The Owner Of The Thousand Gold Coins Is A Military Official - Chapter 112

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 112

One month.

A tediously uneventful period of time continued.

Salmaek would come next month since he had left behind an antidote, and in the meantime, Cheongun had arrived in Shandong to wrap up the merchant expedition.

Perhaps because of its massive scale, various merchant guilds had gathered to examine the goods from the expedition.

Bugwan was handling all the business that needed to be done, and Cheongun had separate matters to attend to.

‘He’s definitely among them.’

This was a gathering of all the representative merchant guilds of Shandong.

Originally, he knew the exact name of the merchant guild, but when he checked today, it didn’t exist in that guild.

‘There’s no way I wouldn’t sense his presence.’

He was confident.

While he might be able to deceive the eyes of others, he couldn’t deceive Cheongun’s eyes.

As if the name “King of Rats” wasn’t given for nothing, even though Cheongun was concentrating quite hard, it seemed slightly insufficient to grasp that presence.

‘…’

Just a little more.

Cheongun continued to focus his mind on the thread that seemed about to be caught, and soon he detected a single rat crawling and simultaneously realized it contained faint internal energy.

‘Found him.’

So this is where he was hiding.

Seowang was concealing himself not above ground, but underground.

Someone who could avoid showing himself to anyone unless he wished to.

He didn’t know why such a person worked as a spy, but if he required this level of concentration even from Cheongun, he would certainly be of great help.

Information was something you could never have too much of, yet it was always insufficient.

“Young Master. Have you finished all your business?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, it seems I’ll be able to finish it well.”

“That’s fortunate. What are your plans for returning?”

“I still don’t know, so you should return first.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

He didn’t know the reason why Seowang appeared particularly frequently around merchant guilds.

However, if he could understand that reason, wouldn’t that also mean he could soon know what Seowang wanted?

Cheongun had been thinking about that reason continuously on his way here.

Why would Seowang work as a spy for merchant guilds?

Simply because he wanted to roam Gangho?

No, in Cheongun’s opinion, Seowang simply preferred not drawing attention to himself.

Seowang, who hadn’t revealed himself even during the Jeongma Great War.

What he truly wanted was to feel superior by stepping back and observing everything in Gangho.

That was the conclusion Cheongun had reached.

It was merely Cheongun’s personal speculation, but he couldn’t think of any other reason.

It was known that Seowang’s martial prowess itself wasn’t particularly outstanding.

First, since he commanded rats, his information gathering was considerable, and additionally, he was known to be skilled at concealing himself.

Seowang was someone who would hide deep in the rat burrows he had already dug if pursued immediately.

To properly utilize Seowang’s information network, he needed to be subdued through means other than force.

If it were possible to subdue and command him through force, wouldn’t there already be countless others who could do so?

“Still, I can’t spend too much time on this.”

To catch a rat, the priority is to perfectly block all the places where the rat can hide.

But then, how would that be different from subduing through force?

Therefore, he decided to leave all the places where the King of Rats could hide and escape as they were.

Originally, entering boldly through the entrance was more suitable for reducing suspicion than digging up rat burrows.

So Cheongun first headed to the place where he could best sense Seowang’s presence.

This was like an entrance that Seowang had prepared.

Conversely, if someone entered through this place, it also stemmed from confidence that he could escape at any time.

Following that presence, the place he arrived at was a grain storehouse.

More precisely, an abandoned grain storehouse.

As befitting the King of Rats, even the entrance to his hideout was in such a place.

Cheongun boldly opened that entrance and said.

“I’m coming in.”

Now, this was a place he had come to after even planning a merchant expedition.

What kind of appearance would Seowang have?

As the door opened, rat corpses piled up like mountains immediately began emitting a foul stench.

“Tsk.”

He must have stored them as food supplies.

It was a sight he would have liked to burn down completely, but now wasn’t the time.

Following the small path visible between the corpses toward the interior, a man who anyone could see deserved to be called the King of Rats was looking at Cheongun.

“Who… are you?”

“Are you Seowang?”

“I asked… who you are.”

“I don’t know why you’re asking when you already know.”

“…What business does the young patriarch of Cheongeumjang… have with me?”

“Don’t all those who seek you have the same purpose?”

Looking closely, his expression was clearly uncomfortable.

“…Go back. I know you’ve come a long way, but now is not the time for you.”

“Not the time. What kind of timing are you referring to?”

“No matter how remarkable you may be, there are things you cannot accomplish right now.”

Seowang knew everything.

That Cheongun had gone to the Demonic Sect.

What he had done at the Demonic Sect.

And what he had done on his way to Shandong and what he had obtained.

“If you need information, it would be better to make good use of what you’ve already obtained.”

As expected of Seowang, he seemed to know everything about Salmaek as well.

“That’s not enough to satisfy me.”

“I’m not doubting your abilities, but now is not the time.”

Seowang seemed resolute.

He could feel that Seowang wouldn’t even give him a chance.

This wasn’t good.

With that kind of reaction, even if he perfectly fulfilled what Seowang wanted, he wouldn’t be able to gain Seowang’s power.

“May I know why it’s not the right time?”

“That is…”

At that moment, someone’s presence was felt from behind.

‘…A master.’

The person standing behind Cheongun right now was a master to the extent that his senses instantly sharpened.

“Well, there was a guest here.”

Even from that one casually spoken sentence, the profound depth of his internal energy could be felt.

Just how many masters of this level could there be?

“…I seem to be an unwelcome guest, so it would be better for me to withdraw.”

“Not at all. Since you’re not my guest, how could I judge him? Please continue your conversation.”

The owner of the voice took a seat in an appropriate spot.

“…Anyway, go back.”

“I should return now. It seems a real guest has arrived, not an unwelcome one.”

Cheongun turned around.

Then he could confirm who the owner of the voice was.

Like Dokgo Geom, he wore a bamboo hat, but his neat and dignified clothing and atmosphere exuded things that were not easily approachable.

“I greet a senior of Gangho.”

“…Who are you and where do you come from?”

It was a question that didn’t need to be asked.

This old man who had come to find Seowang clearly appeared to be someone who had subdued Seowang through something other than the martial prowess Cheongun had hoped for.

He deliberately directed a question to Cheongun that he could have easily gotten an answer to from Seowang.

“I am the young patriarch of Cheongeumjang. My name is Cheongun.”

“Cheongun. That is a fine name. Why has the young patriarch of Cheongeumjang traveled such a long way without guards?”

“Isn’t the answer in the question you just asked?”

“Hmm?”

The old man showed momentary puzzlement at Cheongun’s words, then burst into laughter.

“Haha! Yes. Indeed. Who would have thought Cheongeumjang’s future would be so bright.”

The question asking who Cheongun was had been the very answer.

It only becomes threatening when you know who Cheongun is – what threat could there be if you don’t even know who someone is?

And Cheongun had sufficient power to protect himself from most threats.

“Please understand that this old man cannot reveal his identity.”

“I understand completely.”

Since a connection had been formed through a momentary coincidence, they would surely meet again someday as fate.

Having left Seowang’s stronghold, Cheongun showed a momentarily hollow smile.

“This was unexpected.”

Who would have thought Seowang already belonged to someone else?

That old man – what could his true identity be?

After Cheongun left.

A conversation between two people was taking place in the room.

“A rare young man indeed. How did he know of this place?”

“…He seems to have sensed my energy.”

“Huh. Yours?”

That wouldn’t be easy unless his energy perception was exceptionally sensitive.

“Yes. I originally intended to ask about something else, but now I’ve seen something more interesting.”

“Please ask.”

“What is Cheongeumjang’s current situation? As far as I know, it should still be solid.”

“That’s correct. I understand that Sinui and his master, as well as masters of the previous generation, are gathered there.”

“Masters of the previous generation…”

“It appears that Gomujin, Dangmuryang, and Geou are also moving following Cheongeumjang’s young patriarch.”

“Oh…?”

Those were unexpected names.

They were also quite welcome names.

“It seems something is happening.”

Seowang did not mention Geomma’s name.

It could be seen as his first and last consideration.

“I couldn’t learn the details. It’s a place even mice would find hard to enter.”

“Hmm. I understand. Then I have another question.”

After that, the main topic of why the old man had sought out Seowang continued.

Having left the room, Cheongun walked the streets for a while, organizing his thoughts.

It seemed he had put considerable effort into recruiting Seowang.

He had prepared quite a bit of time for it as well.

“I should take care of the memorial service first.”

The next planned schedule was going to the Murim Alliance.

Once he set foot in the Murim Alliance, there was no telling how much time would be needed.

So it was right to first hold the memorial service that Father had wanted.

“Huh. This is a first.”

It was the first time in this life that he hadn’t obtained what he sought to obtain.

Of course, that didn’t mean he intended to give up.

Judging by how clearly uncomfortable he had looked, it was obvious that Seowang also wanted to escape that situation.

It was certain he would meet that old man again someday, and he was curious about how they would meet.

Would they face each other as enemies?

Or would it be something else?

Since it was such rare strength, Cheongun seemed to somewhat hope for the former.

“I should leave immediately. Without any further delay.”

Bugwan would handle the merchant guild’s affairs well.

From the beginning, he had participated in the trade journey not as the young patriarch but as a son of some high-ranking family, so there was nothing more to be responsible for.

“Ah, there is one place I should stop by before going.”

Originally, when starting this new life, Cheongun had organized all sorts of sources of fortune from the beginning.

Though it had become unnecessary information in Cheongeumjang’s endless golden feast, it would be good to take what could be taken.

“Was it the ten-thousand-year fleece-flower root?”

He remembered it being somewhere around here.

Though Cheongun had already made sufficient progress in the amount of his internal energy, internal energy was always better in greater quantities.

If the effect was minimal, he could just keep it, and if it had meaningful effects, he could take it.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————