Hyeonjilmusin - Chapter 32



Only Krnovel

32. Fallen Angel (3)

What did I do wrong? Of course, I threw a silver coin while ordering food and got attention. But it wasn’t that bad of an offense.

As I was looking at the unmanned man with all sorts of thoughts, something suddenly caught my eye. It was the unmanned man’s clothing. The clothing looked familiar. It was clothing that I had seen somewhere before.

“These are the people of Zhuge Se.”

Jeom So-i whispered from the side. Ah. That’s right. Those old-fashioned blue clothes and blue silk were symbols of the Jegal family.

“You should have said something earlier.”

“Oh, I thought you would know, of course. Sorry.”

“no.”

Come to think of it, this was Yangyang. If Hubei’s Gyunhyeon was the front yard of the Wudang faction, then Yangyang was the front yard of the Zhuge family. This was because the Zhuge family’s hometown, Longzhongshan, was located right nearby.

Besides, this is a famous spot in Yangyang. I should have expected someone from the Jegal family to be there.

“capital punishment.”

“huh?”

“What should I do if Jegal Se and his people want to eat together?”

“why?”

“I don’t know.”

However, if it was a meeting with the Zhuge family, there was no reason not to accept. If the Wudang faction representing Hubei was the Wudang faction, then the Zhuge family would be the representative faction of Hubei. There was no harm in showing one’s face.

“By the way, if you go up there, there will be other delicious foods.”

“Then do that.”

Myung-kyung’s eyes lit up. Her sense of taste, which had been tied to the grassroots for years, seemed uncontrollable after being liberated.

“Then I will take you to the second floor.”

Jeomsoi guided us. We followed Jeomsoi to the second floor, where three people were sitting. The person who had been looking down at us seemed to be just a bodyguard, as he was still standing.

I quickly looked at the face of the person sitting there. There was a beautiful woman sitting there who looked to be in her twenties.

“As expected, they were non-partisan collaborators.”

The woman of the Jegal family was the first to show her familiarity. Before I could say hello, Myeong-gyeong was the first to give me a winning ticket.

“This is the shaman’s mirror. The friend next to him is the priest, Muk Hwi-yeong.”

“Are you a priest?”

She seemed a little embarrassed. Well, it would be strange if a child were sentenced to death and I, a minor, was a priest.

“Isn’t the person next to you a Doho?”

“I am a lay disciple.”

This time I answered. Her expression became even more confused.

“I am a lay disciple, but am I a disciple of the main temple and have four brothers?”

“Because we have the same teacher.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen something like that.”

“That will happen.”

I just shrugged. There was no need to go into detail about the system of named disciples. If they were curious, they would know.

“My name is Zhuge Yan.”

“Nice to meet you… Yes?”

“What is the reaction?”

I answered stupidly without realizing it. I didn’t know that the name Jegal Yeon would come up here. That name was very famous in the world of business.

Zhuge Yan, the Poisonous Heart and Iron Face. There was a reason why a member of the most prestigious of the five great families, a woman, was given such a vicious nickname.

Zhuge Yan was the vice-minister of the external affairs of the Zhuge family. She ruthlessly expanded the business by using the Zhuge family’s financial power and palace connections.

The problem was how to expand the business. She mainly used the method of going into the niche of local merchants, lowering prices, and taking over the local merchants when they couldn’t hold out. Of course, when taking over, she slashed the prices considerably.

Enemies of numerous local merchants and small and medium-sized merchants.

You wouldn’t know how many people ended up in despair over failure and ended their lives alone because of her.

“Oh, no. Nice to meet you.”

I tried to muddle through and sit down. Zhuge Yan stared at me.

Big eyes, a sharp nose, a clear forehead. Zhuge Yan had all the qualities of a beauty.

That was also the reason why I didn’t recognize Zhuge Yan. Since I also ran a large merchant company, I had the opportunity to meet Zhuge Yan, who controlled all of Hubei’s commercial areas. At that time, Zhuge Yan was wearing an iron mask. The reason why her nickname included iron mask was not because she was shameless. It was because she always wore an iron mask when she went out.

There were various opinions about why Zhuge Yan wore a mask. Some said that he covered his real face because he had made so many enemies, while others said that he covered his face because he was one of the most beautiful women in the Central Plains.

But when I looked at it today, the latter was not completely true. It was to the extent that it could compete with the title of Hubei’s best beauty, so I wonder how such a rumor could have spread.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“There is no need to be thankful.”

At the cold, cutting voice, I was once again certain that the woman in front of me was Zhuge Yan.

“If I had known you were a lay disciple, I wouldn’t have called you.”

Their personalities were similar. She was known for being self-righteous and arrogant. She was also known for being merciless when she judged that someone was not worthy of speaking to her.

He was born in the noble family of Jegal Se-ga and his abilities were outstanding, so his subordinates did not seem human. To be honest, it would be difficult for someone with that kind of personality to succeed as a merchant. Nevertheless, the reason Jegal Yeon succeeded was because he had the support of Jegal Se-ga. I didn’t like her from the start.

Still, I wasn’t the kind of person who would be so foolish as to show it. I smiled slyly.

“Haha. Even if we are ordinary disciples, can’t we be good friends?”

“Not at all. Can you be friends with fish or birds?”

“Are you saying I look like an animal?”

“I just wanted to say that the world we live in is different.”

He said he thought he was a disciple of the main temple of the shaman sect, but he was disappointed when he found out he was a lay disciple. Of course, the value of connections is different.

I knew Zhuge Yan’s personality, so I just shrugged my shoulders, but there was an unexpected ambush.

“What is it, ma’am?”

“……yes?”

Myeonggyeong’s clear eyes pierced through Zhuge Yan. Zhuge Yan made an expression as if he was doubting his own ears.

“What are you doing, lady, harassing my priest?”

Zhuge Yan seemed dumbfounded by the unexpected blow. He soon regained his composure and looked at Ming Jing with eyes as cold as frost.

“I didn’t know that the non-partisan faction was so unpredictable.”

“You were the one who harassed me first.”

“You’re harassing me. I was just telling the truth.”

“I told the truth too.”

“That’s not true. Why am I an old lady?”

“If that’s what it looks like to me, then so be it.”

Zhuge Yan looked quite embarrassed. After all, it was not common to argue with such a young child.

“What are you doing? Even if you are a priest, you are old enough to know what to tell.”

Suddenly, an arrow came back at me, but I skillfully dodged it.

“How can I criticize the death penalty for its conduct? That would be deceiving the teacher and destroying the ancestor.”

“Oh, me.”

Zhuge Yan clenched his small fists and trembled, then suddenly jumped up. He was tense, thinking that he couldn’t possibly be showing off his martial arts skills.

To our surprise, Zhuge Yan straightened his back and bowed to us.

“I’m sorry. I got excited. I’ll apologize to the monk Muk So-hyeop as well. I hope Master Myeong-gyeong calms down.”

We could only blink at the sudden change in attitude. Before I could say anything, Myeong-gyeong struck first.

“Okay. Be careful from now on.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. This is not why I suggested joining you. I’ve prepared some food for the small group members, so please eat as much as you want.”

Why are you suddenly like this? Are you going crazy? Myeong-gyeong is pure, so she believes what she sees, but I already know Jegal-yeon’s personality. She was never a woman who would back down like that.

My suspicions were suspicions, and the food began to arrive one by one, confirming that it was indeed Zhuge Yan who ordered it.

The dishes I ordered were expensive, but the dishes Jegalyeon ordered were even more expensive. To be exact, they were expensive dishes that took a long time to cook, so you couldn’t eat them without making a reservation.

Hongsoungjang (red-broiled bear paw), Palbodubugaeng (eight treasures tofu stew), Hongwaeoeosi (red-broiled fish wings). A series of dishes that common people would find difficult to taste even once in their lifetime were presented.

“Here, I’m treating you, so eat as much as you want.”

Instead of his face blowing the cold wind like before, Jegal Yeon had a warm smile. It was a smile with eyes that almost fooled me for a moment because his appearance was so beautiful.

“Wow! Sister, you were a good person!”

Myeong-gyeong started using her chopsticks without any doubt. Before she knew it, the title had changed from “ajumma” to “noona.”

“Please don’t hesitate to drink the silent treatment.”

“Oh, yes. You may have some too, young lady.”

“I ate a lot earlier.”

You’re lying. When I came into the room, there wasn’t any smell of food.

I couldn’t figure out what this scorpion-like woman was up to. But what’s wrong with the food? I ate it deliciously.

Zhuge Yan really just watched us without touching his chopsticks. After some time had passed and he was feeling full, he finally opened his mouth in a quiet voice.

“Can I ask you something, gentlemen?”

“then!”

Ming Jing, who had completely fallen for Zhuge Yan, was the very embodiment of goodwill. It didn’t feel like they had been arguing until just now.

“There was a business a shaman did recently. Do you know about it?”

“business?”

“Yes. It’s a warehouse business that takes care of goods between wholesale and retail.”

I flinched at the unexpected words. Wasn’t that the business I had proposed to the non-partisan group to prove my worth?

“Well? I’m not sure.”

Myungkyung answered. Of course, Myungkyung couldn’t help but not know. She was too young to know or understand such things.

From the beginning, it seems that Zhuge Yan did not expect Ming Jing to know.

“I see. As far as I know, I heard that Gokjeongakju started that business.”

Externally, it is like that. If a lay disciple did it, it would be embarrassing even for the shamans.

But I kept quiet for the time being, because I still didn’t fully understand what Zhuge Yan was intending.

“however?”

“Actually, Jegal Se-ga is also interested in that business. So, I would like you to deliver this letter to Gokjeon-gak-ju.”

“Huh? A letter?”

As Myeong-gyeong asked back, a carefully folded piece of paper came out of Zhuge Yan’s arms. I squinted my eyes.

“Since the Mudangpa is one of the old-fashioned factions, it lacks communication with the upper class and the Pyo-guk. We at Jegal Se-ga can fill that gap.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Master Myeonggyeong, all you have to do is deliver the letter.”

Zhuge Yan covered his mouth with his white robe and laughed. I twisted the corners of my mouth.

Now I know why Zhuge Yan suggested joining the party.

It was a proposal for a partnership, but it was a method that Zhuge Yan used a lot. It was an act of enticing a weak merchant to join forces and then taking only the main part and throwing it away.

It seems that Zhuge Yan was interested in the business. He will learn how to run a business by working with the Wudang faction and then abandon the Wudang faction.

Of course, naive Taoists might be tempted by those words. They are people who don’t have much greed for money in the first place. However, I, Muk Hwi-yeong, was different.

“Just a moment. Death penalty.”

When Myeonggyeong was about to receive the letter, I opened my mouth.

Before receiving the letter, Myeong-gyeong looked back at me.

“why?”

“You must not accept that letter.”

Zhuge Yan’s smile hardened at my words.