The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 486

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 486. No Way!

 

 

Southern Main Street of the Jeongcheon Alliance Headquarters in Luoyang.

It was the most bustling place in Luoyang.

The major merchant guilds of Luoyang were gathered here, with the Luoyang First Merchant Guild occupying the largest building.

Jeon Family Merchant Guild.

That was the name of the merchant guild written on the signboard.

As the old man called Elder Jeon, who had appeared at the inn where Ha Mu-baek stayed, slowly walked in, all the workers bowed deeply.

“We greet the Dan-ju.”

Elder Jeon, Jeon Dok-woo, lightly nodded his head and headed straight to his office on the top floor.

His face was filled with worry.

‘They’re holding out better than I thought…’

Jeon Dok-woo frowned.

Sohaeng Inn.

The location of that inn situated in the back alleys of Luoyang’s Western Main Street was quite troublesome.

They were preparing to construct new buildings in the surrounding area, but that small building was stubbornly refusing to sell and holding out.

It was a building they absolutely had to acquire due to its location.

He had no intention of paying extra.

In fact, he didn’t even want to pay the proper market price, but since the matter was what it was, even when he offered to pay the fair price, they stubbornly refused to sell.

There wasn’t much time left.

So he was employing forceful measures, but they were holding out well.

‘Damn laborers.’

The reason was the laborers and craftsmen who had to handle construction work throughout Luoyang.

He couldn’t prevent those bastards from going there.

The laborers and craftsmen of Luoyang had their own massive union, and they would take collective action if treated unfairly.

It wasn’t about anything else – if he forced them regarding meals, there was no telling how they might react.

Jeon Dok-woo’s merchant guild also borrowed their help when conducting large and small construction projects in Luoyang.

‘Should I bring in laborers and craftsmen from outside?’

Since the union of laborers and craftsmen was formed only by those within Luoyang, there was a way to bring in outside workers.

The problem was that it would require too much effort.

The cost was also an issue.

To drive the Sohaeng Inn out of business, he needed to make sure they had no customers at all, but the laborers who had their breakfast there were interfering with that plan.

Of course, even so, the Sohaeng Inn was gradually going under.

With just those customers, it would be difficult to even maintain the status quo.

The problem was, as mentioned earlier, that there wasn’t much time left.

This pace wasn’t fast enough.

Having arrived in front of his office, Jeon Dok-woo stopped abruptly.

The door was slightly open.

Startled, he hurriedly entered his office.

Indeed, a middle-aged man was sitting at Jeon Dok-woo’s desk.

He looked at Jeon Dok-woo with a sneer.

“Where have you been wandering around? I’ve been waiting quite a while.”

Jeon Dok-woo closed the door and prostrated himself flat before him.

“I greet the Sect Messenger.”

His voice was filled with fear.

“How is the progress of the work?”

“Well… there’s one inn that’s still holding out and won’t sell their building…”

The middle-aged man called the Sect Messenger’s expression hardened coldly.

“I should have given you sufficient time?”

A cold voice.

“The thing is… the inn owner is absolutely immovable.”

Jeon Dok-woo answered while trembling.

“You’re not doing this to save money, are you?”

The cold voice became even more chilling.

“…The thing is…”

Jeon Dok-woo couldn’t answer properly.

Thud. Thud.

The middle-aged man rose from his seat and walked toward Jeon Dok-woo.

He grabbed the shoulders of Jeon Dok-woo, who was prostrated low.

“Jeon Dok-woo. Thanks to whom were you able to become the owner of such a large merchant guild?”

“Thanks to the great sect’s grace.”

Crack.

The hand gripping his shoulder applied pressure.

“Ugh.”

Jeon Dok-woo let out a low groan from the pain pressing in from his shoulder.

“And yet. You’re trying to save money in the process of conducting the sect’s business? Do you want to die?”

“Grrgh.”

Along with the ice-cold voice, the grip grew stronger, and the pain became that much more excruciating.

“But… if I offer too much extra money, it might draw attention from the surroundings.”

At Jeon Dok-woo’s excuse, the middle-aged man’s grip loosened.

Even if it was an excuse, it had merit.

If rumors spread that the building was sold at a high price, flies would swarm to it.

So he thought of an easy method.

“Should I kill them for you?”

The middle-aged man’s question.

“No, that won’t do. That would draw even more attention. The Jeongcheon Alliance is right in front of us.”

Jeon Dok-woo said urgently.

The middle-aged man stepped back again.

“Hmm.”

He crossed his arms and fell into thought.

The location of being right under the Jeongcheon Alliance’s nose.

The position of being in western Luoyang.

Both of those were important.

The plan was to create a suitable estate there as a hidden move to strike at the Jeongcheon Alliance someday.

Since it was right behind the main road, it was a spot where an estate could be built.

The surrounding land and buildings had already been purchased.

That one was the problem.

“There isn’t much time. The Jeongcheon Alliance has dealt with the Sanwol Demon Forest. They’re probably still busy because of that, but once that matter is settled, the opening will disappear.”

“I will hurry as much as possible.”

Jeon Dok-woo said while pressing his head to the ground.

“Seven days and nights. If it’s not resolved by then, the owner of this merchant guild will change.”

With those words, the middle-aged man disappeared.

Jeon Dok-woo’s face turned pale.

The meaning was clear.

If he couldn’t get his hands on the Sohaeng Inn within seven days, it would be Jeon Dok-woo himself who would die.

“Damn it.”

A curse naturally slipped out.

Jeon Dok-woo got up and hurriedly headed downstairs again.

There wasn’t much time.

The place he headed to with his subordinates and guards was a union of laborers and craftsmen.

It was the Craftsmen’s Guild.

 

***

 

“Here.”

At Ha Mu-baek’s call, little Gong Hae-jun came running over quickly.

“I’ll be staying again today.”

He took out five taels of silver from his chest and handed them over.

Gong Hae-jun was startled by the silver that suddenly appeared.

“Boy. Don’t be so surprised. This liquor alone would easily cost more than half of that.”

Ha Mu-baek shook the completely empty bottle of Seobongju.

“The rest is for what I’ve eaten and slept so far, and what I’ll eat and sleep in the future.”

Saying that, Ha Mu-baek got up and walked out of the inn.

“Oh, please clean up the room.”

“Th-thank you! Customer!”

Gong Hae-jun bowed deeply.

While working as a shopkeeper, this was the first time he’d seen silver.

So he couldn’t gauge how much money this was.

When he hurriedly ran to his mother and handed over the five taels of silver he received from Ha Mu-baek, the female innkeeper was shocked.

She had roughly heard Ha Mu-baek’s words and knew her son had received quite a bit of money, but she never imagined it would be as much as five taels of silver.

“H-honey!”

The female innkeeper hurriedly headed to the kitchen.

Sohaeng Inn.

Ha Mu-baek turned his gaze at the entrance and glanced at the signboard.

It was an inn true to its name.

At least when he ate small pork and drank Seobongju there today, he felt a small happiness.

“Tsk.”

That’s why he clicked his tongue.

Because of the bastard who disturbed that small happiness.

That old bastard called Elder Jeon.

‘There is something there.’

He thought it was a typical villain.

But just now, that bastard had met someone who had learned quite strong martial arts.

Perhaps it wasn’t a simple and typical matter, but might be a somewhat complicated affair, he thought as he headed to the Jeongcheon Alliance.

Would the matter there be resolved simply?

Or would it be resolved in a complicated way?

 

***

 

“He’s already here?”

At the news delivered from the main gate, Gongsun Dan-gyeong frowned.

He had appeared again in just one day.

No, it was past morning but not yet lunchtime.

Strictly speaking, not even a day had passed.

After the news arrived, Ha Mu-baek quickly appeared at the entrance of Cheonmok Pavilion and instantly arrived in front of his office.

“Have you reached a conclusion?”

A question thrown as soon as he sat down.

A faint but clear scent of alcohol could be felt in it.

“You. Have you been drinking?”

Instead of answering, Gongsun Dan-gyeong threw a question.

It was that unusual.

Originally, Ha Mu-baek wasn’t the type to enjoy alcohol much.

But drinking at this hour?

“Well, the food was so delicious that I got excited and had a drink.”

Ha Mu-baek answered concisely.

“It seems there was a place in Luoyang that makes good Baekjok food.”

The fact that Ha Mu-baek liked Baekjok cuisine was something Gongsun Dan-gyeong knew well.

“I should go there sometime too.”

Ha Mu-baek.

If it was good enough to make that man think of drinking, the skill with other dishes would be good too.

Gongsun Dan-gyeong naturally had such thoughts.

“But you haven’t answered my question?”

“It was late last evening when you left asking to be notified once the treatment was decided. Did asking to be notified mean you’d come looking to ask like this?”

Gongsun Dan-gyeong argued with resentment mixed in his voice.

“Gongsun Elder would already have an answer.”

Ha Mu-baek answered as if it were obvious.

In fact, he too had somewhat expected the answer.

In the midst of that, he had pushed and pulled yesterday to secure the most advantageous position possible.

Gongsun Dan-gyeong glared at such Ha Mu-baek.

“You seem to already expect it too.”

Ha Mu-baek shrugged his shoulders.

Gongsun Dan-gyeong made a displeased expression.

“First, the Maengryong Corps of Gyoryong Hall will be disbanded. Among the current first-year cadets, only volunteers will remain and the rest will be dismissed, and new cadets won’t be selected.”

Gongsun Dan-gyeong had conceded one step.

Ha Mu-baek smiled slightly.

“And the service period is…”

Gongsun Dan-gyeong paused for a moment.

His expression showed it was truly regrettable, with an utterly unfair look.

He had agonized over it past midnight, and received So Hwi-ung’s permission early this morning.

“Four years, based on the personnel assigned this year.”

Gongsun Dan-gyeong spoke with his eyes tightly shut.

If the first-year corps members’ service period was set at four years, the current fifth-year corps members would naturally finish their service.

Since they had completed four years.

“Two years.”

When Ha Mu-baek spoke, Gongsun Dan-gyeong’s expression became fierce.

“No!”

He was firm.

It was an attitude of absolutely not backing down.

“Wouldn’t three years be enough to finish organizing things?”

Ha Mu-baek’s question.

The two men’s eyes met in midair.

Ha Mu-baek’s gaze seemed to say ‘Why are we doing this when we both already know?’

“Huu. Fine. I understand. Three years.”

“Good.”

He had tried to hold on for even one more year somehow.

He had failed.

“The deployment area is….”

“The southern border between Jiangxi Province and Hunan Province, isn’t it?”

At Ha Mu-baek’s words, Gongsun Dan-gyeong nodded his head.

With an expression that said this bastard knew everything all along.

“Especially centered around the area closest to Hyeongsan Mountain.”

The jiangshi and Blood Cult of Sanwol Demon Forest had disappeared.

That meant Zhejiang Province would stabilize, and the Sahae Alliance would covet advancing into Jiangxi Province.

The military forces around that area due to the existence of Sanwol Demon Forest had been restraining the Sahae Alliance’s advance into Jiangxi Province.

When the recent upheaval in Sanwol Demon Forest caused surrounding troops to concentrate there, making vigilance over Jiangxi Province lax, hadn’t the Sahae Alliance immediately shown movement?

So it was natural procedure to move the Bongma Corps that had been guarding Sanwol Demon Forest to Jiangxi Province to maintain vigilance against the Sahae Alliance there.

But the reality of the Bongma Corps was….

Ha Mu-baek knew as well.

That the only thing capable of filling that position was the Maengryong Corps he belonged to.

So he had stubbornly insisted on staying only at Sanwol Demon Forest.

To gain as much as possible.

Gongsun Dan-gyeong also knew this fact, so he had considered the maximum line he could compromise on.

Three years.

In that time, they could settle the Bongma Corps’ affairs and finish organizing the area around Sanwol Demon Forest, allowing new people to guard the border of Jiangxi Province.

During that time, they would entrust that place to Ha Mu-baek and the Maengryong Corps.

‘Actually, having that man there would be the most reliable option anyway.’

The Sahae Alliance was well aware of Ha Mu-baek’s capabilities.

Four Seas Alliance Leader Gong Ya-jang-cheon, and Mun In-baek-song, the military advisor and head of the intelligence organization.

Those two especially knew well, so they wouldn’t dare make rash moves.

From Gongsun Dan-gyeong’s perspective, it would be best if Ha Mu-baek continued guarding that place.

But since Ha Mu-baek had firmly declared from the start that he wouldn’t do so.

“Since we need to clean up Sanwol Demon Forest as well, I’ll move to Jiangxi Province in a month.”

Saying this, Ha Mu-baek rose from his seat.

A deep smile hung on his lips.

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