novelraw Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146 - A Perfect Fit for Hong!
“Exclusive rights? Did you just say exclusive rights?”
“That is correct.”
“Heo…”
Son Su-beom’s head tilted to one side.
Exclusive rights to trade goods.
Compared to the gift Sedong had prepared, it felt like a truly insignificant compensation.
“I don’t understand. As you know, there isn’t much trade between Lijiang City and Yunnan. Now that you can trade whenever you wish, do exclusive rights even have meaning?”
“As you said, for now, only we will be coming and going. However, once the news spreads that the Registrar has annihilated the Hojubang, merchant guilds from all over Yunnan will rush to trade with this Yongsheng County.”
“!”
Son Su-beom’s ears perked up.
Was it embarrassment for not having foreseen what Sedong, who was young enough to be his nephew, had?
No.
What caught his attention was what was said before that.
Sedong had clearly said, ‘the Hojubang that the Registrar annihilated.’
Judging by his calm demeanor, it was not a slip of the tongue.
Sedong had already made up his mind.
That the credit for defeating the Hojubang belonged not to him, but to Son Su-beom.
“Heo…”
Like an old habit, a deflated sound escaped Son Su-beom’s mouth again.
Then, he looked at Sedong with a different gaze than before.
“There’s an old saying that a tiger father does not raise a dog son. You have grown up fearsomely.”
Not only did he capture and offer up Chu Gap, but he was also trying to give the credit to him.
To him, who hadn’t lifted a finger to annihilate the Hojubang.
Only then did Son Su-beom realize that Sedong’s purpose was not the gift.
This was not something that could be passed off as a simple ‘gift.’
‘A deal.’
Yes.
The reason Sedong had visited the government office today was to make a deal.
If Son Su-beom was well-packaged as the one who captured Chu Gap, it was a matter that could make his name known throughout Yunnan.
Perhaps.
Even to the Imperial Court.
“Only now do I see Young Master Yi’s true intentions. Tell me what you want. I, too, will respond not as a return for a gift, but as a party to a deal.”
Son Su-beom was certainly a man one could reason with.
That must be why his father had gone around that large lake without a merchant guild to meet him.
Thinking so, Sedong slightly bowed his head.
“I have already told you what I want. Please give me the exclusive rights to Lijiang City’s specialty products. That will be enough.”
“…Then you have misjudged me.”
Son Su-beom wore a rather uncomfortable expression.
He was a man who had been in charge of Yongsheng County’s practical affairs for years.
Meaning, he was a man who was an old hand at sizing things up.
“Do you think I would not know that the accounts do not add up as they are now? I have no desire to be indebted in my heart to your family for no reason.”
If there were accounts to be settled, they had to be cleared on the spot.
Just as with money, a debt of the heart also has its interest.
If he left a debt to Sedong now, he would have to pay the interest later.
Son Su-beom was concerned about that very point.
But Sedong lightly shook his head.
“It may be presumptuous of me to say this, but it seems the Registrar has not yet fully grasped my objective.”
“Not grasped? Then would you care to explain it to me in detail?”
“I asked you to give the exclusive rights ‘to me’. Not to the Yi Family Manor.”
“……………?”
It was a sad thing, but this time too, Son Su-beom could not immediately understand Sedong’s meaning.
He couldn’t help it.
No one would ever have expected that Yi Sedong would draw a sword against his own family.
“You… surely…?”
“Yes.”
Sedong finally revealed his inner thoughts.
“I implore you to give these exclusive rights solely to me, Yi Sedong, and not to my father or my brother. If I cannot become the Young Family Head, you must make sure the exclusive trade rights are nullified.”
“!”
It wasn’t even ‘it’s okay if you nullify it.’
The words ‘you must make sure it is nullified’ were nothing short of a threat.
Not towards Son Su-beom, but a threat to his own family, including Yi Gwon-su.
They had just gotten the opportunity to have exclusive trade with Lijiang City, but if they didn’t make Sedong the Young Family Head, that sweet prize would be snatched away by someone else.
Why was this boy suddenly drawing a sword against his family?
Son Su-beom mobilized his specialty, his memory, and tried hard to pull out a clue.
And finally, he found the answer.
“The Awl Selection Period!”
Sedong bowed his head once without answering.
“I see! It was the Awl Selection Period! Heo! Good heavens!”
“That is correct. The Yi Family Manor is currently in the midst of the Awl Selection Period, and the direction of the contest will soon be decided.”
“Are you saying that the victory or defeat will be decided by these exclusive rights?”
“By my calculations, yes.”
Son Su-beom was silent for a moment.
Wasn’t this tantamount to grabbing his father by the collar and shaking him to get the position of Young Family Head?
Yi Gwon-su had always been a master of intrigue, but he had never dreamed that the cute Sedong would change like this.
Truly.
He thought it was a remarkable family in many ways.
And on the other hand, he also thought that he was indeed Yi Gwon-su’s son.
“I will accept your request.”
It took a long time to understand, but the decision was made quickly.
Of course, the meaning of this permission was not small.
It was a matter that could, depending on the circumstances, put him at odds with Yi Gwon-su, with whom he had had a friendly relationship.
From now on, Son Su-beom would be on Sedong’s side, not Yi Gwon-su’s and his eldest son’s.
But for some reason, he didn’t feel like he would be at a loss.
“Thank you, Registrar.”
“Yes, which merchant guild are you planning to trade with?”
“I plan to do it with the Unmun Family Clan.”
“Right. They have to be of that level to be a match.”
If Yiliang County had the Yi Family Clan, Yongsheng County had the Unmun Family Clan.
In terms of the size of the family and business acumen, the two would be quite a good match.
“Bring me paper and a brush.”
Yi Gwon-su wrote a statement that the specialty products from Yongsheng County would be exclusively supplied to the Yi Family Clan and then stamped his seal.
In the future, the many merchant guilds that would come rushing in after hearing the news of the Hojubang’s fall would have to turn back in vain.
“I hope you win the Awl Selection Period. For my sake as well.”
Son Su-beom sent a meaningful word of blessing, and Sedong slightly bowed his head.
Chu Gap of the Hojubang and the exclusive trade rights.
Since they had both gotten what they wanted, their business should be over.
But Son Su-beom still had one thing left.
That was curiosity.
“Young Master Yi. I am so curious that I cannot help but ask. Would you answer one thing before you go?”
“Please ask.”
“It’s about those who defeated the Hojubang. The escort agency’s escorts would surely not have been enough, so did you perhaps receive help from a sect? For example, one of the Nine Sects One Union…”
If Sedong was a man who could borrow the power of a prestigious orthodox sect, his evaluation would rise even higher.
Son Su-beom’s expectation was half right and half wrong.
“It is true that I borrowed the power of a sect. However, it is not affiliated with the Nine Sects One Union.”
“Not the Nine Sects One Union? Then which sect accomplished such a great feat?”
“The Diancang Sect sent people.”
“The Diancang… Sect?”
There was no way the good-memoried Son Su-beom would have forgotten that name.
It was just.
That he couldn’t believe it.
“Yes. I certainly heard that the Diancang Sect had reclaimed its main mountain. Have they grown their power that much already?”
Sedong raised his head and looked at Son Su-beom.
His eyes were inexpressibly clear and bright.
Incomparably so to when he had gotten what he wanted from Son Su-beom.
Sedong was already a man who admired the Murim.
Now that it was time to mention the contribution of the Diancang Sect, how could his heart not be excited?
“Wasn’t the Diancang Sect always famous for its small elite from the beginning?”
“Hmm. It was.”
“They went to the Ghost Face Gang that had attacked their main mountain and succeeded in their revenge.”
“That Ghost Face Gang in Hunan?”
“It seems the rumors haven’t spread this far yet. Although their numbers are not large, the Diancang Sect is already lined with outstanding masters. In fact, only three swordsmen were needed to subjugate the Hojubang this time.”
“Th-Three!?”
Son Su-beom’s mouth dropped open, and then his face turned reddish.
Because it meant that while Yongsheng County had been fretting all this time, a mere three people had been able to do the job.
But Sedong had no desire to mock the government.
Before meeting Biyoung, he would have had the same reaction.
It wasn’t that the others were incompetent.
It was just that his friend’s martial arts were unbelievably strong.
“Who is the strongest swordsman among those three. That person must be the representative figure of the Diancang Sect, right?”
Sedong nodded with an immensely proud face.
“That person’s name is…”
***
“The starlight is falling~”
Biyoung threw a bundle of paper high into the air, and,
“Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la~”
Sedong hummed along to the beat.
And the other merchants were startled and waved their arms.
“The-The paper!! The paper is flying away!”
There was a good reason why the people around them were making a fuss as if they were about to faint.
The bundle of paper that Biyoung was happily throwing around was none other than a ‘promissory note.’
And not just any promissory note issued by nobodies, but a promissory note guaranteed by the Unmun Family Clan.
A precious document that could be exchanged for cash anywhere in Yunnan.
“Hahahah!”
But without a thought for the reactions of the merchants, Biyoung scattered the promissory notes in the air like a half-crazed person.
So many promissory notes, each worth dozens of silver nyang.
Biyoung felt as if he had truly gained the whole world.
“Hahahahah!!”
“Young Hero Biyoung. What will you do if someone picks them up?”
At the young merchant’s words, Biyoung whipped his head around.
“Steal? From me?”
The way the whites of his eyes twitched was on a level that would put the Mad and Aberrant Man, Gwangyo, to shame.
“No… who would dare to do such a thing…”
They had clearly witnessed the scene of him wiping out the Hojubang.
They would rather die than incur the wrath of this man before them.
After enjoying his game of scattering the bundle of promissory notes for a while, Biyoung turned his head towards Sedong.
“As expected of the Unmun Family Clan. To exchange all those goods for promissory notes.”
“They have to be of that level to trade with me.”
“Oh? You’re not saying the Yi Family Clan anymore, but just ‘me’?”
Biyoung was quite pleased with Sedong’s changed demeanor.
His expression was still cautious, and he was full of cute aspects, but Sedong had clearly changed.
The only unfortunate thing was that the change was due to the betrayal of those he had trusted.
The goods exchanged for the promissory notes were, of course, from the Hojubang.
Biyoung had taken the remaining remnants of the Hojubang as slaves and arrived before the Unmun Family Clan, and Sedong had met with the head of the Unmun Family Clan, Un Chun-bok, and struck a deal.
One was an agreement on the trade goods for which he had obtained exclusive rights.
The other was the disposal of the goods that Biyoung had plundered.
“Hahahaha. A nobleman has come from Yunnan.”
For Un Chun-bok, it was literally a case of a pumpkin rolling in with the vine.
He was already dying to trade beyond Elm Leaf Lake, and now the Yi Family Clan, which had obtained the government’s exclusive permission, had come to him on their own accord.
Although the origin was a bit suspicious, the goods they brought were all of the highest quality.
There was no reason for Un Chun-bok to refuse either.
However, to embrace the pumpkin that had rolled in with the vine, he needed to pay a price.
“I would like a personal letter stating that you will support me, Yi Sedong, in this Awl Selection Period.”
“I will write as many as you want. If necessary, I will stay up all night and make a whole book for you.”
As a result, this business trip to Lijiang City was a complete success.
So much so that there was nothing more to wish for.
Ah,
“You exchanged everything without leaving a single thing? Really?”
Hyeokri Hong, who had been waiting for Biyoung, or rather, the jewelry Biyoung would bring, was the only exception.
“How could you exchange everything for promissory notes without leaving a single ring? Is your affection for this junior sister only that much?”
She was so upset that her eyes were welling up with tears.
But.
Biyoung’s reaction was a bit strange.
It wasn’t apology for not having taken care of her, or a scolding for a martial artist coveting jewelry.
It was the expression of a mischievous boy on the verge of something very fun.
“Hey. I thought you might be like that, so I set something aside beforehand.”
“Oh! As expected!”
Hyeokri Hong, who had been on the verge of tears, smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
Her change in expression was so ghostly that one wondered if she could do Chinese opera.
“You said you haven't given it to her yet, right? Give it here.”
Biyoung suddenly gestured to Sedong.
Sedong, fidgeting as if he were in front of a bomb, threw an object over.
“?”
A large question mark appeared above Hyeokri Hong’s head.
He said he had set aside some jewelry.
Why was the jewelry coming from over there?
“Ta-da! This is the jewelry I specially set aside for you, junior sister!”
It was too large to be a ring.
Far from sparkling, a dull, blackish object was waiting for Hyeokri Hong.
Hyeokri Hong, with eyes wide like a rabbit’s, examined the object from all sides, and then, with a face that wanted to deny reality, asked Biyoung.
“Don’t tell me… this is the thing that was on Chu Gap’s dirty ankle…?”
“That’s right. What need does a person of Jianghu have for jewelry? For our junior sister Hong, the Thousand-Pound Ankle Guard is a perfect fit!! Let’s call it the Hongcheon-ttak!”
“…………”
And soon.
Kwaaaaaaa!!
A destructive Mad Dog's Barking Palm erupted in the inn where Biyoung’s party was staying.