The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Yang Gwan immediately asked back.

"Did you send a night visitor to Do Jibaek and the swordsman?"

A night visitor was the Orthodox faction's slang for an assassin. It mostly meant the Dark Curtain or the Killing Curtain.

Jang So-gil frowned.

"Why would I do such a money-wasting thing? It means that both of them are not long for this world anyway."

"Not long for this world, what does that mean?"

Is this painting a dud too? Jang So-gil, who had thrown down a painting, scowled and replied.

"Think carefully. The Luoyang branch was originally a solid group with no problems. As a manager, the Beggars' Sect is an absurdly easy place to manage. You can just beg for food, and you can sleep anywhere. There's nothing to provide, so there are no expenses, but surprisingly, you can earn a decent amount of money. You can't go bankrupt even if you try."

"If you put it that way, it seems so..."

"But why did this mess happen? It's because one Three-Knot Beggar made a bad investment and the money supply was cut off. This is a man-made disaster. It's a problem they shouldn't have had to face, but they're suffering because one Three-Knot Beggar went crazy."

It wasn't just the children who were hungry, starving, and struggling. Even those of the One-Knot Beggar level were starving just the same. To put it extremely, it would have been easier for all the beggars below the Two-Knot Beggar level to not be part of the Beggars' Sect.

"No one knew why it became like this, but now everyone knows that it was Do Jibaek's fault. Do you think all the beggars in the Beggars' Sect are crazy and do human trafficking, corpse selling, and embezzlement of public rice? The Luoyang branch is particularly crazy. It's still an Orthodox faction, if you can call it that."

"I see. But?"

"But what? Didn't you see that guy who rolled his eyes back and pointed a knife at me earlier? With his temper, he'd never tolerate that. Once he comes to his senses and finds out the situation, the blood will rush to his head and he'll probably stick a knife in Do Jibaek's side."

"Don't tell me! You told me not to kill him to use the 'borrow a knife to kill' strategy?"

"Of course. Even if it's not him, the Luoyang branch is a mess right now. Morale has hit rock bottom, and dissatisfaction is soaring. Someone is bound to stab him. That's the nature of a beggar. Of course, after stabbing him, it's insubordination, so another high-ranking person from the Beggars' Sect will take care of it. Once they find out the situation, in the end, that swordsman will not be able to avoid punishment either. So in the end, they're all going to die."

Jang So-gil grumbled again and threw down a painting. He continued to speak nonchalantly.

"In the first place, it's no exaggeration to say that there was no possibility of Do Jibaek living. That's how bad things usually are. Bad things usually make money. Taking other people's money, stealing other people's money, these things are profitable compared to the labor involved. That's why everyone does bad things, but there's one thing they overlook."

"What is that?"

"That if a bad thing becomes known to someone, you have to pay a price several times over. This is not a story about rewarding good and punishing evil, but a realistic story. A bad thing should only be known to oneself, because if it becomes known to others, it can become a weakness. This is especially true for the Orthodox faction. It's not for nothing that the well-to-do of the Orthodox faction die a violent death after doing one bad thing."

In Jang So-gil's eyes, Do Jibaek's fate had already been decided long ago. From the moment he learned about Do Jibaek's corpse selling, human trafficking, and embezzlement through the beggar children, Do Jibaek had to pay the price. Of course, that price was naturally Do Jibaek's own life.

"That fellow tried to silence me because he was afraid I would tell others about his crimes, but he only knew one thing and not the other."

"I don't know either."

"Tsk tsk. Didn't he proudly talk about his crimes in a place where other beggars were?"

"Ah!"

"To that fellow, the beggar children and the other One-Knot and Two-Knot Beggars were invisible, but the moment they found out, his lifeline was cut. So from now on, he has to pay for his sins, and by tomorrow, a bloated corpse will probably be found under the bridge. That's the whole and the end of this matter, so you don't have to worry about it anymore."

Since when had this scene been visible in Guild Master So's head? How many moves ahead was this one action a stepping stone for? Yang Gwan could only admire the depth of Jang So-gil's scheme.

'Lord Jang said that if you search the whole world, there are no more than three people who can match Guild Master So in strategy and scheming. It was true.'

How much of a small-minded fool must he have looked like, not trusting such a person and asking him all sorts of questions by his side? Yang Gwan's face flushed with embarrassment.

Despite that, Jang So-gil indifferently searched through the paintings. Yang Gwan felt a little embarrassed and turned his gaze outside. Outside, the twenty beggar children who had just arrived were standing in a line. They had come as they were told, but they seemed flustered, not knowing what to do here or what would be best.

"Then what about those children? A bloody storm will blow through the Beggars' Sect, but they have to go back now, don't they?"

"Go back where? They are my people now. My business with Do Jibaek is over."

"No, what are you going to use those children for?"

Objectively speaking, the beggar children were useless. They were too young to even be considered laborers. It meant that in terms of the investment-to-efficiency ratio that Jang So-gil always talked about, they were a bust.

Even to Yang Gwan, there was no good in taking them in.

"Are you perhaps doing charity work? Like the Shaolin Temple?"

"What kind of crazy talk is that? They are future workers."

"Workers?"

"I have to re-establish the Great Cloud Guild, don't I?"

"Ah!"

Jang So-gil did not trust people easily. Even if you were connected by money, there was a limit.

A person's loyalty cannot be bought with money alone; it can only be obtained through time and stories.

Orphans, especially beggars, live a life worse than that of a beast with nowhere to go. If you save such a life and mark them, you can easily buy their loyalty, so it is actually the way to get loyal people with the least amount of money. The proof of that was Jang So-gil, himself.

"I have to teach them how to read and instill loyalty in them from now on, so that they will be useful in about three years. Using people is not something that can be done overnight. You have to prepare in advance."

"Were you serious about re-establishing the Great Cloud Guild?!"

"I may lie, but I don't make such bad jokes. I don't even lie when it comes to Lord Jang and the Great Cloud Guild."

"Guild Master So..."

Yang Gwan's eyes reddened, as if he were very moved.

Then Jang So-gil threw a painting, annoyed.

"Anyway, you're a guy with a lot of stubborn words and a lot of questions! If you're not going to help with the work, then get lost!"

"Uh, uh. Even so, I don't know anything about those paintings and poems, so how can I help you, Guild Master So?"

"Then you can go out and wash the kids and feed them. If you look, there's a mountain of work to do, so why do you have to ask about everything!"

"Alright. My, my, your temper..."

"You talk too much."

As Jang So-gil said that, he held up a painting. Yang Gwan flinched and hurriedly threw himself out the door.

"Anyway, he's a guy with a nimble body, but his actions are so slow. He doesn't even move unless I scold him. By the way..."

Jang So-gil's expression, as he looked at the painting he had been about to throw at Yang Gwan, changed strangely. He carefully lowered the hand he had raised and treated the painting as if it were a treasure.

He let out a quiet sigh.

"If Do Jibaek knew this, he would rise from his grave."

* * *

Handling poems, calligraphy, and paintings was not an easy task even for a seasoned merchant. Not only did the price change depending on the artist who drew the picture and the condition of the painting, but whether it was expensive or cheap was determined not by the seller, but by the buyer.

Even straw sandals have a pair, and poems, calligraphy, and paintings also have a pair. If there is no one who wants to have it, no matter how well the picture is drawn or how wonderful the poem is written, it is just a piece of paper.

Conversely, even if it is not a wonderful poem, even if it is a poorly drawn picture, if there is someone who wants to buy it, its value is comparable to a thousand gold pieces.

The world of poems, calligraphy, and paintings is one where what seems wonderful can be a piece of paper, and what looks like a doodle can be a lump of gold. To put it nicely, it can be called a hobby of elegant, high-minded, and wise, chosen people, but to put it badly, investing in it is just speculation, gambling. So, the more experienced a merchant is, the more they have to distance themselves from poems, calligraphy, and paintings.

Jang So-gil, who prided himself on being an excellent merchant, had no intention of investing in poems, calligraphy, and paintings. But who knows? A day might come when, by a stroke of luck, he could get an expensive poem or painting for a cheap price.

It is said that those who prepare do not suffer a loss. So, he had memorized all the authors of the poems, calligraphy, and paintings that famous collectors were collecting. For some reason, those who collected poems, calligraphy, and paintings often wanted to own all the works of a particular author entirely by themselves. It could be seen as a desire for monopoly, affection, or obsession.

That effort paid off. He had found one of the authors he had memorized this time.

Jang So-gil, who had unfolded a painting in front of Sama Hwi, smiled broadly and said proudly.

"This is Wang Yan's lost masterpiece, the 'Winter Heart Renting a House' painting."

"Is this expensive?"

"How does it look in your eyes, Strategist Sama?"

"It's moldy, and the painting, how should I say it - it feels stuffy, so it's not very good."

"How much would you pay if you were to buy it?"

"I wouldn't even pay 1 coin. If you hang something like this, it will smell, so it's not good at all. But if I had to put a price on it, I would give 1 coin."

"Then you've just lost a huge amount of money, Strategist Sama."

"What?"

"If I sell this painting, I can get three thousand taels."

Sama Hwi's mouth fell open.

He thought it was a trashy painting, but three thousand taels!

"Who would pay three thousand taels for a painting like this!?"

"Master Zhongli of the Zhongli family will buy it."

"Master Zhongli!"

In the current martial world, the most powerful and influential person was undoubtedly the Martial Alliance Lord, Gu Munryong.

But in terms of virtue and reputation, there was one person who existed above Gu Munryong. That was Zhongli Ping of the Zhongli family.

Zhongli Ping was also called Master Three Excellences because he had three excellent things. The first was his outstanding eye for judging the true value of anything, the second was his beauty, which was said to have been carved from jade by a celestial being, and the third was his own excellent generosity.

A person who scraped up the money of the world with his excellent eyes had a generous and kind heart, and bestowed grace on all people, so the Zhongli family was always crowded with the poor and people seeking salvation, and Zhongli Ping proved his virtue by generously releasing his wealth to them.

Thus, everyone respected Zhongli Ping and called him Master Zhongli.

"Why would that Master Zhongli pay three thousand taels for this?"

"Master Zhongli has long been famous for collecting all of Wang Yan's works. He has publicly announced that if someone brings him a genuine work of Wang Yan that he does not own, he will buy it for three thousand taels."

"Hah, do you happen to know why Master Zhongli collects Wang Yan's works?"

"That's none of my business. I'm a merchant, so it's enough for me to sell it."

"...That's true."

"Hand this over to Master Zhongli and get three thousand taels."

"Why me, and not you, Inspector So?"

"Because this is a painting I got in exchange for the forty taels I was supposed to receive from the Beggars' Sect. Since it's not mine, it's naturally the Martial Alliance's, and since it's the Martial Alliance's, shouldn't you put in the effort, Strategist Sama?"

Sama Hwi let out a breath, "Ha-". It was an admirable thing.

"I heard about the affair at the Beggars' Sect. The dead Do Jibaek was letting such a treasure rot without knowing it!"

"Come to think of it, he's dead. Where is he buried?"

"There is no grave. A beggar from Kaifeng took the body."

"That's a good thing. It doesn't matter to me. Anyway, if I sell this, it will be like I've collected over two thousand taels again, so I can enter the martial library one more time."

Jang So-gil could enter the martial library if he collected an amount exceeding two thousand taels, but he changed his mind and agreed to have Sama Hwi enter in his place and choose a martial art.

A martial art chosen with Sama Hwi's discerning eye would naturally be a good one, so it was a good thing for Jang So-gil, and Sama Hwi could see many martial arts there and broaden his knowledge, so it was a good thing.

Therefore, this was a win-win situation for both sides. It was only natural that their relationship would improve a little.

Sama Hwi said, waving his folding fan.

"Then I can get one more martial art in addition to the lightness skill I was going to get last time."

"The dead Do Jibaek suffered from poems, calligraphy, and paintings his whole life, but."

"It seems we're the ones who will be sucking the honey."

Jang So-gil's mood improved at the unexpected profit, and Sama Hwi's mood also improved.

Both sides nodded their heads happily and then burst out laughing.

The beggar's money was so sweet.