35 — Chapter 35

“Excuse me, what did you just say?”

Ha Ho-baek, leader of the Smoke and Cloud Union, repeated the question in disbelief.

The members of the External Protection Troops, including Seo Nak-il, bowed instinctively like stalks of ripe rice; Yu Se-gwang was no exception.

But our Yeon Mujin was—

“How much are you going to pay?”

Ha Ho-baek trembled. His face flushed.

“Guests from the Bukgung Family of the realm, and the first thing you ask about is money?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. No, no, that can’t be right.”

Yeon Mujin raised his index finger and wagged it side to side.

“Because it’s the Bukgung Family I’m talking to. Do you know what people call the Bukgung Family?”

“…The realm’s foremost golden family?”

Yeon Mujin nodded emphatically.

“What is the most important thing about the realm’s foremost golden family?”

“…Gold?”

Yeon Mujin nodded even more emphatically.

“Exactly. They’re called a golden family because they treasure gold above all. Do you think we came all the way to this remote Shandong for free? If someone asks for help, they should properly pay for it.”

Ha Ho-baek clenched his fists, shaking with a fresh sense of betrayal.

If they were calculating things this way, he would have been better off hiring other warriors.

…But on second thought that was impossible. Behind the Night Water Clan stood the Bukgung Family.

Even if he offered a fortune, who would draw a sword against the Bukgung Family?

Retreat, and it’s Bukgung.

Advance, and it’s Bukgung.

Ha Ho-baek was trapped in a damned dilemma named Bukgung. There was no way out.

“How much would satisfy you?”

Yeon Mujin held out one finger.

How much did that mean? The unit was obviously gold, right? Ten gold coins? A hundred?

Someone from the Bukgung Family of the realm wouldn’t be satisfied with a hundred gold coins, surely? If so, perhaps—

“…A thousand gold coins?”

The amount was insane; the External Protection Troops clenched their jaws to keep from dropping to their knees.

One gold coin might barely feed an ordinary commoner for a year. But a thousand?

Even the unit leader Seo Nak-il’s monthly stipend was just under two gold coins.

‘If it’s a thousand gold coins, that’s two hundred and fifty coins per person?’

After doing the math, the External Protection Troops pinched their own thighs hard.

Forget conscience and pride—this kind of money would be humiliating to refuse.

But Yeon Mujin, as if incredulous, replied.

“What do you mean a thousand coins? Are you mad?”

Ha Ho-baek breathed a sigh of relief and the External Protection Troops exhaled almost simultaneously.

That was true—until Yeon Mujin continued.

“Ten thousand gold coins!”

Thud!

Ha Ho-baek sprang to his feet.

Ten thousand gold coins! He had never seen or even heard of such a sum.

“That’s an absurd sum! The Smoke and Cloud Union has no ability to pay that!”

Ha Ho-baek assumed the man was proposing an outrageous condition to get the request refused.

No matter how you looked at it, ten thousand gold coins was unreasonable—even for the Bukgung Family!

But Yeon Mujin was sincere. He answered as if it were obvious.

“Of course, the Smoke and Cloud Union doesn’t have that capital now. That’s why we need a contract, isn’t it?”

“What contract?”

“A contract where the Smoke and Cloud Union pays tribute regularly to our Bukgung Family’s Flying Swallow Manor until the debt of ten thousand gold coins is cleared.”

Ha Ho-baek grew angrier than before.

When he first heard ten thousand gold coins it was absurd; now it was downright enraging.

“Such unfairness! I’ve never heard such a lunatic condition! You want me to stake the future of the Smoke and Cloud Union with my own hands? With the hands of Ha Ho-baek?”

If not for his origins in the Bukgung Family, he might have overturned the table several times.

Yeon Mujin scratched his temple with a coin and replied indifferently.

To anyone watching, the gesture clearly meant, ‘that’s your problem.’

Ha Ho-baek felt a strong urge to smack this stranger he’d never seen before.

Yeon Mujin said, “Think carefully. The amount isn’t the important thing.”

“How can you say the amount isn’t important?”

“Is the union leader really that clueless?”

“What an outrageous…!”

“It’s not about mortgaging the Smoke and Cloud Union’s future. If the union, by contract, pays tribute regularly to our Flying Swallow Manor, that means, conversely, that as long as you’re paying money, the Smoke and Cloud Union is tied to our Flying Swallow Manor, isn’t it?”

…Is that so?

Ha Ho-baek paused, considering. He raised a fist and struck his own forehead hard.

The three External Protection Troops members looked at Ha Ho-baek with expressions of dawning understanding.

Listening to Yeon Mujin, it truly seemed everything would turn out as he said. No matter how you looked at it, Yeon Mujin sounded like a conman rather than a warrior.

“If you came from the Bukgung Family, even if not the Smoke and Cloud Union, people across the Central Plains would bring you money—what’s the use of that?”

“We’re not from the Bukgung Family proper, we’re from the Bukgung Family’s Flying Swallow Manor.”

“…What’s the difference?”

“Flying Swallow Manor is a bit special; it doesn’t have a patron yet.”

The three External Protection Troops all slapped their foreheads.

Yeon Mujin had spoken indirectly, but essentially it was no different from saying, ‘we’re penniless.’

‘But can we really say we have no patron? What about man Jang Chun-sik who settled at Flying Swallow Manor?’

It didn’t matter.

Ha Ho-baek asked again.

“What if you fail to drive out the Night Water Clan?”

“Is that even a question? Then of course we don’t get paid. We’re not the sort to cheat people like that.”

Their methods were worse than thugs, but at least it was a relief that the ten thousand gold coins was a success fee, not an upfront sum.

“Still, that price is excessive.”

“Yeah. Ten thousand gold coins to drive out a petty faction is of course absurd.”

Why the sudden reasonable development?

But Yeon Mujin had one last hidden move.

“The ten thousand gold coins is the price for driving out the Night Water Clan, plus one more thing.”

“What…?”

“Your missing union leader—I will find them.”

“…Eh?”

“But in return, summon all those under the Southern Four Alliance.”

---

There’s one thing that’s a bit confusing.

You know, the leaders of the Southern Four Alliance who are said to be missing.

From the moment that Woo-cheon or Cheon-woo—whatever his name was—spoke, I never believed he was dead.

It’s literally a disappearance. Someone captured them and locked them up somewhere.

In my past life, when I dealt with the Southern Four Alliance, I also captured their leaders and hid them somewhere. Back then the Un guy had ordered it, so it’s likely the same this time.

The leaders are not dead; they’re being held somewhere. That’s certain.

But what confuses me is this.

‘Who on earth did that?’

In my past life, capturing and hiding those guys wasn’t an easy task.

These weren’t just four street kids to be kidnapped; they were leaders of sizable factions. Four of them.

Only someone of my skill could barely pull that off.

But in this life, I’m not at Solitary Cloud Manor, am I?

The other Lonely Claw Troops guys can swing a blade, but they can’t perform refined, elegant operations like I did. At best they’re good for assassinations.

The plausible suspect that comes to mind is ‘that one guy.’

If it’s him it’s possible, but he’s not the sort to step into matters like this. That snake of a man.

“Ah, dunno.”

When I said that, I felt the three men’s gazes flick to me.

“They said they’d need some time until the Southern Four Alliance gathers, right?”

“Yes. A few days should be enough.”

“Then let’s get to work first.”

“What should we be doing?”

“What else. We should go take a look at that place called the Night Water Clan.”

“…Eh?”

The three of them instantly went blank-faced.

“…Right now?”

---

“Hey.”

There is such a thing as common sense in this world.

For example, you shouldn’t mouth off to someone older or of higher status.

In the world of men: you shouldn’t act cocky toward someone rougher and stronger than you.

Kim Chong, who guarded the entrance to the Night Water Clan, was a thoroughly sensible man who followed such unwritten rules.

So when a young man stared at him and spat vile words, he hesitated for a moment.

There were two possibilities.

Either he had a powerful backer.

Or he was a madman.

Kim Chong quickly scanned the man’s attire.

The intuition of the black-robed is trained to discern hierarchy and power without anyone having to announce themselves.

But the man who insulted Kim Chong wore no expensive ornaments, no fine clothes, and displayed no refined manners.

He was exactly a third-rate wanderer you’d see in the market—nothing more, nothing less.

At least, by Kim Chong’s judgment.

“Hey. Are you deaf?”

When the man greeted him a second time, Kim Chong was certain in his heart.

‘He must be a madman.’

And with as much courtesy as a black-robed man could muster, he replied.

“Get lost unless you want to die.”

That was as courteous as one could get, worthy of being in a black-robed etiquette manual.

It was a perfectly sensible, normal reaction. Kim Chong was pleased with himself.

But he overlooked one thing.

From time immemorial, such common sense and etiquette do not work on madmen.

“Where’s your boss?”

“Our boss?”

“Call your boss while I’m being nice.”

Kim Chong asked in confusion.

“Are you a guest of the boss?”

“No.”

“Then are you acquainted with the boss?”

“No.”

“…?”

Kim Chong intuited that today’s unwelcome guest was crazier than he had imagined.

“Then who are you to tell the boss what to do, you crazy bastard?”

“Ha, words won’t do here.”

Kim Chong had been pre-empted. Wasn’t that line supposed to be his to deliver?

He lost the line, but he couldn’t give up the initiative. Kim Chong was a responsible gatekeeper, and a responsible gatekeeper had the duty to chase off madmen.

Words were useless. With a confident air, Kim Chong drew a crude large blade.

And then.

Smack—!

Before his blade was half-drawn, Kim Chong was struck in the face by a palm and went down flat.

Yeon Mujin looked down at the fallen Kim Chong and said.

“A madman suddenly draws a sword. Such a surprise.”

The three members of the External Protection Troops watching from a distance all sighed in unison.

“That crazy bastard…”

“Is our captain for real a lunatic?”

“Don’t insult the captain.”

Yeon Mujin didn’t stop there.

When he started something, he wouldn’t stop until it was finished.

“What is he doing now?”

“Why is he carrying him? To take him to a healer?”

“I don’t think so. Looks like he’s about to throw something?”

“…Shouldn’t we stop him?”

When Wei Gon-chan and Yu Se-gwang both looked at Seo Nak-il, he said:

“Why are you looking at me? I’m not stopping him. Do you think I am mad?”

Meanwhile Yeon Mujin didn’t stop. Hoisting Kim Chong onto his back, he hurled him with all his might toward the Night Water Clan’s main gate.

The three covered their ears and squeezed their eyes shut.

Crash!

Whether the smashing sound was the gate or Kim Chong’s skull was unclear, but one thing was certain.

“Who’s the boss here!”

Right now, no one could stop Yeon Mujin.

No one at all.