Chapter 22

“Le━ Ledger?”

“……”

“……”

Again?

Again with those expressions and those looks?

At this point, I need to question if my thought process is a little different from ordinary people.

Why on earth do others react this way to the words I utter without much thought?

I decided not to care.

Anyway, the reason I decided to take over the Lotus Pavilion is to expand my influence, and if I’m going to do that, there’s no better prey than the Green Gang.

In other words, I’m here to clean them out, so it’s only natural to check the ledger.

“Yes, the ledger. What was sold, when, and how much. Also, bring me the list of organization members, the restaurants, brothels, taverns, inns, shops, fabric stores, and all other businesses they manage, as well as a list of all the civilian employees working there. Don’t leave anything out. For your information, I’m thinking of imposing punishment if you try to play tricks or omit certain parts, but the decision is yours, so do as you please.”

I know how to threaten people.

When I was twelve.

I received 3rd-class assassin training at the Assassin’s Guild, and at that time, among the training subjects were torture and advanced psychological tactics, so I studied threats in depth.

That’s when I realized.

Most people threaten by exploding in anger, but a truly frightening threat is one delivered in a calm tone that sparks the imagination.

Perhaps because of this, the Green Gang members turned pale at my gentle tone contrasting with the harsh words and immediately took action. Meanwhile, I spoke again to the guys who were too badly beaten to move and the boss, Boar, who was still unconscious.

“Tie each other up from now on.”

First, I intended to restrain their hands and feet, clean up the chaotic scene, and then figure out what to do next.

◈ ◈ ◈

‘They really made a lot of money……’

Looking at the Lotus Pavilion’s ledger, I……

To be precise, after examining the Green Gang’s true nature through documents rather than just the Lotus Pavilion’s ledger, I was inwardly shocked.

Their profits were enormous, beyond what I could believe for a local gang.

Furthermore, the number of organization members listed on the roster exceeded the 120 I had dealt with today, reaching nearly 200. It seems the remaining 80 are stationed at various businesses throughout Chang’an.

“……”

Then.

The boss, Boar, who had fainted and only regained consciousness after the situation had ended, slowly opened his eyes and looked around blankly.

“You awake?”

“……”

“As you can see, it’s over.”

“……What are you going to do with me?”

“What else? Make you a fool.”

“Just hand me over to the authorities. I’ll face the judgment of the law.”

“It seems you want to seek the law at a time like this, but I can’t do that. There’s a good chance a guy like you will dig a hole and escape. Instead, I’m willing to give you one opportunity.”

“What?”

“Sam-dong.”

I was talking to the boss, Boar, when I suddenly called out to Sam-dong.

“Yes, Brother So-cheon?”

“You. Have a match with the boss, Boar.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not telling you to fight right now. I’ll set the stage, and you’ll have a no-holds-barred duel with the boss, Boar, in front of the Green Gang members, the Chang’an merchants, and the villagers.”

For a moment, a mixture of doubt and bewilderment crossed the faces of the Green Gang members and the Dongdong brothers.

It’s understandable.

This is something I thought of spontaneously, without any prior coordination.

But there’s a good reason why I made this decision.

‘It’s not a problem to dismantle the Green Gang. If we want to prevent a second Green Gang from emerging, we need to absorb Chang’an. To do that, it’s best for one of the Dongdongs to personally defeat the boss and gain recognition in the area.’

I intend to entrust the management of all the businesses in the Chang’an area occupied by the Green Gang to Yi-dong and Sam-dong in the future.

Il-dong has exceptional talent in martial arts.

If I train him relentlessly, he’ll become a master in a few years.

For that, it would be advantageous for him to gain a lot of experience by traveling all over the place with me.

On the other hand, Yi-dong and Sam-dong lack perseverance and talent compared to Il-dong, so it’s better to promote gradual development rather than pushing them too hard.

Therefore, I was planning to leave the household management to Yi-dong and Sam-dong, while Il-dong and I would focus on external expansion.

Then,

“Wha━ What?! You’re saying…… I have to duel with that brat Sam-dong, the youngest of the Kang brothers, not even Kang Il-dong?”

The boss, Boar, was indignant for some reason and started ranting, but I was about to flick his eyeballs with Flicking Finger Technique when I saw Sam-dong suddenly enraged and stayed still.

“Brat?! You boar b*stard! Do you know how many guys I took down today? More than ten guys had their teeth knocked out by me, you b*stard. Do I still look like the young punk Kang Sam-dong to you? You d*mn black boar-like b*stard, really!”

Whoa……

Sam-dong has always had a hot temper.

But now I see he’s good at cursing too.

“Ka━ Kang Sam-dong. Are you really crazy?”

“Shut your mouth, boar b*stard. You reek of pig s*it.”

Good.

That means Sam-dong has won the verbal sparring match against the boss, Boar.

I stopped the two of them and moved on to the next operation.

“Both Sam-dong and the boss, stop it. You’ll be fighting to the death soon anyway, so there’s no need to waste your energy already.”

“Yes, Brother So-cheon.”

“Alright. Just bring it on.”

Seeing Sam-dong and the boss growling at each other made me laugh, but I composed myself and quietly spoke to Il-dong.

“Il-dong. I’ll go meet the Provincial Governor first and then take care of the rest of the Green Gang members and businesses they occupy. You lock these guys up in the outhouse and in the meantime, inform all the merchants on this street, including the Lotus Pavilion, about the duel between Sam-dong and the boss.”

“Yes, Brother So-cheon.”

“And tell them. The Green Gang is disbanded as of today. Also, let them know that they no longer need to provide the unfair money and labor they’ve been paying to the Green Gang.”

◈ ◈ ◈

「One’s position shapes the person.」

It’s a truth that transcends time and space, and it’s my life’s motto.

I realized that saying once again.

‘Am I…… perhaps a genius?’

I pride myself on having a high level of academic knowledge for a Murim-in who lives by the sword and being the most broad-minded among those from the Demonic Cult, but I have a simple nature that dislikes complexity and inefficiency.

That’s why I expected to absorb the Green Gang in a very inefficient way.

But when I realized that the Green Gang, which I thought was just a small-time operation, was an organization with significant interests, my brain suddenly started working brilliantly, coming up with many backup plans.

Thanks to that, I was able to handle things quickly. First, I headed to the government office and started with a meeting with the Provincial Governor,

“Provincial Governor. I’ve taken over the Green Gang. Starting with this, I plan to clean up the villains infesting Shaanxi, as well as Chang’an, one by one.”

“I━ Is that true, Master Jin?”

“It is. So, about that……”

“Speak your mind.”

“I’d like you to turn a blind eye to the messy things happening at the bottom of the Jianghu for the time being.”

“Such as?”

“It could be violence, and sometimes it could be murder. But it’s unavoidable to stabilize the security of Shaanxi.”

“If Master Jin can truly stabilize the security of Shaanxi, what can’t I do?”

“Also, many of these villains have connections with government officials. This is what I’d like to ask of you. As the saying goes, ‘officials cannot be violated,’ so if these officials try to frame me in the future, please protect me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I was able to achieve my initial goal……

And I started to gather the remaining Green Gang members and businesses scattered throughout Chang’an by confronting them head-on,

“I am Jin So-cheon. A few days ago, I conveyed my intentions to your boss, and today, I put them into action. I’ve locked up your boss at the Lotus Pavilion, so you can check for yourselves. Anyway, from today onwards, you are disbanded. Of course, I don’t intend to let you go easily. But if you obediently follow my instructions, I won’t cripple you, so be good and listen.”

“What the h*ll is he saying? This crazy b*stard!”

“This won’t do. Let’s have a little spar.”

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!━!

In the process, I unfortunately had to resort to a lot of violence.

But as always, violence is poison if used incorrectly, and medicine if used correctly.

The violence used against these gangsters is medicine, and I’ve given them an effective tonic, so I have no guilty conscience.

Then,

“Ex━ Excuse me, Master. I’m the head chef who’s been running the kitchen in this restaurant for 10 years…… Is it true that the Green Gang boss has been brought to his knees? Is it true that the Green Gang is disappearing?!”

While cleaning up a large restaurant on the corner of the market street, I received a question from the head chef.

“That’s right. The Green Gang is gone. In other words, the gangsters who extorted monthly wages and exploited the workforce from the business owners and employees are gone.”

“M━ Master……! Really…… Thank you so much!”

“Are you really grateful?”

“O━ Of course I am.”

“Then do me a favor.”

“What kind of……?”

“Tonight at the. Gather as many residents and merchants from the neighborhood as possible in front of the Lotus Pavilion.”

“Ah…… Is that all? I’ll do that. But…… why?”

“I’ll show you something interesting.”

“Something interesting?”

“Didn’t someone say that the most interesting things to watch in the world are fights and fires?”

◈ ◈ ◈

“Are you scared?”

“Br━ Brother So-cheon. Your joke is going too far.”

“Then you’re not scared?”

“Why would I be scared? I’ve been training so hard. Now, thanks to the breathing technique or whatever you taught me, I can gather internal energy quite well. Would I lose to the Green Gang boss?”

“I like your confidence. As I always emphasize, gaining the upper hand is half the battle. As soon as it starts, charge and ram into the boss. With your physique combined with the power of the Nature Meridian, even a boar won’t be able to withstand it.”

“Close combat is my specialty. Don’t worry.”

“You have to overwhelm him. That’s the only way to establish your authority. From now on, you and Yi-dong will gather capable individuals, teach them martial arts, organize the businesses the Green Gang held, distribute what needs to be distributed, and take what needs to be taken, while reigning over Chang’an.”

“Br━ Brother So-cheon?”

“Brother?!”

Returning to the Lotus Pavilion, I had a conversation with the Dongdongs in the VIP room on the top floor overlooking the lake.

Yi-dong and Sam-dong’s eyes widened at my words.

“I know. You must be lacking confidence. You guys, who only knew how to grab people by the throat, can you really handle something like this when you can’t even do simple calculations? But don’t worry. I’ll assign a few competent general managers, so just manage them and oversee things.”

Then, Yi-dong put on a slightly stern expression, but seeing the corners of his mouth creeping up, I could tell he was feeling smug inside.

That’s what I thought……

“Wow, Brother So-cheon. So, I’m going to be the boss of the Green Gang now?”

Sam-dong was once again crossing the line, showcasing his ‘showing off’ skills.

Thud!

“Argh!”

I was speechless, dumbfounded, and my blood pressure soared, so I didn’t even want to respond.

So I just hit Sam-dong on the head and said,

“Boss of the Green Gang? You b*stard. How many times have I told you that we need to be a force that leans towards the Neutral Path, neither the Righteous Path nor the Demonic Path, on the surface? That’s how we can devour everything from the bottom up without interference from the major sects. Erase the name Green Gang from your mind. We need to be reborn as a proper Murim force, not a gang of thugs. That’s how we expand our influence, and that’s the way to become true Murim-in.”

“Ah, really! Brother, then what should we call ourselves? Huh?”

“……”

Now that I think about it, that’s true.

We’ve managed to clean up the Green Gang and create a foothold for building our power……

But what should we call ourselves from now on?

We can’t keep using cringeworthy names like ‘villains who rob villains’ or ‘bounty hunters.’

“Dawn Heaven Sect! How about Dawn Heaven Sect?”

Then.

Il-dong stood up abruptly and shouted.

“Dawn Heaven Sect……”

Is that all you could come up with, my name?

But……

It’s strangely cool, isn’t it?