Chapter 63
The night street!
The chief steward must have been referring to the night culture, such as brothels, taverns, dog fights, and gambling dens…
His words were true.
Who wouldn’t know that dominating the night street was the business that could yield the most profit for the investment?
But,
“Chief Steward. I don’t think that’s possible. The ancestors of the Moyong surname were the royal family of the Yan Dynasty, and we have proclaimed to the Jianghu for generations that we are a family of scholars. So, we haven’t even opened a single humble restaurant until now, so how can we jump into the night business?”
At that, a look of anguish and worry appeared on the chief steward’s face at the same time.
“Family Head. The world has changed. Even the Daoist sects of Huashan and Jongnam operate brothels in Shaanxi. And dozens of them at that. What about Shaolin, which is called the holy land of Buddhism? Recently, they have invested a huge amount of money in the money houses in the Henan area. It’s called a money house, but isn’t it a vicious high-interest loan business? I have followed the Family Head completely until now, but I dare to suggest this for the sake of the family’s safety and existence.”
Moyong Baek was at a loss for words at the chief steward’s words.
‘How hard must it have been for the chief steward to say such a thing…’
Although they were getting by with the support of the Liaoning Escort Agency and others, what must the chief steward’s anguish have been like every time he saw the maids and workers leave one by one to find a way to live?
But to jump into the entertainment business, so-called night business, as the chief steward said?
It was a matter of losing face.
Just then,
“Uncle. What are you worried about?”
“Huh?”
So-ah opened his mouth.
“Is there a distinction between noble and humble jobs? Besides, even places like Huashan, Jongnam, and Shaolin are getting into business. If even the Nine Great Sects are doing it, why can’t we? Look at the other Five Great Families. The Zhuge Family even operates a divination center and takes money for telling fortunes.”
“Hah… but So-ah.”
“Yes, I know. I think the same as you, Uncle. A martial artist is busy being active in the Jianghu, so what business? You might think that. But, sir.”
“…”
“When I saw the North Sea Ice Palace this time, I was really envious. The grand exterior was one thing, but just by looking at the splendid interior decorations, the smell of a windfall came rushing in, and I wondered when I would ever live in a place like this.”
“Hmm…”
“And does just anyone do business? We’re worried about saving face in a situation where we don’t know if it will work out even if we try with will and effort? Uncle. This is not right. It’s not like we’re doing something bad. We’re not trying to become a great merchant and play with a thousand gold pieces. We’re just trying to earn some money for the prosperity of our family. I think the chief steward is right.”
Hearing So-ah’s passionate speech, Moyong Baek could not help but be even more conflicted.
The opinions of the chief steward and the great disciple.
He could not ignore them, nor should he ignore them, and in the first place, Moyong Baek’s own personality was far from that of a dictator.
“Chief Steward. Is this really the right way?”
“Family Head. If the world has changed, shouldn’t we also change? Stagnant water is bound to rot.”
“So-ah. Do you really think so?”
“Yes, Uncle. Because any group needs a budget, that is, money, for its perpetuation. At the very least, we shouldn’t be inferior to the other Five Great Families.”
“Phew…”
Moyong Baek let out a deep sigh.
Then,
“Alright. Let’s do that. Chief Steward. And, So-ah. The two of you will have to work hard.”
He opened his mouth in a solemn voice.
At that, the chief steward also nodded with a face full of resolute will, and So-ah said with a smile.
“Just leave it to me, Uncle.”
***
The next day.
“Gasp… gasp…”
“This is really too much!”
The so-called ‘return of the hell instructor’s’ training, which began at dawn, was so harsh that the word ‘harsh’ was not enough to describe it.
Under the banner of ‘infinite stamina’ and ‘body remodeling,’ Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su, who had endured bone-crushing pain and trained, thought that they could now endure any difficult task.
But they were wrong.
So-ah had devised a new ‘educational course’ and made the two of them humble.
In addition,
“You get stronger when you bleed! And it hurts! And you have to grind your teeth! How many times do I have to tell you? Are you already complaining? Yes? No?”
So-ah’s single word, which he had learned from somewhere and which used a strange tone to turn people’s stomachs, put the finishing touch, and finally, a curse came out of Moyong Hwa’s mouth.
“Hey! Jin So-ah!”
“Oh my? Look at this. How dare you call the name of your heavenly senior brother and instructor, who is like a master, so carelessly?”
“Senior Brother! Tell me honestly! This isn’t training, is it? You’re doing this on purpose to tease us, right?”
“No? It is training.”
“We ran at full speed for two hours without using internal energy, and then you beat us to death! We threw the Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon three thousand times, and you’re telling us to run again? This is torture, not training! We’ll become jiangshi at this rate!”
“Hmph…”
At his junior sister’s words, So-ah just snickered.
“Are you laughing now? Wow! How can a person be like that? You used to have a cute side before, but you’re becoming more and more of a demon.”
At that, So-ah, still with a smiling face, opened his mouth softly.
“You guys did it. You brats. Haha.”
“What?”
“Yes?”
“Running at ‘full speed’ for two hours without using internal energy? Do you guys think that’s possible? No. I guarantee you, even the most successful rising stars of the Nine Great Sects can’t do that.”
‘Who on earth does such a foolish training? Ugh!’
Whether he knew that Moyong Hwa was complaining inwardly or not, So-ah’s words continued.
“In addition, it was you guys who finished this instructor’s ‘practical beating’ education and then refined the form of the Heaven-Shattering Consecutive Cannon three thousand times.”
“…”
“What if you had used internal energy? You probably would have traversed at least 20 times the distance you ran today. Do you really not know what that means?”
At So-ah’s question, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su’s eyes widened.
“Come to think of it…”
“Really… that’s right. If I had used internal energy… how far could I have run and how many punches could I have thrown…”
So-ah felt proud at the sight of his junior sister and junior brother looking at each other with dumbfounded faces.
“Thank you for following me so far. You guys did well.”
“Gasp…”
“Senior Brother!”
Praise!
For the first time, praise came out of the mouth of the self-proclaimed ‘hell instructor’.
“From tomorrow, we will use internal energy. The reason why I emphasized stamina so far was because of the characteristics of the Great Whale Heart Law. Because the internal energy of the Great Whale Heart Law is an internal art whose explosive power doubles as the user’s body becomes stronger.”
“Such…”
“It’s really unique, Senior Brother.”
“That’s right. That’s why I also received such harsh training from my grandfather. The training you guys are doing? Pfft. That’s child’s play.”
At So-ah’s words, Moyong Hwa’s eyes showed a question of whether that was really true.
So-ah, who had noticed her intention, nodded his head.
“It’s true. And from the age of nine, you brats.”
“You really received such training from the age of nine?”
“Do you think I went through the Five Qis Returning to the Origin and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown and entered the realm of creation at a young age for no reason?”
“Ah…!”
“Senior Brother…”
An exclamation flowed out.
Only then could Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su realize what kind of person their senior brother was.
The realm of creation.
The moment one entered the realm of creation, one surpassed the third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, peak, and peerless, and approached the divine.
He was always by their side, so they didn’t know, but their senior brother was one of the top masters of the martial world, who was so far away that they could never reach him.
An indescribable sense of awe made the hearts of the two plummet.
“Becoming a master is by no means an easy task. Moreover, the training method of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts is so harsh that it is a martial art that cannot be imitated with an ordinary will. That’s why you guys have to work hard. The adults have relied on only one person, my grandfather, but from our generation, it has to be different. You guys will also proudly become the top masters of the Jianghu.”
“Senior Brother…”
“Senior Brother!”
“I’ll make you that way, so just follow me.”
At the uncharacteristic appearance of their senior brother, Moyong Hwa’s face turned red, and Moyong Su, as if he had also felt something, had a resolute expression.
Just then,
“Acting all cool! Don’t worry. I’ll follow you without giving up. I’m the granddaughter of the God of War, you know?”
Although Moyong Hwa shot a glare with narrowed eyes, the corners of her mouth were turned up.
“You’re talking big, so it seems you don’t even need my help?”
“That’s right! I’ll become a master even without my senior brother.”
“Aha. Then I’ll just give it to my junior brother, excluding you.”
“Huh?”
“Do you know what this is?”
So-ah took out a small pill from his bosom and asked.
“What is that?”
“It’s the internal.dan.of.the.Sun.Fire.Carp.”
“The… the internal dan of the Sun Fire Carp?!”
“That’s right. It’s a spiritual medicine among spiritual medicines that you can’t buy even with money, and its efficacy is said to be comparable to the Great 환 Pill of Shaolin.”
“Where did you get that? Huh?!”
“You don’t need to know. I’m only going to give it to my cute junior brother!”
So-ah held out the internal dan to Moyong Su.
“S-Senior Brother! This… is this for real? Are you really giving it to me?”
“Of course, of course. I have to give it to our cute and lovely junior brother. Who else would I give it to? Should I just throw it away?”
“Ah… no!”
Moyong Su, with astonished eyes, quickly took the internal dan.
At that, So-ah said.
“Ah! Come to think of it, there’s one more left. It’s a waste, but I’ll have to throw it away. There’s no one to give it to, even if I want to. Oh well!”
Only then did Moyong Hwa smile bashfully and grab So-ah’s arm.
“Hehe, Senior Brother. You know, right? That I love you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Aww… why are you being like this, really?”
“I can’t hear you because you’re a rude junior sister.”
‘Ugh, do I really have to go this far to get it!’
But what could she do?
It was an immutable law of the universe that the one who has is the one in power.
“Handsome, reliable, and pretty senior brother! Aing! Don’t be like that, hurry up and give it to me. You know my insides are burning.”
“Ugh…!”
So-ah almost threw up.
***
Things went smoothly.
So-ah was worried about how much of the extreme yang energy of the internal dan of the Sun Fire Carp his junior sister and junior brother could absorb, but the two absorbed the energy well and succeeded in circulating the yang energy to every corner of their fine meridians.
Usually, it could be said to be an effective intake even if only one-tenth of the efficacy of a spiritual medicine was absorbed.
But since Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su had absorbed nearly three-tenths of the energy, it was a very successful case.
In the background was the pure internal energy of the Great Whale Heart Law, which was not biased towards either yin or yang.
‘As expected, the Great Whale Power is the strongest internal art. There’s no resistance to external things.’
So-ah realized how he had been able to completely absorb the ‘Great Purity Ultimate Divine Pill’ he had obtained from the trial of the first room.
“Keke! Hwa-ah, Su-ya. You have obtained a fortuitous encounter thanks to your senior brother, so you must always strive with a grateful heart. Do you understand?”
Moyong Baek smiled with satisfaction and encouraged the two.
“Yes, Father.”
“I will keep that in mind, Family Head!”
At that sight, So-ah felt like he knew what it meant to be full even without eating.
***
The next day, the Liaoning Escort Agency.
“Young Master Jin! You’re back!”
“Chief. Have you been well?”
Chief Jang’s face brightened at So-ah’s appearance.
It couldn’t be helped.
Because So-ah’s safe return meant the success of the request, and this symbolized that the reputation of the escort agency, which would have fallen to the abyss, and the threat of the North Sea were freed.
“Did the work go well? Young Master Jin.”
“There’s a lot to say, but for now, it’s a great success.”
“Hahahat! You’re amazing. And thank you. This grace will be remembered for a long time…”
“Aww! Chief, why are you being like this!”
Just as Chief Jang was about to bow like a shrimp, So-ah grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
But,
“It’s a job I’m getting paid for anyway. What grace? Hahahahahaha!”
“…”
“Why are you like that? Are you sick somewhere? You suddenly don’t look well.”
“Ah… no, Young Master Jin.”
“By the way, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“The Moyong family is thinking of running a business this time. I’m interested in the brothel side. After all, the night business makes money, right?”
“Hah… currently, the brothels in Liaoning are all controlled by the ‘Triad’ gangsters, so it won’t be easy.”
“Gangsters?”
“Yes, Young Master Jin.”
At that, for some reason, a sly smile appeared on So-ah’s face.
‘Gangster bastards… this will be fun.’