Chapter 534

Chapter 534

The merchant world released the poison and incited rebellion!

If that fact became known, the Tang Family that made the Five Fatal Poison Pills would also face trouble, but the merchant world wouldn’t be able to survive either under the fury of martial sects.

The great merchants broke out in cold sweat.

Thinking it would be better than dealing with the Poison Dragon was a mistake.

Tang Ha-ran was a heroine. Moreover, it was the worst situation where the Tang Family knew all about the plans they had carried out with Wang Yeon.

Beyond the question of whether they would die here or not, even their families and relatives would all be killed. It was hard to gauge what the enraged martial artists would do.

The great merchants exchanged glances with each other.

When trading, all sorts of things happen in the merchant world, and sometimes they’re pushed by the other party’s move and have no choice but to take a loss.

“Huh.”

The chief merchant of Huizhou Merchant House sighed deeply, shook his head as if he couldn’t win, and said casually.

“We’ve learned a lesson from the acting family head. We’ve lost. We’ll admit our move was shallow.”

Starting with the chief merchant’s words, the other great merchants also laughed awkwardly.

“Hehehe, well this is something. Your skill at handling matters is impressive. We here have all been through all kinds of hardships, but we greatly admire the acting family head’s abilities.”

“Taking on the important responsibility of acting family head at such a young age wasn’t coincidental it seems.”

“When you soon ascend to the position of official family head, the day when Sichuan’s Tang Family commands the Central Plains won’t be far off.”

They even gave compliments. The chief merchant of Min Merchant spoke like a mediator, trying to smooth over the situation.

“Now now, it’s a good day for our first transaction, the atmosphere is too awkward. Give what we should give, receive what we should receive, and it’ll end cleanly for both sides, won’t it? Acting family head, please calm your mood, and all the merchants, how about unpacking the bundles you prepared for the acting family head here.”

The great merchants laughed heartily and spoke amicably.

“We brought famous musicians and theater troupes for the acting family head.”

“So the Tang Family won’t have to worry about anything, we also brought the best cooks from each region and all fresh cooking ingredients. Let’s call them to prepare a feast and please accept the gifts we’ve prepared. You’ll surely be satisfied.”

Then Jin Ja-gang entered.

The great merchants flinched. However, they tried to speak nonchalantly.

“This works out well. Great Hero, please enjoy together…”

Jin Ja-gang paid no attention to the great merchants’ words and spoke to Tang Ha-ran.

“I’ve sent them all back.”

Tang Ha-ran nodded.

“Good work.”

The great merchants were bewildered.

“Sent them all back… what do you mean…”

Tang Ha-ran looked at the great merchants.

“I mean the musicians and cooks the representatives brought. And the wagons loaded with gifts.”

The great merchants were at a loss for words.

“Why would you send them back…”

Tang Ha-ran pointed to the scattered promissory notes.

“Please take them.”

The clerks standing behind tied the scattered notes with string into bundles. Then they brought chests, put the bundled notes in them, and placed them in front of the great merchants.

The great merchants were flustered and just blinked.

What does this mean?

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“Nothing has been settled yet.”

Tang Ha-ran said firmly.

“Take them. We tried to manage these promissory notes in case they went wrong and troubled civilians. Did you dare think our family would try to profit with petty tricks?”

“Hehe, there seems to be a misunderstanding, that’s not it…”

Despite the great merchants’ protests, Tang Ha-ran cut them off mercilessly.

“Our family is withdrawing from the settlement of these promissory notes. They’re the merchant world’s notes, so take them and handle them yourselves.”

The great merchants were dumbfounded.

“…”

They looked down at the chest containing the promissory notes.

This was a box that laid golden eggs. No effort needed. Just exchanging money would leave massive profits.

But she’s just giving it up and returning it?

…Why?

Greed arose. If just one of them took responsibility and processed these notes, their assets would multiply instantly.

However, suddenly.

The great merchants’ minds snapped awake as if struck by lightning.

They realized the meaning contained in the promissory notes.

What were these promissory notes?

Promissory notes the Poison Dragon collected as blood debt.

Taking notes collected as blood debt meant having to pay the price for that blood debt instead!

This wasn’t a box laying golden eggs, but a box containing poison.

The moment they touched it, they’d have to repay the Poison Dragon’s blood debt.

The chief merchant of Min Merchant smiled pleasantly and said.

“Hehe, why are you doing this again? Didn’t we clearly finish talking about settling accounts? If you’re still not feeling better…”

However, Tang Ha-ran’s eyes looking at them were cold.

Gulp.

The great merchants’ throats were parched and they kept swallowing.

The head of Jiangsu Merchant House spread his fingers and shouted.

“Thirty percent!”

The great merchants’ eyes widened as they looked at the head. The head of Jiangsu Merchant House had been unable to maintain composure. He knew how Jin Ja-gang, who inherited Taoist Haewol’s will, viewed Jiangsu Merchant House. He didn’t want to even exchange words with the Tang Family anymore. No, he didn’t even want to be here.

“The promissory notes you’re holding, thirty percent! We’ll discount thirty percent!”

Promissory note discounting is when a third party buys notes early, deducting interest until the payment deadline. But now it didn’t mean that, but rather discounting thirty percent from the money they should receive.

It was hundreds of thousands of taels in promissory notes. Deducting thirty percent would leave over a hundred thousand taels. That would become the Tang Family’s profit entirely. In times of financial difficulty like now, over a hundred thousand taels would surely be a great help to the Tang Family.

However, Tang Ha-ran’s expression didn’t change at all. Tang Ha-ran emphasized once more.

“I said take them.”

Taking them means death.

Why would they take a box containing poison!

They tried to gain control by questioning whether the notes were legitimate or illegal, and ended up getting nothing. The great merchants had now become people who had to do their utmost not to take the promissory notes, forget about control or bargaining.

They came to receive money, but it was a contradictory situation where they had to beg for someone to please accept money.

Tang Ha-ran said to the clerks.

“The guests are leaving.”

The clerks carried the chests instead. Another merchant urgently proposed.

“Fifty percent! We’ll accept fifty percent!”

Jin Ja-gang glared at the merchants. It felt like silent pressure to take it and get lost.

“I’ll discount sixty percent, sixty percent.”

Nevertheless, Tang Ha-ran and Jin Ja-gang’s expressions remained cold.

Sixty percent was almost free. Yet Tang Ha-ran didn’t accept.

Wasn’t this too ruthless! Even undercutting, doing it to this extent violated merchant ethics.

However, even if resentment welled up inside, they couldn’t protest. No, resentment didn’t even occur to them. Only the thought that they must survive this place.

Someone else from the side shouted.

“Eighty percent… no, ninety percent!”

Looking at Tang Ha-ran and Jin Ja-gang’s eyes made any thoughts flee.

The chief merchant of Huizhou Merchant House took out a paper from his bosom and unfolded it.

Swoosh.

He spread out the paper with four characters written “When facing profit, think of righteousness” and knelt on the spot.

In a somber voice, the chief merchant said.

“Think of righteousness before profit. Our behavior may seem detestable to you, but beneath us are tens of thousands of dependents… If commerce collapses, innocent civilians will suffer hardship and their livelihoods will become impoverished… Then the streets will fill with the naked and the markets will be full only of the starving. We earnestly implore…”

The great merchants knelt one after another with thuds. They realized the situation wasn’t easy.

The chief merchant prostrated himself, bowing his head and said in a trembling voice.

“The troubles caused by our greed… so we can make amends and repay our sins… give us a chance…”

It was an earnest plea.

If money didn’t work, all the great merchants could do was beg.

“Give us one chance to atone!”

“Please, we beg you!”

Jin Ja-gang, who was watching, waved his hand. The paper on the floor lightly flew to Jin Ja-gang’s hand.

Jin Ja-gang read the characters and said.

“The original phrase is ‘When facing profit, think of righteousness; when facing danger, offer your life.’ It means when you see benefit, think of justice, and when you see danger, sacrifice your life.”

Jin Ja-gang threw the paper at the great merchants. The paper tore to shreds and scattered in the air.

Rip!

“You have no right to invoke righteousness before profit.”

Jin Ja-gang ground his teeth with murderous eyes.

“You seem to be mistaken. Do you think your debt doesn’t exist?”

The great merchants’ eyes widened.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“The Hungry Ghost King threatened to burn the promissory notes in front of you and plunge people’s livelihood into suffering. You also took hostage the livelihoods of countless people tied to you to save yourselves. And while doing so, you’re asking to be spared for their sake.”

Jin Ja-gang plans to hold them accountable and kill them too!

Then the promissory notes before their eyes. Those could become the price for their lives.

One person hurriedly took out notes related to their merchant house from the chest. He matched them with the counterpart notes he possessed and tore them on the spot.

Seeing this, others did the same. They tore notes here and there. They left the notes for money the Tang Family should receive and only tore notes related to money they should receive.

Then they bowed their heads.

“Please!”

“Please spare our lives! Please!”

Tremble tremble tremble.

The great merchants were trembling.

Why martial artists shuddered just hearing the name Poison Dragon, why the Poison Dragon was an object of terror in jianghu.

Now they understood.

That unwavering conviction of Jin Ja-gang.

Without conviction strong enough to face that conviction, one couldn’t match Jin Ja-gang. With petty tricks and profit at the forefront, Jin Ja-gang’s conviction couldn’t be changed.

In truth, that was why.

Fearing a world that couldn’t be solved with money, they tried to control the martial world with money. Then there would be nothing to fear in the world.

However, in the end, they met someone whom money couldn’t sway and all their plans came to nothing.

Why did Wang Yeon push aside Great Buddha Beom-bon and mark Unbreakable Heavenly Sword Baek Li-jung as Jin Ja-gang’s opponent?

Beom-bon was insufficient to counter Jin Ja-gang’s conviction.

Only Baek Li-jung possessed greed great enough to surpass Jin Ja-gang’s conviction.

At Jin Ja-gang’s stern rebuke, the chief merchant of Huizhou Merchant House trembled and asked.

“Tell us… what… what should we do…”

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The merchant world released the poison and incited rebellion!

If that fact became known, the Tang Family that made the Five Fatal Poison Pills would also face trouble, but the merchant world wouldn’t be able to survive either under the fury of martial sects.

The great merchants broke out in cold sweat.

Thinking it would be better than dealing with the Poison Dragon was a mistake.

Tang Ha-ran was a heroine. Moreover, it was the worst situation where the Tang Family knew all about the plans they had carried out with Wang Yeon.

Beyond the question of whether they would die here or not, even their families and relatives would all be killed. It was hard to gauge what the enraged martial artists would do.

The great merchants exchanged glances with each other.

When trading, all sorts of things happen in the merchant world, and sometimes they’re pushed by the other party’s move and have no choice but to take a loss.

“Huh.”

The chief merchant of Huizhou Merchant House sighed deeply, shook his head as if he couldn’t win, and said casually.

“We’ve learned a lesson from the acting family head. We’ve lost. We’ll admit our move was shallow.”

Starting with the chief merchant’s words, the other great merchants also laughed awkwardly.

“Hehehe, well this is something. Your skill at handling matters is impressive. We here have all been through all kinds of hardships, but we greatly admire the acting family head’s abilities.”

“Taking on the important responsibility of acting family head at such a young age wasn’t coincidental it seems.”

“When you soon ascend to the position of official family head, the day when Sichuan’s Tang Family commands the Central Plains won’t be far off.”

They even gave compliments. The chief merchant of Min Merchant spoke like a mediator, trying to smooth over the situation.

“Now now, it’s a good day for our first transaction, the atmosphere is too awkward. Give what we should give, receive what we should receive, and it’ll end cleanly for both sides, won’t it? Acting family head, please calm your mood, and all the merchants, how about unpacking the bundles you prepared for the acting family head here.”

The great merchants laughed heartily and spoke amicably.

“We brought famous musicians and theater troupes for the acting family head.”

“So the Tang Family won’t have to worry about anything, we also brought the best cooks from each region and all fresh cooking ingredients. Let’s call them to prepare a feast and please accept the gifts we’ve prepared. You’ll surely be satisfied.”

Then Jin Ja-gang entered.

The great merchants flinched. However, they tried to speak nonchalantly.

“This works out well. Great Hero, please enjoy together…”

Jin Ja-gang paid no attention to the great merchants’ words and spoke to Tang Ha-ran.

“I’ve sent them all back.”

Tang Ha-ran nodded.

“Good work.”

The great merchants were bewildered.

“Sent them all back… what do you mean…”

Tang Ha-ran looked at the great merchants.

“I mean the musicians and cooks the representatives brought. And the wagons loaded with gifts.”

The great merchants were at a loss for words.

“Why would you send them back…”

Tang Ha-ran pointed to the scattered promissory notes.

“Please take them.”

The clerks standing behind tied the scattered notes with string into bundles. Then they brought chests, put the bundled notes in them, and placed them in front of the great merchants.

The great merchants were flustered and just blinked.

What does this mean?

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“Nothing has been settled yet.”

Tang Ha-ran said firmly.

“Take them. We tried to manage these promissory notes in case they went wrong and troubled civilians. Did you dare think our family would try to profit with petty tricks?”

“Hehe, there seems to be a misunderstanding, that’s not it…”

Despite the great merchants’ protests, Tang Ha-ran cut them off mercilessly.

“Our family is withdrawing from the settlement of these promissory notes. They’re the merchant world’s notes, so take them and handle them yourselves.”

The great merchants were dumbfounded.

“…”

They looked down at the chest containing the promissory notes.

This was a box that laid golden eggs. No effort needed. Just exchanging money would leave massive profits.

But she’s just giving it up and returning it?

…Why?

Greed arose. If just one of them took responsibility and processed these notes, their assets would multiply instantly.

However, suddenly.

The great merchants’ minds snapped awake as if struck by lightning.

They realized the meaning contained in the promissory notes.

What were these promissory notes?

Promissory notes the Poison Dragon collected as blood debt.

Taking notes collected as blood debt meant having to pay the price for that blood debt instead!

This wasn’t a box laying golden eggs, but a box containing poison.

The moment they touched it, they’d have to repay the Poison Dragon’s blood debt.

The chief merchant of Min Merchant smiled pleasantly and said.

“Hehe, why are you doing this again? Didn’t we clearly finish talking about settling accounts? If you’re still not feeling better…”

However, Tang Ha-ran’s eyes looking at them were cold.

Gulp.

The great merchants’ throats were parched and they kept swallowing.

The head of Jiangsu Merchant House spread his fingers and shouted.

“Thirty percent!”

The great merchants’ eyes widened as they looked at the head. The head of Jiangsu Merchant House had been unable to maintain composure. He knew how Jin Ja-gang, who inherited Taoist Haewol’s will, viewed Jiangsu Merchant House. He didn’t want to even exchange words with the Tang Family anymore. No, he didn’t even want to be here.

“The promissory notes you’re holding, thirty percent! We’ll discount thirty percent!”

Promissory note discounting is when a third party buys notes early, deducting interest until the payment deadline. But now it didn’t mean that, but rather discounting thirty percent from the money they should receive.

It was hundreds of thousands of taels in promissory notes. Deducting thirty percent would leave over a hundred thousand taels. That would become the Tang Family’s profit entirely. In times of financial difficulty like now, over a hundred thousand taels would surely be a great help to the Tang Family.

However, Tang Ha-ran’s expression didn’t change at all. Tang Ha-ran emphasized once more.

“I said take them.”

Taking them means death.

Why would they take a box containing poison!

They tried to gain control by questioning whether the notes were legitimate or illegal, and ended up getting nothing. The great merchants had now become people who had to do their utmost not to take the promissory notes, forget about control or bargaining.

They came to receive money, but it was a contradictory situation where they had to beg for someone to please accept money.

Tang Ha-ran said to the clerks.

“The guests are leaving.”

The clerks carried the chests instead. Another merchant urgently proposed.

“Fifty percent! We’ll accept fifty percent!”

Jin Ja-gang glared at the merchants. It felt like silent pressure to take it and get lost.

“I’ll discount sixty percent, sixty percent.”

Nevertheless, Tang Ha-ran and Jin Ja-gang’s expressions remained cold.

Sixty percent was almost free. Yet Tang Ha-ran didn’t accept.

Wasn’t this too ruthless! Even undercutting, doing it to this extent violated merchant ethics.

However, even if resentment welled up inside, they couldn’t protest. No, resentment didn’t even occur to them. Only the thought that they must survive this place.

Someone else from the side shouted.

“Eighty percent… no, ninety percent!”

Looking at Tang Ha-ran and Jin Ja-gang’s eyes made any thoughts flee.

The chief merchant of Huizhou Merchant House took out a paper from his bosom and unfolded it.

Swoosh.

He spread out the paper with four characters written “When facing profit, think of righteousness” and knelt on the spot.

In a somber voice, the chief merchant said.

“Think of righteousness before profit. Our behavior may seem detestable to you, but beneath us are tens of thousands of dependents… If commerce collapses, innocent civilians will suffer hardship and their livelihoods will become impoverished… Then the streets will fill with the naked and the markets will be full only of the starving. We earnestly implore…”

The great merchants knelt one after another with thuds. They realized the situation wasn’t easy.

The chief merchant prostrated himself, bowing his head and said in a trembling voice.

“The troubles caused by our greed… so we can make amends and repay our sins… give us a chance…”

It was an earnest plea.

If money didn’t work, all the great merchants could do was beg.

“Give us one chance to atone!”

“Please, we beg you!”

Jin Ja-gang, who was watching, waved his hand. The paper on the floor lightly flew to Jin Ja-gang’s hand.

Jin Ja-gang read the characters and said.

“The original phrase is ‘When facing profit, think of righteousness; when facing danger, offer your life.’ It means when you see benefit, think of justice, and when you see danger, sacrifice your life.”

Jin Ja-gang threw the paper at the great merchants. The paper tore to shreds and scattered in the air.

Rip!

“You have no right to invoke righteousness before profit.”

Jin Ja-gang ground his teeth with murderous eyes.

“You seem to be mistaken. Do you think your debt doesn’t exist?”

The great merchants’ eyes widened.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“The Hungry Ghost King threatened to burn the promissory notes in front of you and plunge people’s livelihood into suffering. You also took hostage the livelihoods of countless people tied to you to save yourselves. And while doing so, you’re asking to be spared for their sake.”

Jin Ja-gang plans to hold them accountable and kill them too!

Then the promissory notes before their eyes. Those could become the price for their lives.

One person hurriedly took out notes related to their merchant house from the chest. He matched them with the counterpart notes he possessed and tore them on the spot.

Seeing this, others did the same. They tore notes here and there. They left the notes for money the Tang Family should receive and only tore notes related to money they should receive.

Then they bowed their heads.

“Please!”

“Please spare our lives! Please!”

Tremble tremble tremble.

The great merchants were trembling.

Why martial artists shuddered just hearing the name Poison Dragon, why the Poison Dragon was an object of terror in jianghu.

Now they understood.

That unwavering conviction of Jin Ja-gang.

Without conviction strong enough to face that conviction, one couldn’t match Jin Ja-gang. With petty tricks and profit at the forefront, Jin Ja-gang’s conviction couldn’t be changed.

In truth, that was why.

Fearing a world that couldn’t be solved with money, they tried to control the martial world with money. Then there would be nothing to fear in the world.

However, in the end, they met someone whom money couldn’t sway and all their plans came to nothing.

Why did Wang Yeon push aside Great Buddha Beom-bon and mark Unbreakable Heavenly Sword Baek Li-jung as Jin Ja-gang’s opponent?

Beom-bon was insufficient to counter Jin Ja-gang’s conviction.

Only Baek Li-jung possessed greed great enough to surpass Jin Ja-gang’s conviction.

At Jin Ja-gang’s stern rebuke, the chief merchant of Huizhou Merchant House trembled and asked.

“Tell us… what… what should we do…”

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