“Please, spare me!”
The Third Immortal helped the young man, who was kneeling and begging, to his feet.
“This makes me feel very uncomfortable.”
“If you suddenly demand I repay the money, how can I possibly do it?”
The Third Immortal let out a sigh.
“I can't help it, the order came down from the Society. You know, don't you? People like us have no choice but to do as we're told.”
“But I can't sell my house. If I have no home, where will I care for my parents?”
This young man's weakness was his filial piety.
The Third Immortal continued to press that weak point.
“You'll have to find a relative's house for them.”
“What relative would welcome a pair of old folks?”
The Third Immortal sighed.
“This is why I told you not to borrow any more money, isn’t it?”
The young man sighed along with him.
“I didn't know it would come to this.”
After leaving home to learn martial arts, the young man's dream was to return and open a martial hall in his hometown.
He was working hard to earn money and achieve his dream when the Third Immortal approached him, offering a loan from the Debt of the Immortals.
Of course, the young man was suspicious at first.
But there was nothing unusual about the loan agreement.
Besides, the Third Immortal was so kind.
He truly treated him like an older brother.
He never even forced him to borrow the money.
He even advised him that having too much debt at a young age would be difficult and that he should borrow at another opportunity.
Then, just as the Third Immortal was about to lend the money to someone else, the young man grew anxious.
In the end, he borrowed the money that day.
He bought an old manor and began renovating it into a martial hall.
But during the construction, an accident occurred and some of the workers were injured.
The project was delayed, and he had to borrow more money to pay for their medical expenses.
After that, some of the materials were stolen.
So he had to borrow again.
Still, he planned to somehow open the martial hall and work diligently to repay his debts.
But this time, a fire broke out in the newly completed hall.
The young man truly felt as if the sky was falling.
Then, to make matters worse, the Third Immortal came to demand repayment, telling him to sell the house where his parents lived.
“I'll do anything. But I absolutely cannot sell the house!”
“Anything, you say? What, are you going to commit murder or something? Don’t say such useless things.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I'll try to plead your case with the Society, so let's discuss it.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Well then, I’ll see you again.”
As the Third Immortal turned away from the young man, a smile formed on his thin lips.
‘It’s about time.’
All it took was making him commit a single crime.
The moment he took that first step, he could be used for the rest of his life.
Especially with someone as kind, naive, and devoted to his parents as this young man, it was practically a free meal.
Ambition, dreams, hope, youth, family...
These bright and warm things were the bait that led young men to hell.
Push forward with ambition! You have to dream when you're young.
Have hope! You're young! Think of your family! How could hot-blooded young men possibly avoid this?
The Third Immortal gave a cold smile and boarded the waiting carriage.
He asked his subordinate in the driver's seat.
“Who’s next?”
“A man who wants to borrow money for the first time.”
“Who is he?”
“He says he’s the son of the Righteous Fist Sect’s master.”
It was a sect he had heard of.
One might wonder why the son of such a well-known sect would want to borrow money, but in his experience, it was always the ones who didn't need money who borrowed it, not the ones who did.
The Third Immortal leaned his head back in the carriage.
These days, he was so busy he barely had time to breathe.
The Dark Merchant World was run by four sworn brothers who committed all sorts of evil deeds.
When they started this venture, they abandoned their own names and became the First Immortal, Second Immortal, Third Immortal, and Fourth Immortal.
The First Immortal, who created the Dark Merchant World, was cunning and merciless.
He was born without a shred of compassion for others.
He was the one who had suddenly come up with a large sum of money and proposed this business.
He never said where the money came from.
There was surely a separate financier who provided this enormous capital.
In any case, one thing was certain.
As long as the merciless First Immortal was determined to make money, they were bound to earn a fortune.
To maintain secrecy, they kept their subordinates to a minimum, using only the elite, and strictly divided the labor.
The Fourth Immortal led the elite martial artists and only moved when force was needed.
If the Fourth Immortal was the fist, the Second Immortal was the feet.
The Second Immortal's role was to find potential victims.
The First Immortal decided what to do with these prey.
He made them do all sorts of things.
Not only assault and murder, but he also made them steal the martial arts secret manuals of their relatives and acquaintances.
If it seemed like a secret might be leaked, he would have them killed and disguise it as a suicide.
If the First Immortal was the head, the Third Immortal was the mouth.
The Third Immortal's role was to go around, patting them on the back and offering words of comfort.
If they just endured a little longer, a better life would come.
For that reason, when they gathered, they would often joke that the Third Immortal was the biggest bastard of them all.
“We’ve arrived.”
The meeting place was a tavern.
The subordinate pointed to a young man sitting in a corner seat and said.
“That’s him.”
The Third Immortal walked over to him, while his subordinate waited at a distance.
The Third Immortal sat down with the young man and greeted him warmly.
“Sorry. Have you been waiting long?”
“It’s fine.”
The young man answered in a low voice.
Usually, young men who came to borrow money were tense and stiff.
But this young man seemed less tense and more dark and gloomy.
“What’s your name?”
“Jeong Yang.”
The person who introduced himself as Jeong Yang was none other than Geom Mugeuk.
“I heard you are the successor of the Righteous Fist Sect?”
The Righteous Fist Sect was a real sect that existed not far from here.
Their youngest member was also named Jeong Yang.
Of course, this sect was one managed by the Heaven-Reaching Pavilion, affiliated with the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
If someone were to actually investigate, they would find that there was a son who looked just like Geom Mugeuk.
Like the Western Path Sect used during the Young Dragon Tournament, the Righteous Fist Sect was a front created for situations like this.
“Why does someone like you need money?”
The Third Immortal asked, testing the waters.
Instead of answering, Geom Mugeuk asked a question of his own.
“I heard you lend money without interest.”
“That’s right, the Debt of the Immortals doesn't charge interest.”
Geom Mugeuk lifted his head and looked at the Third Immortal.
Contrary to his usual self, Geom Mugeuk was projecting a gloomy atmosphere.
He could have acted arrogant, or like a scion of a great noble family.
But Go Wol had instructed him to face his opponent with this particular demeanor.
“How much can you lend me?”
“How much do you need?”
“One hundred thousand nyang.”
The Third Immortal was startled.
This was the first time someone had asked to borrow one hundred thousand nyang at once.
“What do you plan to use such a large sum for?”
Geom Mugeuk lowered his head and said nothing.
“Hey. It's your freedom to use the borrowed money as you wish, but one hundred thousand nyang is a very large sum. Shouldn't I at least know what it’s for?”
The Third Immortal thought to himself.
‘This doesn't feel right.’
Just as he decided not to lend the money, Geom Mugeuk, as if unable to contain his frustration, suddenly slammed his fist into the floor from his seated position.
Even though he hadn't struck it directly, the tavern floor sank inward.
The Third Immortal was shocked.
What was even more surprising was that it had been done so quietly that the people at the next table hadn't noticed.
For his age, his inner energy was profound.
“Forget it. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
As if he regretted coming, Geom Mugeuk tried to leave, but the Third Immortal stopped him.
“Wait! Why are you in such a hurry?”
Geom Mugeuk acted as if, even at this moment, he was conflicted about whether to borrow the money or not.
“Here, sit down first.”
The Third Immortal held onto Geom Mugeuk because of his skill.
‘This is the one the First Immortal is looking for!’
The First Immortal had been searching for a master to use for a big job.
An order had even come down to secure any master they came across.
“Alright, I’ll lend you the money. What you use it for is your personal business, so I won’t ask any further.”
A hint of joy flashed across Geom Mugeuk’s face.
“I’m lending you such a large sum of money, and not even a single word of thanks?”
Then, Geom Mugeuk spoke, his voice barely audible.
“There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You’ll eventually use this loan to get something out of me.”
Geom Mugeuk glared at the Third Immortal with a look that said, ‘You can’t fool me.’
Of all the people the Third Immortal had met, this was the first one who gave him such a feeling.
He was somehow unsettling, yet strangely captivating.
He seemed like the type to cause some huge trouble, which meant he was the type who could earn them a lot of money.
“Alright! Let’s write up the loan agreement.”
Geom Mugeuk examined the agreement from every angle.
“It’s just as I heard, there’s no repayment date.”
“If we were trying to make money, we would have invested in a merchant group. We’re investing in your youth.”
At the word ‘youth,’ Geom Mugeuk scoffed and continued to examine the agreement.
“If I dip this in water, the contents won’t change or something, will they?”
“If you’re so suspicious, go ahead and check.”
Geom Mugeuk actually splashed water on it and even brought a lantern close to heat it.
But the loan agreement showed no change.
This time, it was the Third Immortal who scoffed inwardly.
‘He's a suspicious one.’
Did this make him difficult to use? No. Suspicious people had their own easy-to-exploit aspects.
This is because once they overcome their suspicion, they tend to show a firm, unwavering belief.
When you’re determined to deceive someone, their personality is no obstacle.
After examining the agreement for a long time, Geom Mugeuk nodded.
“Give me the money, and I’ll leave my handprint.”
At the Third Immortal’s command, the subordinate driving the carriage brought a promissory note.
After receiving the money, Geom Mugeuk left his handprint on the agreement.
“Well then, let’s meet again.”
After pocketing the money, Geom Mugeuk left without a backward glance.
The Third Immortal ordered his subordinate.
“Release the surveillance team and find out what that bastard uses the money for.”
“Understood.”
The two left the tavern and departed in their carriage.
From an alley across the street, Geom Mugeuk and Go Wol watched them leave.
“You did well.”
Geom Mugeuk had done as Go Wol instructed, projecting the darkest and most gloomy atmosphere possible.
“It was good that you checked the loan agreement.”
Splashing it with water and heating it had been Geom Mugeuk’s own improvisation.
He had reasoned that someone approaching with ill intentions wouldn't go to such lengths to inspect the document.
“Grand Strategist Go, wouldn’t it be better to just capture that bastard and torture him to find out where the others are?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s question, Go Wol shook his head.
“The one who planned this is a clever man. If we make a wrong move, he’ll cut his losses and go into hiding.”
“So what do we do now?”
“With the one hundred thousand nyang you borrowed, you will buy one item.”
“What item?”
Go Wol smiled, as if he already had a plan.
“An item that will give them a big surprise.”
*
Three days later, the subordinate returned and reported to the Third Immortal.
“Jeong Yang used the one hundred thousand nyang to find a Black Market Merchant in this area and bought poison.”
The Black Market Merchants, also known as shadow merchants, were those who sold hidden weapons, arms, and poisons forbidden by the Martial Alliance.
“He bought poison? What kind?”
“He bought Formless Fatal Poisons.”
The Third Immortal was startled.
Formless Fatal Poisons were extremely expensive and not easy to obtain.
“Can you buy it with one hundred thousand nyang?”
“It seems he bought just enough for a single use.”
“Who on earth is he planning to kill?”
When the subordinate replied that he couldn't find out, the Third Immortal was troubled.
People had used the money he lent for all sorts of things, but no one had ever bought Formless Fatal Poisons.
Perhaps this was the unsettling feeling he had gotten that day.
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
It was possible, though not his intention, that the Formless Fatal Poisons could be used on the Third Immortal himself.
“How did he even deal with the Black Market Merchant?”
“There’s a skilled information broker in this area. It seems he made contact through him.”
“Damn it! Tell that bastard I want to see him again.”
“Yes.”
The Third Immortal sighed.
He truly loved this job.
The pleasure of slowly coaxing someone toward their ruin was greater than that of a night with a woman.
Moreover, even as they were dying, his victims relied only on him.
The Third Immortal thought there was no greater destructive and primal pleasure.
If it weren't for the madmen like this who occasionally showed up.
The next day, the Third Immortal met Geom Mugeuk again.
“Why did you want to see me?”
Now that he knew about the poison, Geom Mugeuk seemed even more gloomy and dark.
“There's something I need to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Where did you spend the one hundred thousand nyang I lent you?”
Geom Mugeuk frowned.
“Didn't we agree you wouldn't ask about that?”
“We did. But a strange rumor is going around. Someone supposedly bought Formless Fatal Poisons for one hundred thousand nyang.”
Geom Mugeuk flinched.
His reaction was so obvious there was no need to press him further.
“It wasn't me.”
“Then show me the money. Or tell me what you spent it on.”
Geom Mugeuk couldn't say a word.
The Third Immortal spoke in a gentle, coaxing tone.
“The moment you bought that, we became partners in the same boat. If you cause trouble with that poison, it becomes a problem for us too. So tell me. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will.”
“You can’t help me.”
“Who on earth are you trying to kill? If you use Formless Fatal Poisons, the Martial Alliance will investigate. That means the problem will get bigger. If you want to kill someone, you'd be better off hiring an assassin or...”
At that moment, an unimaginable name came out.
“Is there an assassin who can kill the Fist Demon?”
“!”
The Third Immortal was truly shocked.
He couldn't remember the last time he had been this surprised.
“Surely you don’t mean the Fist Demon of the Demon Sect?”
“Why not? That bastard who deserves to be torn to shreds.”
The Third Immortal was at a loss for words.
He felt he had gotten involved in something terrible.
‘Ah! This one is a madman.
A complete and utter madman.’
If things went wrong with the Demon Sect, they would all end up dead.
“Why are you trying to kill the Fist Demon?”
“The Fist Demon touched my woman.”
“Why would the Fist Demon touch your woman of all people?”
After a moment's hesitation, Geom Mugeuk, as if he had already crossed the point of no return, revealed his family's secret.
“Our Righteous Fist Sect is affiliated with the Demon Sect. It was under the Fist Demon's jurisdiction.”
The Third Immortal nearly screamed.
He was already entangled with the Demon Sect.
How could this madman reveal such a grave secret so easily? But there was a reason he had lost his senses.
“The Fist Demon, who visited my home from time to time, saw my fiancée and raped her. Damn it! My father knew about it but told me to endure it.”
Geom Mugeuk's eyes burned with a reckless fury.
“I’m going to kill the Fist Demon.”
The Third Immortal had made the same decision.
He quickly sent a telepathic message to his subordinate standing a short distance behind him.
—Contact the Immortals.
We need to get rid of this madman and get out of here fast.