Revealed Will (5)

Gang Yeo wanted to ask how he would sweep away the Cheongyang Association.

Seomun Hoe was different.

“Good. Then I’ll tell you why I came.”

Jin-hyeon silently drank his tea.

He had thought Jin-hyeon would give some joking answer, asking how much Seomun Hoe intended to squeeze out of him after sending him important information and even daily necessities. But Jin-hyeon only drank his tea quietly.

‘Definitely.’

Seomun Hoe’s gaze settled low.

‘Something has changed.’

Aside from Han Cheol-sang, who stayed closest to him, Seomun Hoe was the one who sensed Jin-hyeon’s change most keenly. It meant his senses were that sharp, and also that he cared about Jin-hyeon that much.

Seomun Hoe broke the brief silence.

“I’ll speak plainly. Please become the Five Tigers Merchant Guild’s shield.”

It was a truly sudden request.

Jin-hyeon asked calmly.

“Why?”

Gang Yeo was inwardly surprised by that answer.

His somewhat overly calm attitude was one thing, but what was truly strange was his confidence.

Normally, he should have asked what that meant, not why. If not that, he should have asked how they could trust him enough to say such a thing.

That simple and arrogant answer had to be backed by one truth.

‘Is he confident?’

The confidence that, if he set his mind to it, he could become the Five Tigers Merchant Guild’s shield as much as needed.

‘Does he think this man has that much power?’

Gang Yeo looked at Seomun Hoe.

Seomun Hoe spoke with a face more expressionless than usual, yet unable to hide a thread of tension.

“I must soon leave to handle the Black Society’s affairs.”

“That’s faster than I expected.”

“You guessed?”

“We talked about the reason you made the Five Tigers Merchant Guild, didn’t we?”

“Of course we did.”

“Something major happened inside the Black Society. Could one of only five Gold Lords keep wandering around only in Sichuan? From the organization’s perspective, you’re neglecting your duties.”

“As expected.”

He was a man who could predict that much from the situation alone, without even knowing what had happened in the Black Society.

Before his martial arts, that insight was trustworthy. And frightening. Because Seomun Hoe feared that, by some chance, he might become enemies with someone who had such ghostlike perception.

“You are an important guest of our association. And I too have helped you a great deal personally, without writing up a contract.”

“Because you want something.”

“That’s right.”

“It was an investment so you could ask for something big at a decisive moment. Because you think I’m someone who would keep your quiet sincerity as a debt and not forget it.”

“At the same time, I know this too. If you had no intention of repaying that debt later, you would not have accepted that much sincerity.”

Only then did Jin-hyeon smile.

Seomun Hoe sighed and continued.

“Honestly, saying this to you…”

“I’ll protect it.”

“?!”

“Go without worry.”

Seomun Hoe’s eyes shook.

The first emotion he felt was gratitude. Though Gang Yeo was of the Black Society’s bloodline, he was no different from a disciple Seomun Hoe had raised. He was truly grateful that Jin-hyeon had accepted so cleanly without wordplay, right in front of Gang Yeo.

But the emotion that followed was unease.

He trusted Jin-hyeon’s ability, but at the same time, he knew Jin-hyeon was thorough when it came to relationships.

“If there is something you want, please say it.”

“You’re the one who took care of this and that for me, from information to household goods, without me asking. Protecting the Five Tigers Merchant Guild until you return safely is, in my own way, repaying a debt. Just as you thought, I’m paying a price equal to the goodwill you showed me.”

“Is that all?”

“For one time.”

“What do you mean?”

Jin-hyeon placed his clasped hands on the table and looked at Seomun Hoe with cold eyes.

Gang Yeo flinched, but Seomun Hoe did not waver in the slightest.

“This one time, I’ll protect it as if it were my own people. To the best of my ability, if the Five Tigers Merchant Guild suffers unreasonable losses, I’ll even cut down on sleep to step in and resolve it.”

“…”

“But I also have this thought.”

“Speak.”

“Since things have come to this, how about we form an alliance for about the next ten years?”

At the unexpected proposal, Seomun Hoe was inwardly shocked.

He had not said a deal, but an alliance.

Whether it was a deal or an alliance, they were the same in that if one side gave help, the other side also had to pay a corresponding price in some form.

The decisive difference between the two lay in the obligation not to betray.

If they did not form an alliance, then when someone requested information about Jin-hyeon from the Black Society, the Black Society could openly accept the deal.

But if they formed an alliance, the situation changed. They could not give out any information about Jin-hyeon. That was the difference between a deal and an alliance.

Conversely, Jin-hyeon also had to do many things for the Five Tigers Merchant Guild, and if someone tried to pressure the Five Tigers Merchant Guild, he had to step forward as if it were his own affair.

Of course, even if they formed an alliance, it was only natural to think of one’s own organization first. But in other matters, an allied organization had to be placed in priority.

There was another thing. A shared goal. To form an alliance, the organizations had to want the same thing. They had to draw the future together.

Seomun Hoe looked at Gang Yeo. It meant he should step forward as the discussion partner as the Guild Leader of the Five Tigers Merchant Guild.

Gang Yeo, looking at Jin-hyeon with a cautious face, asked carefully.

“What do you want, Teacher?”

It was a dangerous question. Seomun Hoe instinctively felt it.

The moment he tried to quickly cut in.

“The unification of Sichuan.”

“!!”

“And…”

Just the words unification of Sichuan were dangerous. Seomun Hoe shouted.

“Give us a moment.”

Jin-hyeon ignored Seomun Hoe’s answer.

“I’m thinking of dealing with the Heavenly Will Alliance too.”

Gang Yeo’s face hardened terribly.

Seomun Hoe’s face, on the other hand, distorted visibly. Even he, who was good at hiding his thoughts, couldn’t do so at this moment.

When Jin-hyeon first met Seomun Hoe, Seomun Hoe had honestly mentioned his name and position.

What that meant was one thing. Even after I have spoken this honestly, if you make a judgment I don’t like, the end will not be good.

The situation they faced now was the same. Jin-hyeon had laid out a story so dangerous it couldn’t even be compared to a Black Society executive revealing his identity.

“…”

A frightening silence settled in the room.

Jin-hyeon looked at the two with an expressionless face, then soon smiled.

“What you two are worried about will not happen, so you don’t have to be so on edge.”

Gang Yeo sighed.

“It was my mistake.”

“It would not be a mistake if you refuse my proposal, Guild Leader. But if I destroy the Five Tigers Merchant Guild, then it would become a mistake.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. I’m not so vicious that I would silence you just because you rejected one proposal.”

Seomun Hoe grumbled heavily.

“Did you really have to say such things?”

“Our relationship won’t change just because we don’t form an alliance.”

“Are you sincere?”

Jin-hyeon’s eyes deepened.

“Gold Lord Seomun.”

“…Speak.”

“This is my house. I may let peddlers in, but I do not let enemies in.”

“!”

“And I obtained this house thanks to you. I trust your eye. Besides, you came personally and bowed your head to apologize because you thought the Guild Leader’s actions might have been a mistake, didn’t you? That much sincerity is not easy for an ordinary person to show.”

Gang Yeo looked at Seomun Hoe in surprise.

Jin-hyeon shook his head.

“No matter how recklessly I act, I don’t kill friends.”

Seomun Hoe’s eyes shook greatly.

He never expected the word friend to come from Jin-hyeon’s mouth. Considering their age difference, it made no sense, but considering what the two had done together so far, it was nothing strange.

Seomun Hoe stared at Jin-hyeon, then sighed.

“My heart and the Guild Leader’s should be the same. Speak with the Guild Leader.”

It was the moment he fully handed the lead in the conversation to Gang Yeo.

Gang Yeo examined Jin-hyeon’s face once more.

‘…I don’t know.’

He had grown up being called a genius by Seomun Hoe and even by the other Gold Lords. But even with his eye, it was difficult to grasp Jin-hyeon’s true nature.

‘As expected.’

Gang Yeo made a judgment.

‘This person cannot be judged by rough guesses.’

His impression was one thing, but just from the way Seomun Hoe treated Jin-hyeon, he was no ordinary person.

In the end, Gang Yeo chose the honest method.

“I’ll stop using my head.”

Jin-hyeon grinned.

“That’s a good start.”

“I have many questions, but before that, I’ll ask one thing.”

“…”

“Do you desire power?”

“I haven’t really thought about it, but… probably about as much as anyone else.”

“That does not sound like something someone who dreams of unifying Sichuan should say.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Pardon?”

“I intend to swallow Sichuan, but it is not to gain the kind of power you’re thinking of, Guild Leader.”

“Then why…?”

“Before I answer, let me ask one thing too. In your opinion, if the Cheongyang Association unifies Sichuan, can it stop Mount Hua, Jongnam, and Kongtong from entering Sichuan?”

Gang Yeo could not answer easily.

He still did not know how powerful the Cheongyang Association was. But no matter how great they were, he did not think they would risk their lives to stop that.

It was not just the Cheongyang Association. What sect in the world would oppose the Heavenly Will Alliance?

“In my opinion, even if they had the power, they would not fight. Instead, they would probably harbor the desire to advance into the Heavenly Will Alliance’s main headquarters to seize even greater power.”

“You saw it well.”

Jin-hyeon nodded.

“They would offer up Sichuan instead. Gladly.”

“…”

“We can’t stand to watch that, can we?”

Strength entered Gang Yeo’s eyes.

“The opponent is the Heavenly Will Alliance. Whatever the situation, if the Heavenly Will Alliance presses hard…”

“We have to make it so they dare not press us.”

“!”

“If Mount Hua, Jongnam, and Kongtong tear Sichuan apart and devour it, the Five Tigers Merchant Guild’s business, which began with such ambition, will fall into the abyss. Are you confident you can endure inside that?”

Of course he was not. Rather, before they moved in earnest, he would have to erase every trace of the Black Society and leave.

“Isn’t that also why Gold Lord Seomun is going to the Black Society’s main headquarters? Asking me to protect the Five Tigers Merchant Guild until then is also for that one-in-ten-thousand chance.”

“…”

“Sichuan is my land, Patriarch Seol’s land, and your land, Guild Leader Gang. Weren’t you going to properly start here?”

“…That’s right.”

“There seem to be more than enough reasons to join hands.”

“Of course. But whether we have the ability to protect Sichuan is a different problem.”

“That’s right.”

Gang Yeo paused for a moment and wet his throat with tea.

“On top of that, Teacher…”

“…”

“You said you would go beyond unifying Sichuan and face the Heavenly Will Alliance.”

“What’s different?”

“Pardon?”

“If I’m not going to offer up the land of Sichuan, then doesn’t my unification of Sichuan itself mean a fight with the Heavenly Will Alliance?”

“!!”

He boldly stabbed into the part Gang Yeo had missed.

Gang Yeo shook his head.

“Where does this confidence come from? Even if you make Sichuan one, it will collapse if the Heavenly Will Alliance decides to strike.”

“To make sure they cannot do that, we need power. And that power includes information networks faster and more accurate than any organization’s.”

That was why he wanted to form an alliance.

Gang Yeo was flustered. And he didn’t hide his confusion.

“No matter how I think about it, it makes no sense.”

“Then, Guild Leader, as soon as you leave here, start by closing down the merchant guild.”

“?”

“While you can’t do this or that, while you keep thinking in that half-hearted way, your people will die. If you think it makes no sense, don’t make Gold Lord Seomun suffer for nothing. Close the business right now and leave Sichuan.”

“!!”

“On the other hand, if you’re willing to stake your life on that business, form an alliance here and now.”

“That’s…”

“It’s natural to hesitate before a choice between two paths, but remember this one thing.”

Jin-hyeon’s eyes deepened.

“You have already decided, Guild Leader. Yet you are still hesitating because you want to find the reason.”

“!”

“I’ll give you two days. Think it over and give me your answer.”

After ending his conversation with Gang Yeo like that, Jin-hyeon looked at Seomun Hoe.

“Aside from this, I’ll make one request.”

“Speak.”

“Tell Supreme Patriarch Gyeong. If the people have nowhere to go, bring them here for now.”

Seomun Hoe’s eyes shook.

“That means…?”

“Yes.”

Jin-hyeon rose from his seat.

“I will lure the Cheongyang Association’s investigation unit here.”