The Beggar Young Master of the Namgung Clan

"...Haha."

A moment later, such a laugh flowed from Su Majin's mouth.

To think that Namgung Il would accept his proposal so easily.

Moreover, seeing him so actively asking about the amount, Su Majin couldn't help but laugh.

'As expected, even this brat is helpless in front of money.'

What made this world go round was, after all, money.

Some martial artists denied that fact and acted as if they had no obsession with money, but Su Majin had seen many such martial artists quickly change their attitude in front of a huge amount of money.

That could be said to be the same for Namgung Cheong here.

The world might praise him as a great martial artist, but Su Majin clearly remembered the sight of even that Namgung Cheong becoming weak in front of the power of money.

"I like it."

"..."

"Two thousand gold taels. I was originally thinking of a thousand, but I like your bold answer, so I'll give you double as a special."

Two thousand gold taels.

Su Majin was nonchalantly offering an amount that an ordinary person might or might not be able to earn in a lifetime.

Grin—

Of course, two thousand taels was quite a lot of money, but for Su Majin, it was a pittance that he could pay without any lingering attachment.

On the contrary, if he could get Namgung Il to drop out of the recommended admission with that amount, it would be a great gain for him.

Su Majin looked at Namgung Il, maintaining a victorious smile.

However.

"You're being stingy."

"...?"

"So you were originally going to offer me a thousand gold taels? Come on—to think that the head of the World Escort Agency was going to offer a mere thousand gold taels, you're joking, right?"

When Namgung Il said that, Su Majin had a blank face for a moment.

But a smile appeared on his lips again.

Su Majin laughed as if he found it amusing and said to Namgung Il.

"You're a brat who knows how to do business more than you look."

"..."

"Yes, a deal requires bargaining. Then tell me the amount you want."

When Su Majin asked, Namgung Il raised his right hand without a word.

Only two fingers were spread out on his raised right hand.

Seeing that, a small laugh escaped Su Majin's lips inwardly.

'As expected, a young brat can't be helped.'

Su Majin had been a little curious as to how much he would offer, since he was provoking him and starting a bargain.

But just double.

Whether it was two thousand gold taels or four thousand, it didn't make much of a difference to Su Majin.

"Four thousand gold taels? Alright, then at that price..."

"What are you mistaken about?"

"...?"

"It's not four thousand taels, but forty thousand."

Namgung Il said in a calm voice.

Could it be that those two fingers didn't mean double, but twenty times?

As the amount suddenly jumped tenfold, Su Majin could no longer smile like before.

"..."

Although four thousand gold taels could be said to be nothing, forty thousand gold taels was a different story.

That was a huge amount, enough to buy a large mansion.

Su Majin was calculating in his head whether giving Namgung Il forty thousand gold taels was a rational choice.

'Forty thousand gold taels... to be used on something like this?'

Of course, if he wanted to give it, he could.

But that and giving Namgung Il forty thousand taels were separate issues.

No matter how insignificant the money was, Su Majin was the type who never did a losing business.

"..."

No matter how he thought about it, paying forty thousand gold taels just for yielding a recommended admission spot was a loss for him.

Of course, in order to enter the Flying Dragon Academy, one might have to pay a large amount of money in many places, but still, no one would say that they would readily offer forty thousand gold taels.

In his opinion, the maximum was twenty thousand gold taels at most.

After quickly finishing his calculations in his head, Su Majin said to Namgung Il.

"That's too expensive."

"..."

"Twenty thousand gold taels. I will not raise the amount any more than this..."

"Alright."

Just now... what?

As Namgung Il answered faster than the speed of light, Su Majin had a stupid expression for a moment.

"Let's do it at that price."

"..."

"Twenty thousand gold taels. I'm very satisfied with it."

For a brat who had offered forty thousand gold taels to say that he was satisfied with twenty thousand... The moment he heard those words, Su Majin realized that he had been tricked.

'Could it be... that what the brat was aiming for from the beginning was not forty thousand, but twenty thousand?'

To be precise, even if Su Majin had offered ten thousand taels instead of twenty thousand, Namgung Il would have gladly accepted.

If he could get such a windfall just for yielding a recommended admission, there was no reason to refuse, was there?

Twenty thousand gold taels. No matter how much Namgung Il was a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan, it was a considerable amount.

'To think I'd fall for such a simple trick...!'

At a glance, it might seem that Su Majin had won the bargain.

After all, reducing forty thousand gold taels to twenty thousand was a difference of double.

But thinking about it the other way, since it had originally increased from two thousand gold taels to twenty thousand, the amount had increased tenfold.

"...Kuh."

It was a basic of basics to offer a larger amount than one had in mind in a bargain.

That way, it would be easier to match the final price to what one wanted.

Thinking that he had fallen for such a basic trick, Su Majin felt a sense of humiliation and couldn't hide the emotion on his face.

'Was I careless because he's young?'

That was one thing, but the fact that Namgung Il had offered such an absurd price was also one of the reasons.

Usually, no matter how high one raised the price, there was a minimum standard that the other party could accept.

But since Namgung Il hadn't even thought about that standard in the first place, the result was that Su Majin had made a mistake in his calculations.

Nothing to lose even if you fail.

It was that kind of mindset with which Namgung Il had approached the bargain that was the decisive move.

"You're not going to lower the price now, are you?"

"...!"

"Come on, the head of the World Escort Agency has his reputation to think of. Oops, I've said something unnecessary."

Namgung Il said and began to lightly slap his own mouth with his hand.

Seeing that, Su Majin clenched his fists.

As he said, he could no longer lower the price.

If he did, he would become a laughingstock for that damn brat, and that would be an even more humiliating thing than this moment.

"...Twenty thousand gold taels. Fine. Let's do that."

"As expected of your generosity. Thank you!"

"..."

As if he didn't even want to see Namgung Il's face anymore, Su Majin got up from his seat.

His purpose was achieved, but this anger that he felt inside.

Just then, Namgung Il called for Su Majin, who was about to leave the room.

"Wait a minute!"

"...?"

"You can go when you go, but you have to give me the money before you go."

Snap—

A brat who was annoying until the end... Su Majin frowned and took out two pieces of paper from his clothes and placed them on the table.

"It's a bank note from the Songlim Bank."

"..."

"Ten thousand gold taels per sheet. This should be enough, right?"

Namgung Il picked up the bank notes and confirmed the amount.

And he looked at Su Majin with a smiling face and said.

"Yes, you can go now."

Squeeze—

Clenching his fists, Su Majin left the room with rough steps.

Namgung Cheong, who had been standing still and dazed until then.

This moment felt like a dream to Namgung Cheong.

'That Su Majin... to leave with his emotions so exposed.'

And it wasn't just this one time.

In the past spar as well, hadn't Namgung Il made Su Majin's expression just like that?

To make a person he couldn't even easily deal with like that not once, but twice... Namgung Cheong still couldn't properly understand how this had happened.

"Ah...!"

Just then, as if he had come to his senses, Namgung Cheong let out a short exclamation.

"Il-ah, are you really alright?"

"Pardon?"

"Even if you don't enter the Flying Dragon Academy through recommended admission this year... are you really alright?"

What was that brat talking about again?

Namgung Il couldn't understand Namgung Cheong's question, asking if he was alright after having obtained twenty thousand gold taels as a windfall.

"I'm fine."

"..."

"And that's not the only way to get into the Flying Dragon Academy, is it?"

What does that...

Namgung Cheong couldn't immediately understand Namgung Il's words, which he was saying with a meaningful expression.

* * *

Su Majin was walking towards the main gate of the Namgung Clan with rough steps.

And behind him, Suseonghwa was following like a puppy.

Although Suseonghwa was saying something from behind, Su Majin didn't even pretend to listen and didn't stop walking.

"F-father-in-law!"

"..."

"It's getting dark today, so how about staying here for the night and leaving tomorrow morning?"

Just then, Su Majin's steps finally stopped.

At that moment, her steps stopped just in time from behind.

If she had been a little late in stopping, she might have bumped into Su Majin, so Suseonghwa was letting out a sigh of relief inwardly.

'What on earth is he doing?'

Suseonghwa couldn't understand why Su Majin's mood was so unpleasant.

She had heard that the matter had been resolved well.

Just by looking at Su Majin's expression now, his mood seemed to be as unpleasant as when he had left the Namgung Clan at the banquet that day.

"Father-in-law...?"

"I paid twenty thousand gold taels to send your son to the Flying Dragon Academy."

"...Pardon?"

Could it be that the reason Su Majin's mood was unpleasant was just because of that?

Of course, twenty thousand gold taels was a large amount, but for Su Majin, it couldn't be said to be such a burdensome amount.

"Is that so? It's a relief that it ended with just twenty thousand gold taels..."

Suseonghwa felt a cold aura and had no choice but to swallow her words in the middle.

A murderous gaze was now directed at her.

Since that was the gaze Su Majin had when he was really angry, Suseonghwa instinctively realized that it was dangerous to say any more.

"Just twenty thousand gold taels?"

"...!"

"If I were to order you to earn twenty thousand gold taels right now, would you be able to do so?"

"Th-that's..."

"Yes, you could. Because you are now the mistress of the Namgung Clan."

Just then, Su Majin raised his right hand and pointed to various parts of Suseonghwa's body.

"The clothes you're wearing, and the necklace and bracelet. Even your position as the mistress of the Namgung Clan... You should never forget that I made all of that for you."

"...Yes."

"There is only one way you can repay the debt you owe me. You already know what that is, right?"

"..."

As he said, Suseonghwa knew what that was.

For her children to become the mainstay of the Namgung Clan.

From the time she first became the mistress of the Namgung Clan, Su Majin had always reminded her of that fact.

"Always keep that fact in mind."

"..."

"Until then, I will help you. But... if I don't even feel that it's worth investing in, I will no longer even pretend to know you."

That was by no means a joke.

Because her father was a person who was capable of that.

A person who would boldly abandon even his own blood relatives if he didn't feel they were worth it... that was her father.

"...I understand."

Suseonghwa answered in a dark voice.

Seeing that, Su Majin turned his head back to where he was going.

But just then, a familiar voice from far behind stopped Su Majin's steps.

"Wait a minute!"

As soon as the voice was heard, Su Majin's upper body flinched slightly.

That annoying voice... Su Majin's eyes naturally became fierce, and he turned his head back.

Flutter—

The voice calling him from behind was, as expected, Namgung Il.

And a piece of paper was held in his right hand.

What on earth was that, and why had Namgung Il come to see him again? Su Majin, of course, had no way of knowing the reason until then.