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C97. Treat Others First
Sang Jaeyong, the Bangju of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce, began to speak slowly.
"Yesterday, the owner of the Tianxiang Restaurant asked for a meeting. Ah, the owner of Tianxiang is Cheok Dogwang, known as the Heavenly Killer's Eye, a former expert of the Evil Faction."
Shim Tong of the Old Dao of Nine Heavens impatiently waved his hand.
"Quick, quick. You talk too much. What good is it to know the name of that delinquent?"
Sang Jaeyong shrugged unintentionally.
Calling that infamous expert of the Evil Faction, Cheok Dogwang, a delinquent, demonstrated the old man's confidence. He had to deceive that monstrous old man.
"Yes, yes. I mentioned it because he is the leader of an assassin organization called the Death Hall, also known as Jukbang."
Shim Tong's eyes sparkled with intensity.
The Death Hall or Jukbang was one of the organizations he had been searching for.
"He said our Sahae Chamber of Commerce caused him damage and demanded compensation. One of our mercenaries placed an order with the Death Hall, and because of it, he suffered great losses..."
Sang Jaeyong referred to Chu Yeopjin as a mere mercenary, as he planned to get rid of him.
"Ha ha, so it was the work of the Death Hall?"
"Yes, that's what he clearly said."
"Who placed the order?"
"Chu Yeopjin. He is so cruel that they call him the Killer Demon. About ten days ago, he came to see me and said something strange."
"What did he say?"
"A fabric merchant, Jang Munho, wanted him to kill Pung... the Great Hero Pung, and he didn't know what to do. I told him to stop talking nonsense, as both Jang Munho and the Great Hero Pung helped me with my work."
"Jang Munho?"
Tak Gomyung, who had been listening from behind, stood up abruptly.
He remembered that Pung Yeoncho always distrusted Jang Munho and decided to establish his residence far from him for that reason.
It turned out Jang Munho had indeed plotted something!
Tak Gomyung asked on behalf of the weakened Pung Yeoncho, who lay on the ground.
"Did that guy Chu tell you why Jang Munho wanted to kill my brother Pung?"
"Yes. He said he wanted to take the Great Hero Pung's wife as his concubine. He thought that if Pung died, she would come to him..."
Pung Yeoncho, lying down, groaned in pain upon hearing this.
"That wretched Jang Munho! Sang Jaeyong! If what you just said is a lie, you won't die easily."
"Great Hero Tak! It's the truth! I swear by the heavens it's the truth!"
Sang Jaeyong trembled with fear, completely submissive.
The change in his behavior was incredible, considering how arrogant he had been just a moment ago. As a shrewd merchant, he submitted to great force.
Shim Tong turned to Yeon Jeokha.
"Young master, if it really was the work of the Death Hall, Cheok Dogwang will have the antidote. I can also verify if what this old man says is true."
"Go quickly. Brother Pung is at his last breath."
"Yes. In the meantime, Brother Tak, make sure to capture Chu Yeopjin. We can't fully trust this old man."
"Understood. Go quickly. I'll take care of Chu Yeopjin."
As soon as Tak Gomyung finished speaking, Shim Tong leapt into the sky.
He used an energy manipulation technique, a skill only masters can master.
With a strange laughing echo, Shim Tong disappeared into the distance.
The guards, who observed this, turned pale.
Even the leaders of the Seven Great Sects couldn't display such a skill.
Especially Sang Jaeyong, who looked like a frightened puppy, worrying about not having eliminated Chu Yeopjin yet.
"Sang Jaeyong, where is Chu Yeopjin?"
Sang Jaeyong, with his head down, replied:
"Well, I'm not sure. He is rarely seen during the day. Normally, he appears at dusk at the headquarters and stays until midnight."
Tak Gomyung descended into the courtyard, where the guards were.
"Does anyone know where Chu Yeopjin is?"
"No, we don't know."
"We don't know the headquarters' guards very well."
Tak Gomyung approached Sang Jaeyong's personal guards, who always accompanied him and stayed at the headquarters.
Looking at Kang Mun, the leader of the guards, he asked:
"Do you know where Chu Yeopjin is?"
"No, I only know he guards the headquarters at nightfall."
"Damn it, then, does anyone know where he might be?"
"Maybe the headquarters' guards know. We only know his name and face."
Tak Gomyung looked at Kang Mun and the other guards with disdain. He could feel their indifference towards the mercenary guards.
"Ah!"
Shaking his head, Tak Gomyung returned to the hallway.
"Young Yeon, I'll go search for Chu Yeopjin, but it won't be easy. However, I must try. Stay with Brother Pung."
"Yes, go look for him. They said he goes to the headquarters in the evening, so don't overexert yourself."
"Understood. I'm off."
Tak Gomyung headed to the courtyard and approached Kang Mun.
"Since I don't know Chu Yeopjin's face, you'll have to accompany me. Let's go."
Kang Mun looked at Sang Jaeyong, who nodded.
Despite his reluctance, Kang Mun couldn't oppose with his tendons cut.
Finally, he resigned himself and followed Tak Gomyung.
With Shim Tong and Tak Gomyung absent, the guards who had been kneeling stood up hesitantly.
Shin Jungsoo, who was looking alternately at Yeon Jeokha and Sang Jaeyong, cautiously asked:
"Young Master, I want to receive treatment... Can I leave?"
Although Yeon Jeokha seemed young, Shin Jungsoo was asking for permission upon seeing the sword at his waist.
"Go."
Yeon Jeokha didn't prevent the injured guards from leaving.
After all, Shim Tong had cut their tendons, so they could no longer live as swordsmen. Though the guards hadn't realized it yet.
With the guards gone, the building fell silent.
Only Pung Yeoncho's irregular and heavy gasps broke the silence.
How much time passed?
Sang Jaeyong, who had been standing like a screen, finally spoke hesitantly.
"Ahem, Young Master, I have pending matters at the Sahae Chamber of Commerce... Can I leave now?"
"Old man."
"...Yes, tell me."
Sang Jaeyong, the Bangju of the Sahae Chamber of Commerce, suppressed his anger at the insolent words of the young Yeon Jeokha.
"If you want to be treated well, treat others well first."
Sang Jaeyong's eyes trembled. He knew this was because of how he had tried to dominate Tak Gomyung earlier.
However, Yeon Jeokha only knew part of the truth.
Respect is only given to those who have power, be it money or strength. This young man acted this way because he had a sword and the skill to use it. If Sang Jaeyong had more power than his opponent, the situation would reverse and he could repay the humiliation received. And he had the money to make it possible.
"Can I leave now?"
He planned to use his money to hire someone stronger than them as soon as he returned. In his current state, he was too furious to do anything.
Yeon Jeokha looked at Sang Jaeyong sideways.
He seemed like a stubborn and obstinate man, as evidenced by how he had harassed his brothers.
Such people had no remedy.
"You have a face full of bad intentions. Leave, I don't want to see you anymore."
Sang Jaeyong left quickly without looking back.
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Kaifeng.
Tianxiang Restaurant.
Around noon, the restaurant was filled with customers attracted by the fame of its cooks. The waiters moved between the tables, taking orders and bringing them to the kitchen.
The calm and bustling routine was abruptly interrupted by an explosion that echoed on the first floor.
Someone had fallen from the second floor, landing in the middle of the dining room.
The customers, terrified, fled in all directions, creating chaos.
Among the debris of the broken table, a bloody figure rose with difficulty.
It was Cheok Dogwang, the Heavenly Killer's Eye, owner of the Tianxiang Restaurant.
"Cough, cough!"
Coughing and spitting blood, Cheok Dogwang's lips trembled with rage.
"I left the Murim World, why are you doing this to me? At least tell me the reason."
From the perspective of others, it was true that he had left Murim. To those who didn't know the details, he was just the owner of Tianxiang.
From the second floor, Shim Tong descended gently like a feather.
"Cheok Dogwang, did you try to kill a guard of the Yonghui Pavilion a few days ago?"
"Yes, that's right."
He knew that Shim Tong already knew the truth, so he didn't deny it. His opponent's strength was so overwhelming that he felt desperate.
"You know that guard was poisoned with darts, right? Give me the antidote right now. If you don't have it, you will die."
"Will you let me live if I give you the antidote?"
Cheok Dogwang looked at Shim Tong with hope.
"Of course. I came for the antidote, not to kill you."
"Then I'll give it to you. Don't break your promise."
Cheok Dogwang felt like he had returned from the dead. He didn't know if the old man would keep his word, but at least he had a small hope.
Cheok Dogwang went to the assassin's room and took a small porcelain bottle from under a table.
"With a drop of this, the poison will be neutralized in a few days."
Shim Tong put the bottle in his chest.
When he was about to leave, he remembered something and asked:
"Was it Chu Yeopjin who placed the order?"
"Yes."
"Do you know anything else about Chu Yeopjin's order?"
"Just that he tried to do it with seven hundred taels of silver."
Shim Tong observed Cheok Dogwang carefully.
He didn't seem to be lying.
Thinking of Cheok Dogwang's words, the image of Sang Jaeyong with his greasy face appeared in his mind.
"Why did you call Sang Jaeyong yesterday?"
"Where would Chu Yeopjin get the money for the order? Everything must have been paid by Sang Jaeyong. I wanted to get compensation from him. I lost two very valuable assassins..."
If Shim Tong had been a righteous man, he would have killed Cheok Dogwang for talking about assassins. But since he himself was from the Evil Faction, Cheok Dogwang's story only seemed interesting to him.
"So you mean Sang Jaeyong gave the money to Chu Yeopjin?"
"Almost certainly. Besides, Chu Yeopjin is like his right hand. He wouldn't have placed the order without his permission. But that old fox denied everything. I had no proof, so I left the conversation there."
"Are you sure you're not hiding anything? If I find out you're hiding something, I'll come back. And that day will be the day of your death."
"I've said everything I know. I have nothing more to hide."
"Hmph!"
With a cold laugh, Shim Tong opened the restaurant door and left.
Cheok Dogwang, who had been standing stunned, let out a deep sigh.
"Ah! Who was that man? He looked like a thief..."
His goat beard and tough face made him seem like he was from the Evil Faction, but his skill surpassed that of the masters of the seven great sects.