Light Novel: Volume 18 Episode 8
Manhwa: N/A
The Snow Cloud Villa was one of the large mansions located on Xintian Road.
When the slums that were originally located here were rebuilt after being destroyed by fire, they quickly moved in and claimed the land.
Thanks to this, they were able to secure a much larger and better plot much faster than other mansions.
Along with Red Pine Manor, the Snow Cloud Villa stood among the prime locations on Xintian Road.
Yu Gi-cheon, the owner of Snow Cloud Villa, strolled through the courtyard alone.
The full moon shone above his head.
“How nice…”
He enjoyed the moonlight with his eyes closed.
He loved these moments of tranquility, which was why he had handed over all his businesses to his children and settled in this faraway place.
Suddenly, he felt a sense of emptiness.
He didn’t miss his children that much, but he did miss a particular boy.
“I wonder how Soma is doing…”
The boy who used to suddenly show up at his residence and call him ‘grandpa.’
He missed the boy who had left for a long journey with Pyo-wol.
The boy was not an ordinary person.
That’s why every time Soma showed up unexpectedly, Yu Gi-cheon would unwittingly tense up. But now that a long time had passed without a visit, he began to miss him.
The boy might be a dangerous entity to others, but to him, he felt like a grandson.
“Tsk! That guy is back, but why hasn’t that kid come yet…”
Just as Yu Gi-cheon was about to turn around shaking his head,
“Are you alone again?”
“Jang-rak!”
Wu Jang-rak, the trusted aide and confidant of Yu Gi-cheon at Snow Cloud Villa, appeared.
Wu Jang-rak spoke with a smile,
“It seems you are getting old, Master. You prefer spending time alone.”
“Haha! Do you think you won’t get old? Everyone likes to spend time alone when they get old.”
“I still prefer the company of others for now.”
“Let’s see if you still feel the same when you get older.”
“May you live a long, long life until then.”
“You give me a disease and then proceed to give me medicine.1 Anyway, what brings you here? I doubt you came for no reason.”
“You have a guest.”
“A guest? At this late hour?”
Yu Gi-cheon frowned.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t meet anyone at this time.
He placed great importance on etiquette, and unless the meeting was a prearranged, he disliked seeing people.
The problem was that Wu Jang-rak knew this too.
Most of the people who dropped by unannounced and asked to meet with him were usually dealt with at Wu Jang-rak’s threshold. But the fact that Wu Jang-rak was making an awkward face meant that the people who had come were difficult for him to handle.
“Who is it?”
“People from the Silver River Escort Agency.”
“Silver River Escort Agency?”
“It’s one of the businesses under the New Moon Manor.”
“Hmm!”
Yu Gi-cheon hummed.
Now he understood why Wu Jang-rak had not been able to turn the guests away.
The New Moon Manor was one of the Three Manors.
Two Strongholds, Three Schools, Three Supremes, Three Manors.
They were one of the eleven strongest powers in all of Jianghu.
If Silver River Escort Agency was one of the New Moon Manor’s businesses, then it was impossible for even Wu Jang-rak to easily refuse the meeting.
“The head of Silver River Escort Agency has come in person. What should we do?”
“What choice do we have? Let them in. I will meet them myself.”
“They’ve already been escorted to the guest hall.”
“Let’s go see them then.”
The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the guest hall.
Inside the guest hall, a man and a woman were waiting for them.
They were none other than Ma Won-ik, the head of the Silver River Escort Agency, and his daughter Ma Seo-won.
Ma Won-ik greeted Yu Gi-cheon with a bow.
“I’m Ma Won-ik, the head of the Silver River Escort Agency. Thank you for your hospitality despite our sudden visit.”
“If you’re the head of the Silver River Escort Agency, it’s only right for me to make time for you. I am Yu Gi-cheon, the lord of the Snow Cloud Villa.”
“Pleased to meet you, Lord Yu!”
“Hehe! Likewise, Lord Ma!”
“This is my daughter, Ma Seo-won.”
“I thought she looked a lot like you, so she’s your daughter.”
“She insisted on coming. My apologies.”
“It’s fine.”
Yu Gi-cheon nodded.
Then Ma Seo-won stood up and took a bow.
“I’m Ma Seo-won. Pleased to meet you, Lord Yu!”
“Hehe, nice to meet you too, Miss Ma.”
Yu Gi-cheon thought Ma Seo-won was quite bold.
Her eyes and expression overflowed with confidence, much like those of other children from prestigious families.
It was the kind of look and impression that often appeared on young people who had never experienced failure before.
Concealing his inner thoughts, Yu Gi-cheon asked Ma Won-ik,
“So, Lord Ma, what brings you to my manor at this late hour?”
“I’m thirsty. I would like a cup of tea if it’s possible.”
“I must be out of my mind. A guest has come and I haven’t served any tea. What are you doing? Go tell the servants to bring some tea right away.”
“Yes!”
Wu Jang-rak responded and ordered the servants.
Meanwhile, the three sat down and chatted.
“On the way here, I noticed how clean the streets are. Didn’t this area used to be slum?”
“That’s right. It used to be a place where the poor lived together, but then there was a big fire and everything burned down.”
“Oh?”
“Afterward, this kind of street emerged.”
“So, the poor must have been pushed to the outskirts again then.”
“It’s unfortunate, but in my case, I compensated those who were on my land quite a bit. But it wasn’t the same for others, some bought land cheaply and drove the poor away.”
“The world could truly be a heartless place. But with you, Lord Ma, the world is still livable.”
“You flatter me.”
“Not at all. I’ve heard so many people praising you here in Chengdu, Lord Yu. This, Ma Won-ik, is truly impressed.”
“Oh, come on! What are you talking about…”
Yu Gi-cheon bowed his head as if apologetic.
‘What is he trying to say, talking in circles like this?’
Although he had long since retired, Yu Gi-cheon had experienced all sorts of things as a merchant.
Even with just a few words, he could tell that the other party was hiding something.
“I’ve heard that Lord Yu has done many good deeds. You distributed grains during the famine and helped those in need… Truly remarkable.”
“It’s nothing to be praised for. It’s just something that needed to be done.”
“I also know that you’ve donated scriptures to Shaolin Temple. It must’ve been a difficult decision–”
“I only returned them to their rightful owner. It’s only natural for the original scriptures to be kept at Shaolin, the terminus of Buddhism.”
“Easy to say, but how many people in the world could actually do that? You are truly remarkable.”
“Haha!”
“But, I’ve heard that you didn’t donate all the Buddhist scriptures. Is that true?”
“Why do you ask?”
Suddenly, a look of caution flashed across Yu Gi-cheon’s eyes.
‘I knew it. He keeps emphasizing the scriptures, so that must be his real motive.’
His retired merchant instincts were telling him.
Sensing his caution, Ma Won-ik broke into a friendly laugh.
“Haha! No need to be so wary.”
“I’ve grown old, and so I’ve become overly cautious. Please understand.”
“I understand completely.”
“But why bring up the subject of the Buddhist scriptures?”
“Actually, we also want to do a good deed.”
“A good deed?”
“We are building a large temple at the New Moon Manor.”
“A temple, you say?”
“Yes! A tremendous amount of money is being invested. You may not know, but the mother of the master of the New Moon Manor is a devout Buddhist. She plans to honor her late husband by building a large temple nearby.”
“And so?”
“We would like to contribute to the madam’s intentions as well.”
“Contribute how?”
“We think it would be great if we could donate some of the original Buddhist scriptures to the temple the madam will build. Therefore, if you have not yet donated all the scriptures, we would like you to sell us the ones you have left. Of course, we will pay you appropriately.”
“Hmm!”
Yu Gi-cheon let out a ponderous sound.
That’s how much Ma Won-ik’s words had caught him off guard.
Ma Won-ik had requested the scriptures on the pretext of building a large temple and making a donation. He had even invoked the authority of the madam of the New Moon Manor.
For Yu Gi-cheon, it was a difficult offer to refuse.
The New Moon Manor, as widely known, was one of the most powerful organizations in all of Jianghu.
Their power wasn’t clearly known as they hardly engaged in external activities, but it was widely acknowledged that they held tremendous power.
The madam who founded the New Moon Manor was a mysterious person.
Despite being a woman, she created a huge manor, and little is known about her history.
She rarely traveled and engaged in external activities.
Her son took care of the external activities for her.
He was said to be so filial that he would do anything she wanted.
Perhaps this was the case with the construction of the temple.
If she wanted to build a large temple in honor of her husband, her son, the master of the New Moon Manor, would undoubtedly jump at the chance and make it happen.
If Yu Gi-cheon did not provide the scriptures, who knew if they would hold a grudge and seek revenge?
Even if Yu Gi-cheon and Snow Cloud Villa were safe in Chengdu, he didn’t know what kind of damage his son and the Taiyuan Merchant Group might suffer from New Moon Manor.
Yu Gi-cheon cautiously asked,
“Does the madam want the scriptures? Or is this an offer born out of your loyalty, Lord Ma?”
“Consider it a mix of both.”
“Hmm!”
Yu Gi-cheon let out another ponderous sound.
If this was what the madam wanted, he had no choice.
‘They are pressuring me with a polite demeanor and face.’
The worth of the original scriptures couldn’t be converted into gold.
There is only one copy of each volume in the world, and so there were many who wanted it.
That’s why even after donating some to the Shaolin Temple, he had not yet decided when to transport the remaining scriptures.
After pondering for a moment, Yu Gi-cheon cautiously spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you refusing?”
“We’ve already talked about donating all the Buddhist scriptures to the Shaolin Temple. I have them in my possession, but they already belong to the Shaolin Temple, so I can’t decide on my own.”
“Then why not just write a letter to the Shaolin Temple and ask for their understanding?”
Ma Won-ik was persistent.
For a moment, Yu Gi-cheon felt that Ma Won-ik might want the scriptures for some other reason.
He cautiously spoke,
“If you really want the original scriptures, how about sending a letter to the Shaolin Temple for permission? If you ask in the name of the New Moon Manor, the Shaolin Temple might not outright refuse.”
“We’ll… consider that.”
“Then we should conclude our discussion for today.”
Upon hearing Yu Gi-cheon’s words, Ma Won-ik and his daughter stood up. They sensed his unwillingness to continue entertaining them, as well as his firm decision not to hand over the scripture.
Knowing they couldn’t get what they wanted, there was no reason to stay any longer.
Yu Gi-cheon took their leave with a wave.
“Hehe! I would not be seeing you out. Take care.”
“We appreciate your kindness, Lord Yu. Until we meet again, be well.”
“Farewell, Lord Yu!”
Ma Won-ik and his daughter smiled as they said their goodbyes.
Even though their negotiation had broken down, no one wore a displeased expression.
They were all adept at hiding their emotions.
Ma Won-ik said,
“We’ll be staying in Chengdu for the time being. If you ever change your mind, feel free to come visit us. It shouldn’t be difficult for you to find where we are staying.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“Well then…”
Finally bidding their farewells, the two left the Snow Cloud Villa.
As Yu Gi-cheon’s figure was out of sight, their faces tightened.
Ma Seo-won opened her mouth.
“As expected, he refused.”
“Things don’t come easy. Did you get a good look at the internal layout?”
“Yes. I already have a rough idea.”
“Then that’s enough.”
“But wouldn’t it be too much of a risk to actually do it?”
“Because of the Reaper?”
“Yes! His residence is right nearby, isn’t it?”
Coincidentally, the Snow Cloud VIlla was right next door to Red Pine Manor.
Close enough that shouting could be heard by both.
Attempting anything here felt too risky.
The Snow Cloud Villa was essentially a natural fortress.
Especially since it was under the protection of one of the most fearsome individuals.
Ma Won-ik glanced back and spoke.
“Let’s just watch for now. It seems there’s still room for negotiation.”
“In the meantime, I’ll gather information on that person.”
“Who?”
“The Reaper. Didn’t you say he was very beautiful?”
LUNACAVE
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