Chapter 45 : The Destitute Had to Make a Move. -03

Chapter 45: The Destitute Had to Make a Move. -03

Geum Hoyeon burst into hearty laughter.

It was because Ban Hojin had grasped Geum Sangryong far too accurately.

Even though this was only the second time he had seen him, Geum Hoyeon found it astonishing that he had seen straight through him so completely.

“Have a drink. It looks like you ran all the way here.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Sweat doesn’t lie.”

“Haha.”

Geum Hoyeon laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

He had managed his expression in his own way to maintain decorum, but it seemed the body could not be deceived after all.

Trickle.

“There was nothing to worry about.”

“I knew the moment I walked in. To be honest, I trusted that as well.”

Geum Hoyeon replied as he downed the tea Ban Hojin poured for him in one go.

Perhaps because it had been cooled for a long time, the tea was not cold but had a faintly cool sensation, making his insides feel refreshed as well.

“You were sweating quite a lot for someone who trusted that.”

“The weather is still hot. I’m the type who doesn’t handle heat well.”

“Well, let’s say that’s the case.”

“But weren’t you shaken at all? He must have tried to crush you with money.”

“You know him exactly.”

Ban Hojin nodded.

It seemed that, having competed for such a long time, they knew their opponent well.

At the same time, a slight doubt arose.

Geum Hoyeon seemed to understand Geum Sangryong well, but the reverse did not appear to be true.

“That man only knows how to go crazy throwing money around.”

“‘Going crazy with money.’ That’s an interesting expression.”

“But there’s no more accurate way to put it. Still, there are limits to what money can buy. Wealth—financial power—is a force that can sway the world, but it is not absolute. There are forces that rival it, and money is harder to protect than it is to accumulate.”

“You know that precisely.”

“I have to, in order to control it well. And First Young Lord probably won’t give up.”

Geum Hoyeon spoke cautiously.

He knew all too well that the greedy Geum Sangryong would not back down like this.

Moreover, the card named Ban Hojin was Geum Hoyeon’s best card, but at the same time, his greatest weakness.

Just as Ban Hojin had raised Geum Hoyeon to his current position, if he were to leave, the situation could be overturned at any time.

“I have no intention of going to First Young Lord.”

“I hope so as well.”

“There will be nothing to worry about. I have no intention of living as someone’s tool. Setting aside a martial artist’s pride, as one human being, I will live as myself, and die as myself.”

“Thank you. I will work even harder going forward.”

With a bright expression, Geum Hoyeon bowed his head.

It was a sincere expression of gratitude.

At the same time, the last strand of doubt vanished.

Because Ban Hojin was not someone whose heart could be swayed by money, he could now truly be trusted.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Then can we at least be friends now?”

“It feels like we’ve come close to that.”

“Then I’ll have to work even harder, hahaha.”

Despite his smiling face, Geum Hoyeon felt a trace of regret inside.

He could sense that Ban Hojin treated him slightly differently compared to Seonwu Bang or Seo Joun.

But Geum Hoyeon soon steadied his heart.

If there was an invisible wall, he would tear it down.

And considering their initial relationship, this was already a dramatic improvement.

So it was simply a matter of narrowing the distance little by little, just as they were now.

He could not bring Ban Hojin under his command, but he wanted to go beyond friendship, to the point of becoming sworn brothers.

‘Even after becoming the Geum Family Head, I will absolutely need Great Hero Ban.’

Just with this incident alone, the do-or-die gamble he had made had succeeded.

Of course, he had wagered everything because he had expected such a result, but to others, it would not have been an exaggeration to call it a gamble.

But what mattered was that he had succeeded, and that for the first time, he had firmly stepped on Geum Sangryong.

However, Geum Hoyeon’s goal was not merely to get rid of Geum Sangryong.

‘Higher.’

The seat that only one person could occupy in the Geum Family.

Furthermore, the seat that could grip and control the Central Plains Commercial World—that was Geum Hoyeon’s objective.

Yet that place was a goal, not the end.

Moreover, since maintaining was more important than conquering, his relationship with Ban Hojin would become even more important from now on than it was at present.

“You should be careful. Judging by his expression today, it doesn’t look like he’ll withdraw so obediently.”

“I know. If he were to collapse just like this, I would be disappointed. How do you think he climbed to this position? If only to show everyone my capabilities, First Young Lord needs to endure a bit longer.”

“So you’re saying you’ll send him off after showing everything.”

“Yes. Since Great Hero Ban is helping me, shouldn’t it be so?”

Geum Hoyeon smiled confidently.

If he gave up like this, it would be disappointing instead.

Having clawed his way up desperately just to catch up, Geum Sangryong needed to struggle a bit more.

If only to make Geum Hoyeon stand out even more.

Worthy of a titan of the Central Plains Commercial World, the Geum Family Estate was vast and splendid.

The inner grounds might give the impression of being old and refurbished, but the outer grounds were different.

Built of yellow-tinged bricks, at a glance it looked like a castle of gold.

“Every time I see it, it’s overwhelming.”

As a place that dominated the Central Plains Commercial World, the scale of the Geum Family Estate was overwhelming no matter how many times one saw it.

Just looking at it was enough to make one feel intimidated.

But to Oh Jung-geon, who had nothing but two balls to begin with, it was simply a place overflowing with money.

In terms of manpower alone, even the Beggars’ Sect had nothing to fear compared to the Geum Family Estate.

“So they captured the Green Forest Great Lord. Hoo, really. No matter how many times I think about it, I still can’t believe it. But since everything is crystal clear fact…”

The Geum Family Estate had a total of four gates.

There was one each to the east, west, south, and north, and among them, the north gate could only be used by those with verified identities, such as renowned scholars or distinguished guests.

Or those holding high status within the Geum Family Estate.

And Oh Jung-geon was certainly someone who qualified.

“This way, please.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Not only that, he was even personally escorted by a warrior.

Because the status of Junior Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect was something the Geum Family Estate could not ignore, Oh Jung-geon was able to head straight to his destination without trouble.

“This is the place. I will take my leave now.”

“Thank you for guiding me.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The warrior who had been a North Gate guard respectfully gave a fist-clasp salute, then withdrew.

However, his departing footsteps were astonishingly fast.

He had already been fast while guiding them, but now he seemed even faster than before.

“Sniff, sniff! Does it smell that much?”

Oh Jung-geon lifted his sleeve and sniffed at it.

He knew all too well why the warrior had fled as if escaping.

Still, he soon shook the thought away.

It was not as if this had happened only once or twice, and although there was a smell, he did not think it was particularly severe.

“Unbelievably nice. Even when I came with Master back then, I don’t think we ever stayed in a place like this. Or did we enter the inner grounds?”

Oh Jung-geon tilted his head.

He was someone who had roamed so widely that people said even the Nine Provinces and Eight Desolations felt small, leaving almost nowhere he had not been.

Naturally, he had visited the Geum Family Estate before.

But it seemed to be his first time entering the inner grounds.

“I think I saw the Geum Family Head in the outer grounds. But Young Master Ban stays in the inner grounds? And gets assigned such an excellent residence?”

It was a detached annex that was the pinnacle of splendor, no matter how many times one looked at it.

To the point that no comparable place even came to mind.

Still, it was not difficult to understand.

Considering what Ban Hojin had done for Geum Hoyeon, he more than deserved such treatment.

“Please, come in.”

As Oh Jung-geon was moving his steps while sightseeing, Ban Hojin’s voice was heard from beyond the door.

At that sound, Oh Jung-geon boldly opened the door and stepped inside.

“Hahaha, it has been a long time.”

“Since we last met at Shaolin, it certainly has been a while.”

“I was truly shocked when I heard news of Young Master Ban.”

“Was that so.”

Ban Hojin shrugged his shoulders.

To him, it felt like too much praise for merely capturing the Green Forest Great Lord.

“You’re remarkably calm?”

“I only did what needed to be done.”

“The Green Forest Great Lord is not someone to take lightly, is he? To put it bluntly, even I could not guarantee victory against him.”

Though he was Junior Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect, the Green Forest Great Lord was a martial artist who had entered Jianghu at least ten years before him.

Moreover, he had been the current Chief Escort Slayer of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds.

Bluntly speaking, not only that—even the heads of prestigious families were peak masters who could not guarantee victory against the Green Forest Great Lord.

That such a Green Forest Great Lord had been captured by Ban Hojin, who had only recently entered Jianghu and was merely of coming-of-age age, plunged most martial artists of the Orthodox Martial World into shock.

“That’s unexpected. I was under the impression that public opinion of the Green Forest Path was quite low.”

“There has been a tendency to look down on them as mere bandits. But mid-generation masters of my age know it well—that the Green Forest Great Lord is not a martial artist one can underestimate. Moreover, the Green Forest Great Lord was not alone, was he?”

“That’s right. That’s why I also received some help.”

“But the one who captured the Green Forest Great Lord was Young Master Ban.”

Oh Jung-geon examined Ban Hojin’s expression with sharp eyes.

Even when they first met, he had felt that Ban Hojin was no ordinary figure.

He had also been astonished when Ban Hojin easily subdued Namgung Gwang, who was called a Heavenly Dragon and the best among the rising juniors.

But this incident could not even be compared to that time.

“What is it that you are curious about?”

“……Is that really possible?”

“It must be possible, since I am standing here alive. If it weren’t, I would be inside the bellies of wild mountain beasts.”

“That is true, but…”

Even after hearing it directly from the person involved, Oh Jung-geon could not believe it.

That was how shocking the news was.

It was not without reason that he had come all the way to the Geum Family Estate in person.

“But is that why you came all the way here, just to ask that?”

“I wanted to meet Young Master Ban in person as well. Perhaps others were even more shocked than I was.”

“There must be those who don’t believe it. Or those who think I used cowardly means.”

“That’s precisely why the shock would be greater. I was like that myself. By any chance, was it also Young Master Ban who killed the Iron King?”

Because he was Junior Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect, Oh Jung-geon had confirmed it several times.

He wondered if some other method had been used.

But there had been more than one witness to the fight with the Green Forest Great Lord.

Moreover, since Geum Sangryong, who was contending with Geum Hoyeon over succession, had also been present, the possibility of the situation being distorted was slim.

“Yes. Because of Samugung, I formed a connection with Young Master Geum.”

“As expected. In fact, when the Iron King died, quite a few people were shocked as well. Because he was a wandering warrior, people tended to undervalue him, but he was still clearly the Wolf King. Though he cannot be compared to the Murim Ten Kings, he was a master ranked just below them, and he died far too suddenly.”

“It seems it hasn’t spread widely yet.”

“The death of the Green Forest Great Lord is simply too great. At the level of a Chief Escort Slayer, he is not a mere bandit.”

Ban Hojin nodded slowly.

To him, the man had been nothing special, but not to others.

It was no coincidence that the elders of the Peng Family of Hebei and the Gongdong Sect had struggled.

Swish.

“Actually, I was planning to seek out Great Hero Oh as well.”

“What is this?”

Oh Jung-geon asked as he looked at the thin booklet taken out from Ban Hojin’s bosom.

Because the booklet had no title, Oh Jung-geon made a puzzled expression.

“I encountered some suspicious people in Nanjing. This is something I obtained from them, but I couldn’t make sense of it, so I would like to ask Great Hero Oh for some help.”

“Suspicious people? Which group do they belong to?”

“I don’t know either. I encountered them by chance, and they died before I could even interrogate them. I simply took this from their belongings.”

At Ban Hojin’s words that he knew nothing, Oh Jung-geon tilted his head.

Still, he picked up the booklet first.

True to his inquisitive nature, he was curious.

“This is a cipher text.”

“Yes. That is why I intended to seek out Great Hero Oh. I am something of a layman in that area.”

“Couldn’t you ask the Hao Sect?”