The Ruler of Darkness

Book 8: Chapter 12

The head of the Lee family’s trading company, Yeongwa Trading Company, lowered his head.

“…I will sell our trading company to the Eldest Young Master.”

Sanggwan Nanhwa pointed to the blank space on the document with an expression that said, “I thought so.”

“Please write your name here, stamp it, and affix the company seal and your fingerprint.”

“…No.”

The head of Yeongwa Trading Company shook his head at her words.

“We need to clarify the amount first.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Sanggwan Nanhwa, who had been trying to pull a fast one, smiled as if it were a mistake.

After checking the amount written on the note she took out from her bosom, the head of the company jumped up from his seat.

“Pre-preposterous! This amount is merely the price of a large inn in the bustling area of Luoyang! To try to acquire this massive trading company for such a paltry sum…”

His eyes were bloodshot, and foam formed at his mouth.

“You said you would pay a proper price, but this is nothing short of highway robbery! Even though our Lee family has fallen on hard times, rather than selling to the Eldest Young Master, who is no different from our enemy, for such a ridiculous price…”

Sanggwan Nanhwa smiled sweetly.

“Rather than?”

“Rather…”

He couldn’t continue his sentence.

Wasn’t it because he had no other options that he was enduring this humiliation now?

The current Yeongwa Trading Company was nothing more than a huge but powerless beast, exposing its flesh dripping with oil.

No one would pay a proper price to acquire Yeongwa Trading Company.

“Certainly, this amount is ridiculously small to be called the sale price of Yeongwa Trading Company.”

Looking at his dazed expression, Sanggwan Nanhwa tapped the table.

“But how about thinking of it this way?”

He raised his unfocused gaze to look at Sanggwan Nanhwa.

“This amount could be considered ‘overseas escape living expenses’ for someone, enough to live quite comfortably.”

A meaningful smile spread across her face.

“As you said, this amount is enough to purchase a large inn in the bustling area of this massive city, Luoyang.”

“……”

The deliberation didn’t last long.

There was no reason to sink with the sinking ship.

The thought that it was time to receive compensation for his dedication to the family until now crossed his mind.

“…You’ll guarantee my safety, won’t you? You might need a witness to this transaction later.”

“How about the prosperous Eastern Country? Or the warm-year-round Yue Kingdom, or the peaceful Western Tibet are also possible.

If you still have a sense of adventure from your boyhood, you could cross the ocean to the New World, or go check out the power held by the European powers firsthand.”

She smiled as brightly as a blossoming flower.

***

“To acquire this massive trading company that connected Jiangnan and Luoyang by land, for the overseas escape funds of just one person…!”

Yi-ryeong looked alternately at the documents related to Yeongwa Trading Company and Sanggwan Nanhwa with sparkling eyes.

“This is nothing special. It was possible because the representative had paved all the roads.”

“Hoho. Indeed, isn’t that so? The ability of my master, the Eldest Young Master, is the best in the world…”

For some reason, Yi-ryeong, who had been puffing up her chest and shrugging her shoulders at Sanggwan Nanhwa’s modest words, paused.

“Oh? Come to think of it…”

She asked Sanggwan Nanhwa.

“Even if our master owns this trading company, won’t it be difficult to properly operate this business, which is centered on crossing Eight Heavenly Kings’s territory?”

In fact, it was beyond difficult, bordering on impossible to operate properly.

Sanggwan Nanhwa nodded with a gentle smile.

“That’s right. That’s why from here on, it’s an area we should leave to the representative.”

She solemnly sealed the documents and handed them over to a branch manager-level personnel of Crescent Moon Pavilion who was waiting.

“Ah! Does this mean I won’t get to see directly what happens to this Yeongwa Trading Company?!”

Sanggwan Nanhwa grinned at Yi-ryeong’s words, which were close to a lament.

“Instead! We saved a lot on operational funds this time, so I’m thinking of using that to acquire additional promising businesses…”

“Great! Wonderful! Let’s depart right away!”

The branch manager of Crescent Moon Pavilion left behind Yi-ryeong, who was excited, and Sanggwan Nanhwa, who burst into laughter.

They had their war.

He had his own war.

He once again firmly secured the sealed documents in his bosom.

“…….”

His demeanor was almost solemn.

The Second Young Master’s information organization, Daeseon Guild, was intensifying its counterattack against Crescent Moon Pavilion.

It wouldn’t be strange to lose his life suddenly in any way, caught in Daeseon Guild’s intelligence network.

“…….”

He came down to the street and blended into the crowd.

‘Quickly, stealthily, accurately, and safely.’

He recited the most basic principles and heightened his senses to the maximum.

He shouldn’t heighten his qi sense.

He had to use only his originally sharpened senses.

This was because ‘enemies’ sensitive to qi could easily notice him.

“…….”

It was when he was moving from one point to another via a small waterway on a ferry, after passing through a certain point on a rickshaw that had been waiting for him.

The ferryman, who had been silently rowing without any questions or conversation, coughed up blood.

“……!”

The arrowhead that pierced through the falling ferryman’s chest gleamed with blood.

‘Damn, enemies!’

They were clearly agents of Daeseon Guild or professionals hired by Daeseon Guild.

There was no time to think about how the enemies had tracked his movements.

‘First, escape-!’

He reflexively tried to leap off the ferry using lightness skill, but stopped.

His experience built up as an agent and his sharp qi sense were giving a clear warning.

At that moment, enemies simultaneously shot up from the opaque water polluted with sewage.

It was an ambush by those who had mastered extraordinary water techniques.

‘Five enemies.’

There seemed to be no corner to escape to.

In that brief moment when the enemies shot up from the water and floated in the air, blocking the sun.

The branch manager steeled himself.

‘Until reinforcements arrive, I’ll give up an arm or a leg if I must…!’

As he was about to take out a signal flare, resolved to resist desperately, a voice transmission flew into his ear.

[Crescent Moon Pavilion agent, duck!]

He immediately threw himself down as the voice instructed.

And two of the enemies pouncing on him suddenly stopped in mid-air as if caught in a spider’s web.

Their heads were each gripped by a pair of hands that had burst through the wall of the building on the left side of the waterway.

They were arms so long they could only be described as deformed.

“Kugh…!”

“Ugh, ump!”

Before those caught could even attempt to resist, with a crushing sound, their skulls were shattered.

As the two headless corpses fell into the water, scattering blood, the remaining three enemies also lost their lives and fell into the water like logs.

They were all spraying blood from their necks, each missing exactly one cervical vertebra.

The enemies’ corpses fell into the water, creating large splashes.

“…Who are you?!”

The branch manager with surprised eyes, who had raised his head at the sound, could see the owner of the abnormally long arms.

He revealed himself by moving like a spider through the narrow gaps between buildings using an unknown technique.

He was a man with a thin body and abnormally long limbs.

“The Silent One of Sichuan…!”

Also known as the Bizarre One, he was the worst assassin produced by the Tang family of Sichuan in the past, widely known by that name.

He was the last of the closest aides to the Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi, following Mistress Hong-dok, Tang Baek, Tang Yerin, and Old Lady Gwak.

“For the Silent One to handle two while three were taken care of…”

The man with his face covered by a hood was looking behind the branch manager with furrowed brows, not at him.

“This One has not heard of an assassin like you. What exactly is your identity?”

The branch manager turned his head at his words and gaze, and was startled.

“……?!”

Because behind him, without any presence, stood a woman.

“Hmm…”

With makeup close to stage makeup.

Wearing clothes so beautiful it was hard to miss, she, Seo Rimcheong, smiled faintly with a nasal sound.

“The Bizarre One, is it? I wonder if it’s a bit much~ for an assassin to be widely known by name. Doesn’t fame only raise the target’s guard, rather than helping with successful assassinations~?”

She threw the three cervical vertebrae she had been holding behind her back and tilted her head mischievously.

“It’s more like a propaganda tool created by the Tang family’s system to spread fear, rather than an assassin, wouldn’t you say~?”

It was a sharp-edged sarcasm completely at odds with her gentle tone.

It was typical of her, who recognized no one but herself as a proper assassin.

“What?”

Killing intent burst forth like a tidal wave from the Bizarre One, the Silent One of Sichuan.

He leapt from where he had been clinging to the wall and landed on the ferry.

The branch manager reflexively lowered his body, anticipating that the small ferry would rock.

But surprisingly, the ferry didn’t even shake, remaining perfectly calm.

“…Say that again to This One’s face.”

Making a creaking sound from his long neck, the Bizarre One bent down to thrust his face close to Seo Rimcheong‘s.

“My~ Thrusting your head at a lady. Not only lacking in skill, but in manners too, aren’t you~?”

At Seo Rimcheong’s words, the Bizarre One’s teeth made a grinding sound.

The branch manager of Crescent Moon Pavilion, covered in the killing intent of the two right beside him, felt as if his body had frozen solid.

“You two. It’s so nice to see you getting along.”

At that moment, a girl poked her head out from the rooftop of a building next to the waterway, with a mocking voice.

She spoke to the two assassins engaged in a war of nerves.

“If you two have the leisure to socialize in the middle of a mission like this.”

She was Sam-ryeong, one of the triplet handmaidens.

She had revealed herself after eliminating all the enemies on the rooftop.

“My master, who will receive the report later, would be very pleased, wouldn’t she?”

Her mention of Yeon So-hyeon served as the most effective control device for the two assassins’ behavior.

“Tch.”

“Hmph.”

The Bizarre One, who clicked his tongue, disappeared through the narrow gaps between buildings with bizarrely strange movements, true to his name.

In the brief moment the branch manager of Crescent Moon Pavilion looked at the girl on the rooftop, Seo Rimcheong also vanished with a snort, as if it were an illusion.

“Heave-ho!”

Sam-ryeong jumped down from the rooftop and stood on the ferry.

The ferry rocked slightly.

“I apologize for not informing you in advance.”

“Pardon?”

The branch manager of Crescent Moon Pavilion took her outstretched hand and stood up.

Sam-ryeong smiled apologetically at him and explained.

“Actually, it was our side that leaked the information that you were delivering important documents.”

With just those words, the branch manager could understand the whole situation.

“…So I was the bait to lure out the enemies.”

Deliberately exposing important real information to make the enemies in the shadows reveal themselves, and then devouring them.

He didn’t feel surprised or betrayed by Crescent Moon Pavilion’s leader or the Eldest Young Master for not informing him of this plan.

In this world of intelligence, things always happen behind someone’s back.

Today, it just happened behind his back.

Moreover, far from being abandoned, he had even received strong support.

“Yes, that’s correct. I am Sam-ryeong, part of the special task force targeting Daeseon Guild, along with those two uncooperative individuals you just saw.”

“I am…”

As he was about to introduce himself, she leapt into action.

[Now! Run to the destination! Our special task force will handle all the gathering enemies.]

He nodded silently and began running towards the destination by the shortest route.

At every turn along the way, hunting dogs set loose by the enemies sprang out, but he focused solely on his lightness skill.

A long hand shooting out from a narrow window, a woman suddenly appearing behind an enemy, revealing themselves and then disappearing.

No one could obstruct his path.

***

Somewhere in the bustling area of Luoyang.

“I present myself to the Eldest Young Master.”

The branch manager presented the documents he had received from Sanggwan Nanhwa to Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.

Yeon So-hyeon’s gaze lingered on him for a moment as he received the sealed documents.

“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.”

“…It was nothing. Just my duty.”

The Eldest Young Master, who patted him on the shoulder, rummaged through a nearby drawer and handed him a small object.

“It’s not much, but I hope it helps you relax.”

“Thank you.”

After bowing respectfully, he left the hall and headed for the back alley.

Once out of sight of others, he immediately sat down in the alley.

“Phew….”

He unwrapped the package he had received from the Eldest Young Master.

Inside the silk wrapping was a high-quality cigarette.

The Eldest Young Master must have noticed he was a smoker from the faint smell on his body.

Leaning against the wall, he chuckled as he put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with a portable flint device.

“Tastes incredible.”

While the attention of everyone in Luoyang was focused on the Lee family’s downfall at the hands of Yeon So-hyeon.

Behind the scenes, there was a war between the Eldest Young Master’s Crescent Moon Pavilion and the Second Young Master’s Daeseon Guild.

That war had been continuing without even a moment’s rest since the moment the Eldest Young Master ascended Northern Mang Mountain until now.

Moreover, Daeseon Guild was a much larger opponent than Crescent Moon Pavilion in terms of scale.

“…Alright.”

After enjoying a brief moment of leisure, taking a couple of long drags and exhaling smoke, he got up.

And disappeared down the alley, leaving a long trail of smoke behind.

It was time to return to his battlefield.

***

The Lee family’s trading company, and the last remaining power of the Lee family.

A smile spread across Yeon So-hyeon’s face as he confirmed the documents containing all ownership rights to Yeongwa Trading Company.

It was a problem that he couldn’t operate this massive trading company connecting Jiangnan, Eight Heavenly Kings’s territory, with Luoyang himself, but that didn’t matter.

Wasn’t that why he had arranged this meeting?

As he opened the door and entered, the spacious and luxurious interior was filled with tobacco smoke.

“I apologize for keeping you all waiting.”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled as he confirmed all eyes were on him.

“I trust you all brought plenty of promissory notes?”

The audience chuckled softly at his joke.

They were representatives of famous trading companies in the Central Plains, and if nothing else, they had more than enough funds.

“Now then.”

Yeon So-hyeon waved the documents in his hand.

“As the new owner of Yeongwa Trading Company, I will now proceed to divide and sell Yeongwa Trading Company by region.”

At his words, everyone’s eyes gleamed, openly revealing their greed.

Everyone present belonged to different competing businesses in the same field as Yeongwa Trading Company.