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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Price of a Life
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Do Yeong-su.
A son of a fallen family, he had been exceptionally bright since childhood.
'A child prodigy, rumored throughout the neighborhood to have mastered the Four Books and Three Classics at a young age'—this description seemed made for Do Yeong-su, who showed remarkable talent in his studies and was held in high expectation.
Nurturing the grand dream of restoring his family's fortunes through a distinguished career, he dedicated himself to his studies and passed the provincial civil service exam at the age of seventeen, which was when he learned about the real world.
His family, which had many political enemies since his grandfather's time, found it difficult to gain a foothold in the royal court even a generation after their downfall.
Realizing that he could never defeat the established powers in the court with his abilities alone, he abandoned the dream he had cherished in his heart that very day.
'Mere scholarship cannot defeat them.'
The teachings of Confucius and Mencius offered no guidance on how to overcome political enemies filled with malice.
The kind of people Confucius called petty men had already formed a massive power structure and were manipulating the world. Noble intentions without actual power were nothing more than the delusions of the powerless.
'Money. The words of the powerless have no strength. But money has power in itself, regardless of its owner.'
From that day on, Do Yeong-su began frequenting a bookshop that sold cheap novels.
There, amidst a multitude of books ranging from lowbrow fiction that helped the common folk forget their sorrows to treatises opposing Confucianism and works filled with their authors' philosophies, he learned how to live in the real world.
Having descended from his idealistic viewpoint and opened his eyes to the way the world truly worked, he began to run scams.
He started visiting the homes of high-ranking officials, the so-called elite, and preying on their pointless anxieties to amass a vast fortune.
His initial targets were mostly the families of the political enemies who had brought about his own family's ruin.
Naturally, as he delved into this path, he developed an interest in the arts of disguise, voice mimicry, and acting.
And so, for twenty-two years.
By the age of thirty-nine, he had accumulated a fortune that was utterly unattainable for a scholar.
He had many martial artists as friends and could live a life in Xichang without envying anyone.
If there was one mistake he made in his half-lifetime of scams, it was the Yeomhwa Family.
Normally, he would have stuck to his principle of never scamming martial artists.
But things went awry when the General Manager of the Yeomhwa Family, whom he met by chance, mistook his identity and clung to him, begging for help.
A martial family already so far gone, who knew when it would collapse?
He never imagined that something he started so lightly, thinking no great harm could come of it, would come back to bite him like this.
"I asked if you were listening."
"Yes… I'm listening to every word. You're asking… what the price of my life is, aren't you?"
Do Yeong-su's mind raced as he looked at Hwa Mujin—the Hidden Dragon of Xichang and the great Young Master of the Yeomhwa Family—who stood with his arms crossed, a bright smile on his face, his eyes shaped like gold ingots.
Naturally quick-witted and sharp, he calculated an amount that the other party would find acceptable.
"Two hundred gold nyang. How does that sound?"
"Hmm… A reasonable sum. So, let's see. The fifty nyang you scammed from our family, plus two hundred nyang for your life. And you four. What do you think is a reasonable price for your lives?"
Mujin asked, looking at the Four Demons of Mount Jung.
The conman Do Yeong-su also looked at the Four Demons with pleading eyes.
'We have a bond, after all…'
Do Yeong-su thought. They had been through so much together. Surely they wouldn't ask for an outrageous amount.
"Well… as a rather skilled demon, I believe I should be worth at least three hundred gold nyang."
The first to answer was the youngest, No-sak, who didn't have an ounce of tact.
"Right. A man of your caliber is easily worth that much, and then some."
Mujin nodded his head emphatically.
At that, the saber-wielding Dong-jeok spoke up competitively.
"In that case, I believe I should be worth three hundred and fifty nyang. I once beat a lay disciple of the Wudang Sect who visited Mount Jung half to death!"
"What, a lay disciple of Wudang? You have achievements! Then you certainly deserve that much."
As Mujin clapped his hands and praised him, Dong-jeok nodded with a proud expression.
"I once defeated fifteen warriors from a place called the Bronze Sword Association. So I should also get three hundred and fifty nyang."
At Jang-tae's words, Mujin tilted his head with a slightly ambiguous expression.
"The Bronze Sword Association? Isn't there a more famous group?"
"I've also beaten up warriors from the Baek Family, a famous martial family in Sichuan…"
"Hmm… That's a bit weak. Let's make yours three hundred and thirty nyang. Reputation isn't for nothing, you know. You can't really compare with a Wudang lay disciple."
Jang-tae looked disappointed at Mujin's words.
Watching Mujin and the Four Demons of Mount Jung decide the prices amongst themselves as if putting on a show, Do Yeong-su resigned himself.
'This isn't going to end with just a few coins.'
"Then I…"
*Gulp.*
As Cheol-muk, the eldest of the Four Demons, began to speak, Do Yeong-su couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Five hundred nyang! Wouldn't that be a fitting price for my life? I personally beheaded a leader of the Red Wolf Pack and took down three so-called disciples from the Diancang Sect's lay branch."
"Oh, really? A leader of the Red Wolf Pack must have had at least twenty subordinates. And lay disciples of Diancang is a great achievement. Alright. Five hundred nyang is approved for that!"
At Mujin's words, Cheol-muk puffed out his chest and stood tall.
"Now, for the last one… What was his name again?"
Mujin tilted his head and asked. Do Yeong-su sighed and spoke.
"Haa. The Biso-jin brothers."
"Right. What was that fellow's title again?"
Instead of answering, he glanced at Mujin for a moment before finally speaking.
"…He is called the Bloodless Sword, for he sheathes his blade before blood can flow from the wound."
"Right. The Bloodless Sword. For a heretic bastard, a title like that must mean he's famous in Guizhou, right? I think I heard something about him being connected to Samu-cheon earlier."
Now completely resigned, Do Yeong-su answered with his head bowed low.
"He is a martial artist from a collateral branch of the Flying Spirit Sword Family, the twelfth family of Samu-cheon."
"Right. Then he's not just Guizhou-famous, he's on a national level, isn't he? His skills were quite impressive too. He should be worth at least five hundred nyang. The name of Samu-cheon has its value, after all."
"Yes… of course."
Mujin rolled his eyes upward and began to calculate.
"Alright, let's see. Fifty nyang, plus two hundred for your life. The Four Demons' lives are three hundred, three hundred thirty, three hundred fifty, and five hundred, and the Bloodless Sword's life is five hundred, so…"
"Two thousand, two hundred and thirty nyang."
"You're quick with numbers. I'll take it, then. Two thousand, two hundred and thirty nyang. No silver, just those yellow ones over there, please."
At Mujin's words, Do Yeong-su looked at the pile of gold ingots on one side, feeling his heart crumble.
"Take… ten chests, each containing forty five-nyang gold ingots… and… twenty-three ten-nyang gold ingots…"
Do Yeong-su finally teared up.
The fortune he had painstakingly gathered was vanishing in a huge chunk in an instant, and the sense of loss made his eyes well up.
How hard had he worked his silver tongue, going from one rich man's house to another to gather this wealth?
Claiming their unborn grandchildren would have short lives because they had seen too much blood in their government service, and that their resentment had reached the heavens—he had spun tales and acted his heart out, painstakingly collecting these gold ingots one chest at a time. To see them fly away before he could even properly use them felt like a piece of his flesh was being torn away.
"Hurry, hurry, move them."
The Four Demons of Mount Jung quickly began to move the chests of gold ingots.
'If only I hadn't stopped at Mount Jung.'
Then he wouldn't have lost the Four Demons, nor would he have lost such a large sum of money for their lives.
Mujin smiled as he looked at Do Yeong-su's face.
'Even if you hadn't stopped at Mount Jung, I would have extorted this much just for your life.'
It was money that was destined to be taken, one way or another.
"Ah, as you can see, I'm in a sorry state with nothing but my own two feet, let alone a horse. So, would it be alright if I borrowed that four-horse carriage?"
Startled by the request to borrow the carriage, Do Yeong-su looked at Mujin's face and found he couldn't refuse.
'A sorry state? You damn highway robber! If I refuse, you'll just find some other excuse to take even more.'
Quick-witted as ever, Do Yeong-su forced a smile, ignoring the tears streaming down his face, and spoke.
"Of course. In fact, I was just about to offer it to you, Young Master, out of my sincere apology. I would be grateful if you could put it to good use."
Seeing the tears flowing with the smile, Mujin nodded.
"Alright. But are you crying?"
"Yes. I'm just so happy that I can repay the trouble I've caused you and the Yeomhwa Family in this way, that tears are flowing."
Even in a situation like this, his glib tongue worked wonders. Mujin shook his head.
Mujin, who had been planning to extort much more if given the slightest opening, gave up and walked out of the secret storeroom.
Just as he stepped out, a folding screen that had been pushed to one side caught his eye.
"Hm?"
He hadn't noticed it at first, but now he saw that the ink wash painting on the screen was anything but ordinary.
'What is this? This sense of dissonance…'
As Mujin stood still, looking at the strangely unsettling screen, Do Yeong-su's heart sank.
'Of all things, this greedy, damnable bastard had to notice that!'
"Y-Young Master? Does… does the screen please you?"
"No, not particularly, but…"
'Not particularly, but you want it? How did you recognize one of Master Jang So-san's few remaining authentic works…'
Do Yeong-su's mouth moved in complete opposition to his thoughts.
"I'm so glad you like it. Your eye for art is truly exceptional, Young Master. To recognize a work by Master Jang So-san at a glance. I was just thinking that your room might be a bit bare. Please, take it."
"Isn't it expensive?"
"It's probably worth about eighty gold nyang. Please accept it as a token of my sincerity."
If he hadn't felt the dissonance from the screen, he would have dismissed the claim that a mere screen was worth eighty gold nyang as a bluff.
Though Mujin knew little about ink wash paintings, the strange feeling emanating from the artwork on the screen certainly suggested it was no ordinary item.
"Well, if you insist, I suppose it would be polite to accept."
"…Thank you…"
Do Yeong-su personally picked up the screen and led the way outside.
He moved first, fearing Mujin might set his eyes on another item.
"I'll carry it myself. It's quite a valuable piece, you see…"
Following him as he grunted and struggled to carry the screen, they returned to the carriage, where the cargo bed was already filled with chests of gold ingots.
'Farewell, my fine black horses of northern blood…'
Mujin placed a hand on the shoulder of Do Yeong-su, who was gazing wistfully at the four famously expensive northern horses.
"From now on, live a good life. And stop cheating people."
With those final words, Mujin climbed into the carriage.
The carriage, driven by No-sak, the youngest of the Four Demons, circled the courtyard and disappeared out of the estate.
A single tear rolled down Do Yeong-su's cheek as he watched it go.
Having collected a hefty sum, Mujin returned to Xichang in high spirits.
He had lain down on the plush seat and fallen into a deep sleep for the first time in a while. He awoke inside the carriage as it was already moving along the main road, having arrived in Xichang.
"Haaah. Are we in Xichang?"
"Yes! We arrived before sunset, Young Master."
Mujin nodded at Cheol-muk's words.
"By the way, does that kid No-sak even know where our house is?"
"Yes. He seems to be finding his way by asking people around here."
At that, Mujin sat up straight and placed a hand on his stomach.
"I'm hungry. You guys must be hungry too, right?"
"Yes… We didn't really eat breakfast properly."
"Let's have some meat when we get to the estate."
As they were talking, the carriage arrived at the Yeomhwa Family estate.
"Open the gate, I said! Am I not a new warrior of the Yeomhwa Family? Young Master Hwa is inside, so open the gate, quickly!"
As No-sak, sitting in the driver's seat, urged them on with an air of authority, the two warriors guarding the main gate hesitantly opened it.
And the carriage drove straight into the family grounds.
As the carriage stopped, the warriors watched it with a mixture of uncertainty and tension.
Not betraying their expectations, Mujin opened the carriage door and stepped out.
"Young Master!"
The warriors bowed deeply the moment they saw Mujin. He waved a hand at them and looked around.
His eyes, searching for Masok, fell upon General Manager Do in conversation with three strangers at the reception pavilion.
The sight of them chatting and drinking tea in the pavilion made Mujin feel a sense of unease.
The General Manager's apologetic expression and subservient posture.
Just one glance at the scene made Mujin's heart anxious.
Just then, General Manager Do spotted Mujin and leaped out of the pavilion, running towards him.
"Young Master!! You've come at a perfect time."
"Really? You sure I didn't come at the worst possible time?"
"What are you saying? Some very gracious people have come to visit. Let's go and speak with them."
As General Manager Do led him away, Mujin sent a telepathic message.
-Aren't they creditors?
-Well… they are, but they are incomparable to scoundrels like those from the Bangho Chamber.
'It would be easier if they were scoundrels like the Bangho Chamber.'
Mujin walked up to the pavilion with a sense of foreboding.
As soon as he stepped onto the old pavilion, the floorboards creaked.
Simultaneously, the men stood up and offered a fist-and-palm salute.
"They say the sleeping dragon has awakened, and the rumors are indeed true."
"Seeing Young Master Hwa's noble face after overcoming such hardship puts my mind at ease."
"It has been too long since we last had the pleasure of visiting."
As each of them spoke, Mujin found the situation unfamiliar.
From their words, it seemed they had crossed paths at least once before, but Mujin had no recollection of them.
He instinctively looked for Masok, but unfortunately, Masok was not there.
"Well… My memory of the past is quite hazy since I recently regained my senses. You all seem familiar, but…"
"Oh, my apologies. I am Pung Gwan-o, the leader of the Pungyang Merchant Guild."
As the portly old man, who looked to be in his sixties, introduced himself and bowed his head, Mujin had no choice but to return the salute.
"I am Hwang Yeo-cheong, the owner of the Goldfish Bank."
"Ah, yes."
"And I am Dong Gwan-yeo, leader of the Muryeong Commerce Guild."
"Yes… a pleasure to meet you."
After exchanging greetings with the three similarly aged old men, General Manager Do spoke up.
"Let's all sit and talk."
"Yes, let's do that."
As everyone took their seats, the conversation began in a bright atmosphere.
The mood was amicable, but as the discussion progressed, Mujin's expression grew darker.
"So… you're ultimately here to collect on the money we owe you, is that right?"