had instructed, she secretly went around to the groups and sects and secured their permission.
"I plan to collect the money you lost to the Hundred Immortals Gang. I'll collect it for you then, so give us half of it as a service fee."
If she had needed to leave a written contract, they would not have agreed.
They would have had to worry about retaliation from the Hundred Immortals Gang.
But she didn't ask for a contract.
She only confirmed the loan slips to see how much they had lent.
A verbal promise was easy.
They could just deny it later.
They could just insist that the Golden Dragon Clan was trying to create a pretext for themselves by dragging them into it.
If someone else had come and said this, they would never have made even a verbal promise.
But what if it was the Golden Dragon Clan?
What if the promise was made directly by a blood relative of the Golden Dragon Clan, the richest family in Shaanxi, and one of the top five, no, top three, in the Central Plains? Everyone had high hopes.
Wouldn't they only step forward if they thought it was possible?
In this way, Geum Ah-rin received permission from those who had been extorted for large sums of money.
Among them were some whose fortunes had declined because they were constantly being extorted by those fiends.
They placed their hopes in her promise.
When Geum Ah-rin returned, she handed him a paper listing the amounts each merchant group and sect had lent.
"So, what's your plan now?"
Geom Mugeuk said as he rose from his seat.
"I'll be going."
Geum Ah-rin blocked his path.
This man was really going to face a hundred masters all by himself, and in a den filled with nothing but villains.
"You'll go even if I try to stop you, won't you?"
She wanted to go with him too.
But how could she not know that she would only be a burden if she went along?
"Making money is this difficult."
Geom Mugeuk left with those words and was gone in a flash.
She couldn't say anything to him.
Normally, she should have said, 'Be careful,' but she couldn't bring herself to say it because another thought kept popping into her head.
'You should just run away.'
Surprisingly, that was what she wanted to say.
If she did, she would never be able to become the Successor, and the label of being swindled out of two million Nyang would stick with her for the rest of her life.
But why did she want to say such a thing?
Yes, because she felt that this man, at the very least, should not die at the hands of the villains of the Hundred Immortals Gang.
Because she thought that his bright, relaxed smile should not be torn apart and killed by such scoundrels.
Geum Ah-rin sighed and looked out the window.
She had a feeling that the time waiting for his return would feel incredibly long.
She should have at least told him this.
'You don't have to get the money, just come back safely.'
"Someone from the Golden Dragon Clan has come to see you."
At his subordinate's report, Yeom Je, the Lord of the Hundred Immortals Gang, lifted his head.
With his long beard and white robe, he truly looked like an immortal.
But even his dignified white beard and pristine clothes could not hide the cold, cunning nature in his eyes.
If he had the heart of a true immortal, he would not have been able to keep the villains in this great hall as his subordinates.
Moreover, he would have been struck down by one of their blades several times over by now.
This place was a hell, a place where only evil spirits could survive.
"Who has come?"
"He's a very young man with an unfamiliar face."
Yeom Je tilted his head slightly.
The Golden Dragon Clan sent someone he'd never seen before?
"Why did he say he came?"
"He said he would tell you in person."
"Make up a suitable excuse and send him away."
"Yes."
Yeom Je was displeased.
He might or might not meet the Clan Leader himself if he came in person, but they send a young whelp whose face he doesn't even know?
Regardless of his reason for coming, he was offended.
"It seems I'll have to teach the Golden Dragon Clan some discipline."
At that, the First Immortal, who was below the Grand Advisor's seat, picked up on his words.
"I will tell the Clan Leader to come by soon."
Nine other Immortals were lined up next to the First Immortal.
They were the Ten Immortals who always stood by Yeom Je's side.
They were ranked from one to ten in the Hundred Immortals Gang.
They were not the only ones present today.
The spacious great hall was filled with the Immortals of the Hundred Immortals Gang.
"Seventeenth Immortal, the accounts are settled!"
Today was the monthly settlement day, a day to report the money each had earned and present it to Yeom Je.
After the accounting was done, they would all drink and hold a banquet.
Yeom Je deliberately created these occasions to foster competition among them.
The Hundred Immortals Gang was an organization based on a strict hierarchy.
Below the Lord were the Ten Immortals, and below them were the established ranks from the Eleventh Immortal to the Ninety-Ninth Immortal.
Yeom Je had firmly established this ranking system.
This hierarchy was the greatest strength that protected the Hundred Immortals Gang and the source of its increased profits.
The desire to climb higher.
Because higher ranks brought greater profits, they desperately tried to achieve merit and move up.
Thus, the ranks were changed once a year.
It was at that moment.
The first words that would change the destiny of everyone there rang out.
"You have a lot of money."
At the unfamiliar voice echoing through the great hall, everyone's gaze turned toward the sound.
A young man had said it while looking at the pile of Promissory Notes stacked up at the accounting area.
"With all this money, why don't you pay your debts?"
A nearby Immortal, startled, asked.
"Who are you?"
No one had noticed the unfamiliar man walk in and stand beside them.
Of course, it was a hectically busy settlement day, but given their martial skills, it was an impossible occurrence.
Even so, at least one of the hundred should have seen him.
The young man walked toward the center, receiving everyone's stares.
Then, he looked at Yeom Je sitting in the Grand Advisor's seat and bowed politely.
"Greetings, Lord. I am Geom Yeon, from the Golden Dragon Clan."
At the mention of the Golden Dragon Clan, everyone relaxed.
Murmurs of 'Whew, you surprised me!' were heard here and there.
It was the moment their opponent was confirmed to be a mere martial artist sent by the Golden Dragon Clan, not some unknown mysterious master.
However, Yeom Je, the Lord, did not let his guard down.
No matter how bustling the atmosphere, the fact that even he had not noticed the man's entry weighed on his mind.
'What if that man had been an Assassin?'
Didn't it mean he could have been ambushed?
Raising a hand to stop the First Immortal from stepping forward, Yeom Je addressed Geom Mugeuk directly.
The Golden Dragon Clan was worthy of his personal attention.
"I haven't seen your face before."
"I have recently formed a connection with the Golden Dragon Clan."
Yeom Je was inwardly puzzled.
They sent someone who had only recently joined to see him? This was a first.
"What brings you here?"
All eyes focused on Geom Mugeuk.
And the words that came from Geom Mugeuk's mouth were something none of them had expected.
"I've come to collect the money you borrowed."
A flowing silence.
Is he crazy? Did I hear him wrong?
In that place filled with these two thoughts, someone burst out laughing.
The laughter was contagious, and soon, laughter erupted from all over.
It had been a long time since someone had come to them directly to collect money.
Could there really be someone with such bad luck? To come on their settlement day of all days, when they were all gathered.
"The unpaid debt amounts to three million Nyang. I should be collecting interest as well, but as a special exception, I will only take the principal."
Again, laughter erupted from all sides.
Yeom Je even began to think.
Did they send him here to be killed?
Could it be that the Golden Dragon Clan Leader sent him because he didn't want to bloody his own hands? Otherwise, there was no way that man would do something so reckless.
What on earth was he?
"Who are you?"
"I am Geom Yeon. Not the 'yeon' for connection, but the 'yeon' for smoke. When a connection ends, it should disappear like smoke, but sometimes, regret lingers. Like the intoxication of that person who loves wine, sometimes you want to stay around. But today, I think I'll disappear quickly without any lingering feelings."
What kind of nonsense is this?
Everyone turned their heads and exchanged glances.
Various emotions were contained in their gazes, but the most common one was this.
A madman has come!
And so, their eyes were filled with interest.
How should they play with this guy?
Though it seemed like a trivial matter, Yeom Je felt a strange sense of unease.
It was because it was unfamiliar.
For something like this to happen on their settlement day of all days, when everyone was gathered?
"Do you know where you are?"
"Isn't this the place where a hundred Immortals frolic?"
Geom Mugeuk slightly lowered his voice.
"But just between us, isn't it a bit much to call yourselves Immortals when you're not? I've heard you've done many bad things."
Seeing him speak so offensively, it seemed he really was sent to be killed.
Yeom Je gestured to one person with his eyes.
He was the last in the hierarchy, the Ninety-Ninth Immortal.
In situations like this, Yeom Je strictly gave orders according to rank.
"Why does a man talk so much?"
The Ninety-Ninth Immortal strode forward.
It was a golden opportunity to look good in front of the Lord.
A chance to escape from being the youngest.
Of course, things did not go as he intended.
Geom Mugeuk asked for his name.
"My dear Immortal, what is your esteemed name?"
"Why do you ask for my name?"
"I have something to confirm."
Geom Mugeuk took out a Promissory Note from his robes.
It was a hundred-thousand-Nyang note.
"If you answer, I will give you this."
He'd give him a hundred thousand Nyang just for saying his name? There was no way he would naively believe that.
"Are you trying to mock me with a fake Promissory Note?"
The Ninety-Ninth Immortal's hand naturally went to the hilt of his sword.
"It's a real Promissory Note. You have nothing to lose, right? If it's real, you get a hundred thousand Nyang for saying your name once, and if it's fake, you get a pretext to punish me."
The Ninety-Ninth Immortal glanced back and forth between Geom Mugeuk and the Promissory Note in his hand, and finally looked at Yeom Je.
Yeom Je nodded, telling him to play along.
"I am Jo Gung."
At that, Geom Mugeuk took out a piece of paper from his robes and checked it.
"Jo Gung, Jo Gung. Ah, here you are. Failed to repay a loan to a friend in your hometown, instead murdered the friend and fled. Lived as a wanderer, studied under a wanderer master, later active as one of the Black Summit Three Tigers before killing your two brothers and escaping. It seems our Immortal's specialty is stabbing those close to you in the back."
Jo Gung's eyes grew cold.
His opponent had come with accurate information about him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Killing intent filled Jo Gung's eyes.
"Is what's written here correct? It's information I trust, but I felt I should confirm with at least one person as a representative. That would put my mind at ease."
Then, one of the Ten Immortals standing behind spoke.
"That's wrong. He didn't just kill his brothers; he killed their entire families to eliminate any future trouble."
Jo Gung showed no shame.
Everyone here was like that.
In fact, the more evil and vile you were, the easier it was to live.
Jo Gung drew his sword and strode towards Geom Mugeuk.
"For your reckless tongue, your tongue and that hundred thousand Nyang are mine."
Jo Gung unleashed a killing move.
As if he really meant to cut out his tongue, he thrust his sword, aiming for Geom Mugeuk's mouth.
But Geom Mugeuk's tongue was not something that could be cut by Jo Gung's sword.
Dodging the incoming blade, Geom Mugeuk lightly countered.
Stabbed through the heart in a single strike, Jo Gung collapsed, dead.
The scent of blood flared up, and silence descended upon the place.
The move Geom Mugeuk had just shown was extremely ordinary.
He hadn't killed him by unleashing a special form, but had simply dodged the attack and thrust his sword.
So, depending on their individual skill, the reactions were split.
To be taken down by such an attack!
To kill Jo Gung with such an ordinary attack?
Of course, not a single person there was frightened.
After all, it was only the Ninety-Ninth Immortal, the last in the hierarchy, who had died, and there were ninety-nine of them here together.
Geom Mugeuk clasped his fists toward Yeom Je and spoke.
"My apologies, as you can see, it couldn't be helped."
Yeom Je spoke with sunken eyes.
"It's fine. When people with swords gather, blood is sometimes spilled."
"You are a man of great generosity. If you just give me the money you borrowed, I will leave as is."
But Yeom Je was not the kind of person to hand over a huge sum of three million Nyang just because one of his subordinates died.
"I was planning to repay the money. But the sect's financial situation is not good, so I was delaying it. Go back and tell your Clan Leader that I will repay the money soon."
Of course, he had no intention of doing so.
He would kill this man one way or another, and the Golden Dragon Clan would have to pay for today's incident with money.
They would have to be prepared to pay a much larger sum than what they had offered so far.
It would have been nice if he had just said, 'As you wish,' and turned to leave.
Geom Mugeuk turned his head and looked at the pile of Promissory Notes.
"There's plenty of money right there, isn't there? Let's see, if this much money comes in every month, there must be a huge amount piled up in the safe."
At the mention of the safe, Yeom Je's face twitched.
"Won't you pay your debt?"
The command 'Tear that man to pieces and kill him' rose to his throat, but Yeom Je forced himself to hold back.
His instincts were telling him not to.
To kill him later.
Didn't that man seem strange, no matter how you looked at him?
Yeom Je smiled and looked around at his subordinates.
"As you can see, I have many mouths to feed."
The Immortals looked at Geom Mugeuk with sneers and cunning smiles filling their mouths.
Geom Mugeuk, who was looking at them, proposed a solution.
"That can be solved simply."
Geom Mugeuk slowly drew his sword and said.
"Let's reduce the number of mouths."