Chapter 47: There Is No Next Time(2)
Translator: hwarang
Editor: Klaurem
Rumors started spreading across San Dong.
Everyone was nervous after hearing the rumors that Ma Jung Soo was making a deal with the San Dong Merchant Guild.
If building a martial arts school wasn’t enough, joining hands with a merchant guild would give them that much more influence.
After hearing the rumors, father and mother were both worried.
“I am really unsure what their plans are.”
“That is what I am saying, I am afraid that they might want to take over San Dong for themselves.”
I was calm since I was in control of everything.
“Don’t worry too much. Is our San Dong a place that can be taken over so easily?”
I couldn’t tell my parent that I had everything under control, since it wasn’t going to be the convenient.
After meeting with my parents I went to meet Kong Soo Chang.
“I have something I must ask you”
He was pretty quick in guessing what it was about.
“Is it about the San Dong Merchant Guild?”
“Yes, can you tell me everything you know about the San Dong Merchant Guild?”
“Since the rumors started going around saying that the San Dong Merchant Guild made a pact with Ma Jung Soo, the Northeastern Merchant Guild has been under pressure.”
I think it was because of the pressure that the name Heavenly Dao Gate carried.
Kong Soo Chan told me everything that had to do with San Dong Merchant Guild. It seems that the situation was worse than I expected.
“What do you believe San Dong Merchant’s biggest weakness is?”
He quickly answered my sudden inquiry.
“Being too blunt“
Aside from that he told me another flaw that they had.
“He had an ambition to raise the San Dong Merchant into the Central Plain. This was the reason why many of his business transactions were forceful. Due to that he made many enemies and got into huge debt. A long time ago he might have been someone who could have achieved such a dream. However, as time went on, things changed. Everything got younger, faster, and newer but he stayed the same. He was stuck in the past.”
Kong Soo Chan brought another important thing.
“Ah, also there is a rumor going around saying the San Dong Merchants Guild paid Ma Jung Soo a hundred thousand nyang for making a pact.”
“One hundred thousand nyang?”
This was a huge sum of money.
“If San Dong Merchant Guild’s position isn’t well, where did they get the money from?”
“I don’t think I can look further into it.”
“Then?”
“But I believe they got if off the Dark Guild.”
Dark Guild! This was also a group that I knew of. They were an organization that really knew how to move money in secret.
“I heard that they were a very dangerous organization.”
“Yes, it is best if you don’t make any deals with them. However, it seems San Dong’s only option was to borrow from them.”
“You have been a great help, thank you.”
“No need to thank me.”
I could have asked Kong Soo Chan to look more into Ma Jung Soo, San Dong Merchant, and Dark Guild.But I didn’t need to task him with such a difficult task since I gained someone who was more experienced at this sort of work.
I sent Jung Yeo a message. I told him to look into what sort of position San Dong Merchants were in. If they were borrowing money from the Dark Guild, I tasked him to look into everything from when, where and how they were borrowing money. I told him to find out no matter the cost.
The answers came back three days later.
Two days later, Ma Jung Soo came to see me. Even though it was an unexpected visit I already
knew that he was coming as Jung Yeo reported his movements beforehand.
“Hahaha, brother, have you been well?”
I don’t recall making a brotherhood pact with him, but he is calling me brother regardless.
“Have you been well?”
“I am fine”
It seems like he was in a good mood. It was probably because he was promised a hundred thousand nyang from the San Dong Merchants.
“Then why are you here?”
“I just came to visit on my way back.”
“You have visited at a great time. Please come in.”
“Rather than that, let’s go outside.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you promise before? That you will show your fiancé. She must be healed by now. This brother of yours wants to see how the number one beauty in San Dong looks like.”
He should be busy worrying about Old Man Flower Fan but he still hadn’t forgotten about Song Hwa Rin.
I knew that this wasn’t an ordinary meeting. If it was, he would have went to Song Hwa Rin directly. However, since he wants me to tag along, he wants to steal her from me. It seems that he wants to enjoy taking her from me. Since there were talks about divorce he believed it would be easier.
“Now now, let’s go. If you go with me I am sure she is going to like it.”
Now he was dragging me by the shirt.
“But, to visit this suddenly is…”
Seeing me resist, Si Gon who was beside him gave me a cold stare. I pretended to be pressure by him.
“Alright, Let’s go together.”
As we were leaving the house, a messenger ran toward Si Gon and gave him a letter. His expression darkened as he read the letter. Then he quickly got to Ma Jung Soo’s side and he whispered something in his ear.
“We just received an emergency letter from the San Dong Merchants”
“What is it?”
Si Gon stared at me and coldly said, “Can young master Byuk go back in?”
“Alright”
I closed the door and came back in. Due to my keen senses however, even if they whispered from outside I could hear every word that gets out of their mouth.
“San Dong Merchants couldn’t deliver the promised hundred thousand nyang.”
“What? Why?”
“It seems that they were robbed by someone yesterday”
“What blasphemy are you saying?!” Ma Jung Soo raised his voice.
Raising his voice at Si Gon wasn’t going to fix anything but couldn’t hold back his anger.
“What were they doing?!”
“I don’t know the full details but it seems like there is an alert on San Dong Merchants side.”
I grinned in satisfaction inside my house. That hundred thousand nyang was now in my possession.
When their financial advisor and their guards were coming back from the Dark Guild I made my move. Of course, I was wearing face-altering mask, and didn’t kill any of them. I was just pressuring them without gravely injuring them. Even though they were the best in San Dong Merchant Guild, they were no match for me. Since the situation called for urgency they didn’t sent too many men which made my job easier.
All this was possible due to proper information. Jung Yeo said he spent almost twenty thousand nyang buying this information. This was a huge price given that it was just a small amount of information. But it was worth it.
One hundred thousand nyang and a traceless bank note at that.
In other words this was money that I could freely use. But I will not use it right now. I will use it after taking care of this Ma Jung Soo and his men, when I believe it is safe to use.
This was like killing three birds with one stone.
There were no repercussions for me since it was traceless money from the loan sharks, San Dong will be in a bigger bind, and it would drive Ma Jung Soo insane.
Their conversation continued, “I am sure that it was the doing of that old weasel.”
“Are you talking about Old Man Flower Fan?”
“Who else beside him can do something like this? This is something that can only be caused by someone who knows everything about us.”
“That crazy old man!”
Si Gon carefully said, “I think it is about time we ask help from the Clan. Aren’t there people who can help you?”
“But that woman is always watching us. She is constantly reporting everything that is happening to my father. As you know, this is just a test. A test to determine the next successor. Behind the door, I made even bigger smile since I wanted that ambitious bastard to be the first one to fail that test.
“We must do this by ourselves.”
“Regardless, I think it is best I we head back. Have a talk with the San Dong Merchants about this deal. In a couple of days if we can’t provide enough money then we can forget about building a martial arts school in Jae Nam.”
“Shit!”
His desperate words were like honey to my ears.
Soon after, they knocked on my door.
As soon as I got out Ma Jung Soo said, “I must go back since there is an emergency”
“Oh. A pity but let’s go next time.”
“Yes”
Ma Jung Soo and Si Gon rushed back.
Watching them leave I was smiling.
As soon as I heard the rumors that the San Dong Merchants were making a deal with the Dark Guild I thought of this plan. The best way to cleanly get rid of Ma Jung Soo was striking at his pockets.
I was a bit disappointed since I couldn’t say the words.
‘There is no next time for you’
Ma Jung Soo contacted San Dong Merchants again. Ko Soon Kyung said that he was going to gather some money but he couldn’t do that right now.
Without knowing what sort of situation Ma Jung Soo was in, Ko Soon Kyung was the one to ask for help. He said that he was going to provide money, so that they could continue their deal.
Unfortunately Ma Jung Soo left after he said that, if they wanted to keep the deal they must provide him with the money first.
‘Idiot buffoons!’
But this downhill had no end.
Si Gon approached with a grim face and told him the bad news, “The people who are in charge of the construction said that they are going to cancel their contract.”
“They dare refuse my request for extension?”
“Yes, it seem so”
“These sons of b*tches. They must want to die!”
There was bloodlust in his eyes.
“It seem like someone spread some rumors.”
“What?”
Si Gon was hesitant in his answer.
“Hurry up and answer me”
“Rumor about you going bankrupt.”
“What?”
Si Gon expected him to break something but Ma Jung Soo remained calm. It seems like he had an epiphany after hearing this rumor.
“So that’s how it is! I know who it is.”
It might seem easy to spread rumor since one just had to go to different inns and restaurants and leaks some rumors, but in reality it wasn’t that simple. To spread a rumor required an organized effort of many people.
“Old Man Flower Fan cannot be this organized. It must be one of my blasted brothers”
He finally understood why Old Man Flower Fan betrayed him. It was because another successor had already approached him before him.
Si Gon agreed with him, “That is also what I believe”
The reason why he was willing to take in someone that was an outsider was because he didn’t trust anyone from the inside. But it seems that it had the opposite effect.
Bang!
He broke another table since he couldn’t hold back his rage.
There hadn’t been any other time that he felt like this. He believed that he was pretty smart but today he was played by one of his brothers.
The thing that was now driving Ma Jung Soo was the desire to kill.
He wanted to find Old Man Flower Fan and kill him. He wanted to capture him alive, and torture him until he dies, but that was for another time. First, there were things he must take care of.
“Yes, no matter how messy the process is, all that matter is the result”
If he was able to overcome this he might still look good in front of his father.
“Hurry and gather some money!”
“How can I do that?”
“Do it by any means possible! Don’t just stand there wasting time, do something, anything. Whether you steal or kill, get some money now!”
Although Si Gon was a bodyguard due to his age, and his position in the Heavenly Dao Gate he believed this wasn’t the best option.
“Yes, I understand.”
Si Gon silently left the room.
Si Gon was alone at an inn drinking.
Since it was late the customers left one by one, and he was alone in the inn.
He was greatly angry at the actions of Ma Jung Soo, but he understood how he felt. Since he too was driven into a corner.
He went to various places gathering money. He visited other merchant guild to get some money but due to the rumors the merchants wiggled their way out of lending him money. He truly wanted to kill them all.
“These mother*king merchants”
Since it involved money it seems like they didn’t fear for their life. Thus he didn’t have any method to take care of this. He was a man who lived by the blade, so he was lacking when it came to making deals.
He usually didn’t drink much but after today he was binge drinking.
“Hey get me another bottle of wine!”
“Yes”
Yawning, the waiter entered the kitchen. Since he was in a bad mood he wanted to beat up the waiter.
He chose Ma Jung Soo because Ma Jung Soo had the least amount of men working below him.
He thought that he would get all the credit if Ma Jung Soo succeeded. Si Gon believed that because there wasn’t much competition he was going to get a better position if he succeeded; that was why he helped Ma Jung Soo.
“Shit!”
He drank the last drop in the bottle. He could understand the Ma Jung Soo was lacking here and there since he knew about it. However, what Si gon couldn’t take was forcefully abusing people.
He couldn’t take it when people forced him to do something.
He believed that Ma Jung Soo was smart enough to not crack under pressure, but it seems that it was the opposite. Since Ma Jung Soo was driven into corner he was making many rash decisions.
Si Gon couldn’t betray Ma Jung Soo, who was going to accept him this late into the competition.
“Hey punk! Hurry up and bring me another bottle!”
The moment Si Gon turned around.
Smack!
He knew the moment he was smacked. It was the same fist that hit him at the vault.