Chapter 21: 200 Gwans of Gold. Okay, Thank You

I smiled at Moon-seok, who was exuding killing intent, and pointed to the left wall.

“Do I look like a fool to you? If you’re going to deceive someone, at least put in some effort.”

“……”

“This is a false wall, isn’t it? I knew it from the moment I first came here. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

I got up and knocked on the wall I had pointed to a couple of times.

Thud, thud.

A bright and clear sound echoed. This indicated that there was an empty space behind it.

“And my Qi Sensitivity is quite sharp. There’s someone inside with much stronger Qi than Moon-seok, so I guessed it was the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect, and I was right, wasn’t I?”

“……”

“Ha… We’ve met several times, so could you stop glaring at me?”

“……”

“Ah, seriously…”

Even though I gave him advice, Moon-seok didn’t relax his expression. The killing intent was the same.

This annoyed me a bit. So…

Sss-.

“……!”

“……!”

“…You’re not the only one who can exude killing intent.”

…I couldn’t hold back and released some killing intent.

The reaction was immediate.

Moon-seok flinched, as if he was ready to draw the weapon he had in his arms, and our youngest next to me also looked surprised by my killing intent.

Not only that…

“……”

There was also a reaction from the person behind the false wall.

It was a tense situation that could escalate at any moment, but I knocked on the wall and provoked Moon-seok.

“Wow~, I’ve never seen the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect before… Hey, why don’t you come out and introduce yourself?”

“…Stop it.”

“Why? I’m interested in the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect. I’d like to meet him.”

I was sincere in my words.

The Leader of the Lower Filth Sect never appeared in the novel.

‘He never showed up until the world was in chaos.’

How secretive must he be to not show his face even in such situations? I was very curious.

So, if possible, I was willing to meet him in person.

“…You’re crossing the line.”

But Moon-seok was very sensitive, like a hissing cat.

Since he seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment, I stopped trying to approach the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect and resumed negotiations.

“200 Gwan of Gold.”

“…If you stop all actions now, I’ll give you 100 Gwan of Gold.”

“No compromise. 200 Gwan of Gold.”

“…Are you really going to go through with this against the Lower Filth Sect?”

Thud.

I didn’t draw my blade but placed it on the table while still in its sheath. Then, I slightly increased the amount of killing intent I was emitting.

“I have confidence, but do you?”

“……”

“I have confidence that I can defeat you, the person hiding next to you, and even the subordinates above. Do you have confidence?”

“……”

He wouldn’t have confidence.

Moon-seok had seen a glimpse of my Martial Prowess, so he would be even more uncertain.

One of the chronic weaknesses of the Lower Filth Sect was their lack of martial strength. This was inevitable since the sect was composed of people engaged in various trades.

Therefore, if I had confidence, revealing my strength and pushing hard could be a way to gain an advantage in negotiations with the Lower Filth Sect.

Well… I didn’t intend to do this from the beginning, but they were the ones who tried to deceive me and lower the price first.

“200 Gwan of Gold. If you agree, I’ll leave without any complaints.”

“……”

Originally, I would have considered 150 Gwan of Gold a good deal, but seeing their reaction, I thought I could push for 200 Gwan.

Even though I kept smiling to urge him to make a decision, Moon-seok couldn’t respond.

But that didn’t mean he was doing nothing.

Judging by the constant sensation in my Qi Sensitivity, he seemed to be communicating with the person hiding behind the wall using the Whisper Technique.

I waited patiently to let them converse comfortably.

As time passed, I prayed inwardly.

‘Please… Please…’

Honestly, I could win if a fight broke out right now, but my goal was to sell the item, not to fight them.

And frankly, I didn’t want to make enemies of the Lower Filth Sect if possible. They were very convenient as allies and very troublesome as enemies.

‘So please, let’s settle for 200 Gwan. Or… Damn, should I have just asked for 150? I would have been happy with that…’

As I outwardly remained calm but inwardly anxious, time passed…

“……”

Soon, a decision was made. The person presumed to be the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect had made up his mind.

“200 Gwan of Gold…”

Moon-seok slowly opened his mouth. His expression, which had been sharp as if he wanted to kill me just moments ago…

“Can we pay you with paper money?”

…had softened and become gentle, just like when I first saw him.

It worked, I succeeded.

“Of course, paper money is fine.”

I had intended to receive paper money from the beginning. 200 Gwan of Gold was too heavy. It was more convenient for me to receive paper money equivalent to 200 Gwan of Gold.

“Haha, thank you. You’re as generous as the sky.”

“Haha, Moon-seok, you should be recognized for your generosity too. Ahaha-!!”

Thus, we laughed warmly and shook hands as if we had never exuded killing intent at each other.

The negotiation was a success.

**

After paying 200 Gwan of Gold and seeing Muyeon off, Moon-seok returned to the room where the negotiation had taken place.

“Damn snake…”

200 Gwan of Gold…

Of course, selling the items from the Shanxi Yoo Family would more than cover it, but it would take too long, and the immediate loss was too great.

And there was an even bigger problem right now…

Creak-.

“Ah, Leader…”

“……”

That snake-like guy had noticed the presence of the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect. Information about the Leader’s whereabouts and anything related to him should have been kept top secret!

Feeling guilty, Moon-seok bowed his head in front of the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect.

“I’m sorry, Leader… I made a mistake due to my inexperience.”

“No, it’s my fault for underestimating him.”

The Leader of the Lower Filth Sect generously forgave Moon-seok and then pondered for a moment before speaking.

“It seems he has the skills you strongly recommended.”

“Yes, he’s been visiting our Sichuan branch of the Lower Filth Sect for several years. He’s a reclusive expert who hides his true abilities so well that even I can’t fully gauge them.”

“He hides his abilities so well despite looking so young…”

“This is the extent of what I know. If it weren’t for the Shanxi Yoo Family incident, I wouldn’t have known his name either. He’s that obsessive about hiding himself…”

The Leader of the Lower Filth Sect asked again.

“In that case… can’t we involve him in the upcoming matter?”

“The upcoming matter…?”

Moon-seok was surprised by the Leader’s words.

The Lower Filth Sect was facing a significant issue that could threaten the organization’s safety.

So, they needed every bit of strength they could get, but due to the nature of the sect, they were short on combatants, which was a problem.

However…

“Unfortunately… that would be difficult. He’s too rebellious and reluctant to get involved…”

No matter how much Moon-seok thought about it, he couldn’t think of a way to bring Muyeon to their side.

They couldn’t force him, and there was no way he would help them out of goodwill.

“Hmm…”

The Leader of the Lower Filth Sect also seemed to think it would be difficult to involve him and pondered before speaking.

“Does he like to drink?”

“Since I first met him at 16, he’s enjoyed drinking and singing.”

“Huh… that’s early. In that case… he won’t be able to resist a good opportunity.”

“Leader… what are you planning…”

When Moon-seok asked with a worried look, the Leader of the Lower Filth Sect smiled as if he had thought of something amusing.

“Since we’re in Sichuan, we should do things the Sichuan way. Branch Leader, tell the courtesans to prepare their clothes and bring me all the information about the Shanxi Yoo Family.”

“…Yes, understood.”

The most important value in the Lower Filth Sect was absolute obedience.

So, Moon-seok bowed his head without saying anything, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

Of course, the Leader was not an easy person…

‘…You’re not the only one who can exude killing intent.’

Recalling the killing intent Muyeon had exuded earlier, Moon-seok couldn’t help but worry.

**

Moon-gazing Pavilion.

It was the tallest brothel in the already crowded Sichuan city.

Especially, the courtesans of the Moon-gazing Pavilion were famous for their beauty, exceptional skills, and delicious liquor, so it was always packed with people.

Two young men entered such a place.

“Oh my… customers…”

Seeing them, the female owner of the shop approached to turn them away.

They looked shabby… and young people usually didn’t bring in much money.

The brothel’s strategy was to manage the crowd by not accepting customers who didn’t bring in much money, especially during peak times.

“Sorry, but we’re full.”

“What? No seats?”

When the man spoke in a somewhat argumentative tone, the female owner pointed to the crowded seats and tried to continue.

But…

“As you can see…”

Flap-.

The man held out a piece of paper in front of the female owner.

Curious, she saw that it was paper money worth 2 Gwan of Gold.

2 Gwan of Gold. It was an excessive amount to spend at a brothel, but the man handed it to the female owner without hesitation and said.

“I’ve heard the liquor at the Moon-gazing Pavilion is famous… Is there really no seat?”

“…As you can see, there’s no seat suitable for a distinguished guest like you. This place is too shabby. So, I’ll take you to the top floor right away.”

“Alright, alright.”

Laughing at the female owner’s 180-degree change in attitude, Muyeon followed her.

“Ah, money really is the best.”

Having earned a lot of money, it was time to enjoy it.