Chapter 44 : Chapter 44
Chapter 44: Just sit down and shut up.
The reincarnation of Echoing Energy.
The incarnation of righteousness, courtesy, propriety, and wisdom.
The third son of the Jaegal Clan, as he understood him, was a prodigy who had embodied such formal etiquette.
But just now.
-Damn, that wide face looks just like some bastard's.
Namgung Jun couldn't believe the words that had just flowed into his ears.
Was this really happening?
A wave of anger boiled up in an instant, and blood rushed to his head as if it were flowing in reverse.
Jaegal Myeong-won had already closed his eyes with an impassive face.
An absurd situation where the clan head's vacancy was being claimed while the Jaegal Clan Head was clearly present.
It was a ridiculous situation, but it meant that the authority of the clan head had now been passed to Jaegal Hwi, who held the Phoenix Command Seal.
The great Azure Sky Divine Sword, a member of the Seven Revered of Jianghu, was completely out of his league to deal with him.
If his older brother didn't step up, then he, Namgung Jun, would have to.
After all, the other side's eldest son hadn't stepped forward either.
“I can hear the sound of your eyeballs rolling from here.”
Wha- what?
“You were going on and on about distribution of seats, so we lowered the level for you, didn't we? Though that's a funny story too. If the clan heads were to face each other anyway, our father would be half a rank lower and would have to take the lower seat, but you'd probably keep your mouth shut then, right? Anyway, ugh, I'm sick and tired of all this talk about justification and hierarchy.”
He couldn't take it anymore.
Namgung Jun approached his father and bowed with polite etiquette.
“Please grant me the Sword Command Divine Tablet.”
Namgung Sejin remained silent, still with his eyes closed.
He opened his mouth with a faint smile only after the time it took to drink a cup of tea had passed.
“Truly astonishing. Is this really a trick that can come from the wisdom of the Phoenix Family.”
He was no longer just the head of the Namgung Clan.
He was embodying the fame and hierarchy of the Seven Revered of Jianghu, the authority of the Azure Sky Divine Sword.
“Very well. I will personally play along with this shallow trick. However, you must bear the consequences. You were the ones who abandoned etiquette first.”
Soon, he took out a divine tablet in the shape of an ancient sword from his bosom.
“The Azure Sky is boundless, but it never turns a blind eye to evil intent.”
The family motto of the great Namgung family.
Namgung Jun had never felt the family's long-standing motto resonate so deeply as he did today.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Namgung Jun, who had received the divine tablet while gritting his teeth.
He was feeling the weight of the Namgung family that had been passed down for generations.
The opponent had insulted the head of the great Namgung family with light words that a back-alley ruffian would use.
It was impossible for the great tree of Namgung to be shaken by such a shallow trick.
“From now on, I, Namgung Jun…!”
“Yes, Namgung Jun. The name itself is so wide it's uncomfortable to hear. Well, I'm sure you're going to put on a show and go on and on about how great the Namgung family is.”
A snicker.
“Just sit down and shut up. It's boring.”
The interior of the Pavilion of Floral Beauty was engulfed in a silence as if cold water had been poured over it.
***
A person's life is truly strange and fickle.
To think that I would become an orthodox sect member in this life and have another go at it with that Namgung bastard.
Anyway, as I expected, that bastard Namgung Sejin handed over the divine tablet to his son.
As expected, people don't change easily.
There was no way that Namgung Sejin, who valued honor more than his own life, would let go of his pride.
That was his most vulnerable point.
That bastard would never be willing to roll around in a filthy dung heap.
What good is it to be cautious and thorough in everything.
When he always hesitated to do unpleasant and face-losing things.
Even if he were to have a dogfight with me in a dung heap, his chances of winning would be less than twenty percent.
What's more, he pushed his inexperienced son into this dung heap, so the battle was as good as over.
I had no intention of dragging out this disgusting fight for long.
“Now, shall we have a look? Since you came determined for a martial arts tournament, you must have brought storytellers to spread the word. And if you're aiming for the Wuhan branch, you must have moved the war funds as well, right? For Namgung, it would be the Golden Frog Bank, wouldn't it?”
Namgung Jun, who was trying his best to maintain his composure with a venomous look in his eyes.
The moment he heard the words Golden Frog Bank, his eyes wavered greatly.
Well, this is a bit…
It's so easy I'm starting to feel sorry for him.
“……Are you saying that because you have no experience? Surely you don't think that moving a military unit is all about the members, do you? Their families, the battle horse managers, the weaponsmiths, the accountants, the medics, the servants, and so on. When a military unit is dispatched, it means that nearly a hundred people move together.”
The little Namgung bastard, trying his best to maintain his composure and retort, is quite cute.
“So, since it's about moving a whole living community, you're going to bring the Golden Frog Bank, which has been in charge of the Namgung Clan's finances, along with you?”
“Isn't that obvious?”
A snicker.
“Hey, Namgung Jun. Negotiations, you see. There's progress only when you open up your hearts to each other. Why are you acting like such an amateur? Are you going to flip the table from the start? Should I just, damn it, send a carrier pigeon to the Nine Dragons Pavilion?”
As soon as I mentioned the Nine Dragons Pavilion, Namgung Jun's face turned pale again.
My father had no intention of using this great weapon of the Murim Alliance's personnel rights, but I was different.
No, how could I resist when the card I held had such tremendous power?
“If you put the Wuhan branch under Namgung's influence, our Jade Cloud Bank will naturally lose its power, won't it? As Jaegal loses its influence, who's going to use the promissory notes of the Jade Cloud Bank? Do you really not have such insidious intentions? Are you telling me to believe that at face value?”
Of course, there would be many other profitable businesses like escort agencies, taverns, and inns.
However, most sects and clans consider the promissory note business to be the best of the best.
Promissory note.
Literally, a certificate promising that the amount written on the paper will be paid at the bank.
But whether it's a few hundred nyang or a few million nyang, a promissory note is just a piece of paper in the first place.
Dozens of banks go bankrupt every month, so how could anyone blindly trust a promissory note in this harsh Jianghu?
That's why the existence of a power that backs and guarantees the bank is necessary.
That's why Mount Hua's Red Plum Bank is renowned as the best bank in the world.
People revered the pure Dao of the Immortals of Mount Hua and the Sword Saint of the world, and naturally, they considered the Red Plum Bank, which they directly guaranteed, to be the best.
That's why I have a bit of a grudge against this promissory note business.
The credit of the promissory notes guaranteed by the Great Murim Alliance was always inferior to that of the Red Plum Bank.
Even after I had built up the Great Murim Alliance and taken over the entire south of the Yangtze River, I was never able to catch up to the fame of those arrogant Mount Hua bastards.
There are thousands of reasons to hate the Sword Saint, but the biggest reason is the existence of that damned Red Plum Bank.
“Why are you judging the intentions of the Namgung Clan?”
“Isn't it too obvious and blatant? If you're flying a bright blue dragon flag, can you just snatch away someone else's livelihood like that?”
If that Namgung Sejin was truly filled with the great cause of just beating up the remnants of the Demonic Cult, then I too had no intention of making a big deal out of it.
But was that really the case?
Could that lump of desire change so easily?
The fact that even his second son, Namgung Jun, knew about the Golden Frog Bank meant that this was a plan that Namgung Sejin had been formulating for a long time.
“It is common sense for a bank's branch to move along when a clan dispatches its military unit. If you insist on making an issue of this, then let's resolve this matter along with the martial arts tournament.”
At his nonsensical rambling, I gave him a bewildered look.
“Aren't you trying to get too much out of one martial arts tournament?”
“It is the way of the warrior who lives in Jianghu to settle disagreements through a contest of skills. If you claim to be one of the Five Great Clans, there is no reason to avoid it.”
Huh, is this guy even human?
How can a child of a prestigious family, not some Green Forest bandit, be so shameless?
What's funnier is that I can think of countless ways to easily demolish the logic he's arguing right now.
“But if it's just a matter of handling silver, can't our Jade Cloud Bank do that as well? We'll lose a bit on the commission, but how far is Wuhan from Anhui that a money transfer would be impossible?”
“……What?”
Wait, what's with that flustered look?
Did he really not know this simple fact?
Well, the esteemed second son of the Namgung Clan probably just ordered servants around, when would he have ever exchanged a promissory note?
I had high expectations since he was said to have surpassed established Jianghu figures, but it seems he can't overcome the limitations of a prodigy after all.
Looking at Namgung Sejin, his eyebrows were trembling.
Damn, at least he's not shameless.
Only then was I certain.
That insidious Namgung Sejin did not come here just to beat up Demonic Cult members.
That bastard must want to cover this Wuhan with the promissory notes of the Golden Frog Bank.
‘Of course. A dog can't stop eating shit.’
Promissory notes are not just about commission business.
To issue a promissory note, you obviously have to deposit silver and gold ingots at the bank first.
To secure and manage an unimaginable amount of funds.
That is why the promissory note, or rather the bank business, is the most lucrative.
As I expected, what that bastard Namgung Sejin is after is the expansion of the promissory note business.
If the Namgung Clan extends its influence to the Wuhan branch, people will naturally trust the promissory notes of the Golden Frog Bank more.
He wants to control even this huge silver ecosystem of Wuhan.
Now, it's time to expose the true nature of the Namgung bastards, wrapped in that grand cause.
“The Wuhan branch? There's no need for a martial arts tournament, just station the Azure Sky Sword Squad there right now. It was overwhelming for us with just the Shadowless Terrace anyway, so it's a good thing. Instead.”
I took out the prepared documents from my bosom.
As soon as he saw the letter of confirmation spread out on the conference table, Namgung Jun's face showed great surprise.
Now even that bastard knows.
What it means to have prepared this letter of confirmation in advance.
“The various clauses may seem complicated at a glance, but the core is simple. Not to bring a branch of the Golden Frog Bank into this Wuhan. That's all.”
Of course, my letter of confirmation is not that simple.
I have cleverly hidden poisonous clauses as intricate as a spider's web.
If they stamp their seal on this letter of confirmation as it is?
Then the Namgung bastards will have no choice but to withdraw, exhausted from just beating up the remnants of the Demonic Cult.
“That's strange. Why are you hesitating? Hey, surely your real purpose wasn't to bring in the Golden Frog Bank, was it? And the subjugation of the Demonic Cult members was just a pretext?”
Don't get me wrong, I don't hate all the orthodox bastards.
Among the orthodox bastards, there are some quite manly ones, and there are also chivalrous men who truly practice the great cause.
But at least that Namgung Sejin is not one of them.
That bastard always puts forth a plausible justification, but in the end, he could never give up his dark and secret desires.
What's more disgusting is that he actually believes himself to be a great hero of righteousness and benevolence.
He has reached a state where he is even deceiving himself.
If that bastard were in the unorthodox faction, or if he were my subordinate, he would surely be locked up in a prison.
But suddenly, an unexpected situation unfolded.
“Isn't it a good thing if we can reach an agreement without hurting each other's feelings? What your esteemed family is worried about is the advance of the bank, and our family's main purpose from the beginning was to root out the Demonic Cult members, so this is not something to be at odds about. Our family's representative should put the Jaegal Clan's worries to rest.”
It was funny enough that the eldest son, Namgung Hyeok, suddenly chimed in, but his naive attitude almost made my stomach split.
That Namgung Hyeok truly did not doubt his father's great cause for a second.
But he's quite something, isn't he?
I thought he was just a martial arts fanatic who was only serious about martial arts, but his ingrained etiquette is the very essence of a righteous and prestigious family.
The kind of truly orthodox person I should be afraid of.
This is why information can never precede actual experience.
Public attention is focused on the second son of the Namgung Clan, Namgung Jun, but this eldest son is the real ‘Namgung’.
As I was observing Namgung Hyeok closely, Namgung So-hwa's venomous voice was heard.
“Still, since it's a letter of confirmation between our two families, shouldn't we examine it carefully?”
“Th- that's right! We need time to review the letter of confirmation and coordinate our opinions—”
I cut off Namgung Jun's words in an instant.
“Seeing how anyone can just butt in during a meeting, it seems the divine tablet of Namgung has no authority, does it? Well, I'll give you plenty of time until the hour of the dog tomorrow. The place is the Phoenix Martial Emperor Pavilion. Notarization and observation will be free, just like today. Got it?”
Namgung Jun, gritting his teeth.
“……Fine.”
“This Steward!”
As the Namgung Clan party was being guided to the guest hall by This Steward.
Suddenly, Namgung Sejin was staring at me intently with his characteristic sharp gaze.
I grinned at him like in the old days and puckered my lips.
‘Hello? Little Master Square?’
His expression contorted even more bizarrely.