Episode 183

Late at night, Mak Chung-heon was walking in a lone street.

There were a few people following him, and they were all people who looked like they wanted to display their strength.

“The fog is thick…”

Mak Chung-heon frowned as he walked. The fog was indeed thick.

It was cold and if he wasn’t careful, the fog was turning so thick that he couldn’t even see what was in front of him.

In such a gloomy atmosphere, he felt the illusion that he was hearing this haunting tone.

Mak Chung-heon thought it was ridiculous.

So he left Changsha and began to move to a place which held no eyes. At some point, he got on horseback and left Changsha, heading to Dongting Lake.

The surrounding area was wide plains.

Except for the calmly flowing Dongting Lake, nothing could be seen.

However, Mak Chung-heon traveled for a long time, passing by large rocks and bushes, and arrived at a cave which appeared to have existed naturally.

This was a place which wasn’t visible even when boating on Dongting Lake.

The lakeside bushes were blocking the entrance, and there was a large rock blocking the entrance, so one couldn’t even tell that there was a cave there.

Mak Chung-heon entered the cave.

“Luckily all is well.”

Piled high were the items stolen from the Golden Ring merchants. If the alcohol bottles and the silk were sold at full price, the profits would easily reach a hundred gold coins.

Although it was a shame to have to dispose of such goods because they were stolen, he would feel a bit at ease to dispose of them as soon as possible.

“Have you been in a place like this?”

The sound from behind made Mak Chung-heon turn his gaze.

A group of people dressed in brightly colored clothes was standing there. At best the three people standing in front were dressed to look like they were the lords and behind them were people who looked like guards ready to use the sword.

And he saw a familiar face.

The County Magistrate.

He was Changsha’s County Magistrate and a close associate of Mak Chung-heon.

“Lord Geon, it has been so long since I last saw you.”

Geon So-chun.

A very powerful official who served the Provincial Lord and he was one to hold a good influence in the working of people.

“Right, so long. But why did you have to call me to this place?”

Geon So-chun asked with a bit of dissatisfied expression.

He didn’t seem to like the idea of being called to such a deserted place at this late hour.

He didn’t expect his expression to calm down.

“Of course, it was all for you, right?”

“Hmm… so, what is it?”

“I called you here to tell you that we gained something recently….”

With those words, Mak Chung-heon began to guide them into the cave. Geon So-chun naturally followed him inside and couldn’t hide the surprise at the scenery as he took a short step ahead.

“This is….!”

“It is the alcohol of the Ho Yeon family.”

“How did you get these…?”

“Hahahahaha. I just happened to get my hands on them.”

Mak Chung-heon answered while pretending to cover his mouth with one finger. Just looking at it made him realize that he didn’t procure this in a conventional manner.

Geon So-chun smiled.

“Recently, there are many people in the province looking for the Ho Yeon family’s liquor.”

“Hahah, is that so? But….”

“Ahhh, I know. Isn’t it alright as long as we don’t give out large quantities?”

Geon So-chun quickly saw the situation for what it was and nodded as if he had already thought of it.

These were stolen goods, they had the advantage of being purchased cheaper than normal and still cinched profits.

Just serving a high-ranking official would make a good impression, and also provide a chance to gain further power.

“Nice, nice. How about five hundred gold coins?”

Mak Chung-heon pretended to be lost in thought.

Right.

‘Just five hundred gold coins?’

Even if he brought this and sold it to someone other than this man, it would get a higher bid. As he paused, unable to answer, Geon So-chun turned a bit flustered and said,

“I will give you eight hundred then.”

“Hahaha. Thank you for the good deal. Do we move the items right away then?”

“Well, that sounds like a good idea.”

Geon So-chun nodded, tearing off the seal on the alcohol bottle in his hand.

Even so, when he heard that the alcohol of the Ho Yeon family was being sold again, he did try to purchase it, but he never thought he would manage to get such precious alcohol for a price this low.

The life of a person wasn’t something one could predict.

It seemed like a good idea to give the alcohol away to the nobles and the highest-ranking officials, even if it means wiping their asses.

The moment he took a sip of the alcohol while thinking…

Puke!

Geon So-chun spat out the alcohol in his mouth. Everyone was shocked at this.

Geon So-chun, having coughed too many times, glared at Mak Chung-heon with fiery eyes and threw the bottle at him.

Throw!

“Eup!”

Mak Chung-heon was struck on the head and stumbled backwards.

As he gulped down the sip of it, there was this odd musty smell which stung his nose.

“Euk!’

Even Mak Chung-heon was nauseated by the smell.

“You! How dare you try to scam me with this!?”

“That… what do you mean?”

“Didn’t you just try to sell me this filth!”

Geon So-chun was red in the face.

The disgusting smell and feeling that continued to linger in his mouth was driving him insane.

He desperately wanted to behead this bastard who had scammed him but also wanted to wash that taste off his mouth.

“You! I will never let you go! How dare you ill-treat me like this!?”

Geon So-chun, who shouted with a red face, turned his back. He could barely resist the urge to scream.

This was because he knew that although the skills of his guards were useful, they were not enough to handle Mak Chung-heon and his men.

“Just… just what is this!?”

When Geon So-chun’s anger didn’t show signs of calming down, and his subordinates drew their swords, Mak Chung-heon and Gu Hwang-jung, who brought Geon So-chun here, were shocked.

Gu Hwang-jung looked dumbfounded at Mak Chung-heon, then opened a sealed bottle to sniff it.

He drew his head away right then at the unpleasant smell.

“You! Isn’t this plain urine!”

Urine.

If it came from a human, it couldn’t have been this bad, so it seemed to be from an animal. The disgusting smell which stung the nose didn’t go away.

“Just… just what is… this…”

Mak Chung-heon sat down right there.

What did this mean? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Could it be that all of this was a well thought-out plan?

To mess with him and rise in position?

Mak Chung-heon thought that far, then stood up and rode his horse as fast as he could to Changsha.

“Where are you going!”

He heard the sharp sound of Gu Hwang-jung behind him, but he didn’t bother replying. There was nothing visible in his eyes, which were full of rage.

After riding for a while they arrived in front of the Hunan Merchant Union.

It all happened so quickly that the horse was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that even Mak Chung-heon was drenched in sweat.

He kicked down the door of the Hunan Merchant Union and stepped inside.

It was all too quiet.

Well, that was expected since Ga Jong-pyung led most of them outside.

“Ga Jong-pyung!”

The moment Mak Chung-heon entered, he shouted.

In terms of timing, he could have come back already. That was why he called his name many times, but the answer didn’t come.

Mak Chung-heon was taken over by nervousness, thinking if he moved faster and ran away with the money.

Mak Chung-heon, who was running to the main building, suddenly stopped.

Because he saw people gathered in one corner.

Mak Chung-heon frowned and approached them, still feeling angry.

“Get out of my way!”

At his words, not just the warriors, but the guards stepped aside too.

The warehouse on the side was wide open and Ga Jong-pyung was sitting there, looking lost.

Mak Chung-heon wanted to run over and grab Ga Jong-pyung by the collar, but instead was frozen like a statue, unable to move.

“Ah… there is nothing…?”

The wide-open warehouse was empty inside.

Not just the Jumun family’s alcohol, but also the alcohol and silk brought in from the Western region and the goods they have traded didn’t appear.

It was plain empty.

“How did this happen?!”

Mak Chung-heon’s scream was delayed.

Night had taken over the Hunan region.

“Hahaha.”

Dan Woo-hyun was watching the scene from not too far away. The devastated look of having lost it all.

The expression of the two people brought him peace.

Zhuge Yun’s thoughts were right.

Although they had a hard time finding the cave, they gleaned a clue in the story from the traitor of the Golden Ring merchants whom they captured, and scoured the area to find it.

From then on, it was easy.

There were a few people guarding the place, but they made it so that no matter what they did, they wouldn’t be noticed by anyone.

And he filled empty alcohol bottles with dog and pig urine and swapped the bottles.

Attaching the seals was a tough task.

Because the smell of urine was a lot stronger than he thought.

In addition, he confirmed the troops of the Hunan merchants and quickly robbed the Hunan Merchant Union with the help of Hong Won-chang’s men and Sa Dohak.

It was only natural that it didn’t leave a trace.

Deal back what was done. He found the lost items and even gained a boat.

The blow suffered by the Hunan Merchant Union would be several times greater than what the Golden Ring Merchant Union went through.

“Since all the money has been spent, they will have to sell almost all their possessions to maintain their Merchant Union.”

Zhuge Yun, who was close by, smiled.

Not only did they bring the goods, they also swept up the gold coins and money slips.

Since it wasn’t a bearer slip, it couldn’t be burned, and they could be used without problem.

As a result, they might be close to being bankrupt now.

“If this was dealt with harshly , the next is obvious.”

“Yes. To use force. Now that I think about it, since Go Chwi-san is here, he might step in.”

“Go Chwi-san…? It would be nice?”

“He is a person worth being acknowledged for his achievements in martial arts. Naturally….”

So, in front of Dan Woo-hyun, Sa Dohak, and Namgung Chun, he was like a speckle of light in front of the sun.

“Can we dispose of those stolen goods?”

At those words, Zhuge Yun smiled and nodded.

“Do not worry. If the Hunan Merchant Union collapses, there will be an abundance of people who will buy them.”

Once you touch it, make sure to uproot it and throw it.

Dan Woo-hyun and Zhuge Yun were having the same thought.

This will not end easily.

Zhuge Yun felt his heart pound for the first time in a long time and smiled brightly like a child.

When was the last time he had this fun feeling?

This was a feeling of true thrill.