Chapter 18 – 18. Different Dreams
In the end, with the confidence I showed, Master and the branch manager allowed me to enter into negotiations with the Qingsongpa elders. Master thought I would do it on my own and accepted it, but the branch manager was dubious about it. It is true that I helped a lot in clearing 〈 Firebird’s Nest 〉, but nothing else is known about it.
In fact, the branch manager’s reaction is normal, but Master’s reaction is strange.
Anyway, for that reason, after a few hours, I waited for the Qingsheng sect elder alone at the negotiating table. Apparently, an elder who went out to Pyo Guk-ju, named Cheongha Pyo-guk, said he would send him to the branch here as it is on his way back.
It wasn’t particularly strange since it was common for a huge munpa or Sega to have a cooperative relationship with a representative country or guild.
As we waited patiently, Meng’s warrior entered and informed them that they would be arriving soon. I lightly thanked him and waited, and soon the door opened.
It was an old man with a face full of greed, but his belly was a little sagging. Still, the term “Elder of the Qingseong faction” Was not a false statement, but the level of martial arts felt was at its peak. Considering that the level of martial arts of the elders of the Gupabang is usually between the peak and the hwagyeong, it was on the low side, but it was definitely the elder level.
Since the distribution was much lower, I got up from my seat and greeted them first.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m here to negotiate as Swordsman’s disciple and agent. My name is Baekun.”
“A disciple of Swordsman? Huh. Nice to meet you. I am Baek Jin, an elder of the Cheongseong faction.”
When he emphasizes that he is Master’s disciple, Baek Jin, whose eyebrows twitch, smiles and draws a kind smile. If you look at the atmosphere, it seems that you will be evaluated as a benevolent old man.
There was definitely a reaction, but the time was very short, and when I saw that the expression was artificially and naturally changed like that, I got the impression that I was good at doing business work.
It seems that the Cheongseong faction did not send him for nothing.
“Please have a seat. I know you must be tired on the way back, but I hope you understand my rush because my master has a tight schedule.”
“Heh heh. I can’t interrupt the journey of the swordsman. This old man is tired, but I’ll get right to the point.”
“Thank you.”
‘The bluff is disgusting.’
Although he is speaking as if he is patronizing, Baek-jin will also want to hurry up the negotiations. That’s also in a situation where I’m young and I’m alone with Ji-su, who seems to have little experience, and I don’t know when Do-Jin Baek will wake up.
If Baek Do Jin-in gets up and concedes to us after taking it easy for no reason, the Cheongseong faction will end up like a dog chasing a bird.
But he wouldn’t even dream that this was what I was aiming for.
‘Because I’m much more comfortable being alone.’
When the elder came out of the door and talked about business with Pyo-guk, there would be no attendants under his command. Perhaps some of the first and second disciples followed him as supporters. And if I give them a little time, they will sit down in this negotiating table and deal with me with Baek Jin.
So, on my way back, I asked those who came to the branch to tell me that I was the only negotiator and that I looked young. Thanks to this, the elders and attendants were caught off guard, and only the elders came alone. For the rest, as I requested, the branch manager was working hard and praising them, leaving them mesmerized.
Wouldn’t the corner of his mouth try to ascend to heaven if a person who is the equivalent of a branch manager of the Moorim League spat at the young, energetic young guys and treated them with praise.
So I only had to focus on the one white man in front of me. As an elder with the highest decision-making authority and without disciples to give advice or advice to, the present situation was the best.
“Then let’s begin. We Cheongseong faction want Naedan, beak, and claws from the corpse of Jujak, the owner of the Demon Race. I think this is a fair reward for the successful hunt that Baekdo, a member of our team, lost even his arm. Of course, Naedan I will tell Jangmunin that the silver be bestowed on Baekdo unconditionally.”
Baek Jin tells Baek Do Jin, who has lost his arm, that he wants to hand over his beak and claws as he intends to give an inner altar.
This is it. A trick to induce sympathy by reminding Baek Do Jin-in, who has suffered a great loss as a military man, and eat Naedan raw. At the same time, he and the Qingshengpa are packaged as if receiving the beak and claws is not very expensive, as if they had separated the pay they would receive.
“Of course, it’s a pity that Baek Do Jin-in is one-armed. But I think it’s too much to give the inner hem, beak, and claws.”
“…How do you think that? Don’t you know what the life of a swordsman who lost an arm is like?”
“I’m also very sorry that he, a swordsman of the same age as Master, has become like that. But that’s a story when Baek Do Jin-in wants it.”
I secretly opened my eyes at the negotiating table, deliberately opening my eyes.
“This is not for a dirty bastard like you.”
“What, what?!”
Baekjin jumped up from his seat and became angry. Hagisa, it would be absurd if a kid who looked like he hadn’t even lived half of his life was swearing at me out of the blue.
“Calm down and have a seat, Elder.”
“You bastard! The way you talked just now is-!”
I don’t know if it’s because I’m excited, but I sighed inwardly as I saw him growling like a beast that had lost his temper, then cut off the flow and said.
“Irregularities.”
“…”
At that moment, Baek Jin, who had been talking like a lie, shut his mouth.
“Recently, the Cheongseong faction has been pushing for it.”
“What is it like?”
“Recently, there have been a strangely large number of demonic spectacles captured. Although there are only small demonic spectacles, they are clearly within the domain of the Qingsheng faction, and even though there were people who discovered them first, they were handed over to the Qingsheng sect at a low price as soon as they were reported. There is information that all the metals that blacksmiths obtain come from Cheongha-pyo-guk.”
Aren’t you guys doing dirty things? I know everything. Kneel if you don’t want this to be publicized.
Was it accepted this way? Baek Jin replied shamelessly.
“Ha! What did you say and that’s all it was? It’s all nonsense. That rumor has been around before and an inspector came out of the coffin, but you don’t seem to know that fact.”
“Oh my gosh. You’re such a bad brain, so you’re lucky to be in the Cheongseong faction’s business?”
“Have you done what you said!”
He was in the middle of the day, and he tried to pressure me with momentum. Is he more capable of insulting himself than the Qingsheng faction? It was definitely a fun banquet.
I sip tea calmly even when I receive my momentum. At first, he thought he was just holding out, so he continued to shoot, but as time passed, the peace did not change, and a feeling of bewilderment appeared on Baek-jin’s face, who finally admitted that it didn’t work at all.
“No matter how strong I am, I won’t run rampant like a mudskipper just because of my status as Master’s disciple. It’s not the Qingsheng faction that threatens me, it’s you, Elder Baek Jin.”
“What?”
“Did the Cheongseong faction know that the royal family was secretly siphoning off the money paid for in the Birimun Gate? I’m thinking of doing a brief background investigation of Elder Baek Jin. But what if we find out that the amount paid in the corruption case and the amount received from the Cheongseong faction are different?”
This time, Baek Jin hardened as if he were about to faint. The reddish color of his complexion subsided and became pale, and before he knew it, a thick drop of sweat flowed down his cheek.
Well, it wasn’t something I couldn’t understand. It would be crazy for him to know that a swordsman’s disciple, who had never met him in a foreign country, knew the secret he thought no one would know.
“Here’s the problem. How do I, an outsider, know this?”
“That’s…”
“The answer is because Baek Do-jin was investigating your background.”
“A white peach?”
“Yes. This is the information Baekdojinin finally got while wandering around in all directions to find out the corruption of the Cheongseong faction. This attack on the Devil’s Land was quite dangerous, so it wouldn’t be strange if someone died. He shared the information with Master and asked me to hand over the evidence to a trusted member of the Qingsheng Sect if he was wrong.”
“But why are you revealing that to me?”
Baek-jin, now aware of who is A and B, began negotiating from B’s point of view. I can’t see my level of martial arts to kill me right away, but if I leave it alone, if my corruption is known to the Cheongseong faction, I will end my life as an unmanned person and face the lesser evil.
“My master doesn’t know much about these things. So he entrusted it to me. However, I wish I could skip it in the middle like the elder.”
“Are you betraying the Swordsman?”
“Uh huh. It’s a betrayal. Please refrain from talking about it. It’s about getting a fair wage.”
“I see. Can I also receive the fair wages of labor?”
“Sure.”
Let’s translate it like this.
Baekjin: Can I get some soybean paste too?
Me: If you do well, I’ll share some.
To be precise, this is what it means, and in another sense, Baek Jin is trying to catch my weakness. He said that now that his weakness is caught, he will commit corruption together to catch the other person’s corruption.
Anyway, since he already had a weakness, there was no problem even if he committed corruption together.
“Then tell me now. What do you want? You want me to tell you this because you want something.”
That negotiation law, which tried to induce a leniency from me, ‘A’, by revealing my position as ‘B’ that I would take anything, was slightly respectful, but I respected it. How can you eat such shamelessness and become such a tongue?
“What this side wants is for me to eat the inner hem of Suzaku.”
“…It’s a big deal from the beginning. Do you want a situation where this side secretly stole the secret money back to you after the distribution is done as you want?”
“Yes. Officially, the Cheongseongpa will take care of the inner hem, claws, and bones, and Master will take the beak and feathers. Of course, unofficially, as you said, the inner end should come this way.”
“I understand that what this side asked for in the first place was a beak and claws on the inner hem.”
As if he was greedy even to the beak, he replied like a knife to Baek Jin’s insistence that he secretly tried to check the liver.
“No. Wasn’t he going to do this anyway? If I asked for an unreasonable favor and asked for one, wouldn’t he give up ownership right away?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t even get my money’s worth. But how should I hand over the inner altar to you? Even if it’s a small thing, it’s not easy to steal an important by-product like an inner altar.”
“Don’t worry. Because I ordered the guardians, there will soon be rumors that the swordsman’s disciple suffered severe internal injuries, and an incident that he fell into a coin intoxication. There, it is claimed that the elder Baek Jin donated the inner hem of Zuzak to Hui Ji-soo for treatment. You can do it. I’m actually going to take the nameless elixir of yawning to cure it.”
“I see. Then I’ll get a reputation for making a big decision to save the swordsman’s apprentice. But didn’t you say you’d give me some of yours?”
Baek Jin’s eyes sharpened. Did you come to the idea that if there is no way to catch my weakness, I might use poison poison alone.
“Of course I have to give it to you. Isn’t the bird’s beak originally a pair of top and bottom? I will tear off the lower part and give it to Elder Baek Jin first as proof that we are on the same boat. And we have to write the contract separately. Will.”
“How are you going to make excuses for the Swordsman and the Volcano?”
“I’ll tell you well, Master. I promise you that if Elder Baek Jin doesn’t expose Suzaku’s beak to the outside world, it will pass smoothly.”
“It seems that the swordsman has strong trust in his pupil.
Although it is regretful, Baek-jin, who is relieved by the fact that his corruption has not been exposed and that he will leave his contract, shakes hands as if to commemorate the boat ride.
‘He doesn’t seem to have a good sense of it.’
If you see that the back of the head is not cold.
